The 2nd Cut Newsletter: Edition #58
Playing the Forward Tees, Bryson and John Daly, Nelly Korda Lefty Swing, Golf Sidekick 15 to 5 Handicap, and More
“Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day is plenty.” — Harry Vardon
📰 EDITION #58 📰
Welcome back to The 2nd Cut Newsletter!
📫 In today’s Newsletter 📫
Playing the Forward Tees, Bryson and John Daly, Nelly Korda Lefty Swing, Golf Sidekick 15 to 5 Handicap, and More
Playing from the Front Tees
On Monday, we played the front tees for my men’s league. Shout out, Mitch!
I knew Bryson Dechambeau was a big proponent of hitting from the front tees, but I had never actually tried it.
Well, I think I’m a believer. It was FUN, it gave a fresh perspective on holes I’ve played countless times, and it emphasized different parts of my game. Especially partial wedges from 25-75 yards.
In a Golf Digest piece by Luke Kerr-Dineen Bryson said this about playing the front tees:
"When I was a junior, when I was 15, 16, [my junior coach] Mike Schy would tell me to go play the front tees and learn how to score, so I'd be driving it in these tight areas and getting up-and-down, and my wedge game got really good because of it as well as my putting because it was stressful."
After doing it myself, it makes sense.
Because it’s easier to keep the ball in play (and, in turn, get it on the green in regulation), putting becomes more stressful and important for going low.
“It's probably the best thing you can do when trying to learn how to score. You go up to the red tees and try and shoot sub-60 rounds, for a good aspiring junior golfer that's trying to be a professional golfer.”
Like many of you, I’m not about to pay full price and go up to the front tees while my playing partners are back at the regular tees.
But if you get the chance, I’d highly recommend trying it. Maybe play a twilight 9 or convince a few buddies to play forward on a weekday.
It was also another reminder that most of us would enjoy golf more if we played up a tee (or two).
🐦 Tweets of the Week 🐦
The surprise guy in this elite group is Keith Mitchell. I knew he had a great swing and excellent iron play, but didn’t realize he was THAT good.
Nelly Korda has a phenomenal swing. In this video, she shows off her LEFTY swing, which is better than 95% of golfers. Impressive and just not fair.
Jason Day with one of the more insane putts you’ll see, plus some really cool graphics illustrating it.
📺 💻 T2C Media 📺 💻
I haven’t had a chance to watch the full video yet, but the clips from this are all over my TikTok and Instagram feeds.
From what I’ve seen, there are some really cool interactions and tips for amateur golfers. Daly is his usual fun and entertaining self.
I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with Golf Sidekick, but I remember watching his videos often when I first got back into golf, and they helped me see the game differently.
He’s not really like any other YouTube golfer I’ve come across. Sure, he looks a bit goofy and isn’t a pro, but his videos do an excellent job of articulating what good amateur golf looks like (and what it doesn’t look like).
Most of the videos are a full 18 of Sidekick playing a round. He goes through his thought process, aiming, club selection, and course management decisions with post-shot analysis. It's a very good example of good golf.
Check it out!
🔢 Stat(s) of the Week 🔢
This is the Arccos date from my 9-hole round from the forward tees. As you can see, putting is what let me down.
Thank You
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Til next time.
Kev - great stuff as always. There will come a day when the front tees are not just for practice, that is why "front tees" came into play and probably one of the greatest ideas for many who still love to play the game - fore!