Author: David Theoret

I came in with two courses on the itinerary, two casino resorts for lodging and dining, and modest expectations for the non-golf parts of the trip. The golf exceeded every expectation. The food surprised me. And the value, frankly, was hard to argue with. Any serious golf trip to Tunica starts at Tunica National Golf & Tennis, and for good reason. Designed by 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber and opened in 2004, this par-72 championship layout stretches to 7,204 yards from the tips and sits comfortably on the Mississippi Golf Trail. Five sets of tee boxes make it welcoming…

I’m not sure when graphite shafts lost the stigma of being for old men. I remember the exact moment the seed got planted, though. I was a kid growing up in Canada, playing every round I could talk my way into, when one particular club member showed up with a new set of irons. This guy always had to have the latest and greatest, and on this day it was sleek, black shafts that looked like nothing else in the bag room. He told anyone who’d listen that they were giving him extra yards because of the way they flexed.…

I’ve always believed the scoring zone is where rounds are actually won or lost, and it turns out I’m not alone. Breakthrough Golf Technology’s new Silo Tour wedge shaft is built entirely around a simple but overlooked truth: inside 120 yards, most of us aren’t missing left or right; we’re missing long or short. Silo Tour, which BGT calls “The Wedge Shaft Scoring System,” was engineered specifically to fix that, delivering consistent launch, spin, and carry distance from your 8-iron down through your lob wedge. “Golfers obsess over direction, but scoring is won and lost on distance control,” said Barney…

If you’ve spent any time around a golf cart in the last two decades, you’ve seen a Sun Mountain C-130 strapped to the back of one. It’s become the standard by which every other cart bag in golf gets measured, and after putting the latest version through a full season of use, I understand exactly why. The C-130 first hit the market back in 2005, and what’s remarkable is how Sun Mountain has managed to keep improving it without ever losing what made it great in the first place. Over just the last seven years, the bag has gone through…

Every year, new drivers come along promising more distance and more forgiveness, and every few years, I put one in my bag with a healthy dose of skepticism. The Callaway Quantum Max broke through that skepticism fast. After several months of testing it against my old gamer, I picked up real yards, and more importantly, I picked up consistency I didn’t know I was missing. The engine behind that gain is Callaway’s new Tri-Force Face, a three-layer construction that combines titanium, a poly mesh layer, and carbon fiber into one integrated speed system. Callaway paired that face with next-generation AI-optimized…

If you’ve never been to the PGA Show in Orlando in January, try to find a way to attend at least once.   It’s where new golf gear is introduced; everything from golf clubs and bags to apparel and footwear to high-tech gadgets like GPS units, laser rangefinders, and this year’s biggest boom – launch monitors. It seemed like many GPS and rangefinder companies were trying to get a slice of the launch monitor pie. More specifically, the consumer market – guys like me who want one for their backyard or basement. With dozens to choose from, I found one company…

Every golfer has used an IZZO innovation, whether they know the name or not. Back in 1991, founder T.J. Izzo set out to solve a problem every golfer knew too well: shouldering a bag on a single strap for eighteen holes is exhausting. His answer, the IZZO Dual Strap System, was so effective that Frank Thomas, the USGA’s technical director at the time, called it one of the four greatest innovations in modern golf. That design is now the industry standard on the overwhelming majority of carry bags sold today. IZZO does nothing but golf, and that singular focus still…

There’s a stretch of Highway 100 west of Henderson, Tennessee, where the road narrows, the trees close in, and you start to wonder if you’ve missed the turn. Then the entrance to Chickasaw State Park appears, and a mile or so past it, so does Chickasaw Golf Club, tucked so deep into the forest that not a single home interrupts the view. I’ve played my share of Tennessee courses over the years, but few have that same sense of complete separation from the outside world; it’s part of what makes Chickasaw special before you’ve even hit your first shot. Pines,…

Golfers heading to the Gulf Coast of Florida on a golf vacation should strongly consider the Port Charlotte/Englewood Beach area. There are more than 20 golf courses in the area worth considering; most are high-quality, semi-private facilities. Here’s what I would consider a fun and challenging itinerary. Every good golf vacation starts with a good base camp, an establishment with comfortable accommodations and good food. The Sunseeker Resort in Punta Gorda has everything you’ll need for this golf vacation, and a whole lot more, including one of the most challenging golf courses on the Gulf Coast. More about that in…

The Tennessee PGA’s Crossville Team Championship was held earlier this week, on May 11th and 12th, at Lake Tansi Golf Course, and several local pros and amateurs fared well. The team of Fairfield Glade PGA pros Adam Forgey and Logan Stewart, along with amateurs Rex Dale and Kyle Jackman, finished in a tie for second. The team of Jackson National Golf Club pro Mike Vance and Williams Creek’s Lee Whitehead, along with amateurs Jeff Brasfield and John Slayton, edged out Forgey’s team by one stroke to claim the title. The team featuring Kelvin Bugin from Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain…