Hayden Springer, who came to Bermuda at No. 125 in the FedEx Cup, shot a 6-under 65 for a share of the lead at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Viktor Hovland’s improved short game can be tied to 1 wedge change
On the latest episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates detailed a Hovland gear change few know about.
The post Viktor Hovland’s improved short game can be tied to 1 wedge change appeared first on Golf.
On the latest episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates detailed a Hovland gear change few know about.
The post Viktor Hovland’s improved short game can be tied to 1 wedge change appeared first on Golf.
There’s a video on social media of Viktor Hovland discussing his flop shot mechanics with Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates by his side. The clip is less than 30 seconds and finishes with the newly minted Tour Championship winner hoisting the ball into the air and watching it land softly next to the hole.
Then comes the comment you wouldn’t expect to hear from one of the best golfers in the world: “I’ve never been able to do that before,” Hovland is overheard saying to Oates. “That was sick.”
For a brief moment, Hovland sounds like a giddy teenager who just learned how to pull off the impossible. But this comment is coming out of the mouth of a superstar who’s supposed to have every shot in his arsenal, flop shot included.
What’s truly fascinating about the clip is the realization that Hovland didn’t feel fully comfortable executing the flop shot until this season.
Fully Equipped mailbag: Are you better off strengthening or weakening loft on a wedge?
His short-game work with coach Joe Mayo has paid massive dividends — to the point that it’s allowed Hovland to take the “bumpers” off his lob wedge, so to speak, as things improved.
During a recent interview on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, Oates detailed the behind-the-scenes lob wedge work he’s done with Hovland, going all the way back to last year when he officially put a Ping Glide 2.0 in the bag at the 2022 BMW Championship.
While Hovland’s short game wasn’t where it is today, he still wanted to be able to execute a myriad of shots with the lob wedge, including the flop shot. But with his well-documented short-game struggles, Oates figured a smart compromise could get Hovland what he needed without major modifications to the wedge’s sole.
“I’ll give Viktor credit,” Oates said. “For being a guy who struggled around the green, he still loved the idea of opening it up and taking the shot, even when he could do it. He could’ve gone down the road of adding more bounce, not opening the face up and just hitting it to 10 feet, but one of the reasons he made huge improvements is that he never went down that road. He always wanted lower bounce. He’d say the [open face shot] was one he needed to hit and figure out.”
The compromise turned out to be a low-bounce 58TS (Thin Sole) wedge that was bent two degrees weak to a stated loft of 60 degrees.
Bending a wedge two degrees weaker is going to add two degrees of bounce as well — it’s a one-to-one ratio for loft and bounce — thereby allowing Hovland to stay in a low-bounce, thinner sole product with slightly more bounce to keep the leading edge from digging into the turf.
As the wedge game continued to improve, Hovland came to Oates earlier this year at the Players Championship and asked for a true 60-degree Glide 2.0 TS to reap the benefits of even more versatility around the green. Hovland hasn’t looked back since that week.
“Now he’s playing a true 60-degree wedge that’s going to be more versatile,” said Oates. “It’s going to sit lower to the ground due to having less bounce, but it’s also going to require more skill. Ever since he changed, his stats have slowly gotten better and he’s never asked to go back [to the 58-degree]. That shows the work he’s put in learning how to expose that bounce and hit those shots a little bit cleaner.”
Ping Glide Forged Pro Custom Wedge
$199.99
PRECISION FORGED
Forged 8620 carbon steel
SHOTMAKER’S PROFILE
Shorter heel-toe for captured look and confidence
FRICTION FACE W/EMERY BLAST FINISH
Machined wheel-cut grooves increase spin and control.
WATER-REPELLING HYDROPEARL 2.0 FINISH
“S” AND “T” GRINDS IN MULTIPLE LOFTS (INCLUDING 59° W/EYE2 HIGH TOE)
T Grind – Narrower sole, approximately 3° less bounce than S, high versatilityS Grind – Moderate bounce, rounded lead edge, broadest appeal.
Forged 8620 carbon steel
SHOTMAKER’S PROFILE
Shorter heel-toe for captured look and confidence
FRICTION FACE W/EMERY BLAST FINISH
Machined wheel-cut grooves increase spin and control.
WATER-REPELLING HYDROPEARL 2.0 FINISH
“S” AND “T” GRINDS IN MULTIPLE LOFTS (INCLUDING 59° W/EYE2 HIGH TOE)
T Grind – Narrower sole, approximately 3° less bounce than S, high versatilityS Grind – Moderate bounce, rounded lead edge, broadest appeal.
View Product
As for why Hovland continues to play the Glide 2.0 lob wedge when Ping is already into the 4.0 iteration, Oates noted it comes down to personal preference.
“The sole of [the 2.0] was always perfect for him,” said Oates. “The heel and back were perfect. Now if he wanted to go into the 4.0 lob wedge with the same characteristics, we’d probably have to do slightly different things to match it up.”
Ping Glide 4.0 Custom Wedge
$199.99
A precision-machined face and grooves and new textured face blast increase spin and control, a larger CTP and softer steel improve the feel, and four distinct grind options maximize versatility on full and finesse shots around the greens and from the bunker. The compact, refined profile provides a confident and captured look at address.
8620 CARBON STEEL BODY, ELASTOMER CTP INSERT
The multi-material construction combines 8620 carbon steel with a larger and softer elastomer insert to provide a soft, responsive feel. The additional volume of the custom tuning port allows for 36% more face contact.
COMPACT SHAPE
The Glide 4.0 setup appeals to the eye with its rounded, compact design that benefits from advancements to the lead edge and hosel transition.
MILLED GROOVES & FACE BLAST
In combination with the precision-milled face and grooves, the new Emery face blast adds more texture to the hitting surface, creating higher friction and more interaction between the club and ball for more spin and lower launch.
FULL SHOTS:
Lower-lofted wedges (50° and 52°) feature a 20° sidewall milled to maximize groove volume.
AROUND THE GREEN:
Higher-lofted options (54° – 60°) are milled with a 28° sidewall and a tighter radius to impart more spin and precision on shorter finesse shots and from the sand.
FOUR GRIND OPTIONS
Four differentiated sole grinds (S, W, T, E) are designed to match your angle of attack and typical turf conditions for improving your performance and versatility on full and partial shots.
S GRIND Trail edge/heel relief
Ample bounce
Rounded lead edge
Fits most golfers W GRIND Traditional full-sole design
Most forgiving through the turf
Rounded lead edge
Optimized for square-face and bunker shots E GRIND High toe
Improved lead-edge shaping
Dished sole and tapered hosel for bunker performance T GRIND High lead-edge bounce
Half-moon sole shaping
Increased center bounce width
8620 CARBON STEEL BODY, ELASTOMER CTP INSERT
The multi-material construction combines 8620 carbon steel with a larger and softer elastomer insert to provide a soft, responsive feel. The additional volume of the custom tuning port allows for 36% more face contact.
COMPACT SHAPE
The Glide 4.0 setup appeals to the eye with its rounded, compact design that benefits from advancements to the lead edge and hosel transition.
MILLED GROOVES & FACE BLAST
In combination with the precision-milled face and grooves, the new Emery face blast adds more texture to the hitting surface, creating higher friction and more interaction between the club and ball for more spin and lower launch.
FULL SHOTS:
Lower-lofted wedges (50° and 52°) feature a 20° sidewall milled to maximize groove volume.
AROUND THE GREEN:
Higher-lofted options (54° – 60°) are milled with a 28° sidewall and a tighter radius to impart more spin and precision on shorter finesse shots and from the sand.
FOUR GRIND OPTIONS
Four differentiated sole grinds (S, W, T, E) are designed to match your angle of attack and typical turf conditions for improving your performance and versatility on full and partial shots.
S GRIND Trail edge/heel relief
Ample bounce
Rounded lead edge
Fits most golfers W GRIND Traditional full-sole design
Most forgiving through the turf
Rounded lead edge
Optimized for square-face and bunker shots E GRIND High toe
Improved lead-edge shaping
Dished sole and tapered hosel for bunker performance T GRIND High lead-edge bounce
Half-moon sole shaping
Increased center bounce width
View Product
For now, Hovland doesn’t see any reason to change. He’s in a full-blown 60-degree that allows him to execute every shot. The proof is in the results — and the fist pumps Hovland made at the end of the video clip. It’s always nice when you have a perfect lob wedge in the bag.
Want to overhaul your bag for 2023? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
The post Viktor Hovland’s improved short game can be tied to 1 wedge change appeared first on Golf.
Related Posts
Rory 1 shot off lead at World Tour Championship
The path is clear for Rory McIlroy to clinch the year-long Race to Dubai title and be crowned the European tour’s best player for a sixth time.
Hull, Jeon lead after first round of The Annika
Charley Hull and Jiwon Jeon each opened with a 6-under 64 on Thursday at The Annika, while Nelly Korda was two shots back in her first competition in nearly two months.
Rory: Ryder Cup pay would ‘change the dynamic’
Rory McIlroy and other Europeans this week scoffed at the idea of compensation for participation in the Ryder Cup, saying they remain delighted to participate in the event merely for what European captain Luke Donald called “passion” for golf and country.