Welcome back, Weekend Warriors!

This week we’re talking ball! To celebrate the return of the NBA tonight, I’m releasing two of the articles I hold closest to me. One I even consider to be my initial foray into this beautiful and crazy world of sports writing. Both will give you detailed and new perspectives on the two sports and how they are more similar than you could ever imagine.

I’d also like to announce that the winner of this week’s double giveaway is my grandfather Gideon! Congrats!

I hope you enjoy!

How Basketball can Save Golf

At NYU, one of the first classes I took and one of the best (for obvious reason) was called How Basketball can Save the World. More than just the general ideas like teamwork and confidence, David Hollander expertly turned the fundamentals of basketball itself into adages that can help shape the future beyond the sport, in governance, the economy, and international relations. He challenged us students to find our own topic that basketball can save, and I chose golf mainly to follow the advent of NBA inspired streetwear in golf. But, my research led me to find that the similarities go even deeper. Check out the article here.

McLean Moving Up North

A top ten golf instructor of all time, Jim McLean has been a staple in the golf world for decades while always keeping a home base in South Florida. He has been at the Biltmore for almost 20 years now, and I always found it awesome to see him driving around the course, knowing all he’s done in golf and who he has met. So, I am happy to announce that Weekenders Weekly was on the scene for the opening of the new Jim McLean golf and performance center in Westchester, NY! Complete with six different simulator screens, an athlete performance center to the left, and a traditional gym and physical therapist center to the right, I can’t think of a better place to work on your game and your health. Check them out in Armonk, and keep an eye out for a full article coming in the next few days.

Basketball and Golf Mechanics

This is an article I love to tell people that I wrote, because they never believe me. Well, here it is now for the world to see, plain and simple, how the mechanics of basketball and golf are linked closer than you could ever believe. Why do you think so many basketball players love golf, and why some are actually so good so quickly, and even vice versa. I believe this article can help spark some discourse about the borrowings of teachings from other sports and how the golf swing, in its beautiful complication, is actually more similar than we think. Read about all this here.

TGL

TGL might honestly be the perfect merging of the new YouTube style of golf broadcasting with the technology and spectacle that the PGA TOUR is capable of. For those not in the know, TGL is a brand new golf league that is a joint venture between SoFi and TMRRW Sports, the investment firm made up of athletes including two captains of TGL teams, Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy. Made up of 6 teams, four players each, all either top golfers or once at the top golfers, the league looks to capture golf in an entirely new way. Players play in live matches broadcasted on ESPN into a screen that is about 125 feet tall, where they then play the rest of the hole in a short game complex. They call it at four basketball courts wide; an NFL field is 12 for reference. With the action taking place in a specially made arena as well as being suited for TV (hopefully the players have mics), other cool technology like the green that changes to match the course will bring viewers, as will Tiger and Rory like they always do. What will also draw viewers is to see how successful this event can really be with all this technology, as one of the most important things I was ever taught in school is that technology fails. How do you think the rules of golf have stood the test of time"? We will see what the players think of simulator usage and indoor conditions when the competitiveness gets high. The broadcast team will be important here to ensure that the energy is high for the crowd inside and that the viewers stay connected at home.

Malbon Fall/Winter 3

Just earlier today, Malbon Golf has announced a third release in their Fall/Winter collection, this one leaning much heavier into the Winter side. Most of the pieces look more suited for climbing K2 than climbing up onto a tee box. But, Malbon continues to look for golf inspiration in all parts of nature, even the extremes, releasing a collection that will keep you dry and warm on the golf course with fleece vests, nylon wind shirts, and a balaclava. Definitely some pieces in here better suited for the mountains, but doesn’t mean that there is no place for them on the golf course. Some courses are played in places or times of the year where gear like this is really a necessity. Although, it is obvious Malbon is expanding past golf in some ways, and they are using the outdoorsy route to do it. Check the collection out here.

Weekly Advisors

Yesterday at Van Cortlandt, I arrived to find the course pleasantly in great condition, with lots of green rough, filled in tee boxes, and the fringes are nicely kept, a detail I find important as I like to chip off them for most of my shots. But, they had to take advantage of the false summer that NYC is getting right now and aerated the greens. The first few holes, I putted like crap. I am used to playing in grainy Bermuda with lots of break, so I expect a lot of pull on the ball. But, the way it was today, I couldn’t get a read on anything, and it led to me making unconfident putts that I hit without intention. The fix was as simple, as widening my stance just a little, and just focusing on hitting the ball 50% harder than normal on every putt, reading 50% brake than normal. Over the course of 27 holes, I made 2 30 foot birdie putts, and one par putt from about 20 feet. Of course, I got real lucky on a few, I’m the first to say, but luck and skill work in tandem in golf. The physical changes I made in my stance and the change I made in my reads and my swing really made a difference. Try it out next time you show up to a course with aerated greens and have trouble getting putts into the hole.

Course of the Week

Course of the Week goes to Deering Bay down in Pinecrest, Florida. It’s an exclusive course I am lucky to have played, and I hope to give you guys some insight soon. This course wins the award for a two second clip in the just released NBA documentary Starting 5. In the clip, which again lasts for about two seconds, Jason Tatum is seen hitting a golf shot from a tee box. He is at the par 3 2nd hole at Deering Bay. Sorry to dox, and as much as I hate the Celtics, I wouldn't do anything to mess with Tatum’s golf game. Promise.

Stupid Golf Story

I saw a guy playing yesterday in jeans, a bright red t shirt with rolled up sleeves, chain smoking cigarettes. As the legend Stan Lee would say, “Nuff said”.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Weekenders Weekly! I am very excited to announce that this week I will be giving away an NBA headcover of the winners choice! With the lucky subscriber announced next Tuesday, let me know who your team is and I’ll make sure you can rep them on the course! Also next Tuesday will see the release of my interview with influencer Kevin Kim. Stay tuned, and go play some golf!