👀 Are You Ready?

To take THESE seriously

Tony Covey
May 20, 2024

Hi Golfer,

Did you watch the PGA Championship this weekend?

For what many would say is a mediocre venue, Valhalla gave us a memorable 2024 PGA Championship - even if some of what we’ll remember has very little to do with golf.

Xander Schauffele, arguably one bad shot away from winning at Augusta a few years ago, claimed his first career major. I have a hunch it won’t be his last.

On the LPGA, Nelly Korda won again. For those not keeping up, that’s 6 wins in 7 starts. While most of the talk this season has been about Scottie Scheffler, pound for pound, Nelly’s season may be the best we’ve seen since Tiger in his prime.

Before we jump in, here's a quick teaser: a new driver drops tomorrow - and I’m excited about it.

📰 TODAY’S SPY NEWS

▶️ Is it time to take Mizuno drivers seriously?
▶️ Tester Wanted: Vice Golf balls
▶️ Is THIS golf subscription service worth it?
▶️ Need an easy-to-install golf grip?
▶️ Wanna test this new gear for us?
▶️ Should this be the last Major at Valhalla?

TOGETHER WITH MIZUNO

Is It Time to Take Mizuno Drivers Seriously?

New Approach, New Expectations

Once a mainstay on the PGA Tour, the quick version of what led to Mizuno’s fall from grace with the driver can be summarized as a series of unfortunate events: a misreading of the tea leaves, PING’s release of the G2 (seriously) and the bad decisions that followed. The finer points are for another day, but the summary version is that Mizuno had lost all credibility as a Tour driver brand.

Development was well underway on the ST190 driver when, at a meeting at its corporate headquarters in Osaka, Japan, Mizuno made an especially bold decision, given the reputation of its drivers among the world’s best.

Come 2020, Mizuno would play by new rules: any professional under contact with Mizuno would be required to play the driver. No exceptions.

Today, Mizuno is content with where it is in the driver space. It believes it has worked through the hard stuff. Company-wide, everyone has bought into the notion that Mizuno drivers aren’t inferior anymore. It’s undone some of the negative beliefs and, in doing so, has established trust with its brand ambassadors.

Where does it go from here?

👀 CAN MIZUNO MAKE A COMEBACK?

📰 TOUR NEWS

This Should be Valhalla’s Last Major

Majors Deserve to Be Something More

That should be—and probably will be—the last major championship we see at Valhalla.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Xander Schauffele wrestling the PGA Championship away from Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland during a dramatic back-nine showdown, Valhalla is not worthy of major championship golf.

It’s no judgment on the city of Louisville or the state of Kentucky, which has provided outstanding support of four PGA Championships dating back to 1996. Hospitality sale records were broken this year. The fans were enthusiastic.

The problems lie elsewhere.

👀 DO YOU AGREE?

TESTERS WANTED

Vice Golf

Golf Balls

We’re looking for 10 golfers to put the new Vice Golf ball lineup to the test.

The Vice fitting tool will help you find the right ball.

BECOME A TESTER

Bag Boy

Cart, Bag, and Travel Bag

We’re looking for 2 avid golfers to test a bag boy push cart and golf bag.

We also need testers for Bag Boy’s new travel bag.

BECOME A TESTER

MONDAY SPY POLL

🏆 The Best Player Without a Major

For my money, Xander Schauffele was the best player in professional golf who hadn’t won a major … until yesterday.

With Xander’s win at the PGA Championship, it’s time to name a new king of the uncrowned.

WE TRIED IT

Mullybox Golf Subscription Box

Curated for You

Mullybox is a subscription service that delivers quarterly curated packages of golf gear to your door. You don’t even have to lift a finger (if you have your kid or spouse grab it off the porch).

Here’s a sampling of the gear I got in my Mullybox:

🔴 Snapback hat
🔴 Golf towel
🔴 Golf glove
🔴 Polo
🔴 Headcovers

While the gear isn’t from household names that I’m used to (save the Palm Golf glove), it’s fun to get a box that allows me, a self-proclaimed “brand snob”, to try some unfamiliar faces.

👀 IS IT WORTH IT?