Tiger Woods’ nonprofit TGR Foundation announced the official opening of the TGR Learning Lab Philadelphia, which will serve local students from first through 12th grades, providing access to science, technology, engineering, arts and math educational enrichment, career and college readiness, and health and well-being programs. It is the second TGR Learning Lab, following the flagship location in Anaheim, California.
The TGR Learning Lab Philadelphia is the first completed project of the ongoing Cobbs Creek Golf and Education Campus development, which will aim to provide meaningful opportunities for the local community through education and golf. Located in West Philadelphia, the campus will open in phases over the next two years, with a TGR Design short course scheduled to open this summer. A state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor golf practice facility, entertainment venue, restaurant, pro shop and Heritage Center will follow.
The Heritage Center will celebrate the life and legacy of the late Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour, who moved to Philadelphia to escape the Jim Crow South at 17 and often played at Cobbs Creek Golf Course, a public facility that did not restrict players based on race, gender or ethnicity. READ MORE
The golf-ball rollback set to take effect for professionals in 2028 and recreational players in 2030 should not cause average players undue worry, according to USGA CEO Mike Whan.
Under the revised testing conditions, balls will be tested at 183 mph ball speed, an increase from the 176 mph testing speed in effect since 2004. The USGA seeks to set the distance test to replicate the fastest speeds that can be generated off the clubface, Whan explained in an interview with GOLF Magazine's Subpar podcast, adding, “You don’t have to watch too much golf on TV to realize that 176 mph ball speed is no longer the high end.”
The impact of the rollback will be greater for players who swing faster and negligible for most recreational players, Whan said. “For the average player out there, we are talking about five yards or less off a driver and virtually no distance [change] 4-iron down through your bag because you just aren’t generating enough ball speed off those clubs,” he said. “So as I have said many times, it’s kind of a huge nothingburger for the recreational game.” READ MORE
College golfer Landon James Gilmore is cashing in on his familiar nickname. The Ball State University freshman, who has answered to “Happy Gilmore” since elementary school, signed a name, image and likeness deal with golf bag maker Sunday Golf.
On the course, Gilmore has posted two top-five finishes for Ball State this season, and off it he seems to be benefiting from his association with the movie character played by Adam Sandler, particularly amid the anticipation surrounding the upcoming Netflix premiere of “Happy Gilmore 2.” In addition to his bag deal, Gilmore has lined up a partnership with a major national fast-food chain to be announced soon, Forbes reported. READ MORE
Tap-Ins
Although Duke University junior Andie Smith missed the cut by one stroke at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, she left with the memory of a lifetime, scoring a hole-in-one on Augusta National’s Par-3 Course during Friday’s official practice day for all competitors. READ MORE
U.S. Amateur champion José Luis Ballester won the 28th annual Georgia Cup match Sunday, defeating British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Oleson, 2 up, on the Lakeside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia. The match served as a Masters warm-up for Ballester, a 21-year-old Spaniard who will make his first start at Augusta National this week. Oleson, a 25-year-old Dane, turned pro last November, thereby forfeiting his Masters invitation.
The scheduled May 1 reopening of Turnberry’s famed Ailsa Course in Scotland following a renovation of the seventh and eighth holes will be delayed until June as a result of damage to the course and clubhouse caused last month by pro-Palestinian protestors, The Guardian reported. President Donald Trump owns Turnberry, which has hosted four Open Championships. READ MORE
The investor group-controlled entity that owns the Carnoustie Golf Hotel & Spa recently assumed management of the Carnoustie Golf Links courses in Scotland and has initiated substantial investment in the hotel facilities in hopes of attracting the Open Championship back to Carnoustie, where it was most recently contested in 2018. READ MORE
Titleist and Arccos have entered a partnership through which members of the equipment maker’s Team Titleist loyalty program will be offered access to Arccos’ game-tracking platform and other benefits. READ MORE
The Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military and first responders, has partnered with PGA Tour player Patrick Cantlay and his caddie, Joe LaCava, to establish three Folds of Honor scholarships for qualified recipients from first responder families. READ MORE
The USGA has chosen Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to host the 2026 U.S. Senior Women’s Open. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity