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Articles by Shane Bacon
Bethpage’s Ending Was Never the Whole Story, Full Swing Finale Shows the Rest
Bethpage’s Ending Was Never the Whole Story, Full Swing Finale Shows the Rest We all knew it would end here, both as we experienced it and as we consumed it 7 months later during the final episode of Full Swing Season 4. The Bethpage Ryder Cup will go down historically as one of the most impactful golf events of this generation.
Full Swing Captures the Most Emotional Phone Call in Golf
Keegan kicks us off sans the mustache and we get THE emotional episode. This is the one you look forward to when Full Swing has the level of access they have. The calls. That moment when the captain gives you a ring and lets you know if you’ll be a part of the most important team in golf or if you’ll be in a position that Keegan himself was in a couple of years ago. Image: Full Swing Season 4 Episode 3 on Netflix The 2025 American Ryder Cup team was going to be different.
Golf’s Rising Talent Looks Different When the Cameras Stay On
Golf’s Rising Talent Looks Different When the Cameras Stay On The second episode of Full Swing Season Four ("The Outsiders") was focused around the almost stars. It’s what makes golf so great, really. We have our Rorys and Scotties and Brysons, but there is always this outside shot of the guy that wasn’t a can’t miss that went on to work himself into the biggest of conversations.
Full Swing's Season 4 Premiere Gets Right Into Keegan Bradley's Inner Turmoil
In my life, there is no sport better to rewatch than golf. Maybe it’s because every tournament is four days with so many twists and turns over that stretch of time. Golfers spend hours upon hours sleeping on leads and opportunities. We forgot most of the stuff that happened before the final nine holes on a Sunday, so getting a chance to watch it back is a reminder of all the maybes and could be's that go down at golf’s biggest events.
Full Swing Season 4: A Year Like 2025 Is What This Show Was Built For
When we look back at the 2025 golf season a decade from now, we will remember two massive moments. The first is easy; Rory McIlroy makes history at Augusta National and we all got to witness that gut wrenching final two hours of will he/won’t he actually get this done. The other was Bethpage Black and the Ryder Cup, which makes it no surprise that Season 4 of Full Swing leans into both—front half on Augusta, back half on Bethpage.
Shane Bacon: Michigan’s dominance sets a high standard, the Big Ten proves its strength, and the Bulls’ management needs a complete overhaul | Pardon My Take
Key takeaways Michigan was considered the best team all year, second only to Duke. The Big Ten conference was regarded as the strongest in college basketball this year. Michigan’s ability to win despite challenges showcases their strength as a team. Yukon’s performance in the tournament was commendable, even though it wasn’t their best team. The Bulls’ ownership has been criticized for poor management decisions. The Bulls need to pursue top talent aggressively to improve their organization.
Player's Journal: The Long Road to Learning How to Win
*In Partnership with Titleist* The Monday I won my first PGA Tour event, I was mistaken for a pro-am player. I got the call Friday afternoon that I was in the Bank of Utah Championship. The resort at Black Desert is big and there is a lot of construction going on. My first Tour event (as a pro) so I really had no idea how registration went. I knew credentials would be different, so me and my caddie pull in in the same car.
The Pros and Cons of Captain Keegan
In the wake of Keegan Bradley being named American Ryder Cup captain, Shane and Joseph took to their keyboards to offer the pros and cons of the move. By Shane Bacon A constant misconception about coaching is that the person in charge has to be cool. They have to be liked. That helps, sure, but it isn’t directly correlated to winning. If you watched Hard Knocks last season you saw a coach in Mike McDaniel who is anything but the cool guy in the room. But the dude can coach.
The Players and Storylines to Watch at the 2024 Masters
There are 51 weeks in the year, and then there’s Masters Week. We convened the crew for a whiparound preview newsletter to get you all ready for play. By Andy Johnson “No question, he’ll do it at some point… It’s just a matter of when,” Tiger Woods, when asked on Tuesday about Rory’s Grand Slam quest. As Rory heads to his 16th Masters, he’s trailed by many unanswered questions. He’s had a season of mixed results, leading to a recent visit with renowned swing coach Butch Harmon.
Has Rory Seen Enough Sundays Like That One?
I’ll never forget Rory McIlroy’s quote following Los Angeles Country Club last season. He had a real shot at winning his first major in nearly 10 years, battling it out with a relative unknown to the general sports public in Wyndham Clark, and he came up short. “I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.” 100 Sundays like the one he’d just had that day in Los Angeles, when Rory had a chance to win and didn’t. But Pinehurst was not one of those Sundays.
Beauty in the Grind
There is beauty in the grind. That’s something I didn’t quite understand as a younger golfer. Even into my 30s, when I didn’t have it during a certain round I’d be devastated. Last year I went to Pinehurst with my core foursome. The whole group can play, and we have awesome matches at fun places once or twice per year. I set up a day at Tobacco Road for us, following my Tobacco Road rule: if you’re going to play the masterpiece that is TR, you have to play it twice, and it’s gotta be the same day.
Let's All Calm Down
The potential for a rollback floated around the golf world for a number of years. This week, the USGA and R&A made it official. Then members of the golf world lost their minds. I’m not saying that pro-rollback or anti-rollback people lost their minds; I’m saying we all lost our minds. As our society knows best, nobody really cares about important issues until they start to affect our own bubbles and when they do, we gather the pitchforks and torches and rush the gates.
The anguish of avoiding golf's shank shot
I hit a shank in a qualifier last week. It wasn’t the full hosel shank that you’re probably envisioning—it was a shank on a chip-out. I was already in trouble and then somehow made things worse by hitting the worst shot that exists. It got me thinking about the bad swings in our lives. Depending on the handicap, bad swings either define your game or derail it. Those that struggle to break 100 live in a suffocating bubble of bad swings.
Anticipation: The Word of the Week at Augusta National
The Masters is the most anticipated golf event of every year. Its traditions and trademarks make it a one-of-one experience. But you know what makes the Masters feel that much better? That it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a men’s major. By the time we get to Thursday and the opening round of the Masters, it will have been 263 days since Cameron Smith shot that final round 64 at St. Andrews. That’s 72 percent of the year.
The Good and Bad of LIV Broadcasts
Think about the number one gripe from golf fans about golf broadcasts; it’s always that they don’t show enough golf shots. Simple as that. If you were LIV, and you had meetings about how best to disrupt the traditional PGA Tour/LPGA Tour broadcasts, wouldn’t the number one thing be to show a ton of golf? Especially with the shotgun start formatting, meaning all your stars are playing at the same time all the time.
How the PGA Tour Season Could End with a Bang Instead of a Whimper
When the Super Bowl finishes each year, it’s always a bit nostalgic. Football season, even if you aren’t a hardcore NFL or college fan, marks an exciting stretch of the year, and when it goes away we instantly miss it. It always gets me thinking about what our own sport could do to be a little more like football. I was talking with some buddies of mine recently about the biggest hurdle each sport faces.
A Place We Call Home | The Golfer's Journal
I’ve never been good at identifying the types of grass I’m playing. Anything beyond the difference between Bermuda and bent and I’m out of my league. But boy, do I love good turf. Let’s experiment: Close your eyes and think about the best fairways you’ve ever played. I bet you immediately know the course. I bet you can even smell it. Good grass has a different scent. It crunches differently under your shoes. Balls react better on amazing grass.
Shane Bacon's The Golfer's Zoo — Back Nine Press
Take it from PGA Tour players and golf journalists… The Golfer’s Zoo is a hit with kids, and also their golf-nut parents. Why not make story time fun for you, too? PRAISE FOR THE GOLFER’S ZOO “The Golfers’ Zoo was the first book I bought for my baby, and it instantly became our favorite. I hope Shane writes more kids’ books.” —Joel Dahmen, PGA Tour winner “Finally a children’s book about golf my daughter can relate to and enjoy. She doesn’t care about birdies and bogeys but loves animals.
Just Let Them Play | The Golfer's Journal
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Sixth green jacket or not, Tiger Woods competing in the Masters is a win
It’s one of the most famous interviews in our sport’s history. A two-time U.S. Open winner, an intimidating force, asking a newly minted professional about his goals. Not career goals, mind you. His goals that week. “A victory would be awfully nice, too,” Tiger Woods said to Curtis Strange ahead of Woods’ first pro start on the PGA Tour at the ’96 Greater Milwaukee Open.
Just Send It Sniffing
Broadcaster/former PGA Tour star/putting guru Brad Faxon and broadcaster/former mini-tour player/TGJ contributor Shane Bacon let us in on an email thread where they shared some of their favorite lipping-out stories, tried to explain the unexplainable and perhaps offered a bit of hope during those dark times. Brad wrote: Shane, I know you’re too busy lipping putts at Bandon Dunes right now to respond, so I’ll start.
It's time - past time - for Riviera Country Club to host another major
© Provided by Golf Channel Golfers can’t agree on anything. Blades or cavity back. Overlap or interlock. Tiger or Phil. Distance or rollback. If you spend any time online following golfers, you’ll quickly realize that one’s particular way of speaking on the game (“Golfing isn’t a word!”) can produce such hatred in other golf fans you’d think someone’s grandmother was just told to fix her own tire or open her own door. One thing we can agree on is Riviera Country Club. Every golf fan loves Riviera.
Dustin Johnson and RBC: Breaking Down a “Golf” Commercial
You might not be aware of this, but golf has returned. It’s back. They’re back on the tee! Everyone is excited! With the return has come a commercial that has befuddled me more than any ad I can remember. This isn’t a “standing in the hall of fame” type of situation where the ad gets played so much you want to donate your ears to science; this is a golf commercial that challenges the intelligence of the golf community.
The Bryson Experience is working
I’d never seen Brad Faxon so rattled. Faxon — one of the calmest and most consistent humans you’ll ever meet — was beside himself. Bryson DeChambeau, not even a year into his professional career, was standing in front of one of the best putters to ever pick up a flat stick and explaining to him how putting works. Can you imagine the audacity that requires? Explaining putting to BRAD FAXON! It would be like explaining the guitar to Eric Clapton, or the saxophone to John Coltrane.
Bandon Dunes: A Guide to Enjoying the Best Place on the Planet
(July 7, 2020: This post has been updated to include information on the fifth 18-hole course on Bandon property, the Sheep Ranch, with details and information that will help in planning a trip with a new course to play!) Bandon Dunes is the perfect golf destination. It’s perfect for everything it has, everything it offers and even some of the stuff it decided to leave on the cutting room floor.
Psycho Scorecard: An explanation
My own submission to the cause; a bogey-birdie-birdie-double-birdie-bogey-PAR (!)-birdie-eagle front nine at Dobson Ranch from a few years back. For years, I’ve loved nothing more in golf than a beautiful, colorful psycho scorecard. When I was doing my Clubhouse Newsletter, I had a section for “Psycho Scorecard of the Week,” and people on social media started to send them in on a daily basis when the PGA Tour kicked off. The one issue?
Where to Play in Scottsdale/Phoenix
Of all the questions I get on social media, the one I answer the most is that of Arizona golf. Bachelor parties, buddies trips out west and Waste Management escapades all tend to focus their time in the Grand Canyon State on playing the courses you’re supposed to play, but what exactly are those courses? Here is a helpful guide to get you going (and I want to point out, no course paid or committed free golf for including them here … it’s just all my opinion on the courses in my area).
Eye on Golf Equipment: The Seamus wool headcovers
Golf is a sport with ever-changing tools. There are drivers, putters, balls, towels, bags, socks, grips and everything in between. Here at Eye on Golf, we're reviewing the latest in golf equipment each week in hopes our words will help you make a better decision on what's best for you. This week, we look at the Seamus wool headcovers. One of the best parts of our job here at Eye on Golf is when we get to check out an up-and-coming brand that is both timeless and modern.
Post-Masters Mailbag: Reed, Rickie and the major championship playoff outcomes I’d love changed
We are now a couple of days removed from a fairly stressful final round at Augusta National. There were moments of greatness, moments of heartache and a man standing alone at the end that never bucked his head when some of the best in the world were trying to chase him down. With all that went down those four days (And five if you count the early week fireworks at the Par-3 Contest) I figured a mailbag was a must.
The only Waste Management Phoenix Open guide you need to read
(Updated: January 28, 2020 with just a few additions) While most of the country has been shoveling snow and scraping windshields for the last month, Arizona has been dealing with one of the warmest winters in its history. Did you know it’s supposed to be in the 80s this entire week in Scottsdale?
January Mailbag: Major picks, Tiger vs. Phil and sneaky good spots for a buddies trip
This week marks the start of the real 2018 PGA Tour (you know, the one with full fields and cuts and guys grinding over five-footers to keep cards and all that) which means it is the start of my yearly mailbags which I’ll pump out once a month, usually when things are heating up. If you ever have a question, just hit me with it on Twitter at @shanebacon or email it in at shane@shanebacongolf.com.
2017 Clubhouse holiday golf gift guide
Guys and gals … did you know we are less than three weeks away from December? What the heck happened?! It seemed like only yesterday we were watching Sergio and Justin battle it out at Augusta, Brooks claim victory at Erin Hills, Danielle Kang snag her first win & first major and Jordan Spieth slapping golf shots from a British driving range on his way to a first Claret Jug. And here we are, with all that in our rearview, focusing on trying to find that golfer in your life the perfect gift.
Rory McIlroy calls off his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki after sending out wedding invites
In a bit of surprising news on the relationship front, Rory McIlroy has called off his engagement and ended his relationship with tennis star and girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki. McIlroy issued a statement saying that he has called off the engagement after already sending out wedding invites to guests, saying the invitations actually triggered something internally that made him realize he isn't ready for marriage.
U.S. Open predictions: 10 things we expect to see at Erin Hills
Did you know, if there isn’t a playoff this year at Erin Hills, it will mark the longest streak without a playoff in the history of the U.S. Open? Eight is the record, broken by Fuzzy Zoeller versus Greg Norman in 1984, and if we don’t go extras at Erin Hills, it will be nine straight since Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate went at it at Torrey Pines. If you booked flights home on Sunday night, you might want to change that.
U.S. Open predictions: 10 things I expect to see at Erin Hills
We’ve exhausted so much time discussing the Big Four and the Next Great Thing and the whole time it was that guy that was simply winning year after year and slowly growing the best golf beard we’ve seen since Old Tom Morris. Do you realize how close we are to Dustin having three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship (and I’m not even counting the 4-iron he hit out of bounds as he was making a run at Darren Clarke at the 2011 Open Championship)?
Jerry Rice disqualified for using range finder
The Nationwide Tour, the PGA Tour's minor league, has done some things in the past to boost its product. While most of us know about the Nationwide, it is rare we pay much attention to it past who won or lost. So when the Nationwide Tour invited Jerry Rice, former NFL legend, to play a second event, eyebrows were raised. He missed the cut in his first try there with rounds of 83-76. This week? Rice took missing the cut to a whole new level.
Winners and losers from a memorable week at the Masters
We've talked a lot about the new attitude and "new" Sergio over the last year or so, but it hasn't shown on the golf course like it did on Sunday. Sergio missed some short putts and hit a few loose irons in the middle of his round and everyone collectively thought, "here we go again," but the 37-year-old wouldn't give up.
Jordan Spieth continues to show a resilience unlike any other
AUGUSTA, Ga. — When you think about Jordan Spieth, resilience isn’t really the first word that comes to mind. He’s only 23 and has two major wins, nine total PGA Tour victories and was a weak putt and a Jason Day away from winning a Grand Slam when he was just 21. But the biggest moments of his career have been defined by an ability to battle back. A year ago, Spieth ran into the 12th, and played the last 11 holes on Sunday in ’14 three-over.
The 2017 Masters has all the storylines heading into the weekend
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Major championships, especially the Masters, are a total and complete crapshoot when it comes to leaderboards. We can talk for hours on end before the event about players and their form, but it’s impossible to predict who is going to have a good week and who will struggle. But this week at Augusta National, the leaderboard dreams are coming true.
Augusta National remains a sight to be seen
AUGUSTA, Ga. — There are golf tournaments and then there is the Masters. We can try and paint a different picture but the idea of going to Augusta National for a day is something that any golf fan, sports fan and nature fan can agree is a bucket list item. Even for people that have gone to multiple Masters, nothing can replicate that first view of the clubhouse, the first fairway and the walk toward Amen Corner, and for the first time on Thursday, experienced that with someone who has never been.
Masters predictions: Who will win the green jacket at Augusta?
Hole that will be the story of the week — 15th Last year it was the 12th. The year before it was the 17th. I believe this year we will see some drama, both positive and negative, over the weekend on the 15th. When it’s wet and rainy like this, that area can get a bit soggier than other parts of Augusta National, and players that lay up will be forced to perfectly clip their wedges if they want to find the putting surface.
How does Rickie Fowler prepare for the Masters?
On this week’s episode of The Clubhouse podcast, we’re joined by Gary Player and Rickie Fowler to preview the Masters. Check out the highlights below, listen in and subscribe for more podcasts.
The part of Jordan Spieth's Masters collapse everyone forgot about
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A year ago this Sunday, Jordan Spieth had the most brutal moment of his career. A young stud his entire life, Spieth burst on the PGA Tour scene as a teenager, winning in a playoff against a Masters champion, and turning that first win into a career that has been nothing short of prodigal.
Dummies’ guide to the 2017 Masters
You, friend, have to turn to golf, a sport you otherwise ignore for most of the year. For golf fans, this is one of the four most important weeks of the year, and for sports fans, it’s a chance to check in on the game, grumbling about Tiger Woods and inquiring about Phil Mickelson. This article isn’t for the serious golf fan. That group already knows everything inside of this.
The non-golf fanatic's complete guide to the 2017 Masters
Hey there, sports fan. It is the time of year when college basketball wraps up, football is barely a thought in your brain and Opening Day of baseball season can only get you so pumped. You, friend, have to turn to golf, a sport you otherwise ignore for most of the year. For golf fans, this is one of the four most important weeks of the year, and for sports fans, it’s a chance to check in on the game, grumbling about Tiger Woods and inquiring about Phil Mickelson.
The Masters: 10 things we should all root for this week at Augusta
The Internet loves to rag on the two-time Masters champion, but I find golf a little more fun when Bubba is involved. The way he can play shots (remember that tee shot on the 13th back in 2014?!) makes viewing more exciting, and if nothing else, gives some fans a little bit of a villain factor to root for or against. But Bubba isn’t competing this week, or any week, if he can’t find the putting stroke that allowed him to close out both those Masters wins.
Butch Harmon nixes the idea of any Tiger Woods reunion
It might have been the Dream Team pairing of golfer and teacher over a decade ago, but don't think Tiger Woods will be returning to Butch Harmon after the announcement that he would be parting ways with Sean Foley. This is all according to Harmon, the 70-year-old instructor that worked with Woods up until 2004 and was a part of eight of the 14 majors Tiger was able to win.
10 bold predictions for the world of golf in 2017
I said it last year and I’m saying it again! Forget that Phil is actually on a longer winless streak on the PGA Tour than Tiger Woods. Forget that Phil shot his worst score ever at the Masters last year with that second-round 79. Forget that he’s 46 and the PGA Tour continues to get younger and younger. Forget that there is a 23-year-old that has finished second, first and second in his three starts at the Masters.
3 reasons Tiger Woods' return to golf is already a big win
Well, here we are again. Another week, another hopeful return by the greatest golfer to ever pick up a steel-shafted driver (no offense, Mr. Nicklaus). Tiger Woods returns to golf on Thursday with just 17 other competitors, like a baseball player returning from injury but spending his first few weeks in the minor leagues to get his ballplayer legs back under him.
The last remaining piece of the old Tiger Woods is now gone
NAPA, Calif. — The surprise came in the certainty. On Friday, news broke that Tiger Woods would finally be on the golf course, this time sans the earpiece and, interlocked fingers crossed, sans any injury. Actually playing golf at this week's Safeway Open.
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