You’ve just bombed your drive on a stout par-5. As you pace off your yardage from the middle of the fairway, you realize that you can reach the green in two.

It’s go time… so we’ve asked  Titleist Brand Ambassador Tim Clark to give us some pointers on how to make that fairway wood work for you as you step up to this shot... that can be a little intimidating at times.

As Tim told us, most miscues that arise when hitting fairway metals off the deck are really the result of a common misconception.

“Once an amateur picks up a fairway wood and, in particular, a 3-wood,“ Tim said, “they believe it’s a driver swing. In actual fact it’s more similar to your iron swing.”

In the video above, Tim provides some great pointers on how adjusting your setup and making a descending blow can help you to make cleaner contact and produce much better results when hitting fairway metal shots off the turf.

Hopefully Tim’s advice helps you out the next time you’re ready to go for it instead of laying up.

#TeamTitleist

It was a bogey-free weekend for Titleist Pro V1x loyalist Bubba Watson who captured the title at the Northern Trust Open after closing with back-to-back 7-under par 64's.

Watson’s rock-solid performance highlighted a weekend of success for Titleist golf ball players as Pro V1x loyalists Thomas Aiken (winner Africa Open on European Tour), Alex Cejka (winner Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship on Web.com), Kirk Triplett (winner ACE Group Classic on Champions Tour) and Anthony Summers (winner Queensland PGA Championship on Australasian Tour) all found the winner’s circle.

Titleist golf ball loyalists have now won 21 events across the worldwide professional tours in 2014, more than five times the nearest competitor with four and more than all other golf balls combined.

In total, 2,578 players have teed up Titleist golf balls in competition on the 2014 worldwide professional tours, more than five times the nearest competitor with 427 and more than all competitors combined.

Let’s get a snapshot of the action with the #TeamTitleist weekend recap…

PGA TOUR/Northern Trust Open: Titleist was the top choice in golf balls at the Northern Trust Open with 86 players, more than four times the nearest competitor with 21.

Among the 86 golf ball loyalists, 30 were full product line Titleist Brand Ambassadors. Titleist was also the top choice in the sand, lob and approach wedge (134) and putter (53) categories.

Watson birdied the final hole at the famed Riviera Country Club to put an exclamation point on his first victory since the 2012 Masters. Watson, who began the day four shots behind the third-round leader, completed the front nine in 5-under 30 and finished with a 15-under-par 269 victory total. It marked the fourth top-10 finish in six events for Watson this year. After the trophy presentation, he reflected on the significance of winning in Los Angeles.

"Winning here at Northern Trust is nice.  I mean, what an honor, what a privilege, what a blessing; the history behind this golf tournament, the history behind some of the great names as champions here.  To be a part of that now, to see success here at this golf course, which they haven't changed much over the years, which all of us golfers love."

Jason Allred (Pro V1x), who qualified for the event on Monday and was making his first PGA Tour start since the 2010 U.S. Open, finished tied for third, three shots back. He will earn another start at The Honda Classic based on his top-10 finish.

EQUIPMENT NOTES: Titleist Brand Ambassador Bryce Molder made his eighth consecutive cut this season and posted his second consecutive Top 10 finish, tying for sixth place. Molder, who plays the Pro V1x golf ball and 14 Titleist golf clubs, fired four consecutive rounds in the 60’s including a closing 4-under-par 67. He finished T-10 in Greens in Regulation (68%)

Fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador Brendan Steele, who put three new Vokey Design SM5 (52º, 58º, 60º) wedges in the bag for the first time this week, finished third in Greens in Regulation (71%) and posted his second top-10 finish in three events.

Geoff Ogilvy tied his best finish of the season (T-29), which included a pair of 69’s on the weekend, after putting a shorter shaft (44”) in his Titleist 913D2 (9.5º) driver and a new 913H.d 20º hybrid in the bag to replace his 5-wood at Riviera.

WINNERS’ CIRCLE: With Watson’s victory at the Northern Trust Open, a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball has now been played by the winners at 10 of the first 13 events on the 2013-14 PGA TOUR, compared to one for the nearest competitors.

Watson joins a Titleist golf ball winners’ circle that includes Jimmy Walker (Frys.com Open, SONY Open in Hawaii, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), Webb Simpson (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Zach Johnson (Hyundai Tournament of Champions) and Scott Stallings (Farmers Insurance Open), as well as the champions of the CIMB Classic, McGladrey Classic and OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Titleist players have more wins across every major equipment category on the PGA TOUR than any other brand: Golf Balls (10 vs.1); Drivers (6 vs. 3); Irons (6 vs. 3); Wedges (6 vs. 4); Putters (5 vs. 4).

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EUROPEAN TOUR/Africa Open: Titleist was the top choice in golf balls with 112 players in the field of 156 teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x, more than six times the nearest competitor with 18.

Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Thomas Aiken converted a 30-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden death playoff to capture the Africa Open.  The win marks his third career European Tour title and first on home soil.  Aiken fired four consecutive rounds in the 60’s, including a closing 4-under 67, as the playoff pair posted a 20-under par 267 in regulation.

Titleist Brand Ambassador John Hahn (Pro V1x, 913D3 driver, 913F fairway metal, 913H hybrid, 712U utility iron, MB/CB 714 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport 2.6 putter) finished in a tie for third place, just one shot out of the playoff.  The rookie posted a course record-tying 10-under-par 61 (eight birdies and an eagle) on Friday, which included an inward 28 to take the second round lead.  The 24-year old Titleist young gun and Kent State graduate came through three stages of Qualifying School to earn his European Tour card last fall.

• • •

WEB.COM TOUR/ Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship: Titleist was the top choice in golf balls with 93 players, nearly five times the nearest competitor with 19.

Alex Cejka (Pro V1x) won the Colombia Championship, the season-opening event on the Web.com Tour after final-round play was called when a fourth consecutive day of rain made the course unplayable.  Cejka, who posted a third-round 63, won by three shots at 14-under 199. 

Pro V1x loyalists Carlos Ortiz and Bill Lunde finished solo third and fourth, respectively, while Titleist young gun Justin Thomas (Pro V1x, 913D3 driver, 913Fd fairway metal, 913H hybrid, MB 714 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Fastback Plus putter) finished T-5.

• • •

CHAMPIONS TOUR/ACE Group Classic: Titleist was the top choice in golf balls with 57 players in the field of 81, more than six times the nearest competitor with 9.

Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Kirk Triplett won the ACE Group Classic for his third career Champions Tour title, closing with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory.

Triplett’s 16-under 200 victory total was enough to edge three players, including defending champion Bernhard Langer (Pro V1) and Duffy Waldorf (Pro V1x). Triplett, Langer and Waldorf were all tied for the lead with a hole to play, with Triplett converting a 6-foot par putt and the win.

Titleist golf ball loyalists have won the first three events of the year.

• • •

AUSTRALASIAN TOUR/Queensland PGA Championship: Titleist was the top choice in golf balls with 96 players (80% of the field), including 12 of the 13 who finished among the top 10 and ties.

Anthony Summers (Pro V1x, 913D3 driver, 913F fairway metal, 913H hybrid, 712U utility iron, CB irons, Vokey Design wedges) won the Queensland PGA Championship by three shots for his first career Australasian Tour title since turning professional in 1991.  Summers opened with rounds of 61 and 62 and closed with a 63 en route to a 24-under par 256 victory total.

Fellow Titleist Brand Ambassador David Bransdon (Pro V1x, 913D3, 913FD, MB 714 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron Newport putter) finished solo third.

Quoting Anthony Summers:  “I’m ecstatic, relieved, elated, I’m just feeling a whole mix of emotions at the moment … I’ve had a lot of chances to win in the past so to have a three shot buffer on the last was fantastic … I was still as nervous as a kitten on the 18th hole, my heart was beating a million miles a minute.”

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Talking new Spin Milled 5 wedges with Master Craftsman Bob Vokey

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Northern Trust Open defending champion and Titleist Brand Ambassador John Merrick

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Time for a tour of Jason Dufner's bag...

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Joining "Duf" on the range, Titleist Brand Ambassador Jimmy Walker

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Titleist Brand Ambassador Jordan Spieth gets to work...

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Moving down the range, we catch up with Titleist Brand Ambassador Graham DeLaet

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Titleist Brand Ambassador Brendan Steele

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Titleist Brand Ambassador Martin Flores

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Titleist Brand Ambassador Bill Haas

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Titleist Brand Ambassador Morgan Hoffmann

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Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill heads back to the van... Hit 'em close this week! #TeamTitleist

The PGA Tour headed down the coast of California this week and set up shop in Pacific Palisades for the 2014 Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

And as the first tee shots were launched on the historic and famed course, Titleist was the overwhelming top choice in golf balls with 86 players in the field of 144 trusting a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success,  more than four times the nearest competitor with 21. 

Titleist was also the favorite in the sand, lob and approach wedge (134) and putter (53) categories.

Check out the slideshow above and see what #TeamTitleist was up to this week.

FAST FACTS: The Northern Trust Open is one of the longest standing events on the PGA Tour. It was first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open.

Last year, Titleist Brand Ambassador John Merrick became the first Los Angeles County native to top the leaderboard in the event's history.

Ask any pro and they’ll tell you that one of the most difficult shots in golf is the long bunker shot. Having this shot in your bag can be a difference maker on the scorecard, so we checked in with Titleist Brand Ambassador Brendan Steele for a little help.

A couple of keys according to Brendan… rhythm and turning through the shot. As he explains in the video, you should control the distance of the explosion shot by adjusting the size of your turn, not by changing the speed that you swing your arms and hands.

By letting the big muscles of your core dictate the force of the shot, you can maintain a consistent tempo and it becomes much easier to create consistent contact.

Check out the video above for a step-by-step review with Brendan.  Try his line drill and as you practice, adjust your turn to splash the ball different distances.

If you’re able to take the same amount of sand on each shot, you’re well on you way to better bunker play.

In the meantime, let us know what other tips and drills you’d like to see from the tour.

#TeamTitleist

Winning is quickly becoming a habit for Titleist Brand Ambassador Jimmy Walker. Trusting his Pro V1 golf ball and a full bag of Titleist golf clubs, Walker captured his third win of the season over the weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Adding to his Frys.com and Sony Open in Hawaii titles, Walker's win highlighted a sweep for Titleist golf ball players this week on the worldwide professional golf tours.

With this past weekend's success, Titleist golf ball players have now earned 16 victories across the Worldwide Professional Tours in 2014, four times the nearest competitor with 4 and more than all other golf balls combined.

In total, 2,123 players have teed up Titleist golf balls in competition on the 2014 worldwide professional tours, more than five times the nearest competitor with 357 and more than all competitors combined.

Joining Walker in the winner’s circle, Titleist Brand Ambassador George Coetzee fired four consecutive rounds in the 60s to earn his first career European Tour title at the Joburg Open.

On the Champions Tour, Michael Allen birdied the second hole in an all-Pro V1x playoff to prevail at the Allianz Championship.

And at the Victorian PGA Championship, an event co-sponsored by the Asian and Australian PGA Tours, Titleist Brand Ambassador Gareth Paddison trusted his Pro V1x golf ball and a full bag of Titleist golf clubs to birdie the final hole and secure a one-shot victory.

Let's take a trip around the golfing world and review all the action with the Team Titleist Tour Recap.

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PGA TOUR:  More than four times as many players relied upon Titleist (93) golf balls at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am than the nearest competitor (21).

Titleist was also the field favorite in the wedge (145) and putters (60) categories.

Jimmy Walker secured his spot atop the leaderboard at Pebble Beach after converting a five-foot putt for par on the final hole. Asked to comment on the pressure of the last putt, Walker joked,

"Just drama, man. It’s good TV..(but) it’s too much for me.” He added that his clinching putt was "the best stroke of the back nine."

Walker finished at 11-under 277 en route to extending his FedExCup lead to more than 250 points.

Walker is only the fourth player in the last 20 years to win three times in his first eight starts to a PGA Tour season.

Eight of the 12 players who finished among the top 10 and ties relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success, including Titleist Brand Ambassadors Jordan Spieth and Kevin Na, who tied for 4th, three shots back. Titleist Pro V1x golf ball loyalist Hunter Mahan finished solo 6th.

Walker played a Pro V1 golf ball and a full complement of Titleist golf clubs for his tee-through-green success. Walker inserted a Titleist 913Fd (15º) fairway metal into his bag at the Farmers Insurance Open, the only difference in his set composition from his most recent victory at the SONY Open in Hawaii.

What's in Jimmy Walker's Bag?

Golf Ball: Pro V1
Driver: 913D2 (8.5º) driver with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue 72 X shaft
Fairways: 913F.d (15º) fairway metal with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue 72 X shaft and 913F.d (18º) fairway metal with Fujikura Motore VC8.2 TS X shaft
Irons: MB (714) irons (3-9) with Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
Wedges: Vokey Design SM4 pitching (48º), sand (54º) and lob (60º) wedges with Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 2 prototype

TITLEIST LEADERBOARD: Titleist full product line brand ambassadors have won 6 of the first 12 events on the PGA TOUR, including: Jimmy Walker (Frys.com Open, SONY Open in Hawaii, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), Webb Simpson (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Zach Johnson (Hyundai Tournament of Champions) and Scott Stallings (Farmers Insurance Open).

In addition, a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball was played by the winners at the CIMB Classic, McGladrey Classic and OHL Classic at Mayakoba, as Titleist golf ball loyalist have accumulated 9 victories through the first 12 events this season - compared to one for the nearest competitors.

Titleist players have more wins across every major equipment category on the PGA TOUR than any other brand: Golf Balls (9 vs.1); Drivers (6 vs. 3); Irons (6 vs. 2); Wedges (6 vs. 4); Putters (5 vs. 3).

• • •

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR: The Joburg Open field of 210 included 145 Titleist golf ball loyalists, more than six times the nearest competitor with 23.

Titleist Brand Ambassador George Coetzee closed with a 6-under par 66 to finish with a 19-under par 268 victory total at the Joburg Open, three shots clear of three players, including Titleist Brand Ambassador Jin Jeong (Pro V1, 913D3 driver, 913Fd and 913F fairway metals, 913H hybrid, AP2 irons, Vokey Design SM5 wedges) and Pro V1x loyalists Tyrell Hatton and Justin Walters. Each of the top four finishers and seven of the top eight all relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

What's in George Coetzee's Bag?

Golf Ball: Pro V1x
Driver: 913D2 (8.5º) driver
Irons: CB (714) irons (3-7) and MB (714) irons (8-PW)
Wedges: Vokey Design SM5 gap (52º), sand (56º) and lob (60º) wedges

After the victory, Coetzee expressed the relief he felt after his breakthrough victory.

"I don't know what I'm feeling," the first-time winner said. "I'm lost for words. I've been waiting a while and I started doubting so I'm very happy. I got to share this with my family and my friends. It was my mum's birthday yesterday and I wanted to do it for her as I forgot to buy her a present."

Coetzee, Jeong and Walters each earned a spot in the 2014 Open Championship as part of the qualifying process at this event.

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CHAMPIONS TOUR: Michael Allen topped a leaderboard that included 57 Titleist golf ball players in the field of 81, more than seven times the nearest competitor with 8.

In addition, each of the top nine finishers relied upon a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball for their success.

Allen closed with a final round 3-under 69 to match fellow Pro V1x loyalist Duffy Waldorf at 18-under 198. On the second hole of sudden death, Allen reached the par-5 18th hole in two and two-putted for birdie to secure his 6th career Champions Tour victory.

Allen fired a 12-under par 60 in the first round, tying the Champions Tour record for lowest single round score, a mark that had been achieved eight times previously.

• • •

ASIAN / AUSTRALIAN PGA TOUR: Titleist golf ball loyalists accounted for 96 players in the 120-player field, more than five times the nearest competitor with 19.

In addition, 8 of the 11 players who finished among the top 10 and ties, including each of the top 5, relied upon Titleist golf balls for their success.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Gareth Paddison (Pro V1x, 913D3 driver, 913F fairway metal, 910H hybrid, 712U utility iron, CB 714 irons, Vokey Design wedges, Scotty Cameron putter) posted a 16-under-par 272 total to win the Victorian PGA Championship by one shot over fellow Pro V1x loyalist Michael Hendry.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Jamie Arnold (Pro V1x, 913D2 driver, 913F fairway metal, 712U utility iron, CB/MB 714 irons, Vokey Design wedges) finished a further shot back in solo 3rd place.

"Golf is a real mental battle," Paddison said in a post-round interview, referring to the 4-foot birdie putt he converted on the 72nd hole to secure the victory.  "To birdie the last when you have to, that is what all the practice is about."

The win marks the second time Paddison has won this event. The native of New Zealand has now collected five wins on the Australian PGA Tour.