Carlsbad, CA  – Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts, Inc. announced today that the winner of the LPGA Tour’s Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba event, held in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, was playing a Graphite Design Tour AD FI-6 Stiff flex wood shaft in her TaylorMade Qi4D Driver.  The champion claimed her 18th career win after posting a 4-day score of 68, 67, 68, 69 for a total of 17 under par, winning by 4 strokes.

Additionally, the winner of the PGA TOUR Champions Regions Tradition event, held in Birmingham, AL, was playing a Graphite Design Tour AD XC-6 X-Stiff wood shaft in his Ping G440 MAX Driver, claiming both his second PGA TOUR Champions major and fourth win of the 2026 season.

On the Japan Men’s JGTO Tour, the winner of The Crowns 2026 event, held in Aichi, Japan, was playing a Graphite Design Tour AD GC-6 X-Stiff flex wood shaft in his Callaway Driver, as well as three Graphite Design Tour AD wood shafts in his #3, #5, and #7 fairway metal woods.

“Congratulations to the winners at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, the Regions Tradition, and The Crowns 2026.  Across the globe and on multiple tours, it was a showcase of elite performance this past weekend.  We are proud that each champion relied on Graphite Design premium Tour AD shafts to deliver exceptional Accuracy and Distance when it mattered most,” stated Bill McPherson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts, Inc. 

The new 2026 Tour AD FI – Flight Intelligence – is the next evolution in golf shaft technology from Graphite Design.   Designed and manufactured at Graphite Design’s Japan factory headquarters for players who demand precision, power, and consistency, the Tour AD FI features a futuristic look, complete with a sleek new TOUR AD logo, and is finished with a green-to-gloss black fade with silver accents.

Like the other high-performance Tour AD wood shafts, the Tour AD FI utilizes premium, aerospace-quality carbon-fiber materials and is available in 40g R2, R1, S flex and X flex, 50g R2, R1, S and X flex, 60g SR, S, X, and TX flex, 70g S, X, and TX flex, and 80g X flex.

The Tour AD FI shaft profile is Firm+ in the butt section and Firm+ in the center section and has a Stiff tip to promote Mid-launch angles and Low to Low/Mid-ball spin rates. It utilizes Graphite Design’s proprietary AD Shield technology and the new TORNADO TIP TECH, along with the modern Torayca M40X and T1100G material technologies, to reliably transmit the player’s input to the club head, allowing for consistent shot-making and enhanced performance on the course.

Whether shaping shots or maximizing distance, the new Tour AD FI adapts to your swing, delivering unparalleled stability and responsiveness.  Elevate your game with a shaft that thinks as fast as you play – because intelligent performance starts with the new Tour AD Flight Intelligence golf shaft from Graphite Design.

About Pro’s Choice:

Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts is the exclusive distributor of Graphite Design golf shafts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, UAE, South Africa, South America, and Australia.  Pro’s Choice Golf Shafts distributes all of the current Graphite Design shafts, including the new 2026 Graphite Design Tour AD FI wood shaft model, as well as the Anti-Gravity aG33-3, Tour AD GC, Tour AD VF, Tour AD CQ, Tour AD UB, Tour AD XC, Tour AD IZ, and Tour AD DI models of shafts.  The company is located in Carlsbad, California, with a distribution warehouse located in Southern California. 

About Graphite Design:

Located in Chichibu, Japan, Graphite Design Inc. has over 36 years of experience designing and manufacturing premium graphite-composite golf shafts.  Numerous Graphite Design shafts can be seen in play by the best professional players on all tours worldwide.  Validating the company’s “Tour AD” logo, all of Graphite Design’s Tour-proven shafts specifically promote “Accuracy and Distance”.  On Tour, Graphite Design shafts recorded 44 Global tournament victories in 2025 and have helped numerous golf professionals earn well over 580 tour victories and multi-millions of dollars in prize money since inception. 

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Golfers should be practicing and hitting balls at least three times per week if they’re serious about improving their game. For those that simply want to maintain their current level, once or twice a week could be enough for that.

When deciding how often you should practice golf, consider the number of practice sessions, the duration, and the type.

1. Days Per Week

Three practice sessions per week are ideal.

This goes beyond just hitting golf balls at the range and should include putting green and chipping green. If you are looking for real improvement in your game, ensure that you incorporate drills that help with ball flight, distance, control, and more.

I always liked to try and get some video of my swing technique or even use a launch monitor to measure swing speed and other data parameters. Doing this allowed for a more effective practice session.

2. Hours Per Practice Session

Now that we have practice frequency determined, it’s important to also consider practice duration.

The great thing about golf practice is that you don’t have to be out on the range for hours to develop muscle memory and make real changes in your golf game. In fact, some players have their best practice sessions when they keep it short.

Warm up for a few minutes and do some stretches, then hit five or ten golf balls and determine what you will work on. If your golf game has been good lately, simply focus on tempo and balance in your swing.

You may hit a bucket of balls and feel like that was all you needed, but other golfers will practice for hours without feeling like they accomplished what they needed. Most practice sessions only need to be about 30 to 45 minutes.

In this time frame, you can include both full swing practice and short game practice.

3. Type of Practice Session

Sometimes golf practice includes standing on the driving range and hitting one shot after another, but sometimes playing on the golf course can also count as practice.

If you are not playing a tournament round and instead going out on the golf course to practice different holes, it can lead to faster improvement.

Try to mix up the types of practice that you do. Sometimes you may want to just bring your 7 iron to the range and work on hitting it higher, lower, left, and right. Other times it may make sense to work on your long game or to head to the course and practice from 100 yards and in on the course.

To make the most significant changes on the golf course, you must be thinking about transferring your practice to your game. It’s not realistic to hit 15 drivers in a row; this will never happen to you on the golf course.

Instead, vary the shots you are hitting, work on different areas of your golf swing, and be smarter about the practice sessions you have.

How Often You Should Be Playing a Round of Golf

Many golfers wish that they could play golf every day of the week.

Although this concept may sound great, I can tell you that it is a bit exhausting. Golfers should remember that rest time is essential; any great instructor will be able to tell you that sometimes a break is necessary. Ideally, playing golf 2 to 3 times per week is the sweet spot for most people.

This certainly depends on your skill level as well as your free time.

18 Holes

Try to play 18 holes of golf at least once or twice weekly. If you are not playing this many times at a minimum, it becomes difficult to get anything good going as far as progress in your game.

Progress comes from consistency and dedication, and when you play golf twice per month, with not much practice mixed in, you won’t see that consistency.

9 Holes

9 hole rounds are a great option to add in when you are short on time. Many golf courses even offer a twilight rate on 9 holes. If you thought your days to play golf were just Saturday and Sunday, maybe you can fit in a 9 hole round on a Wednesday afternoon.

It can be hard to get friends and playing partners organized for a midweek 9 hole round. Therefore this is the perfect situation to use for a practice session. Play two golf balls if you are out there by yourself. Try to keep score on both golf balls to see how you do.

While you are out there, focus on the areas of the course that give you trouble and start paying attention to your course management and the golf swing flaws that you may have.

Practice Round

It can be hard to find a place to get a practice round of golf in. Many golf courses are booked with tee times from the start of the day to the end of the night. However, if you can potentially get out as a single to work on your game, it will really pay off.

The best tips I can give you for this practice round are to look for the first or last tee times of the day. Sometimes if you go out really early, there will be no other golfers ready to play and you can head out there and really work on your game.

The last tee time of the day means the golf course will be emptying out, and you may also get a quick practice round in. I know how hard this can be to find an opportunity. I have been known to head out on the golf course in a bit of rain to get this done; most golfers leave but if you have the right gear, playing in the rain is not all that bad.

Should You Focus More on Practice or Playing to Improve Your Game?

When people try to lose weight, they have to find the perfect balance between diet and exercise. Without this proper combination, they may have no success and feel as though the diet is failing them. Golf practice and improvement are exactly the same.

If you want to improve your golf game, you must find the perfect balance of practice and play. For me, this is two rounds of golf per week that are competitive (even if just against friends), one round of golf that is a practice type round where I think more, and then two to three good practice sessions.

Sometimes those practice sessions are before or after a round; other times, they are going to be on my off days. There is certainly no perfect amount of time to spend on the range or the course. Some golfers that have injuries or issues with their back can only practice once per week.

The bottom line is to see what your body can handle and see how your golf game is progressing. Pay close attention to your scores and the way that your practice and playing schedule is impacting your scores.

If you are playing golf four days a week, but your handicap is going up, it may be time to back it down a little, and turn one of those rounds into a practice session.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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Growing up in a sub-tropical climate, I was exposed to sweltering heat, which caused profuse sweating.

Besides the overall discomfort, this restricted my ability to induce a firm grip, leading to a loss of traction. In this guide, I will teach you what to do if you’ve got sweaty hands while playing golf.

I have provided 15 tips to combat moisture to maintain dry hands while on the golf course. These tips are a mix of methods I use combined with a couple that worked for my peers.

We will look at ideas to implement between shots, the best golf gloves, golf grips, and a few accessories which do the trick.

1. Breathable Glove

My first recommendation is to source a breathable glove that encourages maximum airflow to keep your hands cool and dry on the links. You’ll find that breathable golf gloves feature a perforated mesh lining across the knuckles, where the air enters.

Golf gloves with limited breathability maintain heat internally, generating moist hands in record time. Even if you remove your glove between shots, a minute with these gloves on in warm conditions can onset sweat.

The FootJoy WeatherSof design is my best golf glove recommendation to promote air circulation inside the glove for maximum comfort. It is also reinforced with Cabretta leather on the thumb and palm for a soft texture and solid grip.

2. Take Off Your Glove Between Shots

A simple tip that most golfers employ is removing the glove between shots.

You’ll notice that this practice gives your hand a chance to breathe and soak up the fresh air, reducing heat and exiling moisture from your palms.

In addition, many players remove the glove for short game shots to enhance the feel and feedback around the green. Implementing this tactic on scorching days gives your hand more time out of the glove than inside, which goes a long way to keeping it refreshed.

3. Carry Multiple Gloves

Gloves are an inexpensive purchase as far as golf equipment goes, and there is no reason not to own multiple units. Having at least two gloves in your bag covers you should one is drenched in moisture and no longer offers sufficient traction.

Playing with a wet glove leads a golfer to remove it and swing barehanded. You’ll notice that sweaty hands with no glove further reduce your traction and can lower your clubhead speed and control of the golf club.

4. Use A Rain Glove

Remaining on the glove topic, I had a buddy who used a rain glove year round because he found it enhanced his grip.

The way he described it, the glove helped him induce sufficient grip pressure for maximum control in all weather.

5. Carry Two Towels

Always carry two towels on the golf course in hot weather, besides the towel for your clubheads after each shot.

Keep one towel wet and as cold as you can. Golfers operating a golf cart can even store the towel in an ice box with some water. Use this towel to wipe your hands before and after each shot to cool them down.

The other towel must remain dry to shed the cold water from your hands before and after every shot. This routine keeps your hands cool and dry to ensure the best grip possible in wet weather.

6. A Cool Bottle of Water

A refreshing bottle of water is an alternative measure you can take to remove sweat. Instead of the wet and cold towel, throw some cold water directly on your hands between shots.

Then rub your hands together to shed dirt and debris and chill your hands. Follow it up by whipping out the dry towel and removing the moisture from your palms and fingers.

7. Use Wet Wipes

Yes, I know they are used for babies, but wet towels are a more hygienic method of shedding sweat and keeping your hands dry and clean.

Pull out a wet wipe before each shot and clear your hand of sweat, dirt, and other grime.

8. Dry Your Grips Before and After Each Shot

Another simple tip that is common practice among caddies and players is drying golf grips before shots.

This is an extra step in the process, but it ensures you remove as much sweat and debris generated on your previous shot. This clears the surface for enhanced contact between your hand and the rubber material.

Take a dry cloth and run it up and down the grip until you are satisfied that it is dry and ready for action.

9. Rosin Bag

A rosin bag is an extreme measure, but I have seen it work for several players. The powdery substance helps their hands stick to the club grip like glue.

Admittedly, I find it uncomfortable and annoying to have the substance on my hands for an entire round of golf, but it is effective. You can also use other powders, such as baby powder or chalk if you cannot source a rosin bag.

10. Gripping Solution

Products such as Dry Hands are gripping solutions to help you hold the club better in any condition. The solution eradicates moisture from your hands, keeping you sweat-free during your round.

Plus, you’ll notice that the substance does not stick to your hands and become an annoyance like other products.

11. Use Tacky Or Cord Grips

If you have tried every trick in the book and still struggle for optimal traction with sweaty hands, new golf grips may help. The best golf grip designs for maximum friction are tacky or cord setups.

Corded grips are typically equipped with moisture-wicking technology that sheds sweat and water from the surface for elevated traction in all conditions. Conversely, tacky rubber golf grips possess sticky layers to keep your hands fastened to the golf club.

An excellent tacky option is the Winn Dri-Tac grip construction. Besides maximizing your hold on your golf club, it promotes lighter grip pressure for optimal comfort during your golf swing.

12. Sandpaper Your Grips

This is not my favorite approach, as sandpaper can wreck your grips. However, I am suggesting it because I know golfers who do it with corded grips, and they swear by it.

Sanding down the surface of your grips will smooth them out and enable you to gain firm control of the grip in hot conditions.

13. Blow Dry Your Hands With A Mini Fan

My final suggestion is a pompous approach to drying your hands. However, I have seen multiple lads and ladies employ the method. All you need is a battery-operated compact fan which you can snatch up one for next to nothing and store it in your golf bag.

When walking between shots or waiting for your partner to play, turn the fan on and let it blow onto your skin. A few moments of cool air hitting your skin will help refresh your hands and dispose of moisture.

14. Ice Pack

This is a tip I use on days when I am driving a cart and can store additional accessories. A mini ice box with a frozen pack is a game changer for comfort.

I reach for the ice pack when my hands are burning and chill them with the freezing chunk of goodness. It is not the most hygienic approach to stick your dirty mitts on the same block of ice all day, so I suggest carrying a couple with you.

15. Botox

It sounds extreme, and it is, but one of the members of my club went in for treatment because sweaty palms became a daily struggle. It was not limited to warm conditions on the golf course. Their condition is known as Palmar Hyperhidrosis which prompts profuse sweating of the palms.

The member in question explained that a medical professional administered the botox to significantly reduce sweating. This is an option for golfers who suffer from Palmar Hyperhidrosis and is not recommended solely for added grip on the golf course.

FAQ

What do pros use for sweaty hands?

Golf pros employ a mixture of methods to keep their hands dry and reduce the impact of sweat. Firstly, they wipe their hands with a wet towel and dry them with another. If this is unsuccessful, they employ a gripping solution or powder to enhance their traction on the golf club.

Furthermore, you will find that professional golfers carry a host of gloves and towels to ensure that every base is covered in warm weather.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years. Current Handicap: 8

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Shamble, scramble, and best ball are constantly confused by amateur golfers.

Working in the golf industry for more than a dozen years taught me that most amateur golfers have no idea what the difference is between these events, and some just think the word shamble is a mispronunciation of scramble.

Rest assured, the shamble is a real thing.

In fact, it’s kind of a fun format and can be a great team event. Here’s what to expect when you play in a shamble tournament.

What is a Shamble Tournament?

A shamble tournament is where each golfer hits a drive, the best drive is chosen, and then all players play their ball into the hole from there. The shamble is different from a scramble or a best ball event.

When you play in a shamble, you will be using some of your own golf drives as you make your way around the golf course, but it can be beneficial if you run into a bad hole to have another drive that you can play off of.

The shamble tournament is great for those who struggle off the tee box but can play the hole on their own.

Many shambles have different variations, and sometimes one team score is all that is needed; sometimes, there are gross and net scores collected, and other times it is two net scores at the end of the hole. It will be up to your tournament committee to decide which is the case for your event.

Differences Between a Golf Shamble vs. Scramble

There are a few main differences between a scramble and a shamble, and it’s important to understand them. Not only do you want to ensure you are following the rules, but it’s also essential to think about strategy when playing in these events.

Shamble Requires More of Your Own Shots

In a scramble, you will continue to choose the best shot from the golfers in your group the entire time you play the hole. This results in some holes where none of your shots are selected as the best ones.

In a shamble format, you may not be playing from your own drive, but you will undoubtedly be playing your ball into the hole.

The nice thing about this for golfers that play in a shamble is that they can enjoy seeing more of the course and get more of a full round in. The downside, of course, is that it’s much harder for higher handicap golfers.

More Than One Score at The End of a Shamble

Most shambles will have you take at least one best gross and one best net at the end of a hole. However, sometimes it can be the two best net balls of the group.

With a scramble tournament, only one score is recorded as all players keep moving to the best shot throughout the hole. When you play a golf shamble format, you will have a more accurate idea as to what your score would have been if you played your own golf ball.

Number of Drives

Most of the time, with a scramble, each of the team members in the foursome needs to contribute at least two drives. Considering the drive is such a vital part of the shamble, this same rule is typically in place.

Make sure that you are paying close attention to this as you move through to ensure that you have the best chance of winning this golf tournament format.

Two Person Formats

The 2-person shamble is rarer, but it is a format that can work. In addition, you can play a 2 person scramble tournament. However, most of the time, this works best with a group of four.

The pace of play for the shamble on the scramble is comparable. However, I can tell you that the scramble will usually be a bit shorter. It really depends on the golfer’s handicaps in the group to be able to estimate the pace of play.

Can You Handicap a Shamble?

Handicapping for shambles will vary based on what your tournament committee decides is the best fit. For the majority of shambles, the handicap of every player will be reduced by about 20 to 25%.

If you are a 20 handicap, you will get 15 shots that day. Considering you will have the chance to play from the best drive out of four, this is pretty fair.

A golf shamble handicap can sometimes be based on player handicap where the lower player gets less of their handicap, and the higher player gets more of their handicap, but this makes things more complicated.

Some tournament committee that is unsure of anyone’s handicap will just play a gross shamble. This is when only a gross score tournament result is collected.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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