JAACOB BOWDEN
Professional Golfer
2017
In Lake Orion, Michigan
December 29, 2017 10:11 Filed in: Travel
In Lake Orion, Michigan from December 26th to the 29th.
In Shawnee, Kansas
December 26, 2017 10:13 Filed in: Travel
In Shawnee, Kansas from December 22nd to 26th.
GolfWRX Article Re-printed in The Professional
In cased you missed Part 1 of my GolfWRX.com article on "Jumping for Distance", you can also check out the re-print of it in Volume 2 Issue IV of the Middle Atlantic Section, PGA of America e-magazine, "The Professional".
Jumping for Distance - Part 2
In Part 1, I wrote about how I think this concept of jumping up with both feet for more power may have come about in part due to misinterpretation of still photography and force plate data, self-propagation, and a possible case of correlation vs causation. I also covered reasoning why these players are often airborne, and that can be from flawed setups that include overly wide stances and/or lead foot positions that are too closed at setup or a re-planted lead foot that ends up too closed during the downswing.
In Part 2, let’s look at what I feel is a better alternative, the one foot jump. To me, it’s safer, it doesn’t complicate ball striking as much, and it can still generate huge amounts of vertical ground force.
Read more at GolfWRX…
Golf Fitness Q&A Feature in PGA Magazine
Thanks PGA Magazine for the opportunity to do this Q&A about incorporating golf fitness in to one's golf instructional business in the December 2017 issue.
PGA of America professionals can get 7 MSRs for completing Swing Man Golf's 1-day self-paced online swing speed training certification program at https://www.swingmangolf.com/swing-speed-trainer-certification.php.
Jumping for Distance - Part 1 - The Two Foot Jump
If you follow the sport of long drive (whether as a former competitor like me or as a non-competitor) and are interested in distance, you may have come across this modern idea of squatting down during your swing and jumping up with both legs to get more power as you come through impact, even to the point of coming off the ground. In this two-part article, I’d like to share my current thoughts about this.
In Part 1, I’ll go over how I think this two-foot jump concept came about and why I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to implement in your swing. Part 2 will discuss the 1-foot “jump” alternative and why I believe it is better.
With the two-foot jump, I think this came about from a few things.
Read more at GolfWRX…
In Part 1, I’ll go over how I think this two-foot jump concept came about and why I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to implement in your swing. Part 2 will discuss the 1-foot “jump” alternative and why I believe it is better.
With the two-foot jump, I think this came about from a few things.
Read more at GolfWRX…
In New York, New York
October 29, 2017 10:17 Filed in: Travel
In New York, New York from October 27th to 29th.
6 Ways I Dramatically Improve My Golf Game
October 10, 2017 21:46 Filed in: GolfWRX | Swing Man Golf
At some point in the last few years, I recall sitting down for a little meditative-type reflection. I thought about where I had been, what I had done, and what was next for me. As I was reviewing my life and career, it became apparent to me that one of the things I’m good at is making dramatic transformations.
For example, I was cut from my high school JV baseball team, yet I went on to be invited to a tryout for the Minnesota Twins at the old Metrodome. I was a sixth man playing high school basketball, and I ended up playing NAIA Division II basketball. After college, I wanted to be in a fitness magazine, so I transformed my body to the point where I made that happen.
Read more at GolfWRX…
For example, I was cut from my high school JV baseball team, yet I went on to be invited to a tryout for the Minnesota Twins at the old Metrodome. I was a sixth man playing high school basketball, and I ended up playing NAIA Division II basketball. After college, I wanted to be in a fitness magazine, so I transformed my body to the point where I made that happen.
Read more at GolfWRX…
More Distance for Golf - Part 3 - Long Drive Fitness
In Part 3, the final part of my “More Distance for Golf” series, we’re going to talk about what you can do to get longer from a golf fitness standpoint.
Long Drive Golf Fitness
In all of the interviews I’ve done with my professional long drive colleagues and friends via Swing Man Golf, just one of them said they swing as fast as they do naturally. The lone exception, who said his distance was natural, told me in the interview that he’s in the gym 5-6 days/week. So whether they realize it or not, every single long-drive guy is doing or has done something from a golf fitness standpoint to be able to swing faster to generate more ball speed.
So what are some things they do… and that you can do?
Read more at GolfWRX…
Long Drive Golf Fitness
In all of the interviews I’ve done with my professional long drive colleagues and friends via Swing Man Golf, just one of them said they swing as fast as they do naturally. The lone exception, who said his distance was natural, told me in the interview that he’s in the gym 5-6 days/week. So whether they realize it or not, every single long-drive guy is doing or has done something from a golf fitness standpoint to be able to swing faster to generate more ball speed.
So what are some things they do… and that you can do?
Read more at GolfWRX…
In Nashville, Indiana
September 17, 2017 10:18 Filed in: Travel
In Nashville, Indiana from September 15th to 17th.
More Distance for Golf - Part 2 - Long Drive Equipment
In Part 1, I wrote about some of the technical aspects of the swing you can employ for more distance in your golf game from a professional long driver point of view. In Part 2, I get in to the equipment aspect.
As a visitor of GolfWRX, you probably have an interest in golf equipment… and I assume you are also likely aware of the importance of club fitting. To hit the longest drives possible, club fitting is an absolute must. No top long driver skips this component of distance, because advancing or not advancing can come down to only a yard or two.
Equipment optimization can be the thing that makes the difference.
Read more at GolfWRX…
As a visitor of GolfWRX, you probably have an interest in golf equipment… and I assume you are also likely aware of the importance of club fitting. To hit the longest drives possible, club fitting is an absolute must. No top long driver skips this component of distance, because advancing or not advancing can come down to only a yard or two.
Equipment optimization can be the thing that makes the difference.
Read more at GolfWRX…
More Distance for Golf - Part 1 - Long Drive Techniques
Distance is an extremely important aspect of becoming a better golfer. Perhaps you’ve seen this graphic put out by the folks at Trackman.
Notice that as golf handicaps go up, the average driver club head speed (and thus distance) goes down. Thus, one can deduce that more distance is a must in order to become a better player.
On the PGA Tour, players that keep their cards generally run in the +4 to +6 handicap range. The PGA Tour average club head speed is about 113 mph with the low man usually being around 105 mph.
So, if you were to extend the graphic from above out a little further, this fits right in with the PGA Tour, too. Further, I looked at the scoring averages of the top-20 players and the bottom-20 players on the PGA Tour. And if you compile the low rounds of the day shot during each tournament round, that averages out to be approximately a 63.3 scoring average with a 302.8 yards/drive driving distance.
As you can see, even within the confines of PGA Tour-level golf, distance matters to scoring.
Read more at GolfWRX...
Notice that as golf handicaps go up, the average driver club head speed (and thus distance) goes down. Thus, one can deduce that more distance is a must in order to become a better player.
On the PGA Tour, players that keep their cards generally run in the +4 to +6 handicap range. The PGA Tour average club head speed is about 113 mph with the low man usually being around 105 mph.
So, if you were to extend the graphic from above out a little further, this fits right in with the PGA Tour, too. Further, I looked at the scoring averages of the top-20 players and the bottom-20 players on the PGA Tour. And if you compile the low rounds of the day shot during each tournament round, that averages out to be approximately a 63.3 scoring average with a 302.8 yards/drive driving distance.
As you can see, even within the confines of PGA Tour-level golf, distance matters to scoring.
Read more at GolfWRX...
In Fire Island, New York
August 24, 2017 10:19 Filed in: Travel
In Fire Island, New York from August 17th to 24th.
In Charlottesville, Virginia
August 16, 2017 10:20 Filed in: Travel
In Charlottesville, Virginia from August 13th to 16th.
In Roanoke, Virginia
July 22, 2017 10:21 Filed in: Travel
In Roanoke, Virginia from July 18th to 22nd.
In Lake Orion, MIchigan
July 08, 2017 10:23 Filed in: Travel
In Lake Orion, Michigan from July 4th to the 8th.
Guest Appearance on Game Improvement Podcast with Tony Wright
Thanks to Tony of Game Improvement Golf for having me back on his podcast..
Show Notes:
Listen to the Podcast.
Show Notes:
- Jaacob talks about some of the most interesting things that have happened in the last year related to the introduction of the Sterling Irons® Single Length Irons.
- The Sterling Irons® Lob Wedge was recently introduced – Jaacob talks about how the design of this lob wedge came about.
- The second recent new Sterling Irons product is the Sterling Irons® 4 iron – most often used by strong players who can launch the golf ball easily. He discusses design efforts that lead to the release of the 4 iron.
- Finally – Sterling Irons® left handed single length irons are now available. Jaacob talks about how glad he is that there was enough demand for these to be created.
- Jaacob talks about some interesting suggestions for how golfers can practice to effectively adapt to using single length irons.
- In closing – he shares a few Final Words for golfers who want to start playing effectively with Single Length Irons.
Listen to the Podcast.
In St. Louis, Missouri
June 15, 2017 10:24 Filed in: Travel
In St. Louis, Missouri from June 9th to 15th.
Caddying in the Senior PGA Championship
May 28, 2017 21:57 Filed in: Caddying
Spent the last few days caddying for Andre Bossert at the Senior PGA Championship. Here Andre tees off while myself, Joey Sindelar, and Kevin Sutherland look on.
In the final round we were paired with John Daly.
In the final round we were paired with John Daly.
Sterling Irons® and Myself in Golf Digest
I got another mention in Golf Digest about my Sterling Irons®. Here's the link to the story called "The Latest on Single-Length Irons".
In Switzerland and Italy
April 20, 2017 10:26 Filed in: Travel
In Switzerland and Italy from April 10th to 20th.
Wisdom in Golf's Shawn Clement's Review of Sterling Irons®
Wisdom in Golf's Shawn Clement has posted a review of my Sterling Irons® single length irons.
Have a look!
Have a look!
Sterling Irons® Featured in Golf World
My Sterling Irons® single length irons were featured in Golf World in an article by Mike Stachura.
Read it here.
Read it here.
Trackman Master Alistair Davies Sterling Irons® Review
Trackman Master Alistair Davies has just posted his review of my Sterling Irons® single length irons.
Watch it below.
Watch it below.
Rick Shiels & Peter Finch Vs Seb on Golf & James Pickard Using Single Length Irons
March 15, 2017 09:36 Filed in: Sterling Irons | Rick Shiels | Single Length Irons | YouTube | Equipment
Rick Shiels & Peter Finch (Team North) take on Seb on Golf & James Pickard (Team South) around The Shire London in four mini matches featuring single length irons (including Sterling Irons®).
Watch three of them below.
March 13, 2017
March 14, 2017
March 15, 2017
Watch three of them below.
March 13, 2017
March 14, 2017
March 15, 2017
Distance Gapping & Trajectories With Sterling Irons® Single Length Irons
March 09, 2017 09:52 Filed in: Single Length Irons | Equipment | Sterling Irons | Tom Wishon | YouTube
Distance gapping and trajectories have historically been a common problem and concern with single length irons. In this video, Tom Wishon and I discuss how we fixed those things in our Sterling Irons® single length irons design.
Sterling Irons® - Process of Going From Concept to Creation
March 09, 2017 09:48 Filed in: Sterling Irons | Equipment | Single Length Irons | YouTube | Tom Wishon
Tom Wishon and I chat about the process of how we took Sterling Irons® single length irons from concept to creation.
Rick Shiels' Sterling Irons® Review
February 14, 2017 10:00 Filed in: Sterling Irons | Equipment | Single Length Irons | YouTube | Rick Shiels | Reviews
Celebrity Stage Washington Golf & Travel Show
Thanks to the Washington Golf & Travel Show for inviting me to present on the celebrity stage about my Sterling Irons® single length irons.
In Coral Springs, Florida
January 30, 2017 10:28 Filed in: Travel
In Coral Springs, Florida from January 27th to 30th.
1st Trip To The PGA Merchandise Show
I've been in the golf industry since 2003 and somehow I'm just now wrapping up my first trip to the PGA Merchandise Show.
Aside from the massive amount of equipment that's fun to look at and try…the thing I think I enjoyed the most was meeting "digital" friends in-person.
Here are some of my friends and colleagues I ran in to each day along with some products that stood out to me.
Sunday - Teaching & Coaching Summit
• David Edel - Founder of Edel Golf
• Matthew Rudy - Writer for Golf Digest
Monday - Teaching & Coaching Summit
• Michael Breed - Teacher and host of the Golf Fix
• Cameron McCormick - Coach to Jordan Spieth
• Dave Phillips - Co-founder of TPI
• Christopher Smith - Teacher and speedgolf world record holder
Tuesday – Demo Day
• John Marshall - Teacher and long driver
• Michael Napoleon – President Super Speed Golf
• Daniel Wengen – CEO of Iceblock Putter
• Peter Qvarfodt – Wishon Golf Sweden
• Jennifer Fresard – Wind and Sling
• Martin Chuck – Tour Striker
• Andrew Rice – Andrew Rice Golf
• Joseph Mayo - Teacher
• Bryson DeChambeau - PGA TOUR player, nice to finally meet him!
• Mike Schy – Bryson’s coach
• Jesper Parnevic - PGA TOUR player
• Garrett Holt - PGA professional
• Golf Board - fun product
• The PadCaster - cool product
Wednesday
• Mark Crossfield - teacher
• Galvin Green - impressive product line
• Under Armour – Rand DuPriest - my section rep
• Shawn Clement - Teacher for Wisdom in Golf
• Edel Golf - tried out their single length Irons
• John Marshall - Teacher and Llong driver
• Paul Crawley – Net Return - great product
• Meandmygolf – Andy Proudman & Piers Ward
• Steve Hopkins - UFO Tour Golf
• Shaun Webb - coach
• Landon Gentry - long driver
• Paul Howell – long driver
• Mike Dobbyn – world long drive champion
• Tim Burke - world long drive champion
• Josh and Jen Huelsing meeting and dinner - high school friends
• Foresight Quad - great launch monitor
Thursday
• Matt Adams - PGA TOUR radio
• Michael Breed - Teacher and host of the Golf Fix
• Jay McGrath – real feel golf mats
• Club Glove Golf - nice products
• Rick Shiels & Peter Finch - teachers
• David Mobley - world long drive champion
• Piers Ward Andy Proudman - teachers
• Edel Golf - I went through putter fitting
• Matt Lockey and Mark Crossfield - teachers
• Fredrik Tuxen - CEO and founder of Trackman
Aside from the massive amount of equipment that's fun to look at and try…the thing I think I enjoyed the most was meeting "digital" friends in-person.
Here are some of my friends and colleagues I ran in to each day along with some products that stood out to me.
Sunday - Teaching & Coaching Summit
• David Edel - Founder of Edel Golf
• Matthew Rudy - Writer for Golf Digest
Monday - Teaching & Coaching Summit
• Michael Breed - Teacher and host of the Golf Fix
• Cameron McCormick - Coach to Jordan Spieth
• Dave Phillips - Co-founder of TPI
• Christopher Smith - Teacher and speedgolf world record holder
Tuesday – Demo Day
• John Marshall - Teacher and long driver
• Michael Napoleon – President Super Speed Golf
• Daniel Wengen – CEO of Iceblock Putter
• Peter Qvarfodt – Wishon Golf Sweden
• Jennifer Fresard – Wind and Sling
• Martin Chuck – Tour Striker
• Andrew Rice – Andrew Rice Golf
• Joseph Mayo - Teacher
• Bryson DeChambeau - PGA TOUR player, nice to finally meet him!
• Mike Schy – Bryson’s coach
• Jesper Parnevic - PGA TOUR player
• Garrett Holt - PGA professional
• Golf Board - fun product
• The PadCaster - cool product
Wednesday
• Mark Crossfield - teacher
• Galvin Green - impressive product line
• Under Armour – Rand DuPriest - my section rep
• Shawn Clement - Teacher for Wisdom in Golf
• Edel Golf - tried out their single length Irons
• John Marshall - Teacher and Llong driver
• Paul Crawley – Net Return - great product
• Meandmygolf – Andy Proudman & Piers Ward
• Steve Hopkins - UFO Tour Golf
• Shaun Webb - coach
• Landon Gentry - long driver
• Paul Howell – long driver
• Mike Dobbyn – world long drive champion
• Tim Burke - world long drive champion
• Josh and Jen Huelsing meeting and dinner - high school friends
• Foresight Quad - great launch monitor
Thursday
• Matt Adams - PGA TOUR radio
• Michael Breed - Teacher and host of the Golf Fix
• Jay McGrath – real feel golf mats
• Club Glove Golf - nice products
• Rick Shiels & Peter Finch - teachers
• David Mobley - world long drive champion
• Piers Ward Andy Proudman - teachers
• Edel Golf - I went through putter fitting
• Matt Lockey and Mark Crossfield - teachers
• Fredrik Tuxen - CEO and founder of Trackman
In Orlando, Florida
In Orlando, Florida for the PGA Merchandise Show from January 21st to 26th.
Taking Sterling Irons® From An Idea To A Product
As fellow equipment junkies, I’m sure many of you have already heard about Sterling Irons® single length irons.
Usually, with golf clubs, you only get to see the end-product that comes with all the marketing hype and fancy words meant to get you to buy the product. But it’s not too often that you get to hear an in-depth firsthand experience from one of the co-creators of a club design about what went into making the clubs you see on the shelves.
I am hoping to do that for you today.
Read more at MyGolfSpy…
Usually, with golf clubs, you only get to see the end-product that comes with all the marketing hype and fancy words meant to get you to buy the product. But it’s not too often that you get to hear an in-depth firsthand experience from one of the co-creators of a club design about what went into making the clubs you see on the shelves.
I am hoping to do that for you today.
Read more at MyGolfSpy…