5 Things I Never Play Golf Without: David Dusek
5 Things I Never Play Golf Without: David Dusek Our 11-handicap equipment writer always brings his favorite divot repair tool, a portable speaker and some high-tech gear to the course.
As long as the weather is nice and the course is in good condition, there are only a few things required to play golf: clubs, balls, and a few tees. But things are never perfect, and there are a few items that I always bring with me to the course that help me enjoy my round even more.
PitchFix Divot Repair Tool, $15.97
Instead of collecting hats from courses I visit, I started collecting these a few years ago because I'm one of those players who repairs their ball mark (and any other ball marks I see) on the greens. I wish more people did it too. A few jabs and twists into the ground with a PitchFix's tongs and the work is done. The magnetic ball marker makes it even better.
Ultimate Ears Mini Roll, $79
I had an original Roll speaker, which had the same design but was larger, but left it on a cart a few years ago. These days, I leave this Mini Roll on my bag and still enjoy great sound from it. The oversized buttons make getting the volume just right easy, even with a golf glove on, and its battery lasts all day.
Arccos Link Pro, $249
I've been playing with Arccos sensors (sold separately) on my clubs for over a decade, and the data has helped me play and practice smarter. Using Link Pro, I don't need to carry my phone in my pocket while I play or do anything else for the system to work. Setup is easy, it connects to the Arccos sensors flawlessly, and it transmits all my shots to Arccos's smartphone app without me having to do anything.
Bushnell Tour V6 Shift, $399.99
There are newer, more sophisticated laser rangefinders out there, but I've used this one for a while and like the clarity of the optics, the speed, and how it makes getting yardages easy. The Slope function is helpful, it vibrates in your hand when it zaps a flag, is water-resistant, and the magnet on the side is shockingly strong.
SParms solar sleeves, $32.99
Birdies are good; skin cancer is bad. I noticed a lot of caddies using these a few years ago, so bought a pair and now keep them in my golf bag at all times. I wear a hat and use sunscreen before I play, even on cloudy days, but these sleeves make it much easier to stay protected, and the material actually makes me feel cooler on really hot days.
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USA Today
10-05-2025
- USA Today
How far do amateurs really drive the ball? Arccos analyzes 6.5 million shots to find out
AI-assisted summary Average driving distance for amateur male golfers has remained relatively consistent over recent years. While driving distance decreases with age, accuracy tends to improve for both men and women. Higher handicap golfers experience significantly more wayward drives, requiring penalty or recovery shots. Women lose a larger percentage of their driving distance with age compared to men. Think you're hitting the ball farther off the tee than you did a few years ago? Odds are, you're not – and you're not alone. The trend of elite male golfers gaining distance over the past few decades was concerning enough to the United States Golf Association and the R&A that they announced in 2023 a plan to change how golf balls are tested starting in 2028 — essentially mandating balls that won't fly as far. But at the club level, distance is not a problem. In fact, according to a report released this week by Arccos Golf, nothing much has changed when it comes to distance for recreational players. Arccos makes a shot-tracking system that collects performance data through small tags that screw into the ends of a player's clubs and sync with a smartphone app. By pairing club usage with GPS and course maps, Arccos can determine how far shots travel, identify tendencies, and provide extensive on-course insights. Its database now includes more than 1 billion tracked shots by golfers around the world. After analyzing more than 6.5 million driver swings on par 4s and par 5s from more than 25,000 golfers during the 2024 season, Arccos published its annual report on amateur driving performance. Some of the results were expected — but others may surprise you. Here are five takeaways from the 2025 Arccos Driving Distance Report. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle 1. You're probably not hitting the ball farther than you did five years ago Advancements in club fitting, swing instruction, and fitness science should, in theory, help players hit it longer. But the average driving distance for men has barely changed in recent years. According to Arccos, men averaged 224.0 yards in 2018 and 224.7 yards in 2024. The numbers don't factor in carry distance versus rollout, course conditions or weather, but the average has remained within a tight range — between 222.2 and 225.0 yards — since 2018. For women, the trend was slightly negative: average distance dropped from 179.2 yards in 2018 to 176.2 yards in 2024. 2. With age, golfers get shorter — but straighter Arccos divided players into seven age groups: 15–19, then each decade through age 70 and older. As expected, distance steadily declined with age across all handicap levels. Men between 15 and 19 averaged 241.6 yards off the tee, the longest of any age group. That figure dropped to 208.6 yards for men in their 60s and 190.5 for men in their 70s. But accuracy improved with age. Men in their 70s hit 56.5 percent of fairways, compared with just 39.0 percent for men in their 20s. For women, the pattern held. Players in their 20s averaged 201.1 yards, while those in their 60s averaged 158.4 yards. However, women in their 60s hit 62.2 percent of fairways — 17.1 percentage points more than those in their 20s (45.1 percent). In short: distance fades with age, but accuracy improves. 3. Low-handicap golfers are both the longest and the straightest This might seem obvious, but the data underscores the point. The best recreational golfers are not only longer off the tee — they're more accurate too. Male golfers with a 0–4.9 handicap averaged 250.0 yards and hit 49.3 percent of fairways. Those with a 30-plus handicap averaged 184.9 yards and hit 40.6 percent of fairways. That's a 65-yard difference and nearly a 9-point gap in accuracy. The women's data told a similar story — up to a point. Golfers in the 0–4.9 handicap group averaged 213.9 yards, compared with 140.5 yards for 30-plus handicaps — a difference of 73.4 yards. But accuracy didn't vary much. The best players hit 56.5 percent of fairways, while the least accurate group (15.0–19.9 handicaps) hit 54.7 percent. So, for women, driving accuracy doesn't appear to correlate strongly with handicap. 4. High-handicap golfers hit more truly bad drives Arccos also analyzed 'wayward' drives — defined as tee shots that result in either a penalty (e.g., out of bounds, lost ball, hazard) or force a recovery shot (like a punch-out). Male golfers with a 0–4.9 handicap hit penalty drives just 4.4 percent of the time and needed to hit recovery shots only 7.6 percent of the time. That's a total of 12.0 percent wayward shots. But for higher-handicap players, the numbers climb sharply. Golfers with a 25.0–29.9 handicap had 38.2 percent of their drives result in either penalties or recovery shots. And for 30-plus handicaps, more than 45 percent of tee shots were classified as wayward. 5. Compared with men, women lose more distance with age Men hit the ball farther than women in every age group, but they also retain more of their distance over time. According to Arccos, men in their 20s averaged 265.7 yards off the tee, while those in their 60s averaged 229.5 yards. That's a loss of 36.2 yards — or 13.6 percent. Women, by comparison, dropped from 201.1 yards in their 20s to 158.4 yards in their 60s — a 42.7-yard loss, or 21.2 percent. Group 20s Avg. Distance 60s Avg. Distance Yards Lost Percentage Loss Men 265.7 229.5 36.2 13.6 Women 201.1 158.4 42.7 21.2 So not only do women lose more yards over the years, they lose a larger percentage of their original distance, according to the Arccos data.
Forbes
08-05-2025
- Forbes
Do You Hit Your Tee Shots Longer Than Your Peers? Now You Can See.
Arccos tracks your tee shots with these clever sensors Apparently aging does inhibit our ability to hit a golf ball. This week, Arccos – the company that makes intelligent grip sensors for golf clubs – released its 7th Annual Driving Distance Report. In case you don't already know, Arccos records shot data from every golfer using its sensors – including distance, location, dispersion, etc. And because users – and there are a lot of them – provide their age and gender when they sign up, the company is able to amass super useful data about on-course tendencies. Captured in real time and verified using precise criteria, this data provides a transparent view of how amateur golfers perform off the tee. This report, for instance, compares more than 4 million rounds of male and female golfers' driving distance by age and handicap collected in 2024, to every year since 2018. The full Arccos dataset now includes over 1.2 billion shots across 22 million rounds played in 160+ countries. To ensure consistency and comparability, the analysis focuses exclusively on driver tee shots hit on par 4 and par 5 holes, according to Arccos, capturing total yardage (carry distance plus rollout) without normalization for conditions such as weather, turf or elevation. First off, despite their age or ability, men overall averaged 224 yards in 2018 and 224.7 yards in 2024. So we appear to be getting slightly longer. And women averaged 179.2 yards in 2018 and 176.2 yards in 2024. So it appears as if they are getting shorter. But I argue that this only means that more newbies are taking up the game, ever since the pandemic. And since these golfers are inexperienced, they're not hitting the ball long yet. And because they're eager to improve, they put Arccos sensors in their driver grips. So of course we're going to appear as if we are not getting longer off the tee. In reality, there are probably just more less-experienced players being included in this dataset – which of course skews the numbers. Low-handicap men (0 to 4.9) were both the longest and most accurate off the tee, averaging 250 yards and hitting 49.3% of fairways. In contrast, high-handicap men (30+) averaged 184.9 yards and found the fairway only 40.6% of the time. As for age, guys aged 15 to 19 averaged 241.6 yards (the longest age group) which was 51.1 yards longer than those in their 70s (the shortest group). And my personal driving numbers – and distance fall-off through the years – are consistent with the data. Another factor that struck me is that manufacturers push the longer-and-straighter message with their new drivers every year. So shouldn't we all be hitting tee shots longer, regardless of our handicap and age? But if one sign is encouraging to me, it's that I am slightly longer and more accurate than most people in my age group. But I'm also realistic in that I know that on any given day and in any type of weather, course condition and even altitude my numbers can change on a dime. One thing is for certain in these numbers: Older players are significantly more accurate off the tee. That's most likely because without crushing the ball, there's less of a right or left variation of ball flight. Or that they're just more experienced. Either way, it also explains why older people we play with often hit the ball straight and score better than us. Maybe we should all be striving for accuracy, as opposed to crushing our drives. But kudos to the people at Arccos for starting the conversation.
Digital Trends
05-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Ultraportable speaker that won't disappoint on sound
Ultimate Ears MiniRoll MSRP $80.00 Score Details 'On a pure sound-for-size basis, it doesn't get much better than the UE Miniroll.' Pros Impressive sound quality for its size Tough, waterproof, and built to travel Expandable via PartyUp (Auracast) Thoughtful, flexible silicone strap Lightweight and easy to pack Cons Lacks a true wrist strap Can't stereo-pair No app for EQ adjustments Table of Contents Table of Contents Design Durability Expandability Sound quality Battery life Conclusion When it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers for under $100, compromise is part of the game. You want something small and light enough to toss in a bag, but not so wimpy that it sounds like your phone in a tin can. Ultimate Ears' Miniroll, the company's latest ultra-portable speaker, strikes that balance really well, and does so in a uniquely shaped package that is just plain fun. Recommended Videos I've been using the Miniroll on and off for a few months, and I've been really impressed with its versatility, but more importantly, its audio quality. Don't let its size and whimsical look fool you, this is a serious speaker that can produce surprisingly loud and full sound. Design At just 9.77 ounces, the Miniroll is incredibly light. Throw it in a backpack and I promise you won't even notice it. At 4.5 inches in diameter and about 1.75 inches thick, I could even slide into the back pocket of my jeans. From a portability standpoint, it may not be the smallest speaker on the market, but it doesn't have to be — it's plenty small enough. You can buy it in one of four colors: black, pink, grey, or blue (pictured here). Why the round shape? Well, for a start, it's just plain fun, but the better reason is that speaker drivers are round. When you pack a round driver into a round enclosure, you get a speaker that occupies the least amount of space. The woven fabric grille features Ultimate Ears' (UE) trademark oversized volume buttons, while power/BT pairing and play/pause/track skipping buttons are found around the side. A USB-C port handles charging, but unlike the JBL Flip 7, it can't be used for USB Audio. As is increasingly the case with portable audio products in general, UE doesn't ship the Miniroll with its own USB-C cable to avoid e-waste (and presumably reduce cost). On the back is a removable silicone strap that combines the functionality of a wrist strap and a carabiner, letting you attach the Miniroll to all kinds of objects from bike handlebars to the overhead wire of your patio lights. As a carry strap, it's not as comfortable as a true lanyard. You may be able to get a few fingers through the middle slot, but not your whole hand. However, the strap does play an interesting role when you place the speaker on a flat surface. The strap's four tiny raised feet provide both a surprisingly grippy connection and excellent vibration isolation. Durability With an IP67 rating, the Miniroll is effectively dust and waterproof. But UE also claims it's drop-proof, up to 1.2 meters (about 3.9 feet), making it a very rugged choice. It's perfect for the patio or the pool, but it's best to think of it as a poolside speaker, not an actual pool speaker. It may survive immersion in water, but unlike its larger sibling, the WonderBoom 4, the Miniroll doesn't float. In fact, it will sink like a stone (yep, I found that out the hard way). Expandability UE's PartyUp feature (powered by Bluetooth Auracast) lets you sync an unlimited number of other Minirolls for simultaneous playback. As long as another Miniroll is within Bluetooth range (32 feet or closer), it can join your primary Miniroll's PartyUp network. Unfortunately, PartyUp can't be used to stereo pair two Minirolls, and UE limits audio sharing to just other Minirolls. JBL's implementation of Auracast on its newest speakers is more flexible, letting any Auracast-enabled JBL speakers connect. Sound quality I think the Miniroll sounds great — for its size. You're not going to get thumping bass, but the speaker still manages to let you hear most of that low end. However, the key to the Miniroll's audio quality is its handling of midrange and high frequencies. Both enjoy very good clarity and detail, and there's a warm tonal quality that I find is missing from most ultraportable speakers. I happened to have Marshall's Willen on hand while testing the Miniroll. The Willen, physically, is a square version of the Miniroll, complete with the same design of silicone strap on the back (I believe the Willen was the first to feature this idea). Sound-wise, though, the two couldn't be more different. Where the Miniroll delivers the kind of balance, detail, and loudness that you might expect from a larger speaker, the Willen struggles mightily, with half the perceived power and far less bass response. Speaking of bass response, I've read a few other Miniroll reviews that note a lack of low end and point out that for the same $80 price, you can get the Soundcore Motion 300, a better-sounding Bluetooth speaker. This is true, but it's also beside the point. The Motion 300 is more than twice the size and three times the weight of the Miniroll. Price aside, these speakers aren't in the same category. I wouldn't think twice about grabbing the Miniroll on the way out the door. The Motion 300 might give me pause. The more reasonable critique of the Miniroll is that UE doesn't provide a companion app, so there's no way to tweak the EQ. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'd change if I could make adjustments. For my tastes, the factory settings were fine. Compared to competitors like the JBL Clip 4 or Soundcore Select 4 Go, the Miniroll consistently came out ahead in clarity, depth, and sheer listening enjoyment. Battery life UE claims up to 12 hours of battery life, and in my testing, mostly at moderate volume, that number holds up. For its size — and considering its impressive volume — that's very good stamina. Most of the other ultraportables have the same or less. However, if you want to get maximum battery life in the smallest possible package, it's hard to beat the Soundcore Select 4 Go's 20 hours. Conclusion If you're looking for a pocket-sized speaker that doesn't sound like a toy, the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is one of the best options out there. It combines smart design, rugged build quality, and above-average sound into a speaker that genuinely punches above its weight. Sure, it's not going to fill a backyard with bass, but for solo adventures, travel, or casual hangs, it's more than enough — and more than most in this price range.
