Issue No. 226 | July 8, 2025 | Read Online

The hardest part of every newsletter for me — and it’s not even really that close — is the beginning. I always want to share something at least a little bit personal or meaningful because, well, I think because that’s what I like reading or hearing myself.

Normally that’s about myself, but today it’s about this business.

I have been grinding on our business plan — as I do from time to time — this week, and reevaluating our company values. I realized I don’t always share those as often as I probably should so here’s one of them.

The shadow side of this is that it can lead (and has led!) to some cringeworthy content. But I will always, always err on that side of things rather than the other (in which a lack of earnestness leads to bland and sterile writing).

Anyway, these are things I go through my week thinking about and grinding on. It is strangely (?) fun for me, and (so far) I think has led down some good paths as it relates to covering this ridiculous sport.

Today’s newsletter is presented by Meridian Putters.

[Jason here] When Meridian founder Ryan Duffey started naming putters he thought of his favorite vacation spots in Charleston, Savannah, Tybee, Okatie and Key West. I don’t have any personal experience with the first four locations, but I do have some experience with Key West, the city, as well as Normal Sport’s favorite putter.

As a kid I would travel down to Key West via the famous Seven Mile Bridge and stare out the window thinking, “How did they build this?” Now, as an adult, I drive around thinking about golf clubs.

How many steps does it take to mill a one-piece putter?

What’s the softest sounding face milling? (I found out it’s the Meridian Cut)

And lately … what should I get customized on my next Meridian?

If Jimmy Buffet never got stuck in traffic on the Seven Mile Bridge, we might never have gotten Margaritaville and subsequently our favorite putter company, Meridian. 

Most of those questions were fueled by our conversations and Q&A with Ryan and how his expertise made the complex process sound so easy. Of course he would pivot his manufacturing company to make high-quality, affordable (Golf Digest gold awarded) one-piece putters in the USA.

Even the naming process sounds meant to be.

So if you’re like us, driving around this summer thinking of golf clubs, give Key West a spin.

OK, now onto the news.

Congratulations

To Geoff R. on winning the OGIO travel bag giveaway we did on Twitter last week. Speaking of giveaways, I will give away a copy of Golf Is Art 3 to our next 10 Normal Club members. Doesn’t matter when they are, you’ll have a copy headed your way if you’re one of the next 10 to sign up for the Normal Club.

New H&B Gear

Our Holderness and Bourne gear is now available to everyone — including non-members. You can check it out right here or by clicking the image below.

This Maxwell polo is one of my favorite pieces we have and one I’ve been living in the last few weeks this summer. I want it in every color they have.

Normal Sport x Holderness and Bourne

One Thing I Loved

Brian Campbell might be clearance shelf Russell Henley, but I had two takeaways from his win at the Deere on Sunday.

1. What he gets out of his game is outrageous.

I made a chart with money earned compared to ball speed to show who gets the most out of their game relative to their distance. Using 150 MPH as the baseline, I divided total 2025 earnings by how many MPH over 150 each player is.

Obviously Scottie is No. 1 (in everything), but Campbell checks in at No. 11, which is pretty cool.

That Russ Henley is No. 2 is maybe even more impressive than Campbell at No. 11. Anyway, here’s takeaway No. 2 from Campbell’s post-tournament presser.

2. He was asked about turning his career around following a run in which he was not even making the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Look at this!

Here’s what he said.

That is awesome and a good reminder to not give up in either the macro (career) or the micro (Q-School). Brian Campbell winning the Deere is not the most exciting outcome of the season, to be sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s void of any takeaways at all.

The Poofer Roll tastes a lot better this week at Mikuni. 

Normal Sport

Three of them this week.

1. I cannot overstate how much I love that someone is at Wimbledon, attempting to drink in the pageantry and delight of one of the great sporting events in the world, and all they can think about is this dumb newsletter and how a sign about WiFi and bats relates to this ridiculous person sitting in a desk chair in north Texas.

2. Buddy … if Marcel Siem rocking a backwards hat on Golf Channel doesn’t signify the beginning of coffee golf season, then I think maybe you’re not ready for coffee golf season.

3. Geoff Shackelford wrote about Portrush this week, and how its internal out of bounds (made famous after Rory opened with 8 in 2019) is an ode to … cows.

Really.

Normal … and I cannot possibly stress this enough … sport.

Coffee Golf

One of the best stretches of the year is upon us, and I thought it would be nice to look ahead a bit to next week’s Open Championship.

We will be running our last of four major championship contests during The Open for Normal Club members so hopefully this research helps you out (since I’m ineligible to win).

Here are your top 10 in terms of strokes gained at Opens since Jan. 1, 2015 (min. 16 rounds).

It’s bizarre that there are only three winners on this list.

The one that stands out most to me is probably Day. He’s been top 15 each of the last two years and has had a solid year with top 25s at two majors and a near win at the Travelers a few weeks ago.

Also, Spieth having his baby on the Monday of Open week and coming in hot on Wednesday with nine holes of practice before shooting 66-68-68-70 to win his fourth major would be extremely on brand.

Vibing with Richard Mansell

We built this little thank you page for anyone who signs up for the newsletter. That means every new subscriber gets an opportunity to share their story because as one of my friends said recently, “Everybody has at least one insane golf story.”

This, it turns out, is true.

Here’s this week’s.

[Jason here] We love some of your stories because they’re full of hilarious details and we love other ones like Diarmuid’s for their succinct snapshots of the golf experience. I don’t exactly know why shining in Richard Mansell’s shadow tickles me so much, but I wanted to share it.

We’re going to make this a more regular feature so throw your normal story here.

We know you’ve got them.

Corrupt Golf Media

👉️ This NYT article on how streaming has sliced up the cultural unification sports brings about is excellent.

Does this next statement sound familiar?

That reminded us of this all timer.

And before anyone says that this is just a baseball, basketball and football problem, here’s how the article ends.

… which is now a golf problem.

I would pay real money to get new Tour CEO Brian Rolapp’s thoughts on this article, given his proximity to NFL media rights. Maybe jam on a pod about it or something??

All of this, to me, is a referendum on the Tour’s future, sure, but also more or less a subtweet about how good of a job the Masters has done in this area.

The entity that has done the best job of anyone in golf sports of not chopping up its product and selling it here and there and everywhere. That has done the best job of delivering it perfectly to golf fans.

I saw this great quote recently.

The result, at least for ANGC is an unparalleled long-term affinity from the most lucrative demographic of fans this side of the polo world championships.

It is more difficult to trust that this will be the eventual outcome than the Masters gets credit for. It is always easier to sell out to the highest bidder, and to push that aside and trust your own product is not only great for their organization but also the sport as a whole.

One Year Ago …

Sometimes I like to go back and read the newsletter I wrote exactly one year ago. Often it feels more like 10 years ago, and I don’t think this one is any different.

It was fun to look back on Sergio and Justin Rose trying to qualify into The Open (an Open Rose nearly won) and that hilarious Trump-Biden golf spat from last summer. Keegan’s suitcase is also still unopened and still as relevant as ever.

Biggest takeaway, though, was the reminder that this photo — taken at last year’s John Deere Classic — exists ….

Here was my take at the time.

Jeff and I have become closer friends since then, and as noted above, I even got to write the foreword for his Golf Is Art 3 book (Golf is Art 2 actually included the Spieth photo) and Jason wrote about the portrait he made for Jeff’s Q&A.

You can check it out right here.

Love Your Work

I love this idea below.

People on Twitter really would have you believe that this is the worst trait imaginable for someone who gives their opinion for a living, but I find it far worse to be someone who doubles down on a take that has proven to be foolish when more information has been disclosed.

One area where I have personally evolved is (obviously?) LIV. I think at first I made it into too much of a human rights issue. And while it is that, as I thought and read more and more, I realized that players are less complicated than I originally gave them credit for and that the folks establishing the league probably are, too. I think it’s mostly just about money for the players. For the princes, it’s about building a league and all the trappings that come with that.

I think it takes some humility to revise your opinion on actual things (not silly stuff like golf), but I respect people who do a lot because they are doing so in the face of what they often know will be tremendous criticism.

Thank you for reading a golf newsletter that is 2,499 words long. You are a sicko (and possibly a psycho), and I’m grateful for that. Happy coffee golf szn.