The Sunday Bag: Rocco's Chipping Tip, 5 Things Worth The Money, First-Hole Blowups
8/9/2026
Happy Sunday everyone.
Let’s get into it.
Today’s quote:
“If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron."
— Lee Trevino
Rocco’s Chipping Tip
There are very few guys who can explain golf technique in a way that truly simplifies the game down to its most basic, bare-bones level. And in my opinion, Rocco Mediate is one of those guys.
For those who are on Instagram and don’t follow Rocco, do yourself a favor and follow him HERE. He regularly posts videos explaining his unique approach to different part of the game.
In one of his recent posts, he explains why chipping with a 60-degree wedge off an uphill slope is causing you to hit shots fat.
Watch the video below and then we’ll discuss:
I’ve written a number of times on why I think automatically grabbing your 60-degree around the greens is maybe not the best idea.
Rocco provides the perfect example of a situation where pulling a 60-degree is complete overkill. I think most of us reach for it because we want the spin. We want the high, soft, beautiful landing. But why introduce a razor-thin margin for error when you’re standing on a tight lie with an uneven slope?
Take out a pitching wedge, align your shoulders to the slope, and make a putting stroke.
No ego. No flash. No chunky chip shots.
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5 Things Worth The Money in Golf
If you’re on golf twitter, you might have seen the rend last week where everyone was posting the five things in golf they think are actually worth the money.
Here are a couple of my favorites.
So I figured I’d make my own list of 5 things worth the money. However my list is specific to golf performance — true to Scoring Letter standards.
Here they are in no particular order:
A quality rangefinder (this needs to become your best friend)
An official GHIN. Start tracking your scores officially. 18 Birdies and other apps are not the same. There’s nothing like the real thing.
Comfortable shoes to walk in (I love my Olukais. By far the most comfortable golf shoes I’ve ever worn)
Titleist Players golf glove (it’s just simply the best. There’s a reason everyone on Tour uses them)
Alignment sticks (no explanation needed)
This Week’s Premium Post
This week’s premium post will be on The Tiger 5.
A preview:
Legend has it that many years ago, a golfer roamed the fairways, carrying with him a golden set of rules.
Though he never spoke of them publicly, golfologists pieced together their existence through ancient caddie records and scribbled yardage books.
According to scripture, he originally forged these principles to dominate his competitors and capture major championships.
The strategy was simple: lower scores not by playing better, but by playing smarter.
And it worked. Brilliantly.
These sacred rules would come to be known as…
The Tiger Five
This post will be for premium subs only. If you’d like to upgrade, I offer a special discount for The Sunday Bag readers HERE.
First-Hole Blowups
Jordan Spieth made headlines during Thursday’s opening round of the Wyndham Championship after sending his first tee shot out of bounds—with an iron.
What made it unusual was that it’s a hole where players typically hit driver or 3-wood. So an iron off the tee for this hole is considered an extremely conservative play—and he still managed to go OB and score a double.
But the thing that I loved most about it all, was that following the opening hole, Jordan had one of the cleanest scorecards in the field.
The remaining 17 he holes he shot 4-under with 13 pars and 4 birdies.
The reason I’m sharing this is to remind you not to stress over blowups on the first hole.
Jordan wouldn’t have even made headlines if this happened on the second hole. But there’s a certain pressure when it comes to starting your round off right on Hole 1. We all feel it.
So try to remember that golf is played over 18 holes, and a double bogey on the first counts the exact same as a double bogey on the 13th.
Over time, I’ve learned to accept that bogeys (or worse) are simply bound to happen during a round. There’s no reason to panic just because a few of them happen to show up early.
That’s it for today. Hope you all have a great week and get out and play!
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to email me at tourswingstommy@gmail.com. I read everything.
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