The weekly Pulse of Golfing In The Garden State – new stories every Monday.
This week: Masters week delivered, Rory goes back-to-back, Chris Gotterup made his Augusta debut, and the Race for the Crown Final Four is officially set with all four No. 1 seeds advancing. Plus, Scott Anderson, President of True Spec Golf joined the show to explain why your equipment might be working against you.
— The DROP Podcast
#GolfingInTheGardenState
The Final Four Is Set. Now It Gets Personal.
The Race for the Crown Elite 8 is in the books, and the committee got it right, all four No. 1 seeds punched their tickets to the Final Four.
Shore Gate edged Knob Hill by just 23 votes in the tightest matchup of the round.
Francis A. Byrne handled Twisted Dune 270-194.
Ballyowen — the Year 2 champion looking for another crown, dispatched Architects Golf Club 264-183.
Neshanic Valley dominated without sharing a single Instagram story the entire tournament.
"Neshanic just has too much something. I don't know what that something is because it's not social media. And that's no knock on them. It's just the facts. They don't share. They don't post. They don't do anything, but the people here in New Jersey speak on their behalf."
That might be the line of the bracket. A course winning on word-of-mouth alone in 2026. Both Mike and Pro predict a Francis A. Byrne vs. Neshanic Valley final, with Francis A. Byrne — fresh off its Banks/Raynor restoration — taking the crown. Semifinals vote Wednesday, finals vote Friday. The winner gets a DROP Podcast visit. Year 4 of the bracket — following Seaview Bay, Ballyowen, and Somerset Hills — gets its champion this week.
The episode also doubled as a Masters preview. The first playing since 1994 without both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at Augusta. Mike picked Scottie Scheffler. Chris went with the heart, Jordan Spieth for a second green jacket.
"Jordan Spieth winning the Masters would be great for the game of golf. So let's get the golden boy with the green jacket come Sunday afternoon."
Jersey Boys at Augusta
Rory McIlroy went back-to-back, just the fourth player ever to win consecutive green jackets, joining Nicklaus, Faldo, and Tiger. He built a record six-shot lead through 36 holes, nearly gave it all back Saturday, then held on by one over Scheffler on Sunday. Historic stuff.
Chris Gotterup finished T24 at -2 in his Masters debut. He was T9 at the halfway mark after a second-round 69, looking every bit like a future contender before the weekend grind at Augusta took its toll. He entered with four career PGA Tour wins, tied for the most by any player making his Masters debut since WWII..
Max Greyserman missed the cut at +12. Tough week, but two Masters reps in two years is experience money can't buy.
Mike's pick (Scheffler) finished 2nd after playing catchup at the weekend from 12 shots back . Co-Host Chris Dymek’s pick Jordan Spieth was never really in contention but finished strong in T12. Advantage Mike in the picks race.
Next up: RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.
Your Six Iron Is Lying to You
Watch on YouTube or Listen on Spotify
Scott Anderson, President of True Spec Golf, joined the show Thursday for a deep dive into what serious golfers still misunderstand about their equipment. This is True Spec's second DROP appearance — Michael Buell, the master fitter at Metedeconk National, was on back in February and the audience response prompted Mike to book the company's president.
Anderson's origin story is worth the listen alone. Montana kid. Ohio State golfer. Five years on mini-tours. Three cracks at second stage of Q-School. Then he saw True Spec at three locations, built a business plan on the plane home, and worked two jobs for 20 months to prove the model to his wife.
"I worked two jobs for 20 months. My wife was like, this sounds like a pipe dream. She's like, you just want to do this because it's golf."
He started as a mobile unit franchisee with a TrackMan. Now he's president of a 40-location company. The episode is a masterclass in brand-agnostic fitting, why a "60 gram" shaft might actually weigh 68, why blueprinting reveals tolerances most golfers never consider, and why True Spec fitters will tell you to invest in lessons instead of a new driver if that's what you actually need.
Mike's own proof: he walked in a lifelong Titleist guy and walked out gaming Ping Blueprint S irons, a brand he'd never hit in his life.
Two NJ locations: Metedeconk National and Liberty National. If Masters week has you itching to play, this might be where your season starts.
Pro Shop
Looking to show your Jersey golf pride this season. Check out our selection of shirts, hoodies, and hats in The DROP pro shop. Find quality gear like the DROP rope hat. Lightweight, comfortable, and perfect on or off the course.
The 19th Hole
Gotterup was T9 at the halfway mark at Augusta before the weekend slowed him down The bracket reaches its climax this week.
Here's the question: Who wins the Race for the Crown, and is it the same course you'd pick as the best public course in New Jersey?
Hit “reply”, we want to hear it.
Follow The DROP: @TheDROP_Pod on Instagram.
Dunning Golf x DROP Partnership: Code DROP20 for 20% off your first order.
