Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Golf Monthly

I've been watching golf seriously for a little over 30 years and in that time the standard from the top players has undoubtedly got better and better. I'm not talking about whether Jack, Gary and Arnie in their prime were better than Jordan, Rory and Dustin – I'd say the original Big Three remain the greatest trio to ever play the game – but when you look at the wider picture, it's hard to argue against the strength in depth on show today. Modern, elite golfers are fitter and stronger than their predecessors. They hit the ball further and they take fewer shots to get it round the golf course. The gap between the top and bottom is getting smaller. On any given week, any tour pro can win without…

Photography: Paul Severn “Flogging a dead horse is neither fun nor rewarding and it’s not good for one’s confidence” YES Golf is one of the most challenging and frustrating sports and the opportunities for failure are extensive every time you step on the course. Thankfully, with 18 holes to play, there are also plenty of opportunities to achieve something. With that in mind, there's no need for self-flagellation. If the battle on a hole is lost, pick up and continue the war from the next tee. Flogging a dead horse is neither fun nor rewarding. On the golf course, it's not good for one's confidence. If you're seriously struggling on a hole and rapidly losing the will to live, continuing could be psychologically damaging. Whether you've contracted the dreaded shanks…

BIG MAX TERRAIN This compact-folding electric trolley has automatic downhill braking, a colour display, distance control and adjustable handle height. SCOTTY CAMERON FUTURA 5.5M PUTTER As used by Justin Thomas, this putter is smaller than the similar 7M model and has a new hosel shape. SHOT SCOPE V2 WATCH Combining GPS technology with automatic shot tracking, the V2 has an LCD screen that displays front, middle and back distances and tracks performance. ALL BLACK FOOTJOY HYPERFLEX II FootJoy has released just 2,016 pairs to celebrate Jimmy Walker’s USPGA victory in 2016.…

Irons Srixon Z965, 4-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts Wedges Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Precision Forged, 52°, 56° and 60°, Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts Driver Callaway Great Big Bertha, 9°, Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 8TX shaft; sliding weight slightly in the fade setting Fairway wood 2017 TaylorMade M2, 15°, Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 9TX shaft Hybrid Honma TW727 UT, 19°, Graphite Design Tour AD-DI Hybrid 115X shaft Putter TaylorMade TP Collection Mullen prototype Ball Srixon Z-Star XV SPOTTED ON TOUR Bridgestone is back Bridgestone analysed over 2.5 million swings and used feedback from its tour players to improve performance for specific player types in the new Tour B balls, which will replace the B330. New TaylorMade irons? A P790 long-iron was seen in the bag…

Photography: Kevin Murray “I don’t know how you’re feeling about the 2018 Ryder Cup as Europeans, but the USA team is shaping up to be mighty strong indeed” Obviously, Tiger Woods was an unbelievable asset to our game and the players owe so much to the great man. But let me ask you this: does golf miss him? You might think it is a silly question, but this season's four Majors did a great job in showcasing the immense talent that exists today. Sergio's victory at The Masters was awesome and everyone was so happy for him. Well, unless of course you had a tenner on Justin Rose, who played some phenomenal golf and will surely contend at Augusta National again. It took Sergio so long to win one of…

THERE are several words used to define maverick, but three capture the essence of it better than the others when attaching it to the legend of Severiano Ballesteros... free spirit and outsider. Free spirit, you'll get easily enough. Even the most myopic of observers did not need to watch this golfer go about his work for too long before realising that he was different, sensationally different, and a man convinced he was right not just as a golfer but every other way, too. His rare apologies for this and that were more often than not heartfelt, but his default position always remained strongly in his own favour whether it was bunker play, politics or women. It is a testimony to his effortless charm, on top of a refined sense of…

What are the advantages of being privately owned? We're not being driven by volume and money. We're driven by product development and doing things right, and if that takes time then so be it. You don't spoil what you have built up to chase a quick return because that harms the longevity of the brand. What is the best product Galvin Green has ever made? For me, our Paclite waterproof range was a major milestone for us. It was a two-layer Gore-Tex product that was light, comfortable and gave excellent protection and it sold really well. A close second to Paclite would be our Insula mid-layer garments. Put one on when it's cold and you'll never go back to wearing anything else. What are the advantages of being based in…

“People think you can wash off the waterproofness, but you can never over-wash Gore-Tex waterproofs” Words cannot really do justice to the amount of testing and golf-specific performance validation that goes into every Galvin Green product prior to it appearing on the shelf in your pro shop. It needs to do the job, that is a given, but it needs to do it over a considerable period of time and withstand the harshest of conditions. The most vigorous testing regime takes place on Galvin Green's Gore-Tex waterproofs, with Gore undertaking a lengthy assessment process to ensure the quality is best in class. It starts with the fit-for-use testing of the fabric. In conjunction with Galvin Green, Gore will decide if the fabric on the table is suitable to be put…

1 Set-up basics For a standard splash shot, set up with the ball opposite your left heel and then feel like there's a lot of ‘aggressive' weight on your left side – for me, about 60 to 65 per cent. You should then keep that weight there throughout the swing. The shaft should remain pretty vertical at address – you really don't need much lean. I'm not keen on the shaft leaning backwards, and if there's any forward lean at all, it should be absolutely minimal. 2 Maintain the loft To play bunker shots well, it's crucial that you retain the loft on the club throughout. If you ever lose the loft the club will dig in, with disappointing results! Try opening the face at address, thus adding more loft,…

Photography: Paul Severn Paul’s assessment Neil wanted more distance, so we initially tried to maximise the speed he already had by finding a repeatable centred strike off the face. We also needed to work on his set-up and balance, as Neil was lifting his front heel off the ground on the way back and not grounding it in time for impact. This meant he wasn't hitting against a stable left side. He had a very weak right-hand grip, too – something that can cause a distance-hampering high fade. Paul’s remedy Fixing Neil's grip gave us some good results once he was comfortable with it. His launch was also much better with the driver once his shoulders were slightly tilted at address, which helped him hit the ball more on the…

“YOU GET THE EXTRA STABILITY AND FORGIVENESS THROUGH THE TURF WITHOUT LOSING FEEL OR CONTROL” Joel Tadman, technical editor VERSATILITY The wide sole makes the CBX wedge ideal for those who hit down a lot on the ball, while the narrower heel section allows the clubface to be opened up slightly for more high-tariff shots if the situation demands it. FEEL/SOUND The CBX wedge feels solid and stable from a large area and is surprisingly soft for a design of this type. It doesn’t sound overly ‘clicky’ and the sensation isn’t far off what you’d get from a forged or muscle-back wedge. LOOKS The CBX will look larger than most wedges on the market, but it still has an appealing profile that isn’t too round or overly offset, thereby inspiring…

“When you thin a 4-iron on a cold morning with a blade you certainly know about it. Ouch!” Blades are irons in their purest form. There is no other type of golf club that can stir emotions or tickle the senses like a bladed iron – not only for the way they look in the bag, a throwback to the earlier years when a lack of technology meant that golf must have been considerably more difficult to play than it is now, but also for the way they feel when you strike it out of the screws. It's a feeling like no other in the game and one that, besides a brief spell using the Mizuno MP-5s, I've not experienced as much as I'd have liked, having reluctantly accepted my…

MODERN FEEL TAYLORMADE M2 A weight-saving Geocoustic sole improves the M2's forgiveness, as well as its sound and feel. CLASSIC LOOKS TITLEIST 917 A SureFit CG weight port allows you to fine-tune launch conditions to maximise distance and accuracy. ADJUSTABLE SOLE MIZUNO JPX900 Two 8g weights can be positioned to alter this club's launch, spin, forgiveness and shot shape. POWERFUL FACE CALLAWAY GBB EPIC Jailbreak technology sees titanium bars connect the crown and sole to reduce their deflection and boost distance.…

Photography: Tom Miles “Golf is the game that fathers and sons can enjoy together, as one begins to falter and the other grows older and slightly less irritating” So then, that's the Majors over for another year – or at least the eight months until we all roll into Augusta again. It's been fun and now, with the benefit of hindsight, we may claim that 2017 was a vintage year as these things go. The Masters was superb as Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose battled it out; the US Open was never less than fascinating as Brooks Koepka finally lived up to the reputation I gave him two years ago; The Open was one of the best, as memorable for Matt Kuchar's elegant acceptance of defeat as it was for…

Photography: Getty Images You’re the son and grandson of a PGA professional. Winning must have been a great moment for your family? The USPGA definitely has a special place in my heart. For it to be my first one and to have my dad there, and my grandpa watching at home, was pretty cool. It's just a great win for the family, and it's a moment we'll never forget. What was the key behind keeping your emotions in check? I truly felt like I was going to win. My girlfriend was supposed to fly out at about 7pm and I told her, “You need to change your flight, because I just feel like I don't want you to miss this. I feel like I'm going to get it done.” I…

“THE NEW AP3 IRON IS IDEAL FOR GOLFERS WHO WANT DISTANCE BUT IN A SLEEKER PROFILE THAN AP1”Joel Tadman, technical editor Staying true to its two-year product cycle, Titleist has kept us waiting for the new 718 irons and 818 hybrids. They have now arrived, and certainly don’t disappoint. In the 718 iron family, performance improvements feature across the board. There’s also a new AP3 model, which is said to provide the distance and forgiveness of AP1 with the looks and feel of AP2. The 818 hybrids have undergone a more significant design change over the outgoing 816, with the addition of SureFit CG adjustability helping golfers get even more dialed in on their ball flight and distance gapping. The 718 AP1 is the largest in size and features hollow-body…

“Juniors want to view the club as a fun place to be” At a time when many clubs in this country are concerned about an ageing membership, it's essential to consider the next generation of golfers. If clubs are to attract and retain junior players, they must understand what is important to youngsters. Over a period of six months in 2016, Sports Marketing Surveys Inc. (SMS) carried out a programme of research on behalf of the Golf Foundation – a charity committed to giving all children and young people the opportunity to experience golf. The research aimed to establish the current golfing experience of junior golfers in this country: how they came into the sport, where they play, what they and their parents look for from a golfing venue and,…

“Golf is a very personal struggle and it often feels like a long, painful search for the one salient piece of advice that works for you” Have you ever played a round with that person who likes to give tips? You know who I'm on about. The one who will happily shank three straight shots into a bush before telling you how to get an extra 30 yards on your drive, even though you've just striped one down the middle. That bloke who will pull short putt after short putt over 17 holes but thinks nothing of explaining, in detail, why your technique let you down on the final green. The guy who walks down the fairway telling you why your 3-wood shaft is too stiff, why you're not getting…

“There’s a lot of nerdiness. It starts on the golf course, not the high street” Successful brands are always looking to create new and exciting products that can be seen in all the right places. In recent times, Galvin Green has placed an even sharper focus on this strategy in a multitude of ways, allowing more golfers to see and experience the products. Be that on TV watching the Ryder Cup or a European Tour event, in an upmarket pro shop, or through other media influencers like Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach and YouTube star Peter Finch. There's a host of reasons people buy into the brand, but the product and the quality stamp that comes with it is where it all begins. That may well start with waterproofs, but…

Photography: Tom Miles Over the last eight years, Shane Lowry has built a reputation for having one of the best short games in world golf. The man from County Offaly has the touch and imagination to respond to the most taxing of short-game scenarios. But could Shane help a Golf Monthly reader in need of some expert advice? In this exclusive instruction feature, he casts his eye over the pitching and bunker game of Mike Chapman to offer some all-important advice. SHANE LOWRY 3 professional wins World No. 83 Shane Lowry averages around 22ft from the hole from inside 125 yards and is regarded as one of Europe’s best chippers and pitchers MIKE CHAPMAN GM reader, 5-handicapper “My half pitch shots are a real problem. I tend to hit a…

1 Aim small, miss small The tight drive with trouble on both sides fills most golfers with dread. The one I'm facing here has water up the left and thick rough up the right, so we need a change of strategy and a change of thinking to really focus on finding the fairway. I would recommend picking out a small target point beyond the fairway or on the horizon, and then taking dead aim on that exact spot. In this case, it's a little post in the distance, so I'm going to work hard on really aiming at, and hitting it on that line. By focusing on a very small target, even if you miss, you'll probably still end up on the fairway. If you just aim at ‘the fairway',…

Photography: Jeremy Ellwood, Paul Severn This year, Golf Monthly has teamed up with COBRA Golf for the innovative ‘Smarter Ways to Lower Scores' project, in which two readers have benefited from a full COBRA Golf club fitting and expert swing advice in the quest to knock shots off their scores and handicaps. Back in March, Mark Smith, a 5-handicapper from Hertfordshire, and Lawrence Stocker, a 17-handicapper from Oxfordshire, enjoyed full driver-to-wedge COBRA Golf custom fittings and received technical tips from PGA Professionals, Richard Strange and Tom Wild. Since then, they've been playing all their golf with their new COBRA clubs in the eternal quest to become better players tomorrow than they were today. Towards the end of July, it was time to put things to the test under the gun,…

EASE OF USE The pairing of the app to the trolley is a simple process that only needs to happen once. The screen is easy to read despite its modest size and the reliable S-Series frame makes assembly of the trolley a breeze. FEATURES The GPS distances are quick to display and update, and while the standard distances in Power Save mode will be enough for most, the aerial views on the app came in handy on blind shots and unfamiliar courses. The S5 Connect is aimed at golfers who like to stay connected on the course and want quick, at-a-glance distances. Key technology After connecting to a free Motocaddy GPS smartphone app via Bluetooth, the trolley will display front, middle and back distances, as well as call, text, email…

FEEL/SOUND You’ll notice a surprisingly loud ‘pop’ sound off the face given how soft this putter feels at impact, but it doesn’t detract from the overall appeal. The stock grip is quite thin, so you may feel the need to switch it. LOOKS The lack of alignment assistance may be a problem for some, but we found the premium red finish highlighted the face angle prominently. The black shaft matches the classy look of the head nicely. This putter is for those who favour high levels of stability over alignment assistance. Key technology Extensive perimeter weighting adds forgiveness, while the Pure Roll insert combines 45° grooves with a softer polymer to increase topspin and aid a soft feel. How we tested Over a number of rounds we assessed aiming, feel,…

STAY Outchester & Ross Farm Cottages, near Belford These 16 superb four- and five-star self-catering properties, sleeping from two to six and spread across two sites, offer the perfect base to explore the area's golf courses and countryside. Each has its own garden and is well-equipped and beautifully located. For something a little different try the five-star 18th-century Ducket Tower, which has been wonderfully restored. There are play areas for the children at both sites. Available for full weeks in season, with shorter breaks an option from November to March. W: rosscottages.co.uk EAT/DRINK The Apple Inn, Lucker This village pub was refurbished superbly earlier this year. ‘Pigs in a Pen' (fancy sausage and mash!) went down a treat with a pint of St Hilda's from the Alnwick Brewery. If you…

Photography: Getty Images A backward step With its poor coverage of the USPGA from Quail Hollow, the BBC has made it clear what value it puts on our favourite game. I get that the Majors and Ryder Cup should be freely available, but this is the real world where money talks. The Beeb is never going to have the funding to air comprehensive coverage. The BBC got a massive opportunity from the PGA of America and blew it. I sat down looking forward to live Sky-standard presentation and got standard definition and dodgy sound on the red button. Thank goodness for Peter Alliss, who brought some quality to it all. Leave, Peter, before golf becomes extinct on the BBC! BBC Sport, you have spectacularly let your audience down. It’s time…

Copyright: 2017 TI Golf Holdings, Inc, reprinted with permission The green is reachable it's time to take a big swing and go for eagle. Or is it? Consider: the eagle conversion rate at Chambers Bay's drivable par-4 12th during the 2015 US Open was just 5.6 per cent. Pretty long odds, and those are the world's best players. The smart money is to play for birdie. Here are three ways to go about it… 1 Lay up Laying up turns this hole into an easy par 3. Check the pin: if it's cut towards the back, hit a hybrid or a fairway wood, leaving a short wedge to the flag. If the pin is cut near the front, hit a long- or mid-iron, which will allow you to make a…

1 Which new product are you most proud of? The AP family as a whole is so much better. The 718 AP1 is an amazing golf club we just need to get in the hands of players who typically don't think they are good enough to play Titleist. It's like a rocket! The AP2 is a tour product that can be played by amateur golfers who know they need some help, and the cosmetics are better than ever before. The AP3 fills the gap between the two perfectly. 2 Why have you made the AP1 lofts stronger? We've moved the CG lower in the head so it launches the ball higher. If we kept the lofts the same the ball would go too high! The AP1 golfer is looking for…

Photography: Tom Miles “Justin Thomas has the potential to go a long way in this game. Could he get to World No.1? It’s hard to say, but he’s not far off” The Open Championship was such a great experience. Birkdale is an amazing golf course and the fans were so good all week. I had a really solid weekend – I shot 68, 67 and that's about as bad as it could have been. It was the first time in a while where I felt I'd actually taken some positives from a week. I felt like I started to play some proper golf again. I had some confidence standing over the ball, like I actually knew where it was going to go! I've been uncomfortable with my game for a…

Over the years, the majority of successful golfers have been measured, calm and calculating; they have striven for consistency and predictability. Occasionally, though, individuals have emerged who have trodden a different path and captured the public's attention as a result. Some have worn their hearts on their sleeves; others have displayed their personality through their clothing, their style of golf or their sense of humour. Here, we count down golf's greatest all-time mavericks, from ten to two... 10 BRIAN BARNES DOB: June 3rd, 1945 Achievements: 20 professional wins, including nine on the European Tour Six Ryder Cups, beating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day in the 1975 matches Strength: Entertaining the troops while playing silky golf Weakness: The booze. Barnsey will admit that things got out of hand for a…

“The goal from the start was to be the best” Galvin Green founder Tomas Nilsson grew up in a poor family and from an early age was driven to try and make money to support his family. He first entered the apparel business aged just 17, producing work clothes and gloves under a different brand name. Customers were impressed with the products and soon began asking for different types of clothing, mainly in sports, so Tomas diversified his brand portfolio into skiwear and eventually golf, for which he gained the all-important Gore-Tex licence. “From the start, the goal was always to make the best things,” Tomas says. “To use the best fabrics and techniques and never compromise on quality. This is still our mission to this day.” A passion for…

What is special about Gore’s relationship with Galvin Green? We refer to Galvin Green as a lighthouse brand. When we have a new technology we think might work in golf, we will approach them first to try it. They are the golf experts after all. Often they will come to us having identified an area to improve on, then we will try and match our technology to it. What’s the story behind C-Knit from your perspective? We took C-Knit technology to mountain sports initially and we saw it may be fit for use in golf. Galvin Green then made the difference in calibrating the backer and membrane combination to see what that would do for the golfer. This is a good example of a lighthouse brand. They ask the right…

After spending a few days with Galvin Green, it is an undeniable fact that the people who work for the brand are pivotal in its success. They are a friendly, welcoming and extremely knowledgeable group who like to work hard and party harder – we joined them for a Viking-style dinner with plenty of schnapps! They enjoy celebrating success while being conscious never to stand still. What Galvin Green does so well is it steps inside the mind of the golfer and asks them “what do you need?” You may not know the answer, but play in any of Galvin Green's products and you then know you don't want to play without them again. It's this aspirational aspect of the brand, along with playing experience, that means you're a fan…

1 Where do most hooks come from? The hook really hurts a lot of golfers, whether they are hitting from the fairway or off the tee. It often comes from an obsession with wanting to hit a draw – golf's Holy Grail and something we all strive to be able to do. But in our desire to hit the draw, we can go a bit too far and get the golf club travelling too much out towards the right-hand side, but with the clubface looking too much the other way. It's easy then to over-rotate the face through impact, and by the time you look up it's veering sharply left and you need to reload. 2 Check your torso It can be difficult to avoid the path of the club…

For many golfers the quest for accuracy is the Holy Grail, with more fairways and greens in regulation the secret to unlocking lower scores. But as we all know, every swing is different. Take GM reader Neil Banfield. He has managed to hone a repeatable action during years of practice that keeps him out of trouble. However, this steadiness has come at the cost of being 30 yards behind his playing partners. The 12-handicapper from North Hants GC has now watched his handicap stagnate as he struggles to reach long par 4s in two and attack shorter holes. He's finally decided that enough is enough. Thankfully, in our Top 25 Coaches we have some of the country's most experienced golf professionals on hand to help our readers out. One of…

LOOKS The switch to a lighter finish is more in keeping with the rest of the irons in the Ping family. The offset increases as the loft reduces, there’s a generous sole width and the topline looks thin because it is so rounded. PERFORMANCE Although the lofts are 0.5° stronger than the outgoing G irons, we experienced a significantly higher launch with the G400 7-iron. It had the launch of an 8-iron with distance closer to that of a 6-iron. These irons are aimed at a broad range of players who seek forgiveness from a relatively compact profile. Key technology A toprail undercut cavity allows the clubface to flex 18 per cent more than the G iron for more distance and stopping power. Updated Cor-Eye Technology maintains the distance across…

Photography: Dan Gould If we were to write a ‘how to’ guide for becoming a successful golf manufacturer, we’d probably start with Ping’s playbook as our rough draft. It consistently gets things right, bringing out new product at predictable and well-spaced intervals. It makes attractive clubs that provide tangible performance improvements each time and at affordable price points. Keen to see if its new G400 drivers (RRP £389) have followed suit, we contacted Ping to arrange this ‘Tested By You’. Step in Paul Rymer, Ping’s National Fitting Centre expert, who was tasked with fitting two GM readers into G400s. With years of experience to guide him and TrackMan on hand to capture all the data, Paul would narrow down a range of combinations for our duo to try before making…

1. BOLTON OLD LINKS Lancashire Host of this year's prestigious PGA North Region Championship, Alister MacKenzie's design is a challenging and very enjoyable par-72 layout. There are two loops of nine with the front half surrounded by the back, and its lovely but exposed moorland location means the wind has a regular bearing on events. From the highest point at the 12th tee, there are marvellous far-reaching views, and the feature hole is probably the very attractive short 14th at the far end of the course. W: boltonoldlinks.com GF: Round: £30-£35wd, £45we 2. WEST LANCASHIRE Lancashire This is the oldest club still in existence in the county, but the course was substantially remodelled about 50 years ago by Fred Hawtree. What remains is a very traditional-looking, mature and challenging links…