Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i Golf Monthly

What’s your favourite tournament? For some, it’s The Masters, and for others it’s the drama of the Ryder Cup. But for me, it will always be The Open. The combination of the pure test of links golf and a century-and-a-half of history is unbeatable. As I write this in mid-June, we’re in the midst of a heatwave and social media is full of images of a sun-baked Royal Liverpool, host of this year’s Championship. Fans of firm, fast conditions will be licking their lips in anticipation. If the hot weather continues, we could see conditions similar to 2006, where the course was so dry the fairways turned almost white and Tiger put on a links masterclass, negotiating his way around 72 holes by threading his 2-iron between Hoylake’s bunkers. Whatever…

Well, who saw that coming? Maybe some of you smart people out there, but certainly not us and certainly not the majority of professional players. After months of posturing and bickering that spilled into the courtrooms, the established tours – the PGA and DP World Tours – announced a shock merger with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the very entity they had previously taken such a hard stance against. The news landed like a lead balloon, catching players and media members completely off guard. Collin Morikawa was out of the blocks quickly, saying: “I love finding out news on Twitter.” He wasn’t alone. In fact, players from both sides of the divide had little to no prior knowledge of the deal, which apparently took all of seven weeks…

Nice and firm says Fergus Bisset At the outset, I should say that although I’m a strong advocate of the firmly rapped short putt, I’m not an impressive exponent of the method. The confidently struck three-footer is something I aspire to rather than proficiently demonstrate. But, as a poor putter, it’s clear to me that nonchalantly banging the short ones in is a far more effective strategy than trying to work out subtle breaks and cosy the ball into the front or side doors. In bounce games, when not marking a card, I’ll often stride up to short ones that don’t matter and pop them straight in. Not considering much other than ‘firm and straight into the middle’, I normally make them. In competitions, or even doing a ‘general play’,…

When it comes to the new Garmin Approach S70 GPS watch, it might be quicker to tell you what it can’t do, rather than what it can! Now headlining Garmin’s Approach range of GPS golf watches, the S70 comes with an all-new AMOLED touchscreen display that is claimed to offer a brighter and clearer experience than on any other GPS watch. The improved CourseView maps are crystal-clear and allow you to inspect any hole in intricate detail from over 43,000 pre-downloaded courses. The detail doesn’t stop there, either. As part of an optional Garmin membership, you can also benefit from being able to view the slope direction and severity of greens on the watch. The all-new ‘Plays Like Distance’ feature takes into account wind, temperature and air pressure to give…

A former member of the European Tour and two-time winner, Wayne is part of the Sky Sports golf team. He writes exclusively for Golf Monthly I probably reacted to the news of the partnership between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in the same way as you: total shock. I honestly thought it was a joke when I first read about it. At this moment in time, everyone is asking a lot of questions but there aren’t a lot of answers. I’m reliably informed by people in the know that the situation will become clearer in two months’ time, but as with everything in the golf world right now, I’m taking that with a pinch of salt. “The first thing I thought was…

F ormercounty golfer Dave Peel has played all over the country, but apart from his home club, Stockport, where he enjoyed his first proper swings, nowhere has he racked up more rounds than Royal Liverpool – more often know as Hoylake. During his 22 years representing Cheshire, Peel accumulated a number of prestigious titles, including the County Championship, the Birkdale Silver Goblet and the Gerald Micklem Cup at Sunningdale. He’s never happier, though, then when teeing it up at the famous Open venue, where he enjoyed many a good round competing in the British Amateur, British Mid Amateur and English Amateur. “I’ve just fallen in love with the place,” he says, and it’s something many golfers do. His fondness for the historic links was established well before he won the Club…

Removing tension Try exhaling before you start the stroke back, which can help remove tension. By Top 50 Coach Keith Williams This is such a simple drill and one everyone should spend five minutes on before teeing off. Simply take your putter back as far as your right toes, and stop the stroke when you reach your left toes. Focus on accelerating smoothly from right to left. Now try making strokes outside and inside the toe line, but with the same rhythm to practise slightly longer or shorter roll distances. Don’t worry about the hole – just find a flat spot and note the distance the ball travels.…

Q I know I can place myputter immediately to my ball if I want to tweak my ball alignment or pick it up without lifting or moving my putter. However, does my putter have to be virtually touching my ball or can it be, say, one inch from it? And if I mark my ball position using the toe of my putter, can I then place a ball-marker at the heel of the putter so, for instance, it is not on another player‘s line? SwingsitlikeHogan, GM forum A In answer to the firstquestion, Rule 14.1a says “right behind” and “right next to” to ensure the spot of a lifted ball is marked with accuracy, So, you should make an effort to get your ball-marker or putter closer than an inch…

Callaway Big Bertha driver £499 GM verdict Callaway’s Big Bertha drivers – long-renowned for helping players who require a little more assistance from their clubs to send the ball longer and straighter – are back for 2023. With some significant improvements over the 2021 model, this new Big Bertha driver has taken a lot of what the brand has used in its popular Paradym range to give higherhandicap golfers more confidence off the tee. This year, Callaway has opted for a sleek black and chrome finish on the sole, which features pops of maroon detailing around the logo. The crown has a glossy finish and, while this does add to the sleek overall design, it is very shiny and perhaps a little too distracting, especially when the sun reflects off…

Moor Allerton Despite its original course boasting an Alister MacKenzie pedigree, such was the popularity of golf at this fine Yorkshire club that it relocated a short drive away at the start of the 1970s. Robert Trent Jones Snr was enlisted as the architect and this was to be his only design in England. There are three loops of nine, each very different to its Top 100 near-neighbours at Alwoodley and Moortown. The architect’s trademark bold statements are present throughout, with dramatic bunkering, large undulating greens and plenty of water. GF: 18 holes: £45wd, £60we Looking back down over the par-3 17th at Moor Allerton, which is on the Blackmoor nine and plays over a pond to a well-protected green. Welwyn Garden City This is the original home of one…

Same ball for all? The debate continues about the merits of reining in the distance the golf ball travels, especially at the elite level. Most of the clamour relates to the increasing obsolescence of many of our iconic and traditional golf courses. While this proposal is unlikely to impact on us mere mortals, the top pros seem largely opposed to the notion. But, whether for or against the issue, an essential point is being missed. Golf must be the only ball-playing sport where the combatants are allowed to select their own preferred ball of choice. Parallels in other sports might see Ronnie O’Sullivan turning up at The Crucible with his own snooker balls or, heaven forfend, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic arriving at Wimbledon and insisting on playing their own tennis…

SOUND BITES “DOUBLE DIGITS, THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO GET TO. I DON’T THINK IT’S OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR ME” “I THINK THE GENERAL FEELING IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL A BIT OF BETRAYAL FROM MANAGEMENT” “THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE I’VE FELT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS” “IF THERE’S NO LIV GOLF, I’LL HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE” “I HAD A CAREER DAY WITH MY IRONS TODAY. THE REASON? TWO BOTTLES OF ROSÉ LAST NIGHT” College star wins on professional debut Just a week after Rose Zhang won on her pro debut, Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart emulated the LPGA star at the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am. Like Zhang, Dumont de Chassart bogeyed the final hole in regulation before clinching the title via a play-off. BRIEFS Korn…

GEAR NEWS ROUND-UP Viktor Hovland used a Ping G425 LST driver, TaylorMade Stealth Plus fairway and Ping i210 irons in his win at The Memorial in Ohio. Emiliano Grillo won the Charles Schwab Challange with a Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver and Callaway Apex TCB irons Tom McKibbin claimed his first DP World Tour title with a TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver, as well as TaylorMade P760 and P7MB irons. Nick Taylor used a Titleist TSi3 driver, a TaylorMade SIM2 Max fairway and a TaylorMade Spider Tour putter in winning the Canadian Open. Pablo Larrazabal used Callaway Apex TCB and MB irons and Callaway Mack Daddy 4 wedges as he secured the KLM Open.…

TaylorMade has a lot of equity in the multi-material mallet putter category with its popular Spider franchise, but hasn’t had a seat at the table for a while when it comes to premium milled putters… until now. Aiming to take on the likes of Scotty Cameron, the new TP Reserve range is something completely new from TaylorMade, comprising six precision-milled, classic shapes that are said to offer a premium putting experience. What sets this line apart from others, TaylorMade says, is the attention to detail. Engineers debated every millimetre of every putter design in order to achieve perfection. TP Reserve boasts refinements to the topline thickness, face heights, blade lengths and radius shaping in order to leave no stone unturned. Once the milling is completed, each head is then sandblasted…

Graphics JOE MCDONNELL JamesMuir Dowie, who would become Royal Liverpool Golf Club’s first captain, wrote in a letter convening a meeting in 1869, ”It has been suggested that Hoylake offers a suitable and convenient ground for playing golf.” That ground was leased by John Ball Sr and was known as The Warren – home to rabbits, sheep, and the Liverpool Hunt Club racecourse. Robert Chambers and George Morris (brother of Old Tom) were brought from Scotland to lay out nine holes, avoiding the racecourse and rabbit scrapes where possible. This routing was located at the northern end of the current course, starting and finishing in front of the Royal Hotel, which served as a clubhouse until 1895. Within two years, the club’s rapid success and increased membership prompted a decision…

Interviews MICHAEL WESTON ShaunHerbert HOUSEMANAGER When did it hit home that The Open was coming back here? The first time I drove out of the clubhouse and saw the yellow AA road signs back in February, after which the grandstands started going up. ‘Right, it’s here,’ I thought. What are your memories from the 2014 Open? I remember talking to a lady throughout the week who, unbeknown to me at the time, was Rory McIlroy’s mum. When the Champion, as is tradition, came upstairs, he popped over and shook my hand and said, “Thanks for looking after mum.” My mum has a wonderful picture on the mantelpiece of me and Rory with the Claret Jug. What’s your specific role during the week? We’ll be looking after our members and their…

1Backswing Jordan swings it best when he is calm in the backswing. You want a general gathering of speed through the shot. When he gets a bit quick in the early part of the swing, he will get the club on the inside and away from his fade model, so things get a bit out of sorts. When he’s smooth in the first part, it works a treat. A good feel for him is to have slow arms in the backswing and a fast body in the downswing. It’s a nice generation of speed, a bit like Ernie Els – a smooth start that gathers pace. 2Transition The feeling for Jordan from mid-downswing is that he’s beating the club to the ball with his body. The body is leading and…

By Top 50 Coach Trey Niven It comes down to personal preference. I recommend using this drill before you play and as a general practice exercise, so you feel confident holing out at different speeds. Set up a breaking, five-foot putt with three tees, as shown. The idea is to hole three putts from the same spot, but at three different speeds: one slow to take all the break (tee closest to me); one of medium pace to take out some of the break (middle tee); and one at pace taking out all of the break (tee behind the hole). Vary distance Try the same exercise from short and medium range, too, which will help you to marry up the correct line and pace.…

Shot on location at Infinitum Resort, Spain 1First, let’s get your putter aiming properly. Place a golf ball box on a green next to your ball and set up to it like you were hitting a putt. If you have a tendency to line up with an open face, you’ll notice some separation between the box and the toe of the putter. The opposite will happen for a closed face. Practise lining up the face of the putter flush with the box and then hit some putts. You’ll quickly build much better awareness of what a square putter should look like at address, which will give you a far better chance of finding the bottom of the cup. ✖ ✔ 2It’s vital to make centre contact if you want to…

Most golfers will at some stage have suffered a concentration lapse and played a ball that either belongs to someone else they’re playing with, or another player on another hole. It will often be because your ball hasn’t quite gone where you thought it had, and another ball lies exactly where you were expecting to find yours! Or when you have been shorter than your playing companion all the way round so have automatically assumed the shorter drive is yours. So, what happens when you either get to where you’ve now hit the ball and realise it isn’t yours, or someone else gets to ‘their’ ball after you have played, only to find it is your ball? Rule 6.3c has the answers. The Rules differ between match play and stroke…

Year after year, we see new designs and technology in hybrids that help golfers to hit more accurate and consistent shots. To demonstrate and showcase the variety on offer for 2023, we tested 13 models from eight brands in lofts from 18˚ to 23˚ (most were 19˚), both on the course and on a launch monitor, factoring in any loft differences into our verdicts. Looks Initially, we were surprised by the mid-sized footprints that the majority of manufacturers have opted for this year, but this does make sense for the majority of golfers. Hybrid play is an area of the game that golfers should be looking to make as effortless as possible, and a slightly larger and more rounded head will certainly provide greater forgiveness. For the purists and more…

The Nottinghamshire The Signature course opens with a short par 4 and reachable par 5, though there’s water left and right of the green to ponder. It then hits back with a tough par 3, especially into the wind. Look out for the upturnedsaucer 7th green and the attractive approach to the par-5 8th. There’s much more water to deal with on the long 11th, too, both off the tee and up at the green, while on the par-3 17th there’s a different problem. The green lies just beyond two groups of mature trees, between which you have to thread your mid-iron. The Championship course is a little longer, with further bodies of water in play, especially early and late on. Indeed, it’s a major presence over the opening quartet,…

Congratulations on winning The Memorial. How does it feel to get your first victory on US soil? Yeah, it’s incredible. Obviously I feel like I’ve won a decent amount of tournaments for only being a pro for four years, but it’s really cool to get my first win on US soil, especially at an event like this where the golf course is arguably harder than most Major Championship courses. The crowds were amazing out there – it felt like a Major. You’ve been playing really well lately and come close a couple of times in Majors. What have you learned from that? You can play great golf and still not win. I think being in contention as many times as I’ve been the last few months or the last year…

Grip down Grip down and push your hands a little higher at address to get the club’s heel off the ground. Grip too far up with your hands too close to your body and you risk digging the heel in. You want to be brushing the ground via a shallow angle of attack, rather than digging in and taking a divot. There is virtually no release – the clubhead always finishes lower than the hands. The right heel At address, keep your hands fractionally ahead of the ball, with weight favouring your left side 60/40. Lifting the trail heel off the ground to help keep weight on the left side throughout is a good idea, not just in practice but also on the course. Your hands should be pretty passive,…

Daftthough it may seem to some of you, this 2023 Open Championship feels like a new beginning for the most relevant and historic Major on the old game’s noticeboard. Daft because, obviously, this is the 151st playing of the grand jousting match, but not that daft simply because it is the 151st version and after all the celebrations at jolly St Andrews last year, it does suggest a fresh start (kind of anyway). The fact this time it is hosted by the Royal Liverpool Golf Club on the Wirral only adds to my restless itch to get there and see what occurs during this latest reboot. I’ve been going to this neck of the merry Scouse woods on and off for many years, but I’ve only been twice for The…

For Cameron Smith, there will probably never be another year like 2022. The likeable yet unassuming Aussie vaulted himself to stardom with victories in two of the game’s biggest events – the Players Championship and The Open – before making the controversial switch to LIV Golf, the breakaway circuit fronted by his countryman Greg Norman and financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). It was a decision that sent another major ripple through the game, but it wasn’t one he took lightly. He faced backlash and criticism and was suspended from the PGA Tour, which took a hardline stance against the Saudi presence in professional golf. It was a risk that brought about uncertainty; uncertainty that now exists in another form after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sensationally announced…

Every year, more than 2,500 people enter The Open Championship via various routes. Most of those who fancy a pop at making it to the event proper go in via regional qualifying. Pros and top amateurs keen to test their skills and their mettle on a grander stage aim to move on to final qualifying and perhaps even the big event itself. Looking at the regional qualifying entry lists, the name of Joe Griffiths wouldn’t immediately jump out. He’s a 33-year-old +2- handicapper out of Wellingborough Golf Club, paying the entry fee for the first time to have a shot at glory; a life ambition that plenty of scratch and better golfers realise during their playing careers. But Joe is a little different to the average punter booking themselves in…

By Top 50 Coach John Howells A lot of bunker instruction tends to focus on the entry point into the sand without much attention for the two other factors: exit point and depth of divot, which are just as important. Try drawing two obvious lines in the sand perpendicular to your stance line. Make the two lines so they frame a golf ball six inches either side. Practice hitting the sand and getting a symmetrical divot that starts on the first line and ends on the second line. The divot depth should be pretty minimal. Consistent strike Once you have become proficient doing this without a ball, add one centred exactly between those two lines and play some shots.…

During the third round of the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Jon Rahm found himself on the receiving end of an unfortunate one-stroke penalty after accidentally causing his ball to move in the general area. Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, explains what happened. Rahm, when preparing to play a chip from the first cut of greenside rough, caused his ball to move when he grounded his club behind it. Although the ball had only moved an inch or so, Rahm was certain that his actions caused it to move and, after consulting an official, he was required to replace the ball on its original position with a one-stroke penalty under Rule 9.4. In most instances, if you cause your ball to move (e.g. when moving a loose impediment…

1 In four-ball stroke play, Jezz and Fergus (who are on the same side) have similar putts. Before Jezz makes his stroke, Fergus positions himself behind him to get a read ahead of his own putt. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes). C The side gets the general penalty (two strokes). 2 In stroke play, Fergus uses a laser to get a yardage into a par 3 and before making a stroke, shares this information with Jezz, his fellow competitor. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets one penalty stroke. C Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes). 3 In stroke play, Fergus makes a stroke at his ball while standing out of bounds.…

I’m looking for a simple launch monitor. Which one should I go for? Seochris, GM forum The market is now flush with less expensive launch monitors. I have been really impressed by the accuracy and usability of the PRGR portable launch monitor in testing, while something like the SwingCaddie SC300i offers a little more depth. Why not consider a gadget like the Garmin Approach G80, which is a hybrid device that works as both a launch monitor and a handheld GPS, giving you more bang for your buck. What’s the best premium leather golf glove? Mikseymono, GM forum In my view, there’s little to choose between most premium leather gloves. For me, it’s all about getting a perfect fit and this differs ever so slightly across brands. I’ve been using…

Edited by Jeremy Ellwood & Rob Smith Round my way, courses like the one at Cirencester, two miles north of the Gloucestershire town, would typically be called downland, but the club website refers to this enjoyable layout as ‘upland’. The two seemingly polar-opposite prefixes actually mean pretty much the same thing, but those fearful this might also make for a decidedly hilly walk can rest at least relatively easy. Yes, you do climb steeply on the short par-4 opener and again on the excellent 5th after descending to the clubhouse on the par-5 3rd. But once you’re up there the second time, you more or less stay up there until firing your final drive back down to a fairway shared with the 4th on a memorable closing hole, pictured here.…

G olfwriters are inundated with invitations. Many, like one I received this morning inviting me to write something about the cushioning benefits of a special new sock, are not particularly appealing. But occasionally, an invitation drops in that lifts the spirits, reminding the cynical golfing hack of what a privilege and thrill it is to cover all things relating to this great sport. That was exactly how I felt when I received an invitation from Cabot to travel to Saint Lucia… yes, Saint Lucia… to look at its new project at Point Hardy Golf Club. It’s an exciting development with a course designed by renowned architectural pairing Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, set on the dramatic coastline where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. That email was fun to…

It was during a lunch following the golf writers’ annual match with the Golf Foundation that a journalist’s phone pinged as someone was telling another tale about some golfer or other. Then the phoneman told us he had just had a message that the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudis were coming together as commercial partners. Unexpected doesn’t cover the reaction. Who knew? Almost no-one is the answer, apart from a handful of self-contented men in suits led by PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan. Yes, the same Mr Monahan who had led the bitter backlash against the Saudi’s LIV circus both in harsh words and in the courts; the same guy who had flagged up the human rights issue plus alleged Saudi involvement in 9/11; and the man…