Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Golf Australia

IN THE hour or so after Tiger Woods finished 17th in his 18-man exhibition tournament in the Bahamas last month, he all but gave Australian golf the one-fingered salute. When the 14-time major winner confirmed his Hero World Challenge tournament would be played in the week before the Presidents Cup, the same date already slated for the Australian Open, he virtually ensured our national championship will be devoid of any of his US team members and, perhaps, one or two International team members. IN 2019, GOLF AUSTRALIA WILL AGAIN HAVE A BATTLE TO ASSEMBLE A FIELD BOASTING STAR QUALITY THANKS TO WOODS AND THE PGA TOUR Back in 2011 when the Presidents Cup was last played at Royal Melbourne, the Australian Open was, again, the lead in week to the…

GOLF and gambling have always been comfortable bedfellows, both on and off the record. Back in the day, it was even a somewhat covert feature of a major championship. Almost every year, Augusta National Golf Club founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts would barrack for Ben Hogan, who they invariably purchased in the pre-Masters auction known as a ‘Calcutta’. No proof exists, but one imagines there might have been more than a few pin positions on the right side of greens during final rounds around that time, all to cater for Hogan’s favoured fade. More openly, first tees around the world have always been venues for negotiation as well as the traditional jitters. Those often lengthy debates over who-partners-who and, in turn, the number of strokes given and taken are…

DRIVER Titleist TS3 with 9.5° loft, fitted with Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661 IV X shaft. 3-WOOD Titleist 917 F2 with 16.5° loft, with Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana BF 80 TX shaft. UTILITY Titleist 718 T-MB (3-iron), with Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 90HY X shaft. IRONS Titleist 718 AP2 (4-iron to pitching wedge), with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X shafts. WEDGES Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (50°-08° F Grind and 56°-10° S Grind) and Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (60°-12° K Grind), with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X shafts. PUTTER  Odyssey O Works Black Jailbird Mini. BALL  Titleist Pro V1x.…

Ranking golf courses is a not a modern phenomenon. Back in 1926, during the Golden Era of course design, a rating of Britain’s 14 most famous courses was published. Muirfield topped the list, while the Old Course at St Andrews finished dead last. The list’s author, Joshua Crane, admitted he favoured difficult courses ahead of those requiring strategic thought or those that were charming or pleasurable. It was a controversial list and legendary golf course architect Dr Alistair MacKenzie was pointed in his criticism, who stated only a course that was a good test of golf could give lasting pleasure. Over the following pages, you will find 100 courses that can certainly be considered “pleasurable”. They can also be played by all golfers of every standard. If the course is…

1. ARALUEN RESORT 2. BUNBURY GC 3. COROWA GC (East course) 4. FORSTER-TUNCURRY GC (Tuncurry course) 5. GARDINERS RUN 6. LAUNCESTON GC 7. MOORE PARK GC 8. MOSS VALE GC 9. PALMER COOLUM RESORT 10. PALMER GOLD COAST 11. PAMBULA & MERIMBULA GC (Pambula course) 12. PORTARLINGTON GC 13. PORT KEMBLA GC 14. RICH RIVER RESORT (East course) 15. SANDRINGHAM GC 16. SANDY CREEK GC 17. SHEPPARTON GC 18. TOCUMWAL G&BC (Presidents Course) 19. TURA BEACH CC 20. VICTOR HARBOR GC 21. WATERFORD VALLEY 22. WEMBLEY GC (Tuart course) 23. WOLLONGONG GC 24. YAMBA GC 25. YERING MEADOWS GC (Homestead course)…

JH Let’s start in the middle rather than the beginning or end. How did you transition from playing the tour to doing what you do now? BC Not particularly gracefully. I tried to do both at the same time in 2003. I only had conditional status that year. I thought if I played well enough I’d keep my card anyway. But I soon realised I couldn’t do either job that well when I was trying to do both. For one thing, I was new to television so I was on a huge learning curve. But they kept asking me back. At first, of course, I indignantly turned down television when I was asked. I was like, “I’m a golfer, why would you ask me to do that?”…

Despite the pages and pages of content written on the slice, there is in fact nothing complicated about it. If we remove strike point from the equation – yes, a heel strike can make the ball slice – there are only two things we need concern ourselves with: face aim and swing path. The closer those two align at impact – i.e a neutral path with the face square to it – the less your ball will slice. The more they pull apart, open face to an open path, the more you will slice. That’s why this article is also simple. We’ll first look at the three most common reasons golfers leave the face open, before addressing quick solutions to neutralising the path. We’ll also look at data to reveal…

If your slice is causing you grief, rather than relying on your weekend playing companions and their clichéd opinions on what may or may not be the root cause of your woes, do yourself a favour and arrange a session with your local pro to find out the real cause. Whether it is a heel strike or the face is indeed open to your swing path, a certified TrackMan user will not only be able to identify the real cause but help get you back on track and hitting more fairways and greens.…

SHAFTS Like most things in golf there’s no hard and fast rules when it comes to shafts helping a slice. Common thinking used to be that shafts which were too stiff led to weak, low shots to the right, which obviously isn’t going to help beat a slice. But others will say ‘I don’t slice stiff shafts’. If that’s the case, carry on using them. However, technology’s come on leaps and bounds around shafts so if you’re looking at incremental gains across every slice-busting denominator there’s never been a better time to look again at shafts to help. HOW IT WORKS You’ve only got to look at draw biased drivers and irons to see the picture. Most come as standard with lighter shafts and some with lighter overall mass and…

There’s a direct correlation between how close you hit the ball to the flag on your approach shots on average and the overall scores you shoot. So if you can tighten up your iron play and hit some more accurate approach shots then you’re going to find you start making those lower scores you seek. These are the key areas I focus on in my swing and they can help you, too. I Stay connected and build tension in a slow backswing I’m never in a rush and I let the backswing develop. It’s like a spring. You’ve got all day to get the tension in it and it’s still going to uncoil with power, irrespective of how quickly you create that tension in the backswing. From here, the left…

1 Be aggressive on the greens I want to hole everything. Trying to make each and every putt I look at may be my biggest scoring key. The green is the best place to make up strokes, so an aggressive attitude is a must if you want to convert more than your fair share. The trick is to be aggressive without being reckless – a complete loss of speed and distance control. Rolling it five or six feet past the hole on every attempt will hurt you. When I say ‘be aggressive’, I mean pick your line and speed, then eliminate all thoughts other than the ball going in. If your mind is worried about three-putting, you’ll focus on what you don’t want to happen rather than what you do…

1 Be realistic and pick the right club Amateurs under-club a lot because they don’t really hit a lot of good shots out the middle of the clubface. If I ask an amateur how far they hit their 7-iron they’ll say their best shot but they don’t hit it perfectly all the time, so they’re constantly coming up short. It’s easy to take one more club, hit more greens and give yourself more birdie putts. 2 Focus on the good shots you played I like the emotional part of golf, but you can’t be too up and down on the course. Some guys get really frustrated if they’re playing really poorly – and that’s fine – but sometimes you have to take a step back and think about the good…

It’s very helpful to be able to change the trajectory of your iron shots to suit different conditions and get the ball close to tricky flags, especially for better players. A higher flight is great if you need to stop the ball quickly or if the greens are very firm, while a lower flight is good in windy conditions and when you want to land the ball in a safe area and release it to the flag. Here’s how I tweak my ball position to hit the different flights. Dynamic loft Moving the ball position alters your attack angle and the loft the club has at impact, known as dynamic loft. A ball position just ahead of centre promotes a higher flight, and moving it back helps you hit it…

SUSPENDED IMPROVEMENT Callaway’s Big Bertha iron range is known to push boundaries of distance and forgiveness. The newest iteration, Big Bertha ’19, continues in the same vein as the 2014 version’s ‘360 Face Cup’ and 2016’s ‘EXO-Cage’ with the all-new ‘Suspended Energy Core’. Never implemented in a golf club before, the Suspended Energy Core incorporates a floating ‘Metal Injection Moulded’ tungsten weight suspended in Callaway’s urethane microsphere material, which allows for improved sound and feel, a more precisely placed centre of gravity (CG) and a thinner face cup construction employing a flexible rim around the face that flexes at impact. The three-piece iron design offers higher launch and increased distance in a smoked PVD finish. Launched alongside the iron, the new Big Bertha hybrid incorporates a combination of Callaway’s Jailbreak…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Majors Bay Rd, Concord, NSW 2137. CONTACT: (02) 9743 6111. WEBSITE: www.concordgolfclub.com.au DESIGNERS: Dan Soutar (1907); Ross Watson (1996); Tom Doak Renaissance Golf Design (2018). SLOPE RATINGS: Mens – Black 129, Blue 128, White 127, Red 123, Silver 122. Women – Black 141, Blue 140, White 139, Red 136 and Silver 133. PLAYING SURFACES: Penncross A4 bentgrass (greens), kikuyu (fairways), couch (being oversown to kikuyu rough). GREEN FEES: Concord is a private club but opportunities are available as a member’s guest or entry in an Open day event, which are played throughout the year. COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Chris Howe. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Cherie Alison, Mark Alison, Lorien Scott, Ken Trimble. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP: There is a waiting list for full playing membership at Concord but applications are still…

LEGENDARY Australian artist Ken Done once said he wanted to “paint like a five year old.” It was the fluidity of movement he was after. The sheer uninhibited joy and freedom of movement.To put pastel to paper without judgement or guilt and to see that a tree could be a tree – even if it looked like a bush. You know? I would like that, too. But in the pursuit of golf. Imagine being able to take to the course without fear of consequence. Imagine playing like a kid, only you’re a grown up. How good would that be! Funnily enough, I know such a kid. Kai is pretty much your bog-standard 12-year-old, with a golf game. Lots of game, as it turns out. So much so he managed to…

DESIGN (50%): When ranking a course, judges were instructed to ask the following questions to themselves to determine where a course stands in the list. • Is there a good balance of par-3s, 4s and 5s? Is there good variety? • Is risk-and-reward a factor on many holes? • How fair is the course for all players? • Does the design offer a wide selection of shots bringing any variation of wind direction into play? • How memorable are individual holes and the course as a whole? CONDITION (40%): Things to consider include: • The overall condition of playing surfaces. Take into consideration elements out of control of course staff like drought, bushfire and flood. • Are the fairways cut to be well-defined from semi-rough and rough? • Have the…

Slicing off the tee, the curse of the weekend golfer. We all know why it happens. After all, I’m sure your playing companions on a Saturday or Sunday morning are keen enough to point it out. Common explanations range from “you lifted your head” or “you came over the top on that one” or “you got ahead of that one”. I’m sure you’ve heard all of these and probably a whole lot more. These pieces of advice are of course well-meant; but unfortunately they can do more harm than good. There may be some truth in the observations, but elements like lifting your head or coming over the top may have nothing to do with why you are slicing the ball. At best, they may be symptoms of a root…

There aren’t many par-5s that aren’t a decent eagle opportunity for the bigger hitters on Tour but scoring well on these longer holes is no easy task for most club golfers. Your strategy all depends on whether you can reach the green in two. If you can then it’s worth taking on the more difficult drive. But if you can’t, there’s simply no point. Take the safer tee shot and put yourself in a good position for your third. Plan back from the green to give yourself the best chance to make a birdie without hitting any shots that you aren’t totally comfortable with. Allow for the slope This is a tricky driving hole with seven bunkers in your landing area and a fairway that slopes noticeably from left-to-right. The…

Some of the best holes I know are short par-4s that tempt you into going for the green off the tee. The shorter yardage may make them look easy on the scorecard but they can make you look silly if you don’t give them the respect and attention they deserve. Whether you decide to go for it or lay up, you have to totally commit to that decision and hit your shots with conviction. You can build a good case for going for the green or laying up. Ultimately, it comes down to the pin position and what you believe gives you the best chance to score. Know your percentages You should only consider going for the green if you think you will leave the ball in a decent position…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Windsor Avenue, Oakleigh South, Victoria, 3167. CONTACT: (03) 9579 4622; (03) 9570 4133 (golf shop). WEBSITE: www.huntingdalegolf.com.au DESIGNERS: The original design was completed by Charles Hugh Allison (1941). Jack Newton, Graeme Grant & John Spencer (1990s); Martin Hawtree (2015). SLOPE RATINGS: Men – Blue 138, White 134, Gold 124. Women – Red 135 and Green 118. PLAYING SURFACES: Santa Ana couch (fairways and surrounds) and bentgrass (greens). GREEN FEES: Available upon application by interstate and overseas visitors. COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Michael Freeman. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Steve Hibon. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Applications are invited to contact the club via email at membership@huntingdalegolf.com.au RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Huntingdale has reciprocal arrangements with 12 clubs around Australia and nine overseas. CORPORATE GOLF: Huntingdale’s dedicated Corporate Golf Manager works closely with event organisers to…

MCLEOD’S HIGHLIGHTS: • Entering the NSW Open as the World No.437, McLeod ran away with his first professional victory after a third round 62 that could have been better. The Queenslander had a putt for 60 at the par-4 finishing hole at Twin Creeks and eventually won by two shots from Cameron John. • Immediately following his win at Twin Creeks, McLeod was once again in the mix at the Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes, the 24-year-old holding the lead at one point during the third round. McLeod eventually lost ground to winner Abraham Ancer after a bizarre incident where his ball stayed on the lip for over 10 seconds before dropping in for a non-counting birdie on Saturday. McLeod’s final round of 66 elevated him into third on…

IT’S OFFICIAL! Golf’s new rules have been ratified and published by the R&A and USGA, which means you’ve now got to get your head around 24 rules and 300 interpretations. For the first time ever, a print and digital copy of the Player’s Edition has been introduced as a shorter, more user-friendly version of the rules and will serve as the primary publication for all golfers. Of course, every rules anorak can still get lost in the intricacies of the full Rules of Golf book, which has been updated and sits alongside the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. But why bother when everything is laid out in easy-to-follow diagrams, charts and 10 topical groupings in the Player’s Edition? Whatever your preference, every publication – including a new…

IT’S A subject that comes up fairly regularly. Indeed, it never seems to go away. And it always provokes extreme emotions on either side of the debate. You’re either accepting of appearance money in professional golf, or vehemently against it. There is no in-between position that sees both sides. No grays. Just blacks-and-whites. So what do I think? For me, appearance money is a necessary evil. The clue is in the title. “Professional” golfers play the game for cash. That’s the job. Even the prize-funds in tournaments are nothing more than merit-based appearance money. That’s what they are, just a fair way to hand out appearance money. You earn for the show and the level of entertainment you put on. Otherwise, what you have is an amateur tournament. That’s what…

Each of the judges, drawn from the large pool of loyal Golf Australia readers, was given specific guidelines about how to rank courses and they could only rank courses they had seen since December 2016. 1. Brendan James 2. Joe Thomas 3. Hamish Walker 4. Felicity Chapman 5. Susan Johnson 6. Jacqui Lee 7. Steven Jackson 8. Jamie Walsh 9. Norman Greenfield 10. Joseph Baker 11. Nikki Scott 12. Daniel O’Keefe 13. Matthew Greig 14. Deborah Hill 15. Sandra Lyons 16. Ellen Wilson 17. Chris Davidson 18. Phillip Nicholls 19. Toby McCracken 20. Danny Jenkins 21. Richard O’Reilly 22. Christian Harris 23. John Blackwell 24. Scott Matthews 25. Graham Brady 26. Ken Robinson 27. Nicole Robinson 28. Jillian Smith 29. Tony Brown 30. Harley McMahon 31. Geoff Smart 32. Nathan…

What was the last book you read? The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I really enjoyed that, but it’s totally bizarre and abstract and you’ve got a talking cat in Russia but you somehow think you can relate it back to your life and I thought that was beautiful. Problem is, is that you read books like that and you end up going a little crazy. Someone like Sting would read books like that I guess, and he’s just somehow a little bit odd, and I don’t want to be odd when I’m 40 or 50. Are you into e-books or old-fashioned paper copies? No, it wouldn’t be e-books, it would be old-fashioned, yes; I like real books! In your learned opinion, which wine and chocolate complement each other…

At first, it may appear a physical and technical issue like slicing a golf ball has very little to do with the mind. But dig a little deeper and you begin to see how the two are linked. For starters, golfers slice primarily because they do not have a clear concept of what they are trying to achieve with the swing and the clubface. A concept is of course a mental thing; when your mind is giving your body clearer, more effective messages of what you need to do to hit the ball straighter, you can start to make progress. Further, when I talk to golfers who slice the ball, I’m typically given the clear impression that they feel doomed to their fate. They are a slicer, they always have…

Don’t lean the shaft forward too much into impact because this delofts the club and makes the leading edge sharper so you have to be more precise to hit the ball consistently. Prevent this by letting the clubhead overtake the hands a little in the follow-through. There should only be a slight forward shaft lean at impact so the club maintains its loft and the bounce on the sole increases your margin for error. Pitching with your feet close together is a good drill to improve pitching. DON’T PEAK TOO EARLY Looking up too early usually turns everything to the left so you end up pulling the putt and missing. Keep your head still and looking at the spot where the ball was until it reaches the hole and you’ll…

There are always different ways to play a hole. And often, the harder a hole is, the trickier it is to choose the right option. We all want to make birdies but sometimes the best strategy for a handicap golfer isn’t the one that maximizes the chance of making birdie, it’s the one that minimizes the chance of making bogey. Chasing a low number on every hole can tempt you into riskier and more difficult shots. If you don’t execute them perfectly, things can go wrong very quickly. Stick to hitting shots you know you can pull off and your scores will improve. Hit your natural shot The optimum tee shot here is a driver that draws into the left-to-right camber of the fairway and threads between the bunkers, but…

Your divots can tell you a lot about how you’re hitting your pitch shots, so check them. A common shot for amateurs pops the ball up high but with no spin, whereas you want a lower trajectory with lots of spin so it has one bounce and checks. If the club isn’t delivered correctly you won’t get the strike you need. The divot tells you how the clubhead is being delivered. Toe deep and across the line yields poor strikes If you’re hitting that shot that pops up in the air without as much spin, you will often see a more toe-deep divot that runs more across the ball from out-to-in. This is essentially the same movement of the clubhead that would produce a slice with driver. With a wedge,…

No matter how good a player you are, those ‘in-between’ shots are always at least a little awkward – the ones that aren’t a full shot with even your shortest club but are too long to chip. For most players it’s around 50-80 yards. The key for me on this shot is not making any attempt to lift the ball into the air. This is definitely a ‘down-and-through’ shot. Golf is often said to be a game of opposites and this is one of those times. To get the ball up, the club must move down. Instinctively, that can be difficult to grasp, but it’s true. A narrower stance … Setting up to the ball with your feet close together enables you to maintain a consistent relationship between your feet…

One of the great things about golf is that there are so many different ways to successfully play a hole. My game is very different to someone like Bubba Watson – and nowhere is this more obvious than our strategies on the par-5 13th at Augusta. The key is that we both play it in a way that suits our strengths. Bubba is all about over-powering it, whereas I want to take bogey out of play and trust my short game to make a score. You can learn a lot from our different strategies. Jordan’s masterplan “Bubba has an advantage here for sure. I don’t try to get too fancy. I might pull off an aggressive drive and leave a mid-iron in instead of having a long iron distance. But…