Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Golf Australia

JANUARY 1 saw the modified rules changes authored by the R&A and US Golf Association come into play. It took approximately two days for one of the key changes to come under fire. Players in the field of the year-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii were the first to compete under the new rules. Criticism of the new knee-high drop rule started two days before the opening round. The intriguing change from dropping a ball from shoulder height to knee height had players like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy scratching their heads. “I think the knee drop one (intrigues me most),” DeChambeau said. “That you have to drop it from knee height is a bit absurd, unfortunately. I think that you should be able to go from knee height…

EVERYWHERE outside the ever-inward looking PGA Tour, professional golf in 2018 was unquestionably the “year of Molinari.” By any measure, young Francesco was the outstanding performer over the course of all 12 months. Three victories – the biggest event on the European Tour, the most important event in golf and a maiden win (by eight shots) stateside – were complimented nicely by five points out of five in Old World colours at the Ryder Cup and, not surprisingly, top-spot on the European Tour’s “Race to Dubai.” Knowing the closeness of their relationship, no one on the planet will have been more pleased at that level of success than Francesco’s older brother, Edoardo. The 2005 US Amateur champion is no mean performer himself, of course. Three times a winner on the…

To submit your quiz answers, visit the WIN page on our website, www.golfaustralia.com.au The person with the most number of correct answers will a dozen of Mizuno’s new release RB Tour golf ball. The RB Tour is a very soft compression premium ball that offers lower driver spin, and high greenside spin. The four-piece ball also boasts a new Cone Dimple, which are designed to keep fast-flowing air close to the ball’s surface longer – reducing drag and strengthening trajectory. In the event of a tie, the winner will be randomly drawn. Entries close 11.59pm on February 20. The winner and the correct answers will be published in the April issue of Golf Australia magazine.…

WINNING the Masters and donning the green jacket was a “dream come true” for Patrick Reed. But that dream was short lived and has since become an endless nightmare, as he continues to cop a barrage of digital hatred. When somebody wins the Masters (or any major championship for that matter) the press will inevitably present the player’s backstory to the public to add substance to the story. Unfortunately for Reed – who has a tendency to shy away from the media – his story revolved around his family issues and chequered college days, which had already polarised him on Tour and weakened his public persona. Indeed, Reed was an unpopular champion – and that probably would’ve been the case prior to the digital age, too – but with platforms…

IT’S been an exhaustive search to find the place that no thinking golfer will go. And now, it would seem I’ve finally found my Nirvana. Fear not fellow tragic. This is not about bending rules, finding lost metres or seeking mental toughness via a long walk across hot coals. No, it’s simpler than that, and yet, more complex. ‘The Search’ as I like to think of it, is about finding the golf club no one else has – or possibly wants. And believe me, I’ve looked high and low – up and down Dale, even – and Dale bloody hates it when I do that. And wide. No golf club bargain bin has been safe, and as I wade through the s**t, the club pro will often ask what I’m…

More important than the majors. That’s how Hannah Green feels about the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. In an age where the Grand Slam events supposedly trump all in both the men’s and women’s games, it’s a confronting statement to hear a player make. But Green doesn’t shy away from her stance. “Obviously it’s maybe a smaller event in world terms,” she says matter-of-factly. “But in my heart, it’s one of the biggest. I treat it as a major.” A third-place finish at Kooyonga in 2018 – where she played in the final group Sunday alongside eventual winner Jin Young Ko – has only strengthened Green’s resolve to one day etch her name onto the Patricia Bridges Bowl. It’s a mission that is part selfish, part patriotic and part realistic.…

World Cup winning Belgian Thomas Pieters will lead a strong international contingent of players to the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, to be contested at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from February 14 to 17. Pieters, the World No.70, Englishman Tom Lewis, New Zealander Ryan Fox, Spaniard Jorge Campillo and Japan’s Yusaku Miyazato have all confirmed their place in the field for the event. It will be the first time Pieters has competed in the combined strokeplay/matchplay event, but he has experience of the Lake Karrinyup layout having played the Perth International there in 2014. Since then, Pieters has won four times on the European Tour, including his team victory in the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne last November. “I always enjoy playing in Australia and from what I…

“Not since Tiger Woods has a young player generated this much buzz. Meet one of the most exciting young talents in the game, Charles Howell III, next on Golf Talk Live.” (Music plays) “Charles Howell III began this season with no official status on the PGA Tour. Unofficially, his status was that of the hottest prospect since some guy named Tiger. How hot? Well, when Howell signed with representative Rocky Hambric, the agent gave him five percent of his company. Callaway handed the youngster well over a million dollars per year for better than four years. “Said Tony Navarro, long-time caddie for Greg Norman, ‘There’s nothing this kid can’t do. It’s scary to think about.’ Veteran Andrew Magee watched the wiry Howell hit balls, then proclaimed he may have the…

1 WORK ON THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS The key to my improvement has been focusing less on technical stuff and more on the actual skills that make good putting possible – rhythm of the stroke, green reading, alignment of the blade and starting the ball on line. When I’m putting well it’s more of an instinctive process and if I’m putting poorly it’s way too conscious – I’m working on my stroke, feeling the rotation of my putter, trying hard to line up the blade. Sometimes the harder you’re trying to make a putt, the more elusive it can be. 2 GOOD RHYTHM HELPS SQUARE FACE Rhythm is the most important thing that a lot of people don’t understand. If you’re too quick to the ball then you’ll typically leave the…

SUITABILITY: Available in nine different shapes offered in a variety of finishes and stroke types and with an adjustable shaft from 32-36 inches, there is a Ping Sigma 2 putter for every type of golfer and putting preference. COMPANY SAYS: The soft, responsive face in the Sigma 2 putters is the result of an innovative dual-durometer Pebax face material. The softer front layer ensures the precision necessary for shorter, delicate must-makes. The firmer back layer offers the solid feedback and distance control required for holing longer-range putts and improving overall consistency. Touch and pace are further improved with Ping’s TR face pattern, which varies in depth and pitch to speed up off-centre impacts for consistent ball speeds. The adjustable-length shaft is lightweight, easy to use and concealed beneath the grip,…

What has been your closest brush with death? Landing in Madeira was always hair-raising. Getting close to the ground then having the pilot decide landing wasn’t such a good idea is not something I will forget in a hurry. Especially when he announces that, if he gets it wrong, we will career off the end of the runway and into the ocean. What is your earliest memory? Sitting on my swing at the back of my house, closing my eyes and seeing the sun through my eyelids. I must have been about three because it was in Adelaide where I was born. We moved to Melbourne not long after that. What is your most annoying habit? Huh. I really don’t know. None of them annoy me. But I’m sure I…

IT’S time to play around in outback Queensland! If you’ve ever wanted to visit the outback – and pack the golf sticks for a road trip you’ll never forget – the Outback Queensland Masters is your dream come true. And by doing do so you could win $1 million. Launched recently at Victoria Park Golf in Brisbane, the Outback Queensland Masters (OQM) will enable golfers of all ages and abilities to take their games to all corners of Queensland this year. This multi-staged event is an opportunity for the amateur golfer to test their skills in a premium competition running all across Outback Queensland with the ultimate life changing opportunity coming with a shot at a million-dollar hole at Mt Isa. In the lead up, rounds can be played at…

The DECEMBER ‘SPOT THE BALL’ competition winner was Evan Swingler, of Nedlands, Western Australia, who correctly identified E 2 as the location of Lleyton Hewitt’s ball. Congratulations. The NOVEMBER SUBSCRIPTIONS winners of one of six Srixon Z 585 drivers were: Andrew Drummond, of Kirwan, Qld; Ray Desmond, of Bentleigh, Vic; Laurie Simpson, of, Erskine, WA; Andrew Lea, of Portsea, Vic; Steve Wetton, of Tatton, NSW; David Goble, of Cronulla, NSW. The DECEMBER SUBSCRIPTIONS winner of a set of Callaway Big Bertha 19 irons was Tianna Lehman, of Blaxland, NSW.…

MY IDEA FOR CHANGE I have been reading a lot lately of the plight of the Australian Golf Open. Let me first say as a proud Australian I would like nothing more to see it return to its once eminent position as one of the world’s great tournaments, when the world’s leading players REALLY wanted to win it. I go back to the 1970’s watching Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and the rest of the world’s top-10 going round. The atmosphere in those days was electric. Back then there were fewer tournaments worldwide. The US Tour finished at the end of October. The miniscule European Tour went from April to November, and actually only played in Europe. Asia was an afterthought. The total prizemoney for the Open in 1975…

It’s been a while since I played in the Victorian Open. I’m not even sure exactly when I did to be honest. But it must have been sometime back in the mid-1990s when I was still an amateur. I did okay and actually contended a couple of times. I think I was in the last group in the last round two consecutive years, 1995 and 1996. So, quite apart from the fact that it is my home state Open, I have always had a lot of affection for the event. Even when all I was doing was looking on from afar I was paying attention. When I was a kid, the Vic Open was one of the biggest tournaments in Australia. It was played at some great venues like Yarra…

Reigning major champions Georgia Hall and Pernilla Lindberg are among the best players to commit to play the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open at Adelaide’s The Grange Golf Club from February 14 to 17. Englishwoman Hall, 22, became just the third local player to win the Women’s British Open since it became a major when she triumphed in August. In her first full year on the LPGA Tour, it was her first win since the 2016 Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links, making Australia one of her most memorable stops on tour. “I love coming to Australia to start my season,” said Hall (pictured), who has played the Women’s Australian Open twice previously and finished in the top 15 both times. “It’ll be great to be back in Adelaide…

How badly do you want to get better at golf ?” asks the doctor, a knowing smile emerging across his face. “That’s the key. How badly do you want to play better golf and how afraid are you of actually reaching your true potential?” Dr Bob Rotella is sitting in his office, going through a process he has addressed a million times before. The guinea pig today is Golf Australia. We simply want to know how important is the mind in golf – and how easy is it to become mentally stronger. As the world’s foremost sports psychologist, Dr Rotella has the answer. His teachings have made a difference to some of the biggest names in American football, basketball and baseball, but he is most famous for his work in…

SUITABILITY: Players with swing speeds of 90mph and below who prefer Tour ball performance around the greens are perfectly suited to the Q-Star Tour, which is also easier to compress. SRIXON SAYS: Designed specifically for skilled players with moderate swing speeds who demand the performance and feel of a Tour golf ball, the second generation Q-Star Tour offers all-around performance. Q-Star Tour features a Tour urethane cover, three-piece construction, and lower-compression core to provide maximum distance, feel, and Tour-level greenside control. The new Q-Star Tour is Tour on the outside, soft on the inside. Enhanced with third generation ‘Spin Skin’ coating, the soft, elastic coating creates more greenside spin and better approach spin from any lie, especially from the rough. The advanced core construction of the ‘Energetic Gradient Growth’ core…

THE COURSE LOCATION: David Low Way, Bli Bli, Queensland. CONTACT: (07) 5373 1000. WEBSITE: www.maroochyrivergolfclub.com.au DESIGNER: Graham Marsh (2015). SLOPE RATINGS: Men – Black 126, Blue 124, White 120, Yellow 114; Women – White 131, Yellow 127, Red 121, Orange 100. PLAYING SURFACES: Greenlees Park couch (tees and fairways), Bermuda Tifeagle (greens). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Pat Pauli. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Sean Seymore, Di Pavich, Marcus McPherson. GREEN FEES: $65 (18 holes), $37 (9 holes), $39.50 (cart). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: There are eight membership categories available including seven-day full memberships costing $1,349 annually for men, while ladies cost $1,347. There is a joining fee of $1,500. Juniors (between 13 and 18 years) pay $257.20 (boys) and $255.65 (girls). Call (07) 5373 1000 for more information. FACILITIES: The club is home to the…

SCHAUFFELE’S HIGHLIGHTS: • Schauffele’s fourth PGA Tour victory came at the year opening Sentry Tournament of Champions played at Kapalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Starting the final round of the winners’ only event five behind third round leader Gary Woodland, the American opened with a bogey before making four birdies and two eagles in his next 11 holes. Schauffele wasn’t done yet, adding four more birdies, including at the last two holes, to tie the Kapalua course record of 62. He defeated Gary Woodland by a stroke. • The 25-year-old’s win was his second of the 2018/19 wraparound PGA Tour season, after his triumph at the WGC-HSBC Championship in China and elevated him to the top of the FedExCup rankings as well as the PGA Tour money list.…

It’s safe to say US Open and US PGA champion Brooks Koepka had a pretty good time of it in 2018. So too women’s World No.1 Ariya Jutanugarn on the LPGA Tour. Tiger Woods was the comeback player of the year on the PGA Tour. And the “mad scientist” that is Bryson DeChambeau established himself as one of golf’s foremost practitioners. Then there is Open champion Francesco Molinari, who also won the biggest event on the European Tour, a maiden PGA Tour title and five points out of five as Europe comfortably saw off the United States to win yet another Ryder Cup. Impressive stuff to be sure. But just a little bit lower on golf ’s lucrative food chain, a young Australian has also distinguished himself over the past…

When he won the Australian PGA in 2015 Nathan Holman seemed to confirm what many had long believed: the young Victorian was one of Australia’s brightest golfing prospects. But just three short years later, at 27, Holman hasn’t played a tournament round since March 2018 and isn’t sure when – or even if – he ever will again. Rather than spend his days practising his short game, Holman is instead pursuing a career in building and design. He’s gone full ‘9-5’ and, perhaps surprisingly, couldn’t be happier. “I start at 8, finish at 4.30 and have an hour for lunch,” he says with a grin. “And when I knock off I go home or to the gym or to footy training. “I haven’t played footy for eight years. I’m loving…

What prompted you to do the study? At the time I was working as a neurologist at the University of Chicago and involved in teaching people with disabilities how to play golf. I was interested in how the brain becomes expert in a skill like golf, the US Women’s Open was taking place in Chicago at the time so I suggested we put some of the competitors and some novice golfers in an MRI machine. Why did you put them in an MRI instead of wiring them up while they played? There aren’t any methods that allow us to study the brain while the person is moving, as movements create artifacts in the results. So how did the study work? It featured five LPGA Tour professionals, one former LPGA Tour…

SUITABILITY: The Z-Star will suit a wide variety of players who opt for premium model golf balls, while the Z-Star XV will appeal to higher swing speed players and those who enjoy a firmer feel. SRIXON SAYS: The sixth generation Z-Star series features the all-new ‘FastLayer’ core. It starts soft in the centre and gradually becomes firmer around its edge, greatly enhancing ball speed for maximum distance, while maintaining exceptional feel at impact. The new Z-STAR Series golf balls feature new Spin Skin technology with ‘Slide-Ring Material’ (SeRM), a urethane compound that coats the cover of every Z-Star golf ball. By taking unprecedented levels of shearing force without breaking its molecular bonds, Spin Skin with SeRM is able to dig deep into your wedge and iron grooves, dramatically increasing friction…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Ballingalla St, Narooma, NSW, 2546. CONTACT: (02) 4476 0500. WEBSITE: www.naroomagolf.com.au DESIGNER: John Spencer (1980). PLAYING SURFACES: Kikuyu fairways and tees, bentgrass greens. COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Brendan Warby. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Colin Holmes. GREEN FEES: $60. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: A variety of membership categories are available at Narooma Golf Club. Full membership costs $920 a year with a $100 entrance fee. For country membership, those figures drop to $650 and $75 entry. ACCOMMODATION: Narooma Golf Club has close associations with several accommodation houses near the course. Opposite the 7th fairway sits Amooran Apartments, which offers views across the course and to the ocean beyond. Visit the club’s website for further options and play and stay deals. RANKING: No.22 in Golf Australia’s Top-100 Public Access Courses in Australia, 2019.…