Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 - Issue 420 i Golf Australia

After a lengthy period of planning and disruption from major flood events, Brisbane’s Indooroopilly Golf Club has finally been able to open its new ‘City’ nine designed by Karrie Webb. The new nine was recently welcomed back into the club’s 36-hole layout with great anticipation by approximately 350 club members, who followed Webb – the senior designer on the project for Perrett Webb – as she played the new nine and gave running commentary on the holes. The Indooroopilly membership was not disappointed. A par-36 ‘City’ nine is not only a new playing challenge for members and guests it has been created to address agronomic challenges experienced on the old nine that once occupied the site. Construction firm, McMahons, built the new putting surfaces to USGA specification featuring TifEagle couch,…

“PEOPLE SEE FIVE PERCENT OF OUR JOB ON TV, AND THAT LOOKS PRETTY COOL. BUT THERE’S A LOT OF SHIT THAT YOU DEAL WITH.”– LUCAS HERBERT. Lucas Herbert was done. Cooked. Tired. So very tired. Physically, emotionally. He was tired of being CEO of Lucas Herbert Inc; tired of being responsible for the livelihoods of his entourage. He was tired of being cranky with family and friends. Mostly, he was tired of playing such shit-house golf. Golf at the top level may be a vocation, a calling – but it’s still a job. A cool job, for sure, one of the very coolest, perhaps, upon the Earth. The feeling of hitting the ball purely is a reason so many of us play. Pro golfers chase that feeling for money. Do…

Rory McIlroy has one of the best, most consistent, golf swings in the game today. One of the keys to his swing is he doesn’t try and extract too much from his swing. In other words, he relies on flawless fundamentals to produce great power and accuracy. Too many club golfers, especially with the driver, try to hit the ball has hard as they can and their method is to swing the club back as far as possible, usually as quick as possible, and then try and bludgeon the ball. This type of swinging not only lacks power but hitting greens and fairways become very hard. A common fault with these players is they try and swing back so far that the right arm (for right-handers) bends too much and…

Power has always been important in golf. You need it to impress your mates and intimidate your opponents. You need it to turn par-5s into big birdie opportunities. Matt Fitzpatrick is one of a number of pros who have made it their mission to chase distance. You only have to look at the names at the top of the men’s game to see that distance brings big rewards. By the end of this A to Z, you’ll know exactly what you need to do with your set-up, swing, equipment and mentality in order to hit better – and further – than ever before. Power on! A is for ADJUSTABILITY How to maximise your driver settings Most modern drivers come with a hosel adapter, which allows you to adjust loft, lie and…

Ireland’s counties Kerry and Cork contain some of Ireland’s most scenic areas, with the dramatic Atlantic coastline and unspoiled greenery providing the perfect setting for links golf. Sydney-based Teed Up Golf Tours, along with Celtic Golf, are offering the chance to test your skills on the windswept dunes of the great championship links in Ireland’s southwest before venturing north to watch the final two rounds of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The tour party will meet in Cork on July 12 ahead of a welcome event with drinks and canapes. There are five rounds of golf included in the tour including rounds at the Alister MacKenzie-designed Cork Golf Club, the spectacular Old Head Links (main photo), Ballybunion, Waterville (pictured below) and the dramatic Arnold Palmer creation, Tralee. All…

The first time I played the Henley Course at The Heritage Golf & Country Club, I got lost heading to the 1st tee. In my defence, the course was perhaps a week or two away from officially opening back in 2006 and, in my eagerness to get a glimpse of this latest addition to Victoria’s Yarra Valley golfing landscape, I missed one of only a few temporary signs showing the way. I didn’t realise it was a fair old excursion out to the 1st tee from the clubhouse. Conservatively I’d say it’s a journey of at least 800 metres along a cart path, over a bridge spanning a narrow section of the snaking Yarra River to where you will find the 1st tee of the Henley Course. Once you cross…

Tour Edge has unveiled its latest golf innovation, the Hot Launch 524 Series, which is loaded with cutting-edge technology borrowed from the tourwinning Exotics line. The Hot Launch 524 Series introduces a comprehensive range of game improvement designs tailored to suit every player type, reinforcing Tour Edge’s commitment to expanding custom fitting to all golfers. The 524 series includes two distinct ranges: the E524 and C524, addressing the game-improvement and super-game-improvement club categories. Both the Extreme (E) and Competition (C) ranges are designed to produce different playing characteristics targeting a specific player looking for game-enhancing qualities. • The E range are Extreme Spec Super-Game-Improvement clubs that boast an extremely low Center of Gravity (CG), super-shallow faces, and offset designs designed to get the ball launching in the air with ease.•…

Cost: $329 (steel shafts), $354 (graphite). FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have at least one Vokey wedge in my golf bag, and the SM10s illustrate the same quality and class as all of its predecessors. I ventured out to be professionally fitted by a couple of fine gentlemen from Titleist. Coming into the fitting, my game was in a poor state of affairs. But before I got into any fitting, I strolled around the Team Titleist tent, marveling at the depth and range of options available. Not only are they one of the cleanest-looking golf clubs on the market, but the attention to detail in design and craftsmanship is second to none. The Tour Chrome finish is my personal favourite, but you can take your…

Grace Kim is one of the rising stars of Australian golf, with the Sydneysider winning in her debut LPGA season. We recently caught up with Grace to get to know her a little better. You’re now an adidas athlete, and we are here launching the new TOUR360 24, do you pinch yourself that you get to come to Hawaii to launch a shoe? Yeah, very spoilt … the new gear is what I am here for, and it’s made me happy, so it’s a big thumbs up. Have you had time to reflect on your 2023 success? I did spend a bit of time with my team and reflected on how my season went and every time, we all agreed that we have come a lot further than we expected…

It is nearly 40 years since I first laid eyes on the beautifully prepared fairways and greens at Monash Country Club, which sits high on a hill overlooking Sydney’s sprawling northern beaches. It was the final round of the 1984 Australian PGA Championship and Greg Norman was already well ahead of his nearest pursuer. I joined the throng that only had eyes for the Shark as he clinically closed in on the Joe Kirkwood Trophy with five birdies in a three under 69. He ended up winning by eight shots from Rodger Davis and hoisted the cup, before then baby daughter, Morgan Leigh, got to sit in the newly acquired silverware. It was a great performance from Norman, matched only, in my eyes, by the quality of the course. As…

‘Valhalla’ is an old Viking word which translates to “hall of the slain”. The word also represents the brutal test awaiting the world’s best when they take on Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky for the 106th PGA Championship. The greens will be crispy, the fairways will be tight, and the rough will be thick and dense. Although challenging and penal – and there will be players signing off on scores of 80-plus – there will be scoring opportunities for the men who decide to play the waiting game. Keep it on the short grass, you’re a chance. Miss your target and your score can add up. Adam Scott summed it up perfectly before the 2014 PGA Championship: “It’s generous off the tee and quite demanding into the greens. If…

When was the last time you saw a Tour player chip their ball straight into the hole without bouncing? Perhaps the best-known chip like this was during the 1989 Open Championship when Mark Calcavecchia ‘slam dunked’ a chip during the final round en route to making the play-off and winning the title. Nearly all chip shots that find the bottom of the cup or finish close to the flag roll to that position after bouncing at some point between the player and the target. For example, that’s exactly how Tommy Fleetwood did it on the 17th hole during the Ryder Cup fourball matches last year. He had as much trimmed fringe grass as green to work with and he just needed to aim for a spot between himself and the…

It’s become an accepted part of golf that you practice on the range and play on the course. This makes it pretty much the only sport where your practice is removed from the environment in which you compete. While there is a lot to be said for working on your game on the range, it has its drawbacks. For starters, golf is all about the task of getting the ball around the course and into the hole – something the range can’t offer. On the range we tend to play ‘golf swing’, not golf. But moreover, range work denies you the chance to hone a whole host of qualities – creativity, resilience, scoring under pressure, decision-making – that are at the heart of playing the game, and posting your best…

There have been close to 30 new drivers launched this year, all of them promising to help your game in 2024. But seeing all this new gear online is one thing, testing it to find out if the claims are true is another. And that’s why we’re here. And here it is: a back-to-back comparison of the leading models. We reveal the longest, the most forgiving and the straightest drivers on sale this year. We’ve split the clubs into three categories: Low-spin, Forgiving, and Draw Bias. Golfers with above average swing speeds (usually low-to-midhandicappers) and those looking to cut spin to add yards will get the most out of our Low-spin category comparison. If, like most club golfers, you want a blend of excellent forgiveness and maximum distance, the Forgiving…

CALLAWAY PARADYM AI-SMOKE MAX D $1,069 LOFTS: 9°/10.5°/12° STOCK SHAFT: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue Big brand drivers have come a very long way in a short space of time, and models like the Ai-Smoke push driver design to the limit. Put them alongside full titanium models like PING’s G430 SFT and it’s easy to spot which is more technically advanced and tougher to produce. But it’s not just technologically where draw drivers have advanced: the Max D looks so much better than draw drivers from yesteryear, too. We love how Callaway’s engineers have craftily played with the optics of the Max D face so it doesn’t look stupidly closed, or point too left of the target at address. Yet you still get the impression it’s primed and ready to sling shots…

Noosa Heads is one of Queensland’s most popular holiday destinations. Renowned for its cosmopolitan vibe, Noosa Heads boasts some of the region’s best restaurants and bars, while Main Beach is simply beautiful. Golf is never far away either, with three outstanding courses less than 15 minutes’ drive from the heart of Noosa Heads on Hastings St. The most highly rated of these is the Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort, just five kilometres south of the Noosa beachfront, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024. The Tuscan-style clubhouse and adjoining spa and resort facilities complement a scenic and strategic layout that winds its way across gently undulating terrain, through pockets of rainforest, along lake banks, through Bloodwood forests, before opening up to fairways flanked by Melaleuca trees. Designed by Graham…

The best thing about Canberra is the air. Now, now – none of your cheek. Not the stuff out of the buffoons we send to the Capital to look after our interests, the gibbering nincompoops whose bluster could power so many of Canberra’s muchphotographed hot-air balloons. No. Rather, we’re talking the sweet, pure, high-country air where Canberra sits, incongruously, atop the Great Dividing Range, the plateau lands at the northern edge of the Australian Alps. Where the weather might be described as ‘crisp’, or, if a southerly sweeps in from snow-capped Brindabellas, ‘Sweet Jesus! It’s Baltic! Lock up the animals!’ For golf, though, the weather is pure. Even when minus temperatures begat a thick morning frost, it means a clear, sunny, still day. Cold, sure. But, at any time, golfers…

Cleveland Golf has launched two new wedge offerings – the RTX Full-Face 2 and Smart Sole Full-Face wedge lines. The all-new RTX Full-Face 2 provides great versatility for greenside scoring, while Smart Sole Full-Face includes four specialised clubs to fulfill every shortgame shot. The RTX Full-Face 2 is designed to take players’ short-games to the next level and features hosel-to-toe grooves and an extended toe area to give skilled golfers the confidence to take on demanding open-face shots. “Skilled players wanting that extra element of control with their greenside play will reap the benefits of the RTX Full-Face 2,” Cleveland Golf Senior Product Manager Casey Shultz said. “We’ve added HydraZip face technology to maximise performance in wet or dry conditions, which works alongside ZipCore technology for even more forgiveness and…

Scottie Scheffler cemented his position at the top of the world ranking with the successful defence of his Players Championship title, becoming the first player to win back-to-back in the 50-year history of the tournament. His final round eight-under 64 could have been a 63 had his birdie attempt on the final hole not slipped by the left edge of the cup. The par was enough to secure the win and his reaction to the near-miss birdie captured here was priceless.…

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF CALLAWAY’S CHROME TOUR GOLF BALLS! 4 PRIZES TO BE WON, VALUED AT $569.94 EACH EAGLE CLUB MEMBERS GET ALL THIS! • 24 issues of Golf Australia a magazine• One dozen Callaway Supersoft golf balls• Golf Australia golf shirt• Choose a DVD - 7 golf titles to choose from• Entry in all chance to win competitions The Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball features Advanced HEX Aerodynamics, optimized for reduced drag, higher flight and longer carry distance. The Callaway Chrome Tour golf balls are the new gold standard for golfers who want to unlock their best performance, from the tee to the green. Every detail has been optimised including a new core, inner mantle, outer mantle, and cover formulation. Chrome Tour The Chrome Tour is crafted…

PING G430 MAX 10K $1,150 LOFTS: 9°/10.5°/12° STOCK SHAFT: Ping Alta CB Black (mid-tohigh launch), Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome (mid launch), Ping Tour 2.0 Black (low launch), Ping Alta Quick (high launch from slower swing speeds) If you’re the type of golfer who likes the confidence boost of standing on the tee knowing the game’s most forgiving driver is in your hands, the Max 10K has your name all over it. Drivers just don’t come any more forgiving. It wasn’t our test pro’s fastest or longest driver of 2024, as we’d expect of a super-MOI model. But posting a carry distance just four yards back from the very longest while also being one of the two most forgiving drivers on the market is a first-class performance – and those results…

“ I was 24, but times were different then. I was a man at that age. The master of a large plantation just south of New Orleans.” - Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), Interview with a Vampire (1994). As they were in the steaming, cultural hotpot of slave-era Louisiana circa 1792, times were different in the land of Australia in 2008. It was a time when glossy sports magazines roamed the earth, when a footloose freelance journalist could pitch an idea to the editor of a national golf magazine with words to the effect of: I want to drive a full lap of Australia. I want to play golf every day. I want you to pay me to do it. Blessedly, perhaps inconceivably, the editor of the glossy golf journal…

Scotty Cameron has introduced his 2024 line-up of Phantom mallets, 10 new models completely redesigned with alignment-infused head shapes as well as improved sound and feel. The new Phantom family, offering four unique shapes with multiple neck and shaft configurations, is the result of feedback from Phantom players across the worldwide professional tours, melded with the continued advancement of Scotty’s multi-material construction and face milling technologies: • Fast-looking head shapes have been engineered to optimise alignment and targeting, helping players easily and correctly line up the putter at address. Scotty’s tour-proven dual-milled face technology is brought to the Phantom line to provide a softer, consistent sound and feel.• Multi-material face and body constructions, with premium milled-in-USA craftsmanship, are more rigid for increased stability and feedback.• A new custom-designed, Full Contact paddle-style…

This year marks 50 years since trailblazing golf retailer Ray Drummond opened his first store in Bendigo, Victoria. Half a century later, his legacy remains in the form of Drummond Golf, Australia’s largest golf retailer. The man behind the beginning of a retailing empire grew up in Sydney and was a professional golfer by the age of 17 and a teaching pro. Drummond would tee it up with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros. A severe car accident in 1955 saw golf take a backseat for Ray for almost two decades. While working in real estate in central Victoria in 1974, he was invited to play in a competition with a friend and rekindled his love for the game. Not long after,…

Cost: $339.95 (laced), $379.95 (BOA). FIRST IMPRESSIONS: As the saying goes, first impressions are lasting impressions, and I loved what the Footjoy Pro/SLX Carbon shoes looked and felt like when I got them on my hooves. These are a high-quality set of kicks. The colour combinations are subtle and classy. If you plan your outfits before heading to the course, there is no need to worry about a clash; the Carbon Pro/SLX are versatile. You’d be hard-pressed to find a model of Footjoy shoes that has missed the mark, and these new wheels are undoubtedly no different. As most golfers could attest, getting a brand-new pair of golf shoes and wearing them on the links straight out of the box can typically lead to at least 36 holes of some…