Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Golf Magazine

The Most Beautiful Women in Golf GOLF.com presents the third annual edition of our popular franchise. Browse exclusive photo galleries and videos featuring the game's most notable women, including Lexi Thompson (left), Blair O'Neal (below) and Holly Sonders (right). GOLF.com/most-beautiful-women TABLET BONUS ALL-ACCESS Free for print subscribers! Get easy access to GOLF editions on the iPad and other tablets at GOLF.com/allaccess BONUS CONTENT Watch an exclusive video featuring Brandel Chamblee. MORE PHOTOS Browse our gallery of extra "Teeing Off" photos, only in GOLF's tablet edition. GOLF.COM IN YOUR INBOX For up-to-the-minute golf news, features and videos, subscribe today to GOLF.com's revitalized newsletters : News, Instruction, Equipment and Travel. Sign up now and you'll never miss another story! Visit GOLF.com/static/newsletter/signup.…

DRIVER 1) TaylorMade M1, 9.5°, Aldila Rogue 70x shaft, 307 yards; $500 IRONS 2) Wilson Staff FG Tour F5 (3 iron), Aerotech SteelFiber i110 graphite shaft, X flex. Wilson Staff FG Tour 100 (4-PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel shafts; $1,000 for set of eight 3-iron: 235 yards 4-iron: 220 yards 5-iron: 210 yards 6-iron: 200 yards 7-iron: 187 yards 8-iron: 173 yards 9-iron: 158 yards PW: 145 yards WEDGES 3) Wilson Staff FG Tour PMP, 50° bent to 52°, 128 yards; 58°, 110 yards; 59° bent to 62°, 95 yards. All with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 steel shafts; $100 each PUTTER 4) Titleist by Scotty Cameron Futura X Prototype; $350 BALL Titleist Pro V1x; $48/dozen FAIRWAY WOOD 5) TaylorMade AeroBurner, 16.5°, Aldila Rogue 80x shaft, 265 yards;…

WHEN DANNY LEE turned pro and forfeited his amateur status after the 2009 Masters, he gave up coveted slots in that year's U.S. Open and British Open. No biggie. After all, his future was bright, with millions surely awaiting him on the PGA Tour. And besides, the Korean-born New Zealander, then 18, already had a U.S. Amateur trophy and a European Tour win to his credit. There'd be plenty more Opens, right? Well, Lee wouldn't compete in another major for six years. Then, in 2015, he fulfilled the promise of his youth. He won his first Tour event (the Greenbrier), notched two second-place finishes and went on to win almost $4 million in official money. Lee, 25, has arrived. He's not the biggest or strongest guy on Tour, but Danny…

THE BIG ISLAND MAUI KAUAI PLAY Robert Trent Jones Sr. lists Mauna Kea as one of his five favorite designs. One glimpse at the 272-yard, par-3 third explains why. princeresortshawaii.com Unfurled across dormant volcano slopes, Wailea Gold is an RTJ Jr. design crisscrossed with lava chutes and punctuated with ocean vistas. waileagolf.com One of RTJ Jr.'s earliest and most spectacular creations, Princeville Makai sports risk/reward options, lush landscaping and Pacific encounters. makaigolf.com STAY Flawless service, guest rooms with lava-rock garden showers, and Jack Nicklaus's friendliest design elevates the Four Seasons Hualalai. fourseasons.com/hualalai Fresh off a $70M makeover, the beachside Fairmont Kea Lani offers Wailea Golf, the acclaimed Willow Stream Spa, and the superb eatery Ko. fairmont.com/kea-lani-maui The St. Regis Princeville boasts ocean and mountain settings—and an infinity pool that melts…

Ever watched a Tour pro up close on the range? His iron shots don't just soar—they sizzle. That's not just because he hits the sweet spot with lots of clubhead speed. He also delivers the clubface to the impact zone on a descending attack angle. Hitting down on the ball is what creates that pure, powerful feeling of flush contact. No matter how fast you swing, you can hit shots that hiss off your clubface. Turn the page to learn the explosive—and addictive—art of compression. SQUEEZE PLAY Compressing your iron shots will turn pars into birdies—and turn a few heads to boot. 37 Proven Ways to Shoot Your Best Score Ever!…

A good takeaway does a lot of the heavy lifting in your swing. Get those first 18 inches right and you'll set the club on a perfect path that lets you launch pure, powerful irons. For a smart start to your swing, just match your hands, shaft and club to the positions seen here. Soon, hitting the sweet spot will be automatic. THE STRAIGHT STORY In an ideal takeaway, the club moves straight back for the first 18 or so inches. You should feel as though the back of your left hand is pulling the club away. THROW A CURVE As you take the club back nice and straight, let your right shoulder and right hip turn. This will move the club slightly inside the target line. With proper rotation,…

THE PROBLEM No matter what club you swing, you get the same result: a big old slice. THE FIX Your control hand—the right—is out of position at the top. Blame old-school instruction. You've been told to bend your right elbow and hinge your right wrist at the end of your backswing, as though you were balancing a tray (inset photo, right). That tip is an oldie but a baddie: It promotes an open clubface at impact, causing slices. Instead, feel as though your right palm is facing away from the target at the top, as if you were signaling someone to stop (main photo). Consider it a sign of the slice-free times. DON'T DO THIS The old "tray" tip makes it easy to open the face and slice. DO THIS…

Almost every all-time great has lifted his left heel and made a big hip turn. When it comes to pursuing higher education, the first choice is often Harvard. But where is the Harvard of golf? In Bobby Jones on Golf, Jones wrote: "There is one best way to learn this game and to play it, and it can be found in the commonalities of the greatest players of all time." These commonalities are the Harvard of golf. In writing The Anatomy of Greatness, I went to "Harvard" for a year, studying the commonalities of the game's greatest swings. I read hundreds of books, watched scores of videos and analyzed thousands of photos. In a sense, my co-authors were Hagen, Jones, Sarazen, Snead, Nelson, Hogan, Player, Wright, Palmer, Nicklaus, Casper, Trevino,…

FOR MORE INSTRUCTION THAT FITS YOUR GAME, GO TO GOLF.COM LOW HANDICAPPER You play well but want to shave those last few strokes off your handicap. GET YOUR SWING MOJO BACK Face it. You're gonna have your share of bad rounds—those days when you just can't make your swing work, no matter how many tricks and tips you try. The next time this happens, hit the range and do this five-ball drill. It's the best way to track down your swing when it goes AWOL. Tee up five balls in a line, each several inches apart. Next, let your mind go blank. Without a swing thought, hit each ball in succession. Pause briefly at the end of each swing, then step to the next ball and blast away—just make sure…

I CAN FEEL THE BUZZ. A new golf year is here, and the young guns of Spieth, McIlroy, Fowler and Day are only getting better. Ryder Cup battle plans are already being drawn. And the game is back in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. There's plenty to get excited about. Whether you're an avid player who's been trying to figure out your swing for years and years (like me), or one of the thousands of people who are picking up a club for the very first time, it's a fantastic time for golf. Not that you would know it to listen to the naysayers in recent years: It's too expensive, too elitest, too time-consuming, too set in its ways to grow. It makes you wonder if the…

Congratulations on winning your first PGA Tour title, at the CIMB Classic in November. After finishing in the top 10 seven times last season, what made the difference in Malaysia? You know, you never really know what makes the difference, which is fun and frustrating. I've been playing really well and managing things well. I had a hot round on that Friday and got in control. I stayed in the moment and stayed patient more than anything. I had a couple of things go my way— I made some long putts and holed a bunker shot. Next thing you know, I'm holding the trophy! You took home more than just a trophy—you won $1.26 million. Did you buy anything to celebrate? I haven't yet. I'm kind of weird. I don't…

Dear Rules Guy: In a four-ball match, our opponents, one of whom was away, both putted at the same time. The balls collided near the hole. What should have happened next? —MICHAEL SIMS, VIA E-MAIL With golf returning to the Olympics, this gives me an idea: synchronized putting. Hey, they do it for diving and swimming. (Note to self: Dash off a note to the IOC.) If the putts were indeed struck simultaneously, the ruling is simple. Since the balls in motion were played from the putting green and then deflected by another ball in motion, Rule 19-5b requires both strokes to be canceled and the balls replaced and replayed without penalty. If the concurrently conked balls had missed one another, again, no penalty, but each player would have to…

THE 2016 SEASON has barely begun and it's already shaping up as one of the most rigorous tests of player ability and stamina we've seen in decades. Why? A Ryder Cup and the addition of the Olympics have altered the schedule so that three of the year's four majors will be played in the span of just seven weeks. While the cluster of high-profile events is a great thing for fans, the hectic pace will wreak havoc on players' schedules. How will the summer major season look for many of the world's top players? It will begin with business as usual, starting with the Masters at Augusta National in early April. Then it's four weeks until the Players, and another four weeks until the U.S. Open at Oakmont. So far,…

Rule 1-8. Refusal to Comply (with Silence) At address, a ball that topples off the tee without the intent of stroke shall inspire a player to blurt "One!"—to the annoyance of all. Rule 2-1. Ball to Be (Quite) Fairly Struck Hitting a second ball shall result in a better shot precisely 100 percent of the time. Rule 3-5. Doubt as to Procedure (and Sales Spiel) All "demo" drivers shall initially produce soaring tee shots, then fail to perform post-purchase at a rate inversely proportional to its cost. Rule 4-2. Dropping and Re-Dropping (the Lefty Shtick) No player shall attempt a near-impossible greenside shot without mentioning Phil Mickelson, thereby dramatically steepening the odds of said shot being successfully executed. Rule 5-9. Concession of Hole (and Idiocy) A golfer pushing obnoxiously to…

You hear a lot about hitting up on the ball with your driver (good advice) but little about doing the opposite: hitting down on it with your irons. For perfectly pure iron shots, you must make descending, ball-first contact. You're doing it right if it feels as though you're pinching—or compressing—the ball between the clubface and the ground. The payoff is big: tighter approaches, shorter birdie putts and a lot more fun. The three moves at right will help you deliver the club on a proper attack angle. Oh, and pay extra attention to step 2. Getting your right palm facing the ground at impact is a game-changer. In fact, Ben Hogan once said that he wished he had three right hands to hit the ball with. So get ready—Hoganesque…

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 U.S. Open was just 5.6 percent. Pretty long odds, and those are the world's best players. The smart money is to play for birdie. Here are three ways to get it done. 1 LAY UP PULL THE SMART CLUB Laying up turns this hole into an easy par 3. Check the pin: If it's cut toward the back, hit a hybrid or a fairway wood, leaving a short wedge to the flag. If the pin is cut near the front, throttle back to a long or mid-iron, which will allow you to make a full swing on your approach.…

1 Is it my setup? Weekend players rarely adjust their stance on sloping lies. Without the right moves, your swing will bottom out before the ball—and you'll catch the shot fat. HOW TO CHECK On a downhill lie, peg a tee into the ground and lay a ball next to it. Hit the shot. If your divot starts behind the tee, your setup doesn't match the slope. YES FIX NO. 1 Tilt your left shoulder down so that your shoulders run parallel to the slope. When you swing, keep your weight forward by planting your left foot. That repositions the bottom of your swing for pure contact. NO 2 Is it my swing? If you tend to catch the ball thin on downhill lies, then yes, it's your swing. The…

Research shows that your shoulders, arms and wrists contribute up to 80 percent of your total swing power at impact. They need help, however. The secret to hitting crushing shots is to transfer the energy from your body to your arms without dropping an ounce of speed. Here's how to get the right feel. STEP 1 Stand erect and hinge the club over your right shoulder as shown. Keep your left wrist flat. STEP 2 "Push" down on the handle and unhinge your elbows until your arms snap straight. Again, keep your left wrist flat. STEP 3 Without moving your arms or the club, bend over and sole the club on the ground. Striking this pose places you in an ideal impact position. Great! But the real lesson? The pushing-out-and-down…

ADAM SCOTT has a presence. Whether it's in the locker room, press room or at a corporate dinner, his arrival always changes the energy in the room. Women are drawn to Scott, of course, but so are men. It's already an embarrassment of riches that the best-looking player on Tour also happens to have the most gorgeous swing, but other things help explain why he's probably the most well-liked guy in golf circles: his surfer-dude cool; a sly, self-deprecating sense of humor; and an utter lack of pretense for a former World No. 1 whose spiffy wardrobe includes a certain green-tinted jacket. Scott's buddy Justin Rose has a simple take on why Scott is always surrounded by peers at the driving range: "A lot of people want to be Adam.…

WHAT DO DANIEL BERGER, Tony Finau and Branden Grace have in common? I see them all in my crystal ball. When drawing up a list of the winless PGA Tour players who are most likely to break through with a victory in 2016, I could have formed an opinion based on swing aesthetics or my intuition, but I prefer a quantitative "predictive analytics" approach—to use big data in the same way that, say, Netflix predicts your taste in movies. There's still plenty of room for judgment—okay, hunches—in quantitative approaches. Numbers don't yield the truth any more than a dictionary teaches you how to write an essay. So here's my hunch: A simple but solid predictive model for identifying probable first-time winners involves two factors. The first is a Tour player's…

Point the face on this line. Curve the ball on this line. Swing parallel to this line. Hooking (above) or fading pitches is the smart player's way to escape trouble. MY TYPICAL ROUND is a lot like yours. I'm playing pretty well, avoiding the big number, and then it happens: I put myself in a spot from which Houdini himself couldn't escape. Case in point, the situation I face in the photo above. Here, I've botched my second shot on a par 5, leaving me 60 yards short and right of the green with a stand of pines blocking my path to the pin. Most players would punch out to the left, but that's a little too safe for my taste—it would leave me with a partial wedge into the…

We're drinking Pinot Grigio. What does that say about you? I'm normally a red-wine drinker, but since we're in Arizona and it's hot outside, I thought we needed something refreshing. And white wine is cold and delicious! Your star has been on the rise since you first appeared on Golf Channel's Big Break, in 2009. When did you get your first taste of feeling famous or recognizable? An airport is a really good place to get recognized, even when you don't want to. Last week, someone messaged me on Twitter and asked, "Are you at Terminal 4, Gate 23?" [Laughs] But I did get noticed a lot more after being on Big Break. The exposure from the show was amazing. After playing college golf at Arizona State, you decided to…

No doubt about it: Great wedge players are feel players, tapping their innate sense of touch to finesse short shots close to the pin. Heighten your feel sensors with my "fingers-off" drill (right). You'll go from stone hands to a Midas touch in just 30 seconds. [The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.] 10 secs 1 GRIP DANGLE YOUR DIGITS Get into your normal chipping stance, then slide your hands up the grip until your left pinkie and ring finger are completely off the handle (inset photo, right). [The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.] 20 secs 2 LIFT GET A FEEL FOR THE CLUBHEAD Slowly lift your wedge off the ground; feel the…

125.2 Koepka's average clubhead speed (in mph) off the tee, third fastest on the 2015-2016 PGA Tour. 1 DO LESS, GET MORE Brooks proves that you don't have to swing past parallel to hit it 300 yards. In fact, overswinging saps speed, because it requires extra hand and arm manipulation to square the face. Halt your backswing when the muscles in your back say "stop." You want a "tight" feel at the top, not a loose one. 2 SHOW SOME SPINE Don't just turn your shoulders in your backswing—turn your entire back. Try to get your spine to face the target, as Brooks does here. If you do it without overrotating your lower body, you'll add yards fast. 3 THE JOY OF FLEX His knee flex is the same as…

Bunker shots should be a breeze. After all, they actually require you to miss the ball. Yet there you stand, your mind reviewing a litany of mechanical thoughts, which only makes your swing slow and stiff. Here's a trick: At address, imagine that your ball rests on a tee beneath the sand. When you swing, forget the ball; simply cut off the top of the tee and blast the sand under the ball onto the green. This will allow you to skim the surface instead of digging—the ball will leave the hazard on the bed of sand you've dislodged. If you must think mechanics, focus on maintaining acceleration. There's no need to swing out of your spikes—just don't slow down through impact. Break that imaginary tee and miss the ball…

For years we've heard the anxious refrain. Golf is struggling. It's too hard, too expensive and takes too long. Sure, the economic downturn has affected the popularity of our beloved pastime. So has our shifting culture. The days of Dad playing 18 at the club every Saturday and Sunday morning are gone. But here's the thing: In many ways—59, to be exact—golf has never been stronger. Innovations have only enhanced the things we love about the game: cracking a big drive, taking a beer-fueled buddies trip, watching pros duel for major glory. A generation ago, only skilled ballstrikers could knock it 250 yards off the tee. Now, in the era of adjustable titanium clubheads, chances are everyone in your foursome can hit it that far. A round of golf is…

The champagne's popped, the aspirin bottle's empty—it's time to ease your game into 2016. This year, some trends should continue (combo sets, dampening polymers) while others may reverse course (weaker lofts). One thing's for sure: Whether you want to crack the 70s, 80s or 90s, these six models can help. So try one out, and get ready to kick some grass this season. PING G $799, steel; $899, graphite; GOLF.com/ping The "G" might as well stand for gold, since that's the standard of forgiveness that Ping's G series sets year after year. With the new GMax iron to handle truly high-handicappers, the G adds some refinement without forgetting Ping's mission of mercy. It's a slimmed-down take on last year's G30, with a thinner topline and sole. According to Ping, it's…

1 Which part of the country is best for me? Options are (literally) all over the map. To narrow down your choices, decide what amenities you most value, says Mitch Barry, 53, a retired software developer from Phoenix, who, with his wife, Christy, visited more than a dozen golf communities in the west before buying a home at Pronghorn in Bend, Ore. For the Barrys, climate and course quality were key factors. Pronghorn offered year-round play on two revered layouts, a private Tom Fazio track and a Jack Nicklaus resort course. "We're both golf junkies," Barry says. "And with all those great holes, we figured we could play all we want and never get bored." The accessible location—25 minutes from the Redmond, Ore., airport and a three-hour drive from Portland—was…

MANY YEARS AGO, in some tab somewhere, a headline read, "Bessie Swings Off the Course Too." In the 1950s, Al Besselink was one of professional golf's glamour boys, tall, athletic and handsome. He had a great head of hair and dated movie stars. Dustin Johnson times 10. He won tournaments big and small and was the first winner of the Tournament of Champions, in 1953. This was long before they were handing out free money at Kapalua. The event was in Las Vegas, at the Desert Inn, when it was run by the Cleveland mob. A lost world. The Tour went corporate in the 1980s, but once it was populated by big personalities and men with deep pockets. There aren't many players left who would remember Bessie in his prime.…