Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2016 i Golf Monthly

There is something special about the ceremony to present the winner of The Masters with his Green Jacket. To me it's the perfect mix of tradition and showbiz. I can vividly remember the first one I watched – a beaming Sandy Lyle being helped into the jacket by Larry Mize back in 1988 – and I haven't missed one since. As I've aged, it's become harder to keep the eyes open, but you somehow summon the willpower. Once the jacket is resting on the shoulders of the happy champion it's time for bed! This year there was no way I was going to break my run. The old cliche that the tournament doesn't really start until the back nine on Sunday was certainly borne out, with much drama unfolding in…

ÒTHE FREE-TO-DOWNLOAD APP HAS INFORMATION ON EVERY GOLF COURSE ON THE PLANETÒ Recording round data and accessing information on every golf course in the world is easier than ever before with the introduction of the Expert Golf – Global Golf Guide and Logbook app. The app, which is free to download, has listings of every course on the planet, as well as contact information, a route planner and more than 100,000 player ratings – enabling you to make an informed decision based on location, access and golfer experiences. The second main function of the app comes in the form of the Logbook section. This allows you to store information and retrieve it later for reference. You can record your result, rate the course, list your playing companions and note any…

Photography Paul Severn “You can’t play cautiously at Augusta. You have to make birdies to counteract the mistakes, because you are going to make mistakes!” As a pro, you don't want to see what happened to Jordan Spieth at The Masters, and although I've not been in that exact situation, we've all had meltdowns like that. It's horrible, but do you know what, it's not that big a deal. He's been invincible really and that's the first bad thing that's happened to him, so I think it could prove a good thing in the long run. He'd rather have had the Green Jacket again, of course. But he'll come back from it. His putting kept him at the head of affairs for so long, and putting well on greens that…

MY SET-UP I’m hitting it about 15 yards longer now than I was a few years ago. That is because of my address position, which I’ve tweaked to produce more power Last year, nearly 70 per cent of my drives broke the 300-yard barrier. In 2013, that number was 50. Obviously, I made some changes that boosted my driving, the easiest of which was finding a driver/club combination at the start of the 2015 season that improved my launch conditions. Extra yards are out there, even through a basic fitting. The other thing that really helped was tightening up my address position. I've always had good posture, but my coach, Brad Malone, and I thought I was losing some of my angles at set-up, especially in my hips. For maximum…

1 Rhythm checker It happens to us all. A few poorly struck shots and suddenly your timing is gone and you feel incapable of getting the club properly on the back of the ball. If you're halfway through your round, start making half-length, half-paced practice swings before each shot. Make a few, but importantly, it needs to be a slow movement back and through. This works because you'll start to feel where the clubhead is during the swing. It will also naturally slow you down. 2 Find your feel Poor ball striking often stems from excess tension. When you are nervous or trying to hit the ball too hard, your grip pressure can become too tight and you lose the mobility in your wrists and your feel of the club.…

KEY TECH Progressive milled faces help poorly struck putts get closer to the hole AIMED AT Golfers who struggle with distance control on the greens HOW MUCH £249 (ER1 and ER2) and £275 (ER5 and ER6) A name you will likely be unfamiliar with, Evnroll is a new putter brand from renowned designer Guerin Rife, who is claiming his latest creations offer ‘the sweetest face in golf’. His bold claim centres around a progressive precision-milled face design that expands the sweetspot. Backed by years of research, the milled pattern gets progressively shallower away from the centre. This means heel and toe strikes leave the face with more speed, helping them roll virtually the same distance as more solid centre hits. The range includes four different head shapes, with the ER1…

KEY TECH Running-inspired shoe technology helps boost comfort AIMED AT Golfers who want to stand out with a lightweight, sporty shoe HOW MUCH £109 A brand already turning heads after its recent launches and emerging visibility on tour, Skechers has added further diversity to its 2016 range with the launch of the Go Golf Blade. The Go Golf Blade's athletic profile and eye-catching look comes in a wide variety of colour schemes, and introduces a lot of technology currently found in Skechers' running shoes. These features include a low-drop midsole for excellent ground feel – made from a dual-density Resalyte shock-absorbing material – and a Resamax cushioned insole, which helps to boost comfort. The antimicrobial insole also helps to keep your feet fresh, while a stabilised midfoot area has been…

KEY TECHNOLOGY A 10g weight can be slotted into one of the three ports in the sole of this oversized clubhead, switching shot shape between draw, neutral and fade. Further adjustability comes via the Quick Switch hosel, which adjusts loft up or down by up to two degrees. GM REVIEW Looks The JPX EZ driver is certainly inviting to hit at address, and its generous profile makes it look as forgiving as it is. The clubface is easy to align and the crown graphics certainly boost the shelf appeal. Performance As expected, this driver excels at achieving a consistently high and accurate ball flight. With the option of altering shot shape, golfers can negate their miss or promote their favoured shape without having to adjust the face angle at the…

“THE GOAL IS TO LOCK THE HEEL IN THE CORRECT POSITION” Jordan Spieth was setting the world of golf alight in 2015 wearing a pair of Under Armour golf shoes no one in the UK could find or purchase. It was this prolonged intrigue and perhaps frustration that made the eventual entry of Under Armour into the UK golf shoe market all the more exciting. But it's not just the Drive One model that has reached our shores. There are three Under Armour golf shoes here this year and it is the Tempo Tour that is stealing all the headlines. Why? This is the company's best performing, most technical golf shoe and we were invited, along with Top 25 Coach Rick Shiels, to the European Tour Performance Institute at Terre…

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1 SILLOTH ON SOLWAY As far to the north and west as you can possibly go in England, Silloth is a gloriously remote and unspoiled gem of a course. While much of our finest golf occurs in clusters, allowing easy access to a number of clubs at a time, this delightfully isolated championship links offers perhaps the best value in the Golf Monthly Top 100. Both Willie Park Junior and Alister MacKenzie are credited with the design, but nature itself can take a bow for this superbly conditioned but testing challenge. Stats: Par 72, 6,408 yards W: sillothgolfclub.co.uk 2 WOODHALL SPA (HOTCHKIN) When the English Golf Union relocated to deepest, darkest Lincolnshire in the mid-90s to set up its national golf centre, there was much tutting about the inaccessible location.…

Photography Paul Severn “Ian Poulter turned pro off 4. He was better than that but he couldn’t play in many qualifying competitions. I was similar to Ian in that respect” I've just been watching my son, Michael, and others in action in the Scottish Boys Championship at Murcar, where he played nicely in his first-round match from tee to green, but struggled on the greens. Michael is off scratch, and the boy he was playing against, Thomas Boyd, was a 4-handicapper. Thomas played better than that, Michael was a bit poorer than his normal standard and it became a good game. That's match play, isn't it? My boy was 1dn playing the last and birdied that to go to extra holes. He then hit a lovely shot into the 19th…

The Open and Glenmorangie share common ground: both possess a proud and storied history dating back to the mid-19th century, both deliver a timeless product showcasing refinement and excellence and both are appreciated by true connoisseurs. It’s therefore fitting that Glenmorangie continues to be ‘The Spirit of The Open’. This July at Royal Troon, the world's best players will do battle for the 145th Open Championship over one of Scotland's most iconic links. It will be the ninth time Royal Troon has played host to The Open and those competing will follow illustrious footsteps. Arthur Havers was the first winner at Royal Troon back in 1923, defeating the legendary Walter Hagen by a single stroke. Others to triumph over the Ayrshire links include Bobby Locke, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.…

PAUL FOSTON TOP 25 COACH Paul Foston Golf Academy, Smarden, Kent Dynamic balance in the golf swing refers to the way in which you use your weight. As you are looking to make an athletic motion with good body rotation, it makes sense that your balance point will change during the swing. Generally speaking, with a 7-iron in hand you want your weight split evenly at address, and then for 80 per cent of it to shift into your right side by the time your reach the top of the backswing. From there, you then shift back towards the target, so that 80 per cent is on your left side in the finish. This is one of the fundamentals of a good golf swing. The same principles apply in all…

KEY TECH RZN material adds off-centre performance AIMED AT Players who want feel and forgiveness HOW MUCH £229.99 (B1-01 and B2-01 models) The Nike putter used by Rory McIlroy since September is finally available. The Method Origin range – featuring two blades – makes the most of a RZN layer and polymetal grooves for improved feel and roll. The putters have a unique three-piece construction where an integrated RZN layer sits between the face and a mass on the back. Nike claims that the more off-centre the hit, the more the RZN compresses and the more energy is returned to the ball. You'll also find tungsten weights in the heel and toe to further improve forgiveness, and new full-length polymetal grooves that are designed to provide a more consistent, efficient…

KEY TECH GPS watch now has stat-tracking capabilities AIMED AT Golfers who want distances and stats in one device HOW MUCH £199.99 Global positioning system giant TomTom made its first foray into golf last year with the Golfer GPS watch, and now it's back with the Golfer 2. As with its predecessor, its main function is to eliminate uncertainty by measuring distances to greens, hazards and lay-up points on more than 40,000 courses around the world. However, TomTom says its new version can also help golfers improve their game thanks to an automatic shot-detection feature, which records data that can then be analysed using the TomTom MySports app after you've finished your round. These stats, which are wirelessly synced from the watch to your phone, include insights into shot patterns,…

Some golfers are happy to just roll up every week, potter round the course and look forward to their next game. Some… but not many! If you scratch beneath the surface, ambition still burns fiercely in scores of golfers. Many ambitions are handicap- or score-based – getting as low as possible or shooting a personal best. For some, it may be as simple as making that first ever birdie. Others long to improve a part of their game that's holding them back, or have their eyes set firmly on a particular event. It was for golfers such as these that Mizuno decided to team up with Golf Monthly for this season's exciting Mizuno #YourGame2016 project. Mizuno has long been renowned for crafting the finest forged irons on the market, and…

KEY TECHNOLOGY A new dual core with a larger centre lowers driver and iron spin for more distance. A soft, thin Fusablend cover designed exclusively by Titleist offers a soft feel and durability. A spherically tiled 302-octahedral-dimple design delivers a higher ball flight. GM REVIEW Performance While the Pro V1 and Pro V1x offer the best overall performance of any Titleist ball, the NXT Tour family really isn't too far behind. The NXT Tour is longer than the NXT Tour S version, and this also translates to a slightly firmer feel on and around the greens – something that is certainly noticeable. If you are looking for a ball that performs well in all areas of the game, but one that places a slight emphasis on distance off the tee,…

Buying a new set of irons can be an expensive minefield if you don't know what you're looking for. Nowhere is this more true than in the mid-handicap sector, where players can potentially use every option in a brand's range with some degree of success. For golfers in the 8-to-18 handicap range, the search parameters can vary significantly. Those who are steadily improving will seek a smaller set that offers plenty of feel and control, while those who are perhaps heading the other way, or playing less often, will be more suited to designs that offer higher levels of forgiveness. The wide range of prices in this showcase – from £379 to over £1,100 – will cater for all budgets, while the broad choice of colours and finishes can further…

Photography Tom Miles Anyway, as I was saying... it was good to see Danny Willett take the jacket thing away with him to Yorkshire as expected. Expected? Who am I trying to kid. Okay, his Twittering older brother had a wad on him at 55/1, as did a small number of others but, come on, even on Sunday as I was spreading my cash around various participants in the Augusta field, Danny Boy didn't figure on my radar. Believe me, I know about these things and so it was easy to figure out that he was too tense and fidgety a character to prosper on those greens on a Masters Sunday afternoon when nerve-endings twitch even more than Bill Oddie on a bird-spotting spring break. Well, once again I reassured…

Golfers usually make one big purchase a year. This might be on some waterproofs or a set of irons, but a reliable electric trolley is fast becoming a popular choice. Motocaddy leads the way in sales – arguably innovation, too – and the new models for 2016 certainly strengthen this opinion. The S1 Pro has gone, meaning golfers now have a simpler choice: opt for the streamlined features of the S1 or the bells and whistles of the S3 Pro, which both boast stunning frame and feature updates. The brand is also encouraging golfers to upgrade to a lithium battery, and, as an incentive, its lithium prices have dropped by £50. One can now be yours for less than £400, helping you get more from your new set of wheels.…

“IT'S ALL ABOUT CHECKING CERTAIN LINES AS YOU TAKE HOLD OF THE CLUB" This month we are looking at certain checkpoints you can use to make sure you are gripping the club correctly. The grip can be a personal thing, with some golfers preferring a stronger grip and others a weaker one, but here we're going to focus on the classic neutral grip. It's all about checking certain lines as you take hold of the club. If you're a right-handed golfer, the first line to check is in your left hand as you place it on the club. Make sure the grip runs along the base of the little finger, on through the other fingers until it intersects the middle part of the index finger. This hand then wraps over…

Photography Kevin Murray “Broadcasting live golf is a serious operation. When we arrive on Tuesday, it’s all set up and off we go. It’s like a massive roving circus” I've been working for Sky for a number of years now, and we have commentators from all over the place and all walks of life. Sitting in Dubai in early February after the Dubai Desert Classic – won, of course, by newly crowned Masters Champion Danny Willett, and what a display that was by the way – Rich Beem was off to Austin, Texas, Richard Boxall London, David Livingstone Glasgow, Andrew Coltart Edinburgh and myself Sydney, Australia. It made us chuckle that we were all travelling in different directions, and that we had a team assembled from all corners of the…

1 Address faults As with most issues in the golf swing, poor strikes usually stem from mistakes at address. The number-one fault to look out for is setting the ball too far forward. This causes your hands to be too far back, encouraging a ground-first strike. The other issue to look out for is poor posture. Unathletic, lazy set-up positions make good strikes almost impossible. Ensure your back is straight at address – set your body over the ball by hinging at the hips. So start by checking your ball position is not too far forward and that you have an athletic posture. Nine times out of ten, this is where the problem lies! 2 Casting and falling back Another common fault to look out for is casting. This stems…

Photography Kevin Murray There's something of the old and new about the way Masters Champion Danny Willett swings the golf club. It has all the power of a modern-day move, while retaining some of the age-old principles that make for a sound technique. Just by looking at his address position, you can tell that Danny's a real professional. His posture and alignment angles are perfect, but he also looks athletic, ready to make a powerful swing. Interestingly, he starts his swing with a very early wrist hinge. This was something that Seve used to do, and it allows the player to get the club working on the right plane before he begins his upper-body rotation. In Danny's case, it works well as the club is on a great line throughout…

KEY TECH New laser rangefinder is 30 per cent smaller and twice as fast AIMED AT Golfers looking to increase their accuracy HOW MUCH £269 (Tour V4) and £139 (neo iON) Over the last five years Bushnell has tightened its stranglehold on the laser rangefinder market, and its latest launch should only help to strengthen that grip. The new Tour V4, which replaces the Tour V3, is 30 per cent smaller and two times faster at measuring. It also comes with a new ergonomic grip, oversized button, focus wheel and five-times magnification which should all combine to make measuring flags and other objects, such as bunkers and ditches, easier than ever. Other features on the Tour V4 include a 1,000-yard range that’s accurate to one yard and Jolt Technology for…

KEY TECH An ultra-low centre of gravity reduces spin AIMED AT Better players and those who struggle with excess backspin HOW MUCH £399 Following the launch of its XR 16 range at the start of the year, Callaway has revealed a new addition to the family in the XR 16 Sub Zero. Callaway claims the driver's 440cc head features the lowest centre of gravity (CG) it has ever put in a driver, making it a great option for faster-swinging golfers or those who lose distance from adding too much backspin with a steep swing. The new design was made possible thanks to the extremely light Carbon Triax Crown. The weight this has saved has been redistributed below the neutral axis for a lower-spinning CG position. There are also two interchangeable…

“THE FEEL AND DISTANCE CONTROL IS EXCELLENT. I CAN HIT ALL THE SHOTS WITH SM6” Technical editor Joel Tadman 1 TECHNOLOGY Under Bob Vokey's guidance, Titleist has altered the CG heights on different wedge lofts to align them more with impact locations, optimising feel and trajectory. In the lower-lofted clubs (46-52°) the CG is low – more in line with the height of the AP2 pitching wedge. In the middle lofts (54° and 56°) it moves slightly higher, and then goes up still in the most lofted wedges, rather than moving lower, as per SM5. 2 LOOKS The SM6 maintains the classic teardrop shape, but has a smaller profile in the lower lofts and a slightly larger profile in the higher lofts. The wedge comes in three finishes: Tour Chrome,…

KEY TECHNOLOGY A new core and cover technology mean the two-piece DT TruSoft has a lower compression than the DT Solo it replaces. Titleist's softest ever ionomer cover helps generate a soft feel, while a 376-tetrahedral-dimple design produces a consistent flight. GM REVIEW Performance As the lowest-compression ball of Titleist's 2016 line, softer feel is the principal benefit. There's a decent level of spin on wedge shots from the fairway, with a lower flight for control. It has a much more muted sound on chip and pitch shots, which contributes to the soft feel you experience. DT TruSoft launches lower than Velocity and NXT Tour and is more comparable with NXT Tour S, with perhaps slightly less spin around the green. Consider this The soft feel doesn't always translate into…

SOUTH-WEST WALES TENBY A holiday hotspot in its own right, many are also lured to Tenby by the draw of playing the oldest course in Wales. Founded as a nine-holer in 1888, it was expanded by James Braid in 1907 and is a serious championship test that is a joy to play. There is more diversity than at many links courses, and the first couple of holes ease you into the round before back-to-back crackers at 3 and 4. The first of these is Stroke Index 1 and is played to a scarily narrow green with run-offs on either side, while the 4th heads helter-skelter through the dunes to a sunken green in the most wonderfully natural setting. A handful of strong par 4s from the 7th take you to…