Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Golf Monthly

As a youngster, football, rather than golf, was my game. I wasn’t introduced to what I now consider to be the real ‘beautiful game’ until my mid-teens, and although golf rapidly made its way past basketball, rugby and cricket to second place in the pecking order, football still held sway for a long time. For a number of years, I harboured ambitions to play football for a living. However, when I stopped growing vertically and started to expand width-ways, I knew deep down I needed to adjust my career thinking. If I couldn’t play football for a living, I figured writing about it was the next best thing, and so I dipped my toe in the world of work as a football journalist. At first it was fun getting to…

The news that the BBC has lost the rights to live coverage of the 2020 Masters means next year will be the first since 1955 that the broadcaster has not shown any live Major golf. Photography: Getty Images We looked at the issue of free-to-air golf extensively in the November issue, but the latest news has reignited the debate. There will be many for whom watching The Masters on a Sunday night was the reason they fell in love with the game, but as our November article highlighted, 81 per cent of people polled were introduced to the sport by a family member or friend. Plus, the fact The Masters usually ends around midnight means many of the youngest fans will be tucked up in bed anyway. Nostalgia undoubtedly plays…

Yes Says Fergus Bisset Hearty support for a favourite player or team adds greatly to the atmosphere at a golf event and can give players or teams a huge boost – see Shane Lowry at Portrush or Europe’s Solheim Cup winners at Gleneagles. But support should never come at the expense of golf’s honour and integrity and it should never be disrespectful of other competitors. When a ‘fan’ shouted at Ian Poulter’s ball to “get in the bunker” at this year’s FedEx St Jude Invitational, or when the crowds supporting Dustin Johnson at Bethpage cheered Brooks Koepka’s miscued irons and encouraged him to “choke”, they were not acting in the spirit of the game. ‘Heckling’ is not the direction golf should head in. Unfortunately, the instances of such negative behaviour…

FootJoy Winter Mitts £27 Elasticated cuffs provide a better fit and cold protection. Textured fabric gives better grip when pushing a trolley. Adidas Mitts £34.95 Feature a soft inner liner for comfort, a water-resistant shell, textured palms for grip and elasticated cuffs. Galvin Green Landon £50 Made from warm and breathable Interface-1 fabric. Velcro fastening allows for easy attachment on to a trolley. Motocaddy Hot Mitts £44.99 Powered by the USB port underneath Motocaddy M-Series trolley handles. Choice of three heat settings.…

Photography: Kevin Murray SET REALISTIC TARGETS You can vary the target distance according to handicap, but each chip needs to be different, as the three I’m attempting here are. Give yourself a variety of challenges, whether more or less green to work with or uphill or downhill. It’s all about touch, distance and spin control. ADDED INTENSITY Another variation that adds further realism is to putt out from wherever the balls end up. This brings in that ‘live’ getting up and down element that you will experience out on the course to add a greater degree of intensity to your practice. Once again, if you don’t get it up and down, you must try until you do. MAKE IT REAL Chipping practice can be a bit hit and miss, but…

2019 Tommy Fleetwood & Ogden Phipps II 2018 Haotong Li & Allen Zhang 2017 Jamie Donaldson & Kieran McManus 2016 Danny Willett & Jonathan Smart 2015 Florian Fritsch & Michael Ballack 2014 Peter Lawrie & Kieran McManus 2013 Thomas Levet & David Sayer 2012 Alexander Noren & Ernesto Bertarelli 2011 Nick Dougherty & Chris Evans 2010 Robert Karlsson & Dermot Desmond 2009 Soren Hansen & Kieran McManus 2008 John Bickerton & Bruce Watson 2007 Scott Strange & Robert Coe 2006 Padraig Harrington & JP McManus 2005 Henrik Stenson & Rurik Gobel 2004 Fred Couples & Craig Heatley 2003 Sam Torrance & Daniel Torrance 2002 Padraig Harrington & JP McManus 2001 Brett Rumford & Chris Peacock…

The challenge of golf changes over time. At first, as you try to negotiate one of the sporting world’s more complicated movements, your hard work is rewarded, your swing improves and your handicap comes down. You get the bug. Then, as you reach a certain level of technical competence, golf becomes less a test of physical skill and more a question of mental strength. With the ball sitting still on the floor and the target stationary in front of you, the subconscious mind starts to get involved, all too often undermining your physical ability. Your progression as a player depends not on the mechanics of your swing, but your ability to think clearly and positively under pressure. Nobody tells you this when you first pick up a golf club. When…

Dr Dave Alred MBE is many things. He’s a performance coach, yes, but he’s also a maverick, a pioneer and a genius. He helps his clients to deliver when the pressure is at its most extreme. He’s regarded as one of the best in the business, a leader in performance mindset and attitude. He holds a PhD in Performing Under Pressure from Loughborough University and is a member of the Coaching Hall of Fame. It’s why his list of clients includes Premier League footballers, international rugby players (remember Jonny Wilkinson?), England cricketers and professional golfers. It explains the deep tan. When you’re in demand, you rack up the air miles. For much of the year, he’s in Australia, where he coaches the Queensland Reds rugby union team. And, of course,…

Believe it or not, for someone who’s regarded as having one of the game’s strongest ever minds, Sir Nick Faldo once stood over a ball and felt his legs buckle with nerves. It was a Ryder Cup match. “Oh sxxt”, thought Europe’s greatest ever golfer as he stepped away to take a moment. Of course, he executed the shot to perfection, as he so often did in pressure moments throughout his trophy-laden career. The 62-year-old doesn’t suffer the same sort of moments these days. In the commentary booth, he watches others go through the mill. He does, however, have a tendency to shout at the television when he doesn’t like what he sees, which is normally something strategy related. Faldo’s game was not built on power. His greatest assets were…

1 In the mid- to high-handicap range, the main cause of hitting it fat that I get to see is people trying to add loft through impact in the desire to help the ball up. They don’t need to do that as the club has plenty of loft, and in so doing, they hang back on their right side and can’t get into an appropriate position to deliver the club with a descending blow. The divot should come after impact as here, rather than before it. 2 Another major issue is failing to keep the knees and hips level through impact. Golfers who hit it fat often drop the right knee and right hip. Make some practice swings with an alignment stick through your belt loops or holding a club,…

Reader: David Walters (left) Handicap: 7 Home club: Eltham Warren GC Coach: Andrew Jones Andrew’s assessment David was setting up to his wedges in pretty much the same way he would set up to his driver – a really wide stance with ball position up by his left heel, leading to both heavy and clean contacts. Because of his ball position, he was then having to drive his legs through the ball and use parts of his body you really don’t need to use on feel shots like pitches. He was making a full swing, too, swinging all the way to the top with no change in length or tempo from his full-shot swing. Andrew’s remedy Photography: Dan Gould “My confidence on shorter shots is very low unless I’ve got…

Should I buy a push or electric trolley? Simon Reeve, Twitter Electric trolleys have extra features, even displaying GPS distances, but more importantly take away the physical stress of transporting a golf bag, which you’re grateful for if you’re carrying extra gear like waterproofs. Push trolleys tend to be cheaper, lighter, work best on flatter courses and don’t come with the faff of charging a battery. Think carefully about the courses you play, the kit you like to have with you and the value you would get from each type. What should you look for in a new set of irons? Jason Ford, via email It’s a great question, because there are so many factors. Personally, when testing new irons, I’m not bothered about gaining distance – that just creates…

STOCKING FILLERS Now For The Back Nine £20, nowforthebacknine.co.uk Not just a book for those in the twilight years of their golfing life, Peter Dawson’s mix of instruction and anecdotes from his time playing with some of the world’s best players will appeal to all. PRG Original Headcovers £26-£30, prgoriginals.com These high-quality accessories will certainly brighten up your bag. Whether it’s a set of Las Vegas headcovers or the ‘Sweet Wood’ design, there are plenty of standout options in the range. Titleist Personalised Golf Balls £23-£55, titleist.co.uk Titleist is offering free personalisation on every golf ball in the range. There’s no better time to stock up, plus you can add a customised Christmas greeting. Ping Snood Neck Warmer £18, eu.ping.com You know how cold it will be this…

Many of us record the number of courses we’ve played. Two years ago, I reached the magic 1,000, and as I write, my count is up to 1,082. Or is it? Over the years, I have questioned something fundamental to my course-collecting habit – what actually counts as ‘playing a new course’? First of all, what is a golf course? This is usually straightforward, but what about 27-hole complexes such as Prince’s and Stoke Park where each nine is named? My solution is to count these as two – effectively one 18-holer and one nine-holer – just as you would with Rye or Burnham and Berrow. But what about par-3 and academy courses? For me, they have to be at least nine holes, each of a length that would be…

Star quality I was disappointed with the strength of the field at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. I’ve felt in the past the field isn’t befitting of the fact it’s the penultimate event of the European Tour season and one that could have a significant impact on the Race to Dubai. But this season I thought things would change, given the fact the prize for the winner was increased to a whopping $2.5m. However, the big names continued to stay away. Only four – yes, four – of the 2018 European Ryder Cup team teed it up and the likes of McIlroy, Rahm and Rose weren’t there – something I find surprising given two of them were still in with a chance of winning the Race to Dubai. The week before…

Scott Hend The Australian narrowly managed to sneak into the last exemption slot for the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. He last played in the event in 2017. Brendon Todd After several difficult years out on tour, Todd (pictured) won consecutive PGA Tour titles at the Bermuda Championship and the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Eddie Pepperell He was disqualified at the Turkish Airlines Open for running out of balls and failed to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship. Byeong-hun An An failed to make the Presidents Cup team despite having a better world ranking than five players in Ernie Els’ side.…

1 It always makes sense to look at the course planner before a round and have a strategy for each hole. Crucially, be strong and stick to that plan. If you make a mess of the hole before, it can be tempting to reach for driver, but more often than not you won’t achieve the results you want if you deviate from a strategy that best suits your game. 2 Clearly, you need to avoid the trees in the middle of the fairway. If you’re laying up, there’s more space and therefore more margin for error to the left. If you’re going for it, the trees could serve as a nice alignment pointer. If you have a fade, aim over the middle of the trees. The shape of the green…

Photography: Getty Images 30 Happy birthday, Tiger! The 15-time Major winner turns 44. 12 Presidents Cup Ernie Els’ International team take on Tiger Woods and the best from the United States at Royal Melbourne. 5 Wilson Staff Model utility iron goes on sale Designed to combine distance, reliability and forgiveness, this utility features seven grams of weight positioned low in the clubhead for increased launch angle. It has been used by 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland in the past. 12 1899: Dr George F Grant patents the wooden golf tee The dentist grew frustrated with using wet sand to tee up his ball, so he came up with his own solution. 22 1894: United States Golf Association forms in New York The five charter clubs were Newport Golf Club,…

1999 Brookline, USA 14½ - 13½ Europe Matches 3; won 1, lost 1, halved 1 Gains half a point in his first match as a rookie. His singles victory against Mark O’Meara comes in a losing cause. 2002 The Belfry, Europe 15½ - 12½ USA Matches 4; won 2, lost 2 Enjoys his first taste of Ryder Cup glory, teaming up with Colin Montgomerie to beat Phil Mickelson and David Toms before dispatching Mark Calcavecchia in the singles. 2004 Oakland Hills, USA 9½ - 18½ Europe Matches 5; won 4, lost 1 He sets the tone for the contest alongside Monty with victory over Woods and Mickelson. His sole defeat came in Saturday’s fourballs. 2006 The K Club, Europe 18½ - 9½ USA Matches 5; lost 4, halved 1 Despite…

When a fresh, new face wins on tour, it’s easy to assume that player’s fate was never in doubt – just another story of potential fulfilled. This isn’t always the case, though. For Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who won his maiden European Tour title at the Andalucia Masters in June, life has followed a different path – and it’s been anything but plain sailing. In actual fact, the South African is lucky to be alive. Aged two, when playing in the street, he took a sip from a random bottle believing it was Coca-Cola. In that split second, his life changed forever. The bottle contained rat poison. It was a freak accident that impacts the 25-year-old to this very day. His whole nervous system was affected and one of the long-term effects…

1 Pick two targets in the distance about the width of a fairway apart. How many consecutive drives can you get to finish between the goalposts? 2 Play your ‘home club’ on the range. Visualise each shot as you would expect to find it on the course, changing clubs and targets based on the challenge you would be facing. 3 Pick a flag for a mid-iron shot and imagine a water hazard just to the right of it. Try to hit five consecutive shots that do not finish right of the flag. 4 Pick five targets of different dis tances, from a short pitch to a long-iron, and imagine each target has its own green. Now try to get cons ecutive shots to finish on each green. 5 Pick a…

When Alred speaks, he has everyone’s attention. They want to know his secrets. He’s often intense, although no one is more aware of the brain’s capacity to retain information. This is why the seriousness is often interrupted with amusing anecdotes. We learn about his past obsession with observing dolphins (something to do with animal behaviour) and how he once found himself talking to horses while working with the Brunei polo squad. He uses colourful language, too, because some points just need extra reinforcement. On the course, he’s full of energy and positive encouragement. His infectious enthusiasm stems from his fascination with human behaviour. “As adults, our learning is f*****,” he says. “Look how three-year-olds behave, they go nuts with excitement.” It’s the subject matter that really motivates him. He’s not…

Jon Rahm has only been a pro for just over three years, during which time he has already achieved way more than many do in a lifetime. Three PGA Tour wins, five European Tour wins, almost a 50 per cent top ten strike rate from the 39 European Tour events he has contested and a Ryder Cup debut at just 23 years of age suggest that here is someone who is going to be making plenty more noise in the game over the years to come. “The stats that really catch my eye are top six on both tours for both stroke average and birdies per round,” Barney says. “He strikes it fantastically well, obviously, but he’s just a positive, aggressive player. He’s a classic ‘route one’ man à la…

Odyssey Stroke Lab R-Ball Putter JAKKI MOXON Wrexham, North Wales Handicap: 28 Why did you decide to buy the product? I bought it as a replacement for my previous putter, which had broken. As soon as I picked it up, I knew that it was something special. The pistol grip is chunky but tapered, making it a delight to hold. The weight distribution is also an improvement. How has the product been performing? Alignment is easy due to the ball and three lines on top. My strokes are much smoother and more consistent, allowing me to achieve appropriate pace effortlessly on long putts. Short putts are steadier and straighter. I’m no longer a hesitant putter. Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver ADAM HOLDGATE Chelmsford, Essex Handicap: 18 Why did you decide…

The recent launch of Odyssey’s Stroke Lab Black Ten putter ruffled a few feathers among the online community, with many suggesting it is a ‘copy’ of TaylorMade’s popular Spider and Spider X models. While there are obvious similarities in the shape, in my opinion there are also enough differences to make them stand out individually. As time passes and more and more products are released, the crossover of very similar design features grows exponentially. The PXG Operator and Scotty Cameron Futura 6M putters share much of the same design DNA too. By the same logic, nearly every blade putter launched since the 1950s is a ‘copy’ of the Ping Anser. But why are the designs so similar? Well it could be down to a man called Sean Toulon, who used…

• Stay Ugadale Hotel, Machrihanish This characterful and very friendly hotel has 22 rooms and suites and is the ideal base for exploring all the region has to offer. The Kintyre restaurant offers an excellent menu with daily specials, and I recommend a table at one of the booths that have a hatchway through to the bar. • Eat/drink The Old Clubhouse, Machrihanish Right next door to the Ugadale Hotel, this is indeed the original clubhouse for Machrihanish Golf Club. Several locally bottled ales took my fancy, and the steak and sausage pie was delicious. • Also play In the extreme south, Kintyre’s final course is Dunaverty, a short but exquisite 18-holer with unusual square greens. A ferry hop west will take you to Gigha or east to Arran, with…

• Formby Par 72, 6,489 yards Photography: Kevin Murray Situated right in the centre of England’s golf coast, Formby is a historic club with a wonderful course that sits proudly in 41st place in the Golf Monthly Top 100. Coastal erosion over many years has led to changes, and a few more are being carefully planned already by the forward-thinking members to safeguard the future of this beautiful and varied links. The course is kept in tip-top order and runs in an anti-clockwise direction around the lovely and surprisingly demanding Formby Ladies course. Guests are rightly encouraged to play both during their stay. Subject of a refurbishment this winter, the Dormy House will soon offer six rooms in the heart of the very impressive clubhouse. Breakfast is included in the…

I read with interest your piece on Robert MacIntyre in the December issue. As a fellow Scot, I’ve followed his career closely ever since he burst on to the amateur scene in 2013, winning both the Scottish Youths Championship and the Scottish Boys Open Stroke-Play Championship. What strikes me is how grounded he seems and how easy going he looks on the course. There’s nothing flashy about him, but he’s clearly got the game to go far in the sport. We’ve not had anyone competing at the very highest level since the days of Monty and Bob could be the man to bring the glory days back to Scottish golf. Many will say that’s putting too much pressure on a young lad, but everything he’s done so far tells me…

1 Winner of the 2019 British Masters at Hillside, Marcus Kinhult has shot to golfing prominence this year and looks set to keep rising up the rankings. Golfing success is clearly a part of the Kinhult family DNA as Marcus’s father was a professional golfer and his sister, Frida, was once the number-one- ranked female amateur in the world. She’s currently fourth. 2 Kinhult started playing the game when he was six years old and had a stellar career as an amateur, winning the 2015 Lytham Trophy by an astounding eight shots. He also has a Youth Olympic gold medal from the 2014 Games in China, and he represented Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup in the same year. 3 As an 18-year-old, Kinhult became only the third amateur to…

Tell us how you’ve improved the CNC milled face? The milling is not only on the front of the face but it also goes around the perimeter. This allows us to control face thickness and curvature. We’re milling 95 per cent more of the face now, which is going to increase the trampoline effect to help golfers hit the ball further. How does the Xtreme driver differ and who is it for? It’s for golfers who want to find more fairways. We took away the front weight, pushed the length back so it has a larger profile and positioned a 17g weight in the exhaust pipe at the back, along with the 6g sole weight. Pushing all that weight away from the face makes it our most forgiving driver. Other…

BOBBY LOCKE The legendary Locke, one of the game’s great extroverts, won four Opens and over 70 professional tournaments. A World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, he won 11 times on the PGA Tour between 1947 and 1949. He was also a nine-time winner of the South African Open. GARY PLAYER Only three players have won more Major Championships than ‘The Black Knight’. These nine Major victories, recorded between 1959 and 1978, saw him frequently trump some of his fiercest rivals in what was a highly competitive era. The 84-year-old also boasts 22 PGA Tour Champions wins. RETIEF GOOSEN Goosen was an ever-present on Major leaderboards around the turn of the century. He landed two US Opens, in 2001 and 2004, as well as five other PGA Tour titles. Twice…

DRIVER TaylorMade M5 9.5° Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 70TX I’ve loved this driver from day one, and I’ve had this Aldila shaft since I got to college. I haven’t changed shaft for seven years! It’s set up to help me hit a fade – there aren’t many draws going on with the driver. I’ve always been an M2 and M4 player just because of the shape and how they looked, but when we tried M5 and M6 for the first time, I told them that I didn’t want to be biased towards either before hitting them. I started hitting and said, “I like this one”, and it was the M5. It was as simple as that. FAIRWAY WOOD TaylorMade M5 17.5° Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 70TX This used to be…

1 This broom handle is one of my most useful training aids. Any pole a metre or so in length will do, and you’ll also need some different coloured tapes. Mark them out like this – with the colours in symmetrical positions opposite both feet – and you have something that will help the tempo of your stroke, as well as your feel on the greens. 2 The black tape marks the width of my shoulders, which is how I set up over a putt – nicely balanced. Start by hitting ‘black to black’ and make a mental note of how far the ball rolls off that length of stroke. Gradually work your way up to the red marks (as shown). My stroke is the same distance back as it…

1. C – There is no penalty. In the penalty area, you can play the ball as it lies under the same rules that apply in the general area, which means there are no specific rules limiting how a ball may be played from a penalty area (Rule 17.1b). 2. B – Jezz gets a penalty of one stroke. A ball marker must be artificial, therefore it is not permissible to use a loose impediment and it would be a penalty of one stroke for marking a ball in a wrong way (Rule 14.1a). 3. A – There is no penalty. There is no restriction on a partner touching the line of play on the putting green before the stroke is made, provided nothing is done to improve the conditions…

Tiger Woods won the ZOZO Championship with a draw-weighted TaylorMade M5 driver, an M3 5-wood and two MG2 wedges. Jason Dufner has signed with Cobra Golf and will play the King F9 Speedback driver, King Forged CB irons and King wedges. Tyrrell Hatton won the Turkish Airlines Open and praised the new Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 shafts in his Ping i210 irons. Matthias Schwab climbed inside the R2D top 20 using a Ping G410 Plus driver, iBlade irons and a Vault 2.0 Piper Platinum putter. Brendon Todd won back-to-back on the PGA Tour with a Ping G410 LST driver, TaylorMade M5 fairway and Titleist 718 CB irons.…

What makes you and Jeremy experts? Jacko_G, GM website forum Given there is no recognised qualification for being an aficionado of golf courses, this is a good question! However, between us we have played nearly 2,000 courses, and we have spent a huge amount of time over many years both on and off the course with architects, pros, managers and other industry insiders. Hopefully this means our views are informed and worthy. Of all the courses currently on the Open rota, which would you dispense with? rksquire, GM website forum I genuinely cannot think of one that doesn’t justify its inclusion, but from a personal perspective, I have always felt that Royal Lytham isn’t blessed in terms of setting, and I wonder if every five years is too often for…

Why is the Women in Golf Charter such an important initiative? The Charter recognises the tremendous growth opportunity for golf if it can attract more women, girls and families. We also want to encourage a more diverse workforce in golf and are calling upon the industry to take action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of women. How active is The R&A in encouraging shorter formats of the game? We believe that new, shorter golf formats can attract new fans and participants, including families. We have been running our own 9-Hole Challenge, which has expanded to Australia and New Zealand, for four years, while we also organised a GolfSixes event for the first time at the Women’s British Open. Why have golf’s health benefits been hitting the news so…

Illustration: Peter Strain “Does Tiger Woods have a serious rival for Golfer of the Year? Not in my house” Just when I begin to think that this time he’s down if not yet out, he comes back after his zillionth operation, flips over to Japan and wins his 82nd PGA title. I give up. He doesn’t. Yes, Tiger Woods still manages to bemuse, confuse and impress. There is more to pro golf than Tiger but, at 43, he continues, irritatingly to some, to overwhelm everyone else. The PGA Tour players may anoint Rory McIlroy as their man of the moment, others might edge their way towards the Major force that is Brooks Koepka, but, really, as 2019 grinds towards a close, does Woods really have a serious rival for Golfer…