Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Golf Monthly

No swaying Swaying your upper body off the ball rather than turning is a major cause of poor contact. It shifts your weight away from the target, and if you don’t then move it back across, you’ll hit the turf - or in this drill, the towel – early. It’s far better not to sway in the first place. This drill helps to highlight if you’re guilty of swaying rather than turning. Practise first Go for practice swings only at first as you seek to move the bottom of your swing arc forward. If you catch the towel at impact, it will likely be because you swayed off the ball, as above, or scooped at it with the hands. This is a good way to fix things without thinking about mechanics…

G Msays The prior generation was one of the very best players’ distance irons of its competitive set, but we’re glad to see the new version slimmed down slightly, while the new X model caters for the more inconsistent player. Cobra Golf has launched its fourth generation of the King Forged Tec irons, which includes a totally new model for higher handicappers – the Forged Tec X. With the standard Tec iron available in variable and One-Length sets, it’s now a family of three, covering a wider range of skill levels, from single digits to high-handicap players. The Forged Tec and Forged Tec One-Length irons (configured with a constant 7-iron length set-up) fall into the players’ distance category and are designed for better players in the low- to midhandicap range.…

As I write this, I’m in the middle of a three-week stretch on the road in America. I’m always asked what my weekly routine looks like when I’m covering the PGA Tour and if my job is as great as it seems, so I thought I’d answer those questions in this column. In the States, it’s pretty full on when you’re covering a run of tournaments. When an event finishes on a Sunday night, you might have some time to go out for dinner and drinks that evening, but often you’re up early in the morning on the Monday. “It’s pretty full on when you’re covering a run of tournaments in the States” Take my current three-week stretch, for example. I woke up at 5am on Monday, drove my hire…

O verthe last year, it feels like I have ceased being a golfer. This is not to say the game has left me; on the contrary, it has become more all-consuming than ever. Every morning, lunchtime and evening when I’m at home, I head outside, through a gate and into a small, one-acre plot of land where all I can think about is people hitting pitch and chip shots to tiny, sloping greens, laughing and joking even as a bad bounce sends their ball into knee-high rough. In many ways, this curious dream state is the result of having come full circle. I can still remember the first time I picked up a golf club, somewhere in the region of 40 years ago. I was around ten years old and…

After a solid drive down the par-5 10th at Doha Golf Club, Matthew Jordan looked to be in a commanding position to extend his two-shot lead as he headed into the final nine holes of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. But it didn’t pan out that way, as Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, explains. When a pushed 3-wood leaked right of the green and ricocheted between several rocks on its way into the desert surrounds, time wasn’t on Jordan’s side as his ball search would end up ticking just over three minutes, ultimately costing him the chance to win his first DP World Tour event. As Jordan and his group approached the area where they had seen his ball land, it became apparent that it was not going…

1 In stroke play, while Jezz sweeps some loose impediments from his line using his putter, he accidentally damages the green. He repairs the damage and holes the putt. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Jezz gets one penalty stroke. C Jezz gets the general penalty (two strokes). 2 While Jezz is taking relief from a movable obstruction (coffee cup) in which his ball has come to rest, he accidentally moves the ball while marking the spot. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Jezz gets one penalty stroke. C Jezz gets the general penalty. 3 In stroke play, Fergus marks and lifts a ball in the rough to identify it without notifying his playing partners. The lifted ball turns out to be…

Assembly The S1 folds up and down with the press of just one button. The chassis arm folds into two sections when flat and you can also invert both wheels to make the S1’s overall footprint even smaller. GM verdict First introduced in 2006, the S1 trolley from Motocaddy has been a huge hit with golfers across the world. For 2022, Motocaddy has created one of the most userfriendly golf trolleys around, while redefining what can be offered in an ‘entry-level’ trolley. A new feature of this model is Motocaddy’s simplest ever one-step folding system, in which one latch opens and folds the entire chassis. Folded down, the S1 boasts one of the most compact footprints of any trolley, making storage in the car boot a breeze. This is further…

What do you mark your ball with? Simon Shanks, via email I’m sure everyone has their quirks and superstitions here – Imark my ball with a UAE Dirham coin, which I think is worth about 20p. I’ve had it since 2010, when I landed my first job there straight out of university. I lived there for six months and had an amazing time, so I remind myself of that every time I place it behind my ball. If I lost it I’d be really gutted, which I’ve thought I’ve done a few times! My 4-iron and 5-iron go the same distance – should I make a change? Tom Vaughan, via email Funnily enough, I was looking at my Arccos Smart Distances data the other day and noticed my 4-iron was…

Getting the ball in the hole is what turns average rounds into great ones, but finding a putter that feels right often requires much trial and error. Here, we’ve tested all the latest models to help your quest. Looks Some golfers prefer lots of help with alignment, others very little. For maximum help, try the Odyssey Eleven Triple Track. Its wide white band with three lines contrasts superbly with the black head and works even better with Callaway Triple Track balls. The long white line on the Scotty Cameron Phantom X 12 or the extra-thick white sightline on the Evnroll ER11vx are sure to get you aiming right, but we also like the Bettinardi Innovai 8.0, with the Diamond Blast front section contrasting with its black aluminium body to help…

It may be the youngest of the many links on the Ayrshire coast, but golf on this land dates back to 1911 when Willie Fernie laid out Dundonald’s original course. Sadly, World War II consigned Fernie’s layout to history and it wasn’t until early this century that Dundonald’s renaissance was complete with the opening of Kyle Phillips’ brand-new links creation in 2005. Set across the railway from Western Gailes, with Gailes Links to the north and Kilmarnock Barassie to the south, Dundonald forms part of one of the most intensive concentrations of links golf anywhere. A fine test it is too for mere golfing mortals, even if Rafa Cabrera Bello reduced it to just 64 blows in clinching the Scottish Open here in 2017. Plenty of intrigue Despite playing over…

The Shire London For a relatively new course, The Shire provides a thrilling yet daunting proposition on the 1st tee. Looking back over the opening green at The Shire London – one of the scariest opening holes inside the M25. Rather than easing you in, it is do or die right from the start on this mid-length par-3 opener. This is, of course, largely down to its architect, the much-missed Seve Ballesteros. His flamboyance, his daring and his great imagination out on the golf course reappeared in his architectural work. This short hole is played to an island green, which means you may well start with a three, maybe even a two, or very possibly a five or worse! GF: £70 Mon-Thu, £75 Fri, £90 weekend pm Aberdour Fife is…

Setting up for the second drill 1It’s extremely important to control the clubface in relation to your swing path when hitting your driver. Far too often, I see golfers trying to guide it, which tends to deliver just the opposite result. This is one of my favourite driver drills. Get into your address position and start with some half swings before slowly increasing the speed until you get up to a full swing. As you master each stage of this drill, you’ll build much more awareness of the face-to-path relationship that is crucial to hitting good drives. 2This second drill is going to help you hit up on the ball. Place an empty golf ball box just over the length of a grip in front of the ball (main image…

A chequered history I was disappointed to hear Sergio Garcia’s outburst at the Wells Fargo Championship when he was, admittedly incorrectly, penalised for failing to find his ball in the allotted time. I know he was frustrated in the heat of battle, but expressing his delight at turning his back on a tour that’s served him so well over the years showed a real lack of class. He’s entitled to play wherever he sees fit, but that flippant remark when things hadn’t gone his way just felt childish to me. I’ve admired Sergio the golfer for a long time, but he does have a chequered history when it comes to things he’s said and done. It’s a shame that he doesn’t let his golf do the talking, because when he’s…

It’s safe to say the new Saudibacked LIV Golf Series has split opinion among the game’s biggest names. For the most part, the inaugural season appears set to be a place for golfers in the twilight of their careers to cash in. But the prospects for the series look a lot brighter than they did a few months ago, after a catalogue of damaging comments made by Phil Mickelson. Now that it’s finally here, let’s take a look at who sits on either side of golf’s latest divide. Back in February, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau announced their support for the PGA Tour. That led Rory McIlroy to claim the SGL idea was “dead in the water”, before taking a shot at Greg Norman, adding: “I don’t think they put…

What’s your best moment in golf? Winning my own state open in Queensland, Australia. What would be your dream four-ball? Tiger, Dean Martin and the third can change anytime. What would you be doing if you weren’t a golfer? In the Air Force as a dog handler. Lowest round away from the tour? 11-under. Any superstitions? None at all. If you could have a career mulligan, where would you use it? At PGA Tour Q-School in 2005 on the last nine holes. You need a night out, which three players do you take with you? Ross Fisher, Wade Ormsby and John Catlin. Favourite app on your phone? Twitter (most used). It’s a love/ hate thing. If you had to have a fellow tour pro on the bag, who would you…

Traditional says Fergus Bisset The classic links courses of Britain and Ireland embody the true heritage of golf and present the most authentic and complete test of golfing skill. The Golf Monthly Top 100 course rankings provide a clear indication of the quality of older, revered links courses these isles possess. There are 11 traditional links on the list before you reach the first modern creation at number 14 – Trump International near Aberdeen. I’m fully in agreement that courses like Trump International and Doonbeg are extraordinary to look at, with exceptional routings and views to elicit oohs and ahhs all the way round. I just don’t think they’re as fun to play as our classic older links layouts. The shots demanded by a modern links are not always, to…

Skechers is renowned for its diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, and since making its move into golf in 2015, the brand has brought the same innovative technologies to the course. The headline technology in the latest Go Golf range is the Arch Fit insole, which was first introduced last year in two golf styles for men and women, but now features in the majority of Go Golf styles for 2022. This specially contoured insole is made with shock-absorbing polyurethane, designed to reduce pressure by distributing weight over a wider area. It features in Skechers’ hero model, the Pro 5 Hyper (£140), a spiked shoe that comes in two colours. It also boasts a lightweight Hyper Burst cushioned midsole used in Skechers’ technical running and walking styles to boost…

With the spectre of the Saudi Golf League hanging over the game, it’s hard to look elsewhere for stories at the moment, but one thing that grabbed my attention recently was Rickie Fowler putting in a decent performance at the Wells Fargo Championship. It brought back memories of Rickie’s first PGA Tour win at the same event ten years ago, when he seemed destined to take golf by storm. He followed that win up with a stellar 2014, where he finished runner-up to Rory in The Open at Hoylake and had top-five finishes in the other three Majors. “Rickie Fowler seemed destined for greatness, so what’s gone wrong?” Then came his 2015 Players Championship win – one of the best finishes to a golf tournament I’ve ever seen – and…

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last year – or more likely just not watching any top-level professional golf – you will have seen more and more players wearing a new, swanky band on their wrists. Whoop is a revolutionary fitness tracker that measures strain, recovery and sleep, and has been the must-have gadget for many of the world’s best sportspeople to help give them that physical edge they need. Whoop was the brainchild of Will Ahmed, a former captain of the Harvard men’s varsity squash team, who first launched the product in 2012. Initial growth, with some fierce competition, was slow. But today, Whoop has grown into one of the most valuable fitness wearable set-ups in the world, and last year had a reported value…

Accuracy The laser distances stacked up with those from other premium brands, as did those on the H4 GPS. They updated quickly when we reached our ball. GM verdict To get fully set up with the Pro LX+, you need to screw the tags into the tops of all your clubs. They’re labelled, so there’s no pairing required, but it does take time. The GPS and shot-tracking functionality goes through the H4, which is a very compact device (also sold separately as a standalone GPS) that can attach magnetically to the front of the Pro LX laser rangefinder. For us, it charged quickly and located our course in seconds. It provides a wealth of information, including yardages to reach and carry bunkers and hazards as well as lay-up distances. From…

GM verdict One of the most technologypacked spikeless golf shoes we’ve tested this year, the Ecco Biom C4 seriously impressed us with its overall comfort, grip, style and breathability. It builds nicely on the foundations of the excellent Biom H4, which carries over into 2022, but the new sneaker-style has won our hearts from a style perspective, with on-course performance to match. Straight out of the box these shoes are comfortable and require no breaking in whatsoever. That’s in part down to the super-soft Ecco Performance leather plus the Ecco Fluidform technology that creates a balance of cushioning and rebound below the foot. This comfort is enhanced by the Exhaust Grid, which makes you feel a little high off the ground but certainly seems to maximise breathability - something we’re…

One of the world’s leading trolley brands, Motocaddy, recently released a report finding that trolley usage globally has increased by 44 per cent since the start of the pandemic, with numbers in America rising the quickest. But why has trolley usage gone up so much? And with innovations in trolley design and usage as good as ever, is now the best time to invest or upgrade? A fascinating development from 2020 onwards has seen golfers in the US take up walking the course at unprecedented levels. With coronavirus restrictions stopping the use of more traditional motorised carts, American golfers have taken to walking in droves, with an electric trolley being the walking companion of choice. The Motocaddy report revealed that some 11 per cent of American electric trolley owners have…

ASK THE EXPERTS Why do even the best courses continue to thirst for change? Martin White, Wye There are several very valid reasons for top courses to constantly review and revise, with competition a primary driver. With regard to courses that slip in our rankings, it’s rarely down to serious decline but rather that they’ve been overtaken by investment and imagination elsewhere. Tastes change, too, and there is happily a stronger realisation we’re meant to be having fun! Other factors definitely have an influence, such as changes in technology that render features redundant or bring others into play. Rebunkering projects, as at Effingham in Surrey, are very much in vogue. We also have a greater understanding of the need to get light and air to the playing surfaces. So, is…

Palmerstown House Estate Opened in 2006, Palmerstown House Estate has the flamboyance that comes with modern design pedigree and big budgets. It is elegant and languorous, pristine and ambitious. It has acres of space to work with and oceans of water sweeping about the place. There is a grandeur to the routing, which may have something to do with an original design by Jack Nicklaus that was then completed by Christy O’Connor Jnr. It is a driver’s delight with generous fairways all on show from the tees and big greens tempting you home. Choosing the right tees, however, will dictate how your scorecard ticks over. From the backs, it measures 7,508 yards and the four big par 5s – the course’s signature – all have water in play, each demanding…

To Jersey and the Royal Jersey Golf Club; my first visit to any of the Channel Islands, first flight since late 2019, first after-dinner speech for three years and first time I’ve stood up to talk not wearing my own jacket or shirt. Fun? You couldn’t make it up. I should have made this speech at the club’s annual men’s black-tie dinner in April 2020, but something got in the way both then and the following April. A couple of months ago, the club’s affably efficient general manager Darren Attwood contacted me to ask if I was still up for dressing up and standing up at this dinner at a club founded in 1878, where Ted Ray and Harry Vardon honed their skills as young golfers. Of course the answer…

1 Ifyou want to launch the driver, the clubhead needs to be travelling at its fastest through the ball, so you need to develop an awareness of clubhead speed and how to create it properly. A really good method is to switch the club round so you grip at the head end, then make some swings with your wrists hinged and unhinged. 2 Acommon trait in golfers who struggle to create speed is lack of wrist hinge in the backswing, resulting in a motion that looks wooden and inefficient. Not only that, but it also makes it difficult to release the driver properly at impact. By failing to square the club up effectively, shots are then often lost to the right. ✖ 3 Isee a lot of golfers striving for…

We managed to get pretty much every one of our players except Bob into the Stealth for the start of the 2022 season, so it was a great challenge getting the Stealth set up to give him even more off the tee. You can’t make a driver that pleases absolutely everyone on tour, but we still converted our highest number of players ever into Stealth, testament to its appeal for a wide range of players. Tour pros are still like us in the sense that they’re golf fans, they like golf equipment and they want to see and try new clubs for themselves. It’s just that some take more fitting sessions than others to find the optimum set-up in a new head. The reason for Bob taking a bit longer…

Congratulations on winning the British Masters. How did you manage to hole those long putts on 17 and 18? Somehow I just had so much belief on 17 that I could make it. I just forced it in, which was incredible. It’s been a tough few years, so yeah, it’s very special. How much of a boost did the crowd support give you? It was amazing. From Thursday on, they supported me the whole way around, even though I’m from Denmark. But it’s always like that when you come to Britain, there’s just great support here for golf and it’s a great place to play. You haven’t won on the DP World Tour since 2018. How tough was it coming down the stretch? There were so many emotions. It’s been…

SOUND BITES “NOBODY’S SIGNED MORE AUTOGRAPHS THAN PHIL AND NOBODY’S DONE MORE FOR THE FANS AS WELL, RIGHT? I DON’T THINK HIS WHOLE CAREER AND HIS WHOLE LEGACY SHOULD CHANGE JUST BECAUSE OF A COUPLE OF COMMENTS” “IT’S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH. I KNOW THE LADIES WATCHING ARE PROBABLY LIKE, ‘YEAH, I GOT YOU’. SO, WHEN THAT HAPPENS, MY BACK GETS REALLY TIGHT, AND I’M ALL TWISTED” “I CAN’T WAIT TO LEAVE THIS TOUR” “FORMULA 1 RACE THERE, NEWCASTLE’S OWNED PARTLY BY PEOPLE FROM SAUDI ARABIA, THERE’S BEEN [ BOXING] FIGHTS THERE. I’M AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. I HAVE TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR ME” R&A GC announces new captain Renowned Welsh golfer Clive Brown has been announced as the new captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of…

The first official season of the European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour, took place in 1972. ‘Tiger slayer’ Y.E. Yang was born in 1972. His greatest moment came in 2009, when he defeated Woods at Hazeltine. The Titleholders Championship, a women’s Major, was contested for the last time. ELSEWHERE... The Godfather was released in 1972 and it went on to win three Oscars. Jack Nicklaus won The Masters and US Open back-to-back. He would then come second to Lee Trevino at The Open, before a T13 finish at the US PGA, won by Gary Player. The Volkswagen Beetle became the most popular car ever sold.…

Quinta do Lago in the Algarve turns 50 this year and the resort and its three courses have never looked better. In the early days, you would only visit Quinta if you played golf; now there are a multitude of reasons to go – five-star accommodation, some of the best food on the planet and a high-performance sports hub. And, in more general terms, it’s an absolutely idyllic place to spend some time. Portugal GF: South course: €175 Stats: South course: par 72, 6,406 yards But as readers of this magazine, it will most likely be the golf that brings you here, and the three courses – North, South and Laranjal – all sit comfortably inside the ten best in the Portuguese golfing hotbed of the Algarve. The South –…

Driving women’s and girls’ participation in the game is a subject that has long been discussed within the golf industry. In May 2018, it became a big deal when The R&A, golf’s governing body, made a serious commitment to advance change in the women’s game. This included a global investment of £80 million in women’s, girls’ and mixed golf over the next ten years. Underpinning the investment is the Women in Golf Charter, which asks golf to pledge its support for increasing the number of women playing, and working in, the game. National federations and other golf bodies that adopt the charter are required to build on current initiatives and develop new projects, with targets set for participation and membership and progress reported annually. For the charter to succeed, golf…

How do I improve my strike when chipping? By Top 50 Coach Ged Walters When you chip, your hands should move gently inside, back to impact and gently inside on the way through. Many club golfers don’t move their hands on this arc when they chip. We tend to see lots of scooping and stabbing at the ball. Pop a couple of alignment sticks down directly beneath where your hands hang naturally to create a visual and encourage this arc. Work on tracing these lines and your strike consistency should improve. Attack angle Think of an aeroplane coming in to land to find that shallow angle of attack into impact. How should I judge long putts? By Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins Always take in any information you can as…

Foursomes comes to prominence every time a Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup or Presidents Cup is played. It is a pairs format (also known as ‘alternate shot’) in which two partners compete as a side by playing one ball in alternating order on each hole. While Rules 1 to 20 in the book are generally applied equally to foursomes, with each side treated like an individual player, there are a few modifications to be found in Rule 22, with the following the ones you most need to be aware of. First, either partner may act for the side at all times and take any actions permitted or required by the Rules before the next stroke, whether marking the spot of the ball or lifting, replacing, dropping or placing it. Partners and…

GM verdict Cleveland has added another model to its impressive wedge line-up, with the CBX ZipCore joining the CBX Full-Face and CBX 2. It is a cavity-back wedge and, as such, arguably doesn’t look as good in the bag as the others. However, that’s all forgotten standing over the ball as the classic teardrop shape and chrome finish inspire an awful lot of confidence. From a visual standpoint, we also like the way the all-black Catalyst Spinner graphite shaft makes the wedge look more premium. That confidence-inspiring aesthetic translates into performance. Throughout testing, we found it extremely easy to hit and surprisingly easy to flight. On longer-range shots, the feel was really impressive – solid but with great feedback on the strike, too. Another thing that aided performance was the…

The Go Golf Drive 5 is also a highlight of the 2022 collection The Go Golf Pro 5 Hyper headlines the 2022 shoe range S kechersis a brand renowned for golf shoes that offer out-of-the-box comfort, superb underfoot cushioning and excellent traction. For 2022, Skechers is offering its widest ever range of golf shoes, all bursting at the seams with the brand’s market-leading technologies. The highlight is an expansion of the outstanding Arch Fit technology – which debuted in 2021 – into more of the range for 2022, including the majority of Go Golf styles. It’s a removable insole system, developed from over 20 years of data and 120,000 unweighted foot scans, that offers golfers the ultimate in cushioning and comfort as they play. The podiatristdesigned shape moulds to your…

In early April I embarked on a trip taking in returns to Silloth, Southerness, Dundonald, Royal Troon and Dumbarnie. As ever, not content with that, I sought to fill in the gaps in my travel schedule and ‘courses played’ spreadsheet with a couple more newbies. First up was Kirkby Lonsdale on a bright but chilly day. The club moved to Barbon in the Lune Valley in 1991 and a beautiful setting it is, too, with dry stone walls aplenty and stirring views. Water comes into play in the form of a pond between 10 and 18 plus Barbon Beck, which crosses just in front of the 17th green, adding to the challenge of this 160-yarder. Despite self-proffered advice not to overdo things, I then decided to squeeze nine holes in…

P eopleoften talk about career change. After years of being stuck in a rut they throw off the chains and break free, pursuing something they’ve always wanted to do. Not many of us get the chance to do it; not all of us know what it is that we want to do. I got lucky. I got lucky because, in 2005, I was asked a question at my home golf club I couldn’t answer: “What do you think of Newcastle West Golf Club?” I had never heard of it and neither had any golf course review book I could find. My home club of Greystones barely received a mention. It was ridiculous how many good golf courses were ignored. Ballybunion, Royal County Down, Mount Juliet and the like received plenty…

Golf is a game that can never be mastered. Even the world’s best come unstuck from time to time. And of all its intricate parts, none cause quite so much angst as driving the ball. Swinging the club with the longest shaft and the least loft at the highest speed can be a recipe for disaster. So, whether you’re plagued by an inability to find enough fairways or you struggle to get it out there as far as you know you’re capable of, it’s vital to take action before bad habits turn into a crippling fear of the club that, in theory, should be the most fun to hit. With that in mind, welcome to Red Zone, our ultimate driving guide that covers everything from the set-up basics to how…

Since launching in January this year, the TaylorMade Stealth family of drivers has captured the imagination of golfers, with tour pros and amateurs all over the world seeing the benefits of their revolutionary carbon design. For the first time in a TaylorMade driver, carbon fibre has been used in the face. Carbon faces are lighter and stronger than conventional titanium faces, so TaylorMade’s engineers have been able to reposition the saved weight to improve overall forgiveness. With their striking red faces, the Stealth drivers rank among the most radical-looking to launch in 2022. There are three different heads in the Stealth range, plus a women’s HD model. Here, we look in detail at each to see how they differ and to understand which one will best suit your game off…

1 Manufacturersand tour technicians say that around 15˚ of launch with around 2,500-3,000rpm of spin will optimise your carry distance. But the correct driver head and set-up for you will very much depend on the speed at which you swing the club. 2 Here’sa quick guide. If your swing speed is in the region of 80mph, you’ll probably benefit from a launch angle of around 18˚ and spin of over 3,000rpm. The reason for this is that the extra spin and launch will help keep the ball in the air. For those who swing their driver at the 90mph mark, 14-16˚ of launch coupled with spin of between 2,500 and 3,000rpm is a good target. Finally, for the lucky ones among you who swing the club at 100mph or more,…