Golf Monthly November 2023

“Not many people gave us a chance, especially two years ago. Well, we proved them wrong.” These were the words of Luke Donald as he spoke immediately after the 44th Ryder Cup. I’m more than happy to admit that I was one of the doubters. Sitting at home two years earlier, I remember vividly watching the Ryder Cup through my fingers. I chuntered to myself as match after match went red. Our team, many of whom had experienced incredible success in this format, were blown away. By contrast, the US had clearly figured out the secret formula, that little bit of magic that turns 12 great golfers into a brilliant team. What’s more, they were young. This was the start of something worryingly new, I thought. Within an hour of…

Photography: Getty Images Money matters I read with interest your story about Arnold Palmer and The Open Championship [October issue]. While Arnie’s obvious charisma and talent played a huge part in growing the game across the world, the piece opened my eyes to the other factors at play, most notably money. It’s very easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses on a time when golfers were paid a pittance and played for the love of the sport, but the professional era has always been driven by one thing, and fans have benefited from a better product along the way. On that note, there was a lot of talk about whether players should be paid at this year’s Ryder Cup. While I do see the arguments on both sides, I don’t…

Donald leads Europe to Ryder Cup victory Luke, congratulations on winning back the Ryder Cup. How do you reflect on the week? Not many people gave us a chance after Whistling Straits. We were big underdogs. The US put up a fight on Sunday, but I’m so proud of my 12 guys – we had a strong bond from day one and they gave me everything. I think these guys will be around for a long time and we’re going to put up a great fight in two years. How does this rank in terms of career achievements? This is the best. This is why the Ryder Cup is so special to me and to these guys, because of these moments. We play for each other and we get to…

Carlota Ciganda’s late heroics at the Solheim Cup ensured Europe would, at worst, retain the trophy so dramatically won at Gleneagles in 2019 and defended at the Inverness Club on foreign soil in 2021. It turned out to be so after Lexi Thompson won the anchor match, meaning for the first time in the tournament’s history, the teams finished locked at 14-14. However, anyone tuning in or there on the ground at Finca Cortesin would have been forgiven for thinking this was a European rout, the kind of which had never been seen before. Ciganda’s incredible birdiebirdie finish to defeat Nelly Korda sparked wild scenes of celebration on the Costa del Sol, which led to some quizzical reactions. It was, after all, a draw. In the aftermath, American captain Stacy…

SOUND BITES “I’M PROBABLY ON THE BACK NINE OF MY RYDER CUP CAREER, AND EVERY ONE THAT I GET TO PLAY IN FROM NOW ON IS VERY, VERY MEANINGFUL” “IT IS NOW OVER TEN YEARS SINCE WE HAD A REALLY CLOSE RYDER CUP, AND OVER 30 YEARS SINCE THE US WON IN EUROPE. AS MUCH AS THAT FACT IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF, IT IS ALSO A CONCERN” “THE ANSWER WAS, THERE WAS NO CHANCE” “IF HE KEEPS PLAYING THE WAY HE HAS BEEN THEN THERE’S DEFINITELY A GOOD CHANCE. I THINK IT’D BE AMAZING TO PLAY WITH HIM” “IT WAS DEVASTATING” Royal Dornoch gets the green light for new clubhouse Members of Royal Dornoch have backed plans for a new £13.9 million clubhouse, with construction set to get…

Down the track To see how well you’re rolling the ball on line, set up two alignment sticks to form a channel on a straight six-foot putt, as here. Now add in a tee-peg gate somewhere between the ball and the far end of the sticks and simply putt through the gate to the hole. It’s best to make it as straight a putt as possible when working specifically on your stroke. Adding difficulty To start with, you might want to make it relatively easy by setting the tee-peg gate reasonably wide and fairly close to the ball at address. However, as you progress, I would recommend making the task more challenging by moving the gate further away and narrowing it. This will really test how well you’re rolling the…