Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Golf World

If you were given the task of preparing a bid to host the 2022 Ryder Cup, it’s fair to assume you would devote a sizeable chunk of your presentation to explaining how and why your golf course was worthy and capable of staging the sport’s most high-profile event. You would probably go to great lengths to articulate how it would provide a great viewing spectacle, why it would present a stern strategic and shot-making challenge for 24 of the world’s best golfers, and how the individual holes would provide the perfect stimulus for exciting match play golf, right? Not if you’re the Italian Ryder Cup Committee. Rather than extol the virtues of the Jim Fazio-designed Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, they made it perfectly clear they would be willing…

Edoardo Molinari “I am unbelievably excited about the Ryder Cup coming to Rome in 2022. The event will have a positive impact on the development of all levels of golf in Italy, and the plans to enhance Marco Simone Golf Course over the next few years will ensure that the magic of the Ryder Cup will continue. You never need motivating to play on the Ryder Cup, but I am going to work as hard as I can to make sure I am part of team Europe in 2022!” Francesco Molinari “When I heard that Italy had won the bid, I was extremely excited. It’s amazing news for golf in general but especially for golf in Italy. We are very passionate about the game and I’m certain that the Ryder…

‘I have no doubt the balance I developed from his advice was crucial to my future success’ “When I was a teenager the biggest names in Irish golf were Christy O’Connor Jnr, Eamonn Darcy and Des Smyth. All three had won on the European Tour and played in Ryder Cups, so they were the stars golfers of my generation were aiming to emulate. “Because of this, it was a huge thrill to be able to mix with them when I gained my European Tour card back in 1996. At this time, there were around a dozen Irish players on tour and we would eat together every night of the week. Of the three big names, Smyth was the most responsible and we called him “Dad”. Christy Jnr was funnier and…

THE NORTH Stuart Yarwood is the Course Manager at Lymm Golf Club in Cheshire. “This is the strangest winter I’ve experienced in my 25 years as a greenkeeper. In November, humid conditions led to rapid grass growth and high disease pressure. Then there were only two days in December when it didn’t rain. Our nadir came on Boxing Day when the Manchester ship canal rose 12 feet in three hours, flooding homes and fields and leaving six of our holes under three feet of water. Nearly a month on, this section of the course is still unplayable and will be until it stops raining. If it does, then the fact we’ve invested heavily in drainage means we should be fully up and running within two or three weeks. If it…

“If you can’t take heart from recent or past performances, the keys to boosting your confidence and building momentum are proper preparation and positive story telling. If you study the course beforehand, identifying where you can gain shots, and where you should and should not hit the ball, you will arrive on the 1st tee feeling confident that you have prepared fully. Positive story telling revolves around placing a helpful version of reality in your head by focusing on your good shots and decisions. After the round, concentrate on the things you have done well and treat the things you’ve done badly as learning opportunities rather than beating yourself up.”…

PERSPECTIVE PLEASE I must confess to some surprise that Golf World would give space for John Huggan’s vitriolic article about Steve Williams. As reprehensible as this incident was, if indeed it took place as Mr Huggan describes, the adjective “despicable” is rather an over the top word to use. Misdemeanours in sport are frequently reported and usually sporting bodies apply sanctions. Was this reported to Tiger Woods and, if so, what did he do about it? Lance Armstrong’s drug cheating was despicable; the state sponsored drug cheating in Russia is despicable; Fifa’s corruption is despicable. But all that pales into insignificance when you consider the execution of hostages by terrorists or the indiscriminate killing of children in US schools. Mr Huggan, nobody died, get over it and use “despicable” where…

‘I have to say Darren Clarke was as impressive as many of us knew he would be – he’d done an enormous amount of work’ What a great start to 2016 – the EurAsia Cup! I hadn’t planned to play this early, but when Darren [Clarke] called me and said he wanted me as one of his wildcards, it was impossible to refuse – even though it meant an extremely long flight from my 40th birthday celebrations in Vegas all the way to Malaysia! When I arrived, the other guys had prepared a birthday present for me. They’d all signed a Tottenham Hotspur shirt! Needless to say, this went down like a lead balloon. All week, the team room was full of great banter, a memorable highlight being when Shane…

Historically, iron play has always been my strength. I do well in greens in regulation – I’m usually in the top 10 on tour – and I’m one of only five players to be in the top 10 for ‘strokes gained – tee to green’ in each of the last five years. The iron play creates a lot of birdie chances for me. Over the years I’ve controlled the clubface much better than I used to. I used to roll it through impact, but because I’ve become stronger, I’m more able to hold the clubface square through impact now. I get the club into better positions through the swing as well. I drop the club onto a neutral plane as I make a synchronized transition into the downswing. You can…

If you look at the great wedge players like Zach Johnson and Luke Donald, I feel like there’s a gap there and there’s no reason why I can’t be better with my wedges. I think it’s about practice, visualisation, confidence and trying to be more creative. For a long period of time I was a bit too systematic – using a clockface system to hit the ball certain distances when pitching and being too aware of positions in my chipping stroke. I’ve always been very technically-minded and wanted to have a technique to rely on but I want to transition back to being more natural in my approach – visualising the shot and then trusting that the pattern is there to execute it. Being more child-like in my approach. SCRAMBLING…

“My transformation as a Tour player has been gradual. I went from being a 25-year old who enjoyed having a few beers with his mates to being totally dedicated to the game. I tried to be the perfect pro in everything I did. But it didn’t work for me. It was disheartening to sit back at the end of 2005, think about how I’d given the game everything I had and see that I was way down the Money List. That was scary. I had given 110% and failed. I felt like I couldn’t do any more so how could I ever get any better? “Before I knew it, of course, I was mentally ‘gone’. I was in a place from where there might have been no return. In the…

PAGANICA Played: Italy, 100BC A Roman game played using a bent stick to propel a wool, or feather-filled, ball towards a target – often a tree or a rock. The balls were bigger, at 15cm in diameter, and the game was played between teams in opposite directions, making it more like hockey than golf. CAMBUCA Played: Britain, 1300s A game involving a ball being propelled towards a target using a hooked wooden stick or rod that is often considered a precursor to golf. The precise goals of the game remain in doubt, with many believing it to be a more aggressive game played between two teams, one attacking as the other defended. CHOLE Played: France and Belgium, 1353 Another game more like hockey than golf, played between two teams using…

January: Spain (Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, USA (Florida, Arizona) February: Spain (Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, Belek, USA (Carolinas, Florida, Arizona) March: Spain (Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, Belek, USA (Carolinas, Florida, Arizona) April: Spain (Costa Brava, Majorca, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, Lisbon, France, Belek, USA (Carolinas, Florida, Arizona), UK May: Spain (Costa Brava, Majorca, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, Lisbon, France, Belek, USA (Carolinas, Florida, Arizona), UK June: Spain (Costa Brava, Majorca, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz, Canaries), Madeira, Algarve, Lisbon, France, Belek, USA (Florida, Arizona), UK July:…

Like all good stories, this one kicks off with an element of chance that leaves you to wonder ‘What if?’ What if Jack Lowery had not been caught bunking off school and had been free to make his way to the Country Club at Brookline to caddie for an outsider in the 1913 US Open. His younger brother, Eddie, would not then have had the opportunity to take his place. But it was the sheer audacity of the younger sibling that makes this tale so incredulous. Eddie was just 10 years old and wasn’t a whole lot taller than the bag he was so intent on carrying. He makes his way to Brookline, seeks out Francis Ouimet and offers his services in Jack’s place. Ouimet then stuns onlookers by battling…

The golf swing is an athletic motion that requires your entire body to work efficiently with the club in order to swing it on a neutral plane and deliver it back to the ball with the maximum speed and power. There is a correct sequence of body movement and weight transfer that optimises your ability to swing the club in the right way. Getting this wrong leads to many of the common faults that handicap golfers suffer from, including slicing, poor contact and loss of power. The good news is that if you can train your body to move and transfer weight in the correct order it could cure a multitude of faults. Your swing will improve and your shots will fly straighter and longer. See what the correct sequencing…

Ping G Series Ping should be applauded for not drowning us in technobabble but it does mean new products can lack a little bit of surprise. Such was the case here, with two of our team questioning whether the G Series did enough to take G30 forwards. Ultimately though, this is a solid option for all, and ideal for golfers who only want one hybrid in the bag. Liked: All-round performance, confidence-inspiring footprint, easy launch. Didn’t like: Tougher contact and launch from semi-rough. www.ping.com Cobra King F6 In many ways this is the inverse of theM1. While that club is designed to stop the high, spinny hook better players fear, this one is weighted and shaped to suit those who need to keep the ball in the air. However, the…

Srixon’s AD333 has been the best-selling two-piece ball in the UK for over nine years, but they haven’t released a new completely new model in that category for eight years. Until now, that is. The UltiSoft is their softest ever thanks to an innovative new core. The brand’s first low compression offering has been two years in development and is designed specifically for golfers with low to mid swing speeds who want the ultimate in feel without compromising on distance. Low compression usually means low initial velocity, but Srixon has overcome this with its proprietary Energetic Gradient Growth Core, which are cured at different temperatures to achieve stiffness variation within a single material component. The result is the soft feel of low compression and increased energy efficiency that protects ball…

COBRA F6 DRIVER They sent me a head that could be taken apart so you can see the face, crown and heel and how they fit together in more detail. It is such a logical construction. It is the best application of a lightweight head and adjustable weight in the right places that I’ve seen. WILSON C200 IRONS In the Power Holes and FLX Face Technology, Wilson has brought its technology from the 1980s into the modern day. I love it. It works and the clubhead isn’t too big so even better players could use them if they can get used to the polymer inserts. CALLAWAY XR 16 DRIVER This club does what it claims. technology has improved so it’s more consistent across the face and sounds even better. The…

Studying the images on these pages, it might surprise you to discover Old Head of Kinsale is not universally adored. It might look spectacular on a Pebble Beach scale, but there are those who can’t see past the compromises inevitable on such an extraordinary site. It has long been this golfer’s contention that an overwhelming majority of club golfers would deem Old Head out of this world. Put them on the tee of the 4th and its breathtaking arena would generate uncommon excitement in the minds of most. The 2nd, the 12th, the 18th and plenty more would induce the same sort of smiling awe, but the 4th is perhaps the one most guaranteed to engender fervour. Tightly cuddling the cliff edge for its duration, it begins on a tee…

Where to stay You’re spoilt for choice as all the courses are within easy reach of any hotel in the city, although you might want to pinpoint your location near a specific course or based on your preference for being inland or on the seafront. Every budget is handsomely catered for. For luxury, we recommend Inlet Sports Lodge (www.inletsportslodge.com), Mar Vista Grande (www.marvistagrande.com), Marina Inn at Grande Dunes (www.marinainnatgrandedunes.com) and North Beach Plantation (www.northbeachrentals.com). In the mid-price bracket there’s Anderson Ocean Club (www.oceanaresorts.com/anderson), Caribbean Resort (www.caribbeanresort.com) and Island Vista (www.islandvista.com). If you’re looking for value, you should consider Beach Cove (www.beachcove.com), Caravelle Resort (www. thecaravelle.com), Compass Cove (www.compasscove.com) and Long Bay Resort (www.longbayresort.com). Where to eat Again, you’re spoilt for choice but there are a few highlights that are well…

I like risk and reward holes a lot. The 16th at TPC Sawgrass is a fun par 5 with a lot of water. It’s not too long so I hit 3-wood most of the time here. Although the hole turns gently from right-to-left, I don’t try to shape it too much. A straight shot or a little draw leaves you in a nice position. You have to ‘work’ it a bit more if you hit driver, though. Because the hole is fairly short, there’s no value in laying up with your second unless you’ve hit your tee shot into trouble. If you’re in the fairway, it’s all there in front of you and you shouldn’t have anything more than a long iron into the green. If you hit a good…

Subscribe to Golf World Enjoy Golf World in print, digitally, or both for 13 issues from just £34.99 and enjoy savings of up to 59 per cent on the cover price. For full subscription options, please turn to page 26. Golf World on the go Get GW through the Apple Newsstand for iPads and iPhones, Google Play for Android devices, Barnes and Noble for the Nook e-reader and Kobo newsstand for Kobo devices. facebook.com/  golfworld1 For regular updates, behind-the-scenes pictures and expert insights into the world of golf, become a fan and follow Golf World on Facebook. @GolfWorld1 Keep up to speed with Golf World’s take on the game by following us on Twitter – tweet us your views and they could end up in the magazine.…

When and why did Italy first decide to bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup? We announced our candidature during the 2014 Italian Open. George O’Grady – CEO of the European Tour at the time – gave me the idea and I realised it was a chance we had to take. Despite some scepticism I was convinced we had prepared a competitive bid. Was it difficult to decide which city to use for the bid? We did not think twice. Rome has a unique appeal, and it is used to hosting great events. Plus, its attraction to tourists made it the perfect place to host the Ryder Cup. Why did you choose Marco Simone Golf & Country Club? It is a very technical course that has one of the largest clubhouses…

December might have been hotter than usual, but it didn’t produce many warm memories for British greenkeepers. “It was a real double whammy,” says weather blogger Mark Hunt. “Because it was so warm, courses had approximately three times the amount of grass growth you would expect, and many areas experienced excessive rainfall too.” In several regions this led to extensive flooding, in others it meant courses were impossible to maintain because they couldn’t get mowers onto saturated ground. There were course closures over Christmas and New Year. But what does it mean for the coming season? “There is a real split across Britain,” says Hunt. “The courses in the north and west are the worst affected and really need a couple of cold and rain-free months to dry down and…

‘Give it another 10 years and I would expect Asian golfers to be challenging in the majors just as much as anyone else’ Golf in Asia has changed completely during your career. How much have you noticed its emergence as a global power? I was part of the first co-sanctioned event between the European and the Asian Tours, the Johnnie Walker in Bangkok in the mid-90s. I would say that the split was probably 80% to 20% in favour of European Tour players making the cut that week. You could argue now that the ratio might be the other way round, particularly in the warmer climate of South East Asia. A shift in power then? Jeev Singh blazed the way initially, helped by Thongchai Jaidee, and those guys are still…

1 Sullivan swings the club with tremendous natural ability. There are two idiosyncrasies in his set-up; an S-shaped spine shows tension in the lower back and a right shoulder slightly out towards the ball will dictate much of what happens as his swing unfolds. 2 The influence of that shoulder at address and a one-piece takeaway moves his arms and club away from his body. This is unusual for a man of his more compact build and means he will have to counteract this to balance his action later in the swing. 3 It was inevitable that the arms would be in a high position at the top of the backswing. The club is in perfect position, but from here he is going to have to shift the swing plane…

DANGER DRILL I was just reading your magazine and came across the extraordinary Practice Drill #2 (January issue). Do you really think that to ‘stick a cane in the ground,’ as a means of launching it at high speed, and then pull it towards your eyes is a sensible means of practice? Darwin Awards anyone? D Dunglinson, Email RICH PICKINGS Who will win Wentworth’s ‘Battle of Burma Road’ (March issue)? The rich members or its filthy rich owners? I won’t be losing sleep either way! N Gray, Email…

‘History tells us that large cheques go a long way towards assuaging any such feelings of embarrassment’ Having reached an age (middle) where my children either shake their heads or roll their eyes when the subject at hand veers into what passes for my own sartorial style, I hesitate to pass judgment on modern golfers’ fashion tastes. But, as is invariably the case, I have my views, fuddy-duddy and otherwise. And watching Rickie Fowler strutting his well-compensated and primary-coloured stuff during the 2016-opening Tournament of Champions in Hawaii tipped me over the edge. More specifically, it was the Scottish Open champion’s shoes that provoked my double take. At first glance it looked like the 27-year old Californian was being forced to don a court-mandated tracking device.. But that wasn’t it…

My bunker play is quite intuitive but weirdly enough sometimes I don’t feel very comfortable in the bunkers. It’s always been a strength of mine but I’ve been less comfortable in recently – and that’s reflected in being outside the top four in proximity to the hole from sand for the first time in six years last season. My technique gives me more margin for error in terms of how much sand I can take and still get a similar result so I don’t have to execute the shot absolutely perfectly to hit a good shot and give myself a chance of holing a makeable putt to get up-and-down. I try to get wide in my stance which lowers my centre of gravity and creates a wider and shallower arc…

I focus very hard on my putting. The ‘strokes gained – putting’ stat proves it’s paying off and it has improved in each of the last three seasons. But I can get better. The first part of that improvement was getting an understanding of what putter best suited my stroke and helps me aim best. I went away from a mallet to a more bladed heel-toe weighted putter to help my stroke flow better. Plus, I tend to aim putters with a small sightline on the top of the putter straight too. Then it was really working hard on my set-up. It’s such a small stroke that the putter is going to try and follow what the set-up gives it. So if your shoulders are open and you’ve got loads…

1 I like how the clubshaft points at the belt. The area between the thighs to the ribs is the swing engine, so it’s important the lie angle matches the pitch of the hips. 2 Here the club has moved a little above plane and outside the line. I like the fact that although the clubhead has moved several feet, there’s very little shoulder turn. 3 Although the club has climbed, the angle of the shaft here roughly matches the lie angle at address. Again, the shoulders have yet to fully turn. 4 Jamie has sequenced his backswing so well that the shaft has fully ‘loaded’ at the top. Many amateurs, on the other hand, are too flappy with their arms. 5 Jamie has created tons of lag here. His…

SCOTLAND Lord High Treasurer The Lord High Treasurer was the King’s accountant in the 15th century. An extract from the book summarising King James IV’s expenditure contained several entries showing that he purchased expensive golf clubs from a shop in Stirling, Scotland in 1502. Links land terrain The Scots claim that the game of golf developed on areas of land reclaimed from the sea around many coastal towns. The terms ‘in’, ‘out’, ‘back’ and ‘home’ in relation to golf originated in describing the unique two halves of the golf course – the original links design. The Old Course There is evidence to suggest that golf was played at the Old Course as far back as 1552. In 1764, the Captain and members of the club took the decision to reduce…

DO IT YOURSELF “A golf break to all-inclusive Belek booked through an agent is one of the lowest-effort trips known to man,” says Chris Bertram. “Yet I actually prefer arranging my travel independently because it gives you more freedom. Going solo means you’ll find that local hotels, transfer companies and golf clubs are usually very willing to do a deal. And on top of that, it gives you the flexibility to choose courses you actually want to play. There are always terrific low-profile courses next to the better-known ones – and including these bargains on the itinerary balances up the costly big names and helps balance the books.” USE AN EXPERT “Using a specific golf travel company will significantly reduce the workload you have to take on and the headaches…

Harvie Ward was 30 and in his prime when he teed it up that morning at Cypress Point. How good was he? To say brilliant would not be an exaggeration. Ward was a true amateur. “He didn’t have a pro bone in his body,” Venturi once said. “He was too much of a free spirit. There was no way he wanted to get into the daily grind it took to make it as a Tour player.” But he left behind an amateur record as remarkable as any that had gone before, with the exception of Bobby Jones. “It just came naturally,” he said. Ward enjoyed a glittering junior and university career, going on to win the US Amateur in 1955 and ’56. Venturi was unreserved in his praise: “Take Nicklaus…

DAVID HOWELL Putts per round: 28.4 (3rd) Putts per GIR: 1.717 (8th) Stroke average: 70.28 (15th) ‘You have to almost not care about missing. You have to be confident of holing the next one’ Finish your stroke before you look “If you peek too early and look up before you’ve struck the putt, the whole shape and direction of your stroke changes. Get into the habit of waiting for the ball to leave the putter face before you check to see where it has gone.” Good aim should be your key thought “I think I aim the putter face very well. Not only that, I make sure my hands, forearms and shoulders are all aligned squarely to each other.” Putt with your shoulders “I prefer to control my putting stroke…

NXT Tour The reengineered dual core has a larger centre that lowers driver and iron spin while delivering faster ball speed for more distance. A soft, thin Fusablend cover maintains shot stopping control. A spherically tiled 302 octahedral dimple design with shallower edge angles delivers a higher ball flight than NXT Tour S. Price: £34 per dozen NXT Tour S Softer from core to cover and designed for players who seek the tee-to-green performance of the NXT Tour (above) but with a much softer feel. A spherically tiled 302 octahedral dimple design (minus the shallower edges of NXT Tour) delivers a piercing and stable flight. Price: £34 per dozen Velocity A larger, faster LSX core produces higher speed for more distance. The low spin construction and 328 spherically-tiled tetrahedral dimple-design…

GolfBuddy has extended its comprehensive line of distance measuring devices with the addition of the CT2 GPS and LR5 rangefinder. The CT2 is a pocket-sized (2.2” x 1.7”) GPS that comes preloaded with over 38,000 courses worldwide and can be easily clipped to towel rings, belts, bags, shirt pockets – in fact, pretty much anywhere you want. It’s packed with features, including distances to front, middle and back of the green, and hazards, and Dynamic Green View with Pin Placement always gives readings directly from the golfer’s angle of approach. Plus, automatic course and hole recognition, a digital scorecard, clock and odometer. “The CT2 suits golfers who want a small, simple to operate device which delivers clear, accurate distances,” says John Ennis, GolfBuddy Global Head of Sales and Marketing. “And…

How did you come to be involved at Old Head? I had established a friendly relationship with Roddy and Joe Carr in Ireland when I was a Senior Designer for Jack Nicklaus and we did Mount Juliet in Thomastown. A few years later they were asked to help design the Old Head of Kinsale. And after a few months on the project with Paddy Merrigan they asked me to come on the team. What were your first impressions of the site? The site certainly has the wow factor... and when I first saw it from the beach at Garretstown, I had no doubts about how great a chance this was to be. How tricky a job was it to lay out a credible course there? The routing was fairly easy.…

Mild to outright surprise were the reactions most people exhibited when news broke that Italy had defeated Austria, Germany and favourites Spain in the race to host the 2022 Ryder Cup matches. But while the land of Nero, Leonardo da Vinci, Costantino Rocca and the Molinaris might have started the race as the outside bet, according to European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley, it finished it sparkling in all areas. “All four bids were judged against five specific criteria,” he reveals. “Government and institutional support, golf course, infrastructure and proximity to a major city, commercial (including tournament) opportunities, and contribution of the country to golf, including legacy plans. At the end of this process, Italy was judged to be the best overall. It was an incredible all-round bid. Particularly impressive…

‘Sullivan’s three wins from three matches prove he is not a one-season wonder’ 1. There’s life in the old dogs yet Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are Ryder Cup legends. But with their world rankings dropping and a number of young European stars flourishing, neither is guaranteed to make this year’s team. As a result, both needed to deliver big EurAsia Cup performances. Each did just that, winning all three of their matches and making a huge contribution off the course. “What Lee and Poults brought to the team room was priceless,” revealed Clarke. “All the young kids listened and learnt from them.” 2. Andy Sullivan is the real deal… Andy Sullivan burst onto Europe’s Ryder Cup radar – and into the world’s top 50 – with three European Tour…

When the Honda Classic begins on February 25, the cream of the PGA Tour will come face-to-face with the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA National Champion Course, which includes an infamous three-hole stretch known as the ‘Bear Trap’. Graeme McDowell calls the threatening trio “some of the toughest in world golf”. This is undoubtedly true, and so is Nicklaus’ assertion that the event is likely to be “won and lost here”. What is not true, however, is the claim that the ‘Bear Trap’ is the most difficult three-hole stretch on the PGA or European Tours. According to the statistics, these five are even tougher. Le Golf National Holes: 16-18. Tournament: 100th Open de France, Jun 30-Jul 3. Tour players’ average score to par: +1.074 Sacré bleu. The 2018 Ryder Cup venue closes…

‘It’s no coincidence American stars like Jordan Spieth make their European Tour appearances at big-money Asian events’ YES KIT ALEXANDER SENIOR EDITOR I’d love to see more star-studded European Tour events played on continental Europe, and especially in Britain and Ireland. But the reality is that the tour can’t do this and offer a viable alternative to the PGA Tour for the world’s best players. Money talks, and the top golfers play mostly on the PGA Tour for the larger prize funds. For the European Tour to increase its purses, it has to go where the sponsors are, which is Asia. More events have moved there in recent years and a merger with the Asian Tour is the logical evolution. It’s no coincidence American stars like Jordan Spieth make their…

A sneaky part of my game that’s improved over the last 18 months is distance off the tee. I hit it eight yards further on average in 2015 than the season before and actually increased my accuracy too. I believe there’s a different golf swing for the driver as opposed to the irons. It’s the only club where you tee the ball up and try to hit up on it. There’s a whole different set of dynamics involved. How and where you transfer your weight is important because it influences the movement of the club and how efficiently power is generated and transferred to the ball. I try to hit my driver more off my right side and pivot around the right leg. That helps me swing the club more…

‘THE RYDER CUP IS LIKE NOTHING ELSE WE PLAY IN. THE ADRENALINE RUNNING THROUGH MY BODY WAS LIKE NOTHING I’D FELT BEFORE.’ A midst the many memorable moments that live on still from Gleneagles 2014, his is perhaps the most touching. At the age of 38 and on his Ryder Cup debut, Jamie Donaldson hit what proved to be the match winning shot – a 146-yard wedge that finished stiff to the pin on the 15th green on the PGA Centenary Course. It was the climax (so far at least) to a career that at first promised much, then lost its way, then finally flourished. Blessed with a disarmingly simple and stylish swing, the now 40-year old Welshman took his time to reach the level many predicted for him when…

We are sitting in a large, plush courtroom. Excited chatter fills the air. The public gallery is packed. Sandy Lyle arrives late, with a sprig of white heather in his buttonhole; almost tripping over Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond. He sits next to several other Scottish professionals, including Sam Torrance, sporting a kilt, and Colin Montgomerie, smiling broadly but looking uncomfortable, in a tight, Saltire jumper. Three rows in front are the Dutch Royal family, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. And, next to them, the Dutch contingent of golf professionals – Joost Luiten, Mateo Lafeber and Rolf Muntz. All rise as the Judge, a formidable looking American, enters. Silence descends, as the Judge makes some opening statements… JUDGE A lot of time, ink and paper have been wasted in finding…

Sixty years ago, four men teed off for a fourball match that has been written and talked about ever since. It wasn’t in the Ryder Cup or Walker Cup. It wasn’t for titles or championships or for club or country. For the fortunate few lucky enough to have stumbled across it, it was the greatest game they ever saw. For the men behind the scenes who made it happen, it was for monetary gain, but for the protagonists themselves who cracked their drives down the first fairway at 10am precisely, it was for what all the best golf matches are for… honour. A couple of amateurs were taking on a couple of pros, but they weren’t just any amateurs and they most certainly weren’t just any pros. The amateurs, Harvie…

PABLO LARRAZABAL World ranking: 136 Scoring: 71.42 (134th) Driving accuracy: 59.3% (118th) Greens in regulation: 64.6% (180th) Scrambling: 59.4% (24th) 1 Hit a low fade when you have to find the fairway Driving isn’t the best part of my game so I try not to smash it. Tee shots aren’t all about power and hitting it as far as you can. The function of your drive is to put the ball in a good position for your second shot, so you have to get it in play off the tee. If I have to hit the fairway I usually try and cut the ball and flight it a bit lower. This is easier to control and won’t be as wayward if you don’t get it quite right. You’ll be amazed…

Most of the recent innovation in wedge design has focused on improving manufacturing tolerances in grooves and face roughness together with more sole grind options. But Vokey’s new Spin Milled (SM) 6 wedges take design innovation in a new direction with the introduction of variable Centre of Gravity (CG) locations. Unlike other wedges in the market, the CG location in the new SM6 wedges rises as the loft increases. The purpose for this is threefold. First, it creates up to 1.5 mph ball speed in the lesser lofted wedges. Second, it realigns the CG with the sweetspot on the clubface for enhanced feel. And third, the higher CG location in the more lofted wedges helps create greater flight consistency. Vokey has also enhanced its groove design. The micro edges between…

PING G SERIES While the G30 had a 17-4 steel face, the G’s is formed from a maraging steel called Carpenter 455. Essentially this is a steel alloy, strengthened through heating and cooling. Its extra strength means the face can be made thinner, flexing more at impact to increase distance. The ‘turbulators’ first found on Ping’s G30 driver have made their way to the G Series hybrid with the aim of improving the club’s aerodynamics. OUR TEST SAID… Ping G performed moderately for distance in comparison to the other two hybrids on test, with only one tester registering his longest shots with the club. However, more impressive was the consistency of results. Carpenter 455 has also allowed Ping to engineer variable face thickness into the face – a forgiveness technology…

Just how well have the D.N.A shoes performed? Year one was off the charts. As soon as we saw the shoe we thought it looked phenomenal and knew we were onto a winner. We backed it up with our biggest marketing launch to that point and we struggled to keep up with demand for the first six months. It’s not a cheap product at £149, but it proved to us that if the product is right then people will happily invest. How has year two followed up on that? We dropped a couple of colours and added a couple of new ones, but without really changing the product we’ve beaten year one. You won’t find many new products in any industry – not just golf – that do better in…

‘In some cases a stronger loft is acceptable but when a 6-iron has a 4-iron loft I ask questions’ I’ve been part of the Golf World Equipment Testing Panel for just over a year now (although I’ve been testing clubs for a lot longer than that!), so I thought it was a good time to reflect on what we’ve learnt. Our discoveries reveal some interesting trends that impact how you should be buying your equipment and highlight what we can expect from gear in the next few months and years. 1. FEEL IS A VERY INDIVIDUAL THING I’m extremely interested in how different golfers interpret ‘feel’. It’s a word used so often when describing a club’s performance and it’s such an important factor when it comes to purchase, yet it’s…

3-WOOD TaylorMade M1 “This one has a Diamana shaft and is 14°. This has always been a hard club for me to get right because some 3-woods are good off the deck; others are good off the fairway. This one is both. It’s a good all-rounder and I like the shallow face.” HYBRID TaylorMade M1 “It has an Aldila shaft and 17° loft. This is a lower-profile club than I’ve had in the past. I like it out of less-than great lies. I’m not sure why I have three different shafts in my three longest clubs. I just do.” WEDGES TaylorMade R-Series Tour Grind “I carry a 52° and 58° with the same X100 shafts. I like the gaps between them and I can cover most of the scoring distances…

1 Caledonia This 6,526-yard, par-70 course opened in January 1994 on the site of a former rice plantation. Might sound unpromising, but it was ranked as the 25th best golf resort in America 20 years later. 2 True Blue This par 72 can stretch to an eye-watering 7,126 yards but on the plus side, the fairways are very generous and there is plenty of elevation change. The club also boasts an 18-acre practice facility. 3 Myrtle Beach National The King’s North is the pick of the three layouts at this club. Arnold Palmer redesigned it in 1996 and there are plenty of risk-reward holes to tempt you. 4 Glen Dornoch Waterway Designed by Clyde Johnston in 1997 and is a tribute to legendary designer Donald Ross. The early holes ease…