Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Golf World

When I tell people what I do for a living, two questions usually pop up. The first is, “Have you been to Augusta and, if so, is it really as good as it looks on TV?” The answer is yes, several times, and it is. Better, in fact. The second question is, “Have you met Tiger Woods?” The answer this time is no. Throughout his career, Woods has travelled with a large team of bodyguards tasked with keeping journalists, fans and, at times, even other players at arm’s length from their man. So tight has been the security cordon, the media has joked it would be easier to get an interview with the President of the United States than the winner of 14 majors. On that note, a third question…

UP Thorbjørn Olesen While Rory sits home in supposed safety, the Dane hoovers up $1.2m in winning the Turkish Airlines Open, wobbling but winning by three strokes. Rod Pampling The 47-year-old Aussie wins his third PGA Tour title with the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open – his second came more than a decade ago. Team Europe The European Tour responds to Rory’s complaints by saying it’s open to changing its Ryder Cup qualification process if they feel it benefits the team. Watch this space. European Golf Fans And in a busy month for the European Tour, it also reminds its players of the need to shout “Fore!” following errant tee shots – or risk a fine. Watch this space. DOWN Ian Poulter’s Phones IJP tweets a shot of two smashed…

Single-length irons are great in theory. Clubs that are all the same length should naturally be more simple to use and shorter longer irons should be easier to hit more consistently. But there are always question marks over new technology. What about distance gapping and short-iron performance with longer shafts? Are single-length irons actually better than the traditional-length clubs we all currently use? Cobra’s two new sets of irons are perfect for comparing single and traditional length as they offer the same head – barring a few weight tweaks in the Forged One Length to accommodate the consistent shaft lengths. Eight-handicapper Kit Alexander hit the 4, 6 and 8-iron plus the PW in each set on Trackman. This is what his data revealed. The 4 and 6-irons were shorter and…

How deep did the renovation go? This is a mountain course, and it can be a challenge to get 18 holes in – Mr Robinson did a really nice job of that. The course doesn’t feel narrow, so relative to what it took to build the course originally, we took a light-handed approach: if holes were functioning well, we generally left it alone. But on a mountainous site like Whistling Rock, even ‘light-handed’ involves a substantial amount of construction. What did you focus on? On the greens, and moving and sometimes removing bunkers. The idea was to identify green surfaces that were too severe. Some greens had too much overall slope and two-thirds or even three-quarters of the putting surface were unusable. What effect has it had? On many of…

The transition is the second most important part of your swing after impact. The big mistake amateurs make is rushing the start of the downswing, which can waste energy and send your club off plane. Amateurs often go beyond where their backswing should finish – they continue to swing their arms after their shoulders have stopped rotating or they force more shoulder turn after their arms have stopped moving. Make sure you complete the backswing before beginning your transition into the downswing by getting your shoulders, hips, arms, hands and clubhead to reach their proper positions at the top at the same time. You’ll find it’s much easier to do with a slow, smooth and controlled backswing. Complete backswing I know my backswing is over when I can no longer…

I’ve been working on two things for the last year or so. The first is the backswing. Sometimes I take the club slightly outside on the way back and my body and arms get disconnected. Then I have to drop the club a little on the inside on the way down, which can lead to a block or my hands rolling to try and square the face and I flip it left. The second is keeping the club in front of me in the downswing, so I’ve got room coming into the ball and the swing path is going a little left. I feel like I play my best golf when I can aim down the left side and cut it back to the centre while taking the left side…

1 Take your stance exactly as you would for a normal chip shot with the club you’d usually take – I’d recommend a SW or PW. Then grab your left wrist with your right hand. 2 As you swing back, keep hold of the left wrist to ensure it stays firm and doesn’t start getting ‘flicky’. It will feel a little strange but persist with it on the range. 3 You will notice how solid everything feels as you move through impact and the clubhead simply collects the ball as it passes. Not flicking the wrists will help you brush the turf with the sole. We all know we should keep the hands passive when chipping. But it isn’t always easy, even when we’re trying to. It’s very tempting to…

‘The reaction has felt five to 10 times bigger than when I won the US Open in terms of the support and recognition from the crowd’ There are four chances every year to win a major. But the Olympics only come along once every four years. So for every 16 major winners from this year onwards, there is just one Olympic champion. That’s a pretty special achievement in itself, but you know you’ve done something truly historic when you win the first gold medal that’s been available in golf for 112 years. That’s exactly what Justin Rose achieved in Rio de Janeiro this summer. There was never any doubt that the 36-year-old would be in Brazil to represent his country. He understood the significance of golf’s return to the greatest…

A STAR ON THE RISE In retrospect, Danny Willett’s victory at the 80th Masters last April wasn’t quite the “come from nowhere” victory it was widely portrayed as in the American media. The then 28-year-old from Sheffield arrived in Augusta ranked the 12th-best player on the planet – hardly an unknown, although he was a long 66-1 shot with the bookies. More to the point, Willett’s form in the lead-up to the year’s first major indicated nothing more than a man on the up. Following his win at the Dubai Desert Classic in early February, Willett posted a tie for third amidst a high quality field in the WGC - Cadillac Championship. And luck was also on his side. The Yorkshireman’s favoured number is eight – hence the tattoo on…

I was diagnosed with testicular cancer on the Tuesday after the Aegean Airlines event in Germany, July 7, 2015. I flew home on the Sunday, was diagnosed on the Tuesday, operated on the following Wednesday. Luckily, it went as well as I could have hoped for. I couldn’t hit a golf ball for seven weeks but my aim was instantly to get back to Q School and back onto the European Tour. I had to amend my swing because I couldn’t hit a full driver, but I finished 6th and got my card. My aim this year was simply to keep my card for 2017 – I never dreamt it would turn out as it did. I missed five consecutive cuts at one stage and arrived at the Irish Open…

WE TRIED IT... ‘It looks fantastic and the almost limitless adjustability of the Fast Track system is extremely exciting’ Kit Alexander, senior editor Mizuno JPX900 driver Mizuno’s tour players challenged their engineers to create a driver that performed like the JPX850 on centre strikes, without the drop-off in ball speeds on mishits. The striking JPX900 is the result – and it’s one of the most adjustable drivers on the market, too. The multi-thickness face has been strengthened in key areas to boost how efficiently energy is transferred to the ball on off-centre hits, so mishits launch faster and fly further. The three Fast Tracks in the sole enable you to customise your launch angle and spin rate to affect the ball flight by up to 30 yards and…

Yonex’s engineers have saved weight high in the driver head by introducing thinner sections into the crown and the top of the face. Each sections is an octagon that is 0.5mm thick, compared to 0.8mm across the rest of the crown. There are 51 thinner octagons on the crown of the driver and six along the top of the face. This has lowered the CG by 1.3mm and moved it 0.3mm deeper compared to the Z-Force driver. These may sound like small numbers but these are significant gains that produce measurable improvements. This technology has been applied to irons for the first time, with seven 2.7mm thick octagons (compared to 3.2mm) along the top of the head and into the toe.…

Callaway Steelhead XR It’s over six years since the word Steelhead was being banded about in pro shops. The X20 was the last in the line, but this is more a re-imagination of the popular X14 model from the early 2000s, which was one of the first cavity-back irons. This is the modern version of an old classic. The chassis is much the same but they’ve revolutionised performance with something a bit special under the bonnet. In this case, it’s a high-speed face which is right on the legal limit. You can’t go faster than 0.83 and this clocks in at an impressive 0.825. We also see the return of the S2H2 hosel, which saves weight that can then be re-distributed around the head. I’ve always felt that this encourages…

1 If your itinerary allows, play Villa d’Este on its own so you can have a few hours in Como. Take the park and ride from the hill above the town – which is itself not as costly as you fear. 2 Find time to visit Lake Maggiore – not as high profile as Como but equally pretty. Stresa overlooks the lake and is a touristy spot that’s kept its charm, with terrific eateries. 3 You naturally have lots of restaurant options but make sure you eat on the terrace that overlooks the courses of Bogogno. Its appeal is shown by local non-golfers dining there. 4 Boutiques, football (with two teams, there’s always one playing at the majestic San Siro) and the statuesque Duomo cathedral are all just a 30-minute…

WHAT IF... My chipping isn’t very accurate A great way to improve the accuracy of your chipping is to pick a landing zone. This simple process helps you select the right shot and execute it well. Your landing zone should be based on the lie, how far you need to carry the ball over any obstacles and any slope where it will land and release to the pin. Once you’ve assessed how much spin and height is possible and required, select the club and landing zone that requires the simplest execution to get the ball close to the hole. Picture a larger circle on trickier shots and a smaller circle on shorter and simpler shots. By Steven Orr WHAT IF... I’m faced with a long and slopey putt It’s easy…

You fell outside the top 650 in the world rankings due to injury in 2014, but you’ve risen to a career-high number nine this year. Does it feel different coming to tournaments now? The biggest difference is that I feel I can do well every week. That self-confidence is the feeling you’re looking for. But confidence comes and goes so quickly with golf. One week you could finish 5th and not be happy at all or you could finish 10th and be really happy because your game is better. I’m always looking forward, which is possibly not the best thing. ‘Oh, what if I play like this next week?’ ‘Will it work on this course or that course?’ You want your game to be so neutral that you can play…

Right now, Jason Day has a target on his back. The 29-year old might have held the World No.1 spot since March, but injuries and others’ victories have brought Rory, DJ, Henrik and Jordan to within touching distance. What has kept Jason out in front in 2016? “The leaders at most tournaments are the golfers who excel at driving and hitting approach shots, and the best putter out of that group wins,” explains stats guru Professor Mark Broadie. Day’s game in 2016 has ticked almost every one of the big boxes. So here’s what each of the chasing pack needs to do in order to unseat him in 2017... RORY MCILROY Let’s start with the positives. The World No.2 remains the game’s best driver by some distance. Now for the…

1992 Born on February 25 in Ehime, Japan. Learned golf as a youngster under the eye of his father, a former club champion. Somewhere along the way, he develops a swing with a distinct pause at the top. 2008 World ranking: 1,381 2010 Aged 18, wins Asian Amateur Championship by five shots, earning entry into the following year’s Masters. The following year he wins it again, becoming the only two-time champion in the event’s history. 2010 world ranking: 542 2011 Was a student at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai when the city was hit by an earthquake and tsunami. Matsuyama was training in Australia at the time and returned to find his dorm room destroyed. Finishes leading amateur at the Masters, the only one of the group to make the…

1 Who is he? The PGA Tour’s fourth commissioner, Monahan is currently the PGA Tour’s deputy commissioner, a position he’s held since 2014, having joined the PGA six years earlier. A 46-year-old Bostonian with a masters in sports management, Finchem brought him in from IMG. A company man, then. Which begs the second, bigger question... 2 What difference will he make? Though described by those who know him as an agent of change, Monahan takes over an organisation that enjoyed a 568 per cent increase in prize money under Finchem’s leadership – from $56.4m in 1994 to $320.4m in 2016. As Ernie Els said: “It’s going to be hard to screw this up no matter who the commissioner is.” So expect evolution over revolution. 3 What’s on his ‘To-Do’ list?…

Single length irons: a great idea or simply a gimmick? Discuss... @STUDUB It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution – excuse the pun. It will be great for some but not for others. @ANTONAWELLS I think this should be very popular with beginners as it will enable them to grasp the game more easily and build confidence of striking. @BEECARL Great idea in theory and should really help beginners or high handicaps. I’m surprised this wasn’t thought of years ago. @FIELD_MARK I thought of it years ago but was told it was stupid. I hit my 8-iron well so why not have all irons that length? Never did get to try it. @HARVEYJAMISON A great concept to improve striking – shows that golf and technology are advancing – allowing…

I rely a lot on instinct on the greens. I believe a lot of people get lost in trying to have the perfect technique, but freedom is very important when you’re putting. The main thing I see with amateurs is that they struggle with speed because they’re trying to tell their brain and body that the club has to go this far back and this far through and they lose what their eyes are already telling them. You have so much more touch and feel than you believe you have. It’s like if you want to throw a ball of paper at the bin you just look at the bin and let it go – you don’t think about how far your arm has to move. Judging putts is the…

A consistent swing comes from the movement of your big muscles. The best drill I know to train the big muscles to move properly is to swing the club with a cack-handed grip – the left hand below the right if you’re right-handed. I do this a lot when I’m practising. It takes your hands out of the equation and means that you must work your upper body and not so much the arms and the hands to hit the ball solidly. Focus on making good contact and your technique will improve. Synchronised movement Powering the swing from the big muscles makes it much easier to keep the arms and body connected and transfer your weight in the right sequence. This keeps the club on a neutral path and increases…

A lot of amateurs use grips that are too small for them. This doesn’t do them any favours because a grip that is too thin can cause tension in the hands and lead you to holding the club too tightly. I don’t have particularly large hands and I use a midsize grip, which is a bit larger than standard. A great way to tell if your grips are the right size is to clasp the top in your left hand as I’m showing you here. Your fingertips should only just touch the bottom pad of your palm. If your nails are digging into the skin then I’d say you need to swap to a fatter size. It’s important to get the right grips as it affects so much in your…

Prickly, arrogant, insular and uncouth. Just a handful of the more ‘palatable’ adjectives that have been used to describe one of the PGA Tour’s most divisive players. In truth, it can be difficult to like Patrick Reed. First, there are the allegations of theft, cheating and discord with fellow players during his college golf career that refuse to go away. Then there’s the public dispute with his family. Reed’s sister claims he is a “horrible, selfish stranger”. And of course, there was Reed’s notorious homophobic outburst after three-putting on the 10th green during the WGC-HSBC event in China in 2014. Yet for one week every two years, Reed somehow manages to shrug off his reputation as a PGA Tour loner and transform himself into a poster boy for American patriotism.…

‘His physical game is better than anybody in the world’ Dustin Johnson’s approach to interviews can be described much the same as the way he likes to play golf: Uncomplicated. See ball, hit ball, repeat. By his own admission, he’s never one to be lost deep in thought, on the course or off it. That’s just his way. And it works. Johnson has won at least once during each of his first nine years on the PGA Tour – something only Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have done previously – and this summer he captured his first major. He went on to win two more titles and was named PGA Tour Player of the Year. It was a breakout season for the prodigious talent. And a redemptive one,…

By all accounts, he was a very impressive golfer in his youth and he is currently said to play to a 2.8 handicap. As with most areas of Trump’s life, there is always speculation as to the level of his golfing ability, but nothing in the following sequence raises any red flags. As you’d expect, Trump’s swing is built on solid foundations and power. Here are my observations. 1. Trump towers over the ball with his perfect tall man’s posture. I love the way his hip plane mirrors the lie angle of the club. 2. Trump’s first move away from the ball is a little shallow and rounded. The clubface is strong though, which is a good trade-off. 3. I like his ‘planes’ here. His knees, hips, left arm and…

1 WHAT’S THE TECH? The JPX900 is all about protecting ball speeds on off-centre hits through its multi-thickness face as well as increasing adjustability by enhancing the Fast Track system and adding a face angle prop to the sole. The infinite number of settings means there’s no limit to how much it can be tweaked. 2 WHAT DOES IT REPLACE? The JPX850 driver had similar Fast Track technology with two 8g weights that could be positioned in a central track and two heel and toe ports to customise your launch angle and spin – but there were only 10 settings in total. It also featured a Hot Metal face, a deeper-looking 440cc head and the Quick Switch hosel. 3 WILL IT WORK FOR ME? The incredible adjustability means it’s a…

Have you made any changes to your clubs recently? I really like the Callaway XR16 Sub Zero driver. I was given it in February and sometimes you just put a driver down and you know that it’s going to be good. This one kind of talked to me straight away. I usually do four-year stints with a driver so this one has done really well to make it into my bag this year. I went with a shaft that is a little bit lighter as well and it feels a bit more comfortable. Driving has always been one of my strengths and it’s getting pretty bad ass again. You’ve also changed putter this year? Yeah, instead of having a putter with a line at the back I’ve got an Odyssey…

Callaway Steelhead XR I’d call this more of a manufacturing refinement. We’ve seen much of the tech before, but not as well crafted and combined into one compact head. The Cup Face means the face and edges are all one section so the weld line is moved back. This makes the whole front section stronger and more stable, so designers can make the face even thinner and faster to deliver much greater ball speeds. Combine this with the return of the weight-saving S2H2 hosel and improved forgiveness and MOI can be added to an already winning formula. A lower CG and stronger lofts mean it is the longest Steelhead ever. Mizuno JPX900 Hot Metal A distance story from a company known for the softness and feel of its forged steel…

DESIGN Every conceivable hole type, hazard and challenge in the mix. SETTING Clever sculpting disguises the farmland terrain. CONDITIONING Immaculate presentation throughout. PLAYABILITY Excellent, but only if played from the appropriate tees. MEMORABLE The opening three and closing four linger long in the memory. CONSISTENCY Exceptional from hole 1-18 with no weaknesses. TOTAL SCORE Great variety of holes, excellent conditioning and fair design. What more do you need?…

‘The pilot lost control in a huge storm. We were totally hungover and never noticed’ What has been your closest brush with death? A long time ago, maybe 40 years, John O’Leary and I were in a small plane going from Paris to Biarritz. The next day the newspapers ran stories of how the pilot had at one point lost complete control in the middle of a huge storm. That was scary sh*t. Or at least I think it was. We were both totally hungover and never noticed a thing. There was another time in a hotel in Venezuela. David Ingram and I shared a room. We woke up in the morning to find that there had been a massive earthquake. The paintings that had been on the walls were…

APRIL Spanish Open – T6 Volvo China Open – T9 MAY Irish Open – MC BMW PGA Championship – T43 JUNE Nordea Masters – T12 US Open – MC JULY French Open – 8 Scottish Open – Win Open Championship – T46 US PGA Championship – T49 AUGUST Paul Lawrie Match Play – 2 SEPTEMBER Omega European Masters – Win KLM Open – T34 OCTOBER Dunhill Links Championship – T11 British Masters – Win Portugal Masters – T37 WGC – HSBC Champions – T12 NOVEMBER Nedbank Challenge – Win DP World Tour C’ship – T23…

1 Beer Makes Him Play Better In the documentary, Daly reveals he has played hungover on plenty of occasions, but only actually drunk during a round once, years ago in the LA Open. “It was so slow and I played the back nine first,” Daly says. “I think I’m two or three over. I went in the locker room and downed like five beers, and I shot four under on the front nine. That’s the only time I know I drank during a round, and I played great. I finished strong.” 2 Food and drink have always been key A heavy drinker from an early age, when Daly needed to lose weight he shed 67 pounds in two-and-a-half months on a diet of “Jack Daniels and popcorn”. When he replaced…

This is Whistling Rock. It sounds and looks like it will be a top-20 course in America, painstakingly laid out in an impossibly idyllic mountain location by one of today’s hipster architects. But that’s only partly true. Because in keeping with a world that has never been ‘smaller’, where our appetites are now whetted by images and descriptions of courses in all corners of every continent, Whistling Rock is, in fact, in South Korea. It’s located an hour from Seoul in the foothills of the Gangwon mountains and after a swift but thorough renovation, it now plays as attractively as it looks. That’s where the half-truth lay; carrying out the overhaul was Eric Iverson of the celebrated Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design firm. The original 27 holes were completed by…

‘Day’s absence means he has missed seeing firsthand the positive influence he is having in Australia’ More than three years have passed since Jason Day last played competitive golf in his homeland of Australia. The world number one’s most recent appearance came in the World Cup at Royal Melbourne, where he and compatriot Adam Scott combined to claim the massive trophy. Day also won the individual competition, one week after he finished tied for sixth place in the Australian Open at Royal Sydney. Twelve months on, Day withdrew from his national Open, citing rehab of a back injury that prevented him flying from his Ohio home. In 2015, his wife Ellie’s pregnancy was the reason behind his inability to challenge for a championship first played in 1904. And this year,…

I work on positions in the swing – where the club needs to be at certain key points such as halfway back, at the top, halfway down, impact and the finish. I’m always thinking about where my centre of gravity is and whether the club is inside or outside the line and flat or steep. Focus on the ‘feel’ of the good position when you’re static and try to replicate this when you’re hitting shots. If you understand how it feels to hit good shots then it’s a lot easier to do it consistently. Start from neutral with good fundamentals The first thing I do is check my fundamentals, especially alignment. It’s easy to slip into bad habits without noticing. Stay on top of these and you’ve got a chance…

Assessing situations and choosing the right shot to play is vital. Even if your technique is good you will cost yourself shots before you even swing the club if you make poor decisions. The trickiest situations are when you have to weigh up risk and reward and choose between aggressive or percentage plays. If you get these decisions right, your scores and handicap will tumble. 1. Get your ball in play off the tee I’d never tell someone to shy away from the driver because you have to be comfortable with the club you’re hitting off the tee. If you’re happiest with driver and you hit it pretty straight, then go with that. At the same time, there’s no point in adding unnecessary risk to any shot. If you’re more…

1 A drive for success “I joined the marines when I was 17 and fought in Vietnam. I learnt discipline, responsibility, commitment and pride. I was very successful in business because I took my responsibility to heart, worked hard and made sure I did a good job. Those habits carry right through to what I do now.” 2 Unlimited money and time “Nobody makes golf clubs the way we do. Period. We have no restrictions on how much we spend designing clubs or how long it takes. The only requirement is that we make the best product that’s ever been made. We really invest and take our time in developing new products so our customers are delighted when we do release something.” 3 Launching clubs when they’re ready “Were ’…

In the modern era of golfers who talk but say very little, the arrival of Andrew Johnston was like a breath of fresh air blowing through the game. He arrived at the Open de España as a European Tour nearly man without a tour win in 63 attempts. He left with a one-shot victory and declared he would celebrate by getting “hammered”. With those six words, Andrew Johnston propelled himself into the hearts of golf fans in a way very few golfers ever have or ever could. And he was true to his word, too – and did so dressed as a piñata. An instant hero was born. “I’m just a normal guy who happens to play golf,” he says. “I’m no different to anyone else.” Which of course is…

How much of a difference do the Pure Roll inserts make? They can add up to 25rpm of top spin. How important is the skim-milling and the aesthetic this produces – does it impact performance? It’s vital to ensure all the lines of the putter are perfect – and this can have an impact on performance. Just like any other club in the bag, if something is off about the product in any way, even cosmetics, this lends itself to improper alignment and poor confidence. Why are there extra weights in the heads? They help maintain proper swingweight by length. We are no longer producing one single head weight and then altering the length of the putter. When doing this, the swing-weight can change up to 3-4pts for every inch.…

‘The task was four-fold, but the most important factor was to determine the profile of a golfer who might be ideally suited to having each of the sets in their bag’ TaylorMade M2 Tour Length: 37.25 inches 6-iron loft: 26.5° Price: £699 Callaway Steelhead XR Length: 37.6 inches 6-iron loft: 26° Price: £649 Mizuno JPX900 Hot Metal Length: 37.25 inches 6-iron loft: 27° Price: £840 For many years distance irons have been the preserve of the higher handicapper. Long, for sure. But also harsh off the face, less playable and at times uncontrollable. But things have changed. Innovative new technologies and materials are enabling manufacturers to create irons that produce incredible distances without sacrificing too much feel, workability and stopping power on the greens. The three leading models in this…

M2 TOUR Power & distance This just felt fast. The speed pocket really seems to work, delivering a strike that you just know launches the ball long. Was it as fast as the Callaway? Not quite, but we’re talking a yard here and there. Forgiveness & accuracy You might expect a little less accuracy with an iron that launches the ball such distances, but the reality was that the M2 fared quite well. For one tester, it was the straightest. Playability & feel Despite the ‘Tour’ label, this TaylorMade iron will have a wide appeal because the compact head suits the better player, while the forgiveness and power works for the higher handicapper. Player profiles You’re looking for more distance and you don’t mind launching it quite high to get…

Where to stay Lots of play-and-stay options in this region but Bogogno is a wise choice logistically as well as for its accommodation. A stylish and spacious hotel (which is being extended further) is enhanced by two swimming pools, tennis courts, football pitches and a children’s play room. The main attraction other than the golf, though, is the clubhouse’s exquisite food, enjoyed from a large patio overlooking the 18th holes. When to go It is a surprisingly good year-round destination, because while the summers are predictably really hot and spring and autumn are appealingly warm, the real surprise is winter. Many of us think of the area as ski territory but, off the snow-capped mountains, it can be mild. We like June and early July as an option because it’ll…

Any of the Top 100 can of course be turned into ‘short’ courses simply with an astute choice of tee – yet many golfers are oddly reluctant to ‘move forward’ in this way and create a more enjoyable experience for themselves. Choosing one of the six courses detailed here makes that decision – obvious and sensible as it is – unnecessary. Off daily tees, these relatively short courses become even shorter and, as well as being based to some extent at least on sand or gravel and thus being quick-draining, they are therefore ideal winter venues. They are not inherently easy, as we all know distance alone is not a foolproof indication of difficulty. Another ‘short’ option was Suffolk’s Aldeburgh, which is roughly the same length as the Duchess’, but…