Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i Golf World

A year is a lifetime in professional sport. Two years is an eternity. Just ask World No.1 Dustin Johnson. In the final round of the US Open at Chambers Bay in 2015, the American stood over a slippery 10ft downhill putt on the par-5 18th hole to win his first major championship. After several agonising close calls in the Grand Slams, it no doubt would have been frustrating enough for Johnson to watch his eagle attempt slide a few feet past the hole, but one can only imagine how he felt when he then missed the return putt to hand the title to Jordan Spieth. While the media continued to speculate whether he really had what it took to win at the very highest level, it is to Johnson’s credit…

“Last month, PGA Tour professional Kelly Kraft took issue with the Official World Golf Rankings. ‘It is amazing to me how fast some of the Asian Tour/Euro Tour guys rise in the world rankings,’ he tweeted. His view caused a storm, but in actual fact it was consistent with a comprehensive academic study completed by Professor Richard Rendleman and myself. Our aim was to show whether or not there was any bias in the rankings, and to do this we compared the OWGR system against two unbiased methods for estimating a golfer’s skill and performance. The first of these methods was a score-based skill estimation method, which used scoring data to estimate a golfer’s skill (see box, below). The second was the Sagarin method, which uses a win-lose-tie system and…

If your ball comes to rest beside an alligator and your next shot impeded by its reptilian girth, if you can’t just prod it back into the water à la Cody Gribble, what should you do? Don’t flap down the fairway like Smylie Kaufman at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – you are due relief under Decision 1-4/10 of the Rules. Not covered specifically but covered under ‘Dangerous Situation; Rattlesnake or Bees Interfere With Play’, the rules state: “Assuming the ball lay through the green, the player may, without penalty, drop a ball within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.” Same rules apply if the…

1990  Born March 26 in Chapin, South Carolina, one of three children born to George III, a golf instructor who turned their backyard into a golf academy. 2012 Graduates from the University of South Carolina and joins brother George IV in playing America’s mini tours. “He was always better than me and stronger than me and hitting the ball farther than me, so it gave me something to chase after,” said Wesley. “He always had a really good work ethic, so that’s where I learned my work ethic from.” 2014 A Eureka moment arrives. Having discovered he had a skill for hitting the ball out of mid-air, Wesley teams up with George and performs trick shots. The Bryan Bros become YouTube and reality TV sensations. 2015 As their celebrity trick…

The recent GolfSixes event on the European Tour certainly polarised opinion. The majority of the feedback seemed to fall into two camps – it was either “a vibrant and exciting revolution that successfully brought the sport to a whole new audience” or “a bastardisation of the ancient game that erodes its core values to appeal to the lowest common denominator”. There didn’t appear to be much rational thought in between these two extreme stances. That’s where I come in. Let’s start with the bad news. It did all feel a bit gimmicky. The giant pink ‘six’ mascot was a step too far for me and the coverage was trying a bit too hard as well – constantly telling us what a great event this is and what fun everyone is…

‘The endlessly repetitive play-off was watchable only to ascertain how unwatchable it could become’ Think Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Or Jack “Here’s Johnny” Nicholson sticking his head through that door in The Shining . Or Janet Leigh taking her last shower in Psycho . The recent six-hole play-off between Christie Kerr and Haru Nomura at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout was similarly compulsive viewing, if only because it was so horrifying in so many ways. While it was easy to focus on the all-but two hours it took to identify Nomura as the winner – especially Kerr’s pathetic and not-far short of despicable attempts to “slow play” her younger opponent – the most depressing aspect of this sad and all-but interminable display was the point-missing design of the…

Two inches before the ball The ball should come out of greenside bunkers on a cushion of sand. The ability to accurately hit your chosen point in front of the ball enables you to hit consistent recovery shots – and also alter the point to tweak your trajectory and spin. If you struggle to get out of greenside bunkers with any degree of control or consistency, then your problem is very likely to be where your club contacts the sand in relation to the ball. Think about it – if you can hit the sand in the same place every time, you’re at least going to get the ball out every time. Once you do that and are hitting the green with every shot, your confidence will rise and you…

Know your percentages You should only consider going for the green if you think you will leave the ball in a decent position at least seven out of 10 times. If not, lay up with a mid or long iron to leave a wedge in. After all, you’d take a wedge into most par 4s so don’t get too greedy. This still gives you a great chance to set up a birdie putt. Have the discipline to remember that par is still a good score if you’re a handicap golfer. Be aggressive with a back pin You have more options if the pin is in the middle or towards the back because you have more green to work with. The statistics show amateurs score better the closer they are to…

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA Age : 25, PGA/Euro Tour wins: 4 Best major finish: T4, 2016 US PGA Four wins in five weeks saw Japan’s biggest name begin this season faster than a bullet train . He’s cooled off since then and finished 11th at the Masters. His ball-striking is exquisite, so it all depends on his putter. If it gets hot, he can run away with any tournament he enters. If it doesn’t, he’ll come up short. JON RAHM Age: 22, PGA/Euro Tour wins: 1 Best major finish: T23, 2016 US Open His rise has been truly meteoric as he climbed into the world’s top 15 within a year of turning pro. He finished 3rd in his first PGA Tour event as a pro, 3rd and 2nd in his first two…

Q Are stock shafts any good or is it worth paying more to upgrade to a better quality bespoke shaft and how much should I be spending? PAUL CLEMENTS, HERTFORDSHIRE Stock shafts tend to be a little more variable from shaft to shaft because they are cheaper to produce. This can make it trickier to get one that performs exactly the same as the one you tested – even in the same specs. The money you invest in a more expensive shaft is in the materials used and the tolerances of design that means that if you want it to play a certain way then it will. It also means matching the performance of a shaft from testing it is more reliable. It’s hard to determine whether an expensive shaft…

Rory McIlroy has signed an equipment deal with TaylorMade. He will be using the M2 driver and fairway woods, P750 3 and 4-irons, Rors Proto 5 to 9-irons, Milled Grind wedges (48°, 54°, 60°) and TP5x ball. McIlroy averaged 315.8 yards of carry and a 338.5-yard total distance while testing the driver and ball combination. Jonas Blixt had Mizuno irons in his bag when he won the Zurich Classic in partnership with Cameron Smith. The cavity back MP25 in 3 to 8-iron and the blade MP5 in 9-iron and PW. Mizuno have seen growth since Nike’s exit from clubs and they now have 12-14 sets of irons in play each week on the PGA Tour. Hideki Matsuyama has switched Scotty Cameron putters from the GSS Newport 2 Timeless blade to…

Wilson FG Tour V6 Made from 8620 carbon steel, this iron has marginally more offset than the other two. They feature an improved sole camber to prevent digging into the turf. Tungsten weights are placed into the heel and toe in the longer irons for stability and then centred in the sole for the shorter ones to promote higher launch and spin. Mizuno JPX900 Tour The satin finish appeals to a lot of players because it suggests a subtle softness in the strike. It has quite a small footprint with a very compact head and unfussy styling. The Boron Steel forged head is hard to improve because it feels very soft but is strong enough to make a thinner face. TaylorMade P770 This soft 1025 carbon steel is more expensive…

‘Not many will know Portsalon well, but its 15th green makes me think of St Andrews and golf as an art form’ There are two very distinct themes to my selection: links courses, and Royal County Down. I know Ireland has some well-known parklands, but links have always been my passion... and always will be. And of the many great links in Ireland, RCD is my clear No.1. Apologies for choosing so many of its holes, but this is simply the course beyond all others that gets my juices flowing. On another day I could easily have made it even more boring and chosen as many as 14 from RCD! 1st at Arglass It could have been RCD, just for the anticipation factor of what is to come, and it…

Portmarnock Links has held a favourable position in all of our Irish Top 100s and has been a candidate for our GB&I list too. Even when it was labouring as a business – largely owing to the recession – the links managed to retain sufficient appeal to remain one of the leading modern courses in our ranking. With fresh investment though, changes were as predictable as they were welcome, refurbishing the links to great effect. More than €1million has been spent on the links by Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate, who bought the property in 2014 for close to €30m. Moira Cassidy has been the consistent figure from day one at PH&GL and as Golf World played the renovated links with her in April, her pride at the evolution of…

When a course you liked undergoes a major overhaul, you wonder if what originally appealed so much will remain. That was my feeling as I returned to ‘Doonbeg’, for the first time since Martin Hawtree’s renovation of Greg Norman’s dynamic links. The original had weaknesses – largely as he was so sensitive environmentally – but I thought the positives overshadowed the negatives; there were enough outstanding holes to make up for some shortcomings. Only the 17th was especially weak. Over £4m has been spent on the course following President Trump’s purchase in 2014, but those who knew it previously will remember it all. There is only really one new hole, a short downhill 14th playing parallel to the beach to replace the infamous par 3 that played towards it. Otherwise…

I have to start at Portmarnock, but it’s a tough choice because there are 18 holes I either love, like or respect there. I’ll say the 4th to start with; it requires everything and highlights whether you can play golf or not. You need a great drive to be able attack the green. You need to be a proper player, a real ball striker; you don’t get away with anything less. Then even when you are on the green there is no guarantee of par, because it is a very large surface with lots of undulations in it. It’s one of the best golf holes in Ireland. Then I’d say the 15th. “It’s the best par 5 in Ireland,” said Ben Crenshaw. It’s a par 3. He won the Irish…

Welcome to our most comprehensive ranking of the finest courses in Wales. When we expanded the list to 30 courses in 2015, we dearly wanted to make it the stepping stone to 50 two years later – but only if we had enough knowledge of the incoming courses to do it with authority. The help of a well-travelled panel has helped us fill in gaps in our knowledge, especially in the centre and north of the country. My thanks go to Alan Holland (hcp18), Mark Longmore (12), Keith Morris (6), Kevin Prosser (14), and Colin Woolley (20) for adding their experiences to the ranking, which has given us enough confidence to add 20 courses to the 2015 selection. With the enlarged panel, we are happy quality is maintained throughout the…

There are so many wonderful holes in Wales, so this is extremely tough. I played Pennard the other day and there were a lot of good holes and I want to say one there. But were there any great ones? My friends will ask me why I didn’t choose one, but I can’t pinpoint one, as much as I enjoyed the whole course. Their 18 holes are more level than most. There’s not one that jumps out at me; equally, there isn’t a weak one. I’m going to allow myself two from Porthcawl, because although I am a member and therefore biased, I think it is wonderful. Anyway, my five favourites… I will get into tremendous trouble for leaving somewhere out, but here we go… Aberdovey, 16th A short par…

It’s likely there will be a particular hole or shot on your course that you don’t play well. It’s easy to build up mental scar tissue when you’ve regularly struggled in a specific situation. The key to overcoming this is breaking down the mental barrier. The easiest way to do this is to play that hole a few times back to back or with multiple balls when the course is quiet. This has two results. Firstly, you can try different strategies to see which works best. Secondly, you can play the hole or shot without pressure until you get it right. Once you master it in practice, you can call upon those good memories in competition. Visualising how you did it before and knowing you can do it enables you…

Early release If the water comes out too early in the downswing it shows you’re not creating any lag in the downswing and there’s a power leak before the club gets to the ball. Correct release The water should come out just past the ball to show you are releasing your wrist hinge and creating maximum speed where you want it – when the club impacts the ball. KEEP THE WATER IN THE BOTTLE Making your downswing movement while holding a full water bottle as if it was a club will show you exactly where you release the power you’ve created. Keeping the water in the bottle in the transition and through the downswing shows you’re storing power properly.…

1 AS MUCH LOFT AS POSSIBLE Use your most lofted club and open the face as much as feels comfortable. Widen your stance and move the ball forward. Slightly weaken your grip so you see three or four knuckles on your right hand to help you hold the clubface open. 2 AIM AND SWING LEFT OF TARGET Aim your feet and body a little left of the target and swing parallel to your feet to chop across the ball a little to off-set the downslope and open face. Pick the club up quite quickly going back to encourage this swing path and a clean contact. 3 HIT THE SAND CLOSE TO THE BALL You want to hit the sand as close as you dare to the ball to maximise launch…

You’ve probably heard the phrase “winning is a habit” and assumed it only applied to Tour pros or elite level golfers. But it’s an adage that holds true at an amateur and club level, too. During the spring and summer months, there are medal, Stableford, match play and knockout competitions taking place up and down the country each and every week. And as with the professional game, those competitions are very often won by the same group of golfers time and time again. If you’re frustrated at always entering these events but never going home with the silverware, it’s time to reassess your entire approach to golf. Having worked with Tour professionals and elite level amateurs, I can tell you that the difference between winning and losing is rarely a…

‘Obviously I’m 37, not 22 or 25 any more, but I’m pretty much just getting started. I’m excited because I still feel like I have a lot of great years ahead of me’ Less than 30 minutes after slipping into his Green Jacket, Sergio Garcia was asked a question that contained an expression he had heard many, many times before. “How does it feel knowing that you will never have to answer questions about being the best player to never win a major again?” Garcia laughed. And then, with a big grin, he replied: “Well, I don’t have to answer that question any more, but now I’ll have to answer if I am the best player to have only won one major.” He laughed again. “I can live with that.”…

“When players are competing on different tours, we don’t know if lower scores are due to superior skill, easier courses or more benign conditions. But if we use connections between the tours (e.g. players who play in events on multiple tours), we can estimate player skill while separating out differing course and condition difficulty effects. A simple example involves Tom, Dick and Harry. Tom plays the Red course and always shoots 71. Dick plays the Blue and always shoots 69. Harry plays both courses and always shoots 72 on Red and 68 on Blue. Harry’s scores show the Red is four shots harder than the Blue. Which means Tom would shoot 67 on the Blue, so is a better golfer than Dick – in spite of Tom always shooting higher…

‘Not being world number one bothers me. It’s what I wanted. Getting back there drives me on’ Your mum’s battle with cancer has been well documented and must have hung very heavily over you. The fact she’s had successful surgery must be a huge relief. Can you now focus on playing and winning again? Yeah, as everyone knows, she went through a successful surgery on her left lung and was told she didn’t need to have chemo, which is really, really great. Obviously we still have to be cautious but it is a great relief. I feel a lot lighter in a sense that my mind is not weighing very much heavily on the situation that my mom was going through. To be able to have that happen and then…

TaylorMade has never been a manufacturer particularly associated with tour putters, but their Spider Tour model has been a game-changer for the brand and the players who are using it. You can’t tune in to a tournament now without seeing at least one player in contention using one. It all began when Jason Day asked for a smaller version of the Ghost Spider putter early last year. TaylorMade’s engineers made him a prototype which Day put in the bag at last year’s Masters. He went on to record the best statistical putting season in history (he picked up 1.13 shots on the field average per round on the greens) on his way to the top of the world rankings. People noticed. Dustin Johnson wanted a piece of the action and…

1 Down but not out Injury limits IJP to just 13 events during the 2015-16 season, forcing him to miss four months and the Ryder Cup. He’s awarded a Major Medical Exemption for 2016-17. When he does return, he has 10 events to earn 218 Fed ExCup points or $347,634, the points/ money needed equal to the top 125 in those categories last year, which would keep him exempt for the rest of this season. 2 The chasing game Poults falls short of retaining his card by a single stroke in the 9th event, the RBC Heritage. Needing to finish top 30 and bank at least $30,624 in the final event, he misses the cut and loses his PGA Tour card. He vows to return. “You don’t get to #5…

1 Peace on earth The best thing to come out of Rory McIlroy’s wedding last month was perhaps a peace treaty between the warring factions of Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington. “We have had a chat because clearly there was an elephant in the room,” revealed Harrington. “We are in a great place. If anything, it has worked out for the better.” 2 Life after Nike Nine months after Nike’s exit from the equipment business, and after a period spent testing pretty much every brand out there, Rory McIlroy has signed a new “long-term” equipment deal with TaylorMade. The move represents a significant coup for TaylorMade who now have the world’s top three players using their clubs, along with Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Olympic champion Justin Rose and rising star…

The ideal finish My upper body is facing left of the target and leaning slightly to the right, my weight has transferred to the lead foot, my hands are extended behind my head and I’m perfectly balanced. The finish is a key position. Of course, impact is vital, but a good finish position will ‘trap’ a great impact position in the motion of your swing. If I have a good backswing position then it stands to reason that a swing that takes me to a good finish must pass through a great impact position to connect the two. Making a full and balanced rotation in the downswing takes my focus away from ‘hitting’ the ball. I want to make a swing and feel like the ball is getting in the…

Launch it lower A lower flight will produce a more penetrating trajectory that travels further into a headwind and doesn’t get blown off line so much in cross winds. It’s also effective for punching the ball under overhanging branches. It’s not often that you play in calm conditions. In fact, it can get a wee bit windy more often than not, especially here in the UK. And when that happens your shots are affected, no matter which direction the breeze is blowing from. But hardest of all to deal with is a strong headwind, one that demands you hit the ball lower than you would normally. Don’t panic though. With only a couple of little adjustments you can produce the lower trajectory you need to combat the wind. How to…

Keep it straight If you set up square, swing the putter head square to the swing, and hit the ball out the centre of the face, then your ball should roll straight in. It gives you great feedback on set-up and stroke. Set up a string line Simply tie a long piece of string to the top of two long tees or anything you can stick in the green. Find a straight putt and set the line straight and tight so you can putt the ball underneath the line. You will see a lot of guys using this drill on the practice green at Tour events. It’s one of my favourites because it does so many things with one simple set-up and you can use it on any length of…

The modern game appears to be all about power. If you look at the top of the world rankings, it’s dominated by big hitters. Guys who are below average in driving distance now struggle to contend on ever-lengthening courses – even if they have the best short games on the planet. The search for more distance – combined with modern golf equipment – has influenced how the world’s best players swing the club. What is viewed as the ideal technique has evolved, so how the likes of Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Bubba Watson power the ball looks rather different to the actions of past greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Sir Nick Faldo. Even for amateurs, more distance is a significant advantage. Stats guru Mark Broadie’s…

As Byron Nelson watched the 1967 US Open unfold from his commentary post in an ABC Sports television tower at Baltusrol Golf Club, he had more than a passing interest in the amateur threatening to steal the show. Nelson knew more about Marty Fleckman than almost anyone, having had instructed him for several years. “My coach at the University of Houston said, ‘I know you want to be a great player, how would you like to have Byron Nelson be your teacher?’” Fleckman recalled. “I was astounded. Coach arranged for me to meet Byron at a Pro-Am in Odessa, Texas, in 1964, and I established a very close relationship with him. He was like a second father to me.” And Nelson had reason to be proud of his pupil, who…

Oakland Hills, 1937 In his US Open debut, the big-hitting Snead, who was known to hit 300-yard-plus drives, entered the final round tied for second with Ralph Guldahl behind Ed Dudley. With his length advantage, Slammin’ Sam was widely expected to prevail over the demanding 7,000-yard course on the final day. However, while Dudley faded to a 76 on the last day, Guldahl shot a 69 to Snead’s 71 to win by two strokes. Medinah, 1949 In a tournament made notable by the appearance of the legendary Byron Nelson, who had come out of retirement to play, Snead started the final round six off the lead. However, he had the opportunity to force a play-off with overnight leader Cary Middlecoff – who had limped home with a 75 – if…

At the end of the day, golf is not about how well you play, it’s about how well you score. When I was paired with Tiger in the third round of the Open at St Andrews in 2005, I said to myself, “How are you going to beat Tiger Woods today, Monty?” Christ, I’m not going to outdrive him. I’m not going to hit better iron shots. I’m not going to chip as well. I’m not going to putt as well. I’m probably not as strong mentally, so how the hell am I going to beat him? I told myself: “I’m going to beat him by scoring lower than him today”. And I did. I shot 70 and he shot 71. When I first came out on Tour, I’d walk…

Wider blade The Queen B 8 is ideal for players who like a blade but need a bit more forgiveness. Classic look The BB1 is a traditional blade with a simple and unfussy look behind the ball. Queen B The Queen B putters feature a Micro-Honeycomb face, which produces a muted, yet crisp feel at impact. The Queen B 8 is a mid-size mix of blade and mallet that was designed based on feedback from tour players. It has weighting around the edge and a quarter-toe hang, which suits golfers with a slight arc to their stroke. The half-mallet Queen B 9 is for players with a more arced stroke. It has a gentle curvature towards the toe and a crescent milled neck for a compact and curved appearance. Both…

The Darkness Inspired by owner Bob Parsons, this model has a slightly larger head for added forgiveness, with moderate heel relief. Loft options The Sugar Daddy is available in 46-60° lofts, the Zulu and Romeo are available in 58° and 60° lofts, and the Darkness in 55° and 60° lofts. PXG’s new wedges look fantastic, but there’s plenty of performance-enhancing technology beneath the striking exterior. Each head is 100% milled from soft 8620 carbon steel, so every line, curve and angle is produced to exacting specifications for tour-quality performance. They are available in four sole designs. The Sugar Daddy is played by Lydia Ko and serves as a versatile one-size-fits-all option with a moderate initial angle with a blended sole design. The Romeo is inspired by Ryan Moore and incorporates…

After the highs of the 1990s and the relative hardship that followed at the start of this decade, the picture in Irish golf, as far as I can tell, is now considerably brighter. There might be one or two too many courses, especially of a similar ilk and seeking a limited overseas market, but fresh investment is manifesting itself in several refurbished courses and a little extra care on others. That is reflected in this refreshed ranking of the best of Ireland, and is especially relevant in the top 30, which is more competitive than I’ve known it to be. In addition to energised modern courses, traditional clubs are now more often looking candidly at their links and what can be done to improve it. From ‘Doonbeg’ to Portsalon, Portrush…

I have been advising at Royal County Down for over 20 years, first with Donald Steel and since 2005 with Mackenzie & Ebert. It has covered projects on the Championship links but also the 1995 Annesley extension, when the 7th and 8th (previously 9th and 10th) were added. That gave a first glimpse of the incredible dunescape and the sea beyond the current 8th. At that stage we looked at the area occupied by the three newest holes but it wasn’t until 2012 that the club asked me to assess an extension. Now, there are a number of views from the Annesley that could be considered the equal of any on the Championship. Although it is not one of the three new holes, the view beyond the 8th green is…

The worst aspect of compiling Top 100s is the removal of courses. We never do it lightly and always earnestly believe those coming in are superior, but it is not pleasant because we know staff at those clubs will work hard on the course and members will be proud of their venue. So, at least in part, we very much welcomed the fact that task was made easier for us in this list, with two courses being so rigorously redeveloped that ranking them would have had minimal worth given the finished results will be so vastly different and also still unknown. The most high profile is Adare, No.21 in 2015 and which has often been our top-ranked irish parkland. It is being renovated by Tom Fazio at the behest of…

I had a whole year to be in Britain and Ireland [to study], so I could linger in the most interesting places. I wasn’t on the clock or on anybody’s timetable. I remember going to Lahinch, for example, for two or three days. One day I just sat to the side of the Dell hole and watched groups play it; I watched the part you never see when you play the hole... where did your ball actually land and how did it react when it landed? It was fascinating. It was kind of the moment where I really thought ‘ok, this is different’. Somebody in one of those groups hit a ball way short on top of the dune in front of the green, 30ft above, looking straight down into…

Royal County Down is simply one of the best courses in the world. When it is playing very fast it’s a really, really tough challenge. Some of the shots you have to land 30 yards short of the green to keep the ball on the green. You don’t need much of a breeze around Royal County Down to present a tough challenge. The guys all loved it in the Irish Open, but I knew it would stack up very well against modern technology because it is a course that is a lot more about keeping the ball on the ground, as most links courses are. Modern technology, the way you see all the young kids playing nowadays, there’s more ‘through the air’ stuff... bombing it... hitting it a long way.…

Royal Porthcawl is my favourite. They’ve successfully extended the course to cope with how golf has moved on without sacrificing its original character. Aberdovey and Harlech probably haven’t quite kept up with the march of time as Porthcawl has. It is a shame in terms of hosting events but they are still great golf courses. ‘Harlech’, especially, 20 years ago was a wonderful par 69. I have always thought Ashburnham could be a wonderful course. They are limited financially to what they can change but it is a superb links as it is. I played there this year a couple of times for the first time in a long while and I thought ‘wow, they could do so much with this if they had backing’. Machynys is an excellent modern…

Porthcawl is a gem of a links that it is always wonderful to return to. When we were there for the Senior Open it reminded me what a good golf course it is. I remembered a few of the holes in 2014 from my visits many years ago and it can certainly measure up with any of the links in Britain. Every hole at Porthcawl can get you, but if you hit perfect shots, you can make birdie on any hole. Obviously there are a couple that are tougher because they are longer and if the dog-legs are against the wind it’s hard to hit the fairway. But part of the links challenge is trying to figure out which way the ball might bounce, play smart, and keep out of…

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY Pace is extremely important, even on short putts. I don’t understand why you would hit shorter putts harder, because it goes against everything we do to control pace on midrange and long putts. Hitting shorter putts harder makes it more difficult to control speed accurately on your next mid or long-range putt. PLAY FOR NINE INCHES PAST Scientific research has shown that speed that would take the ball nine inches past the hole is the optimum pace for holing a putt. I know some people argue that it’s easier to hit shorter putts harder and reduce the break, but this makes the hole smaller in real terms and it will leave you with the same tricky distance back again if you do miss.…

1 COMMENTATE TO CONCENTRATE Ask youself ‘What would a good shot look like here?’ or ‘How do I want the ball to fly?’ These types of questions narrow your focus and improve your concentration. 2 COMMIT FULLY TO THE SHOT Doubts about what you are trying to do or what you don’t want to happen erode your commitment. Rate each shot on a scale of 1-10 based on how well you executed the shot with freedom and confidence, without worrying about anything else. You will soon see a relationship between strong commitment and better scoring. 3 TRUST YOURSELF AND YOUR SWING We do things better when we think less about them. Learning to trust yourself and your swing is central to being able to swing purposefully without excessive thoughts. Like…

1 How to prepare like a pro A winning mentality is founded on confidence, and confidence is founded in knowing that you’ve left no stone unturned in your preparation. To help you achieve that peace of mind, we’ll reveal some of the success habits used by many of the world’s leading Tour professionals. 2 Making your practice count Once you’ve started to think and prepare like a seasoned and successful Tour professional, we’ll show you how to get the most out of every range session. Contrary to what you might think, standing on the practice tee hitting 7-irons into the distance is not working on your game! 3 Long-game techniques Great preparation and smart on-course thinking can only get you so far. To play your best and to win, you…

UP Kevin Chappell Finally a winner, in the Valero Texas Open, at the 180th time of asking, a birdie putt on the last relegating six runner-up spots to the trashcan of his mind. “A big relief.” Alexander Levy Stole a play-off victory in the Volvo China Open and immediately turned his thoughts to next year’s Parisian Ryder Cup. “It’s a dream for me,” he confirmed. John Daly On his 22nd start, Wild Thing has his first PGA Tour Champions victory after a one-stroke win at the Insperity Invitational. It’s his first victory on US soil in 13 long years. Sergio Garcia His best Masters-winner’s perk so far? Performing a ceremonial kick off before the Real Madrid-Barcelona Clasico, while dressed in the Green Jacket. DOWN Jason Dufner A bogey putt on…

One of the perks of winning 14 majors was, for Tiger Woods, future tournament exemptions. But not even Tiger can dine on former glory forever. His victory on one leg at Torrey Pines in 2008 secured a 10-year exemption, but that runs out in 2018. After that, Tiger will be at the mercy of form and fitness. There are multiple ways to qualify, but it boils down to being in the world’s top 50 around four weeks prior to the event. If Tiger cannot reverse his slide (he’s 788 and falling), from 2019 onwards, he’d need to go through US Open qualifying, taking his chances over 36 holes in a local qualifier. It begs the question: which other big-name events may soon be without golf’s biggest draw?…

Of the guys at the very top of the rankings, if I had to pick one above all others then I’d say Rory. When he’s on he can be unbeatable with the way he drives it so far and straight. His game is predicated on his driving so if he’s hitting it well off the tee he’s going to have wedges into everything and when his iron play is on it’s laser-like. He just gets in a zone. They’re all great players at the top but yeah, he’s the guy whose game is probably most similar to mine and I feel like challenges me the most.…

1. Dustin Johnson – won Genesis Open and first two WGCs of 2017. 3. Jason Day 6. Sergio Garcia – 1.65 putts per GIR, only one three-putt at Augusta. 12. Jon Rahm 17. Charl Schwartzel 40. Gary Woodland 45. Ross Fisher – four top-sixes in five starts. 52. Brian Harman – holed 28-foot birdie putt to win Wells Fargo. 72. Joost Luiten 82. James Hahn 87. Ryan Palmer 88. Sunghoon Kang – holed 300ft of putts as he raced to the 36-hole lead at the Shell Houston Open. 100. Jordan Smith…

Luke Donald’s runner-up spot at the RBC Heritage last month was notable for two things. First, for the fact that victory in that tournament somehow continues to elude him. Since 2009 he’s finished 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 37th, 3rd, 2nd, 15th, 2nd and 2nd. More notable though was Donald’s short game. At Harbour Town, Donald put on a masterclass of how to escape the sand, holing out from everywhere, including a brilliant birdie save on the 11th that kept him in touch of eventual winner Wesley Bryan. Consider it a very timely return to form in one of the strongest areas of his game. He currently tops the Tour’s sand save stat, as he did in 2006, 2009 and 2010 – en route to becoming world number one. This season he…

While hard to imagine a more spectacular canvas for our game, it’s equally difficult to conceive of a routing plan that incorporates as much ocean or coastal variety as this one. Why play golf, if not to discover places like this? Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the opening sequence is not how good the holes are individually, but how quickly they can appear overwhelmed by the rest. The finishing run is outrageously scenic, and in between are some glorious inland holes and a four-hole stretch, from 9-12, that almost defies description. The diversity of vegetation is a genuine attraction here. While the greatness of many holes is apparent at first glance here, others are more mysterious and take a little time to understand and appreciate. The routing flows effortlessly…

‘The biggest contributor to slow play is that players are petrified of making the wrong rules decisions’ There are two ways to look at using green-reading books. Does it take the skill out of putting or is it a new skill learned? I believe it’s the latter. You still have to interpret the information and make a decision based on the data. No green-reading book is ever going to be able to tell you the exact line, so there’s always a decision to make, which is exactly the same as reading a green in the traditional way. You still need to use your skill and experience to get the right read. Then you have to actually hit the putt with the right line and speed, of course. I’ve been using…

1. Ball slightly back I play the ball back a little bit in my set-up, just ahead of the centre of my chest. This allows me to make a crisp, clean strike on the ball. I see a lot of amateurs play the ball too far forward in their stance. This can cause all sorts of problems, including the club getting ahead of your hands too soon, which can lead to some pretty bad mishits. 2. Left shoulder under chin Another thing I’ve worked really hard on with Butch is making sure I maintain good width in my swing by getting my left shoulder under my chin as I rotate in the backswing. This gets the club on a neutral plane and helps prevent me from getting too steep on…

One thing that can help every level of player is to remember what the clubhead is doing. It’s easy to get caught up in body positions and swing thoughts, but the club is the most important thing. I see golfers make the mistake of being ‘drawn’ to the ball so their hands and the grip end are way ahead of the clubhead at impact. This has a negative effect on your swing path and attack angle. I regularly tell myself – and try to ‘feel’ – that the clubhead should always be ‘ahead’ of the hands on the way down. Replicate address at impact The easiest way to keep the clubhead ahead is by thinking of your address and impact positions matching up as closely as possible. This is not…

Amateurs don’t build enough precision into their short game. They rely on feel to get the ball close. It works occasionally, but not all the time, because you’re not building consistency into your technique. You must have an element of repeatability when pitching – and this begins by ensuring the follow-through is a mirror image of the takeaway. This helps you be precise on different distances, and improves the quality of your strike as well. Work out how far you carry the ball with your 56° wedge with these three swing lengths. Once you’re happy with that, add more distances by using your other wedges. HALF SWING Swinging the shaft to parallel to the ground on the way back and the way through sends the ball about 30 yards. THREE-QUARTER…

1 608 YARDS, PAR 5 A scoring opportunity to start on the first US Open site to play to par 72 since Pebble Beach Golf Links in 1992. The hole slopes right to left toward wetland, with a cluster of bunkers 50 yards short of the green. The Strategy A drive down the left of the fairway can cut off the dog-leg but anything pulled or mishit could find the wetlands. Most players will look to play a draw off the fairway bunkers that cut in at around 300 yards. The Wind Variable. Fry researched the US Open-week weather in Erin, Wis., for the last five years, discovering that the wind blew from four directions and a couple of days from multiple directions on the same day. The wind velocity…

1 What type of player does Erin Hills suit? “Most people’s first reaction when they find out Erin Hills is 7,693 yards long is ‘Wow, you had better hit it a long way,’” says the USGA’s Jeff Hall. “Of course distance will be a plus, but it’s important to note that it’s the first US Open venue since 1992 to feature four par 5s (as opposed to two). This should mean there are two more opportunities for good wedge play to come to the fore.” So the course will suit big hitters with sharp wedge games who eat par 5s for breakfast, so the first three key stats we are going to look at to discover a potential winner are driving distance, approaches from 50-125 yards and par-5 scoring. “Another…

Detailed hole maps The high-quality display on the WTX gives you the same detailed view you would expect from a handheld GPS unit. Quick yardages The WT6 delivers quick and accurate distances to the green and hazards. GolfBuddy, which develops distance measuring devices exclusively for golfers, has released two new GPS watches. The WTX is their most advanced model to date, delivering all the functionality of a handheld unit in a compact and stylish watch. You can use the touch screen to navigate the course and functions with ease. All the standard information like distances to front, middle and back of the green are complemented by a view of the complete hole layout, with golfer position, Dynamic Green View, shot distance measurement and pin position selection for even greater precision.…

What are the key clubs in your set? Like most people I focus on my ‘scoring’ clubs at either end of the set – the driver and my wedges and putter. I spend a lot of time each winter testing new drivers. Ideally, I look for a ball speed that is over 170mph. But that has to be matched up with an appropriate spin rate to make sure there’s control as well as yardage. I look for a spin rate around 2,500rpm. It’s all about finding the right compromise between pure distance and hitting enough fairways to give yourself a chance with the approach shots. And with the club I have now I think I’ve found the ideal balance for the first time, which is quite exciting. Sounds like you…

I’ve always said Portrush is right there at the top as one of my favourite courses, if not my favourite course, in Ireland. I like the fact it’s a links course that gives you something. I have often found it frustrating playing a links course – even if the fact that I won two Opens on the tougher links courses kind of goes against it. But, it’s tough when you go out on a links and you feel like you’re only going one direction; that you can make a bogey and you’re never getting it back. Whereas at Portrush, the beauty of it is, if you hit good shots, you can make birdies and eagles and if you hit bad shots you are making bogeys and double-bogeys. It entices you…

How did you get started in golf course architecture? It’s a long story... My dad was in golf and I just met some great people. My big break came while working at Paradise Island in the Bahamas. I was introduced to Mr Trent Jones Snr. I left the Bahamas to work with him. Then, having got friendly with Gary Player at Paradise Island, we started Kirby Player. After 16 years I went to work with Jack Nicklaus until I was 60. I then freelanced, helping Jack with projects as well as some of my own. Who influenced you? Trent Jones Snr, Nicklaus, Pete Dye and James Braid. Has your philosophy changed over the years? No, it is the same: find the best holes you can, build with quality, make it…

The new holes on the Dunluce were created with catering for Open infrastructure in 2019 to the fore, but it is their impact on the historic course’s quality that concern us here. Do they enhance an already stellar links? Do they fit seamlessly into the existing routing? Are they in character with the rest of one of the UK’s great courses? Golf World was given privileged access to the new duo, which fit in as the 7th and 8th, two months before they were officially open – and were accompanied by Martin Ebert, the man who created them. They are, in terms of character, closer to the other 16 holes than the pair they replace, 17 and 18, which sit on flatter terrain. The 7th snakes down a dune corridor,…

1 Royal County Down (Ch’ship) 2 Royal Portrush (Dunluce) 3 Waterville 4 Lahinch (Old) 5 Portmarnock 6 Ballybunion (Old) 7 The European 8 Trump Doonbeg 9 County Sligo 10 Carne 11 Ballyliffin (Glashedy) 12 County Louth 13 The Island 14 Enniscrone 15 Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) 16 Old Head of Kinsale 17 Tralee 18 Lough Erne 19 Donegal 20 Mount Juliet 21 Portstewart (Strand) 22 Portmarnock Links 23 The K Club (Palmer) 24Portsalon 25 Connemara 26Ballyliffin (Old) 27Druids Glen 28 Castlerock 29 Ballybunion (Cashen) 30 Headfort (New) 31 Ceann Sibeal 32Carton House (Montgomerie) 33 Dooks 34 Rosapenna (Old Tom) 35Killeen Castle 36 Killarney (Killeen) 37Concra Wood 38 Narin & Portnoo 39Ardglass 40 Royal Dublin 41Royal Portrush (Valley) 42 Macreddin 43Slieve Russell 44 Malone 45Cork 46 Carlow 47Fota Island 48 Belvoir Park…

My favourite is ‘Harlech’. It is a links, firstly, and it offers the best challenge, with a good combination of holes, challenging par 3s and it’s well bunkered. It’s always been my No.1. Is it tough enough for tour players today? Possibly not. But it is a par 69! I haven’t played Porthcawl since all the changes, but I’m sticking with Harlech anyway. It is a great course though, with a great start. It is built for the wind coming off the sea so if it turns the other way it doesn’t work as well. I am a big fan of Ashburnham too. The 1st is a par 3 and it is usually said the last four aren’t great but I don’t think 17 is bad, just a straightaway sort…

1 Royal Porthcawl 2 Royal St David’s 3 Aberdovey 4 Pennard 5 Ashburnham 6 Celtic Manor 2010 7 Pyle & Kenfig 8 Tenby 9 Conwy 10 Borth & Ynyslas 11 Southerndown 12 Porthmadog 13 Nefyn 14 Abersoch 15 Pwllheli 16 North Wales 17 Machynys Peninsula 18 Llandudno (Maesdu) 19 Wrexham 20 Holyhead 21 Marriott St Pierre 22 Llandrindod Wells 23 Bull Bay 24 Vale Resort (Wales National) 25 Rolls of Monmouth 26 Llangland Bay 27 Rhuddlan 28 Celtic Manor (Montgomerie) 29 Cardigan 30 Welshpool 31 Cradoc 32 Clyne 33 Aberystwyth 34 Celtic Manor (Roman Road) 35 Prestatyn 36 Newport 37 Whitchurch 38 Vale of Llangollen 39 Caernarfon 40 Cardiff 41 Radyr 42 Neath 43 Abergele 44 Carmarthen 45 The Monmouthshire 46 Wenvoe Castle 47 Mold 48 Builth Wells 49 Northop…

The automatic reaction of many amateurs when they mishit chips is to move the ball back in their stance to try and hit the ball before the turf. But the ball back and the shaft leaning forward makes the attack angle steeper and reduces the margin for error at impact. You might make contact, but you’ll have less control and consistency. For crisp and repeatable contact, and an increased margin for error, you need a shallower attack angle. 1 Stand upright to the ball with your feet close together, heels square to the target, ball in the centre of your heels and the club pointing straight forwards out of your belly button. 2 Keep the club in place and turn your upper body a little towards the target so it…

DON’T GET TOO GREEDY Anywhere on the green is pretty good so don’t be too greedy with your line, or try to stop it quickly. Accept that it’s going to come out low and release more than usual so aim for a fat part of the green and make sure your next shot is a putt. Jose Ferreira is the head professional at Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Portugal. All his instruction was shot on location at the resort. www.quintadolago.com…

What was your favourite TV show growing up? Well, we only had three channels and I wasn’t really a big TV person. Growing up on a farm, it wasn’t my favourite thing to do. But we had this great show called ‘Hey, Hey it’s Saturday’, a fun comedy show we loved watching as a family. I loved to watch Maxwell Smart (Get Smart) and Hogan’s Heroes. I loved what was our ESPN, the ABC Wide World of Sports, in my teens. But I’d only be watching TV when it was raining outside. Rage was a channel like MTV that would come on at the weekend. They still have it today, with the same opening music to it. What was your first job? Outside of working on the farm, it was…

With the ball in the middle of your stance, feel like your left shoulder tilts slightly downwards to match the slight forward lean of the shaft. Control the shot as you would a long-range putt, allowing your shoulders and arms to move the club back and through. Maintaining your spine tilt, focus on keeping your shirt buttons left of the ball to create a downward strike and use the full loft of the club.…