Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Golf World

I first walked into the Golf World office on Monday, July 23, 1990, ready to start my new job only to find it eerily deserted and my boss nowhere to be seen. As it turned out – along with pretty much the entire company – he was still in St Andrews, somewhat worse for wear after a late-night party following Nick Faldo’s Open victory. As first days go, it was pretty low key but that was just about as sedate as life ever got on the magazine in those days. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, a plethora of British and European major-winning golfers had stimulated huge public and commercial interest in the sport and, with 300-page issues to fill, my duties as a lowly assistant editor ranged from…

ON HIS BEGINNING… “I started swinging a club at the age of four. I was completely hooked by the time I was seven or eight. Like most other boys, I had been interested in baseball and football, but I gradually pushed these sports into the background. Golf felt more competitive, it had more thrills and satisfaction. I was on my own at golf. I did not have to depend on anybody else. If I won, it was my victory.” ON RIGHTING WRONGS… “Even in those days, I hated to hit a bad shot. It made me feel awful. Without constant pressure from my teachers I would never have done my school homework, but nobody had to urge me to do my golfing homework. When something went wrong with my shots…

STRANGE FOOD “Why should I bother with the British Open, with its usually lousy weather that ruins my swing, the time changes, the strange food in old hotels, just out of respect for tradition. If your guys don’t respect our tour I think you will find fewer and fewer Americans will come over for the British Open when our old guard has passed on.” An unnamed PGA Tour player reveals frustration that Britain and Europe’s top golfers are staying away | September 1980 FALDO HAS NO FEAR “Because I have the utmost confidence in my own ability I am not subjected to the normal pressures associated with top class golf. Pressure only builds up when you doubt your ability – and I do not doubt my ability.” Nick Faldo laughs…

I must begin with a confession. When I was tasked with poring through dozens of weighty, dusty tomes, containing hundreds of issues of Golf World, I wasn’t overly thrilled. Lots of them were in black and white. Many were printed long before I was born. It felt like the kind of history homework your least favourite teacher would set you just as you were packing up your rucksack on the last day of term, one foot out the door, about to escape for the holidays. There were 12 or 13 full magazines in every volume. They were heavy. Some were suspiciously stained. They filled my car boot, and a large part of me wanted to leave them there. But what I expected to be a chore quickly turned into a…

Bandon Dunes lies just off Highway 101, a 10-minute drive from the seaside town of Bandon and a 35-minute drive from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend. The airport is served by flights from Denver and San Francisco. That’s the easy part of your journey. The harder part is getting to either of those airports – from London it’s a 10-hour flight to the former, 11-and-a-bit to the latter. It being a long way to go, you’ll need lodging. Happily, you have multiple options here, including cottages, secluded buildings and a coastal lodge. Rates vary and are too numerous and nuanced to cover here. For full details, visit www.bandondunesgolf.com Rates for the five courses – Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald and Sheep Ranch – run from…

1 Turnberry (Ailsa) SCOTLAND Designer(s): Ross/Ebert Score 90.6/100 2 Royal County Down IRELAND Designer(s): Morris/Steel Score 90.0 3 Royal Portrush IRELAND Designer(s): Morris/Colt/ Ebert Score 89.9 4 St Andrews (Old) SCOTLAND Designer(s): Unknown/Morris/Robertson/ M Hawtree Score 89.8 5 Muirfield SCOTLAND Designer(s): Morris/Colt/ M Hawtree Score 89.7 6 Royal Dornoch SCOTLAND Designer(s): Morris/Duncan/Steel/Mackenzie Score 89.1 7 Sunningdale (Old) ENGLAND Designer(s): Park Jr/Colt/ Steel Score 88.1 8 Carnoustie SCOTLAND Designer(s): Robertson/Morris/Wright/ M Hawtree/Ebert Score 87.8 9 Royal Birkdale ENGLAND Designer(s): Lowe/ F Hawtree/JH Taylor/ M. Hawtree Score 87.3 10 Royal St George’s ENGLAND Designer(s): Purves/Colt/ Ebert Score 87.2 11 Waterville IRELAND Designer(s): Hackett/Fazio Score 86.5 12= Kingsbarns SCOTLAND Designer(s): K Phillips and M Parsinen Score 86.4 12= Ballybunion Old…

1 Tralee Golf Links IRELAND Arnold Palmer’s ‘baby’ is perhaps the best golf course design in Europe. The first nine is fairly flat and extends along a rocky shore. However, what is truly breath-taking is the second part – massive dunes, overgrown ravines and the raging Atlantic Ocean. “The first nine was created by myself, the second by God,” Palmer once said. 2 Prestwick SCOTLAND Everything you need to know about Prestwick can be found on the 1st tee. The short opener runs alongside the railway while an instruction board suggests how to play it. Blind holes, eccentric routing, crumpled fairways and epic bunkering are just a few wonders of the world’s 17th oldest golf course. Airplanes fly low above the plateau between the 6th and the 9th…

1 Utrecht de Pan UTRECHT In a forest setting such as De Pan, tranquility is expected and duly delivered. The only background noises are the occasional rustle of deer, foxes and rabbits disturbing the leaf and pine-needle floor. This peaceful environment is felicitous, for De Pan’s aesthetic beauty deserves to be enjoyed without distraction. 2 Noordwijkse NOORDWIJK A true links golf, although the dunes are so high you cannot see the sea from any point on the course. Featuring small, perched greens, penal rough and tight fairways, this is very much a design for the more accomplished player. However, although there is plenty of greenery and lush vegetation, it is every still very much a genuine links experience. 3 The Kennemer ZANDVOORT The third of four Dutch courses in the…

1 Castlemartyr COUNTY CORK Nestled within the grounds of a five-star resort, the Ron Kirby-designed course at Castlemartyr is characterised by gentle swales and has a low-lying inland links feel. Situated on 220 acres, the resort’s centrepiece is a 17th century country manor house that sits adjacent to the ruins of an 800-year-old-castle. It has been elegantly enhanced to offer 103 guest rooms. 2 Tulfarris Golf Resort WICKLOW A picturesque lakeside 18-hole course accompanied by one of the most charming hotels in Wicklow, Tulfarris has flown under the radar for far too long. It is set on the banks of Blessington Lakes against a mountainous backdrop, yet is only a 45-minute drive from Dublin. Delicious food, relaxed bars and deluxe guest accommodation. 3 Powerscourt Hotel & Resort WICKLOW Two championship…

1 Argentario TUSCANY Located on Monte Argentario, in Maremma, a beautiful and still unexplored part of Southern Tuscany. This high-calibre complex has 73 rooms, villas and a championship course. Thanks to the hills and lagoon, Argentario has its own micro climate, meaning golf is possible all year round. 2 Verdura SICILY Sicily is a fascinating mix of historic cities, volcanic landscapes, fertile wine regions, picture-perfect towns and mile-upon-mile of sandy beaches. It is also home to Sir Rocco Forte Hotels’ luxury Verdura resort. Occupying a prime site on the sun-drenched south-west coast, the resort boasts 168 rooms, 29 suites and six villas that offer sea and course views. Pricey but sublime. 3 Biella TURIN The highest riser in our most recent 2018 Continental European Resorts list thanks largely to increased…

In recent years, there has been a trend towards using the upper body to control pitch shots. Turning the chest back and through, many players will tell you, is the key to more consistent striking and better distance control. While there is some truth to that, it doesn’t tell the whole story. The missing ingredient is wrist action. As you can see from the sequence opposite, we see Jordan demonstrating a wonderful upright swing movement with plenty of wrist hinge back and through. It’s important to understand the upright shaft angle of a wedge will naturally give you the wrist action needed to keep your swing on the correct plane. From 5-iron to driver, you don’t need that level of wrist action. With those clubs, there’s more emphasis on forearm…

Since our merger with Today’s Golfer was announced, we’ve received many heartfelt letters and messages. We feel this one most appropriately summarises the sentiment shown. MR WRIGHT, The letter informing me that Golf World would cease to exist dropped on my door mat last week. A letter I thought would never happen! I was initially amazed and annoyed. With everything going on in the world, not having your fantastic magazine arrive every month from now on is a very depressing thought. I am writing to the Golf World Editor for the first time after reading the mag since November 1985 when I was only 14 (dreadful that I never picked up the pen to write to express my gratitude to you in producing such a consistently fantastic magazine). I am…

KICK THE HELL OUT OF HIM “Desire is the most important thing in sport. I have it. Jeez, no one has any more than I got. I admire a guy with will and drive, the kind that will beat you 10 and eight if he has a chance. Pour it on. I think you got to be that way in sport. A lot of guys on the Tour are nice guys, but that’s the trouble with them – they’re too nice. They’ll never win with that attitude. I wouldn’t hurt a chicken crossing the road, but if I got a man in trouble on the golf course, I’d kick the hell out of him. I don’t care if he’s my best friend.” Sam Snead wouldn’t be a fan of today’s…

THE CAR PARK CHAMPION “That nickname makes me laugh because you don’t win tournaments by hitting the ball in the car park and all over the place. Obviously if I had been a little less erratic off the tee then I would probably have won more, but you can’t win 89 tournaments just with a good short game. I have to say that clearly yes, I don’t think over the years that there is anyone to match me in the short game, but I haven’t been as bad as people think off the tee.” Seve on Seve | 1998 WALKING ON WATER “Seve was the best player in the world for a number of years and was the mirror for all the players. He was our inspiration, but the magic…

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. In the right conditions, it can grow four centimetres in an hour, reach 100 foot in height and 12 inches in diameter. For centuries, it has been used to help build roads, houses, furniture, clothes, scaffolding, nappies, beer, musical instruments, animal feed, jewellery… and more. You can now add golf tees to that list. Ed Sandison was a beach-living marine biologist in Madagascar before becoming a high-flying city accountant. But each day, during his 90-minute round trip commute, Sandison was dreaming of ways to combine his two great passions – golf and the environment – in a new business venture. “I was thinking about the things every golfer uses, and this was early 2016 when the public’s awareness of plastic…

1 Practise putts to a narrow target “For ages golfers have talked about putting into a ‘bucket’ around the hole. I prefer to go the other way and be very specific. I figure that if I aim small, I’ll miss small. So I pick as narrow a target as possible. On the course I like to go for the hole. But if you’re on the practice green, put a few tees down three feet from the hole and try to get it within that box. I also keep the stroke brisk on longer putts – controlling a slow-moving putter over a long distance is awkward and unnatural. And I always approach the putt with a purposeful attitude. Try it – you’ll be pleased with the results.” 2 Pace yourself with…

Ross McMurray designed Woburn’s Marquess Course and there is definitely a flavour of that at Royal Norwich. The first 10 holes weave seamlessly through mature pines, using the natural landscape to frame the holes perfectly. His brief was to create a course that looked as though it had always been there, and he has certainly achieved that. A short stretch of the back nine brings variety, feeling more like an inland links, before you return to the tree-flanked fairways for the final furlong. The 17th is undoubtedly the signature hole. A par 3 over water, playing anything from 95 yards to 164 yards, depending on your tee choice, can easily define your scorecard and change how you feel about your round. The overall design is big and bold, without feeling…

ON HOME SOIL 15th North Berwick Mike Clayton 4th Royal County Down Martin Ebert 4th Royal West Norfolk Martin Ebert 8th Royal Troon Martin Ebert 4th Swinley Forest Frank Pont 16th Royal Portrush Frank Pont 3rd New Zealand Frank Pont 11th The Old Course Mike Clayton 8th St George’s Hill David McLay Kidd 5th Lahinch David McLay Kidd FURTHER AFIELD 15th De Pan (FP) 5th Hardelot (FP) 5th Hirono (ME) 10th Pine Valley, NJ (ME) 15th Kingston Heath (MC) 16th Cypress Point (MC) 7th Barnbougle Dunes (MC) 10th Pine Valley (DMK) 16th Cypress Point (DMK) 6th Gamble Sands (DMK)…

1 Royal Birkdale SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE Exudes quality everywhere you look and scores highly in any assessment criteria you care to think of. Unusually for a links, Birkdale is characterised by pancake-flat fairways that flow through tall dunes and prehistoric foliage. Tough but fair, two par 5s to finish give you a shot at salvaging a score down the stretch. 2 Formby FORMBY, MERSEYSIDE Formby is part-links, part-heathland, part-parkland and part-woodland. To waste time trying to categorise Formby is to miss its unique hybrid charm. There are few courses where you could play with a fourball, each of whom preferring different things from a golf course, and yet all walk off the 18th completely satisfied. Formby is one of them. 3 Royal Liverpool WIRRAL, MERSEYSIDE All things considered, not the most…

1 Morfontaine PARIS, FRANCE Although a woodland course at heart, the trees are used to delightfully frame fairways, provide quiet seclusion and offer teasing glimpses of other holes. At 6,580 yards off the tips, with a par of 70, Le Grand Parcours is not long but demands accuracy off the tee. It is a very good walking course, with tee boxes close to sprawling greens. 2 Royal Zoute KNOKKE, BELGIUM A largely flat, but nonetheless technically highly interesting early Harry Colt layout from the days when he was the Sunningdale club secretary. Although it has been recently refreshed, the championship course still bears all the famous Colt trademarks, including subtle, cleverly protected greens and contoured fairways. 3 Falsterbo MALMO, SWEDEN About as close to a genuine links course as you’ll…

1 Gleneagles Scotland 94/100 2 Trump Turnberry Scotland 93 3 Trump International Scotland 81 4= Trump Ireland Ireland 80 4= The K Club Ireland 80 6= Adare Manor Ireland 78 6= Celtic Manor Wales 78 6= Stoke Park England 78 9= The Belfry England 76 9= Carton House Ireland 76 11 Carnoustie Scotland 75 12= Waterville Golf Links Ireland 74 12= Lough Erne Ireland 74 12= Archerfield House Scotland 74 15 St Mellion England 73 16 Machrihanish Dunes Scotland 72 17= Mount Juliet Ireland 71 17= Fairmont St Andrews Scotland 71 17= Old Course Hotel/ Duke’s, Scotland 71 17= Rosapenna Ireland 71 17= Dromoland Castle Ireland 71 22= The Machrie Scotland 70 22= The Grove England 70 24= Foxhills England 69 24= Close House England 69 24= Portmarnock Hotel Ireland…

1 Terre Blanche France 95.4/100 2 PGA Catalunya Spain 93.8 3 Carya Turkey 93.3 4 Praia D’El Rey, Portugal 91.9 5 Quinta do Lago, Portugal 91.8 6 Verdura Italy 91.6 7 Golf du Medoc France 91.0 8= Finca Cortesin Spain 88.7 8= Antalya GC Turkey 88.7 10 Maxx Royal Turkey 88.6 11 La Manga Spain 88.3 12 Costa Navarino Greece 88.2 13 Gloria Turkey 87.8 14= Le Golf National France 87.6 14= Oitavos Dunes Portugal 87.6 16 Real Club El Prat Spain 87.3 17 Troia Portugal 87.2 18= San Lorenzo Portugal 87.0 18= Penha Longa Portugal 87.0 20 Le Touquet France 86.9 21 Cornelia Turkey 86.2 22 Budersand Germany 86.1 23 PGA National Sweden 86.0 24 Royal Obidos Portugal 85.7 25= Evian France 85.4 25= Moliets France 85.4 25= Aphrodite…

The reason a lot of amateurs struggle with the short game is because they simply don’t understand the way the club should be delivered to the ball to produce different shots. It all starts with getting the right set-up, because if you don’t do that, it’s almost impossible to produce the shot you want. Get comfortable and confident with the basic fundamentals of the pitch and chip-and-run shots and your short game and scores will improve. Over the next couple of pages, I’ll show you how to master the basics of the setup and the swing. MASTER THE BASIC PITCHING SET-UP There’s no magical secret to setting up to play a controlled pitch. Since you’re usually looking for less distance than on a full-out shot, you can take off yardage…

SOREN KJELDSEN The Danish European Tour professional is widely regarded as a fairway wood maestro. We asked him to reveal a few of his keys for better ball-striking. GW: What’s the No.1 thing you think about when hitting a fairway wood off the deck? SK: In my experience, many amateurs are unsure what they’re trying to achieve. Most of them are thinking way too much about positions and technique, which often leads to them hitting down on the ball too much and taking divots, as they would with a mid-iron. That will never produce consistent shots. Instead, keep it simple. Think about sweeping the ball away and leaving the grass looking exactly the same as it did before you hit the shot. GW: Why do many amateurs struggle…

You’ve got to work with the bounce to be a good greenside bunker player by throwing the club down into impact. To do this, you must release the wrist hinge earlier in the downswing than for a chip and imagine the clubhead catching up with your hands. The time to release the hinge is when you feel the club dragging in the downswing. Holding the club only with your left hand means you have to release the wrist hinge and clubhead as it’s so hard to drag it one-handed. Thomas Detry is a European Tour winner LEFT HAND ONLY Let the club release when it wants to, hit down into the sand firmly and let the bounce help the club glide through and pop the ball out. Don’t worry about…

The idea of playing to your strengths and limiting the impact your weaknesses have on your game sounds so simple, but most amateurs don’t think this way. A realistic gameplan based on your true abilities and what the design of each hole wants you to do will make the game feel much more simple and lead to lower scores without having to change your game or pull off any special shots. Do the simple things you know you can achieve more often and you will play better golf. Bernd Wiesberger is a seven-time European Tour winner LOOK FOR THE PIN The pin position changes the best way to play a hole, dictating the angle and distance you want to leave yourself. Make it easier for yourself by giving yourself lines…

A sand wedge’s bounce is there to make it easier to play bunker shots. But it only works if you set up to take advantage of it. Adopt a wide stance with the ball well forward, opposite your left heel. Flare your lead toe outwards to get your knee out over your shoe; this improves stability and stops you falling onto the back foot in the downswing. The spine should be pretty much vertical rather than leaning away from the target. From this position, you can be confident that the bounce will stop the club digging and release your hands down and through the sand with a scything motion that keeps the grooves facing the sky beyond impact.…

June 2, 1986. That was the day I walked into what was then Golf World’s waterside office in Millharbour on the Isle of Dogs for the very first time. June 29, 2020. And here I am writing this column, for what is, sadly, the last printed edition of what I firmly believe is the best golf magazine in the UK market. Anyway, all those years ago, I was an ‘editorial assistant’ earning £9,000 per annum (plus luncheon vouchers) and living with my dad’s cousin, Bill, and his wife, Zena, in Beckenham. Sadly no longer with us, Bill was a former captain at Royal Blackheath and a truly awful golfer. He wasn’t a bad caddie, though. On my bag for the first round of the 1976 (British) Boys Championship at Sunningdale,…

THE PGA PARTY BOY “When not playing golf I tend to cut myself loose and raise hell and have just a wonderful time at any party I can find. When I play golf I really get down to it. But my belief is that you have to get right away from it to relax – let yourself go and forget all about it.” Golf World meets young Raymond Floyd, aged 22 | March 1967 THE TOWERING INFERNO “I’ve never broken a club, bent one, or stuck one in the ground. When I’ve had my temper tantrums out there I have tossed one down five or 10 yards away. I’m fighting myself all the time. I don’t run and bash my club against a tree, but rather drop my chin on…

Dozens of golf clubs have signed up to the Ocean Tee Crowd, while the European Tour’s Oman Open took the tees for its pro-am and the EuroPro Tour uses them for every event. But now, Sandison has his eyes on the potential for the brand, from Ocean Tee clothing (the new polo shirt, pictured right) to a sustainable stamp of approval for golf and increasing its work with environmental charities. “Right now, 25 per cent of all our profit goes to charities directly tackling plastic pollution,” he says. “But we’re broadening that so we’re actually organising direct initiatives – like beach cleans and plastic pollution awareness sessions. We’re working with The Golf Trust to teach kids about plastic pollution, and the simple changes they can make to avoid it. I…

Playing the par-5 15th in the final round of the 1935 Masters – the second one to be held, in the days before it was called the Masters – Gene Sarazen needed to play the last four holes in three-under par in order to tie the clubhouse lead. As if not to waste time, his 4-wood second shot landed on the green and then rolled into the cup for an albatross two. ‘Forget sudden-death. This was more like being hung, drawn and quartered; a slow form of torture’ Sarazen’s miracle shot meant negative consequences for another player in the field that day. Meet Craig Wood, the Greg Norman of the 1930s, the man who had been in sole possession of the lead until Sarazen’s dramatics. If you think Norman’s play-off…

1 New model membership Most clubs are fighting a losing battle to retain existing members and attract new ones. Points-based memberships serve many people better nowadays and are a great way to get more people into the club and spending money, particularly at off-peak times. 2 Inclusive, not exclusive Some clubs can afford to remain completely private – some even trade on being ultra-exclusive – but the majority need to attract paying customers. Allowing people into the club isn’t enough – what are you doing to encourage and welcome them? Remember you are competing with all the other leisure options available to them. 3 Gender neutral Across Europe, 27 per cent of golfers are female. In the UK, it’s 15 per cent. That represents a huge opportunity…

1 THE REDAN Its name taken from a military fortification, the original Redan can be traced back to the 15th hole at the West Links of North Berwick GC, the original Redan and a design copied the world over. Typically ranging from 180-215 yards, traditional Redans feature a green sloping from front to back and angled from front right to back left. The classic Redan has an open approach to the green, designed to allow shots to roll onto the putting surface and encourage a long iron shot with a shallow trajectory. Deep bunkering complicates calculations on a hole that can yield birdies, pars and big numbers for golfers of all abilities. 2 THE BIARRITZ Traced back to the 3rd hole at what is now known as La Phare Course…

1 Sunningdale (Old) BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND The legendary and much revered Old Course was designed by the legendary Willie Park Jr and opened for play in 1901 before being enhanced by Harry Colt, who also was the club’s first secretary. Sunningdale’s sublime sandy turf is decorated with pine and birch trees, heather, gorse and rhododendrons. 2 Woodhall Spa LINCOLNSHIRE, ENGLAND The Hotchkin has a long list of heavyweight admirers, including Tom Weiskopf and Tony Jacklin, who in 1971, proposed it as Britain’s first inland Open venue. Tom Doak’s astute renovation has enabled the club to not only hang on to its prized heathland setting, but to capitalise on it. 3 Sunningdale (New) BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND This par 70 heathland was designed by Harry Colt and opened in 1923. It is more rugged…

1= Morfontaine FRANCE Designer: Tom Simpson Score 90.0/100 1= Utrecht de Pan NETHERLANDS Designer: Harry Colt Score 90.0 3 Valderrama SPAIN Designer: Robert Trent Jones Score 86.9 4 Monte Rei PORTUGAL Designer: Jack Nicklaus Score 84.1 5 Fontainebleau FRANCE Designers: Julien Chantepie/Tom Simpson/ Fred Hawtree Score 84.0 6 PGA Catalunya (Stadium) SPAIN Designers: Angel Gallardo/ Neil Coles Score 83.4 7 Les Bordes FRANCE Designers: Robert von Hagge/Rick Baril Score 83.0 8 Troia PORTUGAL Designer: Robert Trent Jones Score 82.9 9 Noordwijkse NETHERLANDS Designer: Paul de Jong Score 82.0 10 Bro Hof Slott (Stadium) SWEDEN Designers: Robert Trent Jones Jr Score 81.9 11= Terre Blanche (Chateau ) FRANCE Designer: Dave Thomas Score 81.3 11= The Kennemer NETHERLANDS Designers: Harry…

1 Troia SETUBAL, PORTUGAL A magnificent Robert Trent Jones design that zigzags back and forth across the north side of a slim peninsular that connects the Atlantic with the Sado Estuary, Troia constantly subjects you to different wind directions and changes in topography and vistas. It’s an intelligent and entertaining layout that places a heavy emphasis on course management and sharp approach play. The fairways are narrow, the greens are small and contoured, the bunkering is heavy and plentiful, and the pines and wasteland are magnetic. 2 Bro Hof Slott STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN Situated on the edge of Lake Mälaran, a huge fjord an hour’s drive north-west of Stockholm, locations rarely get more spellbinding. And when the sun glistens off that still, turquoise expanse you could easily believe you…

1 SET UP FOR A SIMPLE ACTION Stand closer to the ball and choke down on the grip so the shaft is more upright to promote a straighter club path – more like a putt. Take a narrow stance with the ball in the middle of your heels. You can withdraw your lead foot a little but make sure your hips and shoulders stay square to the target. 2 KEEP THE CLUBHEAD OUTSIDE THE HANDS Keep hand action to a minimum, like you would when putting. There’s no wrist hinge in the takeaway and the clubhead stays outside the hands at all times. This keeps the club on a neutral plane with a square face. Unlike with a pitch, you want the club to rotate through impact so it’s turned…

AVOID THE DEADLY ‘SPLASH’ SHOT When confronting any shot that makes you anxious, it’s important to give your brain positive tasks to focus on. Here are three that work well with water. STEP 1 FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT The major trouble here is at the front of the green. There are two bunkers and a false front, which means a mishit could easily roll back down into the water. The smart play is to aim for the back right of the green. There’s plenty of room behind the hole, which means you can take an extra club without worrying about flying into trouble. STEP 2 WHEN TO TAKE THE TIGER LINE If you’re an accomplished player, you might choose to fire at the pin. Even so, you still need…

1 Get aggressive on every shot If there’s an opportunity to get to a green, I’ll go for it. On a short par 4, or somewhere that gives the best chance of making three, I will be really aggressive in matchplay. You’ve got to take on risks. Cautious golf doesn’t win matchplay ties. You have to hit driver where you can to leave yourself as short an approach as possible. If you don’t, your opponent will, and you don’t want to leave that opportunity open. 2 Focus on your own game I’ve heard the theory about laying back to hit first into greens in order to put pressure on your opponent, but I don’t believe in that. If you’re playing well you don’t have to worry about hitting in first…