Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 439 i Today's Golfer

The most expensive summer green fee in the UK - at a course you can actually play currently stands at £475 for the 2023 season, at Trump Turnberry. It is an incredible place to play golf, without a doubt; the Ailsa rivals anything in the world for drama, we rank it No.3 in Britain and Ireland and some of the greatest Open Championships ever have been played there. There’s also no shortage of people willing to stump up the money to experience it… But 300-odd miles to the south-east, there’s another links course that features even higher in our latest Top 100 ranking. It might not have the Open pedigree or the clifftop holes, but it does have pot bunkers, tight turf, a sea breeze and fantastic greens. And on…

ROSE ZHANG After passing Lydia Ko for the most consecutive weeks as World No.1 amateur, the American superstar added the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to her incredible résumé, which includes the US Women’s Amateur, US Girls’ Junior and the NCAA title at Stanford. She’s still only 19. MARTIN BORGMEIER OK, so the World Long Drive champ didn’t break a world record by hitting 460 balls over 300 yards in one hour, but he still managed 401 balls from 630 attempts. That takes some doing! ASIAN TOUR Perhaps the biggest winners from the DP World Tour’s legal victory over LIV, which should see their events boosted by the presence of golf’s rebels looking to accrue World Ranking points. R&A AND USGA Golf’s governing bodies might think they know what’s best for…

Watching Patrick Cantlay play golf, it’s no wonder your weekend competitions are taking longer than ever to complete. If that’s the example we’re letting the pros set without punishment, then how can we expect youngsters and amateurs to adhere to the rules? I don’t buy the argument that every shot could be worth huge sums of money or a big title for the pros. The rules are the rules for everyone – from the Masters down to the Sunday medal, pace of play must be respected and if it’s not, then players must be punished. If the likes of Rahm and Koepka can get to the ball, make a decision and pull the trigger in a matter of seconds under the utmost pressure, then anyone can. But until the referees…

It might not make the second season of Full Swing, but Matt Wallace’s breakthrough victory at the Corales Puntacana Championship deserved far greater acclaim than being given second billing behind the WGC-Match Play. Given all that had gone before, it felt especially seismic. The win, Wallace’s first on the PGA Tour in 80 starts, had a little bit of everything. Drama. Perseverance. A spat with his caddie the week before. There was even an outpouring of emotion in his winner’s speech, built up over nearly five years of frustration and heartache. “I didn’t know it was my 80th (start); it feels like I’ve been out here for years,” he revealed to a smattering of journalists afterwards. “I’m getting grey hairs now with all the stress I’ve been putting myself under…

Each US Open venue brings its own personality to the party. You think about a windswept Shinnecock Hills which needs to be open, or Winged Foot’s single file fairways. LA Country Club is a wider golf course than many of our tests, but it is very strategic with where you need to be in the fairway for certain hole locations. One of the beauties of going to coastal California in June is that we are usually in control of the water. There maybe a little fog, but we should be in control of the moisture. We expect a bouncy golf course and that’s an important element of what we do with the US Open. Great players emerge when they have to consider how the ball behaves on the ground. That’s…

MATT ROBERTS TRAINER “I was first introduced to Matt when he was about 14, but we split when he went to college and I took a job at Crystal Palace FC. We started working together again in 2018, which is when we took him to the Manchester Institute of Performance and did a lot of baseline testing using force plate analysis, 3D motion capture, a DEXA scan to analyse his body fat, and then some blood tests and physiological tests in the gym. We tracked a load of things basically, kind of like performance indicators, so now when we go back at regular intervals, we can see how much improvement he is making. “There’s a lot that goes into his training plan and everything we do is driven by data.…

It’s important that you like the look of the putter. There’s too much talk about certain styles suiting certain strokes, and while that can be true up to a point, you must feel comfortable with the model you play. Alignment is important This is something a lot of people overlook, but research shows that one degree of misalignment will produce a miss from as little as 10 feet. Some people are better lining up but some people are better squaring off. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. The Odyssey Versa Putters are so popular because the alignment features of the club can help you to square off more easily to your target line, helping you to hole more putts. The length of your putter can determine the position of…

Before we get into the technical elements of better sand play, let’s briefly discuss two important elements that apply to every golfer, irrespective of standard: 1. Intention. The clearer your picture of what you are trying to achieve, the sharper the link between brain and body… and that means a greater chance of pulling the shot off. Bring the ball’s flight, its landing point, even the sound of impact into your mental picture to build and set a strong intention. 2. Attention. Place your attention on something useful to you, either external (e.g. the club’s entry point into the sand) or internal (a part of your body, e.g. wrist hinge). Experiment with what works best for you. As you work to improve your technique, don’t lose sight of these two…

Posture is an area where technique and fitness truly work together. Technically, good posture gives you stability, balance and helps you rotate on an appropriate tilt or angle. Physically, it activates the correct muscle groups and helps you create that rotation through the ideal body segments. This month’s exercise shows you how to arrange your body for good posture, and will help you train it. Just grab your driver or 3-wood. Always consult your GP before adopting any new fitness regimen. YOUR COACH 1 Stand upright, shoulders, hips and ankles set in one vertical line. Turn your driver upside down and place the butt on the top of your right foot. Place your palm on the sole of the clubhead as shown, and breathe out to free your body of…

Shot Scope’s X5 GPS watch is the company’s next generation smart watch, and, thanks to artificial intelligence, it learns more about your game the more you play. We also think it happens to be the most stylish Shot Scope watch yet. After each round, you’ll get access to 100 performance stats via Shot Scope’s app, including distance data, insight into your approach play, short game and putting, along with strokes gained and handicap benchmarking. The X5 is designed to be worn off the golf course just as much as it’s used on it, so it comes with custom face colours, colour straps and the ability to count steps and monitor fitness levels. On the course, the X5 shows distances to the front, middle and back of greens, along with hazards…

Ping founder Karsten Solheim changed golf when he started making putters back in 1959. The 1A model was his first design, but it wasn’t until the first toe-and-heel weighted Anser arrived in 1966 that Ping really took off as a leader in putters, a position they still hold today. This year, Ping have two main families to choose between; PLD Milled, which offers the precision of a 100% CNCmilled construction, and the stabilityenhancing multi-material 2023 models. 2023 £280 Ping’s 2023 putters optimise performance through multi-material constructions. So, where PLD heads are typically created in one piece, 2023 models use tungsten weighting, polymer face inserts and steel/aluminium body sections to improve feel while also upping stability and forgiveness. The 2023 family is mainly made up of big-selling Ping models, along with…

Since the huge success of the Spider franchise, TaylorMade have pretty much become an MOI putter company. Jason Day and Dustin Johnson battling it out for the World No.1 spot in 2017-18 wielding Spider Tour putters was the breakthrough they dreamed of, and the success hasn’t stopped there. Rory McIlroy had his best putting year ever in 2022 using a Spider X, so TaylorMade are riding a wave of MOI success. They also make a TP HydroBlast Collection of traditional blade and mallet putters, but be under no illusion – it’s the Spider that gets the most focus and attention at TM HQ. TAYLORMADE SPIDER EX £299 Since the first model arrived in 2008, the Spider franchise has always been about forgiveness and stability. They come with wire-frame bodies and/or…

TOP 10 LOW - SPIN & DRAW DRIVERS Ping G430 LST | £575 LOW-SPIN TG VERDICT Historically, Ping drivers favour forgiveness over all-out ball speed and distance, but our 2023 data highlights the LST as being a brute. The model was within 0.3mph of producing the fastest ball speed this year, and it posted data significantly better than our test averages for protecting ball speed and tightening dispersion. It was also our longest low spin driver of 2023, at 282 yards. TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus | £529 LOW-SPIN TG VERDICT If it’s ball speed you’re after, the Stealth 2 family produced the fastest average ball speed of this year’s entire driver test. This model also gave our test pro his smallest carry distance drop-off (9 yards), the least amount of…

TSR1 driver £529 The 460cc TSR1 is roughly 40 grams lighter than TSR2 thanks to a lighter head, 40g shaft and lightweight grip. Eliminating weight, improving aerodynamics and using a similar ‘boat tail’ shape to TSR2 results in a club that can be swung faster. TSR1 fairway wood £289 The lightest and highestlaunching of the TSR fairway woods, TSR1 will help moderate-speed players get even more speed. TSR1 fairways have a larger footprint than the TSR2 at 180cc, and are 20g lighter; ideal for golfers seeking to get the ball higher and faster. TSR1 hybrid £259 Built for golfers seeking distance and stability, TSR1 hybrids achieve more speed and higher MOI thanks to an enhanced profile and ultralightweight construction. The larger wood-type clubhead allows for a deeper centre of gravity…

BARE MY SOUL YANNIK PAUL What’s the most extravagant purchase you've ever made? When I won the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, I promised my girlfriend that I would buy her a really nice coffee machine. We just got it a couple of weeks ago and she’s loving it. What’s the oldest/coolest piece of golfing memorabilia you own? During my time at the University of Colorado, there was a guy who had a garage full of antique golf stuff. He gave all of us on the team a plaque with the signatures of four of the most recognised golfers in the world. There was Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and two others. I found it again recently when I was moving from once place to another. That’s a pretty cool piece. What's the…

OK, let’s start with a few ‘easy’ questions: ■ What is the strongest part of your game? ■ What is the weakest part? ■ Which type of hole do you perform best on; par 3s, 4s or 5s? ■ You are 150 yards from the pin, in the fairway. What would you regard as an acceptable result, in terms of distance from the hole? Give these questions a bit of thought. Come up with an answer for each. Then consider this slightly harder question: How do you know? When regular golfers first start to track their shots and analyse their performance using Shot Scope, there is one overriding response: surprise. “I had no idea how poor my putting is,” or “I thought I hit the ball much further than I…

TOTAL COST: £301.95 1 DRIVER PING G10 RRP: £199 Golfbidder price: From £67.99 The G10 was the follow-up to the hugely popular G5… which in turn was the follow-up to the hugely popular G2. Aimed at players at every skill level, it is engineered with a cast body and fully machined face from high-grade 6-4 titanium. The 460cc clubhead has a larger profile, with a taller face and deeper crown that produces a higher MOI for more forgiveness and increased ball speeds. Thinner crown and face designs provide discretionary weight, which is positioned inside the clubhead to lower the centre of gravity for less spin and higher launch. 2 FAIRWAY COBRA AMP CELL RRP: £189 Golfbidder price: From £44.99 Cobra’s MyFly technology means the 3-4 and 5-7 woods can be adjusted into…

#1 HOW FAR ARE WE ACTUALLY HITTING THE BALL? When it comes to measuring shot distances, Shot Scope compiles two sets of stats: ■ Average - quite simply, an average of all shots hit. ■ Performance Average - which employs a special algorithm to delete outliers in the form of obvious and dramatic miscues. As this gives a more genuine representation of a golfer’s power, we will use Performance Averages throughout this supplement. Here are the figures for driver distance for six broad handicap ranges: Scratch: 285 yds 5 handicap: 259 yds 10 handicap: 256 yds 15 handicap: 238 yds 20 handicap: 225 yds 25 handicap: 204 yds It is no surprise to see distances drop as handicap increases, but most golfers are surprised how low the average driving distance…

TOTAL COST: £708.93 1 DRIVER COBRA KING F9 SPEEDBACK RRP: £349 Golfbidder price: From £148.99 Inspired by supercars and claiming the best aero package the brand has ever made (dubbed ‘aeroficienct’), Cobra say the F9 Speedback is the first driver ever to deliver an aerodynamic head and low centre of gravity. What does that actually mean? A faster clubhead combined with less spin, which equals more distance. The F9 truly is top drawer, and a very solid performer as both a low-spin or forgiving driver, thanks to its movable weight tech. 2 FAIRWAY TAYLORMADE SIM MAX RRP: £269 Golfbidder price: From £92.97 The iconic V Steel design was reinvented with the SIM family of fairway metals. Advanced shaping combines with a V Steel sole to improve turf interaction and playability from various…

TOTAL COST: £988.94 1 DRIVER CALLAWAY MAVRIK RRP: £489 Golfbidder price: From £214.99 A ball speed within 0.1mph of the fastest driver of the year (which you wouldn’t expect from a more forgiving model) and within two yards of our longest carrying driver was impressive. But doing it while offering up the narrowest back and sidespin drop-offs (by 32%) as well as the tightest carry drop-offs (by 55%) of our whole test was a seriously impressive performance. 2 FAIRWAY TAYLORMADE STEALTH RRP: £279 Golfbidder price: From £133.99 TaylorMade have had a knack of making fast and long fairways ever since the Rocketballz back in 2012 and, thanks to a new wraparound carbon crown, Stealth manages to squeeze out just a fraction more performance over its predecessors. 3 HYBRID COBRA KING LTDx RRP: £199…

Golfbidder have been in business since the late 1990s, and have built a reputation as the go-to place to buy quality, pre-owned golf equipment. Golfbidder buy and sell the best choice of quality clubs anywhere, with knowledgeable staff who can help any golfer improve their game while offering the best value and a first-rate customer experience. Here are three main reasons we recommend using Golfbidder to buy your next set… A TRUSTED RETAILER Golfbidder have a 4.8 rating on Trust Pilot from almost 4,500 reviews; 90% of which are five stars. Buyers often comment on the quality of the clubs they bought, stating that they get exactly what they’re expecting, and praising the speed at which clubs are dispatched. Golfbidder also have the highest volume of second-hand club transactions out…

Putting has the potential to be one of the most misleading parts of the game stat-wise; a great hole-out record can mask poor performance from range, and vice versa. It is also one of the most misunderstood areas, with golfers routinely expecting to do better than their peer-group average. But with a better understanding of your own performance, putting offers one of the best opportunities to save shots quickly. #1 HOW MANY PUTTS ARE WE TAKING? Putts per round is one of the most traditional golf stats out there, and makes a sound introduction to performance tracking. Let’s take a look at how putts per round is reflected in handicap: Scratch: 29.3 5 handicap: 30 10 handicap: 31 15 handicap: 31.8 20 handicap: 32.2 25 handicap: 33.3 While this data…

Matt Fitzpatrick has come a long way since being mistaken for Tiger’s ball boy at the 2013 Open. The lad who chased Rickie Fowler for an autograph still retains the same slender build and boyish looks, but he’s gone from practising for eight hours a day at Hallamshire Golf Club in his hometown of Sheffield, to Major champion, multiple PGA Tour winner and mainstay in the world’s Top 10. A meticulous note keeper who has recorded every shot he’s hit since he was 15, Fitzpatrick has overhauled his entire game in the last few years – and, boy, is he reaping the rewards. He wanted to get stronger, and he wanted more distance, so he adopted a speed training system called The Stack that has yielded an extra 5mph of…

2023 USOPEN PREVIEW PLAY IN COLOUR Geoff Ogilvy has a reputation for being one of the game’s best talkers. He is a journalist’s dream because he has an opinion about everyone and everything. He also speaks a lot of sense. The 45-year-old is so well respected in the locker room that he was once talked about as Jay Monahan’s successor. He is quick to downplay his suitability for the role of PGA Tour Commissioner during our hour-long interview, but his words and ideas do carry weight. A former member of the PGA Tour advisory council, he was a superb player in his heyday. More so than he has perhaps received credit for. Between 2005 and 2010, he won seven times, including three WGCs and the US Open in 2006. His stories…

TAKE CHARGE AND GET CONNECTED Currently, thousands of defibrillators never get used because emergency services and people don’t know where they are or how to access them. To register your golf club’s device, visit www.thecircuit.uk before it’s too late. JOIN OUR ARMY OF ON-COURSE LIFESAVERS Learning CPR will give you the confidence and ability to save the life of a relative, friend, colleague or even a complete stranger. You can take a free training course in just 15 minutes by visiting revivr.bhf.org.uk HELP TO SAVE LIVES, ONE DEFIBRILLATOR AT A TIME There are so many ways you can raise funds to purchase a defibrillator, such as organising a Defib Open or taking part in a Longest Day Golf Challenge. For more ideas, visit www.todays-golfer.com/drive-for-defibs WRITE TO TG Email drivefordefibs@todaysgolfer.co.uk and…

Not all of us enjoy the levels of athleticism or mobility demanded by textbook golf technique. But by employing some savvy workarounds, that fact need not hinder our power or performance to any great degree. Last month we discovered how to deal with a stiff or immobile neck; but now we shift to the wrists, a valuable power source sapped by diminishing mobility. A simple grip change can help… Power drain Ideally, we are looking to create an angle of around 90° between our lead arm and clubshaft by the time the lead arm is parallel with the ground on the way back. Besides helping create a sound radius for the swing, this angle translates into stored power, known as lag, which can be released through impact. But if our…

We all love watching the wide, smooth and powerful swings of today’s tour professionals… and, of course, we instinctively see them as actions to aspire to. Yet we have to be careful. The modern tour pro is a honed athlete with different physical capabilities to the club player, and this allows them to find positions that are, frankly, beyond the vast majority of us. In this article, we’ll look at one such area – the lead heel – and discover why Jack Nicklaus’ classic advice of allowing it to lift during the backswing still works for the vast majority of amateur golfers. Heel down: The problem A full trunk and shoulder rotation – getting your back to face the target at the top – is a staple of a sound…

It’s fair to say we see rather more than our fair share of golf swings, chipping actions and putting strokes every week – either through our one-to-one coaching or via the two million golfers following us on our social media channels. And one thing we’ve come to realise as a result is just how many players are being held back by a poor conception of what they are trying to achieve. In this series we will pick out the most common and damaging misconceptions, explain the problems they cause, and reveal a more effective way to approach the shot. We start with putting, and the widely-held belief that slowing your stroke down will add control. If that’s how you see it, it’s time for a rethink… WHY SLOW IS A…

Stewart Golf are renowned for making some of the best premium electric trolleys you can buy, but the brand are always looking for ways to improve their new designs. With the popularity of remote control trolleys on the rise, they’ve spotted a gap in the market for what they call the ‘ultimate remote control machine’. Their new Apex features Active Terrain Control. Unlike other remote control trolleys, it reacts to its surroundings, and distributes power to its two independent motors to keep the trolley upright and at the same speed and direction when travelling uphill, downhill or across slopes. Its chip adjusts the power delivery 1,000 times per second to manage the terrain and maximise performance on any gradient. Stewart Golf say the Apex has a 100-yard range, which gives…

Bob Bettinardi is the godfather of milled putters. In 1991 he set out on a journey to tell the world how one-piece milled flatsticks were more beautiful, more precise and more consistent than their hand-finished relatives. Now, three decades later, more than 100 tour events around the world have been won using putters bearing his name. Bettinardi have four putter families for 2023; the BB-Series, Studio Stock and Queen B ranges target the aspirational blade and mallet market, while Inovai goes after golfers searching for additional MOI and stability. The four families target different players, but all have that precision milling in common and all are made at the firm’s US HQ in Chicago. BB-SERIES £429 Part of Bettinardi since the very beginning, BB (Bob’s initials) was introduced in 1999,…

Guerin Rife is like the mad scientist of putters – in a good way. He founded Rife in 1997, before selling up to start Evnroll in 2015, and he has more great ideas than he knows what to do with. Those ideas are very apparent within Evnroll’s line-up. With face grooves that ‘gear’ off-centre putts back online, grips that give the sensation of holding the putter face in your hand, and the highest MOI putter available all featuring in the 2023 line-up, Evnroll really are on a design roll. Evnroll are famous for SweetFace technology, which puts more face in contact with off-centre strikes, so the ball doesn’t lose energy and travels the same distance as on-centre hits. And thanks to the shape of the grooves, Rife says putts get…

Before PXG, golfers buying new putters would regularly complain how their preferred head style wasn’t available with a hosel set up to suit their stroke. So, in a bid to satisfy everyone, PXG decided to offer all their premium milled models with any one of four different hosels. The solution meant golfers could have any head with a choice of hosel, an idea more and more companies are now embracing. PXG make two putter families; the Battle Ready Collection that boasts 100% milled heads and adjustable weight technology, and the 0211, which targets golfers who are less likely to get fitted. PXG 0211 £179 PXG founder Bob Parsons is really passionate about helping everyday golfers play better, so with sales of PXG’s more affordable 0211 clubs flying, it made perfect…

After 10 top-10 finishes in 2022, Brooke Henderson left long-term sponsor Ping for TaylorMade. Still only 25, she comes with a massive pedigree and huge potential, the second-youngest female Major winner with 12 tour titles to her name. She’s now signed to play a full TaylorMade bag and won her first event out with the new sticks in January. Interestingly, Henderson is the only tour player we’re aware of who plays P790s, TaylorMade’s players’ distance irons, and a 26° hybrid. Here’s what else is in her bag. Driver TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (9°) 3-Wood TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°) 5-Wood TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (19°) Hybrid TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Rescue (26°) Irons TaylorMade P790 (5-PW) Wedges TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 (52° & 60°) Putter Spider GT Centre Shaft Ball…

I am naturally always enthusiastic about what we produce as Top 100s, but some just hit the mark that little bit more… and this is one. I would file this very close to the top of a list marked ‘Give some reasons why it’s worth producing so many Top 100s?’. I’d be surprised (and disappointed) if golfers all over the country didn’t gain something from what they read here. The cost ceiling that helped us form this 100 is an obvious reason for the worthiness of this ranking and it would be so easy to spend 400 words at this point writing about the eye-watering cost of many of the famous names in British and Irish golf. I’m not going to do that, save to repeat the point I made…

YOUR COACH Until recently, if you wanted to knock four shots off your score, the best advice we could have given you was to miss out a par 3. Today, however, there is a rather more edifying route. Consider this: The thousands of golfers who use Shot Scope performance-tracking devices on a regular basis have recorded an average handicap drop of 4.1 strokes. You will read plenty of eye-opening stats over the coming pages, but perhaps none is as significant as this first one. Shot Scope have been helping golfers score better since 2017, when the brand brought out their first GPS performance-tracker, the wrist-worn V2. To date its watches, lasers and hand-held devices have recorded more than a quarter of a billion shots, struck by golfers just like you.…

TOTAL COST: £293.96 1 DRIVER TAYLORMADE R7 460 RRP: £299 Golfbidder price: From £56.99 This was TaylorMade’s first stab at producing a 460cc head, though it doesn’t look unusually large behind the golf ball. A 14g weight in the heel boosts confidence, as it helps square the face at impact, ironing out most slices. And with so much weight positioned away from the face, you get a sense of the extra weight sliding under the golf ball at impact. With only two weight ports you are more limited than with the TaylorMade r7 425. Put this aside, though, and you have a very impressive driver. 2 FAIRWAY WOOD CALLAWAY X HOT RRP: £159 Golfbidder price: From £44.99 The face of the X Hot is made of 455 Carpenter steel, which is harder…

Shot Scope’s reputation as an elite performance-tracking platform has been founded on its popular and award-winning V2 and V3 wrist-worn devices. But understanding that not everyone wants to wear a watch, the brand’s line-up for 2023 also offers similar functionality through a handheld device and a laser rangefinder. Here’s how this versatile range stacks up: Shot Scope X5 £279.99 GPS WATCH WITH PERFORMANCE TRACKING Launched this year, Shot Scope’s X5 builds on the brand’s flying reputation for wrist-worn GPS/performance-tracking devices. Following the successful V3, it has some big shoes to fill; but as Shot Scope’s apparent reluctance to call it V4 suggests, X5 has taken that mission in its stride, keeping V3’s strengths while offering something genuinely different. The X5’s most obvious change – a circular face as opposed to…

TOTAL COST: £533.95 1 DRIVER SRIXON Z 565 RRP: £325 Golfbidder price: From £98.99 Srixon’s Power Wave Sole engages the entire sole in the flexing process at impact, meaning more power is directed to the back of the golf ball. A Stretch Flex cup face extends onto the crown and sole, expanding the sweetspot across a larger portion of the face. 2 FAIRWAY CLEVELAND LAUNCHER HB RRP: £199 Golfbidder price: From £76.99 The Launcher HB Turbo fairways deliver more speed to hit higher, longer and straighter shots from any lie. The Cup Face provides higher COR over a larger impact area for increased ball speeds and more distance, while the redesigned HiBore Crown lowers the centre of gravity by 2.2mm, enabling a lower CG position for optimal launch conditions. 3 HYBRID SRIXON Z…

#1 THE 150-YARD SHOT Golf statisticians regularly highlight the importance of the 150-yard shot; Strokes Gained inventor Mark Broadie even termed it “the key handicap differentiator”. This is a consequence of the high number of times we face a shot of this length, plus the capacity for a wide range of results, from a kick-in putt to a shank into the hollyhocks. So what do Shot Scope figures tell us about performance from this distance? Let’s take a look at average greens-hit success from 130-150 yards, from all lie types: The data shows just how strong an elite player is from this distance, hitting nearly two out of every three greens. It also reveals how closely related handicap is to performance from this range, with 25-handicappers hitting one green in…

We’ve all got used clubs kicking around in the garage or shed; the driver that hit one too many slices; the putter that missed one too many tap-ins; the irons you just didn’t get on with… But rather than leave them to gather dust, you can turn those clubs into cash at Golfbidder – or use them to trade up for something more modern. SELL YOUR OLD CLUBS If you want to sell your golf clubs, Golfbidder are here to help. The process is easy, and they guarantee payment within 72 hours of receiving your clubs. Here’s how to sell your second-hand golf clubs for cash: Register for an account or log into an existing one. Click ‘Sell or Part-exchange’. Tell Golfbidderthe brand, model and condition of the clubs. Use…

Shot Scope understand that when we set out to play a round of golf, the last thing we want is a battle with technology. That’s why they are committed to creating a user interface that delivers a completely painless experience. Indeed, besides the GPS functionality, the only interaction you need have with your device during a round is pressing a button over the hole to confirm its location and number of putts taken… and even here, the screen is pre-loaded for you to make the process as quick and easy as possible. This brief run-through on how to set up and use the Shot Scope system explains how the system does all the hard work for you, quietly and in the background – leaving you free and clear to focus…

GET IN TOUCH As well as email (editorial@todaysgolfer.co.uk) and post (Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA), you can contact us using any of these social platforms… @Thetodaysgolfer @TodaysGolferBauer @Todaysgolfer @Todaysgolfer PING LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS… A BRAND-NEW PING PUTTER RRP £250 GOLF NEEDS A REALITY CHECK I keep reading arguments opposing the proposed roll back of the golf ball for professionals, on the basis that it undermines the fundamental principle that amateurs can play the same courses, with the same equipment, as the pros, which is a selling point to grow the game. MY MIZE ENCOUNTER LETTER OF THE MONTH Your wonderful article on the 1987 Masters Champion in Issue 437 took me back to the last practice day of The Open that year at Muirfield. At the…

MAX HOMA We’re going to ignore his scratchy Major record because of his record in his homeland state. In his last 11 starts, the Californian has finished inside the top 20 nine times and lifted four trophies at three different venues. Three of his six wins on the PGA Tour also happen to have come at Major championship venues – Quail Hollow, Riviera and Torrey Pines. JON RAHM Might this be a year when the Spaniard stamps his name all over the Majors? The new World No.1 is a proven big game player and is riding a wave of six wins in his last 13 starts, including at Riviera, just six miles from LA Country Club. It also goes without saying that his game is a neat fit: he drives…

July 2013 Aged 18, wins the Silver Medal as the leading amateur at the Open Championship, finishing in a tie for 44th on +10 at Muirfield. August 2013 Becomes the first Englishman to win the US Amateur since 1911, beating Oliver Goss 4&3. Moves to the top of the World Amateur ranking. November 2014 Five months after turning professional, finishes 11th at Qualifying School to earn his DP World Tour card for the first time. October 2015 On his 24th DP World Tour start, completes a wire-to-wire victory to claim his first pro title at the British Masters at Woburn. September 2016 Makes his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine, but fails to score a point from two matches as Europe suffer a heavy defeat. September 2018 Successfully defends his European…

YOUR COACH SCAN HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS DRILL 1 LOCK AND ROCK Balance is a really underestimated part of putting. Not many people pay attention to it, but it’s almost impossible to be a good putter if you don’t start the ball online and strike the ball consistently. And it’s hard to do that if your body is moving and you don’t have a reliable stroke. First you need to establish a stable base at set-up, which is where two alignment sticks come in useful. HOW IT WORKS 1 Place two alignment sticks together on the floor and stand so the arches of your feet are elevated above them. As you stand tall, rock between your toes and heels and try to distribute your weight evenly before bending forwards…

The ground game Aerial golf is unfortunately 99% of the game and it’s a very binary, two-dimensional, paint-by-numbers experience. The minute you add the ground game, it turns the golf into this amazing, dynamic, creative, imaginative experience that is completely immersive. When you can only hit through the air and stop the ball, it all becomes rather two-dimensional. The measure of success I’ve argued this many times with my peers - what is the measure of a great course? Is it the rankings in a magazine? Is it the financial success of the real estate? Is it the price of the membership? It’s all of those things but, fundamentally, it surely must be the golfer’s experience and whether he wants to do it again. And if I could only have…

Watch hundreds of video tips at www.todays-golfer.com HERE TO HELP YOU SAVE SHOTS PRESENTED BY Shot Scope LORD OF THE RUNGS Poor greenside shot selection is responsible for as many dropped shots as poor technique. To help my students work out the best shot to play, I use a visualisation I call ‘The Reliability Ladder’. It’s a two-step process, based on one proven premise: the more loft you use, the more perfect your strike must be. 1. Picture a ladder between your ball and the flag. Assign a club to each rung gap: The putter, of course, hugs the ground and goes under the lowest rung. The lob wedge might fly between the fifth and sixth rungs. 2. Pick the lowest gap – and straightest-faced club – that allows you…

PLAY BETTER PRESENTED BY Shot Scope DIY DIAGNOSIS YOUR COACH 1 Every golfer knows the difference between a sweet strike and one that’s a little ‘off’… but when it comes to where that poor contact takes place on the face, things are less clear. A combination of forgiving clubfaces and the ball-turf nature of impact makes feeling and understanding our strike point tendency difficult… and, as a result, it becomes almost impossible to know what technical measures we need to take. 2 We need a different and more precise way of understanding our impact pattern… and fortunately there is one that does not involve an expensive launch monitor session. Simply turn the clubface through 90°, so the length of the blade is looking down the target line. Make your regular swing,…

Coaches will generally advise club golfers to play within their established shape and, for the majority, that means a fade or a cut. But there are times during the round when moving the ball the other way becomes a genuine asset; think of swinging the ball around a stand of trees that are blocking you out… or even working the ball in towards a pin cut tight to the side of the green. For the habitual slicer, this drawing shape (right-to-left curve for the right-hander) can be a tough nut to crack. But one of the best ways to work on this shot is to have some form of blocker in front of you. Here I’ll show you why… before working the shot through. KEY THOUGHT: DEFINE THE GOAL Naturally,…

For as long as golf has been played, golfers have been traumatised by something that appears to make the game easier: the ball we hit stays still. There it sits, a small bleached globe of inertia, waiting patiently for you to tell it what to do. And we have all the time in the world to consider that very question. What fertile grounds for tension, doubt and second-guessing! It’s no stretch to suggest golf’s original sin – overthinking – can be traced back to this one, infernal freedom. Indeed, that static golf ball has us gazing enviously at the likes of Ben Stokes and Emma Raducanu. With a ball fizzing in their direction, their task is created for them. With little or no time to think, their motion becomes instinctive,…

Edison wedges £164 per wedge Edison have just entered the UK market and say their 2.0 wedges remove confusion around bounce and sole grinds. By having high bounce on the front of each wedge sole and low bounce on the trailing edge, Edison say these wedges suit both steep and shallow swing players no matter whether they’re playing in softer or firmer conditions. Golfstream trolleys From £399 Golfstream’s lightweight Vision trolley will set you back just £499 (with an 18-hole lithium battery), but if you already have a spare battery kicking around at home, it can be bagged, battery-free, for £399. It is perfect for golfers who want a trolley just to carry their clubs, without any fancy extras. Vessel golf bags £395 Big-name, free-agent tour players turn to Vessel…

Callaway-owned Odyssey are never shy about telling people they’re the No.1 putter in the world. And why shouldn’t they be, when by every metric (tour wins, tour usage and consumer sales) Odyssey dominate the market. Their story began back in 1991, when the brand’s USP was a white polymer insert that brought a whole new feel and sound to putting. They were so popular that within five years Nick Faldo had won his final Masters wielding a Rossie mallet. Callaway spotted Odyssey’s potential and snapped it up in 1997, and ever since they have dedicated themselves to designing putters which challenge boundaries and perceptions. For 2023 Odyssey offer five major families, so whether you want the look of a blade, the forgiveness of a modern MOI model or the precision…

PRIZE WORTH £500 To celebrate the launch of their new PGA TOUR golf clothing and accessories range, Perry Ellis Europe are giving one lucky TG reader the chance to win £500 worth of apparel – and the chance to overhaul their golf wardrobe this season. With its exponential growth in viewership and participation rates, golf is no longer just a sport, it’s a way of life. Whether you aspire to play on the PGA Tour or have just started to learn the game, there are moments in golf all players can relate to: the perfect drive, the feeling of the ball dropping into the cup, and our never-ending quest to perfect our swing. The new PGA TOUR clothing range is designed specifically for golfers to perform, feel and look their…

Fujikura’s Ventus shafts have bossed driver shaft tour counts for years now. Rory uses Ventus, as does former Masters champ Scottie Scheffler and reigning Open champ Cameron Smith. And the reason such high-profile names choose Fujikura shafts for their woods is the superstable VeloCore technology. Fujikura say aerospace-grade carbon fibre and a sophisticated construction method mean VeloCore tech delivers ultimate stability. The idea boosts driver MOI, so the head naturally deflects less at impact (upping accuracy) when hit off-centre, which, in turn, increases energy transfer and maximises power. Thanks to the Ventus and VeloCore seeing such success over recent years, Fujikura are now introducing a new Axiom iron shaft, the first to get VeloCore tech, just like the Ventus. You’ll need to track down a decent fitter to try Axiom,…

The surging popularity of the game – plus new club launches every year – means specialist pre-owned retailers like Golfbidder can help you find any club to suit your handicap, and your budget. Plus, the new search functions on the Golfbidder website make finding those clubs a doddle. Whether you’re a newcomer to golf who wants to get their first set, or a seasoned club member who wants to invest in their game with the latest technology, you’ll find what you need at Golfbidder. To illustrate the enormous variety of used clubs they sell, we’ve teamed up with Golfbidder to put together eight brilliant bags at four different price points (see panel, right). No matter how much to want to spend, how much experience you have or what sort of…

TOTAL COST: £551.96 1 DRIVER CALLAWAY XR ♦ RRP: £299 ♦ Golfbidder price: From £98.99 Designed to help you generate as much clubhead speed as possible, the XR has a Speed Step Crown that reduces drag in the downswing and helps you build speed. Its design also frames the ball nicely at address. Ball speeds are maximised through R-MOTO Face Technology, while OptiFit adjustability allows you to choose between eight different loft and lie combinations. 2 FAIRWAY PING G25 ♦ RRP: £199 ♦ Golfbidder price: From £76.99 Designed with external sole weighting to make it Ping’s highest ever MOI fairway wood, while the extreme variable thickness face contributes to additional distance. The low-profile head design means the centre of gravity is low and back for a higher launch. The non-glare charcoal finish…

TOTAL COST: £704.95 1 DRIVER TAYLORMADE M6 RRP: £449 Golfbidder price: From £143.99 The M6’s face is as close to the legal limit of speed as possible. The Speed Injected Twist Face technology makes the production of driver faces more precise, and TaylorMade believe it will place every one of their M6 driver faces on the very edge of the legal limit. A slot behind the face boosts ball speeds, as does the carbon sole with its unique aerodynamic shaping. 2 FAIRWAY CALLAWAY GREAT BIG BERTHA RRP: £229 Golfbidder price: From £88.99 A breakthrough in technology for more distance and playability, with a Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup for ball speed and a modern War Bird sole that makes it easier to hit. It’s larger than a typical fairway wood, and the…

TOTAL COST: £1,047.94 1 DRIVER TAYLORMADE SIM 2 MAX D RRP: £449 Golfbidder price: From £254.99 The levels to which engineers take driver construction nowadays, just to eke out tiny amounts of performance, is absolutely incredible. The new aluminium back ring is beautifully CNC milled and, thanks to TaylorMade’s final finish construction method, not a single gram is positioned inefficiently. It’s a level of detail that just wasn’t possible a few years ago, and it all adds up to a seriously good driver. 2 FAIRWAY TITLEIST TSi2 RRP: £519 Golfbidder price: From £148.99 The more modern-shaped TSi2 is aimed at players who want speed and accuracy across the face. It has an exceptionally stable high-MOI design, with an adjustable swingweight and deeper, lower CG to maximise distance through high launch and low…

#1 HOW GOOD ARE WE AT GREENSIDE SHOTS? Let’s begin with a quick lesson in expectation. We are all accustomed to watching tour players chip the ball up to the holeside with supernatural regularity; and while we may not expect to emulate them, most of us feel a makeable putt should be within our talents. But are we right to feel that way? Here are some average proximities for shots up to 20 yards and shots from 20-40 yards: OK, we are seeing the expected rise in distances, with 25-handicappers around twice as loose as scratch players. But the more important message here is the proximities themselves. A scratch golfer is unlikely to enjoy a 30-yard chip-and-run to 14ft, yet that is no worse than an average result; a 15-handicapper…