Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 463 i Today's Golfer

It’s hard to believe it happened 20 years ago, but I can still vividly remember watching (on the BBC in those days) Tiger’s chip in from the back of the 16th green at the 2005 Masters. We’ve all seen it hundreds of times – and there’s no doubt it will be shown hundreds more times on its big anniversary this year – but it never gets old, and it never gets boring. I’ve just watched it (again) now, on YouTube, as I write this, and it still makes the hairs on my neck stand up. It had everything! There was a Green Jacket on the line. Woods had a oneshot lead. He hadn’t won a Major since 2002. His adversary Chris DiMarco hadn’t won one at all. The 16th at…

If you’ve watched a tour event lately, you’ve probably seen players standing over their putts, feeling the slope with their feet and holding up fingers to read the break. That’s AimPoint, a green-reading system that takes intuition out of the equation and replaces it with a structured, almost scientific approach. It’s been a game-changer for many pros, helping them trust their reads and hole more putts. But not everyone’s convinced it’s a good thing. One of the loudest arguments against AimPoint? That it slows the game down. A lot. And that’s obviously a problem. We all know slow play has become a huge issue in golf. When players take extra time pacing back and forth on greens, feeling out slopes and carefully aligning their putts using AimPoint, rounds can drag…

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 BUY A BETTER GAME? LETTER OF THE MONTH In the short time I’ve been playing golf, people have often told me that you can’t buy your way to a better handicap. But I think that maybe you can! Last year I bought a new putter that eliminates torque and unwanted inertia. I can still pick the wrong line or pace, but now my putts go where I want them to. This year I bought a new driver and often find myself 20 yards further down the fairway, hitting irons rather than woods into greens. So you can buy a…

Justin Rose clearly has a strong affinity with Augusta National and the Masters. His face lights up whenever he starts talking about the first Major of the year. His love for, and intimate knowledge of, the course is immediately obvious. He’s animated as he recalls specific shots and describes the intricacies of each and every hole. And why wouldn’t he love the place, given he has such a fantastic record there? Rose has played the Masters 19 times, dating back to his debut as a 22-year-old in 2003. He has three missed cuts and six top 10s to his name since then, including two seconds, in 2015 and 2017. As a consequence, few players in the field will enter this year’s Masters with as much accumulated knowledge or as many…

1 Definitely 1986. Never seeing Seve win there saddens me, but it was an incredible finish. I was so lucky to feel a part of Europe’s era of dominance. Taking that picture (left) of those six European winners in a Green Jacket was amazing. 2 Faldo’s victory in 1996. The fact I’d played with Faldo as an amateur, that he had been a big part of my life – I did lots of work with him, including all his instruction books – and that he became a good friend, that meant a lot to me. 3 Tiger in 2019. It’s a toss up between this one and his first win. I don’t think we had any clue of what his career was going to be like in ’97 though. The…

You don’t have to play your golf on a genuine, bumpy links like the Ailsa course, here at Turnberry, to find a stance where the ball lies below the level of your feet. One of golf ’s more awkward stances, it challenges our posture, balance, range of movement and ballstriking; and when the club gets short – I’m thinking here of 9-iron through the wedges -making solid contact becomes even trickier. The first thing you can do is take one club extra… both to give you slightly more shaft length and to authorise a shorter, more controllable swing. But here, let’s take a look at three more changes you can make to find the centre of the face… and the green. ! KEY CONCEPT: DO IT WITH THE SET-UP, NOT…

It’s not hard for a coach to spot a golfer with too many swing thoughts. First up is the age it takes for the swing to start; I’ve seen good lies turn into semi-rough by the time the clubhead begins to move. The next telltale signs are consistently poor contact and loss of clubhead speed, easily measurable on launch monitors. Finally we have the sight of steam exiting the ears as more and more effort goes increasingly unrewarded. Affecting elements like coordination, timing and speed, swing thoughts get right to the heart of the mind-body connection. When they work well, they create the clarity and confidence we need to make our best movement; when they are misused, we feel only confusion and tension. But how can we make sure we…

Cobra are pioneers when it comes to 3D printing golf clubs, with the brand being able to create complex designs that are unachievable using traditional casting or forging methods. They were first to market with their groundbreaking LIMIT3D irons last year, but there were only 500 sets made available. Now, the idea is going mainstream with the 3D Printed Tour irons, which offer forgiveness levels club golfers need with the sleek looks and soft feel of a player’s iron. “The 3D printed LIMIT3D irons were the first commercially available 3D printed clubs, and they sold out so quickly we had to make more,” says Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation & AI, Cobra Golf. “These new irons offer the same premium construction, performance and feel, but will now be available…

CALLAWAY ELYTE TRIPLE DIAMOND £349 TG VERDICT: The Triple Diamond ranked well for ball speed and clubhead speed, as you’d expect from a tour-inspired, low-spin wood. It did sit slightly open to our tester’s eye, and he generated quite a lot of spin with it, which limited his overall carry. The Elyte X neutralised this somewhat, prompting our pro to urge caution if your fairway game needs a level of forgiveness. SRIXON ZXI £329 TG VERDICT: The ZXi stood out in terms of shelf appeal, being our pro’s choice on aesthetics alone. Srixon have made a big jump in looks for 2025, while sound and feel were fantastic and the turf interaction was significantly improved from previous models. But with the best data ranking being seventh for carry, it fell…

COBRA DS-ADAPT £249 TG VERDICT: Between this and the King Tec model, Cobra seem to cover almost all of the marketplace, especially with their new FutureFit33 system. DS-Adapt wasn’t the longest hybrid in our test (226.1 yards carry), but with nearly 4,000rpm of spin it offers a great option for dialling in the golfer who’s looking to make life easier when hitting into greens at a distance, with a solid 44º of stopping power with its descent angle. CALLAWAY ELYTE X £299 TG VERDICT: A little bigger than the standard Elyte, given how well its sister head launches, we’re struggling to find a reason to pick this over the core hybrid. That said, if shape is key for you when trying to gain confidence, it’s got to be a choice.…

THE BIG GOLF RACE What is it? Golf’s biggest fundraiser in the UK. Why you should care… Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in England, affecting one in eight men. The Big Golf Race helps raise money to fund life-saving research, which is where you come in. They need golfers like you to go the extra mile this summer and play 36 or more holes in 24 hours. Everyone who raises £250 will be entered into a prize draw to win a golf holiday, worth £3,000, but this is one instance when it’s not about winning – it’s most definitely about the taking part. To sign up, visit biggolfrace.prostatecanceruk.org THE BIG GOLF RACE PGA TOUR PRO GOLF What is it? A new mobile golf game licensed…

Phones are forbidden There’s something to be said for living in the moment. Digital or disposable cameras are allowed during practice days, but the use of phones, tablets and laptops are strictly forbidden at all other times. For those who do need to phone a friend, Augusta has the largest bank of free-to-use payphones in America. Walk, don't run We’re not comparing the Green Jackets to overly officious teachers, but they do sound remarkably similar once the gates swing open at 8am. The ‘no running’ policy does lend itself to some amusing sights as the power-walking race begins. No chair theft If you’re one of those people who reserves a sunbed with a beach towel, you’ll be in your element at Augusta. The Masters chair policy means you can stake…

With huge thanks to the magnificent Trump Turnberry, Ayrshire, host of four Open Championships and boasting 45 holes of stunning linksland golf. Visit turnberry.co.uk YOUR COACH Consistency. It’s the word that comes up time and time again when club golfers tell their coaches what they want to see in their games. I can understand it to an extent – we’d all like our bad shots to be a little better, and a little less frequent – but when it comes to the short game, ‘consistency’ has little or no relevance. Here, the sheer range of lies, stances, ground conditions and carry/ run ratios ensures that every shot we face is different, presenting a unique challenge. To meet this challenge we don’t need consistency so much as creativity -a magic blend…

Augusta National is famous for the speed and slope of its putting surfaces. They’re definitely some of the most extreme we putt on all year. I’ve always enjoyed them and putted well there. Fast speeds and steep slopes mean more break, so you have to be more precise with your start line and distance control than on slower and flatter greens. Here are four of my favourite tips for negotiating any slick putting surfaces. Trust yourself and stay natural When I’m putting well, I feel it’s more of an instinctive process. When I’m putting poorly, it’s too conscious; I’m working on my stroke, feeling the rotation of my putter, trying hard to line up the blade. Sometimes the harder you try on a putt, the more elusive it can be.…

Where does the Masters fit in among your favourite tournaments? Just behind The Open. The Open is The Open, but as a photographer, the Masters is better than The Open. The Ryder Cup’s the best event for golf pictures. But the Masters is the one I get most excited about. I lost my love for The Open as a photographic experience. It has just got so officious and there are so many people around, so backgrounds are so messy. And there is less and less access every year. Ever won the ballot to play the course? Entered once, played once – 1984, my first year! Best shot you’ve seen at Augusta? Mickelson through the trees. I got an angle but it was a hard one to shoot, because obviously the…

RASMUS HOJGAARD Age: 24 Nationality: Danish For the first time in April, twins will play in the same Masters. Nicolai is the better known of the two after debuting at the Ryder Cup, but Rasmus got his PGA Tour card after winning the Irish Open and finishing second in the Race to Dubai. He’s a terrific iron player and a seriously long hitter – two assets which should serve him well at Augusta. RAFA CAMPOS Age: 36 Nationality: Puerto Rican Heading into November, Campos was coming off five missed cuts and in serious danger of losing his tour card when his wife had her labour induced in order for him to play the Bermuda Championship. They got home from the hospital with their baby girl at 5pm on Wednesday, and…

We all want to know and take note, what’s the secret to your longevity? It’s a lot of things. You have to be somewhat disciplined. You know, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I get enough sleep, I exercise, have a great family, a good coach, great caddie. There’s a lot of pieces that need to be right. Being a hard worker is one. I used to work extremely hard. I can’t do it any more because my body can’t take it. I can’t beat balls for five to six hours a day. It’s just not possible now. But I love to compete and when I’m out there, I give it almost 100 percent. How much longer do you see yourself competing on tour? I don’t know. I’ve done a…

Watch hundreds of video tips at www.todays-golfer.com PRESENTED BY Shot Scope YOUR COACH QUICK TIP PIVOT BUILDER Expert players tilt their torso forwards around 35-40º at address to set up the correct plane and angle for the swing. This angle becomes the guide for the swing’s rotational pivot, back and through; if we can rotate on this tilt, our swing becomes more stable, more simple and more consistent. To train it, work on the pitch of your shoulders – represented here by the club pinned across my shoulders. Place a headcover around a foot outside the ball and practise turning back so the butt of the club points at the headcover. Now turn your chest through to mimic the throughswing. As with the backswing, rotate until the butt of the…

In this new series, Trackman Master Gary Nicol uses data from this leading launch monitor to explain our shots and to help us target our practice. He starts here by describing why a centred driver strike is more than just a great feeling. Take a moment to study the two Trackman-derived images on this page. They show data from two consecutive drives, hit by the same right-handed golfer. For context, this player had a similar intention – a soft fade – on both shots. You will quickly grasp several things: ■ Club speed was very similar for both shots – 101.9mph against 102.1mph. ■ Club path was also very similar – 1.8° against 1.6° leftward. Essentially, the second swing duplicated the first. And yet in the top image, the ball…

THE SPECS Motocaddy M7 GPS Remote: £1,449.99 Motocaddy M7 Remote: £1,249.99 Today’s electric trolleys are very much like cars: stylish, reliable, packed with technology… and every new upgrade promises to add in a little more style, reliability and tech. That’s exactly what you get with the new M7 Remote models from Motocaddy. Two versions – one with GPS – now have a sleek, sporty design and more features for 2025, including: ■ A new click ’n’ connect cablefree lithium battery that integrates into the design. ■ A lightweight, powerful battery that automatically powers off the trolley when folded, plus a revolutionary pop-up port for quick and easy charging. ■ A new retractable, rear, anti-tip stabilising wheel which can remain attached for folding. “The growth and popularity of remote control trolleys…

CALLAWAY ELYTE £349 Lofts: 3-15º, 3HL-16.5º, 5-18º, 7 (21º), HVNWD-20º, 9-24º, 11-27º Stock shafts: True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal, Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL TG VERDICT: The results show consistent data across the board for the ‘core’ Elyte fairway, which will likely be the most popular from Callaway’s line-up. It recorded the fastest individual ball speed of our test. That was no surprise, given it has CG optimisation via the new Tungsten Speed Wave – 35g of floating tungsten positioned low and forwards in the head, but without placing any constraint on face flex. Our pro said it actually felt hotter off the face than the Elyte X. PXG BLACK OPS £319.99 Lofts: 3-15°, 4 -17°, 5-18°, 7-21° Stock shafts: EvenFlow Riptide CB, PX Cypher, MCA Diamana S+, ProjectX HZRDUS…

TITLEIST GT2 £299 TG VERDICT: The GT2 occupies the middle ground between the GT1’s size and the playerfocussed GT3, and as such will be an option that many will be keen to try out when looking down on it. From the performance details, GT2 produced great data for what we’d call the average player’s demands. It’s a good combination of launch, height and dispersion, which should help make controlling the ball into greens a lot easier. TAYLORMADE QI35 MAX £269 TG VERDICT: TaylorMade’s more forgiving model saves some weight for redistribution by doing away with an adjustable hosel, one of the few to do so in the test. It seems as though that repositioned mass has done the Qi35 Max some favours, with a more forgiving set-up producing increased spin,…

THE LONGEST FAIRWAY Callaway Elyte X The Elyte X had the highest carry out of all the woods tested, ranking No.1 on our list for distance for our test pro. Ultra forgiving, this is our best-in-class fairway wood of 2025. THE MOST FORGIVING FAIRWAY Ping G440 SFT The easiest fairway to hit, with Titleist’s GT1 and TaylorMade’s Qi35 Max close behind. All three have high-MOI, large-profile heads that will help the amateur golfer launch the ball better. HYBRIDS CAN BE ROCKETS! TaylorMade Qi35 Proof you can pick a hybrid for distance, not just playability. The Qi35 hybrid can challenge fairway woods in your bag, just as much as irons, so don’t assume they’re for one type of golfer. BEST VALUE CLUB ON TEST? Mizuno ST-Max Achieving a top-three place among…

I always agonise about the optimum time to release each ranking we do, but this Resorts list always feels perfectly timed to be out at this time of the year. The temperature has nudged up a few degrees and the prospect of having a play-and-stay break to look forward to feels extremely appealing. The good news is, there are resorts to suit all tastes and all budgets in this supplement – located all across the United Kingdom and Ireland. While there is pleasing stability to this ranking – which I like, because it suggests the previous one was solid! -there is still plenty going on within it. There are some key moves all the way down the list and in my 16 years of compiling GB&I Resorts lists, I’ve never…

I’ve not been in a great place recently. I’m facing the very realistic prospect that my season is over before it’s even begun. I’m currently in Singapore, where I finally received a diagnosis on the thumb injury that’s been impacting me again for months. I have a complete ligament tear and a partial tear in two tendons. Unfortunately, due to a series of misdiagnoses, it’s taken months to find out. It’s been such a kick. After the highs of finishing third at the Omega European Masters the hand was feeling great, and I felt I was getting back to my best. Then I started getting some pain again after Wentworth. I went to see a specialist and they didn’t think it was anything bad, so knowing I’d got my status…

THE KEY STORYLINES THE MASTER OF AUGUSTA Scheffler’s incredible scoring record at Augusta since 2022 Scheffler has cashed in on the four par 5s. He is 27 under par on these holes over his last 12 rounds. Making his score early has given him time to drop a few coming down 18. Can anyone stop Scottie Scheffler? Winning the Masters is tough, defending the Masters is even tougher. Only three players have done so since its inception in 1934 and their names are Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. Scottie Scheffler had his chance before in 2023, but went and shot the single worst score of his Masters career, a three-over 75 in the second round, while ranking last in the field for strokes gained: putting. Back then,…

Aaron Rai still struggles to get his head around how much his life has changed since winning for the first time on the PGA Tour. One moment he was fighting for his future, the next he was booking practice rounds at Augusta National ahead of his first-ever visit to the Masters. There are still pangs of disbelief as he recalls the moment he opened a picture of his invite, which was sent to his mum’s address in England. “It was actually my brother who sent me a picture of the invite and the information packets that come with it,” he tells TG. “I was walking back into the house after practice and I think I just stopped for a few seconds and started smiling. The first one of anything is…

In the Spring of 1965, Jack Nicklaus was a troubled man. Despite having already won three Majors (and finished runner-up in three of 1964’s Majors), the beefy 25-year-old had not won one for over a year. He’d also recently discovered that his right hip was half-an-inch lower than his left, and was giving him back pains. Worst of all, perhaps, for the first time in his career he had developed a rather nasty hook. Normally, when things went wrong with his swing, Nicklaus would jet down to Miami Beach and visit Jack Grout. Grout had been his teacher since he was 10. He knew everything about the young man’s swing. They would invariably review the fundamentals, and within a couple of hours, Grout would have come up with a happy…

Unfortunately, there is no magic skill threshold which, once achieved, will banish the slice. Whatever our handicap and current ability, a savage cut remains stubbornly within our repertoire. When it comes to the most effective cures, however, it’s a different story. While the higher-handicapper generally needs some fundamental advice to reshape the swing, the more advanced golfer is typically looking for an in-swing feel to keep that out-to-in, open-faced delivery under control. Try the drill here that relates to your skill level first, before reading the other two to enhance your own defences against golf’s most common misfire. YOUR COACH BREAK 100 Put the ‘down’ back into ‘downswing’ For the 100-breaker, we are going to focus on the swing’s change of direction, or the start of the downswing. This, typically,…

A poor golfer by his own admission, Groucho Marx left us with some memorable quotes about the game. It was he who told us that if we need a doctor, we should call the nearest golf course. He famously revealed that he wouldn’t want to join any club that would have him as a member. But perhaps one of his most insightful quotes wasn’t about golf at all. When he said, “Fan the flames of love with the bellows of indifference,” he just might have been on to something. Whether or not golf is addictive, it is without question a hard game to leave alone… and obsession is rarely healthy. Even if we absolutely adore the game – in fact in many cases because we absolutely adore the game –…

Ever found yourself cursing a piece of tech because the batteries or charge have run out mid-round? Garmin have consigned that problem to history with golf ’s first solar-powered GPS. The Approach G20 Solar provides unlimited battery life when used in sunny conditions. And even if you only use it when it’s cloudy, it can still have enough juice in it to last for 36 rounds. It gives a yardage to the front, middle and back of the green via a 2.2in high-contrast screen and big, easy-to-read numbers. It comes pre-loaded with more than 43,000 courses worldwide and receives course updates wirelessly when paired with a compatible smartphone. Plus, the Green option lets you see the shape of the green with manual pin placements, while automatic shot tracking – when…

CALLAWAY ELYTE X £349 Lofts: 3-15º, 3HL-16.5º, 5-18º, 7-21°, HVNWD-20º, 9-24º, 11-27º Stock shafts: True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal; Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 40G TG VERDICT: Say hello to your best-in-class fairway wood of 2025! The Elyte X is right at the top of Callaway’s fairway wood chain this year, offering the most forgiveness and launch. The new step sole and large profile at address made this a great club to launch off the ground, but the ball speed was also very high. It bagged the second and third highest ball speeds on individual shots hit, showing that despite the club being pushed towards forgiveness, it packs a powerful punch, too. PING G440 LST £350 Lofts: 3-15º, 4 -17º, 5-18º, 7-21º, 9-24º (high-launch version available in all lofts) Stock…

WILSON DYNAPWR MAX £290 TG VERDICT: Our test pro was very quick to sing the praises of both Wilson fairway woods this year, highlighting the Max’s profile as being very appealing for mid-high handicappers. In terms of the numbers he squeezed from it, the Max didn’t really rip up any trees, but we’d still recommend this club to the Wilson enthusiasts who feel they need a bit of added forgiveness in 2025. TITLEIST GT3 £349 TG VERDICT: A very similar profile to the GT2, but with CG adjustability to aid ball flight. This lower spinning model didn’t perform how we thought it would, with the best data result being left-to-right dispersion, where it ranked third. We’d push the majority of club golfers into the superb Titleist GT1. ‘IF YOU’RE LOOKING…

CALLAWAY ELYTE £299 Lofts: 3-19º, 4 -22º, 5-26º, 6-30º Stock shafts: True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal 60g and 70g, Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 50g, Women’s Mitsubishi Chemical Eldio 40g TG VERDICT: Perfect for golfers looking to maximise height or squeeze as much confidence from their hybrid as they can. With the highest launch (13.8º), second-highest peak trajectory (36.5 yards) and fifth-tightest dispersion (13.2 yards l-to-r), hitting the Elyte is simple. It was ‘Best for Height’ and ‘Best for Forgiveness’, so while it might not be the club for high-spin swings, for everyone else it’s the easiest hybrid to hit in 2025. WILSON STAFF DYNAPWR £220 Lofts: 2-17º, 3-19º, 4 -22º, 4LITE-22º, 5-25º, 5LITE-15º, 6-28º, 6LITE-28º Stock shafts: True Temper Denali Red TG VERDICT: The Dynapwr impressed with its power…

What was your first job? I cleaned offices when I was a young kid because my brother had a cleaning company. That paid for me to play golf during the winter. What was your first car and what do you drive now? Alfa Romeo. Shit service – don’t buy Italian! – but fast and a really nice feeling to drive. I was 20. Now? I have just sold my Porsche Cayenne 550-horsepower Turbo. How did you spend your first pay cheque? I paid my duties to the tax department. Two weeks before the tournament, there was a notice in the newspaper. It said, “We are looking for Jarmo Sandelin over tax issues, we want to give him the paperwork for our case.” So I paid them €50,000 – more or…

BUDDIES BREAK You want multiple courses on site, decent accommodation, a lively bar and good food? Rosapenna is my clear winner here. It’s accessible from Belfast so don’t let getting there put you off. Three superb links, the value-to-quality ratio is incredible, and it has a charming pub nearby. Prince’s is my No.2, because you’ve got 27 holes and the other two Open hosts literally next door, plus pubs in walkable Cinque Ports. COUPLES' BREAK Adare Manor is the obvious choice here; it’s just a beautiful and luxurious yet homely experience. Cameron House’s location, food and bedrooms are idyllic, and for opulence, tranquillity and charm you won’t beat Manor House in Castle Combe. Gleneagles is naturally in here too, likewise Rockliffe Hall in north-east England. It really impressed me off…