Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Golf Australia

THERE was a time not so very long ago when attending a Brooks Koepka press conference was unlikely to give golf scribes little more than “yeah, just taking one round at a time” or “just keep doing what I’m doing.” What a difference three major championship victories can make ... Koepka is unique on the PGA Tour. The big-hitting American played his way onto the world’s biggest golfing stage via Europe. He graduated college and went straight onto the secondary Challenge Tour. Three wins on that Tour in 2013 saw him gain a promotion to the main European Tour where he continued to play full time through to the end of 2014 and was named the Rookie of the Year. In 2015, he headed home to the PGA Tour and…

IF YOU are anything like me – and if you are, get immediate psychological and psychiatric help, especially with your pitching from 75-yards or so – you have derived an enormous amount of enjoyment from the social media output of the European Tour. Time and again, this endlessly inventive bunch of lads from Tour headquarters at Wentworth have produced content that has, in turn, made me laugh, cry and think more deeply about the game we all love. The little kid interviewing Rory McIlroy was funny. Edoardo Molinari being driven close to insanity trying to make a hole-in-one with only a seemingly endless pile of balls for company was both amusing and, to be honest, mildly disturbing. Andrew “Beef” Johnson making a young lad’s birthday with a car ride involving…

The GREAT GOLF AUSTRALIA TRIVIA QUIZ #1 winner from our January issue was Barry Green, of Frenchs Forest, NSW. He was one of several entrants with a perfect score and was randomly drawn as the winner. Congratulations… golf balls are on their way. ANSWERS:  1.Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai. 2. Stephen Allan. 3. Japan (7). 4. 32 years. 5. John Senden broke his driver during his downswing. 6. Walter Travis (he was born in Maldon, Victoria). 7. Rufus Stewart played the round in the middle of the night using a torch. The 18 holes took him an hour and a quarter to play. 8. England’s Richard Boxall. 9. 13. 10. Tom Watson last played here in the 2012 Australian Open.…

• Three games of golf, including ‘Big Wheel’ pull buggies• Play a minimum of three holes with Mike Clayton• Participation in the live State of the Game Podcast• Two nights’ twin share accommodation (single available with supplement)• Breakfast each morning• Dinner each night (excluding beverages)• Ground transfers each way between Launceston Airport and Barnbougle Dunes• Flights not included Total package price - $1,495 per person twin share For more information or to book your place, email gcatours@talkingolf.com…

BACK TO IT I’ve recently taken up golf at the age of 45. I’ve spent many years lifting weights at the gym and read with interest Andrew Crockett’s ‘Back Lash’ article (GA February 2019). After a month of regular practice at my local range I started to have back pain. I’ve had treatment for the problem, which was caused more than likely by bad posture (rounded shoulders) and constant repetition. I think golf highlighted the problem with my bad posture as all of the sudden I was engaged in an activity that requires very specific motion. Foam rolling has become a very useful tool for me, this combined with myotherapy is helping to fix this problem. Constant repetition or practice certainly causes injury. I’ve had several injuries over the years…

Should I have realised something was afoot on the 1st? Should the vaguely strangled, “oh, oh. Ooopsie. Oh, shoot,” followed by a gentle ‘crash’ have raised an internal alarm? Probably. “First day with an electric buggy,” beamed the bloke in the BMW hat. He was waving a little remote. His brand new electric buggy had popped a wheelie and looked as if it was trying to copulate with my golf bag. “Exciting,” I said. “You don’t know the half of it,” he grinned, pressing a couple of buttons on the remote which kind of made his buggy start humping my bag. “Hey,” he giggled. “Maybe that’s where baby bags come from. I’m Adam.” “Mmmmmmmm,” I went. It was funny, I got it. He probably didn’t need to make that gyrating…

Weight transfer is a key part of the swing. Loading your right side (right-handers) before releasing the stored energy into your left side is the sign of a solid action – and many of us do it the opposite way round (reverse pivot, anyone?). Step forward the IOFIT shoes ($489), which have been developed by a creative offshoot of Samsung. On the outside they look like regular golf shoes – synthetic upper, breathable lining, traction story. Things get more interesting inside though, where pressure sensors embedded in the sole track your swing balance, pressure distribution (left/ right balance and front/back balance) and COP (centre of pressure) in real-time. The information is fed to an app, which includes a coaching feature that gives instant feedback on what needs fixing in your…

GARMIN APPROACH X80 $849  www.garmin.com.au Combining a laser rangefinder with GPS has been done a couple of times before, but never quite like Garmin’s new Z80. GPS yardages and 2D course and green maps are shown next to each other as you laser the flag. It’s not cheap, but the idea has been really well executed. BUSHNELL HYBRID $599  www.championsports.com.au Combining a laser rangefinder with simple GPS (front, centre and back) isn’t as simple as it sounds, and cost can be an issue. Bushnell reckons its cracked it with its Hybrid, which gives both laser yardages and GPS distances. It has two independent batteries powering each, so you won’t get caught out for juice on the course. GOLFBUDDY LR7 N/A  www.golfbuddyglobal.com If like many golfers you primarily use a rangefinder…

It’s often said that every football team needs a 12th man. But rarely do you hear about a golfer needing – and using – the 15th Club. Doing so is usually grounds for disqualification, but not so if you’re a European Tour member Every player, caddie and coach is actively encouraged to use them without penalty. When Danny Willett won the 2016 Masters, he even paid tribute to that very same club. Only he wasn’t referring to an extra club in his bag. He was merely championing the golfing arm of the 21st Club, a British-based football analytics and consultancy company. Born out of an idea scribbled on the back of a napkin, “over a bottle (or two) of wine”, the 21st Club opened for business in August 2013 with…

HIS FAVOURITE WINE IS … “Rioja! As a proud Spaniard and Andalucian, I cannot say anything else. I have too many in my collection to count, but a couple of nights ago my wife and I enjoyed a nice bottle of Torre Muga together.” HIS FAVOURITE CIGARS ARE … “Always Cuban. It is the look, the feel, the taste – there is something unique about a Cuban cigar that you cannot find from anywhere else in the world. I never smoke during official rounds – only practice rounds and afterwards, when I love a little whiskey and a nice Cuban cigar.” HIS FAVOURITE ‘MECHANIC’ MEMORY IS … “I took my Ferrari round the race circuit at Jerez but that was a very expensive way of killing the tyres. The year…

MODELS PLAYED: Epic Flash with 9° loft, fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei Blue 65 S shaft and Epic Flash Sub Zero with 9° loft, fitted with Project X HZRDUS Smoke 60gram 6.0 shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: More in your face than the previous Epic, the Epic Flash’s headcover and sole certainly make a statement. Once the drivers are at address however, both models possess classic Callaway driver shapes. The Sub Zero is slightly more compact and has a marginally deeper face, while the standard model resembles the confidence-inspiring Rogue driver, with a wider and flatter head. I expected to prefer the more traditional Sub Zero, but I continuously went back and forth over the slight visual differences, with the look of the standard model seemingly showing more of the composite crown…

What has been your closest brush with death? Not that close. But as a kid we had horrendous turbulence on a flight to Fiji, which felt close at the time. We dropped a few hundred feet just as drinks were being served. People were hitting the ceiling. My sister still struggles with flying because of that.› If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose? Despite my answer to the previous question, I’d love to fly. It would be awesome. Birds get a great deal, I think.› If you could travel in time, would you go back or forward? I’d go back. I love history. I’d even go back as far as the dinosaurs. I was obsessed with them as a kid. So it would be cool to…

Sydney PGA Professional Leon Faulkner has been named among the best junior golf instructors in the world. Faulkner, who is based at the Golf Rocks Kids Academy at Bayview Golf Club on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, was recently named to U.S. Kids Golf’s annual list of Top-50 Kids Coaches at a presentation during the PGA Merchandise Show held in Florida. The award recognises the world’s best junior golf instructors. Beginning in 2004, the award honours golf coaches specialising in junior development who are chosen after completing an online survey, with winners selected based on their overall contributions to kids golf as well as how they structure and run their programs and attempt to grow the game. The Top-50 Kids Coaches of 2018 includes golf professionals from 28 American states, and nine…

There is one sure way to improve your game and that is through custom-fitting your golf clubs. One lucky Golf Australia reader will be taking a step in that direction when they win and are fitted for a complete set of PING clubs, including the recently released G410 driver, fairway, hybrid, Crossover and irons. To be in with a chance, go to our website www.golfaustralia.com.au and take part in our 2019 Reader Survey, which should only take five to 10 minutes to complete. Opt in to receive our weekly newsletter and you will be in the running to win these game-changing clubs from PING. Entries close 11.59pm on May 22, 2019, and the winner will be announced in our weekly newsletter on May 23.…

HOW RORY USES BIG DATA ‘It’s the fastest way to improve’ THE A.I. CADDIE ON YOUR PHONE We’ve used it ... and it’s incredible SHOES THAT TRACK YOUR SWING For better weight transfer THE TOUR’S TECHNICIAN Meet Bryson DeChambeau THE MOST USEFUL SHOT-SAVING TECH The best gadgets and apps THE BALL OF THE FUTURE IS HERE! It tells you how you’ve hit it…

AVERAGE TEE SHOT One of the biggest findings here is what Shot Scope term an “over-valuation” of hitting the fairway. For example, on a hole with sand or water down the right, aiming towards light rough up the left would typically yield a lower score than aiming up the middle. To demonstrate Shot Scope’s findings on this, we have mocked up a realistic hole, with bunkering down one side. Understanding the danger allows you to understand the correct line you should hit your tee shot on. This example has been pulled together using an average of golfers between 8 and 20 handicaps. WHAT IT MEANS... FOR FADERS Shot Scope has told us that golfers who predominantly miss their tee shots to the right will hit seven out of 10 drives…

Gavin says: “Shot Scope’s findings on putting arguably offer the biggest opportunity to save shots. The high percentages of three-putting across all levels, coupled with evidence of poor distance control, indicates a fast track to lower scores. But another, neat feature of Shot Scope is the ability to track your performance with a range of different putters. This way, a clear pattern will emerge of which one works for you, and which ones don’t.” NEVER UP, NEVER IN... 84% OF ALL MISSED PUTTS OUTSIDE FIVE FEET FINISH SHORT Most golfers will think of putting performance in Make percentage, but in reality for the handicap golfer getting the ball past the hole is the key factor. 84 percent of all putts outside five feet that are missed finish short. This is…

Bryson DeChambeau is the antithesis of your average sportsman. Geeky, polite and engaging, he has the brain of an engineer and the look of Ben Hogan. Puma flat cap and all. He’s a marketing man’s dream with a passion for technology and degree in physics. From building his own set of single-length irons at 17, doing the same thing for Cobra and then partnering with Microsoft on A.I. technology for golf, his approach is about as unconventional as his attire. In doing so, he’s thrown out the rule book and shown everyone that sometimes it pays to be different. Five PGA Tour titles and over $12million in prize money are proof of that, and now he’s on a mission to convince you to embrace technology and transform your game ...…

VPAR Free The best app for live scoring. To set up a competition, choose from matchplay, strokeplay or stableford formats, and get your mates to upload their scores after every hole. The app then displays a real-time leaderboard so everyone can feel like a pro. Users can also access GPS distances to holes and hazards, and archived performance and scoring stats. Your Sunday morning roll-up or society will never be the same again! R&A RULES OF GOLF Free Free up space in your golf bag by chucking away that weather-beaten rules book for a digital copy. To keep disputes and slow play to a minimum, all rules and sub-sections are condensed into a quick guide covering the most-commonly broken rules. If you need to go into more detail,…

Putting just got easier, and there’s no need to bother with a lesson or one of those mindboggling green books. That’s the theory behind a new app called Golf Scope, which practically doubles as a virtual caddie and statistician in your pocket. For around $7 a month/$42 a year, the app removes all the guesswork of green reading and show you the line before you putt. It then provides tips on how hard to hit the putt and how much the putt will break. The only thing you’ve got to worry about is putting a good stroke on the ball. That, and starting the ball on line. HOW DOES IT WORK? Using your phone’s camera, the app scans the green, snaps a picture of your ball and then captures a…

EVER wondered how much work a pro puts in behind the scenes? Well, here’s your answer. Away from the driving range and practice green, Rory spends his time wading through PDFs and pulling apart stats and facts so he can gain an edge over the competition. “I made the decision at the end of 2017 to really look at my stats,” he said. “That’s one of the great things teaming up with TaylorMade; they have an in-house stats guy, James Cornish. He’ll provide a little PDF for me in an email that says, OK, hitting driver on No. 2 will give you a 0.33 percent better chance of making a birdie on that hole because that’s what people did last year. Also, it doesn’t just tell you what to work…

SUITABILITY: Offered in 9°, 10.5° and 12° models with a four degree loft sleeve as well as low spin 9° and 10.5° Sub Zero heads, the Epic Flash suits any standard of player. LEFT HANDED: Every loft is offered in left handed. SHAFTS: Various weights of Project X Even Flow and HZRDUS shafts as well as a number of Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei options come as standard. CALLAWAY SAYS: “The Epic Flash drivers employ a new technology called ‘Flash Face’. Flash Face’s unique, internal mapping consists of dozens of subtle ripples flowing from heel to toe that work together cohesively to elevate COR in the face’s centre region. This results in a significant ball speed boost for a noticeable distance increase when you make solid contact. “Flash Face’s sophisticated architecture was…

From Joondalup to Sanctuary Cove and everywhere in between, Australians have been blessed for choice when it comes to high-quality golf courses that offer affordable and luxurious play and stay packages. Over the following pages, you will discover a collection of fantastic golf-and-accommodation packages currently on offer at a host of top courses Whether you’re looking for an escape to the Whitsunday Islands, Western Australia or the Mighty Murray River, Golf Australia magazine’s annual Play & Stay Guide has you covered with some of the best golf courses and resorts in the nation. HAMILTON ISLAND GOLF CLUB Situated in the heart of the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island is one of Australia’s most popular golfing holiday destinations – with mild weather, renowned food and wine, stunning scenery,…

LOCATION: Cape Wickham, King Island, Tasmania. CONTACT: (03) 6463 1200. WEBSITE: www.capewickham.com.au DESIGNERS: Mike DeVries with Darius Oliver. SLOPE RATINGS: 137 (blue tees), 134 (white), 127 (red). PLAYING SURFACES: All fescue. COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: John Geary. GREEN FEES: $175 (18 holes); $220 (all day rate). *Note, the course is closed from July 1 to August 31. HOW TO GET THERE: Three Melbourne airports have flights to King Island, with Regional Express (REX) flying out of Tullamarine, Sharp Airlines flying out of Essendon, Air Adventure flies charter flights and is also based out of Essendon but has some select flights out of Moorabbin and Vortex Airlines flies charter flights out of Moorabbin. The flight time from Melbourne to King Island is between 35 and 45 minutes depending on the type of…

To submit your quiz answers, visit the WIN page on our website, www.golfaustralia.com.au The person with the most number of correct answers will win a dozen of Mizuno’s new release RB Tour golf ball. The RB Tour is a very soft compression premium ball that offers lower driver spin, and high greenside spin. The four-piece ball also boasts a new Cone Dimple, which are designed to keep fast-flowing air close to the ball’s surface longer – reducing drag and strengthening trajectory. In the event of a tie, the winner will be randomly drawn. Entries close 11.59pm on March 20. The winner and the correct answers will be published in the May issue of Golf Australia magazine.…

LIKE everyone else in golf, I’ve spent some time recently getting my head round the new rules that were introduced on January 1st. I must admit the process didn’t get off to a great start when I saw someone taking a drop from ‘knee height’. I thought it looked ridiculous. “What,” I thought to myself, “is wrong with anywhere above the knee? How does anyone have a problem with that? And what was wrong with what we were all doing before?” All of which brought me immediately back to the notion that the idea of simplifying rules almost automatically makes them more complicated. That it is what almost always happens when a committee decides something. I actually have some experience in that area, when I was on the PGA Tour…

Did you know that 84 percent of missed putts over five feet finish short? Or, that your typical drive is nearly your Sunday best drive? These are just two intriguing statistics thrown up by performance tracking technology Shot Scope. The wrist-worn system, which monitors both your movement and your club’s through state-of-the-art GPS technology, has measured some nine million shots over 262,000 rounds. That’s created a mass of data, from which Shot Scope boffins have extracted a series of fascinating and enlightening conclusions about how well – OK, badly – we play the game. With the ability to be broken down into handicap levels, age or even typical shot pattern, this data has profound implications for where we need to target our practice, and how we can save shots. Here,…

SHOT SCOPE V2 $399  www.shotscope.com Excellent value as a golf watch, when you consider the V2 comes with 14 tags (to be inserted into the grips of each of your clubs) so you can track where you hit every shot on the golf course. Shot tracking experts reckon golfers who use the tech improve 46 times faster than those who don’t analyse their rounds. BUSHNELL ION2 $279  www.championsports.com.au Upgraded from the original iON, the Bushnell is so much more than just a GPS. A shot distance calculator is really useful for working out yardages for each club in your bag, and a step counter helps keep track of your daily activity. A reversible strap means you can change the look of the watch, too. GARMIN S10 $199  www.garmin.com.au Garmin refers…

BUSHNELL PHANTOM $179  www.championsports.com.au Bushnell’s new Phantom has a high-powered magnet inside, which means it attaches easily to a belt buckle, electric buggy or any metal surface. You get all the usual back, centre and front yardages for each green, along with four hazard/lay-up yardages per hole. GOLF BUDDY VOICEX N/A  www.golfbuddyglobal.com In our book, micro units are changing how golfers get yardages, especially for anyone who’s not a fan of wearing a watch as they play. VoiceX takes the tech to the next level, relaying yardages by voice, just like a sat nav. A clip on the back means it can be attached to a belt, cap or bag. GOLF BUDDY CT2 N/A  www.golfbuddyglobal.com Designed to be clipped on to almost anything. You get all the…

Any professional sportsman who maintains the mantra “water is for fish, my friend,” is sure to be a little different to his contemporaries. Equally, anyone able to draw a crowd of enthusiastic spectators as they stretch and gyrate their way through a now characteristic warm-up routine, possesses an extra sense of showmanship about them than the average golfer. For Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the permanently cigar-chomping, wine- and whiskey-loving bon vivant of golf, such eccentricities have made him one of the sport’s most entertaining players. And in spite of his modern role as an elder statesman of the sport, the Malaga-native has lost none of his passion for the game or his idiosyncratic excesses. “I love this game of golf!” the 54-year-old declares. “I still love the competition and that feeling…

FootJoy’s research shows 70 percent of golfers, even Tour players, are in the wrong size shoe, and the company is determined to alleviate this problem to extend the life of its products and allow golfers the performance benefits of wearing the correct size. Education is one aspect of FootJoy’s approach to this issue, with fitting days and a more diverse style, size and width spectrum on offer in its range – FootJoy shoes are offered from size 4-17 and in multiple widths – taking care of any and every foot type. Being aware of the facts heading into a shoe fitting is also important. For example, there is no industry standard for size and width, meaning your perfect size 10s you’ve had for the past couple of years in one…