Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 - Issue #383 i Golf Australia

The Masters is not just one of golf’s four major championships, it is a unique event in the sporting world. Much of this can be attributed to the traditions and regulations the Augusta National Golf Club committee has put in place during the past 86 years. Here’s the best of them. 10. NO MOBILE PHONES Is there anywhere on the planet where you can’t take your mobile phone these days? I only know of one … Augusta National. Phones are strictly forbidden and payphones are available if you need to call someone. 9. CHEAP EATS A ticket to the Masters is the hottest in the golf world. It comes at a price but once you’re inside the gates at Augusta National, the prices for food and drink are arguably the…

The holes at Augusta National are the best-known in golf, the course is the choice of most as the one they’d like to play and millions of words have been written about it – to the point where you wonder if there is anything left to say. For most it is likely the best experience they could have at a golf club and also their idea of a perfectly conditioned course. The hills make for dramatic golf and the 13th hole might be the best and most nuanced hole in the game. Either way, it sits alongside the Road Hole at St Andrews. Ran Morrissett, the head of the World Top-100 golf course rating panel for a US golf publication, lived and worked in Sydney in the early 2000s and…

Golf is fun, relaxed and offers hours of mental recovery from the stresses and strains of regular life. In reality, once you get to a decent level and you want to do well, all sorts of insecurities sneak in. Am I good enough to play this course? Is my poor performance going to damage my handicap? Will my club mates judge me? All these fears come from a part of our brain which can feel like it is out to get us; the amygdala. Or, as Sports Psychiatrist, Professor Steve Peters has helpfully named it; our chimp. Peters, who worked with Padraig Harrington to help him get his head back into the game, developed a model to help us understand what is sabotaging our efforts when we are trying to…

“THESE SHOES ARE SERIOUSLY LIGHTWEIGHT, TO THE POINT IT FEELS VERY MUCH LIKE WEARING A GOOD PAIR OF TRAINERS AROUND THE COURSE.” Cost: $280. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy Editor (GA Handicap 9.4). MODEL PLAYED: ZG21 Laced. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The new Adidas ZG21 looks pretty much as I would expect for a premium golf shoe from the company. The style blends athletic shoe with some more classic golf touches to nicely appeal to a wide range of people. The almost Masters colour scheme of green/white/yellow is a nice touch as well. Taking the shoes out of the box I noticed just how light they were. Then once on that continued to standout, alongside the amazing soft, comfort combined with noticeable support and traction. HOW THEY PERFORMED: Lightweight golf…

Cost: $76.95. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy Editor (GA Handicap 9.4). FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Reviewing the two new models began where I typically start most golf ball testing, on the green, and completely unsurprisingly I enjoyed the feel of both the Pro V1 and Pro V1x off the putter face. The Pro V1 remains the softer of the two, while the new Pro V1x is certainly closer in feel and softer than previous iterations. This feel difference remained throughout the bag all the way to driver, the change in the Pro V1x a welcome one for me. Performance wise, both balls impressed as one would expect of Titleist’s flagship models. Plenty of spin around the greens and when hitting wedges was again no surprise and very similar between the…

Whether you’ve played the game for 50-plus years or you’re just starting out, anyone with even the slightest interest in our sport understands the prestige of Augusta National and the Masters Tournament. Some of us have already walked the hallowed grounds of the Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie masterpiece. Others have dreamt of setting foot on the Georgian gem ever since they first saw pictures of the course beaming into their living rooms during the early hours of the morning. It doesn’t matter which camp you fall in … Either way, we would all leap at the opportunity to visit or reacquaint ourselves with Augusta National to witnessThe Masters. Tour the Greens – which is co-owned by formerTouring professional Paul Gow – has an assortment of custom-built Masters tours, which…

Golf and wine often intersect. And one of the best destinations for both is the NSW Hunter Valley. Located 150 kilometres north of Sydney, this iconic wine-growing region is also home to two world-class golf courses: the Greg Norman and Bob Harrison-designed The Vintage (pictured) – which is currently ranked No.47 in Australia’sTop-100 Courses by Golf Australia magazine – and Cypress Lakes Golf Resort. Mates’ Escapes is currently offering two-night packages, starting from $540 per person, which include: villa-style accommodation at Cypress Lakes; rounds of golf in carts at Cypress Lakes andThe Vintage; daily breakfast and more. For more information, visit www.matesescapes.com.au or call (03) 8888 1021.…

PULLMAN MAGENTA SHORES The five-star Pullman Magenta Shores (pictured) is an exceptional golf, spa and corporate retreat resort offering apartment-style accommodation and a unique golf and beachfront setting. Offering studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom villas, the facilities also include a tennis court, swimming pool and day spa. Every studio or villa enjoys views of either the golf course, outdoor pools or our beautiful landscaped gardens. After a round, relax in one of the resort’s three swimming areas, including a 20 metre indoor heated lap pool, Rock Pools or the Lagoon Pool with seasonal pool bar. www.pullmanmagentashores.com.au MERCURE KOOINDAH WATERS RESORT The award-winning Mercure Kooindah Waters is home to an array of king rooms and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments directly alongside the golf course, many offering course views. Guests…

In a career spanning four decades, Ross Watson designed or remodelled more than 80 courses throughout Australia and Asia. Whether it was in partnership with former touring pro Graham Marsh or as head of his own design firm, many of his creations – like The Vines, Terrey Hills, Magenta Shores and Pacific Harbour – have become well regarded and won wide acclaim in ranking lists. Watson is undoubtedly proud of each of the aforementioned projects. But his extensive redesign of Sanctuary Cove’s Palm Course, which opened for play in 2011, is perhaps the work he is most proud of in his lengthy design career. “I got more out of this site than any other I have worked on in Australia or overseas because I was able to control every aspect…

Ask any golfer who has visited the aptly-named Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria and it won’t be long before they’re heaping praise on the courses to be found in the golf-rich region. Well, Lonsdale Links is the latest addition to the list of ‘must-play’ layouts in the area and boy, does it hold its own against the heavy hitters of the Bellarine. Lonsdale Golf Club reopened as Lonsdale Links last December – following an impressive and extensive remodelling by the design team of Ogilvy, Cocking & Mead – and it’s already turning plenty of heads. The new design meanders its way around salt marshes and wetlands and has been laid out across coastal dunes next to the picturesque Lake Victoria. The 5,505-metre par-70 course is relatively short by modern standards. But…

Michael Dillon left Ceduna Golf Club to cross the Nullarbor with nothing but eight litres of water, two days’ worth of food, three golf balls, some camping gear and his trusty 7-iron strapped to his bicycle. The resulting 28-day journey almost sounds like an unadulterated version of Mad Max … Dillon rode 1,365 kilometres to play the world’s longest golf course – Nullarbor Links – and met an array of fascinating people thanks to punctured tyres, exhausted rations, blistering heat and empty water bottles. The 59-year-old relief teacher, from Melbourne, has taken advantage of school holidays for the past decade or so to go on solo adventures, which have included the Camino de Santiago hike in Spain, climbing Tanzania’s Mt Kilimanjaro as well as Mt Everest Base Camp. Dillon was…

Golf courses are unique sporting arenas filled with many individual challenges, so it’s little wonder that just about every golfer has their favourite selection of holes. Whether it’s because of an exceptional shot, memorable moment or just an incredibly well-designed piece of land, ask any lover of the game and they will be able to rattle off their own personal list of holes they hold dearest. That’s why Melbourne-based artist Melissa Doyle is immortalising people’s favourite golf holes with her stunning canvas paintings. “Because of people’s love for golf and their connection with it, I think, for me, if I can create really beautiful paintings that mean something special for people, then that’s what I’m really excited about,” Doyle, who has painted for over 20 years, told Golf Australia magazine.…

After recently retiring, I have returned to playing golf and reading Golf Australia magazine following a hiatus of 20 years. While my golfing abilities are not to the standard they once were, I am delighted to see the magazine is as informative and well presented as I remember. I have been playing with the Victa Golf Club – a social club within Wembley Golf Course in Perth. It has reminded me how welcoming golfers are to each other, strangers included, and they have quickly made me feel like I belong. This has been so important after feeling the displacement that comes with no longer contributing within a workplace. I have also been impressed with the high standard of golf and low scores of players in their ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.…

Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina – 120 kilometres from Augusta National – Dustin Johnson always dreamt of winning the Masters Tournament. That dream was finally realised in record fashion in November last year, and he was presented with his first green jacket by his boyhood idol, Tiger Woods. The World No.1 had made nine previous starts at Augusta and logged four top-10 finishes, including his runner-up effort to Woods in 2019. But 2020 saw Johnson reach 20-under-par 268 – equalling the lowest under-par score in major championship history – to win by a record five shots and break the 72-hole record set by Woods in 1997. “It still feels like a dream,” said Johnson who held at least a share of the lead after every round. “As a kid,…

It is often considered part and parcel of tournament golf overseas that the host venue’s facilities and infrastructure, rather than the golf course itself, are the most crucial elements to keep all stakeholders happy. Fortunately in Australia, the opposite has often been true, with our best golf course by a long stretch, Royal Melbourne, often welcoming players for a variety of events. And in Sydney, the “big” clubs, The Australian, The Lakes, Royal Sydney and NSW, have been regular Australian Open sites. The 2021 NSW Open Championship marks another positive for the use of quality golf courses over quality tournament venues, with the recently redesigned Concord Golf Club finally getting the chance to welcome the PGA Tour of Australasia again, after the 2020 staging was cancelled due to COVID-19. For…

The big mistake most amateur golfers make from fairway bunkers is that they think this is a vastly different shot to one played from the fairway. In fact, fairway bunker shots are played in the same manner in which you would play a shot from the fairway with only a few subtle adjustments. These adjustments are dependent upon the two ‘Ls’ – lie and loft. Do you have a lie that will allow you to get the clubface on the back of the ball? Do you have enough loft to get the ball over the bunker lip in front of you? If the answer to both is yes, swing away as normal. If not, take your medicine and play a greenside bunker splash-style shot back onto the fairway. Never, ever,…

Cost: $399.99. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy Editor (GA Handicap 9.4). MODEL PLAYED: #7s, fitted with Stroke Lab shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The new red Stroke Lab shaft is certainly a bold look when first laying eyes on the Odyssey White Hot OG range, but outside of that the new line is exactly what one would expect of Odyssey appearance wise. A well-finished product that sits perfectly at address. Off the putter face, the familiar feel of the original White Hot instant was very welcome personally as someone who used one of those very models for much of their early golfing life. And the milled finishes on the head are a really nice touch. HOW IT PERFORMED: As simple as some people might think putting is, believe me I…

For both equipment manufacturers and golfers alike, the driver receives the most attention, scrutiny and even financial investment. And for good reason. Driving the ball long and straight has unquestioned advantages when trying to score well and improve your game, and the joy of a perfectly struck drive sailing down the fairway will stick with most players for much longer than just the round of golf during which it occurred. With all this in mind, we have cultivated the following list of the best drivers from the biggest brands on the market this year. From smaller head, low spin models aimed at better players, to ultra-lightweight, forgiveness-driven clubs for the moderate speed swingers of the world, there is a driver here to suit each and every golfer and ball flight.…

Commonwealth Golf Club has appointed Renaissance Golf Design (RGD) to oversee the restoration of its course. The prestigious Melbourne Sandbelt course undertook a worldwide search for a new course architecture firm before announcing it had commissioned Tom Doak’s RGD to undertake a major renovation. Doak is one of the world’s leading golf course architects and his RGD boasts an impressive portfolio of international work and has numerous high-ranking courses in Australia and New Zealand, including St Andrews Beach, the Gunnamatta course at The National Golf Club, Tara Iti and Cape Kidnappers. RGD’s restoration of nearby Yarra Yarra Golf Club has been acclaimed, as have renovations at Royal Melbourne and Royal Adelaide. Doak has a long-term admiration with the course having listed Commonwealth among the 31 courses in the world he’d…

YES ADRIAN LOGUE Golf AustraliaTop-100 Judge and contributing writer Some things are of their time and place. A genuinely good sausage sizzle can only be found at Bunnings. It’s a Wonderful Life is utterly unwatchable outside of Christmas. The Dagwood dog, deep fried cheese on a stick, fairy floss on a stick, corn on the cob … on a stick, come to think of it – ALL manner of food on a stick might as well not exist outside of the magical realm of the Royal Easter Show. Greco Roman wrestling only exists in the form of vaguely erotic marble statues that come to life at the Olympics every four years, then go back to being statues after the closing ceremony. They’re not actually humans – that’s a little-known…

It took nine appearances and four previous top-10 finishes before Fred Couples finally broke through at Augusta National to win the 1992 Masters and enter the major winner’s circle. “Boom Boom” defeated his fellow American, friend, mentor and 1976 Masters champion Raymond Floyd by two shots in what might sound like – at least on paper – a relatively stress-free Sunday. But Couples, then 32, began the final round trailing 54-hole leader – Australia’s Craig Parry – by one shot after the third round ran into the final day due to thunderstorms suspending much of Saturday’s action. Rounds of 69-66-69 had Parry at 12 under and seemingly 18 holes away from becoming Australia’s first Masters champion. Parry, playing alongside Couples, was quick to create a three-shot buffer in the final…

ADAM SCOTT BEST RESULT: Won (2013). Australia’s first and only Masters champion hasn’t really found himself in contention at Alister MacKenzie’s masterpiece since donning the green jacket in 2013. But there’s no denying his affinity with the layout, where he has made 17 of 19 cuts and posted 10 top-25s, including his victory and runner-up effort back in 2012. “Some venues only demand you do some things well, but Augusta National is a course that asks for everything,” Scott, one of the world’s premier ball-strikers, wrote for Masters.com in 2017. Scott tested positive for COVID-19 last October and missed several events in the lead up to last year’s tournament, where he shared 34th place. But his preparation for this year has been much stronger and included his first top-10 result…

Fairway woods can be difficult to hit from off the deck. The mis-hits – topped, fat and sprayed shots – can happen to any player with any club but hitting, or mis-hitting, a fairway wood can exaggerate any swing fault. Changing posture is the primary cause for mis-hits with a fairway wood, especially from tight lies. If your club moves along an arc determined by your posture at address, the moment you stand up – even slightly – you change the swing arc. If you alter your posture with any lateral movement in the backswing, you change where the bottom of the swing arc is. So, to hit pure fairway wood shots the answer is simple: turn away from the ball without any lateral movement away from the target and…

SCOTTY CAMERON PHANTOM X TOUR-INSPIRED MALLETS Titleist’s Master Putter Maker, Scotty Cameron, made his name crafting putters for the world’s best players. And the four new Phantom X mallet models take their cues from the preferences and feedback from that same group of players. “Working with our game’s best players gives me great perspective into what they are looking for in a mallet putter. From the types of metals used to the subtle changes in shaft bends, these new Phantom X models offer brand new, highly requested options that build on our most popular models from 2020,” Cameron said. Already claiming victory on the PGATour (Max Homa won the Genesis Invitational with a Phantom X 11.5 prototype) the new models – 5, 5.5, 11 and 11.5 – are compact mallets,…

In case you missed it, King Island’s Cape Wickham Links was voted Australia’s No.1 Public Access Course by Golf Australia magazine in January. The course has held the premier position since opening for play in October 2016 and has been ranked as high as No.24 on a list of the world’s best courses. Anyone who has played Cape Wickham since is always struck by the beauty of the oceanside location – about 40 minutes’ drive north of the island’s biggest town, Currie – and in view of the heritage-listed lighthouse of the same name. The focus of the design team – Mike DeVries and Darius Oliver – on playability, no matter what Mother Nature conjures up, by providing a variety of playing lines and numerous shot options is an enticement…

If you’re someone with exquisite taste, this could be the tour you’ve been waiting for – one that combines the very best golf and wine experiences Australia has to offer. The Gourmet Golf & Wine Tour by Golf Explorer incorporates rounds of golf at four of the finest golf courses on in Australia – New South Wales, Royal Melbourne (pictured), Royal Adelaide and Kooyonga Golf Clubs – with private wine tours in the Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley and Barossa Valley. The 11-night package starts from $6,995 per person and includes: four nights’ accommodation at the Shangri-La Sydney; four nights’ at the Sofitel Melbourne; three nights’ at the Crowne Plaza Adelaide; rounds of golf at NSW, Royal Melbourne, Royal Adelaide and Kooyonga; private wine tours; ground transfers and much more. For…

The natural treasures of the New South Wales Central Coast quickly become obvious. As you zoom across the Brooklyn Bridge spanning the Hawkesbury River, following the M1 north from Sydney, it’s not long before signs to Gosford, The Entrance and Wyong pop up – all framed by the dense bush of the Brisbane Water National Park left and right of the freeway. Despite enormous urban growth during the past two decades, you’re never far from a national park, picturesque waterway or long stretch of beach on the Central Coast – with Avoca, Wamberal, Pelican, Shelly, McMasters and Forrester’s Beaches being the picks of an impressive lot. The likes of Avoca and Pelican have even been mentioned in dispatches as among the best beaches in the country. And if its good…

MAGENTA SHORES G&CC Green fees: On request. Ph: (02) 4336 0100. www.magentagolf.com.au SHELLY BEACH GC Green fees: April to September – $45 (visitors midweek), $50 (weekends); October to March – $50 (midweek), $55 (weekends). Ph: (02) 4332 3400. www.shellybeachgolfclub.com.au BREAKERS CC Green fees: $27 (nine holes). Ph: (02) 4384 5691. www.breakerscc.com KOOINDAH WATERS RESORT Green fees: $59 (Mon-Thurs), $79 (Fri-Sun). Cheaper rates for resort guests and tee-times after 2pm each day. Ph: (02) 4351 0700. www.kooindahwatersgolf.com.au WYONG GC Green fees: $40 (midweek), $45 (weekends). Ph: (02) 4352 1511. www.wyonggolfclub.com.au GOSFORD GC Green fees: $38. Ph: (02) 4337 3333. www.gosfordgolfclub.com.au MANGROVE MOUNTAIN MEMORIAL GC Green fees: $40 (18 holes with cart weekdays, except Wednesday); $21 (nine holes, weekdays); $23 (18 holes, weekdays). Ph: (02) 4373 1075. www.mmmclub.com.au THE SPRINGS GC Green…

New South Welshman Travis Smyth won the NT PGA as an amateur then quickly turned pro, making his way on to the Asian Tour. That circuit’s ongoing hiatus has made for a quiet 12 months competitively, but the 27-year-old has been keeping busy. Here, he talks America, a lifelong sponsorship and his trademark long locks. Playing the Asian Tour, it was nearly a year between four-round tournaments. What did you get done in that time? I spent about two to three months when everything was first in lockdown in Sydney and then I went to America to see my girlfriend, who lives in Chicago, and the plan was just hang out there and practise. Then once it got cold there I went and did some Monday qualifiers and mini Tour…