Indholdsfortegnelse for Jun 2024 - Issue 421 i Golf Australia

Before LIV Adelaide had even begun, talk had turned to doing it again, and whether LIV CEO Greg Norman foresaw Adelaide as the only Australian venue for the next two years and beyond. “Yes, I do, honestly. I don’t mind saying this,” Norman said. “Has there been interest from other states? Yes, absolutely there’s been interest in other states, but we were in South Australia first. “The Premier [Peter Malinauskas] took it on, the responsibility of taking on LIV right from the outset, not too sure about the result. And now because he’s done that and because South Australia has done that, we’ve got to look at that into the future as well.” Malinauskas took a punt on LIV Golf in 2022 when it was seen – and in some…

SNAPSHOT Winners of The Chevron Championship had been jumping into Poppie’s Pond off the 18th green at Mission Hills Country Club in Southern California since 1988. As you can see, golf and its quirky traditions well and truly caught up with American superstar Nelly Korda after her US$1.2 million victory at The Club at Carlton Woods, Texas. When the women’s first major of the year was shifted to Carlton Woods in 2023, there were fears that the course’s lake could contain rocks, debris and, ahem, alligators from an adjacent waterway. But the pond was dredged and anti-alligator netting installed, and celebratory tomfoolery was set free.…

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN 1 OF 2 PING G430 MAX 10K DRIVERS! EACH VALUED AT $1,150 EAGLE CLUB MEMBERS GET ALL THIS! • 24 issues of Golf Australia a magazine • One dozen Callaway Supersoft golf balls • Golf Australia golf shirt • Choose a DVD – 7 golf titles to choose from • Entry in all chance to win competitions The Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball features Advanced HEX Aerodynamics, optimized for reduced drag, higher flight and longer carryry distance. The PING G430 MAX 10K driver merges unparalleled straightness with forgiveness, thanks to its high Moment of Inertia (MOI). It introduces a trio of advancements: a spin-reducing back weight for quicker speeds, an enlarged head for better aim and confidence, and a Carbonfly Wrap for enhanced aerodynamics. These features unite to…

Every once in a while, you’re reminded that travelling around while covering golf has its benefits, but arguably none are up there as high in this writer’s career to date as playing 18 holes with Gary Player at The Links at Fancourt Resort in South Africa as part of the BMW Golf Cup World Final week. Having conducted this interview and watching him run a three-hole clinic with the event’s competitors the day prior, it was a friendly greeting with Mr. Player on the putting green. Of course, he was there first. Off he went to the range, where hitting balls is a rarity in favour of telling stories to anyone who will listen, offering swing and health tips. Yet, Player still dazzles with the quality of his strike and…

YOUR COACH Aspecial blend of passion, creativity and simplicity has made Adrian Fryer a constant presence in the coachng game for the past two decades. He is still helping people play better golf, giving as many if not more lessons than any other active coach today. No one, then, is better placed to understand the most common and persistent problems which plague today’s golfer … and to offer the most effective solutions. “Since turning pro back in 1978, I’ve given something in the region of 90,000 lessons, working with everyone from folk who have never touched a club before, to touring professionals,” Adrian reveals. “This has of course spanned a changing landscape for golf tuition … from the first scratchings of video to today’s biofeedback and launch monitors. Yet despite…

Here is one thing I’ve noticed down the years, which if anything is getting worse: the typical club golfer has no idea just how close a ‘perfect’ shot is to a ‘terrible’ shot. And although not a technical thing, it has the power to destroy confidence and wreck performance. To make my point, here are two potential contacts: RULE OF THUMB Let’s look at this another way. The sweetspot of a clubface is about the size of a thumbnail. If we miss this tiny target by more than a centimetre, the consequences for our golf ball and scorecard can be dire. This makes golf, officially, a Very Hard Game. Yet I constantly meet golfers – even inexperienced ones – who are puzzled at their inability to master it, to do…

Every now and then a newspaper will trot out an article quoting academics and professionals advocating for the four-day working week. Invariably they’ll offer up fine business cases about how it’s better for the worker and for productivity. Better also, they’ll say, for staff retention, staff attraction, reduced costs, the environment, carbon footprint, mental health, physical health, happiness. Happiness! What are we even here for if not for happiness? And thus, I put it to you people, that we, the people, should be storming the citadels of politics and business and demanding the four-day working week. Because that, clearly, is plenty. Want to win the next election, Albo? Dutto? Make it happen. Make us all happy. Not coincidentally, our advocacy for the four-day work week is predicated on three days…

The new and improved LT1 golf shoe from ECCO sets a new, lofty standard in comfort, durability and lightness, rejuvenating the wearing experience thanks to the introduction of ECCO’s ground-breaking LYTR technology. New cutting-edge LYTR Foam has been seamlessly integrated into the shoe’s sole, along with ECCO’s FLUIDFORM Direct Comfort Technology. The foam is seamlessly combined in the midsole with ECCO’s soft PHORENE, which provides contoured comfort, stability and a long-lasting integral bond to the leather upper, creating a feather-like wearing experience as you stroll the fairways. LYTR illustrates a seismic shift in golf shoe innovation. ECCO Golf has reimagined the mechanics of playing golf and general walking. The LT1 is not just about comfort; ECCO also integrates multiple other technological advancements into the shoe, including the E-DTS NET design…

BANKSIA BEACH • QUEENSLAND It seems to be the same old story every summer these days. Bushfires in the south of the country, rain and floods to the north. Southeast Queensland again endured a wet start to the year, with near-record rainfall and floods. It proved to be a bitter blow for golf courses across the region, with many hoping for some rain across the closing months of 2023, only to be inundated post-Christmas and for the next four months. As the old saying goes … “it never rains, it pours”. Few if any courses between the Sunshine Coast and the NSW border escaped the impact of the rainfall completely unscathed. However, there are some which bounced back quicker and have since returned to normal playing conditions. Pacific Harbour Golf…

Hannah Green headed into 2024 with a new driver, a new putter, and renewed focus. And it has paid dividends. With two wins in her first six starts on the LPGA Tour rocketing her to a career-best world ranking of eight, the West Australian is now on the prowl for another major trophy to add to the cabinet. Hungry after a 2023 which held both high and – by her standards – ordinary moments on the golf course, Green began this year with a bang, winning the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore at her second start. Two tournament appearances later she led the Ford Championship after two rounds, thanks to a brilliant 11-under 61 in the second, before fading due to illness. Another two starts and she was back…

American world No.1 Nelly Korda is already in illustrious territory as a shot at an elusive majors double beckons, with the U.S Women’s Open on the horizon. At the time of writing, Korda is a week removed from plucking off her second major championship title at The Chevron Championship at Carlton Woods. A dominant display of graceful and organised golf, where the 25-year-old machine was simply a class above the rest. Further to her major triumph, The Chevron Championship marked Korda’s fifth win in her last five starts, joining Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA Tour players to achieve the feat and the first since Sorenstam in the 2004/05 LPGA Tour season. That is some elite company the Florida native has joined, and with two more major…

Without question, the most shocking piece of information I have come across in recent times was delivered by American neuroscientist Daniel Amen. After completing 250,000 brain scans, Amen asserted the level of brain activity in the average American today is equivalent to that exhibited by people diagnosed as schizophrenic in the 1950s. Never mind your 41 putts per round or 53km/h swing speed – that is a truly frightening stat. His findings add weight to a perception most of us have these days: that life is getting busier, more complicated. Perhaps this is the natural, or at least inevitable, consequence of living in an age of information, disseminated by technology evolving at breakneck pace. We can also factor in our modern-day ability to communicate with each other, on multiple platforms,…

For golfers looking to discover new wonders on the southeast of Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula, Flinders Golf Club well and truly delivers. Flinders, which sits above the ocean near West Head at the entrance to Western Port Bay, is a dreamy location with views to the east to Phillip Island and south over the chilly looking waters of Bass Strait. Boasting a course whose design has been influenced by Alistair McKenzie, the club is currently executing a Course Masterplan prepared by Michael Henderson, who has worked extensively with Tom Doak. Henderson’s masterplan is a long-term one, with strategic changes coinciding with the remodelling of most greens and bunkers to bring a level of consistency to the style of design. “The shaping, style, playability and strategic influence of the greens and…

There are few dates on the calendar as highly anticipated as a golf trip covering multiple courses, intertwined with once in a lifetime experiences and accompanied with great food and wine. Such a trip was on offer for this writer when visiting South Africa’s Garden Route and the magnificent Fancourt, home to three Gary Player-designed courses. Once an expansive piece of farmland, Fancourt is found in George, in the Western Cape region, with Cape Town the nearest major centre at five hours’ drive away. Sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean, George and the rest of the Garden Route is known for stunning natural landscapes, some of the friendliest people you’d hope to meet and, thanks to Fancourt, tremendous golf. Opened in 1990, the Montagu Course was the first…

Tour Edge, the pound-for-pound industry leader in performance and innovation, introduces its new Hot Launch 524 Series of drivers and fairway metals. HOT LAUNCH C524 DRIVER This Competition Spec Hot Launch C524 Driver features a more traditional design and setup, delivering maximum ball speed for medium to fast swing speeds. The Hot Launch C range is for the player seeking optimal launch and spin rates, while wanting to enjoy a driver’s extreme ease of use, forgiveness, and accuracy. HOT LAUNCH C524 FAIRWAY METALS This 17-4 stainless steel Competition Spec Hot Launch C524 Fairway Metal features a classic design and setup for the player seeking optimal launch and spin rates as well, while offering the benefits of extreme forgiveness at the same time. Ridgeback Technology: TE engineers have brought the RidgebackTech…

PGA SNAPSHOT Who said the PGA side of elite golf was the boring, conservative option? It appears Rory McIlroy and his teammate Shane Lowry saw how the LIV golf crew was letting loose during post-match celebrations Down Under in Adelaide and thought you call that a party? After taking out the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana, the Northern Irishman and Irishman went on a victory walk led by a New Orleans-style brass band. When in Rome ……

Not all greens are created equal, or more importantly in golf, flat. We all know even the most subtle changes in slope or surface can prove crucial to making a putt, watching it drift wide of the hole, or even worse, witnessing it dance around the rim. Having a general idea beforehand of what a putt is going to do is about much more than standing at your mark and visualising whether hitting towards the middle of the hole will result in the ball drifting left or right. It’s about more than creating imaginery targets behind the hole. Australian Grace Kim likes to take it a step further; the 2023 Lotte Championship winner almost always takes extra time to help her better judge the speed and power required for her…

Win five professional tournaments in a row, you’re doing something right. In this image of world No.1 Nelly Korda, she’s done plenty right getting her golf swing to this powerful point of transition. There’s been great shoulder turn, she’s loaded up on her right hip, she’s not swaying laterally. A towel could be trapped in her right arm-pit – nothing “chicken wingy” here. It’s a balanced and athletic position before she pulls the trigger and starts the club down. Yet “pulling the trigger” can be a poor swing-thought for those of us who believe they must bring the club – usually driver – back towards the ball as soon and as quickly as possible. Such a hard and fast move can mean bunched muscles, erratic action, lost power, dud accuracy.…

Broadly, when it comes to the angle we attack the ball, we have three options: we can hit down on it, we can hit up through it, or we can deliver a level blow. However, over the years, I’ve seen more than my fair share of golfers using the wrong attack for the club in their hands. Let me explain… TOLERANCE Every club in your bag is designed with face loft… to a greater or lesser degree. This difference in face loft gives each club its own set of tolerances when it comes to attack angle. Let’s spell this out through the bag. DRIVER: 9-11º The low-lofted driver performs best with a sweeping, level attack angle. 7-IRON: 28-32º The 7-iron works best with more of a slightly squeezing strike. GAP…

The legacy of the mad scramble for quartz across Victoria which began back in the 1850s is still visible across the breadth of the state’s Goldfields district, whether it’s a cosy, tree-lined boulevard, botanic gardens or stunning architecture found within its charming, historic towns. The discovery of gold way back then brought people from across the world to Ballarat, the majority being English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Cornish. And you’d assume once they discover the area has some top-quality layouts, their great-great-grandchildren will be back on their behalf … if they happen to like golf. Most golfing expeditions around these parts start at Ballarat Golf Club, which has a long and proud history spanning back to 1895 as Australia’s oldest continually played golf course. The championship course has been redesigned…