Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Golf Monthly

• We’ve waited a long time for the official launch of Payntr’s newest shoe. Having seen Jason Day debut an as-then-unreleased golf shoe at The Masters, there was a sense of curiosity around the potential collaboration hitting retail. A ten-month process has led us to the official launch of the Eighty Seven SC. • Day’s equity ownership of Payntr means this goes far beyond a simple endorsement deal. The Australian was closely involved in the design process from his initial wear testing at Augusta National. He made sure the shoe adhered to his personal preferences and his knowledge of how a modern golf shoe needs to perform. From a looks perspective, it boasts a classic silhouette crafted with innovative technologies that allow this shoe to perform in all conditions out…

The World Handicap System (WHS) has been in place now for nearly four years in this country, a little longer in others. I think it’s had a fair chance to bed in and for people to make their own assessments as to whether it’s superior to the old CONGU system of Competition Standard Scratches and 0.1s, and whether or not they enjoy it more. My personal assessment is that I haven’t enjoyed golf as much over the last four years because of the WHS. I don’t get nearly as much out of the competitive rounds I play and those are the rounds that I enjoy the most. I used to be excited at the prospect of the Saturday (or Wednesday or any other day) medal. It was the chance for…

1 IRON PLAY It’s all about consistency – that’s what you want in your iron play. I’ve built my overall game around finding fairways and being able to attack with anything from 4- to 9-iron on approaches. That range of irons is probably where I’ve been the best over my career. I think the reason I do so well with them is that I hit down on the ball quite a bit and generate a high launch with a lot of spin. It gives me the advantage that I can stop the ball quickly on the greens when conditions are a little firmer. You need to have a consistent set-up for consistent ball-striking. We’ve all got certain things we’re better at in this game, and for some reason iron play…

This high-tech laser has one key unique feature: it’s also a fully functioning camera. While this makes it an interesting device, it does have one problem. However, before we get on to that, let’s discuss what makes this an excellent little rangefinder. The design is clean and compact, while the full-colour view in the viewfinder is crystal-clear and its ability to pick up pins is quick. It has a 6x optical zoom and an optional 12x digital zoom if you need it, although I rarely zoomed in any further. It also has a stabilisation feature, something all golfers will appreciate. The big difference between this device and any other lasers on the market is that it enables you to take photos and videos while out on the golf course. When…

UNDER ARMOUR DRIVE RAIN JACKET £139.99 We tested this fully waterproof jacket in an early-autumn deluge and are pleased to report that its functionality is second to none. It didn’t let a drop of water through, while the windproof fabric also did a great job of keeping the wind at bay. Both front pockets come with zippers and the adjustable cuffs mean you can tailor the fit to your liking. Such is the style of the design that we don’t see why this couldn’t be worn just as much off the course as on it. EYELINE GOLF ROLL THE ROCK PUTTING MAT £76.59 This entry-level putting mat features an assortment of markings that will help you mix up your practice sessions and really drill in the basics, all from the…

This month I revisit TaylorMade’s SLDR hybrid from 2013. I played both hybrid and fairway wood for some years, and remember it as a low-spin bomber, so was keen to see if a club that has been in Martin Kaymer’s bag for over a decade now could still deliver. What was the tech? The SLDR range was something of a happy accident as TaylorMade made its first serious foray into controlling and reducing spin by moving CG extremely low and forward. And boy, did it work! The only problem was getting the drivers, woods or hybrids airborne, which led to the clever, retrospective ‘Loft Up’ campaign to encourage users to increase base loft to capitalise on the SLDR’s powerful high-launch, low-spin ball flight. How did it perform? I fired up…

With a combined 400+ courses, Ireland and Northern Ireland have formed a very compelling draw for the travelling golfer for decades. No fewer than 21 are in the current Golf Monthly Top 100, with a further dozen included in our Next 100. They are also home to a brilliant array of less celebrated courses, from parkland classics such as Belvoir Park and Malone near Belfast and the two very different designs at Headfort in County Meath, to links such as Strandhill in County Sligo and Cork in the extreme south, then onto hidden gems such as Wicklow in the east and the outrageous nine-holer at Cruit Island way over in the north-west. Naturally, it is links golf that dominates the itineraries of those making the pilgrimage from all over the…

In association with Show me 500 miles of the UK’s most stunning scenery, isolated utopias and golf courses and I’ll give you three weeks of worshipping the game on revered links and little-known wonderlands, and discovering the heart of golf. The North Coast 500 (NC500) was launched in 2015, a driving route around the Scottish Highlands that starts in Inverness, heads north to John O’Groats, then 90 miles west to Durness and Cape Wrath, south to Applecross and finally east, back to Inverness. There’s no two-shot penalty if you choose to do it in reverse. When I heard about it, I opened a map and noted the small red flags along the way. There were 27, including Royal Dornoch. Digging a little deeper revealed the names of Old Tom Morris,…

“It turns out there are approximately 16,872 solutions for the dreaded shank” Fittingly, it’s Halloween and growing dark as I write this latest offering. Why so? Because I’m about to rabbit on about one of the scariest things in golf, a game that sometimes encourages more fear than the kids who are about to knock on my door and so interrupt my flow of thought as I lob sweets at their made-up faces. Oh, and ask them what their trick is. It confuses them. Yes folks, it’s time to bring it out into the open. This month I’m drilling down into the shanks. One or two of you may recall that several months ago, while playing in my first proper competition for two years, this awful affliction struck me as…

The Open to Ireland I view the prospect of The Open venturing beyond UK shores for the first time to Portmarnock as a great move for our global game’s most prestigious championship. After all, The R&A governs golf in all countries except the USA and Mexico, so there is no real reason why its flagship event shouldn’t venture further afield some years. I’m sure such a move would be even more eagerly greeted than its return to Portrush in 2019 after 68 years, so I really hope it comes to fruition. Allen O’Connor, via email Are handicaps current enough? As our golfing season comes to a close, roll on the Winter League and the new rules about preferred lies, winter greens and, potentially, more rounds to count for handicap –…

The Challenge Tour season came to a dramatic climax in early November as players battled it out to secure one of 20 cards for the 2024/25 DP World Tour. The Rolex Grand Final – the last event of the circuit’s season-long Road to Mallorca – was as much about finishing inside the top 22 on the money list as claiming the coveted title. In the end, Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan prevailed after Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen missed a tiddler on the 18th green. However, the Dane, along with England’s John Parry, had already secured his DP World Tour playing rights for next season – they both won three times during the campaign, earning automatic promotion. It was a tense battle to finish inside the top 22 (20 cards were handed out in addition…

Czechia GF: approx £91-£124 Stats: par 72, 6,616 yards Situated just a few miles south-east of the historic and cultural city of Prague, the course at PGA National Czech Republic is part of the upmarket Oaks Prague country estate, a modern development of high-end property. It was designed by leading architect Kyle Phillips, the man responsible for some of the finest 21st-century courses in the UK, such as Kingsbarns, The Grove and Dundonald Links. After opening fully in 2020, it has quickly gained a reputation as one of the very best courses in the country. As you’d expect from the name, oaks and other specimen trees feature, but there is far more open terrain as well and never that sense of claustrophobia you sometimes get on tree-lined layouts. Refreshingly for…

Billy Horschel is confident that 2025 will see him lift a Major trophy for the first time and says it will be the “ultimate pay-off for a willingness to travel to broaden my golfing horizons”. Horschel is that golfing rarity – a top American player who actually chooses to compete overseas, rather than when he has no choice or when he is able to demand a huge appearance fee. And he has been rewarded for it, most recently with his second BMW PGA Championship victory at Wentworth, edging out Rory McIlroy in a thrilling play-off by sinking a curling 30-footer for eagle. But it was an outing on these shores a few months before that stunning victory that convinced Horschel, 37, he has what it takes to become a Major…

At the turn of this century, Tiger Woods was playing rather well. Coming into the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am of February 2000, he had won five straight PGA Tour events – four towards the end of 1999 (including two WGC events) and one at the start of 2000, the Mercedes Championships in Hawaii, beating Ernie Els (one of his ‘nearest but not quite’ rivals around the millennium) in a play-off. By his own standards, though, he didn’t have a great record at Pebble Beach – i.e., he hadn’t won there. He had been T2nd in 1997, but he withdrew in 1998 and was a disappointing T53rd in 1999. But in February of 2000 at Pebble, he beat Matt Gogel and Vijay Singh by two strokes to notch up a…

How can I avoid getting too ‘armsy’ in my swing? By Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins If you’re prone to high hands or what’s known as a ‘flying elbow’, help is at hand. Hang your arms down while standing in your golf posture, letting the arm furthest from your target go really soft. Now, take your lead hand and tuck it behind the back of your trail elbow. Keeping the trail arm soft, simply rotate and turn your back to your imaginary target. The trail elbow should fold and remain relaxed at the top. At this point, your elbow will be neatly tucked, almost as if holding a tray of drinks, and your body nicely coiled up. Repeat until you start to hone the feeling. How can I make my…

FROM THE TOUR BALL ACTING AS POSSIBLE BACKSTOP The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth is always a highlight of the golfing calendar, and the 2024 offering was no exception. Thriston Lawrence, Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel all tied at 20-under-par, leading to a play-off to find the champion, which served up an interesting ruling. Lawrence’s approach shot finished around 4ft from the hole. For Horschel’s upcoming bunker shot, the ball was in a position almost directly behind the cup, close to the water. Under the Rules, a player who reasonably believes a ball at rest on the putting green might help anyone’s play (e.g., by serving as a possible backstop) can require the ball to be marked and lifted. The walking Rules Official, following an approach from McIlroy, asked Horschel…

I always appreciate golf shoes. However, I’ve reviewed so many now that I’m looking for new ways to test them so I don’t fall into too much of a routine. My first port of call is the brand’s press release. Frequently full of hyperbole, I like to compare some of the claims to my real experience with the shoe. With Ecco’s latest offering, the line that stood out was, “designed to be worn all day and night, it offers big-city vibes with a birdie mentality.” With whatever that means in mind, this review focuses more on my off-course experience than on-course testing. In fact, before I even laced them up to play golf, I headed out for a night of dinner, drinks and karaoke. My friends described the shoes as…

Congratulations on winning the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series in Riyadh – your first title in two years. Were you confident a victory was just around the corner? I feel like my game has been pretty good this season and I’ve been knocking on the door for a couple of years. It all came together in Saudi and I feel good. I held my game together pretty well and 18-under for three days is a pretty good score. Did you have any particular strategy during the final round? I was actually chatting to someone who is quite close to me before I started and he said, “Get off to a fast start, try and get ahead.” That’s what I did – and it’s a good job I listened to…

“I’M UP FOR THE FIGHT. I FEEL LIKE I’VE GOT THE MENTALITY TO DEAL WITH ANYTHING OVER THERE”On the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Matt Wallace shared why he feels he’s a strong candidate for Donald’s 2025 Ryder Cup team “THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE WINNING ARE THE PLAYERS ON BOTH SIDES”Paul McGinley told the Irish Independent that current spending levels by both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are not sustainable and not good for the game “TAKE GOOD CARE OF THIS WONDERFUL TOUR”Soren Kjeldsen bid an emotional farewell to the DP World Tour at the Genesis Championship. He’s one of only four players to have competed in more than 700 DPWT events “IT WAS THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE”Cameron Smith revealed to the Herald Sun that leaving the…

Two players finished in the top ten of their maiden Major in 2024. The first was Ludvig Aberg, who was runner-up at Augusta; the other was Dan Brown at Royal Troon. One had already played in a Ryder Cup and won on the PGA Tour; the other had come through Final Qualifying for The Open at a blustery West Lancs. The Yorkshireman avoided a play-off on the Lancashire coast by rolling in a 20-footer on the final green to book his Major debut at the age of 29. Brown admitted his first thoughts were on playing well at the co-sanctioned Scottish Open the week ahead of Troon and picking up some ranking points. At the time, he had missed his last six cuts and there would be another later that…

More evolution than revolution from Mizuno here with its popular iron franchise The JPX Hot Metal franchise has proven to be a consistent favourite among a wide group of discerning golfers. It has always offered strong ball speeds and high levels of forgiveness, while being wrapped up in a neat Mizuno-shaped bow that screams quality and craftsmanship. The latest iteration in the series looks to build as much as possible on this well-earned reputation. It’s worth spending a moment understanding Mizuno’s thought process when it embarked on creating this iron family. Essentially, the brand felt it had already pushed distance output as far as possible by reaching the USGA limits for COR, so the goal for the new family was to maximise forgiveness. This aim was addressed by expanding the…

Essentials Galway Bay Golf Resort, Renville, Oranmore, County Galway Stats: par 72, 6,797 yards GF: €100-€200 He may have hit one of the greatest shots in Ryder Cup history, but Christy O’Connor Jnr extended his talents to designing golf courses, too. His most famous is Galway Bay. It is not a links, despite being tucked close to the sea on two sides, but there is a grace and glide to this course that is positively hypnotic. The setting is beautiful and the endless rolling terrain is embellished by a general lack of trees. Any tree that does appear leaves you in no doubt as to the prevailing winds. Walk around the clubhouse and you will see the canopies of a few wind-bent hawthorn angled at 90˚. This is Ireland’s west…

Dundonald Links Already a host to both the Scottish Open and Women’s Scottish Open, this strategically strong links has matured well since opening in 2005. It plays over a sandscape that effectively borders the excellent and well established courses at Western Gailes, Kilmarnock Barassie and Gailes Links in Ayrshire. There had been a course here over a century before, but as in many cases, this had fallen into disuse when taken over for military use in WWII. The site was bought by Loch Lomond Golf Club in 2003 to offer its members an alternative to their immaculate parkland course, particularly in winter. Kyle Phillips was engaged to complete what has become a challenging links with a decidedly contemporary look. At some such courses, the strength of the design is in…

Looking back down the 15th at Knole Park, a full-length par 5 that runs along a secluded valley before rising to a bunkerless green Knole Park GF: 18 holes: £100 Mon-Thu, £120 Fri-Sun JF Abercromby’s small but remarkably high-quality design portfolio includes this beautiful course near Sevenoaks in Kent, which opened in November 1924. It is blessed with a spacious and endlessly varied routing through a large, gently undulating active deer park next door to the palatial Knole House. Despite some lengthening half a century ago, the layout remains pretty much as it was. Two of the prettiest of its six short holes are the 5th, which plays over a valley up to a perfectly sited green, and the downhill 8th, flanked by ponds and bracken. This enjoyable, yet nonetheless…