Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i Golf Australia

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour for keeping alive a concept many suspected was lost: an international golf tournament in Perth. The launch of the World Super 6 Perth, where the field will play a regular strokeplay tournament for three days then revert to six-hole matches on Sunday, appears both fresh and innovative. But that’s a pretty specious assessment. Here’s the real appraisal: we’ve been down this road before, and it didn’t work. Who remembers the Surf Coast Knockout? Not many would. Held on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula in January 2011, it utilised the exact same format and was staged once and once only. It was innovative, yes. Entertaining? To a degree. Unpredictable? Most definitely, especially when you consider the last matchplay qualifier…

 THIS is not a very pleasant or easy thing to say, or admit. But for the first time in my career I have lost my card to play on the PGA Tour. I HAVE TO LOOK ON ALL THIS AS A WAKE-UP CALL. I JUST NEED TO PLAY A PROPER SCHEDULE AND GET BACK TO WHERE I WANT TO BE. This clearly wasn’t something I was planning on. But it seems to happen to most players at some point in their professional lives. Golf is just a hard game. We all have good patches and bad patches. And the past year has been one of the latter for me. I didn’t make the top-125 money-winners and have no tournament-win exemption carrying over to next season, which is not to say…

WOMEN’S World No.1 Lydia Ko was buzzing about competing in the Olympics on the eve of the Rio Games. What is your caption to go with this photo of Ko hamming it up for the cameras? Submit your caption on the entry form found on our website and the best entry judged by Golf Australia’s editors will win a pair of adidas Tour 360X shoes, worth $149. The Tour 360X shoes continue the evolution of the Tour 360 family. With its Tour-proven performance and stability unquestioned, this model features increased cushioning and comfort. For more information visit the website www.adidasgolf.com or call 1800 700 011…

CAST your mind back to 1992. The VP Commodore was the latest Holden on the road, Shane Warne made his Test debut for Australia, the West Coast Eagles became the first non-Victorian team to win the AFL premiership, Paul Keating was the prime minister of Australia, and one- and two-cent coins were withdrawn from circulation. It was also the year that the Holden Scramble was born with 17,000 golfers teeing it up across 200 events in what has since become an iconic event on Australia’s golf landscape. The Scramble was launched by five-time Open champion Peter Thomson, who posed for photos with the head of GMH, both sporting persimmon drivers in hand. Boy, hasn’t the Scramble come along way. In fact, the Holden Scramble celebrated another milestone recently, with its…

WHY THE ANCHOR BAN HAS FAILED The rule change introduced on January 1 this year to stop golfers anchoring a long putter has been a failure. All it achieved was for the belly putter to disappear from the game, and for some players to voluntarily switch to a short putter (well done Adam Scott, Brett Rumford and Peter Senior). The recent US Senior Open highlighted just how ineffective the ban on anchoring has been. The Tour’s dominant player, Bernhard Langer, continues to use his favourite long putter, looks exactly the same when putting, and obviously his putting effectiveness has not diminished. On this occasion he was joined high on the final leaderboard by Billy Mayfair, Ian Woosnam and Michael Allen, all of whom also used long putters. Of course, each…

 THE real truth about caddying lies somewhere between the outrageous and delusional claim made by the despicable Steve Williams – “I’ve ‘won’ X tournaments during my career” – and the old saying that all you really have to do is “show up, keep up and shut up”. In other words, while whispering sage advice into the ears of players does indeed have the potential to be game-changing, at the end of a round the man carrying the bag hasn’t hit one ball or made one putt. IT IS A GREAT JOB FOR A YOUNG SINGLE MAN LOOKING TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AND HAVE SOME FUN. Still, like golf, caddying is an increasingly scientific business. Long gone are the old timers who had no idea how far it was to the…

Jan Stephenson has often been referred to as golf ’s first sex symbol. Decades before female stars like Natalie Gulbis appeared in nothing but body paint, and Michelle Wie was pictured in skin-tight gym wear, it was the New South Wales-born star who had countless male hearts beating hard every time she teed it up. Beautiful, tanned and with a shock of dazzling blonde hair, she was favourably compared with Farrah Fawcett Majors – the fantasy pin-up girl of the 1970s hit TV show, ‘Charlie’s Angels’. Except Stephenson’s talent was no fantasy and she (according to some) was definitely no angel. The 1974 LPGA Rookie of the Year, Stephenson backed up her early promise by winning 16 times in the next decade, including three majors. Yet it was her off-course…

There are all kinds of golf swing practice aids on the market, and no doubt they can all do a job. However, they’ll also relieve you of a fair bit of cash for the privilege. A tee peg, on the other hand, is the cheapest piece of golf equipment you can buy, and with a little imagination it can become a remarkably effective practice aid. This series of peg drills, from tee shots to short putts, will show you how to transform the humble tee peg into your secret shot-saving machine. PEG DRILL #1 Train a square, centred putting strike Two pegs can give you instant feedback on your stroke … and help improve your accuracy. DOUBLE HIT Strike the putt – but focus on how the face impacts the…

ALL-PURPOSE GPS The Garmin Approach X40 is available in black, white, frost blue and limelight blue. MODEL USED: Garmin Approach X40 GPS. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The unit was really easy to set up. It didn’t take much time at all to sync or to download the app. The features that appeal most from a golf perspective are the auto-scoring and stats-keeping elements, while as a cyclist I’m also very interested in the riding setting and the health trackers in general. I trialled the white Approach X40, which looks terrific and really modern. HOW IT PERFORMED: I made the mistake of not switching the setting away from ‘yards’ for the first few holes but once I found ‘metres’ the Garmin Approach X40 GPS proved to be quite accurate on its front, middle…

If you are heading to San Francisco, Qantas Golf Club has a variety of golf packages in and around the area, or you can create your own perfect holiday with a dedicated golf travel specialist. For example, try this one… CALIFORNIAN GOLF AND WINE EXPERIENCE Eight days, seven nights, three rounds of golf and two winery experiences • One night’s accommodation in a four-star San Francisco hotel • Three nights’ accommodation at Silverado Resort in the Napa Valley. • Three nights’ accommodation in a four-star Monterey hotel. • A round of golf on the North and South courses at Silverado, one round at Poppy • Hills at Pebble Beach. • Full-day Napa Valley winery tour & lunch. • Monterey and Carmel wine tasting. • Car hire for eight days. For…

SHERATON MIRAGE PORT DOUGLAS Sophisticated yet relaxed, the newly revitalised Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort has undergone an extensive transformation that marries the timeless elegance of the original property with a fresh modern look throughout the resort. Two hectares of swimmable blue lagoon pools, inspired swim-up rooms, new dining venues, fresh lobby and championship golf all set amid 147 hectares of lush tropical gardens perched beachfront to Four Mile Beach between the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. Welcome back to an Australian icon. For special offers and bookings call (07) 4099 5888 or visit www.sheratonportdouglas.com PLAY NORTH QUEENSLAND WITH QANTAS GOLF CLUB Qantas Golf Club has a variety of golf holiday packages to suite every golfer. Try the Port Douglas Golf Package, with three nights’ accommodation at…

 WINNING SCORE: 23-under-par, 265 “I’VE GOT A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN EVERY PART OF MY GAME. ESPECIALLY ALL OF THE WORK I’VE PUT IN ON MY WEDGES, IT’S REALLY PAID OFF THIS YEAR. AND THIS WEEK THE PUTTER REALLY WORKED. ” – DUSTIN JOHNSON DEFEATED: Defeated England’s Paul Casey by three strokes. American Roberto Castro was a further three shots back. DEFINING MOMENTS: When Paul Casey rolled in an eagle putt from 25 feet at the par-5 15th hole, it put the final result in some doubt. But Johnson’s reply was swift and decisive. Having launched his approach into 18 feet from the cup, he grabbed his own eagle moments later to maintain his three-stroke advantage and weather any surge from Casey. WITH THIS VICTORY… : • Johnson moved to…

JARROD Lyle’s career on the US PGA Tour is over and he has returned home to Victoria. In a blog post on his website titled “The End”, the two-time leukaemia survivor said his bid to make enough money to continue on Tour had failed and he now plans to start a new stage in his life. “I didn’t want to finish my career in the States like this, but unfortunately it looks like my time is up and now it’s onto something else,” Lyle wrote. Lyle explained it was a tough decision but his stop-gap schedule made it difficult to get tournament practice and momentum, which was vital to make the money required to meet the requirements of his medical extension. “Things didn’t go to plan in the US and…

THE MOVING BALL RULE There is a real anomaly with Rule 18 when the ball is on the putting green. This has been well documented in recent times, particularly with Dustin Johnson in the 2016 US Open. Mostly, the cause of the ball moving on the putting green is that it rolls into a slight indentation in the green after it has been replaced. If it is a windy day you can probably get away without a penalty as you claim it was the wind that moved it. On a still day with exactly the same occurrence you are penalised. There is nothing quite like the dread of the ball moving fractionally and incurring a penalty. It might only be me, but this seems to occur only when you are…

MELBOURNE will host the World Cup of Golf for the fourth time next month with Jason Day and Adam Scott defending the title they won at Royal Melbourne in 2013. The bookmakers have installed them as firm favourites to win at Kingston Heath because on paper they are by far the strongest team and they have the home-ground advantage. At the time of writing, Day was ranked No.1 in the world and Scott 6th, while the only others in the top dozen were American Rickie Fowler at No.9 and Englishman Danny Willett at No.11. Yes there are a few players outside the top-1,800 in the world rankings who will play, but on the flip side there are 17 from the world’s top-50 who will compete in Melbourne. Only the Americans…

• The Bauer twins – Alice and Marlene – shocked the golf world in 1950 when they turned out in a baby doll outfit to help launch the fledgling LPGA Tour • Playboy.com ran an internet poll in 2002 asking golf fans to nominate their top ‘Babes of the LPGA’. Swedish pro Carin Koch was declared the winner with 24 percent of the vote. Asked to pose for Playboy magazine, the 31-year-old politely declined. • Natalie Gulbis is considered a ground-breaker in terms of women’s golf, making as much money off the course as on it. Cashing in on her Hollywood blonde bombshell looks, she had her own reality show on Golf Channel. In 2006 a ‘glamour’ calendar outsold one of the Dallas Cowboys and she was voted among the…

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion 10.5° driver, fitted with a regular-flex, 44.5-inch graphite shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The slightly triangular shape of the clubhead is sleek, as are the crown markings, while neither attribute is off-putting in any way. The driver feels light but crucially not overly so. It is about half-an-inch shorter than my driver, which I did notice but wasn’t put off by. The clubhead sits naturally square at address, with no hint of the face wanting to sneak a little open or closed. HOW IT PLAYED: The sheer forgiveness of the Callaway Big Bertha Fusion driver is astonishing. It is far harder to miss the sweet spot than to hit it, and it felt like any off-centre strike was ‘rescued’ by the technology driving the…

If there’s a recurring theme to Golf Australia’s annual spring snapshot of the membership scene, it’s variety – and plenty of it. It’s a trend that’s continued for a while now and one that is unlikely to abate any time soon. The make-up of today’s golfers is broad and so must the membership landscape be. No longer are one, two or even three categories enough to capture the entire local golf-playing market. Instead, the options on offer are as many and as subtly different as the clubs in your golf bag. Another theme growing in magnitude are membership terms or categories with the words “lifestyle” or “flexible” attached to them. And that’s a good thing, for if golf is to emerge from its dwindling membership doldrums, it will do so…

San Francisco’s House of Prime Rib is one of the great meat houses in the world. A chef in a long stiff white chef’s hat slices off chunks in a steaming drum of meat. Plates lap with chunks of sweet pink beef, English-style, with Yorkshire pudding. The smell of it, aromatic and meaty, smoky and good. They say it hasn’t changed since 1987, part of its charm. As a pal says: “It’s the best place in the city for one thing – meat.” Incredible food. Cioppino’s at Fisherman’s Wharf does a seafood chowder so big and chunky and good you wear a giant bib and take pictures of yourself eating it. Don Pisto’s is a bubbling Mexican place on Union Street where a chatty waiter suggests spicy pork enchiladas and…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Cromwell Drive, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. CONTACT: (08) 8952 1921. Pro shop (08) 8952 6575. WEBSITE: www.alicespringsgolfclub.com.au DESIGNERS: Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge (1985) SLOPE RATINGS: Men: 123/117/115; Women: 118 PLAYING SURFACES: Paspalum (fairways), Tifdwarf (greens) and couch (tees). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Patrick Gamble. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Stephen Tieck. GREEN FEES: $48. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Memberships are available in all categories. Full membership is $1,310, while a new category – limited membership – replaces four- and six-day membership and allows members to play social golf on any day at any time. RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Glenelg GC (SA), Asquith GC (NSW), Cottesloe GC (WA), Riversdale GC (Vic), Blackwood GC (SA), Mt Osmond GC (SA), Tasmania GC (Tas), Bayview GC (NSW), Gailes GC (Qld), Castle Hill CC (NSW), Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf…

AUGUST PHOTO CAPTION COMPETITION WINNER We had a huge response of caption entries for our photos showing Danny Willett coming to grips with a ‘Postage Stamp’ hole bunker at Royal Troon. The best entry, according to our judges, came from Grant Cullen, of Hyde Park, South Australia, with: “It would have been easier to post it.” Congratulations Grant, you win a pair of adidas Tour 360X shoes worth $149. SILVERWATER RESORT GETAWAY WINNER Congratulations to Dion McAlister, of Cowra, NSW, who was judged the winner of our Silverwater Resort giveaway in the August issue. Dion and his wife will be enjoying two nights’ accommodation, including breakfast, at the beautiful San Remo resort in Victoria’s west Gippsland. CALLAWAY CHROME SOFT BALLS WINNERS Subscribers to Golf Australia and Inside Sport during the…

SUNGLASSES TO HELP YOUR GAME TRANSITIONS Drivewear is an ideal golf sunglass solution, offering the world’s only polarised photochromic lens that automatically changes to three different colours while it darkens or lightens tint depending on available light. In bright sunlight, the lens changes to dark brown, heightening contrast to follow the ball in the air and across the fairways. Excellent depth perception and contrast helps golfers effectively read greens. On medium bright days, in the shade or a cart, Transitions Drivewear changes to a copper colour to follow the ball on the course or mid-air. Players can better see contours and read breaks and grains on the putting green with increased contrast and depth perception. In overcast, low light or hazy conditions, the lenses fade to yellow/olive to see more…

ONE of the reasons golf’s return to the Olympic Games was a success was the quality of the golf course. It isn’t easy to build a course universally liked by golf pros and it’s even harder when you’re dealing with men and women playing in consecutive weeks. If you can go two weeks with barely a complaint you’ve achieved the almost impossible. Gil Hanse’s brief was to make a course capable of testing the best players but also one to attract tourists and fledgling Brazilian golfers curious about a game so few know anything about. One key element of attracting new players to the game is to make courses interesting to play, and a worthwhile course has to past the test not once or twice but year after year. Alister…

Rory McIlroy’s game is built on driving. When he’s on, no one matches his power and accuracy – a combination that puts him in the top-ten of the PGA Tour’s Total Driving stats category. That power and accuracy is down to his workout routine (that you might want to copy via the new Nike Training Club app) and rock-solid swing fundamentals (that you willwant to copy). Over the next five pages, Rory shows you the five key moves he makes to hit long, soaring drives. You may not start averaging 280 metres off the tee like him – but you will hit it further and straighter. 1 SET-UP ‘Build a strong, solid base’ Setting up to the driver, I want to make sure I’ve got a nice wide stable base…

Nestled in the idyllic seaside town of the same name, South West Rocks Country Club boasts a picturesque 18-hole golf course worthy of any player. Whether you’re off 4 or 24 you will enjoy the well designed and interesting layout. The course is a par-72 measuring 5,953 metres that winds its way around tree-lined fairways. Most of the 18 holes are straightforward, however accuracy off the tee is rewarded as the treelines can make an escape to the green difficult. The course offers a good variety of holes, for example our 15th (Fred’s Hole) is a 383-metre par-4 with a water carry for your second (or third) shot. The bentgrass greens are in fantastic shape all year round, as are the fairways. It truly is a beautiful course to play.…

Microbreweries abound in California. You could buy Budweiser or Miller Lite but why drink generic lager when you can enjoy a ‘Down To Earth’ India Pale Ale adorned with a picture of an astronaut-monkey on a beach in a hammock made from the parachute of his just-crashed space pod? A saloon bar called Shanghai Kelly’s has a long yet intimate bar with a cash register from 1970. There are six hi-definition television sets showing football and baseball. There’s ‘stuff’ everywhere: memorabilia, flags, pennants, photos of famous sports types. Greenbacks on the bar. Philadelphia Eagles versus New York Giants on the television. People buy shots for people nearby who follow the same team and you could spend a very pleasant few hours there watching sports.…

Escape to a little piece of paradise that is known worldwide as Port Douglas. The perfect retreat in tropical Far North Queensland and the ideal winter getaway, Mirage Resort enjoys two kilometres of pristine beachfront and has more than 200 acres of manicured grounds.The iconic five-star central resort is under management by Sheraton and has just undergone a massive renovation to transform the property into a true world-class resort. Surrounding the Sheraton Mirage are 130 privately owned, freehold villas, available in two-, three- and four-bedroom configurations and complemented by the stunning services provided by the villa itself. The location offers customers everything they could require in a year-round or holiday home.The position, location and provided amenities of each villa varies dramatically, ensuring that there is a perfect choice for every…