Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Golf Australia

MAJOR championship golf is getting harder. Not just for the players, but for us … the fan in the gallery or the sleep-deprived devotee, as is the case here in Australia, who perches in front of theTV. It certainly isn’t any fun for the world’s best players to be made to look hopeless as they hack another shot somewhere in the direction of the green from rough so deep and thick that a machete would be more appropriate weaponry than a pitching wedge. From our side of the gallery ropes it makes for a less than spectacular event. Those fortunate enough to be in the crowd will no doubt get a lesson in the most appropriate expletive befitting another chip out en route to another bogey, or double. If I…

“I’LL ALWAYS HAVE A CLOSE PLACE IN MY HEART FOR THIS EVENT, BEING A CHAMPION NOW.” – JASON DUFNER WINNING SCORE: 13 under, 275 DEFEATED: Fellow American Rickie Fowler and India’s Anirban Lahiri by three shots. DEFINING MOMENTS: Dufner begun the final day four back of the lead after a third round 77 cost him his own five-shot lead. After playing the front nine in even par, the American found the form that saw him break the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record. Dufner played the six holes beginning at the 10th in three under, and rolled in his seventh birdie of the round at the 17th hole. Dufner found the right rough from the 18th tee and was forced to wait to discover his fate, as play was delayed for a…

IT was the first thing I went to upon hearing the sad news that Roberto De Vicenzo had died.There it was in the top drawer of my office desk, the little green autograph book I treasured as a golf-mad youngster. And inside, opposite those of Neil Coles and Billy Casper, sits the great Argentine’s signature. It has been there for 47 years now. At the age of nine, going on 10, I attended my first Open Championship at St. Andrews in 1970. And armed with my then almost-pristine book, I went to work as a fully-fledged autograph hunter. Today, there are many past winners of golf’s oldest major on those pages – Gene Sarazen, Henry Cotton, Tom Weiskopf, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino (five times), Kel Nagle, Arnold Palmer, Tony Jacklin,…

“WHEN YOUR CADDIE IS RATTLING IN THE BAG TO SEE IF HE’S GOT ANY BALLS LEFT WHEN YOU’RE STANDING OVER A DRIVE, YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM.” For a shade under four and a half hours on a Scottish summer’s afternoon on July 17 last year, Henrik Stenson played the best golf of his life. From his cracking opening tee shot to the 20-foot birdie putt he drained on Royal Troon’s 18th hole, the Swede crafted a golfing masterpiece that will long be regarded as one of the finest major championship rounds ever played. When his ball found the bottom of the cup for the last time that day, the records tumbled with it. His 10th birdie of the round gave him an eight under 63 to match Johnny…

ASK just about any player to identify the best English course on the Open Championship rota and most are likely to answer, “Royal Birkdale.” A look at the impressive list of winners there reinforces that view. Since the oldest major first visited in 1954 – you have to wonder why it never got the nod before then – the Lancashire links has consistently identified superior champions. PeterThomson was first.Then Arnold Palmer.Thommo again. LeeTrevino. Johnny Miller.TomWatson. Ian Baker-Finch. Mark O’Meara. Padraig Harrington. Every time, the man left holding the Claret Jug has either been an all-time great or, at the time of his victory, at least one of the three or four best players on the planet.That’s a sure indication of Royal Birkdale’s quality. If I had a golf course and…

I may be known for hitting my 3-wood, but I do take out the big stick when I feel like I can really attack a hole and go for broke. I would like to think I can keep up with the longest guys on Tour, yet lots of my power comes from things you can do, too – like being fitted for the right driver, creating a solid set-up and coiling up in my backswing so I can generate lag in the downswing. Too many amateurs struggle to complete a full shoulder rotation and get the arms working independently from the upper body, throwing everything out of sync. It may sound simple, but all it takes is a few tweaks to your set-up and takeaway to break out your power…

A high launch delivers a yard-munching trajectory. At impact, Joe Miller’s driver is swinging upwards at a 10-12º degree angle, launching the ball at around 17º. Miller’s figures are pretty extreme, but if you can raise your launch you can add easy yards. Follow these four steps. 1 PROMOTE LAUNCH THROUGH POSTURE Take your regular driver stance, the ball an inch or two inside your lead heel. Face both palms down towards the ground; they should be at equal heights. CREATE SPINE LEAN Push down with your trail hand till it’s just above your knee, allowing your gloved hand to rise. Your torso now leans away from the target, setting up an upward sweep through impact. 2 MATCH POSTURE AND BALL POSITION Blend the new posture into your full set-up.…

MANY golfers struggle to get their transition correct along with understanding how the backswing impacts their ability to create consistency and speed in the swing. Golfers find it easy to create a reverse pivot, which tilts the top of their spine in the wrong direction towards the target. This makes it hard to use the correct sequence on the downswing. The correct sequence for the downswing starts with the hips, followed by the upper body, and then the arms. It is hard to get this motion correct when the spinal angle is in the wrong position at the top of the swing. Learning how to get into the correct position at the top of the swing is important in helping the player unwind correctly into the ball with speed and…

MODEL PLAYED: Callaway Sure Out 58° and 64° lofts, fitted with KBS 90 Wedge shafts. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Loft, grooves and bounce! As soon as I laid eyes on the Sure Out wedge it was clear what it was designed for. The wide, undercut sole with plenty of bounce looked perfect for escaping any and every bunker found on any golf course around the world. Both wedges appeared to have more loft than what was stamped on the head when behind the ball, particularly the 64°, which looked as if it might go straight up in the air. The grooves all the way to the toe aren’t new for Callaway and instilled confidence that the Sure Out wedges would keep up with other wedges in spin, especially in bunkers, where contact…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Anzac Ave, Collaroy, New South Wales, 2097. CONTACT: (02) 9971 8113. WEBSITE: www.longreefgolfclub.com.au DESIGNERS: Dan Soutar (1927). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Peter Donkers. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Danny Vera (Head Professional), Michael Infanti (Head Teaching Professional). SLOPE RATINGS: 133 (Men’s black tees), 130 (Men’s blue tees), 129 (Men’s white tees), 120 (Men’s yellow tees), 134 (Women’s red tees), 129 (Women’s yellow tees). PLAYING SURFACES: Kikuyu fairways, Poa annua greens. GREEN FEES: Weekdays: $55 (18 holes), $32 (9 holes). Weekend: $65 (18 holes), $40 (9 holes). Pensioners and Students: $20 (18 holes on Weekdays). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Long Reef Golf Club offers a wide range of membership categories. A seven-day membership costs $2655 for men and women (plus joining fees) and includes full voting rights and eligibility for Club Championships. While…

PACIFIC HARBOUR GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Green fee: $49 (midweek), $59 (weekends). www.pacificharbourgolf.com.au BRIBIE ISLAND GOLF CLUB Green fee: $44. www.bribiegolf.com.au PELICAN WATERS GOLF CLUB Green fee: $99 (inc. cart). www.pelicangolf.com.au CALOUNDRA GOLF CLUB Green fee: $49. www.caloundragolfclub.com.au HEADLAND GOLF CLUB Green fee: $52. www.headlandgolfclub.com.au MAROOCHY RIVER GOLF CLUB Green fee: $65. www.maroochyrivergolfclub.com.au TWIN WATERS GOLF CLUB Green fee: $79. www.twinwatersgolfclub.com.au MT COOLUM GOLF CLUB Green fee: $48. www.mtcoolumgolf.com PALMER COOLUM RESORT Green fee: $150 (inc.shared cart). www.palmercoolumresort.com.au PEREGIAN GOLF CLUB (pictured above) Green fee: $69. www.peregiangolf.com.au NOOSA SPRINGS GOLF & SPA RESORT Green fee: $120 (inc. cart). www.noosasprings.com.au NOOSA GOLF CLUB Green fee: $50; $55 (high season). www.noosagolf.com.au…

AH, to squirrel inside the head of the golf tragic, to see the dreams and fantasies we all have from time to time. Do you imagine a world where not only you play golf, but your children love the game as well. It’s probably because you read to them from Golf Australia magazine as they toddled off to sleep.You kept your back copies in the toilet so they’d have something good to read when caught short. And of course, they’ve grown up, seeing that halo-like glow around you when you come home from golf.They’ve heard the stories, imagined the shots and spent hours wondering how good it must be to be the golfing you. So imagine my joy when not one, but two of my children agreed to come to…

NORMAN IS RIGHT ABOUT THE OVERUSE OF THE WORD GREAT ... RESTRICT YOURSELVES TO THREE GREATS A DAY GREG Norman ruffled some feathers recently when he describedTV golf commentary as “boring” and “far from appealing.” “They’re (commentators) as boring to listen to as it is to watch boring golfers play,” he said. “You get that constant monotone voice: everyone hits a great shot, nobody has an opinion, nobody wants to upset the apple cart and everyone’s got the greatest short game in the world.” The comments came at the same time as the announcement of a new business venture he was entering with American phone company Verizon that would “bring powerful and disruptive technology to transform the golf industry”. He led with his jaw on this one, given his short-lived…

When Greg Norman pressed his lips against the Auld Claret Jug in 1993, nobody could have predicted nearly a quarter of a century would pass without another kiss from an Australian. After all, Norman and Ian Baker-Finch had collected three Open Championships between them in seven years, and Australia’s love affair with golf ’s oldest and most prestigious tournament was alive and well. Despite various close calls in recent years, the Golf Champion Trophy continues to elude players from Down Under. But as the tournament returns to Royal Birkdale for the 10th time, the Australian contingent should take solace knowing their countrymen have found immense success in Southport in previous years. The legendary Peter Thomson, who won five Open Championships, lifted his first and last Claret Jugs at Birkdale in…

In the fledgling days of the US PGA Tour, the likes of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead travelled by car from city to city playing for small change and working as a club pro in their time away from competition to subsidise their playing careers. In the modern age, private jets have taken the places of cars on the world’s biggest tour, and a player fortunate enough to win on the PGA Tour is now an instant millionaire. And while the PGA Tour may have come a long way, there remains many professional golfers around the world travelling, some still mostly by car, from tournament to tournament hoping to make enough money to be able to afford to tee it up the following week and perhaps be one…

All power drivers create great width and extension through their actions. Width allows the golfer to create powerful leverage while encouraging the flatter base to the swing the driver needs. Follow these tips to build width. POCKET POWER Building width has much to do with creating freedom to turn. To find this freedom, focus on making a full and free hip rotation. To feel this, grip your driver with your gloved hand only and grasp your trail pocket with the other hand. LEAD HEEL CAN RISE If your lead heel wants to rise in response to the fuller hip rotation, let it. Unless you’re very flexible, any attempt to keep it down will curb turn, width and leverage. FULL HIP ROTATION Start your backswing by pulling backwards on the pocket,…

Tour stats increasingly suggest the importance of power over accuracy when it comes to low scores. Indeed many top golfers average among the best for driving distance but rank very low for fairways hit. However, note those stats don’t differentiate between a ball a yard off the fairway and one in the next postcode. Whenever you pull out your power swing, you’ll inevitably sacrifice some control – and major driver indiscretions can be fatal for your scorecard. So use it sparingly at first, on wide fairways in downwind conditions and ideally in Stablefords. Then as your confidence grows, you can bring it into your game more often. THE POWER CHECKLIST SET-UP 1 Lean your spine away from the target 2 Widen your stance 3 Peg the ball higher 4 Aim…

MODEL USED: Bushnell Pro X2 FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Pro X2 is small and compact, especially when compared to my trusted and now seemingly ancient Bushnell Pro 1600 rangefinder. Easily held in one hand, the Pro X2 feels solid due to the waterproof, metal housing. The hard case is protective and lightweight, with easy access provided by the rope closing system and added security from the zipper. I was really impressed with the clear display and speed at which the distance was provided. When holding the button and aiming at a target, the distance was on the screen before I could count beyond one. HOW IT PERFORMED: Bushnell is synonymous with quality rangefinders and the Pro X2 more than lives up to the company’s name and reputation. Despite its small size…

“I REMEMBER WALKING OFF A TEE WITH MY HEAD DOWN. I MUST HAVE LOOKED A BIT GLUM. UNTIL I HEARD A SCOUSE VOICE SHOUTING, ‘CHEER UP PADDY. I’VE GOT TO GO BACK TO MY PLUMBING JOB ON MONDAY’.” A DECADE on from becoming a major champion for the first time – and nine years removed from a second successive victory in the world’s oldest and most important event – Padraig Harrington will return to Royal Birkdale this month for the 146th Open Championship. Inevitably, some things will be different for the now 45-year-old Irishman. Perhaps most poignantly, his long-time coach, the sadly departed Bob Torrance, will no longer take his place on the practice ground. His two boys, Patrick and Ciaran, are a lot bigger. And there are one or…

WHERE could Henrik Stenson’s ball be in this photo? All you have to do is correctly identify where his ball is hidden on the grid, using the letters and numbers (eg. A4, B2 etc). Answer correctly and you could win a dozen Mizuno JPX-S golf balls.The new JPX-S is a soft compression edition of Mizuno’s three piece ball – producing a balanced performance for a wider range of swing speeds, which also boasts Mizuno’s Dimple-Cluster design for improved aerodynamics. TO ENTER: Select your grid reference and then go to, www.golfaustralia.com.au, to submit your answer.The winner and the correct answer will be published in the September issue of Golf Australia magazine. MAY SPOT THE BALL WINNER & ANSWER We had some very keen observers for this competition with a large number…

“BIRKDALE WILL SUIT EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY IT. I PERSONALLY WOULD BE HOPING FOR NOT AS TOUGH AS IT WAS IN 2008 ...”– PADRAIG HARRINGTON The last man to hoist the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale believes the course for this year’s Open Championship will present a level playing field for all types of players. Speaking during a recent visit to the Southport links, Padraig Harrington said every player, not just the long bombers, will be able to make a score around Birkdale. “Birkdale will definitely bring everybody into play. It’s a big golf course. It’s a solid golf course,” said Harrington, who won his second Open title at Birkdale in 2008. “It’s nice to have a bit of power. But ultimately on a links golf course,…

United States Golf Association chief Mike Davis recently suggested the ‘arms race’ for fast greens by championship venues needed to stop. “I will say, and we’ve said this publicly before, too, this notion that good greens have to be fast greens is bad for golf,” Davis said. “It’s just not good.” Green speeds gained plenty of attention at the 2015 and 2016 US Open Championships and Davis says courses – not just championship venues – should be adopting a different approach to greens when it comes to everyday play. “It’s costing the game more money to keep greens fast. It compromises in some cases the health of the greens. It compromises the architectural integrity of the greens sometimes. It certainly hurts pace of play,” Davis said. “We would just say…

Dale Brandt-Richards kept detailed records of his first year of playing for a living, and the numbers of his rookie campaign are eye opening in showing just what it takes to make a quid playing golf travelling across Australia. EQUIPMENT • 400 golf balls. • 5 pairs of golf shoes. • 30 gloves. • 12 hats. • 2 tyres changed (within one week of each other). DISTANCE • More than 93,000 kilometres. COMPETITIVE ROUNDS • 120 PRIZEMONEY • $6million total on offer. • $53,000 won.…

Professional golf’s longest hitters average around 315 yards.World Long Drive champions like Joe Miller regularly swipe the ball well over 400. Impressive figures for sure, but for folks like us, living in the real world, they are the stuff of dreams.Yet there’s nothing to stop you taking the principles on which those power swings are based and adapting them to your level and ability. In this article we set out four power pillars used by the bombers and show you how you can exploit them. Miller lite it may be, but these proven techniques can make an immediate and valuable difference to your own driving distance.…

Strong hitters create massive downswing thrust by working their legs and feet against the resistance of the ground to start the downswing. We see this as a squatting motion. To help you develop your own power squat, think ‘knees to target’. From the top of the backswing, make it your swing thought to drive both knees aggressively towards the target. This action will take some work to make comfortable, but it gives your action power in three ways: 1 LATERAL BEND It helps you create the spine lean we spoke about in Principle #1, the upper body reacting to those driving knees by leaning back with the lead shoulder rising upward. 2 BETTER PATH It helps flight the typical out-to-in attack path of the club golfer – usually resulting in…

WATCH a golfer hit a pitching wedge, and then a driver, and you will notice how the player ramps up the swing speed with the longer club. Of course, the driver clubhead moves faster because it’s longer, which is due to the principles of physics, not because the golfer is actually swinging the club with a faster tempo. Tempo is the total amount of time it takes to create your golf swing from beginning to end. Some players have a relatively fast tempo, no matter what club they have in their hand. Others naturally have a slower swing tempo. Either way is fine, as long as you keep the same tempo for every club in the bag, whether it’s a 7-iron (pic 1), a wedge or a driver (pics 2…

QUEENSLAND’S Sunshine Coast is a name that’s synonymous with intrepid holidaymakers, not only within Australia but across the entire world.There were almost 260,000 international visitors to the Sunshine Coast last financial year, with an additional 3 million domestic visitors enjoying the area’s pristine beaches and sublime lifestyle. Now more than ever, visitors to the Sunshine Coast can also add golf onto their to-do list after the launch of the Sunshine Coast Golf Group’s Golf Pass. Four of the region’s most renowned golf courses have teamed up to offer a golfing experience likened to few other, allowing visitors to play Noosa Springs, Pelican Waters, Peregian and Twin Waters with one handy and easy to manage Golf Pass. Individually, all championship courses are of revered quality, yet when combined in sequence they…

FAIRWAYS GOLF AND BEACH RETREAT Overlooking Bribie Island Golf Club, this mid-rise 50 apartment accommodation caters for all golfers, from small groups and couples through to larger groups. Fairways has everything to make your stay memorable including spacious and comfortable 3.5 star lodgings, fantastic views from the rooftop and BBQ area, heated swimming pool and even a Putt-Putt golf course.There is also transport options to and from the Pacific Harbour course, only 15 minutes away. For bookings call (07) 3400 2100 or www.fairwaysretreat.com.au MAGNOLIA LANE APARTMENTS Located just 30 metres from the 1st tee of the Twin Waters course, the Magnolia Lane Apartments is a good base to explore all the courses of the Sunshine Coast. The apartments (pictured below), with stunning views over Twin Waters, all…