Golf Australia February 2019

JANUARY 1 saw the modified rules changes authored by the R&A and US Golf Association come into play. It took approximately two days for one of the key changes to come under fire. Players in the field of the year-opening Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii were the first to compete under the new rules. Criticism of the new knee-high drop rule started two days before the opening round. The intriguing change from dropping a ball from shoulder height to knee height had players like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy scratching their heads. “I think the knee drop one (intrigues me most),” DeChambeau said. “That you have to drop it from knee height is a bit absurd, unfortunately. I think that you should be able to go from knee height…

For more than five decades, a drive through the centre of Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast would ultimately see you pass one or two boundary fences of the Horton Park Golf Club. But by the late 1990s, residential and commercial development of the CBD had reached saturation point and the course was being ‘squeezed’ from all sides. The drums of change were starting to beat loudly. In 2004, discussions began to relocate away from the town centre as the local council pushed forward with its plan to build a transport corridor through part of the course. It took seven years of talks with developers, members and town officials before the Sunshine Coast Regional Council paid the club $42 million for its 53 hectare CBD site. The club was then without…

THE COURSE LOCATION: David Low Way, Bli Bli, Queensland. CONTACT: (07) 5373 1000. WEBSITE: www.maroochyrivergolfclub.com.au DESIGNER: Graham Marsh (2015). SLOPE RATINGS: Men – Black 126, Blue 124, White 120, Yellow 114; Women – White 131, Yellow 127, Red 121, Orange 100. PLAYING SURFACES: Greenlees Park couch (tees and fairways), Bermuda Tifeagle (greens). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Pat Pauli. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Sean Seymore, Di Pavich, Marcus McPherson. GREEN FEES: $65 (18 holes), $37 (9 holes), $39.50 (cart). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: There are eight membership categories available including seven-day full memberships costing $1,349 annually for men, while ladies cost $1,347. There is a joining fee of $1,500. Juniors (between 13 and 18 years) pay $257.20 (boys) and $255.65 (girls). Call (07) 5373 1000 for more information. FACILITIES: The club is home to the…

EVERYWHERE outside the ever-inward looking PGA Tour, professional golf in 2018 was unquestionably the “year of Molinari.” By any measure, young Francesco was the outstanding performer over the course of all 12 months. Three victories – the biggest event on the European Tour, the most important event in golf and a maiden win (by eight shots) stateside – were complimented nicely by five points out of five in Old World colours at the Ryder Cup and, not surprisingly, top-spot on the European Tour’s “Race to Dubai.” Knowing the closeness of their relationship, no one on the planet will have been more pleased at that level of success than Francesco’s older brother, Edoardo. The 2005 US Amateur champion is no mean performer himself, of course. Three times a winner on the…

IT’S time to play around in outback Queensland! If you’ve ever wanted to visit the outback – and pack the golf sticks for a road trip you’ll never forget – the Outback Queensland Masters is your dream come true. And by doing do so you could win $1 million. Launched recently at Victoria Park Golf in Brisbane, the Outback Queensland Masters (OQM) will enable golfers of all ages and abilities to take their games to all corners of Queensland this year. This multi-staged event is an opportunity for the amateur golfer to test their skills in a premium competition running all across Outback Queensland with the ultimate life changing opportunity coming with a shot at a million-dollar hole at Mt Isa. In the lead up, rounds can be played at…

1. These are the hands (pictured above) of which legend of the game? 2. Greg Norman paired with media mogul Kerry Packer to win the Pebble Beach Pro-am in 1992. What was their winning total? 3. Who did Bruce Crampton defeat by three strokes to become the first Australian golfer to win the Pebble Beach Pro-am? 4. Who founded the UK golf publication, Golf Monthly? 5. Victorian-born Walter Travis won the 1900 US Amateur. He was the first to win the title using what? 6. Who holds the record for the most number of wins in the men’s Victorian Open? 7. The women’s Victorian Open has been played 11 times. Who has won the title more, Australian or international golfers? 8. The Johnnie Walker Classic was first played in Australia…