Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Golf Australia

I HAVE to confess that after playing golf for more than 35 years I do not know all the Rules of Golf. I know the basics – you know, those rules that you come across every round or two, depending on how well you play. Water hazards, lateral hazards, out-of-bounds, lost ball, provisional ball, moving ball … they’re a snap. Given there are no rabbits or wombats where I play regularly, I don’t see the need to know the ins and outs of the procedure for taking relief from a hole made by a burrowing animal. If, however, as Murphy’s Law suggests that I do happen to hit into a hole made by a burrowing animal, I will seek guidance from the rules book in my bag. The fact that…

THE GREAT – and now, sadly, late – Dan Jenkins always used to greet me the same way when I bumped into him at the four major championships. “Well,” said the Texan, one of the game’s most gifted and humorous wordsmiths, “what’s pissing you off this week?” So let me tell you. Stuff heard on television. Unlike, ahem, hard-working and ever-literal journalists, people in jackets talking to us from the confines of the cathode ray tube get away – too often unchallenged – with all kinds of utter nonsense and falsehoods. For maybe the one-millionth time, that thought struck me the other night as I watched what used to be called the Colonial Invitational. I forget what it is now. Anyway, the culprit was Craig Perks, a former Players champion…

To submit your quiz answers, visit the WIN page on our website, www.golfaustralia.com.au The person with the most number of correct answers will a dozen of Mizuno’s new-release RB Tour golf ball. The RB Tour is a very soft-compression premium ball that offers lower driver spin, and high greenside spin. The four-piece ball also boasts new Cone Dimples, which are designed to keep fast-flowing air close to the ball’s surface longer – reducing drag and strengthening trajectory. In the event of a tie, the winner will be randomly drawn. Entries close 11.59pm on July 17. The winner and the correct answers will be published in the September issue of Golf Australia magazine.…

DRIVER Titleist TS3 with 9.5° loft, fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical Kuro Kage Silver 70X shaft. 3-WOOD Titleist TS2 with 16.5° loft, with Fujikura Rombax P95 shaft. IRONS Titleist 716 T-MB (3-iron) and Titleist 680 (4-iron to 9-iron), with KBS Tour 130X shafts. WEDGES Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (48°-10° F Grind, 52°-12° F Grind and 56°-10° S Grind) and Titleist Vokey Design Prototype (60°-10° K Grind), with True Temper Tour Issue AMT X100 shafts. PUTTER Scotty Cameron Xperimental long. BALL Titleist Pro V1.…

THE removal of Barry Humphries’ name from the main award at this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival because he offended some members of a minority group is a sad sign of the times. Humphries was never a golfer although his father, Eric, was an esteemed member of Riversdale in Melbourne. The crime of the son, in the eyes of those who disqualified him, was that he made disparaging remarks about trans-gender people and asked how many toilets were needed to cater for them. In this branch of humour, Humphries has form. At a show in the 1970s he posted the following sign in the foyer: “Handicapped toilets located on sixth floor. Please use stairs.” Back in those days, the handicapped found him amusing and were not easily outraged. If Humphries has…

1. Best flat par-5: Woodlands 15th. 2. Best uphill par-5: Lake Karrinyup 11th. 3. Best cross hazards: Royal Melbourne East Course 17th, Peninsula South Course 16th (based on the principles of Royal Melbourne’s 17th). 4. Best with bunkers in the middle of the fairway: Kingston Heath 12th and its emulated tee shot at Royal Queensland 7th. 5. Narrowest second shot: Warrnambool 10th. 6. Narrowest tee shot: Huntingdale 7th. 7. Best with a railway down the side: Royal Adelaide 2nd. 8. Best lake hole: The Lakes 11th. 9. Best stream hole: Royal Canberra 15th. 10. Best starting par-5s: Lost Farm, Kooyonga, St Andrews Beach. 11. Best finishing par-5s: Woodlands, Royal Canberra. 12. Easiest to make 3 and 7: NSW 5th. 13. Once assumed unreachable but no longer: Victoria 9th, NSW 8th,…

Since 2014, the Arccos shot-tracking system has given the club golfer the opportunity to analyse and understand their performance like never before. Individual sensors screwed into the butt of each club send data to your smartphone, and work with your phone’s GPS system to record and chart your performance with each club and shot. Arccos central stat-gathering has stockpiled data from hundreds of thousands of iron shots, hit by thousands of UK amateur golfers of all standards, to create a comprehensive picture of where we go right… and wrong. Until you use the system to record your own, personal stats, use this as a guide to target your improvement.…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The most obvious thing about the new ERC Soft from Callaway is the company’s ‘Triple Track Technology’. The three alignment lines borrowed from aircraft carriers are designed to make it easier to align the ball and putter to the hole. Most golfers already use some sort of line when putting, and the addition of two extra lines and various colours certainly helped me when putting. Beyond the new alignment technology that Phil Mickelson has incorporated on his Chrome Soft X, the biggest takeaway for mine was the feel. Clearly identified as a model built for distance, the ERC Soft is in no way hard or clicky like some others in this category. And the spin around the greens was very consistent, if not as high, as the Chrome…

Vietnam Airlines is one of the leading airlines in South East Asia and operates daily flights from Australia to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi. The award-winning, four-star carrier has an impressive fleet of 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A350-900 XWBs – and can comfortably get you from Sydney or Melbourne to HCMC (non-stop) in less than nine hours. www.vietnamairlines.com Indochina Travel Services (ITS-Vietnam) has been specialising in creating custom-made golf packages throughout the best golf clubs in Vietnam since 2010. The long-standing member of IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) is considered one of the top Vietnam incoming golf tour agencies in the B2B market. www.itsvietnam.com or email info@itsvietnam.com The following tour operators offer trips to Vietnam (or are preparing to do so) … • Gimme Golf:…

ONE of the largest amateur golf challenges ever run in Australia is underway and you could be the player who heads to Las Vegas for the final. Leading golf event management company, 3 Links Golf, in partnership with TaylorMade, has launched its 2019 Order of Merit, which is open to all amateur golfers with official Golf Australia handicaps and participation in the event is not specific to any one club or competition. So, whether entry is via one of the 15 rounds of the 3 Links Golf Challenge Series events, which are held on some of Australia’s best golf courses, or independently via a local club competition, players have the chance to submit their 10 best rounds to be in the running to qualify for the Order of Merit final…

The GREAT GOLF AUSTRALIA TRIVIA QUIZ #5 winner from our May issue was Colin Ricketts, of Brighton, South Australia. He was one of four entrants with a perfect score and was randomly drawn as the winner. Congratulations ... Golf balls are on their way. ANSWERS: 1. Walter Hagen left the original Wanamaker Trophy in the back of a cab in 1925 and when he admitted he had lost it two years later, a duplicate was made. In 1930, when the original turned up, it was retired and is now on display in the PGA museum in Florida. 2. Rory McIlroy. 3. Tom Watson. 4. Paul Azinger. 5. A golf journalist. 6. Shaun Micheel. 7. John Daly. 8. Nick Price. 9. Grass. 10. They are all sons of PGA of America…

SOME writers say writer’s block doesn’t exist.They say you just have to work harder, by plonking yourself at your desk where you must write and write and write until the good words come. I say bollocks to that – but for fear of offending anyone – it may also be true. So, what of tinkerer’s block? After googling hard for answers, it seems it genuinely doesn’t exist. There are some interesting results, though. “How to drain a smeltery.” “How do you empty a casting basin?” “How do you repair obsidian tools in Tinkers’ Construct?” But what if you really do have tinkerer’s block? It doesn’t seem possible, does it? There’s always something to fix – a screw to fasten, a washing line to tighten, a bicycle brake pad to change.…

It was 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon. The weather was beautiful and the PGA Tour of Australasia had assembled for the Fiji International at the majestic Natadola Bay Golf Course. As part of my daily check, I stopped by the practice range and to my surprise, there were only two players there with a third – an up and coming Aussie – packing up. I stopped my cart and enquired: “Are you finished for the day?” He replied: “Yep I’ve hit my 150 balls, time to get some rest.” “150”, I said with tongue in cheek, “in the old days, the guys would hit up to 500 a day”. His reply flattened me. “That was the old days, nowadays with the aid of Trackman we can achieve the same results…

Cost: $249 (blade); $289 (mallet) – Special introductory offer.Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4) MODEL PLAYED: Blade and Mallet versions. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: If you are a putter traditionalist, these probably aren’t for you. If you are the sort of player who will try anything to hole more putts (guilty!) then the Rail Line putters are an interesting and effective option. The clear standout when removing these putters from the box was the cylindrical head design. Having seen one or two other putters like this before, I wasn’t taken aback, but getting comfortable with the look behind the ball did take some time. One of the key reasons for the design according to the Rail Line putter creators is to improve forward roll – and I did…

COMMONWEALTH GC Commonwealth has rarely been better as its centenary year in 2020 draws closer. The current design can be attributed to a complete re-modelling in 1938 by Sloan Morpeth; a former New Zealand amateur champion and the secretary manager of the club for 33 years. Morpeth changed all 18 greens, while a completely new system of greenside bunkering was implemented. Most of the fairway bunkers were altered and new teeing grounds built. It was a design that laid the foundations for Commonwealth to stand alongside the best courses in the Sandbelt, which it has done for more than 80 years. The bunkering, particularly greenside, is brilliant. The bunkering combines well with the beautifully contoured green surrounds and tilted putting surfaces, which have been designed to dictate approach shots must…

The population of Vietnam has doubled in size to more than 95 million since the end of the war in 1975. Its people are warm-hearted, welcoming and enthusiastic about sharing their unique culture, which has been heavily influenced by the Chinese and the French. Perhaps that’s why food is spoken about with such passion. Throughout our journey – visiting Hoi An, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang and Saigon – we sampled everything from banh mi (baguettes) and pho (noodle soup) to Vietnamese spring rolls and fish cakes. Mai Fish, in Hoi An, is situated in a heritage house on the banks of the Thu Bon River and serves most of the aforementioned, classic Vietnamese dishes. So, too, does the Racha Room in Ho Chi Minh City. It also doubles as…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Woodbine Rd, Port Fairy, Victoria, 3284. CONTACT: (03) 5568 1654. WEBSITE: www.portfairygolf.com.au DESIGNERS: Members (1963); Kevin Hartley (1985); Ogilvy, Clayton, Cocking & Mead (2001 and ongoing). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Troy Richardson. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Anthony Warburton. SLOPE RATINGS: Men – Blue 124; White 118. Women – Red 119. PLAYING SURFACES: Couch (fairways and tees); Bentgrass/Poa annua (greens). GREEN FEES: $49 (18 holes); $15 (juniors, 18 holes). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Full Ordinary memberships cost $680 and provide playing rights seven days per week. Country memberships, to those living outside 40km of the Port Fairy Post Office, cost $520. RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Warringah GC, Howlong GC; cluBarham Golf & Sports, Murray Downs (NSW); Mt Gambier GC (SA); The West Australian GC (WA); Ranfurlie GC, Neangar Park GC, Lonsdale GC (Victoria). PLAY &…

IN GOLF, especially at the professional level, the best techniques have always hit the longest shots. Always. Bobby Jones was long. So was Sam Snead. Jack Nicklaus was the longest of anyone. So was Greg Norman. And so was Tiger Woods. They all created the most clubhead speed because the way they swung was the most efficient way to do so. Today, the best players have all grown up smashing the ball from day one, which is not a bad way to find your technique. You’ll find the most efficient way to swing the club. Which is generally the best way. And, strangely, the opposite of how past generations grew up trying to hit the ball. In the past, more emphasis seemed to be placed on hitting shots straight rather…

Rory McIlroy was just 16 years old when he shattered the course record at Royal Portrush during the North of Ireland Championship in 2005. The long-hitting, then curly-haired amateur from Holywood, near Belfast, carded nine birdies and an eagle for an 11-under round of 61 at one of the toughest links courses on the planet. Who the heck was this kid? McIlroy’s early obsession with golf was sparked by his father, Gerry, and fuelled by watching Tiger Woods breakthrough for his first major title at Augusta National. Seven-year-old Rory drew inspiration from the man dressed in red and black – and by the time he was nine, he had scored his first hole-in-one. McIlroy then began to develop that powerful and athletic swing we all recognise today. Anyone who saw…

Rory McIlroy has one of the best, most consistent, golf swings in the game today. One of the keys to his swing is he doesn’t try and extract too much from his swing. In other words, he relies on flawless fundamentals to produce great power and accuracy. I see too many club golfers, especially with the driver, trying to hit the ball as hard as they can and their method is to swing the club back as far as possible, usually as quick as possible, and then try and bludgeon the ball. This type of swinging not only lacks power but hitting greens and fairways becomes very hard. A common fault with these players is they try and swing back so far that the right arm (for right-handers) bends too…

In the 1920s the great American architect, A.W Tillinghast wrote somewhat disparagingly of par-5s when he said, “Comparatively speaking there are more thoroughly bad three-shot holes than those of every other type. For the most part the three-shotters which are encountered on the average courses are nondescripts beyond the range of two shots.” Of course, what was considered a ‘three shot hole’ in the 1920s isn’t the same thing now when holes previously thought of as unreachable are now easily within reach of two powerful shots. In a large part it is the result of modern equipment – but those who saw Steve Elkington twice reach the 11th at The Lakes in two shots during the 1992 Australian Open or Greg Norman make an albatross on the 5th at The…

Never mind your 300-metre drives or holed 30-footers … it’s approach play that really makes your score. If you’re in any doubt about this, keep some Greens In Regulation stats for a month or two and cross-reference that figure with your total score. A correlation will emerge. Even golf’s foremost number cruncher, Mark Broadie, preaches the same message. Approach shots, he argues, are the key score differentiator, typically making up four of the 10 shots that separate the 80-shooter from the 90-shooter. This ironplay special has been created to help you hit your irons closer more often. We asked data collection experts Arccos what the thousands of iron shots its system has tracked tell us about how and where we miss; we harnessed the considerable powers of the leading launch…

Technology presents a clear picture to the club golfer. Arccos stats show how our handicap level is at the mercy of our ability to hit greens; they also reveal an ugly tendency to come up short, and how a lack of clubface control sees us miss both sides. GC Quad impact data reveals the importance of strike point, attack angle and a stable clubface in creating efficient energy transfer from club to ball … and getting that approach back to the pin. So here, a team of top coaches join forces to give you 11 great tips and drills, each one designed to sweeten your striking. After all, if you want to improve your GIR stats, you need to improve your contact. I. HIT THE FAR SIDE IAN CLARK…

FIT FOR PURPOSE PING’s commitment to custom fitting its equipment to golfers has received another boost, with the addition of the G410 LST driver to the company’s range. Joining the G410 Plus and SFT models, the LST is engineered with its centre of gravity (CG) positioned to lower spin compared to the other models, while maintaining moment of inertia (MOI) for stability and forgiveness. Featuring the same moveable weight technology of the Plus driver that allows players and their fitter to dial in an ideal ball flight, the LST also features PING’s latest adjustable hosel offering eight settings, meaning the new model can be precisely dialled in for players seeking lower spin or hoping to fight a particular miss. Offering spin reductions ranging from 200 to 400 rpm and with…

BRIGHTON SAVOY The Brighton Savoy has been a longstanding Bayside icon since 1967, with award-winning facilities including a full-service function and conference centre with hotel accommodation, making it one of the finest hotels Brighton has on offer. The hotel (pictured) features the best of contemporary design with unparalleled customer service and an attention to detail only a four-star hotel can provide. Located just 15 minutes’ drive from Royal Melbourne, is the area’s only full-service boutique hotel and is located directly on the beach front. Spoil your senses around the clock; from a high-quality dining experience to comfortable bedding for optimal sleeping conditions. To book or check availability, visit www.brightonsavoy.com.au DINGLEY HOTEL The Dingley Hotel is less than 15 minutes’ drive from Royal Melbourne. The motel offers corporate, sporting and leisure…

• Located south of Hoi An, Vinpearl Resort & Golf Nam Hoi An covers the coast of Binh Minh beach and features everything from luxury villas, restaurants and bars to theme parks and safari tours. The five-star resort is also home to Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An. www.vinpearl.com • Should you wish to extend your time atop Ba Na Hills and take in everything the 19th century French Village has to offer, Mercure Danang French Village Ba Na Hills offers elegant, four-star rooms with panoramic views over the city of Da Nang. www.mercure-danang-banahills-french-village.com • The four-star Monarque Hotel Danang is situated just two minutes from the iconic My Khe Beach and features comfortable rooms and an impressive rooftop swimming pool. www.monarquehoteldanang.vnhotel.site • Anybody planning on playing the Faldo-designed Laguna Golf…

GETTING A GRIP “My teenage son has been playing golf for nearly a year now and still grips the club with a 10-fingered grip, which does seem to cause him to close the clubface down with his right hand at impact.To help improve his game, I would like to steer him towards either an overlapping or interlocked grip.Which one would be best?” Darren Nichols Hornsby, NSW The overlap grip is used by more than 90 percent of Tour players and a vast majority of amateurs worldwide. It is also known as the Vardon grip, named after Harry Vardon, who was the first player to win major championships using an overlap grip. In the overlap grip (pictured below), both hands are connected with the right pinky finger (for right-handers) sitting on…