Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 - Issue #390 i Golf Australia

I can’t get enough of match play. In my opinion it is the most interesting and fun format of golf to play and watch. So, when the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup or Presidents Cup rolls around I’m glued to the action. The cut and thrust of head-to-head matches – no matter whether its fourball, foursomes or singles – is intriguing. It’s certainly more intriguing than stroke play, which only gets really exciting when it morphs into match play at the tail end of a tournament. One of the great traditions of match play is the conceded putt, the ‘gimme’. But, when it comes to Cup events, conceded putts (or lack thereof) always seem to cause controversy. At Whistling Straits, Justin Thomas was disappointed when he wasn’t conceded a putt he…

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The golf shirt bearing the emblem of your favourite club. The apparel from an Australian Open, PGA, Masters or three Presidents Cups at Royal Melbourne. If you have owned, or do own, any of these items, it is more than likely to have been a Sporte Leisure product. The Australian owned brand celebrating 30 years in 2021. Identifying a gap in the market back in 1991, husband and wife duo John and Margie Nelson established Sporte Leisure to fulfil the needs of Australian golfers and Australian golf clubs having previously imported numerous other products successfully into the country. John, a passionate golfer and long-term member at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney’s south, passed away in late 2019 after he and Margie moved to North Queensland, while the business remained…

The short answer to the above question is … probably not. At the time of going to press, the 2015 PGA Champion and former World No.1 had not played a competitive round of golf since August 20, when he carded rounds of 73-73 to miss the cut at The Northern Trust. It was his seventh missed cut in a light schedule of 15 PGA Tour starts in 2021. This year, there were bouts of illness, allergy attacks and ongoing issues with his back, which he tweaked again on the eve of the Memorial Tournament in June, forcing his withdrawal. “I’m not 21 anymore, so it doesn’t recover like it used to,” Day said later that month. “It’s just hard to have an injury like this or not even an injury,…

Meet Colin Scott. He plays at Barnham Broom G&CC in England where his handicap index is 13. Since he started using Shot Scope V3 in July 2021, Colin has recorded 29 18hole rounds using the system’s shot-tracking facility. As we will see, this is enough data to reveal a huge amount about his game … though the picture will become more accurate as he records more shots. Shot Scope’s Strokes Gained system divides the game into four key areas: Tee shots, Approaches, Short Game and Putting. We will take each part in turn to see what the data shows Colin about the state of his game. But first, let’s examine his overall performance. GENERAL PLAY Taken from the system itself, this graphic lays out Colin’s game in each of the…

HANDS AND ARMS: SOFT This image captures much of what makes Kevin so consistently sharp around the green. You can see the softness in his hands, which look like they are barely gripping the club. Similarly, there is a feel of flex and lightness about his arms. They have delivered the club, but they are not dominating his action. CLUBFACE: SQUARE Take a look at the clubface: it is square to the arc of this short swing, looking neither down at the ground (shut) or up to the sky (open). This reveals a lack of manipulation during the stroke, the club tracking through on a natural plane and with natural rotation. BODY: ENGAGED Now look at Kevin’s shoulders and hips: they have rotated, as evidenced by the extra flex in…

Leona Maguire’s recent Solheim Cup debut highlighted what a great talent the Irish player is. Maguire backed up three top-15 major finishes in 2021 with four wins and a half performance against the United States to stamp her presence on the European victory. And she did it all with a swing ripped straight from the pages of every golf textbook ever written. But what impresses most is the position she achieves at the top of the backswing, which is evident here. Her position is absolutely perfect with the club shaft pointing directly at the target. To be precise, it is on a line that is parallel to both the imaginary line formed by her feet and to the one between the ball and the target. This position sets her up…

Coming out of renowned beach location Manly in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, BEACHFOX sunscreen is the result of husband and wife Robbie and Dani Wood wanting to create a highly effective product that appealed to a younger demographic, occasionally prone to eschewing skin care. Australian owned and made, the couples’ range of spray on sunscreens are more than just an SPF 50+ product, with a number of influencing factors leading to the creation of the range that is particularly handy for golfers due to its fast-drying properties and spray application. Offering four hours of protection, the BEACHFOX range is a broad spectrum, clear spray that is fast drying, water resistant, ocean friendly, dermatologically tested and cruelty free. Plus, to attract the younger market, and remove the chore-like feeling some associate with…

Part of an entire club range of the same name, designed to reduce the big miss suffered by higher handicap players, the Big Bertha B-21 irons offer high ball flights, increased ball speed on off centre hits and refined Big Bertha shaping. Each iron has a specifically designed Flash Face Cup created with artificial intelligence for improved distance and forgiveness, a ‘Visible Tungsten Energy Core’ lowers the CG for higher launch and again urethane microspheres are placed inside the head design to produce a pleasing sound and feel at impact. RRP: $219.99 per iron (steel shafts); $239.99 per iron (graphite). www.callawaygolf.com.au…

Representing the third generation of Mizuno irons to utilise the resilience of Chromoly, JPX921 Hot Metal produce Mizuno’s fastest ever ball speeds, combined with a straight ball flight and controllable landing angles. Although not one of Mizuno’s famed forgings, this model lives up the brand’s reputation through pure performance, powered by its most complex face geometry to date that creates exceptional ball speeds, pushed further by a ‘Seamless Cup Face’ that allows the leading edge to act as a hinge and create more face flexing. Extreme perimeter and toe weighting from the ‘Stability Frame’ increase consistency, while sound ribs refine the sensation at impact. RRP: $239 per iron. www.mizunogolf.com…

As is the case with many of the irons here, the ZX4 is the most forgiving model in a brand’s line-up. The model also featuring the feel and look Srixon irons are known for. The hollow-body design contains numerous technologies to enhance ball speed on strikes across the entire face, increase forgiveness, in addition to offering control. A forged face made from HT1770 steel achieves the feel component and has Srixon’s ‘MainFrame’ technology milled into the backside. The unique variable thickness pattern maximises COR having been designed with artificial intelligence that allows thousands of iterations to be run through before the optimised pattern is created. Tungsten in the mid- and long-irons optimally places the CG for higher launch and greater stability, a ‘Tour V.T. Sole’ works through any ground conditions…

Aspirations for an improved golf game are a great asset to any golfer’s psyche. But aligning those visions of a better game with the state of your current play, and equipment needs is an important part of making your dreams a reality. When it comes to irons, the shiny, forged muscle back blade irons favoured by some of the game’s top players are certainly a thing of beauty. And a shot struck from the centre of the clubface feels like nothing else. But while that is all true, the regularity with which any golfer not practicing everyday will actually find the tiny sweet spot is so minimal they are often detrimental to improvement. Blade irons have come a long way in regard to technology and added forgiveness, but unless you…

An oversized golf ball emerging from the top of a golf bag will be familiar to many golfers, the slightly odd-looking implements offered by SKLZ with its Gold Flex and the Orange Whip, offering improved tempo, strength and flexibility. Another of the featured training aids on these pages that doesn’t require physically hitting a golf ball to produce improvement, swinging these products fitted with very flexible shafts and the weight at the club end encourages better rhythm and balance, lag, while also stretching and engaging your golf specific muscles. Beyond the improvement benefits of both products, there is not a better way to quickly warm up for your tee time than by taking a few long, smooth swings with these improvement tools that can then be slotted straight back into…

With state borders expected to open soon, now is the time to plan your next golf getaway here at home. Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s finest golf holiday destinations with a wide variety of terrific courses – some ranked among the best in the nation – that are easily accessible for the visiting golfer. Located just 30 metres from the 1st tee and 9th green of the acclaimed Twin Waters Golf Club course, the Magnolia Lane four-star luxury apartments is a good base to explore all the courses of the Sunshine Coast. Magnolia Lane boasts 48 exclusive one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, all with large living areas and spacious balconies, capturing the scenic panorama of the adjoining Twin Waters course. All packages – starting from three-nights three-courses from…

In an era of Australian golf dominated by outstanding amateurs, Ivo Whitton was the best of them all. For nearly 25 years through to the mid 1930s, if Whitton was in the field he was the man to beat. His first big win was at the 1912 Australian Open when, as an 18-year-old working as a woolbroker in Melbourne, he claimed the title by five strokes from seasoned NSW pros Dan Soutar and Fred Popplewell. He successfully defended his title the following year but it would be the last Australian Open played until 1920, due to the outbreak of World War I. By mid-1931, Whitton’s winning record included four Australian Opens, two Australian Amateurs, five Victorian Amateurs and four Riversdale Cups, while being a mainstay of the Victorian team that…

EAGLE CLUB MEMBERS GET ALL THIS! • 24 issues of Golf Australia magazine • One dozen Callaway Supersoft golf balls • Golf Australia golf shirt • Choose a DVD - 10 golf titles to choose from • Entry in all chance to win competitions The Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball features Advanced HEX Aerodynamics, optimized for reduced drag, higher flight and longer carry distance. This issue our friends at SKLZ are giving subscribers the chance to win the ultimate at home training pack! Each pack features a Home Driving Range kit, Accelerator Pro, Pure Path and Gold Flex. For your chance to win this amazing prize pack, simply subscribe, extend or renew your subscription to Golf Australia today! SKLZ develops training equipment for athletes of all levels to train smarter and harder.…

MARCH 28, 2019 (World ranking, No. 2022) – Misses the cut in his professional debut at the Zambia Open on the southern Africa-based Sunshine Tour. APRIL 7, 2019 (No. 914) – Bounces back at the Zanaco Masters, Zambia, with a T3 placing and collects his first world ranking points as a professional. MAY 19, 2019 (No. 716) – Collects his first professional win at the Big Easy Challenge on the South African Big Easy Tour. JUNE 9, 2019 (No. 453) – Makes it back-to-back victories on his return to the Sunshine Tour, claiming the Sun City Challenge. FEBRUARY 9, 2020 (No. 338) – Outright second place in the co-sanctioned Cape Town Open secures a European Challenge Tour playing card for the remainder of 2020. FEBRUARY 23, 2020 (No. 193) –…

Sergio is not at the top of the PGA Tour’s Strokes Gained: Driving stat at the time of writing – that honour goes to Bryson DeChambeau – but he is third on the list, gaining on average just over 0.8 of a shot per round on the field, or more than three shots per tournament. That’s exactly where he finished the 2020 season. The reason for his consistency – and indeed the reason I’ve selected him as a role model here – is a fantastic move from the top that the typical slicing amateur can gain a lot from copying. Let’s take a look… SHALLOWER SHAFT This image captures Sergio a beat before he really starts to turn on the power. The massive point to note here is just how…

This year, the South African has managed to get his head and shoulders above the very best putters on the planet. With an average of just over a shot a round gained on the field, he is an incredible 0.2 shots ahead of second-placed Brendon Todd at the time of writing. The same 0.2 gap separates the next 15 on the list. There are two particular elements I would pick out from his simple action that we can learn from. We’ll tackle them in turn 1 DISTANCE: RHYTHM At the root of Louis’s phenomenal distance control is the rhythm of his stroke. At your next opportunity watch both the length and pace of his stroke. His backswing and through-swing lengths are almost always identical, paving the way for controlled putter…

Released in 2020, the MAVRIK irons remain a popular option for golfers looking for a little help with their iron play, the standard and MAX models well and truly categorised as game improvement options. Like the other Callaway models listed here, the MAVRIK irons feature loft specific face cup designs to optimise the performance of each iron in a set, with urethane once again used to enhance feel and optimise the face rebounding properties of the design. Tungsten is used as well to precisely locate the CG for higher launch angles and ball flights, as well as increased stability. With long irons built for speed and distance, mid irons designed for speed and spin consistency and short irons with a focus on control, the standard model will suit the majority…

TaylorMade once again charted thousands of golf shots of the target market to improve the performance in its SIM2 Max irons, with the new ‘Cap Back Design’ proving the key to unlocking more ball speed, higher launch and improved forgiveness. A strong, lightweight polymer material spans the entire cavity and supports the topline and upper part of the face, as well as working with a ‘Thru-Slot Speed Pocket’ to effectively create a larger unsupported area of the face. Leading to increased ball speeds and reduced twisting at impact for straighter shots. A refined ‘ECHO Damping System’ with ‘HYBRAR’ material is a very flexible insert that reduces vibrations and improves feel, without negatively impacting face flexing. Meanwhile, intelligently designed sweet spots not only increase ball speed but are precisely placed in…

Titleist’s T400 is targeted at moderate swing speed golfers searching for the most forgiving option, and is labelled a “super distance” iron by the brand. With lightweight grips and shafts to increase clubhead speed, the T400 features a wide body shape with advanced ‘Split Sole’ design for better turf interaction, while the hollow-body design creates an exceptionally high MOI for forgiveness. A progressive set design creates ideal performance from each T400 iron, with blade lengths, sole widths and hosel lengths varied throughout the set, and a super-thin, forged ‘SUP-10 L-Face Insert’ in the 5-, 6- and 7-irons creating significant ball speed gains across the face. Up to 100 grams of tungsten is precisely placed in each head to not only raise MOI, but increase launch and ball speed via an…

A putting mat is a great way to work on your game at home. And in the age of lockdowns, they have never been more popular. And while a standard mat with high-quality turf is a good way to improve your game, the Putt18 mat adds an extra element of fun to your practice, as well as the chance to compete with others, be they guests at your house or virtually around the world. The Australian designed product adds an element of pressure to your practice, through scoring, and comes with everything you need to get started playing the game instantly, except a putter. RRP: $189.95 www.putt18.com.au…

Putting coach Alexander Moore developed the HOLEMORE Tour putting aid for Tour players, with major winners and some of the best putters to play the game using his products over the years. But the pack is available to any golfer who wants to improve their stroke instantly. The patented ‘Catch & Release Challenge’ requires the first ball to be rolled up and stay in the cup before a second ball is sent in to dislodge the first and return both to your putter, working on speed and tempo of the stroke. Able to be used on the putting green for the same benefits, the HOLEMORE Tour model also comes with two different speed mats for use at home and a camera cradle to watch your stroke in action. All while…

Hailing from Western Australia and a racing family, Damien Oliver is synonymous with thoroughbred racing in this country. Three times a Melbourne Cup champion, and with more than 100 Group 1 winners on his resume, the jockey has long enjoyed golf as a getaway from the track. Here, he talks about his golfing journey, including an iconic Australian sporting foursome. What is the thing about golf for Damien Oliver? It’s not one thing, it’s many things. I love getting out with my mates and having a hit of golf, and getting in the outdoors and getting some exercise. The competition against your mates and yourself within the game. It’s all those sorts of aspects of it, and being out and exercising and being outdoors, enjoying the landscape and the contours…

Confined to quarters during all things COVID can get your mind racing. Here are some thoughts … It’s “pin position,” not “hole location”. It’s “hazard” not “penalty area”. When you are two-up with two holes to play (and you’re not going extra holes), you are “dormie”. Bring back the ampersand; it is 3 & 2, not 3 and 2. Bring back the stymie in match-play. Not every green should be the same speed. Every Tour needs to come up with something other than an almost endless diet of 72-hole stroke-play events. Stroke-play is only really interesting when it turns into match-play. Anyone taking more than three hours and 30 minutes to play 18-holes is too slow. Type “Seve Ballesteros” into YouTube and you are set for at least four hours.…

SANDRA MCCAW A young Sandra Williams hit her first golf shot in 1965 and six years later she became Australian Junior Champion in 1971, defeating Jan Stephenson. The following year she won the first of a record four Australian Women’s Amateur Championship titles. Having married, and become Sandra McCaw, she took a year out of the game for the birth of her son, but returned in 1974 to defeat gallery favourite, Jane Lock, to get national title No.2. In 1975 McCaw also reached the final of the British Women’s Amateur, at St Andrews. McCaw was a mainstay of Australian teams, representing her country 30 times between 1971 and 1987. EDWINA KENNEDY Edwina Kennedy was the first Australian to win the British Ladies Amateur, claiming the title on her 19th birthday…

Patrick Cantlay was recently named the PGA Tour’s “Player of the Year” for 2021. Fair enough, even if many thought that honour might have gone to U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm. But here’s the thing, if the vote had been labelled “most interesting player” there could only have been one winner: Bryson DeChambeau. I first met Bryson not long after he made it onto the PGA Tour. It was at an outing in Dallas, at the Preston Trails course. Lee Trevino does a clinic there every year. David Graham is always there, as is Bruce Devlin. Back then, Bryson had just come out with a set of clubs that were all the same length. As you’d expect, everyone was making a beeline for his bag on the range. They were…

For anyone who still doubts the value of shot data analysis, consider a 100m sprinter training for the Olympics… with no stopwatch. When we have no means of measuring or evaluating our performance, progress becomes a matter of guesswork – with all its accompanying frustrations and dead ends. And while we may have a rough idea of how many putts we take or greens in regulation we hit, this is the environment in which most of us play the game. For any golfer serious about improving, an accurate understanding of what causes us to shoot the scores we shoot is essential; and in today’s tech-laden world, that understanding comes in levels. The first is, of course, your handicap index. The second is what we might call ‘traditional’ stats – fairways…

With approach shots raining down on the pin at will at Royal St George’s, it’s not surprising to learn the Open champion has gained a scarcely credible 1.5 shots per round and six shots a tournament on his competitors through his approach play. This puts him right at the top of SG: Approach the Green, a half shot ahead of his nearest rival, Paul Casey. Naturally his impact and ballstriking get a lot of the credit, but what really impresses me about his technique is a glorious, deliberate takeaway move that sets the whole thing up. It’s a move anyone can learn from. PLANE AND PATH SET-UP ACCURACY With accuracy paramount, path and plane are essential to great iron play. A good first move away sets this up, while a…

As a young golfer Kel Nagle liked nothing more than trying to overpower a golf course. He was a prodigious hitter but a winner of very few tournaments. His results saw him working in the pro shop at Sydney’s Pymble Golf Club during the late 1940s and in his spare time he set about changing his swing to become more accurate and ultimately win tournaments. He reduced the length of his naturally powerful backswing, aiming simply to keep the ball in play rather than hitting long distances. As a result, in 1949, he won the first of six Australian PGA titles and a stellar career was born. By the time he won the Centenary Open Championship at St Andrews in 1960, Nagle had won more than 30 tournaments at home…

Well and truly gone are the days of golfers heading out to play in the scorching summer sun in a polo shirt with no sunscreen or a hat and feeling the full effect of the harsh rays on their skin. But despite improved sun protection being undertaken by many golfers there is always more that can be done to protect yourself from skin cancer, a condition that impacts two out of three Australians by the age of 70. With golfers among the most susceptible. High SPF sunscreen is a golfer’s best friend, so too effective headwear, but the specialists in sun protection at Solbari have taken things even further. The company offering functional, fashionable clothing made from industry leading UPF50+ fabrics that offer outstanding protection from the sun’s harmful UV…

A completely new model in the Callaway line-up for 2021, the Apex DCB irons offer the forged feel and looks of the company’s popular Apex better player irons in a more forgiving option. The deep cavity back that lends the iron its name and wider soles promote a higher flight and improved turf interaction, while the ‘A.I. designed Flash Face Cup’ lifts ball speed across the hitting area and enhances spin consistency for inconsistent ball strikers. The renowned Apex feel is delivered by a forged 1025 mild carbon steel body combined with urethane microspheres. And tungsten is used in the mid- and long-irons to precisely place the centre of gravity (CG) for optimised launch and forgiveness. RRP: $299.99 per iron (steel shafts); $319.99 per iron (graphite). www.callawaygolf.com.au…

PING G710 Like some other brands, PING offer an iron in the game improvement space that utilises multiple materials, with every element geared toward improving moderate swing speed players’ approach play. Meet the G710. Introduced as “our longest, most forgiving iron to date” by PING, the G710 incorporates a precision machined maraging steel face. The material known for its strength and flexibility, commonly used in fairway woods and hybrids to boost ball speeds and raise trajectory as it does in this model. The hollow 17-4 stainless body houses high-density tungsten in the toe and heel to offer a five percent increase in MOI compared with its predecessor, a hydropearl chrome finish with black PVD coating makes the model look smaller at address and improves wet weather performance and turf interaction.…

The CNCPT by Titleist iron series is not for everyone. But for the game improvement iron user craving the ultimate combination of exotic high-performance materials and limitless innovation during the design process, the CP-04 is something to behold. Built for ultimate speed with enhanced accuracy, the CP-04 features a midsized profile and moderate offset, with up to 100 grams of tungsten per iron head in the 4- to 7-iron. The face of the CP-04 is forged from a rare, super strong alloy known as supermetal that allows for the “thinnest unsupported, constant-thickness face in golf” creating unparalleled ball speeds and launch. The multi-material design offers increased MOI and precisely placed CG, with almost half the head weight being made up of high-density tungsten. “CNCPT is the dream project for our…

Covid has created the need to practice your game at home, and there is no better way for those fortunate to have the space, than to put up a hitting net to take full swings with real golf balls. Spornia, the first to create a pop-up practice net, have created one of the best options possible on the market with its SPG-7 that has proven hugely popular around the world over the past 18 months and won high praise. “This is a quality net, make no mistake … because let’s face it, nets ain’t nets,” said our own Karen Harding when testing the SPG-7. The lightweight design easily folds into its carry bag, but the features make the SPG-7 so much more than just a willing receiver of your shots.…

Cost: $2,950. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy Editor FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Standing around the clubhouse getting ready to take the TOURER out on course, every other golfer was keen to give it a look and ask some questions. So too on the golf course, two players even asking where to buy one. And I was similarly very keen to give it a try. I was a little tentative when first jumping on and pressing the throttle for fear of making a fool of myself, but that quickly dissipated. The TOURER is very stable and turning a few corners sharply early gave me confidence. HOW IT PERFORMED: Everything about the Golf Skate Caddy TOURER was simply great. A fun way to get around the course, it speeds up play and…