Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 - Issue 396 i Golf Australia

A lot has been said about Phil Mickelson recently, not much of it complimentary in the wake of his reported comments regarding his involvement with the Saudi Golf Tour. Which is not exactly new. To my mind, Phil has always been underappreciated outside of the United States. I’m not sure the rest of the world fully ‘gets’ how good a player he has been over the years, clearly the second-best American player of his generation behind Tiger Woods. Indeed, you had to be there in the States when he was playing to really know how talented he was and is. He had a massive impact in his home country and is a huge star. It certainly blew me away the way Phil would play what some might call ‘crazy golf.’…

1 ADDRESS Marc is athletically balanced at address. Although he is a powerful man, there is no sign of tension in his grip, arms or body, nor does his posture looked rigid or forced. This is a great example of how to address the ball. 2 TAKEAWAY Marc’s takeaway displays a tension free movement of the club, arms and body. He is not trying to ‘hit’ certain positions and as a result nothing looks rigid, forced or contrived. 3 HALFWAY BACK This is a continuation of the previous frame and Leish’s tension free takeaway. Watch throughout the backswing for the gradual rotation of the clubface away from the ball. I see a lot of recreational golfers swing the club back and through in a straight line whilst keeping the clubface…

For as long as we can remember, we have been told that the 40-yard bunker shot is the hardest shot in golf – and because we have all been told it is incredibly tough to execute, we all buy into and believe that particular story. Just like any other story, including your own, if you hear and tell it often enough, it becomes the truth. Living in today’s world, we are all too aware of ‘fake news’, which used to be either lies or myths. Could it be that the 40-yard bunker shot falls into that category? We have allowed this shot, or a pitch over a bunker for example, to become such a massive obstacle because everyone tells us that it is, that when we have to play it,…

Cost: $74.99 (dozen). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor MODELS PLAYED: 2022 Chrome Soft, Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft X LS FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When Callaway introduced its Chrome Soft golf ball, it marked a shift for the company. So much so, the brand dubbed it “the ball that changed the ball”. Later, the Chrome Soft X came along to better suit higher speed, more skilled players, and finally the Chrome Soft X LS. Releases came at different times, and it was understandably a little confusing as to which ball was for what player. That is until now, with Callaway releasing updated versions of all three, with clear player needs in mind and a commitment to consistency. The main takeaway from the first few hits on…

Victoria’s Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s most acclaimed, and oldest, wine-growing regions. With its rich soils – first planted on in 1838 – and temperate climate, the Yarra Valley has become synonymous with premium, award-winning wine featuring many classic varietals and specialising in Sparkling wine, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet blends. There are more than 80 wineries (as well as a fine selection of renowned breweries and distilleries) scattered across the picturesque region, making it a haven for day-trippers and those seeking the ultimate long weekend getaway where you mix delicious beverages, five-star food and, for the golfers, a few rounds of golf. High quality golf is a relative newcomer to the valley with some of the game’s most-acclaimed course designers only being drawn to the area during the…

A great golf course entices you back time-after-time with the lure of experiencing interesting and fun golf. It asks questions of your skill and imagination to play a range of shots, which differs from one round to another. And no matter whether you’re a scratch player or high-handicapper, the challenge is equally enjoyable. Courses of this caliber are among the elite and new ones don’t come along very often. So, when two courses – at the same club – open within a year of each other and within months are ranked among the best in the country, the word ‘great’ gets used a lot. That’s what happened at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club with the unveiling of its completely remodeled North and South Courses. The merger of the Peninsula and…

FREMANTLE • WESTERN AUSTRALIA If you have never played golf in Perth, the first thing that will surprise you when you do get around to it is just how good the land is there for golf. The West Australian capital’s most acclaimed courses – including the likes of Lake Karrinyup, Mt Lawley, Cottesloe, Sun City and Joondalup – all lay on beautiful, gently undulating sandy terrain north of the Swan River. You can also add Royal Fremantle Golf Club, just south of the river, to that elite line-up. It is difficult to grasp the notion that a course which has occupied the same wonderful golfing land for more than 115 years can be regarded a ‘hidden gem’ but, in many respects, Royal Fremantle does tend to avoid the limelight on…

Melbourne’s Huntingdale and Cranbourne Golf Clubs are set to merge in a deal that could ultimately be worth more $100 million. Huntingdale, the former home of the Australian Masters (pictured above), has signed an historic partnership agreement with the Cranbourne Country Club, which owns the land that Cranbourne Golf Club (inset) resides on. Cranbourne general manager Andrew Kenny told the Herald Sun one of the reasons behind the merger was changes to land tax made by the Victorian government in 2021 which would have meant his club paying an additional $1.6 million in land tax. “Huntingdale was looking to redevelop their site, so Cranbourne Country Club offered their assistance in the form of a merge of the two clubs,” Kenny said. “They’re currently working on an arrangement between the two…

Ernie Els’ thrilling 2002 Open Championship play-off victory at Muirfield was always going to be a hard act to follow, but the 84th U.S. PGA Championship contested a few weeks later delivered, albeit with an unlikely cast. Rich Beem, Justin Leonard, Fred Funk and Tiger Woods made up the final two groups on Sunday, and provided a rousing finale which, along with the Open, more than made up for the drama-less first two majors of that year. After three rounds at Hazeltine, the question on everyone’s lips was whether Leonard – the 1997 Open Champion – could hold out Woods, who was five strokes back, to claim his second major title. Beem, who started the final round two shots ahead of Tiger, was given little chance. A top-five finish was…

“I’VE COME INTO A LOT OF THESE EVENTS NOW IN GOOD FORM AND BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO PUT MYSELF IN A HANDY POSITION A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT IT HASN’T GONE MY WAY YET.”– MARC LEISHMAN. It took almost seven years, but Marc Leishman finally ripped off the Band-Aid. Like so many sportspeople before him who’ve experienced an agonising moment that separated them from the realisation of a childhood dream, that return visit is often too much to confront. “I’ve let it go”; “It never really bothered me that much”; “I prefer to keep my focus forward” – all familiar refrains when next they face the inevitable question. But Leishman, as well balanced – and schooled – in real life as any elite athlete, seemingly had his potentially haunting moment…

Normally a brief from a golf club or a client to a golf course architect is reasonably extensive. Something of an exception was Richard Sattler, the Barnbourgle owner who simply told Tom Doak and I – “I don’t care what you do – just don’t screw it up.” Being a non-golfer (then but not now), he had no idea the difference between a course with a par of 69 and one adding up to 73, and 72 certainly wasn’t a number he had fixed in his head as a non-negotiable. But talk to the average member (assuming such a person exists) about knocking the par of their home course down from 72 to 71 and you’d think it was both a criticism of the course and a demeaning suggestion to…

DRIVER Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS with 10.5° loft, fitted with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft. 3-WOOD Callaway Rogue Triple Diamond T with 16° loft, with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft. IRONS Callaway Apex TCB 3-iron to PW, with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X shafts (Hard Stepped Twice). WEDGES Callaway JAWS MD5 (50°-10° S, 54°-10° S & 60°-08° T), with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X shafts. PUTTER Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Double Wide, with Odyssey Stroke Lab shaft. BALL Callaway Chrome Soft X LS.…

Electric buggies have never been more popular, or better for that matter, with more models available offering varied performance that allows golfers to continue walking who might otherwise have needed to opt for a cart, as well as a more enjoyable stroll for others. If you head to a PGA Tour of Australasia event you will see young and old pros taking advantage of the freedom to travel around a golf course without pulling, pushing or carrying their clubs, and at the top of the tree is MGI’s Zip Navigator AT. Standing for ‘All Terrain’ the AT designation is what makes this model special, with the full directional control remote operated buggy able to traverse any and all undulations of a golf course. Independent swivelling front wheels add strength and…

Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor MODEL PLAYED: Trackman 3e FIRST IMPRESSIONS: If you follow tournament golf, have had a club fitting over the last few years or regularly get golf lessons, chances are you’re at least aware of, if not have had an interaction with a launch monitor. And Trackman is the most widely known brand, hugely popular with Tour pros and worldrenowned teachers. Here at Golf Australia magazine we have begun using the slightly older 3e unit in our product testing, and the arrival of the Trackman saw the staff reacting like kids in a candy store. The set-up and initial use of a Trackman is fairly simple for even the non-tech savvy amongst us, with supporting apps and software to produce the data…

Acclaimed golf course architect Ross Watson has come out of ‘semi-retirement’ to oversee a staged redesign program at Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club, on NSW’s Central Coast. Watson created the layout on a seaside strip, which is wedged between the sand dunes at the back of Magenta Shores beach and Wilfred Barrett Drive, linking The Entrance with Budgewoi. It was land previously used as a landfill. While much of the northern end of the property had a wonderful undulating profile, the southern section (all the area to the right of the entry road) was the site of the tip and as a result was flat and featureless. Watson raised the land profile nearly eight metres, to bring the Pacific Ocean into view, by bringing more than a million cubic…

yes EWAN PORTER TV commentator, DP World Tour podcast host, adidas Junior 6s Tour founder and former Tour pro As an avid tennis follower, I love it when the four grand slams roll around. Each one so different to the other – clay court, grass court, relaxed atmosphere (Melbourne) and party atmosphere (New York). Golf, too, has its four major championships but only three have identities. The PGA Championship lacks the pizazz the other majors possess. I’ve called several PGA Championships and while it would be false to claim they’ve been devoid of excitement, it most certainly lags behind the other three in terms of anticipation and character. This wasn’t always the case, though. From 1916-1957 the PGA Championship played a matchplay format. In the strokeplay era it’s simply transitioned…

Without a doubt the easiest and most obvious way to improve your scoring is by becoming more effective with the most precious club in your bag … the putter. Putting success will flow on to increase your overall confidence, improve your green-reading skills and help your understanding of full swing mechanics. Putting successfully enables you to capitalise on good ball-striking and helps you recover when your tee-to-green shots are less than ideal. The key to great putting is control over the ball’s distance and direction. You must learn the correct technique to consistently control the roll on the ball if you want success on the greens. Even if you are fortunate enough to have all day to practise, you can fast-track the learning process by understanding and copying what the…

Located just minutes from Sydney’s picturesque Pittwater, Bayview is renowned for its beautiful setting and lush playing surfaces. The par-71 is not a long course by modern standards but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for with interesting holes covering a varied landscape from relatively flat terrain on the home paddock, to hilly topography across four holes on the north west paddock. Golf was first played on the site of the current course back in 1924 when New Zealand sheep farmer John Orr bought the land and he built six holes, which were played by family and friends for several years. The Bayview club was formed in 1948 and the membership took over ownership when they bought the course and clubhouse from Orr’s widow in 1967.…

YERING GORGE COTTAGES Yering Gorge Cottages, which overlook parts of The Eastern layout, offer 4.5-star cottage-style accommodation featuring separate living and bedroom areas, with a private deck. There are 13 self-contained cottages with one-, two- or four-bedroom configurations. The cottages (pictured below) are located in a private nature reserve offering bushwalking trails and an abundance of wildlife that roam freely across the property including Eastern Grey kangaroos, wombats, as well as 85+ different species of birdlife. The Eastern Golf Club has a stay and play package that starts from $519 per night in a one-bedroom cottage for two people. The package includes a continental breakfast hamper, wifi, car parking and a welcome amenity as well as 18 holes of golf per person and one golf cart. Guests will also enjoy…

THE HERITAGE G&CC Green fees: Members only but tee times available for guests of adjoining Yarra Valley Lodge ($100 18 holes, weekdays; $115 weekends) as well as interstate and international visitors. www.heritagegolfclub.com.au THE EASTERN GC Green fee: The Eastern is a private members’ club. Interstate and international visitors ($150 per round) can enquire about tee times. Yering Gorge Cottage guests have access to the course ($95 per round). www.easterngolfclub.com.au YERING MEADOWS GC Green fees: $50 (18 holes, weekdays), $60 (weekends). www.yeringmeadows.com.au GARDINERS RUN GOLF COURSE Green fees: $50 (18 holes, weekdays), $60 (weekends). www.gardinersrun.com.au RACV HEALESVILLE CC Green fee: For members of the RACV Club ($23, 18 holes, weekdays; $34 weekends) and their guests ($40 and $50 weekends). Non-members staying at the resort can enquire with the pro shop. www.racv.com.au…