Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Golf Monthly

Anyone who has ever watched a tour pro hit shots in the flesh will know they play a very different game to us ordinary golfers. From the sound the ball makes when it comes off the clubface to the trajectory it flies on and of course the distance it travels, their ability to hit sublime shots more often than not is awe-inspiring. However, the more you analyse how golf at the very top level works, the more you understand that it is not a player’s great shots that determine their performances; rather, it’s the misses and mistakes that in fact define rounds, tournaments and even careers. For evidence of just how profound this truth is, I’d recommend you read our special feature with Justin Rose that is the centre piece…

Patrick Reed’s response to Cameron Smith’s comments about his two-stroke penalty at the Hero World Challenge – “It goes from wanting to beat those guys [Presidents Cup] to it now turning personal” – made us reflect on the lack of rivalries in the professional game. Photography: Getty Images, Ladies European Tour, Steve Carr Can you name any modern golfing rivalries with a bit of edge to them? Last year, Brooks Koepka called out Bryson DeChambeau for slow play, claimed he didn’t consider Rory a rival, called Sergio Garcia a child for his actions in Saudi Arabia and said he’s already beaten most players in Major fields by the time he stands on the first tee. You’d expect some of those comments to have elicited some heated responses, but no one…

No says Fergus Bisset People watch professional golf to see an activity they enjoy performed at the highest level. Spectators want to marvel at the players’ ability to produce shots and scores they can only dream of. Anything that reduces that level of excitement would be detrimental to the health of the sport. To be a captivating spectacle, pro golf must be inspiring. The casual viewer is far more likely to keep watching and a youngster more likely to feel the urge to pick up a club if they’re exposed to high-octane, low-scoring tournaments. Humans will steadily improve at anything they apply themselves to. Striving to progress is in our nature. Like any other physical activity, golfers develop new methods, techniques and technologies to surpass their rivals. As such, they…

Arccos Caddie £249 The free app uses shot data and artificial intelligence to recommend optimal club choices and hole strategies. Shot Scope V2 £169 Tags placed in the tops of clubs track shots, while the watch doubles as a GPS. A new course hub brings users together. Garmin Approach CT10 £259.99 Stats for each club with a sensor will show on your Garmin watch. Game Golf Live £139 Tap the tags in your clubs to the receiver on your belt to track shots and gain detailed performance analysis.…

Illustration: Peter Strain “There’s a really good camaraderie out on tour. Everyone looks after each other” I’m often asked about the best characters on tour, and Jamie Donaldson would probably be top of my list. He’s got an amazing sense of humour, his story delivery is so good and he just constantly looks like he’s up to mischief. He’s been on tour for ages, travelled all over the world and played in the Ryder Cup, so he’s got some amazing stories. Everyone loves JD. He’s like the class clown who’s never grown up. Obviously he works hard too, but when you go out for dinner he’ll have the whole table in hysterics. Someone else I get on really well with is Tom Lewis. It’s an interesting one, because the person…

Now that we are a year on, I am very comfortable with the move to Honma. I think the irons have just been perfect, but the driver has probably been the most exciting club for me. I picked up three or four miles per hour ball speed with it very, very quickly. I wasn’t expecting that. I knew that the irons would be great. When I moved to Honma I really bought into the Takumi, the Japanese master craftsmen. These are the guys making the clubs by hand and it’s a company with 60 years of rich club-making history. I had a lot of trust in the brand, but I’m disappointed with the way I played in 2019. Just through the way life has been, I wasn’t able to do…

Francesco Molinari Francesco became the first Italian to win a Major when he landed The Open in 2018. Two months later, he won all five of his Ryder Cup matches – another record. He’s 11th on the European Tour’s career money list having amassed nearly €23m. Edoardo Molinari The three-time European Tour winner last tasted victory in 2017, when he claimed the Trophee Hassan II. His biggest triumph came at the Scottish Open in 2010, a month before he won the Johnnie Walker Championship to earn a Ryder Cup berth. Costantino Rocca Rocca’s putt through the Valley of Sin in 1995 is one of The Open’s most memorable moments. He may never have won a Major, but he was Italy’s first golfing star. In 1997, he became the first Italian…

What style of putter is good for a beginner? Joel222, GM forum I think when starting out, it is important to distinguish which style of putter you prefer the look of, considering different shapes, sizes and alignment features. A putter fitting can guide you into a weighting system that matches your stroke type, but looks instil confidence, which trumps everything in my opinion. That said, not only are mallet putters more forgiving but they are also easier to align, so this might be a good place to begin. I want a waterproof, comfortable, reasonably-priced pair of winter shoes. What do you recommend? 3offthetee, GM forum I would always suggest a black, cleated pair of shoes for winter. Assuming you don’t want to pay more than £120, my top three would…

Illustration: Peter Strain “The European Tour has to swallow the fact it’s a feeder tour for the American circuit” I met a bloke in a pub the other evening. Big chap, small beard, medium drinker, you know the sort. Standing at the bar we fell into conversation – incidentally, why do we ‘fall’ into conversation or, indeed, ‘fall’ into bed? Sometimes we do the latter after ‘falling in love’. Whatever the answer to that poser, my new acquaintance posed an even bigger question after we discovered we shared a passing interest in golf. “Here,” he said. “How’s that Jon Rahm won the European Tour Golfer of the Year thing? He plays in America, doesn’t he? And he speaks with an American accent.” So we batted this one backwards and forwards…

Special contributions The excellent Wayne Riley continues to write great pieces, and in the January issue he posed a terrific question of us all as to what criteria should define great players? In my view, great golfers who did not actually win Career Grand Slams also more than deserve to be called ‘immortals’. A few examples of Major winners, but not Career Grand Slam winners, from my own list of immortals include geniuses such as Seve, Jose Maria Olazabal, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart, Nick Faldo, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Ian Woosnam and Tony Jacklin. These immortals made us all watch in amazement at their achievements over the years. They’ve entertained us, we’ve openly witnessed their highs and lows and they’ve made us laugh and cry in equal measure…

Photography: Getty Images Happy 40th, Sergio! The Ryder Cup’s record point scorer and 2017 Masters winner turns 40. Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship The European Tour heads to the Middle East for the year’s first Rolex Series event. Shane Lowry defends. 1937: Patty Berg wins inaugural Titleholders Championship The iconic American golfer won the first of her 15 Major titles on this day. 1980: start of the senior tour On this day, the PGA’s Tournament Policy Board held a vote that created the Senior PGA Tour, which would become the PGA Tour Champions. Hale Irwin has the most wins (45). Cobra Speedzone range on sale Cobra cemented itself as a major player in the equipment business with the F9 Speedback range. It says it has surpassed it with the Speedzone family…

When Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg birdied the first play-off hole at the European Masters in September, he saw off four other players to claim a dramatic first European Tour title. At one point he had been priced as high as 1,000/1 to win; in contrast, Rory McIlroy, one of the players he beat in the play-off, had been 5/1 at the start of the event. Welcome to the highs and lows of golf betting. I have been the GM Tipster for four years now and over that time I have managed to pick over 40 winners and built a profit just shy of 1,000 points. “What are points?”, I hear you cry. Well, they are a mechanism to make sure that you stick to how much you can afford. If you…

VALUABLE LESSONS It’s amazing how often amateurs proudly tell their friends, “I’ve been playing for 15 years and I’ve never had a lesson.” Yes, that would explain why you are spending 50 per cent of your time looking for your golf ball in the bushes. Imagine what you might be able to achieve with some professional help! GEARING UP One of the greatest feelings in golf is putting shiny new clubs into play. Not even your own children will carry your hopes and dreams like these bad boys. Frankly, your golf bag will be the envy of your friends, even if the rest of your game has them rolling in the aisles. MIND OVER MATTER Most golfers have two swings. There’s the calm, fluid version you adopt on the range,…

Photography: Golf Media Library, Getty Images I have never hit more and more balls in practice and grooved a better feeling. If you feel like you need to ingrain a swing change and you think the only way you are going to get there is through repetitions, by all means go and hit balls. However, I tend to veer on the other side. I prefer to use drills because you can be more direct and precise with your practice. When my irons tend to be good, chipping and pitching is easy, and vice versa. Here’s how I think about these two essential areas of the game. Rhythm and sequencing The worst mistake people make is that they try to improve by training positions. The golf swing is a movement, so…

1 Getting used to hearing the sound of the ball dropping is a great way to build confidence, so set up a workstation where it’s almost impossible to miss. You could use alignment sticks to create a channel – like the kids’ bumpers in ten pin bowling – to make sure you can’t miss. I also like putting from a virtually unmissable distance (inset pic). I used to putt 50 balls from 18 inches to guarantee holing it and hearing that sound. 2 Narrowing your focus point can really help. One way to do this is to make the hole smaller in practice via a narrower tee peg entrance gate, which can then make it seem a little bigger out on the course. I also like popping a tee peg…

I enjoyed Michael Weston’s piece on rookie golfers who are ready to win from day one immensely [December issue]. I had it going through my mind as I watched German golfer Esther Henseleit win the Magical Kenya Ladies Open and the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit in her first year! She is only 20, but she showed the aggressiveness and poise of a player with countless years as a professional. It is great to see young players with the confidence and belief to win and pull off shots in pressure-filled situations. I think golf lends itself nicely to this, too. In other sports you might have to play head-to-head against an opponent with more experience than you to advance or win, but in golf all you can control is…

1 Rasmus and his twin brother Nicolai, who is also a professional golfer, started the game when they were four years old. In an interview with GM, Nicolai said: “Both our parents were playing golf, so it was a case of taking the kids to the golf course. We tried playing and it was quite fun, but we played all the sports you can think of back then so at that time we didn’t think of playing golf all the time.” 2 The two brothers shot to prominence when they teamed up with John Axelsen to win the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championship. Rasmus said of the experience: “It’s always a pleasure to represent your country. You are not just playing for yourself, you are playing…

Wilson is introducing a new range of super game-improvement clubs designed to help high-handicappers combat their driver slice and stop fatting their iron shots. The clubhead of the Launch Pad irons incorporates a wide, progressive sole throughout the set that prevents it from digging into the turf before impact. A late-breaking bounce angle keeps the leading edge up through impact to create a cleaner strike and is said to reduce fat shots by 73 per cent. The lightweight design makes it easier for golfers to generate club speed with minimal effort. The Wilson Staff Launch Pad driver, fairways and a new FYbrid all incorporate a moderately offset hosel to help tighten dispersion. The CG has been moved towards the heel and forward to encourage a draw shape. At just 272…

What did you learn from Tour S when creating Tour X? The players loved the stability, but wanted a softer leather and more comfort without compromising the tensile strength. This is why we have used our ChromoSkin leather – it’s thin, supple, strong and won’t ‘bag out’ after wear. The OrthoLite Impressions FitBed provides the comfort. How do you increase comfort in a shoe designed for stability? ‘Comfort’ is a subjective term. Making things softer may feel nice, but if it doesn’t provide the necessary support, structure, cushioning and rebound for the whole round, it is no longer a comfortable shoe. Tour X’s Fine Tuned Foam midsole delivers cushioning and rebound to minimise foot fatigue. What other useful features have you added to Tour X? Firstly, the bump-outs on the…

Illustration: Peter Strain “There are only four players nailed on to make the European Ryder Cup team” I can’t quite believe the next Ryder Cup is only nine months away. It still feels like yesterday that Thomas Bjorn’s troops did a number on the Americans at Le Golf National in Paris, with Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood starring for the boys in blue. I know there’s so much happening in the world of golf this year – the four Majors and the Olympics, too – but Whistling Straits will be on us before we know it, and I’m very intrigued as to the composition of the European team. It has obviously been incredibly strong in recent years – four victories in the last five Ryder Cups and seven in the…

1 Address position One of the main reasons why Justin Rose is such an impressively consistent ball-striker is evident in this photograph. There is a lot to learn from his address position. Firstly, Justin’s torso sits directly above his hips with only the slightest of spine tilts away from the target – this is just what you are looking for with an iron in hand. His feet are set at shoulder width apart and his weight distribution is even between his left and right sides. He has a small amount of shaft lean that encourages him to deliver the correct amount of dynamic loft through impact. Here, he has built the ideal foundation for a powerful, balanced and technically sound swing. 2 Halfway back At this point in the swing,…

1 This drill will improve the way you rotate your body during the swing and, as a result, enhance your ball-striking. From this position, hit some shots with a mid-iron (I use an 8-iron) and focus on unwinding your arms and body together in balance. 2 This is what we’re aiming for – my arms and hands are in balance with my body. My knees have stayed together and I haven’t had to try and rebalance through the swing. There’s no tilting. This drill will help keep your knee and chin levels constant and promote a more consistent contact. Movement creates power, balance controls it. 3 If my right side tilts as I hit the ball, I’m going to lose my balance. Players who have a tendency to help the…

1 Finding extra yards You can’t just go at the ball harder. Try to feel like your chest is over the middle of your stance at impact, which helps you sync your upper and lower body through the hitting zone, a key to solid contact. It also gives you a little bit of ‘hang back’ so you sweep the ball away on an upward curve. 2 Coping with nerves Everyone gets nervous, even the best players. Pre-shot routine is key. I have my glove unfastened until I’m ready to ‘get into my shot’. When the moment comes, I’ll pull the Velcro across and that’s my mental trigger to focus on what I need to do. 3 Bunker play Try to control the entry point in the sand a lot better.…

As another year has come and gone, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the best innovations that were brought to the table in 2019. I was happy to see Cobra experience such success with its King F9 Speedback driver. The company has been making solid, more affordable gear for a while now, and becoming the number-one-selling driver in the first quarter of 2019 was just reward for the effort put in behind the scenes. Elsewhere in the driver sector, we saw Callaway use a super computer and artificial intelligence (AI) to shape its face design. I must admit I never saw this coming, but I can now see AI playing a much bigger part in analysing and maximising performance, especially when you consider how Arccos is using data to…

GolfBuddy Aim L10V laser Compact, light and with lots of features, including slope and even the option of having the distance spoken to you. Great value. Price £269.99 HottMitt heated mittens We like how the short bursts of heat save battery, the reduced faff compared with normal mittens and the ability to charge your phone. Price £89.99 FootJoy ProDry Crew socks Soft, comfortable and just the right thickness to add enough warmth without making shoes feel too tight. Price £9 a pair…

In nearly every corner of the UK and Ireland you will find somewhere where you can both stay and play golf. The choice ranges from the humble dormy house to the grandest of five-star resorts, with options in between to suit all tastes, preferences and budgets. The real thrill of the stay and play golf break is being able to practically tumble out of bed on to the 1st tee. For this feature, we have scoured the length and breadth of the country in our quest to pick out what we believe are the 50 best places for golfers to stay and play within these shores, with the emphasis on mid- to large-scale resorts both famous and perhaps less well known. Some of our most renowned golf hotels have been…

Photography: Getty Images, Kevin Murray, Andy Hiseman • The cosy alternative While our main focus here is the larger golf hotels and resorts, for many, the dormy house or lodge alternative can be a very attractive proposition. The calibre of accommodation varies from fairly modest to very high-spec and there’s something great about wandering out of your room, coffee in hand, to greet the dawn chorus, with the mist slowly clearing from the 1st. Staying in a club’s dormy house can prove a very inexpensive way to play a top course (Royal Lytham, Royal Porthcawl or Burnham and Berrow, for example), but there are other options too. Rolls of Monmouth in south Wales, New Woll in the Scottish Borders and Holyhead in north Wales are among the clubs to offer…