Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Golf Monthly

1 Not like an iron shot The drive I’m hitting here is from the spectacular 18th tee at Trump International, where the prevailing wind is into your face. If you had an iron in hand from tee or fairway here, you might think about leaning more on your left side at address to help deloft the club. But that approach won’t work very well with a driver, as you still need to launch the ball up into the air and make good contact. 2 Reduce speed and spin The simplest ways to control your driver flight into the wind are: 1) play for your normal shape and 2) reduce your swing speed by around five to ten per cent. The former is important as it’s often when you try to…

1 Chase the ball The 3-wood off a tight fairway… I really believe this is a shot of mind over matter. You have got to believe that the 15˚ or 16˚ loft on the clubface will actually lift the ball up off the turf! Many golfers don’t and try to help the ball up into the air, which achieves exactly the opposite effect. You’ll see a lot of club golfers stand back through impact with the weight remaining on the back foot. Really chase after the ball through impact and into the follow-through. Keep everything wide, rather than just picking at the ball. Also, go down the grip two or three centimetres (below) as this will bring added control. 2 Set-up keys Good posture is absolutely essential, so make sure…

1 This is the ideal position to get into at the top of the backswing. Note how my chest has moved and coiled over the inside of my rear foot. I have about 70 per cent of my weight on the centre of my right foot at the top of my backswing. The transition should then start by allowing the knees and hips to shift first, followed by the upper torso. 2 You can use alignment sticks to improve your awareness of loading and unloading weight through your swing. At impact (left), all my weight has gone into the back of the ball to give me maximum clubhead speed and distance. This sequencing has helped me move into a balanced finish, with my body facing the target and the majority of my…

1 Having already selected the club and the type of shot, stand behind your ball and pick your target. Be as specific as possible and draw an imaginary line from a spot in the distance back through your ball. Pick a mark just in front of you on the line to make your alignment as precise as possible. 2 Now step into the ball and take care to align the clubface with that imaginary line. The clubface will become your reference point for your body alignment. You should then check your clubface alignment one last time before you set your stance. 3 Now build a stance that’s square to your clubface. Your feet, hips and shoulders should all be parallel to your ball-to-target line. This is the only truly static position in…

1 Power from the ground Golf has become much more of a power game, and a few extra yards can give you shorter clubs in or bring longer par 4s or even par 5s into range. So how do you go about generating more power? Look to your main power sources first – the legs and the ground. Try to feel as though you’re pushing down more into your left side with your body as you start down from the top, as Rory does, then move back up again as you actually hit through to draw power up from the ground. The best players in the world move upwards and back a little bit through the ball, staying behind it with the sternum. You could try this without a club…

Stroke play SAYS FERGUS BISSET At my club, four rounds of stroke play decide the club champion for the year. I wouldn’t have it any other way as it establishes the best player and the rightful winner. The vagaries of match play mean better players can easily lose out over an 18-hole sprint. A lesser golfer could produce a blinding performance and knock out the favourite, only to be beaten soundly in the next round as their form returns to normal. It can be then that you end up with two unlikely candidates making it through to a disappointing final, not really representative of the talent in the field. It sometimes happens in the WGC-Match Play! In stroke play, the cream will rise to the top. When Martin Slumbers announces…

By the time you read this, you’ll know who’s won The Open, but I want to reflect on Jon Rahm’s performance at the US Open. I thought it was a remarkable effort given what happened two weeks before, when he led by six shots going into the final round of the Memorial but was forced to withdraw after a positive Covid-19 test. Yes, that obviously meant he was playing well heading to Torrey Pines, but he’d have been so deflated. It shows the character of the man that he was able to do what he did just a few days later. “Now Rahm has taken the final step, it’s hard to see anyone catching him” As per the world rankings, he only became World No.1 following his triumph at Torrey,…

Using a Smart Ball in this way will help you to keep your arm structure, which is key to delivering a sweet strike. Many golfers keep their weight moving too much to the trail side, and they separate the elbows and try and flick the wrists. Remember, you want a slight downward angle of attack, so a small divot is fine. The Smart Ball will help keep the triangle that is created between the shoulders and arms intact. If you keep the pinch of the forearms together so the ball doesn’t fall, you’ll get rid of that top.…

1 Ball and weight forward You should position the ball midway between your sternum and lead armpit, so underneath where most shirts have a logo. Have your weight 70 per cent into your lead foot at address and keep it there throughout the swing. You want the club shaft to be pretty vertical, so make sure you don’t lean it forward. Bury your feet a couple of inches into the sand. 2 Everything square except clubface Set up with your heels and body square to the target, rather than everything way open. The only thing you want open is the clubface. Bending your knees a little more than usual and dropping the butt of the club lower brings the aim of the clubface to the left (for right-handers), so the…

Enthusiastic newcomer Joe Brewin has set himself the goal of breaking 100 for the first time this year and has got on to the right track with lessons from PGA Pro James Whittemore. But his current equipment is holding him back, so a full-bag custom fitting with Cobra Golf’s Billy Whiteman was in order. He was tasked with fitting Joe into the correct make-up of clubs from the impressive Radspeed range. As you’ll discover, the gains Joe made were significant, which should help accelerate his progress and help him achieve his goal before the season finishes. Fingers crossed… Joe’s assessment “You know you’ve got off to a rough start in golf when the clubs you bring along to a fitting are literally laughed out of the bag. I’d got absolutely…

It is, as someone once said, the soaring hope, the fevered expectation, that kills you in the end. Well, I’m still here, although disappointment flies through my bones like some unwelcome and irritated alien. Why? Well, a few days ago I had a tee time to play golf with my sons at Goodwood. Big deal? Yes, for me it was. I’ve played one round this year at the end of March. I was awful. Rather, my right knee was awful, the pain severe as bone scraped on bone. “Golf, while technically quite complex, has been one of my simpler joys” I knew this was to be my temporary swansong as I was booked in to have a TKR on April 6 (that’s a Total Knee Replacement by the way). You…

1 Play it like an iron Although hybrids may have the appearance of mini woods, you need to set up and swing the same as you would with an iron. Leave the ball in the same position at address as with a long-iron and make an iron swing, looking to take a little divot after the ball. 2 Master of design Hybrids have virtually replaced the longest irons now, and for good reason. The shafts are fractionally longer, but thanks to wide soles, shallow faces and more clubhead weight further back from the clubface, they make it so much easier to get the ball up in the air from long range. 3 Better from the rough Another great thing about hybrids is their capability from the rough. It’s notoriously difficult…

1 Rhythm and weight shift For me, rhythm and weight transfer are closely linked. A good tempo allows you to make an athletic, technically sound transfer of weight, and if you can time it correctly, you’ll improve both your power and accuracy. Take your normal posture and then, without a club, swing your arms back and through, mimicking a half-to three-quarter-length swing. By taking the club and ball away, you are making a more instinctive sporting motion. Your weight will naturally move with your arms in the backswing and through swing. 2 Takeaway tips A smooth start to the swing will create a chain reaction that will have a positive overall effect. Importantly, the golf swing begins from the left shoulder, working in one line with the clubhead. As you…

There isn’t a golfer on the planet who doesn’t want to hit it longer and straighter, be it with a driver, fairway wood, hybrid or long-iron. The satisfaction you feel when outdriving your playing partners, reaching a par-5 in two or finding the green on a drivable par-4 is up there with anything our game can offer. That’s why, with the help of some of GM’s Top 25 Coaches, we’ve compiled this Ultimate Long-Game Guide. We have tips and drills for all the clubs at the top end of your bag, which we hope will save you shots when you’re next out on the course. Whatever your handicap, we’re confident there will be something over the next 29 pages to help you find more yards, more fairways and more greens.…

Renato Paratore Three missed cuts in a row has seen the two-time European Tour winner sliding down the world rankings. He’ll be hoping to find some form in the second half of 2021. Martin Kaymer After three consecutive missed cuts, the former World No.1 finished T26 at the US Open and runner-up at the BMW International Open the following week. Sami Valimaki Early exits at the Scandinavian Mixed and the Irish Open made it four missed cuts in a row for the talented Fin, who has now fallen well outside the world’s top 100. Bubba Watson But for an untidy finish, Watson could have won the Travelers Championship and backed that up with a T6 finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.…

Aiming to deliver premium performance and aesthetics, TaylorMade has launched the new TP Hydro Blast putter collection. It comprises seven designs to suit all strokes, including the Bandon shape that has already been put in play by Tommy Fleetwood and Dustin Johnson. The new lighter, elegant finish is achieved by applying a high-pressure stream of water to 303 stainless steel. Each model is equipped with a white Pure Roll insert with grooves at a downward 45° angle. This enhances topspin and helps the ball start rolling end-over-end sooner. The Soto is a classically shaped blade that features flowing, rounded edges. It boasts a single black sightline on the back cavity and an L-Neck hosel, producing 40° of toe hang. The Del Monte has a shorter blade length and a wider…

Hello everyone, and welcome to my first Golf Monthly column. I’ve been a presenter at Sky Sports for eight or nine years now and it’s a job I love, but my role is less about giving opinions and more about asking the right questions. That’s why I jumped at the chance to write this column, which, alongside the podcast I’ve started with fellow GM columnist Wayne Riley, will give me a platform to express a few more views on a game I find compelling. “Matt Wolff ’s comments were a wake-up call for a lot of people in the game” I don’t get to play as much golf as I’d like to these days and my handicap is teetering around 12, having got as low as 6 at one point.…

Whenever Ben Hogan’s schedule allowed it, he would visit Winged Foot Golf Club in New York to play 18 with his old friend Claude Harmon, who was club pro there from 1945 until 1978. Harmon’s oldest son, Butch, would often carry his dad’s bag for these friendly games with Hogan, or with the other tour stars who would often stop by: Sam Snead, Jimmy Demaret and Craig Wood, while the great Tommy Armour was a Winged Foot member. This was how Butch Harmon and his three younger brothers, Craig, Bill and Dick, grew up – watching, listening to and learning from America’s finest golfers up close. Unsurprisingly, all four brothers would become PGA professionals. “He said, ‘Get on up here. You didn’t make me miss that putt, it was my…

In the lead-up to the 1992 Solheim Cup at Dalmahoy Country Club near Edinburgh, Kathy Whitworth’s side of golfing superstars from the USA appeared to be even stronger than that which had thrashed the Europeans in the inaugural competition at Lake Nona in Florida in 1990. TV pundits, the wider media and many of the players could only see it going one way. Some bookies were making the USA 1-6 favourites to complete another routine win. With hindsight, it was definitely hard to make a case against that likely outcome in the run-up to the matches. Team USA was filled with Major Champions and up-and-coming stars. Six of the USA team members in 1992 are now in the World Golf Hall of Fame. To give some more context, Team USA…

1 Intimidating tee shot There are three things I want you to think about in a situation like this. Firstly, tee height. I tend to use three different tee heights with driver: a lower one for a lower shot that’s good in the wind, mid-height for my stock fairway finder and a little higher for my ‘bombs away’ tee shot. You want to have roughly half the ball above the top of the driver at address and the ball level with your lead heel. Secondly, having the ball forward in the stance can throw off your shoulder alignment, so make sure they’re pointing parallel to your target line and your lead shoulder is a touch higher than your trail shoulder at address. Thirdly, when you need that extra distance, you’ve…

The basics are always a good place to start – so check your set-up. If you come into the ball too steeply, you’ll just dig into the sand and you won’t get the strike and distance you need. I recommend moving the ball a touch further forward in your stance to shallow the attack angle a fraction. I’d also suggest gripping down on the handle of the club to help you avoid digging into the sand, and standing a little bit taller at address to raise the swing arc. You should just try to bruise the sand and not create such a large divot.…

It’s a conundrum many golfers face, but it can be tricky to know which route to go down for this slot in the bag. Our data partnership with Arccos gives us greater insight into the actual performance differences of both these clubs from a data set of more than 300 million shots recorded over five million rounds. It unearthed a few interesting trends for this particular pickle. The first is that the 3-iron is not dead. In fact, handicaps of 10 and below hit their 3-iron further than their 3-hybrid. This is likely because 3-iron shots will have lower spin and therefore run out more. It isn’t until we get to 17-handicappers that the 3-hybrid becomes longer. The second trend is that golfers are selecting the 3-hybrid on shots where…

Rob Smith on… The joy of mixed golf I have been playing golf for over 40 years, and although it is hard to detect now, I briefly made it down to single figures. These days, rather than medals from the back tee, I am far more interested in simply appreciating the course and the company. Despite that, there is one form of competition that I still fully enjoy: the Mixed Open. My enthusiasm for exploring new courses and revisiting old favourites combines well with the pleasure of playing golf with my sister, with various mutual friends and quite often with strangers. In a little over a week in late May, Debbi and I returned to lovely Farnham in Surrey, made the lengthy journey down to Barton on Sea in Hampshire…

1 Two crucial elements There are two fundamental keys at the heart of good fairway wood play – ball position and posture. At address, set the ball just inside your left heel. This will allow you to create a shallow angle of attack that helps you sweep the ball off the top of the turf (many amateurs are too steep into the ball). Then, if your spine angle is set correctly at address and you maintain it through to impact, your chances of a good strike are greatly improved. So when practising, think ‘ball position’ and ‘posture’ – concentrate on these elements and you’ll hit much better shots. 2 Go low As we have already mentioned, the key to a good strike with your fairway woods is a sweeping action.…

1 One of the most common reasons for pushes and blocks is poor clubface control. The way the wrists move in the swing has a direct influence on the face. Take a ruler and place it under the fastener of your glove so it runs flat against the back of your hand and up the start of your forearm – as shown here. 2 Now, make a backswing. ‘Sweep’ the club away without changing the lead wrist angle. Most golfers who push and block would feel the ruler start to dig into the hand and forearm as the lead wrist tries to ‘cup’. Then, as they move down, the clubface is open. 3 The ruler flattens the wrist and gets the clubface in a more neutral position. If we can keep that feeling…

1 To manufacture a draw – around a tree, for example, as here – you need to set up with feet, hips and shoulders aiming well to the right, and the clubface closed to your body alignment but still open to the target. It’s important to remember this last point, because if the clubface is closed to both target and swing path, you will simply hook the ball into the tree you’re trying to avoid! 2 Another common mistake is that many golfers know they need to close the clubface to draw the ball, but they do it in the wrong way or at the wrong time by gripping the club and then closing the face down. You actually need to do it the other way round – close the clubface down…

1 Aim small, miss small The tight drive with trouble on both sides fills most golfers with dread. The one I’m facing here has water up the left and thick rough up the right, so we need a change of strategy and a change of thinking to really focus on finding the fairway. I would recommend picking out a small target point beyond the fairway or on the horizon, and then taking dead aim on that exact spot. In this case, it’s a little post in the distance, so I’m going to work hard on really aiming at, and hitting it on that line. By focusing on a very small target, even if you miss, you’ll probably still end up on the fairway. If you just aim at ‘the fairway’,…

1 Accuracy off the tee can be helped by starting with a few basics. Focus on making a balanced swing with good weight shift, then getting up on to the right toe in the follow-through. See how I’ve made a full turn towards the target here. Everything is balanced and in control. 2 It’s helpful to get a good idea of the initial direction of the ball’s journey and your shot shape. Use a couple of alignment sticks at the range to create a gate. I’d also recommend using face tape or spray to show how consistently you’re finding the centre of the clubface. 3 Amateurs don’t tend to give the tee box and how it can be used to their advantage enough thought. Here, I’ve placed my ball to the right-hand side…

The return of the Olympics after a five-year hiatus has rekindled the question of whether winning a Gold Medal will ever rival winning a Major. At this moment in time, it’s hard to make a case for ‘yes’ given the history and traditions of golf and the prestige NO attached to 94% winning one of golf’s four established giants. Still, The Open started as an eight-man event and The Masters had some early struggles, so there’s clearly scope for things to change. But, for the Olympics to really move up in stature, it needs to become a priority for all of the world’s best players, something that clearly isn’t the case at the moment. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Tyrrell Hatton have eschewed the Games, with reasons…

GEAR NEWS ROUND-UP Nelly Korda won the Women’s US PGA using a Scotty Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 putter. Harris English was victorious at the Travelers with Ping G400 woods and a Ping Scottsdale Hohum putter from 2010. Viktor Hovland won the BMW International Open with new Ping i59 irons, a Ping G425 LST driver and a Titleist Pro V1 ball. Marcus Armitage triumphed at the Porsche European Open with a Callaway Epic Speed driver and Srixon ZX7 wedges. Lucas Herbert won the Irish Open with a TaylorMade SIM2 driver, TP5 ball and P7TW irons but no 5-iron!…

I said in this column many years ago that Jon Rahm would be the world’s best player and a Major Champion before too long. He achieved the former after winning the Memorial in June 2020 and his maiden Major triumph came after a brilliant performance at Torrey Pines in this year’s US Open. He wasn’t just the best player during the final round, he was the best player by a distance. As challenges fell away on the fearsome back nine, Rahm hit great shot after great shot and rarely looked troubled. It was one of the best back-nine performances I’ve seen in a Major and it’s all the more impressive given what happened to him the previous week in Ohio. “I do think there needs to be more on offer…

1996: US singles brilliance Europe were looking good after the first two days at St Pierre Hotel & Country Club in Wales – 9-7 up with just the singles to play. But Team USA put on a masterclass of individual match play to complete a comprehensive comeback. The Americans won nine singles matches, halved two and lost just one to finish 17-10 to the good. 2013: Europe dominance Europe had never won the Cup on US soil, but they managed it with something to spare in 2013. The visiting side dominated the final two sessions to win by 18-10. It was the biggest victory in Solheim Cup history and Caroline Hedwall became the first player to win five matches in one competition. 2015: US comeback Europe led by 10-6 at…

1 If you’re having trouble pulling your irons (to the left for a right-handed player), check your ball position – which, generally speaking, should be approximately two balls inside the left heel. Remember, the club travels on an arc, so when the ball is further forward, the clubface will arrive pointing left with the clubhead also going left. 2 Most of the pull shots I witness are down to the trail shoulder ‘spinning out’. When it comes over the top like this, it changes the direction of your swing path – so it’ll be more to the left. If the face is square to the path as you go through impact, you’ll hit a pull; closed, a pull hook; and if it’s open you’ll hit a slice. 3 You want that feeling of…

To improve the consistency of your strike, tee a ball up on a low peg. Concentrate on letting the club ‘glide’ through impact and try to get the leading edge to clip the peg. This will encourage a shallow impact angle – so less of a digging action. Start by taking a narrow stance with your weight slightly favouring the lead foot, then feel the triangle formed by the arms move away from the ball. Keep the hands and wrists fairly passive. The downswing is a simple rotation of the arms and chest over the inside of the left foot. You should just graze the grass at impact.…

The Scottish Highlands is not only home to some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the UK&I, but also to a strong and varied array of golf. Not far from Inverness and just a few miles to the east of Castle Stuart, Nairn is a historic town with its own classic Top 100 links. Bordering its ancient fishing port, there is a second very fine course, Nairn Dunbar. Dating back to 1899, it is protected from the North Sea by impressive dunes and is a strong and very interesting links. It is also the 2021 Environmental Golf Course of the Year. The judges were very impressed by the restoration of the links landscape through the implementation of a rough management plan. Native grasses, wildflowers and heather have all been…

Tim Gallant North Berwick Golf Club Why is North Berwick the club for you? The club is incredibly friendly and inclusive, something we’re very proud of. For a club that is almost 200 years old, we have a thriving junior programme and a diverse membership. I’ve yet to meet a member I wouldn’t enjoy a game with. What are the special features of the course? The West Links has some incredibly unique features, including a stone wall in front of the 13th green, the original Redan (a green that slopes down and away from you) and a wild Biarritz green (one with a deep gully) on the 16th. If you could make changes to the course or the club, what would they be? North Berwick is probably the last great…