Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Golf Monthly

Top professionals will use the flat-stick around 28 times a round, while the average amateur will need to strike it a few more times than that. As such, it’s absolutely key to find a putter that you trust and perhaps even fall in love with a little. Over the decades the design of the putter has evolved, not only as equipment technology has moved on but also as advancements in agronomy have produced smoother and faster surfaces. Through the years, there have been many influential designs that have become beloved by top players and amateurs alike. Here, in approximately chronological order, we run through ten of the very best putters of all time… 1 Bobby Jones Calamity Jane A simple offset blade with a hickory shaft, forged by Condie and…

After a string of missed putts from a makeable distance, golfers often go shopping in an attempt to change their fortunes on the greens. This is all well and good, but when choosing a new putter it’s important to consider all the variables (there are a lot) that will influence the suitability of that new flat-stick in your hands. Our guide covers all these factors to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. Toe hang or face balanced? This refers to how a putter is weighted or the ‘angle of the dangle’. Rest the lower part of the shaft on your finger and when the putter is balanced, the head will either hang toe downwards to some degree or the face will point up to the sky, which…

Across 7 I pinch shot with this success (4,2) 8 Dutch golfer with forenames Willibrordus Adrianus Maria (6) 9 Target wholesale reduction (4) 10 Winner of 2008 Masters (8) 11 Hampshire course that has the edge for a curved shot (7) 13 Gleneagles King’s 14th has a dip yes before Den (5) 15 Notice at Prestwick’s final hole (5) 17 Won the World Match Play in 2011 in an all-English final (7) 19 A feeling which is bad for most people but not for golfers! (5,3) 21 Adjusted score (4) 23 Medal won by Woods, Rose and McIlroy at The Open (6) 24 Frenchman who arranged the two events left first (6) Down 1 State of Canterbury and Inverness clubs (4) 2 Won Masters and US Open in 2015 (6) 3 Club Hogan used to…

Matthew Wolff The American missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship and The Northern Trust, thus failing to progress on to the second FedExCup Play-off event. Cameron Smith A fine run saw the Aussie follow an Olympics T10 with back-to-back top-five finishes at the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational and The Northern Trust. Robert MacIntyre Back-to-back missed cuts at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals meant the Scot missed out on the chance of a PGA Tour card for 2021/22. Aaron Rai The Englishman finished T26 in August’s WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational, then secured his PGA Tour card with a runner-up spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Boise Open.…

in association with SOUND BITES “THIS IS PATHETIC. FIRST IT PROMOTES A SHORTER, MORE VIOLENT SWING (INJURY PRONE) AND DOESN’T ALLOW FOR LENGTH OF ARC TO CREATE SPEED. DURING OUR FIRST GOLF BOOM IN 40 YEARS, OUR AMATEUR GOVERNING BODY KEEPS TRYING TO MAKE IT LESS FUN”Phil Mickelson lashes out at news the USGA is set to shorten driver lengths “IF YOU DON’T LIKE TONY FINAU, THERE’S SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOU. HE’S ABOUT AS NICE A GUY AS YOU’LL EVER MEET”A poor finish cost Jon Rahm, but he was delighted for Northern Trust winner Tony Finau “WHAT HE SAID WAS REALLY POWERFUL, BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T FEEL 100 PER CENT RIGHT, NO MATTER IF IT’S PHYSICAL OR MENTAL, IT’S AN INJURY”Matthew Wolff heaped praise on Rory McIlroy for his…

Ben Schmidt, one of England’s brightest young golfers, sits down alongside two seasoned pros – footballers James Milner and Adam Lallana. The Premier League stars have just enjoyed a few holes with the highly rated teenager – a new signing for White Rose Sports Management, which was established by Milner in 2015. Schmidt, as you might imagine, is grinning from ear to ear. What an opportunity – having the support of two professionals who know what competing at the top of their sport is all about. Milner may be an avid golfer, but the move into golf management is certainly no hobby. The 35-year-old Liverpool midfielder, who’s one of only five players to make over 550 Premier League appearances, isn’t ready to hang up his boots just yet. However, when…

Not even the best players in the world hit every fairway, so you’re going to have to play some iron shots from the rough. In fact, most amateurs will have plenty of rounds when they play more shots from the rough than the fairway. It’s important to analyse your lie and make a few tweaks to your set-up to increase your chances of hitting good shots from the longer grass. 1 A steeper attack angle This will reduce the amount of grass between your clubface and the ball at impact. It’s easier to encourage this with your set-up, rather than actually trying to swing steeper. Get your lead shoulder a touch lower at address and shift a bit more weight into your front foot. Also have a bit less forward…

1 Jezz takes relief from a sprinkler head, but his ball is slightly scuffed so he changes it for a new one before dropping. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Jezz gets one penalty stroke and must replay the stroke. C Jezz gets the general penalty (two strokes). 2 Fergus’ second shot finds a greenside bunker close to the lip, so he decides to take an unplayable and drop outside the bunker before playing. How many strokes has he played? A Four. B Five. C Six. 3 In stroke play, Fergus decides to remove an awkward tuft of grass from behind his ball in the teeing area before playing his tee shot. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets one penalty stroke. C…

A decent set of wedges can be the difference between getting up and down from a tricky situation or not, so it’s important to invest in this area of the bag if you haven’t done so for a few years. Not only will you benefit from extra spin control, but a custom fitting can identify the most appropriate sole that will make achieving a clean strike consistently much easier. Wedges come in a host of options, not just the lofts but also the bounce angles, sole grinds, finishes and even shaft options, so buying blindly off the rack isn’t going to help you score. Think about how many wedges you want to carry (three or four is the norm) and work from the loft of your pitching wedge, going up…

Why have so many clubs allowed the rough at their courses to become so thick and penal? Andrew Thomas, London I have also lost more than my usual number of Titleists this summer, and while this is frustrating, no one is deliberately trying to make golf less fun or to slow down play. First, we had a perfect combination of sunshine and rain, which resulted in unusually abundant growth. And then many, if not most of, the clubs I have visited are working hard to improve the definition of their rough. The first cut is manageable, the second troublesome, but when you reach the hay, you are lucky to find your ball. This is hopefully short term, as the general plan is to make the longer rough much less thick…

The Island Perfect and at times mesmerising terrain makes The Island one of those links that just gets better and better on repeat plays. Following Martin Ebert’s upgrades (2020) to the front nine, there are many new experiences to appreciate. The dunes here are the biggest on the east coast and holes have found a natural routing between and over them. No hole is remotely like another, something that ran true for the old start of eight consecutive par 4s. That string has been broken by Ebert and the par-3 4th – a hole perched above the beach. It’s a beauty that is followed by three new holes in the next five. The goal was to make the front nine as good as the highly praised back nine. You’ll have…

Cuddington Beneficiary of many improvements over the last couple of decades, including recent tree clearances, Cuddington is a strong course not far from Epsom Race Course. It opened for play in 1929 over gently undulating downland, at which point there were very few trees. There is a tough start with two par 5s and a demanding par 4, but the long holes are well balanced by a handful of par 3s evenly spread. The round concludes with an excellent par 4 back up to the stylish clubhouse. GF: 18 holes: £65wd, £80 Sunday PM Pyle & Kenfig While the front nine is perfectly enjoyable, it doesn’t begin to suggest the drama to come. Less than a mile as the oystercatcher flies from Royal Porthcawl, the two courses could hardly be…

1 I’ve set up three ‘gates’ to putt through – I’m using balls, but you can put tee pegs down – which simulate the break and help me to practise sloping putts. The first gate is about six feet away, and then I have one in the middle and one at the end. You may have to move the gates around; then it’s about rolling the ball through each one. Observe the break and what happens at the hole. It’s a satisfying exercise to work out the break and successfully roll the ball through the gates. 2 Once you’ve worked out a line, try identifying an immediate target in front of you – maybe a foot to 18 inches. It’s easier to roll the ball over a closer target, as opposed to…

Photography: Getty Images Nearly a year has passed since the World Handicap System (WHS) was implemented in this country, giving (almost) a full playing season to reflect on the inevitable changes it brings to our well-established playing culture. There have inevitably been teething issues throughout 2021, both with the software used to facilitate WHS across the golfing regions of the UK and Ireland, and from us golfers as we get to grips with how it all works. One of the key objectives behind WHS has been to make handicaps more reflective of current playing ability by shifting from an aggregate to an average system of calculation. For that to happen most effectively, we all need to put in as many scores as possible – both competitive and, when possible, ‘general…

Finau ends drought at The Northern Trust What are your emotions after your second PGA Tour win? I’m a better player than I was in 2016 and I feel like it’s been a long time coming, but I also feel like you have to earn everything out here. Nothing’s given to you and I was able to earn this win. Hopefully the future continues to be bright. I’ve been thinking about that walk up 18 for a long time. It’s been years. It’s nice to finally have that and now put this second win behind me. How does this victory compare to your first? This is extremely special. I thought my first was going to be my most important, but I actually think this one is. It validates the first…

Highlands of Scotland GF £40-£125 Stats par 70, 6,211 yards Looking out beyond the clubhouse at Brora, the links forges out and away towards the Sutherland foothills, with Ben Bhraggie in the west and the Ord of Caithness to the north-east. It looks like, and so it is, golf from a completely different era. Although Brora has moved with the times in terms of greenkeeping practices, the challenge is much as it would have been 50-plus years ago. As the land remains common grazing, sheep and cattle can be seen on the course, while the greens are surrounded by electric fences. In designing the course, the great James Braid made full use of the natural terrain. Brora delivers an authentic golfing challenge with holes following the firm contours of the…

Jack Nicklaus When it comes to Major Championships, the man everyone is chasing is Jack Nicklaus. Having turned pro in 1961 at the age of 21, The Golden Bear wasted no time accumulating wins in the game’s four marquee events. He remains the youngest three-time Major winner, having won the US Open in 1962 and The Masters and USPGA Championship in 1963 when he was 23 years, 6 months and 1 day old. Jordan Spieth It’s easy to forget just how quickly Spieth found his feet in the pro ranks. He won the 2015 Masters and US Open when he was just 21 and, but for a few shots, could have completed the calendar Grand Slam that year. Adding the Claret Jug at Birkdale in 2017 made him the second-youngest…

If you were to start again from scratch with a blank sheet of paper, how would you structure top-level professional golf? This is the kind of hypothetical question that sports fans debate for hours with their friends. Very few of them actually do anything about it. The man photographed here and in our opening image is 49-year-old former corporate finance lawyer Andrew Gardiner, whose own conversations on this subject with his golfing friends have led to the creation of something more tangible: the Premier Golf League, a UK company that is proposing a revolutionary new format for competition at the highest level. The basic idea is as follows: 18 three-round events with no cut spanning an eight-month season from January to August. The league would comprise 48 players who would…

Bland became the oldest ever player to hold a share of the US Open 36-hole lead… “In practice I played with Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry and Rosey and Tim Barter had sent me some stuff from his visits and some notes of where not to be too aggressive. I picked Lee’s brains about 2008 and about possible pin positions. I’ve known Justin for a long time and we talked about how you would play shots from certain lies. “I was out early on the Friday and it played quite soft and you could be a bit more aggressive. Then late on the Saturday the greens were a lot firmer and it was harder. I was nervous going to the 1st tee, but, once I got away, it felt pretty good.…

Who doesn’t like a good golf book? Swing instruction; the mental game; biographies; 100 Courses You Must Play Before Your Knees Give Out – they’re all good. But golf fiction? I’d never seen the appeal (apart from the glorious PG Wodehouse). But then I stumbled across a book called Open Links and it was a revelation. So, I thought I’d see what else was out there. Here are ten books that will have you hooked. If, like me, you’re new to this world, then I think you’re about to discover your new favourite book genre. The Amateurs by John Niven The golf novel that’s got it all. An outrageous tale of an ordinary guy who gets hit on the head by a golf ball and finds that he now has…

Lots of people think that you’re born and you just breathe, which is not the case – people do it incorrectly and it is the ultimate cause of many health conditions. You need to get the foundations right first – you have to be able to know how to breathe off the golf course, so when you go out to play it’s second nature. You can work on your technique sat at home and then take it into exercise. A great way to practise breathing correctly is to lie on your back and put an object, such as a book, on your belly. While breathing slowly – five seconds in and five seconds out – and lightly (imagine you have a feather right under your nose, breathe so lightly that…

GM Verdict Max Golf Protein has been providing golfers with healthy, nutritious and tasty products to aid hydration and recovery since 2015. The Golf Monthly team has tested its entire range and the verdict on it has been very positive. Firstly, the Max Golf Protein Hydration Drink aims to provide tasty hydration and plenty of vitamins that help maintain energy levels out on the course. All three are non-sparkling flavoured water and we found they were comfortably more satisfying to drink than a conventional energy drink and also a nice change up from a mundane bottle of water. Compared with other energy drinks, we found the Max Golf Protein Hydration Drink much less sugary and sticky, which made it more refreshing. The Max Golf Protein Bar aims to replace the…

Why are blades the choice for many elite and scratch golfers? Evemccc, GM Forum Blades are becoming less prominent with this level of player, but are still popular among tour pros. All things being equal, a strike out of the middle with a blade feels and sounds the best. And because the grains in the metal are tightly compressed together in the forging process, it produces the most consistent distances. Blades spin more than most, which tour players love, and they can manoeuvre ball flight more easily. I’m a high-handicap golfer in need of a new lob wedge. What do you recommend? BassFisher, GM Forum If you only really use it for bunker shots, then something with a wide sole and high bounce, like a TaylorMade Hi-Toe Big Foot, will…

The relentless pursuit of golfing pastures new sometimes blinds me to the joys of returning to courses I’ve loved playing previously. But one enjoyable little summer run saw me play Piltdown in Sussex, Calcot Park in Berkshire, Huntercombe in Oxfordshire and West Hill in Surrey on consecutive days, with Calcot the only ‘newbie’. Piltdown is a fine bunkerless heathland course close to home where GM photographer Kevin Murray is a member. Our game was a last-minute call, as was my decision to put my first card in for 21 months via the England Golf app. This appeared ill-advised when I made the turn on 11 points, but a level-par back-nine rally saw me reach the relative respectability of 31 points. It was also great to see Huntercombe, with its famous…

Back in the 1990s, we got it wrong. By “we” I mean golf and by “got it wrong” I mean that, in response to a report saying we needed many more courses to satisfy future demand, we created too many ‘championship’ tests rather than shorter, more manageable layouts. That this report ultimately proved a little wide of the mark is a topic for another day. My sole aim here is to extol the virtues of some of our shorter 18-hole courses that can still test you, but where the first thing you wear out is something other than a fairway wood headcover. Clearly, we do need some courses that can experience at Estoril Golf Club in Portugal a few years ago highlighted to me that there are other ways than…

The putter is the club you’ll use the most during a round of golf, so it really does pay to have one that works with your stroke and suits your eye. Feel has been a big focus this year, with brands recognising that not everyone likes a very soft-feeling flat-stick. Yes, there are buttery options out there, but also more solid-feeling choices that better match the trend towards softer-feeling golf balls. Clever use of heavy tungsten weighting by some of the manufacturers means that putters have never been so forgiving. This means that if you’re able to return the putter to square at impact, the ball should hold its line and travel the full distance to the hole, even if you don’t make contact with the sweetspot. A new putter…

The big drives, greens in regulation, quality short game… they count for nothing if you can’t stick the ball in the hole. Fortunately, there are a multitude of fantastic putting gadgets out there designed to help you identify faults and groove a better stroke. Whether your alignment is off or you’re struggling to match speed and line correctly, there’s a gadget you can use from the comfort of your own home. Dave Pelz Putting Tutor pelzgolf.com $49.99 This gadget from the famous short-game coach is especially effective in helping players to improve their green reading. Not only does it encourage you to properly commit to a read, it helps you to start the ball on line. If you don’t, the marbles at the end will let you know. Prak-tis Perfect…

1 Finding the pace Speed is everything – just watch the pros. It’s important to know how to read the break and be able to start your putt on the correct line, but without the ball rolling the correct speed, it’s unlikely to go in. I’d encourage you to start by developing your feel for pace. Don’t focus on holing the ball straight away; simply hit a few putts of varying range across the putting surface. Don’t get bogged down by the exact distance, but mix it up so you’re hitting some mid to long-range putts. At this point, you’re just trying to get a feel for your stroke – almost playing a psychological game: how is your technique? How’s it rolling? How fast are the greens? By getting an idea…

1 By standing on just my left leg, I’m developing my stability – a key factor in holing out more consistently from short range. Using the ‘flamingo drill’ will also help deliver more solid strikes, and prevent the hands from becoming too active. 2 To work on those short, breaking putts, set up a series of tee gates around the hole. This will help you focus on the start line, and removes the temptation to look at the hole. Now you’ll have confidence from short range, whether straight or otherwise. 3 Place two clubs on tee pegs to create a barrier. If you make a poor stroke – either too much on the inside or too much outside – you’ll hit one of the clubs. It also helps you groove a nice, small…

Anchors away Isn’t it about time Bryson DeChambeau and his cohorts are banned from arm-lock putting? The grip is anchored to the forearm, for God’s sake, which in my opinion is more anchored than the stroke they banned. This is, to me, not a fair, genuine stroke. Let’s get rid please! Mark Dougall, Kirkcaldy Short-game guru Confession time. I have subscribed to Golf Monthly for a few years now and must admit I have always tended to head straight to my favourite areas (travel, courses, features) and skip the instruction section, despite my game going backwards. So, in a break with tradition I had a read of Dan Grieve’s short-game supplement and want to thank him for his brilliant tip of a ‘flat left wrist’ for chipping. I’ve just had…

Team USA put on a dominant display in the final-round singles at the 41st Curtis Cup, powering to a 12.5-7.5 victory over GB&I to retain the trophy at Conwy Golf Club in Wales. Trailing by three after day one, the away side wrestled back the momentum to take into the Saturday singles, where they won six of the eight matches to deny GB&I the chance to make it three home successes on the trot. Playing first, Hannah Darling looked certain to claim the first point for the hosts at 3-up with four to play, before an untidy finish allowed reigning US Women’s Amateur champion Jensen Castle to rescue an unlikely half. Rachel Heck and Brooke Matthews put the visitors within touching distance before Rachel Kuehn clinched it outright in match…

Who would be in your dream four-ball? It would be Tiger, Rory and Phil. What’s your best moment in golf? It’s got to be making a hole-in-one during the final round of the Canary Islands Championship [Higgo won]. Would you rather win one Major or ten more PGA/European Tour titles? One Major. What would be your best swing tip in a sentence or less? Watch the ball and swing hard. You can only play one golf course for the rest of your life. What is it? Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. You miss the cut and need a night out. Which three players do you take with you? The Bullet [Marcus Armitage], Louis de Jager and probably Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston. Favourite app on your phone? YouTube. Last time you hit a…

Golf has its challenges when it comes to sustainability. Courses cover large areas and maintenance requires resources. The sport has traditionally been viewed as elitist and expensive, only benefiting the wealthy few. But, because of these perceived challenges, golf has a great opportunity to lead the way in sustainability within sport by considering all aspects, from nature to carbon footprint and the sport’s position within communities. That’s where the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf plays its part as an international not-for-profit dedicated to advancing sustainability in and through golf. The organisation works collaboratively across the sport to put in place new and strengthened sustainability strategies, supported by programmes and tools that help the sport embrace sustainability. Being GEO-certified has become a meaningful distinction, proudly displayed by many of the world’s…

It’s not very often you get the chance to compete in a professional golf event, so I could hardly believe it when I was offered the opportunity to play in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour. This unique tournament made its debut at the Centurion Club in July, with 36 teams of four comprising three professionals and one amateur. The huge $1m purse was split into $800,000 for the team prize and $200,000 for the individual prize. I was over the moon to find out I would be on Team Hewson with captain Alice Hewson, who only a couple of weeks prior had finished as the leading female at the Scandinavian Mixed. Alice only turned pro at the start of 2020 after attending Clemson University in South…

▪ Individual and team competitions running in parallel over 18 weeks from January to August. ▪ Twelve events in the US, six outside. Three-round tournaments with no cut. Shotgun start on days one and two; two-tee start on final day. ▪ Player Championship: traditional stroke play format, $20 million purses plus bonuses. Each week, the individual winner will take home $4 million. ▪ Team Championship: 12 teams of four. Two scores to count per team, per day. ▪ Team Championship finishes in week 18 with a match play format – $20 million, winner takes all. ▪ The 13th team: three players per week to be picked by the fans and owned by the PGL Foundation.…

1. Secret to good bunker play Practice [laughs]. I mean that, because we play from so many different types of sand all around the world – sometimes there will be a lot of sand, and then if you go to a links course it will be a very different type of sand. For me, it’s just a matter of practising to try to find the right technique to get it out of whatever type of sand you’re playing from solidly and consistently. 2. Longer drives Everyone thinks that you need to swing it faster and harder to hit it further, but you’ve got to have the right driver in your hand – you’ve got to be fitted for it. You could be losing 10-20 yards just through not using the right…

Because of the difference between playing an opponent rather than against the field, match play rules can differ quite significantly from stroke play rules. The general penalty, for example, is loss of hole in match play, which is different to the two strokes you would get for similar breaches in stroke play. We haven’t got space here to highlight all of the differences, but here are five common examples. One of the biggest differences is that you may disregard a Rules breach by your opponent (perhaps dropping in a wrong place) under Rule 3.2d in match play as you are protecting your interests, rather than protecting all players in the field. However, if you both deliberately agree to ignore a breach or penalty that you know applies, you are both…

A hybrid may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but any sceptics reading this might be surprised at the level of variety and playability on offer versus a long-iron or a utility iron. We tested 12 of the leading models on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor and on the range at JCB Golf & Country Club to really put them through their paces. So, which models did we feel stood out from the crowd? Looks Golfers who hit their hybrids like they hit their irons – with a steep attack angle – will likely gravitate towards a compact model, like the Callaway Apex Pro or Titleist TSi3. For maximum confidence, the Titleist TSi2, Honma GS and Wilson Staff D9 are larger and more like a fairway wood, while the…

Glencruitten GC, Argyll & Bute 4,471 yards Set above Oban on the west coast, this remarkable 18-holer opens with a tough 450-yard par 4 that makes up over ten per cent of the course’s total length. Cullen GC, Moray 4,623 yards This Old Tom Morris beauty plays over two levels and around some extraordinary red rock formations. It boasts ten par 3s, seven par 4s and a solitary par 5. Dunaverty GC, Kintyre 4,799 yards Located on the south coast of the Kintyre Peninsula, it is famous for its glorious views and square greens! There’s one par 5 on the back nine plus a very tough 17th. Whiting Bay GC, Arran 4,451 yards One of three 18-holers on the island, Whiting Bay mixes nine par 3s with nine par 4s,…