Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Golf Monthly

In the 35 years I’ve been playing golf, I’ve always appreciated the many health benefits the game offers; from the physical exercise involved in walking 18 holes to the mood benefits of being out in nature with time and space to think. A round of golf, whether with friends or on my own, has been the ‘healthy’ way I have sought to deal with sadness, disappointment or stress (I’ve coped in ‘unhealthy’ ways too, mainly by reaching for a drink). Until recently, golf had almost always done the trick of clearing my mind and getting me back on track. However, things were different this year. My usual relentlessly optimistic outlook had changed and I found myself stuck in a place where my thinking was very negative; I was constantly anxious…

Ryder Cup Europe has overhauled the qualification process for the 2023 match at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. The holders were humbled in Wisconsin last year, and captain Luke Donald and his assistants have decided to mix things up. In 2021, Padraig Harrington had only three captain’s picks, but Donald will name six picks to go with six automatic qualifiers. Qualification began at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and concludes on September 3 next year, with the three leading players on both the European Points List and World Points List earning their place in the side automatically. “These changes follow in-depth analysis with the team at Ryder Cup Europe and with Thomas [Bjorn] and Edoardo [Molinari],” Donald said. “The revised overall process removes the need…

Lightweight speed, easy launch and maximum forgiveness pretty much sums up the story behind most women’s clubs – and this is no different with the new Kalea Premier range. The driver features a very lightweight carbon crown and sole, as well as a 22g steel back weight to help players launch the ball higher. What’s more, it also has TaylorMade’s corrective ‘Twist Face’ to help straighten out heel and toe mishits. Meanwhile, the flexible Speed Pocket channel behind the face expands the sweetspot, giving golfers an added boost of ball speed and forgiveness on low-face strikes. The overall club weight is 10g lighter than its predecessor, which should make it even easier for the slower-swinging lady to gain yards off the tee. The fairway woods, which come in three lofts,…

For the 2023 season, the PGA Tour will increase the number of ‘elevated’ events on the circuit by four to a total of 12 (these four are as yet unnamed). These events will carry a minimum purse of $20 million. The top 20 players in the Player Impact Program (PIP) are committed to playing them and a total of at least 20 PGA Tour events through the season. The PIP pot will be doubled to $100 million to be divided between the 20 players (up from ten) who resonate most with fans and media. An Earnings Assurance Program means all Korn Ferry Tour graduates, plus those above in the Tour’s priority ranking who complete 15 Tour events, will earn no less than $500,000 per year. Those ranked lower will receive…

The business end of this year’s US PGA Championship was drawing nearer late on Saturday afternoon at Southern Hills Country Club, where the temperature struggled to crack 60 degrees as a gentle and cool breeze wafted across the rolling hills that line the north-east corner of Oklahoma. But Justin Thomas was runnin’ hot, as the locals might say. At 29 years old and already with an impressive collection of 14 titles under his belt, having reached No.1 in the world and been an important member of two Ryder Cup teams (including one victorious one) and two Presidents Cup teams (all winners), he’d already had a fine career. But fine doesn’t quite cut it for the hot-blooded Kentuckian, the son of a PGA professional and grandson of a lifelong club pro…

‘You’re still in’ You’ve carved one so far right that it’s heading for a different postcode. You’re rooting in your bag for a ‘provisional’ when your playing partner halts you in your tracks. “You’re still in.” What? After you had turned away, your ball struck a lorry on a dual carriageway two fields over and rebounded towards the course. Halfway back, with energy fading, it was caught on a freak geyser eruption and propelled back within the bounds of the course. Well, you make your own luck. ‘I’ll pick you up’ You’re off for a full day’s golfing with friends. It’s going to be great – 36 holes at a top course and your significant other is away, giving you a completely free pass. The only problem is, how are…

R&A WINNERS Each month, the readers whose queries are featured will receive a small trifold bag towel and a leatherette putter cover, both with St Andrews branding. Q I’m playing in a pairs match play game soon. My partner and I are both off 10; our opponents are off 11 and 23, so we are giving one player one shot and his partner 12 on stroke holes 1-12. No problem with that, although it’s going to be tough! But here’s the question. What if we are all square after 18? The 1st hole, which would be the 19th, is stroke 7. Do we have to give the 23-handicapper another shot? Surely he’s not entitled to more shots if the round has to continue? As far as I’m concerned, he’s had…

There’s an old saying in golf that most of us have probably heard a thousand times: drive for show, putt for dough. Given that wedges are your scoring clubs, there’s a case for saying that ‘chip or pitch for dough’ would be a more accurate statement. Ask most tour professionals what the most important part of the game is and they’ll say it’s all about wedge play – 130 yards and in. If you want to get the most out of your game, you’re going to need to invest a little time and money in your wedges – not to mention practice – especially if this area of the bag hasn’t received much attention for a few years. The process of arming yourself with a wedge system (three or four…

Carnoustie It is all too easy to focus on the challenges of Carnoustie, especially as it was nicknamed ‘Carnasty’ following the 1999 Open. Its famed and feared final flurry comes as no surprise, but such a monicker is to do Carnoustie an injustice. This is a links of outstanding quality. Beauty, too, although that beauty is often disguised. Consider Hogan’s Alley (par-5 6th) where your focus will be on the web of bunkers waiting off the tee, not on the beauty of the hole. And any time a bunker is in sight or within range, you have to draw breath and choose your club wisely. Yes, it is tough and daunting, but as much as you may want to blame a poor round on the challenges you’ve faced, the strategically…

Fitting finale The climax to the PGA Tour season was nothing short of fantastic and a timely reminder of how good the game can be. Scheffler’s poor start and Rory’s birdie streak meant a six-shot lead was gone by the 7th hole. It was reminiscent of Greg Norman’s collapse when Faldo came from six back to win the 1996 Masters, with East Lake providing the perfect backdrop for the titanic battle. But Scheffler kept fighting back and took the match down to the very last putt of the season. Rory fully deserves the FedExCup, although his putting coach, Brad Faxon, really should share the credit for his fabulous victory. Importantly for me, there was no disco music booming out over half the holes and no fake team competition. Just a…

The TSR drivers and fairway woods represent the culmination of the Titleist Speed Project. This began four years ago with the TS range, which aimed to give golfers immediate ball speed and distance gains. At its core, the R in TSR stands for ‘refined’, as Titleist hasn’t completely overhauled the technology we saw in the prior TSi, but has instead evolved it to make TSR faster, longer and straighter. There are three TSR drivers to choose from that follow the same concept as TSi. The TSR2 is the stable model and offers forgiveness through its new Multi-Plateau face, which is said to create an almost constant spring-like effect across the hitting surface. A more rounded toe, a smoother bottom and a repositioning of the 9g back weight improve air flow…

A former member of the European Tour and two-time winner, Wayne is part of the Sky Sports golf team. He writes exclusively for Golf Monthly It was an absolute pleasure to see Rory McIlroy claim the Tour Championship and FedExCup titles at East Lake in a thrilling season-ending advert for the PGA Tour. It felt like his victory was written in the stars and it was almost as if fate intervened to push the title towards the Northern Irishman when it looked to be in Scotty Scheffler’s grasp. “Rory has developed into a real leader and the golf world should be grateful” McIlroy, who started the tournament six shots behind Scheffler, triple-bogeyed his first hole and fell ten behind after a bogey at the 2nd. It’s incredible that he managed…

Georgia Hall is only 26 years old, but she’s already achieved so much in her career. The Englishwoman won the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and Player of the Season accolades in both 2017 and 2018. The latter year was especially memorable for Hall as she claimed her maiden Major in the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Since then, she’s also triumphed on the LPGA Tour, in the 2020 Cambia Portland Classic. Hall has also been a pivotal member of the European Solheim Cup team over the last few years. She made her debut in 2017 as Europe lost on American soil, but played a starring role at Gleneagles in 2019, winning four points from a possible four. She also contributed two points in 2021…

While there is a penalty for movement of your own ball in the general area, whether accidental or not, since January 2019 the Rules around the accidental movement of either ball or ball-marker on the putting green have been relaxed significantly. There is now no penalty if a player (or opponent) accidentally causes the player’s ball to move on the putting green. From 2017, there had been such a provision available to committees via Local Rule, but it became a Rule of Golf from 2019. This was for a variety of reasons, including the shape, slope and condition of modern putting greens increasing the chances of a ball at rest on the green moving, and it often proving quite tricky to determine if a player had caused the ball to…

ASK OUR EXPERT What are the best golf gloves to use in the rain? HPIMG, GM forum For the upcoming winter season, it’s definitely worth investing in a pair of rain gloves. These tend to offer more grip the wetter they get, and while the material is a bit thicker, which means the feel changes and takes some getting used to, the level of grip you get with them in the wet is excellent. Macwet does some good options, as do FootJoy, TaylorMade and Under Armour. I can’t decide between Motocaddy or PowaKaddy – which side of the fence do you sit on? Mike79, GM forum Either will serve you well, but it depends on what you’re looking for. I marginally prefer the touchscreen on Motocaddy’s GPS option, the M5…

This Peter Alliss/Clive Clark creation, set just above the improbably picturesque village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire, opened to great acclaim in the early 1990s. The terrain is something else in places, with a number of holes that will leave you open-mouthed in disbelief on first sighting. The drama starts early via the short par-3 2nd, which drops down through wooded slopes into the Bybrook Valley, with the green lying just beyond the meandering river. Recent sympathetic clearing has greatly enhanced what was already a standout golf hole. Elsewhere on the front nine, the short, steeply downhill par-4 8th will prove too tempting for many, with thoughts of a possible eagle putt potentially clouding rational judgement. It’s definitely reachable for some, but the Bybrook again lurks almost unseen on the…

“I have a few days off the week after next with no commitments (wife/daughter/ dog are all away) so I’m keen to play some golf! I’ve not really given ‘where’ a lot of thought, but are you guys around?” So read the email from GM editor Mike Harris on Sunday July 31 to me and my courses colleague, Rob Smith. As it transpired, Rob couldn’t make it but I had a relatively clear week. So, ten days later Mike and I found ourselves heading to the Cotswolds for a whirlwind two-day, 72-hole tour of some of the hilliest courses around in some of the very hottest weather this country is ever likely to ‘enjoy’. Why the Cotswolds? Well, from a shortlist of three or four different areas within a couple…

The Big Man in the too-tight shirt sat back in his chair and chomped noisily on a suitably big cigar. The small, about 20, group who had been listening to him intently for around 15 minutes continued to watch him like disciples gathered to hear words of infinite wisdom. He did not disappoint. After a minute or so enjoying the chomping, he leaned forward and began to speak again. “So, my friends, I have talked about the importance to us all of integrity, loyalty, heritage and a proper sense of history. Now, however, I’m going to cut to the chase. Cut it how you like, seal it or unwrap it, bake it or freeze it and it still comes out the same... at the end of the day, it’s all…

How does it feel to do something that Tiger has never done? To be the first to do anything in a game that you love so much is an incredibly proud moment. The FedExCup isn’t that old. I’ve won three out of the 16, I guess it is now? I’ve been knocking on the door so much this year. St Andrews was really hard for me. It was a tough one to get over. This softens the blow a little bit. Did this answer any doubts you had in your mind about rising to the occasion? Yeah, I think so. The FedExCup is a huge tournament, but the Majors are the pinnacle of our sport; this is close behind. I just felt so close all year. I had a couple…

Find your rhythm I would suggest that hitting a number of shots to a comfortable wedge distance is the best way to find your rhythm ahead of a round. If you can dial in a good rhythm with a nice 100- to 115-yard wedge shot, you can then focus on taking that into the rest of your game. Hit to targets You’re here to get ready for the round ahead, so you must be target-focused. It’s very easy to hit balls away with no real focus, but every shot you’re about to play on the course will be to a target, so make sure every shot you hit on the range is also played with a specific target in mind. Forget technique You really don’t want to be working on,…

Photography: Jeremy Ellwood The golf Par 70, 6,367 yards The attractive opener features water short of the green that could come into play on both drive and approach. There are tough front-nine par-4 tests at the 4th and 7th, so try to make something happen on the par-5 5th, with its generous fairway and downhill approach. There’s more water to contend with on the delightful 8th, where the potentially perplexing green is protected by three towering pines. Coming home, the uphill approach to the par-5 11th is blessed with no fewer than 15 bunkers. The closing duo serves up a very clever little par 4 playing round to the right, which may prove too much to resist for bigger hitters, and a mediumlength par 3, where a big tree guards…

Sarah Stirk is a Sky Sports presenter and co-host of the Stirkers and Radar podcast: Instagram @ stirkersand radarpod or Twitter @ stirkersradar After months of headlines about LIV Golf and the vast riches on offer, it was refreshing to hear a more down-to-earth take on the game when I chatted to Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston a few weeks ago. The Englishman is currently struggling with a mysterious thumb injury that has kept him out of action since January, and he was very honest about the fact it has taken him to a pretty dark place at times this year. When you hear someone talk about genuinely considering giving up playing because they don’t know where the next pay cheque is coming from, it puts the squabbles at the top of…

The R&A’s campaign to promote the holistic health benefits of golf could be a significant driving force in growing the game around the world over the coming years. Most of us who play golf know and appreciate some of the health benefits of the game we love, if not all of them. Those outside the sport have perhaps been less aware that golf is one of the very best activities for increasing overall physical and mental health and can increase your life expectancy. The R&A’s 2020 Golf and Health report featured a scientific study conducted in Sweden that showed golfers live an average of five years longer than non-golfers. In its entirety, the report (see page 57) demonstrated via several thorough scientific studies focusing on various aspects of physical and…

During the second round of the 150th Open, Xander Schauffele encountered an interesting rules scenario after his tee shot on the 12th deflected backwards off a grandstand into an area of gorse bushes. Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, explains... The ball was eventually found within the three-minute search time by Schauffele himself accidentally standing on it, altering his original lie in the process. But as he had moved his ball in play while searching for it, there was no penalty and the ball was simply replaced at the nearest spot with a lie most similar to the player’s original lie (Rule 7.4), which ended up being deep within the gorse bush. Having identified the ball as his and returned it to play, the next issued was whether or…

1 In stroke play, Jezz hits a putt too hard and accidentally hits the flagstick lying on the green which had been removed. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Jezz gets one penalty stroke. C Jezz gets the general penalty (two strokes). 2 In stroke play, Fergus makes a stroke from the fairway with another club positioned on the ground to help with alignment. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets one penalty stroke. C Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes). 3 Before making a stroke from the fairway, Fergus taps down an attached divot right behind his ball. What is the ruling? A There is no penalty. B Fergus gets one penalty stroke. C Fergus gets the general penalty…

A key piece of kit for any serious golfer, the laser rangefinder will give you precise distances to the flag and other points of interest. We’ve tested 12 of the leading models, so whether you’re looking for a basic rangefinder on a budget, a top-of-the-range model or something in between, you should be able to narrow down your search. Styling/design Rangefinders come in a number of sizes and shapes, and while the differences might be subtle, they can make a big difference. For example, we love how the Shot Scope Pro LX+ has a hollowedout section underneath that means it can rest easily between your thumb and forefinger. The GolfBuddy Laser 2S and Nikon Coolshot 50i are two of the most compact models, ideal for golfers with smaller hands, while…

While this may be one of the most expensive courses to play in Europe, it is also one that consistently tops the continental course rankings. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior in 1974, at which point the club was known by its original name, Las Aves (The Birds). It was bought by Jaime Ortiz-Patino in 1984, and he set about improving the course to the very best level possible. It soon became the host of the Volvo Masters, a flagship event on what was then the European Tour, and next month is home to the Andalucia Masters. The real highlight in a history of hosting important events was the dramatic 1997 Ryder Cup. It was granted royal status in 2014 and is one of the most exclusive and…

Lincoln – Torksey Founded in 1891, this friendly club’s original nineholer was on common land close to the city. The desire to own their own property led to the move in 1903 to the village of Torksey, ten miles to the north-west. There, they engaged JH Taylor to design a new nine-hole course. This proved so popular that it was expanded to a full 18 in 1909. Mainly parkland with elements of heathland, it now stretches to just over 6,400 yards from the tips and plays to a tough par of 71, with just three short holes and two par 5s. GF: £60wd, £75we The17th is a picturesque par 3 stretching to 188 yards. It plays over a pretty pond to a well-protected green. York – Strensall Very similar to Lincoln,…