Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Golf Monthly

It’s set to be a stellar year in competitive golf and I think a significant one in the women’s game. Interest in women’s golf – and in women’s sport in general – is, quite rightly, on a significant upward trajectory. With this year’s exciting golfing calendar and the superb players packing the upper echelons of the game, that ascent should be expedited. The AIG Women’s Open will be played at Walton Heath in Surrey for the first time from August 10-13. Not only is it a tremendous club, but, close to London and the populous home counties, it’s also in the perfect location to draw sizeable crowds and generate significant interest. Other big events include the US Women’s Open, staged at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first…

The wait is almost over! Netflix’s Full Swing docuseries tracking the ups and downs of some of golf’s biggest names will hit the streaming platform on February 15. Created by the same people behind the Formula 1 hit show Drive to Survive, golf’s version will deliver a rare glimpse behind the scenes into life on tour. “You picked a hell of a year to start following the PGA Tour,” says Ian Poulter in the trailer. He’s not wrong. As fate would have it, filming coincided with the rapid rise of LIV Golf. Since its inception, LIV Golf has challenged the dominance of the PGA Tour in ways unthinkable as recently as 12 months ago. The saga has divided the men’s game and viewers are going to be given an insight…

SOUND BITES “PEOPLE MIGHT CLAIM THAT AS LIV PLAYERS WE AREN’T WELCOME HERE, BUT PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THIS FIELD, I’VE HAD LOADS COMING UP TO ME AND THANKING ME FOR PLAYING” “I WOULD LOVE TO QUALIFY. WHETHER I’D PLAY OR NOT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT THING” “I WAS ON THAT P.A.C. FOR 13 YEARS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A COLOSSAL WASTE OF TIME” “GUYS IN THEIR LATE 40s MUST BE LOOKING AT IT AND WANTING TO PUNCH THE LOT OF US” Michelle Wie West and R&A join forces The R&A and Michelle Wie West have announced an agreement that will see the 2014 US Women’s Open champion work with the governing body to help drive participation in the women’s game, particularly in the Asian market. English stars set to…

The golf Hunting: par 72, 6,530 yards Priestman: par 72, 6,273 yards The magnificent Hunting course hosted several European Tour events around the turn of the century, and last year returned to high-level action when the Asian Tour International Series visited. It has a liberating moorland feel early on, with beautiful azaleas and rhododendrons lining other fairways. After the steep uphill opener, back-to-back par 5s offer the chance of a fast start, although the green on the 2nd is particularly well guarded. There’s water left of 14 and on the long par-3 15th, before three testing par 4s to close. The younger Priestman course, looking out over the Tyne Valley, boasts a network of meandering streams to negotiate. Also play… Hexham is a very pretty parkland course with an entertaining…

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. Follow him on Instagram @ wayneradarriley_ I always enjoy starting my year in the Middle East and this year there was a new event for me to report on. The Hero Cup was dreamed up to give past and prospective Ryder Cup team members more competitive match play experience and I have to say it was a terrific event that really delivered on that brief. There weren’t a lot of people there, but it really felt like it mattered. The exercise was certainly beneficial. There was definitely an intensity about proceedings and make no mistake, the Great Britain and Ireland team wanted to beat the Continental…

It’s a dream come true” were words South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence used a fair bit last year. A first win on the DP World Tour. A dream. A first professional win on European soil. A dream. A first Major Championship appearance. A dream. Then, to end an incredible 12 months, and after being named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, he wins his national Open. A dream, for sure. No wonder the 25-year-old spent so much time on the road during his 2022 campaign. When we speak, he’s not totally sure how long he’s been away from home. At this moment in time, when everything is clicking, he has no problem living out of a suitcase. The game plan is simple: just tee it up and play. During…

Much is made of the importance of strength and power for golfers. Those who have it give themselves a significant advantage on the course. However, there’s a lot more to be gained from going to the gym or working out at home. So while it’s fantastic to add another 20 yards to your drives, fitness training can also do wonders for your general health and well-being – it can contribute to improved mobility, more energy, a better quality of sleep and injury prevention. Over the following pages, strength and conditioning coach Jamie Greaves – who works with golfers of all abilities, from beginners, club golfers and seniors right up to tour level – offers eight of his favourite moves to help you with your golf fitness journey. 1. GOBLET SQUAT…

By Top 50 Coach Peter Finch The key to drawing your driver is to generate a shallow angle of attack. You want to be hitting up and out to the right rather than down, as with an iron. Set up with your feet, hips and shoulders aiming right, and the clubface closed to your body alignment (close the clubface down before taking your grip) but still open to target. This last point is important, because if the clubface is closed to both target and swing path, you’ll simply hook the ball. A riskier method You can hit a draw using your hands and wrists more through the ball, but this rotates the clubface quickly and relies heavily on timing, so may prove inconsistent. How can I escape the trees safely?…

The putter market is quite unlike any other hardware category – there are hundreds of different models to choose from. With a number of new brands entering the fold, and established manufacturers adding new designs to existing lines, it can make selecting the right flat-stick quite difficult. In recent times, we’ve also seen a number of brands focus on contrasting sections of alignment. Meanwhile, the emergence of adjustability and more customisation adds to the factors to consider when buying a new putter. What doesn’t change, however, is the importance of a custom fitting. Length and head design influence strike and path, which makes a visit to a qualified fitter imperative. This is critical if you’ve never been through the process before, or if you have no idea how you’d class…

A lasting legacy One of the standout moments from last year was undoubtedly the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. Credit goes to The R&A for putting on an event justifiably fit for the celebration. Some six months later, its legacy is still not lost on my eldest son, who, along with his younger sibling, attended his first ever Open last year at the Home of Golf. For his ninth birthday a few days after Christmas, he announced to his mother that he wanted his birthday cake to be the 18th hole at St Andrews, complete with Swilcan Bridge! In true British home-baking fashion and adorned with enough green food dye to turn the baked Old Course fairways into the luscious lawns of Augusta, my wife set forth at creating…

Sepp Straka Straka finished tied for 21st out of 39 at the Tournament of Champions and missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, his fourth early exit in six starts. Tom Kim A T6 in Hawaii and a T5 at The American Express represent a good start to 2023 for last season’s PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Billy Horschel Horschel beat just seven players at the Tournament of Champions before missing the cut by five shots at the Sony Open the following week. Chris Kirk The American has leapt into the world’s top 50 following back-toback third-place finishes at the Sony Open and The American Express.…

Incremental increases Set up a slightly breaking putt of about 15 feet and place a tee in the green five paces ahead of you. See how many consecutive balls you can edge just past each other between tee and hole. Practice strokes are only allowed on the first putt, which you’re trying to get just past the tee. Aim to get the second putt just past the first and so on. Fine tuning feel When you’re making your practice stokes before a putt, there will be various internal subconscious calculations going on about the pace and, invariably, the first practice stroke won’t be right. This simple drill will help you fine-tune your putting feel so you can better make those fine adjustments, rather than the next practice stroke, or the…

Sarah Stirk is a Sky Sports presenter and co-host of the Stirkers and Radar podcast: Instagram @ stirkersand radarpod or Twitter @ stirkersradar The question of who is the most complete current player in the world is one that often gets asked in golf. Rory or DJ get the nod with many, but for me, one player just edges ahead and that’s Jon Rahm. Obviously his amazing start to life as a pro added to his recent run of form doesn’t make this a particularly controversial view, but I see him as the one player out there with no chinks in his armour. Ever since his breakthrough win at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2017, it was clear he had something special. We’d all heard so much about him from…

ESSENTIALS Address: Trump Turnberry Scotland, Maidens Road, Ayrshire, KA26 9LT Stats: Ailsa: par 71, 7,489 yards GF: £175-£475 King Robert The Bruce: par 72, 7,203 yards GF: £70-£210 Trump Turnberry’s Ailsa course, home to four Open Championships between 1977 and 2009, is one of the world’s most famous layouts and was taken to the next level in 2016 after extensiverenovations. Tom Fazio and his team revamped the entire course and utilised the lighthouse to dramatic effect, resulting in an almighty par-3 9th (pictured) that is followed by two more stunning holes around the rocky coastline. The changes have cemented the Ailsa as one of the UK’s most spectacular golf courses. As good as it gets The lighthouse – which guests can even stay in thanks to the Lighthouse and Norman…

The Springs The Springs is a late-1990s Brian Huggett creation that was acquired by Darwin Escapes in 2017. They appointed renowned architect Tim Lobb to weave his magic and the end result is an unexpectedly striking layout over what is essentially flat terrain near the Thames. Much of the enhancement work has focused on bunkers and lakes, with the front nine in particular boasting some exceptional bunkering. Water first comes into play left of 7, with that same body then making its presence more keenly felt left of the long par 3 that follows. It’s a kind of repeat scenario on 9 and 10, though this time it is water right on both holes you have to think about. The course gets closest to the Thames on the bunkerless par…

Reigate Heath Surrey is packed with some of the most famous heathland golf in the world. It is also home to some delightful but less celebrated designs of a similar nature and vintage, such as this very pretty nine-holer. There are several alternative tees which change the nature of the holes quite significantly second time round, and undulations that create real interest without being hard work. With three short holes and a just-about-reachable par 5 that transforms into a super-tough par 4, this is pretty much the archetypal hidden gem. GF: 18 holes: £40wd, £55we The closing hole at Reigate Heath is a lovely par 3 over swathes of heather to a green that slopes away from the charming clubhouse. Castlegregory Golf Links A few miles west of Tralee on…

Victor, it’s been a great couple of weeks with victories in the Hero Cup and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Describe that final round... Yeah, it’s very hard to describe. When I started the day, 15 guys were within three shots of the lead. I knew it was going to be a dogfight and the course set up for it. I knew getting off to a good start would be key and I was able to do that, but it was only half the job done. Fortunately I was able to hang in there until the end. Talk us through that holed bunker shot on 17… I was saying, it’s probably going to be shot of the year already! I was just trying to flight it all the way to the…

Open competitions says Fergus Bisset When travelling to a different course or club, I’m always keen to perform well. I want to prove to myself I’m capable of knocking it round a different venue in a respectable number. I’ll feel most satisfied with a golfing day out if I can put some sort of a score together. Open competitions afford you the opportunity, and the impetus, to play for a score. For me at least, that motivation to be a bit more competitive is exciting. Golf is all about opportunity – every round presents it. An open offers the opportunity to enjoy a little competitive success, to win a prize and maybe even get your name up on the board. For most of us that’s a pipe dream, but you…

Truly spoilt for choice. That’s what you now are at this fabulous Greek golfing destination in the Messinia region following the opening of its two new Jose Maria Olazabal-designed courses last February – the Hills course, featured in this main image, and the International Olympic Academy course. Greece GF: round: €228-€245 inc. shared buggy Stats: par 72, 6,413 yards It’s only 12 years since Bernhard Langer’s Dunes course set the Costa Navarino ball rolling in this fledgling golfing nation, with Robert Trent Jones Jnr’s Bay course arriving a year later. Three luxury hotels complement the four courses – Romanos and W Costa Navarino – with a fourth, the Mandarin Oriental, set to open this summer. Olazabal’s courses contrast beautifully with each other. The International Olympic Academy course enjoys a particularly…

I started playing at 14-and-a-half and turned pro at 16 after playing in a few medals and getting my handicap down.” If you wanted a snapshot of both Barry Lane’s modesty and god-given talent, then this is it. Lane would represent Europe at the 1993 Ryder Cup, play in 23 Majors and win 20 times around the world. One of those wins came at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1993. That was the year Seve Ballesteros played his wonder shot from behind the wall at the 18th before then chipping in, but it was Lane who finished on top that week. Throughout his phenomenal career, he was universally loved and respected by his peers. In December, he was in Mauritius to present the Legends Tour’s renamed Barry Lane Rookie of the Year trophy…

While searching for a ball in any area of the course, you are always allowed to “take reasonable actions to find and identify your ball”. But how does this work in a situation where it may be plugged in sand, for example, and how do you proceed once you find it in such a scenario? Chris Wallace, Rules manager at The R&A, explains… First, you will obviously have to search for and find the ball before you can do anything else. As mentioned above, you are allowed to take reasonable actions to find your ball and this can include moving sand or water and moving or bending grass, bushes, tree branches and other growing or attached natural objects. Taking any of these actions will not result in a penalty, so…

Fairway woods typically gain a stronger foothold in golfers’ bags than many other clubs in the set. As well as being the fall-back club when the driver is misbehaving, it is also the club many of us turn to when trying to reach par 5s in two. It’s why when you find one you like, it often cements its place for long periods of time. New technology, therefore, often passes it by, but we’ve seen a raft of impressive options in 2023 so far. Whether it’s the varied customisation on the Titleist TSR3 and TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus, easy launch and forgiveness of the Ping G430 or the stunning looks of the Callaway Paradym and Mizuno ST-Z 230, there has never been a better time to upgrade this area of…

Anfi Tauro is considered by many to be not only the finest golf course on Gran Canaria, but also the best of the two dozen or so in the whole of the Canary Islands. It is the most westerly course on the island and opened fully in 2007. It is also one of the boldest and at times most dramatic courses you will find just about anywhere. During its construction, no expense was spared in carving the routing through volcanic rock to create exciting holes and panoramic views. The result is a complete and thrilling rollercoaster of a course. It was designed by Robert von Hagge, who was also responsible for the Albatros course at Le Golf National in Paris, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Along with Michael Smelek…

I hadalmost forgotten where I’d put my golf club travel cover when I received an invitation to head out for a few days of golf in Sotogrande. Two Covid-affected winters meant it had been almost three years since I’d played golf overseas. I was champing at the bit to get away from a cold and wet November in Aberdeenshire, get the sun on my back and play some pristine tracks in the south of Spain. I’ve been to Sotogrande before and I loved the blend of continental style and top-quality golf on offer. The itinerary for this trip promised more of the same, so anticipation was high. Flying from Edinburgh, it’s three hours south to Gibraltar. It must be one of the easier ways for us Brits to get back…

By the time you cast a critical eye over this, we may well know what has happened in the upcoming court case that pits various LIV players against the DP World Tour and, in particular, the Tour’s usually ebullient chief exec, Keith Pelley. The Canadian is only the fourth boss of European pro golf in the 50 years since the circuit was established, so you can see what an elite position this is. While it has never been an easy job, Pelley’s stint over the last few years has probably been the toughest on record. The way he has dealt with the pandemic and the subsequent arrival of the LIV circuit has been admirable, mostly anyway. Still, I struggle to embrace the fact that the leading ten players on the…