Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Compleat Golfer

Midnight has come and gone but Garrick Higgo is sitting with his caddie in the Olympic Village dining hall. He can’t go to sleep just yet, having arrived in Tokyo after a long-haul flight. Along with Christiaan Bezuidenhout, he is one of only two South Africans in the golf tournament at the Games. That two-floor dining hall, open 24/7, was the place for many late-night conversations during the Tokyo Olympics. The Australians and Americans were rarely seen there, though – the threat of Covid saw them fly in their own chefs to look after their squad in their apartment towers. However, Higgo and Bezuidenhout were among those who decided to embrace the Olympic spirit, albeit a more sterile one given the restrictions around Covid-19 and held in a ‘bubble’. The…

If you ask Will Zalatoris, he’ll tell you he started playing golf when his mom was six months pregnant with him. It’s the running joke in the family. Swinging around a baby bump can cement some bad habits, and she still blames her unborn son for her over-the-top swing. Officially, he began playing around the age of three or four, when his father, Richard, would bring him out on weekends to California Golf Club, where he was a member. As Will got older, they’d play a few holes together after Richard, a solid 15-handicapper, had finished his Saturday morning game. Growing up, Zalatoris could be described as your typical sporty all-rounder, dabbling in soccer, basketball and baseball. The latter he played until the relatively late age of 14. Golf, though,…

The traditionalist in me says that for an event to really capture the imagination and be of added meaning, it should be held every four years, not every two. Think of football, rugby and cricket’s World Cups They’re held every four years – as are the Olympic Games Paralympics and the Commonwealth Games Sailing’s America’s Cup is held every four years, and it remains the oldest trophy in sport The British & Irish Lions also tour every four years, and it’s 12 years between visits to New Zealand. Australia or South Africa Golf however, is different I would prefer to see the Ryder Cup Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup staged every four years, but those who make the decisions obviously don’t hold that view and nor. I suspect, do you.…

Back in the day, golfers – or their caddies – would lug around a heavy leather bag with room for not much more than your clubs, a few balls and a couple of tees. Thankfully, golf technology has transcended golf clubs and found its way into our golf bags, so we are spoiled for choice when it comes to picking the best way to transport our clubs around the course. Modern golf bags are designed with weight and waterproofing in mind, while manufacturers attempt to make them as light and sturdy as possible. We have four types of bags to choose from, although the vast majority of golfers will opt for either the cart bag or the stand bag. The other two types of bags are the Tour bag, which…

2019 revisited: The 2020 Open de Espana was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. That means Jon Rahm is the defending champion, from 2019. In 2019 he also successfully defended his Open de Espana title with a comfortable five-stroke win. Rahm’s fifth European Tour title came at the age of 24, making him the fastest Spanish player to achieve this feat – taking just 39 starts. Spanish players dominated the scoreboard of their national event in 2019, with no fewer than five finishing in the top 10, including the top four places. However, none could compete with Rahm, who fired weekend rounds of 63 and 66 to race to victory – at the same venue where Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros won his 50th – and final –…

In the spirit of my last column about Graham DeLaet’s backroad journey, from battling for his playing rights on the Canadian Tour to a Presidents Cup berth and career earnings in excess of R160-million to date, in walks another friendly face from my days on the miniTours in the US. David Skinns. After more than 16 years as a journeyman pro, which included time spent as a DoorDash delivery driver and a barman, Skinns won a season-ending Korn Ferry Tour event in August that catapulted him into The 25’ and secured his PGA Tour card for next season Having experienced just how difficult the road is that players like Graham and David travelled to get to the PGA Tour. it reminded me of something I started working on almost a…

A CORNER DEDICATED TO GOLF’S TRIERS That’s my game of golf – regular but infrequent. I’m not a member anywhere, any more, although not so long ago I was signed up to no fewer than three clubs, and 1 don’t play in a regular competition on a Wednesday or a Saturday Instead I prefer to sneak out on a Monday morning (when the people with proper jobs are at work) and scuttle around an empty course clinging fondly to the illusion that it is my own private estate I have no ambition except to keep the ball in play and hope for a few pars along the way I’m the wrong side of SO and while, somewhat bizarrely. I’m playing the best golf of my life, the only way I…

4 The PGA Championship, Bellerive Country Club There’s one reason, and one reason only, that the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive is in my top four events I’ve played... Tiger Woods. This event left a lasting memory on my soul that I will never, ever forget. The whole week I had played some of my best golf ever. I found myself in the top 20 of a Major championship going into Sunday’s final round. But no one, not even me, cared about that. It was the first time in years that Tiger was in contention at a Major going into the back nine on Sunday. The buzz was unlike anything I have ever experienced and it’s impossible for me to describe. The best I can do is paint you the…

‘I came back from college in December 2018, and at that point my plan was to turn professional and play some mini-Tour events in South Africa. I had missed the entries for Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, but Gary Player managed to secure me an invitation to play the event. And I got my card – which was a huge step for me because I hadn’t played that well throughout 2018. Then I had two wins on the Sunshine Tour in its 2019 season, which was unreal. ‘It happened so quick with that first win, I think it was on just my fourth start. And then in early 2020 I won the Tour Championship – but just before that I had secured a card for the European Challenge Tour at Q-School.…

Let’s get one thing straight: surfing, not golf, was the sport that put St Francis Bay and its neighbour Jeffreys Bay on the map. Canadian moviemaker Bruce Brown filmed the wave today known as ‘Bruce’s Beauties’. When his film, The Endless Summer, was released in 1966, surfers from all over the world flocked to ride the famous wave and today St Francis Bay and Jeffreys Bay are the highlight of any African ‘surfari’. But there are golfing highlights aplenty in the area too: St Francis Links is rated the fourth-best course in the country. But here’s a little secret: the older St Francis Bay Golf Club has a different golfing experience to offer, and it’s a great one. The story of St Francis Bay Golf Club has its origins 400…

Eight of the top talents of the National Squad attended a camp at the end of August, which was hosted at the National Junior Development Centre (NJDC) at Leopard Creek Country Club in Mpumalanga. The National Squad was set up with funding from businessman and GolfRSA chairman Johann Rupert, who also gave the squad the use of the world-class practice facilities and the outstanding par-three course at the NJDC, a round of golf at the home of the Alfred Dunhill Championship and accommodation at the exclusive cottages on the bank of the Crocodile River. The group included seven of the top 12 players on the open amateur ranking: Casey Jarvis, Kyle de Beer, Yurav Premlall, Sam Simpson, Jordan Duminy, Christiaan Burke and Werner Deyzel. The eighth was IS-year-old Dan Bennett,…

The European swing is always one of my favourite times of the year. I started it off this year by playing the Aramco Team Series Sotogrande, which is a Ladies European Tour event in Spain The format was a little different’ we played in a team event and an individual event at the same time. There were 36 captains for the week, who were decided in order of their world rankings. As a captain you get to pick one fellow pro in the field the other pro was a random pick and then you get paired with an amateur too I picked my fellow South African and world amateur teammate Stacy Bregman, with our third pro being Hayley Davis from the UK along with an amateur from Spain The team…

GoIf is a game of cliches; but cliches capture an essential truth. So, regardless of how irritating it might be to hear it, you know a putt left short will never go in. And that you drive for show, and putt for dough. And that missing it on the pro side is scant consolation. Michael Palmer is looking for lightning to strike in the same place twice. He is looking to repeat the dose of whatever it was that brought him his maiden professional victory in July 2018. In truth, that’s what all golfers look for – just another little bit of that magic that brought success. In Palmer’s case, the magic was a brilliant homeward nine at Karen Country Club just outside Nairobi at the KCB Karen Masters. Turning…

It’s hard not to pull for Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman with the long hair and sublime ball striking comes across as your typical boy next door – seemingly unaffected by fame, wealth and all the fuss that comes with being one of the best golfers in the world. He’s articulate, grounded and seems to actually enjoy his job. Oh, and did we mention that ball striking? Even the American fans love him, despite the fact that he and partner Francesco Molinari dished out some rather severe punishment at the 2018 Ryder Cup – on Fleetwood’s debut. The pair, dubbed ‘Moliwood’ by the European press, won all four matches they played together, even delivering three losses to Tiger Woods in the process. Nobody beats Tiger three times in one event. Fleetwood’s…

There were two interesting cases of ‘taking relief that caught my eye recently. At the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational, Bryson DeChambeau’s ball ended up against a fence next to a cart path and the ruling illustrated the rules around objects defining out of bounds and obstructions. An object that defines out of bounds is not a normal obstruction and a player would not get relief if such an object interfered with their intended stroke. In this scenario, the fence was defining out of bounds and DeChambeau would have had to play the ball as it lies without relief. However, a cart path was running adjacent to this fence and normally you would get relief from the cart path. This is where the ruling got interesting. Because the fence was not…

Hole No 12,301m, par four The signature hole is a short par four, playing 301m from the club tee marker. But, says golf manager Justin Roux, don’t let the distance fool you. ‘This is an extremely difficult short hole, as can be seen by its stroke rating: it is the fourth-hardest hole on the course. ‘Playing down to the sea, it needs two good shots to hit the green. Take a long-iron off the tee to ensure you are in the middle of the fairway and you will be left with a short-iron into the hole. ‘For the braver golfer, the longer the club and the more up the right you aim, the closer you can get to the green. If you can carry about 230m and be accurate enough…

Spring has arrived, and the Windhoek 5 Star National Pairs is well under way. A number of clubs around the country have had their day and the winner’s circle is growing weekly. One of the pleasing and exciting things about the 2021 series has been the participation of SA’s smaller clubs. They have welcomed the opportunity and have all said how their members have been excited to be able to play in a national competition. They have all reported full fields for their day and are already asking about 2022. This is encouraging as it aligns with the overall drive to grow the game of golf in this country. That cannot he achieved if we concentrate only on the big cities. There are many golfers in the small towns, playing…

Park had won four separate Major events in a remarkable spell of dominance that began with her win at the ANA Inspiration in 2013 That year she won three Majors and in winning the Women’s British Open, she recorded her sixth Major title in the last 14 Majors – all by the age of 27. The debate around the career Grand Slam centred on her victory at the Evian Championship in 2012. a year before it was afforded full Major status To end the debate. Park still had to win the women’s fifth Major but the LPGA Tour was willing to acknowledge that she had joined Karrie Webb as a holder of the Super Slam’. Webb, like Park, won the Evian before it was considered a Major. To claim the…

Mont Choisy The newest of the championship courses on the island, Mont Choisy (above) is a worldclass facility attached to the Beachcomber Trou aux Biches resort in the north. It’s got a linksy feel, with wide, undulating fairways and large greens, and with a selection of tee-box options, it is accommodating for all levels of golfer. The signature islandgreen 15th and the par-five 18th are two spectacular holes on a Peter Matkovich course which has no real weak holes. Ile aux Cerfs Considered by many to be the No 1 course in Mauritius, Ile aux Cerfs (formerly known as Le Touessrok) is a Bernhard Langer design on one of the most stunning pieces of land in the world. The course is positioned on a 38-hectare island and all holes offer…