Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Compleat Golfer

PLAYING EDITOR 1 Ernie Els The man simply needs no introduction. He's an icon. A legend. To those who say ‘Never meet your hero', your hero wasn’t Ernie. The man can do no wrong in my eyes. What he’s done for golf in South Africa is often understated, but the four-time Major champion has been a role model for hundreds of South African professionals. We all know the game the legend possesses, but playing with the man is something else. His energy is unmatched. The way he carries himself and conducts himself on the course can only elevate those around him. He makes you 'up’ your game. You feed off of the man. I love playing the Big Easy and I can’t wait to play with him again. Whether it’s a…

2016 Bridgestone Challenge (2nd) 2018 Big Easy Challenge #15 - Parkview (1st) 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf - Stellenbosch (1st), Vodacom Origins of Golf - Sishen (2nd), The Tour Championship (T2nd), Eye Of Africa PGA Championship (4th) 2020 Tour Championship (3rd), Eye Of Africa PGA Championship (4th) 2021 Joburg Open (1st), Players Championship (T4th), Blair Atholl Championship (T6th) 2022 European Masters (1st), SA Open (1st), Irish Open (3rd), Kenya Open (T2nd), Andalucia Masters (T6th), Scottish Open (T24th), MyGolfLIfe Open (T9th), The 150th Open (T42nd), Steyn City Championship (T8th)…

RYAN CAIRNS COLUMN As another year winds down and festivities are in full swing, it is always important to reflect on what was, as well as what could have been. Missed opportunities in the game of life (and golf) are all too often glazed over with nothing more than a passing comment. Something to ease the pain, I guess. Nat enough weekends out of town with the family as you'd planned, John? 'I was caught up at work.' How come you always blank on the 9th hole, Chris? 'It just doesn’t suit my eye.’ Why can you never string rounds together without having at least one blowout, Ryan? ‘Because I think about the results more than I focus on the shot in front of me’ (is what I should say).…

The idea of a commemorative plaque is to honour the achievement of the player or a particular shot. Clubs understandably want to showcase the names of the greats who have walked their fairways, particularly those who have lifted a trophy there. Others recognise a shot so significant that it changes the course of a championship. Here are some of the most iconic plaques in the game. Hogan’s Alley Remarkably, Ben Hogan played at only one Open Championship - in 1953 at Carnoustie. This came just 16 months after he was involved in a car accident, after which doctors proclaimed he would never play competitive golf again. On the par-five 6th hole, with out of bounds to the left, the player is faced with two choices. The wide fairway is split…

RORY McILROY What a difference a year makes. In November 2021, after an ugly back nine cost him the chance to win the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai, Rory McIlroy was pictured standing by a window in the players’ lounge at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. His shirt was ripped from collar to sleeve, his face scowling at his cell phone. It’s not known who he was texting but if it had been the Samaritans, nobody would have blinked. Fast forward 12 months and McIlroy found himself in the same place geographically but a different one in almost every other conceivable sense. He might not have won the DP World Tour Championship - Jon Rahm helped himself to that - but McIlroy did claim the Race to…

All golfing athletes recognise that strength training is essential for gaining more distance, becoming more efficient in their golf swing and being less prone to injury. Despite these known benefits, many are reluctant to hit the weights. The reasons for this gym aversion vary; gyms can feel crowded or intimidating, we don't feel confident in what we are doing, and at-home weight sets are expensive and space-consuming. Resistance bands snap back against all these excuses. They’re relatively cheap as you can buy a complete set for the price of a lightweight dumbbell. They take up minimal space, which makes them easy to store at home, tuck into a travel bag or bring to the golf course. Most importantly, they're incredibly versatile. Constructed from flexible latex that is colour-coded according to…

If you were asked to describe the Rustenburg Golf Club in one word, it would probably be ‘Family’ Everyone there lias a smile and a greeting for those arriving at the course, whether they be members or visitors, and they are treated as being part of the family. It wasn't always like this. The atmosphere has changed over the past tew years. If you were to go back to 2016, the club was on the verge of bankruptcy Membership was in decline and there was a very real chance that the club would have to close its doors. Up stepped local businessman MH Tayob with a plan to revitalise the club. Having secured a lease from the municipality. Tayob rolled up his sleeves and persuaded the staff do the same.…

FootJoy Fuel golf shoes The hottest golf shoe available this festive season. Introducing the new FJ Fuel: distinctly athletic in form and function, the new FJ Fuel provides the player with a clean, contemporary microfibre upper along with a beautifully sculpted Stratolite midsole and proprietary Power Stabiliser outsole. FJ RainGrip glove Offering a firm grip when you need it most, especially on those rainy days in December up on the Highveld, choose the FJ RainGrip glove. FJ shoe bag Tuck your golf shoes in at night this festive season and prolong their life at the same time. The FJ shoe bag is a great addition to your shopping list. FJ socks What would Christmas be without a pair of socks in the stocking? Treat your golfmad loved one with the…

BLUE TEES A Blue Tees range finder, voted one of the best in the world. It has a 900m range and vibrates when locked on the target. CASGOLF Spoil the ladies this Christmas with designerinspired, classy golf wear. Perfect for playing the game, supporting the game and just as fabulous for after the game. Online at www.casgolf.co.za JIMMY RO Keep it classy this Christmas. All caps are waterand stain-resistant with meticulous branding. The webbing belts are handmade with real ostrich leather. JONDO amplifEYE Extreme is a grey lens that boosts colour perception for vivid shades of red, green and blue. Designed for typical outdoor use, haze and glaze are virtually eliminated and colour contrast is enhanced for an exceptional visual experience. WISHBONE NEO The new Wishbone Neo is incredibly light…

MEN OPEN 1 (2) Yurav Premlall (Glendowar GC) 2 (1) Kyle de Beer (Port Elizabeth GC) 3 (3) Jonathan Broomhead (Durban CC) 4 (4) Aldrich Potgieter (Pinnacle Point GC) 5 (5) Christiaan Maas (Pretoria CC) 6 (7) Daniel Bennett (Royal Durban GC) 7 (6) Simon du Plooy (Krugersdorp GC) 8 (13) Ivan Verster (Pinnacle Point GC) 9 (11) Behn Heyns (Silver Lakes CC) 10 (8) Jordan Wessels (Mooinooi GC) 11 (10) Jean Pierre van der Watt (Humewooh GC) 12 (12) Altin van der Merwe (Humewood GC) 13 (14) Fabrizio de Abreu (Woodhill CC) 14 (18) Reece McKain (Benoni CC) 15 (15) Handre Truter (Waterkloof GC) 16 (16) Joshua Koekemoer (Silver Lakes CC) 17 (17) Jordan Burnand (Ebotse GC) 18 (20) Johan Christian Kriek (Pretoria CC) 19 (-) Werner Deyzel (Woodhill CC) 20 (-) Bernard Meyer (Potchefstroom CC) MEN JUNIORS 1 (1) Aldrich Potgieter (Pinnacle Point GC) 2 (2) Keagan Crosbie…

ASHLEIGH BUHAI COLUMN They say things in life happen for a reason but looking back on my 2022 season, if you had told me that I would be writing my final column for the year as a Major champion, I would never have believed it. More so after the way the year had started. The first few tournaments were a little rough for me. I had been quite ill with a bacterial stomach infection in the offseason, and that hindered me from doing the prep and training that I would have liked to have done. It took me until about mid-March to start feeling better and to regain the energy levels I needed to play a full four rounds of tournament golf. Then just as I was back to feeling…

BRYCE EASTON It's the old saying: Those who know, really know. Those who watched the video of Bryce Easton choked up when it was confirmed that he'd done enough on the Challenge Tour to earn his DP World Tour card - finally - knew why they had tears in their own eyes. Because Easton is the heart of what makes this game such a journey. A beautiful, terrifying, rewarding, heartbreaking journey. After 10 years of this journey, Easton has an answer for the question Jordan Spieth asked him when they played together in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China in 2019. 'What's your schedule?' Spieth asked him. 'Well, actually I’ve got the Challenge Tour Grand Final next week,’ Easton replied. 'It was quite bizarre.’ It was bizarre because that was Easton's…

ANDY CAPOSTAGNO COLUMN A CORNER DEDICATED TO GOLF'S TRIERS At the humble golf club I call home, spring arrived with a thud. That's the sound made by dozens of us hitting the ball fat because we've got used to hard, fast fairways and minimal rough. The club head naturally slides through impact over the long, rain-free winter months, but in spring it sticks in the grass the same way newspaper adheres to marmalade. Those of us who battle to hit the ball with a fast, steep, descending blow have become accustomed to putting the wedge away in winter. We flap at the ball with a 7-iron that allows it to skip across the concrete-hard sward separating us from the green, a daily reminder of Barnes Wallis and his amazing bouncing…

REINARD KILIAN RULES New Year, New Rules - again? Well, not quite. The 'New Rules' that came into effect in January 2019 were part of a joint effort of the R&A and USGA to modernise the Rules of Golf. The whole rule book was revamped to be more user-friendly and easier for most golfers to apply the rules. The updates for January 2023 are more like a facelift of a car during its lifecycle rather than a whole new model. Most of the 2023 updates relate to the quarterly rules clarifications now being incorporated into the actual rules in the book and the addition of the Rule for Players with Disabilities now forming part of the rules book as Rule 25. Since 1952 the R&A and USGA have attempted to…

SIGNATURE HOLE The 13th is by some measure the shortest hole on the course at just 140m from the tips. And from the forward tee it plays just 100m. So it's a short carry over the water to the green which is surrounded by five bunkers. Trouble looms everywhere The key to playing this hole successfully is precision, so you need to know your club yardages well Pick a club, put a good swing on it and you are halfway towards a decent score on the hole. If you can hit the middle of this smallish green, which lias quite a bit of slope on it, you will definitely have a chance to look at birdie. Because of all the water being so close at hand, this hole is probably…

Women’s Melanie white/black golf shoe The sporty-chic, top-quality patent leather shoe is perfect for the fashion-conscious woman golfer with a busy lifestyle. The waterproof Bootie System with the innovative Arneflex insole for exceptional cushioning, plus the lightweight Airplay VI outsole, delivers unrivalled comfort and optimal stability. Women’s Queenscup white/red golf shoe This women's golf shoe embodies the winning combination of sustainability and sophistication. The soft, recyclable microfibre shoe with polyester laces for a sporty look and feel is available in a variety of colours. Men’s Joost Luiten (JL2) black/ camouflage/green golf shoe The sleek, gentlemanly designed unique golf shoes in soft Italian Nappa leather ensure your comfort and stability with every swing. The 5mm squareshaped nubs across the outsole generate progressive stability and optimal grip during the swing, while the…

Sandra Winter recorded victory No 5 at the South African Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, rolling back the years with a four-stroke win at Mossel Bay Golf Club. Now 50, Winter added the 2022 title to her victories in 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017 and is showing no signs of letting up. 'The biggest source of pride for me is winning again,' she said after wrapping up victory in her home province. ‘It has been a while for me and that has bothered me a little bit because I knew I had the game to win again. I didn't play well the past three years, but I felt really good about my game this year. I felt like I could compete this year, and to get it done like this feels incredibly…

2022 revisited: Thomas Pieters made a winning start to 2022 with a one-shot victory after a thrilling final round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Pieters carded a final-round 72 in testing conditions at Yas Links to hold off a strong chasing pack and secure a sixth DP World Tour title and his first win at a Rolex Series event. The Belgian, who moved back inside the world's top 50 ended the week on 10 under and a shot clear of Rafa Cabrera Bello and Shubhankar Sharma. Victor Dubuisson finished tied-fourth alongside Viktor Hovland, who posted a level-par 72 despite carding a double-bogey and triplebogey in his round, with defending champion Tyrrell Hatton three back in the group tied-sixth and Rory McIlroy in a share of 12th after a three-under…

PAULA RETO Patience was a virtue for Paula Reto until she finally got to enjoy the exultation of her maiden LPGA Tour victory at the CP Women’s Open in Canada last August. Victory came after nine long years and 157 tournaments on the professional golf circuit and she went on to return three more top-15 finishes by mid-November as her year wound down on a high. It was a year that saw the 32-year-old start in 214th spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings when she kicked on with an early season victory at the Sunshine Ladies Tour's SuperSport Ladies Challenge at Sun City. As of mid-November 2022 she’d climbed an amazing 158 spots. But the Florida resident has no plans to wind down anytime soon. 'My coach was…