Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från Compleat Golfer

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Five shots ahead after 36 holes, five shots ahead after 54 holes and still the doubters were out in force. The 36-year-old. American Brian Harman, who had won twice on the PGA Tour, the last being in 2017, teed off with Cameron Young in the final group at the 151st open Champioship at Royal Liverpool. The stage was set for high drama on anothe miserable summer’s day in England. On the day the Ashes stayed in Australia, would Harman’s Open Championship dreams also go up in smoke? How would the left-hander who had finished runner-up at the 2017 US Open - but had missed eight cuts at his last 21 Majors, including at this year’s Masters and PGA Championship - cope with the pressure? The answer to…

RICKIE FOWLER Four years and four months. Put a couple of other ways: 1610 days. 230 weeks. 30 640 hours. 2 318 400 minutes. That’s a 1-o-n-g time between champagne popping for Rickie Fowler whose Rocket Mortgage Classic win was his first since the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Along the way the ever-popular American had spent some 283 weeks [from 2014 to 2020] inside the world’s top 25, including 206 weeks in the top 10. However, he then went into a slump that had even his most battle-hardened supporters doubting whether or not he ‘still had it’. As you can see on page 27, his world ranking plummeted, to a 13-year career low of 103rd at the end of 2023. What that doesn’t show is that he actually reached…

Located within a secure housing estate about 45 minutes north of the Durban CBD in the Ballito region of KwaZulu-Natal, one can expect warm weather all year round and with that a course that seldom loses condition. It is one at the 40 courses designed by renowned architect Tbm Weiskopf with very little charging on the course since its completion in 1998, with the greens and layout standing the test of time. As it is located on rolling hills, the natural terrain was utilised to form stunning open fairways with strong contouring and numerous changes in elevation from tee to green. One of the biggest appeals of the course is the open layout set in thick coastal bush abundant in wildlife and birds. Boasting over 200 bird species it is…

Milled Grind 3 What they ssy. ‘The ThylorMade MG3 Men’s Chrome wedge’s new Milled Grind 3 features RAW Pace Micro-Ribs, engineered for added face texture to deliver spin around the greens and added precision on partial shots.’ who are they aimed at? If you’re a big TaylorMade fan and you like to use the same gear as the best players in the game, then these are a good option. Random review. ‘An extremely highspinning wedge that delivers a consistent mid-flight through the loft range, the MG3 delivers the control golfers are looking for with ample versatility and a soft, solid feel.’ - golfmonthly.com Hi-Toe 3 What they say: ‘TaylorMade continues its cradition of consistent, milled performance with the third generation of Milled Grind wedges. By milling the grinds on their…

1. Many golf clubs offer juniors free or inexpensive memberships. They also hold fan tournaments that get the kids into an environment where they learn to compete without being under too much pressure. In most instances, once a child becomes a little more competitive they can play in the junior league teams. 2. SA Kids Golf plays a big role in staging well-run events around the country which bring a slightly more serious nature to the competition. At the same time, it allows the youngsters to compete against each other on shorter courses in their own age group. 3. Clubs have regular handicapped competitions that many juniors play in, often with their parents or other adults. This regular competition in a relatively relaxed environment teaches them to play and score…

ASHLEIGH BUHAI COLUMN We played two Majors in late June and early July - the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club and the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. The course at Baltusrol was fantastic. Unfortunately there was a stomach hug going around and I got sick that week. I started vomiting in the early hours of Friday morning and had two drips before I teed off later that morning. I somehow managed to make the cut and did well to even play. If it wasn’t a Major I wouldn’t have. It was a little disappointing because I felt I was playing Well. I felt like if I hadn’t been sick I could have contended; I still finished 39th with everything going on. I just dug deep, I…

RYAN CAIRNS COLUMN Travelling has and always will be my favourite part of playing on Tour. For the most part it has been far from glamorous, but somehow the most rough-and-ready weeks on the road also offered me some truly unforgettable moments. Typically, a week on Tour comprises of the below travel expenses as I briefly outlined a few months ago: • Tournament entry fee = R500 • Return flight (low to high] = R4 000 for SA events; R15 000 to Kenya • Accommodation = R5 000 (five nights] • Yardage books = R500 • Caddie tegs = R4 000 • Food = R1 500 (R100/meal] • Rental car/taxi = R2 000 (R400/day) • Emergency/other = R1 000 On average, the costs are between R15 000 and R20 000…

Sometimes Jbé Kruger will climb into his car in Pretoria and take the long drive to Bloarnforitein. He’ll head, to Schoeman Park Golf Club to go and practice. But what he practices is more the art of memory than swing plane. Kruger has been on a quest to regain that feeling - that swing - he played with as an amateur and early in his professional career. And this is the beauty of the drive to Bloemfontein. The city that was Kruger’s childhood home sits like an island in the Free State, surrounded by nothing. And it is when there is nothing around you that it must often awakens something inside of you. For Kruger, It’s that reminder to get hack to the core of his game and his swing.…

REINARD KILIAN RULES One of the beat aspects of the new approach to the Rules of Golf since the introduction of the new code is that the Rules keep evolving, and when new scenarios arise, updates are published quarterly by the USGA and R&A. After large-scale changes in 2019 there were various updates every quarter and these were incorporated into the actual Rules hook with the recent 2023 revision. These clarifications provide further guidance on the practical application of the Rules already in the book so the players may better understand how the Rule works. Under the previous review cycle, amendments and updates were only added to the Rules every four years with the clarifications [called decisions) only updated every two years. This new system ensures that the Rules keep…

SIGNATURE HOLE 5th hole, par three, 167m Zimbali has a number of unique and picturesque holes to choose from. One such hole that is always a firm favourite is the par-three 5th It is the first par three on the card and is hard to beat when it comes to aesthetics and beautiful views. Playing from an elevated tee the semi-island green below is an intimidating target Beyond the hole is the stunning Fairmont hotel and then the warm Indian Ocean yonder It really is the best view on the entire course. At the same time, it manages to sum up the golf at Zimbali. A visual banquet around every corner but the need for accuracy is an absolute necessity As you are so elevated and playing directly towards the…

Christo Lamprecht continued South Africa’s proud, history at The Amateur Championship when he became the fourth winner - and third Golf RSA National Squad champion in the past six years - to lift one of the most prestigious trophies in the amateur game. The world No 6 defeated Ronan Kleu from Switzerland 3&3 in a thrilling 36hols final to win the 128th edition in front of large crowds at Hillside Golf Club in England on 24 June. Javan Rebula became the first South African in more than half a century since Bobby Cole’s 1966 triumph to lift The Amateur Championship title in 2018 at Royal Aberdeen, Last year, Aldrich Potgieter made it a trio of victories when he held off a charging Sam Barstow from England to win at Royal…

2022 winnerr: Ashleigh Buhai bounced back from a final-day slide to win the Women’s British Open in a four-hole playoff, clinching her first Major title in dramatic fashion at Muirfield. Scotland. The South African had held a five-stroke lead heading into the final round, but a tripie-bogey at the 15th hole saw three-tims Major champion In Gee Chun draw level at 10 under to force a sudden-death playoff. Matching each other for par, bogey, par, the pair could not be separated after three rounds of the 18th hole, yet the breakthrough came at the fourth time of asking when Chun drove her tee shot into a bunker. As the South Korean bogeyed, a superb approach shot from the sand left Buhai needing to tap home to win with par, and…

Formerly ranked as high as fourth in the world, Rickie Fowler had plummeted to 186th before slowly clawing his way back into the picture and grabbing his sixth PGA Tour victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Four-and-a-half years may seem like a lifetime for a player such as Fowler, who has 13 top 10s at Majors, including three runner-up finishes, but it is far from the longest victory drought. Here are some other unfortunate golfers who have had to patiently wait the longest times between their wins. Jason Day - 5 years Australian Jason Day, a former world No 1, had slid outside of the world’s top 100, struggling with swing and injury issues, as well as the loss of his mother, Yet the 2015 PGA Championship winner broke a…

With it being summar in Europe there is a flaurrish of golfers on tha continant enjoying a golf trip. Many golfers are going to countrtes like Spain, Portugal or Turkey. While these countries are great, with some world-dass golf courses, it got me thinking. If I was going to do a golf tour of South Airica, where would I go? Which courses would I play? Well, this Is what I came up with. My trip is going along the coastline of South Africa. Now, this is not to say that there isn’t a surplus of memorable courses inland in the country. But I’m a huge fan cf coastal golf. Something about being on the coast puts me at ease. Maybe it’s the Pretorta boy in me. First thing I’d have…

GARY LEMKE COLUMN Back in 2004, Ernie Els played a practice round with Michelle Wie and after 18 holes he gushed, ‘To be honest with you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lady golfer swing the club as good as Michelle does. I think a lot of what Michelle did today reminds me a lot of what Tiger used to do, She can play on this tour, for sure, Wie was lining up to make her debut against the best men’s PGA Tour golfers of the time. She shot rounds of 72 and 68 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Hawaii, and missed the cut by one shot She finished ahead of 47 men, including 18 players who’d won on the PGA Tour, and she tied with Jim Furyk…

Glide 4.0 What they say: ‘A precision-machined face and grooves and new textured face blast increase spin and consistency, a larger activated elastomer insert helps soften the feel, and four distinct grind options maximise versatility on full and finesse shots. The compact, refined profile provides a confident and captured look at address.’ Random review: ‘Ping’s Glide 4.0 wedges have more grind and loft options than ever to make finding the perfect model for your golf easier and more precise. The fourth generation of Ping Glide wedges have been designed to bring lower-launching and higher-spinning performance into and around greens, and we feel they are some of the best wedges available.’ - todays-golfer.com Glide Forged Pro What they say: ‘In consultation with Ping pros, we custom-engineered Glide Forged Pro with a…

Staff Model What they say: ‘Wilson Staff Model wedges deliver short-game confidence and long-term reliability. The soft-forged carbon steel head and precisionmilled face are just two of the game-enhancing features that our pro players said they wanted in a wedge. One swing, and you’ll understand why.’ Random review: ‘The Wilson Staff Model wedge looks very classic behind the ball and delivers a lovely soft feel at impact. It was stable and went through the turf nicely on full shots and offered a good amount of versatility and finesse around the greens. However, it does spin a little less than its mainstream rivals.’ - golfmonthly.com…

AMATEUR GOLF When Christo Lamprecht fist-pumped downwards after sinking tho final putt to win the 128th Amateur Championship he wasn't the third South African to win the tournament in the last six attempts. Instead, he was the third South African winner in the last four occasions that there has been SA representation at what's widely considered, the world's most prestigious Amateur competition. Jovan Rebula snapped a 53-year draught in 2018 when he became the first South African champion since Bobby Cole in 1965 to lift the trophy. South Africa sent an eight-man team in 2019 but missed out on 2020 and 2021 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, in effect, South Africa has produced the champion in three out of the last four years that they have teed up,…

The Els for Autism Foundation organisers have been overwhelmed with the success stories that have come from the Ernie Els Charities South Africa Golf Days in the first half of the year. With big expectations and goals in mind, the organisation adopted a number of changes to their structure to ensure more fun-filled and goal-driven initiatives take place with these events. With the first six months of the year now past, the foundation is encouraged by the incredible impact they’ve seen at various golf days across the country so far, according to E4A development manager Nico van Rensburg. ‘At the beginning of the year, Willard Batteries was confirmed as the series sponsorship. Also, Vumatel has been our day sponsor most of the days,’ explained Van Rensbrurg. PRIZE WINNERS RAND PARK:…

Some 24 years ago, the greatest South African golfer of the modern era looked to include a wine label in his business portfolio. There, Ernie Els Wines was born. At the same time, Els asked Louis Strydom to join his protect Priority No 1 was choosing the wine they wanted to make. Potentially, this was a problem since Els was no wine expert. He grew up tn Johannesburg, and as Strydom told pgatour.com. ‘They only drink brandy and Coke. They don’t drink any wine. Els’ interest in wine only took off In the early 1990s after he met his future wife. Liesl, who grew up in Stellenbosch. But while he now enjoyed a glass, he couldn’t tell you why. And that’s what he told Strydom that day. No worries, replied…

TREVOR FISHER JNR He famously used to travel with a car boot full of putters, and if one ‘misbehaved’, Trevor Fisher Jnr would banish it to the trunk, and another would get the chance to strut its stuff. ‘I’m not like that any more,’ says Fisher with a laugh, ‘but I have a lot of putters. I can easily taka six to practise with, but I have regripped one which works for me now and I am trying to stick with it.’ With 21 years of professional golf behind him, the change to a more rational approach to putting is perhaps to Be expected but the story gives just a little insight to the man who has won nine times on the Sunshine Tour: always immaculately dressed, and with an…