Innehållsförteckning för April 2024 från Compleat Golfer

It's the first Major of 2024 and it heralds the start of a rush of them. There are 136 days from the time the first ball is hit at Augusta, until the last putt drops at the Old Course, St Andrews, on 35 August. In that time there are nine Majors up for grabs, four for the men and five for the women. However, there's nothing quite like having the famed Green Jacket wrapped around, your shoulders, courtesy of the previous Masters champion. It's the Major which grips the attention of millions worldwide, and even if you're not there you can experience it from the comfort of your TV or handheld screen. There's understandably quite a bit of Masters favour in this month's issue. It extends through to our equipment…

MOST WINS 6 Jack Nicklaus (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986) 5 Tiger Wbods (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019) 4 Arnold Palmer (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964) 3 Gary Player (1961, 1974, 1978); Jimmy Demaret (1940, 1947, 1950); Sam Snead (1949, 1952, 1954); Nick Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996); Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010) MOST CUTS MADE 37 Jack Nicklaus 30 Gary Player, Fred Couples 27 Raymond Floyd, Bernhard Langer 25 Arnold Palmar, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson MOST CONSECUTIVE CUTS 23 Gary Player, Fred Couples 21 Tom Watson, Tiger Woods 19 Gene Littler, Bernhard Langer MOST TOP 10S 22 Jack Nicklaus 17 Ben Hogan 15 Gary Player, Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson 14 Byron Nelson MOST TOP 25 FINISHES 29 Jack Nicklaus 26 Sam Snead 22 Gary Player, Raymond Floyd 21…

MASTERS 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt The Drive, Chip and Putt began in 2013 as a joint initiative between The Masters Tbumament, the USGA and the PGA of America as a way to grow the game and has quickly found its place in the world of golf. Since 2013, the Sunday before The Masters has became the focus of the golf world as 80 youngsters, boys and girls between seven and 15 years old, gather at Augusta National for 15 minutes. Former champions and club members hand out the trophies. The Champions Dinner It might be the world's most exclusive dinner club. Each year, on the Tuesday pf Masters week; farmer champions and select Augusta National members gather in the club's famed clubhouse for the Champions Dinner. It started in…

PGA INSTRUCTION /// GOLF GRANT HEPBUEN INSTRUCTION GOLFRES THE BEST DRILLS ON THE PLANET Playing golf in strong winds can be hard. Not only can it knock your ball off line, but playing into the wind can make the hole play much longer. Even playing downwind can be tricky, as it is hard to gauge distance for your approach shots and stop the ball an the green. This month's tip is about how to keep the ball low when playing into the wind. The idea here is that a lower ball flight with lower spin is less affected by the wind, meaning that you will have more control and, hopefully, a little more distance. The key to keeping the ball low is to use your legs and body through the…

Members: Homs owners: R129/18 R106/9 Non home owners: R182/18 R143/9 Non members: R568/18 R350/9 Golf cart: R256/9 R386/18 Local reciprocity (Platt- Knysna) R195/9 R280/18 Southern Cape reciprocity R195/9 R330/18 Driving range: R72 a bucket of 45 balls. It is situated in the middle of the course giving you a feeling that you're in the thick of things. A practice putting green and chipping green is also available. GETTING THERE From George-Plettenberg Bay, drive along the N2 towards Humansdorp and Gqebsiha The course is signposted to the right (opposite Old Nick's). From Humansdorp and Gqeberha drive along the N2 until you enter Plettenbeig Bay. The course is signposted to the left (opposite Old Nick's). ADDRESS N2, Plettenberg Bay 6600 ROAD DISTANCES George: 95km Bloemfontein: 745km Cape Town: 520km Durban: 1138km Johannesburg:…

ELS FOR AUTISM One of the key stops every season, however, is at the pristine Els Club Copparleaf, a world-class facility and club that carries somewhat of an underrated tag among the other famous clubs in South Africa. Last year Ernie Els himself paid tribute to the incredible work and effort from the team at Copperleaf and especially the contribution they make to hosting annual E4A events. Located on the outskirts of Centurion, the Ernie Els Charities Golf Days have made numerous visits to Copperleaf in the past and will kickstart this year's season there. There's even a possibility that the Big Easy himself might attend the event. It will mark the beginning of another exciting year of golf events across the country with a total of 12 golf days…

MEMORY MAKERS It's The Masters this month and of Gary Player's nine Major wins on the regular Tour, three were achieved at Augusta National. In 1961 he edged the great Arnold Palmer by a stroke, to become the first non-American to don a Green Jacket. In 1974 he beat Tom Weiskopf and □avJSiStocktori by two, a 9-iron to within inches of the pm at 17 in the final round up a birdie that sealed the deal. But Player's greatest victory was in 1978 and, sensational though it was, it was just the start of one of the most remarkable three-week runs in the game. That April at Augusta, a 42-year-old Player barely hinted at being a challenger in the early rounds after a pair of level-par 72s, and he was…

ANDY CAPOSTAGNO COLUMN ACORNER DEDICATED TO GOLF'S TRIERS The outside world sometime takes a while to reach the humble golf club I call home, and when it does, it tends to be about as welcome as a mother-in-law bearing luggage. So forgive me if this is old news to you, hut throughout the month of February the two words you could hear muttered with murderous mtgnt by more than half our membership were ‘85’ and ‘percent’. There is a clear divide in most golf clubs between those who relish filling in scorecards and those who would rather eat their own earwax. I fall into the latter category. I should stress that this reluctance is hot about cheating, but about indolence. And mathematics. Especially mathematics. The thing is, it's hard enough…

Golf Digest @GolfDigest When the Eras Tour and the LPGA Tour overlapped in Singapore, players jumped at the chance to see Swift perform. PGA TOUR @PGATOUR Full Swing Season 2 is now on @Netflix! LIV Golf @livgolf_league Wait… should it count on the line? #LIVGolf @stingergc_ DP World Tour @DPWorldTour Jordan Gumberg became the third first-time winner on Tour this season Golf Digest @GolfDigest In an interview with Australian Golf Digest, Talor Gooch voiced his displeasure after not receiving an invitation to this year's Masters. LPGA @LPGA Enjoy the win, Hannah @hannahgreengolf @HWWCGolf NUCLR GOLF @NUCLRGOLF #NOT NEEDED - European Ryder Cup veteran Ian Poulter says he no longer wants to be involved in the Ryder Cup following comments made by Rory Mcllroy and others ahead of Rome. ‘Too much…

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rolex's association with The Masters, and one of the players it sponsors, Adam Scott, touched on the partnership he has. ‘I have been fortunate enough to be partnered with Rolex for 22 years. To think that they had the foresight to partner with a young kid from Australia who didn't know much about the company or the game of golf at the age of 21 is quite incredible. TO support and breed champions, and the pursuit of greatness are the types of stories that Rolex wants to tell. ‘I have been lucky in that I've had very few partners over the years but great, long-term partners which become more like a family. We speak of it as part of the Rolex family. Even…

THOMAS ABT Thomas Abt smiles when he starts speaking about the next great frontier in the Sunshine Tour's growth. The commissioner of the Sunshine Tour leans forward and says. ‘Golf fans and professional golfers have been watching and competing on the Sunshine Tour. Now they're going to start really experiencing the Sunshine Tour’. Abt and his board of directors are never ones to rest on the laurels of their success. But a look at where the Sunshine Tour has come from and where it is now demands a brief pause to appreciate just how significant the growth has been. ‘The Sunshine Tour is in a solid position. If you look back at where we were and where we are now, we've had wonderful growth,’ says Abt. ‘That is thanks to…

Van der Merwe is Open-bound Altin van der Merwe showed once again that he is a man for big moments when he held his nerve under the greatest pressure to secure the Africa Amateur Championship title in February, and with the win, his start at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon later this year. Just a week after he holed a brilliant bunker shot at Houghton Golf Club's 18th to win the inaugural GolfRSA International Amateur Championship in a tense playoff with Dutchman Jack Ingham, Van der Merwe was made to do it all over again at Leopard Creek. Starting the final day three shots behind leader Ivan Verster and two behind Christiaan Maas, Van der Merwe's patience and innate will to succeed was put to the test Despite…

PAT SYMCOX Pat Symcox, who played 20 Tests and 80 ODIs for South Africa, had the aim of playing on the South African Seniors Golf Tour by the time he turned 50. But 13 years on, the man fondly known as Symmo admits it became something of a pipedream as he morphed into a real estate titan. It took Symcox 15 years to build his business after quitting cricket. However, now that he is only seven years away from 70 and his business is booming with five franchises and 60 agents. operating along the coastline, golf will ideally no longer take a backseat. ‘I have been immersed in golf for a long time and have been playing the game for around 30 years,’ Symcox. tells Compleat Golfer. ‘At the moment…

OFFBEAT MICKELSON'S HOLE-IN-ONE CLAIM In the official LIV Golf media guide for 2024, there are some interesting facts and figures. Perhaps none more so than Phil Mickelsohs hole-in-one claim. The 53-year-old has won six Majors in his career hut has never been world No 1. However, he claims to have made 47 holes-in-one. Tiger Woods has had 20. The claim for most aces is 51 by former pro Mancil Davis. Of course, had former North Korean dictator Kim Jong II continued playing golf he would have surpassed Mancil's number in five rounds. According to official North Korean outlets, he made 11 holes-in-one the first time he picked up a club at the Pyongyang Golf Course. FLEETWOOD'S ‘ACE’ GOES VIRAL Speaking of holes-in-one, we live in a ’viral’ world. A video…

GARY LEMKE COLUMN Every generation holds a special place in history. The 20th century was particularly eventful. Man first started to fly in 1903 and there were two World Wars [1914-1918 and 1939-1945]. There were further damaging wars. TV was invented in the 1920s and South Africa had its first broadcast in 1976 Man first set foot on the moon in 1969. Sports icons like Jesse Owens. Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Pele and others arrived. The first heart transplant was in 1967: Woodstock - if you can remember it you weren't there - happened in 1969. Oh yes, the cellphone was invented in 1973 and the internet came along in 1983. The American president JFK was assassinated in 1963 and Elvis died in 1977. Nelson Mandela was released from prison…

When South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter tapped in for a second-round 59 at the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, he became the youngest player to break 60 at a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Unfortunately for Potgieter, it wasn't even the lowest round of the week. A day earlier, Chilean Cristobar Del Solar had shattered all records to fire a 13-under-par score of 57 on the Country Club de Bogota Pacos in Colombia. While the course was clearly set up for scoring, it still takes some doing to shoot under 60, a point highlighted by the fact that there have only ever been 12 sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour. The rarity has also only occurred once on the DP World Tour and once on the LPGA Tour. So which…