Innehållsförteckning för September 2017 från Golf Australia

CAN you remember what you were doing in 1987? If it’s a little hazy, let me try and refresh your memory. You might recall that was the year the first mobile phone call was made in Australia. Bob Hawke was PM for a second term and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and his Queensland Government came under scrutiny for corruption. The stockmarket crashed on Black Monday, with 25 percent being wiped from the All Ordinaries. It was also a year in which gunmen claimed 15 victims in two separate Melbourne shooting massacres in Hoddle and Queen Streets. Is 1987 becoming a bit clearer now? This might help a bit more. Kerry Packer sold the Nine Network to Alan Bond for more than $1 billion and a few months later Fairfax offloaded the…

I CAN RECALL SEEING JORDAN MISS PUTTS – PLENTY OF THEM. BUT PUTTS THAT REALLY MATTERED? VERY FEW, IF ANY. WATCHING the Open Championship on television is not exactly my favourite view of golf’s oldest event – I’d much rather be there playing – but like every golf fan I thought this year’s final day was fantastic. Yet again, Royal Birkdale proved to be a course that invariably identifies great champions. Jordan Spieth certainly fits that bill, which is just one reason why Birkdale belongs near the top of any list of great venues. In weather that seemed to be markedly different on each of the four days, the course did its job perfectly. The same can’t be said for Jordan Spieth over the 72-holes of course. But over the…

Katherine Kirk’s recent win atThornberry Creek is further proof that golf is Australia’s most successful sport. On both the men’s and women’s tours, our players feature on the leaderboards week-in, week-out, which I think can be attributed to the quality of our courses. As a keen golfer, I enjoy travelling around the country and discovering new courses to play and Australian golf courses are right up with the best. A friend of mine recently visited from the UK and he was in full praise of our courses. When players like Katherine are able to learn the game on high quality courses it sets them up for future success. Want to get something off your chest? Let us know your opinion via e-mail to: golf@golfaustralia.com.au or send your letter to: Letters…

FEW budding farmers who attended Glenormiston Agricultural College with Col Winterton in the 1970s would have imagined he had much in common with the actress Scarlett Johansson, poet Sylvia Plath or Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music. The knockabout boy from the bush, who went on to become the course superintendent at Melbourne’s Medway Golf Club, shares the passion of the aforementioned women for bees and harvests honey from hives beside the 7th fairway. He comes by it honestly, being the son of a farmer who helped make ends meet in the Great Depression of the 1930s by catching swarms of wild bees around his farm at Warragul and selling them to an apiarist in Bairnsdale, packed in old pinewood fruit cases which were sent down on the…

One of the more remarkable aspects of Jordan Spieth’s success is how consistently he finishes among the top 10 – 58 times since 2013 (50.43 percent of his starts). In the majors, he’s just as consistent. In 19 major championship starts since the 2013 Masters, he has won three times and finished runner-up on three occasions. Perhaps more impressively, he has been in the top-5 seven times when he hasn’t been in the top-two. When you look at the careers of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, it was their ability to put themselves in contention to be part of the Sunday afternoon conversation that yielded plenty of major wins. Nicklaus finished second or third 28 times in his career that produced 18 major victories. Additionally, he was top-five at 56…

What are cataracts? Clouding of the eye lens that is normally clear, causing blurred vision, which can also affect how well you see the ball out there. Causes: Rossi says golfers are more prone to cataracts because of accumulative UV light exposure. They can also develop with ageing, if you smoke, or have diabetes. Treatments: Common treatments include eye drops, laser therapy or surgical removal. What are pterygium? Pronounced ‘tur-ij-ee-um’ (if you want to impress your playing partners): “They’re little fatty growths on the white of the eye, which get bigger and develop into gritty, itchy, stinging eyes,” explains Rossi. Causes: Accumulative UV exposure Treatments: Inevitably they need to be surgically removed. What is diabetic retinopathy? Damage to the small blood vessels in the retina, which causes them to leak…

I feel like the evolution of my swing has been very constant. I’ve been with Sean Foley for eight years now so I feel like I’ve really settled. He’s my third coach – not counting my dad. Three coaches over what is nearly a 20-year career to date actually isn’t really that many compared to what we sometimes see on tour. My dad coached me all the way until I turned pro and then we got to know David Leadbetter through the period when I was around 16 to 18. He was a great guiding light for me. He was a great role model and fatherly figure in my life when my dad passed away as well. I worked with David until 2007 and then I thought it was time…

The finish is a key position. Of course, impact is vital, but a good finish position will ‘trap’ a great impact position in the motion of your swing. If I have a good backswing position then it stands to reason that a swing that takes me to a good finish must pass through a great impact position to connect the two. Making a full and balanced rotation in the downswing takes my focus away from ‘hitting’ the ball. I want to make a swing and feel like the ball is getting in the way of my swing path. Once the club has moved away from the ball on the backswing, my main focus is to get to a full and balanced finish. I’m not swinging to hit the ball, which…

A lot of amateurs really struggle to hit accurate long and even mid-irons, but this is one of my strengths. The key to being a good iron player is consistency of flight. That way, you know what the ball is going to do and you can take one side of the course out of play. I hit my irons with a consistent little fade because that’s what comes naturally to me at the moment (I used to play with a pretty severe draw when I was a junior) and it helps the ball land a little softer in the longer clubs. HOW TO FADE To hit a pure fade, the club must be closed (aiming left) to the target at impact, but open to the swing path, so the ball…

I’ve always been a good iron player. Growing up in the Texas wind, you’d better be. It all starts with decent control and this is something I’ve really been able to dial in with my coach Butch Harmon. We’ve developed a body-controlled swing that delivers precise strikes. In two of the last three seasons, I was ranked in the top 15 in ‘strokes gained – approach to the green’ on the PGA Tour and I’m inside the top 25 this year, despite having some health issues battling Lyme Disease. Here are the four key things I work on to make sure I’m hitting the ball consistently well. 1. BALL SLIGHTLY BACK I play the ball back a little bit in my set-up, just ahead of the centre of my chest.…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: My instant reaction to the Approach S60 was amazement as to how light the watch was, despite its relatively large face size. The Approach S60 fit comfortably and the display was easy to see in any light, while the accompanying Garmin Apps were simple to use and provided in-depth information for golf and general activity. HOW IT PERFORMED: The first real test came on the 1st tee of my first game wearing the S60. Having never worn a watch while playing golf I was concerned the odd feeling might somehow harm my game. After taking a few practices swings alternating the watch between each wrist I settled on the left, an important step to take before setting out on course, as the S60 requires you to nominate which…

The beauty of golf is we all capture varying pleasures out of the game. When watching golf tournaments, especially the majors I must say the harder the course and the conditions the more entertaining it is to me, and many of my friends agree. Easy courses turn the tournaments into a putt off where the best putter or biggest bomber wins.The leaders always seem to win as no one comes back to the field. You may notice around the office or at coffee shops people don’t talk about watching endless birdie putts, everybody talks about the guy who had a double bogey, or a 78 , or the leader who put a few in the drink or lost his ball in the bush … we have all been there and…

THE R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) have announced the first ever Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific golf championship will be played next February. Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club will host the inaugural event from February 21 to 24 and will provide the most talented women’s amateur golfers in the region with the opportunity to earn an invitation to play in two major championships – the 2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open and ANA Inspiration. “The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific offers the chance for the region’s best amateur golfers to aspire to compete at the highest level. We have seen how successful the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship has been in providing a springboard for the elite men’s amateurs and we look forward to replicating this success in unearthing the emerging talents of the women’s game in…

 UNLESS they are the perpetrators of a final-hole faux pas of epic proportions – Jean Van de Velde or Doug Sanders – or maybe Jack Nicklaus (multiply by 19) few of those who finish second in major championships are destined to live on in the minds of many.Who, for example, were the gallant runners-up behind PeterThomson when Australia’s greatest-ever male golfer won the last of his five Open Championships at Royal Birkdale in 1965? ... YOU COULD TELL HOW PAINFUL AN EXPERIENCE IT HAD ALL BEEN. HIS MOUTH WAS MOVING IN ALL THE RIGHT DIRECTIONS, BUT HIS EYES WERE DEAD ... What? You didn’t immediately recall the names Brian Huggett and Christy O’Connor (senior)? Here’s another. When the aforementioned Nicklaus won his first of six Masters titles back in 1963,…

Every 65 minutes, one Australian’s quality of life will change dramatically by losing part, or all of their vision. The tricky thing about eye complications is that there are often no obvious signs of trouble until it’s quite advanced, which is why regular eye-checks with your local optometrist are a must. When you consider the impact this could have on your game, especially your ability to read greens, it will kick you in the guts to learn 75 percent of vision loss can be prevented and treated if picked up early. But, the stats show around half of us don’t have them. Here’s three hazards that can affect your eyes, and how to keep them on the prize. 1. UV LIGHT You cop a huge dose of ultra violet (UV)…

ATHLETIC ANGLES My posture looks very athletic with a slight knee bend and my straight back tilted forwards from the hips. 2004 This isn’t as dynamic: my back wasn’t as straight and my shoulders were a bit rounded. ON-PLANE The clubhead outside my hands shows that I’m keeping it in front of me quite nicely. 2004 My clubhead did get behind my hands and point skyward earlier in the backswing. NO SLIDE I stay very centred over the ball and maintain my angles from address without any lateral movement. 2004 My left knee used to pop out a little early because of a slight shift away from target. STAY COMPACT I’ve shortened the top of my backswing a little and lowered my hands to add greater control. 2004 I used…

AN OLD-SCHOOL STROKE Many experts think my stroke is one of the best on Tour. My secret? I ‘pop’ the ball, rather than putt it. It’s old-school. Players needed more oomph at impact back when greens were slower, but it works on ultra-fast greens because it gets the ball rolling sooner with less wobble and skid. A quicker, shorter stroke helps the ball hug the line. SMOOTH ACCELERATION The keys to the ‘pop’ method are hinging your wrists and transferring all the energy into the ball at impact, not past it. Once the ball leaves the putter face, there’s no reason to keep moving the putter. A lot of club golfers use a short backstroke and long through-stroke. Big mistake. A stroke like that can cause an inconsistent steering motion.…

I work with Pete Cowen on my bunker play – and I think he’s the best in the world. Most amateurs always use the same club from the sand but this makes it tougher to hit different shots. If you have a solid technique, it’s easier to hit the ball different distances by changing the club rather than your action, especially when you don’t have much time to practice. Work out how far your standard bunker shot goes with each club from 9-iron to lob wedge and select the club to suit the distance you need to hit it. THE TECHNIQUE With a slightly open stance, open the face a bit, flex your knees to get your hands low, and lean the shaft away a little from the target. Have…

A lot of people tend not to wait for the club to complete the backswing before they start ‘coming down’. This means the upper body starts moving too early in the downswing – before the lower body. This is the opposite of what it should be and often causes amateur golfers to come ‘over the top’, so the club gets outside the line and they hit across the ball with an out-to-in swing path. This causes a slice if your clubface is open to your swing path or a pull if it’s square or closed to the path. This is a good drill to stop your upper body moving too soon and leading to you swinging ‘over the top’. TRY THIS FEET TOGETHER DRILL If you swing with your feet…

PING’S G400 DELIVERS New drivers often promise either improved distance or increased forgiveness. Ping’s new G400 delivers both. A smaller head size of 445cc allowed Ping’s engineers to improve the G400’s aerodynamics for improved clubhead speed while also raising the Moment of Inertia (MOI) to the highest ever in a Ping driver. The G400 features a tungsten back weight and Ping’s ‘Dragonfly Technology’ that deliver the MOI increase and also work together to deliver the lowest and farthest back centre of gravity (CG) of any driver on the market, which according to Ping makes the G400 “the most forgiving driver in golf”. “Statistics proved that both the longest and most accurate players off the tee at the US Open relied on a G400 driver,” PING Chairman and CEO John A.…

Ask anyone about Byron Bay on the north coast of New South Wales and they are likely to recall the beautiful surf beaches, relaxed atmosphere or even the famous live music scene. Ask an observant golfer, however, and they are just as likely to first make mention of the town’s scenic golf course. Located five kilometres south of Byron’s main street, the Byron Bay Golf Club celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, having been conceptualised in 1957 with the current front nine opening the following year. The conditioning of the par-72 is among the many reasons golfers speak so highly of the layout and regularly return. My recent visit to Byron Bay came after consistent heavy downpours that were barely noticeable once I stepped foot on the 10th tee to…

WE’D STAKE OUT A COURSE, I THOUGHT. LIKE NORMAN OR CLAYTON, I’D POINT TO FOLDS IN THE LAND AND SUGGEST BUNKERS AND GREENS. HOW do you know it’s been too long between golf games? Easy. There’s a calcified rat in your golf bag. That same rat probably starved to death after working its way through half your golf towel and all of your gloves. This happened to the same bloke who, when he finally did play, marked his ball with an empty sleeve of Voltarin. It’s his back, you see. The same bloke who found a pack of Marlboro Lights and some matches in his golf bag, but he can’t remember the last time he actually smoked. “Must have been on a golf course,” he ventured. “Probably with you morons.”…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Barooga Rd, Tocumwal, NSW, 2714. CONTACT: 1800 631 197, (03) 5874 9111 or Pro Shop (03) 5874 9172. WEBSITE: www.tocumwalgolf.com.au DESIGNERS: Original holes unknown (1956); Kevin Hartley (1991). PLAYING SURFACES: Wintergreen couch (fairways and tees); Bentgrass (greens). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Ben Lucas. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Rodney Booth. GREEN FEES: $45. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Tocumwal has a wide range of full and country membership options. A full golf membership, including a $100 clubhouse credit, is $620. You can also take a golf and bowls membership for $730. Country golf memberships for people living more than 80km from the course cost $220. For further information email reception@tocumwalgolf.com.au RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Tocumwal has reciprocal rights arrangements with more than 60 clubs throughout Australia. Check the club’s website for a full list and…

“I DON’T KNOW WHY I CAN’T MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE BORING SOMETIMES.”– JORDAN SPIETH WINNING SCORE: 12 under par, 268 DEFEATED: Fellow American Matt Kuchar by three shots. DEFINING MOMENT: Tied for the lead on the par-4 13th tee Spieth appeared to almost hand Kuchar his maiden major victory after hitting his tee shot right and into trouble. But after taking relief from an unplayable lie and eventually dropping the ball on the driving range, Spieth hit a 3-iron short of the green and proceeded to get up-and-down for bogey, to only fall one back of Kuchar. Spieth then went birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to close out the championship, with his eagle putt from over 40 feet at the par-5 15th proving the telling blow. WITH THIS VICTORY… : • The Texan…

SPOT THE BALL WHERE could Gary Woodland’s ball be in this photo? All you have to do is correctly identify where his ball is hidden on the grid, using the letters and numbers (eg. A4, B2 etc). Answer correctly and you could win two dozen Mizuno JPX-S golf balls.The new JPX-S is a soft compression edition of Mizuno’s three piece ball – producing a balanced performance for a wider range of swing speeds, which also boasts Mizuno’s Dimple-Cluster design for improved aerodynamics. TO ENTER: Select your grid reference and then go to our website, www.golfaustralia.com.au, to submit your answer.The winner and the correct answer will be published in the November issue of Golf Australia magazine. JULY SPOT THE BALL WINNER & ANSWER Our July ‘Spot The Ball’ competition appeared to…

1. Test2prevent “If you find something different in your vision, your local optometrist is the first port of call,” advises Rossi. A yearly check from the age of 45 years is recommended to detect changes early. While you’re at it, an annual check-up with your GP to measure your blood pressure and sugar levels will give you the upper hand. 2. Wear protective shades “Fashion sunglasses might look good, but the lenses are too small and they don’t offer you protection from UV on the sides,” says Rossi. His top picks for golf are: the Oakley G30 and Oakley Prizm, for their big, wide, polarized and rose-coloured lenses, which offer UV protection and sharp visibility for reading greens, and frames that hug your face. “Frames that have more curve and…

1 STAY CENTRED OVER THE BALL Your quality of strike is the most important thing for hitting long and accurate shots because you have to find the centre of the clubface to hit consistent flight and distances. For me to strike an iron well, it’s important not to have too much lateral movement back and forth. You should stay very central over the ball and turn around a single axis down through your spine and the centre of your pelvis in the backswing. 2 GET THE FUNDAMENTALS IN PLACE You’ve heard it 1,000 times, but that’s because it’s true. It’s so much easier to swing the club consistently well if your grip, ball position, alignment and posture are good. On the flip side, it takes a lot of talent and…

Ball-striking has always been the foundation of my game. Whenever I haven’t played well it’s because I haven’t hit the ball well due to a lack of stability at address. If you swing from a weak base, you can’t load and unload your muscles and you lose the synchronisation between your arms, upper body and lower body. My main thought is to ‘get in and over it’ at address. This lets my arms hang away from my body so they have the freedom to load and unload. Everything should arrive at the top together if your arms and body stay connected in the backswing. A good coil helps the swing come to a natural stop, with the shoulders loaded over a stable base. The lower body initiates the downswing and…

The 18th hole at Oakmont is really interesting because it’s a long par 4 that gets tighter as you get closer to the green. This can make you want to hit a conservative drive, but then the problem you have is a longer shot into a green that is very severe and slopes heavily from back to front. It’s a question all golfers often face; do I lay it back and catch the fatter part of the fairway but have a long iron or hybrid in, or do I attempt a more risky drive up the throat of the hole to give myself a better opportunity with a scoring iron? It can be difficult to figure out the best route... MAKE SURE YOU HIT THE FAIRWAY It’s a long hole…

There are always different ways to play a hole. And often, the harder a hole is, the trickier it is to choose the right option. We all want to make birdies but sometimes the best strategy for a handicap golfer isn’t the one that maximizes the chance of making birdie, it’s the one that minimizes the chance of making bogey. Chasing a low number on every hole can tempt you into riskier and more difficult shots. If you don’t execute them perfectly, things can go wrong very quickly. Stick to hitting shots you know you can pull off and your scores will improve. HIT YOUR NATURAL SHOT The optimum tee shot here is a driver that draws into the left-to-right camber of the fairway and threads between the bunkers, but…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: As has been common with many of the Ecco shoes I have seen in the past, the Biom Hybrid 2 immediately struck me as an extremely functional shoe presented in a pleasing form right out of the box. The mix of colours and textured highlights give the shoes a more modern appearance than some other Ecco models I recall from years ago. When I first tried on the shoes, the immediate feeling was my foot was securely locked in place thanks to the combination of the solid heel and silicon insole. HOW IT PERFORMED: I am picky at the best of times when it comes to golf shoes and each pair faces an exacting process before I am ready to commit to wearing them on course. I usually…

THE COURSE LOCATION: 62 Broken Head Road, Byron Bay, NSW, 2481. CONTACT: (02) 6685 6470. WEBSITE: www.byronbaygolfclub.com.au OPENED: 1958 SLOPE RAITINGS: 137 (Black men’s tees), 136 (White men’s tees), 133 (Red women’s tees). PLAYING SURFACES: Wintergreen couch (tees and fairways), 328 couch (greens). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Shaun Cross. PGA PROFESSIONAL: Greg Stewart. GREEN FEES: $49 (18 holes); $29 (9 holes); $10 (Junior). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Byron Bay Golf Club offers a variety of extremely affordable membership options based on age and offer a monthly direct debit payment option. Full membership is $970 for the membership year which runs October to September and includes unlimited social golf and no joining fee. For golfers aged 26-30 the fee is halved to $485, while 18-25 year olds pay $300 and players aged 15-18…