Innehållsförteckning för December 2017 från Golf Australia

... I THOUGHT THE FUN BIT CAME FROM PLAYING GOLF. ISN’T THAT WHY ANYONE WHO PICKS UP A GOLF CLUB AND, ULTIMATELY, FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE GAME DOES SO … IT’S not often that a press release hits the inbox that makes me shake my head and smile. But it happened recently, thanks to the Shark. The Greg Norman Company (GN) and Verizon have announced ‘Shark Experience’. What is Shark Experience? According to the release, it is “an innovative and disruptive new golf technology that enhances the on-course experience.” Club Car is teaming with GPSi, a golf GPS technology company, Verizon and The Greg Norman Company to bring streaming music andTV, among other things, onto the golf course for you to enjoy during your round. Or, as the press…

King Island’s Ocean Dunes golf course has been listed for sale. The Graeme Grant-designed layout opened for play in late 2016 and within a few months it was rated the No.4 Public Access Course in Australia. Colliers International and Comac Retail Property Group have been engaged by the current owners to sell the course and clubhouse as well as the licenced King Island Hotel in the main street of nearby Currie. Ocean Dunes currently has planning approval for the development of 21 motel suites and 80 holiday accommodation units, while there is enough land adjacent to the property for a second golf course. “The property provides a unique opportunity for a purchaser to acquire one of Australia’s top public courses with further development potential to truly capitalise on the increasing…

Legendary coach David Leadbetter says he hasn’t come across the perfect swing yet, and doesn’t think he ever will. “If we were all built the same, maybe you could find the perfect swing,” he explains. “As it is, everyone is different and we all have our own little idiosyncrasies and tendencies. The goal should always be to find the best swing which works for you.” To do that, Leadbetter believes the key is to forget one of golf’s biggest misnomers. “Because we all hold the club with our hands and arms, everybody assumes that’s what controls the swing,” says the former coach of Nick Faldo and Nick Price. “Yes, your hands are important, but the power and energy comes from your body. One of my favourite expressions in golf instruction…

The best answer to this is to hit the ball better. Even with today’s forgiving drivers, a strike just half an inch from the sweetspot costs the average hitter around 10 metres of distance. I’ll show you how to improve your strike here, but of course the sexier answer here is faster clubhead speed. You’ll also learn an unsexy way to speed up your strike. CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The fastest way to add 10 metres to your drives is to bring your strike just a cm or so closer to the sweetspot. The closer to the centre of the face you hit it, the better the energy transfer from club to ball. TIGHT MARGINS Weak strikes – from the toe and heel – crop up when we move outside our…

If you are happy with your putting prowess, then there is absolutely no reason to mess around with your grip. If you aren’t, then putting guru Dave Pelz believes there are three advantages and one disadvantage to trying Jordan Spieth’s left hand below right grip (for right-handers). “The first advantage to left hand below right is your shoulders tend to be parallel to the ground and this gives you a much smoother and more circular arc at the bottom of your putting stroke,” reveals Pelz. “With a traditional right hand low putting stroke, you are constantly fighting to control the arc, but with left hand low you just swing your shoulders and your arms and putter become one pendulum motion. “The second advantage is that it’s also far easier to…

Strip the slice back to its bare bones and you will arrive at the angle of the clubface at impact. Never mind everything else; if your clubface is wide open to the path of the club, you’ll create slice spin. So the ultimate slice cure must confront and banish this open face. Here’s how. THINK ‘DISCUS’ To train a release of the club that doesn’t leave the face wide open, picture a discus thrower. At the point of release (above), their hand is over the top of the discus with the palm facing downwards. In that slicing release, the forearm works the opposite way, turning the palm to face the sky. PALM FACES DOWN Now turn through, keeping you arms spread. Again, focus on your trail palm. Feel it rotate…

LUKE DONALD Odyssey Works Versa #7 0.734 strokes gained against the field (ranked 4th) PADRAIG HARRINGTON Wilson Staff Infinite South Side 0.525 strokes gained against the field (ranked 11th) ZACH JOHNSON SeeMore FGP 0.370 strokes gained against the field (ranked 36th) ERNIE ELS Bloodline Golf R1 – J 0.357 strokes gained against the field (ranked 42nd) JASON DUFNER Scotty Cameron Futura 5M 0.108 strokes gained against the field (ranked 86th)…

Let’s not kid ourselves. Few golfers have ever walked off the 18th hole on the brink of exhaustion. Granted, missing a three footer for par might take the breath away, but that owes more to mental rather than physical torture. The good news for us all is that where there’s pain, there’s also plenty to gain. The Department of Health recommends that we undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. And luckily for us, just one round of golf meets that quota with flying colours. Maybe that explains why 18 holes sometimes feels like a marathon… 2,000 Calories expended while walking 18 holes and carrying a standbag. 40% Lower mortality rate of golfers versus non-golfers, which corresponds to a five-year increase in life expectancy. 1,300 Calories…

From “like a dollar bill” to “perfectly square”, we have heard any number of theories about the picture-perfect divot. But as it turns out, it’s not something any of us should be losing any sleep over. “Any good coach will tell you that the look of the divot has no impact on the shot because it happens after the ball has been struck,” laughs Pete Cowen. “If pushed, I’d tell you that I’d like it to be shallow and pointing slightly to the left of the target because of the swing’s natural arc. But since no-one is trying to hit the ground before the ball, it really has no effect.”…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Excel possesses a simple yet stylish design that fits comfortably on the wrist and the display uses nice big numbers that are easily read in any light. I was instantly impressed by the push of one button producing up to four hazard distances. Although the 21 varied hazard codes, LFWC (Left Fairway Water Carry) for example, had me consulting the product manual regularly during my early rounds. HOW IT PERFORMED: Having used Bushnell products for many years, I had high hopes for the Excel and as expected the watch performed its core functions superbly. The distances were accurate when checked with a laser and the easy-to-read screen located right on my wrist noticeably sped up the process of selecting a club when compared to finding a sprinkler…

PACIFIC SUITES CANBERRA Situated in the heart of Canberra City and the precinct of Braddon, Pacific Suites Canberra offers some of the capital’s largest one- and two-bedroom apartments. Its huge apartments are ideal for golfers with great sharing options and loads of space for all your gear. The one-bedroom apartments are 75m2, while the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments range up to an impressive 128m2. Guests can enjoy undercover car parking, free Wifi and The Alley bar & grill. Pacific Suites has a Stay & Play package offer for golfers, with a 15 percent off the best available price when booking direct through the website www.pacificsuitescanberra.com.au using the code “golf”.…

 WINNING SCORE: 18 under par, 266. “THE GOLF COURSE DOESN’T KNOW I’M 37 AND I’VE BEEN A PRO FOR A BUNCH OF TIME AND THE HIGHEST-RANKED PLAYER IN THE FIELD. THE GOLF COURSE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT STUFF.” – JUSTIN ROSE DEFEATED: Nicolas Colsaerts and Dylan Frittelli by one shot. DEFINING MOMENTS: Fresh off victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions, Rose begun the final day two shots in arrears of leaders Shane Lowry and Kiradech Aphibarnrat. The Englishman reached the par-4 9th at one-under-par for the day before a stunning approach to tap-in range secured birdie and a share of the lead with three others. Rose’s back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 broke the deadlock and put him in sole possession of the lead heading to the penultimate hole.…

It might feel like the Adam and Sergio show but there are 154 other golfers in the field at RACV Royal Pines and more than a handful of them are capable of stealing the show from the two Masters champions. Leading the charge to unseat the major winning pair will be Marc Leishman, who won twice on the PGA Tour and had a further five top-10 finishes this year to elevate his world ranking to a career-high No.13. The Victorian is also the overwhelming favourite to win the Greg Norman Medal, awarded on the eve of the Championship. “To be considered for the Greg Norman Medal is a great honour, particularly given the depth of talent in the Australian golf industry. 2017 has been an exceptional year for myself and…

“Watch for fliers,” says Scott Manwaring, Callaway’s Director of R&D, Irons and Hybrids. “Fliers are the best read since it removes the variability of the green and landing conditions. If you start to notice the ball is flying higher and longer, it could be a sign that the grooves are going.” It could also be an indicator that they need a good clean. Just don’t be tempted to invest in one of those groove sharpening tools. “The negatives far outweigh the positives,” warns Manwaring. “Firstly, it could cause the iron to prematurely rust, albeit this is dependent on the finish and metal type. Secondly, the tolerances on the USGA protocol are extremely tight and overuse could make the scorelines you record illegal.”…

The ultimate reason you fail to replicate your range form on the course is because the two environments are fundamentally different. That means work on the former rarely prepares you for the latter. • Golf is the ultimate random game, yet we practise it in a linear fashion. There is always another ball waiting, so there are no real consequences. On the course it’s a one-shot deal, and that creates an uncomfortable tension range work can’t train you for. • Golf is an interval sport, practised in a non-interval way. Hitting ball after ball can help you train a physical move, but mentally it has nothing in common with course golf. • With level, perfect lies and the widest fairway you’ll see, range golf is easier. It’s like a football…

“The basic answer is that a change in clubhead speed of approximately 10 to 15mph is the equivalent to one full flex in difference,” reveals golf equipment expert Tom Wishon. But before you decide this has happened and buy the first stiff shaft that appears on a Google search, Wishon implores that you read the following. “One thing you need to understand before you even contemplate swapping shafts is that there is no set standard for how stiff any of the letter flexes on shafts are,” he says. “This means one brand’s stiff shafts could have the same or even more flex than another company’s regular flex. The only true way to find out which shaft is right for you is to work with a professional custom fitter who has…

We all want to get off to a good start, and fear the consequences of a bad one. That creates pressure. The way to deal with pressure is through routine. Routine creates familiarity and familiarity allows your brain to settle. Bring these three elements into your pre-round preparation and you’ll give yourself your best possible chance of a solid start to your round. 1 ARRIVE IN YOUR BEST FRAME OF MIND Pay attention to the 60 minutes before you tee off. If you’re late, rushing around, driving fast to the course, you’ll release cortisol – the stress hormone – into your bloodstream; and it will still be there as you tee off. If you can instead keep your pre-round activity steady, calm and under control, you’ll feel much more relaxed…

So tell me, who has the best swing in golf? I suspect right now your mind’s eye is probably focusing on Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Rory perhaps. I further suspect it hasn’t alighted on Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, Zach – or even Dustin – Johnson. Yet all eight have won Majors. When we consider golf swings, we unconsciously conflate ‘best’ with ‘best-looking’. Workmanlike actions need not apply, however effective they are. For many of us, a great swing and a pretty swing are one and the same thing. In an increasingly visual world where we are naturally drawn to aesthetics – face, body, car, house – this is probably inevitable. Yet it can have dire consequences for your game – and here’s why. In your golf lessons, practice…

Yes, it is. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right play. “When choosing between a driver and a 3-wood, you need to trade off the benefits of distance and accuracy,” reveals leading golf statistician Professor Mark Broadie (everyshotcounts.com). “If you are playing a par-4 or par-5 where the penalty for missing the fairway is not too great, then being longer is better than being shorter, so driver always tends to be the better choice. But if you are playing a par-4 or a par-5, where gaining 20 metres with the driver brings deep rough, a bunker, trees or another hazard into play, then being on the fairway is far better than being off it, so a 3-wood would make sense.”…

1 MAKE THE PUTT SHORTER The unconfident club golfer takes a short putt and represents it in his mind as longer than it is. That makes it seem harder, which further hinders belief. But you can reverse this by making the putt seem shorter than it is. We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of missing a short putt, rolling it back and tapping it in the second time. We can also knock them in one-handed when we’re having a knockabout. That suggests the problem with short putts is more mental than technical. So here are two ways you can grow your confidence. 2 MAKE THE PUTT HARDER When your task is harder on the practice green, the putt seems easier on the course. Here are two ways…

If you are flexible enough to do it, then the wide stance drill is very, very good because it gets every muscle in your body working for golf,” says top Tour coach Pete Cowen. “Start by getting your feet as wide as you can without hurting your adductor muscles and bend forwards from the hip bone. Next, lower your sternum and your arms, so your quad muscles are activated, and use your right shoulder to try and throw your right arm up into your top of backswing position. This move gets every muscle in your body working straight away. From there, turn your right shoulder muscle and right hand back down as you would in your downswing. Once you have set this move in motion, your right knee will go…

THE COURSE LOCATION: McQuade Ave, South Windsor, New South Wales, 2756. CONTACT: (02) 4577 4390. WEBSITE: www.windsorgolfclub.com.au DESIGNERS: Prosper Ellis (1963). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Jeff McManus. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Adam and Corrine Kelleher. SLOPE RATINGS: 128 (Men’s black tees), 127 (Men’s blue tees), 124 (Men’s white tees), 127 (Women’s red tees), 124 (Women’s yellow tees). PLAYING SURFACES: Kikuyu (fairways), Bentgrass (greens). GREEN FEES: Weekdays: $22 (18 holes), $15 (9 holes). Weekend: $38 (18 holes), $20 (9 holes). THE CLUB MEMBERSHIPS: Windsor offers a wide range of membership categories and joining fees are currently being waived (conditions apply). Full Memberships cost $1,200 and include Golf NSW Affiliation, seven days of golf, voting rights, no social green fees, access to all competitions and a $170 bar account. Limited Memberships cost $700 and provide…

THE annual season of giving and goodwill is almost upon us. And, being a generous soul, I thought it appropriate to distribute a few appropriately-placed Christmas presents around the world of golf and golfers. Ho. Ho. Ho. To America’s PGA Tour – An “anti-dull” injection Honestly, no group of administrators across the globe are more in need of a good shake than Commissioner Jay Monahan and his band of blue-blazered cohorts. Po-faced, the lot of them. Most of the players aren’t much better. Apparently, everything on our planet’s biggest and most lucrative circuit must be taken oh-so seriously. It’s a law. Or at least a decree. The erudite and witty Nicolas Colsaerts sums it all up pretty well. “The PGA Tour is an odd place,” says the Belgian. “When I…

Not all professional golfers understand the reality that their job is actually part of the entertainment industry. Defending Australia PGA champion Harold Varner III, however, is among those who get it. For the past two years the American has been a welcome visitor to these shores, popular with fans and local media alike thanks to his good humour and engaging personality. Daily accounts of trips to Jupiters Casino during his visit in 2016 endeared him to local press looking for something different to write about but it has been on the course where Varner has been most impressive. Just the second African American to play the PGA Tour, Varner grew up in North Carolina where a $100 membership at a local public course got him started in the game. He…

Should I chip with the flag in or out? What’s the fastest way to fix my slice? How often should I play to my handicap? Can I really tell my wife that golf is making me fitter? Am I good enough to use blades? What should I order at the halfway house? How do I stop being the shortest hitter in my group? What do match indexes really mean?…

We’ve all been there. The banging headache; the bleary eyes; and the unmistakable nausea that only comes from ordering that greasy kebab in the early hours. It always seems like a cocktail for disaster when you’ve got to negotiate that tight opening tee shot just a few hours later. And now, there’s evidence from Keele University to prove it. Research looking into the effects of alcohol on cognitive functioning shows that a hangover reduces information-processing efficiency and increases response caution. And that’s not all. Roseanna Leaton, golf mind coach, says that as well as feeling tired and below par, too much alcohol can “impair coordination, increase your heart rate and trigger hormones which induce tension, jerky movements and rushed tempo”. Hardly a recipe for good golf. “Essentially, being hungover exaggerates…

Angry golfers take heed. The match index is not designed to penalise you, even though it may feel that way when you’re giving away a shot on a 150-yard par 3 in matchplay. Contrary to popular belief, the match index is not determined on hole difficulty, but on ensuring an equal distribution of strokes are given/ received in a match play competition. How are match indexes allocated? Strokes must be evenly spread at all handicap differences over the 18 holes. It is recommended that the odd-numbered holes are assigned to the more difficult of the two nines (usually the longest). Match index one and two are typically placed close to the centre of each nine, with none of the first eight strokes allocated to the first or last hole (or…

TAYLORMADE M CGB DESIGN: The CGBs have been specifically designed for average-to-slower swing speeds, so lighter swing weights and shafts help optimise launch, peak height and carry distance for golfers who want to enjoy themselves on the course. The heads are larger, the top edges and soles are wider and there’s low and deep tungsten weighting as well as vertical face slots and a speed pocket sole. These have the most offset of all TaylorMade’s irons. TOMO SAYS: These are for players looking for distance, height and forgiveness throughout the set, especially those with mid-to-slow swing speeds, providing long, straight and high shots with every club. 7-IRON SPECS:  Construction: One-piece cast 450 stainless steel Loft: 29.5° Offset: 4.7mm. TAYLORMADE M2 DESIGN: Jam-packed with game-improving tech. A fluted hosel and 360°…

Once upon a time, using hybrids was seen as a sign of weakness. Now, Tour pros are using them, and so should you. “Even a golfer who plays off five or six would be better off using hybrids that are made to iron length instead of any type of iron,” reveals equipment expert Tom Wishon. “This is primarily due to two reasons. First, the centre of gravity is further back from the face and lower down in hybrids, making them easier to get into the air. Second, hybrid shafts tend to be more flexible than iron shafts and this allows players to generate a slightly higher flight.” The only time Wishon would suggest doing otherwise is if you played most of your golf on a links course. “If you are…

Consistency has always been held as one of the key goals of golfing performance. But have you ever really asked yourself what consistency really means? I think most of us would have a vague notion of hitting a higher proportion of good shots and ruling out that card-ruining hook or slice. But the fact is that no golfer is truly consistent. However good you think you are, you will never be able to rule out that horror shot. Golf doesn’t work that way, and as humans neither do we. For a more useful relationship with consistency, adopt these two principles: Be consistent where you can be Your pre-shot preparation – and your reaction to the shot – are two areas where consistency is achievable. Regular preparation lets you go into…

It’s one of the commonest groans I hear – the golfer who feels doomed to exist at a set level of competence, from the 22-handicapper to the pro who can’t break through on Tour. Typically, golfers who complain about being stuck at a level of competence are also stuck in a rut. They play the same courses, with the same people. At an unconscious level, that environment is exerting an influence on you; you’ll tend to make the same mistakes at the same holes and fall into your friends’ expectations of you. In short, whatever you’ve been thinking about and working on, you revert to your default level. The best advice for this golfer is to make changes. Play new courses. Change who you play with; look for better golfers…

With dozens of new drivers on the market it’s difficult to know where to start if you want a new one. To help narrow down your choice we recommend to start by looking at your swing speed and realising which design traits might aid your game. If you don’t know your swing speed, ask a friendly fitter at a demo day if you can get on his launch monitor (Trackman says the average clubhead speed of a 15 handicapper is about 93mph; the PGA Tour average is about 113mph; Dustin Johnson’s is 121). We’ve picked our favourite 2017 drivers based on six swing speeds, from slow to fast, to give you a starting point. But it goes without saying that our recommendations should always be accompanied by a fitting session.…

ROYAL CANBERRA GC Green fees: On application. Visitors require a GolfLink number with valid handicap. www.royalcanberra.com.au THE FEDERAL GC Green fees: $80 (18 holes) www.federalgolf.com.au MAGPIES BELCONNEN GC Green fee: $25 (18 holes, weekdays); $35 (weekends). www.belconnenmagpies.com.au GOLD CREEK GC Green fee: $50 (18 holes, weekdays); $60 (weekends). www.goldcreekgc.org GUNGAHLIN LAKES GC Green fee: $29 (18 holes, weekdays); $39 (weekends). www.gungahlinlakes.com YOWANI CC Green fee: $42 (18 holes, Mon-Thurs); $45 (Fri-Sun). www.yowani.com.au…

If you make it is far as Cornwall with your golf clubs, you need to also sample one of the county’s hidden golfing gems – Mullion Golf Club. Mullion, a 40-minute drive south east of St Ives, is set on cliff tops of the Lizard Peninsula and is the southernmost course in England. Golf has been played across the picturesque seaside slopes here since 1895 and very little of the course has changed over the years.The locals will tell you this is where authors Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and A.A Milne (Winnie-The-Pooh) played all of their golf in summer. The stretch of holes from the 4th – with its clifftop tee – through to the early offerings on the back nine will last long in the memory. This…

I’M low and he’s high. It’s a proper disaster, like, practically castastrophic, but not quite life threatening. But then, it is a different type of life threatening because it’s a humiliating and a disaster and it’s with Greg Norman. Have we talked about Greg before? Let’s just say, I’m a fan. We’re not mates or anything like that, but I dig him. As we all know, when there’s someone you’re into, the absolute last thing you want to do is make a tool of yourself in front of them. That’s what was unfolding in front of me in glorious live action – while being recorded in technicolor for The Golf Show. Oh, the pain! The scene is the launch of a new course in country Victoria called Cathedral Lodge. You…