Innehållsförteckning för November 2015 från Golf Australia

IT WON’T be long into this summer’s schedule of events on the PGA Tour of Australasia before the debate about appearance fees will be raised. Should tournament organisers pay exorbitant amounts of money just to have a marquee player or two tee it up in one of our Triple Crown events? The naïve will argue our events are prestigious enough for players, local and foreign, to want to play.Yes, they are prestigious and getting your name on the Stonehaven or Joe Kirkwood cups, or slipping into the Gold Jacket at the Masters, is rewarded with a place in Australia’s rich golfing history. But the cold, hard truth is that without stumping up a significant appearance fee there is little to no chance Australian golf fans would get to see the…

TAKING the example of the majority of finishing holes on Australia’s best courses, it would be a reasonable assumption the role of the 18th hole is to test a player’s ability to play two accurate and powerful long shots. There is nothing wrong with the principle and there is any number of good ones, including Royal Melbourne West, Royal Melbourne East, Commonwealth, Metropolitan, Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm, Royal Sydney, The National’s Moonah course, Lake Karrinyup, Victoria, Woodlands, Cape Wickham, Kingston Heath and St Andrews Beach. All are par-4s between 380 and 430 metres, with the exception of the short par-5s at Woodlands and Victoria, and in this age both are nothing more than long two-shot holes for scratch players. They are ‘easy’ holes to par but suggest changing them to…

THE Swilcan Burn at St Andrews is one place you won’t see too many players escape from. That didn’t stop Scottish pro Chris Doak from having a go. He got out but it came at a cost. What is your caption to go with this photo? Submit your caption on the entry form found on our website (not in the comment box) for the accompanying photo and the best entry judged by Golf Australia’s editors, will win a pair of 2015 adidas Tour 360X shoes, worth $149. The new Tour 360X shoes continue the evolution of the Tour 360 family. With its Tour-proven performance and stability unquestioned, the new model features increased cushioning and comfort. For more information visit the website www.adidasgolf.com  or call 1800 700 011 TO…

Qantas Golf Club is inviting members to compete in the 2015 Qantas Sanctuary Cove tournament, to be played from Tuesday, December 1 to Saturday, December 5. The four-person team event will be played across three of Queensland’s best courses, including Sanctuary Cove’s Palms and Pines layouts as well as the neighbouring Links Hope Island. Players and their guests will stay at the luxurious InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort and participants will have the opportunity to win a share of 600,000 Qantas points. Event packages start from $1,995 per person twin share or double, which includes four nights’ accommodation, three rounds of golf with carts, daily coaching, airport and course transfers, breakfast and lunch daily as well as a welcome and presentation dinner/drinks. Flights are not included in the package price. For…

I WAS so pleased recently to read that ‘our’ best player of the year will be aptly rewarded with a medal named after Greg Norman. Norman was the inspiration for so many players of my vintage, to not only watch golf but to get off the lounge and go out and play the game. I’ve now been playing for nearly 35 years and rarely have a week where I don’t go to the club for a round. That aside, the Shark displayed the great sportsmanship qualities we’d all like our stars to show. Even when the twisted hands of fate dealt him such bitter blows at the Masters, Open and PGA, he was the first man in there to grab the hand of the winner and wish them well with…

WHEN I first started competing on the PGA Tour, one of the things that surprised me was how important the “Player of the Year” award was to both the pros and the media. I could never quite get my head round it. We are all out there trying to win tournaments and that was really it as far as I was concerned. After a while, though, I began to appreciate the merit of the award, especially the fact that it is voted for by the players and nobody else. When that is the case, it means more. Listening to the media all year, you can end up with a distorted reality. It is the golfers who know best who has played the best in a given year. Having said that,…

CAMERON McCORMICK Performance coach The Australian who’s coached him for nine years describes Spieth’s technique, intelligence and tactical prowess. How did you start working with Jordan? It was through a mutual association. A client of mine, who was director of the Texas Golf Association, put his father and me in touch and we had a big phone conversation and set up an initial meeting when he was just shy of his 13th birthday. From there it’s turned into the relationship you see today. Our first meeting was much more, “Show me your skills Jordan” than, “Jordan, this is what you need to do.” And me being sensitive to a 12-year-old athlete who was playing some fine golf in the middle of his competitive season, what I didn’t want to do…

THE first Australian Open play-off was in 1948 between Ossie Pickworth, aiming for his third consecutive title, and Jim Ferrier at Kingston Heath. It was no secret that Pickworth and Ferrier (pictured below), who both hailed from Sydney’s Manly Golf Club, had been intense rivals dating back to their youth. Back then, Ferrier was the club secretary’s son and Pickworth, the pro shop assistant, often had to collect Ferrier’s practice balls, while his wife-to-be had to clean Ferrier’s shoes. In the play-off, it was a nip-and-tuck battle with just a stroke separating the pair with four of the 18 holes to play. But a double-bogey at the 17th hole put an end to Ferrier’s run and Pickworth claimed his third straight Australian Open and one he would later claim was…

The sun is out, the days are getting longer. It’s time to get out and play golf! However, if you’ve allowed your clubs to gather dust under the stairs since the start of the year, I highly recommend you take the time to give your game a quick pre-summer check-up before you head to the course expecting to play like Rory McIlroy. Even the great Jack Nicklaus understood the importance of continually reviewing the basic fundamentals. Each year, Nicklaus would start his campaign by spending a couple of days with his coach Jack Grout fine-tuning his grip, stance, alignment and posture, as well as the key areas of his game. So if a pre-season refresher course is good enough for the greatest golfer of all time ……

If you take just one thing away from this pre-summer primer, make sure it is this lesson. As with putting, most golfers make the mistake of only thinking about their alignment once they are standing over the ball (inset). By this stage, it’s too late to get an accurate perspective of the target line. After visualising the shot from behind the ball, step into the shot with your left foot and club in line. If you present the club with your right hand and aim the club correctly, you will be able to form your grip correctly, which in turn will lead to good posture and a more consistent swing.…

Chipping around the green can be made easier if you have a plan regarding where to land the chip and what club to use depending on the amount of flight and runout you require. Too often I see players choosing shots where they are making the outcome more challenging than necessary due to poor club and shot selection. If you are a player who only chips with one or two clubs, you are making this area of the game harder than necessary. I recommend you formulate a plan. When it comes to greenside chipping I like to get the ball on the ground as soon as possible, on the closest most consistent landing surface. As soon as the ball is on the ground, you have greater control over the outcome.The…

WHAT OUR TESTER SAID: I felt like I was hitting the Wilson C200 irons further – not much further but just enough to notice, and even into the breeze. MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Wilson C200 4-iron to sand wedge, fitted with regular-flex steel shafts. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: They’re good to look at and I’m happy with the way they sit on the ground at address. I don’t take a lot of notice of design features; what I prefer is to feel confident over the ball – and these irons give me that feeling. VERDICT: It was a hard day to get a sense of comparison because it was so windy but I felt like I was hitting the Wilson C200 irons further – not much further but just enough to notice,…

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP & FEDEX CUP WINNER WINNING SCORE: Nine-under-par, 271 DEFEATED: Defeated Swede Henrik Stenson, Kiwi Danny Lee and England’s Justin Rose by four shots. DEFINING MOMENTS: Just when playing partner Henrik Stenson looked like he would threaten, Spieth rolled in long putts to maintain his advantage.The Masters and US Open champion made birdie from 20 feet at the 9th hole and more than 45 feet at the par-3 11th.The 22-year-old then made clutch par saves at the 15th, 16th and 17th holes to remain atop the leaderboard. WITH THIS VICTORY … • Spieth broke the record for the most prizemoney earned in season with US$12,030,465, which doesn’t include the $10 million bonus he collected for winning the FedEx Cup. • He moved back to No.1 in the world ranking.…

1. How old were you when you broke par for 18 holes for the first time? I was 11 and par was 70. 2. Best shot of your career? It’s got to be my second into the final hole at Merion at the 2013 US Open. With so much on the line, it was great to hit that one so well. 3. When would you have taken one mulligan? My chip on the 18th in the final round at Augusta this year. I made bogey and finished T-2. An up-and-down would have got solo second. 4. Favourite course in the USA? Friar’s Head in the Hamptons. 5. Favourite course outside the USA? Royal Birkdale obviously holds fantastic memories for me. 6. Favourite hole in the USA? It has got to…

IN Scotland, what went on at the recent Solheim Cup would be called “a bit of a stooshie”. When America’s Alison Lee missed a 12-foot putt to win the 17th hole at St Leon Rot in Germany, then picked up the ball of her own volition, the biennial contest between the best lady golfers from the United States and Europe was immediately filled with accusation and acrimony. “The putt wasn’t conceded,” said Suzann Pettersen, with Charley Hull (who appeared to be walking off the green in the wake of Lee’s miss, an apparent but non-verbal concession of the next putt), Lee’s opponent in the four-ball match.“Our hole.” “But I heard someone say ‘good,’” claimed Lee, the only rookie on either side. After lengthy consultation with the accompanying rules official –…

1 His hard work in the gym is evident in his physique and athletic posture, especially the angle of his lower back. 2 It’s a good one-piece takeaway but the clubface is slightly closed as the shaft reaches parallel. 3 The shaft is on plane and you can see the deep interlocking grip that contributes to the closed face. 4 The club used to be more across the line when he hit a stronger draw shape but he’s on plane here. 5 He’s cleared quite a long way with his lower body at this point to hold the clubface square into impact. 6 Matching his body’s movement to his slightly strong face has enabled him to get the club square at impact. 7 The left arm bending here is an…

ENGLISH-born Victorian amateur The Hon. Michael Scott won the inaugural Open at The Australian Golf Club’s links in 1904. The championship was played over 72 holes in two days with Scott setting up his eight-stroke victory with a superb second-round 74. He returned to live in England in 1911 and later represented Great Britain in the Walker Cup and won the British Amateur in 1933, aged 55, (pictured above). SCOTTISH professionals Carnegie Clark and Jock Hutchison finished ten shots behind Scott and in a tie for fourth at the inaugural Open, but they were the leading pros and split the top prizemoney of £10. The 20-year-old Hutchison later won two major championships – the 1920 PGA Championship and the Open Championship a year later at St Andrews. INAUGURAL champion The…

There are two schools of thought regarding ball position. The ‘constant’ ball position, where the ball is played opposite the left armpit, favours the category-one golfer with a dynamic and athletic swing. Most amateur golfers, however, will benefit more from the ‘progressive’ ball position, where the ball moves progressively forwards between the feet as the length of the club increases – from the centre of the stance with a pitching wedge towards the left instep when hitting a driver. GRIP: FOCUS ON THUMB POSITION One of the most important keys to forming your grip is the positioning of the left or top-hand thumb. The correct position – level with your left index finger knuckle – allows the club to run diagonally across the palm and encourages the shaft of the…

Most golfers will tell you that a chip is a low shot that runs on landing. That’s not wrong, but it’s only a description of the ball flight. The correct answer is that chipping is a lofted shot that requires no wrist hinge. Chipping is part of the putting family. By sliding the clubhead towards you with the feeling of pulling the grip up your sleeve, you can turn any iron into a putter. The steeper shaft also creates a negative wrist hinge and prevents your forearms from rolling, which helps with your accuracy.…

It’s amazing how many golfers practise their putting without any kind of visual check or alignment aid. Here is a very simple concept, involving two shafts at right angles to each other, to address that. The role of the shaft parallel to the hole is to ensure that you set the blade of the putter at a 90-degree angle, square to the line. The shaft between my feet works as a reference for keeping the putter blade directly in the middle of my stance. They make your session much more productive.…

It doesn’t matter how good your stroke is; if you can’t accurately aim the putterface, you will struggle. Many amateurs take their grip, address the ball and only then look at the hole. It is difficult to look down the target line once you’ve taken your posture because you lose your reference and your depth perception. Once you have looked at the line from behind the ball, aim the putter with your right hand and with your body slightly facing the target so you can cross-reference the angle of the face to the hole.…

In my experience, the three most important areas of a golfer’s body are the hips/glutes; the core/ pelvis and the scapula (shoulder blades) or upper back. WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? We focus on these three parts of the body because they are key to your golf swing – no surprise there! The reason they are key to your swing is that they are the three areas that have the biggest influence over what the club does. If the three key areas work properly then you have a better chance of making a repeatable and bio-mechanically efficient swing.You know, the kind of swing that repeats time after time and doesn’t require a lot of timing and manipulation from the hands. That swing is more likely to produce a consistent strike and…

In the ideal world, we would all follow in the steps of the Tour professionals and get to the course a few hours ahead of our tee-time, do some stretching exercises, hit some balls on the range and then roll some putts all before getting to the 1st tee. But life is hectic, and people are either trying to fit golf in around a busy work and family life or maybe your course doesn’t have practice facilities for you to use before play. Here’s one way you can eliminate any damage to your scorecard before you have even warmed up in your round. Choosing a fairway wood or hybrid on the first few par-4 or par-5 tee shots may allow you to ‘warm up’ without losing two or three balls…

TITLEIST 716 CB IRONS Titleist’s new 716 CB irons provide shot control with forgiveness and solid forged feel through the game’s most high-tech blade construction. High-density tungsten weighting creates a low CG that is perfectly aligned at impact to increase speed and distance. A high-MOI design drives higher ball speeds across the face for more consistent distance on off-centre hits, without the loss of workability or shot control, at the CB’s constant,Tour-preferred blade length. Optimised CG heights, low with a slight progression up through the set, deliver precise,Tour-proven trajectory, while increasing the sweet spot for solid feel. SRP: $225 each (steel shaft); $265 (graphite). TITLEIST 716 MB IRONS Titleist’s new 716 MB irons deliver maximum shot control with pure, forged feel through a precise, muscle back design with high-tech refinements.…

SUITABILITY: These new irons fit perfectly between the feel and distance player; someone wanting a better looking iron with less offset but still seeking forgiveness and distance. SHAFTS: KBS Tour 90 (steel) and Aldila’s Rogue Iron (graphite). SET COMPOSITION: 3-iron to sand wedge. LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes, except for the 3-iron. HOW MUCH?: $139.95 per iron (steel shafts), $149.95 each (graphite). WILSON SAYS: “The new C200 has three key features that give the club its unique design. FLX Face Technology means the club has an ultra-thin face and minimal contact points between the face and head. Power Holes are another key feature, where only 24 percent of the head is welded to the face of the club, giving the club lots more flex at impact. And finally there’s the urethane that…

THE COURSE LOCATION:567 Warrigal Road, Bentleigh East, Victoria. CONTACT: (03) 9575 0575. WEBSITE: www.yarrayarra.com.au DESIGNER:Alex Russell (1928). SLOPE RATINGS:Men: 130/124; women: 130/134. PLAYING SURFACES:Couch/Santa Ana (fairways); Poa annua (greens). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT:Rod Tatt. PGA PROFESSIONAL:Andrew Bertram. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Opportunities for membership are now available for Corporate,Adult and Young members. Full membership gives you access to every single aspect of Yarra Yarra. Contact the club or visit the website to find out about the joining process, membership options and the membership fee structure. RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Yarra Yarra has a host of reciprocal clubs across Australia and internationally, as well as reciprocal rights at the other seven Sandbelt courses.Visit the website for the full list of reciprocal rights clubs. VISITING GOLFERS: Tee-times for international and interstate guests who are members of…

SEPTEMBER PHOTO CAPTION COMPETITION We had some funny entries to our photo of Germany’s Martin Kaymer showing off his soccer skills, which he honed as a young football star. The best entry according to our judges from the hundreds received came from James Eagle of Berry, NSW, with: “There’s something to be said for catching one right off the heel.” Congratulations James, you are the lucky winner of a pair of adidas Tour 360X shoes worth $149. golf Australia We’re on Facebook. Like us and get news updates and the chance to win prizes at www.facebook.com/ golfaustralia Follow Golf Australia on Twitter @GolfAustMag www.golfaustralia.com.au…

THE most talked about subject in any of the golf publications and in every golf course clubhouse, with particular attention going to club committees, is the subject of ‘slow play’. As a result, I have ten questions about slow play. 1. Amateurs have to pull their own clubs, fix divots, rake bunkers, look for lost balls and take more shots per game. So why do we expect our play to be equal to or faster than a twosome of world-class professionals on TV? Pros have spotters, caddies and hit fewer shots. 2. If golf participation rates and memberships are dropping so dramatically, why are we forcing people off the course even faster? Does rushing a game or a player, or a faster game really equate to more people wanting to…

OF ALL the eloquent and moving comments offered at the funeral of Paul Rak, the Royal Melbourne CEO, on September 11, club pro Bruce Green said it best. Quoting one villain on another, he told the large assembly of family, friends and admirers in the clubhouse:“Kerry Packer said you only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime.” He was not implying that Rak, who died after a two-year battle with cancer on September 5, aged 60, was a ratbag.The exact opposite was the case and Green’s direct words conveyed merely that his great friend was unique. We all knew this, but none better than Green. They started out as caddies together in their teens in the late 1960s, earning $2 on a good day, and ended up with the top…

It’s late in the US PGA Tour season in Akron, Ohio, at the World Golf Championships–Bridgestone Invitational. Jordan Spieth smiles and suggests half the elite field should look into heading to the Australian Open this year. It’s light hearted … but he’s not kidding. There is some genuine sincerity in his words because for Spieth, his win at The Australian Golf Club last year was the catalyst to one of the best major seasons in history. And remember this phenomenon is not a one-off. The past two Emirates Australian Open champions have gone on to win two, yes, two majors the next year. Rory McIlroy burst out of a slump with his triumph over a Triple Crown-seeking Adam Scott in 2013 and went on to win The Open and PGA…

THE Emirates Australian Open returns this year for a record 19th time to Sydney’s iconic Australian Golf Club, host of the inaugural staging and now the landmark 100th Open. As one of the oldest continuous tournaments in the world, having run since 1904 with breaks only for World War I and World War II, it is no surprise that the names engraved on the Stonehaven Cup are synonymous with golf history. It has been the stage for the game’s greatest players and a quick snapshot of the trophy reveals names like Gary Player (seven inscriptions), Jack Nicklaus (six), Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen and modern-day marvels like Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. I also won this coveted trophy on five occasions and carry these memories with me forever: • The Australian…

THE COURSE LOCATION: Kawasan Wisata, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.The resort is an easy 20-minute drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. CONTACT:(0011) 62 361 771 791; reservations@bngr.co. WEBSITE: www.balinationalgolf.com DESIGN FIRM: Nelson and Haworth (1988/2014). PLAYING SURFACES:TifEagle Bermuda (greens), paspalum (tees, fairways and rough). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT:Mark Isley. GREEN FEES:Rp2,200,000 (about A$215). THE RESORT ACCOMMODATION: Seven luxurious and spacious two- and three-bedroom villas line the 17th and 18th fairways, offering 24-hour personal butler service, oversized LED TV, sound system,Wi-Fi, private pool and cabana and more. Thirty-three more villas are currently under construction, along with a 250-room Shangri-La hotel, due for completion in late 2017. FACILITIES: Ancora Golf Institute operates from Bali National’s practice range under the direction of qualified PGI professionals. Non-golfers and golfers alike can wander to the private…

Bringing a putting-stroke feel into your chipping stroke extends to your wrist action. We need the wrists to be quiet for both shots, but that doesn’t mean you need to lock out your wrists as you chip. Locked or ‘dead’ wrists simply add tension and rob your action of any feel, flow and rhythm. Instead feel that, as you chip, you are simply maintaining the left-wrist angle you set at address. This ‘simple-wristed’ approach keeps the wrists muted while allowing the action to flow. 1 If the blade of the iron is in the centre of your stance, you should naturally have your hands slightly ahead of the ball. You don’t need a double dose of shaft lean. 2 Although it appears that my wrists have hinged a little from…

It is very easy to get a distorted view of your alignment when putting. Although the putter doesn’t track back and through on a perfectly straight line, sending the ball down a channel to give yourself a sense of blade alignment can help you groove the feeling of correct alignment. Place two shafts either side of the hole parallel to the line of a short range putt. This will help you visualise the path of the ball and, working back, your face aim at address. Another good exercise for visualising the correct line is to place your putter up against a skirting board. Look back and forth along the line to get used to what a square putt looks and feels like.…

Golf professionals know the likelihood of hitting dead straight golf shots, consistently, is much harder than playing for a particular shape. In fact, most would argue it’s literally impossible to hit the golf ball perfectly straight. Given the ball is round and constantly spinning, it will deviate to a certain extend.Therefore, consistently attempting the near impossible makes no sense. So the trick to hitting your ball to your target consistently is learning how to shape your shots. Shaping the ball’s flight is not as difficult as it may seem. What’s even better is there are no major swing changes required to draw or fade the ball. The key to controlling the shape to your ball flight lies in your ability to set-up for the desired shot shape. Next time you’re…

IRELAND – OLD HEAD LINKS Built on a 220-acre diamond of land in County Cork and jutting out more than two miles into the Atlantic Ocean, Old Head Golf Links is definitely one of the planet’s ‘must-play’ courses. With the ever-changing sea breezes, and measuring more than 6,500 metres from the tips, the course provides a stern test for players of all levels. Nine of the holes play along the cliff tops, while all 18 provide magnificent ocean views. One of the most spectacular holes is known as The Razor’s Edge (pictured) – a 390-metre par-4 that hugs the cliff tops high above the waves crashing against the rocks hundreds of feet below. www.oldhead.com NEW ZEALAND – CAPE KIDNAPPERS “To me, the key with Cape Kidnappers is that it’s just…

ADDRESS: 1c Myoora Rd,Terrey Hills, NSW. CONTACT: (02) 9486 3577; www.par3golf.com.au GREEN FEES: $22 (18 holes, weekdays); $23 (weekends, public holidays). Juniors (under 15) $12 (weekdays) and $15 (weekends). Family pass (two adults/two juniors) $60 (weekdays) and $65 (weekends). MEMBERSHIP: Par-3 Terrey Hills offers a membership package with annual fees of $100. Members received discounted green fees, Par-3 apparel and green fees at nearby Bayview Golf Club. CORPORATE GOLF: Par-3 Terrey Hills offers a corporate golf day with a difference.The team at Par-3 can organise all your golf requirements as well as arranging catering and beverages and setting up promotional material.…