Innehållsförteckning för November 2018 från Golf Australia

GEOFF Ogilvy counts winning the Australian Open just behind his US Open victory in his list of career achievements. As you will read in his feature article starting on page 44, winning his national championship means more to him than all the big money events he won on the PGA Tour. Which is why he has chosen to constructively criticise the Australian Open for becoming ‘a second-second rate’ tournament. Like Ogilvy, my love of golf … my life spent playing and writing about the game can be traced back to watching the 1981 Australian Open at The Lakes. I have since been to 29 Australian Opens and I haven’t missed one since 1996. It has always been my favourite tournament. The characters that have lifted the Stonehaven Cup and the…

BONJOUR from the Ryder Cup.The action has just ended and the European team has won by 17 1/2 points to 10 1/2. “Quelle surprise” as they say in these parts.That makes nine victories out of the last 12 for the Old World over those pesky and increasingly bemused colonials.What’s next for Uncle Sam’s beleaguered nephews? A Task Force to look into the Task Force? Stay tuned. In the meantime, let’s take a wee look at some of what went on at Le Golf National for a week or so. First, there was the grandstand behind the 1st tee. Massive thing. Held nearly 7,000 people. And yes, they created some noise. And yes, Rory McIlroy’s beautifully timed rendition of the Icelandic Thunderclap was good fun. But still, the whole exercise seemed…

BIGGER FASTER LONGER Just read with much interest the “Bigger Faster Longer” article in October edition. My personal preference is that I don’t begrudge the pros and amateurs alike having use of all technology available to them, there will come limits due to the extremes of physics, even in dimple design as in Brendan James’ editorial, unless allowed to inject cannons into club design... What is interesting in the game is that on a par-4 there is still three shots after a drive, four on a par-5 & on a par-3, pros would very rarely, unless in Scotland perhaps, take driver from the tee. There are of course other elements to bring balance to the longer ball, in my opinion mainly course management. Looking at Le Golf National in the…

IT HAS been a big year for Betty Higgs, who has celebrated her 90th birthday, her club Bridgewater-on-Loddon’s 100th anniversary and won an event in nearby Mitiamo in central Victoria. The retired school teacher and still active farmer from Arnold, 180km north-west of Melbourne, startled friends when she turned 80 by walking over the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. So they were not totally surprised this year when she defied the passing years by playing Nullarbor Links, the 1,365-kilometre course between Ceduna in South Australia and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. This begs the question of what she will do in 2028 when she reaches 100. “A lot of people have asked me,” she said while playing in the Bridgewater Wednesday comp recently. “I have to get there first.” Born…

Without the Looney Tunes and an appetite for baked beans, Anthony Quayle might not be where he is today – and that wouldn’t sit very well with the 24-year-old from the Top End of Australia. The year was 2001 and Tiger Woods had just completed the “Tiger Slam” at Augusta National Golf Club. Fifteen thousand kilometres away, in Gove on the north-east tip of the Northern Territory, Quayle, then six years old, was writing a wish list to his parents asking for his very first set of golf clubs. “They went down to the local newsagency and bought me a set of Looney Tunes clubs for my seventh birthday,” Quayle told Golf Australia magazine. “So I started playing and coaching myself from there. I built this little six-hole course around my…

By far the most common fault of the average golfer – particularly those who hit most of their shots short with a fade or slice – is they cast the club from the top of the backswing. Casting refers to the clubhead being thrown out, like a fly fisherman would cast a rod, at the top of the backswing and the angle created between your hands and the club shaft is lost. Losing this angle is costing you distance as you cannot generate good clubhead speed in the downswing, while accuracy is also compromised because the ‘caster’ usually swings into the ball on an outside-to-inside the target line swing path creating a fade or slice. As you can see here with big-hitting Brooks Koepka, there is a significant angle between…

MODEL PLAYED: Z 585 with 10.5° loft, fitted with Project X HZRDUS Red 62g 5.5 shaft and Z 785 with 9.5° loft, with Project X HZRDUS Red 62g 6.0 shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: With plenty of hype about what Srixon calls its longest drivers ever, I attempted to keep my expectations down during my early testing. But the combination of the stealth-like look of the black head, shaft and grip with carbon detailing on the crown and the feel, open face and strong flight of the Z 785 had me seriously impressed. The Z 585 was similarly long and looked extremely similar to the better player version, however sat slightly closed and showed more of the clubface at address, with a higher pitched sound resulting in a powerful and loud impact.…

SUITABILITY: A wide variety of sole grind and bounce options offered in lofts from 46° to 64°, as well as a number of finishes, make the RTX 4 perfect for every golfer. LEFT HANDED: The RTX 4 is available in a number of lofts in left handed. COMPANY SAYS: With the RTX 4, Cleveland Golf held nothing back during development, creating a made-for-tour wedge in its purest form, utilising the latest face technologies, tour-preferred shaping and expanded grind offerings. The foundation of RTX 4 is the fourth generation ‘Rotex Face’ technology. Following four life cycles, years of research, and millions of data points, the tolerances were tightened to help provide ultimate short game control. RTX 4 generates more spin through the sharpest ‘Tour Zip’ grooves, most aggressive face milling, and…

SUITABILITY: The Z 785 irons are designed for professionals and low handicap amateurs, while the Z 585’s increased forgiveness and distance provides a ‘players look’ for mid to low handicap golfers. SHAFTS: Both models come standard with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour shafts, with aftermarket shafts available in the Z 785 and the Miyazaki Kaula graphite shaft offered in the Z 585. LEFT HANDED: Both models are available in left handed. COMPANY SAYS: The new Z Series irons offer Tour-validated designs with a soft forged feel. With cutting-edge technologies that help enhance distance, workability and feel, the new Z Series irons are built to perform. The Z 785 irons feature a tour cavity, providing additional mass behind the impact location for increased shot-shaping ability and versatility. The Z 585 irons…

DRIVER TaylorMade M4 with 8.5° loft, fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Pro White 60X shaft. 3-WOOD TaylorMade M3 with 13° loft, with Aldila XTorsion Green 70X shaft. UTILITY IRON TaylorMade P-790 UDI (2-iron), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft. IRONS TaylorMade P-790 (4-iron) and TaylorMade P-750 (5-iron to pitching wedge), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts. WEDGES TaylorMade Milled Grind (50° and 56°) and TaylorMade Hi-Toe (60°), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts. PUTTER Bettinardi DASS BBZero. BALL Titleist Pro V1x.…

GREG NORMAN was a constant presence at the Australian Open. Here, 25 years ago at the 2018 World Cup venue Metropolitan, he is splashing out of a bunker. But can you spot his ball? 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. Entries close 11.59pm on November 21. The winner…

I THOUGHT the Monthly Medal was something to look forward to. It’s like having 12 majors per year. Twelve chances to tee it up and make something of yourself. Twelve chances to come home and shout down the empty hallway to a family who couldn’t really give a stuff, “I bloody did it! I won the Monthly Medal!” Just the thought of it ignites a little competitive ember in my guts. It’s always there – ask my family. They reckon I’ve got issues, that I’ll make a contest out of anything. And I will. I’ll even make a trophy given half a chance, but that’s not about being competitive. It’s about making a trophy. You can de-sticker a stubby and engrave it: that’s a great trophy to make for something…

Growing up in Melbourne, I was always told that the Australian Open was golf’s ‘fifth major’. It had such a great history, so the case was persuasive. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had all regularly come down to play and all three had won the event. So I was sold. But, looking back now, that our Open was hailed as the fifth most important event in the game is hard to imagine. We believed it then though, because Greg Norman played every year and so did so many other iconic names of that era. It all made sense. The Australian Open, after all, was the biggest event in a country that has produced so many good and great golfers. It was one of the tournaments everyone wanted to…

There is only one sure way to play better than you ever have before this summer, and that’s to do things just a little bit differently. Bring your usual approach to your game and you can expect the usual results; but make even one or two smart improvements to your preparation, practice and play and you can start to break through your own personal performance barriers. We asked a group of top coaches to reveal the quickest and most effective ways to sharpen your approach leading into 2019. They have obliged with 32 welcome doses of advice covering equipment, technique, technology and course management. We hope this formidable package of information and enlightenment will help you take your game to the next level as you say goodbye to 2018 and…

Ian Poulter wasn’t supposed to be in the field at the 2017 Players Championship, let alone contending for the title. The Englishman had missed out on the FedExCup points required to earn his PGA Tour card after starting the season on a medical exemption and only in the field thanks to Brian Gay, who found himself in the same situation and uncovered a clerical error. Standing in the 72nd fairway attempting to put pressure on runaway leader Si Woo Kim, Poulter hit a shank – a shot he has struggled with throughout his career – into the trees and pine straw right of the fairway. “Oh, it was a full one. Yeah, it was a lovely one. It was a shank,” Poulter said of his second on the 18th hole…

SUITABILITY: The Z 785 driver is designed for better players who are looking to dial in their flight with adjustability and prefer a traditional look at address and more penetrating trajectory. The Z 585’s increased forgiveness, straight flight and higher trajectory make it suitable for a wide range of golfers. SHAFTS: The Z 785 and Z 585 come standard with Project X HZRDUS Red shafts, with a range of other premium shafts available. LEFT HANDED: Both models are available in right and left hand. COMPANY SAYS: The new Z Series woods present a revolution in performance, delivering the most powerful suite of offerings from Srixon. The full line of Z Series woods feature advanced materials to help amplify your long game. The Z Series drivers are designed to boost speed…

THE COURSE LOCATION: 619 Heatherton Rd, Clayton South, Victoria. CONTACT: (07) 9562 3811 WEBSITE: www.springvalleygolf.com.au DESIGNERS: Vern Morcom (1948), Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Clayton, Michael Cocking & Ashley Mead – OCCM (2011 and ongoing) SLOPE RATINGS: MEN: 128 (blue tees), 124 (white), 116 (green). WOMEN: 131 (red). PLAYING SURFACES: Santa Ana couch (fairways and tees), bentgrass and poa annua (greens). GREEN FEES: $110 (Visitors, 18 holes, weekdays), $130 (weekends). Typically there is limited availability for visitors on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. $75 (member’s guest). COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: David Phillips. PGA PROFESSIONALS: Martin Joyce, Anthony Smith, Daniel Griffin, Elissa Orr. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP: There are seven membership categories currently being offered at Spring Valley, including the top level full seven-day membership ($4,156), six-day membership ($3,517) as well as an Under-30…

When a ball is nestled down in thick, lush grass near the green it should not be treated the same way as a regular chip shot. Your normal swing will see the clubhead twisted and distorted when it enters the grass and, as a result, clean contact will not be made with the ball. With short shots like the one Phil Mickelson is playing here, you should approach the shot as though you are hitting from a bunker. Firstly, open your stance to the target. This will encourage a swing path across the target line and, combined with an open clubface, it will get the ball up and out of the deep grass quickly without any twisting of the clubhead. Another important aspect of a shot like this is to…

DRIVER: Titleist TS3 with 9.5° loft, fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei Orange CK 60TX shaft. 3-WOOD: Titleist 917F2 with 16.5° loft, with Matrix Ozik TP7HDe 7X shaft. HYBRID: Titleist 816 H2 with 21° loft, with Aldila Tour Green ATX85H TX shaft. IRONS: Titleist 716 T-MB (4-iron) and Titleist 718 AP2 (5-iron to pitching wedge), with Project X LZ 7.0 shafts. WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (52°-12° F Grind, 56°-14° F Grind, 60°-04° L Grind), with Project X LZ 7.0 shaft (52) and True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts (56 and 60). PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot XG No. 7. BALL: Titleist Pro V1x…

MODEL PLAYED: Cleveland RTX 4 (56°-10° Mid Grind), fitted with True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 shaft in Tour Satin finish. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I have always been a fan of Cleveland wedges – and carry the previous RTX 3 currently in my bag – so was excited to see the evolution of the RTX 4, which didn’t disappoint. Instantly, the influence of the company’s Tour players was recognisable, with a more compact head with less offset looking terrific behind the ball, helping to instil confidence that I wasn’t going to hit too many thin or fat around the greens. The face is noticeably rougher in texture, and unsurprisingly the spin off the face was higher than my own 56° wedge, and not just due to the age of the grooves. One…

MODEL PLAYED: Z 585, fitted with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 R shafts and Z 785, with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 S shafts. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Srixon always does a good job of producing forged players irons that look clean and simple, with a slightly unique twist. And the Z 785 follows the formula. Similarly, the 585 does as its preceding versions have, offering a look instantly recognisable as Srixon, in a slightly larger, confidence inspiring profile. Although following the lead of the previous models in looks, both struck me as having been slightly improved for each target player, the 785 slightly more compact behind the ball, while the 585 seemed to hide its forgiveness well for the player wanting a forged iron but still needing a little…

COUNTRY CLUB TASMANIA There are a variety of accommodation choices available at Country Club, from hotel rooms and five-star luxury suites to one-, two- and three-bedroom villas. The resort has a stay and play package (for two people) including 18 holes, bucket of driving range balls, continental breakfast and one nights’ four-star accommodation for $275. www.countryclubtasmania.com.au BARNBOUGLE Stay onsite in one of Barnbougle’s lodging options including the 3.5 star Cottages at The Dunes, the four-bed Bunker Villas, the two-bedroom Ocean Villas and the luxury golf lodge at Lost Farm. Regardless of your group size and budget, Barnbougle has an accommodation option to suit your needs. www.barnbougle.com.au RATHO FARM The accommodation at Ratho Farm consists of several old farm buildings lovingly restored into boutique rooms. Equipped with modern features but still…

1 Is it fair to say things haven’t quite gone to plan since the Masters in 2016? Yeah, I’d say it’s been very on and off. There have been a good few changes going on within the camp and I’ve started working with Sean Foley as my swing coach. Why Sean? Well, because when I wasn’t swinging well I started looking for answers. I ended up watching YouTube videos of other players’ swings that I liked and I came to the conclusion that the things that Sean Foley was doing would be a good fit for me, both professionally and personally. 2 What have you learnt from the challenges you’ve faced? I got to the stage at the end of 2016 where I just didn’t want to be playing golf,…