Innehållsförteckning för Feb 2023 - Issue 405 från Golf Australia

Together JAMES SUTHERLAND CEO Golf Australia The 2022 ISPS HANDA Australian Open was a triumph, in our view, which is not to say that it was perfect. We took a risk by staging our marquee event with a new format, but the positives far outweighed the negatives. We think it was a great week for Australian golf, with the Open coming back after two years of absence caused by the pandemic and the travel restrictions. The crowds (well above 50,000 for the week) were the biggest we have seen at an Open for more than a decade, since the 2011 edition at The Lakes when Tiger Woods played to massive galleries. The atmosphere generated was brilliant and it was fabulous to see the Open back on the Melbourne Sandbelt, with…

After more than a month without a sanctioned Tour event, the PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour get back underway in late January with four The Players Series events sandwiching the Vic Open at 13th Beach. The first cab off the rank for 2023 is the TPS Rosebud event hosted by Golf Australia magazine columnist Geoff Ogilvy from January 26-29. Played across a composite course at Rosebud Country Club on the city side of the Mornington Peninsula, the venue is one of the stars of the show at the event that pits men and women against each other from varied tees across 72 holes of strokeplay. Ogilvy’s own design firm OCM (Ogilvy, Cocking and Mead) are the consulting architects at Rosebud, which now boasts two courses in Australia’s…

Ten years in, how does your early content compare to what you produce now? The big difference now is that I understand what I’m doing! Back in the early days it was very much upload anything and see what happened. Now I still produce content I enjoy making, but we spend hours planning and filming. I have a team of four editors that go through every fine detail of every video. We look at analytics, we look at retention time and we create about 12 thumbnails per video! It’s grown into something that I’m very proud of and my audience seem to really appreciate and love the content too. Did it ever cross your mind that you might be this successful? No, it was all about getting clients through the…

TOPGOLF Famous for its high-tech driving ranges, where customers can compete with each other thanks to launch monitors in every bay on games and app-enabled tech. Callaway first invested in the chain in 2006 and owned a 14 percent interest in the company when it agreed to acquire the rest of it in late 2020 in a $2.5bn deal. It now has 71 locations in the USA, plus five outside the US. CALLAWAY Founded in 1992, Callaway has brought us some of the most iconic clubs, including the Big Bertha driver and Odyssey 2-Ball putters. They’re now a major player in balls, with a $50m investment in its factory to improve the Chrome Soft line, yielding significant growth in market share. TRAVISMATHEW Created 15 years ago by two Californian golf…

I think it’s fair to say the vast majority of club golfers head to the 1st tee with little or no confidence in themselves. Typically, any lingering self-belief is brittle at best, and tends to crumble at the first sign of trouble. I believe there are two key reasons why we tend to play the game in this state. The first is the way we practise golf. Golf remains the only sport where the training environment is not only decidedly different from the playing one, but also emphatically easier. We are hitting into a wide-open field, able to hit a sequence of uninterrupted shots, with no pressure or consequence. With the range environment so removed from the real game, it becomes relatively easy to find the centre of the face,…

Callaway’s latest offering of woods and irons is designed to offer golfers an option that no longer requires a trade-off between increased distance and forgiveness. Available around the country on the 24th of this month, the Paradym family includes three drivers, three fairways and two options in both hybrids and irons. The drivers focus on a complete shift in performance thanks to the complete removal of titanium from the body of the clubs. This move results in shifting of weight and stability to the limits of optimisation and forgiveness. A ‘360 Carbon Chassis’ promotes unprecedented weight redistribution for maximised distance, with a Triaxial Carbon crown and Forged Carbon sole that are 44 percent lighter than a titanium chassis. The weight savings relocated for increased moment of inertia (MOI). For increased…

PING is well and truly more than the putter company that it was when it originated in the garage of Karsten Solheim, the brand’s drivers building a dedicated following both on Tour and with recreational golfers. The latest offering – G430 – features three models that include unique designs for the target golfer, as well as common technologies used to increase distance and ball speed while maintaining the high forgiveness levels the category has come to expect from PING. Increased ball speed comes from a shallower and thinner VFT forged face design engineered with ‘Spinsistency’ that is a variable roll radius first used in the G425 fairway and hybrid. Meanwhile the feel is created by an internal rib structure. The MAX is the most forgiving option that will suit the…

There is arguably no bigger equipment story in the big brands’ development cycles than the biennial release of a new Pro V1 and Pro V1x from Titleist hitting the Tour then, subsequently, the retail shelves. The latest models – available around Australia from January 25 – come on the back of the 2021 version, which saw some of the most significant changes in the “No.1 Ball in Golf” for many iterations. Following such drastic changes, the Research and Development (R&D) team at Titleist were led by golfer feedback. “Longer distance is key, golfers are always telling us they want that,” Titleist Senior Manager, Golf Ball Product Manager Michael Fish told Golf Australia magazine. “Certainly, that was a focus for these two products when it came to the product brief delivered…

For the avid golfer, Melbourne’s south-east might best be described as paradise. From the world-famous Sandbelt layouts to the spectacular fairways of the Mornington Peninsula further to the south, the region has a plethora of incredible courses seemingly at every turn. One of the most recent additions to the eastern edge of the Sandbelt is the Sandhurst Club – a 36-hole golf complex just 40 minutes’ drive from the CBD. The idea for Sandhurst was conceived nearly three decades ago and over the few years that followed, the plan morphed into a project that ultimately saw the creation of a master-planned community – now home to more than 5,200 residents – with two championship standard golf courses, modern clubhouse, a training facility and a PGA of Australia Centre for Learning…

South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is a step closer to becoming one of the world’s ‘bucket-list’ golf destinations with construction now underway on the island’s $20 million course, The Cliffs. With breathtaking views atop 500-million-year-old cliffs overlooking the Southern Ocean, The Cliffs Kangaroo Island is predicted to be South Australia’s next world-class tourism attraction. The course will inject an estimated additional $30 million into the state’s annual tourism expenditure, and is expected to draw upwards of 40,000 tourists from across the globe in its first year. Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison said The Cliffs Kangaroo Island “adds another dimension” to the island’s tourism offering, adding it would “no doubt soon become a must-play for golfers far and wide”. “Importantly, thousands of out-of-state visitors expected to play at The Cliffs will inject…

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WELCOME TO THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN GOLF A BRAND-NEW RANKING OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN THE GAME DURING THE PAST YEAR… INFLUENCENoun; The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself. According to the R&A, there are around 66.6 million golfers in the world – and every single one of them has, in some way, been influenced by people on this list – the first ranking of its kind. Whether you’ve bought a dozen balls, a new driver, watched a clip on YouTube, shared a Tweet, liked an Instagram post or played a top course, the reach of the 100 people on the following pages is simply staggering. Of course, the…

What inspired you to get involved in women’s golf? I have a son and a daughter at home and we always try to create equal opportunities for them. And just to see that not being the same in my professional world, there was possibly a little bit of guilt there. When everyone was going through Covid, the PGA Tour resumed without too much disruption and certainly without any pay cuts. That was a moment where I had to take a broader look at the game of golf and I realised that the opportunity wasn’t there across the board for the women. Their schedule had been decimated, sponsors had walked away and it felt like they needed some support. Kate came across Liz Young’s story, how she was trying to rally…

There are shots that you face only occasionally from round to round, and as a result if you don’t know how to play them well it can really have a negative impact on your score. Women’s Open and Australian Open Champion Ashleigh Buhai is one of the best ball-strikers in the women’s game so it is rare to see her too far from the fairway. But when she ventured into the bare, sandy rough of the Melbourne Sandbelt, she was up to the task of getting her ball back in play without too much fuss. Here, during the final round of the Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club, the South African was faced with a typically sandy lie in the rough but still with a chance to get her approach…

The top-ranked public access course on the Australian mainland now offers luxury accommodation overlooking the fantastic layout. Designed by Tom Doak, St Andrews Beach lies in the heart of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and offers easily accessible world-class golf, as well as on-course accommodation. The St Andrews Beach Apartments is a modern double storey two-bedroom accommodation facility perched on the edge of the course and is equipped to cater to a maximum of eight guests. Ideal for family holidays, a couple’s retreat, or golfing enthusiasts, the fully self-contained villas feature open plan design and contemporary furnishings, with balconies overlooking the course’s exclusive practice areas. Each apartment is fully air-conditioned with a fully-equipped kitchen, European-style laundry and luxury bedrooms with modern furnishings and built-in robes. Catering to any configuration, including couples, families,…

With a winning combination of excellent accommodation, a bustling foodie scene and jaw-dropping natural beauty, it’s no wonder the Coffs Coast has long been a popular holiday destination. The Coffs Coast is the only place in NSW where the Great Diving Range meets the ocean… home to a rich ecosystem including world-heritage National Parks, State Forests, Flora Reserves and the Solitary Islands Marine Park, the oldest of its kind in the state. The region also boasts sites of great significance to the traditional owners of this land, the Gumbaynggirr People. In 2021 the Coffs Coast was globally recognised as an ECO Destination … celebrated for its diverse cultural community, committed to balancing sustainable practices with first-class, nature-based visitor experiences. It is NSW’s first ECO destination. NATURE ESCAPES Love the outdoors?…

Srixon’s Soft Feel golf balls have become one of the most popular in golf, and despite that fact, the Japanese brand continues to work to improve the model that is into its 13th iteration. The performance benefits combining soft feel, as the name suggests, with distance and spin around the greens are achieved via a ‘FastLayer Core’, ‘Speed Dimple’ pattern and a soft, thin cover. “The consistent love for the Soft Feel has been tremendous and with each generation, this being our 13th, we’ve tried to incorporate new ways of providing golfers a softer feel that’s unmatched in a low-compression option,” Product Manager at Srixon Amelia DeLazzer said. “This is our softest FastLayer Core to date. It’s a core that is soft in the centre and firms up on the…

FEBRUARY 2, 1992 Seve Ballesteros’ journey into golf is the stuff of legend. As a child, he would hit 3-irons on the beach near his home in Pedrena, Spain, because he wasn’t allowed on the local golf course. He played every shot imaginable with that one club, which sowed the seeds of shot-making creativity that would yield 90 professional wins worldwide, including five major championships. In 1992, he returned to that beach with legendary golf photographer David Cannon to recreate where he hit his first golf shots. A week later, he won his 46th European Tour title at the Dubai Desert Classic, defeating Northern Ireland’s Ronan Rafferty with a birdie on the second sudden death play-off hole.…

For many of you reading this, you’re probably happy just getting your ball out of a bunker in one shot and having it land anywhere on the green. But if you can spend some time working on your bunker shot setup and consistently getting shots out of the sand, you will realise bunker shots are not that difficult and you will be keen to get those recovery shots closer to the hole. There are two ways you can effectively control the distance of your bunker shots. You can make the same length swing each time but take more or less sand. Or, you can take the same amount of sand but shorten or lengthen your swing. Of these two options, it is much easier to control how the ball flies…

Graham Papworth is one of Australia’s more underrated golf course architects. And given the quality of his design at Noosa Springs on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, it is hard to understand why. Papworth learned his trade working for designer Ross Watson and, later, the Watson and Graham Marsh partnership. He spent nine years honing his skills on projects, which included The Vines and Secret Harbour in Western Australia as well as NSW’s Terrey Hills and Horizons layouts. A common thread linking these four courses is each design incorporates a residential development within, or around, the boundaries but offsets this with a naturally occurring landscape for golf. In fact, Papworth’s design philosophy is to place holes to suit and retain existing natural features. “When the playing strategy of the hole suits the…

TaylorMade’s P•700 series offers irons for a range of golfers from the Tour to the social player, with three update models – P•770, P•7MC, P•7MB – joining the P•790 in the range. Built on the family focus pillars of feel, craftsmanship and performance the new models have been refined to improve performance and aesthetics from the brand favoured by the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson. The P·770 features a compact, Tour proven shape with a thinner top line, less offset in long irons and a shorter blade length when compared to P·790. A hollow-body construction and forged L-Face help increase distance, forgiveness and feel in a smaller head. A progressive centre of gravity (CG), known as ‘FLTD CG’, moves the CG lower in the long irons…

If you are a dedicated golfer, you know all too well the cruelling issue of back pain, while also appreciating the importance of posture both on the course and off it. The Ironback aims to improve posture, and subsequently ball striking, as well as relieving back pain thanks a safer and more athletic position. Developed following an injury suffered playing rugby union with the help of chiropractors and physiotherapists, the Ironback is worn against the skin and under a shirt, anchoring to the biceps to pull the shoulders up and back to activate the shoulder blades. Offered in a range of sizes, the training aid is lightweight and made from breathable, non-restrictive fabric. Delivering gentle feedback rather than harsh retraining of body positions developed after years of golf, the Ironback…

Cost: US$559 (custom). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The intrigue in this putter came about, like so many things in equipment, from the Tour. Adam Scott might not be rated highly as a putter (stats prove that a misconception) but for those of us who still favour the unanchored broomstick, what he is putting with is always worth paying attention to. Scott played much of 2022 with a L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 putter, the horseshoe shape and rearward shaft entry making the putter standout. Taking a look at the putters in the flesh over the summer of golf, with players like Brett Rumford and Blake Collyer also putting them in play, the unique shape is easy to get past once experiencing the stability on…

Cost: $239 per iron (steel shafts), $269 per iron (graphite). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When a company maintains a line name, or in this case adds a ‘MKII’, it is reasonable to think that there hasn’t been a great change from one to the next. And in the case of Srixon and its forged ZX range, why would they? The previous model was popular on Tour and although a smaller player in the iron game in Australia, was popular at the retail level. However, the quick switch from the brand’s Tour players to the new models suggests this is a significant refinement project from Srixon. It is hard to disagree with the three irons, plus a utility, all maintaining the best parts…