Innehållsförteckning för January 2016 från Golf Australia

THE Emirates Australian Open provided another exciting finish with Matt Jones claiming the trophy and realising a childhood dream. Outside the ropes there was also growing excitement at the possibility that, sooner rather than later, our national championship will join the Australian PGA Championship and Perth International as part of the European Tour schedule. Chatting to various players, who currently play in irregular OneAsia tournaments, they have their fingers crossed the Open follows suit as it will give them another opportunity to grab a playing card on one of the world’s two main Tours while playing in front of home crowds. At a press conference during the Australian Open, Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt was reluctant to openly commit to OneAsia “for the next four or five years” saying the…

1. When did you first shoot under par? I was 12 years old and shot 71 at a short course in northern Michigan. The first time I shot under par at my home club, Kansas City Country Club, was when I was 13 and I shot 67. That was a special day. 2. Best shot of your career? The shot I’m most proud of is the 2-iron at Birkdale in 1983 on the final hole. The chips were down and I made it easy on myself by hitting a perfect 2-iron to 15 feet. 3. One mulligan you’d like to have? At 2009 on the last hole, I would wait until the wind died a little bit. I hit the shot the way I wanted to, but the outcome wasn’t…

I WATCHED the 2015 Australian Masters held at Huntingdale Golf Club and to my delight watched Peter Senior win.This was a tournament played on a course at which members can play off back tees and where the whole professional field has a chance at winning. Golf course designers have for more than 20 years [since Tiger Woods turned pro] have been attempting to “Tiger-proof” golf courses by building 8,000 yard monsters. All that has achieved is it has taken a lot of the fun out of golf for the average player. Huntingdale showed how to “Tiger-proof” a golf course. You don’t build an 8000 yard monster with four inches of lush rough where the Tigers of the golf circuit only have to beat 20 or so of the field. Huntingdale…

Golf historians in Melbourne are excited at the surfacing of a scrapbook belonging to R.A.A. Balfour Melville, one of the leading players in colonial Victoria 120 years ago and an influential figure in the establishment of golf in Victoria. While his given names were Robert Andrew Agnew, friends claimed the initials stood for Royal & Ancient, and he was a member of that club, as was his older brother, Leslie. In 1895 the two did something that brothers may never achieve again – R.A.A. won the Australian Amateur Championship at the original Royal Melbourne course at Caulfield and Leslie won the British title at St Andrews. Perhaps closest to this feat is Tasmanian Peter Toogood beating his brother John in the final of the Australian Amateur at Royal Adelaide in…

When you make forecasts in anything, it’s a case of laying it on the line and exposing your inner Nostradamus. Our predictions for 2015 included some we nailed (thank you, Jason Day!) and some that were well wide of the mark. Here’s a brief recap: THE HITS • Jason Day wins his first major at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. • Chris Como simultaneously holds golf’s most coveted and most high-pressure job as he commences his first full year as Tiger Woods’ swing coach. Their union lasts the season but fails to cultivate the most-cherished outcome: a 15th major championship. • Rory McIlroy settles his legal wrangle with his former management company before the scheduled court date in a bid to focus on the majors season. • Perth’s Minjee…

Until last year, it was all too easy to dismiss Rickie Fowler as a likeable lad, helping the game appeal to youngsters but unlikely to ever cause much of a stir on the Sunday afternoon of a Major. He was the kid in orange, trailed by dozens of adolescent wannabes sporting identikit flat-peaked luminous Puma caps. The relaxed Californian looked like he’d be more at home on the white sands of a surfer’s beach than in the white sands of Augusta’s bunkers. Last year changed all that. Finishing in the top five of all four Majors – including second-place finishes at The Open and US Open – showed he has what it takes to mix it with the big boys. “2014 was a big step in the right direction for…

ONE of the undisputed stars of BBL05 is big-hitting opening batsman Aaron Finch. The 29-year-old, who holds the T20 world record for most runs made in a single innings with 156, is not just a cricket master blaster but bludgeons a golf ball in much the same manner. In between BBL matches, representing Australia or Victoria, Finch can be found on a golf course somewhere. Golf Australia magazine caught up with him, during the Australian Masters pro-am, to ask about his golfing life. GA: I understand you’re a late starter to golf but have now embraced it to the point of being a tragic about the game? FINCH: I’ve only being playing for a couple of years but it’s a game I really love. It’s such a challenge and a…

TWIN HYBRIDS: 816H1 & 816H2 Engineered using the best hybrid technology in the game, the new Titleist 816H1 and 816H2 models utilise Active Recoil Channel and Ultra-Thin Face technology to generate high speed and low spin for long distance. A high-moment-of-inertia design increases speed across the face for more forgiveness on off-centre hits, while the optimised centre of gravity increases launch and trajectory for more shot-stopping control. Trusted by Tour pros around the world, 816 hybrids offer a high performance choice over long irons by providing more speed, higher launch and a steeper landing angle to help players hold the green and stop the ball closer to the pin. The 816H hybrids provide the most precise fit Titleist has ever offered with two models, loft choices every two degrees and…

WHERE TO PLAY Dunes Golf & Beach Club: www.thedunesclub.net Heritage Club: www.heritageclubmyrtlebeach.com True Blue: www.fishclub.com Caledonia Golf & Fish Club: www.fishclub.com WHERE TO STAY Myrtle Beach complements its golf offerings with a diverse range of premier accommodation options that are available over the entire Grand Strand – near the chosen courses, set inland or in full view of the wide beaches. Additionally, accommodation choices are plentiful for those on a budget. Luxury Inlet Sports Lodge: www.inletsportslodge.com Marina Inn at Grande Dunes: www.marinainnatgrandedunes.com Mid-Price Island Vista: www.islandvista.com Anderson Ocean Club: www.oceanaresorts.com/anderson Economy Beach Cove: www.beachcove.com Caravelle Resort: www.thecaravelle.com CLIMATE One of the greatest assets of the Myrtle Beach area, the weather offers mild winters and bearable summer temperatures. With an average low of 13°…

The charm of playing golf in Italy is an open secret. In a country with stunning landscapes and a rich and ancient culture, it is always a delight to go exploring beyond the courses as well. PaR NZ Golfing Holidays has hosted four tours through Italy over the past 11 years, playing courses near Rome, Florence, Milan, Como and – to many travellers’ delight – Venice. Each course and club has its own distinctive character, challenges and surprises. The fifth Italian Golf Adventure begins on September 27 and travels from Rome to Florence, Venice,Torino before finishing in Lake Como.The tour takes in nine of Italy’s best courses – Castelgandolfo Golf Club, Circolo del Golf di Roma Acquasanta, Circolo Le Pavoniere, Poggio Dei Medici, Circolo Golf Venezia, Royal Park I Roveri,…

and he was able to get up and down for his birdie and he had the lead by himself again. Another birdie followed at the tough par-4 16th and his lead was two, but only momentarily as Scott two-putted for a birdie on 18 to set a new clubhouse mark at seven under. Jones needed to par his final two holes to win. Another hooked drive into the wood chips bordering the left of the 17th fairway raised the stress levels for Jones’ large legion of family and friends following him in the gallery. But his escape from a wicked sandy lie ran through the back of the green and he chipped and putted for par. There was more tension to follow, though, as Spieth threw everything at a successful…

NOVEMBER PHOTO CAPTION COMPETITION We had some funny entries to our photo of Chris Doak hitting out of the Swilcan Burn at St Andrews with some dirty effects.The best entry according to our judges came from Ian Kennedy of Rosebery,NSW,with:“Here stands Chris Doak, in Swilcan Burn playing a stroke, without wearing a protective cloak … poor bloke.” Congratulations Ian, you win a pair of adidas Tour 360X shoes worth $149. NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY New and renewing subscribers to Golf Australia in November were entered into a draw to win one of four Eagles & Birdies golf bags.The four winners randomly drawn were: Amanda Burfit of Forresters Beach, NSW; Shane Coutts of Katherine, NT; Paul Egan of Glenroy, NSW and Allan Stephen, of Highland Park, Qld. 0golf Australia We’re on Facebook. Like…

GIVEN what we have recently learned about what goes on in the murky world of track and field athletics – and a little further back, in cycling – the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is clearly a problem that has long been with us. But what about golf? Is there something we should know about? Is the game polluted by the same stench that has engulfed the runners, throwers, jumpers and bikers? While there have been a couple of dodgy-looking but ultimately explainable incidents involving Vijay Singh (deer antler spray) and PGA Tour journeyman Doug Barron (beta blockers), little or no hard evidence has emerged of golfers indulging in anything illicit. But that is no reason for complacency. Long before pharmaceutical products scarred the sporting landscape, the relationship between…

LATE last year the design company Geoff Ogilvy and I have with Mike Cocking and Ashley Mead was fortunate to win the job to rebuild the Shady Oaks course in Fort Worth,Texas. The course was designed and built by Robert Trent-Jones in 1958 but the fame of the club is almost entirely due to the fact Ben Hogan was a member and came to the club almost every day he was at home. There is a short nine-hole course in the centre of the property with a single small oak tree up by the 18th tee on the main course and most days from the shade of the tree Hogan would relentlessly fire off perfect shots into the middle of the short course. There is a practice putting green out…

INSIDE THE 2016 TOP-100 RANKING RANKING golf courses is not an exact science.While our stringent criteria and voting guidelines provided to our panellists establish benchmarks, the beauty really can be in the eye of the beholder when it comes to courses.This is something that really should be celebrated. Considering that subjectivity, I’m sure our list will prompt plenty of debate. That said, the Golf Australia approach we believe produces a true golfer’s guide you can rely on to plan future visits and inspire you to get out and play what is the cream of Australian golf. And that’s what you will find over the following pages … the best of the best. In fact, 146 courses received votes from our judges but, obviously, only the top-100 is published here. It…

Know when to attack off the tee I try to be smart when there’s a ‘laying up’ opportunity from the tee. If there’s not much of an area to put it in with the driver then I trust my irons off the tee, especially if it is a front pin that day. You’ve got to just get a good number. It’s so much easier hitting the fairway than trying to squeeze it up there as far as you can. Aim properly Aligning yourself exactly where your eyes are looking is next to impossible to do naturally. Laying down alignment rods on the range helps, but it can then be tough on the course. I set the clubhead behind the ball with just my right hand, with the face aiming at…

WHAT OUR TESTER SAID: ''There’s a nice soft feel off the clubface, which is what I’m after.You can’t put into words how good they feel off the face.'' MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Mizuno MP-25 4-iron to pitching wedge, fitted with stiff-flex steel shafts. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: They’re nice-looking clubs.The topline view is very good, which is what I’m big on, and the feel is really great. I like the lie angle at address of these irons – exactly what I’m looking for in a club. VERDICT: Impact with the Mizuno MP-25s feels great.There’s a nice soft feel off the clubface, which is what I’m after.You can’t put into words how good they feel off the face.This set strikes me as a nice compromise between blades and more forgiving irons – you…

This is the scene. It’s a hot and humid June afternoon at Myrtle Beach airport in South Carolina, and after loading my golf clubs and luggage into the back of my hire car, I drive south on Highway 17, along the 60-mile stretch of coastline known as the Grand Strand. Situated at the northern end, is the Vegas-like atmosphere of Myrtle Beach itself with its sizzling nightlife, shopping malls the size of small towns and endless giant billboards advertising seafood buffets, live shows and theatre. Located only a dozen or so miles further south, but feeling like a world away are the tranquil enclaves of Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island and Georgetown that still retain their 19th-century rhythms. One common denominator is that there are around 100 championship golf courses located…

You will share the warmth of Howlong hospitality when you stay at The Howlong Golf Resort. The Resort overlooks the golf course, bowling greens, tennis court and pro shop. We offer modern units located in a quiet setting off the highway. There is also an in ground pool, outdoor spa, kids play ground and a tennis court - not to mention we are just 50 meters from the Club with fine dining seven days a week. Howlong Golf Resort operates 2 separate dining options. The Happy Lotus Chinese restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays) for lunch and dinner. Our famous Chinese & Seafood Smorgasbord is on every Wednesday and Saturday nights with bookings available from 5:30pm. The Windmill Bistro & Café is open for lunch 7 days and…

GREG Norman inspired an entire generation of young Australian golfers to dream that they too could win tournaments on the world stage. Adam Scott, Karrie Webb, Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy all point to Norman as the motivation that led them to golf and, ultimately, a successful professional career. Now you can add Matt Jones to that list. As a 15-year-old, Jones was a regular fixture around The Australian Golf Club. You would either find him on the practice fairway with his coach, Gary Barter, or on the putting green, grooving his stroke. At a place where so much of the history of the Emirates Australian Open has been written, the young Jones set the wheels in motion on a career that would take him to America, the…

JORDAN Spieth is one of the best putters in the world. He misses putts like all of us but he has developed a system to help him put under pressure … and the proof that it works is in his results. “This year was fantastic for putting in big stages and I really found a couple of ways to cope mentally with the added pressure,” the World No.1 said,“especially on shorter putts and putts that I have to have a tendency, whether to leave the face open or what not and I did part of that by looking at the hole, I did part of it by lining the ball up, it just depended on where it was. “I just kind of discovered these techniques on what I felt worked…

FORMER European Challenge Tour player Romain Bechu is making a name as one of the world’s best trick shot artists. Here, he’s seemingly got a golf ball on a string. 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 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 ENTER: Visit www.golfaustralia.com.au and click on…

WITH two PGA Tour of Australasia events – the Australian PGA and Perth International – now part of the European Tour schedule, speculation appears to be growing that it will only be a matter of time now before the Australian Open joins the fold. The Open is the only Australian-based tournament that remains co-sanctioned with embattled OneAsia after the Australian PGA dropped off the schedule and joined with the European Tour. When asked if Golf Australia’s link with OneAsia would continue for the “next four or five years or so”, CEO Stephen Pitt replied “it’s hard to look at for the next four or five years because it’s a dynamic area … there’s a lot going on around Tours.” “It the moment we are looking at some of those things…

LAST month I talked about the three shots I’d most like to hit one more time. Hopefully, it struck a chord with anyone who read it. Let’s face it, if you play golf long enough you are inevitably going to hit that really awful shot at just the wrong moment. We’re all human and we all make mistakes, especially under pressure. I’m reminded of the commentary the late Dave Marr provided during the 1984 Open Championship at St Andrews. Just after Tom Watson struck his approach to the 71st hole – the infamous Road Hole – against the wall behind the green, the 1965 US PGA champion summed it up by saying: “The wrong shot with the wrong club at the wrong time.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.…

By any measure, the 2015 season produced an unending sequence of extraordinary golf. From four outrageously good majors in the men’s game (and a new Australian major champion and World No.1 in Jason Day) to a nip-and-tuck battle for supremacy in the women’s game and fireworks of varying kinds at the Solheim and Presidents cups, it was a year that perhaps won’t be topped in a hurry. Or will it? So what does the game have waiting backstage for its next act? That’s the job of this feature, to gaze into the crystal ball and reveal the plot and the lead characters. THE HOME FRONT * Jason Day returns to compete in his homeland after skipping 2015 entirely and duly wins the Australian Open at Royal Sydney. * The Perth…

DESIGN (60%) Judges were instructed to ask the following questions to themselves to determine where a course stands in the list. • Is there a balance of par-3s, 4s & 5s? • Is there a good variety of long and short par-4s? • Is risk-and-reward a factor on many holes? • How fair is the course for all players? • Does the design offer a wide selection of shots based on length of holes and routing of holes bringing any variation of wind direction into play? • How memorable are individual holes and the course as a whole? CONDITION (20%) Judges were instructed to consider: • The overall condition of playing surfaces. Take into consideration elements out of control of course staff, like drought, bushfire and flood. • Are the…

1. Brendan James (Golf Australia editor) 2. Steve Keipert (Golf Australia deputy editor) 3. Joe Thomas (Golf Australia reader) 4. Lucas Andrews (Golf Australia reader) 5. Felicity Chapman (Golf Australia reader) 6. Susan Johnson (Golf Australia reader) 7. Jacqui Lee (Golf Australia reader) 8. James King (Golf Australia reader) 9. Scott Nielsen (Golf Australia reader) 10. Michael Clayton (Golf Australia columnist, course designer) 11. Bob Harrison (Course designer) 12. James Wilcher (Course designer) 13. Richard Chamberlain (Course designer) 14. Phillip Baird (PGA professional) 15. Matthew Mollica (Course design connoisseur) 16. Alex Cleave (Course design connoisseur) 17. Shane Gurnett (Course design connoisseur) 18. Andrew Presnell (Course design connoisseur) 19. Craig Read (Course design connoisseur) 20. Scott Warren (Course design connoisseur) 21. Matt Laverty (Matt Laverty Corporate Golf) 22. Cameron Howell (PGA…

1 The course, where possible, should be arranged in two loops of nine holes. 2 There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes, two or three drive and pitch holes, and at least four one-shot holes. 3 There should be little walking between the greens and the tees and the course should be arranged so that in the first instance there is always a slight walk forwards from the green to the next tee; then the holes are sufficiently elastic to be lengthened in the future if necessary. 4 The greens and the fairways should be sufficiently undulating but there should be no hill climbing. 5 Every hole should have a different character. 6 There should be a minimum of blindness for the approach shots. 7 The course…

MAKE IT FUN & YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE GOLF THE SINGLE most important factor required to develop a young hearts passion for golf is, FUN. There are many bridges a coach or parent can build that allow a young child to cross in order to cement a life-long interest before any technique building begins. Some of these include: • Motivation • Laughter • Praise • Encouragement • Incentives • Easier, more fun equipment The angle of attack in this sometimes-difficult task is to allow your child to enjoy what the sport offers before teaching them the various techniques. One must remember, young minds cannot always compute that strange feelings = better form = better results. Furthermore, the natural form a young child demonstrates is often the very technique many of…

As a youngster I was told “Aim at your target.” I spent ages getting my feet, hips and shoulders aiming at the pin… unaware the advice was flawed, and I was grooving a problem for myself. It was only when I saw that famous image of the golfer on railway tracks that I twigged that only my clubface should aim at the flag, and that my body should aim parallel to the target, not at it.“Aim at your target” is one of a series of well-intentioned but damaging instructions we golfers are regularly exposed to. Here, I expose six of the most common... and explain what you should do instead. MYTH 1 ‘Trail knee holds its position in the backswing’ At address your knees should be naturally and comfortably flexed,…

Whether you visit Myrtle Beach as a golfing group, a couple or a family, there’s a plethora of things to do away from the fairways... • For great views of Myrtle Beach and beyond, take a scenic helicopter ride or soar into the sky on the east coast’s only 200-foot SkyWheel. • Wander paths abloom with azalea and honeysuckle beneath ancient oaks draped with Spanish moss at Brookgreen Gardens, and check out the largest collection of American sculpture in the country or board a pontoon boat for a guided tour of the marshes, home to alligator and waterfowl. • Visit the main beach in town, which is wide, white and dotted with umbrellas and spend an afternoon reading, enjoying a cold beer and floating in the warm Gulf Stream waters.…

Veteran touring pro Rod Pampling had all but brought the shutters down on his Australian Open campaign after three rounds. Sitting at four over, he was 14 shots behind leader Matt Jones and unlikely to figure in the end result, so the Queenslander enjoyed a relaxing Saturday night out with his caddie and a former caddie. “My old caddie, Simon was down from Penrith and we went out with Brendan my caddie now and we just had a couple of Bundies,” ‘Pamps’ smiled. “It was nothing major, just a couple of nice social drinks, which I normally don’t drink during the tournament but I hadn’t seen him for a while and at four over you really didn’t think much was going on.” There wasn’t much going on after one hole…