Innehållsförteckning för February 2016 från Golf Monthly

Typing this editor's letter at the end of December, it seems appropriate to look back at the golfing year that has just passed. On a personal note, I managed to get back down to a handicap of 7, but the highlight of my year was three amazing days in late September playing in the Highlands (Dornoch, Nairn and Castle Stuart) where the sun shone and the Firth was like a millpond. I didn't play especially well, but the score becomes a little irrelevant when you're in golfing heaven. The lowlight? That came a few weeks ago when I fell into a muddy stream at Liphook GC while trying to retrieve my dog (it's a long story) and had to play the last six holes soaking and covered in mud! The…

What might have been The challenge for many amateur golfers is that life simply gets in the way. Take away the children, the job, the costs and the challenges of age and layer on a healthy dollop of coaching and golf psychology. We would all be tour pros… wouldn't we? That was the question jamielaing posed to the forum as he lamented giving up golf aged 19 and reflected on what could have been. Keeno was the first to reply, with a huge degree of humility served with a soupçon of tongue in cheek: “I think I would have won The Masters by now.” A collection of early posters felt that, with the right time and resources, a place on one of the feeder tours, such as the Challenge or…

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Photography Kevin Murray Well, we've finally come to the end of the 2015 European Tour season, and I've finally returned to Australia for the festive period. It's been another great year on the circuit, featuring a whole host of memorable tournaments and storylines. A number of those came during the season-ending four-tournament stretch, the Finals Series. We started the Final Series in Turkey, and I think it was great that Victor Dubuisson won. Walking the golf course with him, it was unbelievable the way he acted. He was behind all the way and it was incredible the way he conducted himself. He looked comfortable in that situation. I think he's one of those guys who will continue to play well in a certain place, as he's proved with his two…

Jason Day talks us through some of the final moments at Whistling Straits and describes what it took to finally get over the line in a Major Championship. My favourite moment with Jordan Spieth on Sunday was on 11. He hits a good drive, about 300 yards. Then I absolutely crush it 382 yards down the fairway. He gets up to his shot laughing his head off. He says: “Holy s---! Do you know where you hit your ball?” I just gave him a little bicep curl. Fearful thoughts pop in. I don't care who you are – Tiger in his prime, Rory, Jordan, me. At one point on Sunday I was thinking what I'd say at the trophy presentation. And on 18 I was thinking 'don't hook it left'.…

Andy Sullivan says he feels ten feet tall. He's 5ft 9 and 3/4 inches. The fraction seems important. Professional sport is all about fractions. And weighing in at just 72kg (or a touch over 11st in old money), the 28-year-old's diminutive appearance doesn't give the first impression that here is an elite sportsman. He is sitting on a leather sofa in the clubhouse of the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Club in Belek on the eve of the Turkish Airlines Open in November. With his cheeky chappy grin, wide-eyed boyish enthusiasm and scraggy Bob Dylan beatnik beard, Sullivan could be mistaken for a shelf stacker in a supermarket. Which is just what he was doing five years ago at Asda in Nuneaton to supplement his income as an amateur golfer. He…

In the opening singles of the 1979 Ryder Cup at The Greenbrier, the Americans sent out Lanny Wadkins. He'd won four of four to that stage and had been undefeated in the 1977 matches. The general consensus was a nailed-on point for the home side. Scotland's Bernard Gallacher had other ideas and outplayed Wadkins to win by 3&2. In 1995 Gallacher faced his old pal Wadkins again, this time as opposing captains. The prognosis was similar to their individual encounter: Wadkins was sure to emerge victorious. But, once again, Gallacher hadn't read the script. After narrow US victories at Kiawah Island in 1991 and The Belfry in 1993, the American media had returned to doom mongering about the future of the contest in the run-up to the 1995 matches at…

1954 ROYAL BIRKDALE Having finished 6th, 2nd and 2nd in his first three Opens, victory was surely only a matter of time. He recorded rounds of 72, 71 and 69 to tie Dai Rees and Syd Scott for the lead. A sand save on 16 would then prove crucial as Thomson went on to win by one with a closing 71. 1955 ST ANDREWS 1955 was a year of Open firsts – the first time the Road Hole was played as a par 4 and the first time the champion walked away with a four-figure cheque. Thomson was that champion, bouncing back from a double at the 14th in the final round with a birdie on 15 for a two-shot victory. 1956 ROYAL LIVERPOOL Thomson made it three in a…

with Nick Bonfield | Photography Kevin Murray What’s in my bag Driver: Callaway Great Big Bertha (8.5°) Fairways: Callaway X2 Hot Pro (15°), Big Bertha Alpha 816 (18°), Heavenwood (20°) Irons: Callaway Apex Pro (4-9) Wedges: Callaway X Forged (48°, 54°, 58°) Putter: Odyssey Works Tank 2-Ball Fang Shoe: FJ HyperFlex All the great chippers on tour return the shaft to the same position at impact as it was at address. Most of the top players don't have much forward lean, and even the ones who do definitely return the shaft to the same point at impact – they certainly don't add any more angle. This allows them to play a wider variety of shots. If you start leaning the shaft, you basically take all the technology and advances with…

SHAFT OPTIONS The stock steel shaft is the True Temper Dynamic Gold Key technology Mizuno's Channel Back design keeps a level of thickness low behind the central impact point. This delivers blade-like feel while allowing weight to be relocated to different parts of the head, increasing stability and performance on off-centre strikes. The head is slightly larger than a traditional blade and, through the set, the design is progressive to offer optimum performance. The channel is positioned slightly higher in the short irons for a more penetrating flight and slightly lower in the long irons to improve launch. Will suit Competent players who prioritise a soft feel at impact, workability and a compact look at address. GM verdict There won't be many sets that look as good in your bag…

Mizuno doesn't make bad irons. In fact, it doesn't make anything but very good irons. When the MP-25 and MP-5 models were launched earlier this year, Mizuno appeared to improve on perfection. I tested both soon after the launch, and while I could see a shiny set of either sitting comfortably in my bag, the MP-25s edged it for me due to the hotter feel and marginally more forgiveness. Ever since, I've been badgering Mizuno to let me come and get fitted for a set down at the Performance Fitting Centre at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club, one of 14 special venues across the UK. I also wanted to try out the Mizuno Swing DNA fitting system I had heard so many good things about, which uses both shaft- and wedge-optimiser…

Photography Kevin Murray Rob Smith, who oversees the GM course rankings, explains why various golfing publications produce best-of lists that are so different… In the last ten years, the Golf Monthly team has worked extremely hard to refine and establish a robust and trustworthy method for producing the Top 100 and Next 100 rankings. These are widely recognised both by clubs and by golfers. During that decade, we have also ironed out a few anomalies in the rankings that date back to when the process was in its infancy and, to be honest, more hit and miss. This has resulted in an increasingly stable Top 100 with fewer fluctuations and just four new entries in the latest compilation. Despite making the rankings as objective as possible, we never claim that…

Letter of the Month will receive a year’s supply (six dozen) of the best Titleist golf ball for their game Photography Getty Images, David Cruickshanks Time to say goodbye? Tiger Woods' recent comments about his injury suggest that we may finally be seeing the curtain come down on his glorious career. I, for one, am looking forward to wishing him a happy retirement so we can all concentrate on the fine crop of current golfers we have to entertain us today. Don't get me wrong, I have loved watching Tiger take the game to a new level over the past two decades. I just feel the recent sideshow of injuries and comebacks is starting to take the gloss off his achievements and steal the limelight from players who deserve it…

It’s been quite a tough year for you – what have you been doing to try and turn that form around and what are your main aims over the next few months? Obviously there is a lot of work to be done, I know that. A tough year like this brings different things – some are technical, some are mental. If you are struggling sometimes it goes a little to the mental side, so you have to work on a bit of both. My season will basically re-start in Abu Dhabi next year. So I do have time. I need to improve those few technical things before Abu Dhabi. How confident are you that, in years to come, you will look back and think this period made you much stronger…

Photography Mark Newcombe, shot on location at Oceanico Amendoeira, Portugal Unlike with the greenside bunker shot, which you play with plenty of knee flex, the fairway bunker shot is all about maintaining your height for a clean strike. But before we get into the technique, remember that you must take a club with enough loft. Being greedy, hitting a good shot and firing it into the face is one of the most frustrating mistakes you can make! Start by moving your hands down the grip a fraction. Then stand a little taller than usual at address. Both of these elements are designed to bring the bottom of the swing arc up a fraction to ensure you catch the ball before the sand. Finally, make sure your leg action doesn’t get…

Photography Paul Severn So, what do I make of my 2015 campaign? Well, I'd say I've learned more this year than I have in any other year of my career. It's definitely been disappointing in terms of results over the second half of the year, but encouraging how I've matured and learned along the way. I've seen things that I've done wrong and how I could have handled things better – sometimes it's worth struggling a little to then make further progress. But I've made changes and feel I'm in a position to move forwards now. Ultimately, 24th on the Race to Dubai is hardly a disaster, but I was 10th or 11th after the Scottish Open and I broke the top 50 in the world halfway through the year,…

2011 Masters – T2nd Day made his Augusta debut in 2011 and shot into contention with a second-round 64. He entered the final round four shots off the lead and made good progress up the leaderboard, making four birdies on the back nine. When he rolled in a 40-footer on the 17th, it looked like he was right in it, but Charl Schwartzel birdied each of the final four holes to claim his first and, thus far, only Major title. 2013 Masters – 3rd Day returned to Augusta full of confidence and found himself out in front after 36 holes. He stumbled to a Saturday 73, but remained within two shots of the lead heading into the final round. He led with three to play, but bogeyed 16 and 17…

After an impressive amateur career, Sullivan turned professional in 2011 and secured a spot on the 2012 European Tour through Q-School. Although he had an indifferent start, finishing 145th in the Race to Dubai, he returned to Q-School and secured a card for 2013. The following year proved to be more successful, finishing 98th in the Race to Dubai. He came 33rd in 2014, which also included a second-place finish at the Trophee Hassan II. An ace at the KLM Open in Holland also won him a flight into space. Sullivan won his first European Tour event in January 2015, beating Charl Schwartzel in the South African Open play-off. He stayed on a hot streak, winning the Joburg Open in March and the Portugal Masters in October. His impressive nine-stroke…

Copyright ©2015 TI Golf Holdings, Inc, reprinted with permission How to fade the ball with power You don't lack for distance off the tee, but you do struggle to find the fairway consistently. You need a go-to shot that you can rely on under pressure. One of the easiest shots to produce – without sacrificing much, if any, distance – is the power fade. It's easy because you don't have to swing any faster than normal, nor do you have to manipulate the clubface. You only need to change your set-up. Tee the ball up on the far right-hand side of the tee box and choose a target on the left-hand side of the fairway. Align your body to this spot. Position the ball slightly further forward in your stance…

Photography Andrew Redington/Getty Images ANALYSIS by... It's interesting to be looking at a wedge swing rather than a driver swing this month, as these photos really demonstrate how to execute a good wedge shot. Ross is 6ft 4in, and short-irons can present challenges for tall guys. It's easy for them to slouch over the ball and create a kind of s-shape with their hips out too far. But note how Ross' spine angle remains nice and straight. The line from his belt to his shoulder blades is almost dead straight, and you can see how well he keeps his angles throughout. Club golfers often lose their angles, which affects the efficiency of their strike. Ross sets the club on plane, and it remains beautifully on plane at the top of…

LOFT OPTIONS 19°, 21°, 23°, 25° and 27° (H1 only) adjustable up or down by one degree Key technology Titleist 816 hybrids feature the same Active Recoil Channel as the previous 915 models, but new bevelled edges limit the dirt gathering inside. There are two versions: the H1 is a larger, more wood-like hybrid that launches higher and is more forgiving than the H2 model. The latter is smaller, more iron-like and designed for better players who engage the turf more aggressively. There are five different lofts available, each of which can be adjusted up or down by one degree – not 0.75 degrees, as was the case in the 915 hybrids. Will suit A wide spectrum of players looking for either an accurate option off the tee or a…

RAN MORRISSETT COURSE CONNOISSEUR AND FOUNDER OF GOLFCLUBATLAS.COM Lahinch is consistent with a course on which golf has been played in three different centuries. It embodies old-school design features, highlighted by the blind approach to the Klondyke par-5 4th and the Dell par-3 5th. And its holes are strewn across the tumbling landscape in every manner imaginable, making it one of golf's most exhilarating venues. A good deal of imagination is required to conquer this fast-and-firm-running links, especially around the greens, where short grass is often utilised to carry balls away from perched locations. I rate Lahinch higher than Waterville because the land has more random contours and firmer terrain, both of which test your mettle and introduce one or two maddening events per round. When Eddie Hackett designed Waterville…

Photography Tom Miles Did you notice that The R&A held a big conference in St Andrews recently to talk about slow play and how to speed things up? Over two days – yes, TWO days, which is quite a long time to talk about how much time other people are taking to whack a ball around a manicured field – the great, the good, the committed and a few of the others met to try to find a solution. Sadly, no one came up with a magic formula. Martin Slumbers, the man now in charge of The R&A, suggested that marshals be employed on every hole to point out where balls flayed into the rough lay and also to look at their watches. This would work too, although quite where…

Letters The Editor, Golf Monthly, 7th floor, Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU Email golfmonthly@timeinc.com Twitter @GolfMonthly Facebook facebook.com/  golfmonthlymagazine Golf Monthly forum golf-monthly.co.uk/forums Google+ +golfmonthly YouTube youtube.com/GolfMonthly Vine vine.co/Golf.Monthly Instagram instagram.com/  golfmonthly All contributions must be original, not copies or duplicated to other publications. The editor reserves the right to edit letters. Time Inc. (UK) or its associated companies reserve the right to reuse any submission sent to these pages of Golf Monthly, in any format or medium.…

Interview Matteo Manassero discusses a difficult season and his plans to turn things around. Plus... The best woolly hats on the market this winter New gear We take a look at Ecco’s golf portfolio following the launch of Cage, a new cleated model. Plus... How to get a clean strike from fairway bunkers The Open rota With the inclusion of Royal Portrush, we ask whether more venues could join the list. Plus... Venues announced for 2018 R&A championships…

Manassero turned professional in early 2010 after reaching the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking. That year, he became the youngest player to make the cut at The Masters and won his first European Tour event in October’s Castello Masters at the age of 17 years and 188 days – a tour record. By the end of 2012, he’d notched two more titles – the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open and the 2012 Barclays Singapore Open. He remains the only player to have won three European Tour titles as a teenager. In 2013, he claimed his biggest victory to date in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the European Tour’s flagship event. Since the middle of 2014, though, it’s been a struggle. Between August 2014 and October 2015, the Italian…

The 2015 season has been and gone, and as you read this, the new season is well underway. Of course, 2016 is a Ryder Cup year, and although Gleneagles still seems so fresh in the memory, in just a few months Europe and the USA will square up once more, this time at the scene of my US Open triumph back in 1970. Hazeltine National in Minnesota is undoubtedly a terrific test of golf. I was there again six weeks ago and it really is all the golf course anyone could ever wish for – a really tough driving course as it's fairly narrow off the tee. I'm assuming they will have rough off the tee, but it is, of course, Davis Love III's prerogative as home team captain to…

Danny Willett Willett pushed Rory McIlroy all the way in the 2015 Race to Dubai after a tremendous season. He had been in the top two in the rankings for the entire season after winning the first tournament, the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. He added the Omega European Masters title in July. Matt Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick (above) came onto the European Tour with huge expectation levels following his win in the 2013 US Amateur. He started slowly in his first season, but he put together a tremendous run through the summer and autumn months. Between June and October, he finished inside the top three on six occasions, and notched his first professional victory at the British Masters. Tommy Fleetwood Fleetwood had a disappointing end to the 2015…

Peter Thomson is the elder statesman in golf design practice Thomson, Perrett and Lobb (TPL), which dates back to 2004, and was born out of a game of golf between fellow partners Tim Lobb and Ross Perrett while at a Society of Australian Golf Course Architects convention in 2002. That game sparked discussions between the trio about establishing a golf course design business based in the UK, where Lobb was already living. Initially, the company focused on new-build projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with their maiden ventures at El Ein Bay and New Giza in Egypt followed by Carya Golf Club in Turkey. Of course, the early part of this century was not a great time to be starting such a business, and after a fast start,…

In association with the 1 Fergus places his golf bag in the large bunker that his ball lies in as he is not sure what club he will use for his next stroke. A. Fergus loses the hole for testing the condition of the hazard. B. Fergus loses the hole for touching the ground in the hazard. C. There is no penalty. 2 Fergus’ ball lies on the concrete base of a shelter. A. Fergus may drop the ball without penalty within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, and not nearer the hole. B. Fergus may drop the ball without penalty within two club-lengths of the nearest point of relief, and not nearer the hole. C. Fergus may drop any ball without penalty within one club-length of the…

Aesthetics 1 Address view The black face contrasts with the white section on the front of the crown to assist alignment. A notch where the white connects with the rest of the black crown helps position the ball centrally. 2 Shelf appeal While the price will raise eyebrows, there's no question the M1 is at the forefront of modern driver technology. Implementing two sliding weights on the sole is an impressive feat that will help golfers personalise distance and accuracy in a package that flaunts ample ‘wow' factor. Components 3 Stock shafts TaylorMade has upped its game in this department. Golfers will appreciate the simple system of three tour-proven stock shafts – the high-launching Fujikura Pro 60, a mid-launching Kuro Kage Silver and a low-launching Aldila Rogue Silver 70. There…

LOFT OPTIONS 9.5°, 10.5° and 12° with 12 adjustable loft and face-angle settings Key technology A feature across Srixon's new Z 355 family is Action Mass Technology, whereby more weight is placed in the clubhead to increase ball speed. This is combined with a higher balance-point shaft, ensuring the overall weight of the club isn't affected. The 211g clubhead also aids stability, helping mid-to-high handicap golfers achieve more distance and accuracy on off-centre hits. Forgiveness comes courtesy of Srixon's Ti Booster Cup Face, which has been designed to create faster ball speeds from a larger face area. Will suit Those who prefer a traditional look to their driver, as well as a combination of distance and forgiveness. GM verdict The Z 355 head is more rounded than most others on…

Rankings are determined by a 100-strong international panel whose members include Major Championship winners, architects, journalists and a cadre of connoisseurs who have played all of the world's Top 100 courses. Panellists evaluate a ballot of 493 courses. Although there are no set-in-stone criteria they must follow, Golf has confidence in their sense of what constitutes 'greatness'. Each course that places in the top three on a ballot earns 100 points; spots 4-10 earn 85 points, followed by 11–25 (70 pts), 26–50 (60 pts), 51–75 (50 pts), 76–100 (40 pts), 101-150 (30 pts), 151-200 (20 pts), 201-250 (10 pts) and 251+ (0 pts). Course owners can't vote for their properties, and architects can't vote for their original designs.…