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 EDITOR
Brendan James bjames@golfaustralia.com.au
DEPUTY EDITOR & GOLF AUSTRALIA EXPRESS EDITOR
Damian Shutie dshutie@golfaustralia.com.au
WRITERS Jimmy Emanuel, Michael Jones
ART DIRECTOR Allan Bender
GRAPHIC DESIGN Oliver Barles
COLUMNIST-AT-LARGE John Huggan

36
COLUMNISTS Mike Clayton, Brendan Moloney,
Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Norman
TOUR PROFESSIONAL Adam Scott
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matt Cleary,
Mike Cocking, Dale Concannon,

CONTENTS
Andrew Marshall, Rod Morri, Rick Weber
CONTRIBUTING PGA PROFESSIONALS Steve Aisbett,
Daniel Blackwell, Leon Faulkner, Brad Hughes,
Lorien Scott, Christian Small, Anthony Summers
PHOTOGRAPHY Getty Images,
MARCH #337 Matthew Harris/TGPL, Gary Lisbon
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
36 THE RISING SON PH: (02) 9901 6142 golf@golfaustralia.com.au
Hideki Matsuyama is on the verge of making history as Japan’s first
male major champion. We look at the rise of the young man and
analyse his unique swing.
A D V E R T I S I N G
44 SWOOSH AND IT’S GONE HEAD OF SPORT – ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Why couldn’t the world’s most ruthlessly successful sports Hamish Bayliss hbayliss@nextmedia.com.au
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WA, VIC, SA, TAS AND MARKETPLACE ADVERTISING MANAGER
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54 MY LIFE IN GOLF: DAVID WARNER M: 0412 327 886
Matt Cleary talks exclusively to the Australian Test cricket NSW, QLD, ACT ADVERTISING MANAGER
vice-captain about his search for a better swing, his bucket list of Hugo Scotto hscotto@nextmedia.com.au
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 102

CONTENTS MARCH #337

F E AT U R E S
102 ST ANDREWS: YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE
48 COURSE DESIGN: MAKING GOLF FUN AGAIN There’s more to St Andrews than playing the Old Course, writes
If golf is to survive, it needs to be fun again, writes Golf Australia Brendan James, who spent a week discovering the delights of the town.
Architecture Editor, Mike Clayton.
111 PLAY AND STAY SPECIAL
60 THE BIG INTERVIEW: Planning a holiday? We take a look at 10 great golf getaways for 2017.
GIL HANSE – A DESIGNING MIND
The designer behind Rio’s Olympic course has been commissioned to INSTRUCTION
redesign Royal Sydney. Here he talks to John Huggan about his career
in course design. 73 HIT THE SWEETSPOT
Want to hit pure shots more often? These tips and drills will help you
T R AV E L & C O U R S E S find the centre of the clubface every time.

14 COURSE REVIEW: PARADISE PALMS 85 HOW TO FEEL A GREAT SWING

With new owners and management team, the iconic North Queensland Find out how to train your muscle memory an art building
course is returning to its former glory, writes Brendan James. a better swing.

12 TEEING OFF: BRENDAN JAMES EQUIPMENT

18 20 QUESTIONS: MARC LEISHMAN
92 HOT PROPERTY
20 AROUND THE TRAPS
An eight-page guide to some of
30 HUGGAN’S ALLEY: JOHH HUGGAN 2017’s hottest new gear. These
32 IN MY OPINION: GEOFF OGILVY are the clubs and balls coming
to a go
34 THE WANDERING GOLFER: BRENDAN MOLONEY
70 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER: WIN ONE OF 10
EXCLUSIVE GOLF PACKS WORTH $150 EACH.
100 PRO SHOP: LATEST EQUIPMENT
122 GETAWAYS: GOLF TRAVEL
130 WINNER’S CIRCLE: HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

10 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

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 TEEING
OFF BY B R E N DA N JA M E S | G O L F AU S T R A L I A E D I TO R
THE CHOICE IS CLEAR TIGER: GUNS OR GOLF?
THE biggest question in golf as I write this is;
“Is Tiger Woods done?”
One thing I have learned over the past
two decades is the lead time of monthly
magazine production can cruel any writer
when it comes to staying on top of what is
happening in Woods’ career. I could write
here that someone should stick a fork in him
because he’s done, and he could come out
and surprise the golfing world with a win
before you even get to read this.
Never write-of a champion, they say. But
I suspect we are closer to the day when the
back page headline shouts “Tiger Quits!”
That will be a sad day for Tiger, the game
and his legion of fans. But in all honestly
the man himself set the wheels in motion
down this path of injury and time away from
the game a long time ago. In fact, you can
probably go back 20 years to when he began
his intense training regime.
When Tiger said “Hello World!” in August
1996, he was nothing more than a scrawny
kid who hit the ball a country mile. His lean
flexible physique and long levers enabled
him to create incredible clubhead speed,
while his distance control of the golf ball was
something the game had not seen before.
But here was a young man with an ego
12 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
and he looked to put some muscle on those
bones and drive his body to incredible
levels of fitness … levels far beyond what is
required to play professional golf.
A leading coach once told me Woods’ daily
training routine would put a lot of footballers
and Olympic athletes to shame. The same
coach even went as far to suggest Woods,
over the years, had become addicted to
training and the endorphin rush of pushing
his body to greater limits.
Tiger once said: “Golf is a sport, so you
have to train like an athlete.”
But I can’t help but think he took it too
far. What golfer would benefit from a daily
12-hour schedule where half the time was
devoted to golf and the other half was spent
in training ... seriously training?
While he could “suns out get the guns out”
with pride and could probably bench press
a small Japanese car, Woods’ body shape
radically transformed from lithe and elastic
to rock hard and big. Sure, he looked good
but the pay-off was injury after injury. If you
go back and look at all the injuries that have
sidelined Woods over the years none of them
have been sustained swinging a golf club.
You could even argue his recent back
issues, which are a common problem for
golfers, were caused by all the gym work
changing his body shape, and him ultimately
having to change his swing to accommodate
his larger, more muscular physique.
And what of the recent back spasms?
When he returned to the game in the
Bahamas in December he looked to have
dropped some of the bulk, especially across
his chest. He told reporters he was working
out less and doing different things to keep
in shape. His swing looked rusty but he, at
least, looked comfortable.
Fast forward three months. By the time
Woods arrived in Dubai, he was looking like
he spent the entire off-season pumping iron.
He went out and shot 77, looked stiff and
uncomfortable. He withdrew citing a back
spasm and within days there were rumours
he hurt his back during a post-round gym
session recommended by his doctor.
Surely if Woods wants any further part
of this great game he’s got to stop lifting
weights and get lean and flexible again.
Otherwise, sadly, he is done.
And I hope for their sakes – players like
Rory McIlroy and Jason Day – look at what
has happened to Tiger and assess how long
they want to play the game before training
like a boxer, not a golfer.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
 COURSE REVIEW

GOLF CLUB
  
 
ŗ  
  ŗ Ċ ŗ       
 

14 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 With new owners, a new management team and a much-improved course, there is plenty
to be excited about for the future of this iconic tropical North Queensland course.
T
he first time I played Paradise Palms
was in 1996. Walking onto the 1st tee I
can still recall being struck by the
scenic beauty of the course and its surrounds.
The steep grade of the rainforest covered
Great Dividing Range dominated the view and
seemed to rise up to touch the sky from the edge
of the course. Paradise Palms was then just six
years old and had filled out beautifully with
tropical vegetation alongside well-manicured
rolling fairways, punctuated by man-made lakes,
creative bunkering and several creeks weaving
their way down from the escarpment. It was
hard to believe this paradise, once acres of cane
fields, was just 20 minutes’ drive from the centre
of Cairns.
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BRENDAN JAMES
The former design team of Graham Marsh
and Ross Watson created this tropical gem when
commissioned by Japanese owners, Daikyo, to
create Australia’s most difficult tournament
venue. The duo successfully fulfilled the brief.
To celebrate the opening Daikyo hosted a
$180,000 Skins Game, which pitted Japanese
legend Isao Aoki against then World No.1 Greg
Norman, Bernhard Langer and two-time US
Open Champion Curtis Strange. Aoki and
Strange grabbed most of the cash and Paradise
Palms’ reputation as a challenging test of golf
was born.
The ‘90s were kind to Paradise Palms in terms
of its popularity. On the back of exposure
hosting several professional events including
the Skins Game and Ladies Masters, golfers
from far and wide flocked to the North
Queensland course where they were greeted by
immaculately kept playing surfaces and the
challenge of playing to their handicap, which
was a rare feat.
By 2003, the quality of the experience was
reflected in Paradise Palms’ No.9 ranking in
this magazine’s list of the nation’s Best Public
Access Courses.
But the high standards set during its first
dozen years started to wane, which coincided
with a change in management within the Daikyo
organisation. A cut in funding to the course was
soon reflected in its presentation and the layout
went into a steady but certain decline.
What was the 9th hole for many
years is now the ultimate hole set
against a memorable backdrop.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 15
 A minor redesign has greatly
improved what now plays as
the par-3 7th hole.
The main presentation concern surrounded
its greens. The original greens once covered
10,000 square metres of the golf course but years
of couch grass encroachment dramatically
reduced the size of the Bermuda putting
surfaces, which nullified Marsh and Watson
design strategies on and around each green.
The course was sold by Daikyo in February
2005 to a local resort development company and
an immediate cash injection was made, and
during the first 18 months there were genuine
signs of improvement to the playing surfaces -
especially the greens.
Under the new owners, H&S Vision, it all
seemed to be heading up for Paradise Palms
with a family-friendly resort being constructed
adjoining the clubhouse, which transformed
it into a destination rather than just a fine
golf course.
By 2013, Paradise Palms was again in trouble
and its future in doubt when administrators
16 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
were called in.
After such a grand entry into Australian golf it
was sad to see how far this once great course had
slipped. When Golf Australia released its 2015
ranking of Australia’s Top-100 Public Access
Courses, Paradise Palms limped in at No.76
having dropped a massive 22 spots in the list. As
far as the judges on the ranking panel were
concerned, this once ‘must play’ layout was in
free-fall.
Less than 10 months after the release of that
ranking, Paradise Palms was sold again. Cairns
businessman Darren Halpin and a group of
investors bought the property – including the
course, resort and areas of adjoining land for
development – for a reported $20 million.
Within months of taking over, the owners
began the first phase of returning Paradise
Palms to its former glory as part of a $550
million redevelopment. Nearly $5 million was
immediately allocated to upgrading the course,
Water lines much of the right
side of the long par-5 1st hole.
clubhouse and car parks. Within six months
Halpin announced a partnership agreement
with golf management company Troon Golf,
which has a worldwide reputation for
presenting its courses to a world-class standard.
“Paradise Palms is a terrific location with a
great legacy. It has the blueprint to be one of the
top resorts in the nation and we plan on taking
considered steps to increase the quality and
service standards,” Halpin said. “Troon has the
experience to collaborate with us on the
investment program and lay out a clear pathway
to creating a stand-out experience that will build
our reputation.”
The collaboration is already reaping benefits.
Just two months ago, with the release of Golf
Australia’s 2017 Top-100 Public Access
Rankings, Paradise Palms had rebounded to
No.63 with judges enthused by what they had
seen, especially in terms of its presentation.
Having recently witnessed the improvements
PARADISE
PALMS HAD RE-
BOUNDED TO NO.63
WITH JUDGES
ENTHUSED BY
WHAT THEY HAD
SEEN, ESPECIALLY
IN TERMS OF ITS
PRESENTATION.

first hand, I can only see Paradise Palms
continuing this upward trend in future lists.
There has been, however, one major sacrifice
along the way. What was the course’s signature
hole, the picturesque downhill par-3 7th, was
taken out of play early last year to make way for
an access road into the first residential
development area of 585 luxury units. Another,
267 units will be built on the land once occupied
by the 7th hole.
A redesign to the course and reconfiguration
of the routing to cover the loss of the 7th hole
have worked well.
A round now starts from the original 10th tee
– a long par-5 with water flanking the right edge
of the fairway for the second half of the journey
to the green. The old par-5 1st hole has been
reduced to a par-4 and plays as the new 10th
hole with a new green built just beyond a water
hazard that cuts the fairway in two. The new
11th hole is a par-3 with a tee constructed
Paradise Palms’ hardest hole
is the long par-4 16th where
trouble never seems far away.
behind the new 10th green and plays to the
original 1st green.
Almost 250 metres has been added to the
length of the course in the past 12 months with
new tees being built on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
10th and 18th holes, bringing a number of
hazards and bunkers back into play.
The round now concludes on the original 9th
hole, which has always been a strong par-4 at
383 metres from the tips but its role as the
closing hole gives it even more punch. Dense
bush lines the left edge of the fairway and spells
almost certain trouble if you hit your drive here.
Two relatively small fairway bunkers lie just
right of centre fairway and if you can skirt the
edge or blast over the sand with your tee shot
you are well placed for your approach to the
long, but narrow, putting surface. I found that
the iconic clubhouse forming the backdrop
to this green added significantly to the
memorable finish.
The green of the par-5 9th hole
is tucked beyond the lake but is
a tempting target for big-hitters.
FACT FILE
THE COURSE
LOCATION: Paradise Palms Drive, Kewarra
Beach, Queensland, 4879.
CONTACT: (07) 4059 9999.
WEBSITE: www.paradisepalms.com.au
DESIGNERS: Graham Marsh and Ross
Watson (1990).
COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Malcolm Ollard.
PGA PROFESSIONALS: Kai McKay and
Daniel Gawley.
GREEN FEES: $120 (18 hole with cart); $99 (local
golfers, with cart).
THE CLUB
MEMBERSHIPS: There is a wide range of
golf and non-golf memberships available.
A Platinum membership offers full playing
privileges with a share cart and costs $3,200
annually, while a Gold membership costs $800
but requires heavily discounted green fees to
be paid per round. Both of these membership
options offer discount accommodation in the
resort and discounts on food and beverage in
the clubhouse. Lifetime memberships are also
available. For the full range of membership
categories, visit www.paradisepalms.com.au
STAY AND PLAY:
Paradise Palms invites you to experience life in
Australia’s tropics before and after your round
by staying in its course side resort.
The resort features 96 rooms and
apartments alongside the modern clubhouse
with restaurant and bar as well as extensive
conference and recreation facilities, which
include an adventure playground for children
and an 18-hole mini golf course.
You can stay and play at Paradise Palms
for just $209* (two people), which includes an
overnight stay in a Resort Room with breakfast
for two and a round of golf for one guest, plus
a cart.
For more details call (07) 4059 9935.
Offer is subject to availability and is valid until
March 31, 2017.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 17
 AROUND
THE 20 QUE S TIONS
TRAPS

MARC LEISHMAN
Marc Leishman reveals his love for Torrey Pines, Callaway wedges and Notting Hill.

1 When did you first shoot under par? 12 Sportsman you look up to or admire? romantic comedies; kind of weird I know.
I was 13. It was at my home course at I used to love watching Ricky Ponting bat Notting Hill I love and The Holiday as well.
Warrnambool Golf Club in Australia. and Shane Warne bowl. I looked up to Greg 16 Not to be missed TV show?
2 What has been your career highlight? Norman as he was an Australian sporting icon I don’t watch a lot of TV as I’m travelling so
My two wins at Nedbank [Challenge] last year and Ernie Els because I liked his easy-going much. Dexter was a great show and I’ve been
and then the Travelers in 2012. The Open is demeanour and rhythm. watching Breaking Bad too.
up there but it’s hard to judge a second against 13 And sportswoman? 17 Favourite musician or band?
a win. Serena Williams. She’s Growing up I was into Green Day and Good
3 The best shot of your career? one of the most Charlotte. Now it’s whatever’s on the
One of the best putts I ever hit was on the dominant sports radio. As long as it’s not rap, I will listen
17th on the final day at St Andrews in 2015. I people ever. to it.
was on the very front edge of the green and 14 Any 18 Favourite holiday destination?
had about a 100ft. It just missed and finished superstitions? Mexico. It’s an amazing place and I
a foot behind the hole. To do that under that Not now. I never love Mexican food.
pressure and take the stress out of the next used to use 19 Who’d be in your dream
one was awesome. number four golf foursome?
4 One mulligan you could have? balls but now I’m My dad would definitely be one, and
Probably my putt on 18 at St Andrews during using Callaway balls, probably my partner. Ricky Ponting
the final round of the Open. It was a putt to that’s not the case and some kind of movie star, probably
win but I just misread it. anymore. Liam Neeson.
5 Your favourite course on the PGA Tour? 15 Favourite movie? 20 Your dream Tour fourball?
Augusta or Torrey Pines. But if I had to play The Taken movies are Greg Norman, Ernie Els
one course for the rest of my life, it would be great but I really like and Tiger Woods.
Torrey Pines. It’s different every time and it’s in
San Diego, a great city.
6 Favourite course outside the US?
Kingston Heath or St Andrews. St Andrews is
an amazing course, it’s in a cool town and 17,
18 and 1 are great holes.
7 Favourite holes?
I really like short par 4s and good risk-and-
reward par 5s. I like the 5th at Muirfield Village
because it’s so risk-reward. The 11th is also
pretty impressive.
8 Best view in golf?
The 7th tee at Pebble Beach. You have
the seals down on the rocks and it’s a
cool spot.
9 Favourite club(s)?
My driver and my lob wedge. The
Callaway XR 16 driver is really good “MY MULLIGAN WOULD
and the Mack Daddy wedges make BE THE PUTT I HAD TO
you feel like you are cheating out of
the sand.
WIN THE OPEN ON THE
10 Favourite non-golf sports 18TH AT ST ANDREWS
event to watch? IN 2015”
The Boxing Day Test match. I
love cricket and it’s at a great
time of the year at Melbourne, a
wonderful venue. The Ashes
and Tour de France are also
©BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA LIMITED

great events.
11 Favourite sports team?
The Richmond Tigers.

18 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 AROUND
THE OPENING SHOT
TRAPS
Still swinging: Rob
McKay today and
with his Uncle Hec
(right) and pounding
some practice balls.
MCKAY NOTCHES 50 PGA YEARS
THERE is much to be celebrated about the
health of the pointy end of the professional
game in Australia at this time.
Jason Day holds down the top spot in the
world ranking, Adam Scott is safely ensconced
inside the top-10, Minjee Lee is an LPGA Tour
winner and a wave of brilliant young tyros
headed by Curtis Luck, Brett Coletta and Su Oh
are beginning to show their considerable talents
on the world stage.
Elite programs and academies aside, golf
in this country continues to owe a debt of
gratitude to the many hundreds of dedicated
men and women who toil in relative anonymity
as club professionals, inspiring many to take up
and enjoy the game.
Those who have been around a while probably
still bristle about the days when professionals
weren’t even permitted to set foot inside
20 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
clubhouses to share a drink with the members.
Those were the days and one such
professional who has seen it all, and been good
enough as a player to have competed alongside
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer, is
Wollongong’s Robert McKay.
McKay was surprised with a ‘This is your
Life’-style celebration at The Grange Golf Club
recently where more than 120 guests gathered
to recognise an incredible milestone of 50
years’ membership of the PGA of Australia.
“It was really flattering and surprising to see
so many faces from the distant past, some of
them have stopped playing golf but were some
of my long-time pupils,” McKay said.
“It was very surprising and even though I’ve
had a chance to reflect on it and can remember
a lot of things I’ve done in that time, it’s (50
years) just flown, mate. My son is 40 next
month and I can’t believe that.”
McKay has been a constant presence on the
golf landscape in NSW’s Illawarra region since
starting his apprenticeship under his uncle
Hector in the Wollongong Golf Club pro shop
in 1962.
For his family and friends, that step was no
doubt considered a fait accompli as young Rob
was always to be found ‘hanging around’ the
pro shop while others his age were at the beach
or out playing golf.
“If you asked: “Where’s Rob?” the answer
was inevitably: “He’s up at the shop with Uncle
Hec,” said course architect brother Ken.
In 1960 at the age of 12, McKay won the ‘C’
Grade championship at Wollongong and in the
same year, had his first hole-in-one late on a
Friday afternoon at the short 15th (now 17th)
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED X 3
along the beachfront dunes at Wollongong.
Every school holidays, McKay’s father Ken
would load up a bunch of kids and take them
to local courses in the back of his Bedford
 “I REMEMBER
NICKLAUS WAS
ALMOST BORING,
HE WAS ON THE
FAIRWAY, ON THE
GREEN AND IN
THE HOLE. I CAN’T
EVER REMEMBER
HIM HITTING A
BUNKER SHOT.”
8-ton truck to play schoolboy events. If the day including the Wills Masters, Dunlop
competition was in Sydney, they’d all go by train. International, Chrysler Classic, NSW and
A couple of the young boys in the back of Australian Opens.
that truck included future stars of Australian McKay had the privilege of competing against
golf – eight-time PGA Tour winner Bruce Devlin some of the world’s best – Australians Peter
and Ted Ball. Thomson, Kel Nagle, Norman Von Nida, Devlin,
McKay swiftly developed the game and a Bruce Crampton and visiting internationals
faultless temperament to match his impeccable including Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and
presentation and at aged 18 in 1966, he passed Lee Trevino.
his PGA playing exam – “Dave Mercer did my “I remember Nicklaus was almost boring,
playing test and I birdied the first two holes at he was on the fairway, on the green and in the
Killara and that was it, we walked in!”—and hole. I can’t ever remember him hitting a bunker
was admitted to the PGA, joining Uncle Hec as shot,” McKay said.
his assistant. “I played in either the group ahead or behind
Although his heart was always firmly set him a few times and we had to contend with
on being a career club professional, McKay his galleries, which was pretty daunting.”
enjoyed his share of playing success on the McKay took the reins at Wollongong when
Australian circuit, winning his first tournament his beloved Uncle Hec passed in 1986 and left
in Newcastle at age 20 and 19 professional the club six years later after an association of 31
events in all. years to partner with fellow professional Chris
Along the way, he regularly contested Johnson at the Golf Factory in Wollongong.
all the major Australian tournaments of the Despite being immersed in a retail outlet,
McKay continued to give lessons to players at
nearby Russell Vale Golf Club before moving
back to a club role at The Grange in 2006 – a
position he retains to the present.
It’s only fitting that the final word on McKay’s
remarkable milestone should go to the man
who set him on his way as a PGA member half
a century ago.
“At that time, I thought he was a player of
potential and I thought he was going to do very,
very well as a player,” said Dave Mercer, who
is now 86 years young. “In those days, it was
more profitable to be a club pro than a player
and he was happy working with his uncle down
there in Wollongong.
“I haven’t run into Rob for about 20 years or
so but I remember him as a lovely fellow with
tons of potential. He deserves every nice thing
that comes his way.
“He is a credit to the PGA, there’s no doubt
about that.”
- Paul Prendergast
golf australia | MARCH 2017 21
 AROUND
THE 19TH HOLE A ND YOUR SAY
TRAPS
Arnold Palmer
congratulates a
proud Jason Day
after his victory in the
Invitational last year.
A CASTLE WITHOUT ITS KING
YOU’D be forgiven for shedding a few
tears in the coming weeks as the PGA Tour
returns to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer
Invitational.
There will be an empty chair somewhere
near the 18th green – a chair that would
normally be for the tournament host,
Arnold Palmer.
The golfing world lost its King last
September when Palmer died. Golf wasn’t
the same with him, and it surely won’t be the
same without him.
The King moved the Florida Citrus Open to
Bay Hill Club and Lodge in 1979, creating what
would eventually become the Arnold Palmer
Invitational. This will be the first playing of the
22 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
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event without Palmer.
World No.1 Jason Day will travel to Orlando
as the defending champion and remembers
Palmer fondly.
“He had a huge impact on how people
looked at golf because, let’s be honest, it’s
kind of a nerdy sport. It’s not like you’re out
there beating each other up on the football
field or something. Arnold Palmer made
golf sexy.”
The King was a marketer’s dream. He was a
magnet. His charisma, good looks, deep voice,
never-say-die attitude and blue-collar upbringing
ultimately led to the commercialisation of the
game. Whether it was through appearances on
television or rounds of golf with presidents and
CEOs, Arnold truly transcended the sport.
“He had this incredible ability to open the
eyes of the world to the beauty of golf,” Greg
Norman said. “Every player, me included,
should thank him for what he brought to our
great game.”
For all Arnold did for the sport during his
playing days, it’s perhaps what he did later
in life that will be missed the most. His
physical presence at Bay Hill and Augusta, that
signature thumbs-up, and the hand-written
notes he’d send to players.
When Geoff Ogilvy won the 2006 US
Open he received one of Palmer’s notes.
But it came in a flurry of hundreds more, and
its significance was somewhat lost. In 2014
Ogilvy won Reno’s Barracuda Championship
after a difficult spell; The King penned
another note.

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Twitter @GolfAustMag
“It was hand-written and touched me
greatly. The level of detail was amazing.
He had clearly been paying attention to my
career, which made me realise again what
a wonderful person he was,” Ogilvy said.
“Every time I met Arnold and talked to
him, I felt like I was his favourite person. I
think everyone felt the same way.”
Day would attest to that. He will forever
treasure the moment last year when he
walked off the 72nd hole to greet Arnold
and his vice-like handshake. “I was able to
walk up there and have a special moment
with The King – that’s something I’d always
wanted to do,” Day said.
It’s going to be a sombre sight to see an
empty chair at Bay Hill where Arnold would
have sat.
– Michael Jones
Want to get something off your chest? Let us know your
opinion via e-mail to: golf@golfaustralia.com.au or send your
letter to: Letters to the Editor, Golf Australia magazine, Level 6,
YOUR SAY Building A, 207 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065.
DON’T CHANGE THE BALL FOR US
As I took in another beaut summer’s day
in Melbourne, I reflected on John Huggan’s
article, To The R&A and USGA I Present
Exhibit ‘A’, in Golf Australia’s February issue.
As an avid golf follower and player, I
can accept that the ball and equipment
have changed our game. Pros can do some
amazing things.
However, I also note with interest John’s
comment that on longer courses the best
an average golfer can hope for is par.
This for me is the key. If the ball does
need to change, I would implore the
authorities not to impact the club member
or casual golfer. We need to ensure the
flame of hope and anticipation still burns
brightly. We need to know that a thought of
Stuart Brownley
says he still be
taking his time make
important putts
during his round.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
I’LL KEEP MOVING AT MY PACE
This is an open letter to the group
behind me…
I’ve read all the magazine articles and
the notices on the club’s website about
speeding up play, and like you, I don’t want
my round of golf to take any longer than
it needs to. I, too, have a whole heap of
stuff to do once I’ve had a beverage and
head home.
I play “ready golf”. I mark my partners
score from the previous hole while they’re
teeing off. I always walk straight to my ball.
And I never take longer than a few minutes
looking for a lost pill, even if it means I take
a wipe.
But you know what? If I’ve got a putt for
a three-pointer, I might take a little longer
to look at it. If I’m on the tee on that long
“yes I can get home in two today with this
tail wind” is not just a fantasy.
We all have average days but if tweaking
a few basic things, swing or equipment
wise, means I can improve my handicap
and my share of bragging rights over a cold
ale at the 19th hole – bring it on.
Increasing club membership numbers,
growing the game and having my recently
converted son (36 handicap) counting
down the days to next weekend for our
weekly game with the enthusiasm of a
seasoned player is what matters to the
golfing consumer.
How good is golf? Presently, it’s GREAT.
Bruce Wemyss
Narre Warren, Victoria
par-3 and the wind picks up, I might go back
to my bag to grab a different club. And I’m
going to rake the bunker properly, because
I can’t stand it when the groups in front of
me don’t!
So much in our lives off the course is
about packing more and more stuff in
and doing it at an increasingly blistering
pace. Well, sorry, but I’m not interested in
working myself into a lather in order to
get around the course in record time. Golf
is one of my few chances in the week to
get outdoors with my mates and remove
myself from the “craziness”.
I’ll keep moving, but I’ll take my
time doing it.
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 2
Stuart Brownley
Donvale, Victoria
golf australia | MARCH 2017 23
 AROUND
THE RE A L E S TATE
TRAPS
A hole on the Cockatoo Rise
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24 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
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 AROUND
THE NE W GE A R UNV EILED
TRAPS

2017 TITLEIST PRO V1 & PRO V1X
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26 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

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golf australia | MARCH 2017 27
 AROUND
THE COMPE TITIONS & WINNERS
TRAPS

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 HUGGAN’S
ALLEY BY J O H N H U G G A N | G O L F AU S T R A L I A C O LUMNI S T AT L A R G E
I’M FED UP WITH JASON DAY
DON’T know about you, but I’ve just about
had enough of Jason Day. Despite the
fact that the 29-year old Queenslander is
clearly one of the most talented golfers
on the planet – you don’t win a major
championship and reach the top of the
world rankings without doing any number
of things correctly – and that his “back
story” is one of the most inspiring in the
game, this close observer of all things golf
is fed up with his increasingly narcissistic
view of life.
Which is a great shame. Day has a beautiful
swing, a cultured short game, a technically-
sound putting stroke – all of the things you
need to succeed at the highest level. And he
looks the part in his Nike gear; he is, in so many
ways, the archetypal modern professional, one
enormously attractive to youngsters looking for
a sporting hero.
Throw in Day’s hardly privileged upbringing,
one sadly littered with
physical violence,
alcoholism and parental ONLY RARELY IN THE
neglect and the
end result is
THREE DECADES YOUR
heart-warming indeed. CORRESPONDENT HAS
Consider this quote: SPENT LISTENING TO
“My dad, was a
violent alcoholic. Really
THE WORLD’S BEST
aggressive. If we GOLFERS HAS ANYONE
cussed or even said APPEARED MORE
‘shut up,’ we would get
the belt. I remember I
SELF-INVOLVED.
swore at my sister one
time, and she ended up telling on me to my
dad. I think I was nine-years-old. And he made
me sit in the mud under a mango tree while
it was storming for three hours. It was dark.
There were so many mosquitoes out there, so
when I came in I had bites everywhere. My
mom tried to get me in, but my dad
wouldn’t allow it.”
In the face of such early cruelty, the former
USPGA champion is someone who should be
proud of all that he has
achieved in his young life.
Still, we are also talking here about a man
who clearly feels little or no responsibility to
the nation that provided the environment and
opportunity for him to earn riches that were
surely beyond his imagination growing up.
Day is someone who has not played in his
homeland for more than three years and, just
as damningly, only a handful of times in the
decade he has been a professional.
30 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
That last bit is not unique. playing and competing and doing really well I
In the past, Bruce Crampton and Steve forgot about that stuff,” Day said. “I didn’t care
Elkington both settled in the United States if people thought I was slow or not and I played
and made only sporadic trips back to Australia. better. I just need to make sure I’m deliberate,
But distance is no real excuse. Look at the but respect other players. You have to respect
examples set by the likes of Adam Scott and the time the PGA Tour has given us.
Geoff Ogilvy. Aware of their responsibility to “Everyone wants to speed up the game.
the game at home, Obviously that’s a big subject in golf, to speed
neither misses at up the game. In my opinion, I don’t care so
least part of the sadly much about speeding up my game. I’ve got
truncated Aussie to get back to what makes me good. If that
tournament schedule. means I have to back off five times, then I’m
Not Day though. If the former going to back off five times before I have to
USPGA champion does appear at actually hit the shot.”
The Australian Golf Club in Sydney this This is point-missing on a breathtaking
November, it will be his first Australian Open scale. Nowhere is there any
since 2013. Remarkably, that bad back of his acknowledgement of Day’s inherent
does seem to kick-in at exactly the same time obligation to set a proper example to
every year. his hordes of young fans. Nowhere
A lack of loyalty is bad enough, but what is there any respect for his fellow
irritates even more are Day’s competitors. And nowhere is
there any semblance of self-
awareness.
Come on Jason. I
mean really. Get a
grip for goodness
sake. It’s not
too late.
self-involved press
conferences. Only rarely
in the three decades your
correspondent has spent
listening to the world’s best
golfers has anyone appeared
more self-involved. Day’s
propensity for talking in circles
– gibberish that makes little or no
sense – borders on legendary.
Occasionally though, our hero does
actually say what he means. That was
certainly the case before the PGA Tour’s
Tournament of Champions in Hawaii last
month. Long hailed as one of golf’s more
deliberate competitors, Day not only failed to
apologise for his perennial torpor, he indicated
an intention to stretch his already involved pre-
shot routine to even more unbearable lengths.
“You don’t want to be classed as a slower
player, but thinking about it now when I was
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
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 IN MY
OPINION E XC LU S I V E BY G E O F F O G I LV Y | G O L F AU S T R A L I A C O LUMNI S T
SLOW PLAY ON TOUR – THE CAUSES & A CURE
IT’S a fact of golfing life that the subject
of slow play is guaranteed to provoke a
reaction in almost every player. That was
certainly the case recently, when Jason Day
went public with his intention to take longer
over shots in the coming year.
For me though, the rate at which people
get themselves round 18-holes has always
been complicated. There are a few factors
involved, especially at the professional level.
For one thing, the courses today are
longer than they have ever been. So even if
everyone is playing at the same speed as,
say, ten years ago, it is going to take longer
to get round. Greens today are faster too.
It’s more difficult to putt “stiff” from distance
and second putts are typically longer, so
there is more marking and waiting going
on. Then there is the fact that we play for
so much money and world ranking points
these days. Many shots have the potential
to be life-changing, so it is understandable
that pros pay more attention than they used
to. Certainly, none of the early starters on
Sundays are running round like they used to
when the financial difference between, say,
the 35th and 25th places was negligible.
Throw in the advances in coaching and
psychology and guys are taking longer and
longer to hit the ball. There’s more thinking
going on than ever before, with Jason a
prime example. It looks like he has a check-
list of boxes he likes to work through before
every shot. He’s not like Seve Ballesteros or
Arnold Palmer, instinctively stalking the ball.
He’s making sure he gets everything right in
a way that he knows works for him. And he’s
far from alone. Like it or not, playing golf at
the highest level has never before been so
deeply analysed and “scienced-up.”
The problem is, if a few guys are playing
really slowly, there is no motivation for
anyone else to play quicker. The group ahead
is already holding you up. So there is a
snowball effect.There is no point in rushing
WOULDN’T IT BE
BETTER IF WE
REWARDED FAST
PLAYERS RATHER
THAN PUNISH
SLOW PLAYERS?
HOW ABOUT A TIMING
“MONEY LIST?
32 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
if all you are going to do is wait on the next All of which is partly why the PGA Tour in
tee. The speed of any convoy is dictated by the US is reluctant to hand out penalties. If
the slowest member. they followed the letter of the law, people
Fixing all of the above is far from easy. would be fined and docked shots all the time.
Simply timing people on individual shots No one really thinks that is the way to go.
clearly doesn’t work. Someone taking two Besides, wouldn’t it be better if we
minutes to play a tricky shot now and then rewarded fast players rather than punish
isn’t a problem anyway. The slow players I slow players? How about a timing “money
know tend not to be ready when it is their list?” That would achieve both, assuming
turn. They don’t pay attention and don’t we find a fair way to time players on every
seem to be aware of what is going on around shot. We’d know exactly who is quick and
them. And they don’t appear to have a who is slow. In other words, let’s make it cool
conscience when it comes to their effect on to be fast.
other players.
Take Jason. I wouldn’t ever call him
selfish, but he does get in his own
Then 14-year-old
little world. He’s the best golfer
Guan Tianlang was
in the world when he’s in there. penalised for slow play
So he doesn’t have room at the 2013 Masters.
for anything outside that That was the last time a
sphere, if he wants to player suffered a stroke
play his best, which penalty in a Tour event.
is fine for him. But
the problem is the
knock-on effect.
That’s true
everywhere
except Japan,
which is the
fastest place in
the world to play
professional golf.
It’s an honour thing.
No one wants to be the
guy singled out as the one who
held up the field and that culture
self-polices the whole thing.
Elsewhere, things are different.
But I can’t say I agree with the way
guys are timed and/or penalised.
An individual shot really has
nothing to do with whether
someone is slow or not. Take
Augusta National. Let’s say I hit
every shot within ten-seconds all the
way to the par-3 12th. But I’m playing
with someone who is really slow. So
we’re “on the clock.”
On the tee the wind is spinning
around and I can’t make up my mind
what to do. Should I not be able to
take a couple of minutes to play that
shot? I’m not holding-up the field. And
this is the Masters. But, as things stand,
I will get a bad time, despite being the
fastest player in the field to that point.
That’s not really fair.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
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GOLFER BY B R E N DA N M O L O N E Y | G O L F AU S T R A L I A C O LUMNI S T

A CELEBRATION OF HOGAN
MORE than 60 years after his ninth and You’ll never win until you learn to slice the Hogan’s injuries included two fractures of the
final major victory – the 1953 Open ball.” Daley adds: “That called on Hogan to pelvis, broken collar bone, broken left ankle, a
Championship – Ben Hogan remains an weaken his left hand, open his stance a little chipped rib and life-threatening blood clots. He
enigmatic figure regarded by his many and make other minor adjustments. It was the left hospital 59 days later and in September was
admirers as the best ever. most important lesson he ever received.” non-playing captain of the winning US Ryder
There are few, if any, golfers still alive It is easy to get lost in the pictures of Daley’s Cup team at Ganton in England. Early in 1950
in Australia who ever saw him play so it is book and go on a trip down memory lane. he resumed playing and tied Sam Snead in the
hard to make a judgement. The last couple Smoking in this day and age is frowned upon LA Open at Riviera before losing the play-off
of generations have been brought up on but Hogan smoked in public and endorsed because “his legs could not carry his
the legend of his perfect swing, fierce cigarettes in newspapers and magazines. mighty heart”.
competitiveness and extreme One advertisement shows him with a Two of Daley’s previous works were short-
meanness of spirit. cigarette in his mouth and the caption: “Stay listed for the United States Golf Association’s
Melbourne writer Paul Daley has made it out of the rough – smoke Chesterfield like book of the year award. This could well be
possible for the modern generation to form an I do!” Another picture shows him with his a case of third time lucky and a first for an
opinion with his soon to be released book Ben mother at Shady Oaks in Fort Worth, Texas, Australian writer.
Hogan, The Yardstick of Golfing Greatness. where his painted portrait hangs. Hogan has a
It is a wonderful work that combines Daley’s fag in his hand in both the photograph and the
ability as a writer with more than 300 superb portrait. Despite this he lived to 84. Paul Daley is self-publishing this
photographs in a lavish coffee table publication His fighting spirit is shown in the chapter limited edition of 500 and copies
that is hard to put down. on his horrific car crash on February 2 1949 are available for $150 plus
The black and white pictures showing him when a Greyhound bus speeding in fog on the postage now or $175 after
in action with Presidents, the best players wrong side of the road hit his car head on and publication. A nice touch is that
of his era, royalty, movie stars and business almost killed him. At the last moment he threw those who order before
moguls are mesmerising. They also chip away himself across his wife and took the brunt of publication get their names printed at the front of
at his hard man image. He was reputed to hate the impact. If he’d been wearing a seat belt the book. More details can be obtained from the
photographers but he was the most photogenic he would have been impaled on the steering author at: fswing@bigpond.net.au
player until Arnold Palmer came along. Nearly all column that speared through the driver’s seat.
the images in the book show that he was aware
of the cameras and flashed them a big smile.
The smile seems even broader when he is with
children and while he and wife Valerie were For someone who claimed
to hate photographers, Ben
childless, he was said to be a big
Hogan was quite photogenic.
softy around kids.
Hogan turned pro by simply paying his entry
fee to the 1939 Texas Open and worked at
mopping floors, as a waiter, valet car parker,
handyman at a bank and a mechanic on an oil
well before his breakthrough win at the North
and South Open at Pinehurst the following year.
Until then he was known as “Mr Runner-Up”
because he’d finished second six times in 14
months. Then people started taking notice. As
fellow US Open champion Tommy Bolt noted,
he often saw Nicklaus watching Hogan practise
but never Hogan watching Nicklaus.
One story that has persisted is that a
young Gary Player phoned him when he was
struggling with his game and asked for advice.
Hogan, born in 1912, was 23 years his senior
and had his own brand of clubs. He is said
to have asked Player what he had in his bag
and then replied before hanging up: “Ask Mr
Dunlop.” If the alleged comment was meant to
put Player off his game, it did not work. The little
South African went on to equal Hogan’s tally of
nine majors and a career grand slam.
It seems at odds with Hogan battling a hook
under pressure early in his career and seeking
help from 1939 US PGA champion Henry
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Picard. During the title at Pomonok CC in New

York Picard took him to the range and said:
“Ben, in your case it is pretty simple.

34 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 “The ball is # 1.
The most
important item
in the bag is
the ball.”
Switch to the B330 Series and
feel what it’s like to gain accuracy,
distance and a decisive advantage.
You can’t beat the pack by playing
the same ball as the pack.

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36 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
HIDEK I M AT SU YA M A
JAPAN’S
RISING SON
An astounding hot streak has lifted Hideki
Matsuyama to No.5 in the World Golf Rankings
and enforced the opinion the 24-year-old is ready to
become Japan’s first male major champion.
WORDS STUART HOOD
T
hey call the last few months of the
year golf’s ‘silly season’, but there
has been nothing ridiculous about
Hideki Matsuyama’s recent form. Since
finishing fifth in the Tour Championship
at the end of September, Japan’s top
golfer has played in nine individual
strokeplay events and won five of them.
It is a sensational run of form that has
propelled him to the top of the PGA Tour
money list, carried him to a career-high
No.5 in the Official World Golf Rankings
and prompted a lot of people to start
asking: could this 24-year-old be golf’s
next big thing?
It’s impossible to overlook Matsuyama’s
case for golfing superstardom. As an amateur,
the man from Shikoku Island won two Asia-
Pacific Amateur Championships, received
an R&A scholarship, steered his country
to success in the World University Games,
won a professional event on the Japan Tour
and reached World No.1. Since turning
professional in early 2013, he has won seven
Japan Tour events, secured four PGA Tour
titles, finished in the top-7 of three of the
last eight majors and become the first Asian
to taste success at a WGC event. “It’s a great
victory for me,” he smiled after storming to a
seven-stroke victory in November’s WGC-
HSBC Champions. “I’m happy and thrilled and
really speechless.”
Matsuyama might have been lost for
words, but others weren’t. “Hideki just played
unbelievable and it was a pleasure to watch.
You can learn a lot from watching him play,”
lauded joint runner-up Daniel Berger, while
Scotland’s Russell Knox, who played with
Matsuyama during the final two rounds,
offered the following performance review.
“When Hideki is on, he is as good as anyone.
He showed no weaknesses over the two days.
He drove the ball well and is an extremely
aggressive iron player. He made everything
look very easy.”
Fast-forward a few weeks, swap China
for the Bahamas and Matsuyama was again
making things look easy. After 54 holes of the
Hero World Challenge he was seven strokes
clear of the field and seemingly set for a
Sunday stroll. Then Henrik Stenson started
charging and Matsuyama began stumbling.
By the time the pair reached the 18th the
margin had been cut to two. And when the
Japanese player’s approach to the final green
flew over the back and Stenson’s nestled in
12 feet from the hole the gallery began getting
excited. Would Matsuyama fail to get up and
down? Were they about to see a play-off ? No
and no. The 24-year-old snuffed out the Open
Champion’s challenge by caressing his third
shot to tap-in distance. “It was a very classy
chip,” admitted Stenson.
It was also the latest evidence of
golf australia | MARCH 2017 37
 what Matsuyama calls his “step-by-step
development through the past few years on the
PGA Tour”.
When he first turned professional, the
Japanese player was sometimes too quick to
let the red mist descend. It was a flaw that saw
him throw away the odd victory and create
the odd negative headline, most memorably at
the 2014 WGC-Cadillac Championship where
he issued a public apology after burying his
putter in the 13th green. Now, these temper
tantrums are becoming increasingly irregular
and his world ranking, bank balance and
trophy cabinet are reaping the benefits. Not
only did the World No.5 earn more than $7
million on the course in 2016, he was also the
only leading male professional to claim five
victories in the calendar year.
“It’s going to give him a boat load of
confidence going into next year,” admitted
Tiger Woods after presenting Matsuyama
with the Hero World Challenge trophy. As if to
prove as much, the Japanese player instantly
cast his mind forward to Augusta. “Starting
next week all my focus and preparation will be
for the Masters, that is my next goal,” he said.
Judging by the betting market for next
month’s Masters, bookmakers are taking
this statement of intent seriously. At the
time of writing, the best odds you can get
on him winning the first major of the year is
$12. This price makes him fourth favourite
for the title, behind Rory McIlroy, Jordan
Spieth, and Jason Day, but ahead of reigning
Open Champion Henrik Stenson, US
Open Champion Dustin Johnson, Olympic
Champion Justin Rose and a number of
former Masters winners including Bubba
Watson, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson.
Even allowing for his recent form, this will Matsuyama is
surprise a few people, but when you consider congratulated by
Matsuyama’s history at Augusta it seems Russell Knox after
winning the WGC-
about right. HSBC Champions
The Japanese player first drove up Magnolia title in November.
Lane in 2011. Back then, he was a fresh-faced
amateur who most people expected to miss
the cut. Most people were wrong. The then
19-year-old shot rounds of 72, 73, 68 and 74 NOT ONLY DID THE WORLD NO.5
EARN OVER $7 MILLION IN 2016, HE WAS
to finish in a tie for 27th and secure the Silver

ALSO THE ONLY MALE PROFESSIONAL

HIDEKI’S RAPID RISE
2010 Wins first Asian Amateur.
2011 Secures the Gold Medal for Japan at the
World University Games.
2012 Reaches World No.1 in the
offical Amateur World Rankings.
2013 Turns professional and enters
world top-50 in same year.
TO CLAIM FIVE VICTORIES IN THE
CALENDAR YEAR
“The applause from the cut in 2014, but his Masters love affair was
the hill on the 18th gave rekindled in 2015, when he shot a final round
ls,” he revealed after his 66 to climb into fifth place. Then, in 2016, he
ound. “I was happy to started the final round two shots off the lead.
hat and happy also that A closing 67 would have been good enough
TEXT & IMAGES: © BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA LIMITED

2014 Secures PGA Tour Card and wins able to finish up with a to earn Matsuyama a Green Jacket, but he
Memorial Tournament. ie. That’s a great memory found trouble in the middle of his front nine
2015 Finishes 5th at Masters and 16th I can take home.” and, in the end, could only manage a 73.
FedEx Cup standings. More good feelings “I learned a lot from that round,” he admits.
2016 Wins five times, including WGC- were banked in 2012, “I learned that you will be nervous no matter
HSBC Champions & Japan Open. when he became one what you do and I hope that I can use this
2017 Successfully defends Waste of the only amateurs in experience to my advantage when I’m in
Management Phoenix Open. istory to make the cut at contention next time.”
ugusta twice. He didn’t Notice that he says ‘when’ he is in
y in 2013 and missed the contention next time, rather than ‘if ’.

38 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 hot on hideki’s heels
Meet five Asian players marching up the World Golf Rankings.

Si Woo Kim
AGE: 21
FROM: South Korea
RANKING AT BEGINNING OF 2016: 272
WORLD
NO.59 The 21-year-old Korean’s five-stroke victory at the
PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship included a
round of 60 and made him the youngest winner on
the PGA Tour during the 2015/16 season.

Jeunghun Wang
AGE: 21
FROM: South Korea
RANKING AT BEGINNING OF 2016: 169

Last May, Wang became the first back-to-back WORLD

winner on the European Tour for two years when NO.39
he triumphed in the Mauritius Open a week after
securing the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.

Ryo Ishikawa
AGE: 25
FROM: Japan
RANKING AT BEGINNING OF 2016: 104
WORLD
NO.109 The ‘Bashful Prince’ was touted as golf’s next
superstar when he won a Japan Tour at the age
of 15. He has yet to live up to this billing, but is
playing well of late and is sure to be inspired by
Matsuyama’s feats.

Matsuyama doesn’t speak much English at Soomin Lee

present (“I’m working hard on it, but for some
reason it’s just not sticking in my brain,” he
laughs), but the confidence he has in his ability
and the excitement he has regarding places
it could take him are not lost in translation.
“I believe I can be Japan’s first male major
winner,” he says, before adding. “I really want
to be the first Japanese to do so.”
Whether he has the talent and temperament
to power across a line that golfing legends like
Isao Aoki (2nd in the 1980 US Open), Shigeki
Maruyama (4th in 2004 US Open) and Jumbo
Ozaki (World No.5 in 1997) could not quite
breach is currently one of the biggest debates
in the game.
“I think he’ll be a major champion within
the next couple of years,” says Jordan Spieth, WORLD
but Woods isn’t quite so sure. “He’s going to be NO.181
one of the top guys to beat for a very long time,
but you’ve got to do it in the big events in the
summer,” says the 14-time major champion.
Spieth and Woods may not quite be on the
same page when it comes to Matsuyama’s
major destiny, but they agree that a vital
AGE: 23
FROM: South Korea
RANKING AT BEGINNING OF 2016: 245
WORLD
After opening his 2016 campaign with a second- NO.186
place finish at the Maybank Championship
Malaysia, this talented 23-year-old grabbed his
first European Tour victory at the
Shenzhen International.
Dou Ze-Cheng
AGE: 19
FROM: China
RANKING AT BEGINNING OF 2016: 429
In 2013, Dou made a European Tour cut at the age
of 16 years and 101 days. In 2016, he won
four times on the PGA Tour of China to top the
Order of Merit and gain his card for America’s
Web.com Tour.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 39

 Matsuyama’s bunker play
improved in 2016, but the
short game remains his
biggest weakness.
element of winning grand slam championships
is holing important putts at important times.
The bad news for Matsuyama’s fans is that
he missed a significant number of makeable
birdie putts when in contention at last year’s
US PGA and ranked a lowly 103rd in the
strokes gained putting statistic over the course
of the PGA Tour’s 2015/16 season.
The good
news is that,
thanks to some
advice from
countryman
Hiroshi Iwata,
he believes he is
currently putting better than
ever before. “I did not change
anything dramatically,” he reveals.
“I just realised several fix points
in my putting stroke. This has
helped me make crucial putts
when it mattered the most and
this has been one of the key
reasons for my success.”
Another key reason has been
the mental improvement we
mentioned above, and a third
has been his perennially
impressive long game.
If you ever require
someone to hit an iron
shot for your life, put
Matsuyama very
40 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
IF MATSUYAMA COULD SECURE THE
WORLD NO.1 POSITION, IT COULD SPARK A
HUGE BOOM IN GOLFING PARTICIPATION
THROUGHOUT ASIA
near the top of your list. Despite not having a
swing coach, the 5ft 11in powerhouse is one of
the most consistent ball-strikers in the game.
Last season, he ranked 3rd in strokes gained
with approach shots, 2nd in proximity to
the hole of all approaches from 200-
225 yards, 9th in proximity to the
hole of all approaches from 175-
200 yards and 2nd in proximity
to the hole of all approaches
from 75-100 yards. It is hugely
impressive stuff, but if you think
Matsuyama is going to let it go to
his head, think again.
“I’m honoured people see my iron
play as the strength of my game, but I
don’t think so at all,” says the 24-year-
old. “I believe I need to work on all parts
of my game, especially if I want to be
World No.1.”
For golf’s powerbrokers, the prospect
of Matsuyama reaching top spot is
salivating for a number of reasons. First,
the fact he would be the first Asian golfer
to secure that position could spark a huge
boom in golfing participation throughout that
continent. Second, the fact the World’s top
golfer was Japanese would put the sport (and
Matsuyama himself ) slap bang in the middle
of the spotlight in the run-up to the 2020
Olympics in Tokyo. Third, along with Jason
Day, Europe’s Rory McIlroy and America’s
Jordan Spieth, he could form a young, hungry,
diverse and ultra-talented global fourball that
thrills fans globally.
We are excited just thinking about the above,
but if you think Matsuyama is going to buy
into the hype being created around him, think
again. “I am happy my ranking is going up, but I
know there are still a lot of great players ahead
of me, and that just gives me more incentive to
work harder,” he states.
All of which just leaves us time to probe his
plan for the upcoming year. “Focus on one shot
at a time,” he says. “That is all you can do and
you should do. If I do that and perform at my
best, I believe my results will take care
of themselves.”
From the lakes to the mountains
with golf in-between

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very picturesque property and taking
in sweeping views of the Gippsland
Lakes in the East to the mountains
in the West is a modern home of
generous proportions, purpose built
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the sensational views.

On the gentle western slopes of the

property is a 9 hole golf course with fully
established greens and fairways and
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maintained and a credit to the current
œÜ˜iÀð /…i }œw˜} `>Þ V>˜ ÃÌ>ÀÌ >˜`
w˜ˆÃ… >Ì ̅i ºœv -…>VŽ»Ü…ˆV… Lœ>ÃÌÃ
ÜiÌ L>À] + >˜` ̜ˆiÌ v>VˆˆÌˆið /…i
yœœÀ«>˜œv̅iµÕ>ˆÌÞº >Þ ՈÌ»…œ“i
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 HOW TO ‘HAMMER’ IT LIKE HIDEKI
Teaching professional Luther Blacklock says Matsuyama’s golf swing is better than textbook.
Here he reveals the six key lessons you can learn from the Tour’s best player from tee to green.

TILT SPINE IGNITE THE ALLOW THE

1 SLIGHTLY TO RIGHT
You can’t see too well from this angle but Hideki
sets up with his spine tilted slightly to the right at
address. His left arm, clubshaft and ball also form
a perfectly straight line.
2 LEFT SHOULDER
Like Adam Scott, Hideki gets the club moving
with his shoulders – in particular by turning the
left shoulder under his throat. His wrists are
slightly under-hinged here. Great for the driver.
3 RIGHT HIP TO TURN
Hideki’s quiet wrist action facilitates a shoulder
turn of 100-plus degrees. And because his
shoulder turn is so good, look how much his right
hip has turned back. No stack and tilt and here!

LEVERAGE HIT IT SLIGHTLY HOLD YOUR

4 THE GROUND
If you resist your shoulder turn with your right hip
you’ll not only damage your back, you’ll never be
able to hit this position, where your knees squat
slightly as you apply force to the ground.
5 ON THE UP
Hideki has lost some height here but it’s nothing
to worry about. His left shoulder rises to
compensate and helps him hit up on the ball.
He’s looking fantastic coming into impact.
6 SPINE ANGLE
My only minor criticism of Hideki’s technique is
that he stands up a little too much in his finish.
Ideally, I’d like to see him retain the spine angle
he created at address into his follow-through.

42 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 The Federal Golf Club

All of your preconceived ideas about Canberra

will be left at the front gate.
When planning your social group’s golf trip, a round at Canberra’s
Federal Golf Club is a must.

*For booking details e-mail operations@fgc.com.au or go to www.fgc.com.au

Follow us on
 SPECIAL
REPORT

44 MARCH 2017 | golf australia


S
T ’
I
D
A N
Last August, Nike stopped making golf equipment.
So why couldn’t the world’s most ruthlessly
successful sports company convince us to buy
their clubs and balls? The answer, as Richard Gillis
reveals, tells us as much about the business of golf
as it does about the sports giant itself.
T
he Nike Swoosh began to appear
on golf courses in the 1980s on the
arms and feet of Curtis Strange
and Seve Ballesteros but it was a long
time before the world’s biggest sports
brand entered the equipment market.
Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open with
the Nike Tour Accuracy ball and David
Duval won the 2001 Open at Lytham
using Nike forged irons. Of course, there
have been highlights along the way, but
after a 15-year journey Nike is back to
where it started in golf – making apparel
and footwear.
With the promise of attracting a
whole new audience, Nike backed up
their commitment to golf with a massive
marketing outlay. However, the brand
never snared more than a 10% market
share in clubs or balls. Golf contributed
GON E !
$706 million to Nike revenues in the last
financial year; small fry compared to
the $27.2 billion generated by the whole
company over the same accounting
period. What’s more, golf was Nike’s
worst-performing category in its last
fiscal year, as sales fell eight percent.
Golf as a whole was also the only
segment to lose sales on a constant
currency basis and has become Nike’s
smallest revenue contributor.
While these figures
help explain the decision to
leave, an obvious question
hangs in the air. Given
that Nike is the most
successful business in
sports, why did it find
golf such a hard nut
to crack?
the tiger woods disconnect
Why Nike could never leverage the World No.1
Nike’s golf story was inspired by the global
fame and charisma of Tiger Woods. From the
start, it was clear that the relationship between
the player and the Oregon-based company
was far more ambitious and complex than
just another golf endorsement deal: Brand
Tiger would help define the link between
business and sport celebrity. The first time
we saw Woods on television he was pitching
for the brand. “Hello World” he said, echoing
a Nike slogan just a few days after signing his
first multi-million dollar deal as a 19-year-old
Stanford graduate in 1996.
Woods’ role in the Nike story highlights the
basic problem of marketing: cause and effect.
The effect is very easy to spot – sales rise or fall
– but getting to the cause is where expensive
mistakes are made as success or failure is
attributed to the wrong thing. 
‘Half the money I spend on advertising
is wasted,’ goes the industry cliché. ‘I just
don’t know which half’. 
When applied to golf, the major golf
equipment brands spend enormous sums of
money on tour player endorsements, in the
hope this will encourage regular golfers to buy
their equipment. Things are rarely that simple,
however. Player endorsements can certainly
help make a brand famous, but just knowing
of their existence is not enough to persuade us
to shell out on a new set of irons or the latest
driver. The ambassadorial role of Tiger and,
several years later, Rory McIlroy who signed a
$200 million contract in 2012, was at odds with
how golf clubs are traditionally bought and sold.
“Nike did produce some excellent products,
but their marketing centred on what Tiger or
Rory were using rather than how the product
actually helped the average golfer,” says Paul
Hedges, CEO of Foremost, the UK’s largest golf
retail group, which boasts a membership of
over 950 club professionals and is responsible
for 25 percent of all UK golf sales.
“With an educated and discerning buyer that
was not enough,” Hedges continues. “Without
fully embracing custom-fit technology to
demonstrate playing benefits, they allowed
other brands to be seen as a better choice.”
There was always a flaw at the heart of Nike’s
Tiger strategy, Hedges asserts. Put simply,
most of the people who idolised and were most
influenced by Tiger were not the ones buying
the clubs. “Golf’s demographic skew means
that with the higher average age of participants
the hero worship of iconic players was never as
powerful as it was reported to be.
“In short, wealthier, more mature golfers
never really warmed to a brand that was
perceived as being heavily aligned with
teenagers,” says Hedges.
“It is a mistake to think that
a young demographic will
simply stay with a brand as
they grow older.
As we get older, our
brand values change
and we are influenced by
other things.”
golf australia | MARCH 2017 45
 a ROUND BALL in a SQUARE HOLE
The retail conundrum Nike never solved
Other than figuring out how to best leverage
Tiger Woods, Nike’s most challenging issue
was the structure of the retail golf business,
which hindered the company’s ability to reach
potential customers.
“Fundamentally, golf is still a relatively
small business which does not lend itself
to a mass-market distribution model,” says
Hedges. “With less than seven percent of the
adult population playing the sport and some
50 percent of golf equipment sold through
professionals’ shops, golf equipment brands
cannot sustain a prime high street retail
position. Across the world, even the largest
golf retailers are in secondary locations
because sales just cannot support prime
locations and the associated costs.”
This created a problem for a massive
company like Nike, which usually reaches its
customers on the high street or via its own
online stores. “Successful golf brands have
to work with a very large number of small
retailers,” says Hedges, “whereas Nike is more
geared to mass distribution.”
This explains why the golf industry remains
the realm of golf-only brands such as Ping,
Mizuno, Callaway, Titleist and the adidas-
owned TaylorMade, which is currently being
sold by the German giant and major
Nike competitor.
Hedges believes the complexity of the
buying process in golf means that the
influence of the PGA golf professional holds
more weight than an endorsement by a well-
known tournament professional – a fact that
is evidenced by the still high percentage of
total on-course sales.
“The unique facility of having the coach,
custom-fitting options and retailing being at
the point of purchase means club pros have
a huge influence. Our research has shown
that a PGA club professional’s personal
endorsement is eight times more powerful
than that of the top tournament professionals.
Golf brands recognise this and use that
pyramid of influence by ensuring that the club
professional is supported.
Massive brands such as
Nike tried to engineer
their preferred supply
chain and business model into
a market that could not and
would not follow it.”
A LONG &
WINDING
ROAD
The highs and lows
2001
of Nike’s 15-year
rollercoaster David Duval wins the Open
journey in the golf playing Nike, the first
equipment industry. victory for the brand’s clubs.
46 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
WHAT YOU
THINK?
Real golfers tell us where Nike
went wrong
@JamesWi886
“Nike didn’t have the tradition
and heritage of Titleist, Callaway
etc. That’s vital in golf. They are
specialist golf people”
@yeoldpro
“Their early equipment was
inferior. By the time it was good
people had written them off. Sad as
Nike hard goods in ’16 were great”
@TomSnelling
“I’ve got Nike irons & putter but
changing as, for me, they’ve not
produced any classics unlike Ping
(Anser) Titleist (Vokey) etc.”
@ronniecswartz
“Simple, not a very good product for
the average golfer. The pros have
world class talent and can make any
club work. Amateurs don’t”
the gap between the human being and the
THE PROBLEM WITH HEROES marketing myth. The second problem is that
How Nike were blinded by their brightest star heroes can be so compelling that they encourage
even the most hard-nosed business brains to fall
Nike is in the hero business. Since its under their spell. In Nike’s case, the incredible
inception as a running shoe company, it has global popularity of Tiger Woods was a catalyst
used its marketing budgets to turn athletes for the brand to venture in to a sector in which
into idols. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are they had no experience or expertise.
part of a long-standing tradition that includes Nike is the world leader in sports clothing
Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Andre and shoes, but it has found that golf is not the
Agassi and Cristiano Ronaldo. only hardware business not to its liking. The
But there are two problems with heroes. company entered the ice hockey business
First, they sometimes fail. And in the case of by buying incumbent brand Bauer and then
Armstrong and Woods particularly, the attempted to build a position in the nascent
fallout can be spectacular, revealing market for wearable trackers by making its
Nike opens The Oven, its
Texas clubmaking factory and
Nike
introduces the
First game improvement
clubs, the Slingshot
releases its first line of clubs. Ignite driver irons and CPR hybrids.
2002 2003 2004
Tiger wins his first event Phil Mickelson expresses One Black and One
playing Nike clubs, the surprise that Tiger could Gold balls are
WGC-AMEX in Ireland. win so often playing NIke. released.
 and France rugby team shirts. They exited that
market and now have no deal with any of the
major rugby nations.”
In addition to this lack of growth, Crow
points to factors outside of golf that have
impacted on Nike’s business decisions.
Significantly, they are fighting expensive
battles in other sports, particularly football
and the major league sports in the US. “They
have bigger fish to fry elsewhere,” says Crow,
who points to “escalating prices for the big
contracts in those sectors”.
He’s not kidding. Nike recently agreed to
pay Chelsea FC £900million over the next 15
years to design, make and sell the west London
football team’s kit. This was on the heels of a
similarly huge contract renewal with Spanish
club FC Barcelona.
According to Sports Business Journal,
Nike’s financial obligations to sports teams,
leagues, associations, colleges and athletes
reached nearly $6.2 billion last year, up a
whopping 32 percent over the same time a year
before. This spike in spending on sponsorship
was due to the pressure from Under Armour
and adidas. Between 2013 and 2015, Nike’s
spending rose an incredible 72 percent, or
nearly $2.6 billion.
“The reality is you see a bit of a jump because
they can,” said Jay Sole, a research analyst for
Morgan Stanley. “The business is performing
very well; the profits are continuing to grow.”
In direct contrast, even with Tiger at his peak
Nike never had more than a single-digit market
share of the golf equipment business.
In the end, the decision to leave was brutally
quick, with even contracted players caught
unawares and left seeking new deals with other
clubmakers. With Nike’s marketing spend
reduced, the going rate for golf endorsements
will fall, and the other manufacturers, such as
best. Just because we wear a Nike polo shirt Callaway, Titleist and TaylorMade will seek to
A PGA CLUB PRO does not mean we’ll buy soak up market share.

IS EIGHT TIMES
their clubs. If you look around a pro shop,
you’ll see a divide between the major clothing
MORE INFLUENTIAL brands and those selling equipment. Under
Armour, Adidas, Puma, and Oakley have all
THAN A TOP built large golf clothing, shoe and accessory
“It just goes to show how tough the golf
market is,” said Tom Stine, co-founder of Golf
Datatech, which tracks industry sales. “It’s a
steady market.
It isn’t going anywhere, but if there’s one less

TOUR PRO businesses without going to the enormous

own FuelBand device. Both ventures, like its
golf equipment business, failed.
The reason for these high-profile failures
is that the link between sports equipment
hardware and clothing/shoes is tenuous at
expense of selling clubs under the same brands.
“Nike has a history of entering a new sport
and then withdrawing,” says Tim Crow, an
expert in sport sponsorship and chief executive
of the Synergy Sponsorship agency. “Not that
long ago Nike had a major presence in rugby,
with the license to make and sell the England
competitor, then there are more dollars to go to
the other companies.”
Paul Hedges agrees. “Any brand that wants
to succeed in golf has to really understand the
market. I think Nike had been pushing water
uphill from day one; and after many years
and significant investment, they have clearly
decided that it was just not worth the effort.”

Michelle Wie signed as Nine separate Nike Nike players finish 1-2-3 at Rory McIlroy signs McIlroy wins both
TEXT & IMAGES: © BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA LIMITED

Power Lady women’s players win 16 PGA the Masters (Immelman, as a Nike player for the Open and PGA
ball is launched. Tour tournaments. Woods and Cink). $200million. Championship.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2014

eads in PGA The infamous Nike SQ Dymo STR8-FIT Schwartzel wins Rory swaps to
river, iron & Sumo2 square launched, first with adjustable the Masters Vapor Fly for the
y wins. driver released. shaft/head combination. playing Nike. Ryder Cup.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 47

 COURSE DESIGN

48 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

Fun and interesting golf courses inspire and excite players of all abilities and ages.
Penal course design can only serve to drive people from the game with their head
buried in their hands. If golf is to survive, it needs to be fun again.
WORDS MIKE CLAYTON, ARCHITECTURE EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHY GARY LISBON & BRENDAN JAMES

“H
ow often,” wrote Alister
MacKenzie in his book The
Spirit of St Andrews, “have
we known committees, presumably
consisting of men of intelligence,
receiving the statement that golf is played
for fun, with eyes and mouths wide open
in astonishment?”
Any discussion of the finest golf course
architects inevitably comes to the consensus
MacKenzie is one of the most accomplished
and he, along with the most enlightened of his
contemporaries, revolutionised the game after
World War I. They designed and built strategic
courses championing principles of options,
width, space to play; and he married them with
beautiful construction work ensuring the
best courses appeared ‘indistinguishable
from nature.’
Making sporty courses was more important
than making difficult ones, which didn’t mean
they eschewed the building of very difficult
holes and shots to test the best players in
the game. They asked interesting questions
of everybody and those who understood the
questions invariably enjoyed his courses more
than those who did not.
Previously, courses were more penal than
strategic, designed with the simplistic aim
of punishing poor shots and rewarding good
ones. Hazards were placed down the sides of
the fairways to catch the crooked and across
the fairways to catch the duffer. MacKenzie
himself left the cross-hazard at Royal
Melbourne’s 15th hole as an example “of how
bad golf architecture used to be.”
Ultimately for him golf was supposed to be
interesting, thought provoking and fun.
The US Golf Digest magazine use a
‘resistance to scoring’ criteria as a part of their
course ranking system judging the relative
worth of courses in America.
Not only does it legitimise difficulty – so
often the anthisis of fun – it detracts from the
worth of tremendous short courses like you’ll
find at London’s Swinley Forest, Portsea or
Barwon Heads.
Cypress Point is the most beautiful course
in America and also one of the very best but at
just under 6,000 metres it’s far from difficult.
Swinley is barely 5,700 metres long but there

Cypress Point is not just the

most beautiful course in the US,
its also one of the very best.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 49

 One of Geoff Ogilvy’s favourites,
the beautiful Swinley Forest.
are any number of of great shots to inspire the
best players, and Geoff Ogilvy calls it “one of
my favourite courses in the world because I
can play with my mum and my dad and we can
all have a great day.”
Fortunately, in Australia, we have never seen
the need to grow long green grass and arrange
our courses in the way so many American
courses are organised where difficulty and
‘fairness’ are seen as virtues.
Unsurprisingly touring pros (and most
golfers) want equity of both punishment and
reward, but it’s a recipe for making golf dull.
Everyone who thinks golf should be ‘fair’
would do well to consider how ‘fair’ wildly
fun courses like North Berwick, Prestwick,
St Andrews’ Old Course or The National Golf
Links of America really are. They all have
their critics but you can be sure it will be those
looking for predictability, consistency, tame
greens and holes unlikely to interrupt a
serene sequence of three and fours and the
occasional five.
There is any number of ways to make golf
‘fun’ but it will take a commitment from those
committees MacKenzie wrote so despairingly
about to make it so.
Royal Melbourne is full of MacKenzie and
Alex Russell holes made fun by the choices
players are asked to make.
“Unless we provide golf courses full of
intricate problems,” wrote MacKenzie,
“players will get sick of the game without
knowing why they have got sick of it, and
golf will die from a lack of abiding and
increasing knowledge.”
Courses as diverse as the two courses at
Barnbougle, Cape Wickham, the Moonah
course at The National, Kingston Heath,
Royal Adelaide, Lake Karrinyup and Royal
Queensland are fun to play. If you hit
reasonably straight you rarely look for a ball.
They are not really difficult in the fashion of
the most difficult courses in the world, but they
50 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
UNLESS ARCHITECTURE AND
THE IMAGINATION OF ARCHITECTS
IS, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN, A HUGELY
IMPORTANT PART OF MAKING THE GAME
INTERESTING AND FUN.
– MIKE CLAYTON
do challenge good players to play thoughtful
golf and they do demand quality shots if the
aim is to score around par.
Of course there are hundreds of courses in
Australia that aren’t Royal Melbourne.
I started playing at a rudimentary nine-hole
public course in Melbourne’s east. Maybe it
had a bunker but I can’t remember it. Green
fees were 30 cents for nine holes and 40 cents
for 18 holes and we had great fun learning how
to hit shots … how to break 50.
Architecture and the imagination of
architects is, and always has been, a hugely
important part of making the game interesting
and fun.
The other critical element in the future
will be the willingness of clubs to get beyond
the standard 18-hole course and to imagine
different ways of making the game fun to play.
The wildly undulating Himalayas putting
green at St Andrews is extraordinarily popular.
Anyone can hit a ball along the ground with a
club, and it’s playing golf without the onerous
task for many beginners of having to hit the
ball in the air with a long club. You can even
do it with a bad grip. Someone some day
soon will build one in Australia and it will be
hugely successful. It will be the harbinger for
many more.
 Clayton says
courses like
The National’s
Moonah are fun
to play and are,
therefore, more
interesting.
Our design firm (Ogilvy, Clayton, Cocking
and Mead – OCCM) have a reversible course
planned for the land on the eastern side of the
Gateway Bridge at Royal Queensland. The Old
Course at St Andrews is occasionally played
in reverse and the few people I know who have
played love it. You play from the 1st tee to the
17th green and then from the 18th tee to the
16th green, and from there all the way to the
final hole from the 2nd tee to the 18th green.
On a small site with suitable land it’s a
way to make 18 quite different holes on a
nine-hole site.
The game here needs to legitimise fun
courses... short courses, but it’s never going to
be the case if they are poor ones or magazines
continue to work against them by encouraging
courses to ‘resist scoring’. The average
handicap is still 18 and the best course in the
country is still Royal Melbourne West. It’s also
the easiest of the best 20 in the rankings.
Healesville, north east of Melbourne, is only
5,000 meters long but the holes ask the same
sort of strategic questions and it’s a way more
manageable length for the majority who play.
MacKenzie, the polemic visionary,
recognised the same almost a century ago.
“It would be possible to make a golf course
measuring 5,000 yards a much finer test of golf
than those approaching 7,000 yards on which
championships have been played,” he said.
Bill Coore, one of the best modern day
architects, said something similar when
he noted: “The more priority that is given
to any one aspect of the game and the more
architecture caters to one segment of players,
the more one-dimensional the game
becomes. Nothing could be farther from fun
and interesting.”
Clubs would do well to disabuse themselves
of the absurd notion so often heard at local pro-
ams that “the pros never burn-up our course.”
The famous wall hole at North
Berwick. It’s quirky and strange
but its fun and interesting.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 51

There should be more par-3
courses, like Bandon’s 13-hole
gem known as The Preserve.
I played the day Greg Norman shot 63 at
Turnberry in the 1986 Open. It was the hardest
course I ever played and I was pretty happy
with my 74. A 63 was beyond the imagination
of every single one of the other 154 players who
teed up that day.
Decent pros will “burn-up” any course and if
they don’t it’s pretty sure to be a combination
of lousy pros, trickery and poor greens.
Mike Kesier is the most significant
developer of American courses since Marion
Hollins made golf popular on the Monterey
Peninsula. Keiser funded the quartet of courses
at Bandon in Oregon, the two spectacular ones
high on the cliffs of Nova Scotia at Cabot Links
and he is now in the midst of a four course
project, Sand Valley, in the middle of nowhere
Wisconsin.
All are public courses with reasonable green
fees (by US standards) and it means public
course players can play some of the very best
courses in the country.
In Australia, the same thing is now possible
at Barnbougle, Cape Wickham, St Andrews
Beach, Kennedy Bay and The Dunes, and
it’s developing these public courses that has
been the most significant advance to golf in
Australia since the early 1930s when the best
early courses were built - many of which are
still the best courses in the country.
Rudimentary public golf is important but so
is great public golf.
Keiser added a 13-hole par-3 course at
Bandon, which Ogilvy calls “the most fun
you can possibly imagine with five clubs in
52 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
an hour.”
Par-3 courses are cheaper to make, cheaper
to maintain, quicker to play in an age when
everyone seems to think golf “takes too long”
(it doesn’t if you are happy to play a few holes
at a time late in the evening or early in the
morning) and is too hard. And where better for
kids to learn? One of the coolest courses in the
world is the children’s course at North Berwick
where adults are allowed to play as long as a
child accompanies them.
We are in the midst of rebuilding the ‘Little
Nine’ at Shady Oaks, a par-3 course where
Ben Hogan spent the last 40 years of his life
hitting balls.
The concept is a nine-hole loop of eight
par-3s and one short par-4 but also for players
to play from “anywhere to anywhere”. For
example, the best hole on the course is a
350-metre par-4 from the edge of the 4th
fairway down to the 9th green. From the 7th tee
you can hit a straight 140-metre shot onto the
7th green, a 170-metre draw into the 2nd green
The Himalayas putting course
at St Andrews is hugely popular.
When will a club build one here?
and the same length fade into the 3rd green.
Maybe it takes up 20 acres but any kid
could learn to play scratch golf by playing and
practicing on the same piece of ground Hogan
made famous.
George Thomas, a contemorary of
MacKenzie, developed a concept he called “A
Course within a Course”. At the Los Angeles
Country Club, Thomas’ 2nd hole was designed
to be played as a short par-5 or a long par-4
depending on which tee you played. The 7th
and 11th holes are great long par-3s but he
made tees back at 300 yards so both can be
alternatively played as short par-4s. The 5th
hole is a 450-metre par-4 that, with a brutal
front pin, is entirely inaccessible with a long
iron - but perfect when the hole is played from
the forward tee at 330 metres.
Amazingly the concept never caught on,
but clearly the variety it engenders makes the
game more interesting and therefore more fun.
In the end if golf isn’t fun it may survive but it
won’t thrive.
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54 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
 MY LIFE IN GOLF

David
Warner
We talk exclusively to Australian cricket vice-
captain, run-machine and married father-of-two
about his search for a better swing, his bucket list of
courses to play and why he plays golf right-handed.
WORDS MATT CLEARY PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

I
first started playing golf about age 10,
just with a pitching wedge down at
the local park by myself, hitting balls.
I was never really that serious about it, but I
began to play a bit and got into it. And as I got
older and saw a lot of cricket guys playing golf,
I tried to work harder at it in my spare time.
And I just really enjoyed it.
Like a few left-handed batters (Brian
Lara, Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming),
I play golf right-handed. As a kid I grew up
only having right-handed clubs so that’s why I
became a right-handed golfer.
When I started off playing I was an 18 or
19 handicap. I got down to 9 or 10, which
is where I’m at now. I could definitely play
better than that; it’s just hard to find the time
to work on a consistent swing. It’s a bit like my
cricket - the more I spend on the driving range,
the worse I hit them out on the park. I could
probably do with a lesson (or three!), and some
consistent time working on my swing rather
than just whacking balls, fun as it is.
Being on tour with the Australian cricket
team, wherever we are we tend to head out
and have a hit. I’ve played Royal Wellington
in New Zealand, which is nice. Zimbali in
Durban is a golf resort. Pearl Valley in Cape
Town, Jack Nicklaus designed it. Delhi Golf
Club a very nice one, played there quite a bit
in my time with Delhi Daredevils. The IPL
has been played a bit in Dubai so I’ve played
pretty much all the courses there, which are
challenging, especially off the back tees.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 55


I’ve played in the United States a bit. I
played that one in Scottsdale (TPC Scottsdale)
in Arizona where they have the (Phoenix
Open) and that par-3 stadium hole. My cousin
is a pro at Legacy Golf Club; he took me all over
Arizona. There’s a heap of great golf courses in
Scottsdale.
For whatever reason I’ve never played in
the UK, always been too busy. Hopefully,
next time. I’ve got to play St Andrews one day.
That’s bucket list. And any of those courses
they play British Opens on. They look great on
the telly. I also want to get down to Leopard
Creek in South Africa, spend some time with
the family, go on safari, play some golf. That’s
bucket list, too.
I played in the Jack Newton Celebrity
Classic, probably eight or nine years ago.
And I actually got wind of a few nerves. It
was all a bit different playing golf with people
watching. It was actually very different from
just playing golf, socially, with your mates.
Playing golf with people watching your swing
… yeah, it was a bit nervie. That might sound
funny for a cricketer to say, someone who’s
played in front of really big crowds. But there
you go!
Greg Blewett is still the best golfer in
Australian cricket. Blewie’s off scratch. He
was playing Pennant golf at Kooyonga. I play a
56 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
Warner has had a good run recently, scoring
a ton before lunch in the Sydney Test and
winning the Alan Border Medal.
lot of golf with him and it’s awesome, he’s got
a beautiful swing. He hits the ball so clean and
well. And when he’s on he can clean up. That’s
why I always give him a lot of crap. You can get
into his head on the golf course and he loses it
a little bit. That’s my opinion and he wouldn’t
agree. But getting in his ear – you might even
call it sledging him – is my only weapon
against him.
I played with Ricky Ponting once, at the
River Club in Johannesburg. He hits them
pretty well too. I can’t remember if he took any
money off me. He probably did! We’ve been
trying to catch up for a hit but cricket gets in
the way of good times some times. unbelievable to watch.
Of the current players, Glenn Maxwell I also love watching Jordan Spieth,
would be the best. He’s off 5, I think. Aaron Rory McIlroy, all those top players. l love
Finch plays a bit, Mitch Marsh, Mitchell Starc. watching little parts of their game. Their
We always try to catch up for a hit but there preparation for each shot, how they execute.
isn’t a lot of time. When I’m home I play a bit Then you’ve got someone like Bubba Watson
with Wendell Sailor, who loves his golf. If you who just walks up, stands and delivers, which
ever put him in one of these articles he’ll talk is hilarious. And Scotty’s swing, that thing is
your head off. just beautiful. He’s a machine. You dream of
hitting the ball what that power.
I met Adam Scott for the first time this
year at the tennis in Melbourne. He seems But then there’s a heap of ways to swing
like a really nice, humble fellah. When he won the golf club, and everyone’s a little
the Masters in 2013 I was playing in the IPL different...they’re a lot different, some
and could only see little bits of the telecast. of them. I love watching different guys’
But I love watching the Australian boys. techniques. I like Rickie Fowler’s swing; it’s
Scotty and Jason Day, when they’re on they’re a bit different. Dustin Johnson. Bubba, he’s
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 Warner asked Peter O’Malley
for some tips during the tennis ...
he’s passing on the advice.

Warner says
fellow opener
Aaron Finch
is one of the
better golfers
in the current
Aussie squad.

ridiculous. We talk about it in cricket – there’s Playing a round at St Andrews

no perfect technique. Long as your head’s still sits right on top of Warner’s
golfing bucket list.
and in line with the ball, that’s how it should
be, and that’s awesome.

I sat next to Peter O’Malley at the tennis

in Melbourne, and bugged him for a few
tips. He suggested I do what he does, which
is putt with your eyes closed. That’s how he
actually putts. I didn’t ask for any more tips
after that.

The strength of my game would be my

short irons and my putter. I’m sort of a
scrapper. I’m not too bad at getting up and
down. I like the bump-n-run from around the
green, not so much the flop sort of shot. My
favourite club would be my 50-degree wedge.
But I’m pretty good from maybe six-iron up.

Weakness would be long irons. My driver,

I’m still getting used to working with it. That
and three-wood, long-irons off the tee, I’m
blocking them right a bit. For me it’s about
working my left leg and making sure I clear my
left hip. At the moment I’m tending to be all
hands and my hips aren’t doing the work.

My shot shape is probably a little fade,
which doesn’t go too bad. I try to play
middle or left of the fairway and work it right.
So if it goes straight it should be okay. And I
don’t often really spray it with the slice. I don’t
have Bubba’s giant banana slice in me. Just
this little fade. I wouldn’t mind a draw off the
tee but when you’re a 10-marker you just try to
My best score was a three-over at The
Lakes, though it wasn’t in a competition
HE SUGGESTED I or off the back tees. It was a good thing it
wasn’t in the comp. I was just playing for
DO WHAT HE DOES, fun, sort of thing. I have had 43 points in a
WHICH IS PUTT WITH competition at Kooyonga. I was playing
with ‘Blewie’ and he wasn’t happy, called
YOUR EYES CLOSED ... me a “burglar”.

I DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY

hit the fairway. I’m not one who tries to place
the ball and manage the golf course. I just aim,
hit and hope!
I hope to have a hole-in-one one day. I’ve
been within a metre a couple of times. But I’m
still waiting for that day.
If there was one rule I’d change in golf it’s
MORE TIPS. that if you land in someone else’s divot
on the fairway, it should be a free drop. It
– DAVID WARNER should be GUR. A divot full of sand is ground
under repair. It is being repaired. You’ve hit a
good shot and you’re penalised. Not fair.

58 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

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60 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

DESIGNING
MIND
American course architect Gil Hanse won wide acclaim during the Olympics
for his outstanding Rio De Janeiro layout. We spoke with him during a
visit to Royal Sydney Golf Club, which he was inspecting ahead of
overseeing a redesign of the famed layout.
L
et’s start at the beginning. How
did you get into the course design
business?
I actually started in Britain. I went to Cornell
University in the States and won a scholarship
– the same one Tom Doak had a few years
earlier – that allowed me to spend a year in
the UK. I lived for six months in St. Andrews
in 1987/88. I had a wonderful time there and
learned so much about the foundations and
history of the game. Everything I believe about
golf course design stems directly from that
year of my life.
It has become a bit of a cliché, but is
everything in your business based on the
Old Course?
Yeah. I think it is. I often get asked what
my favourite course is and it is the Old
Course hands down. It is the most endearing,
charming, fun, strategic course ever created.
And the fact that it wasn’t actually “designed”
says an awful lot about what we do (laughs).
Anyway, after my year in Britain I went back
to Cornell and completed my Masters degree
in landscape architecture. I then went to work
for Tom Doak and stayed with him for three-
and-a-half years. I started my own company
in 1993. And my first solo design was the
Craighead course at Crail in Scotland. My wife,
Tracy, and two kids, Chelsea and Tyler, again
lived over there for six months.
Like most young architects I cut my teeth
mostly on renovation and restoration – which
is the way of the world in the business these
days – and slowly built up a reputation and
THE BIG INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW JOHN HUGGAN
resume. There are new courses getting built
now but it is hard to get owners to take a
chance on young guys who no one has ever
heard of.
2007 was kind of a turning point for us. We
had two projects come up that year: the TPC at
Boston, which we totally renovated along with
PGA Tour player Brad Faxon and Castle Stuart
in Scotland. The owner there, Mark Parsinen,
and I had a mutual friend and we met for lunch
in New York. We hit it off and he asked us to be
involved in what he was doing at Castle Stuart.
From there, we have done a variety of
projects including Doral and the Olympic
course in Rio. My partner, Jim Wagner, and I
have always kind of believed in the philosophy
of keeping our head down, doing good work and
hoping the right people will notice over time.
How has your thinking evolved and
changed over the years? Or has it?
It has. That year in Britain remains the
foundation. But I have obviously learned how
to look at the characteristics of each site and
use them in unique ways. I love places like
Prestwick and North Berwick in Scotland.
When you look at holes like the 13th at North
Berwick (where the green sits just the other
side of a stone wall) or the 17th at Prestwick
(where the green is concealed by a large hill)
you start to see what is acceptable. And when
you know that, your horizons broaden, in terms
of creativity and imagination.
Were holes like that created? Or were they
just there?
It is what was there, but those things are
acceptable in the world of golf. Both are
considered fantastic courses even if there are
some who don’t like that type of design. But
they have stood the test of time and remain
integral parts of those courses. If they can
last that long on great courses, maybe you can
push the envelope. But there is a line. If you go
out of your way to create stuff like that then it
can begin to look contrived. But if it is there in
the landscape then it works. All of that was an
eye-opener for me as far as the boundaries of
design are concerned.
A big part of my philosophy is being on site
during a large part of the construction process.
As we have gotten more popular and more
opportunities have come our way, that gets
more difficult to do. But Jim and I still get on
bulldozers and do our bit on the shaping side
of things.
The shapers are the unsung heroes in
every design aren’t they?
They really are. Without a doubt. We have
some guys working for us who could be course
architects themselves if the opportunities
came along. But I am delighted they are with
us. They add so much to the character of what
we do. We give them a ton of flexibility, which
is what Tom Doak does and Bill Coore and Ben
Crenshaw do too. We don’t produce hard-and-
fast plans. We don’t say to the shapers, “build
this.” It is more, “okay, here is the concept. Get
started and we will edit it as we go along.”
It’s like writing I guess, in that everyone needs
an editor.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 61
 Gil Hanse earned plenty of
acclaim for his strategic Castle
Stuart design in Scotland.
Dedication to being on site. Dedication to
maximising the natural potential of the site.
Those are the principles we work to and I
think, have led to the success we have enjoyed.
When it comes to restoration or renovation
we also try to focus on the historic character
of the site. When you are dealing with a
Tillinghast or a Ross or a MacKenzie, you have
a responsibility to maintain their legacy. They
were so good at what they did.
The Golden Age of course architecture ran
from the mid-1910s to the mid-1930s. How
would you compare that era with the last
20 years or so?
The downturn in opportunities our industry
has suffered since the worldwide economic
collapse has meant that a lot of the recent
work has been predicated on creating special
golf rather than the game being just a vehicle
for selling houses. The number of “remote”
courses is an example of that. What we tend
to find is that there is a group of architects
who are getting most of the work and they
are nearly all aligned into that “minimalist”
philosophy.
Minimalism is almost an oxymoron in
that it involves maximising the site, or the
characteristics of it. It is basically minimally
altering the site in order to accommodate
the golf course. Instead, the course gets
accommodated to the ground. It is “find the
golf holes” rather than “creating the golf holes.”
All of which works really well if you give us a
great piece of land to work with.
That has led to the building of great
courses in wonderful remote locations. Great
developers like Mike Kaiser (Bandon Dunes)
and Mark Parsinen (Castle Stuart) finding
62 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
these sites around the world have played a
huge part in that of course. It all really started
with Sand Hills in Nebraska, which was built
by Coore and Crenshaw. But that model is only
successful if you build great courses. Beautiful
courses that are not much more than mediocre
are just not going to make it.
People ask me if there is more room for
golf. My answer is that there is always room
...A LOT OF THE
RECENT WORK HAS
BEEN PREDICATED
ON CREATING
SPECIAL GOLF
RATHER THAN THE
GAME BEING JUST
A VEHICLE FOR
SELLING HOUSES.
– GIL HANSE
for great golf. That is true in every industry.
Quality is always going to succeed.
So, while some people have touted the last
two decades as a second “Golden Age,” that is
for historians to decide.
But how does it compare in your mind?
I think there are some examples of truly
great work right now that definitely compare
to the best of the Golden Age. We have emerged
from the time when factors other than quality
were involved in the building of courses.
What is the best of the Golden Age?
Pine Valley. Cypress Point. Pinehurst No.
2. The National Golf Links on Long Island.
Merion. LA Country Club. Those are my
favourites and the bedrocks on which the
Golden Age was founded. They became the
model for greatness in the United States. Prior
to that, there were very few. The National
really set the standard for what people could
aspire to in the States. Once that was built, the
acceptable standard rose markedly.
What do you think caused the gap that
came along after the Golden Age? Where
did it all go wrong if you like?
The Depression came along. Then World
War II. People were focused on other things.
Then all the Golden Age designers passed
away. They were all gone. Then after the war,
the economy in the US was booming so there
was a rush to build. Heavy machinery was
available and the course architects relied more
on that than anything else.
Not to criticise those guys, but someone
like Robert Trent Jones – the poster boy for
this era in many ways – actually knew Donald
Ross. He met Alister MacKenzie. So they were
not design Gods to him; they were just guys he
was competing against. So there was a lack of
reverence for what they had built. Add in the
fact that Jones was building so many courses at
once and there was more of a reliance on plans
and heavy earth moving than there had been
in the past. The focus shifted from quality to

quantity.
Anyway, in that “middle” period, guys like
Jones and Dick Wilson were pre-eminent.
They were a reaction to the Golden Age.
And so Pete Dye was more of a reaction to
them. He did something very different. Then
we got into a time when golf was growing
incredibly quickly. Design firms were doing
30-40 projects at once, something I just can’t
imagine. I find it hard to think they were giving
much attention to detail on each and every one
of them. The growth was so explosive that we
got into a time when we lost touch with what is
important in developing golf courses.
So how are we doing now?
Now, of course, we have had to endure
another great depression if you like. Firms that
used to build 50-60 courses every year are now
focused on only three or four, which is a good
thing in a way. I have to imagine every designer
is doing better work just because they are
spending more time thinking about them.
There are fewer opportunities. So the bigger
firms are focused on fewer projects. Therefore
they spend more time on each. Therefore they
are building better courses. Ben Crenshaw/
Bill Coore, Tom Doak, Mike DeVries, Mike
Clayton/Geoff Ogilvy/Mike Cocking/Ashley
Mead – they are all getting really great sites
and doing a great job on each. Plus, courses are
being built for the right reasons. All of which
is why we are in such a great period of course
architecture.
The vast majority of golfers don’t think
much about course architecture in any
great depth. Is that a frustration for you?
And do you have to spend a lot of time
Hanse redesigned the Doral Blue
Monster (above) for now US
President Donald Trump (right).
Hanse walks his Olympic course
with Matt Kuchar (below).
explaining what is good and what is bad?
I don’t get asked that question a lot. And I’m
not as opinionated as some when answering
it. But you are right. 95 percent of golfers –
myself included – are not standing on the tee
thinking about the architecture in front of
them. We are all focused much more on getting
the ball airborne. Okay, I think a little about the
strategy, but I’m not good enough to hit that
ideal draw around the corner.
That said, recognition of quality – or
otherwise – is instinctual. A lot of people know
what they like and don’t like - even if they don’t
spend much time analysing why. For those
guys, the key thing is giving them something
that is fun and playable. I want to give them
space, what Mark Parsinen says is “keeping
the average golfer hopeful and engaged.” That
sums up Castle Stuart.
The inverse of that is making sure there
is enough precision required to score. That
was the thought process behind the Olympic
course. We knew it was going to be the only
public course in Brazil, so we had to make it
fun for the amateur. The last thing we wanted
was to make it too hard and have people not
come back. But we had to make it so that we
had enough opportunities to hide pin positions
and hazards so that we could challenge the best
players in the world for those two weeks of
competition. That’s really how we approach all
course designs.
The combination of factors within every
great design are fun, interest and strategy – on
a course that feels like it belongs in its place.
That is so important. You must never have,
say, the links of East Lothian in Scotland
transported to Wisconsin in the US. They
just wouldn’t fit. After that, the key is good
maintenance. Every golfer appreciates that,
even if they don’t appreciate good design.
Aren’t the greenskeepers a bit too
good at what they do these days? Are
courses supposed to be immaculate?
Doesn’t the game lose some of its inherent
randomness if things are too manicured?
I agree. Courses are often too close to perfect
these days. Even at the Open Championship
you don’t often see players hitting from less
than perfect lies in the fairway. I put my head
in my hands when I hear players complaining
about conditions on courses when they are
close to perfect. But top-level players like
predictability. They like consistency week
in and week out. They have worked so hard
at controlling their swings and making
things repetitive, when they get thrown into
a situation that is not predictable and they
can’t employ what they have ingrained in their
heads, then they get frustrated. I’d like to see a
little more of that in the game.
How difficult is it to produce a course that
is challenging to the top professionals yet
playable for the club member?
The Olympic course was a perfect example
of that. One way to achieve both is with width.
Think of Augusta National. The amateur can
make bogeys there all day long and maybe
only lose a ball around Amen Corner. But for
the most part you can finish with the ball you
started with. Yet to score well on that course
you can’t just hit the big wide fairway. You
have to approach from the proper part of the
fairway. Then you have tilt and slope to deal
with. On the greens you have to be putting from
the correct quarter to be able to score.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 63

That’s really how we look at golf courses. We
use the set-up of the course as architecture. If
we leave behind enough options that the set-up
guys can have a course as hard or as easy as
they want, then we have done a good job.
One of the things I enjoyed the most at
the Olympics was that Peter Dawson of the
International Golf Federation and Mike Davis
of the USGA lobbied hard for us to be involved
in the set-up of the course. It was a course no
one had played before and nobody had even
seen. So it was nice that David Garland of the
European Tour and Kerry Haigh of the PGA of
America listened to all the thought processes.
Then they used them to set-up a course that
produced all of the flexibility we had hoped for.
Ultimately, set-up as architecture is the critical
thing for tournament golf.
I’m not a big fan of long grass on courses. It is
the most boring thing on any course. So make
it wide and make it so that, if the opportunity
exists, the tee-markers can be moved back and
forward and pins can be tucked behind bunkers
or knobs or swales. That way, the course can
defend itself.
It is frustrating to hear commentators
say a player had a great angle into the flag
and his ball is 15 yards into the rough.
How much does the explosion in distance
compromise what you do?
That is frustrating.
Guys like Dustin Johnson are a nightmare
to design for. He hits it so far. But you can’t
64 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
just put bunkers out there in lay for him. They
won’t be a factor for anyone else. But if you put
them in place to catch everyone else, you get
accused of setting it up to favour the bombers.
So you can’t win.
All I can do is try to “pace” the golf course
and understand that, within every 18, there will
be holes that take away the bomber’s advantage
and others where they have an edge over the
rest. It’s a balancing act. You can’t achieve both
on any one hole.
The other part is that, throughout the history
of the game, length has been an advantage. As it
should be. But it is too often a disproportionate
advantage these days. So I am hopeful that one
day someone will stand up and say we have to
do something about how far the ball goes. The
winning argument may be environmental. If we
keep going down that path, we are going to be
building courses that are not sustainable. We
can’t be building 8,000-yard courses without
using more and more water, fertiliser and
chemicals. I’m hopeful that the industry will do
a better job of thinking along those lines.
So yes, it is a frustration. But it is also a
difficulty and something we have to factor into
designs when we would rather not. Guys flying
it 325-yards through the air are hard to combat.
So what tricks do you have up your sleeve
to challenge the pros and have them hit
the shots you want them to hit?
I can’t tell you that (laughs). No, the things
that we like to do can sometimes make us
…THROUGHOUT
THE HISTORY OF
THE GAME, LENGTH
HAS BEEN AN
ADVANTAGE. AS IT
SHOULD BE. BUT
IT IS TOO OFTEN A
DISPROPORTIONATE
ADVANTAGE
THESE DAYS.
unpopular with the pros. I like to use obscured
visibility, which doesn’t allow them to paint
a clear picture of the shot in their heads.
Sometimes, figuring out what is there is not
necessarily telling you what the hole is asking
you to do.
It’s so difficult to challenge them on a
physical level. They hit the ball so far and
are so good. But I think the mental aspect is
something we can focus on.
For example?
Some of the things you typically see at the
Open Championship. Blind shots. Bunkers in
the foreground of greens that obscure 20-yards
of “hidden” ground. I know the players have
precise yardages. But I want them to stand
there and doubt the number.
The other thing we have relied on a lot is
short grass as a hazard. I know it technically
isn’t a hazard, yet it is still the most interesting
hazard. It requires the player to have a thought
process that is not automatic. It isn’t repetitive.
My mind always goes back to the play-off for
the 1989 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Greg Norman was just over the back of the 17th
green. His ball was lying cleanly, but he went
back and forth between different clubs before
he chipped. And ultimately he didn’t hit the
chip as well as he would have liked.
That is an interesting situation and one
that also allows the amateur to play. Speaking
for myself, I can use a putter from the spot
where Greg was. And I can feel hopeful about
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 STHE OLD COURSE ... IT IS THE MOST
ENDEARING, CHARMING, FUN,
STRATEGIC COURSE EVER CREATED.
AND THE FACT THAT IT WASN’T
ACTUALLY “DESIGNED” SAYS AN
AWFUL LOT ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
getting up-and-down. I’m engaged. I know
I’m not going to blade the ball over the green.
So in exactly the same spot you can create
uncertainty and doubt in a top-class player –
because he is not entirely sure he is hitting the
right shot – and also allow the amateur to have
fun. As Pete Dye always says, “If you can get the
pros thinking they are in trouble.”
It all gets back to the mental aspect of the
game. We as designers have to focus more on
that these days, which ties into our original
discussion. Natural courses that utilise humps
and bumps and hollows and ridges – those are
the sorts of places that allow you to paint a
picture that is maybe not crystal clear.
You mentioned frustration. One of the most
frustrating things for me is hearing a top player
say how much he likes a course because it is
“all right there in front” of him. If so, it can’t
possibly be a very interesting course.
If you look at what we hold as greatness in
course design – Muirfield, the Old Course,
Royal County Down, Pine Valley, Royal
Melbourne, Shinnecock Hills – they all
take time to be learned and appreciated. As
modern architects we should be focused on
creating that sort of thing, even if we do get
criticised for doing so. A golf course that is
worth learning is one that is worth playing and
66 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
understanding.
Where do you love to go and play?
My handicap index is 12, so I am an average
player. I love to play at Fisher’s Island and the
National Golf Links. I like fun courses. I love
the Old Course. I love Pine Valley too, but it is
so tough. I’d rather go play somewhere I know
I’m going to have a good time. My dear friend
Seth Waugh (of Deutsche Bank) talks about
“happy” courses and “not happy” courses. I
love happy courses.
If I think of the National I think “happy.” But
if I think of Oakmont, “not happy.” It is great
but it isn’t happy.
Would Oakmont not be the best course in
the world if they had no rough?
It’s great design. But I agree. It would be
fascinating to see how the best players would
tackle those holes if you gave them freedom to
do whatever they want. Again, it is set-up as
architecture. That course is set-up with four-
inch rough and greens running at 14 on the
Stimpmeter. That dictates what you can and
cannot do. It’s a perfect example of how set-up
dictates how a course plays.
How much of a factor does speed play in
your design of greens?
A lot. We understand that there have to
be enough pin positions on slopes that are
moderate enough when the greens are running
really fast. The critical component from
a design point of view is slope rather than
undulation. It’s too easy to put in tiers and
steps and humps and bumps. But the great
architects design green complexes where the
surrounding areas, the swales, the chipping
areas are all tied together with the putting
surfaces themselves. For a while modern
architecture got to where it was all about hole
locations…
You mean pin positions?
Yes (laughs). The USGA and Fox Sports have
taught me well.
As I was saying, all about hole locations rather
than green complexes. The guys who I respect
the most focus on those complexes and tilt.
Ultra-fast greens are a fairly new
phenomenon. If you watch films of the
Masters from the 1970s they are ramming
the putts. Improvements in agronomy are
surely part of the change, but was there a
point in history where someone decided
fast was good and slow was bad?
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I don’t agree that slow greens are bad. I think
green speeds have become an arms race. I
think we all got carried away for a while. But it
is one of those things where the cat is out of the
bag. I don’t see us going back. Someone has to
step up and set the standard. It would have to
be someone like Augusta National or Oakmont
saying, “enough is enough; we’re at the point
now where architecture is compromised by
these speeds and we no longer have any viable
hole locations.”
I’m not sure I will ever see that tipping
point. But I hope so. The other thing it does
is it puts golf on an unsustainable path, both
economically and environmentally. If Augusta
is going to get there and Oakmont is going to
get there and Pinehurst is going to get there,
well now the country club down the street
wants to get there too. And how much money is
that going to cost?
Fast greens slow up play too.
They do. None of this is a positive for the
game in any way. Besides, it can be argued
that slow greens are a better test of technique
because you are asked to hit the ball solidly.
That isn’t necessarily the case on fast greens.
So you are hopeful for change?
I’m hopeful. But not too hopeful.
Where do you see the future of
architecture?
There is always room for good products
and good work. There are a lot of talented
designers out there. But the biggest casualties
of the economic downturn were the group of
guys below Doak and Coore/Crenshaw. There
were very few opportunities for the leaders
of the next generation. We have benefited
from having some of those guys stay with us
because they have had nowhere to go. A lot
of talented guys are ready to make that leap,
but the market conditions are against them
unfortunately.
There was a point where 400 new courses
were being built in the US every year. Now
68 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
Hanse’s completed Olympic
layout was applauded by all the
players who went to Rio.
there are maybe ten. If we could get to 50 or
60 then those guys would get their chance.
I’m a believer that golf is the best game ever.
So is the game in trouble? No. Because there
is always going to be hardcore of people who
will play. What golf needs to do is be more
accommodating to those who don’t quite
get that yet. We need to give new golfers an
entry, a comfortable entry that is fun and not
intimidating. Golf is hard enough as it is. We
don’t need to throw more stuff on top of that.
We are sitting here at Royal Sydney, a
course you are soon to renovate. How
long do you spend walking around the
premises when you are doing that job?
And what are you looking for each time
you do walk round?
A lot of it depends on what the membership
is asking for, what they are looking for. If I build
something I love but the membership hates I
have accomplished nothing.
I think ten days or so is enough to watch and
observe the course and really study and figure
Hanse has created a masterplan
for the redesign of Royal Sydney.
WE NEED TO GIVE
NEW GOLFERS
AN ENTRY, A
COMFORTABLE
ENTRY THAT IS
FUN AND NOT
INTIMIDATING.
GOLF IS HARD
ENOUGH AS IT IS.
– GIL HANSE
out what opportunities are there. One of the
things I will never abdicate is my involvement
in that process. I know some architects get so
busy they send associates to do that, but Jim
Wagner and I have always felt it is so important
for at least one of us to be there. If we are any
good, we are the guys best equipped to figure
out what to do. We need to make sure that, at
the ground level state, it is our ideas that are
hitting the paper.
How often do you get halfway through the
process and change your mind?
All the time. We go into it with a concept,
but it is one that constantly evolves. We change
things all the time. That’s why I think it is
so important for the architect to at least be
involved in the shaping.
Opportunities present themselves every
day on site, but if nobody is there they are gone
forever. We are always willing to make changes
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can never be too dogmatic. We never forget this
is a collaborative process.
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golf australia | MARCH 2017 73

 N
o golfer hits the ball out of the
centre of the clubface every time,
but it is certainly advantageous
to do so. Striking out of the sweetspot
will maximise club performance and
M I S S #1
YOU STRIKE IT OUT
enable you to hit your longest and most OF THE TOE
accurate shots.
But how do you make sure that you are If most of the ball appears outside the
middling the ball at impact? Face tape – centre circle towards the toe end of the
available online or from golf shops – is a club, we need to work on trying to bring
brilliant way of finding out without the need that strike back into the middle of the
for any fancy machines. face. Here we have two options
Next time you’re at the range – or on the depending on whether your natural
course – apply the tape to your 6- or 7-iron
shape tends to be a draw or a fade.
once you’ve warmed up a bit.
Simply line-up the bottom groove on your
club with the bottom dotted line on the tape
and make sure that the sticker is central on
the iron. You can use one tape for up to around
10 shots so that you get a good idea of where
your impact spot on the face tends to be. You’d
need to notice a regular concentration in the
DRAWER DRILL
If you tend to hit a right-to-left shot
heel or toe before you decide to make changes
shape, the most common reason for toe
to your swing, as we’ll highlight over the next
strikes is that you are just coming far too
few pages.
much from an inside-to-out swing path.
If you’ve ever wondered why an off-centre
hit might see you plunge into a bunker at the That means the ball tends to start
front of the green, then here’s the answer. right of the target, before hooking
I’ve recorded the launch monitor results and finishing to the left. To correct
for three 7-iron shots (see table below), one this problem, you need to train
hit out of the middle and the other two, both your body to make a slightly
off-centre strikes, with a TaylorMade RSi iron different move.
and a blade model.
You can see that a slight mishit can cause
you to lose as much as 10 yards in distance,
even though the clubhead speed on all three is
virtually the same.
Over the next five pages, I’ll highlight the
most common off-centre shots experienced by
club golfers – toe hits, heel hits, shots hit low
off the face and shots hit high.
Use the face tape to discover which
category you fall into. Then I’ll give you some
simple drills to help you hit it out of the
middle more often.

Stand at address
with the club
poised at knee
height in front of
you as I’m
showing here.

THE COST OF A MISHIT

Club Ball Carry Yards
speed speed
Centre hit 89.9 122.0 170 180 Darren has been the
RSi iron off- 88.5 119.8 166 175 winner of the Kent PGA
centre Order of Merit twice,
was on the winning PGA
Normal 88.2 114.6 156 165
Cup Team in 2005 and
blade
was voted Foremost Pro
off-centre
of the Year in 2010.

74 MARCH 2017 | golf australia


FADER DRILL
For golfers who tend to hit
the ball with a fade or slice,
the problem you have is
more connected to being
dominant with the upper
body at the start of the
downswing. The shoulders
take over and you throw
the club ‘outside’ the ball-
to-target line. If that’s you,
try this drill.
The key here is to use your
legs more to kick start the
move from the top. Initiate
the downswing with the
feeling that you’re
transferring your weight
into the left foot. Imagine
it’s this move into the left
foot that happens first
before you let your arms
drop.
Think of it like a throwing
action where you draw
your arm back and then
move forwards onto the
left side as the first part of
the sequence that sees
you hurl the ball forwards.

Move to the top of

the backswing and
then swing back
through the starting
position, but
concentrate on
moving from high to
low (right).

Especially through the impact area,

you need to feel the clubhead
moving on a downward path, as if
you might be wielding an axe into
the base of a tree. This high-to-low
feeling will help neutralise your
swing path so that you can hit the
ball more out of the centre.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 75


M I S S #2
YOU STRIKE IT OUT
OF THE HEEL
This time, impact is completely outside
the main striking area (the red circle).
Again, depending on whether you
naturally draw or fade the ball, we have a
couple of exercises here that will help
you move that mark closer to the centre
of the face.
FADER DRILL
This time let’s deal with the slicer first because
that is the most usual cause of a heel strike like
this one. You might well be standing too close
to the ball, but that is accentuated by
approaching the ball from an outside-to-in
swing path. To cure this fault, I want you to do
the opposite of the drill we discussed for toe
hits on the previous page.

This time, think of your attack on the

ball as from low-to-high. You need to
drop low so that you can feel the
clubhead moving upwards through
the impact area. Do this enough and
you’ll start training your body to
swing on a more neutral plane
which, in turn, will produce more
sweetspot strikes.

Start at address with the club hovering at knee height

and then complete the backswing.

76 MARCH 2017 | golf australia


Place a headcover
midway between the ball
and your feet and just
back from your right toe.
DRAWER DRILL
Occasionally, you’ll find a golfer who manages
to come from the inside, but throws the club at
the ball and frequently makes contact out of the
heel. You might be susceptible to the odd shank
here, where the ball gets too close to the hosel. But swing with more
Here I’m using a modern head cover (a plastic width and you’ll be able
bottle works just as well) to work as an obstacle to clip the ball away
that needs to be avoided as I make my move without any interference.
back down into the ball.

Get caught on the

inside and you’ll knock
the head cover over,
like this...

golf australia | MARCH 2017 77

 M I S S #3
YOU STRIKE IT OUT
OF THE BOTTOM
This means you are hitting it thin,
usually the result of staying back on
the ball and not transferring your
weight onto the left side. It can be
caused if you try to help the ball into
the air with something of a scooping
action, rather than letting the design of
the club get the ball airborne.

UNDER THE BAR

A great way to get the weight moving forward
into impact is to imagine that you’re trying to
drill the ball under a bar or hurdle that is placed in
front of you. You can see here at impact that my
right foot has lifted off the ground and is bearing
very little weight at all.

Good iron contact comes

from a descending strike.
To hit down, your weight
has to be moving
towards the target.

78 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 M I S S #4
YOU STRIKE OFF THE TOP
OF THE CLUB
Conversely, a mark on the tape that is
predominantly above the centre line
(as highlighted by the TaylorMade
logo) tends to suggest that the player
is getting too steep on the ball. It’s the
opposite problem, in that the ball may
be too far back in the stance and your
weight too far forward.

CLIP THE PEGS

This is a useful drill to encourage a more shallow
path through the impact area. Place two tee
pegs about five or six inches either side of the
ball and try and knock them both over when
you play your shot.Try to keep your weight
a little more centred through the swing
so that you are not lurching from the
right to the left.
Clip both tee pegs and
make sure the divot you
take is a shallow one. Try
moving the tee pegs
further apart to increase
the challenge.

80 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

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 Face tape lets you see
where the ball struck the
club, highlighting misses.
You can also work out
how feel and distance
are affected by good and
bad strikes.

PERFECT!
YOU STRIKE IT OUT
OF THE CENTRE
This is what you’re looking for – a series of
marks that are generally focused in and around
the centre circle. Not even the top Tour stars hit
everything out of the middle, but most of them
are somewhere around that mark the majority
of the time.

THE FUSS ABOUT FACE SLOTS

B Y B R E T W H A L , P R E S I D E N T O F R & D F O R I R O N S A T T AY L O R M A D E

Even with modern, thin faces
and an optimal centre of gravity
location in today’s irons, you’ll see
COR drop off significantly as you
move away from the centre of the
face; we’re talking 2-3mph in lost
ball speed.
So we set out to attack that
problem, with thinner faces to
generate more speed. But these
faces were still inflexible away
from the centre.
Speed Pockets did allow the
face to flex more, particularly
low down. But we wanted to
improve forgiveness over a
greater area. So we thought
‘what if we could bring the same
concept to heel and toe misses?’
That’s how we arrived at Face
Slots.
On the robot, hitting the ball all
over the face, we’ve seen gains
of five to six yards on a toe shot
… that’s half-a-club difference.
Statistically we’ve found 76
per cent of shots with a 6-iron are
misses, or shots not purely aligned
with the centre of gravity, based
on a zone of 12mm by 20mm … the
sweetspot.
So this is a big opportunity to
show people that technology can
help their game.
BALANCE DRILL
Maintaining your balance through the entire
swing is a great way to ensure the ball is struck
purely most of the time. Keep everything as
smooth as you can and try the drill I’m showing
you here to help you concentrate on where your
weight needs to be.The alignment cane goes
under the middle of both feet and works as an
awareness drill. At no point from address
through to impact should your weight move into
either the heels or the toes. It is when that
happens that shots tend to come out of the heel
or toe of the club.

82 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

This is what you’re looking for!
Eight of the world’s best reveal their impact locations

JUSTIN ROSE DARREN CLARKE

“I think I have developed amnesia being a professional “People think tour pros strike the ball perfectly every time
golfer. You kind of have to, because mishits are just so – they don’t! Just like amateurs, we will grab any
prevalent in our game.” advantages we can from the advances in technology.”

EDOARDO MOLINARI JASON DAY GRAEME STORM

“I use Trackman when I practise to “People think we hit it perfectly all “I tend to strike the ball slightly on
highlight the dispersion of my irons the time – but we don’t. We’ve just the heel. While not always a severe
and proximity to the hole. Mishits play honed our skills to make our mishits mishit sometimes my ball speed
the biggest part in my efficiency.” go a little straighter.” can drop.”

MARCUS FRASER RAPHAEL JACQUELIN RICHARD BLAND

“Golf is a game of confidence, and “If there is a player out there that “You can never rule out missing the
if you have confidence in your hits it out of the middle every time middle. Even for us, it’s reassuring
mishits, then it has a positive then I would like to meet them and knowing technology is there to help
impact on the rest of your game.” shake their hand!” if you get it wrong.”

golf australia | MARCH 2017 83

 A fresh method to ensure you
hit great golf shots more often
PHOTOGRAPHY BOB ATKINS

W
e are lucky to be golfing in an
era where there is so much
technology, designed to help us
improve. However, if we want to improve
as golfers, it‘s important we recognise
what technology can do for us, and what
it can’t. As a rule it is brilliant at giving
us feedback – at telling us the values and
effect of what we are doing. But all the data
and technology in the world cannot hit the
ball for us; we still have to develop the feel
of swinging the club around our body in
an arc, at the correct angle. The better our
feel and awareness of that movement, the
better golfers we will become.
In this article, you will learn drills to
help you feel the perfect motion in three
key areas. Hone them and you’ll rapidly
improve your control of the golf club... and
the ball.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 85

 Feel Your turn should feel ‘level’
Good rotation creates power in balance. To make a
A CORRECT TURN
#1 good move, let your turn feel more level and less tilted

1 2

TAKE YOUR GOLFING POSTURE. Place your hands in front of your hips, fingers ROTATE YOUR CORE until you feel you are squatting over your trail hip. A good
stretched forward. Drop your trail shoulder a touch to copy your regular set-up, when backswing pivot sees your hands stay at a similar height. Work on this feeling and
your trail hand sits below your gloved hand. you’ll feel your upper half coil over your lower body.

TURN THROUGH till your chest faces the target. Feel a shifting of your weight over MANY CLUB GOLFERS confuse rotation with weight shift. When we set out to shift
your lead side as you rotate, as we need to be in a position to compress the ball. our weight we tend to push our hips from side-to-side, causing a damaging tilt motion.
Maintain the feeling of level hands to the end. Watch for one hand dropping well below the other.

86 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

Drill: Feel you turn ‘in your own space’
Here is a simple drill that explains this concept... and will
help you feel effective rotation throughout your swing

TURNING AWAY
This drill allows you to feel
a good turn by rotating
the hoop. It simply turns
around its centre point;
and as it does, you turn
with it – rotating within
your own space.

CENTRE CIRCLE
Here, I’ve taken up my golf posture within
a plastic hoop. I’m placing my core in the
middle of the hoop, which represents the
space around me. In a good backswing
turn, I will remain at the centre of this hoop
as I rotate.

ROTATE THROUGH
Rotate the hoop so your gloved hand is now
behind you. Let your trunk shift and turn with
the rotation of the hoop until it faces the
target; typically your centre will shift forward,
over your lead leg.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 87

 Feel
A SQUARE CLUBFACE
#2

ADDRESS/IMPACT
When we picture a square
face we see the blade facing
the target. But physics
demands that, because we
swing on an angle, the blade
must rotate to keep square
to the club’s plane of motion.

CONSISTENT ACCURACY
In short, rotating the face
back and through keeps it
in a neutral position. This
means avoiding having to
make a compensating move
for impact… which means
greater consistency for line.

BACKSWING
I’m gripping a club by the hosel to flag up
the relationship between hands and face.
Face rotation is created through body
rotation allied to a smooth, stable turning
of your forearms and body, as you would
turning a key in a lock. The face rotates
till the toe points to the sky.
Rotate for
straight
The clubface’s aim at impact accounts
for around 80% of the ball’s starting
direction. It’s no coincidence that all
good players have developed a great
feel for how to square the face through
impact. The key point here is that to
keep the face square, you have to
rotate it. Here’s the explanation… and
a drill to help.
THROUGHSWING
On the way down and through, the face
rotates smoothly back through square at
impact, before continuing to this mirror-
image toe-up position. All the top players
have developed a keen awareness of this
rotation through impact – it’s a genuine
key to good golf.

88 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

Drill: Feel face rotation with a club
To build awareness of what a square clubface feels like, shift
your attention on to the shaft. All you need is an old glove box
CLIP THE BOX TO THE SHAFT
Position the glove box on the club as shown,
clipping the opener around the shaft. Make
sure the flat face of the box looks out in front
of you, so its edge is parallel to your ball-
target line. Take your regular stance.
MAKE A HALF-BACKSWING
Swing back to this L-shape position, your
lead arm parallel to the ground. Good shaft
rotation means the face of the glove box now
looks down to your target. Achieve this and
you will have kept the clubface neutral.
NOW SWING THROUGH
Find this mirror of your
backswing position, your trail
arm now level with the turf.
This time the box should face
back towards you, the club’s
toe pointing back over your
shoulder.
KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE
Work on these three
positions – set-up, halfway
back and halfway through.
The better you can do them
the more consistently you
will be able to deliver a
square face at impact.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 89
 Feel Accuracy through swingpath
Swing plane is broadly the angle you swing the club around yourself. An on-
ON PLANE SWING
plane swing helps you deliver the club on a good path, promoting consistent
#3 straight hitting. Many club golfers find the concept of plane confusing and
intimidating, but there are two good reasons why finding and feeling an on-
plane motion is not as complicated as you think. We’ll detail them both here.

SET-UP: PLANE SETS UP FOR YOU

When you’re trying to figure out what good plane looks and
feels like, look at the club at address. Position it with the butt
pointing up through your belt buckle. As long as the club
is correctly fitted for you, in this position its shaft angle
gives you a pretty solid clue to the angle it wants to be
swung and presented on. The hoop round my shoulders
mirrors that pitch.

PICTURE A CORRIDOR
Amateurs often find plane
intimidating as they feel
they have to nail a perfect
angle. It’s not the case. You
can play great golf with your
plane a little over or under
the guide set by your set-up
shaft angle.

WORK WITH A HOOP

TRAIL SHOULDER FOCUS
The best position to track
Swing back to a position
and feel swing plane is
where the shaft maintains
halfway back. If you can get
a reasonable relationship
hold of a hoop, you can use
to the hoop’s angle. You’ll
it to help you feel an online
feel the shaft ‘bisect’ your
action. Grip it with your
trail shoulder – a simple
gloved hand and swing back
reference for a good plane.
with the other.

90 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

Drill: shoulder plane turn AVOID STEEP SHOULDERS
We play golf bent forward,
Feel shoulders turn round, not down so the shoulders will be
angled down at the top. But
the common instruction to
get your lead shoulder under
your chin can cause a tilt,
which ruins balance.

FOLD YOUR FOREARMS

Take your golfing posture, but fold
your forearms in front of your chest
as shown. Ensure they are at an angle
that copies your set-up attitude, with
your lead shoulder higher than your
trail shoulder.

TURN ROUND YOUR SPINE

Turn within your space as
in part #1. As you rotate,
avoid any tendency to dip
your lead shoulder; allow
it instead to come around,
rotating naturally at right
angles to your spine. CHEST TO TARGET
Once more, turn through until your upper
body faces the pin. Retain that feeling
of rotation around your spine angle to
the end. Obey the concept that the arms
swing on a steeper plane than the body,
and you’ll quickly feel a much more
effective golf swing.

FOREARMS LEVEL
When you do this correctly
your forearms will find this
more level position. Note
your lead shoulder moves
below the chin simply
because you are tilted
forwards from the hips.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 91

 PROPERTY

92 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

CALLAWAY GREAT drivers, Epic’s track has been redesigned
and the sliding weight has been increased
to 17 grams, both for good reason: to deliver
along with the vibrant green highlights, give
Epic a pleasingly different appearance.
While the Epic Sub Zero also has ‘Jailbreak

BIG BERTHA EPIC a full 21 yards of shot-shape correction (a

22 percent increase compared to last year’s
Great Big Bertha) to dial in straighter, more
Technology’, it differs from the Epic model as
it has two interchangeable weights (12- and
2-grams) positioned at the front and back
Since stepping back into the limelight two accurate flight while maintaining high moment of the sole. By placing the heavier weight
years ago, Callaway’s Great Big Bertha of inertia (MOI). forward you can lower the spin rate. By
range of clubs have been evolving with each Clubhead speed gets an additional placing the heavier weight back you can
new release. boost from Callaway’s proven ‘Speed increase forgiveness resulting in a higher
But the company’s latest offering is Step’ technology. Devised with the help of launch and longer carry.
a significant march forward in terms of aerospace experts, the Speed Step, located The Epic and Epic Sub Zero fairway woods
technology and performance. Callaway’s Great on the crown, improves head aerodynamics don’t have Jailbreak Technology but the
Big Bertha Epic, Great Big Bertha Epic Sub for more speed and distance. technological advancements are still present.
Zero drivers and fairway woods are packed Callaway engineers paid particular attention RRP: $729.99 (GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub
with technology you won’t find in other clubs. to the shape, aesthetics and acoustics to Zero drivers); $419.99 (GBB Epic and GBB
Callaway’s new ‘Jailbreak Technology’ is make Epic pleasing to the eye and the ear. Epic Sub Zero fairway woods).
what really sets the Epic and Epic Sub Zero The Tour-inspired shape is sleek, aerodynamic For further information about the complete
apart from other metalwoods. and confidence- inspiring. The triaxial carbon Callaway product range, visit the website
Consisting of two, three-gram titanium weave visible on the rear half of the crown, www.callawaygolf.com.au
bars placed behind the clubface, Jailbreak
Technology creates a strong connection
between the crown and sole of the head.
This connection helps to stiffen the face and
keep the crown from bulging during impact.
The result is more impact load on the ball
for greater ball speed across the whole of
the clubface.
The Callaway GBB Epic driver
combines Jailbreak Technology with
a lightweight yet strong titanium
EXO-Cage and Triaxial carbon
crown to offer players more
forgiveness than ever
before. At just 9.7 grams
the Epic boasts the
lightest crown Callaway
has ever produced,
which has helped
redistribute weight
elsewhere in the
clubhead to give the
Epic higher launch
and lower spin
capabilities.
Epic’s increased
accuracy is rooted in
Callaway’s ‘Adjustable
Perimeter Weighting’
technology, an invaluable feature
allowing golfers to quickly and
easily adjust the club to fit
their swing. Compared
to previous Callaway

golf australia | MARCH 2017 93

 PING i200 IRONS
Ping’s new i200 irons bring technology and
forgiveness to a slim appealing shape.
With long irons that produce high launch
and distance combined with short irons
designed for complete shot making control,
i200 irons are a high performance model with
unprecedented feel.
A clubface that is 30 percent thinner than
the previous ‘i’ irons means more face flexing
and more energy transferred into the golf ball.
The weight saved from this thinner face has
b n mov d into th hos l and to of th
94 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
in stability at impact and greater forgiveness.
Sitting between the game improvement G
irons and the skilled players’ iBlade, i200 aims
to combine the best of both worlds. The low
offset and narrow sole allows players to shape
and control shots, while progressive midsize
clubheads and a longer, deeper tuning port
mean higher launch.
Like the iBlade, i200 irons are cast from soft
431 stainless steel with a hidden elastomer
insert behind the face which “activates”
at impact, enhancing face flexing while
dampening vibrations. Ping Director of Product
Development, Marty Jertson, recently told
p atou om th i 00 is “th b st lin iron
Weight Technology (AWT) and variable step
pattern in the AWT 2.0 complements the
higher launching long irons and improved
flight control and feel of the short irons. A
variety of custom aftermarket shaft options are
also offered.
Turf interaction has been improved with
added bounce on the sole, raising the leading
edge. A hydropearl finish reduces friction
between the club and the turf while also
helping to repel water from the face, reducing
flyers from the rough.
Ping’s i200 irons are available from 3-9 iron
as well as pitching and utility wedges.
RRP: $ 0 a h (st l shafts) $ 0 ( raphit )
PING SIGMA G
PUTTERS
Sigma means the summation of all values,
and the new Sigma G putter family are the
summation of all of Ping’s putter technology
combined with some inspiration from
athletic shoes.
A combination of Pebax elastomer – a
material commonly found in the soles of
athletic shoes – and milled aluminium covers
the entire face of the putter, allowing for soft
feel and consistent ball speeds no matter
where the ball strikes.
Increased Moment of Inertia (MOI) in each
model improves the stability of the putter at
impact, achieved through the larger cavity in
the face that houses the new insert, weight is
then moved to the perimeter of the head. The
centre of gravity is optimally placed in each
putter to encourage forward roll on the ball
and minimise skidding off the face.
16 options from classic b mid
mallets and high MOI malle
strokes from strong arc to
Counter-balanced version
in some models. Fi i h
or Black Nickel, Ping has included a range to
cover every stroke type, alignment and look
preference.
Allowing players to match their grip to
their preferred gripping style and size, choice
is offered between Ping’s Tapered Pistol
PP60 (midsize) and PP62 (oversize) grips
on standard models, with the CB60 grip on
counter-balance models.
RRP: $320 (blade-style); $350 (mallet-style);
$375 (counter-balanced); Adjustable-length
shafts are available at an upcharge.
F tockists or more details,
t www.ping.com
golf australia | MARCH 2017 95
 SRIXON Z-STAR &
Z-STAR XV BALLS
The fifth generation of Z-Star and Z-Star XV golf
balls have already had success at the highest
level of the game, with more than 17 wins
around the world on various professional tours.
A Tour level ball, designed for skilled players,
the three-piece Z-Star is the softer of the two
balls, aimed at players with swing speeds of
90+MPH with the driver.
Srixon’s Energetic Gradient Growth (E.G.G)
core allows both Z-Star balls increased
launch angle and lower driver spin. The lower
compression, single-piece core in the Z-Star
varies in firmness. Super-soft at the centre, the
core progressively hardens closer to the surface
of the ball, achieving both soft feel off the club
face and increased distance from the tee.
A new, more aerodynamic 338 speed dimple
pattern promotes a more penetrating flight that
performs better in the wind.
The Z Star series features an ultra-thin
0.5mm urethane cover with the third generation
of Srixon’s spin skin, which is 13 percent softer
than the previous version. With less bonding
points than previously needed on the cover,

96 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

more of the golf ball stretches across the
club face, more friction is able to be created,
increasing spin with wedges, especially from
lies in the rough. The cover is also more durable,
marking less on wedge shots.
The four-piece Z-Star XV is aimed at
100+MPH swing speed players, with increased
launch conditions and distance in mind.
Z-Star XV differs from the standard Z-Star
in its dual core, with each section working
differently to achieve higher ball speed and
increased distance. The inner core has been
made larger and softer reducing driver spin,
while the outer piece has more consistent
hardness than previous versions to increase
ball speed.
Hideki Matsuyama has used the new Z-Star
XV during his extended run of good form,
praising the ball’s all-round capabilities.
“I trust the total performance of the Z-Star
XV. I have excellent distance and spin control
on my iron and wedge shots, but what I like
most about this new Z-Star XV is the pleasant
sound and feel on all shots – especially the
superb feedback on putts and chips,” he said.
RRP: $59 (dozen); Available in Pure White and
Tour Yellow.
Contact: For more details visit the website
www.srixon.com.au

golf australia | MARCH 2017 97

 TAYLORMADE’S
2017 ‘M’ FAMILY
TaylorMade has re-engineered its multi-material
construction methods to take performance
and personalisation to an unprecedented
level with the new ‘M’ family of drivers and
fairway woods.
TaylorMade’s M1 driver is made from a
new lower density Titanium alloy and, with an
added carbon toe panel, accounts for a total
of 43 percent more carbon composite than its
predecessor.
A new ‘T-Track system’ houses 27 grams of
moveable weight, 12 grams of which reside in a
re-designed back track that has been lengthened
98 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
to give you more high-to-low adjustability (64
percent more centre of gravity movement). The
15 grams located in the front track allows for the
weight to be distributed from heel to toe.
The new M1’s centre of gravity (CG) is lower
than that of its predecessor, which results in a
CG projection that is even closer to the centre
of the face for a hotter trajectory and more ball
speed protection at all impact locations.
New to the next-generation of M drivers is a
440cc model, which has a slightly smaller head,
deeper face and 30 grams of moveable weight.
In designing the new M1 fairway, TaylorMade
engineers completely re-designed and reshaped
its track system that has been shifted more
rearward to make room for a new open channel
Speed Pocket.
The new Speed Pocket is designed to deliver
more distance through increased speed and
lower spin, as well as forgiveness by way of ball
speed protection on shots struck low on the
face. A new advanced design with a recessed
rear sole – divided by the sliding weight track
delivers improved sole to ground performance.
The 2017 M1 Rescue features a moderate
sized, Tour-proven shape and a newly designed
sole that will appeal to a larger demographic
of player, offering more playability from an
increased variety of lies. The sole is engineered
with TaylorMade’s first-ever sliding weight
system in a hybrid providing golfers the
opportunity to not only experience the neutral/
fade biases of its predecessor but with the
added option of a draw setting.
RRP: $749 (driver); $449 (fairway); $369 (rescue).
Contact: For more information of loft availability
and shaft options across the M1 family, visit
www.taylormadegolf.com.au
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor,
the TaylorMade M2 driver successfully raises
the bar in design and engineering once again.
With a new design technique called
‘Geocoustic’ design, the M2 driver houses a
newly-designed Speed Pocket that is three
times more flexible than its predecessor. A
sunken sole curvature, makes the head stiffer
and easier to manage vibrations caused at
impact. With this added stiffness, minimal
sound ribs were needed to create the sound
and feel of the new M2. The freed up volume
allowed engineers to make the driver’s head
larger, both the visible footprint as well as the
clubface, ultimately making the driver not only
appear more visibly forgiving, but feel more
forgiving at the same time.
The M2 also comes equipped with the
new, ultra-lightweight four degree, 12 position
aluminium loft sleeve and offers the same 30
additional custom shaft options as the M1.
In addition to a standard model, there is a
higher-launching, more draw-biased model of
the M2, the M2 D-Type (also 460cc). The D-Type
is more heel-weighted, has slight offset and
uses advanced visual cues to promote a square
face at address and a more draw-biased face
at impact. It will help players who consistently
fight fade-to-slice trajectories.
The new M2 Fairway has been made even
more forgiving by way of the incorporation of
a recessed six-layer carbon composite crown,
inverted cone technology (for the first time in a
TaylorMade fairway) and a new
Geocoustic-driven sole design.
Additionally, a longer, more flexible Speed
Pocket and lighter fluted hosel create a low
centre of gravity that produces fast ball speeds
for an incredibly long, high launching and low
spinning fairway.
Completing the M2 metalwood family in
2017 is the M2 Rescue. The low-profile body
of the M2 Rescue has a tiered two-tone crown
that showcases the distinctive and iconic look
TaylorMade’s M series of product has become
renowned for.
This Rescue is designed to help average
golfers replace a long iron with higher, longer
and more draw biased performance.
RRP: $649 (driver); $399 (fairway);
$299 (rescue).
Contact: For more information of loft availability
and shaft options across the M2 family, visit
www.taylormadegolf.com.au
golf australia | MARCH 2017 99
 PRO SHOP

P SHAPE, BREAKTHROUGH
NCE
XR Pro irons bridge the gap between
ers irons in their range.
ration 360 Face Cup
more compact head, with a
e and narrower sole
tandard Steelhead XR,
as aimed to deliver
mplete
of speed,
veness on off
shot-

GREEN WITH ENVI

ned
ow Working on your short game is a crucial part of better scoring.
. The Apartments and offices don’t provide much space. Enter Envigolf.
ro irons have The Greens with Envi indoor practice system allows you to work
finish, giving them on a variety of short game shots in confined space. Ideal for
ue look. everyone from juniors to experienced players. Including Ultra-lite
ch (steel shafts). Available balls, hitting mat as well as the green system, everything is easily
March 17 packed away and transported.
more details, phone RRP: $49.95
aygolf.com Contact: For more details, phone 0400 499 161 or visit www.envigolf.com

s on
the market were aimed at tour professionals,
not the average golfer.
With this in mind and with the feel of the ba
as their main focus, Forté has designed a range
golf balls specifically for the day-to-day golfer.
The Tour Performance S and Apex 6 are the
premium Cast Urethane covered balls in the
company’s line up. Forté liken the six-piece
Apex 6 to a car’s gearbox, with the sixth gear
being the smoothest and most powerful,
improving on the fourth. Whilst the Tour
Performance S is aimed at the golfer seeking
ultimate control.
RRP: $48.99 (dozen) Tour Performance S;
$76.99 (dozen) Apex 6.
Contact: For more details, visit www.fortegolf.com.au

100 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 ESULTS
om the G Series, Ping has introduced the new
maximising results at ladies swing speeds
ble 11.5 degree driver, fairway woods h
ee models of putters the G LE ra
popular Rhapsody models
ology’ and crown turb
e in the driver C
re taken
ee

putter m
orks putters promise improved top spin and Oslo
and roll at impact regardless of your stroke due to its types and i
‘Microhinge’ insert. ‘True Ro
This new technology has been impressive enough to make RRP: $6
these putters find a home in a lot of Tour player’s bags – (Fairw
including Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy – to start 2017. iro
The small stainless steel Microhinge plate is co-moulded to a C
thermoplastic elastomer feel layer, which aims to provide that
soft feel off the putter face Odyssey is renowned for. Odyssey
is continuing to focus on the use of friction to improve roll, and
the O Works putters are the best example yet.
Combining new Versa-T alignment, highlight red alignment
lines and a wide variety of blade and mallet models - including
Tank counter-balanced options - there is sure to be something
for every golfer.
The O-Works line-up consists of four popular Odyssey blade
shapes – #1, #1W, #2, #9 – and four mallet shapes – #7, #7
Tank, 2-Ball, V-Line Fang CH and R-Line. Tank versions of the #
and #7 are also available.
RRP: $349.99
Contact: For stockists or more details, phone 1800 217 777 or vis
au.callawaygolf.com

complement the M1 and

corporated ‘Face Slots’ into the
ments made to the hosel flutes and 3
oves, on the low centre of gravity design. A
ew thin-wall Speed Pocket, which is designed to
t ball speed on strikes below the centre of the face w
gle and ball speed.
he M2 irons are the M1 irons, an entirely new line that
mily. The intention while designing the M1 irons was to bring
d, forgiveness and playability of the M2 but deliver it to the
slightly more compact look along with additional control

by using many of the same technologies as M2 while adding

g system, which allows for more freedom to create the shapes
rificing the technologies that provide distance and forgiveness.
eel shafts), $239 (graphite); M2 $169 each (steel shafts), $189 (graphite).
or more details visit www.taylormadegolf.com.au

golf australia | MARCH 2017 101

 ST ANDREWS YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO VISITING
THE HOME OF GOLF
WORDS BRENDAN JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

102 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

A
S far as bucket lists go, every keen
golfer on the planet is likely to
have ‘visit St Andrews to play
the Old Course’ pencilled into their list
somewhere between No.1 and No.5.
It is two decades since I crossed this off my
list … the first time. Yes, I have been fortunate
enough to visit the Home of Golf several times
over the years and even luckier to have played
the Old Course on five occasions.
To step on to the most hallowed piece of
golf real estate to follow in the footsteps of
every great player to swing a club in the past
600 years takes your breath away. Your heart
beats just a little faster, the butterflies jangle
in your gut and there is a tendency to grip the
club tighter than a tug-o-war rope. Even the
great Jack Nicklaus was always moved when
he stepped out to play a round here.
“I fell in love with it the first day I played it.
There’s just no other golf course that is even
remotely close,” said Nicklaus, who won the
Open at St Andrews in 1970 and 1978.
Standing on the 1st tee, you take in the
view from the row of buildings lining the
18th fairway to the left – including the shop
where Old Tom Morris made and sold clubs
– to St Andrews’ West Sands beach to the
right. Then, off in the distance beyond the 1st
green, sits the Old Course Hotel – a modern
golf australia | MARCH 2017 103
 The ruins of St Andrews Castle
on the North Sea cliff tops.

The famous Road Hole...from

behind the stone wal.

104 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

Playing the Old Course is a
moving experience for any golfer
– hacker or champion.
St Andrews Cathedral was once
the biggest building in Scotland.
... FOWLER WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO
POSE FOR SELFIES WITH THE THRILLED
CANADIANS. I WATCHED AND SMILED,
WONDERING WHAT OLD TOM MORRIS
WOULD HAVE MADE OF THE SCENE.
behemoth that almost seems to stand guard
over this place that drips with history.
The widest fairway in golf lies in front
and despite its generous size, you can’t help
but have niggling doubts your tee shot will
fly wide. Even worse, with lingering crowds
watching on, you fear cold-topping your drive
to leave more than 300 yards to the green
for your second shot. With your first drive
away, you almost have to concentrate on not
excitedly running well ahead of your playing
partners and caddies to get to your ball and
play your second shot.
My advice is, if you get to cross an Old
Course round off your bucket list, soak it all in
and forget about your score … except when you
play the iconic ‘Road Hole’ because everyone
– from the barman at the Jigger Inn to the
friendly young lady behind the counter at The
Old Course Shop – will want to know what you
made on the 17th.
And if you thought getting a game on the
Old Course was tough, think again. There are
plenty of avenues open to all golfers looking
for their bucket list day. For two or more
players, you can apply for a tee time well
in advance via the St. Andrew Links Trust
website (www.standrews.com). Tee times for
2018 open in July this year.
The other option is to enter the Old Course
Ballot. Nearly half of the total number of
tee times on the famed layout each year are
allocated to the Ballot to give people who
have been unable to book a chance of playing.
It is drawn 48 hours in advance and golfers
should provide their names, home club and
handicap details either by phone or at one of
the clubhouses before 2pm, 48 hours before
the day they wish to play. To enter there must
be a minimum of two and a maximum of four
players per card.
Single golfers with a handicap of 24 or
less, can check in at the Old Pavillion – to the
right of the 1st tee – on the day of play and the
friendly staff will do their best to join players
with a two or three-ball group.
During my visit to St Andrews last year,
I had played elsewhere early on Saturday
morning and had the afternoon free. I decided
to take a punt on getting another round on
the Old Course and checked in shortly before
12.30pm. I needed to wait only 90 minutes
before I was directed to the tee where I was
grouped with three Canadian businessmen
on a weekend away. The trio had had travelled
overnight across the Atlantic to make their
tee-time and were flying back home the next
day after scratching the great layout off their
wish list.
Being a single fill-in player at St Andrews
means you will never know who you will be
playing with, which is somewhat of a gamble.
But on this occasion it was great and five holes
in we realised who was playing behind us.
Having crushed his drive down the par-5
5th hole, we wondered who was playing up
on us and it turned out to be Rickie Fowler,
making final preparations for his Open
Championship campaign at Royal Troon.
Three holes later, as we waited on the tee of
the par-3 8th, Fowler was more than happy to
pose for selfies with the thrilled Canadians. I
watched and smiled, wondering what Old Tom
Morris would have made of the scene.
Fast forward to 17. Having stupidly ignored
my caddie to play a 6-iron from the right edge
of the fairway into the green, I took a 5-iron
and watched as my ball bounded off the back
of the green, across the road and finished a
foot short of the ancient wall. There was no
way I was going to take a drop so I chipped
against the wall and surprised myself and
a few dozen onlookers as my ball finished
10-foot from the hole. Sadly I missed the putt
but I was still smiling when I posed for the
obligatory photo on the Swilcan Bridge a few
minutes later.
With the word spreading through some of
the local pubs that Fowler was playing the
course, there was a couple of hundred people
beside the 18th fairway and behind the green
as we walked back into town. My birdie at the
last was greeted with polite claps but I had the
distinct feeling many of those gathered just
wanted me and the Canucks to get the hell out
of the way and let Rickie hit up. Fair enough!
Crowds around the 18th green are not
unusual. Tourist coaches usually pull up down
the street and inquisitive visitors, or golfing
pilgrims, get their first glimpse of the great
place from behind the green and the Valley of
Sin created by Old Tom back in 1870.
The Old Course is the undisputed star
attraction in St Andrews. But, unlike my
new Canadian friends, if you take the time
to experience St Andrews beyond the
famous loop of 18 holes, you will discover an
incredible religious and golfing history, great
food and drink, welcoming locals and,
of course, more interesting and enjoyable
golf courses.
***
For all of its golfing wealth, the Royal &
Ancient game is still only one part of the St
golf australia | MARCH 2017 105
 The green on the 325-metre
par 4, 15th hole of the Jubilee
Course known as ‘Steel’s Gem’.
Andrews story. Despite its 600-year residency
in the heart of the kingdom of Fife, golf is a
relative newcomer in terms of St Andrews’
colourful and often bloody history, which
dates back to 1500 BC and beyond.
From the nomadic tribes that first occupied
the area, to the Gaelic speaking Picts, to
the Roman occupation, to St Columba who
brought Christianity to Scotland from
Ireland, there is history everywhere. There
was the surrender of Scotland to William the
Conqueror by King Malcolm in 1072, followed
by the medieval years.
St Andrews University opened its doors in
1413 as Scotland’s first seat of higher learning
and only the third university in the entire
British Isles, preceded by just two others –
England’s Oxford and Cambridge. Many of
the impressive buildings in St Andrews date
from this time, with St. Salvators Chapel
and St. Mary’s college being particularly
fine examples of 15th and 16th century
architecture, still functioning as they were
originally intended.
Considered one of Britain’s leading
universities, almost a third of St Andrews’
population are faculty and students. In recent
years, it gained some fame when Prince
William met, and later proposed to, Kate
Middleton while studying at the university.
St Andrews was one of the most important
and powerful cities in all of Scotland
106 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
TODAY, ST
ANDREWS IS THE
EPICENTRE OF A
GOLFING KINGDOM.
THE ST ANDREWS
LINKS TRUST
MANAGES SEVEN
COURSES IN AND
AROUND THE AULD
GREY TOON.
in medieval times, not only because of
the university, but also as the country’s
ecclesiastical capital. It was home to the
largest cathedral in the land and it was from
here and neighbouring St Andrews Castle,
the powerful Catholic Archbishops strictly
controlled the faithful for centuries.
By the early 16th century, religious
rebellion was afoot, the bloody Protestant
Reformation was underway and St Andrews,
as the Scottish centre of the Catholic Church,
was at the centre of it all.
Burnings at the stake became
commonplace, as martyrs of the faith were
served the ultimate punishment for heresy
and other perceived crimes. Looking up
the hill behind the 18th green of the Old
Course, you can see Martyrs Memorial,
which was erected to honour the martyrs of
the Reformation period. They were all burnt
at the stake a short walk away, in North St,
outside the entrance to St Salvator’s Chapel,
which still stands today.
The Reformation violence continued
unabated for 30 years. The English became
involved and King Henry VIII sent his finest
regiment to aid the protestant cause. St
Andrews Castle, the Catholic stronghold,
was besieged then occupied by Protestants,
only to fall once more to Catholics, then
back to Protestants again. The Archbishop
and most of his clergy were slaughtered, the
cathedral ransacked and looted of its massive
collections of silver, gold and fine art and by
1559 it was all over.
It is head-spinning when you comprehend
how such a small town, which takes less
than 20 minutes to walk from one end to the
other, is home to so much history. The stately
ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, the remains
of the Castle – once considered impregnable
– and the impressive 15th and 16th century

The New Course leads you out
to the edge of Eden Estuary.
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university buildings remain.
The stunning view over the 18th
green of the New Course.
DID YOU KNOW
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which is best done on Sundays when
the course is closed.
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university, and the third oldest in the
English speaking world, having been
because it lies next to the Old course.
Golf was banned in St Andrews during the
Reformation because the Scottish monarchs
blamed the game on the decline of the army’s
archery skills. But in the centuries that
followed, and with the gradual and overall
decline of St Andrews (as the university
and churches looked to move elsewhere),
it was golf that ultimately would become
synonymous with St Andrews.
Today, St Andrews is the epicentre of
a golfing kingdom. The St Andrews Links
Trust manages seven courses in and around
the Auld Grey Toon, while there are another
10 fantastic courses within 25 minutes’
drive of St Andrews including Kingsbarns,
Crail’s Craighead and Balcomie layouts, The
Dukes, Ladybank, Leven, Lundin Links and
Elie. There are also two world class courses
surrounding the Fairmont Resort, just
south of town. Further afield to the north
and across the Tay Bridge, you’ll find
Carnoustie, Monifieth, Panmure and the
lesser-known Arbroath.
You won’t regret sticking with just playing
the St Andrews courses – the New, Jubliee,
Castle, Eden, Strathtyrum and Balgove, which
is the only nine-hole course in town and is
designed for families and beginners to enjoy.
For mine, the New course is perhaps the
most underrated layout in the world and
doesn’t get the accolades it deserves simply
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and Cambridge).
New was the second course built at the Home
of Golf and was designed by the ‘Keeper of the
Green’ Old Tom Morris in 1895, primarily to
alleviate the high numbers of golfers on the
Old course.
It is a favourite of the St Andrews locals
because it shares some similarities with the
Old course with several shared fairways and
plays as a traditional nine holes out nine holes
back, but it is a much tighter layout with dense
gorse more easily found than on the Old. The
New fairways are more undulating than those
on the neighbouring Old and there are far
less bumps and hollows leaving you an
awkward lie.
In 1897, just two years after the New opened
for play, the original 12-hole Jubilee course
greeted its first golfers. Played on a narrow ;


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through low sand dunes and gorse. Several of
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are more difficult scoring layouts than the specialities.
Old course. The Old can be more forgiving on
golf australia | MARCH 2017 107
 WHERE TO EAT,
DRINK AND SLEEP
STAY: THE OLD COURSE HOTEL
The five-star Old Course Hotel Golf
Resort & Spa extends along the edge of
the iconic 17th hole of the Old Course,
affording views of the Old, New and
Jubilee layouts. This prestigious hotel
has 144 rooms including 35 suites and
is recognised as one of Europe’s leading
resorts. Staying at the Old Course Hotel
will guarantee an Old Course tee time.
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk

STAY: ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY

If the Old Course Hotel is beyond your
budget, I recommend staying at one
of the university’s halls of residences.
During the summer months, these are
transformed into great value holiday
accommodation for visitors, offering IF YOU CAN PLAY TO YOUR HANDICAP
self-catered as well as bed and breakfast
options. The buffet breakfast is awesome! IN THE WIND ON ST ANDREWS’ THIRD
www.discoverstandrews.com/
OLDEST COURSE, YOU CAN TEE IT UP
STAY: GUEST HOUSES ANYWHERE WITHOUT FEAR.
There is a great selection of bed and
breakfasts or guest houses to choose
from that will put you within walking
distance of the R&A clubhouse and the
St Andrews courses. The Craigmore
Guest House (www.standrewscraigmore.
co.uk), Clevedon (www.clevedenhouse.
co.uk) and Fairways of St Andrews
(www.fairwaysofstandrews.co.uk) are
highly recommended for their location
and service.

EAT: THE DOLL’S HOUSE

Located in a quaint old house in the heart
of St Andrews, this candlelit brasserie
offers good quality food, including
Scottish-fusion dishes like grilled black
pudding. I went for the Eden Brewery
beer battered fish and chips.
www.dollshousestandrews.co.uk/

Checkout the flag: It can get

windy on the Castle Course.

108 MARCH 2017 | golf australia


mis-hits where the New and Jubilee are less
so, while a round in the wind on the Jubilee
is a real Scottish experience. If you can play
to your handicap in the wind on St Andrews’
third oldest course, you can tee it up anywhere
without fear.
And when it comes to playing St Andrews’
newest addition – the Castle Course – it
The windswept cliff top green
of the par-3 17th hole on St
Andrews’ Castle Course.
doesn’t have to be windy to be difficult.
Designed by David McLay Kidd, the Castle
Course opened in 2008 and can be found
bordering cliffs about 10 minutes’ drive south
of St Andrews.
The Castle, as you might expect being a
modern design, is vastly different from its
cousins in town. Apart from the breathtaking
North Sea views, the major difference is
the dramatic terrain and the wildly sloping
putting surfaces, which have been criticised
for being too extreme.
Many of the greens have been redesigned
to address the severity of the slopes and
I found them difficult to putt on but not
unfair. However, I could see there might be
a few problems on a really windy day with
balls moving or being blown off greens. That
said, I found the Castle Course not only
memorable but also lots of fun to play, with
the picturesque par-3 17th hole over a deep
gorge and waves crashing below being the pick
of Kidd’s creations.
There really is something for everyone in St
Andrews, especially if golf is your top priority.
With so much more to discover beyond what
has been covered here, it is a journey you need
to jot down on your bucket list … sooner rather
than later.
To view deals, packages and to book tee times on
any of the St Andrews Links Trust managed
courses – Old, New, Jubliee, Castle, Eden,
Strathtyrum and Balgove – or to enter your name
in the Old Course ballot, visit www.standrews.com
EAT: ROAD HOLE RESTAURANT
Found in the Old Course Hotel, this
award-winning restaurant offers
wonderful views and exceptional food.
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk
EAT: PLAYFAIR’S STEAKHOUSE
If you are yearning for a good steak, this
award-winning restaurant is the place
to go. Great quality and warm service. It
is also housed in a building on Playfair
Terrace that dates back to 1847.
www.playfairsrestaurant.co.uk
EAT: THE TAILEND FISH BAR
Without doubt the best Scottish fish and
chips (served with mashy peas) in St
Andrews.
www.thetailend.co.uk
EAT: JANETTAS GELATERIA
Can you believe Italian gelato has been
in St Andrews for nearly 100 years?
Janettas is a must during your visit, with
54 flavours to choose from … might be
easier to just order a coffee.
www.janettas.co.uk
DRINK: THE JIGGER INN
This small white cottage at the edge of
the Old Course Hotel was once the haunt
of caddies. The old place (pictured below)
is magical when its standing room only
full of golfers talking golf. The food is
pretty good here too.
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk
DRINK: THE ROAD HOLE BAR
Found on the penthouse floor of the Old
Course Hotel, the bar offers 150-plus
different drams.
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk
DRINK: THE GOLF INN
Located at one of the most famous
addresses in world golf, No.1 Golf Place,
the bar is no more than a flick sand
wedge from the 18th green of the Old
Course. There’s also accommodation and
good pub food available here.
www.thegolfinn.co.uk
golf australia | MARCH 2017 109
 ADVERTISING SPECIAL

2017 PLAY&
STAY GUIDE
Few things in golf can rival a great getaway
destination where you don’t have to move far
from the 18th green to rest your head, have a
meal or cool drink. Here’s a snapshot of the
fantastic golf-and-accommodation packages
currently on offer at a host of top courses.

golf australia | MARCH 2017 111

 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
JOONDALUP RESORT
S
et in tranquil surrounds a short
25-minute drive north of Perth CBD
and minutes from the white sandy
beaches of the Sunset Coast, Joondalup
Resort invites you to experience the
highest standards of service, recreation
and friendly Australian hospitality.
Few courses anywhere in the world offer
the dramatic contrasts, the scenic beauty
and the sheer golfing challenge of the 27-hole
championship course at Joondalup Resort.
Designed by the internationally renowned
Robert Trent Jones Jnr., the course presents a
tough, uncompromising layout, featuring great
variation in setting and style. This spectacular
course sweeps across dense bushland, cuts
through steep limestone quarries and skirts
picturesque lakes, to present surprises and
challenges at almost every turn
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
colourful scene of wild flora. Voted “Australia’s
No.1 Resort Golf Course” six consecutive years,
Joondalup Resort offers public access as well
as a range of membership options, a day/night
driving range, putting greens, pro shop, café,
clubhouse, the onsite services of a professional
golf academy, as well as the facilities to cater
for corporate golf days of up to 216 people.
With 70 newly-renovated and luxuriously
appointed accommodation rooms offering
spectacular views, you can relax on your
bedroom balcony or verandah, indulge with
a full body in-room massage, refresh in the
lagoon style pool, have a hit of tennis or
enjoy our mini gymnasium. Then you can
unwind with a beverage and mouth-watering
meal at our award winning restaurant or
explore the Sunset Coast as well as shopping
and entertainment precincts close by.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $99 (Mon-Fri with twin share
cart); $110 (weekends/public holidays with twin
share cart); $85 for resort guests.
ADDRESS: Country Club Boulevard, Connolly,
Western Australia 6027
CONTACT: (08) 9400 8811.
WEBSITE: www.joondalupresort.com.au
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
PAR-3 PACKAGE – Overnight accommodation
in a deluxe standard room, 9 holes of golf for
two with a cart and full buffet breakfast for two
in Bistro 38 ($350).
PAR-4 PACKAGE – Overnight accommodation
in a deluxe standard room, 18 holes of golf for
two with a cart and full buffet breakfast for two
in Bistro 38. ($410)
PAR-5 PACKAGE – Overnight accommodation
in a deluxe standard room, 18 holes of golf for
two with a cart, dinner for two in Bistro 38* and
full buffet breakfast for two the next morning in
Bistro 38. ($520)
SPECIAL OFFER
Golf Australia readers receive 20 percent off
our Par 3, 4 and 5 Packages. Enter Promo
Code GOLF20 when booking online at
www.joondalupresort.com.au
Enjoy your golf in a magnificent setting, Joondalup Resort offers the perfect place to 



 










with the natural beauty of the bush and the work, rest and play. 




irresistible charm of kangaroos, birds and We look forward to welcoming you soon!

112 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
MURRAY DOWNS RESORT
L
ocated just five minutes from the
river town of Swan Hill, Murray
Downs Golf & Country Club will
be sure to please you both on and off
the course. Providing you with great
clubhouse facilities, including a bistro
and café, you won’t beat the country
hospitality and pleasure of playing this
impressive course.
Ideal for your next group or individual golf
holiday, the award-winning course – a previous
winner of Victorian PGA Course of the Year
and consistently voted among the top resort
courses across Australia – Murray Downs
has the facilities to match its reputation. The
par-72 layout is a striking contrast to the
Mallee plains that surround it. With river
gums in the background, the course has some
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
great signature holes, including the 5th with
a long water carry to the green, making it a
challenging task for those that choose to risk it
and hit straight for the green. The course does
provide some relief on other holes, including
the other par-3s at 11 and 15. Murray Downs is
playable for all handicaps, rewarding the great
shots and penalising the ones we wish we’d
never hit.
The Murray Downs Bistro and Café will
meet all your mealtime needs over your stay,
from a quick snack in the café to dinner at the
end of the day in the bistro.
Murray Downs Resort is located opposite
the 16th fairway and only a short stroll from
the clubhouse. You can be on the 1st tee within
minutes; you won’t have to touch your car keys
again until it’s time to head home.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $50 (seven days, 18 holes).
ADDRESS: Murray Downs Drive, Swan Hill,
Victoria 3585
CONTACT: 1800 807 574 (resort), (03) 5033 1427
(pro shop)
WEBSITE: www.murraydownsresort.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: Murray Downs Resort
sits opposite the golf club and offers 50 air-
conditioned family-size and two-bedroom
rooms and suites, plus 17 self-contained
apartments. Also included is a heated spa, lawn
tennis court, undercover barbecue facilities,
conference room and more.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
On-course packages at Murray Downs Resort
start from $130 per person per night and include
on-course accommodation, a country-style
cooked breakfast, unlimited golf and meal
vouchers to the club bistro. Weekend, peak
period and single supplements apply.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 113
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
NOOSA SPRINGS GOLF
& SPA RESORT
I
t’s the sort of course golfers dream
about: spectacular, challenging,
beautifully presented.
Noosa Springs’ par-72, 6,180m golf course
is generally considered the best on the
Sunshine Coast, and regularly features in the
list of Australia’s finest resort and public
access courses.
But the course, as outstanding as it is, is just
the beginning for those fortunate enough to
choose a golfing getaway at Noosa Springs Golf
and Spa Resort.
Noosa Springs is situated at the northern
end of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, just three
kilometres from iconic Noosa Heads, with its
famous beaches, fashion boutiques, first-class
restaurants and sublime weather.
It is the gateway to Fraser Island, and is close
to the renowned Eumundi Markets and Steve
Irwin’s Australia Zoo.
A feature of the resort is its world-class
Spa – an oasis of gentle relaxation and casual
114 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
style. The Spa’s thermal suite includes a hydro-
massage pool, flotation pool, infrared sauna,
steam room and blitz shower.
Noosa Springs has an award-winning
restaurant, a bar which spills out to a terrace,
a golf shop that stocks the latest in designer
fashion apparel as well as golfing needs, tennis
courts, a fitness centre and a swimming pool.
The large open-plan one- and two-bedroom
air-conditioned apartments, are equipped
with king size beds and kitchens with modern
appliances.
Noosa Springs is set amid an exclusive, gated
residential precinct, and for the first time resort
visitors can now spend their holiday in one of
these magnificent homes.
A number of four- and five-bedroom houses
– each overlooking the course and only a casual
stroll from the clubhouse – have been added to
the resort accommodation pool, providing an
outstanding place to stay for families, or groups
of friends seeking a very special golfing getaway.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $120 with a cart (18 holes).
ADDRESS: Links Drive, Noosa Heads,
Queensland, 4567.
CONTACT: (07) 5440 3333
WEBSITE: www.noosasprings.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: Large one- and two-
bedroom apartments as well as four- and five-
bedroom houses overlooking the course.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
Noosa Springs has a wide range of
packages to suit. The Three-Day Premium
Getaway starts from $615 person and
includes three days unlimited golf per
person including cart, three nights’
accommodation in a two-bedroom two-
bathroom apartment, bottle of wine and
cheese platter in apartment upon arrival
and there’s a $50 credit note per person
to spend at Relish, Golf or Spa within your
stay. In addition, there is daily service, daily
breakfast, access to the fitness centre and
heated swimming pool, complimentary Wi-Fi
and undercover parking.
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
Pelican Waters
Golf Club
P
elican Waters Golf Club is home
to the Sunshine Coast’s first ever

Greg Norman designed golf course.
Located just one hour north of Brisbane
in the stunning surrounds of Golden
Beach on the Sunshine Coast, our golf

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course ranks among the premier golf
courses in the world.
The facility features a 6,289-metre
championship course, an impressive driving
range, practice putting and chipping greens.
There is a well-equipped pro shop and a first
class clubhouse providing excellent indoor
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
surrounds and spacious decks to enjoy a range
of wonderful dishes.
We invite you to play golf on our amazing
course with drive-up bag drop and an
abundance of lakes that are teeming with
wildlife. Continue the experience and stay
and relax at one of the first class resorts and
take the opportunity to enjoy the nearby
beaches and shopping.
Renowned for providing an excellent,
fun experience for all sized groups Pelican
Waters Golf Club appeals and caters
for everyone.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $99 including cart
ADDRESS: 40 Mahogany Drive Pelican Waters
QLD 4551
CONTACT: 07 5437 5000
WEBSITE: www.pelicangolf.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: There are three
outstanding resorts nearby:
The Sebel Pelican Waters, Rumba Beach
Resort & Oaks Oasis Resort Caloundra.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
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Let us do the work for you. We can arrange
the golf, the accommodation and meals,
saving you both time & money, plus allowing
you to share your time with friends or family.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 115
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
PEPPERS THE
SANDS RESORT
S
et on the northern headland of
Torquay, Peppers The Sands Resort
offers an 18-hole championship golf
course designed by Stuart Appleby. This
beachfront property spans from White’s
Beach to Point Impossible, and offers
pristine views of the ocean and natural
wetlands.
The layout features a vast array of bunkers
throughout and a particularly strong back
nine. The uphill par-4 11th hole is one of the
toughest two-shotters around as it climbs to
an angled green benched into a hillside. The
mammoth carry required from the back tee
at the par-5 16th is fun to attempt even if you
think you won’t make it across the hazard,
while several more docile teeing grounds sit
116 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
further along the hole.
All air-conditioned rooms at The Sands
Torquay feature a work desk and a flat-screen
television. Each room also includes ironing
supplies and tea/coffee-making facilities.
Guests can also pamper themselves with an
in-room massage, while guests 18 years of
age or older can enjoy free access to a private
health club boasting an indoor lap pool and a
fitness centre.
Hanners Restaurant and Bar features
European and Asian fusion cuisine and serves
breakfast daily (opening hours are limited over
the winter period). Guests can sample a glass
of local wine while savouring the views of the
golf course and sand dunes. Room service is
also available during restaurant hours.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $75 weekdays, $85 weekends.
ADDRESS: 2 Sands Boulevard, Torquay, Victoria
3228
CONTACT: (03) 5264 3307
WEBSITES: www.thesandstorquay.com and
www.peppers.com.au/sands
ACCOMMODATION: Available on site with both
suite and studio options.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
Peppers The Sands Resort frequently offers
Stay & Play Packages, including overnight
accommodation, full buffet breakfast and green
fees for 18 holes of golf with a motorised cart*.
* Please note that motorised carts may not be
available in extreme weather conditions. Golf
must be booked at time of booking direct with
the resort.
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
RACV Royal Pines Resort
C
urrent host to the Australian PGA
Championship, the championship
course has undergone a complete
redesign by renowned golf course
architect, Graham Marsh.
The renovations have seen every green,
surrounds, landing area, and bunker replaced
to bring the course up to championship
standards while also retaining the capacity to
cater for golfers of all abilities.
Royal Pines is where the players come
to play, and where fervent golfers can
experience a challenging layout, combined
with a five-star environment. With tight,
tree-lined fairways and undulating greens,
each nine hole course has its own distinctive
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
challenges, requiring a unique skill set in
order to have a successful round.
RACV Royal Pines Resort’s world-class
practice facilities are complimented by
teaching expertise from Mark Gibson’s
Exceptional Golf coaching professionals.
There are clinics for every age and every
level of experience in a family friendly
environment.
RACV Royal Pines Resort offers five
star facilities including conference and
accommodation facilities that are second
to none, including 333 modern
accommodation rooms, six restaurant
outlets, a gymnasium, spa, five tennis
courts and children’s water park.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $149 (18 holes with cart); $99 for
hotel guests; $89 (RACV members).
ADDRESS: Ross St, Benowa, Queensland, 4217.
CONTACT: (07) 5597 8733.
WEBSITE: www.racv.com.au/royalpines
ACCOMMODATION: Includes king and twin
rooms, corner spa suites with views of the
course or hinterland, executive suites with
access to the exclusive Executive Lounge
and two-bedroom family suites.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
Stay and Play packages for two people start
from only $385 a night*, including buffet
breakfast and 18 holes of golf.
*Price quoted is for auto club members.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 117
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
RICH RIVER GOLF
CLUB RESORT
R
ich River Golf Club Resort is
situated within the beautiful
Murray River region of
Echuca—Moama.
Less than three hours from Melbourne, this
popular historic town was voted No.35 amongst
the top-100 towns to visit in Australia.
Rich River boasts an abundance of sporting
and clubhouse facilities including our two
championship golf courses, 17-bay driving
range, croquet, bowling, tennis, dining,
conferences and functions, TAB and Keno,
sports bar, coffee shop, bistro, motel and
fully-stocked pro shop – providing the perfect
escape to suit a day trip, weekend or an
extended holiday.
Opened in 1979, the West Course has been
host to many professional events. It has a tight
layout with tree-lined fairways and elevated
118 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
greens making scoring perhaps tougher than on
the East Course. The East Course, though, is no
pushover. Measuring 6,247 metres off the men’s
tees, it plays to a par of 72 for both sexes.
Redesigned by Peter Thomson in 1998, the
East Course is links style with water coming
into play on several holes.
The back nine is particularly challenging
with the last five holes – with its strategic water
hazards and tough bunkering – capable of
making or breaking any round. The East Course
is currently host to the Rich River Trainee
Classic, one of only two national trainee events
in Australia.
Both courses are of championship calibre,
are immaculately groomed and playable all year
round. Playing both of these wonderful layouts
in one day or successive days is the stuff of
dreams for the enthusiastic golfer.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $50 ($30 for nine holes).
ADDRESS: Twenty Four Lane, Moama,
NSW 2731
CONTACT: (03) 5481 3333
WEBSITE: www.richriver.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: Our on-site
accommodation offers 40 standard rooms,
22 deluxe rooms, one executive spa room
and a new Rich River apartment, which can
accommodate up to 8 guests.
Adjacent to the clubhouse and surrounding
golf courses, the complex contains manicured
lush gardens, two outdoor pools, spa, BBQ
areas and children’s play equipment.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
MID-WEEK PACKAGE – from $275 per person:
includes two nights’ accommodation, two
days’ unlimited golf, two $20 club vouchers
and two $20 breakfast vouchers. Available
Sundays to Thursdays and subject to
availability.
WEEKEND PACKAGE – from $295 per person:
includes two nights’ accommodation, two
days’ unlimited golf, two club vouchers and
two breakfast vouchers. Available Fridays to
Saturdays and subject to availability.
2017 Mid-Year Deal – from $115 per person
(triple), per night: includes one nights’
accommodation, a day of unlimited golf,
one $20 club voucher and a $20 breakfast
voucher. Available from June 1 to August
31, 2017, excluding the Queen’s Birthday
long weekend. Minimum two-night stay on
weekends and subject to availability.
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
SOUTH WEST ROCKS
COUNTRY CLUB
N
estled in the idyllic seaside town
of the same name, South West
Rocks Country Club boasts a
picturesque 18-hole golf course worthy
of any player. Whether you’re off 4 or
24 you will enjoy the well designed and
interesting layout. The course is a par-72
measuring 5,953 metres that winds its
way around tree-lined fairways.
Most of the 18 holes are straightforward,
however accuracy off the tee is rewarded as
the tree-lines can make an escape to the green
difficult. The course offers a good variety of
holes, for example our 15th (Fred’s Hole) is a
383-metre par-4 with a water carry for your
second (or third) shot. The bentgrass greens
are in fantastic shape all year round, as are the
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
fairways. It truly is a beautiful course to play.
The clubhouse offers all of the facilities you
would expect, including free Wi-Fi and dining
options from a quick light meal in our coffee
shop to something more substantial in our
award-winning Seasons Restaurant.
South West Rocks is located on the Mid
North Coast of New South Wales at the mouth
of the Macleay River, approximately one
hour south of Coffs Harbour. The town has a
wonderful seaside village atmosphere and is a
very popular holiday destination, offering not
only great sporting facilities but magnificent
beaches and rich heritage with the Old Trial
Bay Gaol set high on cliffs above the sea. South
West Rocks also offers some of the best diving
locations in the country.
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $30 (18 holes).
ADDRESS: 2 Sportmans Way, South West
Rocks, NSW 2431
CONTACT: Kahlia on (02) 6566 6252
WEBSITE: www.rockscountryclub.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: The club has two
accommodation partners, the Rockpool Motel
and Sunshine Big 4.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
South West Rocks Country Club offers a number
of packages in conjunction with our two
accommodation partners and can tailor a deal
to suit any number of people, whether it be a
social group or a couple on a weekend escape.
If you are in a group and plan on staying for a
number of days, we can also create a package
that can include an afternoon of barefoot bowls
and a barbecue, or a day’s fishing on one of ‘the
Rocks’ many charter boats.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 119
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
THURGOONA COUNTRY
CLUB RESORT
T
hurgoona Country Club
Resort offers golfers a mature
championship golf course located
only ten minutes from Albury, an easy
three-hour drive from Melbourne and a
60-minute flight from Sydney. Designed
by Peter Thomson and Mike Wolveridge,
Thurgoona presents a fair challenge to
golfers of all abilities.
Beautifully covered Santa Ana couch fairways
invite your approach to large bentgrass greens
with subtle slopes, strategically placed bunkers
and enough water to make even the most
experienced golfer think twice. The 18-hole
championship course plays to 6,372 metres with
a par and ACR of 72 for men and 5,480 metres,
par 74 and ACR 75 for ladies.
120 MARCH 2017 | golf australia
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
Thurgoona is a semi-private facility offering
great membership packages as well as lots
of availability for visitors and stay-and-play
groups. Regular competitions are held on
Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays with
several special events throughout the year. the
Schweppes Classic Week of Golf held from
October 16-20, the Murray Classic event in May,
and the Murray Masters event in December.
Just a short stroll from the clubhouse, the
on-course accommodation borders the 18th
fairway and features 26 rooms on 2 stories
or a 3-bedroom apartment for those looking
for a bit more space to unwind. The motel
offers a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, and
conference facilities. The full service club has
a gym, bistro, TAB and several televisions to
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $32 weekdays, $36 weekends
and public holidays.
ADDRESS: 1 Evesham Place, Thurgoona,
NSW 2640
CONTACT: (02) 6043 1666
WEBSITE: www.thurgoonaresort.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: The 26-room motel
borders the 18th fairway and includes deluxe,
family, spa and standard rooms.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
Midweek packages start from $105 per
person, twin share; weekend packages start
from $115 per person, twin share.
Play and stay packages are available for
any sized group and include one round of
18 holes for each night’s accommodation,
continental breakfast (with a hot breakfast
option available) and a dinner voucher.
watch the game(s). For non-golfers, the close
proximity to Albury and its great selection of
shops, restaurants and cafés ensures there is
something for everyone.
 2017 GOLF AUSTRALIA
YARRAWONGA MULWALA
GOLF CLUB RESORT
Y
arrawonga Mulwala Golf Club
Resort is recognised as the pick of
resorts along the Murray River,
Australia’s No.1 golfing destination, just
three hours’ drive north of Melbourne.
Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort is
Australia’s largest public access golf resort
with 45 holes in stunning surrounds alongside
the majestic Murray River.
The Murray Course is right beside its
namesake river, and meanders through
towering river gums and sandy river flats. Its
pedigree is impeccable, as it was designed by
Peter Thomson and Michael Wolveridge and
is ranked in the Top 100.
Named for Lake Mulwala, the Lake Course
overlooks this beautiful waterway. You’ll find
strategically placed lakes, undulating greens,
| P L AY A N D S TAY G U I D E
56 bunkers and lots to test the keenest player.
Precision around the greens is needed to
make par.
If you’re a novice or are tight for time,
the shorter Executive Course is ideal. Set
in beautiful parkland, it’s more lenient
for beginners but still provides plenty of
challenges for more experienced players.
Looking to stay on course you’re spoilt
for choice. There are nine different styles of
accommodation, from comfortable cabins to
luxurious, well-appointed suites, apartments
and villas. All are family friendly, have
cooking facilities, private bathrooms and a car
parking space.
The clubhouse is more than just a place
to rest, eat, drink and socialise. Relax in our
leather reclining state-of-the-art luxury
FACT FILE
GREEN FEES: $50 for 18 holes, $75 for one
day’s play or $190 for five days’ golf (weekdays).
ADDRESS: Golf Club Rd, Mulwala, NSW 2647
CONTACT: (03) 5744 1911;
stayandplay@yarragolf.com.au
WEBSITE: www.yarragolf.com.au
ACCOMMODATION: Choose between nine
different types of accommodation, from basic
cabin-style to luxurious, well-appointed
apartments and villas, each with cooking
facilities, private bathrooms and a car
parking space.
PLAY AND STAY PACKAGES
Golf packages can be tailored to your needs
or choose from one of our popular stay and
play experiences, which can include unlimited
golf, fully cooked breakfast, evening meals and
accommodation.
movie theatre, swim in the solar-heated pool,
play tennis, workout in the fully equipped
gym, pamper yourself with a massage or play
barefoot bowls on one of two well-tended
bowling greens. You can also book a tour of
the local Rutherglen wineries tasting some of
the world’s best fortified wines.
golf australia | MARCH 2017 121
 G E T A W AY S

The Links at Fancourt and Pinnacle

Point (below) are highlights of the
South African itinerary

A GOLFING SAFARI
The trip runs from November 19 to
December 1 this year and packages start from
$6,495 per person twin share including 12
Ever wondered what it might be like to play a Valley Estate and an optional 18 holes at the nights’ accommodation, breakfast daily, six or
round of golf next to zebras and crocodiles? spectacular Pinnacle Point. seven rounds of golf, welcome and farewell
Well, if you join Australian PGA members If you’ve had a few bad rounds and need a dinners, sightseeing tours and all ground
Richard Mercer and Colin Hunt on a golfing break from golf, you’ll find an included full-day transportation.
safari across South Africa, you just might Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain Tour to For more information and to download a
find out. your liking. brochure, visit www.thegolftouringcompany.au
The Golf Touring Company has put together
a 13-day expedition that will indulge its
guests with access to some of the country’s
most premium courses. We’re talking about
masterpieces designed by Gary Player and
Jack Nicklaus.
Picture this for example. You wake up in a
luxury resort to the sound of exotic wildlife
and a complimentary breakfast. Not too late,
though. You have a tee time at The Links at
Fancourt – host of the 2003 Presidents Cup
where you’ll be playing alongside Mercer and
Hunt. Nice!
The Links at Fancourt is not the only five-
star course on the itinerary. After staying at
the famed Sun City resort, you will play the
picturesque Lost City layout and the Gary
Player Country Club course that hosts the
Nedbank Challenge. Later in the tour, there is
a round at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Pearl

122 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

 St Andrews Beach and The
National (inset) are within easy
reach of the Rosebud Motel.

HEART OF THE MORNINGTON be within 25 kilometres of a comfortable bed

Sometimes after 18 – and especially 19 –
holes of golf, the last thing you feel like doing
is making the long trek home. So, if you’re
looking for affordable accommodation in the
heart of the Mornington Peninsula, look no
further than the Rosebud Motel.
Whether you’re treating yourself to St
Andrews Beach, The Dunes, Moonah Links or
The National, rest easy knowing you’ll always
and a heated pool.
If you’re planning to stay on the Peninsula
longer – and you should be – the Rosebud
Motel offers golf packages with discounted
rates on selected courses. Not to mention
complimentary breakfast.
For more information, rates and a full list of
available golf courses, visit the website
www.rosebudmotel.net.au

PLAY NEWCASTLE, STAY NEXT DOOR

No trip to the Hunter Region of NSW is complete without a
round at Newcastle Golf Club. With a history spanning more
than 100 years, Newcastle has established itself as one of
the country’s premier layouts and was ranked No.12 in Golf
Australia’s Top 100 Public Access Courses in the nation in January.
The adjoining Newcastle Links Motel is offering play and stay
package deals, so there’s no excuse not to make the two-hour
PHOTOS: GARY LISBON X 2; BRENDAN JAMES X 3

drive north from Sydney.

Packages start from $140 per person twin share (midweek),
which includes overnight accommodation, a round of golf (per
person), twin room with private ensuite, continental breakfast.
And it’s just a two-minute walk to the clubhouse.
To book call (02) 4928 2366, or visit
www.linksmotel.com.au or www.newcastlegolf.com.au

golf australia | MARCH 2017 123

 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL 0412 327 886

G O L F H O L I DAY S

VICTORIA VICTORIA

Golfers Resort GLENN MC CULLY

Yarrawonga Golf Schools
Luxury self contained accommodation 3 and 5 Day Schools
2-7 Day Golf Packages Group, Private & Beginner Formats
Summer and Winter specials from $525 pp. twin share
www.golfersresort.com.au www.golfersresort.com.au
info@golfersresort.com.au info@golfersresort.com.au
03 5744 1994 03 5744 1994
G O L F H O L I DAY S

THE 2017 US MASTERS ■■■■■■■

APRIL
TOURNAMENT SEVERAL PACKAGES TO CHOOSE FROM -
2017
■■■■■■■

1 DAY TO 5 DAYS. FROM $A1,050.00

“Premier Golf Tours and JTB Travel provide you with this
amazing golf and sightseeing tour of Japan. Hosted by
former Japan Open Winner Paul Sheehan.
Fully Escorted by an experienced Australian Tour Manager.
All inclusive package (not airfare). Entrance tickets to
Augusta National Golf Club accommodation transfers and more

“Golf trip of a Lifetime”
25th of July to the 4th of August 2017.
11day Golf and Sightseeing Tour of Japan.
Established over 20 years ago we have been running US Masters tours every year since ‘97.
We have the experience and local knowledge to make your US Masters Tour unforgettable.
Stay in a quality Hotel less than 1 mile from Augusta National with over 6 restaurants close
by. ATFS also provides you with official US masters gifts. ATFS plan, run and escort the tour
and do not just tag along with some US tour agent and we are a sports specialist Australian
Travel Agent so your money is protected with the Australian Travel Compensation Fund.

CONTACT
Steve Treisman 0412 974 840 Paul Sheehan 0419 408 321
PACKAGES ARE LIMITED SO IT IS BEST TO BOOK AS SOON
premiergolftours@gmail.com AS YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO BE PART OF HISTORY.
www.premiergolftours.com AUSTRALIAN TOURS FOR SPORT
www.atfs.com.au
Tel: 1800 806 879

TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886
GOLF ACCESSORIES/SERVICES
Injury affecting your Golf game?
Want to get more power, accuracy and distance?
SMS the word GOLF to this
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How I Went Mental and Dropped 5 Shots
A
t 68 years of age and having played golf on
and off most of his life, Mildura golfer Peter
George had never really considered the impor-
tance of the mental game.
That was until he read about the revolutionary Pro Golf
IQ mind-coaching program and how it has assisted
amateur golfers worldwide to improve their game
using powerful audio sessions from the comfort of their
own home.
Peter says “I went to Pro Golf IQ website and watched
the information video about how the Pro golfer thinks
on the course compared to amateurs and it just
clicked…I immediately realised I had been missing out
on one of the most important parts of the game.”
“I’m a Member at Riverside Golf Club in Mildura,
Victoria and play 3 times per week. With my favourite
club, a Taylor-made M1 driver, my tee-shots have
always been pretty good along with putting. However,
a lack of confidence and focus with long irons and the
short game had always kept my handicap hovering
around 21.”
He went on “Upon learning how Pro Golf IQ has
helped other golfers I felt an investment of less than
100 bucks would be worth a try, and, as the program
is so simple to use it sounded like the easiest golf
training ever!”
How it works
Pete Nicholson, Pro Golf IQ Director, said “Yes, the
program is straightforward and very effective for
golfers of all standards. Simply put on headphones,
lie back and relax as you let the audio sessions coach
your mind to think the same way as the worlds top
players.” He added “Just listening for half an hour,
3 times per week is all that’s required for you to
Pro Golf IQ Director, Peter Nicholson with Mildura’s Peter George.
eradicate bad habits, learn how to ignore distractions
and hazards while gaining consistency throughout the
whole round”
Peter George started the program late June and after
watching the introduction video via the Members Area
on his computer then commenced listening to the first
of the five different weekly audio sessions.
Early results
“The first thing I noticed,” he said “was the feeling of
relaxation on the tee-box. During the initial week of
using the Pro Golf IQ techniques I felt calm and full of
belief in my game. I had found the Zone that you hear
the Pros talk about.”
“By the middle of week 3 I was using my imagination
to visualise each shot in my minds-eye and my body
would execute the stroke with perfection.”
“I emailed the guys at Pro Golf IQ exclaiming ‘WOW
in just 3 weeks I have gone from 21 down to 18! I
wonder how far it will come down in 5 weeks?’”
“Pete Nicholson replied advising me to stay 100%
GOLF ACCESSORIES/SERVICES
committed to the program, just relax and there could
be some more surprises.”
Dropping 5 shots
“What happened next was nothing short of miraculous
as my chipping yips disappeared and my precision
around the greens dropped my handicap to 16…all in
just over 5-weeks”
“Then out of the blue I received a call from the team
at the Genesis Golf Link Cup advising that my last
4 scorecards of 5 over, 42, 41 and 37 Stableford
points had won a prize of a dozen balls”
Nicholson asked Peter “What do your golfing mates
think?” He replied “They ask ‘what are you doing dif-
ferently, we’ve never seen you play so well!”
“I’m now looking forward to using the supplementary
sessions Enforcer, Putting IQ, Driving IQ and Pitching
IQ and have set myself a target to get down to 12
over the coming months”
When asked by the Pro Golf IQ Team how he would
sum up the program, Peter said “That’s simple…IT
WORKS!”
GOLF AUSTRALIA readers can score a great
deal on Pro Golf IQ for just $97 (RRP $219).
Go to www.progolfiq.com/mental OR call
Pete Nicholson (07) 5657 0902
 ET P L AC E
MARK GOLF ACCESSORIES/SERVICES

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Kahma
Course - home of the Australian Open 2000
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● worn graphite shafts
No Tee Times - turn up and play
● damaged irons
Limited Membership
No Corporate or Trade days. ● stress finding the

The Grand Golf Club, right iron

Gilston Gold Coast Hinterland. Patented Softgrip
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Share Sale in the
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GOLF ACCESSORIES/SERVICES

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Join the Golf Club as a Member with
no entry or joining fees payable, only
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F r ith r of th Off rs Co tact
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TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

G O L F H O L I DAY S / AC C E S S O R I E S

Melbourne Sandbelt P L E AS E C O N TACT

Golf Accommodation Deal
T
DAV I D M UL L I NS
H
E BUCKINGHAM F O R YO UR
INTERNATIONAL
G O L F HO L I DAY
OAKLEIGH
9
10
ADV E R TI S I N G N EEDS
0 4 1 2 3 2 7 8 86
1 Woodlands GC
11
2 Royal Melbourne GC
BENTLEIGH 5
3 Victoria GC Call hotel
4 4 Sandringham GC
n ow to receive
Special Golf
MOORABBIN 5 Yarra Yarra GC
2 3 T
BUCKINGHAM 6 Kingston Heath GC
Australia
H
E

HIGHETT I N T E R N A T I O N A L6
7 Keysborough GC

SANDRINGHAM
8 Kingswood GC Rate
1 8 9 Commonwealth GC
CHELTENHAM
10 Metropolitan GC
MENTONE
7 11 Huntingdale GC

Come and play Melbourne’s famous Sandbelt Golf Courses

G O L F H O L I DAY S / AC C E S S O R I E S
* Fully licensed restaurant and bar * 24 hrs room service and reception * Free parking
* Foxtel * Free WiFi * Outdoor pool * Rooms or apartments * Group bookings welcome

1130 Nepean Highway, HIGHETT, Vic 3190

Ph: (03) 9555 0011 www.thebuckingham.com.au
E: contact@thebuckingham.com.au
 ET P L AC E
MARK G O L F H O L I DAY S

Australia’s Finest
Sandbelt Courses
■ 6 nights accommodation
■ green fees on 5 golf courses. Includes GST
■ cooked or continental breakfast
■ also available The Rosebud House
from
$120.00 a night Victoria’s
Mornington
Peninsula

Personally tailored packages on application.

COURSES SELECTED FROM
Cape Schanck - Devil Bend - Eagle Ridge - Flinders
Mornington - Portsea - Rosebud Country Club
Rosebud Public - Sorrento - St Andrews - The Dunes

Extra Fee Applies For Moonah Links / The National

All within 25 kilometres. For further enquiries and bookings
G O L F H O L I DAY S

ROSEBUD MOTEL
1869 Point Nepean Road Rosebud West VIC 3941
T: 03 5985 2041 F: 03 5985 6626
E: rosebudmotel@bigpond.com W: www.rosebudmotel.net.au
Price based on twin share Seasonal Adjustments Apply

NSW SOUTH COAST

GOLF STAY & PLAY

Package includes: 2 nights stay at well appointed 4 star property including daily breakfast and
EXCLUSIVE complimentary upgrade offer* and an 18 hole round of golf including cart at Gerringong Golf Club.

2 Night Packages $349pp Twin Share

Midweek Specials of $329pp apply
To book call Platinum Travel on 1300 733 323
*subject to availability

THE COURSE BESIDE THE SEA

TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

G O L F H O L I DAY S / AC C E S S O R I E S / S E R V I C E S

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juliekillen@ozprize.com.au
ADVE RTIS ING NE ED S 02 9707 2272
0412 327 886 www.ozprize.com.au

OZPRIZE & WEATHER INSURANCE SPECIALISTS PTY LTD

Corporate Authorised Representative of
Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers (Aust) P/L AFS Lic No 240939
Level 2, 550 Princes Hwy, Kirrawee NSW 2232

G O L F H O L I DAY S / AC C E S S O R I E S / S E R V I C E S
Call PATSI 0439 846 314 or email
patsi@golfinghomes.com.au

Specialising in:
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• rated property only a short walk to
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• A range of accommodation - Studio,
www.golfinghomes.com.au
P 03 5254 1066 Barwon Heads VIC
1, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom. www.seahavenvillage.com.au

Find-A-Ball AS SEEN
GOLF GLASSES ON TV
Find-a-Ball glasses are designed to block out the majority of light,
creating a clever way of locating your white or yellow balls easily.
The specially tinted, UV coated lenses filter out foliage and grass,
enabling the ball to stand out. This deluxe model comes with
adjustable arms, allowing them to be used with distance spectacles.

The Find-a-Ball glasses come For more information, cost or

Relax, Stay & Play in the Bay! complete with a moulded, zip up
case that can clip onto your bag
and a cleaning cloth.
to order visit our website
www.golfscene.com.au
or call us on 1300 852 433

• 2x Nights Accommodation in a 2 or 3 Bedroom Apartment

• 1 x Round of 18 Holes starting from: For more information,
$155 per person Four Share • $145 per person Six Share cost or to order
visit our website
enquiries@aquaresort.com.au www.golfscene.com.au
or call us on
02 4916 4777 1300 852 433
Subject to availability. Rates are for self-contained accommodation and based on four share only.
Excludes all school holidays, public holidays & long weekends. Golf cart hire additional.
 WINNER’S CIRCLE

HIDEKI
close-range eagle at the par-5 3rd, hitting his 254 yard second shot
inside three feet. After a birdie, birdie finish by Simpson,
Matsuyama had the chance to go ahead by one on the last hole of

MATSUYAMA
WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX
OPEN CHAMPION
WINNING SCORE: 17 under par, 267
DEFEATED: Matsuyama was victorious on the
fourth play-off hole defeating American Webb
Simpson. South African Louis Oosthuizen was
regulation. But the Japanese superstar left his birdie putt an inch
short of the cup, forcing a sudden death playoff. After three playoff
holes were tied in pars, Matsuyama rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt
on the drivable par-4 17th to defeat Simpson.
WITH THIS VICTORY… :

Matsuyama goes to the top of the FedExCup standings.
6
Becomes the first back-to-back winner of the Phoenix Open
since Johnny Miller in 1974-75. Matsuyama defeated Rickie
Fowler on the fourth hole of sudden death in 2016.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 2

a shot further back. 6
This win is Matsuyama’s fifth in his past nine starts around the
DEFININING MOMENTS: Matsuyama got his world, the amazing run of form also includes two
charge going on the final day with a runner-up finishes.

“IT’S BEEN A GOOD

RUN. I’M GOING TO
RIDE IT AS LONG
AS I CAN”
– HIDEKI
MATSUYAMA

EQUIPMENT CHOICE
Callaway Great Big Bertha with 9˚ loft, fitted
DRIVER
with Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8TX shaft.

TaylorMade M2 2017 with 15˚ loft, fitted with

3-WOOD
Graphite Design Tour AD DI-9TX shaft.

Callaway Apex with 18˚ loft, fitted with

HYBRID
Graphite Design Tour AD DI-115X Hybrid shaft.

Srixon Z965 (4-iron to pitching wedge) fitted

IRONS with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
S400 shafts.

Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Precision Forged

WEDGES (52˚, 56˚ and 60˚ lofts) fitted with True Temper
Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS (German

PUTTER
Stainless Steel) Timeless.

BALL Srixon Z-Star XV.

130 MARCH 2017 | golf australia

NEW Niblick Hardware has
We continue our commitment in supplying qu
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Golf Balls

Clubs

NIBLICK... Made For Your Game

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 Features:
Intelligent Pulse – the unit will pulse when
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Accuracy to +/- 1m
Measurement range to 600m
 ZOCIPKƒECVKQP

INTRODUCING THE NEW

IN STORE
INTELLIGENT PULSE
NOW!

What’s Includ
e Carry C ed
Protectiv
Cloth Le ase & Str
ns Clean ap
Quick Sta er
Long life rt Guide
Lithium
Battery

An essential
tool to improve
your game. Colours available:
MGIG_0618

INTELLIGENT
PULSE
www.sureshotgps.com