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

CONTENTS
Mike Cocking, Dale Concannon,
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,
SEPTEMBER #343 Matthew Harris/TGPL, Gary Lisbon

36 JORDAN SPIETH: WHY HE CAN BE THE EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES

PH: (02) 9901 6142 golf@golfaustralia.com.au
GREATEST OF ALL TIME
At 24, the Champion Golfer of the Year is tracking better than Tiger
Woods in terms of major victories. Can he catch Jack Nicklaus?

42 PRESIDENTS CUP PREVIEW A D V E R T I S I N G

International team Captain Nick Price believes his side can upset the
Americans on their home turf later this month. Brendan James
discovers what is driving his men.
50 THE INTERVIEW: BUTCH HARMON
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER #343

F E AT U R E S
28 AUSTRALIA’S 50 FAVOURITE COURSES
56 MY LIFE IN GOLF: JACK RIEWOLDT Vote for your favourite course and you could win a Callaway equipment
Matt Cleary talks exclusively to the Richmond Tigers forward about how package worth $5,000.
he caught the golf bug and what the game means to him.
110 PARS & STRIPES
63 EYES ON THE PRIZE Pack your bags, here are 10 of the best public courses to be found in
Love or hate the look of wearing sunglasses on the course, there’s some the United States.
function behind the fashion, and plenty of reasons why you should
consider wearing them too, writes Karissa Woolfe. 118 CLUB OF THE MONTH:
BYRON BAY GOLF CLUB
68 JUSTIN ROSE Byron Bay is renowned for its natural beauty and laid back vibe, both of
Peter Dixon talks to the Englishman and charts his rise from teenage which you will find at its Top-100 ranked golf course, writes
prodigy to major and Olympic Champion, PLUS he reveals how you can Jimmy Emanuel.
build a better swing.
INSTRUCTION
C O U R S E S & T R AV E L
83 INSTANT FIXES FROM TOUR STARS
10 COURSE REVIEW: Tips covering all facets of the game from Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker,
TOCUMWAL GOLF & BOWLS CLUB Henrik Ste
If you are planning a golfing getaway along the Murray River, this is one
club you need to add to the itinerary, writes Brendan James.

EQUIPMENT
8 TEEING OFF: BRENDAN JAMES
14 IN MY OPINION: GEOFF OGILVY 100 PLAYING WITH …
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17 AROUND THE TRAPS
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30 THE WANDERING GOLFER: BRENDAN MOLONEY Golf Australia writer Jimmy Emanuel
32 HUGGAN’S ALLEY: JOHH HUGGAN was impressed with this new GPS
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102 PRO SHOP: LATEST EQUIPMENT
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122 GETAWAYS: GOLF TRAVEL Find out why the Biom Hybrid 2
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 PLAY WITH THE PROS IN
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This is your chance to join another 39 lucky amateurs and play alongside the
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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
WE’RE 30 YEARS STRONG
CAN you remember what you were doing
in 1987? If it’s a little hazy, let me try and
refresh your memory.
You might recall that was the year the first
mobile phone call was made in Australia. Bob
Hawke was PM for a second term and Sir Joh
Bjelke-Petersen and his Queensland
Government came under scrutiny for
corruption. The stockmarket crashed on
Black Monday, with 25 percent being
wiped from the All Ordinaries. It was
also a year in which gunmen claimed
15 victims in two separate Melbourne
shooting massacres in Hoddle and
Queen Streets.
Is 1987 becoming a bit clearer now?
This might help a bit more. Kerry
Packer sold the Nine Network to Alan
Bond for more than $1 billion and a
few months later Fairfax offloaded the
Seven Network to Christopher Skase’s
Qintex Group for $780 million.
In golf, Greg Norman had his heart
broken at the Masters by Larry Mize’s
chip-in and later that year he led a
walk-off at the Australian Open when
the lightning fast Royal Melbourne
greens became unplayable and the
final round was abandoned. Peter
Thomson said “it was a day of
shame for Australian golf”. Norman
returned the following day to win the
championship, which saw him regain
his top spot in the world ranking ahead
of Seve Ballesteros.
Now you’ve got the picture.
For me, it was the last year of my
teens. I had acid-wash jeans, Rayban
sunnies and big hair, well a mullet
actually (given the sparseness of the crop I have
now, it is hard to believe). Ah, 1987, it was a
great time to be alive.
It was also the year in which this magazine
was first published. It proclaimed to be the
first golf magazine in this country to be
predominantly about Australian golf and its
players. It was Golf Australia and, like so
8 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
many other readers back then, I warmed
to its coverage of the local golf scene and
performance of players abroad.
The contributing writers back in that inaugural
year read like a who’s who of the best Australian
golf journalists including the late Don Lawrence
and Tom Ramsey, Terry Smith, Jack Craig and
Brendan Moloney, who still pens his must-read
Wandering Golfer column for us every month.
Greg Norman dominated our covers back
then. He was World No.1 and had come off a
year where he led all four majors into the final
round and captured the Open Championship.
He was looking very sun-tanned, with the same
flowing white locks, hadn’t taken to wearing a
hat and was squinting into the sun as he sent
another ball on some long-distance journey. The
accompanying coverline enticed the reader with
‘Greg Norman teaches you touch’.
Amazing really that 30 years on, we – that
is Australian golf fans – still love to
reminisce about those days watching
the Shark in full-flight.
Back in the late 80s and early 90s I
was an avid reader of Golf Australia. I
bought every issue and still have them
stored in my office. They are a fabulous
record of golf in Australia at that time.
Flicking through the magazines of
that first year, there was one constant
reminder of just how long ago 1987
actually was – the advertisements for
persimmon woods, metal-spiked golf
shoes (with the fancy flap that covered
your laces to keep your feet dry) and
Balata golf balls.
If you’re feeling old now, like me,
consider this. Adam Scott was
seven-years-old and Aaron Baddeley,
six, in 1987. Jason Day was born in
November of that year.
Having been a part of the Golf
Australia team since 1996, I must say
we are indebted to the loyal readers
who have stuck by us for years. I get
to see a lot of familiar names writing
letters, sending emails and entering
competitions on a monthly basis and
I have even been lucky enough to
meet some of you along the way. It
is this loyalty to our pride and joy that
has helped see the magazine survive
in an intense market and grow well
beyond initial expectations, especially when
the knockers had us dead and buried within 12
months of the first edition.
Well, 30 years on, we’re still here. It has been
three decades of enormous change in the game
and the way we, the media, present it. Makes
you wonder what the next 30 years will present
… I hope you can stay with us for the ride.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
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 COURSE REVIEW

GOLF & BOWLS CLUB    
 ŗ Ċ ŗ   

Water and sand flank the playing

lines of the par-5 3rd hole of
Tocumwal’s Captains Course.

10 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 If you are planning a golfing getaway along the Murray River, you should consider
adding the superb Tocumwal Golf & Bowls Club to your itinerary.
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BRENDAN JAMES

T
he Murray River region has long held
a reputation for being one of this
country’s best golfing destinations.
That standing in the Australian golfing
landscape has grown significantly during
the past 25 years with several layouts now
ranked among the best courses in the
nation, while others are knocking on the
door for inclusion.
One of those clubs that has been in top-100
discussions in recent times is the Tocumwal
Golf & Bowls Club, such has been the
improvement of its two layouts – the
Presidents and Captains Courses – during the
last few years. The Presidents layout had some
ranking success, cracking into the Top-100
Public Access Courses rank in 2015, with the
Captains Course finishing just outside the list
of centurions.
To have both layouts so highly ranked is an
amazing achievement for a club that sits on the
edge of a township where the population
doesn’t quite reach 1,900 people. That said,
there are nearly 4,000 members of the club.
Situated on the northern bank of the Murray
amidst the flatlands of the Riverina, Tocumwal
is about 700km south-west of Sydney and
nearly 260km north of Melbourne. Its riverside
location and beautiful natural surrounds have
made it popular with tourists in the past few

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 11

 A massive bunker lies on the
inside of the dogleg left par-4 4th
on the Presidents Course.

decades. Golfers, too, have in ever-increasing
numbers found Tocumwal to their liking.
I have been among those golf visitors for
nearly 30 years and Tocumwal’s golfing
landscape has changed markedly in that time. It
grew to 36 holes in the late 1990s and quickly
established a spot alongside the best of the
Murray golf resort courses including its
neighbour Cobram-Barooga, and others
including Rich River, Murray Downs and
Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Clubs.
Tocumwal’s 36 holes offers a combination of
old and new design work, which created a deal
of diversity from one nine to another.
The majority of the Presidents course is
made up of holes that were first created back
in the 1950s after land was purchased from
the RAAF.
During World War II, a 60 square kilometre
area, including the site of both courses today,
was commissioned by the US Army Air Corps
as part of its top secret aerodrome. It was a base
for 54 Liberator B-24 bombers, prepared for an
attempted Japanese invasion. At the height of
the war, the complex was the largest of its kind
in the Commonwealth, with more than 600
buildings – including seven hangars – and four
runways. The club’s link to this time in history
is recalled with a scale replica of a B-24
mounted on a pole next to the club’s entrance.
Those first nine holes were played with sand
greens until they were converted to grass in
1970. Another nine holes were added four years
later, while the second 18-hole layout, known as
the Captains course, was completed in 1993. All
the new holes were created by former
Australian amateur representative and course
designer, Kevin Hartley.
Hartley transformed what was grazing land,
next to the original 18 holes, into a fine selection
of wintergreen couch fairways and 1020
bentgrass greens. Hartley’s bunkering, while
not especially deep, is more dynamic and he has
utilised the native river gums and pine trees to
create some very good holes.
Tocumwal’s more established holes make up
the majority of the Presidents Course and are
often more highly regarded. That said, every
golfer this writer has ever spoken to who has
played both Tocumwal’s layouts has their
favourite. The club is in an enviable position in
that it can offer six 18-hole combinations as the
1st and 10th tees of both the Presidents and
Captains Courses are right beside the
clubhouse or pro-shop. For mine, I’d be happy
playing the back nine of both layouts every time
I visit Tocumwal.
The Presidents course opens with a very good
short par-4. The 330-metre 1st hole is a tight
right-to-left dogleg that will intimidate those of
us right-handers with a penchant for slicing
their driver. The green, which can be reached
with a mid- or short-iron, is narrow and deep.
An enormous bunker flanks the right of the
green and will snare even the slightest mis-hit.
The opening hole sets the tone for the
Presidents Course. There are only a few holes
that can be considered straight and the
tree-lined doglegs make Tocumwal a lot of fun
for players who like to shape their shots. Even
deep into the back nine of the Presidents
course there are sharp and slight doglegs to
contend with.
The 383-metre par-4 15th calls for a blind tee
shot over a hill past a large river gum to the left
of the fairway. The fairway doglegs sharply to
the left and long hitters trying to shorten the
hole have to flirt with a bunker on the inside of
the dogleg. The lengthy approach must be
threaded between large gums to find the green,
which features a huge bunker right and a
smaller sand trap left.
Big hitters might be tempted to
carry the bunker on the corner
of the Captains Course par-5 6th.

12 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia


The tight tree-
lined approach
into the par-4
17th of the
Presidents
Course.
The following hole is a superb uphill short
par-4. At 330-metres, the 16th is a thinking
man’s hole. The urge to hit driver from the tee
should be avoided as there is trouble
everywhere from the tee. Two bunkers and a
tall river gum make the left side of the fairway
and rough a no-go zone. But driving down the
right needs to also be precise – too long through
the slight dogleg and you’ll be playing from the
pine trees. The elevated green is a narrow target
and there is at least four clubs difference from
front to back.
The newest hole at Tocumwal closes the
Presidents Course. When the club decided last
year to build two artificial grass bowling greens,
the area that was the par-3 10th hole of the
Presidents Course was earmarked. That par-3
was taken out of play and a new par-3 was built
adjacent to the old hole but heading in the
opposite direction. Both the new bowling greens
and 18th hole opened in March this year.
One of Tocumwal’s prettiest holes is the
TO HAVE BOTH
LAYOUTS SO HIGHLY
RANKED IS AN AMAZING
ACHIEVEMENT FOR A CLUB
THAT SITS ON THE EDGE
OF A TOWNSHIP WHERE
THE POPULATION DOESN’T
QUITE REACH 1,900
PEOPLE.
482-metre par-5 3rd hole on the Captains
course. Water borders the entire left side of the
fairway while a huge red sandy bunker is
strategically positioned to the right to make the
tee shot arguably the most challenging on the
hole. Long hitters going for the green in two
must also overcome the dangers of four bunkers
and the ever-present water to reach the green
safely. Playing short with a wedge to the green
is the smart play.
The Captains layout also ends with a tight
driving par-4. The drive must be directed to the
right half of the fairway as going left will
inevitably find the trees lining this doglegging
right fairway. Bogey or double bogey is the best
score you can make from left of the fairway.
Tocumwal has flourished in recent years and
its reputation for having some of the best
putting surfaces to be found along the Murray
River precedes it, which is probably why it now
gets the nod to host major tournaments, like the
2017 NSW Mid Amateur Championship.
FACT FILE
THE COURSE
LOCATION: Barooga Rd, Tocumwal, NSW, 2714.
CONTACT: 1800 631 197, (03) 5874 9111 or Pro
Shop (03) 5874 9172.
WEBSITE: www.tocumwalgolf.com.au
DESIGNERS: Original holes unknown (1956);
Kevin Hartley (1991).
PLAYING SURFACES: Wintergreen couch
(fairways and tees); Bentgrass (greens).
COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Ben Lucas.
PGA PROFESSIONALS: Rodney Booth.
GREEN FEES: $45.
THE CLUB
MEMBERSHIPS: Tocumwal has a wide range
of full and country membership options. A full
golf membership, including a $100 clubhouse
credit, is $620. You can also take a golf and bowls
membership for $730. Country golf memberships
for people living more than 80km from the
course cost $220. For further information email
reception@tocumwalgolf.com.au
RECIPROCAL CLUBS: Tocumwal has reciprocal
rights arrangements with more than 60 clubs
throughout Australia. Check the club’s website
for a full list and contact details.
PLAY & STAY PACKAGES: The club can assist
with play and stay arrangements. There are
two main packages available with the Sunday
to Thursday mid-week special – including
two days unlimited golf, two nights’ two share
accommodation, continental motel breakfast, $20
meal voucher and a golf package VIP discount
card – starts from $220 per person. The weekend
package, for Friday and Saturday nights, starts
from $260 per person.
Golf carts and group bookings can also be
arranged. For more details call the club on
1800 631 197.
The long par-4 15th on the
Presidents features a semi-blind
tee shot and a tight approach.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 13
 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

WHY WE’RE ALL CHASING JORDAN

WATCHING the Open Championship on Very few, if any. Only a handful of guys have
television is not exactly my favourite view of ever been like that, with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger
golf’s oldest event – I’d much rather be there Woods the most prominent of an elite group in
playing – but like every golf which Jordan clearly belongs.
fan I thought this year’s final They all have or had that innate
day was fantastic.
I CAN RECALL sense of timing.
Yet again, Royal Birkdale SEEING One fascinating
proved to be a course that JORDAN consequence of Jordan’s
victory will be how Rory
invariably identifies great
champions. Jordan Spieth
MISS PUTTS McIlroy reacts to the fact that
certainly fits that bill, which is – PLENTY they are both now one step
just one reason why Birkdale OF THEM. away from the career Grand
Slam. My guess is he will be
belongs near the top of any list
of great venues. In weather that
BUT PUTTS pretty motivated.
seemed to be markedly different THAT REALLY It’s still obvious to
on each of the four days, the MATTERED? me – as it is to
most guys on
course did its job perfectly.
The same can’t be said for
VERY FEW, tour inside the
Jordan Spieth over the 72-holes IF ANY. ropes – that Rory
of course. But over the last six is the most physically
that is the only way to describe his play – after gifted player in the world. He has an
his tee-shot at the 13th at least. I actually started amazing ability to go really low, really
to watch when Jordan and Matt Kuchar were quick. If everyone plays at their very
on the 11th hole in the final round. My wife best, Rory wins. Still.
reported that it looked like Matt was going to There have
win as Jordan had been “all over the place.” been others
Even when I heard that, I still thought through history
Jordan would finish first. I just couldn’t see with the same
how he wouldn’t find a way to get the job attribute. Greg
done. Because that is what he does! Better Norman for one. If
than anyone. He is that guy, even after what he had played at his
happened to him at the 2016 Masters. Going best every week he
forward, that is going to be seen as nothing would hardly ever have
more than an aberration. lost. But, like Greg, Rory
So I never doubted Jordan was going to is very human. It seems
win. Matt is a great player and if he had been like he needs everything
alongside anyone but Jordan I would have really working. It feels that way
fancied his chances. I certainly would not have to me anyway, even if it
boldly picked the other guy. isn’t exactly true or exactly
All of which is not to say Jordan is the fair to say. I have no doubt he tries
“perfect” player. From a golfer’s perspective, he hard on every shot.
has the same problems I have when the wind is But, as good as Rory plays, it must
blowing left-to-right. In those conditions he really get frustrating when you know you
struggles, as his drive off that 13th tee showed. have more shots than anyone else
The shot he hit there was the same one he hit and the score on the board does not
off the 12th tee at Augusta National last year. I reflect your superiority.
was surprised the ball finished so far right; but I As a golfer, Jordan is more
wasn’t surprised he hit it right. “normal.” He is an inspiration for
A lot has been made of the rules decision that all of us. His tee-to-green game is
allowed Jordan to drop on the practice range. clearly really good. And his putting
But he was within his rights and just about is on another level. But apart from
every other professional player would have done that, nothing he does looks like
the same thing. Although most would not have anything we all couldn’t do if we
made a bogey five as he did. He worked it all out worked hard enough to get there.
and executed his plan very well. Rory is different. He hits shots
Most Tour players are good putters, but there we all know we could never hit.
is a handful who hole putts all the time. They are The mission of the
the great putters, the guys who hole the ones exercise, however, is to
that really matter. Like tennis players who win shoot the lowest score.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

the big points, they hole the key putts in the big And if that is the measure,
moments. I can recall seeing Jordan miss putts the best golfer in the world
– plenty of them. But putts that really mattered? right now is Jordan Spieth.

14 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 T SHA
C R

TOCUMWAL
E

E
CONN

PLAY
GOLF&BOWLS CLUB

The Tocumwal Golf & Bowls Club boasts two Championship 18 hole golf courses, including
a newly developed 18th hole on the Presidents Course, two new synthetic Bowling Greens,
practice range, putting greens and Pro Shop, with friendly staff on hand to assist you with
all things golf, plus a range of clothing and equipment.
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RISING FROM THE DUST
WILCANNIA Golf Club will soon be back
on the map after the NSW Government
committed to assist Golf NSW in rebuilding
the town’s disused nine-hole course.
Deputy Premier and the Minister for Regional
NSW, John Barilaro and the Member for
Barwon, Kevin Humphries delivered the news
of the grant which will go towards revitalising
the town’s course and establishing an
instruction and practice facility for the far
west community.
When the course site is complete, Golf NSW
will also host training in the sport for teachers
from local schools as well as organising
periodical visits from golf professionals for more
formal coaching.
Minister Barilaro was thrilled with the project.
“I want to thank Golf NSW for showing
leadership in this. There are parts of our
community in regional NSW that don’t get the
attention and love that they should, and these
kids deserve as much of a go as anyone else,”
the Deputy Premier said.
Besides expert advice from consultant
agronomist Martyn Black about ongoing course
maintenance, when the project is complete,
Golf NSW will be supplying the club with 30
sets of golf clubs and 2000 balls for use on
the facility.
Local grazier and Golf Club Director Chad
Howard said the facility was all part of keeping
rural towns like Wilcannia alive.
“It’s a positive for the town, like having a local
butcher or a local baker,” he said. ” It’s a social
“...WHEN THE PROJECT IS COMPLETE, GOLF NSW
WILL BE SUPPLYING THE CLUB WITH 30 SETS OF
GOLF CLUBS AND 2000 BALLS FOR USE ON
THE FACILITY.”
AROUND
OPENING SHOT
THE
TRAPS
meeting point, a place to have a talk with your
friends and spend a few hours together. If you
don’t have these facilities, you lose where you
come from.”
The club’s Secretary Manager, Margaret
Stribbles (pictured) expects the completed
work to have a positive impact on the local
community.
“It’s an all-around good sport to play, and
I can’t see why the locals here won’t get on
board. I know there are a few keen golfers out
here, but there’s been no structured golf for a
long time,” she said. “I’m a keen golfer, and I
can’t wait.”
TEXT & IMAGE: DAVE TEASE/GOLF NSW
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 17
 AROUND
THE 19TH HOLE A ND YOUR SAY
TRAPS
PGA CALLS MAY-DAY
NO LONGER will the US PGA Championship
be called “Glory’s Last Shot”.
The PGA of America has announced it is
moving its flagship event to May for the first
time in 70 years.
The 2019 PGA Championship – to be played
at Bethpage’s Black course on New York’s Long
Island – will be played in May, approximately
five to six weeks after the Masters.
The last time the PGA occupied a May
date was in 1949, when Sam Snead won at
Hermitage Country Club in Virginia, and it
has only been played outside August twice
since 1969 – in 1971 when Jack Nicklaus
won in February in Florida and last year
when it shuffled into the last week of July to
accommodate the Olympics.
18 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
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“The PGA of America’s key objectives were
to promote the best interests of our signature
spectator Championship, do what is best
for the game and its great players,” PGA of
America CEO Pete Bevacqua said.
“Our analysis began in 2013 and included
an extensive list of factors, including
having to shift the date every four years to
accommodate the Olympic Games. In the
end, we determined that playing the PGA
Championship the week prior to Memorial
Day in May, making it the second major
championship of the golf calendar, will
achieve those three objectives.
“We are excited about this move to May.
It provides our PGA Championship a strong
landing spot on the calendar.”
So how will moving the PGA Championship
to the second major of the year affect the
schedule of the main tours? And, will there be
a flow on effect to events here in Australia?
The first casualty of the move is The Players
Championship – the unofficial fifth major –
which is likely to shift back to March, when it
was traditionally played up until 2006.
While the PGA Tour under former
Commissioner Tim Finchem was reluctant
to move from May, it is understood the new
man, Jay Monahan, can see the benefits.
One of those is getting the FedEx Cup
underway and concluded sooner in the
schedule. At the moment, the play-offs end
with the Tour Championship in the third
week of September. Monahan would like the
season-ending event on the US Labor Day
weekend, the first weekend in September, and
a week before the NFL season starts.

Follow Golf Australia on
Twitter @GolfAustMag
Why? Better TV ratings and more
advertising and sponsorship money
without any major sport competing
directly against the PGA Tour for viewers.
The flow on effect to the European Tour
is uncertain but it would have to look at
moving one of its bigger tournaments –
the BMW Championship at Wentworth –
from mid-May to another month.
The other uncertainty is whether the
PGA Tour – as part of its wrap-around
scheduling – will now start its season
earlier and end it sooner. If it does, the
Australian Open and Australian PGA
Championships could see more
US-based Australian players coming
home to compete rather than trying to
accrue earnings to keep or gain their
PGA Tour playing rights.
– Brendan James
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,
Building A, 207 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065.
YOUR SAY
QUALITY BREEDS QUALITY courses to play and Australian golf courses
Katherine Kirk’s recent win at Thornberry are right up with the best. A friend of mine
Creek is further proof that golf is recently visited from the UK and he was in
Australia’s most successful sport. full praise of our courses.
On both the men’s and women’s tours, When players like Katherine are able to
our players feature on the leaderboards learn the game on high quality courses it
week-in, week-out, which I think can be sets them up for future success.
attributed to the quality of our courses. Bryan Kemp
As a keen golfer, I enjoy travelling Kingswood, NSW
around the country and discovering new
LETTER OF THE MONTH
THE TOUGHER THE BETTER it with the youngsters in the conditions.
The beauty of golf is we all capture That’s just my view , maybe If I had
varying pleasures out of the game. more birdies myself I wouldn’t be such
When watching golf tournaments, a sadist.
especially the majors I must say the harder Spiros Tzavellas
the course and the conditions the more Via email
entertaining it is to me, and many
of my friends agree.
Easy courses turn the
tournaments into a putt off where
the best putter or biggest bomber
wins. The leaders always seem to
win as no one comes back to
the field.
You may notice around the
office or at coffee shops people
don’t talk about watching endless
birdie putts, everybody talks about
the guy who had a double bogey,
or a 78 , or the leader who put a
few in the drink or lost his ball in
the bush … we have all been there
and it makes
us relate.
The aspect of danger and
unpredictability makes compelling
TV. I love watching The Open
Championship to see the wind
blowing and penal rough, it
brings out risk, skill and ability to
overcome adversity, these tough
conditions also bring the veterans
into contention, like Greg Norman
and Tom Watson … as they match
OUR ‘LETTER OF THE MONTH’ WINNER RECEIVES A DOZEN
CALLAWAY CHROME SOFT PREMIUM GOLF BALLS
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 2
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 19
 AROUND
THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
TRAPS JORDAN SPIETH
THE OPEN CHAMPION
WINNING SCORE:
12 under par, 268
DEFEATED: Fellow American
Matt Kuchar by three shots.
DEFINING MOMENT: Tied
for the lead on the par-4 13th
tee Spieth appeared to
almost hand Kuchar his
maiden major victory after
hitting his tee shot right and into trouble. But after
taking relief from an unplayable lie and eventually
dropping the ball on the driving range, Spieth hit a
3-iron short of the green and proceeded to get up-and-
down for bogey, to only fall one back of Kuchar.
Spieth then went birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie to close

out the championship, with his eagle putt from over 40

feet at the par-5 15th proving the telling blow.
WITH THIS VICTORY… :
t
The Texan moved into 2nd in the world rankings
and within three points of compatriot Dustin Johnson.
t
With the 2017 Open just his 19th major
championship start, Spieth became the second fastest
player to win three major titles. Jack Nicklaus holds
the record, winning his first three majors in 16 tries,
while Spieth goes past Tiger Woods, who took
20 starts to claim his third win in golf’s big
four tournaments.
t
The American’s 11th PGA Tour win earned him
$1,845,000, bringing his career earnings since turning
professional in December 2012 to a staggering
$32,584,648.

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 AROUND
THE NE WS
TRAPS
AUGUSTA CHANGES MOOTED
IT seems only a matter time now before
the famed 13th hole at Augusta National
Golf Club will be lengthened to combat the
distances hit by today’s professionals.
Speculation that the par-5 13th will feature
a new back tee in time for the 2018 Masters
has grown recently after it was confirmed the
22 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
adjoining Augusta Country Club had agreed
to sell a section of its course to its
high-profile neighbour.
The parcel of the property being transferred
to the home of the Masters is on the
northwest boundary with the country club,
behind Augusta National’s 12th hole and
adjacent to the 13th hole.
As part of the deal, Augusta Country Club
will not have to spend a cent for the rebuilding
of its 8th and 9th holes, originally created by
Donald Ross.
While the lengthening of the iconic 13th hole
has not been confirmed by Augusta National,
Chairman Billy Payne hinted back in April that
the committee has always looking to improve
their course.
“It’s fair to say, as is always the case, we
are always looking at certain holes, certain
other improvements to the golf course, and we
talked about some of those, and I think they
are all pretty obvious,” Payne said.
“We have a great opportunity now in that
we own the old Berckmans Road. It gives us
the ability, as it touches certain holes, it gives
us some way to expand ... lengthen some of
those holes, should we choose to do so, and all
of them are under review.”
NEW WOMEN’S AMATEUR
FOR ASIA PACIFIC
THE R&A and Asia-Pacific Golf
Confederation (APGC) have announced
the first ever Women’s Amateur
Asia-Pacific golf championship will be
played next February.
Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club will
host the inaugural event from
February 21 to 24 and will provide the
most talented women’s amateur golfers
in the region with the opportunity
to earn an invitation to play in two
major championships – the 2018
Ricoh Women’s British Open and ANA
Inspiration.
“The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific
offers the chance for the region’s best
amateur golfers to aspire to compete
at the highest level. We have seen how
successful the Asia-Pacific Amateur
Championship has been in providing
a springboard for the elite men’s
amateurs and we look forward to
replicating this success in unearthing
the emerging talents of the women’s
game in future,” R&A Chief Executive
Martin Slumbers said.
The championship will be 72 holes
of stroke play and players will be
invited to participate from APGC
member countries. Korea’s Hye-jin
Choi (pictured) and Eun-jeong Seong,
China’s Wenbo Liu as well as Thailand’s
Pimnipa Panthong and Paphangkorn
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 3
Tavatanakit will be among the
favourites for the title.
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 AROUND
THE COMPE TITIONS & WINNERS
TRAPS

SPOT THE BALL balanced performance for a wider range

WHERE could Gary Woodland’s ball be in
this photo?
All you have to do is correctly identify
where his ball is hidden on the grid, using
the letters and numbers (eg. A4, B2 etc).
Answer correctly and you could win
two dozen Mizuno JPX-S golf balls. The
new JPX-S is a soft compression edition
of Mizuno’s three piece ball – producing a
of swing speeds, which also boasts
Mizuno’s Dimple-Cluster design for
improved aerodynamics.
TO ENTER: Select your grid reference
and then go to our website,
www.golfaustralia.com.au, to submit
your answer. The winner and the correct
answer will be published in the November
issue of Golf Australia magazine.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

JULY SPOT THE BALL

WINNER & ANSWER

Our July ‘Spot The Ball’ competition appeared to stump quite a few
entrants but we still managed to get some correct answers in locating
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 2

Henrik Stenson’s ball.

The grid reference was B5 and the first correct entry drawn was from
Stephen Wallace, of Valley View, South Australia. Congratulations!

24 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 

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 AROUND
THE GOLF MONTH
TRAPS
CONTINUING TO GROW THE GAME
AUSTRALIAN golf’s national participation
campaign, Golf Month, returns for another
year next month following a successful 2016
in which 435 clubs and facilities provided
more than 1,350 offers and activities to
golfers around the country.
Led by Golf Australia and supported by the
PGA of Australia, all state and territory golf
associations, Australian Ladies Professional
Golf and Public Golf Facilities Australia, Golf
Month has grown significantly since its South
Australian pilot (as PlayGolf Week) in 2014.
Buoyed by recent insights from the Australian
Sports Commission’s AusPlay survey, which
indicate more than 200,000 adults (aged 15+)
are actively considering playing golf in the next

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*TMBOE
12 months, the popular initiative will once again
aim to provide as many Australians as possible
with a golf-related experience during October.
Golf Australia chief executive Stephen
Pitt is delighted Golf Month will continue
its contribution to growing the game and
emphasised the importance of clubs connecting
with their local communities – something that
made 2016 such a standout year.
“While 2016 saw a 64 percent increase in
active Golf Month facilities across Australia
and a 51 percent increase in activities and
26 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
offers, the month’s highlights for me were the
clubs who opened their doors to their local
communities through family fun days and
come-and-try days,” Pitt said.
“The most notable of these were at Rich
River Golf Club, where more than 1,000 people
attended, and Sydney’s Bayview Golf Club,
which held an incredibly successful twilight
bazaar to promote the club and its
family-friendly facilities.”
The 2017 campaign will give golf’s strongest
advocates – club members and regular golfers
– the chance to celebrate and share their love of
the game, and Golf Australia marketing director
Danny Bowerin is confident they will be able
to point friends and family towards the right
experiences at their clubs.
“We all know about the traditional views
of our sport, but things are evolving,”
Bowerin said.
“I’m sure October 2017 will have clubs and
facilities around the country offering what we
know newcomers and those with families
are seeking from golf – welcoming, social
experiences, shorter forms of the game and
friendly, patient guidance.”
For more information, visit the website
www.golfmonth.com.au
WIN A GOLF
ADVENTURE
TO CELEBRATE Golf Month 2017, Golf
Australia is offering you the chance to
win the ultimate golf bug adventure,
simply by introducing someone you
know to golf this October.
All you have to do is tell who you’re
going to share the golf bug with and
how – in under 150 words – and you
could be playing four of Australia’s best
golf courses with a friend.
Thanks to Air Adventure Golf Tours,
there are four ultimate golf bug
adventures to give away to the best
entries, so get creative and consider the
great Golf Month activities happening
around Australia.
Each of the four ultimate golf bug
adventure prizes includes the following
for the winner and a friend:
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To enter, visit the website
www.golfmonth.com.au
Your Port Stephens Golf Getaway
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golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 29

 THE
WANDERING
BY BRENDAN MOLONEY | GOLF AUSTR A LIA COLUMNIST
GOLFER
GREENKEEPER GETS
A BUZZ FROM BEES
FEW budding farmers who attended
Glenormiston Agricultural College with Col
Winterton in the 1970s would have imagined
he had much in common with the actress
Scarlett Johansson, poet Sylvia Plath or
Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music.
The knockabout boy from the bush, who
went on to become the course superintendent
at Melbourne’s Medway Golf Club, shares the
passion of the aforementioned women for
bees and harvests honey from hives beside the
7th fairway.
He comes by it honestly, being the son of
a farmer who helped make ends meet in the
Great Depression of the 1930s by catching
swarms of wild bees around his farm at
Warragul and selling them to an apiarist in
Bairnsdale, packed in old pinewood fruit cases
which were sent down on the train.
Father George still keeps a hive at 95 and
while it is tempting to attribute his great age to
the healthy effects of the product, longevity runs
in the family, even among the non-honey eaters.
Winterton puts one in mind of Bill Lawry,
who enjoys the equally arcane pursuit of
pigeon racing. Both have a wonderfully dry
sense of humour and enough consideration for
their fellow man to talk enthusiastically about
their obsessions only when asked. Vegetarians
and other minority groups could learn much
from them.
At college reunions Winterton tells
incredulous farmers that his work at Medway
is just the same as theirs except that he cuts
his grass to three millimetres. As for spending
the last 37 years at the club, he applied for the
top job because it came with a house on the
course. He stayed on “despite there
being no prospect of promotion”
30 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
because he and his wife were able to give their
four kids an idyllic upbringing with no fences.
He keeps five hives at Medway which
produce about 40 kilos of honey per year.
“They do reasonably well,” he says of
this yield. “If you want to maximise honey
production, you move the bees to the flowers.
If it is a hobby, the bees just find the flowers. If
they produce a surplus, well and good. If they
don’t, it doesn’t matter. Bee keepers just
love bees.”
Away from the course he runs a business
with his older brother, Brian, and is a mix of
their own hives which they drive around the
countryside to find the flowers, as well as bees
they keep in the CBD and suburbs for clients.
“What we get from the course is described
as a garden honey,” he said. “We have red gum
and sugar gum trees on the course but the
honey is a blend of their pollen and flowers
in neighbours’ gardens. It is a good drop
and unique.
“The bees have a maximum range of five
kilometres so it is whatever they can get off
the course and surrounding areas. This includes
the Moonee Valley racecourse and the North
Melbourne footy ground in Arden Street.”
His clients include the Intercontinental Hotel
in the Rialto Towers in the city and the local
Buddhist temple. Honey produced at the Rialto
is served with high teas.
“It does not have to travel far, it just comes
down five floors,” he said. “We have another
three hives on a roof in South Yarra for a
chocolate maker. At the Buddhist temple I met a
member of the Bhutan royal family. He told me
he also keeps bees.
“I would encourage
anyone thinking
of having a go in the city. You watch them come
in with yellow or white pollen on their legs and
you wonder where they got it. This is great at
increasing your awareness of other things. You
lift your head up. It is also the short food mile.
This pot you are trying here (in his machinery
shed and it was delicious) today came from the
7th fairway. When the members get it in the bar,
it has only come 300 yards. Some of the honey
you buy in the supermarket has come thousands
of miles from China. It is not very good.”
The best way for beginners to learn is to join a
bee club, he says, and buy an established hive.
“We have all been given two eyes and
two ears and one mouth. Look and listen to
experienced bee keepers and don’t say too
much and you’ll learn a lot. It is a mentoring
thing, handing down the craft,” Winterton says.
“There are plenty of hives in the city. You just
need to check with your local council to see if
you can have them and how many. As with
the golf course, you have to be careful about
using sprays.
“Don’t worry about getting stung. It only
happens if you are careless. You learn to read
your hives. Some days they don’t want to be
worked. They don’t like humidity or thunder. But
normally I work the hives without gloves and I
don’t get stung. You learn to be gentle, calm and
relaxed and keep your mind on the job. They can
sense fear.”
PHOTOS: BRENDAN MOLONEY X 2
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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
KUCHAR DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED
UNLESS they are the perpetrators of a
final-hole faux pas of epic proportions – Jean
Van de Velde or Doug Sanders – or maybe
Jack Nicklaus (multiply by 19) few of those
who finish second in major championships
are destined to live on in the minds of
many. Who, for example, were the gallant
runners-up behind Peter Thomson when
Australia’s greatest-ever male golfer won the
last of his five Open Championships at Royal
Birkdale in 1965?
What? You didn’t immediately recall the names
Brian Huggett and Christy O’Connor (senior)?
Here’s another. When the aforementioned
Nicklaus won his first of six Masters titles back
in 1963, who ended up his nearest challenger?
It was the sadly prematurely late Tony Lema.
Anyway, you get the point. Only golf geeks
can recall such obscure esoterica. Which is
why a quarter of century or so from now, the
fact that Matt Kuchar pushed Jordan Spieth
all the way to the final green in pursuit of the
146th Open Championship will perhaps not be
foremost in too many minds. Which is a slight
on the magnificent performance of the
39-year-old American, a man who has been
32 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
one of the best players on the planet for a
good chunk of the last decade.
If you viewed those epic closing holes from
Birkdale – the ones where Spieth holed a
meaningful putt on every one
of the last six greens – have
another look. Watch Kuchar.
Watch how well he played.
Watch how he did just about
everything he could to counter
the onslaught perpetrated by
his playing partner. And watch
in particular the 10-footer the
former Players Champion
made on the 17th green,
the putt that made Spieth
hole what he would call “my
biggest putt of the week” for
a matching birdie.
In defeat, as you’d expect,
Kuchar said all the correct
things, just as he had done
just about everything right on the course. But
you could tell how painful an experience it had
all been. His mouth was moving in all the right
directions, but his eyes were dead, his famous
grin hollow.
“It’s hard to explain,” he said in answer to
the inevitable “how does it feel” question. “It’s
crushing. It hurts. And it’s an excitement and
a thrill to have played well,
... YOU COULD to put up a battle, to put up
a fight.
TELL HOW “You work so hard to get
PAINFUL AN to this position. And to have
EXPERIENCE a chance to make history and
win a championship. You don’t
IT HAD ALL get that many opportunities.
BEEN. HIS And to be this close, to taste
MOUTH WAS it with five holes to go, it’s a
hard one to take. With five
MOVING IN holes to play I led by one,
ALL THE RIGHT then played the next four in
DIRECTIONS, two-under par and lost two
shots to Jordan.
BUT HIS EYES “As tough as it is to be
WERE DEAD ... this close and finish second,
I am sure that it will lead
to me continuing to work hard and push me
harder to try to finish one place better. I know
that’s what it will do to me. To taste victory
and not get it is hard, but I look forward to the
challenge of trying again.”
All too often when a player utters those
sorts of phrases it is easy to dismiss most
of the sugary content as mere platitudes,
clichés, the stuff those who come close but
don’t win are supposed to say. But Kuchar is
a little different. He really does own that level
of perspective. One week before he ended up
clutching a silver salver rather than a claret
jug, the father-of-two sat down to chat with
a journalist.
“I do feel like I should have won more
often,” he said at Dundonald Links just before
a Scottish Open in which he would finish tied
fourth. “There have been a handful of events
where I’ve played really well but someone
has just been better. A few years ago at the
Memorial I played some great golf, but Steve
Stricker was uncatchable. He was too good.
Later that same year I did the same thing at
the Barclays tournament. But Dustin Johnson
was on fire. Those sorts of ‘defeats’ I don’t
worry about though. I put myself in
position, played well and just got
beat. You can’t do much about that.”
One can only hope, for the sake
of his own sanity if nothing else, Kuchar
sticks to those sound philosophical roots. He
deserves to be remembered. But not like the
hapless Van de Velde or Sanders. Nor as an
afterthought like Huggett and O’Connor.
Think Nicklaus walking off the 18th green
arm-in-arm with Tom Watson at Turnberry in
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
1977. Or Phil Mickelson doing the same with
Henrik Stenson last year at Royal Troon. Both
winners in all but name. And so was Kuchar.
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36 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
 W H Y H E C A N B E T H E G R E AT E S T O F A L L T I M E
Jordan Spieth is just 24-years-old and has a major record that has him
shoulder-to-shoulder with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at the same age.
Here’s why he can be just as good or even better.
WORDS BRENDAN JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES

O
ver a playing career spanning four
decades, Ben Crenshaw played
alongside all the greats of the modern
era – from Nicklaus, Palmer and Player to
Norman, Faldo and Woods.
On the eve of the 2015 Masters Tournament,
Crenshaw fronted the press to talk about his
final playing appearance at Augusta National.
Instead, he gave a glowing reference for a
fellow Texan and a future Masters Champion.
“I think the world of him. I’m telling you, I
know this, he’s way more mature than what
I was when I was 21. He has things together.
I’m sure it has struck all of you that he’s way
mature beyond his years,” Crenshaw said
of Jordan Spieth, who five months earlier
had won the Australian Open on his way to
reaching the No.4 world rank the week of
the Masters.
At that time, Spieth was little more than
two years into his professional career. He had
his first pro top-10 in the Web.com Tour’s
Panama Claro Championship in February
2013. He finished T7 and jumped 100 ranking
spots to No.595. He finished T4 a week later in
Colombia and jumped to No.469. Five months
later he won the John Deere Classic on the
PGA Tour. Spieth was on his way.
“He has an innate ability to score,” Crenshaw
continued. “He does things … he hits the
ball definitely far enough. One of the really
wonderful things that I really do like about
him, he’s got competitive fire. You can see it. I
think he carries that off in a great fashion.
“He doesn’t go out of hand, but he just seems
to be moving forward in the game. I just like
… you know, when I first met him, I tell you,
I’ll never forget it. I looked right at him and
he looked at me and I thought I was looking at
Wyatt Earp. He just had that look about him,
just wonderful.”
Four days later, Jordan Spieth parred the
final hole to win the Masters by four strokes.
Spieth’s world ranking moved to No.2 and he
didn’t take long to reveal his next goal.
“The ultimate goal is to become World No 1,”
said Spieth less than an hour after winning his
first major.
“It’s going to be very difficult, but to be a
large step closer is huge. Rory’s got four majors
and that’s something I can still only dream
about. I’ll never hit it as far as he does and will
have to make up for that with somewhere else.
“He carries that World No 1 tag with class
… as far as a rivalry right now, I Iook forward
to getting in the heat of the moment with him
a couple times in the near future and see if we
can battle it out and test our games.”
Two months on, the 21-year-old won the US
Open. In July this year, he became the second
youngest player to win three different majors
when he stormed home to win The Open
Championship at Royal Birkdale. Only Jack
Nicklaus has done better.
He missed the opportunity to become the
youngest ever player to win the career Grand
Slam at the PGA Championship last month.
Spieth finished T28 at Quail Hollow but he’s
happy to wait for the ‘Slam’.
“I didn’t have it written in a diary from when
I was young that I need to win a career grand
slam as the youngest ever,” Spieth said.
“That wasn’t the goal. The goal was to try and
win them all. The goal was to try and get
on the PGA Tour and then from there see
what happens. And yeah, I have a lot
of opportunities.
“The PGA Championship I think is going to

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 37

 18
17
16
15
14
13
12 After three lean years in
the majors, Woods wins
the 2005 Masters and
11 The Open
MAJOR WINS
10
5 Spieth wins The Open and
is the youngest player
since Seve Ballesteros in
1979 to do so.
4 at St Andrews
2 McIlroy wins The Open and US
21 22 23 24
HOW SPIETH STACKS UP
be the toughest for me. If we look historically
back on my career, I think I will play this
tournament worse than the other three majors
just in the way that it’s set up.
“I feel like my game truly suits the other
three majors maybe more than a PGA
Championship. But I believe we can play
anywhere and can win anywhere. It’s just a
matter of having everything in sync at the
right time.”
It’s that kind of confidence in his ability at
the biggest events on the golfing calendar that
Crenshaw recognised early and most observers
have come to acknowledge since that maiden
major win in April 2015.
38 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Woods wins the 2008 US
Open on a broken leg.
PGA in consecutive major starts
25 26 27 28 29 30
His confidence and results thus far
inevitably have many drawing comparisons
with Tiger Woods and Nicklaus. While he likes
the accolade, Spieth is, not surprisingly, level-
headed when told his major record thus far
is as good, if not better, than the two best
players ever.
“It’s amazing,” Spieth smiles. “I feel
blessed to be able to play the game I love, but
I don’t think that comparisons are … I don’t
compare myself and I don’t think that they’re
appropriate or necessary.
“To be in that company, no doubt is
absolutely incredible. And I certainly
appreciate it. We work really hard to have that,
Woods has not played in 16 majors
since 2008 due to various injuries
After three years without a major
victory, Nicklaus wins The Open
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39
AGE
with that being the goal. Therefore, I enjoy
moments like you saying that.
“But I’m very careful as to what that means
going forward because what those guys have
done has transcended the sport. And in no way,
shape or form do I think I’m anywhere near
that, whatsoever. So it’s a good start, but there
is a long way to go.”
Yes there are plenty of majors left to be
played, but there are so many factors running
in Spieth’s favour – on and off the course – that
when his career is done more than two decades
from now he will be considered the greatest of
all time.
Here’s why.
 Crenshaw noted early in Spieth’s
career that he has competitive
fire few can match.

Nicklaus wins his final

major aged 46

I DON’T CARE THAT HE’S JORDAN

SPIETH. TO ME HE’S THE SAME GUY I
MET SIX YEARS AGO. I WANT TO STICK IT
Nicklaus wins a fifth green TO HIM SO HE DOESN’T STICK IT TO ME.
jacket and adds a US PGA
win four months later – CADDIE, MICHAEL GRELLER
Supportive sponsors, coach Cameron
McCormick and caddie Michael Greller are all
vitally important members of the Spieth team.

Jack Nicklaus

Tiger Woods

Rory McIlroy

Jordan Spieth

40 41 42 43 44 45 46

A HAPPY LIFE
It is often said for a golfer to excel on the
course, his life off the course must be in order.
A happy player away from the pressures of
tournament golf allows them to switch off and,
when they are playing, their mind is free to
simply just play.
Considering the mental strength it takes to
be a success on Tour, Spieth has very strong
support from his close-knit family, girlfriend
and caddie.
His parents – father Shawn and mother
Chris – gave their son an athletic gene as both
played college basketball. His younger brother
Steven, also a talented basketballer, provided
the friendly rivalry growing up that encouraged
Jordan’s competitive nature.
Then there is younger sister, Ellie, who was
born with a neurological disorder, and is his
ongoing inspiration.
“Jordan wouldn’t be where he’s at today if he
didn’t grow up with Ellie,” Chris Spieth says.
Annie Verret is Spieth’s high school
sweetheart and has a similar life outlook to
help those less fortunate. She works as an
event coordinator at a foundation that helps
poor kids get a chance to play golf.
Rounding out Spieth’s team is his caddie,
Michael Greller. The first person Spieth thanks
with every major victory is the man carrying
his bag. The Spieth-Greller relationship works
so well because there is mutual respect for
each other.
“I think one reason we hit it off so well is I
don’t back down from him at all,” Greller says.
“I don’t care that he’s Jordan Spieth. To me he’s
the same guy I met six years ago. I want to stick
it to him so he doesn’t stick it to me.”
Spieth says he always puts faith and family
before golf, despite “this is what I love to do.”
“Golf is easier, yes, when you’re out there,
there are often times you’re not thinking about
stuff that’s more important to you and often
times it’s just the situation at hand,” he said.

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 39

 Spieth showed great mental
strength to remain composed
during his dramas at The Open.
“If you put things into perspective … golf is
not No.1 in my life. And I’ll have a family of
my own some day and that will mean golf will
be fourth.
“So as of now, you know, my relationships I
have with my best friends and my family and
my girlfriend are second and golf’s third.”
LESSONS LEARNED
Jordan Spieth learned more from his
meltdown at the 2016 Masters then he did
from his two major victories in 2015
Throwing away a five-shot lead on the back
nine at Augusta was a tough lesson to learn.
But when the chips were down early during the
final round of The Open at Royal Birkdale, he
was better equipped with how to deal with the
flow of bogies and his shrinking lead.
One could surmise that if he won the 2016
Masters, he wouldn’t have won The Open
because he couldn’t cope with the pressure of
losing a significant winning advantage.
It took some time for Spieth to recover from
Augusta. He thought his win a few weeks later
would ease the pain. It didn’t.
“I knew that another major would be the one
thing that would, prove I’m capable of closing
these majors out,” said Spieth after his final
40 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
I KNEW THAT ANOTHER MAJOR
WOULD BE THE ONE THING THAT WOULD,
PROVE I’M CAPABLE OF CLOSING
THESE MAJORS OUT.
– JORDAN SPIETH
round at Birkdale. “I didn’t really do much
wrong, just hit a couple of bad swings. And
all of a sudden it was, in my own head, “How
could I not close out a five-stroke lead with
nine to play?”
“And today could have been – I felt once I
lost my lead completely and we were tied, I
actually felt the nerves go away for a few holes
until I got the lead again. And then they were
back. And it’s just kind of powering through
that. You just don’t know really what your
mind is going to do to you sometimes. You can
control it to an extent but certain situations
are going to bring more tension and you have
to kind of channel that the right way, play the
right shots.”
Spieth said winning The Open the way
he did was an important turning point in
his career.
“I thought before the round, I thought I have
a reputation of being able to close, but I was
hesitant in saying ‘majors’, to myself,” he said.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself, just thinking
this is the best opportunity that I’ve had since
the ‘16 Masters. And if it weren’t to go my way
today, then all I’m going to be questioned about
and thought about and murmured about in
comparison to that.
“But closing today was extremely important
for the way I look at myself.”
NO MORE PRESSURE
In an ominous sign for his opponents,
Spieth says he has now learned to use pressure
as a positive.
“As far as handling it, I don’t look at pressure
as a negative thing, I look at it almost as an
 Spieth has
a game so
well-suited to
Augusta he can
be assured of
winning more
green jackets.
advantage,” he said. “Why should (being in
contention at majors) add more pressure in a
negative way?
“If it adds more pressure, it just makes me
feel like this is something that’s a little more
special, let’s go ahead and get the job done. I
know it’s easier said than done, but when you
say added pressure, most people associate that
with negativity or something that can hinder
what’s comfortable.
“For me, I think it could be advantageous.
You hit the ball a little bit further, you can
really get your mind around a more specific
target and block out other things.”
THE RORY RIVALRY
Rory McIlroy has four majors on his resume
and is the only player under 30 ahead of Spieth
in major victories.
Both players have the utmost respect for
each other on and off the course. And, like any
great rivalry, the achievements of one will be
used by the other to raise their game to a higher
standard. And so it will be with McIlroy and
Spieth for at least the next 10, 15, 20 years –
with each major victory one secures, the other
will be working harder to get the next one.
This is not a mutually exclusive club either.
Major number two, at
the 2015 US Open, came
sooner than expected.
Spieth’s meltdown at the 2016
Masters was a tough lesson to
be learned.
The likes of Dustin Johnson and Jason Day
will add to their lone major wins at some stage,
but it is easy to see how Spieth and Rory can,
and will, inspire each other to greater levels of
commitment in the name of winning majors.
“Jordan has got that knack,” McIlroy said. “I
call it resilience. I don’t know if there’s a better
word to describe what it is that he has. But he
has got this resilience where he gets himself
in positions in tournaments where you don’t
think he can come back from, and he does. It’s
awfully impressive.
“It’s a mental thing. You can stand and
hit the shots that he was hitting for those
last five holes at The Open on the range, no
problem. But being able to do it under those
circumstances, under the pressure, that’s what
makes him so good, being in those situations.
“Resilience … mentally tough … strong,
whatever you want to call it. That’s his biggest
asset. Being able to forget about a bad shot
and move on to the next one, that’s his
greatest weapon.”
Spieth already recognises that over the
next two decades, at some stage, their paths
will cross late on Sunday afternoon at a major
championship. And he can’t wait.
“If you’re matched up on Sunday, and you get
to choose somebody, you obviously want to be
ALWAYS THE
CONTENDER
One of the more remarkable
aspects of Jordan Spieth’s success
is how consistently he finishes
among the top 10 – 58 times since
2013 (50.43 percent of his starts).
In the majors, he’s just
as consistent. In 19 major
championship starts since the
2013 Masters, he has won three
times and finished runner-up on
three occasions. Perhaps more
impressively, he has been in the
top-5 seven times when he hasn’t
been in the top-two.
When you look at the careers of
Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, it
was their ability to put themselves
in contention to be part of the
Sunday afternoon conversation
that yielded plenty of major wins.
Nicklaus finished second or
third 28 times in his career that
produced 18 major victories.
Additionally, he was top-five at
56 major championships. Woods,
runner up six times and third on
four occasions, he had 31 top-fives.
Spieth, thus far, has won majors
from the front and coming from
behind … but it’s his ability to be in
contention with nine holes to play
Sunday that will bag him a lot more
major titles.
able to play against somebody like Rory who
has four major championships and is one of the
top couple most accomplished players in this
field,” Spieth said.
“But he is one to fear in that position because
of what he’s capable of doing and how he’s
going to do it.
“I think it’s cool that we’ve both had the
success that we’ve had at such a young age, and
I think the coolest part about it is the question
of, what’s it going to be like for the next 20, 25
years. And that’s kind of what is the exciting
part when we think about it, too.
“We’re friendly with each other and really
want each other to do well because it does push
each other, just like all these young players in
the game. It’s not really two of us; it’s really
eight to ten right now.
“Look at what Jon Rahm has done in really
his first full year out here. Really incredible, a
guy who is going to win major championships
and be another guy to cope with; the way
Hideki is playing, and he’s obviously coming in
here as probably the hottest player in the game
at 25 years old.
“With Rory … we feel that way about each
other, and we feel that way about a lot of young
guys out here that are all pushing each other to
get better.”
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 41
 PREVIEW

the INTERNATIONALS ARE

READY
TO
Two decades of losing the Presidents Cup to the
United States has International Captain Nick
Price more desperate than ever to change his
team’s fortunes.
WORDS BRENDAN JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

I
t is 19 years since the International
Team held the Presidents Cup aloft
in victory at Royal Melbourne.
The Peter Thomson-led side not only beat
the Americans, they buried them 20.5 to
11.5 in what still remains the second largest
margin of victory in the history of the cup.
Just four years after the inaugural staging
of the event, the Internationals had toppled
the might of the United States – David and
Goliath style. On the back of that victory, it
seemed likely that the Internationals – with
a team boasting six major champions in its
ranks – could continue their supremacy in
the event into the 2000s.
Boy, didn’t we all get that wrong!
At the very next outing in 2000, the
Americans had a point to prove from the
opening tee shot. By the end of the first day
they led 5-0. On the eve of the 12 singles

42 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 43
 PREVIEW
Nick Price showed this photo
to his team to convince them
they can beat the Americans.
matches, the US was eight points clear and
already celebrating. The final result – 21.5 to
10.5 – remains the largest margin of victory
in the Cup’s 23-year history and began an
unbeaten run that continues to this day.
Nick Price knows what it takes to beat the
Americans. He was on Thomson’s victorious
team in 1998 and holed the putt to defeat
David Duval 2 and 1, which sealed the win
for the Internationals.
He took over the captaincy from Greg
Norman for the 2013 matches and will be in
charge of the Internationals again when they
meet the Americans at New York’s Liberty
National Golf Club from September 29 to
October 1.
With Price at the helm, the Internationals
have picked themselves up off the canvas and
have progressively narrowed the gap between
the two teams. He has righted the International
ship, which looked like disappearing into the
abyss three years ago as speculation grew that
some players would by-pass the event because
they were sick of losing.
“When I first took over in 2012, when I was
first asked to be captain at Muirfield, I went to
some of the players and there was just a general
feeling of apathy amongst the players as to,
44 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
work cut out as to how we’re going to get these
guys motivated, and to be honest, it’s not
... ADAM AND JASON rocket science.
“To me, it’s just about making them aware,
AND CHARL, LOUIS, showing you have a captain and assistants who
are really, really into it and keen about it, and
AND THE GUYS that we do have a great chance to win.
WHO HAVE PLAYED “It’s not about individuals, it is not about
our countries but it’s about our team. I keep
A LOT, THEY HAVE going back to the team because even on the
NEVER WON. SO
US team, you have guys from different states.
Sure, they’re all American and they play, but
IT’S TOUGH FOR you know, they come together as a team, and
that’s what Europe did so well. Europe did
THESE GUYS, THEY that fantastically well for 12, 14 years. So I
DON’T KNOW WHAT don’t think the fact that we’re from different
countries really hinders us.
IT’S LIKE TO WIN. “In fact, it’s just a question of trying to figure
out how we can, as I say, get together and bond
–NICK PRICE and be motivated.”
The three-point loss at Muirfield in 2013
well, what are we going to do this time, which was much closer than the final scoreboard
really stunned me,” Price said, “that really suggests and it gave the core of the
hurt because I was all gung ho, I was all excited International side a belief they could match it
about it. with the US. Fast forward two years to Seoul,
“So I got to thinking and talking to some of Korea, and the Internationals – with four
the guys who had been on the team before and rookies on the team – came within a whisker
said, ‘What do we do here?’ I knew I had my of breaking their losing streak. They were
 PREVIEW
Captains Steve Stricker and Nick
Price with the coveted Cup.
defeated 15.5 to 14.5 with seven of the closing
12 singles matches decided on the 18th hole.
Instilling a winning culture in the
International team is half the battle, according
to Price.
“If you look at Adam and Jason and Charl,
Louis, and the guys who have played a lot, they
have never won,” Price said. “So it’s tough for
these guys, they don’t know what it’s like to
win. Ernie (Els) and I together, we’re the two
guys on this team, the captains who have been
there in a winning situation.
“Last time in Korea, I had a big photo of the
winning team in 1998, and I said to the guys in
the team room when we had our team meeting
before the matches started, I said, ‘You guys
have got to know what that feeling’s like, to
be with 11 of your teammates and to win, it’s a
fantastic feeling’.”
In delivering his motivational speech to
the Internationals in Seoul, he drew on the
success of the Seve Ballesteros-led Europeans
to inspire his side.
“Once they (The Internationals) get the taste
of it … it will be like the Europeans, when it was
Great Britain and Ireland at the Ryder Cup,
they didn’t really know what it was like to win,
but as soon as it went to Europe and then it
46 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
became a competition.
“And remember what Seve said when they
only lost by a shot, ‘Oh, no, no, no, we actually
won this week because we only lost by one’.
“It’s a great feeling. Once they get the taste of
it I think it will be off to the races. I think it will
be a totally different event.”
The tight nature of the finish in Seoul was a
turning point for the Internationals. They took
the loss hard but, according to Price, they now
realise what it’s like to be a close-knit unit and
that they aren’t underdogs every time they step
out against the Americans.
“With 18-hole match play I don’t like to
think that we’re underdogs,” Price said. “I think
where we’ve had trouble and this is one of the
things I’ve certainly tried to address is that we
don’t really represent our countries directly.
Indirectly we’re representing our countries.
“So the dilemma is how do you motivate a
team to beat the US. I keep saying to them, we
want to win the Cup. It’s just like going into
an event as an individual, you want to win the
trophy, you want to win the championship. It’s
really important. So it’s a little bit of a different
mindset for us.
“In times gone by, the beginning of the week
no one really knows each other and everyone’s
being kind of courteous. At the end of the week,
everyone’s putting arms around and hugging
them, but it’s too late then because the
week’s over.
“So what we’re trying to do is make sure
when we get there on Monday that it starts
then. So there’s lots of ways that you get the
guys to play more practice rounds together. It
doesn’t matter whether you’re representing
your country or whether you’re representing
different parts of the world and different
countries. You’re 12 team members and let’s get
together as a team this week because we’ve got
our work cut out. We’ve got 18 holes of match
play, 36 holes of match play each day, and this
is what we want to win.”
While the Americans will go into this
Presidents Cup campaign with at least five
rookies, they remain firm favourites to retain
the trophy.
If they are to be beaten, Price’s top-five
players – Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Adam
Scott, Charl Scwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen –
need to fire.
“Some in the top-five on our team haven’t
played their best in recent months ... so
hopefully they’ll start really getting their
games into shape now,” Price said.
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 PREVIEW
“There’s so much to play for between now
and the Presidents Cup. They just need that
little bit of momentum going into that week.”
The Internationals do have some form
players though. Matsuyama, the top-ranked
player in Price’s side, was outstanding in
winning the WGC Bridgestone Invitational
and was a welcomed return to the form
that saw him win five times in nine starts
worldwide between November 2016 and
February this year.
Marc Leishman, who won the Arnold
Palmer Invitational in March, has also been
in good form with his tied sixth at the Open
Championship all but ensuring his inclusion in
the International side.
The Victorian says the expectation among
the International team is that they can finally
beat the Americans and do it the hard way … on
their home turf.
“This will be my third one and I’ve been on
two losing teams. It was really close in Korea so
we’re all definitely determined to win,” he said.
“It will be a tough one being in New York
and the crowds will certainly be on their side
but we have a pretty experienced team and
hopefully we can give them a good run for their
money again.”
The final line-ups won’t be known until
September 6 when captains Price and Steve
Stricker reveal their two captains to fill out
their 12-man teams.
At the time of writing there was still plenty
of jostling for the last automatic selection
spots in the top-10 ranked players for both
sides. While Price might be wishing for
48 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Dustin Johnson and Jordan
Spieth head a US team full of
talented young players.
his experienced players to find some form, team lacks and that’s experience. He’s played
Stricker has some concerns at the number of 55 matches across every Presidents Cup
first-timers that he will take to New York. contested. His record also speaks for itself …
“I think it is a new era, and I think we saw 23 wins, 16 losses and 12 halved matches. In
a little bit of that last year (at the Ryder Cup), Korea, he was unbeaten and, along with Zach
too, and guys came up to Hazeltine a little bit Johnson, accrued 3.5 valuable points.
earlier, guys that were on the fringe, like Justin With a vocal New York crowd behind
Thomas and Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, Mickelson and his American countrymen, the
that were invited up to Hazeltine early last Internationals have a Herculean task ahead
year,” Stricker said. “You could see the change of them.
there, even though some of them didn’t play,
you can see the movement is definitely going to The vocal New York galleries
will certainly lift the home team.
younger, powerful players.
“It concerns me a little bit that we have a lot
of rookies. I mean, that’s a little bit more than
normal, I think, but it also excites me that what
I’m seeing from them.
“They’re very courageous, they’re feisty,
they’re making clutch putts when they have to.
Kisner, when he poured in that putt at Colonial
this year, Berger winning back-to-back,
Chappell finally getting a W. Justin Thomas,
doing what he’s doing at the start of the year.
It just shows a lot of guts, I think, the way I’m
looking at it, we’re in good hands.
“These guys are playing well and showing a
little attitude when they’re doing it, which is
nice to see, especially in match play.”
One player Stricker will seriously consider
as a captain’s pick is Phil Mickelson. At the
time of going to press, the 47-year-old was
the No.16 ranked American in the Presidents
Cup standings requiring at least two victories
before September 6 to play his way straight
into the team.
But ‘Lefty’ brings exactly what Stricker’s
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50 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
 THE INTERVIEW

Butch
HARMONThe coach of the biggest names in golf during the past 30 years reveals his
thoughts on swing theories, coaching, the health of the game and the future of
Tiger Woods.
INTERVIEW JOHN HUGGAN PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

I
ntroduced to the game by his father,
Claude – the 1948 Masters Champion,
Butch Harmon’s life in golf began as
a Tour player in the early 70s. But he has
become world-renowned during the past
three decades as one of the game’s premier
coaches. Here he discusses his way of
teaching pros and amateurs, the common
faults and what it is like to coach players
like Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and
Tiger Woods.
What are the first things you look for in a
new pupil?
The first thing I do when I have never seen
someone before is sit down and talk to him
or her. I want to find out if they have any
deficiencies in their bodies, any problems in
their hips, shoulders, wrists, elbows or knees.
Then I ask them how often they play. That’s
important. I also need to know how much they
practice. Do they like to practise or not? If
they do like to hit balls, I know they can work
on their games more. Finally, I like to know
what their ball-flight is. When they hit a good
shot, is it a little draw or fade? And what is
consistently their bad shot?
The answers to all those questions gives
me a little picture to what the person has or
doesn’t have. Then I have them hit some balls
with a 7-iron. For the first 10 minutes I usually
don’t say anything. I’m just looking at the basic
fundamentals. it doesn’t matter what your
handicap is, there is no excuse when it comes
to grip, posture, alignment and ball position.
Everyone can get them right.
After those 10 minutes I have a good idea of
the person’s tendencies. Typically they are a
little nervous so I tell them a joke or two to help
them relax. I watch what happens, talking all
the time and not always about golf. I ask about
their families, what they do for a living. That’s
just me trying to get them to feel comfortable.
If I am at my studio, I film them from
different angles. I want them to see what they
are doing, so that I can fully explain their faults
and what they do well. Then we set about fixing
what needs fixing.

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 51


Harmon shares a fist-pump
with star pupil Rickie Fowler
Do you work to any kind of system?
I don’t. I’ve always believed that everyone
is different. I don’t ever want to take away
what anyone does naturally. I just try to make
it better. That’s why I haven’t ever changed
Dustin Johnson’s wrist position at the top of
his swing. That’s how he plays. A lot of great
players have played from there. He could be
‘perfect’ at the top and not be able to break 90.
Then I just move smoothly through it. The
one thing I have always tried to do – with both
pros and amateurs – is look for what I call the
‘cancer’ in the swing. The one big thing in the
swing that causes the bad shots. I identify it,
show them what it is and explain why they do
it. Then we fix it. Once that is done, five or six
other things tend to fall into place, because
they don’t have to think about them. Then we
go from there, depending on the strength and
flexibility the person has.
Finally, I explain that the best thing they can
do when they get to the course is leave their
52 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
egos in the car. Egos get in the way. None of us
is near as good as we think we are and we don’t
hit the ball near as far as we think we do.
Everyone under-clubs right?
They do. At my facility we have a red flag on
the range about 160 yards from the tee. When
people ask how far it is, I respond by asking
them how far they want it to be. If I tell them
they are not likely to like it. The one tip I can
give every golfer – the one that will make them
all play better – is take one more club for every
shot. If you think it’s a 7-iron, take a 6-iron. Hit
it smoother and better. No one ever hits the ball
over the green on the fly with a good shot. They
very seldom get it to pin-high with a good shot.
That’s all because of ego.
How do you describe what you do? Is it
an art? A science? Somewhere between
the two?
It’s a combination of everything. A good
DUSTIN HAS NO
SHORT-TERM
MEMORY. SO HE
IS EASY. HE ONLY
NEEDS TO KNOW
WHAT TO DO
TODAY.
– BUTCH HARMON
teacher needs a great knowledge of the swing,
what the body does in the swing and muscle
structure. He has to know the person you are
teaching. He has to ‘read’ them quickly. He has
to know when to kick them in the rear end. He
has to know when to give them a hug. He has
to know when to back off. He has to know what
makes them laugh. That’s all the coaching part
more than the teaching part.
With Tour players that is all very important.
They all have different personalities. And in
a major championship week, one that is high
pressure, they are all nervous and uptight.
Can you tell us how you teach
different pros?
It depends on who they are. Some are very
technical people, they want a lot of technique
explained to them. Others are simpler – they
want one thing and go. If you look at the guys
I’ve had success with – Rickie Fowler, Dustin
Johnson, Jimmy Walker, Gary Woodland –
 Harmon says
he loves to
watch DJ bomb
the ball and
overpoower
courses.
Harmon
played a
big hand in
Mickelson
winning the
2013 Open.
they all have different personalities.
Dustin has no short-term memory. So he is
easy. He only needs to know what to do today.
Jimmy is different. He is very intelligent. So
I can give him a lot more. Rickie and I did a
lot of work changing his swing four years ago;
now it is more fine-tuning. Gary hits the ball a
mile and doesn’t want any Xs and Os. He was a
college basketball player so he is used to being
coached. So it is ‘just tell me what to do and
I’ll do it’ with him. They’re all different. I can’t
look at it in any one way.
I look at all the different ball flights and
know what they do well. So when they are not
doing those things I know why. The secret with
Tour pros is – when they are having a bad day
– they have a ‘go-to’ shot, one that can get them
around the course. Then, at the end of the day,
we can go to the range and fix any problem.
All of that asks a lot of you.
It does. But it is all about me instilling in their
heads why we are doing what we are doing.
They have to understand. It’s just as important
to understand why you hit a good shot as it is
to know why you hit a bad one. But not many
people look at it that way.
You’ve worked with many of the best
players in the history of the game – any
common factors?
Yes, their desire to win is the biggest thing
common to them all. You have to have a lot of
prick inside you. In other words, you have to
be mean. You would never know Jack Nicklaus
was that way, but inside he wanted to cut your
heart out. Tiger Woods was like that. So was
Greg Norman. Even the kids today, who have
so much fun with each other, go between the
ropes for five hours and try to beat each other’s
brains out. Then they can go on their vacations
to the holidays and send all their dumb-ass
pictures of them jumping off buildings into
swimming pools – the ones their corporate
Being inducted into the
Southern Nevada sports Hall of
Fame and celebrating Jimmy
Walker’s PGA win (below)
sponsors want to kill them for.
The one redeeming factor in all of them is
their desire to win and you can’t teach that.
They either have that or they don’t.
One of the things that has hurt the modern
game is that the players can make a lot of
money without winning. In the old days, the
guys just wanted to win. And that is what
drives Rickie. What happened to him at
Augusta showed that. He was one shot off the
lead and we had the best warm-up of the week
on Sunday – he never missed a shot. But he
wanted it so badly he just couldn’t go out there
and relax. He’s learned from that though.
Any common factors technique-wise?
Apart from impact of course.
The most important thing in the swing is the
path of the clubface at impact. They all have
different swings, but they are all the same at the
bottom. I never change a guy’s swing; I just take
what they do normally and try to make it better.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 53
 I HOPE HE (TIGER)
GETS WHATEVER
TREATMENT HE
NEEDS AND THE
LOVE AND CARE
THAT HE NEEDS SO
THAT HE CAN GO
BACK AND HAVE A
NORMAL LIFE.
– BUTCH HARMON

The thing that separates great players he gets whatever treatment he needs and the bad he wasn’t at the US Open. Erin Hills
from really good players is between the ears. love and care that he needs so that he can go might have been the place where he could
It is how they handle their nerves. It is their back and have a normal life. If he plays golf actually hit a fairway (laughs).
decision-making under pressure. When to be again that will be a bonus. I just hope he can get All in all, the game is in great shape.
aggressive. When to back-off. When to know healthy first. We’re in a great place, even if I’m not sure
the situation you are in. I’ve never understood we are going to see anyone do what Greg
why psychologists tell guys not to look at the Who is the player you find most exciting and Tiger did and have No.1 for an extended
scoreboard. Well, how are they going to know to watch? period. It is harder to separate yourself at
what is happening? They need to know where I like to watch the bombers. the top now.
they stand. Every player I have had success And the interesting thing is that the R&A
with has been a scoreboard watcher. Isn’t that everybody? and the USGA tell us the clubs and the ball
I mean the ones who are long and can win. DJ haven’t changed anything. I’m saying that is
Is one of the proudest aspects of your is fun to watch. He really is. He overpowers a bunch of bull. There are many guys on the
career the fact that you have worked so courses. Rickie is fun to watch because he is Champions Tour hitting the ball further at
well with so many different people? such a nice man. He is wonderful with the 55 then they did at 25. So something
I’ve taken three guys to No.1 – Greg, Tiger and galleries. Phil at 47 is still amazing. It was too has changed.
DJ. People ask me why players leave teachers
but that is just the nature of the business. Harmon talks about the big
Guys think they have learned as much as they picture with a young Tiger
Woods in the late 1990s.
can and they move on. But the thing I am most
proud of is that every player – whether they
stayed or left – were better when they left
than when they arrived. That’s all I can do.
I’ve stayed friends with all of them. I like
all of them. I just feel honoured that I’ve had
the opportunities to work with the guys I’ve
worked with. I don’t solicit business; they come
to me. There’s a very small fraternity of people
who do what I do. We’re all close. We talk about
what we do. So when I’ve had guys leave – Phil
Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker for example
– I’ve told their new coaches I am more than
happy to send all the film I have if they think
that will help them. There are no secrets in
golf. And I don’t have all the answers. I’m 73
years old and I’m still learning.

You mentioned Tiger. Any way you think

we will see him back on Tour?
Right now, for me it’s not about golf. I hope

54 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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 C
MY LIFE IN GOLF

J A K
RIEWOLDT We talk exclusively to the Richmond Tigers forward,
two-time All-Australian and veteran of more than
220 AFL games about how he caught the golf bug and
what the game means to him.
INTERVIEW MATT CLEARY PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES

I
grew up in Hobart next to Bellerive
Oval. Mum and dad were PE teachers
so we were into every sport growing up.
The local golf course was Rosny Park and we’d
have a bash every now and again. I also played
at Tasmania Golf Club as a junior. But I never
really played often enough to be any good.
When I moved over to Melbourne with footy I
got right into it. I’d play golf on days off, in the
off-season, whenever I got a chance. The bug
really bit.
In my second year at the Tigers a small
group of us played in a golf “tournament”
down at Moonah Links. It was only 8-10
of us. A supporter of the club was a member
down there and teed it up. So we’d play golf and
afterwards go back to his house for a barbecue
dinner. It became an annual thing, and grew
and grew. It went to like 30 guys, and kept
growing so much that today we actually hire
out Moonah Links for a whole day in January.
It’s like a corporate day. We get ex-players
down, guys take partners on winery tours. It’s a
great weekend.
It’s amazing how infectious the game
is, how addictive. It’s amazing how much
you want to compete against yourself, to
continually get better. I got an official handicap

56 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 57
 I’M POSITIVE ON THE
COURSE. I CAN HIT BAD SHOTS
BUT STILL LOOK AT THE
POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS.
– JACK RIEWOLDT
about five years ago and now I’m down to 2.1,
though it fluctuates, I’ve been a little lower. I
have really good rounds and some dud ones.
Depends how I’m feeling post game. I play at
The National, so it can depend on the wind.
I’ve never had a hole-in-one but I reckon
I’m still pretty lucky as a golfer. I’m positive
on the course. I can hit bad shots but still look
at the positive side of things. I’ve got a mate
who’s a pretty good player, he could play off
5 or 20, any given day. But he’s got a horrible
temperament. He’s so negative about things.
He’ll hit a shot into a hazard and think it’s
ruined his day. I’ll think I can make par, or a
good bogey. One of my greatest strengths
is mindset.
The rest of my game is okay without
there being one outstanding thing. I putt
okay, drive it okay, I’m reasonably long. I’m
serviceable in most areas. I suppose I’m fairly
58 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
consistent. Though like everyone you’d like to
be playing consistently well all the time.
I’ve played golf a bit overseas. I’ve played
Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand. Played 36 holes
in a day in an absolute gale. I had a blast but
I was beaten up a bit. Played golf in Phoenix,
at TPC Scottsdale, the one with the Stadium
Hole. Would love to play in Scotland, Ireland,
England and see where the game began. And,
obviously, would love to get to Augusta for the
Masters. Would love to take the old man there
one day.
I do love playing new courses but I’m
actually loving playing in Tasmania at the
moment. I’m really excited about Tassie golf.
There’s Barnbougle, King Island, obviously.
But there’s all these projects going on. Arm
End in Opossum Bay out of Hobart. Mat
Goggin’s doing something at Seven Mile Beach.
Barnbougle’s a three-hour drive from Hobart. I
play there often as I can.
I’ve also been to King Island a few times,
have some great mates that live there.
Took some of the younger players from
Richmond down, went fishing, surfing, had a
blast. Being from Tasmania, I’m actually really
proud of the golfing industry. We’re so lucky
that we’ve got these world-class – and public –
golf courses right on our doorstep.
The owner of Barnbougle, Richard Sattler,
is an amazing bloke. He’s a good family
friend of ours. My uncle Joe, Nick’s father,
used to work there. The Barnbougle pro, Ross
Banks, went to school with my parents. It’s an
old story but it’s amazing that Richard took a
bit of land used for potato farming – and I think
at one stage he was supplying McDonald’s with
one out of every five french fries – and turned
it into a world-class golf course. It’s amazing
that they could see the potential, much less do
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 something about it.
I’ve met some great guys though golf. Marc
Leishman’s a Richmond supporter. He
and his caddy came down to the club, they’re
Warrnambool boys. We had a hit on Punt
Road, hitting golf shots through the goals. Also
played with James Nitties, Mattie Stieger,
Jason Norris. I ask about golf, they ask about
footy. Good blokes. Great golfers. Playing those
pro ams, it’s amazing even to just stand on the
range, watch them hit balls.
I’ve always loved watching Freddie Couples
hit the ball. I try to model myself on him. I’m
as far as I hit 3-iron. His mum was a very good
player, she’s Ladies President at Deniliquin.
There’s also Brendon Goddard, good mate
NICK, MY COUSIN, of mine. We have very competitive matches.
Nick, my cousin, is not as good but he’s one of
IS NOT AS GOOD those blokes that likes to think he is. He’s also
BUT HE’S ONE OF a shocking cheat, but his old man is too! It’s
hereditary! We have some great fun.
THOSE BLOKES The camaraderie of the game is something
THAT LIKES TO I love about it, though there’s a pretty long
THINK HE IS. HE’S list. I read golf magazines, I watch it on the TV,
check my handicap on the Internet. I’m into
ALSO A SHOCKING equipment. I’ve just been fitted out with a new

CHEAT, BUT HIS

not really anything like him but I try! You’re set of Callaways. Got all the little sensor balls
always trying to pick up bits and pieces. I’ll on me, saw my swing on the computer. It was
ask the pros how to play certain shots. As a
professional footy player, you’re always looking
OLD MAN IS TOO! pretty cool.

at yourself, grading performance to the last
inch. It’s a professional attitude, about habit of
behaviour.
My set shot goal kicking, for instance, is
one thing I’ve taken from golf into footy.
Putting and kicking for goal, for me, is about
feel. It’s about repetition, to an extent. But my
goal kicking, I don’t have a routine. I sort of just
focus on the last two-three steps and getting a
pure strike on the footy. It’s a real tactile thing,
– JACK RIEWOLDT
I like to feel it. And that’s how I like to putt.
There’s a few good golfers in the AFL.
There’s one absolute burglar and that’s Sammy
Lloyd, a kid from our footy club. He hits the
ball as good as anyone, smashes it, hits 5-iron
Playing team sport is fantastic and I’m
truly lucky to be able to do it for a living.
And I take that competitive spirit into golf. I’m
always trying to beat the course, beat myself.
I love those Ambrose days, playing in a little
team, winning stuff. Basically I like winning!
Whether it’s a Saturday or Sunday comp, or
getting my handicap down from 2.1 to 1.9.
Love the competition. The addictive side of
golf, for me, really appeals. And it is borderline
addiction. I just love it.

60 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia


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 H E A LT H

EYES
on the
PRIZE
Adam Scott and Justin Rose aren’t
just a pair of pretty swings. In
recent years, they’ve both turned to
wearing sunglasses when they play.
Love or hate the look, there’s some
function behind the fashion, and
plenty of reasons why you should
consider wearing them too.
WORDS KARISSA WOOLFE

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 63


E
very 65 minutes, one Australian’s
quality of life will change
dramatically by losing part, or all
of their vision.
The tricky thing about eye complications
is that there are often no obvious signs of
trouble until it’s quite advanced, which is
why regular eye-checks with your local
optometrist are a must.
When you consider the impact this could
have on your game, especially your ability to
read greens, it will kick you in the guts to learn
75 percent of vision loss can be prevented and
treated if picked up early. But, the stats show
around half of us don’t have them.
Here’s three hazards that can affect your
eyes, and how to keep them on the prize.
1. UV LIGHT
You cop a huge dose of ultra violet (UV) light
when you’re out on the course, which can
affect the eyes in many ways, says Robert
Rossi, OPSM optometrist, two-handicapper
64 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
and member at Sydney’s New South Wales
Golf Club.
Skin cancer on the eyelids, cataracts and
pterygium – which are difficult to pronounce,
and a nuisance (check out the side bar to learn
more) – are just some of the eye conditions
you can prevent by wearing protective shades,
he explains.
And it’s not just on bright sunny days that
you need to protect your eyes.
“There’s plenty of UV on cloudy days as
well,” warns Rossi. “It comes down, bounces
off the ground, reflects against the clouds,
and then hits you. Where I play, the ocean
surrounds the course, so you get reflective
light off the water.”
This explains why you’ll always see Rossi
in the Oakley G30s – his pair of choice for
visibility and blocking UV light from the
moment he hits balls on the range, to the time
he shakes hands on the 18th and goes inside
for a drink.
“You can wear them in all light, whether
5
WAYS TO LOOK
AFTER YOUR EYES
1. Test2prevent
“If you find something different in your vision,
your local optometrist is the first port of call,”
advises Rossi. A yearly check from the age of 45
years is recommended to detect changes early.
While you’re at it, an annual check-up with your
GP to measure your blood pressure and sugar
levels will give you the upper hand.
2. Wear protective shades
“Fashion sunglasses might look good, but the
lenses are too small and they don’t offer you
protection from UV on the sides,” says Rossi. His
top picks for golf are: the Oakley G30 and Oakley
Prizm, for their big, wide, polarized and
rose-coloured lenses, which offer UV protection
and sharp visibility for reading greens, and
frames that hug your face.
“Frames that have more curve and wrap
around offer your face better protection,” he
says. They also minimise movement when you
look down at address.
3. Go on a see-food diet
Eye-friendly foods to eat regularly include:
eggs, lean turkey, nuts, oily fish, oats, avocado,
tomatoes, berries, oranges and leafy greens
like spinach and broccoli. Why? Researchers
from the Blue Mountains Eye Study found the
antioxidants in these foods help protect the
eyes from free-radical damage caused by
UV exposure.
4. Avoid the smoke screen
Did you know smokers are four times more likely
to develop eye complications than non-smokers?
Call the national Quitline (13 78 48) to increase
your chance of quitting successfully.
5. Drink wise
Researchers at the Centre for Eye Research
Australia found people who drink more than
two standard alcoholic drinks per day had a
20 percent increased risk of developing eye
disease compared to non-drinkers. It’s thought
that alcohol affects the absorption of nutrients
important to the lens.
 THE TRICKY
THING ABOUT EYE
COMPLICATIONS IS
THAT THERE ARE
OFTEN NO OBVIOUS
SIGNS OF TROUBLE
UNTIL IT’S QUITE
ADVANCED.

CAUSES & CURES

What are cataracts?
Clouding of the eye lens that is normally clear,
causing blurred vision, which can also affect
how well you see the ball out there.
Causes: Rossi says golfers are more prone to
cataracts because of accumulative UV light
exposure. They can also develop with ageing, if
you smoke, or have diabetes.
Treatments: Common treatments include eye
drops, laser therapy or surgical removal.

What are pterygium?

Pronounced ‘tur-ij-ee-um’ (if you want to impress
your playing partners): “They’re little fatty
growths on the white of the eye, which get bigger
and develop into gritty, itchy, stinging eyes,”
explains Rossi.
Causes: Accumulative UV exposure
Treatments: Inevitably they need to be
surgically removed.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Damage to the small blood vessels in the retina,
which causes them to leak and swell, and new
leaky blood vessels to grow.
Causes: The longer you live with diabetes,
the greater the likelihood. Lifestyle factors
like smoking, obesity and excess alcohol also
influence your risk, and experts agree leading a
healthy lifestyle is protective.
Treatments: To prevent permanent vision
loss, treatment involves laser therapy
it’s cloudy, or bright sun, and the pinky rose
coloured lenses are the best for bringing out the
green colours on the course and putting greens,”
he says. “They sharpen contrast and actually
allow you to read the greens really well.”
2. ALLERGIES
There’s nothing like itchy, red eyes to make
it harder to read greens, and jokes aside
about whether or not they look cool, Justin
Rose says the reason he wears his Adidas
Whipstarts is to protect his eyes from pollen.
If you also suffer from allergies, you’ll be
pleased to know that Rossi agrees this is a
valid reason to wear shades.
“They act as a screen from what floats
around in the air and a wind block,” he
explains. “A bigger and wider style offers your
sugar from diabetes, damage occurs. One in
three Aussies living with diabetes will develop
an eye disease like diabetic retinopathy (DR),
which is a leading cause of blindness (see
accompanying story).
On the plus side, walking helps to protect
your eyesight by keeping your blood pressure
and sugar levels in check, with 30 minutes a
day recommended to keep eye complications
at bay.
• Turn the page for the latest golf
sunglasses to protect your eyes on
the course.
KARISSA WOOLFE is a freelance writer and
accredited practising dietitian. She is a golf
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES X 3

(photocoagulation), freezing (cryotherapy) or

eyes more protection.” enthusiast who loves to caddy, and support
eye-surgery (vitrectomy).
people in their health and wellbeing journey.
For more information on eye health, visit 3. BLOOD VESSEL DAMAGE For more information on eye health visit:
www.health.gov.au When the tiny blood vessels at the back of the optometry.org.au
eyes are exposed to high blood pressure or

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 65

 FLAIR
GLARE
Sunglasses are more than just a
fashion accessory, particularly
when it comes to golf. The
golf-specific sunglasses featured
in these pages are designed to
not only protect your eyes from
harmful UV rays but also improve
your golf through features like
specially designed golf lenses.
66 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
BOLLÉ BOLT
Featuring Bollé’s Modulator V3 Golf lenses to provide clarity of
vision, the Bolt’s Photochromic lens adapts to different light
conditions and the brown tint highlights golf course subtleties.
Moisture is managed by a Hydrophobic treatment on the outside
and Anti-fog treatment on the inside. While the variety of colours,
including the Ryder Cup edition pictured, adjustable nosepiece and
interchangeable lenses offer personalisation.
RRP: $200. www.bolle.com.au or 1300 138 098.
NIKE SHOW X2
Nike’s Show X2 are designed for sport with outstanding comfort
delivered through adjustable temples and a ventilated nose, for
reduced fogging. Nike Max Optics interchangeable lenses deliver
100% UVA and UVB protection while providing minimal distortion
across the curve of the lens as well as zero straight ahead and the
golf-specific tint enhances contours for improved green reading.
RRP: $229.90. To see the full range of Nike sunglasses visit,
www.nikevision.com or contact customerservice@vspaustralia.com.au
and 1800 251 025 for stockists.
BOLLÉ FLYAIR
New for 2017, the Flyair incorporates the same Bollé Modulator
V3 Golf lens as the company’s Bolt model, with B-Clear lens
technology offering glass-like clarity and impact resistance.
Thermogrip temple tips and nose pads help the medium fit Flyair
stay in place and provide all-day comfort to complement the
impressively clear and protective lenses.
RRP: $200. Available August 2017. 1300 138 098 or www.bolle.com.au
 ADIDAS WHIPSTART
The lightweight SPX frame, contemporary shape, 100 percent
UV-A, B and C protection and all day comfort of Adidas’ Whipstart
make them the choice of Justin Rose, who is rarely seen on course
without them. Built to last for active lifestyles, Whipstarts feature
impact-resistant Vision Advantage polycarbonate lenses, temple
Flex Zones and Quick-Release hinges, which detach and reattach in
case of accident.
RRP: $190 (Red Mirror Lens pictured). For more information visit,
www.adidassporteyewear.com or call (02) 9970 1800.

Golfers will instantly recognise the Flak 2.0 XL as similar to

those Adam Scott opts for. Durable, lightweight frames
incorporate Unobtanium earsocks and nosepads to stay in place
and combine with Prizm Golf lenses for impressive form and
function. The Prizm Golf lens filters precise, narrow bands of
colour to better highlight fairways, rough and greens, even MAUI JIM KUMU
differentiating grain direction.
RRP: $219.95 (with Prizm Golf). For more information visit, A beta-titanium bridge and rubber sleeves on the temples deliver
www.oakley.com.au or call 1800 637 001. comfort and stability while the Kumu’s 8 base frame and additional
lens coverage provide superior sun protection. Utilising the Maui HT
lens, the company’s preferred golf lens due to its extra colour and
d M i Ji ’ P l i dPl h l h K i

OAKLEY RADAR EV PITCH

The Radar EV Pitch builds on the history of perform
innovation the Radar range is renowned for. Designe
maximum airflow, the Radar EV features a taller lens
upper field of view. Pitch lenses feature a curved bott
extend coverage downward and are interchangeable
sport specific vision. With Oakley’s Prizm Golf the cle
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

every level of golfer.

RRP: $249.95 (with Prizm Golf). To see the full Oakley golf ra
purchase go to, www.oakley.com.au or phone 1800 637 001

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 67

 JUSTIN
ROSE

He was fourth in the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale as a teenage

amateur but then missed 21 cuts. Peter Dixon charts Justin Rose’s
rise to major and Olympic champion.
 THE TEENAGE PRODIGY

I
f Justin Rose had been tempted to
think that life in the paid ranks was
going to be easy after he finished T4 at
The Open at Royal Birkdale in 1998 he was
soon to find out that it would be anything
but. As a gangly 17-year-old amateur in a
baggy red jumper, he had pitched in from
50 yards for an unlikely birdie at the 72nd
hole before spreading his arms wide and
looking to the heavens in disbelief. The
next day the young Englishman turned
professional and flew to the Netherlands
and his first event with expectations
running high. What happened next was
beautifully summed up by The Times’ golf
writer Mel Webb, who wrote:
“After the pleasures of the carousel came
the painful jolt of the bumper cars. Justin
Rose played his first round in earnest as a
professional golfer yesterday and discovered
that in the fairground of the European Tour,
even the most feted can be fated. It was 1:10
on a sultry afternoon at the Hilversumsche
club when Rose teed up his ball in the first
round of the TNT Dutch Open. Seconds later
he had discovered the grim realities of the
professional’s life as he hooked it into trees.
Minutes later he had holed out for a bogey five.
Hours later he had completed a 77. Years
later, he will remember the day he joined the
big boys.” Rose celebrates holing
Forgotten in the mists of time is that Rose his 50-yard pitch shot on
the final hole at Birkdale
followed up with a 65 and missed the cut by in the 1998 Open.
a single stroke. He then missed another 20
in succession before finally playing at the I feel a lot tougher and can take anything you can see when he speaks now that he has
weekend in the Compaq European Open at anybody throws at me. I hope I didn’t go a good head on his shoulders. He used those
Slaley Hall in 1999. through all this for nothing.” early setbacks and experience to guide him
 A year after the heroics of Birkdale, Rose One of those who had followed his progress through his life. He had it tough to start with as
again found himself the focus of attention at was former Ryder Cup captain Bernard a professional but actually it was probably not
the Open. He had endured a torrid year on Tour Gallacher. “I knew Justin and his dad Ken a bad thing.”
and the media at Carnoustie was curious as to quite well because he used to play in the junior David Leadbetter, who coached Sir Nick
how he had coped. What they found was pretty open at Wentworth,” he recalled. “He had Faldo to great things, was recruited and stayed
much the same courteous and articulate young tremendous potential. When he did so well with him until Rose moved to Nick Bradley in
man they had got to know at Birkdale. Asked if at the Open as an amateur it proved he was a 2006.
he regretted turning pro, he replied, “To me, big occasion player. He went out as one of the “I honestly don’t believe Justin has been
it was a simple thing. How am I going to be leaders on the final day and held up well. damaged or ruined,” Leadbetter said at
a great player quickest, how am I going to “When he turned pro he had a huge setback the time. “This is not an Ian Baker-Finch
learn fastest? To me, that was by in not being able to make a cut. You wondered syndrome but a resilient young player with real
turning professional. if this would have any long-term effect, but talent and the time to develop.
2001 – 2004

Misses 21 consecutiv Makes a cut in his 22nd

1998 – 1999

cuts, and is tagged pro event – the 1999

“Justinvite”, before an European Open.
after earning 1999 Tou
card at Q School.

Springs to prominence as
an amateur at the 1998 Starts 2001 season with
Open, holing from the consecutive runner-up finishes
rough on 18 to finish T4. in events in South Africa.
Turns pro immediately. Starts working more closely
with coach David Leadbetter.

70 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia


“In retrospect, the worst thing that happened
to Justin was the shot he holed at Birkdale
because it got him rushing to be something he
wasn’t ready for. All I told him was to slow down,
keep his wits about him and learn his craft,
preferably on the Challenge Tour.”
Reflecting a few years later, Rose said, “In
some ways, the best shot of my life was the
worst thing that could have happened. I was
going to turn pro after Birkdale no matter how
I played. I had some invites, but I planned
to play on satellite tours, go to Q School and
become exempt on Tour within three years.
But everything happened and everyone got way
ahead of themselves.”
Wins the 2002 Dunhill
Championship in South
Africa and three more
events during the season.
Edges out good friend Ian
Poulter to win the 2002
Victor Chandler British
Masters at Woburn with a
final-round 65.
THE TOUR WINNER
Ian Poulter, by a single stroke after a brilliant
final-round 65. It was his first victory on home
soil and his family was there to witness it.
“With hard work over the last couple of
A
fter making three visits to years, Justin has developed his swing to the
Q School, Rose finally established point that he has the consistency to match his
himself on the European Tour in talent,” Leadbetter said. “There are few players
2000. That year, things started to fall into who share his work ethic.”
place in the competitive arena and when With his world ranking on the rise, Rose
he finished 11th at the BMW International qualified to play in the US PGA at Hazeltine,
Open in Germany – his best performance his first American major. Proud as punch but
of the year – he could not wait for his very ill, Ken joined his son and could be seen
parents to pick him up at Heathrow. The still coaching him on the range. A few weeks
moment he met them, however, he knew later, he passed away following his long battle
something was wrong. His dad had been with cancer.
diagnosed with leukaemia. “You need to “After he was gone there were periods
be the strong one now,” Ken told him. when it felt as if nothing mattered,” Rose later
It is almost certainly not a coincidence that reflected. It would be four years before he
Rose’s game started to flourish. He worked won again.
with renewed zeal, dedicating himself to
improving his technique and listening intently
when Ken discussed his mental approach.
Among other things, his father told him he
should not be in denial about the 21 missed
cuts, but should pat himself on the back for
emerging from the slump and learning from
the experience.
By 2002, Rose was ready to win – and win
he did. In 2000, he played 29 times on the
European Tour, made 13 halfway cuts and
finished 122nd on the Order of Merit. In 2001,
he played in 28 events, missed the cut in just
five and finished 33rd in the standings. A year
later he sealed his first Tour win in South
Africa and went on to win three times more.
Rose lived the early years of his life in
Johannesburg and it was at the Houghton Golf
Club that he claimed his maiden victory in the
Dunhill Championship and then dedicated his
win to his father. “My dad’s not so well and he
is the guy I owe most to,” he said. “He has put
a lot of time, a lot of hours into my game. This
win is more for him than anyone. I’ve had so
many lows but my dad’s battle with illness
puts it all into perspective. It made me scared
of nothing compared to what he has
gone through.”
Rose went on to win the Nashua Masters
on the Sunshine Tour and followed up
with a wire-to-wire victory at the Crowns
Tournament in Japan. The best win of all,
however, came at the British Masters at Rose’s father, Ken, was hugely
Woburn, where he beat his best friend on Tour, influential in his career.
Plays in the Masters for the first time
in 2003, finishin
PGA Tour card
after finishing w
than the 125th
Money List.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 71
 THE GLOBAL STAR
A
t the end of 2002, Rose was
No.37 in the World Ranking and
guaranteed entry into all four
majors and the WGC events. He was
ready to move on to the next level and
was looking towards America and the
PGA Tour, where fellow Englishmen
Paul Casey and Luke Donald had already
established a foothold.
In 2003 he split his time between Europe
and the United States before committing to
playing full-time on the PGA Tour in 2004,
the year he led the Masters after 36 holes. In
some respects, his first two years in America
mirrored his early days in the professional
ranks. He struggled to make an impact and his
world ranking drifted outside the top 100, the
result of a nomadic lifestyle and adapting to
different playing conditions.
By 2006, however, Rose had put in what
he called “two years of groundwork” and was
ready to make strides once more. He had built a
house at Lake Nona in Florida and was settled
in his new way of life. “I’m feeling much more
at home and it has reflected on my golf,” he
said. “I’d like to believe I’m at a stage where I
can take off next year. It took me a few years in
Europe to get going, so hopefully it will be the
same in the States.”
Displaying the steel he had mostly kept
IN RETROSPECT,
THE WORST THING
THAT HAPPENED
TO JUSTIN WAS
THE SHOT HE
HOLED AT
BIRKDALE ...
–DAVID
LEADBETTER
2005 – 2007
Wins 2006 Australian
Masters, finishes T4 a
2007 Masters and lose
play-off at BMW PGA
Championship. Wins
2007 European Tour
Order of Merit.
Maintains membership of
European Tour but slips out
of the World Top 50. Narrowly
keeps his PGA Tour card.
72 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
hidden, he announced that his adopted home
now took priority over his previous one. “To
turn my back on the States would make the
last two years pointless,” he said. “To do both
(Tours) is spreading yourself too thin. You’re
going to finish nowhere in Europe and nowhere
in America.”
In May, he parted company with Leadbetter
and joined forces with Nick Bradley, a fellow
Briton who would not let Rose settle for
second best. Bradley instilled an element of
brashness that was a little alien to a player
whose humility and modesty almost defined
him. “Some might frown on the American
bravado, but in athletics I’ve come to favour the
American way,” Rose announced.
Within 20 months, Rose had finished No.1
in Europe and had climbed to a career high of
World No.6. He won for the first time in four
years at the Mastercard Masters in Australia
and rounded out 2007 with victory at the Volvo
Masters at Valderrama. It had taken him only
12 European Tour events to finish top of the
pile in a year in which his worst finish in a
major was tied 12th.
“When we started working together, I
said I thought I could get him to British and
European No.1,” Bradley says. “When I came
on board, he didn’t have a ‘business’ plan. I got
him to take himself more seriously. We made
some significant swing changes because we
had to get his biomechanics right. His right
hip, for instance, would float high at address
and affect his transition. The two biggest
components that moved him up in maturity in
my time with him were having someone who
totally believed in him (me) – and his wife
Kate. She is an absolute rock for Justin.
“I really enjoyed my time with him.
I knew he was a talent that, if shoved
in the right direction, would just go. One
of the mantras we would use in preparing
for a tournament would be him saying to
himself, ‘It’s perfectly natural for me to be in
contention’. When we worked on his swing
and his ball flight stabilised, I’d get him to say,
‘There’s another one. There’s another one...’ In
a practice session he might say that 30 times.
“Looking back there was a big shift towards
the player we see today. He’s not afraid to make
tough decisions. I think he has a way to go to
fulfil his potential but I believe his best years
are ahead of him.”
2010 – 2012
After finishing 3rd in the 2010
Honda Classic, Rose wins his first
PGA Tour event – the Memorial
Tournament – with a final-round 66.
 THE OLYMPIC LEGEND
head-to-head with Henrik Stenson before
waltzing off with golf ’s first Olympic gold
medal in 104 years. His sense of pride was
something to behold.

R
ose switched coaches again in “I’ve been thinking about Rio for a long,
2009, when he started working long time,” Rose said. “I’ve been dreaming
with Sean Foley, who at the time about it for a few years now.
was coaching Tiger Woods, Hunter “I was hoping my ranking would allow me to
Mahan and Sean O’Hair. He had yet to compete. I was in good form and I felt excited
win on the PGA Tour, but it was not long about competing and giving it 100 per cent.
before he was in the winner’s circle. A When I actually got to Rio and experienced
new era was upon him. the whole vibe of the Olympics, to come out of
Rose’s first win on US soil came at Jack it with a medal is incredible. To come out of it
Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in 2010. It with gold, unbelievable.”
was followed a month later by victory at the In April this year, Rose finished runner-up
AT&T National. During the last seven seasons, to Sergio Garcia at the Masters when within
he has recorded at least one victory each year touching distance of winning a green jacket.
on both sides of the Atlantic. The way he handled himself afterwards spoke
Bradley had set great store in using volumes.
Trackman to analyse every aspect of Rose’s His good grace at a time of immense
swing and Foley continued in the same vein. disappointment was extraordinary. He is now
The team was also augmented by sports the complete package: a wonderful golfer, a
psychologist Gio Valiante, the self-professed fierce competitor, pure class.
practitioner of ‘fearless golf ’, and Justin Boy, would his dad be proud of him.
Buckthorp, a personal trainer.
By the time the 32-year-old Rose arrived Rose has enjoyed
at fabled Merion for the US Open in 2013, he great success with
was rightly considered a serious contender. coach Sean Foley.
He texted a picture of a tunnel to caddie Mark
Fulcher with the words: “Look at this tunnel
closely. This is where we’re going to live for
the week of the US Open.”
And so they did, eventually emerging into
the light with one of the game’s most coveted
trophies.
On the final day, Rose held off Phil
Mickelson and Jason Day to win his first
major championship by two strokes on, of all
days, Father’s Day.
He closed out the championship with a
stupendous 4-iron from the middle of the
fairway that was every bit as good as the
famed 1-iron hit from virtually the same spot
by Ben Hogan in 1950. As he sank the winning
putt he pointed to the sky, his thoughts as
clear as day. “This one’s for you dad.”
The last two years have shown Rose in the
strongest of lights.
When some players, Rory McIlroy among
them, were steering clear of the 2016 Olympic
Games in Rio, Rose was giving them his
full attention. No one who witnessed his
performance will ever forget the way he went

Wins 2012 WGC-Cadillac

Championship, finishes T3
2013 – 2016

at US PGA and defeats Phil Wins Gold Medal at

Mickelson in Ryder Cup Finishes runner-up
2016 Rio Olympics,
singles match. to Tiger Woods at 2013
making a hole-in-one
Arnold Palmer Invitational
on the way. In 2017,
TEXT & IMAGES: © BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA LIMITED

before winning his first

finishes runner-up at
major, the 2013 US Open
the Masters.
at Merion GC.

Wins second
PGA Tour title Wins 2014 Quicken Loan
at the 2010 GA Tour in June and tw
AT&T National, eeks later wins Aberde
and his third sset Management Scot
at 2011 BMW pen. He is Europe’s lea
Championship. oints scorer at Ryder Cu

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 73

 JUSTIN ROSE
HOW TO
BUILD A
BETTER
SWING
The Olympic champion reveals how
he’s improved his technique since
turning pro – and what you can do
to implement lasting improvements
in your swing.

74 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

A WORK IN PROGRESS
There are some big differences between my
old swing and the technique I have today.

On-plane
The clubhead
outside my hands
shows that I’m
keeping it in front
of me quite nicely.

Athletic angles
My posture looks
very athletic with
a slight knee bend
and my straight back
tilted forwards from
the hips.

2004 2004
This isn’t as dynamic: my back My clubhead did get behind my
wasn’t as straight and my hands and point skyward earlier
shoulders were a bit rounded. in the backswing.

I
feel like the evolution of my swing
has been very constant. I’ve been
with Sean Foley for eight years now
so I feel like I’ve really settled. He’s my
third coach – not counting my dad. Three
coaches over what is nearly a 20-year
career to date actually isn’t really that
many compared to what we sometimes see
on tour.
My dad coached me all the way until
I turned pro and then we got to know David
Leadbetter through the period when I was
around 16 to 18. He was a great guiding light
for me. He was a great role model and fatherly
figure in my life when my dad passed away as
well. I worked with David until 2007 and then
I thought it was time to make a change and
started working with Nick Bradley.
Nick put a lot of structure in place, and
I think that was the big difference. With
‘Lead’ I would always be keen to tinker.
Obviously, you’re always trying to improve
but sometimes you can tinker and go in the
wrong direction quite easily. Nick put a very
rigid structure in place for how we practised
and what we worked on. That alone helped.
I enjoyed the structure in that change. That
bore some fruit, but then in 2009 I was
beginning to run into a bit of trouble with my
game around US Open time.

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 75

 Stay compact
I’ve shortened
the top of my
backswing a little
and lowered my
hands to add
No slide greater control.
I stay very centred
over the ball and
maintain my angles
from address
without any lateral
movement.

2004 2004
My left knee used to pop out a I used to get my hands quite
little early because of a slight high at the top, which made the
shift away from target. transition a bit trickier.

I played with Sean O’Hair at Bethpage and
I was working on getting rid of all the angle in
the downswing while Sean looked like he was
lagging it as hard as he could. I thought ‘well,
one of us has got this wrong’, and the way we
both played I kind of figured I had it wrong.
I began to have some questions and moved
on to Sean Foley because all the players he
coached were hitting it incredibly well.
We’ve worked very diligently and we’ve
worked in phases. My backswing used to be
very upright, so we cleaned that up. Then the
downswing and through impact was the next
port of call. We’ve still never really mastered
phase three, which is the follow-through. I
think that’s still where I run into trouble, but
hopefully we’ll get it one day.
What have you taken from each coach?
They’ve all contributed many things, but
probably my dad more than anything. He was
the one who instilled all the fundamentals in my
game – my rhythm, how I prepare and practice –
so he probably had the biggest influence.
‘Lead’ then took me under his wing and gave
me loads of good advice and great places to
practise at Lake Nona and Champion’s Gate.
I had everything I needed to develop my game
from a facilities point of view.
Nick brought structure and put some good

76 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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 Release the lag
Good fundamentals
and maintaining my
angles allows me
to release the wrist
hinge and deliver
a neutral club.

Hit ‘the slot’

My hands drop as
my hips start to turn
in the transition,
which keeps the
club on plane while
adding lag for speed.

2004 2004
The shaft used to be a little There’s a slight bend in my
steeper at this point, partly arms which shows I wasn’t fully
because of the higher hands. extended at impact.

techniques in place, and I putted really well
with him. That was one area of the game that
really took a turn for the better, so I learnt
some stuff there. With Sean, I think we’ve
changed my technique and I’ve played very
consistent golf for the most part since 2009.
It’s funny, everyone sees things differently.
All three coaches would quote Hogan but
everyone’s interpretation of Hogan is different.
It’s like when you have a chipping lesson,
everyone talks about Seve, but everyone’s
interpretation of Seve is different.
How has coaching changed in your 20
years on tour?
Trackman has had a big influence on how
people coach these days because before
it people were teaching draws and fades
essentially the wrong way. They were saying
the clubface needed to point where you wanted
the ball to finish and your feet where you want
the ball to start and you swing down that line,
but the clubface is ultimately the CEO. The ball
starts where the clubface is pointing for the
most part, and spin comes from the path. We’ve
needed to get our head around the face needing
to point to the right for a draw (but closed to
the swing path to get the spin). I’ve learnt a lot
of that through Sean.
The swing is basically a circle. Ball position

78 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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 On the exit
This is the area
of my swing that
we’re currently
working on as I’m
still not totally
happy with this
position.

2004
I like the freedom here with the
club shaft matching my shoulder
line in the follow-through.

is massive because of how you want the club
to approach the ball. If I want to hit a draw, I
put the ball further back in my stance because
the club will be travelling more in-to-out at the
point of impact. I’ve evolved a lot in the last few
years as technology has evolved, and Sean’s
been at the heart of things there.
What makes a good coach?
The ability to coach on tour under pressure is
a skill. Just having the knowledge and being a
lecturer is not necessarily going to translate to
performance and results on tour.
It’s about having the ability to disseminate
the information at the right time. I could be
about to tee off and something’s not looking
right but I’m hitting the ball well. Is that the
right time to say something, or isn’t it? You
could be getting away with it on the range
because you’re in rhythm, but is it going to
break down when the pressure builds up?
That’s a real-time situation where the coach
needs to gently or subtly figure it out. But I’d
rather know than not know. I always feel like
I’m able to implement a change quite quickly,
and if it’s the right change then I’d like to
have the opportunity to make it rather than
afterwards feeling like there was a chance to
have done something better.
I don’t believe in methodology. A coach

80 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia


Controlled
A textbook finish
position shows the
technique, control
and balance that
leads to consistently
good ball-striking.
2004
My arms used to be a bit ‘floppier’
and my left foot was flatter as my
finish wasn’t quite as ‘tight’.
shouldn’t be one size fits all. There shouldn’t
be one plane for all golfers because there are
so many different limitations that we all
have physically.
My shoulder and hip rotation ability might
not be suited for a certain style of swing. A
coach must understand all the parameters
involved in moving a golf club, so I think
biomechanics are really important rather than
what looks pretty or what’s ‘on plane’.
WHATYOUCANLEARN
The six things you should do to build
and evolve a better swing.
1
Stay centred
over the ball
Your quality of strike is the
most important thing for
hitting long and accurate
shots because you have
to find the centre of the
clubface to hit consistent
2
flight and distances. For
me to strike an iron well,
it’s important not to have
too much lateral movement
back and forth. You should
stay very central over the
ball and turn around a single
axis down through your
spine and the centre of your
pelvis in the backswing.
3
4
The clubface
is the CEO
Where the clubface points
at impact dictates where
the ball starts, so it’s vital to
get it square at address and
develop a feel for where
it is through the swing,
5
especially at impact. In
your pre-shot routine, pick
something on your target
line just in front of the ball
to help you square the face
at address. If you can get
the clubhead back to this
position at impact your
shots won’t go far off-line.
6
If it’s not working,
change it
I’ve never been afraid to
make a change if I didn’t
feel I was improving. The
golfer-coach relationship is
at the core of this. You have
to work with someone who
sees the swing in the same
way you do and is able to
communicate things in a
way you can relate to. If this
isn’t the case, a change of
coach could be positive.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 81
Get the fundamentals
in place
You’ve heard it 1,000 times,
but that’s because it’s true.
It’s so much easier to swing
the club consistently well
if your grip, ball position,
alignment and posture are
good. On the flip side, it
takes a lot of talent and
manipulations to hit decent
shots with a poor set-up. Get
your coach to show you the
correct fundamentals and
check them regularly so you
don’t slip into any bad habits.
Keep your angles
as you swing
Maintaining the body angles
you created at address into
your downswing keeps
the club on plane and
leads to iron shots with a
descending attack angle
that compresses the ball at
impact. It should feel like
the hands lead the clubhead
just before impact and your
left arm and shaft should be
in a straight line at the low
point of the swing – just
past impact with an iron.
Add structure to
your practice
You can’t improve your
swing if you don’t practice.
I know we’d all rather be
playing than standing on the
range, but there aren’t any
quick fixes in golf. If you’re
committed to improvement,
you must invest the time
and effort. It’s worth it
when you enjoy playing
more because you’re
shooting lower scores.
Building a practice plan
with your coach will give
you a specific reason to
hit the range and help you
measure your progress.
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Instant fixes from the stars

The ideal finish

My upper body is facing
left of the target and
leaning slightly to the
right, my weight has
transferred to the lead
foot, my hands are
extended behind
my head and I’m
perfectly balanced.

A DA M SCO T T
‘A good FInish will
produce a great impact’
The finish is a key position. Of course,
impact is vital, but a good finish position will
‘trap’ a great impact position in the motion of
your swing.
If I have a good backswing position then it
stands to reason that a swing that takes me
to a good finish must pass through a great
impact position to connect the two.
Making a full and balanced rotation in
the downswing takes my focus away from
‘hitting’ the ball. I want to make a swing and
feel like the ball is getting in the way of my
swing path. Once the club has moved away
from the ball on the backswing, my main
focus is to get to a full and balanced finish.
I’m not swinging to hit the ball, which I find
reduces any anxiety I may be feeling about
where the shot is headed.

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 83

 BR A ND T SNEDEK ER
‘Try my “pop” putting stroke to get
the ball rolling smoothly on line’
An old-school stroke
Many experts think my stroke is one of the
best on Tour. My secret? I ‘pop’ the ball, rather
than putt it. It’s old-school. Players needed
more oomph at impact back when greens
were slower, but it works on ultra-fast greens
because it gets the ball rolling sooner with
less wobble and skid. A quicker, shorter stroke
helps the ball hug the line.
Smooth acceleration
The keys to the ‘pop’ method are hinging your
wrists and transferring all the energy into
the ball at impact, not past it. Once the ball
leaves the putter face, there’s no reason
to keep moving the putter. A lot of club
golfers use a short backstroke and long
through-stroke. Big mistake. A stroke like that
can cause an inconsistent steering motion.
With a pop stroke, you’re always getting
smooth acceleration.
All fingers on the grip
The quality of your grip determines how
well you can control the face. I like my grip
to be a little ‘stronger’ than most (meaning
hands turned to the right) and I put my
hands on the grip separately, so I can feel
the club with all my fingers. The Vs formed
by both thumbs and index fingers should
point at your right shoulder, like with your
full swing.
Eyes over the ball
My arms hang freely and my eyes are directly
over the ball at address. You can easily check
this by holding a ball from the bridge of your
nose and letting go. If you’re over the ball, it
will fall straight on top of it. If you’re left-eye
84 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
dominant, tilt your head so your left eye
looks directly at the ball. If you’re right-eye
dominant, like I am, tilt your head so your
right eye looks directly at the ball.
A little wrist hinge
To start the swing, I want the putter head
moving more than the grip. That creates more
extension in my right wrist, which allows for
the hinge in my wrist as though I’m flipping
the putter head away from the target. Don’t
overdo it, though. Be subtle. That will be
enough to get the flex you need in your wrist.
Don’t rock the shoulders
I want to make sure my arms are still loose
and swinging from the momentum from my
wrist hinge in the takeaway. By doing this,
I’m able to get the putter deep enough in
my stroke without much movement in my
shoulders or arms. A lot of players are taught
to control the club by being rigid with your
shoulders, but that’s not what you want here.
Release the putter
On the way into impact, my arms swing
forward down the target line and I focus on
unhinging my wrists smoothly with good
tempo. Again, you want to feel the putter
head moving more than the handle. Think
of releasing an iron through impact. It’s the
same feeling. Swing the head into the ball
instead of the grip.
Maintain the loft
It’s critical that you strike the ball with a
neutral face. Never add or subtract loft at
impact because that will cause the ball to
hop, skid or otherwise roll inconsistently.
That’s why
I don’t re-hinge my wrists after contact. If
you’re going to miss, miss by hitting slightly
up on the ball. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than
hitting down on it.
Vary the backswing
My ‘pop’ stroke pretty much stops at impact.
Forget all that talk about matching the
length of your through-stroke to the length
of your backstroke. To vary distance, vary
the length of your backstroke and see how
far the ball rolls. My eyes tell me how far I
want the ball to travel, then I simply take the
putter back as far as needed. Your backstroke
determines distance. Your through-stroke is
an afterthought.
My ‘pop’ stroke drill
Place your left hand on your right bicep
and hit putts with only your right hand and
arm. You’ll need to flex your right wrist and
swing the clubhead more than the handle
to generate enough power on the ball. Use
your left hand to make sure your right elbow
doesn’t fly out as you make your stroke. This
helps you to move the putter straight
down the line and hit the ball in a neutral
face position.
Practise inside 10 feet
It’s nice to make long putts but these are
the ones you have a real shot of holing, so
the more you make, the more strokes you
can shave off your score. Plus, if you build
up confidence on the short ones, you’ll
feel comfortable and confident on the
longer putts.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 85
 HENRIK S T ENSON
‘Swinging with stability will
improve your ball-striking’
Ball-striking has always been the foundation
of my game. Whenever I haven’t played well
it’s because I haven’t hit the ball well due to a
lack of stability at address.
If you swing from a weak base, you can’t
load and unload your muscles and you lose the
synchronisation between your arms, upper
86 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
body and lower body.
My main thought is to ‘get in and over it’ at
address. This lets my arms hang away from
my body so they have the freedom to load and
unload. Everything should arrive at the top
together if your arms and body stay connected
in the backswing. A good coil helps the swing
come to a natural stop, with the shoulders
loaded over a stable base.
The lower body initiates the downswing
and a synchronised downswing that comes
from your stability enables you to attack the
ball with confidence and power.
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 How to fade
To hit a pure fade, the club
must be closed (aiming left)
to the target at impact, but
open to the swing path, so
the ball starts left and the
sidespin curves it back to
your target through the air.

M AT T F I T Z PAT RICK
‘Hit a fade
for more
accurate
iron shots’
A lot of amateurs really struggle to hit accurate
long and even mid-irons, but this is one of my
strengths. The key to being a good iron player is
consistency of flight. That way, you know what
the ball is going to do and you can take one side
of the course out of play. I hit my irons with a
consistent little fade because that’s what comes
naturally to me at the moment (I used to play
with a pretty severe draw when I was a junior)
and it helps the ball land a little softer in the
longer clubs.

88 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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Payment by instalments available for new members.

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 T HOM A S PIE T ERS
‘Change
clubs to vary
distances out
of sand’
I work with Pete Cowen on my bunker play
– and I think he’s the best in the world. Most
amateurs always use the same club from the
sand but this makes it tougher to hit different
shots. If you have a solid technique, it’s easier
to hit the ball different distances by changing
the club rather than your action, especially
when you don’t have much time to practice.
Work out how far your standard bunker shot
goes with each club from 9-iron to lob wedge
and select the club to suit the distance you
need to hit it.

The technique
With a slightly open stance,
open the face a bit, flex your
knees to get your hands low, and
lean the shaft away a little from
the target. Have the ball forward
of centre so you impact the sand
before the ball with a shallow
angle. Accelerate through.

90 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 RICH RIVER
TOURNAMENT
$ 249.50pp
TOURNAMENT PROGRAM 17th-19th SEPT
Sunday 17th 12:30pm Shotgun - Irish Fourball
5:30pm Two Course Buffet Dinner (non-golfing partners $25 extra)
Monday 18th 10:30am Shotgun - Men’s & Ladies 4BBB
Optional Extra - River Cruise & Dinner $110 per person
Tuesday 19th TBA Shotgun - Individual & Team Stableford
6pm Three Course Presentation Dinner (non-golfing partners $56 extra)
Entry includes daily golf, driving range balls and lunch pack, plus two dinners.
Member and Visitor prizes, nearest the pin and longest drive.
Our 63 room on course Motel boasts spacious rooms with separate bedrooms,
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Team contact name: Optional Extras
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Player Names Golf Link Number GA HCP Cost
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All entries to Rich River Pro Shop, PO Box 135, Moama NSW 2731 Ph: 03 5481 3372.
 JIM F URY K
‘Balance risk
and reward
to avoid big
scores on
long par 4s’
The 18th hole at Oakmont is really interesting
because it’s a long par 4 that gets tighter as
you get closer to the green. This can make you
want to hit a conservative drive, but then the
problem you have is a longer shot into a green
that is very severe and slopes heavily from
back to front. It’s a question all golfers often
face; do I lay it back and catch the fatter part of
the fairway but have a long iron or hybrid in,
or do I attempt a more risky drive up the throat
of the hole to give myself a better opportunity
with a scoring iron? It can be difficult to figure
out the best route...
Make sure you hit
the fairway
It’s a long hole so you’ve got
to get the ball in the fairway
to give yourself a chance
to get at the green from a
decent lie. Take the big bunker
on the right out of play by
hitting a club you know will
carry it or one that definitely
won’t reach it. There’s no
point hitting driver if your
landing distance is around or
just short of the bunker.
92 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Sensible recovery
If you do miss the fairway,
your chances of finding the
green in two are pretty slim,
so take your medicine rather
than chasing one bad shot
with another and running
up a big number. Play a safe
recovery shot into the fairway
that leaves you a simple
angle and yardage to the pin
for your third shot.
The aggressive
strategy
Taking on the bunkers with
driver will leave you about a
mid-iron to the green if you
pull it off. This gives you a
better chance of hitting the
green but you still have to
guard against missing the
green in the wrong place
when it’s so heavily guarded.
The centre of the green is
always good on a tough hole.
The percentage play
If you play short of the bunker
you’ll have around 200-220
yards to the green – and a
decision to make. If missing
the green is going to leave
a virtually impossible up-
and-down then you could
benefit from playing a simple
mid-iron into the fairway that
leaves a pitch up the green
without bringing the bunkers
into play.
© ILLUSTRATION GARY LEES
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 JIMM Y WA L K ER
‘Power your swing from your
core to strike irons sweetly’
1. Ball slightly back
I play the ball back a little bit in my set-up, just ahead of the
centre of my chest. This allows me to make a crisp, clean
strike on the ball. I see a lot of amateurs play the ball too far
forward in their stance. This can cause all sorts of problems,
including the club getting ahead of your hands too soon,
which can lead to some pretty bad mishits.
94 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
2. Left shoulder under chin
Another thing I’ve worked really hard on with Butch
is making sure I maintain good width in my swing by
getting my left shoulder under my chin as I rotate in the
backswing. This gets the club on a neutral plane and
helps prevent me from getting too steep on the way back
and, in turn, shallowing out too much on the way down.
I’ve always been a good iron player. Growing
up in the Texas wind, you’d better be.
It all starts with decent control and this
is something I’ve really been able to dial in
with my coach Butch Harmon.
We’ve developed a body-controlled swing
that delivers precise strikes. In two of the
last three seasons, I was ranked in the top 15
in ‘strokes gained – approach to the green’
on the PGA Tour and I’m inside the top 25
this year, despite having some health issues
battling Lyme Disease.
Here are the four key things I work on
to make sure I’m hitting the ball
consistently well.

3. Maintain the triangle 4. Pinch the ball at impact

My core does most of the work during the swing, not
my arms. You can ensure your body is doing the work
by focusing on the triangle between your shoulders and
arms – it should be there for the entire backswing. My
wrists hinge at the top but I stop my swing at three-
quarters, especially on my shorter irons, for more control.
My downswing starts with my left hip shifting toward
my target and the body unwinding. Using my body as
much as I do delivers the clubhead consistently and gives
me consistent loft and distance on every shot. My main
focus is trying to really pinch the ball to create that nice
compression you hear from tour players.

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 95

 M AT T EO M A N A SSERO
‘Swing with your feet together to
stop coming over the top and slicing’
A lot of people tend not to wait for the club This is the opposite of what it should be and
to complete the backswing before they start often causes amateur golfers to come ‘over
‘coming down’. This means the upper body the top’, so the club gets outside the line and
starts moving too early in the downswing – they hit across the ball with an out-to-in swing
before the lower body. path. This causes a slice if your clubface is
open to your swing path or a pull if it’s square
or closed to the path.
This is a good drill to stop your upper body
moving too soon and leading to you swinging
‘over the top’.

Try this feet

together drill
If you swing with your
feet close together it will
encourage your upper
body to stay more still
and your arms to drop a
little rather than coming
over the top at the start
of the downswing so
you can attack the ball
more from the inside on
a neutral plane.

Upper body goes FIrst

When the upper body moves first in the
downswing the right shoulder starts turning
back towards the target before the hips and
lower body do – this throws the club outside
the line so you have to hit across the ball.

TEXT & IMAGES: © BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA LIMITED

Lower body goes FIrst

When the downswing starts from the ground
up, as it should, then the lower half has already
started turning back towards the target when
the upper body begins to turn so the club
drops into ‘the slot’ and swings down on a
neutral plane.

96 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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 A DA M SCO T T
‘Take the
stress out
of difFIcult
holes’
There are always different ways to play a hole.
And often, the harder a hole is, the trickier it is
to choose the right option. We all want to make
birdies but sometimes the best strategy for a
handicap golfer isn’t the one that maximizes
the chance of making birdie, it’s the one Leave the
that minimizes the chance of making bogey. easiest putt
Chasing a low number on every hole can tempt Think about where
you into riskier and more difficult shots. you want to putt from
If you don’t execute them perfectly, things when you’re pitching
can go wrong very quickly. Stick to hitting and chipping onto
shots you know you can pull off and your undulating greens.
scores will improve. For example, if you’re
chipping uphill on
a steep green you
really don’t want to be
long. Sure, you can’t
hole it if you don’t get
it past the hole but the
chances of that are
slim so be sensible
and leave it below so
you’ve got a much
Hit your natural shot easier uphill putt. Also,
The optimum tee shot here is a driver think about the line
that draws into the left-to-right camber of the straight putt
of the fairway and threads between the and get it as close as
bunkers, but how often are you really possible to that.
going to get that right and find the short
grass? If you want to play aggressively,
use whatever your natural shot shape is.
Or simply hit a more forgiving fairway
wood or hybrid that you know you’ll get
in play. Plan for the good miss
Even if you hit a great tee shot,
you’re still going to have a difficult
approach so you have to think
about where the sensible miss
would be. Steer well clear of
hazards like these big bunkers
and resist chasing the flag so you
don’t short-side yourself. Aiming
for the middle of the green is the
best option in the vast majority of
cases. If you hit it, you’ll never be
that far from the hole wherever it
is on the green.
© ILLUSTRATION GARY LEES

98 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

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 P L AY I N G W I T H . . .

GARMIN APPROACH
S60 GPS GOLF WATCH
Cost: $579. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf
Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
My instant reaction to the
Approach S60 was
amazement as to how light
the watch was, despite its
relatively large face size.
The Approach S60 fit
comfortably and the display was easy to see in
any light, while the accompanying Garmin Apps
were simple to use and provided in-depth
information for golf and general activity.
HOW IT PERFORMED: The first real test came
on the 1st tee of my first game wearing the
S60. Having never worn a watch while playing
golf I was concerned the odd feeling might
somehow harm my game. After taking a few
practices swings alternating the watch between
each wrist I settled on the left, an important
step to take before setting out on course, as the
S60 requires you to nominate which wrist you
are wearing it on. You also need to identify
metric measurements in the Gamin Connect
App settings to ensure your distances are in
metres not yards.
My preconceived thoughts were quickly
dispelled as I only noticed the watch when
referring to it for distances and entering my
scores. The scoring function is optional, but the
simplicity of touchscreen entering and handy
prompts at the conclusion of each hole had me
leaving traditional scorecards in the bag, which
was especially useful in wind and rain.
The S60’s main function is distance
measuring and as one would expect from a
product made by a company of Garmin’s
standing it is exceptional. The colour screen is
easy to read and the option to enlarge the
numbers is helpful. Distances are quickly
calculated as you move and I wasn’t able to
find any of my usual haunts missing from over
40,000 preloaded courses.
The standard view of distances to the green
and the general hole shape give a great
overview but the ability to use the touchscreen
to zero in on the distance to a specific hazard
or have a closer look at the shape of the green
ahead proved most valuable, helping me to
avoid numerous bunkers and rarely be far off
the mark with my club choice.
Combining the Approach S60 with the
Garmin Golf App allows go fers to review
scores and statistics in great detail after the
round. The App is easy to use with a clear
display, although the statistics can potentially
be a little startling if not on your game. In
addition to keeping fairways, greens and putts
the AutoShot game tracking technology
records each shot on an outstanding image of
each hole, so you can review the distances you
hit each club and hopefully improve your game
and remove any ego through technologically
driven feedback enhanced by the watch’s
swing tempo measurements.
Overall I was impressed with the easy to
use golf specific features and touch screen
of the S60, particularly the ability to review
my game.
The feel and impressive battery life meant I
was comfortable wearing the S60 from home
to the course and back again, while the ability
to link with my smartphone to display
messages, phone calls and emails on the
watch face was a great addition when out on
course knowing I wasn’t going to miss
anything important at home or in the office.

to greens, hazards and doglegs to help players master

THE SPECS
MODELS: In addition to the standard S60 there is a
premium version with a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel
and black leather band available (RRP: $699).
GARMIN SAYS: “The Approach S60, is Garmin’s
newest GPS golf watch with a sunlight-readable colour
touchscreen display and sleek new design that’s made for
everyday use both on and off the course.
Preloaded with more than 40,000 courses from around
the world with lifetime updates, the S60 features full-
colour course view mapping that golfers can view right
from their wrist. It provides quick access to critical
information needed during a round like precise yardages
their game.
To add another level of fun and competition, the
Approach S60 is one of the many Garmin golf watches
compatible with the new Garmin Golf app that lets users
compete in weekly leaderboards on any golf course.
The Approach S60 can get up to ten hours of battery
life golfing and up to ten days in watch mode with activity
tracking. It boasts a 5 ATM water rating, so it can easily
withstand the elements, whether golfers get caught in a
sudden rainstorm or are sweating on a hot day.”
For more information about the Garmin Approach S60
including to purchase or locate your nearest stockist
visit, www.garmin.com.au

THE VERDICT: Overall I was impressed with the easy to use golf specific features and touch screen of the S60

100 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 EXPECT
UNEXPECTED

SYDNEY
SPRING
CARNIVAL
theraces.com.au
 PRO SHOP

PING’S G400 DELIVERS

New drivers often promise either improved
distance or increased forgiveness. Ping’s new
G400 delivers both.
A smaller head size of 445cc allowed Ping’s
engineers to improve the G400’s aerodynamics
for improved clubhead speed while also raising
the Moment of Inertia (MOI) to the highest ever
in a Ping driver.
The G400 features a
and Ping’s ‘Dragonfly T
the MOI increase and
deliver the lowest and
gravity (CG) of any driv
according to Ping make
forgiving driver in golf”.
“Statistics proved th
most accurate players
Open relied on a G400
and CEO John A. Solhe
And no stone was lef
with cosmetics and aco
special attention.
“We’ve also enginee
sound in the driver throu
that will turn heads on t
get it in their hands,” So
a shaft that changes colo
improve the player’s focu
The G400 is offered in
standard version for mos
Flight), which uses heel w
swing weight to correct f
(Low Spin) head produce
RRP: $619 (standard sh f
C
AME ENJOYMEN
on that goes further might i
partners but doesn’t necess
ase in greens hit.
G400 iron is engineered fo
as well as height, forgiven
Delivering an improved bal
in more greens in regulatio
Eye technology and a top ra
catapult-like face flexing th
d further through the use o
nless steel face, which is 4
than one made from tradit
This enhanced face flexin
aster ball speeds, higher
A unique combination tha
ght to go along with the G
e forgiveness.
golfers are seeing distan
ents as much as 15 yards
much higher and landing
e control,” Ping President
 PRO SHOP

MIZUNO’S MASTERC
Uniquely combining modern 3D desig
input from the company’s legendary
master craftsmen, Mizuno’s latest
Grain Flow Forged MP-18 irons are
the perfect blend of art and science.
The muscle-back MP-18 is something
of a throwback to the iconic irons of Mizu
past. Featuring an ultra-thin cambered top
shorter blade length and smaller pitching
wedge, the MP-18 incorporates the latest
evolution of Mizuno’s Grain Flow Forged H
process which tightens the concentration
grain in the 1025 E mild carbon steel billet
incredible feedback and feel.
And while every golfer will appreciate is the first
the beauty of the muscleback, many better multi-material MP
players prefer an iron that offers slightly built in the vision o
more playability. master clubmaker
Enter the MP-18 SC with its wider, cambered set standards for l
sole and compact cavity increasing forgiveness aesthetics that thi
despite the head being only slightly larger than construction typica
the muscle back in both face height and top Voshall said.
line thickness. The result of a t
“The MP-18 SC is an iron that combines a headed up by the
lot of practical needs – stability, workability craftsmen the MP-
and softness at impact with our craftsmen’s the MP-18 SC but
desire for immaculate looks over the ball,” said thanks to the use of titanium and tungsten in
Senior Club Engineer Chris Voshall of what addition to 1025E mild carbon steel.
the company describes as ‘The Player’s RRP: $249 per iron (MP-18 and MP-18 SC); $259
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The most forgiving model of the new range is Contact: To find out more, phone 1300 796 457 or visit
something of a ground breaker for Mizuno. www.mizuno.com.au

104 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 FootJoy recently set about the difficult task of
improving upon their successful D.N.A. shoe by
consulting their PGA Tour staff. And the
company didn’t take the job of designing the
new D.N.A. Helix lightly.
“… This isn’t just an update for us. D.N.A.
Helix is a completely new golf shoe built from
the ground up to deliver Tour-level performance
and lightweight comfort for all players,” Senior
Product Manager Keith Duffy said.
After learning that increased platform stability,
particularly in the heel, was the main critique
from the world’s best players, FootJoy went to
work on improving stability while staying true to
the original D.N.A.’s standing for impressive
comfort combined with flexibility.
D.N.A.’s reputation for athletic comfort is
taken care of by the Helix’s use of FootJoy’s FTF
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to lock player’s feet in place.
A new NitroThin 3.0 TPU outsole lays the
foundation for a 38 percent increase in stability
on the previous D.N.A. model and is also
significantly lighter. More surface coverage
underfoot is key to achieving the company’s
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increasing width between cleat receptacles in
the heel.
The D.N.A. Helix also incorporates a TourSpec
Stretch tongue that shapes to the foot and its
ChromoSkin leather – developed by Pittards – is
soft, durable and 100 percent waterproof.
RRP: $339.95 (Boa); $299.95 (laced). Available from
September 1.
Contact: To see the range of colours available visit,
www.footjoy.com.au or call 1800 660 535.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 105
 PRO SHOP

GO WITH THE FLOW

Bioflow – the magnotherapy product of choice for elite athl
for over 25 years – has launched an Australian website to mak
easier to access the company’s silicone wristbands.
The wristbands feature ‘Central Reverse Polarity’ magnet
technology, which is designed as a non-invasive way of
improving blood circulation and reducing inflammation and pa
The website isn’t Bioflow’s only recent Australian addition
with top ranked women’s player Minjee Lee wearing the
company’s wristbands on the LPGA Tour.
“With Bioflow, I have found a great balance – a good lookin
product with fantastic benefits that is incredibly versatile to
wear,” said Lee.
RRP: $40.
Contact: For more details and to purchase go to, www.bioflowdirect

NOW THAT’S SMART

Cleveland knows every golfer would like a better short game but
doesn’t necessarily have the time to practice enough to improve.
The third generation of the company’s Smart Sole wedges aim
to deliver a better short game through technology, not hours
of practice.
Both the Smart Sole 3 S (Sand wedge) and C (Chipper) feature a
three-tiered sole design that is built for maximum forgiveness from
the variety of lies that golfer’s face during a round and optimal lofts
of 58° in the sand wedge and 42° in the chipper provide a
straightforward approach for getting the ball close to the hole.
RRP: $149.99 (steel); $159.99 (graphite).
Contact: To see the complete specifications of the Smart Sole 3 wedges
visit www clevelandgolf com au or call 1800 222 227

IT’S FINALLY TIME

After a long season of highs and lows the NRL
us and every fan will be glued to their team’s resu
better way to crow about your side’s premiership
perhaps even latest piece of silverware, than by d
team’s colours on the course with Bridgestone’s
golf equipment.
The range includes everything from 14-way ful
bags, to club logoed head covers, towels, balls, e
The NRL range includes all 16 teams, so even
having September off you can let your playing par
are keeping the faith for next year.
Contact: To see the full range and for stockists visit,
www.bridgestonegolf.com.au

106 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 SCIENTIFIC TO THE CORE
Gravity Fit founder, Professor Carolyn Richardson, has been
at the forefront of musculoskeletal research for more than
30 years.
Her knowledge and research helped develop Gravity Fit’s
Core Awareness Belt (CAB), which is designed to assist golfers,
particularly those who suffer from back pain.
The CAB teaches golfers about core muscle function to not
only improve their swing but also provide posture awareness
and assistance in relieving back pain. Spikes on the CAB give
golfers feedback when their posture is poor while the Telme
Pressure Buzzer gives golfers audible reminders to activate
their core.
PGA Tour winner Jonas Blixt has used the CAB extensively to
recover from a back injury, helping him to improve his core
control as well as increase his muscle strength and endurance.
I CAN’T HEAR YOU
RRP: $99.95 (including Telme). Whether listening to music on the range to block out noise or
Contact: For more information and to purchase call 1300 142 146 or visit, tuning in to golf podcasts on their commute, golfers can enjoy
www.gravityfit.com the comfort and sound quality of Nuheara’s award winning
IQbuds headphones.
IQbuds’ wireless design and battery life of 16 hours of
on-the-go Bluetooth streaming and 32 hours of on-the-go
hearing processing make travelling and swinging a golf club a
hassle free exercise.
A simple App and unique Tap Touch control allows IQbuds users
to simply customise their listening experience through the ability
to either drown out ambient noise or blend the listening
experience with the surrounding environment.
RRP: $399.
Contact: To find out more about the IQbuds visit, www.nuheara.com

co
fo

pr
gr
im

(C
fo
ho
RRP: $449.95.
Contact: To see the range and find y
www.cobragolf.com.au or call 1800 05

golf au 017 107

 P L AY I N G W I T H . . .
ECCO BIOM HYBRID 2 SHOES
Cost: $279. Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: As
has been common with
many of the Ecco shoes I
have seen in the past, the
Biom Hybrid 2 immediately
struck me as an extremely
functional shoe presented in
a pleasing form right out of the box.
The mix of colours and textured highlights
give the shoes a more modern appearance
than some other Ecco models I recall from
years ago.
When I first tried on the shoes, the
immediate feeling was my foot was securely
locked in place thanks to the combination of
the solid heel and silicon insole.
HOW IT PERFORMED: I am picky at the best
of times when it comes to golf shoes and each
pair faces an exacting process before I am
MODELS: The Biom Hybrid 2 is offered in a variety
of colours and a women’s version of the popular
shoe is also available.
ECCO SAYS: “Our best-selling shoe. Incorporating
an understated-yet-athletic look that transcends
THE VERDICT: Once out on the course, the Biom Hybrid 2 performed differently to any other spikeless shoe I have worn.
108 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Due to the solid base and leather upper of
the Biom Hybrid 2 this proved a wise move as
it gave the yak leather the chance to adapt to
my feet and the shoes time to soften slightly.
And thanks to the crossover style of the Biom
Hybrid 2 I had no problem wearing them away
from the course, including to the office, while
getting accustomed to them without looking
like I was running late for a tee time.
Once out on the course, the Biom Hybrid 2
performed differently to any other spikeless
shoe I have worn. The solid construction of the
sole and heel provides the most stable, solid
feeling I have experienced in a non-traditional
golf shoe. They are also lightweight and
comfortable enough to easily walk 18 holes in
the morning and not require a change of shoes
for the rest of the day.
The more I wore the shoes the more
and lightweight performance. Updated with a
thinner midsole that brings players closer to the
ground, Ecco Biom Hybrid 2 also features Biom
Natural Motion technology that mirrors the foot’s
anatomical shape, while a snug heel setting
The sizeable nubs covering the entire sole
meant I never once felt unstable when walking
or swinging the club, even in damp conditions.
And in comparison with even the latest soft
spike, the sole of the Biom Hybrid 2 didn’t
noticeably mark any greens, even during an
hour long putting session before my first
on-course wear.
With the Biom Hybrid 2, Ecco has done
a wonderful job of identifying a middle
ground between versatility and performance,
designing a golf shoe to fit perfectly in
between without a major bias one way or
the other.
The styling of the shoes make them a
perfect option for working during the day
before heading out for nine holes before dark,
while the impressive performance aspects
combined with the high levels of support and
ke the Biom Hybrid 2 a perfect
lf shoe option for a variety
a roomier forefoot area to allow
e naturally. Hyrdromax yak leather
completes the design for a shoe that never fails
on the course.”
To find out more and to view the entire Ecco
range visit, www.americangolf.com.au or phone
02 9524 8233 for stockists.
Welcome to Amateur Golf’s Most
Exciting New Championship Event
2018 GOLD COAST 6’S
AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
13-16 February 2018
RACV ROYAL PINES RESORT

Over
$15,000
in
prizes!
Days 1 & 2 - 4BBB Stableford. Day 3 - 6’s Matchplay &
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 PHOTO: JOANN DOST

110 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 Pars
Stripes
A N D

Buy your airline ticket, pack your clubs and get ready
to unleash your inner Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy or
Jason Day. Here’s a bucket list of 10 of the best public
golf courses in the USA.
WORDS ANDREW MARSHALL

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 111


CALIFORNIA – Pebble Beach
“If I had only one more round to play, I would
choose to play it at Pebble Beach. I’ve loved this
course from the first time I saw it. It’s possibly
the best in the world,” said 18-time major
champion Jack Nicklaus, and there are few
thrills in golf to match teeing off for the first
time on Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Ranked the No.1 Public Course in the US,
Pebble Beach oozes history and atmosphere,
and since opening in 1919 it has hosted some of
golf’s most prestigious tournaments, including
five US Open Championships and the annual
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Over the years, the exquisite beauty and
unique challenge of Pebble Beach has thrilled
golfers and spectators alike.
The course hugs the rugged coastline,
providing wide-open vistas, and cliff-side
fairways and greens, with crashing surf as a
backdrop. Some of the most spectacular holes
are from the 5th to the 8th, which are on the
promontory between Stillwater Cove and the
Pacific Ocean.
As you walk in the footsteps of legends, you
anticipate each and every storied hole while
recounting magical moments in golf history,
such as the par-3 17th, where Tom Watson
chipped in during the final round of his 1982
US Open win.
Is it worth the eye-watering green fee of $US
495? Yes, at least once in a lifetime.
www.pebblebeach.com
112 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach
WOLF CREEK
NEVADA – Wolf Creek
Located 77 miles north of Las Vegas at
Mesquite, this is fantasy golf at its ultimate best.
Opened in 2000, Wolf Creek’s captivating
desert design immediately drew rave reviews
and is now firmly established as one of
America’s top public courses.
There are precious few courses that can
generate a genuine sense of awe for several
holes at a stretch, and exceedingly rare is the
layout that can sustain the feeling for an entire
round. Wolf Creek is such a place.
Set high above the desert floor among
red-rock canyons, teeming waterfalls and
glistening creeks, it looks as though strips of
green velvet have been laid out on a Mars-like
landscape. After teeing off at the par-5 opening
hole it’s a roller-coaster golfing adventure
among sculpted hills and canyons with several
elevation changes and forced carries over
streams and ravines.
Developer Doug Clemetson was determined
to leave the distinctive natural landscape
in place, accepting that a number of
non-traditional golf holes would result. On the
2nd hole, for example, 90 granite steps lead
up to the tee, which is located some 11 storeys
above the fairway. The 3rd hole plays uphill to
one of the highest points on the course with
70-mile views, and the green on the par-3 11th
is an island in a sea of red rock and typical of
Wolf Creek’s dazzling visual appeal.
www.golfwolfcreek.com
SOUTH CAROLINA – Caledonia Golf &
Fish Club
Voted the “Fifth Best New Public Course
in America” upon opening its gates in 1994,
the accolades have never stopped rolling in
for Mark Strantz’s first design on the Grand
Strand, Myrtle Beach.
It feels like a journey back in time as you
head along the driveway lined with rows of
centuries-old live oaks draped with Spanish
moss to the Old South clubhouse. Often
compared to Augusta National for its exquisite
style, floral beauty, and velvety fairways and
greens, Caledonia has a sleepy ambiance that
embraces its Southern roots.
Built on the site of an old rice plantation and
overlooking the picturesque Waccamaw River,
Strantz has artfully crafted the site’s streams,
PHOTOS: EVAN SHILLER, BART KEAGY (PEBBLE BEACH); SUPPLIED X 2 (WOLF CREEK);
ponds and moss-covered oaks to create a
hugely enjoyable test of golf. Amid the scenic
backdrop of blooming flowers and colourful
shrubs are some memorable holes such as the
picturesque par-3 11th with a snaking creek to
BRIAN OAR (CALEDONIA); GETTY IMAGES X 2 (BETHPAGE).
the green, the par-4 13th that doglegs around a
giant oak tree and the wonderful closing hole.
The par-4 18th borders the Plantation’s old
rice field, and requires a precise drive that sets
up a difficult second shot - a forced carry onto
a green at the foot of the clubhouse, where its
tradition for onlookers sitting in rocking chairs
sipping their drinks, to respond appropriately
and sometimes bet on the results of player’s
shots. After your round, pull up a rocking chair
 CALEDONIA GOLF & FISH CLUB

WOLF CREEK BETHPAGE PARK – BLACK COURSE

on the clubhouse porch and enjoy a cold

beer, while taking in what must be one of
America’s most atmospheric 19th holes.
www.caledoniagolfandfishclub.com IF I HAD ONLY ONE MORE ROUND TO
NEW YORK – Bethpage Park
PLAY, I WOULD CHOOSE TO PLAY IT AT
(Black course) PEBBLE BEACH. I’VE LOVED THIS COURSE
Bethpage State Park is often referred
to as “The People’s Country Club” and is
FROM THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT.
home to five public courses including the
world-renowned Black Course, which hosted
– JACK NICKLAUS
the 2002 and 2009 US Opens and will stage
the 2024 Ryder Cup.
In the early 1930s, the Bethpage Park
Authority purchased the Lenox Hills Country
Club and other adjacent properties to build
the Bethpage State Park. Famed golf course
architect A.W. Tillinghast was commissioned
to design and oversee construction of three
new courses (Black, Red and Blue) as well as
modify the original Lenox Hills Course, which
later became the Green Course.
Due to the increased demand for golf, the
Yellow Course designed by Alfred Tull was
opened in 1958. Approximately 300,000
rounds are played annually on the five courses
at Bethpage, all of which start from the
clubhouse.
It is the Black, however, that most visiting
golfers want to play. But be wary, the Black is
a long, tough layout and it is recommended
that only low-handicap golfers play the course.
www.bethpageproshop.com

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 113

 WHISTLING STRAITS
WHISTLING STRAITS
WISCONSIN – Whistling Straits
Billionaire bathroom supplier Herb Kohler
had a dream of building a Scottish-style
links sculpted along a two-mile stretch of
Lake Michigan shoreline in Wisconsin, and
Pete Dye’s creation in 1998 exceeded his
expectations, going on to become a major
championship venue.
The course first hosted the fourth major
of the year, the PGA Championship, in 2004
when Vijay Singh was the champion, and
since then, Martin Kaymer in 2010 and most
recently Jason Day in 2015 have made up the
trio of golfers to lift the Wanamaker Trophy.
It’s a rugged, windswept layout which is
more akin to an Irish or Scottish links with
undulating fairways bordered by wispy fescue
grasses, contoured greens and roughly
1000 bunkers, which must be heading for
a world record.
There are several standout holes including
114 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
PINEHURST NO.2
two memorable shore-hugging par-3s – the 7th
(Shipwreck) and 17th (Pinched Nerve) with
spectacular views over Lake Michigan. Polls
regularly acknowledge Whistling Straits as one PINEHURST NO. 2
of America’s top-10 greatest public courses
and the exciting news for golfers is that it will IS BEST KNOWN
be home to the Ryder Cup in 2020. FOR ITS CROWNED,
UNDULATING
www.americanclubresort.com
GREENS, WHICH
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED X 4 (WHISTLING STRAITS & BANDON DUNES);
NORTH CAROLINA – Pinehurst No. 2
BRENDAN JAMES (PINEHURST); GETTY IMAGES (SAWGRASS).
This star attraction of Pinehurst Resort’s
nine courses remains one of the world’s best ARE SOME OF THE
and most celebrated golf courses. Pinehurst
No.2 has served as the site of more single golf MOST COMPLEX
championships than any course in America
and, in 2014, made history again, becoming
AND WIDELY
the first to serve as host to the US Open HAILED IN THE
and US Women’s Open Championships in
consecutive weeks. WORLD.
Opened in 1907, Pinehurst No.2 was
designed by Donald Ross, who called it “the

fairest test of championship golf I have ever
designed.” Ross was associated with the course
for nearly a half-century, improving the course
continually until his death in 1948.
Pinehurst No. 2 is best known for its
crowned, undulating greens, which are some
of the most complex and widely hailed in the
world. In March 2011, the course reopened
following a yearlong, $2.5 million restoration
by designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw,
which recaptured the course’s natural and
historic character.
Over the years, its champions have included
some of the greatest players in history
including Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Ben
Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Payne Stewart. The
course will host the US Open once again in
2024. www.pinehurst.com
FLORIDA – TPC Sawgrass
Home of the Players Championship,
BANDON DUNES
birthplace of the TPC (Tournament Players
Club) Network and backdrop to the PGA
TOUR headquarters, the TPC Sawgrass golf
course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is one of
the world’s most famous golf courses.
The Stadium Course sports one of the most
recognisable and most challenging holes on the
PGA Tour – the notorious 17th, an island green
par-3 that makes or breaks many a PGA Tour
pro’s round.
Designed by Pete and Alice Dye, the Stadium
Course was built to challenge the pros like no
other course had done before, while providing
an unprecedented experience for amateurs and
spectators at the same time.
Small, contoured greens demand a deft
touch and every hole has elements of risk and
reward, drama and excitement. The course
tests every facet of
the game and every club in the bag.
www.tpc.com/sawgrass
TPC SAWGRASS – STADIUM COURSE
BANDON DUNES
OREGON – Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Along the wild Oregon coastline amongst
massive dunes, indigenous vegetation and
hearty pines is the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
– one of the best golf destinations in America.
Golf was born on rugged, windswept land just
like this, and it’s the kind of place where you
half expect to see the golfing forefathers
in their plus-fours with a handful of
hickory clubs.
This is golf with a nod to the traditions
of the time-honoured game, a collection of
links-style courses by the sea with all the
quintessential ingredients – stunning ocean
views, towering grass dunes, rippling fairways,
fast undulating greens, natural bunkers and
ever-present winds. The natural feeling takes
you to the British Isles, but the manicured
course conditions and amenities are straight
out of America.
The story began in 1999 with the opening of
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 115
 MAUNA KEA
the first course, Bandon Dunes. The course is
perched on a bluff high above the Pacific Ocean
and designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd
who said: “It thrills me now to watch the public
playing the game as it was originally meant
to be played, on the finest links land I’ve seen
outside the British Isles.”
Sixteen years later, Bandon Dunes Golf
Resort has developed into the “No.1 Golf
Resort in North America” with all four public
18-hole courses ranked in the top 15 within the
US. The additions of Pacific Dunes, Bandon
Trails and Old Macdonald, as well as the
unique 13-hole Par-3 course, Bandon Preserve,
provides the perfect destination for keen
golfers. www.bandondunesgolf.com
HAWAII – Mauna Kea
“Mr. Rockefeller, if you allow me to build a
golf course here, this’ll be the most beautiful
hole in the world.” This was said in 1962 by
renowned course designer Robert Trent Jones
Sr., at the site of the 3rd hole to developer
Laurance S. Rockefeller as they toured the raw,
barren lava landscape that is now Mauna
Kea Resort.
The course opened in 1964 to begin the
legend of Hawaii as a golfer’s paradise. Mauna
Kea Golf Course has been ranked among the
nation’s best courses for nearly 50 years, in
part to the 265-yard signature 3rd hole, where
TROON NORTH
116 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
IT THRILLS ME NOW TO WATCH THE
PUBLIC PLAYING THE GAME AS IT WAS
ORIGINALLY MEANT TO BE PLAYED, ON
THE FINEST LINKS LAND I’VE SEEN
OUTSIDE THE BRITISH ISLES.
surging inlet waves thunder against the
rocky shoreline.
In 2007-2008, without changing the
essential character of his father’s design, Rees
Jones re-planted the championship course
with Tifeagle Bermuda grass on the greens and
Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass on the tees,
fairways and roughs. State-of-the-art irrigation
systems, liners in the bunkers, and advance
drainage improvements keep the course in top
shape and save on environmental resources.
As for play, the number of bunkers increased
to 99, overall yardages have expanded by about
200 yards from the tips, and multiple tees
challenge all levels of players.
www.PrinceResortsHawaii.com
ARIZONA – Troon North
Troon North is the essence of the desert
golf experience, with two top-notch 18-hole
layouts (Monument Course and Pinnacle
Course) stretching through natural ravines
and foothills of the high Sonoran desert, in the
shadows of Pinnacle Peak.
Both immaculately groomed courses will
challenge you with their lush green fairways
bordered by boulders, rock formations and
huge Saguaro cactus that can reach heights
of 45 feet. It’s the kind of environment where
you half expect to see the ‘Magnificent Seven’
come riding over the horizon on horseback as
you tee off.
There are some great holes at Troon North,
and none better than the Monument Course’s
3rd, aptly named ‘The Monument.’ This 564-
yard, par-5 is an intriguing hole with plenty of
risk-reward options that firstly requires you to
dodge a giant boulder anchored in the middle
of the fairway. Over the years, Troon North has
won a multitude of accolades so make sure to
add it to your bucket list of places to play in the
United States. www.troonnorthgolf.com
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED X 2
 ‹ Challenge yourself on the Championship course played by
the Legends every December
‹ Competitions open to all Handicap golfers
‹ Corporate, Social and Charity groups welcome
‹ Play and stay packages - a variety of accommodation options
within walking distance
‹ Call the Pro Shop to book - (02) 6685 6470

“I can’t believe how good the course is presented. ... This is how a golf course
should be set up. .... Byron Bay Golf Course is the best conditioned country course
that we (the Legends) play”
Peter Senior - Winner PGA Legends Tour Championship 2009, 2012 & 2013

“It’s just amazing how good the course plays and how excellent the greens are
manicured every day rain or shine. ....Byron Bay is the best country course in NSW ”
Ian Baker-Finch - Winner PGA Legends Tour Championship 2011

࠮ Ranked among the country’s top 100 public access courses ࠮ Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association
since 2011 by Golf Australia Magazine “Excellence in Golf Course Management Award” (2014) - Shaun Cross
࠮ Host of the PGA Legends Tour Championship for 10 years ࠮ Golf Course Superintendents Association Queensland
࠮ Winner of the 2011 NSW PGA Legends Pro-Am of the Year “Assistant Golf Course Superintendent Recognition Award“(2016) - Garry Kunz

Byron Bay Golf Club byronbaygolfclub www.ByronBayGolfClub.com.au | 02 6685 6470

 CLUB OF THE MONTH

Byron Bay
GOLF CLUB     ŗ 
 ŗ Ċ ŗ   

118 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia

 Byron Bay is renowned for its natural beauty and laid-back vibe, both of
which you will find at its Top-100 ranked golf course.
WORDS JIMMY EMANUEL PHOTOGRAPHY BRENDAN JAMES

A
sk anyone about Byron Bay on the
north coast of New South Wales and
they are likely to recall the beautiful
surf beaches, relaxed atmosphere or even the
famous live music scene. Ask an observant
golfer, however, and they are just as likely
to first make mention of the town’s scenic
golf course.
Located five kilometres south of Byron’s
main street, the Byron Bay Golf Club celebrated
its 60th anniversary this year, having been
conceptualised in 1957 with the current front
nine opening the following year.
The conditioning of the par-72 is among the
many reasons golfers speak so highly of the
layout and regularly return. My recent visit to
Byron Bay came after consistent heavy
downpours that were barely noticeable once I
stepped foot on the 10th tee to start my round. I
had to question whether there had been any
rain at all when my approach into the hardest
hole on the course bounced and released over
the back of the green. It was something I had to
get used to as all the putting surfaces at Byron
Bay are firm and beautifully presented. The
true rolling, quality greens are a feature of a
game at Byron and are almost without a

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 119

 blemish, thanks in part to their firmness.
It should come as no surprise that a course
maintained under the watchful eye of 2014
AGCSA Excellence in Golf Course Management
Award winner Shaun Cross is always
impeccably presented.
Cross, who head professional Greg Stewart
describes as “the most important person at the
golf club”, and his small, hardworking team are
in the final stages of a turf program that has seen
the majority of fairways and some tees
converted from Blue couch in favour of the
hardier Wintergreen couch, which offers year
round quality and consistency. At the time of
writing there was only a handful of holes
remaining to be converted.
The layout itself is a tale of two nines. The
majority of the back nine, which opened in 1983,
doesn’t have the dramatic elevation changes to
be found on the front nine. But it doesn’t lack
interesting and challenging holes that can easily
derail your round on the way to the clubhouse.
The final approach into the
par-5 18th – a scene of some
dramatic tournament finishes.
120 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Or cause big numbers early if you play the
course back-to-front like I did and the PGA
Legends Tour do when playing their year ending
Tour Championship here each December.
In addition to the winding 10th hole, which
requires an exacting tee shot to avoid the water
straight ahead and the practice fairway to the
right, the short par-3 14th is among my favourite
back nine holes.
Measuring 155 metres from the tips, clever
bunkering makes the 14th green appear smaller
than its actual size. Tall trees surround the tee
making it difficult to judge the almost constant
coastal breeze. Water and out-of-bounds come
into play on this one-shotter and, despite only
holding a short to mid-iron on the tee, walking
away with a par is always a satisfying result.
The 16th, the longest of Byron’s par-4s at 399
metres, is another of the standouts for mine.
Made to be more of a challenge since my first
visit thanks to a large pond on the right side of
the tough dogleg left. If you’re lucky enough to
find the fairway with the preferred right-to-left
tee shot, the test is far from over as judging your
approach to the green, perched high above you,
always proves difficult.
It is the original front nine at Byron Bay that
offers the most memorable holes. The founding
members, with some who doubled as course
designers, wasted no time in putting their best
foot forward with the stretch of holes from the
1st to the 4th.
The par-4 1st hole does as all good opening
holes should, giving the golfer an introduction
as to what to expect throughout the rest of the
course. The lack of fairway bunkering on the
opening hole is consistent throughout the
majority of the course and the raised green is
like many others at Byron, set at a different
height to the fairway, making distance control
and judgement crucial.
One of three hard dogleg left par-4s on the
course, the uphill 347-metre 2nd hole, asks
plenty from the tee. A right-to-left tee shot with
 A drive to the right edge of the
9th fairway will leave a long
uphill approach to the green.
Bunkers and
swales totally
surround the
elevated green
on the 18th.
the driver is ideal here, leaving a short approach
into the green. But with houses to the left and a
rare fairway bunker on the outside of the dogleg
to the right, a fairway wood or iron is a safer
play. Once you have managed to find the fairway
the second shot is again played uphill to a
visually awkward and surprisingly sloping
green that breaks more than the majority of
Byron’s greens.
The first of the par-3s on the traditional
routing comes next. Played downhill, the 3rd
plays slightly shorter than the 152 metres listed
on the card, but is not to be treated lightly.
Failing to find the correct portion of the green
can lead to long par saving putts and the bunkers
and mounding surrounding the green are
potential score destroyers, with a short miss far
more palatable than long.
Completing the memorable opening sequence
is the par-5 4th, the signature hole at Byron Bay.
Taking on the challenge from the back tees is
worth it, if only to experience the breathtaking
THE
CONDITIONING
OF THE PAR-72 IS
AMONG THE MANY
REASONS GOLFERS
SPEAK SO HIGHLY
OF THE LAYOUT
AND RETURN
REGULARLY.
view that extends all the way to the ocean over
the top of the trees that line the fairway.
A quality tee shot is required on the
538-metre hole that plays downhill and is only
reachable for the strongest of players with a rare
favourable wind at their back. Placement of your
second shot is the all-important play on this
hole, as the third shot to the large green is
fraught with danger. Water left and right
combines with three bunkers to almost
completely surround the green, which contains
three distinct sections that require a precise
wedge approach as simply finding the green
regularly results in more than two putts.
The clubhouse sits directly above the
stunning 4th green and can be seen from much
of the course. Uphill finishes to both nines make
the recently renovated clubhouse a sanctuary
on a hot summer’s day after negotiating
the incline, with the feeling enhanced when
grabbing a vantage point on the club’s
sprawling deck.
FACT FILE
THE COURSE
LOCATION: 62 Broken Head Road, Byron Bay,
NSW, 2481.
CONTACT: (02) 6685 6470.
WEBSITE: www.byronbaygolfclub.com.au
OPENED: 1958
SLOPE RAITINGS: 137 (Black men’s tees), 136
(White men’s tees), 133 (Red women’s tees).
PLAYING SURFACES: Wintergreen couch (tees
and fairways), 328 couch (greens).
COURSE SUPERINTENDENT: Shaun Cross.
PGA PROFESSIONAL: Greg Stewart.
GREEN FEES: $49 (18 holes); $29 (9 holes);
$10 (Junior).
THE CLUB
MEMBERSHIPS: Byron Bay Golf Club offers
a variety of extremely affordable membership
options based on age and offer a monthly direct
debit payment option.
Full membership is $970 for the membership
year which runs October to September and
includes unlimited social golf and no joining fee.
For golfers aged 26-30 the fee is halved to $485,
while 18-25 year olds pay $300 and players aged
15-18 just $100. Discounts also apply for those
over 80 years of age.
The club offer special membership deals with
four new members joining for the price of three
and a child of a new member joining free with
their mother or father among them.
RECIPROCAL: Northern Rivers District Golf
members receive a discounted green fee of
$15 plus the appropriate competition fees when
playing competitions at Byron Bay Golf Club and
also qualify for the ‘local’s rate’ when playing
social golf.
Byron Bay’s penultimate hole
is played from an elevated tee,
leaving all the trouble exposed.
golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 121
 G E T A W AY S
RUN TO PARADISE
Finding a more exotic location than New
Caledonia is a serious challenge. Its stunning
environment is the stuff of postcards, and
urges you to relax, recuperate and explore.
It’s a wonderful thing to know you can
escape the hustle and bustle of Australia’s
eastern cities and arrive in the French paradise
in less than three hours.
But as soon as you’ve recharged the
batteries, you simply must indulge in what’s
fast becoming a serious golfing destination.
Its four courses are surrounded by rolling
hills and forest, while two offer panoramic
ocean views.
Tina Golf Club, located just 10 minutes’ drive
from Noumea, is one of two host courses for
this year’s inaugural South Pacific Classic –
122 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
Sheraton Deva will host one
of the rounds of the South
Pacific Classic this month.
played on the Australasia PGA Legends Tour.
While the Sheraton Deva completes that
duo and is the first course in Oceania to be
designed by the world-renowned Dye Designs
PHOTOS: SUPPLIED X 3; BRENDAN JAMES (LOXTON); GETTY IMAGES
firm; responsible for TPC Sawgrass, which
annually hosts The Players Championship on
the PGA Tour.
And you won’t need to feel guilty, either, if
you’re travelling with non-golfers because New
Caledonia is sure to keep them occupied with
diving, hiking, horse riding, whale watching,
sailing and shopping on offer.
The New Caledonia Tourism website is a
great place to visit to see all that’s on offer and
organise your perfect trip.
For more information and to view the
courses, visit www.newcaledonia.travel/au
CRUISE TO THE RYDER CUP
Trendsetter Travel and Cruise Centre has
announced a luxury Paris golf cruise that
includes attendance at the exciting final
two days of the 2018 Ryder Cup at
Le Golf National.
Prior to the tournament, the tour will sail
from Paris to Normandy return and combine
three days of golf with two days of touring.
Golf will include playing the spectacularly
scenic Golf d’Etretat (pictured right) and the
Harry Colt-designed Golf de Saint Germain,
which is ranked sixth in France and has hosted
the French Open nine times.
While on the cruise, all meals and
beverages, gratuities, Wi-Fi, shore excursions,
use of an on-board fitness centre and, for
those in suites, a dedicated and highly trained
butler are included.
Golfers should not be concerned about
joining the tour with non-golfing partners as
the complimentary shore excursions ensure
that partners will be kept well entertained.
In total, guests will enjoy five rounds of
golf, coach transfers, prize money, and drinks
post golf.
For more information, including a detailed
itinerary and price list, phone (02) 9428 5900,
email david@trendsettertravel.com.au or visit
www.trendsettertravel.com.au/GC12

WHERE THE RIVER RUNS

Everyone knows about the terrific golf on
offer along the Murray River, and there
aren’t many places more scenic than
South Australia’s beautiful Riverland.
The Loxton Hotel is perfectly located at
the heart of it all. Established nearly 110
years ago, the hotel boasts 51 modern
rooms and suites and is considered one
of South Australia’s finest country pubs.
The Loxton also offers play and stay
packages together with Loxton Golf Club,
which boasts some of the best greens in
the Riverland region year round.
Packages start from $105 per person
per night (minimum two-night stay) and
include: $20 bistro food voucher, cooked
breakfast, and two rounds of golf at
Loxton and one of its many reciprocal
clubs. The offer is available through to
March 31, 2018,
For more information, a list of clubs
and to book call 1800 656 686 or visit,
www.loxtonhotel.com.au

golf australia | SEPTEMBER 2017 123

 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL 0412 327 886

G O L F H O L I DAY S

VICTORIA VICTORIA

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info@golfersresort.com.au info@golfersresort.com.au
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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

G O L F H O L I DAY S / C OAC H I N G

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 ET P L AC E
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PLEASE CONTACT
G O L F H O L I DAY S / S E R V I C E S

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prices start from US$6,290

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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

GOLF ACCESSORIES

FIND-A-BALL “you give up

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The benefits are fewer lost balls meaning fewer penalty strokes and less
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● clanging clubs
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The Find-a-Ball golf glasses come ● damaged irons
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They even come with adjustable side
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 ET P L AC E
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25 Burma Rd, Tocumwal NSW 2714
t Unique property in the heart of
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t This property is a three bedroom
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Offers from $650000
G O L F R E A L E S TAT E
More information Stephen Wood: 0419963687
LIFESTYLE LIVING OR A GREAT INVESTMENT
GYMPIE Unit 4, 25 Corella Road
Contact Janelle now to book an appointment on 0438 050 908 or email janelle.walker@century21.com.au
TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886
G O L F R E A L E S TAT E
4 Acres / 1.6 Ha
t

Magnificent surrounds with
private access and unique Golf
course outlook just minutes from
the township and Murray River. 
t
Excellent investment opportunity. -
Shire of Berrigan zoned rural village
PROPERTY 1 Bed, 1 Bath, 1 Car
PLEASE CONTACT
DAVID MULLINS
FOR YOUR
GOLF REAL ESTATE
REQUIREMENTS
0412 327 886
PRICE: $219,000 INSPECT: By appointment only
Welcome to a stress free lifestyle and
simply move in or add this to your
investment portfolio. Currently rented for
$340.00 per week - fully managed. Fully
furnished one bedroom unit has ground
level access.
Comfortable living area opens out onto a
patio with direct access to the golf course.
Well appointed kitchen has ceasarstone
benches and a large pantry. Open plan
dining and lounge room. New carpets and
appliances ensures you can move in with
nothing to do. Extra toilet is located on the
lower floor.
Upstairs bedroom has a wall full of built-in
cupboards. Access to the balcony with views
over the golf course. A separate sitting room
or office area is adjacent to the bedroom.
Bathroom has a good sized shower and
vanity unit.
Complex features: pool, gymnasium and BBQ
area. On site management ensure everything
is kept immaculate. This unit is situated right
on the Golf Course backing onto the 2nd tee.
The owner of this Villa wants it SOLD as he is
committed elsewhere.The villa will be furnished
and ready to go. I must have 24 hours notice
minimum as the villa is currently rented.
 TO ADVERTISE IN GOLFER’S MARKETPLACE CALL DAVID MULLINS ON 0412 327 886

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

Australia’s Finest CLAREMONT GOLF CLUB

■
Sandbelt Courses
6 nights accommodation
STAY & PL AY
You will be playing on this 18 hole golf course, surrounded by the
■ green fees on 5 golf courses. Includes GST
Derwent River, offering stunning views! For all details regarding the
■ cooked or continental breakfast course and amenities on offer visit: www.claremontgolf.com.au
■ also available The Rosebud House
from
$120.00 a night Victoria’s
Mornington
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You will be staying in a beautifully

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Personally tailored packages on application. the Cadbury’s Peninsula in Claremont,
Tasmania – adjacent to the golf course.
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




G O L F AC C E S S O R I E S / H O L I DAY S
This is a 4 bedroom house (3 queen,
1 double) & 2 bathrooms. Visit the Stayz
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All within 25 kilometres. For further enquiries and bookings




 


ROSEBUD MOTEL







*From $190 per person (Sun - Thurs)
1869 Point Nepean Road Rosebud West VIC 3941
T: 03 5985 2041 F: 03 5985 6626 For all bookings and enquiries please contact Gary
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M: 0411 120 221 E: jonesysgolfgetaways@yahoo.com
Price based on twin share Seasonal Adjustments Apply
 GOLF
IS GOOD E XC LU S I V E BY A N D R E W DA D D O | G O L F AU S T R A L I A C O LUMNI S T
GOLF AND THE UNBREAKABLE BOND
HOW do you know it’s been too long
between golf games?
Easy. There’s a calcified rat in your golf bag.
That same rat probably starved to death after
working its way through half your golf towel and
all of your gloves.
This happened to the same bloke who,
when he finally did play, marked his ball with an
empty sleeve of Voltarin. It’s his back, you see.
The same bloke who found a pack of Marlboro
Lights and some matches in his golf bag, but
he can’t remember the last time he actually
smoked. “Must have been on a golf course,” he
ventured. “Probably with you morons.”
For years, but not in years, three or four of us
used to get together for a few days away. We
called it Mr Mulloway and bought a trophy to
play for. It was a combination of golfing, fishing,
cards and drinking; the sort of stuff that might
end up in a Paul Kelly song. Only, instead of
being melancholy, it’s as much a celebration
of what we used to be, as it is about what
we’ve become.
Somehow we all managed to find the same
hole in our schedules for two whole nights away.
It felt like a miracle, like trying to organise your
best friends for a dinner a month away. Then it
was a matter of where. What would be the best
place for freshly-minted 50-year-olds to swap lies
and cast insults to get them through the next
long, matey hiatus?
I thought Barnbougle would be good. Or
Adelaide and those Four Reds. But the bloke
with the wonky back and towel-eating rat had
other ideas. He’s a part-time farmer now, “best
we go there,” he mused. “It’s close to pretty
much everything, but far enough away to be
130 SEPTEMBER 2017 | golf australia
near nothing.” And then. “Wait ‘til you see His paddock was perfect for pregnant sheep
it, Daddster. You’ll figure out exactly what’s we weren’t allowed to look at in case we scared
possible as soon as we drive through the gate.” the lambs out of them. It was flat and cleared
I fully expected to walk his paddock in gum and possibly not the rolling thunder I might have
boots, possibly with some kind of weapon, or at created in my mind.
the very least a 7-iron. We’d stake out a course, So that dream disappeared pretty quickly.
I thought. Like Norman or Clayton, I’d point But his place isn’t far from 13th Beach on
to folds in the land and suggest bunkers and Vicroria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a significantly
greens. Holes would present themselves from better, well-trodden golfing option. I had been
the natural ebb and flow in there once, not long after it
the land. It’d be a simple case first opened and was instantly
of mowing the middle and WE’D STAKE struck by how good time
digging the bunkers. OUT A COURSE, had been to the place. Both
Somehow, our few days of
the lads catching up, would
I THOUGHT. courses were beautiful. From
tee to green we were literally
become an odyssey. We were LIKE NORMAN out of excuses.
on the precipice of a new golf OR CLAYTON, The same couldn’t really be
course in golf coursing land.
Bah to Barnbougle. King Island
I’D POINT TO said for us. A sorry series of
stretches was a lame attempt
what? We were about FOLDS IN THE at a warm-up, and even that
to create Mulloway, what a LAND AND was punctuated with haggling
name for a course, I thought.
What a ring it has. “You
SUGGEST over handicaps.
Despite the setting, and
played Mulloway?” BUNKERS AND perfect weather, the golf was
“Whatcha doin’ this GREENS. never really about golf. I mean,
weekend? Yeah? Really? it was brilliant to play and be
Having dinner with the Queen? Sounds good, challenged at every turn. But rare moments with
but I’m playing Mulloway! I know, sucks to true best mates are about surviving the sledging
be me.” and being able to get bat to ball. It’s about being
Of course, I didn’t say any of this because it reminded of a five putt on the 16th at Metro, the
sounds like lunacy, but why else would he say “long march” at Horizons or having to see the
I’d figure out exactly what was possible? He Russian “Reloadski” after bunting another ball
knows I’m a busted golfing unit. He knows I into the boondah.
mowed a tee and a green into my backyard even It was a good reminder that often the best
though it’s only ten metres wide. For sure he’s golf offers us, is time together. Yes, good shots
aware of the calling. are great, but they’re better with a bit of history
Turns out he wasn’t. behind them.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Group.
Silhouette International Schmied AG / Autriche, faite sous licence de adidas AG © 2016 adidas AG. adidas, l’insigne du sport et le logo 3-Barres sont des marques déposées du Groupe adidas.
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ļĹĻŁ      
    
  








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ADIDAS SPORT EYEWEAR GOLF SUNGLASSES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING RETAILERS:
AUSTRALIA WIDE - COSTCO WHOLESALE: costco.com.au AUSTRALIA WIDE - FLORENTINE EYEWEAR: florentineeyewear.com.au
ACT - EVANS & McMAHON OPTOM.: 35 London Circuit, Canberra SA - THE GOGGLEMAN: 1/495 Brighton Rd, Brighton
NSW - INDIVIDUAL EYE WEAR: 13-15 Kingsway, Cronulla SA - THE GRANGE GOLF CLUB: White Sands Dr, Grange
QLD - ALLEZ SPORT: 34 Brisbane Rd, Mooloolaba TAS - SPORTSPOWER LAUNCESTON: 63 John St
QLD - CHRISTENSEN HARBISON OPTOM.: 7 Barolin St, Bundaberg VIC - SPORTSPOWER BALLARAT: 333 Gillies St
QLD - JR SUNGLASSES: 2735 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach VIC - THE EASTERN GOLF CLUB: 215 Victoria Rd, Yering
QLD - INTRAINING: 33 Park Rd, Milton NT - BILL ROBERTSON OPTOM.: 36-38 Hartley St. Alice Springs
QLD - HERON EYECARE: 147 Russell St, Toowoomba FITGOLF: fitgolf.com.au