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SLOW PLAY

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EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dennis Bruyns bruyns@icon.co.za teetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za PUBLISHER Eric Bornman eric@ballyhoomedia.co.za CREATIVE DIRECTOR Steven Macbeth FINANCIAL MANAGER Morgan Lufumpa CONTRIBUTORS Theo Bezuidenhout, Dave Edwards, Dr Rowena Thomson-Selibowitz PHOTOGRAPHY COVER: Steve Read/stevereadphoto.com INSIDE: Getty Images/ Gallo Images, Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images Ballyhoo Media Company Reg No 2007/207595/23 14 6TH Street, Parkhurst, Johannesburg South Africa, 2193 PO Box 3125, Parklands, 2121 Tel: 086 111 4626 Fax: 086 6706429 Printed by Paarl Coldset Tee to Green is published monthly

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FOLLOW THROUGH Got something to get off your chest? Have something good (or bad) to say about the paper? Any feedback is welcome so go ahead and mail us on teetogreen@ ballyhoomedia.co.za. The winning letter will receive a pair of Tag Heuer sunglasses.

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low play has been an issue for years and years now. In fact there are minutes of the R&A committee referring to the problem that date back over 100 years. And this is at all levels of the game.

It is at its worst at the elite level and despite a stroke penalty imposed by career rules man John Paramour on the young Chinese talent Tianlang Guan, it would seem the problem will not go away anytime soon. In order to clear up what happens on Tour, this is how a penalty comes to be imposed.

At each pro tournament an allocation of time for the round is made, this is then divided up and each hole allocated a time for completion.

Generally this would mean 11 or 12 minutes for a par 3, 13 minutes for a par 4 and 14 or 15 minutes for a par 5.

Consideration is taken for the course layout in terms of both of its routing and its severity. As an example a course like the Gary Player CC is allocated a relatively generous time, this mainly because of the distances between greens and the next tee.

Let us say that the first three holes are all par 4’s and 13 minutes per hole have been allocated. A group would therefore be expected to walk off the third green 39 minutes after their start time. If they are slower than that they are adjudged to be out of position and advised of the fact. If they continue to be out of position they are advised that they have been put on the clock. This means that the time each player in the group takes to play individual shots is recorded. If player does not meet the requirements on a shot for shot basis he is warned and then penalised.

So in addition to being an expert on the rules, and there to ensure that these are followed and applied correctly, officials have become time keepers.

Some years ago all infractions for slow play resulted in monetary fines for the players. In most cases this meant nothing as players were simply happy to pay the fine rather than interfere with their rhythm of play. The raising of the penalty to strokes can be very severe and costly. In the case of Tianlang Guan it nearly cost him making the cut. As an amateur there was no money involved but consider this, a pro making the cut and finishing in last money spot at the Masters earned $17,600. At the Masters the difference in money between first and second was $576,000.

Many golf clubs have set out similar guidelines for slow play with Incremental times allocated for groups to complete 5, 9, 15 and 18 holes. But in most cases these are regarded as just guidelines and penalties are seldom if ever imposed.

Not so at the old course at St Andrews. The overall time allocated for a fourball at the old course is 3 hours 56 minutes, this allowing time for players to take pictures in Hell’s Bunker, the Road Hole Bunker or on the bridge across the Swilcan Burn on the final hole. Of course it helps that

there is no stopping half way.

Refreshments come in form of a drinks cart that roams the course. Is this achievable? Comfortably so, as long as you just get on with it. Playing the course 3 years ago my group of four included a Swedish Club Professional and two very average players. Our group scores on the day were 72 for the Swede, 108 and 98 for the amateurs and 76 for me. We were the last to tee off at 5pm and finished comfortably before sundown at 8h50.

The slow play penalty is as harsh as it comes at the Old Course. First a warning and then if you remain out of position a golf cart is sent for and you are escorted from the course. Yes they throw you off – no exceptions.

Must say I can’t see that happening at our local country clubs. But maybe that is what it will take. If golfers do not have the courtesy to play without delay so that we can all finish in daylight and all enjoy the game, then maybe drastic measures are in order.

Dennis Bruyns Editor-in-Chief

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news

amateurs at the masters

Tianlang Guan, the youngest low amateur in tournament history PG

5

No meltdown this time

L

With Adam Scott’s winning putt on the second extra playoff hole at Augusta National the 2013 Masters tournament came to an end, but it was not without its moments. We take a look back at the year’s first Major.

et’s start right at the top, and deal with the newest owner of a green jacket – Adam Scott. As with every Masters winner there is a back-story, and for the Australian it was no small feat to clinch the title. Aside from his father only watching him at The Open and The Masters each year, and aside from him becoming the first Aussie to win at Augusta National, what makes it a truly great win is that just nine months ago he had a meltdown at The Open.

Last year the 34-year-old bogeyed his final four holes to hand victory to Ernie Els during the 142nd Open Championship, and yet remained gracious in defeat. “Next time – I’m sure there will be a next time – I can do a better job of it,” Scott said that day.

Well less than a year later he did as he drained that 12-footer to beat Angel Cabrera in a playoff at The

Masters 2013. At Royal Lytham and St Anne’s he was wondering where it all went wrong, and just nine months later Bubba Watson was helping him into a fairly significant jacket.

But the legacy of the 2013 Masters does not end with Scott and his record books.

Tianlang Guan became the youngest player in history to compete at The Masters. He’s possibly the best-known 14-year-old in the world right now, courtesy of his appearance at Augusta.

But, like every Masters story, it doesn’t end there. The youngster made the cut and defied all of the naysayers, proving that the expression ‘good enough is old enough’ really does ring true. Yet the history books were not done with the young Chinese player. On Saturday he became the first player in Masters history to receive a penalty for slow play. Talk about

pressure and a strange target to set a precedent with.

Key MoMeNts iN scott’s victory

Second Shot, 13th hole on Sunday:

After a great drive, Scott took an aggressive line going for the par 5 in two. His ball got to the front of the green, before spinning off and toward the hazard. However, he was fortunate when it hung up on the bank similar to the reprieve Fred Couples famously received on the 12th hole on his way to winning here in 1992. Instead of a potentially deflating bogey, Scott chipped to three feet and made birdie to keep his chances alive.

Putt at 18th hole on Sunday:

After pulling back into a tie for the lead with Angel Cabrera, Scott hit his approach to 20 feet, and knew he faced a defining moment with

his next putt. “I just told myself to go with instinct; just put it out there and hit it. Show everyone how much you want it.” Scott showed how much it meant when the putt went in and for a moment, he thought he had won the Masters.

The real celebration, however, would have to wait.

iN Scott’S bAg dRIVeR: titleist 913d3 (9.5 degree) with a Graphite design tour ad dI-8 shaft FaIRWay Wood: titleist 910F.d (15 degree) with a Rombax Pro 95 shaft IRonS: titleist 712u (2) and 710 MB (3-9) with KBS tour shafts WedGeS: titleist Vokey design SM4 (48, 54 degree) and Vokey design tVd (60 degree) with KBS tour shafts PutteR: Scotty cameron for titleist Futura X prototype Ball: titleist Pro V1

4 news on tour

HOugH takes big easy

G-MAC wins the Heritage

D

espite difficult conditions yesterday on Hilton Head Island, in South Carolina, Graeme McDowell held on to win the tournament in a one-hole playoff. Battling swirling winds and a four-shot deficit to start Sunday’s round, McDowell rallied to take a one-shot lead into the 72nd hole.

McDowell’s only bogey of the day came on the final hole of regulation, forcing a sudden death playoff. On the first hole of the playoff, he struck his approach to within 15 feet and two-putted for par and his second career victory on the PGA Tour.

“This game kicks more often than it gives you a pat on the back,” said McDowell. “It’s hard to win. I guess the weather was what the doctor ordered. I needed

that to get close to the leaders.”

McDowell, from Northern Ireland, shot a final round 69, one of only three scores in the 60s among the 70 who teed off Sunday, to finish at nine-under par (275). McDowell’s victory is largely due to his ability to scramble around the greens. He finished No. 1 in scrambling for the event, making par or better on 19 of 24 missed greens (79.17%), and

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Cayeux begins return Marc cayeux shot a threeover-par 75 in the golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open pro-am and it took as much courage as all of his nine sunshine tour titles combined.

Cayeux played 18 holes on the royal Harare golf Course he loves so much and took another step back to a distant goal of playing professional golf after a horrific motor accident in 2010. His story speaks of incredible courage after that head-on collision on a Zimbabwe road saw a police officer dead, and Cayeux’s own life in danger as he was airlifted to a Johannesburg hospital.

He used a crutch throughout his

maintained his position as the No.1 Scrambler on the PGA Tour in 2013.

In addition to his impressive scrambling statistics, McDowell also ranked inside the Top 10 this week Driving Accuracy (T5), Strokes Gained Putting (6th) and Greens in Regulation (T7). This win also propelled McDowell back into the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings (8th).

round, and got around the course on a golf cart, but those 75 shots came at a painful price. “it feels good, but the pain i go through is the hard bit,” he said, and he’s not even sure that will recede. “i’ve probably got two more operations to go and i’m hoping they will take a lot of pain from walking, and making it a whole lot easier to walk and play 18 holes.” extraordinarily, he’s had 21 operations so far. “in 17 years as a professional, i never thought it would feel good to be back in the Zimbabwe Open pro-am!” he said. “i just wish i could be competing, but i’ve got to start slowly.

Micky hough sank a 12-footer for birdie on the 18th at Observatory golf Club to clinch a playoff victory at the sunshine big easy tour’s Observatory tournament presented by stonehage. “it’s a great feeling. it hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it was good to finish with a birdie to win. it’s nice to feel like you’ve won and not been gifted it. this was that little bit of belief that you need some times to keep you going,” he said. the Zimbabwean birdied his final four holes to finish regulation play on 12-under-par and share the lead with Darryn Lloyd. the two entered a suddendeath playoff and had to repeat the 18th until a victor emerged. both players made par on the first extra trip down 18.

During the second trip Hough hit his approach from 80 metres out to 12 feet from the pin. Lloyd misjudged his approach and then chipped up to two feet for his third, which left him with a two-footer for par. it never came to that as ‘Huffy’ sank his birdie putt and clinched his maiden title.

Hough used to caddie for european tour star miguel Jimenez, and recalls a time at the 2010 french Open when Jimenez won in a playoff. He drew on that experience during his playoff on wednesday. “at the french Open i was caddying for miguel and i realised the pressure of the situation and knew that i had to deal with it. He hung in there and made a great putt to beat francesco molinari and alejandro Canizares in the playoff, and i was thinking a bit about that today. the memory helped me to just get it done,” he said.

Zim OPen win fOr rOOs after five play-off victories in his career, Jake roos didn’t need one on the final day to win the r1.65million golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open as he took the title by one stroke at royal Harare golf Club. with his 14-under-par total of 274, he edged ahead of overnight leaders Darren fichardt and italy’s francesco Laporta who shared second, while Doug mcguigan and Lindani ndwandwe shared fourth another stroke further back on 12-under-par. Jaco ahlers was fifth on 11-under. “it was a clutch final round that pulled it off for me,” said roos, who started the final day four shots behind the leaders. “it started well,

and then got a little slow in the middle when i made a bogey on the seventh. i finished strongly with birdies on 13, 15 and 16.”

His playing partner, Zimbabwean ryan Cairns, had the crowd roaring its approval as he made birdies round the turn, and then two more on 15 and 17 to move to 12-under. but a bogey on 18 saw him slip to 11-under, but still the best performance by a Zimbabwean.

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it’S irElANd for mCilroy Should world no. 2 rory mcilroy opt to participate in the 2016 rio olympics, it now appears likely he will do so under the flag of ireland.

A native of Northern ireland who previously represented ireland in competition as a youth but currently carries a british passport, mcilroy has made no qualms about feeling torn regarding which country he might represent when golf returns to the olympics in three years. however it seems that existing rules might rule and take away any choice in the matter. “i think, because rory’s history [is] of playing for ireland at amateur level and i think at World Cup level, that there may be a regulation within the olympic rules that would require him to stay with that,” explained Peter dawson, who serves as the head of golf’s ruling body the r&A. “it is quite ambiguous really but there is a rule that a player who has represented one nation at a previous world championships from certain countries, that carries with you.”

With allegiances torn between ireland and Great britain, mcilroy had earlier this year considered skipping the olympics because choosing a side might “upset too many people.” “i just think being from where we’re from, we’re placed in a very difficult position,” he said. “i feel Northern irish and obviously being from Northern ireland you have a connection to ireland and a connection to the uK. if i could and there was a Northern irish team, i’d play for Northern ireland.”

ANothEr CourSE for St ANdrEWS conSTrucTion iS finally under way at the new St Andrews international Golf Club project on the hillside at feddinch, above the home of Golf. the course, which is being developed by Scottish firm Scotia investments, and designed by tom Weiskopf’s firm, is intended to be the centrepiece of an extremely high-end private members club, with memberships believed to be on offer for a sum in excess of £50,000. the start of the build at St Andrews international marks the culmination of a more than decadelong battle over planning consents.

Planning permission for the course itself was granted by fife Council some years ago, but the plans for the clubhouse were later amended to include a spa facility and this delayed the final approval.

Amateurs at Augusta

M

ichael Weaver never imagined that his biggest competition for low amateur would be 14-yearold Tianlang Guan. Much less that Guan would be the only amateur to make the cut.

“People questioned whether or not the club was doing the right thing inviting a 14-year-old,” said Weaver.

“Those people are kind of eating crow a little bit.”

For the Cal junior and the rest of the amateur players, it was a tough 36 holes. Weaver, runner-up at last year’s U.S. Amateur, was disappointed in his play on the par 5s. He bogeyed the eighth hole both days and bogeyed the 13th hole Thursday. Weaver said Cal coach Steve Desimone constantly preaches no bogeys on par 5s.

“If you can’t do it in college, you can’t do it here,” said Weaver, who finished 8 over for the tournament after shooting 78-74. He did birdie the 18th hole, however, to give himself a nice finish on his 22nd birthday.

Florida’s T.J. Vogel, the U.S. Amateur Public Links champ, also shot 8 over while Mid-Am champ Nathan Smith finished 11 over. In four appearances at the Masters, 34-year-old Smith has yet to make the cut.

The two amateurs with the most prestigious titles – U.S. Amateur champ Steven Fox and British Am champ Alan Dunbar – fared the worst this week. Fox closed with an 81 to finish 13 over, while Dunbar managed to improve six shots on Friday with a 77. He beat only two players in the field.

Ben Crenshaw congratulates Tianlang Guan.

Guan didn’t make worse than a boGey all week But at the end of the day it was a 14 year old who earned an invite via a win in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Tianlang Guan completed his first Masters with a final round 3-over 75 to finish 12 over for the tournament and in 58th place. The 14-year-old Chinese eighth-grader added to his already extensive list of firsts in the Masters by being the low amateur in the

event, the youngest to achieve this feat in the 77 years of the tournament.

“I think the first couple rounds, I played pretty good,” said Guan, who didn’t make worse than a bogey all week. “I feel a little bit tired today.

So yeah, there’s still a lot of things to improve.

“My short game’s good but still needs to be better. My driver probably needs to be longer. Yes, I mean, everything needs to improve.”

Guan made the 36-hole cut on Friday after incurring a 1-shot penalty for slow play. He is the second winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship to finish as low amateur.

World Club ProAm for South AfriCA The announcemenT by the PGA of South Africa to host the first-ever World Club ProAm has been met with enthusiasm as countries, golf clubs, PGA professionals and amateur golfers prepare to compete for the inaugural World Club ProAm title. the tournament is set to become a highlight on the international golfing calendar with a total prize and appearance fee fund of uS $350 000 (that includes a minimum uS $1 000 appearance fee) and a unique format of 90-holes of golf played across KwaZulu-Natal’s premier championship courses. the official launch, at the 2012 Annual PGAs of Europe Congress in Portugal, received the full support of all member countries of the PGA’s of Europe. however, the initial tournament dates scheduled for

march this year had to be rescheduled to 15 – 22 february 2014 to accommodate the large number of requests from international professionals for additional time to make travelling arrangements in order to participate.

CEo of the PGA of South Africa, ivano ficalbi, said, “based on the response received to date, we believe this tournament will become the largest World Club ProAm. to make this happen the PGA of SA has enlisted the expertise of the flagship Group, who we rate as the leading sports innovators and marketing agency in the country with a number of key sporting brand achievements under the belt that include the Sharks, Proteas and world events such as the iCC Champions trophy in cricket, World Golfers Championship and soon

basketball. We are further confident that the five selected KZN championship courses and our renowned South African hospitality will bring a deserved and distinguished reputation to the inaugural launch”.

Craig Clay-Smith, managing director of the flagship Group, comments, “the uniqueness of the tournament is that with the help of stakeholders, sponsors and innovative partnerships, we have managed to structure an all inclusive package for the ProAm 4-ball that sees the club professional travelling and entering free into this event. All registered PGA club professionals are invited to enter and identify three amateur golfers with official handicaps at their home club, who will make up the entry as prescribed for their entry region.”

news 7

19th AmAteur World Golfers ChAmpionship This TournamenT was founded 19-years ago by the late sven tumba, sweden’s sporting legend who sadly passed away during 2011. it is supported by the patronage of world – class golfers, Arnold palmer, the late severiano Ballesteros and Annika sörenstam, one of the greatest female golfers of all time with a 15-year professional career who is the current honorary Advisory Board Chairperson.

iT is supporTed by The paTronage of world-class golfers, arnold palmer, The laTe severiano ballesTeros and annika sörensTam the tournament is open to all amateur golfers, over the age of 16 with an official handicap. the winners in each handicap section (0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25) represent their country in a 5-person team or alternatively they have the opportunity to enter the World Golfers invitational as a single member or as a team of 2-people.

World Golfers Championship and World Golfers invitational are played over 72 holes, stroke play, with handicap adjustments after each round, giving all a fair and equal

opportunity to become a world champion, both in the team championship and individually within each section. in full support of the event in south Africa Cleveland Golf are offering every entrant who refers another player an automatic entry into the draw to win a full set of Cleveland Clubs and bag worth over r9 000. “the support of Cleveland Golf in encouraging golfers to bring their talent to the championship by competing for a place in team south Africa further demonstrates the commitment to developing amateur golf in our country. We look forward to seeing the talent that will emerge from this year’s entries as we prepare to select our two teams that will challenge up to 50 countries at the World final in october,” said Craig Clay-smith, spokesperson for World Golf events south Africa, the sA event owners and organisers.

While World Golfers Championship is already in its 18th year, south Africa has only been competing for the past three years and in this short time has proved to be extremely competitive by finishing 11th in 2010, 9th in 2011 and a proud 3rd and 4th place finish for the two teams entered last year, plus a home victory in the 16-20 section.

Any amateur golfer over the age of 16 and with an official handicap can enter online at www.wgesa.com. for daily updates, find World Golf events sA on facebook and twitter.

Almost 10,000 entries for u.s.open Those hoping to hoist the trophy at the u.s. open later this summer will have to battle a record field of entrants in order to do so. When registration closed for the 113th u.s. open, to be played this year at merion Golf Club, a total 9,860 participants had entered, breaking the previous mark of 9,086 that registered for the 2009 u.s. open at Bethpage. each of the 50 states will be represented across a series of 111 local, 18-hole qualifiers set to take place between may 3-16. the usGA announced that it also received entries from the district of Columbia, puerto rico and 73 foreign countries. “the fact that we have a record number of entries, from across the world, is a testament to both the great appeal of the u.s. open and the historic nature and grandeur of merion Golf Club,” said usGA executive director mike davis as part of a release. to enter, players were required to have either professional status or a handicap index of 1.4 or better. once the local qualifiers conclude, the

remaining players will participate in one of 13, 36-hole sectional qualifiers: two held internationally on may 27 (one in Japan, one in england), and 11 held across the u.s. on June 3.

To enTer, players were required To have eiTher professional sTaTus or a handicap index of 1.4 or beTTer the final entry came from 45-year-old Joseph Bush earning the distinction of “last man entered.” Bush, a professional from scotch plains, n.J., turned in his entry just eight seconds before the deadline. Currently 52 players are fully exempt into the season’s second major, including a group of 11 former winners highlighted by defending champion Webb simpson.

Kenako sa World Juniors 2013 a success

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he KeNako SA World Juniors was played for the third time at the Kingswood Golf Club in George in March. Players from 16 different countries participated in the tournament. This tournament forms part of the World Junior Golf Series (WJGS) and it is a huge boost for junior golf in South Africa that the KeNako Academy was contracted to host such a prestigious event. It also forms part of the local Junior National Order of Merit.

Play-off DeciDes Boy’s Winner In the Boys Division, 14 players had started the final round within four shots off the lead and it was not long before the leaderboard started to change complexion. First it was young HP van der Merwe, an emerging talent from Boland in South Africa, who took the lead. Then Jade Buitendag, who had started the day a single shot behind the leaders at 2 under par made his move and by the time that he reached the 16th hole, he was 5 under par for his round and 7 under par for the tournament, 2 shots clear of Robert Burlison of England who had been tied with Buitendag at the start of play. The 16th hole created some drama. After bunkering his drive, Buitendag had to wedge himself out of the very penal Kingswood bunkers and was left with a long shot into the green, which he missed. He then failed to get up and down and carded a bogey 6. His playing partner Burlison seized the moment and made a birdie 4, leaving the boys tied at 6 under par with 2 holes to play. HP van der Merwe, playing in the final group, also birdied hole 16 which left him only one shot behind the leaders. Both Buitendag and Burlison parred the 17th hole and 18th holes and moved into a playoff The designated play-off hole was the par 5 10th hole which Buitenbag won.

There were other outstanding rounds played in the afternoon, none more critical than that played by

LEFT: Jade Buitendag Champion KSAWJ 2013 with Roger Wessels, Head Professional KeNako Academy RIGHT: Lara Weinstein with Sally Boon (KeNako Academy) and Erica Lefson (Tournament Director) KSAWJ Champion 2013

Jason Froneman, who was paired with Buitendag in the Team competition. Froneman played an excellent final round of 68 which allowed their South African team to come from 5 shots behind Australia with one round to play and win by 6 shots. The Australians scored a combined 147 in the final round compared to the combined 136 strokes of the South Africans.

Weinstein successfully DefenDs Lara Weinstein had entered the final round with a commanding five shot lead and looked headed for a comfortable victory. Things didn’t quite work out as expected and Lara would later admit during her television interview that after faltering she felt under extreme pressure and had to gather herself to ensure victory.

When Lara’s South African compatriot Cara Gorlei birdied the 16th hole the two girls were tied for the lead at level par. Gorlei then drove into one of the very penal fairway bunkers on the 17th hole which resulted in a dropped shot. Weinstein steadied herself and made a solid par to move back into the lead. Both girls then parred the 18th hole to leave Weinstein the winner by just one shot, a scenario that had looked most unlikely at the start of the day.

South Africa’s Bianca Theron shot an excellent 71 in her final round to move up into a tie for 3rd with Ji Sun Kang from South Korea who closed with a 74. These girls were 6 shots behind the winner.

At the official Prize Giving Dinner held at the King George Protea Hotel Golf Village, Ron Boon, Chairman of the KeNako Academy, announced that KeNako Academy has signed a new 3 year contract with the World Junior Golf Series (WJGS), so extending the KeNako SA World Juniors tournament to 2016.

8 BLAST FROM THE PAST

Early Golf Clubs

Club or society golf lies at the core of the game. More than anything, it is responsible for the ongoing growth of golf worldwide.

T

he distinction of forming the first club goes to the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith (later to be known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), who in 1744 were presented with a silver club by the Edinburgh Council for an annual competition among “Noblemen and Gentlemen from any part of Great Britain and Ireland”.

It was for this competition that the first Rules of Golf – 13 in all – were drawn up. The Edinburgh gentlemen played over the Leith Links, then the city’s principal open space. Over the years this links, used by all and sundry (and particularly the military for training), was becoming more and more crowded. So, in 1836 the Honourable Company moved from their home at Leith to Musselburgh, and then to their present home at Muirfield in 1892.

Some golfers had taken to crossing the Firth of Forth to St Andrews for more comfortable play on what was a better, if somewhat undeveloped, piece of land. Thus, some 10 years after the Edinburgh men had formed their club, some “Twenty-two noblemen and gentlemen formed The Society of St Andrews Golfers”. Originally they had 12 holes that, when played out and back, made up a round of 22 holes, with some holes sharing the same greens. They combined four of these holes quite arbitrarily, leaving a round of 18 holes, which today is the standard round of golf.

Card of the Course at Leith The golf course at leith consisted of just five holes. however, consider the length of the holes and imagine the conditions – or should i say lack of condition! – of the turf on which the game was played, and you can see that playing this course was quite a challenge. if we accept that players could at best hit a ball about 100m, the estimated par for this course would be 30 plus. a pity it did not survive to today. hole no

length before 1821

length after 1821

1

414

325

2

461

407

3

426

426

4

495

495

5

435

435

2231

2088

Total

The first known international foursome, leith links, 1681. The Duke of York (later James Vii) partnered John paterson against two english noblemen.

The firsT golf picTure Taken in america: first green of the original st. andrews course on north Broadway, Yonkers, nY. The players are, left to right, harry holbrook, a. W. kinnan, John B upham and John reid. The caddies are Warren and fred holbrook, sons of harry holbrook.

The influence of the Edinburgh gentlemen went into decline as more and more clubs adopted the Rules of the St Andrews Society, whose eventual influence spread right around the world. In 1834, when King William IV became the Society’s patron, the title changed to the ‘Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews’, which, along with the United States Golf Association, is still the joint governing body of the game.

The establishment of these clubs, however, failed to accelerate interest in the game or extend it beyond the east coast of Scotland, perhaps more because of the expense involved than a lack of desire to take up the game.

Whatever the reason, it was not until the 19th century dawned that the game began to expand, first in Scotland and England, and later in Ireland and Wales and then, with the spread of the British Empire, like a prairie fire to the rest of the world.

In 1818 the Old Manchester Club was founded on Kersal Moor and became the second oldest club outside Scotland, after Royal Blackheath. The first links course on which golf was played outside Scotland, was the Royal North Devon Golf Club at Westward Ho! Founded in1864, it now houses an

impressive museum of golfing memorabilia.

For nearly 50 years Royal Blackheath and Old Manchester remained the only established clubs in England, but in India the Calcutta Club came into being in 1829, quickly followed 13 years later by the Bombay Club. Calcutta, now Royal Calcutta, is the oldest club in the world outside Britain.

The first Continental club was formed at Pau, in Southern France, in 1856. Golf had earlier been introduced to this region in 1814, when officers of the Duke of Wellington’s army were stationed at Pau after the Battle of Orthez.

Amazingly, they had their clubs with them, and laid out a temporary course on the plain of Billere. They must have enjoyed the experience, because many years later they returned to the area to take a holiday.

In 1851 the west coast of Scotland gained its first golf course when the inhabitants of Prestwick showed a lively interest in the game. The Prestwick club was formed and in 1860 it instituted the greatest single competition in golf: the Open Championship. In those days there were just 12 holes at Prestwick and the players played three times (36 holes in all) to determine the champion golfer of the year. The first champion was Willie Park from Musselburgh. For the next 10 years the championship was dominated by ‘Old Tom’ Morris, who won four times, and his son, the legendary ‘Young Tom’ Morris, who won four times in a row.

Australia received its first taste of golf in 1871 with the opening of the Adelaide Club, while in 1885 the Cape Club, in South Africa, was formed. Both these clubs now carry the ‘royal’ prefix.

Golf in the United StateS of america For some unexplained reason, golf failed to gain a foothold in the United States when it was first tried out there in the 18th century. There is much evidence that golf courses were laid out at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1786 and at Savannah, Georgia, in 1795. But these quickly disappeared from the scene, and it was in Canada that golf took its first firm roots in North America. The oldest club is Royal Montreal, formed in the autumn of 1873, and followed two years later by the Quebec Club. In 1876, Toronto followed suit.

9 Surprisingly, when golf returned to stay in the United States, in 1888, it was from small beginnings. A Scotsman (it had to be a Scot!), John Reid, from Dunfermline, hearing that a close friend, Robert Lockart, was planning a trip to Britain, asked him to bring back some balls and clubs. Lockhart duly obliged by purchasing from the shop of Old Tom Morris in St Andrews a set of six golf clubs and two dozen balls.

Eventually a rough patch of land across Lake Avenue from the Reid’s home in Yonkers, New York, was eagerly converted into three holes.

From that day, 22 February 1888, golf was literally in full swing in the United States.

Shortly after returning from Britain with the famous clubs and balls, Mr Lockhart was arrested for hitting a golf ball about in Central Park!

Afterwards Reid and four friends, John Upham, Harry Holbrook, Kingman Putnam and Henry O Tallnadge obtained a 12 hectare site and turned it into a six-hole course.

On 14 November 1888, they formed the St Andrews Club of Yonkers, with Reid as its first president.

To mark the historic occasion they drank a toast, not to John, but to Robert Lockhart for producing the vital equipment which launched the resurrection of golf in the United States. They earned the immortal nickname, ‘The Apple Tree Gang’ when four years later they moved their course to a large apple orchard. Since their new course lacked a clubhouse, they made a habit of hanging jugs of liquid refreshment on a large

South Africa’s oldest golf club, Royal Cape GC

apple tree, which bordered the home hole.

In no time at all golf began to capture the hearts of Americans everywhere, and soon became a national pastime. There is an amusing tailpiece to this important piece of American sporting history.

Shortly after returning from Britain with the famous clubs and balls, Mr Lockhart was arrested for hitting a golf ball about in Central Park! A little later, in 1891, the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island was founded. It takes a prominent place in the chronicles of American golf by virtue of becoming the first incorporated club in the United States, and also for having built the first clubhouse deemed necessary to cater for its 44 members.

South AfriCA On 14 November 1885 a meeting was held at the Castle in Cape Town, “for the purpose of introducing the game of golf and starting a club for the same in South Africa”. This historic event marked the formal beginnings of the game in this country and the founding of the first golf club, the Cape Golf Club.

The person behind this initiative was Lt Gen Sir Henry Torrens, the officer commanding the British forces at the Cape. He had only arrived in Cape Town a few days earlier, on 5 November. A keen golfer, he was clearly not happy to find that there was no course at his new location and wasted no time in putting matters right.

That golf was played in South Africa before 1885 is undisputed.

There is clear evidence that the game was played in the Eastern Cape before that, possibly as early as 1880, and also in Natal. Golfers had even been seen in action on Rondebosch Common. But the claim of the Cape Club, now Royal Cape, to be the first is undisputed, and marks the formal beginning of golf in South Africa.

Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Kroonstad, Germiston, Paarl and Kimberley formed clubs soon after.

The expansion continued and soon the game had taken a firm hold throughout the country. There would be no looking back.

Grand Golf Tournament by Professional Players – Leith links, Scotland, May 1867

The firsT rules of Golf The earliesT surviving written your Ball, Except upon the fair Green, rules of Golf were compiled by & that only within a Club’s length of the Gentlemen Golfers of leith, your Ball. later the honourable Company of 5. If your Ball come among Watter, or edinburgh Golfers (hCeG), on 7th any wattery filth, you are at liberty to March 1744 at leith, scotland. take out your Ball & bringing it behind The competition played under the hazard and Teeing it, you may play these rules was held on 2nd April, it with any Club and allow your and involved 10 competitors Adversary a Stroke for so getting out playing over the five-hole leith your Ball. links. (These are Julian Calendar 6. If your Balls be found any where dates; the Gregorian calendar we touching one another, You are to lift the use today was not adopted by first Ball, till you play the last.

Great Britain until 1752).

7. At Holling, you are to play your Ball from 1744 to the mid-1800s, a honestly for the Hole, and, not to play number of leading golf clubs upon your Adversary's Ball, not lying in throughout the uK published your way to the Hole. their own rules. Although these 8. If you should lose your Ball, by its rules were basically the same, being taken up, or any other way, enough differences existed, such you are to go back to the Spot, where that there was no universal code you struck last, & drop another Ball, for golfers.

And allow your adversary a Stroke for instance, all codes during for the misfortune. this time had virtually identical 9. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be rules for the teeing ground, the allowed, to mark his way to the Hole action of an outside agency, and with his Club or any thing else. for changing of a ball. But for a 10. If a Ball be stopp'd by any person, lost ball, a ball in water or a Horse, Dog, or any thing else, The Ball hazard, some rules imposed a so stopp'd must be play'd where it lyes. stroke penalty, some did not; 11. If you draw your Club in order to removal of loose impediments Strike & proceed so far in the Stroke, as was allowed in some places but to be bringing down your Club; If then, not in others. your Club shall break, in any way, it is over 40 separate codes had to be Accounted a Stroke. been issued since 1744, the 12. He whose Ball lyes farthest from the most important being those of Hole is obliged to play first. the Gentlemen Golfers of leith 13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, (later hCeG) and the society of made for the preservation of the Links, st Andrews Golfers (later royal nor the Scholar's Holes or the Soldier's & Ancient).

Lines, shall be accounted a Hazard; But in the later part of the 19th the Ball is to be taken out Teed and century, most clubs tended to playd with any Iron Club. align themselves with the r&A or John Rattray, Capt the hCeG. The st Andrews and hCeG codes were extremely similar; indeed the st Andrews rules of 1812 are almost identical to, and adapted from, the hCeG version of 1809. in 1839 the hCeG adapted the st Andrews version of 1829. here are the first written rules, 13 in total. it is interesting to note how many of these rules survive in one form or another today.

And then a local rule that was added

The fifth and 13th Articles of the forgoing Laws having occasioned frequent Disputes. It is found Convenient That in all time Coming the Law shall be, That in no case Whatever a Ball shall be Lifted without losing a Stroke Except it is in the Scholars holes When it may be taken out teed and played with any Iron Club without losing a Stroke - And in all other Cases The Ball must be Played 1. You must Tee your Ball, within a Club's length of the Hole. where it lyes Except it is at least half 2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground. Covered with Water or filth When it 3. You are not to change the Ball which may if the Player Chuses be taken out you Strike off the Tee. Teed and Played with any Club upon 4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or Loosing a Stroke. any Break Club, for the sake of playing Thomas Boswall Capt

10 cover story

11

Designer golfer

He wears designer threads, has a bank balance to envy and oozes sex appeal, but Adam Scott is not just the most fashionable figure in golf. He has a burning drive to be number one in the world.

by Dennis Bruyns photo Steve Read

12 cover story

There’s a memory

that Adam Scott will never forget, when he bogeyed the last four holes at the 2012 Open Championship to lose by one stroke to Ernie Els. “Next time - I’m sure there will be a next time - I can do a better job of it,” Scott said that day.

The next time arrived sooner than anybody thought. Not even a year later Scott became the 77th Masters champion and the first Aussie to don a green jacket.

“What an incredible day,” Scott said after finally getting a chance to catch his breath. “Everything fell my way in the end and it’s amazing that it’s my destiny to be the first Aussie to win.”

Now there’s another Major memory the 32-year-old will never forget – the day he birdied the second playoff hole at the 2013 Masters to beat Angel Cabrera. Earlier on that Sunday Scott drained a 12-footer on the 18th to finish regulation play at nine-under-par for the tournament. That left Cabrera needing a birdie himself to force a playoff, but the Argentinian came to the party, hitting his seven-iron to three feet and tapping in to score, which meant for the first time two players birdied the 18th at Augusta to make it into a playoff.

“On 18, for a split second, I let myself think I could have won,” said Scott.

“Might have showed that when it went in. But you know, I got to see Angel hit an incredible shot from the scorer’s area, and then it was time to get myself ready to play some more holes.”

The first playoff hole was 18, and both players made par, so on to the 10th for the second playoff hole. Scott was pumped by the crowds, and rose to the occasion. Both payers made the green with a putt for birdie in hand, but once Cabrera’s putt died just right of the hole it fell to Scott to seal the deal. He took the line from his caddie Steve Williams and stroked the ball. And the rest is history.

“it’s amazing that it’s my destiny to be the first aussie to win.”

Less than a year after his British Open meltdown Adam Scott was standing in Butler’s Cabin at Augusta National with Bubba Watson helping him into a fairly significant green jacket.

Early lifE and CarEEr Adam Derek Scott was born in Adelaide, Australia, on July 16, 1980.

At a young age, Scott was also steeped heavily in the game of golf.

While his father, Phil, never played the Pro Tours, he was a member of the Australian PGA and, for many years, designed and manufactured golf clubs. More recently, the elder Scott has become a golf course designer. His mother, Pam, is also an active player.

Scott’s tutelage started early. He can recall hitting a golf ball around a par-three course in home-town Adelaide at the age of four. But he also was exposed to a variety of other sports. “In his primary school days a golf club was the same as a cricket bat, tennis racquet or football,” says Phil Scott. “Whatever he picked up first was good enough.” The Scott family - Phil, his wife, Pam, Adam and his younger

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cover story sister Casie - moved to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in the’80s when Phil took on the job as the first director of golf at Twin Waters Resort. It was then that Adam became more interested in golf and Phil, naturally enough, was his son’s coach.

“I tried to keep it simple and natural,” says Scott Snr. “As a golf pro I appreciated the need for solid technique, but I never tried to cloud his mind with too many technical thoughts. In my opinion, every outstanding player has great feel.

Real champions in every sport have a gut instinct for what they are doing.

At 14, I knew he had the game. Once I knew he had the game, I was certain he could go as far as he was prepared to take it. You can have all the ability in the world but it all comes down to how much you want to commit to reaching your potential.” In 1996, Scott enrolled for Year 11 at the Kooralbyn International School, near Beaudesert, south of Brisbane, specifically for its golf excellence program. The idyllic, rural environment and everyday access to superb practice and playing facilities make it a golfer’s utopia.

It was during Scott’s second year at Kooralbyn that the then 17-year-old stepped into the limelight. First, he defended his Australian junior title by beating a Victorian named Aaron Baddeley. Next, he shot a course record 62 at Los Coyotes Country Club, Los Angeles, to be leading qualifier for the US junior amateur championship. Then he became the first Australian since Steve Elkington, 15 years earlier, to win the Doug Sanders junior international in Scotland. And he finished a fabulous year with a course record 64 at Coolangatta-Tweed to take the Greg Norman Junior Masters.

The next step was to enrol him in a US college, and the University of Nevada in Las Vegas was chosen ahead of many contenders. Scott had been inundated with scholarship offers from American colleges but his parents considered their choice offered the best combined facilities for golf, education and lifestyle. At the time, Phil believed that following Steve Elkington’s example was the right way to go for elite Australians emerging from the junior ranks.

“Rightly or wrongly, I felt there was a void for players in Australia when they turned 18 and came out of junior ranks,” says Scott Snr. “That was not a criticism of the system but, as is the case in most sports, it is necessary for players to be exposed to international competition.

“Adam stayed at the University of Nevada for18 months. We wanted him to play high-quality collegiate and amateur golf in the US, and that was achieved. Just as importantly, we wanted him to learn to stand on his own two feet, which is absolutely essential if you want to get out there and play pro golf. You need to be able

15

On his way to his first tour victory in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Houghton G.C, in Johannesburg, South Africa on 21 January 2001

Tale of The Tape Born: 16/7/1980 (32) HeigHt: 6,0 BirtHplace: Adelaide, Australia current residence: Crans sur Sierre, Switzerland turned pro: 2000 numBer of tour wins: PGA Tour: 9 European Tour: 8 Asian Tour: 4 Sunshine Tour: 1 PGA Tour of Australasia: 3 major cHampionsHips: Masters Tournament: Won (2013) U.S. Open: T15 (2012) The Open Championship: 2nd (2012) PGA Championship: T3 (2006) earnings 2013 prizemoney: $2,100,469 Career prizemoney: $30,406,922

to organise your travel, hotels and meals. You need to be able to manage your time. It’s a tough game out there.” Scott joined the stable of high-profile American coach Butch Harmon in Vegas, although his father says it was a case of good fortune rather than good management.

Pro Tour Career Adam Scott turned pro in 2000, didn’t have to wait long to enjoy some success on the pro tour. He joined the European Tour in 2001 and, that same year, won his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa. The following season, he joined the U.S. Tour and began racking up victories on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2003, Scott made major headlines when he became the youngest golfer ever to win the Player’s Championship, widely considered the game’s “fifth” major.

By the late 2000s, Scott’s career seemed to know no bounds. He won the season-ending Tour Championship of the U.S. Tour in 2006, and finished third on the money list. The following season, Scott climbed to No. 3 in the rankings. Then, in 2008, he won the Byron Nelson Championship.

But struggles soon followed. Scott experienced an emotional break-up with his longtime girlfriend, broke a hand and then got sick. Eventually, these personal setbacks took their toll on his golf game. In 2009, his worst as a pro, Scott missed the cut 10 times in 24 tournaments. By the end of the year, Scott’s ranking had dropped to 76.

But Scott quickly rebounded in 2010. He began dating tennis star Anna Ivanovic that year (they have since broken up), and the success he’d experienced on the course for so much of his career returned. After tying for second at the 2011 Masters Tournament, Scott won his first World Golf Championship at the 2011 Bridgestone Invitational. At his side for the win was Stevie Williams, Tiger Woods’s former long-time caddie, whom Scott had recently hired.

And then came that devastating loss to Ernie Els at the Open Championship at Lytham after holding a comfortable lead going into the back nine. That Els comforted him by saying that Scott’s time would come, the young man was also aware of the number of really good players who go through their careers and never win a Major.

For his fellow countrymen, who still talked about Australian Greg Norman and his epic collapse at the 1996 Masters, Adam Scott’s win at the Masters was vindication. Scott, who grew up idolizing Norman and has become friends with the elder golfer in recent years, immediately realized the significance of his win, both for himself and his country.

“Part of this definitely belongs to Greg Norman,” Scott said shortly after the win, adding, “I don’t know how to digest it all at the moment, but it was incredible. I’m just so proud of myself and everyone around me who’s helped me. The list is so long.”

Scott now has homes on the Gold Coast and in Switzerland, he wears Burberry threads, a Rolex watch, has a wallet full of Mastercards and a bank balance that reads like an international telephone number. Officially, he’s won more than $30 million in prizemoney. Unofficially, sponsorship deals have yielded just as much, with plenty more to come.

On and off the course, the suave 32-year-old is a blue-chip commodity. The most fashionable figure in golf, he epitomises the upwardly mobile, global sportsman. He’s good-looking, intelligent, understated, and with a subtle sense of humour. It surfaced at the Players Championship in Florida a few years back after a newspaper ran a front-page photo of four scantily dressed teenage girls who had gone to the golf. The girls said their only reason for being there was to “stalk and ogle Adam Scott, he’s hot”. Several girls yelled out their phone numbers but Scott shrugged it off. “They looked a little too young to be giving me their phone numbers,” he quipped.

For someone at the cutting edge of professional sport, Scott is a rarity. He lives in a world apart from the rampant egos, boorish behaviour and phoniness of so many sporting superstars. Popular with his peers, he is genuinely humble with a well-balanced sense of perspective. There are those who say he is almost too nice, that he needs more “mongrel” in his game. In answer to the critics he’s been known to joke, “No more Mr Nice Guy” after a disappointing round.

Anyway “nice guys do finish first”

16 rules

Who really dropped the ball?

Was it Tiger Woods when taking a penalty drop from the hazard at the 15th at Augusta or the Masters rules committee with their later handling of the incident?

Or Tiger a day later, in not applying greater penalty on himself as some of his fellow players thought he should.

A

s always, with hindsight, we can look carefully at the whole incident, be more objective in our critique and most of all learn something we can apply in everyday play.

The facTs: The possible violation involved Woods’ play on the par-5 15th hole.

He dropped a ball in the fairway after his approach shot on 15 hit the flagstick and rolled into a water hazard. By rule, Woods should have either dropped the ball in a designated drop area near the green; on a line between the flag and where the ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard; or as close to the spot of the initial shot as possible. Woods chose the third option. He repeated his previous shot and the ball came to rest exactly pin-high, just two feet left of the pin for a tap-in bogey.

It is from this point that the figurative balls start dropping.

First an armchair viewer phones in and says Woods dropped and then played from the wrong place.

The Masters rules committee review coverage of the incident and

conclude that all is okay. Whether they only had a cursory look and did not make use of all the angles available from the broadcasters, we don’t know. Anyway, they decided to do nothing. Woods completes the round, signs his card and goes off for a post-round interview with the media.

In recounting the incident, he points out that he dropped two yards further back from where he had previously played and the reason for it.

“it was muddy and not a good spot to drop. so i went back to where i played it from, but i went two yards farther back and i tried to take two yards off the shot of what i felt i hit.”

“I went down to the drop area, that wasn’t going to be a good spot, because obviously it’s into the grain and it was a little bit wet,” he said, according to a transcript published

by ASAPsports.com. “So it was muddy and not a good spot to drop.

So I went back to where I played it from, but I went two yards farther back and I tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit.”

Armchair viewer was right, rules guys wrong, and as the rule of golf required Woods to drop the ball as

‘near as possible’ to the point from which his previous shot was played, Woods had infringed the rule – penalty two strokes. His bogey 6 should be a three-over-par 8. More so, the domino effect comes into play: he has signed for the wrong score and that carries the penalty of disqualification.

Armed with Woods’ admission, the rules committee assessed Woods a two-stroke penalty for dropping and playing from the wrong place. What about the scorecard? Until a few years ago, signing the wrong scorecard called for immediate disqualification. Now, though, on account of the high volume of meddling by viewers at home—wallto-wall HD coverage has created a legion of armchair officials—the rules committee has the option (an ambiguous one) to waive the penalty of disqualification if that player signs the scorecard without knowledge of having broken the rule, which would disqualify him or her. Ignorance of the rules now seems to be a defence.

In the expanded Decisions on the Rules of Golf, one will find a detailed explanation of when this Rule 33-7 should be applied. It would seem that the rule should only be applied in “extraordinary cases”, and this is clearly not one of those. Giving Woods a pass on this rule will create a precedent that will be exploited by players in the future.

Clearly, the committee dropped this ball in the wrong place!

Many called for Woods to disqualify himself before the round, but Woods set off to gain ground on the leaders in pursuit of his fifth green jacket.

The conversation after the round turned quickly to Woods’ drop situation. He said he never considered disqualifying himself, and said that he can live with the tournament’s competition committee decision.

Nick Faldo, a triple Masters winner, on the situation facing Woods: “He should really sit down and think about this, and the mark this will leave on his career, his legacy, everything. I think Tiger would gain massive brownie points if he stood up and said, ‘You know, you’re right, guys, I clearly have broken the rules, and I’ll walk. I’ll see you next week’.”

Notah Begay III, on accepting the decision of the rules committee: “In

rules this particular case, whether it’s the right decision or the wrong decision, it is the decision handed down by the committee, and I think that we should just respect it.”

John Cook, on what he would do in Woods’ situation: “Even if they said, ‘You can play,’ I would go slam my trunk. Ultimately, I would slam my own trunk.”

Cook on the Augusta National Golf Club rules committee: “I certainly feel the committee got confused. They decided at one point that everything was OK, then upon further review they went in another direction.”

Brad Faxon, on players knowing and understanding the Rules of Golf: “Ignorance is not an exception to the rule. We know that, and that’s the way it should be. We should know the Rules and follow the Rules.”

All the details aside, what Woods had was a chance to make a gesture that says he is not bigger than the game, that dozens of his fellow pro players have withdrawn over the years on the face of similar situations and he should too. Woods has a public relations problem. He could have made a huge dent in that by doing the right thing here.”

Asked Friday about the young Chinese amateur, Tianlang Guan, being assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play, Woods said, “Rules is rules” Yes Tiger, “Rules is rules”!

Dropping anD re-Dropping Almost every rule in the game requires one, either under penalty or not, at some time or other, to drop a ball back into play.

Hardly a round of golf is played during which a player (or one of his playing partners) does not have to drop a ball. Yet, despite being one of the basic requirements of the game, the procedures to follow when dropping are amongst the least understood – and the most abused – in golf. rule 20 sets out the situations and procedures that should be adopted when dropping a ball and the first of these covers ‘who’ and ‘how.’ a ball to be dropped must be dropped by the player himself. He shall stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and at arm’s length and drop the ball. Well, that seems simple enough, yet next time you are on the course see how ‘shoulder height’ for some players is around their waist, and then for others way up over their heads. and then there are those who insist on some Shane Warne [correct] or Muttiah Muralitharan [correct] imitation as they attempt to spin the ball into place.

Procedures and Guidelines • The rules generally set out the spot or space in which the ball must be dropped. These are usually within one or two club lengths of, or ‘as near as possible’ to, a specific point defined by the relevant rule.

• If the ball touches the player or his equipment it shall be dropped again without penalty.

• Any club in the player’s bag may be used when measuring. However, the player must continue to use the same club for all measuring in a given situation. This applies once the relief position has been determined.

• It is recommended that a marker be placed at the spot of relief. it helps clear up disputes.

• When a ball is required to be dropped within one or two club lengths it is recommended that the space be marked with tees.

• When dropping into the drop zone, all that is required is that the ball strikes the ground in the drop zone, it may then roll outside the drop zone and, as long as it does not roll more than two club lengths, it is in play. in this case it can roll nearer the green.

• If, on dropping or re-dropping a ball, it is not easily recoverable, another ball may be substituted.

• A ball must be redropped without penalty if it rolls: 1. Into a hazard.

2. Out of a hazard (if the rule required

17

it to be dropped inside the hazard).

3. on to a putting green.

4. out of bounds.

5. Back into a position where interference from the condition from which relief was taken under rules 24 or 25.

6. nearer the hole.

7. More than two club lengths from where it first strikes the ground.

8. if on re-dropping it rolls again as above, it should then be placed as near as possible to where it first stuck the ground when it was dropped. it is point 7 above that is least understood. a player is taking relief from gUr and has determined the nearest point of relief, then measured out the required one club length that the rules allow him to drop within. He now drops the ball, it strikes the ground in the required area but then it rolls almost two-club lengths further way. is he required to re-drop the ball or is the ball in play? as long the place the ball has come to rest fulfils the other conditions set out above, it is now in play, as it is within two clubs of where it first hit the ground. in theory then, a player when taking a drop could end as much a three club lengths away. and when the rules allow for a two-club length drop, the ball could be in play even if it comes to rest some four club lengths from the original relief spot.

SOMERSET WEST – WESTERN CAPE Erinvale Golf Club, situated within the Erinvale Golf and Country Estate in Somerset West, is one of the Cape’s oldest and most prestigious residential golf clubs. Designed by Gary Player and opened in 1995, Erinvale is ranked in the Top 1000 Golf Clubs of the World and is consistently ranked in the Top 25 clubs in South Africa by Golf Digest and Compleat Golfer.

POSITION AVAILABLE

Director of Golf (Incorporating the following functions) • Maintain a world class golfing experience for members & guests • Apply the rules of golf, club rules & policies while building a strong relationship with members & guests • Pro Shop Retail Management including golf equipment, clothing & golf carts • Golf Lessons, coaching & club fitment • Tee time reservations, green fee collection & administration • Manage Member Competitions & Prize Giving and assist with corporate golf days & social events in conjunction with the Club’s Functions Department • Management of Pro Shop staff, starters and course marshals • Compile financial reports, budgets and forecasts Applications should be emailed to Tony Morgans, President, Erinvale Golf Club no later than Friday, 31 May, 2013. Email: tonymorgans@telkomsa.net

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19

SWING THOUGHTS

TANTRUMS

By Theo Bezuidenhout

only a matter of time before you also won a Major did more damage then good?

Whichever way you look at it Garcia has become an example of how not to behave on the golf course. How can you avoid the weight of expectations dragging your game down too? By continuously reminding yourself that whatever happened yesterday, good or bad, is in the past and that today is a new round with new and different challenges. I strongly believe that if Sergio had someone to remind him of this he would be a much different player, and who knows even a Major winner?

T

ype the words, Sergio Garcia Tantrum, into a YouTube search bar and you will be greeted by Sergio in various states of emotional distress and exhibiting a wide range of emotional reactions.

There is the clip with El Nino attacking a bunker, the one where he throw-kicks his shoe into the crowd, one where he kills a microphone at the US Open and one of my favourites, the one where he throws a club into the water using a very proficient wrist-flick.

Although these clips have been posted for their humorous content it is quite sad that one of the players that was supposed to lead the charge of the light brigade against Tiger has fallen so far. Not only in his game but also in the psychological side of his golf.

In this month’s Swing Thoughts we ask the question: has Sergio’s emotional reactions on the course led to his fall from competitiveness and is this what has ultimately kept him from winning a Major?

EXPECTATIONS Firstly, I believe Garcia’s temper tantrums were caused as much by his

expectations of himself as the expectations of others. At the stage that Garcia burst onto the scene Spain was searching for the heir apparent to Olazabal and Ballesteros and boy did he ever look like the Crown Prince.

In fact he shot the lowest amateur total at the 1999 Masters and subsequently turned pro, which surprised very few in Spain or abroad. As if to allay any fears anyone may have had he backed this decision up with a win in his sixth professional outing and shortly after that was selected for the Ryder Cup. He even duked it out with the King himself at the 1999 PGA Championship and Tiger barely escaped with his tail in tact. Surely things were supposed to go from good to great from there?

Unfortunately the skipping, jumping and smiling young man circa 1999 has been replaced by a disillusioned (but wealthy) professional golfer who has been dragged down by expectations. The reasons for this are many. Maybe the weight of achieving so much so young weighed more heavily on him than we thought? Or by being reminded year after year that it was

MONKEY SAY MONKEY DO “I’m not good enough, I don’t have the thing I need to have. In 13 years I have come to the conclusion that I need to play for second or third place.” This is definitely not the kind of statement that you would expect from a proficient golfer. Much less one that has won multiple times on the PGA and European tours, but alas that’s Sergio for you. Forever breaking himself down, until there is not much left but a bad attitude and an even worse sound byte for the media.

Whether Garcia indulges in this kind of self-talk to engender sympathy or whether he truly believes it, it would be a slight understatement to say that it ain’t helping. I have never heard Tiger refer to not being able to compete or Phil Mickelson refer to his putting as pathetic. If anything, the worse the best players play, the less they refer to the struggling part of their games.

Unfortunately Sergio still has to learn this and at age 33 I am afraid he may never learn the lesson. A good piece of advice here is the age-old adage your parents used when speaking about others. If you have nothing good to say the rather keep quiet. This applies specifically where self-directed comments are concerned. Firstly, nothing good can come from knocking yourself down

and secondly nobody cares! They have their own issues to deal with on the course and in life.

So if you feel like indulging in a bit of Sergio-sledging of yourself try and remember that mamma told you there would be days like this and move on. The best thing about the worst round of golf you have ever played is the fact that by the time you get to the clubhouse it is done.

Lastly, I know that as psychologists we are often criticized for the fact that we are too concerned with positive thinking and the like and that one should be more realistic about your chances and performances. The Sergio Garcia’s of the world may sometimes even be right that they do not stand a chance.

However, the one thing I have seen in the last decade in my practice is that although realists may often be right for a while they tend to become disillusioned not only by golf but by life as well. If you doubt my comment just consider if Sergio’s “realism” has helped him achieve success. If it has not what other option do you have but to be optimistic? It can’t be worse than throwing your shoe into a crowd.

Please share your mental issues with us (teetogreen@ ballyhoomedia.co.za; we will pass it onto Theo). The WINNING LETTER will receive a Titleist glove and one dozen Titleist Pro V1s.

PROFILE: Theo Bezuidenhout is a sport psychologist in private practice and consults with golfers of all abilities and ages. His clients include top juniors, amateurs and Sunshine Tour professionals. Theo has been a columnist for Tee to Green for over seven years. He is also an ambassador for Volvo South Africa and Volvo in Golf as well as a Titleist ambassador. He has a special interest in parental involvement in sport and has also been involved with the Glacier Junior Series for the last two years as a consultant. He refuses to divulge how often he gets to work on his own golf.

UNIFORMITY PREPARATION PRECISION. PERFORMANCE IS FOR EVERY PLAYER. ER. PROVEN. COMMITMENT. CONSISTENCY. INNOVATION. THE NEW PRO V1® AND PRO V1x.™ www.titleist.co.uk

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04/04/2013 10:09

20

INSTRUCTION

By Dennis Bryuns, Illustrations Dave Edwards

POWER SOURCE

Golfers come in all shapes and sizes and, as a result when it comes to the golf swing, one size does not fit all.

I For the less flexible player, good hand action through impact creates clubhead speed.

n finding your own power source, consideration must be given to your body shape and size. You cannot expect a player with a body shape similar to South Africa’s great prop forward, Os du Randt, to have the same swing as lock forward Andries Bekker. Basically there are three accepted sources of power: torso rotation, arm swing and hand action; depending on your build and flexibility you should concentrate on one of these three areas.

For those in the ‘short and stout’ body group, this tip should help: Players with short arms and limited flexibility must rely on good and active hand action through impact to create clubhead speed. Rather than trying to magically find the flexibility for a larger turn and long, wide arc, work on maximising what you have naturally.

And start with the grip. A stronger left hand grip with three knuckles showing will give you a better hinge in the wrists on the backswing, allowing for a better and more powerful unhinging of the wrists during the downswing. Also remember to grip the club as lightly as possible. The lighter your grip pressure the more active your hands will be. And, finally, check the grips on your clubs – for better hand action the thinner the grip, the better.

Typical examples of this type of player, who use this type of action, are Craig Stadler and our own Hennie Otto.

Use a strong left-hand grip with light grip pressure

21 PULL OUT AND KEEP

THE LOB SHOT

There are times when the only shot on offer is the high, softlanding lob shot.

I

Result: a high ball flight landing softly on the green.

Feet aligned well left.

Clubface aimed to the right.

Ball forward in stance.

YES, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PHIL MICKELSON FLOP

have often recommended to average golfers to avoid the lob shot whenever they can.

My principle for short shots is minimum air time and maximum ground time. Unfortunately the time comes when the basic chip and run is not an option, so you need the lob shot in your shortgame arsenal.

You find yourself roughly 30m from the green, there’s a bunker between you and the pin and there is very little room to roll the ball. A regular pitch with a wedge won’t stop quickly enough and a chip and run is out of the question. The only option is the lob, which flies high and lands softly. Yes, we are talking about the Phil Mickelson flop.

The set-up is similar to a bunker explosion. Open your stance with your feet aiming well left of the target. Lay the clubface open, almost aiming it to the right of the target. The ball must be positioned forward in the stance. And now the tough part: make a long, slow swing along the line of your feet, allowing the clubface to slip under the ball – all the while keeping the face open throughout the shot.

This shot takes lots of practice, not only to get the swing technique right, but to begin to accurately gauge how far the ball will travel.

And, if you must, a lob wedge, either with 58 or 60 degrees of loft, is the club of choice.

22 selwyn nathan

23

Nate – a golf maN through aNd through Selwyn Nathan known to his friends quite simply as ‘Nate’ has guided the Sunshine tour to undreamed of heights over the last few years. for Nate this has been a labour of love that started 50 years ago when he first started playing golf. Selwyn was recently honoured with the 2012 Contribution to golf award by the Compleat golfer magazine. Dennis Bruyns, who himself first played golf with Nate all those 50 years ago spoke to him of his years in the sports business and his special love for golf.

Q

Why golf?

Most people from our age group were introduced to the game by their father.

This was not the case with me. My dad didn’t play but my brother did. And as we lived right across the road from Observatory Golf Club he would take me with him to practice and soon I started playing myself. I must have been no more than 10 at the time. I remember the clubs he had – a set of Tommy Bolt irons and woods.

Where were you at school, was it nearby?

Observatory East Primary and then at Athlone Boys High which is just further down the road. What is interesting is that the late Vin Baker’s mom was working at the club and we would leave school early to get in some golf in the afternoon. She never said anything, though she must have known. I guess it was okay in that she knew we were safe on the golf course and not getting into any trouble. Vin was a great all round sportsman and of course an excellent golfer winning here in South Africa as well as in England. Had some off course problems though. He went to Jeppe Boys High.

Did you play any other sports?

In the early years at primary school I was quite good at soccer but my passion was always for golf. I gave up an area soccer trial for golf when we all went down to Cape Town for the golf Junior Interprovincial in the mid 60’s. As you no doubt remember all the Transvaal teams travelled down by train, it was great fun. Those early days were amazing. We had a fantastic junior programme at Observatory. There was always something to play in. For every senior event at the club a corresponding junior tournament was held.

What followed?

I was never too good at school and left in my teens to take up a trade and qualified as an ‘Auto Electrician’. I divided my time between golf and the trade but as I have said I loved to play golf.

I remember you having a passion for fast cars, still do I think.

You’re right, my first car was an MGB GT and Derek Pawley another junior from the club and I drove down to Port Elizabeth in it to play in the junior tournaments there towards the end of the 60’s. It was my last year as a junior.

I remember you and I getting up to mischief that week. It was all quite innocent really. But as you say I have always had a passion for fast cars and still do. After playing junior golf I became an apprentice to Brian Henning firstly in Cape Town at King David and later here in Joburg when he moved to Killarney. So other than the years of junior golf I played very little

competitive amateur golf. But what I wanted to do was play and I believed I was good enough so as soon as I could I went overseas to play in Europe. There were a few of us young players –Dale Hayes, Brian Ferreira, Gary Baleson and Vin baker. I lasted a few years but soon realised I was not good enough. But I don’t regret the time at all. It was great and I made a lot of lifetime friends in those years.

Having tried my luck overseas and not succeed I came back and went into the family business- Diesel Engine Services. I remained in the business till about 1977.

What happened with your golf?

Did you put it on hold?

Not at all, I still loved to play only not as a professional. I applied for reinstatement as an amateur and continued to play social golf. I say social but in many ways it was more competitive than before. I have always loved to lay a wager or two, be it in the casino, at the horses and certainly on the golf course. So most of the golf involved a fairly high level of gambling and if I say so myself I was good at it. No good at 18 holes or more of medal play but gambling on the course seemed to bring out the best in me. I do remember playing a bit of competitive amateur golf toward the late 70’s. I managed to go to Israel for the Maccabi Games and won beating a young Jewish boy from the states – Corey Pavin.

Who would know that he would come out to South Africa a few

24 selwyn nathan sportsmen and women started getting the revenues they deserved.

Mr Johann Rupert suggested I meet up with Alan Knott-Craig of Vodacom to talk about the future of sport and promotions. We played a round of golf together and by the end of the day had struck up an understanding that led to the formation of Vodacom Sport and Entertainment. For me there was no looking back.

Golf is my passion and as a result i have made friends all around the world

ABOVE: Selwyn shares a story with Samuel L Jackson during a round at Country Club Johannesburg in March. Jackson was in South Africa to film his new movie ‘Kite’.

years later and win our own PGA Championship at the Wanderers and then go on to win the U.S. Open. Good memory that.

Funny from then on my game has remained good even with the chipping and putting problems I have and even though I played and did well in big and I mean really big gambling games but still am no good at straight medal play.

Eventually the gambling games became too big for me, although I still play just not that often. But through the golf and the people I met on the golf course other opportunities have come my way leading to some of my success in business.

You are a very successful self-made businessman so let’s turn from the golf playing to the business side. Where did it begin and how did it take you to where you are today?

It was in 1978, I took up the position of Tournament Director for the Sunshine Circuit. Brian Henning had built up the Circuit which was highly competitive and respected worldwide. But there was some conflict within the PGA between the trading interests of the Club professional and the Tour Players. The members formed a separate division within the PGA to focus on the needs of the Tour Players. Dave Proctor was the executive director but he as a club professional concentrated his efforts on the trading side. It did not work out at first – to much internal politics. After I left I went into business up at Sun City operating the Waterworld up there. I came down and joined you at the PGA but it really wasn’t enough for me.

At the time an opportunity presented itself to join Sam Feldman and his wife Hazel in their business Showtime International. Sam was handling the sporting side, the core of which was the Million Dollar at Sun City. I joined him and we continued with the Million Dollar and expanded with two other main Sunshine Tour events – the Goodyear Classic and the Trustbank Tournament of Champions. We also became involved with motor racing promotions. And this is how I met Bernie Ecclestone. Southern Suns were the main sponsor of motor sport at the time.

When Sam and I dissolved our partnership I stayed on at the track. And it was at this time in the 90’s that Vodacom entered the picture and changed the face of sports sponsorship in South Africa. For the first time sports and

How did you become involved with the World Cup Through my Vodacom link. At first I was on advisory boards looking after Vodacom’s interest. But it soon grew from there. I ended up on a four man board that took responsibility for the bid proposal.

On the board were Danny Jordaan, Tokyo Sexwale, and Irvin Khoza. I had known Irvin from way back in the Observatory days when he often caddied for Harold Henning. The people involved were the smartest I have ever found in sport. I remember remarking very early on that FIFA would make the money and South Africa would get the experience. And what an experience it was.

And once again I made great friends in government here and sport worldwide. So by the time the World Cup was over I had had my experience in motor racing and in soccer at the highest level and of course all along the way in golf. So when Gareth Tindall left the Southern African Tour I simply expanded my portfolio, as I was already the Deputy Chairman at the time. It was only natural for me to gravitate back to the game. Almost full circle you might say.

Golf is my passion and as a result I have made friends all around the world. I have been lucky to know Johann Rupert and am grateful for the opportunities he has given me over the years. Golf is a very lucky sport to have access to such dedicated and influential people, who care and guide the game with no hint of reward.

And still playing now 50 years on Indeed, I recently had the privilege of playing at Augusta. I was about three over for the round and Johann took us to play at Seminole. Played two rounds there and am sure I took more than 200 shots to get round.

And what now for Nate?

Golf has given me the opportunity to give back. As we know golf raises huge amounts annually for charity. I am a Patron for Feed SA and Chairman of Women and Men Against Child Abuse. On the golf side it is now up to me to find the right person to take the Tour into the future. I am 63 years of age, so I still have some time to find the right person. The person will need to have a genuine passion for golf.

WOODHILL

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GOLFING DESTINATION Woodhill holds its head high in the prestigious world of golf. It is ranked in the top 100 courses in South Africa. The Club House is the focal point of the estate and golf course. It overlooks the 9th and 18th greens and has a panoramic view over the estate and course.

Woodhill prides itself on being the golfing destination of choice for corporate membership. We tailor our packages to corporate clients, offering preferential bookings on an online booking system, free annual golf days, prepaid green fees and a modern and fully-equipped Pro Shop.

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2013/05/10 12:03:29 PM

26

HEALTHY GOLF

YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN

By Dr Rowena Thomson-Selibowitz

WINNING LETTER

best to focus on lighter, smaller meals that are nutritionally dense. Starchy and sugary foods tend to spike your blood glucose levels quickly and then shortly after that, one experiences a drop in blood sugar levels that may hinder your game after lunch by making you less focused and energetic. I would suggest you consider a fresh salad with lean protein like fish or chicken as a healthier alternative to a hamburger or starchy meal. Your game will improve after lunch and your heart will thank you too.

Please can you help me with something healthy I can eat on the golf course to help me keep my energy levels up. I see myself as a fit person, cycling and gymming but I find myself, with this heat in Durban, losing energy and concentration on the second nine!! Is there anything you can recommend for us ladies to eat at the halfway house?

Sandy James (Umhlanga) Dear Sandy, The best and healthiest option to maintain energy levels during a golf game is to eat lean protein combined with a complex carbohydrate. Simple but good choices would be a chicken and lettuce sandwich on rye or whole wheat bread or a tuna salad. If you don’t have time for this have an apple or pear and a handful of raw almonds.

Make sure you stay hydrated by having small sips of water thoughout the game and make sure you do not eat sugary items (fizzy drinks or sweets) before or during the game as these will cause sugar spikes and ultimately sap your energy levels.

In terms of supplements to assist in maintaining energy try a Bcomplex containing additional magnesium such as Solgar Megasorb B Complex or some coenzyme Q-10 to assist in energy production in the body.

I am a diabetic and have high blood pressure but according to rules I cant take beta blockers. I love golf but this is debilitating.

Please help.

Robert van Vuuren (W-Cape) Dear Robert, It is true that beta blocker use is banned in competition however, if you need to take beta blockers for blood pressure concerns, a medical

exemption may be applied for. I suggest you speak to your doctor.

I see rugby and cricket players drinking energy drinks during breaks but never pro golfers yet I see many club golfers drinking Energade etc. Do you recommend it?

Fanie Combrink (Pretoria) Dear Fanie, Sports drinks are usually high in electrolytes and some also contain a high amount of sugar. Usually electrolytes are needed when one has had a particularly long and physically exhausting game and when you may have lost a lot of fluids and salts (electrolytes) due to perspiration. I think if you would like to drink an energy drink, remember that not all energy drinks are created equal. Try and avoid drinks filled with preservatives, colourants, high fructose corn starch, dextrose and caffeine as none of these ingredients are good for your health. If your nutrition levels are adequate some good mineral water and low GI fruit such as an pear will be all you require during your break.

I have noticed that the Tour players often eat bananas during their rounds. Is it just that they are

easy to peel and eat or are they the preferred fruit nutritionally?

Sipho Vilakazi (KZN) Dear Sipho, Aside from their obvious convenience as a snack on the Green, bananas do have nutritional merit.

Bananas are considered a relatively low GI food (51 GI) meaning that the sugars within the banana are released over a longer period of time. This means that they help to sustain energy for longer periods of time.

Bananas are also rich in potassium which may help to prevent cramping.

That said there are other fruits which are just as convenient and are actually lower in sugar than bananas such as apples and pears (both GI 38) with their skins on.

There is a standing joke about the first tee shot following the half way break being the “hamburger shot”. My game often falls apart for a few holes after half way. Is a big meal cause for a drop in performance or is this a myth? How should I handle the half way break if so?

Joe Burger (JHB) Dear Joe, Although having a lunch break is important, rather than quantity it is

What vitamin or supplement can you recommend that will avoid getting fatigued by the last few holes of the round?

Rudi van Tichelen (Bloemfontein) Dear Rudi, Fatigue and a lack of energy are a result of a combination of factors. In order to maintain one’s energy levels and focus right until the 18th hole requires a holistic approach.

Maintaining adequate blood sugar levels throughout the game is important. Ensure that you are hydrated and that nutritionally you are consuming enough (good) calories and all the vitamins and minerals you require. For this reason I recommend a good multivitamin and mineral complex such as Solgar VM 2000 as well as chromium picolinate to assist in maintaining balanced blood sugar levels. Additionally there are other nutraceuticals that help to manufacture ATP (energy) within the body such as L- Carnitine and Coenzyme Q-10 that you may wish to try.

Please remember to consult your healthcare practitioner before starting a new supplement regime.

Send though your health related queries to teetogreen@ ballyhoomedia.co.za. The WINNING LETTER will receive a Solgar Product Hamper.

28

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INstructIoN profIle Finding your own Selwyn Nathan power source & ‘Golf is my the lob shot passion’ pG

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pG

22

equIpMeNt Gear-up for those early winter tee-off times

travel Ultimate par-5s that should be on your bucket list

pG

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36 travel

ultimate par-5s

Holes that test strategy and strength longer is not always better especially when it comes to golf’s best par5’s. Dennis Bruyns explains

37

For the average player a par five is in many ways the most difficult of holes. They are the longest and the fact that the expected score for a skilled player is a five says it all. In a classic sense a par5 should take a player three shots to find the green and then two putts for a par.

And that’s fine for us mortals but these days the skilled players with a combination of athletic pow er golf swings and technically cutting edge equipment (clubs and golf balls) there are very few true three shot par 5’s left. In fact these players are so used to being able to get home in two that they feel it unfair if a course is set up in a way that in normal conditions this is not possible.

But as I have often pointed out long and tough is not always better. Risk and reward is what makes the game so much more interesting and subtle.

Therefore this month we will look at three of the best risk and reward par 5 holes in the world - two from the USA and one from South Africa.

Hole #9 – Gary Player CC In my opinion the best risk and reward par 5 in South Africa.

And this only if it is set up correctly using the right tee for the conditions prevailing and the players playing. Off the tips this hole measures 545 metres and played from there very few golfers would have a go at the green in two. It would be just a case of drive lay-up and turn the hole into a pitch and putt challenge. Bad design you might say. Give designer Gary Player some credit as the hole was originally played to a small green protected by a bunker with a small pond some 50 metres short of the green. The Cascades Hotel with its manmade forest and water features did not exist. As they were designing the new

hotel and its surrounds it became obvious that the 9th green and edge of the golf course would not blend in with the new development. And so the island green was built.

Today it looks like this is how it always was, a testament to the skill and imagination of the architects and landscapers From a golf point of view the back tee is no longer needed or indeed used. The green slopes from back to front and will receive a long iron struck high and landing soft. A 3wood coming in hot will simply not hold the green and will end in the water at the back. Ideally you want to set the hole up to leave the skilled player with just over 200 metres to the green.

Perfect for risk and reward. A good

best par 5 in south africa – yes.

Most exciting par 5 in tournament golf in south africa – definitely.

shot will set up a birdie, even an eagle chance and a mistake will find a watery grave. This means the drive must also be well placed and it is not just about length as the left side of the fairway is tree lined and only a ball finishing in the right half of the fairway will give the player a clear view of the green.

Best par 5 in South Africa – yes.

Most exciting par 5 in tournament golf in South Africa – definitely.

Hole #18 – Pebble beaCH Golf links The closing hole for any Dream 18 in America must be the 18th at Pebble Beach. There is just something about this hole that makes it feel like the way a golf course should end.

The teeing area is fantastic, right on the ocean’s edge giving you a clear view of the Pacific as it winds all the way up the left of the fairway to the green. The drive has all of the strategic merits of a classic

Hole #9 – Gary Player CC

38 travel seaside hole, with the Pacific Ocean taking the concept to a whole new level. The further left you hit your tee shot, the shorter the shot into the green (which is reachable in two).

The safer play to the right turns this into a three shot hole. For those who try to keep the option of going for the green in two in play, but take a safer line, two trees in the middle of the fairway become a factor.

As a two shot hole, the strategic merit is unmatched off the tee with anything left being in the Pacific, and anything right killing any chance of reaching the green in two.

Assuming you find the fairway, the second shot needs to stay right of the Pacific, but left of the front right greenside bunker as well as a specimen tree that is just to the right, and short, of the bunker.

As a three shot hole, the 140 yard long bunker on the left of the fairway (as well as the Pacific Ocean) must be factored into the lay-up, as does the ‘out of bounds’ on the right. From the proper layup position, the lip of the front right bunker obscures most of the right side of the green, and the ocean still protects the left side. Also, the tree just short and to the right of the green will cause problems for any layups that were too conservative in favouring the right side.

Only the 13th at Augusta is in the same class as the 18th at Pebble in terms of strategy and beauty.

there is just something about this hole that makes it feel like the way a golf course should end

Hole #18 – Pebble Beach Golf Links (and above)

Hole #13 - AugustA NAtioNAl golf Club This is what happens when one of the most strategic par 5s in the world is combined with one of the most picturesque settings in the world.

This hole has options everywhere and beauty everywhere. The tee shot is hit over a large section of Rae’s Creek to a fairway that slopes from right to left with a small creek guarding the inside of the dogleg to the left. The perfect tee shot is long with a draw, but if it doesn’t draw, the shot will run through the fairway into the trees at the outside of the dogleg, eliminating the option of going for the green in two.

Over-cook the draw and it will hook into the creek on the left (or trees and azaleas to the left of the creek). Ask Ernie Els what it is like there as he hit it deep into this area a few years back in the Masters. A well placed drive will almost certainly have a side-hill lie favouring a hook for a shot into the green that favours a fade over the creek.

And if you get it in the right place on the fairway and then carry the creek and make it onto the green you still have to deal with another of Augusta’s severely sloping greens.

But as you do all this you and if you are playing in the spring you can take the time to enjoy the Azaleas, the Apple Blossom trees and Georgia Pines. Possibly the most beautiful parkland golf hole in the entire world.

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Possibly the most beautiful parkland golf hole in the entire world Hole #13 - Augusta National Golf Club

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40

humour Illustration Dave Edwards

The lady’s tee It was a sunny Saturday morning on the local public golf course as a player was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualising his upcoming shot, when a voice came over the clubhouse public address system, loud and clear: “WOULD THE GENTLEMAN ON THE WOMAN’S TEE BACK UP TO THE MEN’S TEE PLEASE.” Deep in his routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption, the player continued to get ready to hit.

Again the announcement rang out

even louder: “Would the MAN on the WOMEN’S tee kindly back up to the Men’s Tee.” The player simply ignored the request and kept concentrating when, once more, the man yelled: “Would the man on the woman’s tee back up to the men’s tee, PLEASE.” The player finally stopped, turned, looked through the clubhouse window directly at the person with the microphone and shouted back: “Would the person in the clubhouse kindly stop shouting and let me play my second shot.”

The cAdGe every time Peter, the man next door, headed toward Paul’s house, Paul knew he was coming to borrow something; he was always doing so and it was driving him mad.

“Peter won’t get away with it this time,” muttered Paul to liz, his wife, “watch this.” “er, i wonder if you’d be using your hedge trimmer this morning?” asked Paul the neighbour.

“Crikey, i’m terribly sorry,” said Paul with a smug look, “but the fact of the matter is, i’ll be using it all day.” “in that case,” smiled Peter, “you won’t be using your golf clubs, mind if i borrow them?”

New rules for seNiors A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and placed on the fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled into the rough with no penalty. The senior should not be penalized for tall grass, which groundskeepers failed to mow.

A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit the tree. This is simply bad luck and luck has no place in a scientific game. The senior

player must estimate the distance the ball would have travelled if it had not hit the tree, and play the ball from there.

There shall be no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course and will eventually be found and pocketed by someone else, making it a stolen ball.

The player is not to compound the felony by charging himself or herself with a penalty.

If a putt passes over a hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped.

The Law of Gravity supersedes the Rules of Golf.

Putts that stop close enough to the cup that they could be blown in, may be blown in. This does not apply to balls more than three inches from the hole.

No one wants to make a travesty of the game.

There is no penalty for so-called ‘out of bounds’.

If penny-pinching golf course owners bought sufficient land, this would not occur. The senior golfer deserves an apology, not a penalty.

Advertisements claim that golf scores can be improved by purchasing new golf equipment. Since this is financially impracticable for many senior golfers, one-half stroke per hole may be subtracted for using old equipment.

The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight.

– Ben Hogan Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness.

– William Wordsworth You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives.

Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands works.

– Lee Trevino The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.

– Billy Graham I’d like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everybody would have to play from the rough, not just me.

– Seve Ballesteros Putts get real difficult the day they hand out the money.

– Lee Trevino

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