Tee to Green July 2012

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July 2012 | www.teetogreen.co.za

Tiger

tracking the Bear

Dennis Bruyns investigates Tiger’s quest to become the greatest p.10

Destination Play it as it lies Swing Thoughts Mauritius Buying a better Game p.19

p.15

Island style golfing 121246_bidvest_new_pound_tee_to_green.pdf

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1

2012/06/15

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4:09 PM

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2

EDITORIAL

A word from Big D I

t is sometime since I had a soapbox on which to stand and express my thoughts and ideas about the game.

I have always wanted to say “I’ll be back” like the terminator. Well, Bruyns is back and as I grow older I find I am becoming less and less tolerable. Not really just that I feel years and years of experience does have its place.

And this is not to say that I know it all. This ancient game of golf has so much to it that nobody leans it all even in a lifetime. But I like to think I have learned a thing or two.

I hope also that you will find this issue of Tee to Green enjoyable, with some food for thought. As always the content is aimed at you the golfer so please feel free to let us know what you would like to see in the publication.

Even though I come from a professional golf background and have played competitive golf for almost 50 years now I am passionate about the fact that for most golfers, golf is a game. And a game we want to have fun at. This is not to say it must be made too easy, we all want a challenge but it must be fair and give us a chance of success. Directors of golf clubs and the people responsible for setting up the course each day have a huge responsibility to the game. How the course is presented will in many cases determine how it is enjoyed. A course set up with care and consideration can add to the enjoyment of all players on the day. Unfortunately the opposite is also true and therefore the importance getting it right.

Consideration should be taken of the following

Teeing Ground • In theory if a hole plays a drive and 7 iron for a average amateur golfers it should also play similarly for a ladies and seniors off their respective tees.

• Take into account the design of the hole and adapt it to the standard of the field for the day. Always consider the length of shot to the green. As an example, a small, raised tabletop type green designed to accept a short iron shot (8, 9 or wedge) well set up the tee accordingly so a good drive will leave the average player with that length of shot into the green.

• Consideration must be given to the field for the day.

Is it a charity golf day with one time a year players, a corporate golf day or a regular club day.

• Remember the rules provide for a two club length area back from the markers that players may tee up in. This means that the tee markers should never be placed less than two club lengths from the back edge of the tee. It is recommended that an extra club length (3 in all) be provided to allow for a player’s stance.

• If the design of the hole requires players to carry over thick rough or water make sure that the markers are placed in a position where all the field can make the carry • Remember the average player will carry the ball only 180 metres through the air with a driver.

• If you have a full field of players (120 to 144) with a two tee start set up the opening holes as easy as possible to let the field at least start on time and get on their way.

• The tee area should be six to seven paces wide for big

fields while five to six for smaller fields • It is practice at many clubs to have four sets of markers – championship, club, senior and ladies. Most modern courses are designed to accommodate for this setup but many of the older traditional courses were simply not. If this is the case just vary the club markers with some short, some medium and some at the back. In this way creating a balanced course at all times.

Pin Positions • Consider how the hole was designed to be played.

Know the length of the shot to the green taking into consideration the probable, conditions of the day ie wind, responsiveness of greens and quality of the turf.

• The holding nature of the greens must be taken into account. If they are firm and fast pins should not be placed too near the front of the green. Players must have a far chance to get the ball to the pin. If the hole requires a long iron or wood shot into the green the hole should be positioned deeper on the green.

• The pin should be at least four paces from the edge of the green. If the pin is close to a bunker the distance must be greater, especially if the shot is more than a pitch. Consideration should be given to allowing fair opportunity for recovery (chip or bunker shot) after a reasonably good shot that just misses the green.

• Effort should be made not to position holes within two or three paces of a very severe slope or ridge or an old hole.

• Find an area one metre around the hole that is fairly flat.

A player putting from above the hole should be able to stop a ball at the hole.

• There should be a balanced selection of holes, left, right, central. Also balance on difficulty - 6 difficult, 6 moderate, 6 easy.

Try to keep this balance year round. Too often courses are set up quite easily for normal day to day play and then when the Club Championship comes around suddenly all the tee markers are placed at the very back of the back tee boxes and the pins cut in the farthest corners of the greens. What is required is good judgement in deciding what will give fair results. Do not try to “trick up” the course.

tee to Green

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Dennis Bruyns bruyns@icon.co.za teetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za Publisher Eric Bornman eric@ballyhoomedia.co.za Art Director Tumi Sibambo Financial Manager Morgan Lufumpa Contributors Theo Bezuidenhout Dr Rowena Thomson-Selibowitz Ferdi Morris & Trevor Rebello Bairds Renaissance Published by 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

by Ballyhoo Media in association with Easygolf Publishing.

Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of either parties.

No responsibility can be accepted for errors as all information was believed to be correct at the time of going to print. Copyright subsists on all content within this publication. Any reproduction without consent from the publishers is strictly prohibited and may constitute a criminal offence.

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4

GOLF TALK

tee to Green

News, Views and Reviews International and Local

US Open Review

Ernie Els put his ninth-place finish in the weekend’s US Open into perspective as he looked back on the final stretch which saw a fourth major championship slip from his grasp.

“I wanted to try and get in a playoff,” he said, “but I didn’t hit the shots coming in, basically.” He finished with two bogeys in his final three holes to card a fourth-round two-over-par 72, and his total of four-over-par was three off Webb Simpson’s winning total.

The first of those bogeys came on the 16th, the 671-yard par-five that was the subject of so much speculation ahead of the tournament and the cause of much anguish during it.

“I just pulled that approach shot on 16,” he said. “I wasn’t meaning to go at that flag. I guess I deserved what I got. You can’t miss it left there.”

The result was his ball skittered down one of the frustrating shaved slopes that were so menacing around many of the greens. “It was a tough up-and-down from there,” he said.

And on 17, the hole which had catapulted him into contention when he eagled it in the third round, his tee shot made going for the eagle again difficult. “I missed the fairway on 17 and I guess I misread the putt.

I thought I saw my playing partner’s ball really turn and I thought mine was going to do the same. But it went straight. So that was that,” he said.

That he needed to rely on 16 and 17 to get him back into a position to challenge for the win was the result of a momentum change during his opening nine – one which he battled for the rest of the day to reverse. He had gone through the notoriously difficult opening six holes with just a single dropped shot, and then he

lit up the scoreboards with a superb eagle two on the short seventh.

Basically it was the 16th that cost him the tournament. “I played that hole four-over and I played the fourth hole four-over. So those two holes cost me the tournament,” he added.

But he also saw the positives in his performance, one which so clearly announced his return to the highest level of golf.

“I’m disappointed right now,” he said. “But I thought I was a lot calmer. I felt in control. So that’s a good sign. We’ve got two majors left and I’m going to take a nice break now and try and regroup and come back. I feel that where I was last year and where I am now, it’s a huge change. I’m contending now, I feel I have a chance, and if I eliminate those mistakes, I could win one of these things again. So I got the belief back.”

Open Quotes

Webb Simpson “You know, this is only my second US

Results

Open and so I told myself don’t get too excited, don’t try to win.”

“I never felt nerves like I did today.

A lot of times I had to hit my legs, because I couldn’t really feel them.”

“I’ve been a leaderboard watcher my whole life. But with what pressure a major brings I just didn’t think it would do any good to see where I was at.”

“If I was honest with you I believed in myself I could win a major, but maybe not so soon. And I just gained all the respect for the guys who have won multiple majors, because it’s so hard to do. The level of pressure is so much greater than a regular event.”

“One of my thoughts on the back nine was I don’t know how Tiger has won 14 of these things.”

Lee Westwood

On winning a major and more “Is not inevitable, is it. It could happen. It could happen at the PGA or at The Open, or it could not happen at all. But what control do you got?

You have to go out and play as well as possible.”

“Not just Majors, but game of golf in general, just beating myself up about it when I don’t win. It’s tough to win out here. All you can do is perform as good as possible and see what happens after that.’

“Even then somebody might perform better. So winning is fickle.

And all I’m trying to do is play as good as I can play and get into contention and see if I can finish it off and have a bit of fun doing it.”

“It’s a golf tournament. It’s the game of golf. I’ll go out and play golf for a living on the best golf courses in the world in the biggest tournaments.

It’s not a bad way to pass time.”

“After you’ve been doing it for 20 seasons out here, I think that it’s time

to relax and give yourself a break and enjoy it.”

Play the course as you find it

And to warm up for one of the longest holes in U.S. Open history – the par-5 16th at The Olympic Club, which starts in Sausalito and comes to an end in San Mateo – how about one of the shortest.

The thing is, first players had to find the tees at the 107-yard 15th.

“I didn’t know until I walked on [the teeing ground], that they were on the very front,” Adam Scott said with a laugh. “They were almost next to the 16th tee.”

A bit of an exaggeration, though not by much, because certainly USGA Executive Director Mike Davis surprised players with such a short set-up at the par-3 15th. It had been set up at 150 yards Thursday, 143 Friday and there wasn’t any reason to suspect it would be much different for Round 3. Ah, but it was, and those who played it early concede they had to do a double-take and re-check the yardage book. Then they checked it again.

“They’ve done some interesting tee positions this week,” Scott said.

“They’re mixing it up.”

Intriguing that this cozy little hole came at the 15th, just steps before players took on the challenge of a 671-yarder that was very much a beast. The diversity wasn’t lost on Scott, who gave a thumbs up to Davis’ creativity and sense of adventure.

“It’s a very fair set-up,” Scott said.

“I think they’ve done a great job here.”

It is really quite simple – play the course as you find it. There are 18 holes out there and the winner is the player who takes the fewest number of strokes to play all 18.

Selected scores

Pos

Player

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Total

Pos

Player

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Total

1

Webb Simpson

72

73

68

68

281

T2

Michael Thompson

66

75

74

67

282

T21

Tiger Woods

69

70

75

73

287

T2

Graeme McDowell

69

72

68

73

282

T38

Charl Schwartzel

73

70

74

73

290

T4

David Toms

69

70

76

68

283

T51

Branden Grace

71

74

73

75

293

T4

Padraig Harrington

74

70

71

68

283

T65

Phil Mickelson

76

71

71

78

296

T4

J Peterson

71

70

72

70

283

T4

Jason Dufner

72

71

70

70

283

MC

Louis Oosthuizen

77

72

149

T4

Jim Furyk

70

69

70

74

283

MC

Bubba Watson

78

71

149

9

Ernie Els

75

69

68

72

284

MC

Rory McIlroy

77

73

150

T10

C Wittenberg

71

77

67

70

285

T10

Retief Goosen

75

70

69

71

285

MC

Luke Donald

79

72

151

T10

J Senden

72

73

68

72

285

MC

Tim Clark

77

74

151

T10

K Chappell

74

71

68

72

285

MC

George Coetzee

78

75

153

T10

Lee Westwood

73

72

67

73

285

MC

Trevor Immelman

80

75

155

tee to Green

5

GOLF TALK

Course Statistics Hole

Yards

Par

Average

Rank

Eagles

Birdies

Pars

Bogeys

Double bogeys

Others

1

520

4

4.4978

2

0

19

228

177

27

5

2

428

4

4.3860

4

0

22

263

146

23

2

3

247

3

3.3246

6

0

33

258

149

16

0

4

438

4

4.2303

9

0

35

298

107

15

1

5

498

4

4.4518

3

0

23

234

170

28

1

6

489

4

4.5439

1

0

15

214

194

30

3

7

288

4

3.7632

17

10

167

211

57

11

0

8

200

3

3.2237

10

0

45

277

122

11

1

9

449

4

4.2610

7

0

44

262

139

9

2

Out

3557

34

36.6823

10

403

2245

1261

170

15

10

424

4

4.0855

15

0

50

329

69

5

3

11

430

4

4.1491

13

0

53

293

100

9

1

12

451

4

4.1689

12

0

51

295

95

12

3

13

199

3

3.2456

8

1

37

282

122

13

1

14

419

4

4.2083

11

1

37

297

109

11

1

15

154

3

3.0636

16

0

57

320

72

7

0

16

670

5

5.3816

5

0

36

247

142

25

6

17

522

5

4.7105

18

13

153

247

40

1

2

18

344

4

4.1491

14

0

55

296

89

14

2

In

3613

36

37.1622

15

529

2606

838

97

19

Total

7170

70

73.8445

25

932

4851

2099

267

34

Ultimate golf toy for the boy

We know that if you have a spare couple of million lying around you can splash out on a new Ferrari. But now you can have the essential golf accessories to go with it. For an extra 15 to 20 thousand rand you can get a red Ferrari Metal Wood and another 20 grand will get you the leather bag to put the driver in – all courtesy of a new collaboration between Ferrari and Cobra Puma Golf.

The leather used for the bag is the same kind used for the seats in Ferrari GT cars. All the Ferrari-Cobra Puma products will be available

internationally in July, including apparel such as polo shirts and jackets patterned after the interior of a Ferrari car.

Shoes, which are the nucleus of the Puma empire, will sell for R 4000 plus and are handcrafted in Italy with full-grain leather upper and sole. The stitching is designed after a Ferrari interior.

This isn’t the first collaboration between car companies and golf.

Carmakers have prominently associated themselves with professional golf tournaments for more than 50 years.

Buick first stepped into the golf spotlight with the Buick Open in 1958, and many other carmakers followed.

BMW, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Volvo and Mercedes Benz are among the car manufacturers who have been involved in the sponsorship of big-league golf tournaments. Are we to see the Ferrari Italian Golf Championship on the European Tour in the not too distant future Then of course your dilemma is that if you have the car and you have the trophy wife in the seat next to you, where do you put the golf bag and clubs. Easy answer – throw out the trophy wife.

There are no rules about how long or short golf holes should be. But in its Handicapping Manual, the United States Golf Association does offer these guidelines: • For men, a par-6 hole is more than 690 yards long • For women, a par-6 hole is more than 575 yards long.

• Important: Those yardages are not actual, measured yards, but, rather, a hole’s effective playing length.

Think of it this way: Say a hole has been measured off at 508 yards.

But that hole is all downhill from the tee to the green, so it plays shorter than its measured yardage. That hole’s effective playing length might only be 450 yards.

End of Drought for Fichardt

African was thrilled to finally claim his third European Tour title.

“To win is awesome,” said Fichardt.

“The last four years I’ve had injuries and missed out at the Qualifying School a couple of times, and you wonder if you’ll ever make it back. So it was amazing to get my card last year back at Q-School, and to win on my ninth start this season is a dream come true. The exemption for next season is very welcome.”

Fichardt won the 2001 Sao Paulo Brazil Open and the 2003 Qatar Masters and played in the 2000 World Cup alongside Retief Goosen, and he drew on his vast experience to see out the victory in France. He overcame a third day of high winds as well as the challenge of Simon Wakefield and Gary Lockerbie of England to claim the victory. Having started the day five shots clear of his nearest rival, Fichardt’s two-over-par round of 73 was enough to seal the victory at five under, three strokes

It’s been over nine years for Darren Fichardt, and while the Saint-Omer Open in France is not the highestprofile event, the 37-year-old South

ahead of Lockerbie, who signed for a 69, and four from Wakefield, who bogeyed the last for a 72.

Fichardt admitted there were “no

Most recreational golfers go their entire careers without ever seeing a par 6. And thank goodness for that, as if the game is not tough enough.

A Par 6 Hole not really??

By definition a par 6, or par-6 hole, is a hole that an expert golfer is expected to need six strokes to complete. Par-6 holes on golf courses are rare. A hole’s par always includes two putts, so a par 6 is one where the expert golfer is expected to hit the fairway with his tee shot, advance the ball farther up the fairway on the second and third strokes, hit the green with his fourth stroke, and then take two putts to get the ball in the hole.

6

GOLF TALK heroics” in his round, and he was just grateful to hang on for the win. “It was messy today,” he said. “It definitely wasn’t pretty. I was absolutely terrified and I was happy we didn’t have to play any more holes.

“I’ve been in the lead before going into the final round, so I was familiar with the feeling,” he said. “But this golf course has a lot of trouble, and if you try and play safe you can just end up in even more trouble, so I was happy to get the job done in the end.

“I was struggling with the lines and pace of putts on the greens, and my club selection was out today, but in the end I got it round and made a few good putts to save par.”

Justin Walters also had a good tournament in the tough conditions, carding a closing 70 to climb 19 places into a share of 11th, while Tyrone Ferreira, Michiel Bothma and Peter Karmis missed the cut.

Caddie’s attempt to hide club gets Lara disqualified

Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara was disqualified from the BMW International Open after the Spaniard’s flustered caddie attempted to hide having an extra club in his bag for the first round.

Realizing on the second hole that Lara was using 15 clubs for Thursday’s round at the Gut Larcenhof course in Pulheim, Argentine caddie Mathias Vinson tried to hide the extra club in some thick bushes.

Lara thought the bagman had taken a diversion for a “call of nature” but his playing partners, Damien McGrane and Peter Hedblom, became suspicious. Vinson then admitted to Lara that there had been 15 clubs in the bag.

John Paramor, chief referee of the European Tour, told Lara he was disqualified from the $2.5 million tournament because a player is responsible for his caddie’s actions.

Vinson was banned from caddying “indefinitely,” the tour said in a statement released Friday.

“The penalty of disqualification was imposed . . . with Paramor and tournament director David Williams believing a serious attempt to circumvent the rules was made by the caddie,” the statement said.

“Following an interview with Jose Manuel Lara, it was established that he had no prior knowledge of the

15th club in his bag, or the attempt to dispose of the 15th club.”

Lara shot a 3-under 69 but was given a two-stroke penalty for each of the holes he played with 15 clubs, making his revised score a 73.

Paramor said McGrane and Hedblom had approached Vinson after he returned from the bushes.

“He was seen entering the bush with the bag of clubs by his playing partners, who thought it was a little bit suspicious,” Paramor said. “They went and asked the chap, ‘What are you doing?’ and he sort of fumbled out an answer saying, ‘I’ve got this wrong — I’ve done something bad. I wish it hadn’t happened, etc, etc.’

“It was clear the club was out of the bag and in the bush at the time. He admitted it straightaway and regretted his action.”

Vinson had been caught in a traffic jam on his way to the course in west Germany, jogging the final three kilometers of the journey to ensure he made it in time before Lara teed off.

In his haste, he failed to notice Lara having 15 clubs in his bag.

“Hopefully we won’t have too many more of those (incidents),” said Paramor, who was the tour referee at the time of a similar incident involving former Masters champion Ian Woosnam at the 2001 British Open.

On that occasion, the Welsh player was tied for the lead on the second hole of his fourth round at Royal Lytham when he was informed by his caddie, Miles Byrne, that a spare driver had been left in the bag.

Woosnam was given a two-shot penalty, costing him the chance of a first British Open title, a first prize of $350,000 and a potential place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team.

tee to Green a better player” by giving up his amateur status.

While golf may be the same game for amateurs and professionals, the consequences of good or bad play are brought into sharper relief as a professional. “It’s still just golf, but I guess if it’s your living that’s at stake, things are different,” he said.

Frittelli, 22, played a lot of his amateur golf in South Africa with Branden Grace and George Coetzee, and, while he says he wants to follow in the footsteps of South Africa’s elder golfing statesmen Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, he acknowledges the inspiration drawn from the younger South African players currently doing so well.

“It was great to see Branden and George in the US Open last week,” he said. “I wasn’t surprised to see Branden break through this year, because he was always the guy who could make birdies, and George, well, he just keeps on going.”

Frittelli spent four years at the University of Texas, and his time there was crowned with the Byron Nelson Award, an honour he shared with Georgia Tech’s James White. The award, given by the Golf Coaches’ Association of American in conjunction with Cleveland Golf/ Srixon, honours the pair for their character, scholarship, playing record and citizenship.

He finished his college career ranked third on the final individual college rankings.

He won the 2008 South African Boys Championship and was ranked number one on both the South African Amateur rankings and South African Junior Rankings before heading to the United States on a golf scholarship. His college career was littered with accolades and awards, culminating at the NCAA Championships when he sunk a 30-foot birdie putt to win the NCAA Championships for the Texas Longhorns at Riviera Country Club two weeks ago. Through his senior year Frittelli earned First Team AllAmerican status.

“I had an amazing experience at college developing both my golf and myself and now I feel I am ready for life as a professional golfer and can’t wait to get started,” he said.

Second win for Riekus Nortje

Riekus Nortje broke records when he won the Sunshine Big Easy Tour Benoni event, marking the first time a single player has won two events – and he won them back-to-back.

“I’m having a bit of a ball at the moment. It’s a great feeling – I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this in my life before. This definitely means a lot, and I don’t think this will be the last time this will happen,” he said.

The Fancourt Foundation graduate clocked up a six-under-par tally over his 36 holes at Benoni Country Club, claiming a one-stroke victory in the R100,000 tournament presented by

Dylan Frittelli goes pro

One of the country’s top amateurs, Dylan Frittelli, who teed up in his first tournament as a professional at the BMW International Open in Cologne, Germany, will return to South Africa to play some Sunshine Tour events.

“After playing in the PGA Tour’s Q-School and the European Tour’s Q-School, I’ll definitely be coming home to see my parents and family, and I want to play in the Sunshine Tour tournaments in December and January,” he said.

Frittelli won the Freddie Tait trophy for leading amateur at the 2009 South African Open Championship, and the University of Texas senior has decided to “take the next logical step in the process of becoming

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tee to Green Stonehage.

Currently in his rookie year, the 21-year-old explained that his confidence has been much better since his maiden career victory at ERPM Golf Club three weeks ago.

He headed to Big Easy Benoni on the back of a share of 22nd at the Indo Zambia Bank Zambia Open, which was easily his best finish on the main tour this year.

“I’m sure I’ll realize what I’ve done once I get home tonight,” he said.

“This really is something, but I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing and play with the same confidence. It doesn’t change me as a person, but it’s definitely doing a lot for the way I play.”

And playing out of Fancourt certainly helped him in incredibly windy conditions on Friday. “I dealt with the wind pretty well. All-in-all I hit a lot of greens and playing the wind was definitely an advantage for me. I’ve done well in quite a few tournaments where the wind has blown,” he said.

Having represented South Africa nine times as an amateur, and now with two victories under his belt, the sky really seems to be the limit for Nortje.

7 of children in clubs. Ensure they got free lessons – on etiquette and the rules as well as technique – and make sure they got ample playing time. And let them play for free until age 18, although there would obviously have to be limits on annual intake. As for dress rules, let them wear whatever they liked. Oh, and by all means bring your mobile phones into the clubhouse, too. And feel free to use any area of the clubhouse you wish.

Remember if it is not fun to play there are many other activities and sports that are

12 Hole Golf – Is it that new

GOLF TALK was, “Changing the way golf is played will spoil it altogether. I don’t want to have any part of it.”

Supporters of the Nicklaus concept, however, see things differently - and especially after the Golden Bear’s Labour day successes. The golf staff at Muirfield Village reported that despite the cool and damp conditions just over 100 golfers had taken part in the two 12-hole tournaments.

They said that the fields had included a large number of senior members who don’t regularly play; a significant number of families, including mothers and daughters who had previously been intimidated

ranked Pacific Dunes course at Oregon’s Bandon Dunes, has called on course operators, be they private clubs or municipalities, to consider alternative shorter layouts before deciding to shut down and sell-off a course facing economic difficulties.

Shorter is definitely the in word right now. It’s one way to reduce the time it takes to play a round which in turn would encourage more golfers to play while simultaneously increasing club revenue generated by the numbers of rounds played.

Another solution for speeding up the game is encouraging golfers to play from shorter tees as is being

by the course; as well as a healthy number of juniors.

Nicklaus was delighted with the result. “From the members and participants I spoke to, as well as the reports I received from the Club staff, it sounds like everyone had a lot of fun and enjoyed the concept,” he said afterwards. “I am truly delighted we got such a positive reaction.

“I was also pleased to hear that not only did we have a large number of people participate, but we had such a large variety of players.

“We had good players, as well as beginners, and we had a good mix of seniors and families. I heard there were a number of young players, who had taken up the game as juniors, but had then lost touch with it for whatever reason.

“As I emphasized before, we are not trying to change the game of golf.

We are just trying to think of new and different ways that might bring more people into the game, show them that the game is and how it can be a lot of fun; that they can enjoy golf while playing it faster.”

Ironically, the 12-hole course has historical precedents in older Scottish golf courses and has started appearing again in some new layouts. The first Open Championships were played at Prestwick, over 36 holes. However it was a 12-hole course so the players played three rounds of the course. It is interesting that the Derrydale Golf Club in Ontario, Canada, is reported to be thriving again as a 12-hole course after being forced by hard times to sell off its other holes to a real estate developer.

Tom Doak, a leading golf course architect and designer of the highly

pushed by the PGA of America and USGA with their “Tee-it-Forward” campaigns.

Golf is a hit, find, hit game. Yes you hit the ball, you go and find it and you hit it again. Once you have hit it into the hole you move on to the next tee. Does it make any difference if you play 6 holes, 9 holes 12 or 18 holes depending on what is comfortable for you?

Play for free

Want a radical solution to grow the game? Let children play for free.

It’s time to own up to an unpleasant truth – golf is not growing in the western world. It’s shrinking. That’s why we should set the kids free.

There’s never been a better time to join a golf club. There was a time, say, 15 years ago when clubs had long waiting lists. No more. Those same clubs are openly advertising for membership. Many have dispensed with joining fees. Yet many are struggling to attract new members.

The situation is even worse in the United States. The number of rounds played in the U.S. fell in 2011 for the fifth year in a row. The golf population declined from 30 million in 2005 to 26.1 million in 2010. Approximately 1 million golfers quit U.S. fairways in 2010 alone.

If we want to reverse this trend, we need to make the game more attractive to children, who, after all, are the game’s future. And the attitude to young players in the past has often been less than encouraging.

Generations of children were turned off this great game by clubs that treated them with contempt.

The answer - elevate the position

Jack Nicklaus’s 12-hole golf experiment has created quite a stir with some fairly strong reaction, both for and against it.

Along with the USGA, Nicklaus, still the Majors record holder with his 18 coveted titles and ranked as one of the game’s leading golf course designers, is greatly concerned at the large fall-off recently in the numbers of new converts in the USA, especially the young ones.

And in an attempt to rectify the situation, he is experimenting with a shorter, faster and easier form of golf he believes will help reverse this trend.

His Muirfield Village Golf Club, where The Memorial, one of the US PGA Tour’s biggest tournaments outside of the majors, is set to be staged, hosted two separate 12hole events over the recent Labor Day weekend in which golfers were encouraged to play one tee up from where they normally play, where the size of each of the holes was almost doubled to 8 inches, and in which participants were penalized a stroke for every five minutes over the 2½-hour time limit imposed for their rounds.

Families and children were encouraged to participate in a what Nicklaus hoped would be a quicker, easier fun game limited to no more than 2½ hours as opposed to the four to five hours traditional golf normally takes per round.

Initially the die-hard traditionalists didn’t like the idea at all. Indeed the concept was widely condemned, much in the way that the introduction of one-day and 20-over cricket were condemned.

A typical comment from this group

Match Play returns to the Sunshine Tour

The Sunshine Tour’s ‘summer swing’ is set to tee off with a brand new tournament after the R2-million ISPS HANDA South African Match Play Championship was announced recently..

The event will take place from 29 October to 4 November at Zwartkop Country Club, and will bring the match play format back onto the Sunshine Tour for the first time since the 1990s.

The International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS) is a ‘General Incorporated Association’ based in Tokyo, and was founded by Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa in 2006 to support charitable causes throughout the sporting world.

ISPS and Dr Handa have fostered partnerships with golf’s governing bodies worldwide and have been a proud sponsor of professional tournaments around the world – including the recent ISPS Handa Wales Open on the European Tour.

ISPS and Dr Handa are committed to raising the profile of blind and disabled golf throughout the world, with the ultimate ambition for golf to become a Paralympic sport.

8

Blast FROM tHE Past Ms Midori Miyazaki, executive director international affairs of ISPS said, “We are delighted to be involved with the Sunshine Tour, and are looking forward to the ISPS Handa South African Match Play Championship. Both men’s and women’s professional golf around the world has provided an excellent platform to promote blind and disabled golf and we know that this event with the Sunshine Tour will further our goal for golf to get into the Paralympics.”

Sunshine Tour executive director Selwyn Nathan said, “We are thrilled that the Sunshine Tour has a match play event on the schedule again.

Match play is such an exciting format, and many players don’t often get the chance to encounter it in tournament play once they turn professional. We are very honoured that Dr Handa and ISPS have chosen to support the Sunshine Tour and use this event as a platform to spread the message of the great work that they are doing in golf around the world.”

The tournament will have a unique addition to it as it will include a concurrent disabled match play competition played by golfers from the South African Disabled Golf Association. The 16-man field for that event will include a number of

tee to Green players from the ISPS supported On Course Foundation, which gives members of the British Armed Forces who have been seriously injured the opportunity to play golf and be employed within the golf industry Eugene Vorster of the SA Disabled Golf Association said, “This is a very exciting opportunity for disabled golf and is a wonderful platform to highlight disabled golf in South Africa as well as the skills of our players.”

The ISPS HANDA South African Match Play Championship also represents the first golf sponsorship venture for the Clinix Health Group, which will be a co-sponsor of the event. Group founder and director

Dr Peter Matseke said, “Golf has proved to be an extremely efficient vehicle for sponsors and we are looking forward to joining forces with the Sunshine Tour and the finest professional golfers in South Africa in order to help build our brand and continue to grow our business, which is focused around our eight private hospitals situated mainly around previously disadvantaged areas in South Africa.”

The ISPS HANDA South African Match Play Championship is a full-field event, played over seven rounds of knock-out golf, with the final to be played over 18 holes on Sunday 4 November.

Golf’s first superstars here seems no better place to start our regular feature in which we “call back the past” than with short profiles of the Old Tom Morris and his son Tom Jr.

Old Tom

Old Tom Morris didn’t invent the game of golf, but he is recognized as the sport’s founding father. He played in the first 36 British Opens, winning four times. But as much as his successes in tournament golf and as a parent are significant, Tom Morris Sr. left behind the legacy of being a champion among men.

The authors of the day came to respect him for the way he handled victory as well as defeat; and there was no greater loss than when Tom Morris Jr., mourning the death of his wife and child, died at the age of 24. Horace Hutchinson wrote about Morris’ “unruffled serenity of temper.” John L. Low described the way Morris was “always cheerful during a life which met with almost continual disappointments and sorrows.”

Yet, according to Hutchinson and Low, what separated Old Tom was his humbleness and the way he addressed himself to men of all classes.

Born in St. Andrews, Scotland, June 16, 1820, Morris spent 12 years as a golf-ball maker under Allan Robertson before moving to Prestwick, where he became custodian of the newly formed club that, in 1860, gave birth to the British Open. He finished second to Willie Park in the first Open Championship, won the next two, finished second to Park again in 1863, then won again in 1864 and 1867. He had a slow, smooth swing and was fiercely competitive; his only flaw was a difficulty with short putts. In 1862, he didn’t miss many, winning the Open by 13 strokes, a record that still stands.

Morris moved back to St. Andrews

in 1865 to become greenkeeper for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

It was a position he held until his retirement in 1904”. As St. Andrews became increasingly a mecca of golfers, so, too, did the sturdy patriarchal figure and bearing of Old Tom come to symbolize all that was finest in the Scottish character and in the ancient Scottish game.

When Morris died, in 1908 at the age of 87, the funeral procession extended the entire length of South Street in St. Andrews, from the port to the cathedral. It was described

by Andrew Kirkaldy as “a cloud of people,” and as Kirkaldy noted, “There were many wet eyes among us, for Old Tom was beloved by everybody.

Tom Morris Jr

Young Tom Morris followed in his father’s footsteps, winning four British Open Championships before his tragic death at the age of 24.

With broad shoulders and hands that were both powerful and deft, he dominated the game in the short time he played it. “He was simply too good for the available competition,” wrote Ross Goodner in Golf’s Greatest. That includes his father, Old Tom, whom he succeeded as Open champion in 1868. The following year, Old Tom finished runner-up to his son. It is the only time in major championship history that a son and his father finished first and second.

Young Tom was a prodigy. At age 13, he won an exhibition match in Perth for a first prize of 15 pounds. At 16, Morris won the Open Professional Tournament at Carnoustie against the best golfers in Scotland. At 17, he became the tournament’s youngest winner and began his domination of the British Open, winning three consecutive titles to take permanent possession of the Championship Belt in 1870.

That was the year he shot 149 over Prestwick’s 12-hole course, a score

that was 12 strokes better than the competition and unequalled by the Great Triumverate of James Braid, J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon while the gutta percha ball was in use.

His opening round of 47 that year, one-under 4s, included an eagle 3 at the 578-yard first and has been described as the first great round of golf. H.S.C. Everard speculated, “It was probable that Tommy attained a rare pitch of excellence at as early an age as any golfer on record.”

The Open wasn’t played in 1871, but Morris made it four in a row in 1872, which is a record. That victory also gained Young Tom Morris the distinction of being the first golfer to win the silver claret jug, the permanent trophy for the Open Championship.

His life came to an end in 1875.

Playing an exhibition match with

his father in North Berwick against Willie and Mungo Park, Morris received a telegram that his wife of a year and son had both died during childbirth. It was a mournful party that made the voyage across the Firth of Forth to St. Andrews, and Morris never recovered from the shock of his loss. He died three months later, on Christmas Eve, of a pulmonary hemorrhage, causing some to speculate that he had died of a broken heart. His memory is perpetuated by a plaque in St. Andrews Cathedral which bears the inscription, “Deeply regretted by numerous friends and all golfers, he thrice in succession won the championship belt and held it without rivalry and yet without envy, his many amiable golfing qualities being no less acknowledged than his golfing achievements.”

MAIN FEATURE

10

tee to Green

tee to Green

11

MAIN FEATURE

Tiger tracking the Bear It is no secret that Tiger Woods has always had his sights firmly set on Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 victories in golf’s Majors. This is all that stands between Woods and general acceptance that he is the greatest player to have played the game.

I

n 1996 when Tiger Woods came on to the pro golf scene, golf was in need of a super star. The years before had seen Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Nick Price all challenge for the top spot.

Norman had real superstar qualities, tall blond and handsome. But he lost as often as he won, certainly in the Majors. And by the mid 90’s the ‘shark’ seemed more concerned building up his business enterprises than devouring his opponents. Nick Price proved that nice guys do come 1st but not often enough.

Major victories should have been enough to elevate Nick Faldo to superstar status but then his “mechanized” game and his wooden personality did not endear him to the fans across the Atlantic.

And then there was Fred Couples.

In the years1990-1996 Couples was the only American to be ranked No. 1 in the World for a short while of about 15 weeks in 1992. He had personality, charm but only one major victory at the Masters was not enough to suggest that he had the game.

So one can see why Tiger Woods became the darling of the American golf scene and indeed world golf.

For Woods it was relatively easy the throne was vacant and all he had to do was claim the crown.

Jack Nicklaus

How different it was for the young Jack Nicklaus when he burst in on the scene in the early 60’s. The throne was firmly in possession of Arnold Palmer. He had everything, charisma and the game. At this time he was a multiple major winner and his army of fans, apply named ”Arnie’s Army” were not keen to see some chubby college kid topple the King. This Jack did with great play and style to become the king himself and protect that throne against such fine challengers as Gary Player (9 Majors), Lee Trevino (6 Majors) Raymond Floyd (4 Majors). And then later against Johnny Miller (2 Majors), Tom Watson (8 Majors) and Seve Ballesteros (5 Majors). The quality of the competition from the mid-sixties to the mid-eighties was as good as it has ever been. For many these were the golden years of the game before huge purses and endorsements might have spoiled the players and taken off some of the winning edge. Maybe so, and maybe not, again only time will give us a clear indication.

Sports fans are a fickle lot. We might love and adore our heroes

while they are at the top of their game but let them slip and we are quick to move on. By the 70’s, Nicklaus had committed himself to golf’s majors, he lost weight got fitter, and through not just the wonderful golf he played but his overall humble personality became the greatest golfer the world had yet seen. Indeed with the exception of Mohammed Ali maybe the greatest sportsman of all time. The ‘bear’ had developed a seemingly insatiable appetite to win more and more. And this he did.

Tracking the Bear

In golf the tests of ‘true blue’ greatness are clear. First a player must show his ability to win over different courses in different conditions. And the Majors provide the accepted test. The pristine, perfect, parkland conditions at Augusta, with little or no rough and lightning fast, severely contoured greens. The US Open, with narrow fairways, rock-hard greens and thick punishing rough. Here the stated aim of the USGA is to protect par. The Open, the game’s oldest Championship, is steeped in the tradition of links golf, with bump and run conditions, in wind and rain. And finally the USPGA Championship, which brings together the best field of them all and is played in conditions conducive to rewarding good play and punishing the poor.

To date only five men, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods have managed to win all four.

In golf, longevity is also important in rating a player. A true golf champion must beat his elders when he first turns professional, then beat his contemporaries and finally take on and beat the best of the next generation of players. This, in golfing terms, is not short term but rather can spread over almost three decades, with the player showing the skill and dedication to win in his twenties, his thirties and still in his early forties.

In his first ten years Woods totally dominated the Tour, edging ahead of Nicklaus in terms of majors and recording a first ever for the game.

In 2000/20001 Woods held all four major titles at the same time, a feat never before achieved and one that will probably never be repeated. The game’s elder players had no answer and frankly Woods had their number.

As for his contemporaries – well they flattered at times and promised much but when it came down to the

wire they were also found wanting.

And all this included fine players and multiple Major winners like Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson, and our own Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Few pundits would bet against him breaking all the records and it seemed that it was not a case of would he better the 18 victories of Nicklaus but rather by when and by how much.

We now stand 16 years in to Tiger’s playing career. And where is he in terms of his quest? Amazingly neck and neck. He stands on 14 wins

the exact same as Nicklaus after the same time. And although Nicklaus is well ahead in terms of runner up finishes and top ten placings as with all sport its winning that counts.

Over the next 10 years Jack went on to win another four majors the last coming in that unforgettable victory in the 1986 Masters. 46 years of age and in the field, players who had not even been born when he won his first Master 25 years earlier.

For Tiger the bar has been set, he knows what to and how to do it. The question is – CAN HE?

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, 20 years old

Gary Player and Ernie Els, whose careers have coincided with golf’s greatest

12

MAIN FEATURE

tee to Green

Major Winners Through the Years The Nicklaus Years (1962 – 1977 Year

The Masters

US Open

The Open Championship

US PGA Championship

1962

Arnold Palmer

Jack Nicklaus

Arnold Palmer

Gary Player

1963

Jack Nicklaus

Julius Boros

Bob Charles

Jack Nicklaus

1964

Jack Nicklaus

Ken Venturi

Tony Lima

Bobby Nichols

1965

Jack Nicklaus

Gary Player

Peter Thomson

Dave Marr

1966

Gay Brewer

Billy Casper

Jack Nicklaus

Al Geiberger

1967

Bob Goalby

Jack Nicklaus

Roberto de Vicenzio

Don January

1968

George Archer

Lee Trevino

Gary Player

Julius Boros

1969

Billy Casper

Orville Moody

Tony Jacklin

Ray Floyd

1970

Arnold Palmer

Tony Jacklin

Jack Nicklaus

Dave Stockton

1971

Charles Coody

Lee Trevino

Lee Trevino

Jack Nicklaus

1972

Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus

Lee Trevino

Gary Player

1973

Tommy Aaron

Johnny Miller

Tom Weiskopf

Jack Nicklaus

1974

Gary Player

Hale Irwin

Gary Player

Lee Trevino

1975

Jack Nicklaus

Lou Graham

Tom Watson

Jack Nicklaus

1976

Ray Floyd

Jerry Pate

Johnny Miller

Dave Stockton

1977

Tom Watson

Hubert Green

Tom Watson

Lanny Wadkins

The Woods Years (1997 to date) Year

The Masters

US Open

The Open Championship

US PGA Championship

1997

Tiger Woods

Ernie Els

Justin Leonard

Davis Love III

1998

Mark O’Meara

Lee Janzen

Mark O’Meara

Vijay Singh

1999

Jose Maria Olazabal

Payne Stewart

Paul Lawrie

Tiger Woods

2000

Vijay Singh

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

2001

Tiger Woods

Retief Goosen

David Duvall

David Toms

2002

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

Ernie Els

Rich Beam

2003

Mike Weir

Jim Furyk

Ben Curtis

Sean Micheel

2004

Phil Mickelson

Retief Goosen

Todd Hamilton

Vijay Singh

2005

Tiger Woods

Michael Campbell

Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson

2006

Phil Mickelson

Geoff Ogilvie

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

2007

Zach Johnson

Angel Cabrera

Padraig Harrington

Tiger Woods

2008

Trevor Immelman

Tiger Woods

Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington

2009

Angel Cabrera

Lucas Glover

Stewart Cink

Yang Yong-Eun

2010

Phil Mickelson

Graeme McDowell

Louis Oosthuizen

Martin Kaymer

2011

Charl Schwartzel

Rory McIlroy

Darren Clarke

Keegan Bradley

2012

Bubba Watson

Webb Simpson

** to be played

** to be played

Tiger tracking the Bear

Masters

US Open

Year

1962

1963

1964 1965 1966

1967 1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

Year

1997

1998

1999 2000 2001

2002 2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Won

2nd

Top 10

Nicklaus T15

Won

T2

Won

Won

MC

T5

T24

T8

T2

Won

T3

T4

Won

T3

2

5

3

8

Woods

T8

T18

5

Won

Won

T15

T22

Won

T3

T2

2

T6

T4

T4

T40

4

2

8

Nicklaus Won

MC

T23

T31

3

Won

2

T25

T49

2

Won

T4

T10

T7

T11

T10

3

2

7

Woods

T18

T3

Won

T12

Won

T20

T17

2

MC

T2

Won

T6

T4

DNP

T21

3

2

5

Nicklaus T43

3

2

T12

Won

2

T2

T6

Won

T5

2

4

3

T3

T2

2

5

11

T24

3

T7

Won

T25

T28

T4

T9

Won

Won

T12

DNP

MC

T23

DNP

3

0

4

Won

T2

T2

T22

T3

MC

T11

T6

Won

T13

Won

2

Won

T4

4

3

7

T10

Won

Won

T29

2

T39

T24

T4

Won

Won

DNP

2

T28

MC

4

2

4

14

13

33

14

6

21

Open Championship Woods

Won

T19

Nicklaus T3

PGA Championship Woods

T29

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tee to Green

15 often do we play shots and actually realize we never had a proper look at how the ball was ACTUALLY lying.

By making sure you investigate the lie properly you will not be surprised by ugly roots or unmanageable rough and in this way costing you shots.

By making this the departure point of your shot selection every time you hit a shot you not only make sure each shot is similar but you also ensure you will never be surprised again by what lurks beneath.

Some might argue that lie would not be a factor when you are teeing off. This point is certainly open to debate. Even if you are teeing off with a driver off a tee, the height of the tee should still get some consideration and do not forget about the relative height of the tee box to the fairway.

Many poor course management decisions come from too little attention but very few come from too much attention.

E- Environment

BY THEO BEZUIDENHOUT

The decision making process C

larity. If you were to ask me what one of the major mental differences was between your every-day golfer and the professionals, that would be it: clarity.

Clarity of thought, clarity of execution and most importantly clarity in their decision making process. At certain stages in professional events one can even see how this clarity is more present within some professionals than others.

Take the recent US Open as an example. Els, Furyk, McDowell and Simpson all competing for one of the most hallowed prizes in golf. Webb Simpson, who had only recently broken through on the PGA Tour and would certainly be no match for his more experienced adversaries, or so they thought. Instead the title went to another rookie major champion and this was done, not with the the most exciting golf but certainly the best constructed golf you will ever see.

In this month’s Swing Thoughts

we look at a decision-making process that will make your decisions on the course easier and in so doing will make you more focused on the shot at hand.

Who knows you may even start to manage the course similarly to the new US Open champion.

L-E-G-B-Y-S

One could be forgiven for trying to remember if you are reading a golf psychology column or a cricket umpire’s manual but I assure you, you are not mistaken. In trying to help my clients improve their decision making I have borrowed an acronym from the other gentleman’s game, cricket. Although these L-E-GB-Y-S may not get you runs they will most certainly save you shots if you implement them with every shot you play from tee to green.

L- Lie

This may sound very simple, but how

Wind, altitude, moisture on the green and even what type of rough you are playing out of. These are only a few of the factors that should come into play when you are investigating the environment that you are playing in.

However, I can already hear the “fast” players complaining that this will make the “slow” players even slower. Please keep in mind though that many of these calculations can be done as you approach the ball and also while waiting for partners to play. In my experience by taking the environment into account one can actually spend less time worrying over the ball and more time playing and enjoying the game.

G- Gradient

In this acronym I have split lie and gradient or lie-angle. The reason for this is that higher handicappers are not as adept at doing “two things at once” as top professionals may be.

Thus where a tour pro may look at the type of lie (rough, semi-rough) as well whether it is uphill, downhill or side-hill this may be above most weekend players. So if it is clarity you are after and you are a weekend warrior I suggest you try to keep lie and lie-angle separate to start with.

Besides if you don’t split them it messes up the acronym!

B- Best miss

Professionals often refer to this as the bail-out area for a shot. So if a green has all the trouble back and middle

SWING THOUGHTS left they would look as the best miss or “bail-out” as short right. In so doing, managing your risk to drop multiple shots by flirting unnecessarily with hazards or risky pin positions.

It is often at this stage that highhandicappers groan: “I’m not good enough to have a best shot much less a best miss”. That argument would also exactly be why you struggle to focus on the golf course. By focusing on where you could play a risk-free shot you not only take a lot of the difficulty out of the shot you also take the pressure off hitting the perfect shot every time. Thus by identifying which side of the green to favour and then confirming your target, your brain already has two positives to focus on rather than those ugly pot-bunkers at the back of the green.

Y- Yardage

Ah, mostly everybody does their yardage correctly, don’t they? Well in the GPS age life has certainly become easier and measurements more accurate, but this has also lead to a bit of a psychological fall-out. If you are not practising on the range to hit exact yardages it means very little to have a range-finder or GPS on your cart because having perfect yardages and hitting imperfect shots will most certainly lead to frustration.

By ensuring you have a proper yardage but also the right club and mentality to get you to your target with an easy swing, you take a lot of the mental pressures off yourself.

If you need to murder a three iron, chances are you don’t have the right yardage or the right attitude to hit the right shot.

S- Shape

In keeping with helping higher handicappers who may not have a specific shot-shape, this part may entail visualization of a good shot rather than a draw or a fade.

However it is still not a bad idea to try and hit shapes in your rounds as this will not only help you to become a better golfer but also a better decision-maker in that you have more options at your disposal. At a stage Tiger Woods was rumoured to have six different types of ballflight….just with his six iron!

So the next time you come walking up to a nice looking lie in the middle of the fairway remember that in cricket L-E-G-B-Y-S can also win you a game. Even though it may not be the most fashionable way of doing it.

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16

HEALTHY GOLFING

tee to Green

Keep it balanced

And wait for the 19th hole before you indulge yourself

BY DR ROWENA THOMSON- SELIBOWITZ

S

aturday morning, the smell of freshly cut grass, your favourite set of golf clubs, your favourite golf course and you- ready to putt at the first hole. Are you really ready?

Every golfer wants to improve his/her handicap and have a great round of golf, however, despite having the best equipment and technique many golfers do not always play to their full potential on the day. There may be many factors involved but often this is because golfers are not nutritionally ready to sustain their energy levels for five hours on the course.

Preparation for the game starts the night before. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep and to ensure that this is good quality sleep try and avoid any stimulants before bed such as coffee, alcohol, cigarettes and sugar!

In order to maintain energy levels on the golf course, the foods you eat must release their energy slowly over long periods of time. This means that breakfast should be nutritionally dense consisting of protein and complex carbohydrates.

Try to avoid eating just fruit or a bowl of cereal- rather opt for poached or boiled eggs, raw seeds and nuts or a whey protein smoothie with some fresh blueberries. Having a few protein bars in your golf bag to snack on will also help to keep energy levels up. Ensure proper hydration by drinking water and avoiding too many cups of tea or coffee. It is important to stay hydrated throughout the day by

drinking small sips of water, often.

There are also many supplements you may want to consider taking to assist in maintaining energy levels and improving your game. It is important to remember that supplements need to be taken consistently and daily and not just on the day of the competition.

It is also recommended that you consult your healthcare practitioner before starting a supplement regime.

• Coenzyme Q10: Strenuous physical activity depletes blood levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is involved in energy metabolism within the mitochondria of body cells and is a powerful antioxidant and may help protect the body from free radical damage caused by aerobic exercise. CoQ10 may also improve workout capacity and oxygen transport.

• D-Ribose: This is a simple 5-carbon sugar that is essential for ATP (energy) production in the body. D-Ribose is essential for endurance and may also help to overcome soreness and fatigue associated with excessive exercise.

• L- Carnitine: This amino acid is involved with fatty acid metabolism and the resulting production of ATP within cells. The more fatty acids are metabolized during exercise, the higher the energy yield and thus endurance and energy levels are optimized. Using L- carnitine

and CoQ10 synergistically is especially warranted for improving energy metabolism during exercise.

• L- Glutamine: This amino acid has been shown to increase protein synthesis and decrease muscle breakdown during exercise. L-Glutamine may stimulate the accumulation of muscle glycogen (stored glucose), which may be advantageous for endurance and energy levels as glycogen is utilized for energy during exercise.

• Celadrin®: Pain may impair one’s performance on the day by preventing you from being as agile and mobile as you would like to be but pain also impairs energy levels. Celadrin® is a cetylated, esterfied fatty acid of bovine origin that may have anti-inflammatory properties thus potentially reducing pain and swelling of a joint. Celadrin® may also be useful for minor aches, simple backache, strains, bruises and strains.

• Glucosamine and Chondroitin: Exercise puts a lot of pressure on joints and so by taking a supplement designed to protect collagen, joints may be protected and shock absorption improved.

This means you will be less likely to develop painful and debilitating conditions such as golfer’s elbow or hip pain.

• Multivitamin and mineral: Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral is important for everyone. It helps to fill the nutritional gaps in a healthy diet by providing some micronutrients that may have been destroyed by food preparation or that you may lack due to not eating a varied enough diet.

For anyone who does a lot of exercise a multivitamin high in phytonutrients and antioxidants is recommended.

• Rhodiola: This herb has been shown to increase essential energy metabolites, ATP and creatine phosphate in muscle and brain cells. Rhodiola is believed to reduce recovery time during bouts of high intensity exercise. Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb which means not only will it help you to cope with the physical demands of a game of golf on your body but will support mental ability too.

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tee to Green

19

THE RULES

Winter Rules:

Placing

What is it that makes golfers believe that once they are on the fairway they must get a perfect lie?

By DEnniS BRUynS

“C

losely-mown” area is the term used in the Rules and this describes all areas on the course through the green that have been – yes, closely- mown (for us fairway height). And this tells us something - the advantage for being on a closely mown area is not a perfect lie but rather that grass has been mown down so it is easier to find and then easier to hit from.

Way better than off in the rough that’s for sure.

A tenet of the game is that there is an element of luck involved referred to as “rub of the green” and one of golf’s challenges is to test a player’s ability to accept bad breaks and get on with it. Yet here in South Africa, as soon as conditions deteriorate, we expect that placing on fairways is introduced and all too quickly our committees are willing to oblige. Club committees should only introduce placing when it is really necessary. I’m afraid we are far too lax in this regard.

Make it clear Only when a committee has introduced a Local Rule for preferred lies is a player entitled to prefer the lie of their ball. Simply saying “placing in operation” is inadequate; the Committee has to spell out what the Local Rule is and the procedure to be adopted. The R&A have made it easy for us by detailing a recommended Local Rule which reads as follows: “A ball lying on a closely- mown area through the green may be lifted, without penalty, and cleaned. Before lifting the ball, the player must mark its position. Having lifted the ball, he must place it on a spot within (specify area, e.g. six inches, one club-length) of and not nearer the hole than where it originally lay, that is not in a hazard and not on a putting green A player may place his ball only once, and it is play when it has been placed If the player fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it or moves the ball in any other manner,

such as rolling it with a club, he incurs a penalty of one stroke NOTE: Closely- mown area means any area on the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.”

Penalty for Breach of Local Rule is loss of hole in Match play and two strokes in Stroke Play.

It is worth noting that the specified area in which to place the ball can vary. Therfore players must not assume all clubs will be uniform in this regard.

From the Tours If PGA Tour golfer Ryuji Imada had taken note of this fact he would have avoided the 26-stroke penalty he incurred at a recent tournament in China. Imada assumed he could prefer the lie of the ball within a club-length of its original position, as is standard on the PGA Tour. But the Local Rules for this tournament stated that the placement had to occur within the length of one score-card. When this was brought to Imada’s attention he informed tournament officials before signing his card. He was assessed a two-

stroke penalty for each of the thirteen times he had preferred the lie outside of the prescribed distance and finally signed for a first round total of 24-over-par, 97!

This same Rule lead to the disqualification of Jim Furyk from the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2001.

The wording above was basically the wording we used when introducing placing. On the US PGA Tour at the time the rule was slightly different.

On their Tour only, players were allowed to place as often as they liked up to that point in time that they addressed the ball. It was only at this point that the ball was deemed to be in play. On the 13th Hole during the first round Jim Furyk marked, lifted, cleaned and then placed his ball within the specified one club length. He then stood away from the ball to consider what club to use for his approach shot. It seems he was between clubs (either a six or seven iron) and he decided to hit a hard seven iron. There was a theory that the new generation of two-piece balls would fly slightly further if hit along the seam of the ball. Jim felt he needed all the length

Some guidelines for committees and players

• Members and visitors to golf clubs should have easy access to the Local Rules for the course, especially when a committee decides to introduce temporary Local Rules such as placing.

• These should be displayed prominently in key locations such as the locker room and pro shop.

• At such time that the conditions merit the withdrawal of the relevant Local Rule, it should be publicised appropriately so that there is no uncertainty.

• A sign saying “Placing “ is not enough.

• It is recommended that an easy to determine distance be used. One club length is recommended.

• Remember to mark the ball before lifting it.

• You may not pre-prepare a lie by ‘fluffing’ up the grass before placing the ball on it.

• If you gain some advantage in terms of your stance or line of play, that is your good fortune.

• You may not place a ball from the fairway on to the putting green or in to a hazard. You may however

•

•

•

•

he could get from the shot so bent down and turned the ball so that the seam was correctly angled for maximum distance. On the PGA Tour in America this would have been allowed but the local rule in place for the Nedbank Golf Challenge clearly stated that the ball could be placed only once. Jim therefore incurred a two shot penalty. Not aware of the penalty he proceeded to sign for a score lower than he had which in turn lead to his disqualification from the tournament. The only person aware of the breach was Jim himself and when on Saturday his attention was brought to the fact that the local rule in play was different from the one on the PGA Tour he immediately called the penalty on himself.

Remember that once you have introduced placing nearly every player will place the ball every time he is able to. Avoid an issue and make sure the procedure is clearly stated on the notice board.

And “placing” will slow down play We invite readers to write to us with your comments or queries regarding the rules. Please address your comments to bruyns@icon.co.za.

place a ball from the fairway to the rough as long as it is within the stipulated distance.

If you have placed the ball and it is at rest it is in play. If the ball now moves it cannot be replaced and must be played as it lies. If you have addressed it or done anything to cause the ball to move you are subject to a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18 and you must then replace the ball or incur a further one stroke penalty under the same rule.

If the player fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting it or moves the ball in any other manner, such as rolling it with the club, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

The player is only entitled to prefer the lie once, so the spot on which to place the ball must be chosen carefully! The ball is in play as soon as it is placed on the ground. The ball is in play once it is placed not once you lift the marker.

If the player picks it up again and moves it, he would incur a penalty stroke for moving his ball in play and the ball must be replaced (Rule 18-2a).

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22

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL

tee to Green

Mauritius,

a golfer’s paradise

I

n 1844, Mauritius became the third country in the world to be introduced to golf. It has eight 18hole golf courses and five nine-hole golf courses, each of which provides a unique golfing experience to the visitor.

With its natural beauty, good climate, and unique cultural blend, Mauritius is an island with so much to offer. It constantly reinvents itself and proposes a wide range of experiences to visitors, golf being one of them.

In 2008, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded the island the title of Golf Destination of the Year – Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Gulf States.

In Mauritius, the visiting golfer has the chance to practise the old game in optimal conditions on spectacular golf courses, located on beautiful sites with the sea as a backdrop.

Some of the golf courses have been designed by world-renowned players such as Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, and Rodney Wright.

Anahita

The newest championship golf course on Mauritius, and one that could quite quickly become the best on the island, is the Ernie Els-designed Anahita golf course – part of the Anahita Resort on the island’s east coast.

The par 72 layout can play to 6 828 metres from the back tees or to a variety of shorter distances from different sets of tees right down to 5 588 metres from the gold tees, or 4 971 metres from the ladies’ tees.

With wide fairways and friendly rough, the course is not too hard for average

golfers, depending on which tees they choose to use. However, the further back you go, the more challenging Anahita becomes.

Els himself, teeing it up from the back at the short 8th – a par three that plays down towards the Indian Ocean, usually into the teeth of a stiff breeze – could not reach the green here, 233 metres away, even with a full-blooded driver.

Deep bunkering, on the fairways and around the greens (in some of the greenside bunkers you can barely see the top of the flag, let alone the bottom), makes for a major hazard whilst large, natural ponds come into play on three others. The Indian Ocean also comes into play occasionally with six ocean-side holes, most notably at the par three 5th where, from the back tee, you face a tough 200 metre carry to the green across the sea.

The course starts with a gentle dog-leg left par four called Tortoise Corner. Then we get the par five 2nd named, aptly enough, Old Stone Aqueduct because it has ornate stone walls on the right and left of the fairway. A tough par four follows before we reach the 4th, another par five and the course’s Signature Hole.

Ocean Drive, as it’s called, is also the first hole to take golfers down to the Indian Ocean, which you can easily go into if you happen to over-club for your third shot.

Then there’s the 5th where you can easily drown your tee shot in the ocean, and the 6th: a tough par four whose name, Mystery Pond, will hopefully alert-first timers at Anahita to a large pond front-right of the green

that you can’t see from the tee.

Seven is another tough four before we get to the 8th, the par three that Ernie Els couldn’t reach with his driver.

The 9th, Lazy Burn, is obviously named after the stream that curves through the fairway before cutting right in front of the green and is the first of two successive short par fours that are both driveable, probably the best two birdie chances on the whole layout.

A run of a tough par four, tough par three and gentle par five named respectively Secret Bay, Bougainvillea Quietude and Holy Hill are followed by the par four 14th, Scottish Taste, a second hole with an ornamental wall snaking through the middle of the fairway. Then we get the toughest hole on the course, stroke index one: a cracking par four of 444 metres that dog-legs slightly right around an ornamental lake indicated in its name, Bassin Lubine.

The final three holes return us to the ocean via the tough par four 16th, which runs down to the sea, before the 17th, Turquoise Lagoon – at 144 metres, the shortest hole on the course – plays with the ocean on the left, and the 18th, a par five named Sugar Estate Ruins for reasons that will become clear when you play it, returns us to the clubhouse.

It’s a glorious closing hole that doglegs right from the tee then slightly left into a green fronted by several deep pot bunkers, with stunning views from the fairway out across the Indian Ocean and to the nearby Île aux Cerfs.

After your round you can relax in the Mauritian style clubhouse and enjoy a

cold beer in the bar or a steak in the ‘Le Club’ restaurant. You might then peruse the pro shop for souvenirs or, if you’re a real fitness fanatic, have a work out in the Fitness Centre which has all the latest equipment and views of an adjacent old Lime Kiln, a reminder of bygone days.

If you’ve had a bad round and want to work on your swing, Anahita is the place to do it as there is a 300 metre grass practice area complete with putting green and chipping green, and a state-of-the-art Four Seasons Golf Academy with the very latest in video and computerised swinganalysis systems. The professionals there can also advise you on all aspects of the game including some very important things that you may not be aware of like course management, mental training, golf fitness and the benefits of customfitted equipment.

Heritage Golf Club

At the heart of the Domaine de Bel Ombre on the unspoiled south coast of Mauritius, discover this remarkable golf course designed by renowned architect Peter Matkovitch, which stretches out over 100 hectares between the green hills and turquoise lagoon.

This spectacular 18-hole par 72 championship golf course has won many awards. It combines exceptional panoramas into its challenging design to create a truly memorable golfing experience. The stunning layout lies on undulating ground with both nines rising up from sea level into the foot hills of the Black

tee to Green River Gorges National Park, providing magnificent views of the lush, green, jungle-covered mountains on the one hand and the endless Indian Ocean on the other.

Built on more than 100 acres of land across the road from two golf resorts – the Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort and the Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort – the course has been extensively landscaped to enhance the natural beauty of the setting and to make optimum use of the two watercourses that cross the layout. Other water hazards include five lakes that come into play on the 1st, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 18th holes. Further hazards are provided by numerous bunkers, mounds, and stands of trees.

Integrated into the golf course is the magnificent, stone Château de Bel Ombre: a restored manor-house where you can enjoy a fine-dining experience in the elegant restaurant whilst overlooking the 7th and 8th holes, and its lovely formal garden.

Amongst the more beautiful and spectacular holes on this very beautiful golf course are: the 9th – an almost driveable par four of 305 metres that will tempt the long hitters into taking their chances with the lakes that lie

23 either side of the green, offering a watery grave to any tee-shot that’s less than perfect; the 13th, a delightful 178 metre par three across a lake where anything short is wet; the dog-leg left, 499 metre, par five 14th, where two strategically placed bunkers lie in wait for anyone attempting to bite off too much of the dog-leg with their drive, after which the hole rises steeply uphill to a green located in the foot hills; the 164 metre 15th, another beautiful short hole played from an elevated tee down to an undulating green surrounded by

the strategically placed boulders and course signage on rocks that enhance the look of an already spectacularly beautiful golf course and one that, with a variety of tees on each hole and wide fairways, provides a challenge to golfers of all skill levels.

Other golf facilities include a doubleended driving range, a superb short game area that allows for anything from 65 metre lob wedges through a range of bunker shots to any kind of chip shot you wish to practise, a practice putting green, pro shop and

With its natural beauty, good climate, and unique cultural blend, Mauritius is an island with so much to offer. It constantly reinvents itself and proposes a wide range of experiences to visitors, golf being one of them. sand; and the 523 metre, par five 18th, which provides stunning views across the course, the resort and the Indian Ocean beyond from the tee and which is reachable in two for long hitters – again provided they don’t mind dicing with the lake that lines the last 150 metres on the left of the fairway before cutting in front of the green.

Adding to the course’s beauty are

charming clubhouse. There is also an additional nine-hole, par three course for beginners and those wishing to practise their short irons, located in the middle of the main course.

Paradis

Located in the south-west of the island, lies the Paradis golf course.

This 18-hole championship course,

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL which opened for play in 1990, is one of the oldest resort courses on the island and is attached to the luxurious Paradis Hotel, set on the Le Morne peninsula. It is aptly named as golfers playing here often comment that the setting is so beautiful, they could conceivably be playing golf in Heaven.

The beautiful 5 886 metre, par 72 layout has a front nine that plays in the shadow of the towering Le Morne mountain and a back nine that mostly plays alongside the Indian Ocean.

With greens that have recently been renovated and reseeded with revolutionary Seashore Paspalum grass, which can be watered with salt water, Paradis now ranks alongside the best of the island’s courses and provides the golfer with some gorgeous holes and breathtaking views, especially on the back nine.

There are also more than a few hazards to challenge golfers, including the Indian Ocean itself, several streams, man-made canals and lakes, some deep bunkers and many fairways lined with trees that seem to have a magnetic attraction for golf balls. A strong sea breeze also frequently makes the course play longer than the distance on the card.

Stand out holes include the par four

24

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL

12th and 13th, which play parallel to each other along a narrow strip of land at the northern end of the lagoon, the par five 16th and the par three 17th, which all play beside the ocean and have amazing views across the bay.

The 430 metre 16th, though short for a par five, can play very tough with the water waiting to catch anything you hit right for the entire length of the hole and a green that sits right on the end of the peninsula, completely exposed to the ocean breezes, which can be quite strong at this end of the island. Then the short par three 17th turns back along the other side of the peninsula to a green that’s also very close to the water.

The short 8th and stroke index one 9th are also great holes. At just 269 metres from the very back tees, the par four 8th should be driveable for big hitters if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s a rather large water hazard directly in front of the green. So, unless you can carry the ball 265 metres in the air with your drive, then it’s lay-up time off the tee with a mid iron, leaving you just a nine iron or wedge across the water to the wellbunkered green.

At 414 metres from the back tees, the par four 9th is definitely the toughest hole on the course – especially as there’s a large lake all down the right-hand side of the hole, which also cuts in front of the green and has to be carried with your second shot, frequently a long iron or fairway wood, into a stiff breeze.

After your round, bad or good, you can relax with a cold beer or juice in the large colonial-style clubhouse while watching people practising their putting on the practice green directly in front of the bar, or shop for one of the club’s elegant, very reasonablypriced shirts in the attached pro shop.

If you feel that your swing’s in need of some help, then the Paradis

Golf Academy is close at hand with sophisticated computer software and two full-time, experienced professionals to sort out your weaknesses and make you feel good about golf again

Le Touessrok

A golf course on an island is not that unusual. After all, the British Isles have plenty and there are quite a few golf courses on the various islands of the Caribbean. But a golf course that can boast its own island – all to itself – is fairly unique. And that is exactly what the Le Touessrok golf course can boast, thanks to its location on a small island called Île aux Cerfs, just a five-minute boat ride from the mainland of Mauritius.

Its location is not the only thing that makes this stunningly beautiful golf course unique. It’s also the only golf course that doesn’t have a car park because it’s the only one that can’t be reached by land. Instead, visitors can choose to arrive by air, via helicopter, or by water via a water-taxi from the main Le Touessrok hotel.

And then there’s the golf course itself. Having opened in 2004, Le Touessrok’s course is, quite simply, breathtaking. Almost half the holes run beside the turquoise blue waters of the Indian Ocean with only white sandy beaches separating golfer from swimmer. The remaining holes play over and around tidal bays filled with mangroves, providing spectacular views of the nearby ‘Cat and Mouse’ mountain and the lush greenery of the Mauritian countryside.

The 6 476 metre, par 72 course was designed by two-time US Masters champion and Ryder Cup winning captain Bernhard Langer, whose stated aim was “to create with the Le Touessrok golf course a golfing experience that truly arouses all the senses. From the amazing natural

setting to the challenges presented by the course, I want it to be a game to remember for all who play”.

Langer has certainly achieved that; Le Touessrok offers an extremely challenging course, with a multitude of lakes, small ponds and the Indian Ocean for water hazards, as well as deep greenside bunkers and large, fairway bunkers to test golfers.

As if that weren’t enough, there are also large areas of black volcanic rocks that protrude into the fairway on some holes or run alongside it on others. These can either ricochet your ball into deeper trouble or bounce a wayward shot back onto the fairway or green. And then there’s the mangroves, which come into play on several holes – particularly down the finishing stretch from the 13th onwards. Indeed, golfers playing the course for the first time would be welladvised to play from the white tees because, even though the layout only measures 5,240 metres from there, it’s still a very tough examination of your game.

But, no matter how difficult you find the Le Touessrok course, it’s the layout’s spectacular beauty that will linger in the memory. From the 328 metre, par four 2nd hole, which doglegs slightly left through an avenue of palm trees to a raised green with the Indian Ocean behind it, almost every hole is a feast for the eyes.

Particularly breathtaking is the stretch from the 11th to the 13th, which starts inland with a 561 metre par five that dog-legs sharp right after 228 metres to then run alongside that beautiful blue ocean all the way to the elevated green, which has a backdrop of the ‘Cat and Mouse’ mountain looming in the distance.

The 417 metre, par four 12th then continues beside the ocean, doglegging left to a small green right on the edge of the beach, again with the

tee to Green

‘Cat and Mouse’ mountain soaring in the background across the bay. And the 171 metre 13th is a peach of a par three, requiring a mid to long iron over a large lake to a green that slopes back to front, with the water right next to the front and left-hand side of the putting surface.

Other stand-out holes include the 601 metre, par five 6th, gently doglegging right for much of its length around a huge waste bunker before arriving at a green that’s almost on the beach. The closing stretch of 16th to 18th is also pretty impressive: three par fours of increasing length that all require fairly long carries over the mangroves with your tee shot.

The 382 metre, par four 18th, especially, is a great hole requiring a drive to an island of fairway followed by a second shot to a green completely surrounded by mangroves. Make par to finish here and you deserve a glass of champagne in the elegant clubhouse.

Not only golf

But Mauritius is more than just about golf. Visitors to this beautiful island will experience the Mauritian people’s innate hospitality, friendliness, and commitment to quality of service.

They will have the opportunity to stay in excellent hotels, each offering a range of additional services, including wonderful spas and world-class cuisine. There is also the opportunity to visit the island’s lush and green interior, which provides a whole host of sports for those who fancy a day away from the course including canyoning, mountain biking, horseriding, and zip-lining.

Mauritius is a safe and secure destination for the family, with no health hazards and good political stability. It is so beautiful that it is also recognised as one of the best destinations in the world to get married.

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26

TRAVEL | LOCAL

tee to Green

Carry on

Golfing!

Main and below: Zimbali

K

ZN’s magnificent north coast is an ideal winter golfing destination.

Tee to Green reflects on some time spent in the region and the overall experience of creating a memorable golf holiday.

Walking the frost off the course during a crack-of-dawn tee time in the middle of the Gauteng winter is the pits. Other Joburg favourites three to four hours away like Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West are all great but lack the sparkle of an idyllic spur of the moment destination. You are also forced to drive there whereas if you want to make a real holiday of it, you can fly down to Gauteng’s nearest stretch of beach and even hit the surf on a day off. So, all and all you all I reckon the North Coast of KZN is the way to go this time of the year. I boarded a plane this time last year wearing thermal underwear, two pairs of socks and a beanie. I was teeing it up a few hours later smearing sun block all over my face, not a jacket in sight.

Ja boet, they might not know much about rugby but I’ll give the Kwazulus one thing – they have the best winter weather in the whole world.

The North Coast has boomed with world class residential golf estates like Mount Edgecombe and Zimbali developing over the last decade and with Umhlanga steadily becoming the new capitol of the province (leaving Durban to be recognized as the official capitol of India) there are many reasons to invest in a property and head down there when the winter

hits the rest of the country.

There are some amazing courses all along the coast so even if you spend a week in the region you will battle to choose exactly which courses you’d want to play. There are a few in fact you would want to have more than one crack at. You can set up base camp at one particular lodge and drive around but most of the following estates have fantastic accommodation on site. The courses in this area have all been cut out of the old sugarcane fields or serious coastline jungle forests with the ocean in the distance setting the scene for some pretty spectacular layouts. And then there is the wonderful sunshine weather of course. But enough of the poetry, let’s get to it.

Mount Edgecombe

Dating back over 100 years, golf first started at Mount Edgecombe as a nine-hole golf course when driving to Durban was deemed too far to travel to by golfers in the immediate area. Expansion into an 18-hole course was completed and play commenced by 1935. A flood and a fire reduced it to a blackened shell in 1988 but from this ruin the club as we know it today was born. Their magnificent clubhouse was officially opened in 1989. Plans to build an additional course began in 1994 and the second championship course was officially opened 3 years later.

The courses are unique when compared with the other courses

Mount Edgecombe

tee to Green in this feature. It is less dramatic but certainly the prettiest of the lot – I can’t imagine the levies the homeowners must pay because it is truly beautiful. The rough is forgiving even though you need to be accurate to avoid the water – there is quite a bit of it, not like San Lameer or anything and especially on the second course but you still need to try and keep it tidy.

I wouldn’t want to risk picking one of the two to play because my experience all boiled down to where I played the better round. They are both equally enjoyable and the facilities and country club experience is world class. Play them both.

Contact details: 031 539 5330 • Style: Parkland/Links • Holes: 2 courses, 18 holes each • Guest Policy: Open Mondays, Visitors welcome every day • Driving Range, Putting Green, Rental Carts, Rental Trolleys, Caddies & Rental Clubs Available: Yes • Pro Shop: Yes • Golf School: Yes • Rates: Contact the club to be safe.

There might well be some winter specials going

27 Simbithi

Simbithi Country Club is a pristine and very scenic Peter Matkovich design. It is the country’s first executive golf course, a concept from the US that caters for people with time constraints who can’t spend 5 hours on the course completing a round. It is a par 60 made up of thirteen par 3’s, four par 4’s and one par 5. You can play a full 18 holes in 3 hours or less.

The 18 holes all have names ranging from aptly descriptive to simple fantasy and provide some anecdotal entertainment. I find that when a course is eating you alive, the last thing you want to know about is the resident monkeys and old Farmer Brown who used to schlep through here on a tractor.

All good fun though and with some imagination you can pretend you’re playing through Amen Corner at Augusta.

A lot of clubs say this but this one really does cater for every level of golfer and the club house and country club amenities are yet again first class. It has been rated as a five star golfing experience.

Contact Details: 032 525 4632 www.simbithi.com

Mount

• Holes: 18 • Driving Range Putting Green Available: Yes • Pro Shop: Yes • Other facilities: Restaurant, indigenous forests, clubhouse, equestrian center, beach access, tennis courts, swimming pool, squash court

Zimbali

I love this course. Ja it has the “irresistible ocean and forest views and an inspiring natural setting” but it has character too, some tough but then easier holes as well. It’s challenging in the wind because unlike the previously featured courses this one is open to the ocean elements in some parts. It has some really memorable holes.

Tom Weiskopf designed it pretty tight; in places there is no room for error. You will be rewarded for a good shot and punished for a bad one. It is well matured at sixteen years old and has the whole wildlife and jungle/ forest charm going for it. It could well be my favourite estate in the country rivalled to a degree only by Pezula. A special place in general.

The plush cloakrooms and other amenities all form part of a great golf

TRAVEL | LOCAL outing. They are developing a new Gary Player design golf course which will bolster the golf side of things tremendously. We’ll keep you posted.

Prince’s Grant

The northern most course in our ensemble cast, it lies just outside of Stanger. Much like Mt. Edgecombe, Prince’s Grant was previously a portion of a farm called Hyde Park.

George Wilson Prince bought the 3 354 acres for two pounds, five shillings and four pence sterling.

A cane cutter from India called Babu Bodasing bought and managed it until it was sold to the current owners. The family is still represented on the board. The small house on the beach behind the fifteenth green was the first building on the property and is to be retained in its present form. The house, through which the fence runs, was the Bodasing family’s original beach cottage.

Unlike the other estates the course took precedence over the property. This is clear in the case of the magnificent fifteenth hole which occupies prime real estate which in most developments would probably have been allocated to housing. It is a glorious hole and made even

mbe

Edgeco

Simbithi

Mount Edgecombe

Simbithi

TRAVEL | LOCAL

28

tee to Green

All three images: Prince’s Grant

better by a good score on it so don’t try to drive the green and let the moment get the better of you. There is nothing worse than blowing out on the signature hole.

It opened in 1994 and has large greens and impressive fairways, it creates a completely unique and challenging experience. Its a links / parkland layout and was also designed by Peter Matkovich. It is in my view the toughest of the lot but definitely one that could become a favourite.

Contact: 032 482 0041 / 0005 www.princesgrantlodge.co.za • Style: Links/Parkland • Holes: 18 • Guest Policy: Open Mondays, Visitors welcome every day.

Golf Union And Home Club Membership Cards required.

No Handicap Required Unless Entering Competition.

• Driving Range Putting Green Rental Carts Available: Yes • Caddies: Yes • Pro Shop: Yes • Other facilities: Practice bunker, restaurant, accommodation, locker rooms, bar, tennis, squash, swimming, trophy display.

Fairmont Zimbali Lodge and Fairmont Zimbali Resort : Play golf in the warmest part of SA this winter and enjoy a luxurious break

Enjoy a luxurious break at either Fairmont Zimbali Lodge or Fairmont Zimbali Resort near Ballito on the KwaZulu Natal North Coast. Practise your swing and put your feet up, all in a nature lover’s paradise.

Price per Person from: • Double/Twin sharing from R 2 719,00 Fairmont Zimbali Lodge • Double/Twin sharing from R 3 135,00 Fairmont Zimbali Resort This package consists of: • 3 nights accommodation including breakfast daily • 2 rounds of golf on the 18 hole championship course at Zimbali Country Club (excluding cart hire) • When you book at least 2 weeks ahead of travel, a surprise special treat is also included in the rate • (please enquire at time of booking) Rates subject to change, terms & conditions apply, subject to availability Offer valid for booking in August 2012 ONLY for SA Residents only, special rates for additional nights available (enquire at booking) Contact easygolf Travel for further information and detailed itinerary on +27 11 486 3729 or monika@easygolf.co.za

30

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

tee to Green

Lytham sets high standard The list of former winners of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes is impressive indeed.

O

f the four Majors only the Masters is played on the same golf course each year. This enables one to make comparisons between years and the champions that much easier. However the Open Championship played only at links courses with its roster of venues goes some way to allowing us the same opportunity. This year we return to Royal Lytham and St Annes and if the quality of a golf course be gauged by the calibre of champions it produces then there are few better than this historic Lancashire links.

David Duval (2001) was No 1 on the official world ranking when he won, and who can question the quality of these other former champions all of whom were multiple major winners – Seve Ballesteros (5 majors), Gary Player (9 majors), Peter Thomson (5 majors), Bobby Locke (4 Majors) and Tony Jacklin (2 Majors). Only Bob Charles and Tom Lehman champions in 1963 and 1996 won one major each but there is no disputing their class as players.

In fact from the very first championship played at Lytham

the quality of winner remains undisputed

Bobby Jones

Lytham’s first Open in 1926 was significant in many ways before a shot had been struck. King George V gave his approval to adding the word ‘Royal’ to the club’s title in time for the championship. Regional qualifying was introduced to cut the entry of 293 to a more realistic 117.

The championship was played over three days instead of two and gate money was charged for the first time to control spectator numbers after players had been hampered by stampeding crowds a year earlier at Prestwick.

Bobby Jones, the sensational young American, had already won the US Open and twice captured the US Amateur title. With five holes left to play in the championship itself, Jones trailed fellow American and playing partner Al Watrous by two shots, with Walter Hagen making up ground on both of them a few holes behind. The 17th hole proved decisive.

Jones pulled his tee shot into a sandy lie in the left rough 175 yards from the hidden green. He made

clean and solid contact with the ball and put it on the green. Watrous was also home in two, but visibly shaken by his opponent’s stunning recovery he three putted. Jones played one of the toughest five-hole finishes in British golf in 4-3-4-4-4 to beat Watrous by two.

This was the first championship victory by Jones in Britain. He was to go on to win the Open twice more and also claim the Amateur title.

Bobby Locke

Bobby Locke’s third Open victory was nearly thwarted by a locked door. His clubs were safely stowed in the boot of his car and the car was securely locked in a private garage close to the Blackpool hotel in which he was staying. Setting out early for the final day’s 36 holes, he found to his dismay that the garage was still locked. Luckily the local milkman knew where the garage owner lived and took Locke off in search of the keys. He finally arrived at the course with just enough time to change his shoes and walk straight to the first tee.

But the one quality which always characterised Locke was his total

unflapability and he played out those two final rounds in 74 and 73 to overhaul the four-shot advantage that Ireland’s Fred Daly had established with a blistering 67-69 start. Daly fell away badly on the last day, allowing Australia’s Peter Thomson to push him back into third place. Locke’s winning total was 287, with Thomson on 288 and Daly 289.

Peter Thomson

In a 10-year period from 1949 the Open Championship was dominated

by South African Bobby Locke and Australian Peter Thomson with four victories each. Only Max Faulkner at Royal Portrush in 1951 and Ben Hogan at Carnoustie in 1953 stepped in to halt a clean sweep.

Thomson was to add a fifth title to his collection at Birkdale in 1965, but by far the most demanding of his triumphs was at Lytham in 1958.

His opening 66 at Lytham pointed the way towards another clear-cut victory, but he eventually had to go into extra time to claim his fourth title in five years. Thomson won in a 36 hole playoff from the big hitting Welshman Dave Thomas.

tee to Green

31 Tony Jacklin

Britain had been without a home winner of the Open for 18 years when the world’s finest players arrived at Lytham for the 1969 championship.

Max Faulkner, flamboyant dresser who often used a putter made from a piece of driftwood, had been the last British player to win the title, at Portrush in 1951.

Tony Jacklin was the bright new face of the British game. He had honed his skills on the ultracompetitive American circuit, gaining his first victory in the USA at Jacksonville a year earlier. After two rounds at Lytham he trailed lefthanded New Zealander Bob Charles by three shots, but maintained his place among the leaders before taking the lead with a steady 70 in the third round.

Before setting out on the final afternoon Jacklin found a note pinned to his locker door. It had been left by American tour pro Bert Yancey, with whom Jacklin had struck up a close friendship. It said simply: “Tempo.” With that thought in mind his controlled final round of 72 was enough to hold Charles at bay, with Peter Thomson and Roberto de Vicenzo sharing third place ahead of Christy O’ Connor and Jack Nicklaus.

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW Championship, the young Spaniard was approached by his friend and mentor, the great Argentinian champion Roberto de Vincenzo who gave the young Seve this simple piece of advice, “Tienes las manos.

Ahora juega con tu carazon” – “You have the hands, now play with your heart.” And indeed that’s where the Open Championship was won from the heart and not the carpark.

As we know the carpark played its role and prompted playing partner Hale Irwin to comment, ”I can’t understand how anyone can drive the ball as badly as that and still win an Open Championship.” However Seve insists that the drive into the carpark on the 16th hole of the final round was premeditated. “I knew the rough out there was not bad because the spectators had trampled it down and that if I hit a big drive I could get close to the green and make birdie.

If my ball finished among the cars I would get a free drop.” He did just that, and after getting a free drop from the car he found his ball under he went on to make a birdie and take a three shot lead. Two holes later he was crowned Open Champion.

Seve Ballesteros - 1988

Seve Ballesteros was a more controlled, and more dangerous

golfer, when he returned to the famous Lancashire links of Lytham in 1988 than he had been as a 22-year-old Open victor over the same course nine years earlier. In the intervening years he had won a second Open, at St Andrews in 1984, and captured the US Masters title twice.

On that final day Nick Price led Ballesteros and Nick Faldo by two shots. Thanks to the vagaries of the weather the normal two-man pairings were changed and the three leading contenders went out together at the tail of the field.

Faldo fell slightly off the pace early on, but Price was in superb form and his fine 69 would, in 99 Opens out of 100, have earned him the title.

But Seve’s play was nothing short of inspirational. On his way to a 65 and a two-shot victory over Price, one hole was particularly significant.

The short par four 16th was where, in 1979, he had thundered a drive into a temporary car park well to the right, then recovered after a free drop to hole a long putt for an unlikely birdie. Nine years on, a more mature Ballesteros found perfect position in the fairway with a one-iron from the tee and left an exquisite nine-iron approach just three inches from the hole.

Gary Player

Bob Charles

The 1963 Open at Lytham produced another 36-hole play-off, the second in succession after Peter Thomson’s extra-time victory over Dave Thomas five years earlier. This time the protagonists were opposites in every respect. Bob Charles, the tall, thinas a rake New Zealand left-hander was quiet and undemonstrative.

His opponent, short, solidly-built American ex-Marine Phil Rodgers, had a habit of racing across the green and slamming his cap over the hole when a long putt dropped.

But the American suffered badly over the extra 36 holes. He undoubtedly played the better golf from tee to green, but Charles maintained his reputation as one of the world’s finest putters. Locking arms, hands and putter into one solid unit he rocked his shoulders back and forwards in a classic pendulum action that was devastating. In the morning round he had only 26 putts.

Charles piled on the putting pressure throughout the afternoon to open up an eight stroke margin of victory. In his rounds of 69-71 Charles had 56 putts. Rodgers totalled 65 putts in rounds of 72-76.

Gary Player won his first Open Championship at Muirfield in 1959 and his second at Carnoustie in 1968. With his triumph at Lytham in 1974 he shared with Harry Vardon the distinction of claiming the title in three separate decades. Opening rounds of 69 and 68, compiled in blustery winds, established a five shot lead over the field, headed by Peter Oosterhuis, with Jack Nicklaus trailing by nine strokes. Compulsory use of the 1.68-inch ball for the first time in the championship may have added to the high scoring.

In the final round Player had two birdies and an eagle in the opening six holes, but ran into trouble at the final two hurdles. His six-iron approach to the 17th was pulled left into deep rough and it took enthusiastic help from a horde of spectators to locate the ball with only seconds of the time limit remaining.

So deeply was the ball buried that he could move it only six feet at the first attempt, but he limited the damage to one dropped shot.

At the last he was over enthusiastic with his second shot which finished close to the clubhouse wall behind the green.

He was forced to play left-handed to scramble the ball back to the green, but despite these setbacks still claimed his third Open title with a score of 282, four shots clear of Oosterhuis with Nicklaus a further stroke behind

Seve Ballesteros – 1979

Was it good fortune that made Seve Ballesteros the 1979 Open Champion or just ‘destino.’A little of both no doubt. Just before teeing off in the final round of the

The most exciting player of all time - the late Seve Ballesteros

32

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

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Can Ernie do it again and lift the Claret Jug at Lytham

Tom Lehman

The legendary Bobby Jones had captured the first Lytham Open in 1926 as the most talented and successful amateur golfer of all time. In the intervening years to 1996 no other American had been successful in the championship at Lytham, despite many periods of domination in the game.

That odd quirk in the records was finally laid to rest when Tom Lehman finally squeezed home ahead of fastfinishing duo Mark McCumber and Ernie Els. Lehman had played the American PGA tour for 13 years with only a couple of tournament victories to his name when he arrived at Lytham to take part in his third Open in Britain, having finished 59th at Royal St George’s in 1993 and 24th at Turnberry the following year.

He made his mark right from the start, opening with two rounds of 67, a half-way score matched only

by Ireland’s Paul McGinley with 6965. Then Lehman turned up the heat with a devastating third round of 64 which gave him a six shot lead over the field.

His position appeared unassailable, but the magic of the previous day had vanished with the morning dew and shots began to slip away. Mark McCumber, with a final round of 66 and Ernie Els with 67, set a target of 273 which Lehman was struggling to beat until he once more took command at the tough 12th hole. The angled green is threatened by a circle of six

bunkers, with out-of-bounds close on the right. Lehman’s perfectly struck four-iron settled down eight feet from the hole and gave him a much needed birdie.

He later described his final round of 73 as “not pretty, but gritty.” It was enough to keep him two shots ahead of the rest.

David Duval

The setting for the 2001 Open Championship was Royal Lytham & St Annes. With the most gruelling finishing stretch of five holes in Open golf, the crowds watched in anticipation to see if defending Champion Tiger Woods could tame the course, despite his recent poor form. But it was to be another American who would tame the Lancashire links. David Duval was one of fifteen players who scored 69 on day one. His 73 strokes on day two left him seven off the lead.

But an exceptional round of 65 in the third round moved him joint 35th position to tie for the lead Duval stood on the first tee on the final day of the competition, determined to prove critics of his mediocre Open performances of previous years wrong. Others expected to have a good day also.

Unfortunately, Woosnam, sitting in joint first position, got off to a bad start, with a 2-stroke penalty at the first tee for having too many clubs in his bag. Montgomerie and Cejka fell away to 13th position and Woods finished in 25th position, his lowest ever. Surprise challenger Fasth set

an early pace with four birdies on the front nine and a round of 67.

He was in the clubhouse some two hours ahead of Duval with a score of 277.

Duval, however, was in winning form. Birdies at the difficult 6th and 7th holes and again after finding a bunker at the 11th allowed him to pull in front. Despite finding the long grass beside the 14th fairway, he played an unbelievable shot from there onto the green, managing to save par, and repeated this again at the 15th. He finished with a round of 67 for a total of 274, three shots ahead of Fasth, to become the worthy Open Champion of 2001.

2012 Winner???

What can we expect at Lytham this year, another quality winner or a one-off wonder. This year has already produced two major winners out of left field. This is not to say that Bubba Watson at the Masters or Webb Simpson at the US Open were not deserving champions – indeed they were. The point is that finding or predicting them as potential winners before the events would have been needle in a haystack stuff.

Let’s return to the form book.

With three wins year, his latest coming just two weeks before the Championship Tiger Woods must start as favourite. And how can you write the great player off. Somehow though I just do not think it is his year. Those clutch putts that he seemed to hole down the stretch in

all his major victories now seem to miss more often than go in. Can he reverse this? We will know in three week’s time.

An English victory? You cannot dismiss the world’s number one and three from the mix. Of the two Westwood must be the pick but it all seems too much, Westwood crowning a great career, now in the Autumn of that career, with a win in the Open Championship in England.

Seems like something scriptwriters in Hollywood would come up with.

But why not? It happened to his good friend Darren Clarke last year so why not Lee this year.

Talking of Darren Clarke, what of another champion from the Emerald Island? Rory McIroy has everything it takes to win but it would seem he also has everything it takes not to, as sometime his game just seems to go walkabout. If it is to be an Irishman I would go with Graeme McDowell.

The former US Open Champ is in great form and was still in it at the US Open right down to the final putt.

And any chance of a South African winner – indeed yes.

Both Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen are in the Top 20 in the world, in good form and well suited to links golf. For me though I am hoping for a trip down memory lane, and a final Major win for the “Big Easy”. Ernie will have been encouraged by his fine form at the US Open. He has played well previously at Lytham and has the class and quality to win on this great links.

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Time To Play.

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EQUIPMENT

34

What’s in

your bag?

How could you improve your game without spending hours on the practice tee every week? By using the right equipment

tee to Green

tee to Green

I

n today’s pressured lifestyle we can hardly set aside enough time to play the game, let alone take more time out to take swing lessons and practice for hours and hours to refine our swings to improve our game. And yes we all know that if we play better we will enjoy it more. If we enjoy the game more we will want to play more often. And if we play more often our game will improve. Classic “chicken and egg” stuff it seems to me.

So how do we kick start the whole process with the least effort and call on our time. As we can see from Eric Bornman’s Pro Shop experience (p36) in purchasing a new driver, you can “buy a better game”or driver at least.

But at best you will use a driver 14 times on the golf course and if you are the average golfer with a handicap of 15 or 16 you will still be required to play 74 more strokes to play to your handicap. So the half empty cup guys will be saying why bother?

Let me say it now in big bold letters – YOU CAN BUY A BETTER GAME. And it does start with the driver because that’s the club we use to hit our first or starting shot on 14 of the holes we play.

At its simplest golf is just a game of distance and direction. Distance is obvious as golf holes on the average course will vary between 130 metres and 500 metres which places an emphasis not only on how far we might hit the ball but also on hitting the ball the right distance for the shot required. As we get closer to the hole the emphasis on distance control gets greater and greater. And once on the green and we have the putter in our hands it is the most important aspect.

The old saying that you drive for show and putt for dough still applies today and a 2 inch putt counts the same as a 250 metre drive.

I know what you’re saying – lots of blah blah where is the bling bling.

How do I do it?

Make sure you have the right mix of equipment in the golf bag for your game and the golf course you are playing. We are allowed 14 clubs and no more. There is nothing magical about this number and the rule restricting us to 14 came in the 1930’s. Before that players could carry as many as the liked. Lawson Little winner of the US Amateur Championship in the early Thirties had 32 clubs in his bag. Asked about it afterwards he remarked “And I needed every one of them”. How did he ever find a caddie I wonder? Be that as it may the number today is fourteen.

Golf equipment manufacturers quickly latched onto this and a set of clubs bought off the shelf in those days consisted of 4 Woods (1,2,3,and 4), 9 irons (3 through sand wedge) and a putter. And nothing much changed for many years. Top players would get a two iron and throw out the 2 wood which was hardly ever used. Then a 1 iron became popular – but only really strong players could even use it – most just carrying it for show. There was not much difference between a 3 and a 4 wood so out

35 went the 4 wood and into the bag crept a 5 wood. And this was about it until the last twenty years. Since then the range of clubs available continues to increase in shape and size and also in the sort of shot they will produce when used correctly. We are now simply spoiled for choice.

What to choose?

From the tee We need a club to use from the teeing ground. And that’s a driver. I am not going into which driver to choose just that all golfer’s bags should have one.

On the fairways Obviously it is here that we have the biggest variance and this is as a result of the playing field, the golf course.

Depending on the length of the hole and how well we hit that all important drive we can be faced with a second shot of anything from 100 to 250 metres. And certainly no matter how skilled we are it will not be a case of “one size fits all”. Just as well we have a whole array of products are available for us to choose from.

Fairway woods with various lofts that fall into the 3, 4, 5, 7 and even 9 wood category. The average player playing in normal good conditions should carry a 3 wood and a 5 wood, with ladies adding a 7 wood to the mix. These clubs are easier to hit.

Throw out the 2, 3 and 4 iron now and never let them back in the bag.

As for a 1 iron it is and should be an endangered species. Hybrids are one of the best additions to the game and therefore use them. 3 and 4 hybrids are essential equipment for every golfer and most of us would benefit even from a 5 as well.

This leaves us with a simple choice of either 5 through wedge or 6 through wedge. Yes you will note no mention yet of a sand wedge Around and on the green Well over half the strokes we play are played from 100metres in. These are the scoring shots, yet they are the ones that the average golfer pays the least attention to. Pros by contrast spend hours and hours practicing this part of the game. But as we pointed out at the beginning – no practice for us. We have a wedge that covers the distance of 110 meters but nothing for the shorter shots. So we must add a sand wedge - about 75 metres.

Today’s off the shelf wedges have a loft of 46 degrees while the normal sand wedge will be 56 degrees. This relates to distance of between 25 and 30 metres. Just too big a gap.

Problem solved, get yourself a gap wedge something with 52 degrees of loft. And then a putter of course.

Well we are all ready to go. “No, no” says our intrepid golfer “I watched the pros at the US Open and they all used a Lob Wedge. I must have one of those. Remember the shot played by Tiger at the Memorial.

Lob wedge again. And all those up’s and downs from Phil Mickelson. A lob wedge it must be.”

EQUIPMENT

I think I will set myself up as the chairman of the ban the Lob Wedge Society. I will be on a mission to eradicate all lob wedges from the golf bags of average golfers. Have you any idea of the skill required to play a lob wedge, and let alone the skill, the hours and hours of practice required to perfect that soft landing flop shot. Get real, leave the lob wedge for the professionals, and rely on a gap wedge for your chipping. Even a sand wedge is too specialist, keep it for what it was designed for – the sand.

Now that we have sorted what should be in the bag all we have to

do is learn how to use the clubs and even more important when to use them. Shot selection is another easy way to become better at the game without trying. Watch this space next month.

What should be in the bag •

Driver – big head, standard shaft, double digit loft (10degrees or more)

•

3 Wood – 15 degrees minimum and everything else standard

•

5 Wood – smallish head, standard length shaft

•

Hybrids – a 3 and a 4 Hybrid and even consider a 5 as well.

These replace the 3 iron, 4 iron and even a 5 iron

•

Irons – 6 through wedge.

•

Gap Wedge and Sand wedge – 52 and 56 degrees of loft

•

Putter – new age mallet style, easier to line up and easier to keep on line

•

AND NO LOB WEDGE

Duca del Cosma as worn by Richard Sterne.

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36

EQUIPMENT

tee to Green

Can you buy a better game?

Club golfer, Eric Bornman, visits the Pro Shop and discovers that you can. This is how he went from a very average 235 metre drive to 275 metre monster of the tee-box in less than an hour

Y

ou hear the phrase “buy a better game” during tournament commentary every weekend, in the halfway house and in most post-game conversations after a round gone wrong. What does it actually mean though? Does it entail rushing off to the nearest equipment retailer and spending a small fortune on upgrading to the best set of blades and shiniest driver money can buy? Apparently not. I have personally spent very little on equipment throughout my entire playing life. First there was my father’s old Spaldings, then a mate’s second hand McGregors and eventually a set of Mizunos I bought by swinging vigorously through about 12 different options en-route to buying them simply because they were the nicest looking of the lot. I have never bought a new driver. The Cobra I currently have was a birthday gift and is apparently an illegal club. The clubs work and I play a decent round but despite knowing more about the game and being better equipped mentally than I was 5 years ago, I don’t consistently play any better. If I was a +2 great but I’m not.

What I came to realize during the debates about technology and how it can improve your score is that the foundation of my game is

fundamentally flawed. I have moulded my swing around the handed down equipment which is equivalent to the tail wagging the dog. This can be easily corrected through the ways and means available today. I needed to match the correct equipment with my style and swing. So with my conscience intent on correcting the legal issue and my curiosity awakened to whether I could indeed buy a better game, off I went to The Pro Shop Woodmead to kill two birds with one stone.

The shop is huge, almost intimidating. Despite this, the process was actually remarkably simple.

I walked down the stairs into the basement where they’ve taken the consumer experience to a whole new level. If you want to keep it simple and you have no brand preference, keep left where virtually every club on the market is categorised into three simple sections of shooting around 90, 80 etc. Albeit very effective I wasn’t trying to get in and out with minimal exertion. I was here to experiment and put the rumours to the test so I headed straight over to the custom fitting studios where each major brand has a display of their latest products, a private driving range/net and computerized equipment to record your swing

speed, style, IQ, you name it in the process pairing you up with a perfectly suited set of golf clubs.

We got underway after a discussion on the objectives with one of their US-trained Master Fitters, a very knowledgeable chap called Ferdi Morris. It was simple: I needed a new driver but wanted the right driver. After asking me what ball I played with he brought over a bucket of Pro Vs and told me to warm up. He brought a club similar to my current driver to set a comparative starting point in terms of my current flight path, trajectory, ball spin and speed, distance, carry etc. I hit the ball as I normally do, slight fade and consistently around 235 odd. This whole shebang was being accurately displayed onto a huge monitor utilizing fitting software through a machine called a GC2. It all boils down to the most advanced means of fitting clubs in the world and based on the onscreen results, the clubs are adapted to suit me specifically.

He started tinkering with different shafts and heads, bringing through a range of other drivers all the way hitting he balls into the net and comparing all the stats. Some flew

further but had more spin. Others had the wrong trajectory and less ball speed and so we carried on.

The driver that eventually hit the sweet spot was a Cleveland Classic.

Once he felt we had a winner he started playing around with the shaft flexibility trying out three variations in shaft flex. We comfortably settled on a clear winner as I started hitting in the 270s consistently, still in the fairway, reduced spin and all the other good things.

As it stands I am not only the proud owner of a shiny new driver but also an extra 30 yards off the tee box.

Pretty decent morning at the office.

I strongly suggest that you give this some good consideration and give custom fitting a bash. Yes you might end up spending some money but it will all be worth it when you break 80 for the first time. Who has time to spend 6 hours a week on the range?

We all know that you can’t perfect your game on the course either so if you what do you have to lose?

My gracious hosts, The Pro Shop Woodmead is offering a lucky reader a custom fitting experience to the value of R10 000. SMS “better game” to .... to enter. Enter as many times as you like, SMS charged at R2.

tee to Green

Player’s info CURRENT HANDICAP: 14 LOWEST EVER HANDICAP: 10 PLAYING CAREER: Started in high school (1990 – 1994), stopped for 11 years (don’t ask) and started again in 2005.

LOWEST SCORE: 79 HIGHEST SCORE: unknown Right-handed favoring a slight fade MOST CONSISTENT CLUBS: Driver and 8-iron WORST SHOT: Sand shots around the green MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: I broke 80 as a 15 year old 16-handicap MOST NOTABLE THING NOT ACHIEVED AS YET: I’ve never made an eagle IMMEDIATE GOAL: To play more often LONG TERM GOAL: To try out for the Seniors Tour when I’m done working for a living

37

EQUIPMENT

Win a R10 000

custom fitting experience with The Pro Shop Woodmead and buy yourself a better game!

SMS “teetogreen”, the word “proshop”, your name and surname to 45633. (SMS charged at R1.50 – enter as many times as you like to increase your chances of winning) If you don’t win, call 011 602 8888 or email customfitting@theproshop.co.za to set up an appointment

Contact easyGolf Travel for further information and detailed itinerary on +27 11 486 3729 or monika@easygolf.co.za 1

Get to know and play 5 brilliant golf courses in Spain, Marbella, while staying 7 nights in Marbella in the luxurious 4* H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel.

Price per Package: • Double/Twin sharing • Single supplement

from

Spain – Marbella

EUR 638,00 EUR 175,00

This package consists of: • 7 nights accommodation at H10 Andalucia Plaza Hotel on bed & breakfast basis (half board option also available, please ask for rates) • 5 x green fees at La Quinta Golf, Los Arqueros, Los Naranjos, Atalaya and Chaparral • Free access to Casino Marbella – next to hotel • Free access to indoor pool, jacuzzi and gym in wellness center Rates subject to change, terms & conditions apply, subject to availability Offer valid for September, October and November 2012

Emerald Isle

1

Play some of the World’s Top golf courses on the emerald isle: Ireland. Several interesting packages available over the European Summer and Autumn Get to know the courses of Ireland’s beautiful capital Dublin in 5 days!

Price per Person from: • Double/Twin sharing • Single supplement

from from

EUR 745.00 EUR 175.00

This package consists of: • 4 nights accommodation at the Portmarnock Hotel in a twin including breakfast daily • Rental car D-class 5 days • 3x golf (2x Portmarnock Golf Course, 1x Island Golf Club)

2

Play the famous Northern Ireland Golf Courses from your base in Belfast

Price per Person from: • Double/Twin sharing • Single supplement

from from

EUR 1,105.00 EUR 159.00

This package consists of: • 4 nights accommodation at the Europa Hotel in a twin including breakfast daily • Rental car D-class 5 days • 3x golf (1x Portsteward Golf Club, 1x Royal County Down Golf Club, 1x Royal Portrush Golf Club)

3

Enjoy golf in Northern Ireland and tour the county of Antrim

Price per Person from: • Double/Twin sharing • Single supplement

from from

EUR 1,385.00 EUR 259.00

This package consists of: • 3 nights accommodation at the Europa Hotel in a twin including breakfast daily • And 3 nights at the Ramada Portrush Hotel in Antrim • Rental car D-class 7 days • 4x golf (1x Portsteward Golf Club, 1x Castle Rock Golf Club, 1x Royal County Down Golf Club, 1x Royal Portrush Golf Club)

4

Vibrant Dublin: golfing at its best and get to know this beautiful city!

Ireland

Price per Person from: • Double/Twin sharing • Single supplement

from from

EUR 1,245.00 EUR 295.00

This package consists of: • 4 nights accommodation at the Portmarnock Hotel in a twin including breakfast • Daily and 3 nights at the Trinity Capital Hotel in a twin room including breakfast • Rental car D-class 8 days • 4x golf (2x Portmarnock Golf Club, 1x Island Golf Club, 1x European Golf Club)

2 further Ireland packages available at a special rate for this European Summer! Enquire with easyGolf!

Classifieds PLATINUM CLUB GOLF •

Join the elite and get your SAGA Card Membership at R499.00!! No funnies.

•

High nett worth tourists can enjoy full membership affordably while touring SA.

•

KILLER VALUE!!

Corporates and occasional golfers can now enjoy affiliated rates Terms & Conditions apply

www.platinumclubgolf.moonfruit.com FACEBOOK /platinumclubgolf@gmail.com

WE BUY AND SELL NEW AND USED GOLF CLUBS Callaway • Ping • Taylor Made • Mizuno • Titleist • King Cobra • Adams Etc.

Paul Oosthuizen

082 335 7737 • paul@golfequipment.co.za For a price list visit www.golfequipment.co.za

021 851 7699 or 021 852 5875

Electric Buggy

sales@batterypower.co.za www.batterypower.co.za

Electric Golf Trolley R14999

Golf Equipment

Also: Remote control Lithium powered NATIONWIDE DELIVERY Collect in Boksburg

R2799

Contact the innovators in portable Golf Cars: • Durban 031-764 2817 • Cell 082 440 5379 • Cape Town 021-685 3423 • Cell 083 714 7116

Made in SA - Spares & servicing no problem

Golf trolley importer over 8 years!

To advertise in Tee to Green call Eric 086 111 4626 083 484 9842 or mail eric@ballyhoomedia.co.za

IndweEssence_GolfStripAdPaths.indd 1

DRIVING RANGE • Join as a SOCIAL MEMBER for only R280.00 a year to make use of the clubhouse and this entitles you to join the Driving Range as a member for R150.00 per month • Unlimited balls (7 days a week) (Full membership) for only R150.00 per month • Unlimited balls (7 days a week) (Junior membership) for only R125.00 per month • Different packages available (all levels) for golf lessons between ages 6—18. Please contact Mornè Jurgens.

Driving Range: 082 826 0907 (Marc) 078 318 9481 (Mornè)

GOLF CLUB WINTER SPECIAL @R150.00 (terms & conditions apply) ALL WELCOME From 01 May—30 September 2012 Special membership for under 30’s.

Half yearly memberships available from 01 July 2012 Pro Shop: 021 854 3309 Office: 021 853 6268

2011/05/24 11:25 AM

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