Tee to Green September 2012

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EDITORIAL

Why 14?

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fter watching Jack Nicklaus win the 1965 Masters, Bobby Jones famously said: “Nicklaus plays a game with which I am not familiar.”

And he continued to do so for the next 15 years. The point here is that it was Nicklaus himself who played so differently. The clubs, the shafts, the golf ball he used were not in any way superior to those used ten or even twenty year earlier. In fact many of the game’s top players would seek out drivers from the 50’s believing the design and the persimmon wood from that era were in fact superior.

The golf courses had remained much the same so it came down to how Nicklaus played and nothing else.

As Tom Weiskopf said, “Jack knew he was going to beat you. You knew Jack was going to beat you. And Jack knew that you knew that he was going to beat you.”

All this has changed in the last twenty years. The improvement in woods, irons, putters and most of all, the golf ball have changed the game forever. Now that’s a bold statement and on reflection maybe not fully correct. The game has not changed much for the average amateur golfer. A 15 handicap faces perhaps even increased difficulty as the game tries to keep pace with the skills and athleticism of the skilled golfer by making courses longer with more hazards.

The changes to equipment seem to and do benefit the skilled golfer more than the average one. And this should be the case. The skilled player spends hours and hours practicing and improving his technique to ensure consistency on every shot.

The manufacturers hone in on these special and consistent skills and customise club heads, shafts, ball etc. to ensure the best outcome.

The average golfer seldom makes two successive shots the same. In truth we swing the club differently every time so cannot expect to gain as much from equipment improvement. Statistics show that an average golfer still hits the driver no more than 200 metres and only rarely

makes 36 or better putts a round. And he is still a 15 or 16 handicap player.

So what do the custodians of the game have to do to maintain the game’s traditions and integrity. In truth they have tried their best and though not fully failing continue to face an uphill battle. What can be done to give the average player some help while restricting the professional golfer?

Change the rules regarding the number of clubs allowed.

Start by giving the average amateur golfer a greater choice. Instead of restricting them to 14 extend that to twenty or no maximum at all. This way more specialist clubs could be designed and manufactured for the golfer to help extricate the ball from the rough. They could carry a short shafted iron just for use when the ball finishes under a tree. Or even a left handed club if their stand is interfered with. Let alone the drivers with a hook or slice bias that you can choose from once you know what swing you have brought to the course.

I believe this would add to the fun factor with more to choose from and more types of shots being played and not just relying on one’s skills. Will this change the game from a challenge point of view – I doubt it. Will the scores get significantly lower – I don’t think so. Will you enjoy the game more – I believe you will.

And what about the professionals who as Jones said “Play a game with which I am not familiar.” Leave them with just 14 or if you want to really test their shot-making skills reduce the number of clubs they can use down to 12 or even 10. They would need to raise their shot-making skills, playing bump and run shots, half shots, high shots depending on what shot they face and what clubs are available in their now limited selection. This is something I would pay to see.

What would this mean to the equipment manufactures? A boom, with their real customer base buying more clubs.

And the traditions and integrity of the game? Well it is only since the 1930’s that rules regarding the number of clubs restricted us to 14. So just turn back the clock.

And pros and amateurs playing to

tee to Green different rules? In truth that occurs all the time. The pro tours have all sorts of local rules that only apply to tour events. The one ball rule which basically restricts play to one make of ball for the round. The embedded ball rule which for tour events is extended to through the green. A local rule allowing stones and pebbles to be removed from bunkers, and more recently at Kiawah Island a local rule declaring all sand areas as through the green – no bunkers at all.

This is not to say that these local rules don’t have a place. Of course they do. I merely raise the issue to illustrate the point that these special rules are common and in place.

Instead of the R & A and USGA looking at restrictions to equipment such as the length of putters and whether anchoring the putter against the body gives players an advantage, look at ways that will make the game more enjoyable for the average golfer. After all there are over 50 million of us and only 2000 odd professionals that make a living on the Pro Tours of the world.

Ryder Cup

As you can see from our cover this issue features the Ryder Cup, golf’s greatest team match. I will be amongst the millions of avid golf fans watching the drama unfold on my TV Screen. I believe it will once again be a very close match with the Americans just holding the advantage of home ground. Played this year near Chicago expect huge, passionate and vocal crowds. I will probably never see a game live and certainly never play in a match but what I have done is have the pleasure of holding the Cup and having photographic proof that I have.

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 LoydOrr 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.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of either parties.

No responsibility is accepted for errors as all information was believed to be correct at the time of print. Copyright subsists on all content within this publication.

Any reproduction without consent is strictly prohibited and may constitute a criminal offence.

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GOLF TALK

tee to Green

News, Views and Reviews International and Local

Another for McIIroy

McIlroy said.

That’s all anyone will remember.

place, two shots behind, and earned enough money to become the first player to surpass $100 million in official PGA Tour earnings.

“He’s not No. 1 in the world for nothing,” Oosthuizen said. “He’s a great young talent, a lot of majors left for him to win. He’s such a cool kid on the course. It’s great playing with him. He makes tough shots look really easy sometimes, especially long irons”. Although he hung in there until the end, Oosthuizen’s challenge faltered at the fifth. He reached for his shoulder after a horrific snap hook off the tee.

The ball dove into the woods and landed in the middle of shoulderhigh bushes, leaving him no option but to take a penalty drop out of the hazard. He laid up short of the creek and two-putted for double bogey.

Oosthuizen, though, was clearly hurting. He couldn’t get through his swing on the next tee shot, which sailed into the bunker and kept him from attacking the pin. That’s what McIlroy did, hitting 9-iron into 3 feet for birdie and his first lead. He never gave it back.

Southern African Tour News

1.5million for Alfred Dunhill Championship With a prize fund of €1.5-million – an increase of more than 50 per cent – the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour, will become the richest tournament on the Sunshine Tour and will also carry a two-year exemption on the European Tour for the winner. The tournament will be played at SA’s number one ranked

Rory McIlroy got the start he wanted Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, erasing a three-shot deficit in just five holes. The finish was hardly a masterpiece, except for the part when golf’s No. 1 player posed with the trophy. The Boy Wonder didn’t make it easy on himself at the TPC Boston.

He had to make a 6-foot putt to save par from a bunker, and a 5-foot putt to save bogey after a pitch sailed from one side of the green to the other. And he had to wait as Louis Oosthuizen’s birdie putt to force a playoff slid below the hole.

“I had a couple of wobbles coming in, but I obviously did enough and I’m very excited to get a victory,”

On a leaderboard packed with some of the biggest names in golf -- McIlroy, Oosthuizen, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson -the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland took a giant leap toward establishing himself as the best in the game.

With four birdies in six holes at the start, and limiting the damage from his mistakes at the end, McIlroy closed with a 4-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Oosthuizen, joining Woods as the only three-time winners this year on the PGA Tour.

Woods made an early charge to get back in the hunt, though he never got closer than three shots until a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a 66. He finished in third

golf course – Leopard Creek Country Club from December 13 to 16.

“We’re very pleased that the relationship with our longeststanding sponsor on the Sunshine Tour continues,” said Sunshine Tour Executive Director Selwyn Nathan.

“And we’re delighted that one of the Sunshine Tour’s best tournaments now carries a reward for the winner which is appropriate for the prestige of the event.”

Christopher Colfer, Chief Executive of Alfred Dunhill, said: “Everyone at Alfred Dunhill is passionate about golf and we are very proud of the support we have been able to give golf in South Africa over the years.

“The Alfred Dunhill Championship goes back to 2000, but of course we supported the South African PGA Championship for five years before that. We are delighted with the way the Alfred Dunhill Championship has grown as an event and I am thrilled that we are now able to make a further significant investment by increasing the prize fund. This will enable the Championship to grow in stature and ensure that it continues to attract the best possible field.”

This year’s defending champion is Garth Mulroy, and former winners include Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel and Richard Sterne, as well as the man Els beat to win his second Open Championship at Royal Lytham last month, Australia’s Adam Scott, who took the title in 2001.

Alfred Dunhill also sponsors the European Tour’s second richest event outside the Majors and the World Golf Championships events – the $5-million, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship which will be played from October 4-7 at St Andrews.

tee to Green

Nelson Mandela Championship The €1-million (minimum) 72-hole tournament will be the first event on the 2013 European Tour International Schedule and will also be the start to the 2013 Race to Dubai. The field of 156 professionals will be made up of equal numbers from both the Sunshine and European Tours and will feature some of the world’s leading and up-and-coming professional golfers Acting CEO of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Moipone BudaRamatlo said, “We are absolutely delighted to be associated with this prestigious event, which will both add significantly to our fundraising efforts, as well as give us a worldwide platform through live television coverage to highlight our vitally important work in support of the neediest children throughout South Africa.

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“We are looking forward to welcoming some of the world’s finest golfers to our shores who will compete with our leading South African golfers in their quest to be the first to lift the trophy at the Nelson Mandela Championship.”

Executive director of the Sunshine Tour Selwyn Nathan added, “We are very honoured to have a new tournament on our Tour that is aimed at advancing the work of Mr Nelson Mandela as carried out by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. We would like to thank the promoters and sponsors for their vision in supporting this event and look forward to being associated with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in furthering its important aims.”

The first Nelson Mandela Championship will take place from 6 to 9 December 2012 at a venue still to be confirmed, as ongoing negotiations are taking place in KZN and Nelson Mandela Bay for the hosting of the event.

GOLF TALK

Fisher passes the R1-million mark He felt it was a bit scrappy, but Trevor Fisher Jnr did enough to top R1million in prize money for the year when he won the Wild Waves Golf Challenge with his 13-under-par total on Friday. The 33-year-old defeated Ross Wellington by two strokes at the par-70 Wild Coast Sun Country Club, a margin he managed to open out on the 15th hole at which point the pair was locked together at 11-under-par.

“Ross three-putted there, and when I made birdie, I could breathe a little easier,” said Fisher. “But it’s never easy closing out a tournament, and the 18th was not easy with a very tough pin position.”

Victory for part timer Rudy

Tshwane Open The Sunshine Tour announced a record-breaking sixth tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour with the Tshwane Open to be played from 28 February to 3 March in 2013.

This €1.5-million event will be equally the richest on the Sunshine Tour, which means the winner will earn a two-year exemption on the European Tour, and it will be played at The Els Club, Copperleaf.

The City of Tshwane will use the experiences of other cities that have hosted similar events to ensure that it implements world-class practices in staging a prestigious golf tournament.

“We intend replicating

international models in order to optimise our return on investment out of the event and achieve a higher yield on the socio-economic impact for the city,” said city manager Jason Ngobeni.

The Tshwane Open joins the South African Open Championship, the Nelson Mandela Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Africa Open and the Joburg Open as European Tour cosanctioned event on the Sunshine Tour, making South Africa the country with the most European Tour events on the schedule.

The event means the Sunshine Tour’s summer schedule for 20122013 will be more exciting than ever as the co-sanctioned events like the Tshwane Open will attract some of the best players in the world.

Glendower Club Professional Rudy Whitfield celebrated his first professional win at the Sunshine Big Easy Tour’s at his home course and his daughters were the first to congratulate him.

“My wife came in for me today, and when she heard I was in the lead she quickly went to get our girls from school. Whenever you watch the PGA Tour the kids always run onto the green - she’s always wanted to do something like that and I enjoyed having them right there with me,” he said.

The Glendower Golf Club professional relished his chance to take on the touring professionals and claimed a wire-to-wire victory over Johan Bekker, who finished two strokes back on one-under-par.

“It’s always nice to get an invitation and to play in a professional tournament,” said Whitfield. “Any time I play a competitive round I enjoy it, and to take the win is special, even more so at my home course. When you can pull it off against the guys who

But he did close it out with a wellcrafted par, while Wellington battled his way to a bogey, and he took his fifth Sunshine Tour title and his first at the coast. It was his first victory since he won in Bloemfontein in 2009, and has put an explanation point on a season which has included four other top-10s – his best a share of third in the Joburg Open.

His R95,100 winner’s cheque consolidated his position in fifth on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and pushed his season winnings over the R1-million mark – the most he’s ever won on the tour since he turned professional in 2002. He’s also the top money-winner who is campaigning in South Africa, with the four players above him all in Europe or the United States.

are playing and practicing every day it’s a great feeling. It was really fun to be out there.”

Whitfield played on the Sunshine Tour for 11 years, which certainly gave him an edge as he came down the stretch. Despite the nerves playing their usual tricks, he kept calm and never allowed Bekker to get closer than within two strokes of his lead. Part of staying calm was that he followed every drop with a birdie.

“The last three holes I felt quite nervous, and towards the end I was limping home a little. If you make a bogey and follow it with a couple of pars then you start to worry about making the shot back. If you bounce back straight away it does a lot for your confidence,” he said.

And with his first win under the belt, Whitfield was excited about playing a few more events in future. “I won the National PGA Championship this year, so it’s turning out to be quite a good year so far! I’d like to play a little bit more, and would definitely like to play a couple of local tournaments. Hopefully this win takes me there,” he said.

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GOLF TALK

From around the World

England Golf Participation Growth

The number of people in England playing golf at least once a week is up by over 69,000 compared with six months ago. The surge in popularity is shown by the latest figures from Sport England’s Active People Survey and reflects a growing national enthusiasm for sport as the London Olympics come to an end.

For the first time, more than 15 million people in England, aged 16 and over, are playing sport once a week, every week. That’s 500,000 more than six months ago and 1.3 million more than in 2005/6 when London won the Olympic bid.

Golf is among 21 sports which have shown a positive trend over the past six months and the results indicate that the long-term, downward trend in golf participation may be reversing. The sport is reaping the benefit of the work

Success for SAGDB Player Three years ago, South Peninsula High School learner Mujahid Agherdien was faced with a pretty tough choice. An avid cricketer, who even made the Western Province U-13 cricket team, the teenager was in a quandary.

“I loved cricket and I was pretty good, but I discovered this passion for golf that just wouldn’t go away, and I knew that eventually I would have to choose one or the other,” the Grassy Park teenager said. For a year or two Agherdien tried his hand at both, but in 2008, his love for golf won out and Agherdien swapped his bat for a set of clubs and the fairways. When he was recently crowned the Royal Cape Junior

of the England Golf Partnership (EGP) and its network of County Golf Partnerships which reach out at grass roots level to attract new golfers and returners to the game.

The EGP is a partnership of England Golf, the new amateur governing body which represents both men and women, and the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). It is supported by the Golf Foundation and funded by Sport England. Sandy Jones, the chief executive of the PGA, remarked: “I was delighted to learn of such a significant increase in the number of people who are enjoying golf on a regular basis. “I know our PGA professionals in clubs and golf ranges throughout the country work really hard to encourage more people to enjoy the game and these numbers give evidence that this hard work is producing positive results for their efforts.”

What is happening in South Africa? Do our national bodies have a programme for the future?

Open champion, he knew he had made the right choice.

“I was so thrilled to win at Royal Cape, because that was the first time I really, really knew I pursued the right sport,” the 16-year-old said. “It was a wonderful feeling to win. I think once you’ve tasted that kind of success, you just want more of the same. But it was a long road to get to this point and the journey is not over yet.”

In fact it is 18 months since Agherdien joined the South African Golf Development Board, his handicap is down from 18 to four and he frequently represents his school at inter-school competitions.

But his recent victory brought him to the attention of national coach and technical director, Grant Hepburn,

tee to Green and he was promoted to the Western Province Elite Squad.

“Being in the Elite Squad is a huge motivation for me to improve even further,” Agherdien said. “I get to play and practice with the top golfers in the programme and the coaching is really intensive and all that will only help me to improve.”

Once he matriculates, Agherdien hopes to enrol at an academy, college or university where he can further both his golf career and academic qualifications.

About the SAGDB

The South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) is a non-profit organisation with section 18A donations tax exemption status.

Since its formation in 1999, the SAGDB has grown a network of coaches and officials who work across the country to develop the game in the cities and also the most remote areas. It currently operates in Boland, Border, the Eastern

Good going in Gauteng SAGDB players in Central Gauteng had a busy schedule during the July school holidays. With seven official junior tournaments being played, they had plenty of opportunity to test themselves against the best young golfers in the region.

18-year old Evance Vukeya proved to be the best SAGDB player over the course of the holidays, putting in good performances in almost every event. The highlight for him was at the Roodepoort Junior Open, where he tied for first after 36 holes of regular play. Unfortunately, though, he lost out on the fifth playoff hole.

Evance also finished tenth at the Glacier Junior Series event at Rand Park, and twelfth at the Glacier Junior Series tournament

HSBC unveils golf’s 2020 vision Experts predict a younger, more accessible game by 2020 dominated by innovation and Asian talent.

A major Asian presence in the world’s Top 10, low cost urban golf courses, new self-coaching digital “smart clubs”, short format golf, carbon positive courses and family friendly facilities will revolutionize the game of golf by the start of the next decade, according to a major new piece of research commissioned by global investor in golf HSBC. HSBC has teamed up with leading consumer research agency The Futures Company to produce “Golf’s 2020 Vision”, a detailed look at the future of golf over the next eight years based on interviews with a host of leading industry experts and players

Province, Free State, Gauteng Central, Gauteng North, KwaZuluNatal, Mpumalanga, the Southern Cape, and Western Province.

Through its PGA-approved Long Term Athlete Development coaching programme, the board currently has the capacity to coach 2,500 children per week in 10 regions.

Since its inception, the SAGDB has coached over 17 000 youngsters, produced 1 senior national player and 4 players in the senior national squad, 25 senior provincial and u23 players, 108 junior provincial players, and four players in the senior national squad.

Over 1 500 players have participated in junior golf tournaments and 34 of its most talented players have been invited to join prestigious and recognised High Performance Centres such as the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation. Six former SAGDB players have earned their tour cards on the Sunshine Tour.

played at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington. The Royal Johannesburg and Kensington tournament was also a good one for a number of other SAGDB players. The B division was dominated by SAGDB golfers, with Raylyn Anthony finishing first, Mthuthu Stuurman second and Melusi Ntsweni third. Raylyn also won the B division at the Wanderers Junior Open, while Mthuthu was the overall winner in the B division in Roodepoort.

“Overall, the scores from our players improved as more tournaments were played,” said the SAGDB’s development manager in Central Gauteng Andy Ostle.”This shows that competition and regular golf is a very important factor in their development and in their golfing career.”

such as Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie, Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam.

Top players past and present are united in their belief that Asian golfers will make up one third of the World’s Top 10 by 2020 with golf legend Player seeing “several of the world’s Top 10 coming from Asia” and former World No 3 Paul Casey predicting the Top 10 will be “an equal split of Asian, European and US players”.

Key findings of the report include: • Low cost urban courses will fuel the growth of golf in inner cities and emerging markets • New digital “smart clubs” which memorize your grip and swing will allow players to analyse their own performance • Six and nine hole formats of the game will complement the 18-

tee to Green hole tradition • Carbon positive golf courses will start to appear • Family friendly facilities will be developed for a new golfing demographic as men and women spend more leisure time together The research – which interviewed experts from the world of golf, media, gaming and the environment – revealed that Asia’s success will be fuelled by economic growth and the rise of the middle classes which has seen Asian consumers turning to leisure activities and children playing the game from an early age.

In China the number of golf courses has tripled in less than a decade and new low cost urban courses in inner cities will continue this trend. Between 2010 and 2020, Asia is set to double its share of global middle class consumption to 42%. By 2015, 98 million Chinese households are expected to be middle-class, compared with 52 million in 2010. India’s middle class is estimated to grow from 32 million households in 2010 to 53.3 million households by 2015.

In China, golf is perceived as a game that teaches children important personal values. Free golf training is offered to kindergartners and some parents are now prepared to spend up to 300,000 yuan ($43,940) a year on lessons for their children.

More top flight events will be added to the schedule in China and elsewhere in Asia. Gary Player highlights the importance of Asia in the development of golf: “Change is the price of survival.

Being the first truly international player, it has been a pleasure to see the development of a global game. With the eyes of the sport now firmly focused on Asia, I can see several of the world’s top 10 coming from Asia and several more globally sanctioned tournaments hosted there by 2020.”

Asia has already become a centre of the women’s professional game, and much of the growth in participation across the world is coming from women’s golf.

This will lead to changes in expectations about the facilities that clubs and courses need to provide to their members and create a platform for golf as a family game.

Golf clubs and golf courses will become more friendly and golf will become the way for men and women to share leisure time - as cycling has done in richer markets.

There will be family rooms not bars, holes set up for younger players and certified womenfriendly facilities.

World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam said: “We’ve seen a revolution in women’s golf the past 10 years and there’s no sign of it stopping. Asia is the focal point and I see this as something that will continue and even

7 increase. The sport is spreading its way across Asia very quickly. We may see a shift from South Korea to China and possibly Japan.”

Player adds: “I think that you will see a lot of changes in the future to make rounds of golf shorter and courses more accessible to the everyday golfer. For golf to grow there will have to be ways to play that will not take nearly as long to complete a round. Time is of the essence to everyone. We have the responsibility to design and build enjoyable courses for the masses, not just the low handicapper or professional.”

As golf is identified as a more active game requiring greater levels of fitness it will attract more young people and the lifespan of a golfer will increase.

According to Gary Player: “Golf is a lifetime sport. I worked hard at having a very long career, but the lifespan of a golfer is likely to get even longer as people are starting at an earlier age to watch their diet, health, and fitness and playing for longer so you could easily have a champion who is anywhere between 16 or 60.

“I am 76 years young and still playing in tournaments. Tom Watson nearly won the 2009 Open Championship at nearly 60 years old, and 14 year old Andy Zhang competed in this year’s US Open. It is amazing, and part of what makes golf such a wonderful sport.”

Sustainability will also become increasingly important and sustainable course management will be a cost saving not a cost.

Golf will become a centre of expertise in water management, conservation, and biodiversity and the first carbon positive courses will open by 2020.

HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship and Events Giles Morgan said: “This is a truly incredible time for golf. Golf is evolving and evolving fast and as a proud patron of The Open Championship and a global investor in golf we wanted to see where the game is going next.

“It’s been fascinating to work with The Futures Company and take a glimpse into the future of golf eight years from now. Our own experience with the HSBC Champions event in China has given us a flavour of the future and it’s been truly inspiring to see this new generation of Asian players emerging – Andy Zhang is the latest example and we’re immensely proud of the fact that he is a graduate of the HSBC Junior Golf Programme.

“As a global banking and financial services organisation, we aim to be where the growth is, connecting customers to opportunities, enabling businesses to thrive and economies to prosper and, ultimately, helping people to fulfil their hopes and realise their ambitions – our sponsorship of golf allows us to do this in a sporting context.”

GOLF TALK

Augusta opens its doors The Augusta National Golf Club has announced it is admitting its first two women members, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore.

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne confirmed the news, ending 80 years as a male-only club.

“This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club. We are fortunate to consider many qualified candidates for membership at Augusta National.

Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an extended period of time.

The process for Condoleezza and Darla was no different,” said Payne.

“These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership. It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their Green Jackets when the Club opens this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our Club’s history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family.”

Moore, 58, is the vice president at Rainwater, Inc. and is the founder of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit organized to bolster per capita income in South Carolina.

The University of South Carolina’s business school is named after her.

Moore was the first woman to be profiled on Fortune magazine and has been named to the “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business.”

“Augusta National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most magically beautiful places anywhere in the world, as everyone gets to see during the Masters each April,” Moore said. “I am fortunate to have many friends who are members at Augusta National, so to be asked to join them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my life.

Rice was President George W. Bush’s Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, serving as national security adviser during his first term. Rice is currently a professor of political economy at Stanford, while also recently being appointed to the USGA’s nominating committee. She was named the first black provost at Stanford in 1993.

“I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity,” Rice said in a statement released by the club. “I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf. I also have an immense respect for the Masters Tournament and its commitment to grow the game of golf, particularly with youth, here in the United States and throughout the world.”

8

Blast FROM tHE Past

tee to Green

The Sting T

he American showman extraordinaire P.T. Barnum once famously remarked that “there’s a sucker born every minute,” referring to the audiences that came to see some of his famous hoaxes, such as the “Feejee Mermaid” - a creature that had the head of a monkey and the tail of a fish. The Mermaid was, of course, completely fake, but that never stopped Barnum from taking his receipts straight to the bank.

No matter, there’s more than a grain of truth in the saying, and it is indeed a fact that con-men and hustlers take advantage of the unwary all of the time. All it takes is an occasion for the two to get together. For that, there are few better places than a golf course, a place where deep pockets with gigantic egos are often quite willing to place a bet just to prove their skills, especially when they think they have an edge. Hustlers love the game, and probably every course in the world has a fellow who’s more than willing to lay down a wager and let a player think they have the upper hand.

That is, until the bet is taken and the players are on the tee.

Probably the most daring, the most successful and the most infamous golf hustler of all time was Alvin Clarence Thomas, a man better known to history as “Titanic Thompson.” Thompson’s career flourished between 1920 and 1950, a period considered to be the golden age in the history of the American confidence game.

Keen observers of the game at the time even suggested that Thompson was the best golfer of his generation.

Why then does his name not appear in any record books? Did he ever compete in tournaments during that time? Not at all. This would have been much to public for Thompson and in reality neither rewarding nor exciting enough for a man whose life fringed on the dark side.

During his life, Titanic killed five men, always successfully pleading self-defence. He also married five women, all in their teens when they tied the knot.

He was restless, cool, dangerous … a specialist in the short con, a proposition man. He’d suggest improbable wagers, having first engineered or prepared the scenario to guarantee he’d win.

A near-genius as a poker player, Titanic rigged the fabled all-night game that led to the death, in 1928, of Arnold Rothstein, the man who fixed the 1919 World

Series (and the inspiration for Meyer Wolfsheim, the sinister gambler in “The Great Gatsby”).

At the enquiry into the death of Rothstein the Assistant District Attorney Ferdinand Pecora asked him to explain to the courtroom what he did for a living, the answer, “I play a little golf for money,” is perhaps one of the biggest understatements of the 20th century. It is not, however, a direct lie. Thompson did play golf for money, plenty of it.

Titanic would tackle anybody; for him, the game wasn’t just about money but winning, putting one over. Golf, once Titanic discovered the game, became his preferred theatre of operations. He’d bet $15,000 a hole (more than any Pro Tournament total purse at the time) and then edge a guy just by a shot to encourage him to play for more. He’d beat an opponent, then propose double-or-quits and even offer to play left-handed. Unknown to his marks, Titanic was a natural lefty. He teamed up with professionals before they were famous and took them on the road to hustle. Ben Hogan said Titanic was the best shot-maker he’d ever seen.

A testament to Thompson’s skills and ability as a golfer came in a famous match in 1934. With his fifth killing still playing heavily on his mind and although a little out of

sorts Thompson was up for some action, and he soon found it. After playing a round at the Tennison Golf Course one afternoon, he was approached by three strangers who asked if he would like to play Byron Nelson for $3,000. Though Nelson was still three years away from claiming his first Major, every clubhouse in the South rang with tales of his extraordinary shotmaking ability.Thompson had heard the same stories, but he had yarns of his own, and doubted that Nelson had much experience of hustling.

On the day of the match, every known gambler in Texas turned up to see the pair lock horns.

Thompson would get a three shot advantage and after nine holes, Nelson was two-strokes to the good. To all in attendance, it was clear this was more than just a money match; it was about pride, and the galleries were as silent as the players. That is until Thompson shook himself down and began to play like a man possessed.

On the back-nine, he posted six consecutive birdies, and finished in a record 29 strokes to beat the future best player in the world by a stroke. If the true golfing ability of Titanic Thompson had been in question before the match, it was never questioned thereafter.

But the greatest golfing story involving Thompson is one that he

himself did not play in. In 1965, Titanic bankrolled the young Raymond Floyd in a mano a mano against an unknown caddie and locker-room boy with a slashing swing. At the time Floyd had already made a name for himself as a winner on the PGA Tour.

Thompson had approached Floyd and asked if he was interested in a game against a caddie in El Paso.

“Certainly,” was Floyd’s instant reply, “I’ll play anybody I’ve never heard of, anywhere you want”.

As with many anecdotes from the past, the exact facts are not that clear. The story has been retold, exaggerated and embellished. Be that as it may it remains worthy of the legend.

It is said that Floyd pulled into club in a white Cadillac, where he was met by a young Hispanic clubhouse boy, who retrieved Floyd’s clubs from the trunk, escorted him to the locker room, and shined his shoes. “Who am I playing today?” Floyd asked.

“You’re talking to him,” was the reply.

The two played three rounds, and with one hole left, the young Mexican was up by a stroke.

Floyd saved himself from the embarrassment of losing by eagling the final hole to win by one. Packing up his clubs, Floyd said, “Adios. Here I am playing a cart man, a bag-storage man, and I can’t beat him. I’ve got easier games than this on the Tour.”

The young Mexican caddie was none other than Lee Trevino.

Between them Floyd (4) and Trevino (6) would win 10 majors and both be inducted into Golf’s Hall of Fame.

In May 1974, aged 82, Titanic Thompson suffered a stroke. The man who had hustled through two-world wars, slain five men and married five women was found dead in the bedroom of his nursing home. 50 miles away, on Tennison Golf Course in Dallas, four gamblers were playing when a teenage caddie approached in a golf cart. “Fellas,’ he shouted, “Titanic Thompson has died.” After a pause, one of the men spoke. “You ever know Titanic Thompson, boy?” “Can’t say that I did sir,’ he replied. “But you say he’s dead?” “That’s what I heard.”

“Well son, likely he is dead. But take my advice and don’t go betting any money on it.”

If that sentence is a fitting epitaph, then the man himself should apply the full stop. In his hustling heyday of the mid 1930s, someone asked Titanic why he had never had a crack at the professional golf circuit. “Well son,” he said, shuffling his deck of cards. “It’s because I couldn’t afford the cut in pay.”

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10

MAIN FEATURE

tee to Green

The Ryder Cup The stage is set for golf’s greatest match, the Ryder Cup.

P

layed every other year between teams from the United States and Europe this is a match no selfrespecting golf fan should ever miss – even if that means staying up to the early hours of the morning to watch the drama unfold via live television.

Twenty eight matches (8 foursomes, 8 betterball, and 14 singles) will decide the destination of the Cup, currently held by the Europeans after their victory two years ago at Celtic Manor in Wales. Team Captains Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal have named their teams have their assistants lined up, and we wait in anticipation for another dramatic weekend of golf at its highest level.

History The Ryder Cup, one of the last great sporting events founded on prestige rather than prize money, was first contested in 1927.

However a number of informal matches took place before this date. The first of these was played in 1921 at Gleneagles, Scotland.

The matches were played just before the 2,000 Guineas Match Play Championship, with the British soundly defeating the U.S. Team, 9-3.

Another unofficial match occurred when The R&A decreed regional qualifying rounds before The 1926 Open Golf Championship, forcing overseas competitors to make their transatlantic trek earlier. With extra time on their hands, the American contingent agreed to form a team for an unofficial match against the British professionals at Wentworth Club.

This time, the Americans’ defeat was worse -- a 13 1/2 to 1 1/2 rout.

English seed merchant and entrepreneur Samuel Ryder was a member of the appreciative gallery.

Ryder was an Englishman from St. Albans in Hertfordshire, who made his

fortune selling penny seed packets.

Before the matches at Wentworth, Ryder had engaged the British star Abe Mitchell as his personal golf tutor. Mitchell beat the reigning Open Champion Jim Barnes, 8 and 7, in the singles, and then partnered with George Duncan in the foursomes to beat Hagen and Barnes, 9 and 8.

After the matches, Ryder had tea with British Team Members George Duncan and Mitchell. Also joining them were Hagen and American team-mate Emmett French. Duncan suggested Ryder provide a trophy and encourage the establishment of matches on a regular basis. Ryder agreed at once and commissioned the design of the gold chalice that bears his name and Mitchell’s likeness on the top.

Unfortunately, Mitchell was suffering from appendicitis and could not join his countrymen at Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts, in 1927 for the inaugural Ryder Cup. The United States Team defeated their counterparts from Great Britain in that historic first match, 9 1/2 -2 1/2.

The first U.S. Ryder Cup Team was captained by Hagen, a charter Member of The PGA of America.

Only American-born players were allowed to join the Team, according to a Selection Committee ruling, April 5, 1927, in Chicago. Joining Hagen on the Team were Leo Diegel, Johnny Farrell, Johnny Golden, Bill Mehlhorn, Gene Sarazen, Joe Turnesa and Al Watrous. Mike Brady and Al Espinosa were named alternates.

The British Team was originally set with Mitchell as Captain, but he remained home due to his illness.

Ted Ray took over the duties, and was joined on the Team by Aubrey Boomer, Archie Compston, George Duncan, George Gadd, Arthur Havers, Herbert Jolly, Fred Robson and C.A.

(Charles) Whitcombe. Samuel Ryder had sown the seed. He lived to see two Ryder Cup encounters on his home soil. While celebrating the holidays with his family in London, he died of a massive haemorrhage on January 2, 1936. He was 77.

Ryder’s youngest daughter, Joan, was her father’s constant companion at all his golfing events.

She witnessed all The Ryder Cups in Great Britain, and once in America, in 1983, when the U.S. edged the Europeans at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. In 1981, Joan met the Duke of Kent at The Ryder Cup at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England.

She told the royal guest that her father had been surprised by the success of the matches.

“He had the idea that when the Americans came over for a match he would give a ‘small friendly lunch party’ to both teams,” said Joan.

The Duke gazed at the spectators swarming near the 18th green, and said: “I wonder what your father would think of this little lunch party!”

Joan Ryder’s final appearance at The Ryder Cup was at The Belfry in 1985. She called that edition of the matches “the most exciting ever.”

Later that year, she died at her home in Sussex at age 81.

EntEr tHE EuropEans The introduction of players from continental Europe into The Ryder Cup fold in 1979 marked a new chapter in the history of the biennial competition and after years of U.S. domination the tide started to turn.

The foundations were laid as far back as 1971 when John Jacobs, the first Director General of The European Tour, had the vision to realise that the future lay in Europe. As The European Tour grew into a cosmopolitan mix

of players from all nationalities, particularly from the continent, the logical step was to include these players in The Ryder Cup and make the matches Europe versus America.

During The 1977 Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Jack Nicklaus approached the PGA of Great Britain about the urgency to improve the competitive level of the contest. The issue had been discussed earlier the same day by both The PGA of America President Henry Poe and British PGA President Lord Derby. Nicklaus pitched his ideas, adding: “It is vital to widen the selection procedures if The Ryder Cup is to continue to enjoy its past prestige.”

The changes in team selection procedure were approved by descendants of the Samuel Ryder family along with The PGA of America. The major change was expanding selection procedures to include players from the European Tournament Players’ Division, and “that European Members be entitled to play on the team.”

This meant that professional players on the European Tournament Players’ Division, the forerunner to The European Tour we have today, from continental Europe would be eligible to play in The Ryder Cup. The recommendation and succeeding approval of the new selection process followed another American victory at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1977.

The first Ryder Cup under the expanded European selection format was played at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The first two Europeans to make the overseas squad were two Spaniards - Severiano Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido. Ballesteros went on to become one of the all-time winners in The Ryder Cup. His playing record shows he won 20, lost 12 and halved five games earning his side 22 1/2 points. He also had the honour of being the first continental player to captain the European Team when taking them to victory at Valderama in 1997.

The move to include the continental players was a major step in upgrading The Ryder Cup. The U.S. had won all but one outing from 1959 to 1977, the exception being the tied match in a memorable duel in 1969 at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.

Expanding the selection procedure to include Europeans provided a much greater pool of talent from which to the team. The effect of The European Tour, with its varying types of golf courses, climates, food, language and customs, was to produce players of unprecedented durability. They possessed the technique and confidence to deal with all course situations and make The Ryder Cup one of the most compelling events in world sport. tHE CoursE Medinah Country Club has transformed the 15th hole of its famed No. 3 course into a drive-able par 4, reducing its length by 100 yards

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11

MAIN FEATURE

vs

and adding a new two-acre lake that borders dangerously on the right side of the fairway and green.

The dramatic new hole was designed by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones in an effort to present a strong risk-reward challenge both for Medinah members and contestants in the 2012 Ryder Cup to be played in just 33 months on the venerable layout in west suburban Chicago.

The redesign of No. 15 took place concurrently with a major greens renovation project in which 11 of Course No. 3’s original 18 greens and its main putting green were rebuilt to U.S. Golf Association specifications.

Course 3’s other seven greens, which had been rebuilt to USGA standards in 2002, also were re-grassed and No. 15 green rebuilt. The most recent renovation cost $1.5 million.

“We are thrilled with the changes to the 15th hole and with the completion of the greens renovation project,” said Medinah club president Joe Ebner. “The membership has embraced and supported these course improvements in order to keep Medinah among the world’s elite championship golf courses. The feedback we have received from our members has been extremely positive. Everyone is eager to get out and play the course.”

Jones, who has overseen all architectural design aspects of Medinah’s three golf courses since 2000, said he long had envisioned the change to No. 15.

“I felt that the 15th was a hole where the risk-reward challenge could be strengthened,” Jones said. “I felt a pond adjacent to the 15th green would give it plenty [of the risk-reward element], in a fashion similar to the

12th hole. It’s now an important part of the round and extends one of the great finishing tests in golf.”

The new forward tee on No. 15 allows the hole to be set up as short as 280 yards. The original tee area -- which measures 392 yards from the championship tees and 367 from the regular men’s tees -- will be preserved to provide the club with flexibility in course set-up.

In addition to this dramatic change Jones redesigned the contours of all 11 newly rebuilt greens with the exception of No. 5, utilizing existing surround contours to create rolls and valleys to the new greens in order to give them more movement. The other six greens were stripped, fumigated, and replanted with minor contour changes. No. 15 received a new green. The 11 greens had not been altered at their bases since the course opened in 1925.

Medinah Country Club is the Chicago area’s best known and most frequent major championship venue. Course No. 3 has hosted three U.S. Opens (1949, ‘75, and ‘90), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), three Western Opens (1946, ‘62, and ‘66), and other prestigious events in the pre-PGA Tour era. Medinah’s champions include such historic figures as Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, and Tiger Woods.

Founded in the 1920s by a group of Shriners, Medinah features three golf courses, all designed by highly respected Scotsman Tom Bendelow.

The massive 120,000-square foot clubhouse designed by Richard Schmid is a unique architectural blend of styles that include Byzantine, Oriental, and Louis XIV influences.

PAST RESULTS OF THE RYDER CUP Year 2010

Site Celtic Manor Resort City of Newport, Wales

USA 13 ½

Eur/GB/GBI 14 ½

2008

Valhalla Golf Club Louisville, Kentucky

16 ½

11 ½

2006

The K Club, Straffan Co. Kildare, Ireland

9½

18 ½

2004

Oakland Hills CC Bloomfield Township, MI

9½

18 ½

2002

The Belfry Sutton Coldfield, England

12 ½

15 ½

1999

The Country Club Brookline, MA

14 ½

13 ½

1997

Valderrama GC Sotogrande Spain

13 ½

14 ½

1995

Oak Hill CC Rochester, NY

13 ½

14 ½

1993

The Belfry Sutton Coldfield, England

15

13

1991

The Ocean Course Kiawah Island, S.C.

14 ½

13 ½

1989

The Belfry Sutton Coldfield, England

14

14

1987

Muirfield Village GC Dublin, Ohio

13

15

1985

The Belfry Sutton Coldfield, England

11 ½

16 ½

1983

PGA National GC Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

14 ½

13 ½

1981

Walton Health GC Surrey, England

18 ½

9½

1979

The Greenbrier White Sulfer Springs, W. Va.

17

11

Won

12

MAIN FEATURE

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PlayeR PRofileS: Team euRoPe

PlayeR PRofileS: Team uSa

Captain Jose maria olazabal Vice Captains: miguel angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Paul mcginley

Captain: Davis love iii Vice Captains: Jeff Sluman, fred Couples, mike Hulbert, Scott Verplank

World Ranking as at 4 Sept 2012

Ryder Cup Teams

Player

Personal Details

Rory McIlroy

Age: 23 Country: Northern Ireland Birthdate: May 4, 1989 Turned professional: 2007 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1-1-2

1

2010

Justin Rose

Age: 32 Country: England Birthdate: July 30, 1980 Turned professional: 1998 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 3-1-0

9

2008

Age: 43 Country: Scotland Birthdate: January 1, 1969 Turned professional: 1986 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 3-1-1

28

Graeme McDowell

Age: 33 Country: Northern ireland Birthdate: July 30, 1979 Turned professional: 2002 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 4-2-2

15

Francesco Molinari

Age: 30 Country: Italy Birthdate: November 8, 1982 Turned professional: 2004 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 0-2-1

25

2010

Luke Donald

Age: 34 Country: England Birthdate: December 7, 1977 Turned professional: 2001 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 8-2-1

2

2004, 2006, 2010

Lee Westwood

Age: 39 Country: England Birthdate: April 24, 1973 Turned professional: 1993 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1611-6

4

Sergio Garcia

Age: 32 Country: Spain Birthdate: January 9, 1980 Turned professional: 1999 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 146-4

17

Peter Hanson

Age: 34 Country: Sweden Birthdate: October 4, 1977 Turned professional: 1998 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1-2-0

34

2010

Martin Kaymer

Age: 27 Country: Germany Birthdate: December 28, 1984 Turned professional: 2005 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 2-1-1 Age: 36 Country: England Birthdate: January 10, 1976 Turned professional: 1994 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 8-3-0 Age: 29 Country: Belgium Birthdate: November 14, 1982 Turned professional: 2000 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) Debut

29

2010

26

2004.

2008, 2010

36

Debut

Paul Lawrie

Ian Poulter

Nicolas Colsaerts

World Ranking as at 4 Sep 2012

Ryder Cup Teams

Age: 36 Birthdate: December 30, 1975 Turned professional: 1996 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 12-14-2

3

2010

Bubba Watson

Age: 33 Birthdate: November 4, 1978 Turned professional: 2003 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1-3-0

8

2010

Jason Dufner

Age: 35 Birthdate: March 24, 1977 Turned professional: 2000 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) Debut

7

Debut

Keegan Bradley

Age: 26 Birthdate: June 7, 1986 Turned professional: 2008 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) Debut

12

Debut

Webb Simpson

Age: 27 Birthdate: August 8, 1985 Turned professional: 2008 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) Debut

5

Debut

Zach Johnson

Age: 36 Birthdate: February 24, 1976 Turned professional: 1998 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 3-3-1

16

2006, 2010

Matt Kuchar

Age: 34 Birthdate: June 21, 1978 Turned professional: 2000 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1-1-2

13

2010

Phil Mickelson

Age: 42 Birthdate: June 16, 1970 Turned professional: 1992 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 11-17-6

22

1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010

Dustin Johnson

Age: 28 Birthdate: June 22, 1984 Turned professional: 2007 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 1-3-0

14

2010

Jim Furyk

Age: 42 Birthdate: May 12, 1970 Turned professional: 1992 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 8-15-4

30

1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010

Brand Snedeker

Age: 31 Birthdate: December 8, 1980 Turned professional: 2004 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) Debut

18

Debut

Steve Stricker

Age: 45 Birthdate: February 23, 1967 Turned professional: 1990 Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) 3-3-1

10

2008, 2010

Player

Personal Details

Tiger Woods

1999

2008, 2010

1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008

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tee to Green

15

BY THEO BEZUIDENHOUT

Pre-shot routines R

ory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood might have one less L than its famous cousin across the Big Pond, but the toast of Northern Ireland has a sense of drama that would rival anything a film producer can imagine.

If you needed any convincing the following should suffice: McIlroy is the second youngest world number one ever. He is the 6th youngest multiple major winner of all time. He shares the same first two majors as Ben Hogan (US Open and USPGA although Hogan won them in reverse) and he also won the PGA the day before Mr. Hogan would have turned a 100. He holds the scoring record for the US Open (16 under) as well as the biggest winning margin at the USPGA (8 shots), which incidentally he took from Jack Nicklaus. Lastly, to top it all off he is one of the youngest recipients of the Member of the

British Empire (MBE) ever.

McIlroy is by no means routine in his golf or his life but in this month’s Swing Thoughts we look at the routine that has made him such a success and suggest what you could learn from the current world number one.

Full swing

Upon first study of McIlroy’s full preshot routine it is easy to misconstrue its simplicity. There are no multiple swings or various technical checks.

In fact the whole process lasts a mere 20 seconds but it is the sequence of the routine that not only makes it efficient but also very effective.

Firstly, McIlroy does a small swing drill or swing feel as the first step in his swing routine. This may be to get the feel of how he is taking the club away or setting his hands etc. The reason this is important for you is

that by getting the “technical” part of the swing out the way first you can now start to focus on a full practise swing and the target.

This first part or “drill swing” as I like to call it also helps you to marry what your coach has been telling you on the range with what you actually have to do on the course: get the ball to your target. Thus by having a technical half-swing or drill as the first part of your routine you can prevent having to do this over the ball when you should be focusing on target.

Secondly, once he has a feeling for his drill McIlroy will do a full practise swing with his preferred shot in mind.

His tempo of his practise swings may vary due to the kind of shot he has to hit but the imperative here is to complete a form of practise swing.

It is important to note that you have to find a tempo that suits you.

If you find that you get somewhat tense when facing a tough driving hole, you may not want to make 120km/h practise swings as this just adds to the tension. If on the other hand your attention drifts in your routine you may want to be a bit more realistic with your swing speed in your practise swing. The crucial element is to find something that works for you. In McIlroy’s case he does a very

SWING THOUGHTS relaxed practise swing. Something that has obviously helped him cope with Major pressure. Heck, just ask the guys he beat at the US Open and a USPGA by a combined 16 shots!

Thirdly, McIlroy’s commitment to target and alignment to that target is an integral part of the success of his routine. As a rule he spends some time standing behind the ball to confirm his target line. Once he has decided where he wants to send the ball he steps over it and aligns properly.

In fact, if there is one part of nearly every professional golfer’s routine you can copy it is this: properly align yourself to your target. This part of the routine is also the most misunderstood. Aligning is not looking at your feet and trying to make a straight line with your toes.

Rather place the club face behind the ball and align that to the target and then your body to the target line. By doing so you are staying focused on the target the whole time, something that McIlroy does very well when lining up for his shots.

Lastly, once he has addressed the ball McIlroy takes no time at all to pull the trigger. If there is one common problem with the routines of most amateurs it is that they take too much time over the ball. In doing so technical thoughts and thoughts about what not to do start swirling in your head and your target focus will start to wane. By looking intently at your target once, coming back to the ball and then starting your swing you will be more committed in your swing and you will be much less anxious over the ball.

As with all routines there is an important point to add. If you are interrupted in your routine or you find yourself focused on something else (a piece of grass in front of your ball or a sudden change in wind direction) rather start over. In doing so you can save yourself a lot of anguish and mental stress by hitting shots that you are not totally focused for. As the old adage states you can rather:”walk fast and play slow” when you need to start over with a shot than stand over it distracted and hit a bad shot.

In closing I get a feeling that Mr. Hogan would have approved not only of the champion that is Rory McIlroy but also of his pace of play and his routines. However I just couldn’t see Mr. Hogan sporting a red shirt on Sunday or a pair of Oakley sunglasses.

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THE RULES

16

tee to Green

Same Game, Different Format, Different Rules With the Golf’s greatest team match, the Ryder Cup, due to be played later this month it seems only right to look at the rules as they apply to match play.

By DEnniS BRUynS

A

few years ago, I had the honour to be photographed holding the famous cup. So please excuse me using this occasion to show it.

In match play the general penalty for breach of a rule is loss of hole, while in stroke play it is two strokes.

It seems obvious therefore that golfers’ should not play both forms of the game at the same time. Indeed in a game between two players it is quite feasible for one player to win the game playing match play but lose it playing stroke play.

However in South Africa golfers often play both forms of the game simultaneously. A typical example is two players drawn against each other in the club’s individual knockout event. They schedule their match on the same day as the club is holding a betterball stableford competition, so they team up with two other players and play both competitions at the same time. It should not be done and can lead to confusion in the application of certain rules.

First problem is in the application of strokes for handicaps. Handicaps were really designed to act as an equaliser in match play games and the hole on which a stroke is given is most important. It is the recommended practice that the lowest handicap reverts to scratch with the opponent’s handicap being adjusted accordingly. Take a golf course where the last hole is stroke one on the card, many a match will be over before the last hole is played

with the higher handicap player never getting the benefit of the shot due to him. Because of this, clubs are advised not to make the finishing holes the low strokes even though they might be the toughest on the course. In stroke play it makes little or no difference as you get all your strokes no matter where they come.

Some time ago, I was called to give my opinion on an incident in a game at a prominent golf club in Johannesburg. In this age of cell phones the call actually came from the course during play.

Four players were playing a Saturday game. As is so often the case in there was a betterball stableford competition on the go and the two pairings were also engaged in a private match play game.

It would seem that one of the four players for whatever reason was repeatedly playing out of turn to the annoyance of his opponents.

Anyway they get to a par three and once again this player plays out of turn and holes a chip shot from off the green for a birdie two. The opponents recognise that in the betterball competition he has now scored three points but decide to recall the ball in the private match as the shot was played out of turn. The player in question, ruffled somewhat, duffs the chip and eventually takes five second time round losing the hole. To no one’s honour tempers erupted and a school playground type confrontation got underway.

Well the behaviour of the players was a matter for the club to deal with but in terms of the rules of the game everything seemed in order.

Strict application of the rules would see all four players disqualified from the competition as you should not be playing stroke play and match play games at the same time. If this was applied week in week out nearly everyone would be disqualified.

Consider the situation with the penalty for playing the wrong ball.

Two players, A & B, hit their tee shots to the same general area on a hole. Player A finds a ball and proceeds to play a superb shot under the trees to 10 feet from the pin. Player B plays the other ball, hitting the trees and the ball ricochets out of bounds.

They are playing match play and Player B concedes the hole.

They walk up to the green only to discover that Player A has played the wrong ball - in this case, Player B’s golf ball. But the hole has been conceded so what do they do?

The moment Player A played the wrong ball he was in breach of the Rule 15, the penalty for which is Loss of Hole in match play. At that point Player B had already won the hole and it did not matter what he did, whether he later breached a rule, hit it out of bounds or indeed conceded the hole. Player A had lost the hole.

In stroke play both players would need to go back to their original positions, play the correct balls from

the correct places, total their score and add a penalty of two strokes.

The strokes played with the wrong ball are cancelled.

This illustrates quite clearly the importance of knowing the application of the Rule depending on the format of play.

A further illustration of this can be seen in this example. In fact this occurred in a league match in Northern Gauteng. As is often the case of league, players play a threecornered match with Player A playing Players B and C and vice versa. The match was taking place at Player A’s course and on this particular hole he was to play last as he had lost the previous hole to both his opponents.

The group proceeded to the tee and Player B hitting the ball straight down the fairway, Player C then hit a poor shot, slicing it out of bounds down the right. Player A then informed his opponents that they had teed off the wrong tee markers and that he was therefore recalling Player B’s ball, however he would let Player C’s shot stand. Player A then went to the correct tee markers, teed off and insisted that Player B now re-tee off from those markers. This was certainly not in the spirit of the game but absolutely correct in terms of the rules. When a player tees off from the wrong position or plays out of turn his opponent has the option of recalling the shot of letting it stand. Somehow I don’t think the three players enjoyed a friendly libation after play.

tee to Green

17

THE RULES

PRiMARY DiffEREnCES bETwEEn MATCH PLAY AnD STROKE PLAY RULE

MATCH PLAY

STROKE PLAY

General penalty

Breach of rule = loss of hole

Breach of rule = two strokes

Playing out of turn – Rule 10

The opponent has the right to immediately cancel the shot and make the player replay it. Or he can just leave it and make the player play it as it lies.

The ball is played as it lies. All that has been breached is good manners

In the process of putting on a putting green a player’s ball is deflected or stopped by his opponent’s ball – Rule19-5

No penalty

If both balls lay on the putting green before the stroke, the player incurs a two stroke penalty if his ball is deflected or stopped by fellow competitor’s ball

Practice on the course – Rule 7

On any day of a match play competition a player may practise on the course before the round

On the day of a stroke play competition the player may not practise on the course or test the surface of a putting green before a round – Penalty disqualification

Playing from outside the teeing ground or from the wrong tee – Rule 11-4

If a player, when starting a hole, plays from outside the teeing ground, the opponent if he so wishes may immediately require the player to cancel the stroke and play again from inside the teeing ground without penalty.

If a competitor when starting a hole plays a ball from outside the teeing ground he shall incur a twostroke penalty and shall then play a ball from within the teeing ground. Any strokes played do not count

Ball in motion accidentally deflected or stopped by opponent – Rule 19

There is no penalty. The player may play the ball as it lies or cancel the shot and play another from the same spot as his previous shot.

There is no penalty but the ball must be played as it lies

Agreement to waive the rules – Rule 1-3

Players must play according to the rules including any local rules set by the club. Example: If the club does not allow placing players in match play may not agree amongst themselves to allow placing. Both players are disqualified

In stroke play the penalty is also disqualification

These days there are very few match play tournaments played by the top professionals. In the past the most prestigious was the annual World Match Play played each October at Wentworth in England, an event in which South African players had a particularly good record - Gary Player with a record equalling five victories and Ernie Els a record three in a row

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HEALTHY GOLFING

tee to Green

Substances

BY DR ROWENA THOMSON- SELIBOWITZ

T

he World Anti-Doping Agency states that “The spirit of sport is the celebration of the human spirit, the body and mind. Doping is contrary to the spirit of sport, erodes public confidence and jeopardizes the health and wellbeing of athletes”.

Every golfer imagines themselves winning the Ryder Cup. For most it is just a dream but for others, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

This means that illegal substance use in sport has become more and more common place.

Performance enhancement is not new. Warriors in the ancient past ate the hearts, brains, eyes and livers of animals in the belief that they would gain the strength or skill of the animal eaten. Ancient Peruvians ate coca leaves to enhance performance and the first Olympians believed eating figs, wine and mushrooms would give them a competitive edge.

In golf there are a few substances that are banned and tested for in competition. Anabolic steroid use is unfortunately common in most sports where physical strength and power are necessary. Even golfers have tested positive for using testosterone and growth hormone to build larger muscles and gain strength to improve their drive. Testosterone and growth hormone do help build muscle but

there are many adverse effects to steroid use including mood swings, depression, paranoia, irritability, delusions and physical symptoms such as testicular atrophy and breast development in men and virilization in women. None of these side-effects would be beneficial for a good round of golf, surely?

Certain stimulants are also banned in golf. Stimulants are used to improve reaction time and also to reduce pain. Stimulants are found in many over-the-counter ‘flu remedies and cough syrups, and these should be used with caution if you are competing in a tournament.

Beta blockers are commonly prescribed medicines for individuals with high blood pressure, glaucoma and angina but are banned in competitive golf. Beta blockers may be abused by sportsmen and women as they have a calming effect on the body and help to reduce tremor.

Beta blockers are not without side effects, however, and may result in drowsiness, dizziness and poor circulation in hands and feet Ambition and the need to succeed in your sport of choice is admirable and there is nothing wrong with assistance in achieving your goals as long as the methods used are legal and not harmful to yourself, your sport

or the general public!

There are a few ways to enhance your performance naturally, safely and legally.

To grow and maintain muscle, the body requires plenty of good bioavailable protein. The best source of this is whey protein. Whey protein powder can be consumed after exercise to help feed and rebuild muscle. Use a whey protein powder that is low temperature processed, free of preservatives, artificial flavours and colours.

Branch chain amino acids are the building blocks of muscle and along with protein will help to grow and maintain muscle mass. Remember strong, healthy muscles also help to support joints and may help to prevent serious injury that may impact your training.

L- Glutamine is an amino acid that has been shown to improve protein synthesis and may help prevent muscle breakdown and speed up recovery. It is also believed to improve growth hormone secretion. The add-on benefit of using L-glutamine is that l-glutamine within the brain is converted to glutamic acid, which is essential for proper brain function. It is believed to provide energy for the brain and assist in mental alertness and memory enhancement.

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News for the serious golfer

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tee to Green

23

A golfing oasis

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL

Dubai boasts of some of the finest golf courses in the world. It was in fact voted as the leading golf destination by the International Golf Tour Operators Association. This is why.

The Montgomerie

I

t is a city of endless experiences.

Both business travelers and tourists find that Dubai offers the highest standards of comfort and luxury. As befits a dynamic and prosperous business centre, Dubai’s ultramodern hotels offer every luxury. Yet the comforts of the 21st century co-exist with the emirate’s rich Arab-Islamic culture. An intriguing land that combines oldworld souks and modern shopping malls, rolling sand dunes and championship grass golf courses, remote Bedouin villages and an array of five-star hotels, Dubai cannot be easily defined.

GOLFING IN THE UAE

Golf Clubs in the United Arab Emirates have been celebrating the increasing popularity of the sport in the region having recently hosted over 50,000 rounds in a single month for the first time.

The UAE has been welcoming golfers since 1988 when the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, often referred to as The Desert Miracle, became the first grass course to open in the region.

In total 54,365 rounds were played in the United Arab Emirates during the month of March with over 44% of these being member rounds, 42% local rounds and 14% of rounds coming from overseas visitors.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club welcomed the highest number of local players

to the course. Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah had the highest number of overseas visitors and welcomed over 1,200 tourists to the course in March.

“The Race to Dubai has contributed very positively to raising the profile of golf in the region.

Despite opening just over three years ago we have been able to welcome some of the game’s great players to Jumeirah Golf Estates, allowing us to showcase the Earth course to golf enthusiasts from all over the world - and introduce the equally stunning Fire course,” said Geoff Hunter, General Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Yas Links in Abu Dhabi is one of the regions newest courses and is now widely considered to be one of the best in the world as it was recently recognized in an industry ranking as one of the top 25 of the ‘World’s Best Courses Outside of America.’

Chris White, General Manager, commented; “This achievement is nothing short of incredible. The latest statistics state that there are over 33,000 golf courses worldwide - it is very hard to put into words the true meaning and value of this announcement until you look at the list of global courses Yas Links is now aligned with - the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has a true golfing gem.”

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB Host to the Omega Dubai Desert

Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, this was the first all-grass championship golf course in the Middle East when it opened in 1988. The Faldo, one of two options at the club, is currently the only 18-hole course in the region to offer “nightclubbing” (floodlit golf).

The clubhouse, although older than some of its competitors, has retained its charm with members and guests enjoying excellent bar and restaurant services, fully stocked pro’s shop, pool and gym.

The revered Majilis course, making an appearance into the top 100 courses in the world this year, has a variety of difficulty levels, and particularly the finish to each nine which accounts for these accolades.

For tournament play and spectators, holes 9 and 18 are spectacular..

Designer | Majlis – Karl Litten ; Faldo – Sir Nick Faldo .

Length | Majlis – 7,301 yards, par 72; Faldo – 7,348 yards, 73.

Signature hole | The par-four dogleg eighth on the Majlis course.

At a full 434 yards, it plays uphill so requires a long and accurate second shot to make the green, where a three putt is a possibility.

Tip | The Majlis favours a draw and you need to get it close with your approaches, as some of the greens are huge.

Green fee | Majlis – AED 995 (£170); Faldo – AED 595 (£100), dubaigolf. com

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB Home to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the national course is impressive. The first thing that will strike you is the clubhouse, a huge complex in the shape of a falcon swooping down on a golf ball which presides over the magnificent layout.

The clubhouse features three stories of bars and restaurants as well as leisure facilities including outdoor pool, gymnasium, tennis/squash courts, snooker room, stadium court, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi.

Progressing towards the golf course, you will find extensive practice facilities- putting/chipping greens and practice bunkers compliment the floodlit 350m driving range, the largest in the Gulf. Two 18-hole, par-72 courses await players. The Gardens Course at 6498 yards is gentle and ideal for all standards with holes 10 -18 floodlit. The centrepiece though is the National Course; planned and designed in 1992. Upon completion in 1998 the course was given important time to mature and as a result is in marvellous condition.

At 7204 yards, with lush fairways, large palms, lakes and bunkers, the Peter Harradine-design is a wonderful blend of challenging yet rewarding holes.

Designer | Peter Harradine Length | 7,334 yards, par 72.

Signature hole | The par-three 12th; Sergio Garcia aced it during a recent championship. It’s the most

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL

24

tee to Green

Dubai Creek

photographed and aesthetically pleasing hole, with a lake protecting the front of the green and an imposing rock wall as the backdrop.

Tip | There are 90 bunkers; keep to the fairways. The rough is penal and tough to play out of.

Green fee | AED 600 (£103), adgolfclub.com Jumeirah Golf esTaTes With two courses, Earth and Fire, this estate offers 36 holes of brilliant championship golf. Earth hosts the Dubai World Championship in 2012.

There is no shortage of bunkers, so golfers get plenty of use from their sand wedges; there are stepladders in some of the traps to save tired legs.

Designer | Greg Norman. length | Earth – 7,675 yards, par 72; Fire – 7,433 yards, 72. signature hole | The 18th on the Earth, a beast of a par-five at 651 yards off the back tees, with water splitting the fairway. Alvaro Quiros eagled it to win the European Tour event held here last November.

Tip | Most of the greens are elevated, so take at least an extra club for approaches into them; the slope of the greens makes them hard to hold.

Green fee | Earth – AED 595 (about £100); Fire – AED 495 (about £85), info@jumeirahgolfestates.com Yas links This world-class links course in the middle of the desert has views of the Yas F1 circuit. Kyle Phillips shaped nearly two miles of coastline to create the firm, fast terrain, a challenge for golf purists. The clubhouse – surrounded by land rich with birds and plantlife − was designed with an Arabian theme, and is extremely relaxing.

Designer | Kyle Phillips. length | 7,450 yards from the tips, par 72. signature hole | The par-three 17th: tee shots must carry the water and avoid the dune bunkers. Coastal breezes make club selection vital.

Tip | Slick greens make two putts difficult. Take plenty of balls for the

Burj Al Arab

Faldo Golf Course

tee to Green back nine; the water claims a few.

Holes 16, 17 and 18 create one of the best finishing stretches in golf.

Green fee | AED 850 (£148), yaslinks.com The MonTGoMerie Covering more than two hundred acres, this spectacular golf course provides the player with undulating “links land” style fairways which challenge and intrigue all levels of player. Placement of the drive to the generous fairways remains the cornerstone of any good round. The flat landing area of each fairway can be challenging to find, but a rewarding adventure. With fourteen lakes and seventy-two bunkers, The Montgomerie Dubai, this first example of the association between golfing great Colin Montgomerie and Desmond Muirhead, adds a distinctive variety to the golfing landscape of the region. One of the signature hole designs, the par three thirteenth, boasts the largest single green in the world. With a total area of 58,000 sq feet - the equivalent of nine greens - its island green can be played from a 360 degree teeing ground giving the advantage of a totally different golf hole each time you play.

The course has become the focal point for one of Dubai’s most exclusive residential communities, Emirates Hills. It has undulating fairways and generous landing areas, but the finishing hole is a brute. The practice facilities are world-class, including a state-of-the-art swing analysis studio, a nine-hole, parthree academy course, a short-game area, practice putting greens and a driving range, all floodlit. It’s one of the best members-only golf courses

25 in Dubai.

Designer | The 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie .

Length | 7,307 yards, par 72.

Signature hole | The par-three 13th, where the large green is in the shape of the UAE. Tip | Don’t be shy with the driver; the course features wide, open fairways with limited risk, so enjoy ripping it off the tee.

Green fee | AED 825 (£142), themontgomerie.com

The DeSerT CourSe

As you approach the Desert Course passing Dubai Land, with the Autodrome grandstand in full view, you get a feeling for the future of Dubai. Soon the city will have spread to engulf this generally more desterted region. The golf club within the impressive Arabian Ranches is a unique concept and one which will stand the test of time. The colonial ranch style clubhouse comes complete with 12 hotel rooms and décor that JR Ewing would be proud of. Sumptuous surroundings, dining areas and bars, a beautifully crafted locker room, pro shop and lobby all contribute to the ambience. The academy with a separate building is of the highest quality, particularly the pitching and putting greens. Having warmed up, the Ian Baker-Finch (Open Champion 1989) design awaits.

Cut through the desert, with sand and scrub surrounding fairways and greens, this course is a real break from the norm. From the back black tees, the course measures over 7600 yards – monstrous. Although a true challenge, the golf course should be enjoyed for its individuality - a good score on the desert course translates to a very good score anywhere else!

Golf in the region has also been boosted by the hosting of major tournaments which have attracted some of the biggest names in golf including; the Omega Dubai Desert Classic which was first played on Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course in 1989, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship which has been held on Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s championship course since 2006 and the prestigious DP World Tour Championship, Dubai - the season ending tournament of the European Tour which has been played on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates since 2009.

evenTS

21 – 24 october, 2012 2012 MenA Golf Tour – Shaikh Maktoum Dubai open The Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open is the fifth stop on the 2012 MENA Golf Tour.

The MENA tour is aimed at the best MENA amateur and professional players, along with eligible players from the around the world, and provides a unique opportunity for MENA professionals and amateurs to develop their golfing skills, alongside international players on home soil.

The US$50,000 Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open will be the fifth of the six-stop MENA Golf Tour, which kicks off at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on September 24, while the season-ending MENA Tour Championship will be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club from October 29 to 31.

Golf fans are welcome to come watch and support the competitors from the first tee-off time at 7am.

22 – 25 november, 2012 DP World Tour Championship

TRAVEL | INTERNATIONAL Come see some of the world’s best Golfers compete in the DP World Tour Championship.

The Race to Dubai culminates in the DP World Tour Championship, a high-ranked event on the golfing calendar that showcases some of the best golfers in the world competing to win the prestigious prizes. The tournament is the richest on The European Tour.

31 January - 3 February, 2013 (TBC) omega Dubai Desert Classic The Omega Dubai Desert Classic attracts some of the biggest names in Golf. Tiger Woods has featured at the event six times since 2001 and has won it twice.

The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is held every year in January or February at the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course. It started in 1989 as the prestigious European tour included Asia for the first time and it was the 38th event on the tour. It is promoted and organised by the umbrella organisation Golf in Dubai.

The tournament also attracts big name sponsors such as the National Bank of Dubai, CNN, Emirates Airlines and BMW. The total prize money for the tournament totals USD $2.5 million, with the winner of the Dubai Desert Classic walking away with just under half a million dollars.

As part of the European Tour, the Dubai Desert Classic is also part of the Race to Dubai, an annual bonus pool of USD $7.5 million which is distributed amongst the top ranking 15 players at the end of every season. The winner after nearly 50 tournaments around the world is handed USD $1.5million. www.definitelydubai.com

Jumeirah Golf Estates Fire Course

26

TRAVEL | LOCAL

River dance

V

ereeniging, Sasolburg, Vanderbijl, Parys. Sure, it sounds less glam than Umhlanga, Ballito and Mt. Edgecombe but you’d be doing yourself an injustice for not exploring the Vaal region because of the misleading notion that there is less on offer here for the sophisticated consumer – quite the contrary Mary. There’s plenty. The Vaal boasts a list of outdoor leisure options that put far more popular holiday destinations to shame. Plus it’s less than an hour from Joburg down the N1. We won’t go into the adventure stuff in this feature though. You can read Getaway for that. We’re going to stick to what we know best; golf. This magnificent river might appear to be nothing more than the Gauteng/ Freestate border to an inexperienced traveller but I reckon it’s one of the country’s best kept secrets. It’s Joburg’s Riviera without even exaggerating.

This month Tee to Green features the Vaal’s top golf courses and where you should stay.

VAAL DE GRACE

Vaal de Gráce Golf Estate is located on a 110 ha island on the Free

tee to Green

Well not exactly. The stretch of Vaal River between Vereeniging and Parys is a golfing mecca – terrain that requires an altogether different kind of fleet-footedness

State side, 2 clicks from Parys. This development has of a world class Nick Price designed championship course and very appealing river frontage and golf course properties.

The river is of course the focal point and quite amazingly, the property actually overlaps the waterway, with most of it situated on the island.

Linked by a bridge the course is routed with 14 holes on the island section in the North West Province and the rest on the Free State side.

Given its location in an active and important waterway, the design and construction of a memorable golf course required an expert design team that did a phenomenal job of maintaining the elements of conservation, environment and natural habitat. No easy task all things considered.

It has more to offer than just the golf course though. The estate has luxurious, well equipped self catering villas. The serenity of the location makes it a popular conference destination with a variety of team building activities available. The clubhouse is equipped with a Pro Shop that caters across the board and a lovely restaurant. It is also a stunning wedding venue if you feel

like eloping or tying the knot during a particularly romantic weekend or an exceptionally good round.

Falling in love with the location is pretty easy so were you inclined to invest in a property, stands and turnkey building packages are an option. Property in Parys is highly sought after which makes this more than just an investment in your own leisure. State of the art security if the natural “moat” didn’t set your mind at ease.

Vaal de Gráce was ranked as one of South Africa’s top new courses in 2011 and took it up a notch in 2012 when it was ranked 49th out of the top 100 courses in the country. It’s forgiving to beginners but still tests the more accomplished player.

056 811 2013 www.vaaldegrace.co.za MACCAUVLEI GOLF CLUB Maccauvlei is situated on the banks of the river. This is a traditional Parklands Golf Course and has been consistently rated as a top 40 Golf Course in South Africa The beauty of Maccauvlei is that it caters for the serious single handicap player as well as for the average

weekend player. The course was opened in 1926 and has consistently upgraded as the game and equipment improved. The SA Open has been played here four times.

Its roots run deep all the way back to when Bobby Locke was the Pro at the club. Today both the Schwartzel brothers and Bradford Vaughn are members.

The membership is not large so visitors can get a booking on weekends and public holidays.

Catering and bar facilities are extremely good and affordable.

Likewise are the playing fees and under the top 50 courses in South Africa is the second most affordable.

This is a course that walks easily but there and there are golf carts available. If you like your game in peace and quiet and not be part of a production line, this is the place to come.

PARYS GOLF ESTATE The brand new 18-hole championship golf course, designed by the well-known team of Cobie Le Grange and DDV Design was re-opened in March 2007 and has been completely redesigned,

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TRAVEL | LOCAL

Parys Golf Estate

Vaal de Grace

bearing no resemblance to the old Parys Golf Club course, and ensuring a challenge on each hole.

The different views of the river, makes playing this course a truly exceptional experience.

Golfing specials currently on offer: • Tuesdays R90 green fees or R170 including cart • Wednesdays R225 green fees including cart and competition fees • Early Bird Fridays – Play 18 holes between 08h00 and 10h00 and receive a complimentary breakfast www.parysgolfestate.co.za

Vaal de Grace Practice Facility

RivieRa on vaal An impressive 18-hole golf course that’s both scenic and challenging.

The historic club house designed by Sir Herbert Baker offers great postround drinks at sunset with amazing views of the river. Set in wide country spaces the golf course has a rating of 71 for men and women with a Parkland layout on relatively flat land. There are many different and unusual holes some featuring water attractions. As a champion of the women’s golf cause, the club is constantly seeking ways to advance the plight of lady golfers.

Emerald Resort & Casino

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TRAVEL | LOCAL ROV offers golf clinics, a decent Pro Shop and a 9-hole Pitch & Putt course if you don’t feel like a proper round. www.rovcountryclub.co.za AccommodAtion The antique and arts hub of Parys has more than 100 accommodation options available, a selection of restaurants and coffee shops, breweries, spas and more. If you’re taking a non-golfing spouse along on a golfing weekend, this is where you

tell them to spend at least one day.

Emerald Resort & Casino is located on 7km’s of river frontage.

The Resort offers a four star hotel with all the associated luxuries and wonderful views of the grounds and gardens. Thatched bush lodges, elevated on stilts and three star self-catering chalets provide further options for a dirty weekend or more rustic family getaways.

The High Stakes Restaurant is the departure point on the Vaal Wine

Route and an old fashioned booze cruise onboard the Liquid Lounge spoils you for choice.

As with most entertainment venues you’d find live performances, comedy shows, the climate controlled Aquadome Water Park and 10-pin bowling! More than enough to celebrate a good round or forget a bad one.

Parys Golf Estate offer self catering houses. The Riviera on Vaal Hotel has a range of unique golf

tee to Green packages that will appeal to anyone.

Luxury accommodation, good food and a great spa for the ladies offers a worthy option to consider.

In conclusion, Tee to Green recommends that you either take your family for a lovely weekend away or get your regular four-ball together for a lads or ladies weekend and venture out of your comfort zone for a change and go play some of the most stunning golf courses in the country.

Happy golfing!

Legends

Maccauvlei Golf Club

EQUIPMENT

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31

EQUIPMENT

Natural and Simple There is no clear explanation as to why golf is the only game in which individuals attempting to play do everything exactly opposite to what is natural.

I

’ll illustrate what I mean with the simple example of weight transference in different actions.

When throwing a stone, a ball or even spear, we would natural lean our weight back into our right side and as we release the object transfer our weight moving it all into our left side. This of course for a right handed person. Yet try and get a beginner or even regular golfer to make this same weight shift when hitting a golf ball. As they swing back all their weight goes onto the left leg and then switches to the right as they near impact. This movement is known in golf as a reverse pivot and one of the most common faults in the swing. Let us look at some other basics that we can all get right with minimum effort.

THE GRIP

People choose a strong left hand and right hand grip instead of strong left hand grip and week right hand grip.

They therefore close the clubface on the way back and open it on the way down instead of opening it on the way back and closing it on the way down and through the ball. In tennis terms they create a backhand slice instead of the topspin forehand.

Then look at where in the hands the club is gripped – mainly in the palms and not enough in the fingers. If you hold it in the hands you will always use to much strength and effort without much return. The fingers help to keep the hands flexible to open and close and generate a late release with the accompanying speed. And never grip too tight.

POSTURE

Why do we insist on bending our spines as if we are preparing for the role in Shakespeare’s Richard the Third or the Hunchback of Notre Dame? We need the spine to be straight so we can turn comfortably around its fixed access.

BALL POSITION

Either too far forward causing the shoulders to open and resulting in an out to in swing path and the resultant big slice. Or too far back increasing the eventual angle of attack of the club head causing deep divots, duffed shots and with woods a decrease in the loft of the club.

And when your driver only has 9 degrees of loft you need ever degree you have. How many times have you played with a beginner golfer

who uses an iron off the tee saying that they cannot get the wood up in the air? And their fault is all in the set up with their hands way ahead of the shaft and the club head. The ball position is in the middle or even back half of their stance. Well how are you going to get any loft on a wood with these sorts of angles? Problem so easily rectified by moving the ball position further forward in the stance and getting the hands behind the shaft at address.

A GOLF SWING, NOT A GOLF HIT

Hitting at the ball instead of throwing the club head through the ball at the target. Golf is not a hit the ball game it is rather a throw the club at the target game. Somewhere in that action the head of the club makes contact with the ball.

NOT A GAME OF BRUTE STRENGTH

Remember it is rhythm and timing that results in the best shots. Have one look at the almost lazy rhythm of Ernie Els, the Big Easy. It is also the way we prevent injuries.

The problem with most beginners and average handicap players is that they stand and groove the opposite swing and subsequently the subconscious builds faults in your swing that you can never get out of.

And please do not think there is only one way to swing the golf club.

We have: • Body swingers (Hogan, Snead) • Shoulder swingers (Couples, Els) • Hip swingers (Montgomery, Norman) • Active Leg Players (Nicklaus, Watson) • Arm Players (Jones ,Simpson) • Hand Players (Hobday, Rocca, Sanders) And what swing is the best for you will depend on a number of physical attributes such as your height, strength and flexibility. Age will also dictate which swing you should adopt as will gender and body shape. Imagine if South African lock forward Andries Bekker and prop forward Os du Rant went for golf lessons and the pro tried to give them the same swing. Yeah right!!!

Some possible pointers.

• Short people you should swing

your body • Tall people you should swing your shoulders • Stocky people you should use your hands • Everyone should use their legs.

I have always believed that more often than not the practice tee can be a hindrance rather than an aid. I believe that if you cannot do it without a ball you definitely will not do it with a ball. Learn to make the correct move first and that is where drills and swing aids come in. Do yourself a favor and learn to practice at home for an hour a week doing the following drills and you will improve your golf dramatically.

GRIP

Put a small coin between the thumb and forefinger of both your hands and squeeze them closed. You will see you create two trigger fingers that should look identical. I call the thumb of the left hand the car and the palm of the right hand where your life line runs the garage. Place, without a club, the car in the garage and close you fingers around and imaginary club. Do this a couple of times and then do it with a club. Grip it, let go, grip it, let go until it starts feeling comfortable. Make sure you grip the club in a combination of the fingers and palm. Remember the right hand is almost all in the fingers.

POSTURE

Stand outside where you can see an image of yourself in a full length window. Stand side on so that you can see your profile. Stand to attention with you head and chin high, your shoulders back and your back nice and hollow. Now take your right hand and place it at the bottom of your tummy and bend over keeping your chin up, back hollow and coccyx nice and high until it pulls in the back of your thighs at this point stop. Now simply unlock your knees keeping your head and back in the same position. This is the correct posture.

It may hurt your lower back but this you will get used to this as these are the strongest muscles in your spine. Practice this and you will get used to it. This will improve so many areas of your game.

BALL POSITION

One must develop a routine with

the setup. Bernhard Langer has the best. Address the ball with your feet together and the ball opposite your right foot. First move the left foot across to the left and then move the right foot. The distance they have moved should favour the left side for a driver and be in the middle for a 7 iron. The feet should end up shoulder length apart.

WEIGHT SHIFT

To practice the correct weight shift place two chairs on either side of you touching your hips. Stand straight and cross your arms against your chest. Now turn your whole body to the right without touch the chair on the right and allow your knees to touch and your left heel to come all the way off the ground, now do the opposite and turn your whole left side out the way without touching the chair on the left allowing you knees to touch and your right heel to come off the ground. You should finish in a perfectly normally balanced position with your belt buckle facing the target. This is what the swing is - right side left side without any lateral movement but rather two turns. You cannot do this enough as this is the heart and soul of the golf swing. When you can do this effortlessly and comfortably then slowly start practicing it by bending over and when you can master that try doing it with a golf club. Learn to do this and you will become a good player I promise. This is the most important of all the drills.

SWING TO THE TARGET INSTEAD OF HITTING AT THE BALL

When you learn to do the above drill then learn to practice swinging the club into the follow through instead of at the ball. You must learn that there is no ball but rather a follow through and the ball simply gets in the way.

The club face collects the ball and throws it rather than hits it. Learn to accelerate into the follow through and not hit at the ball. The club should be going at its fastest after impact and not on the way down.

Do these simple drills and you will find it easier to duplicate them on the course when playing.

Next month we will be looking at the various swings aids and devices that with help you mold a good repeating golf swing.

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EQUIPMENT

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Wedges In the third instalment of our club fitment series we custom fit wedges and address issues related to the gap in the selection you have in your bag.

When I bought my golf clubs it came standard with a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Great, looks sufficient on paper and what else is there really for a regular golfer to consider right? Well as you might have discovered by now or inevitably will, you are bound to find yourself in a situation where you have to play a shot you don’t have a club for.

As most amateurs tend to do, I have been shaping my game around my equipment. I saw a TV instruction program that advised a good rule of thumb for a 75m shot to be a three quarter swing with a pitching wedge, half a swing for the 50m shot and so on. I thought that this was my only option because I really don't like hitting full sand wedge shots. So it was sound advice in that respect and perfect in theory but ya'll know golf

ain't no theory. Now bear in mind that the entire purpose if this series is to help you play better golf by being smarter with your equipment and embracing technology as opposed to range drills and lessons with the club pro. The precision required to pull off a three quarter shot wasn't going to produce consistently successful results at my level. Besides, your short game touch is the first part of the repertoire to go if you don’t play all the time so what’s the point of driving it a mile down the fairway to end up hitting the wedge approach shot fat, thin or in the green-side bunker because you are uncertain of the club in your hand. The net result of the above is that I am often faced with an approach shot of 80 odd meters. With nothing other than a PW and an SW to choose from, what

club do I pull to hit a full shot in this case? A classic scenario of being stuck between clubs and too big a gap to grip up or down. This, my furry friends, is what is we call a gap.

So what do you do? Do you learn to hit those half shots (nothing wrong but it will require time and hard work) or do you take the smart work option? I chose the latter as I moseyed on over to see Ferdi Morris, the fitment guru at the Woodmead Pro Shop. He told me to bring along my 9 iron and wedges to find out what the respective lofts, lie angles, grip thickness etc. on these clubs were and to do a Gap Test.

Why? We had to determine the perfect distances of my wedges to establish if there were any gaps between the two usual wedges. I needed to identify the distances each club has to cover.

We needed to clarify the following from the launch details: • Lie of the Head We used my static measurements to start with a lie that is suited to my physique and a lie board to determine the final lie angle needed once all adjustments to grip, shaft and length are made. The special hitting surface material on this lie board leaves a small temporary mark on the sole of the clubhead indicating lie angle at impact.

EQUIPMENT

34

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It turned out that it was off and I faded the ball because of it. I have never been able to play a draw and this was partly the reason why. He adjusted the club and a consistent 110+ meter shot profile emerged. My 60 degree sand wedge produced an 80 meter shot that left a significant gap of 30 meters between my two wedges – the gap issue I referred to earlier. He brought out four gap wedges, all around the 50 - 52 degree mark and fiddled around with loft, grip size, shaft length and bounce (see accompanying images that explain the intricacies).

I hit them all, some better than others.

Remember I am trying to fill a gap of 30 meters so I need a club that I’m going to hit consistently 15 meters longer than a full sand wedge and 1015 meters short of a full pitching wedge. As we tinkered around, two clear alternatives emerged: the Cleveland Reg 588, the Mizuno MP R-12 and Taylor Made ATV all delivered decent and consistent figures in my particular case. I have subsequently tried them out on the course and can report that I am now the proud owner of a Cleveland Reg 588 with a Miyazaki Wedge Flex graphite shaft.

Nick Faldo is always on about a go-to shot and subscribes part of Tiger's issues to not having such a shot. I believe I have found that shot in my new gap wedge. I just have great confidence in the club due the technical process that lead to its selection. It is customized to my swing and distance. Esthetics plays a role too. The club has

to look right too as silly as that might sound. All I know is that I won't have to think about a three quarter back swing anymore when I am supposed to be concentrating on hitting a target. I can swing to my heart's content knowing that a full shot is going to get me to the dance baby, yeah!

As a parting shot, some interesting info on the clubface grooves that I thought had particularly relevance to wedges: In 2008 the USGA and R&A announced new rules regarding the grooves on the faces of irons. They adopted new specifications for the allowable volume of grooves (their width and depth) and the sharpness of the groove edges. The new specs – less volume and less sharpness – apply to all irons for groove volume and all irons with loft of 25 degrees or greater for groove sharpness.

The rules went into effect as a Condition of Competition at the beginning of 2010.

The governing bodies essentially want to make hitting the fairway more important. Golfers who find themselves in the rough should find that situation more punitive with the post-2010 grooves. The new specs are aimed at the world's best golfers, many of whom bomb away without fear of the rough because pre-2010 grooves give them the ability to produce lots of spin even out of poor lies. The new groove specs are designed to return more of an emphasis on accuracy. The new grooves will produce less spin, and the ball will run out more, putting more importance on keeping the ball in the short grass.

What do the new groove rules mean to "regular" golfers? Not much, really unless you are a tournament golfer (and play in high-level tournaments at that), you probably don't have to worry about the grooves on your clubs and whether they are "legal" until at least 2024.

tee to Green

The following images indicate the "hit and miss" process of elimination you will go through during a fitment session.

The technology that is implemented is state of the art and will without a doubt provide simple answers to some of the weaknesses in your game. Plus it’s a lot of fun to tinker around and talk golf with guys that are passionate about the game. I cannot recommend these fitment procedures highly enough if you are serious about improving your game.

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EQUIPMENT

36

HUMOUR

tee to Green

Colourful characters Dennis Bruyns recalls stories of the colourful golfing characters, both past and present.

Giraffe

Temper, temper

A great character on the Sunshine Tour fairways in the 80’s was a caddie nicknamed Giraffe. Giraffe stood a good 6 ½ ft tall, looking more like a basketball player than a golf caddie. At one time he was caddying for Gavan Levenson. What a contrast with Giraffe well over 6 ft tall and Gavan well under 6 ft. They had got to the 18th green at Hans Merensky Golf Club in Phalaborwa during the playing of the Palabora Classic. For those of you who know the golf course, it abounds with wild- and birdlife. This particular day some birds were making quite a racket in the trees surrounding the 18th green. What exactly motivated them I’m unsure of but certainly every time Gavan settled in to putt the birds would be chirping and disturbing him. Now Gavan at the time could be disturbed by somebody walking on an adjacent fairway so whereas other players might have blocked off the noise and just proceeded to putt, Gavan backed away from his putt a number of times.

Eventually Giraffe took control of the situation, walked to the edge of the green, raised his arms in the air and addressed the chirping birds: “Please, give us a break here. You know we’re only trying to make a living”!

During the playing of the SAB Masters at Milnerton in the late 70’s a young Phillip Jonas, at that stage a leading amateur golfer in South Africa, was struggling on the greens. Phillip would eventually develop the yips and only by switching to putt left handed was able to continue playing competitive golf. He was not the most even tempered young man and after three-putting a green he would fling his putter off into the rough and storm off to the next tee. His caddie would dutifully collect the putter and move on. However, as the round progressed, the caddie was getting more and more annoyed, muttering under his breath that fetching the putter was not part of a caddie’s duties. The 9th green was the furthest point from the clubhouse. Jonas three-putted and again flung the putter deep into the bush at the back of the green. The group walked off to the tenth tee and started to play. When it came time for Jonas to play his tee shot he found he had no caddie, no golf bag and therefore no golf clubs.

The group all went back to the 9th green and found the errant golf bag in the bushes next to the putter. The caddie was nowhere to be seen. Enough was enough and he decided that Jonas could complete the rest of the round as both player and caddie.

Of Princes and Paupers Walter Hagan, probably the first athlete to become a millionaire playing sport, was loved by princes and paupers.

He struck up a friendship with King Edward VIII who later gave up the throne to marry Mrs Simpson, becoming the Duke of Windsor. During a round of golf Hagan yelled out to the King to the astonishment of the British gallery: “Hey Eddie, hold the flag would you please”.

Hagan was also famous for coining the saying: “I never hurry, I never worry, always stop to smell the flowers along the way. It’s later than you think”.

Hobbers Certainly a player who took Hagan’s advice about smelling the flowers along the way is Simon Hobday. The stories and anecdotes of Hobday on tour are legend. Hobday’s putting could at best be described as streaky. He was obviously a good putter at times or he would not have won the many tournaments he did but sometimes his putter was plainly awful. In the early 80’s the emerging player on the Sunshine Circuit was the young David Frost who, by contrast was and remains one of the best putters in the game. The tournament was the Gordon’s Gin Classic at the Gary Player Country Club and Hobday was out early after struggling on the greens the previous day. He chose to wear a wide brimmed panama-style hat and wrote the name Frost on top. On the first green he knocked it in from 15 ft for a birdie. On the second, he made two putts from some 40 ft away and, at the third, holed out from 8 ft for a par and again made an 8 ft pressure putt for par at the 4th. Eventually, on the 5th green, he putted up to some 18 inches away, proceeded to tweak the putt and the ball did not even touch the hole. Hobday looked up to the skies and said: “I had you fooled for a moment, didn’t I”!

Tsumeb Tsotse Then there’s the wonderful remark of Tertius Claassens, also known as the Tsumeb Tsotse. Tertius was a wonderful striker of the golf ball and was also blessed with a wonderful sense of humour. Playing with him this particular day was that very correct Englishman Warren Humphreys who now commentates on European Tour events. Tertius had hit a wild drive, way off into the trees and long rough. He immediately called to his caddie to give him another ball and proceeded to tee it up and get ready to hit again. Quite correctly Warren asked: “Tertius, can I presume that’s a provisional ball you are playing?” Tertius looked him in the eye and replied: “What do you think it is I’m doing? Playing a practice shot?!”

Bobby Locke

I could not end this piece without a story about the great Bobby Locke. I only came to know Locke well during the last years of his life but even so spent many an interesting and amusing time with him, either on the golf course or having a drink in the pub afterwards. In the mid 60’s and only 14 or 15 years old at the time, I was drawn to play with Locke in the first round of the Western Province Open being played at Rondebosch Golf Club. We were playing in a howling South-Easter and came to a par three, I don’t recall exactly which hole number it was, but the wind was strong off the right and there were two pine trees some 50-odd metres from the green as if standing sentry over the hole, one on the right and one on the left. I had the honour and I hit a shot that got up too high in the air, the wind hit it and it drifted way left of the green. Locke stood up and I wondered to myself how he was going to play it with his big right-to-left ball flight, the wind coming right to left and this pine tree guarding the right side. Could he actually hit it right of the pine tree and control the ball around the tree onto the green. He stood up, aimed at the right half of the green and hit a controlled slice, holding it up into the wind and landing softly on the green. He saw the surprise in my eyes and simply said: “Master, you don’t think I won four British Opens hitting every shot with a hook, do you?!”

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