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YOUR 5 MOST WANTED SHOTS ADD DISTANCE:

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THE PRESIDENTS MAN

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BUBBA

WHY WE LOVE HIM AND WHY WE DON’T (inclusive of 6% GST)

Contents 09/15 6

Editor’s Letter Creative ideas can drive interest in the game.

BY PATRICK HO

70

Features 40

Your 5 Most Wanted Shots From tee to green, finetune your game now.

46

Q+A: Thongchai Jaidee Thailand’s iconic golfer talks about his Presidents Cup debut

50

Q+A: Irfan Hamid Building the Asian Development Tour is still work in progress

56

Cover Story: Being Bubba Why we love him, and why we don’t. BY jAIME DIAz

62

Reboot Your Short Game Simple swing thoughts to get you scoring your best.

al aska: dom furore • bubba watson’s cover fashion: oakley shirt, $70; ping visor, $24; richard mille watch, $650,000

BY BUTCH HARMON AND BRANDT SNEDEKER

BY PAULA CREAMER 68

Strange But True First hand accounts of crazy golf-course adventures.

BY STEPHEN HENNESSEY

70

▶ All in on Alaska Go off the grid with golf in America's 49th state.

BY DOM fURORE

76

Add Distance: Turn & Burn Use your lower body for more power

80

Pitch & Putt Like a Tour Pro The moves you need to make – or not make.

BY STAN UTLEY

2 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

cover photograph by | john loomis

Contents 09/15

smile, guys! Paula Creamer’s quick tips will clean up your short game. 62

Play Your Best 15

Take it to the Top Here’s what I work on going back.

BY JORDAN SPIETH

18

19

Sean Foley An easy way to start striping your irons

21

Tom Watson All great putters do these two things

22

Swing Sequence: Justin Thomas How does a 145-pound kid average 300-plus yards?

Why’d I do that?

No more thin shots from fairway bunkers.

The Golf Life 24

BY RYAN HERRINGTON 26

David Leadbetter How to groove your downswing

The Core Ways to avoid skin cancer.

BY RON KASPRISKE

27

Rules The cans and cant’s of bunker play

28

Equipment What you need to know about “mini” drivers.

BY RICK SMITH 20

Think Young, Play Hard How Scott McNealy’s business journey helped son Maverick rise to the top of college golf.

BY MIKE STACHURA

4 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

30

What’s In My Bag Young bomber Brooks Koepka

31

Man on Golf Golf with a broken neck.

BY DAVID OWEN

32

Taking Root Tools of agronomy.

BY JACK CHEONG

34

Health De Quervains Syndrome in golfers.

BY BRUCE DOUGLAS

89

Travel A Mulu adventure.

BY DAVID BOWDEN

94

At the 19th When the flames dance at Kazoku-Ai. BY PATRICK HO

photograph by | dom furore

Editor’s Letter MY TOP 5S IDEAS THAT CAN GROW THE GAME

▶ Bring back the longdrive contest on KLIA’s runway ▶ Start a street golf tournament in KL ▶ Start a treasure hunt at 50 golf courses ▶ A Yao Ming vs.

Nicholas Fung contest ▶ Have a longest putt contest at Putrajaya

More than ever, the game needs creative consumer engagement

Think Out of the Box Creative marketing may just be what the doctor ordered to spur growth of the game PATRICK HO Editor hese days, the most over rated question heard at events: “How is your business doing?”

Since the implementation of the Goods Services Tax (GST), Malaysians have been paying six per cent more for goods, food and etc.

While it may take months for us to re-adjust our lifestyle, it is obvious that retailers have been hit hardest

T

as consumers are saving every penny left in their bank accounts.

Anyone bought a set of irons lately?

More so when the Ringgit is at its weakest against the US dollar at this point and time.

So, how can the industry bounce back from this? Many have been talking about a downtrend in the retail sector but rounds have not dropped at most major clubs.

It will be hard to come up with one solution, or justify

the success of a “junior development programme” to seed growth at this point.

But try we must.

What companies need to do is to pore through the facts and figures of marketing strategies that have made them successful.

From past experience, I would strongly recommend engaging with the consumer on the ground and continue with advertising and brand awareness campaigns.

As they say, education holds the key.

That is where publicized demo days will help sustain consumer interest.

We humans rely on our senses and there is nothing better than putting a golf club into the hands of a golfer who loves the feel and sight of a sweetly struck 7-iron.

But, don’t just leave the equipment at the demo bay get trained staff to engage the

consumer with tech insights about that new driver or irons.

Impress them with the magic of technology.

The other area that has not been fully exploited in the business is joint marketing campaigns with major corporations or brands.

I believe if we are creative enough by using golf population demographics and stats to convince a nongolf brand to participate in a promotional event, an air of excitement may just inject more interest in the game.

How about doing a holein-one competition in the heart of Jalan Bukit Bintang, or Dataran Merdeka, titlesponsored by a major corporation?

We’ll even let non-golfers give it a try, take a few swings of the club.

I can just imagine the interest created by allowing curiosity to take over.

If you have ideas to create interest in the game, please email patrick@bluinc.com.my

6 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

From The Gallery LETTER OF THE MONTH

What Dress Code?

Peter Ling | Kuala Lumpur

At some clubs, and even in today’s world, attire like this is deemed “inappropriate”.

THIS MONTH’S PRIZE carolina herrera 212 men nyc worth rm240

Write place

Pen your thoughts and win a prize. Just email "THE EDITOR" at golfdigest@bluinc.com.my or write to us at Golf Digest Malaysia, Blu Inc Media Sdn Bhd, Lot 7, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, Section 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Include your name, NRIC, address and contact number.

8 golfdigestmalaysia | august 2015

I have been playing this game for the past 15 years and I thought I have seen it all. From a father slapping his son on the course, to a junior player unethically talking while another was about to hit a bunker shot.

I have also seen a crocodile and a kangaroo while playing, and even someone teeing off in slippers at Torrey Pines, as it was about to snow (yes the Torrey Pines in the USA).

Nonetheless, I have always marvelled at the way golfers dress for the game.

Lately, golfers are dressing up in the colourful (really colourful!) Loudmouth brand.

There are the ‘conservatives’ who remain dressed like Fred Perry, or some uncles that seem to dress like they are going to the “lombong” and those that are decked in designer garb from head to toe.

Although dress codes have been in Malaysia for years, most that do not adhere to it are somehow allowed to play.

Recently, my daughter was nicely “told off ” at a local golf course for wearing pants (golf pants from her university in the US) that was deemed too short. Must not be more than 4 inches from the knee.

Yes, I have seen those “rules” displayed at many golf courses but honestly I have not witnessed any being implemented.

I know dress codes are a sensitive issue at this moment, but I do believe we should address this once and for all and no longer pretend that it does not exist.

If the clubs do have such rules, then implement them strictly and not according to your whims and fancies.

Display the signage clearly so that no one misses it.

Faded ones are not effective.

However, be mindful that the policy must apply fairly.

Are we expecting professionals here for the Sime Darby LPGA to do the same? Are they required to wear shorts or pants that are specifically 4 inches above the knee?

Will we also ensure that the caddies are dressed appropriately? Not wearing uniforms that are one size too small or two sizes too large?

Are we also going to improve the standard operations procedure at clubs? Make sure only those with valid handicaps are allowed to play, and from the black and blue tees according to handicaps? Will we penalize those that are late at their tee boxes or for slow play?

It is obvious that we need to start focussing on education and seek ways for progress.

We must set examples to develop the juniors and start a concerted effort that benefits the industry.

And, will the association/s ever stop bickering and start to work together?

Let’s set our priorities right, Malaysia. david cannon | getty images

(USA)

EDITORIAL

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Danny Willett In The News

Lucky 7 Danny Willett played some of the best golf in his career to clinch the Omega European Masters on his seventh attempt.

While he made it look like a walk in the park, Willett had to stave off the challenge of fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton.

Willett posted a bogey-free round of 65 on Sunday to finish the tournament on 17-under-par and finished one shot ahead of former US Amateur Champion Fitzpatrick, with Tyrrell Hatton one shot further back on 15-under.

"It was a great day," Willett said after winning his third European Tour title. "Yesterday was a bit disappointing, but today I played some really good golf.

Matt was snapping at my heels all day, so I’m delighted to get the job done.

He becomes the seventh Englishman to win the Omega European Masters after Sir Nick Faldo (1983), Chris Moody (1988), Jamie Spence (1992), Barry Lane (1993), Lee Westwood (1999) and Luke Donald (2004).

stuart franklin | getty images

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

11

In The News Zach Johnson

No Monday Blues Call it the drama of dramas, the Hollywood ending of endings, but this was the wildest British Open finish in a long time.

American Zach Johnson had said before that The Open was not one of his favourite majors.

Not anymore.

It was the first Open to end on a Monday after a rain delay on Friday and Saturday’s 10hour wind delay.

39-year-old Johnson’s monster 30-footer putt to finish 15-under 273 was the turning point. He was joined by Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen for a three-way playoff.

When the Claret Jug was safely in his hands, an emotional Johnson said, “I’m grateful, I’m humbled. I’m honoured. This is the birthplace of the game, and the jug means so much in sports.”

14 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

adrian dennis | afp | getty images

Play edited by peter morrice

Take It to the Top Here’s what I work on going back by jordan spieth

hat you do during the backswing has a major impact on how well you hit the ball, so I spend a lot of time refining that part of my swing. If you set the club in a good position at the top, odds are you’re going to make an effective downswing and hit the ball the way you want to hit it. The two backswing moves I work on with my coach, Cameron McCormick, are things I bet can help your game. First, make a good, athletic turn off the ball, and second, swing the club more around your body. Let me show you how. —WIth ron kasprIske

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photographs by | dom furore

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

15

Play Your Best The Swings

IMPROVE YOUR TURN WITH A SOLID RIGHT SIDE

tability is really important when you swing back.

If your legs are wobbly and your body sways away from the target, or your posture changes from what it was at the start, you’re going to have a tough time getting the club back to the ball with any consistency.

Cameron and I use a drill called The Necktie to help improve my stability on the backswing. Here’s how it works: Dangle a club from your sternum with your left hand.

Now pivot your body—hips and shoulders turning back together—so the clubhead moves from centered between your feet to pointing at your right foot (right). Feel your right leg acting as a support beam as you wind your upper body over it. This will give you a good idea of how the body should pivot—and not slide— during the backswing.

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+ UNDER ARMOUR Apparel and shoes

16 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

NECKTIE DRILL Hang a club from your chest and turn so the club points to your back foot.

“At the top, I want my left arm to match the angle of my shoulders.”

SWING YOUR ARMS AROUND YOUR BODY

f you make an armsy backswing or swing the club to the top in a vertical position, you decrease your chances of hitting the ball

I

solidly or with enough height to take advantage of today’s drivers. That steep move going back is a serious power drain.

You’ll pick up a lot more distance if you can launch the ball higher and with less spin. My goal is to swing the

club more around my body instead of above it. Ideally my left arm matches the angle of my shoulders, as I’m showing below. Provided your arms move back in conjunction with a good body pivot, you’ll be in position to swing the club to the ball on a

shallow, in-to-out path. Coming down from the inside helps create power and get the ball up in the air. That’s the way to hit it.

Jordan Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, writes instruction articles only for Golf Digest.

AROUND, NOT UP Feel like the club is moving around your upper body on the backswing.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

17

What the Pros Know by Sean Foley

Go Down and Get It Not making solid contact?

Change your practice spot

our players make such good contact on iron shots because they stay grounded as they swing down and through the impact zone.

There’s not a lot of body sway, and they certainly don’t rise out of their address posture the way many amateurs do to try to help the ball into the air.

You might have heard the terms “covering the ball” or “staying on top of it.” They mean feeling like your chest is pointing at the ball through impact. A great drill to reinforce that feel is to hit shots off a downhill lie.

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18 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

You don’t want the slope to be so severe that it throws off your balance, but it should give you the feeling that your front leg is firmly planted on the ground when you swing (above). That’s a position you see in all the pros.

To make solid contact, swing down the slope and keep the clubshaft leaning toward the target through impact. If you spend enough time practicing shots from a downslope, all those flat lies will be a breeze.

Sean Foley teaches at Orange County National near Orlando.

FOLEY FILES Where should you play the ball for an iron shot?

No matter what club you’re using, set up with the ball slightly behind the position of your left pectoral (chest) muscle.

This ensures that the low point of the downswing comes in front of the ball’s position. You’ll make a downward strike and then take a divot. photograph by | dom furore

IllustratIon: John cuneo • nIke: shIrt, $50, shoes, $100 • BreItlIng: watch • see: sungl asses

Play Your Best

Curing Faults by Rick Smith

Play Your Best

“The look of a good bunker player: a quiet lower body.”

HOW TO TRICK YOUR BRAIN The big problem from fairway bunkers is that most golfers try to pick the ball clean and help it into the air.

That practically guarantees a thin shot into the lip.

If you were in the fairway, you’d want to make contact with the ball and then the grass, right? Same thing here. Imagine as vividly as you can the ball sitting on green grass. Then swing as you would from the fairway.

—JOE PARENT, PH.D.

head: Peter Stemmler • maggert: dom Furore

TAKING ONE OFF THE BANK

Why’d I Do That?

You thin one square into the bunker lip here you are in a fairway bunker, 160 out. No big deal, right?

Nice little 5-iron. But you catch it thin, and the ball crashes into the lip and rolls back down to your feet.

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illustration by | chris gash

There are two things to rememberbeforetryingthisshot: (1) Take more loft. If the yardage calls for a 5-iron but there’s a lip to get over, you probably need a 7 or an 8. It’s better to get out and be short of the green than to risk the ball coming back at you.

(2) Stay grounded. Great fairway-bunker players have a stable lower body throughout the shot and a slight forward lean of the shaft at impact. That provides a downward strike for solid contact. Players who have a lot of body action struggle to catch the ball flush. They often

look “leggy,” with overactive hips and knees.

Practice the Line Drill in a fairway bunker. Draw a 10-foot line in the sand perpendicular to your stance. Place several balls on the line, and set up so your sternum is slightly ahead of it. Make three practice swings getting your divot to start at the line and go forward.

(A divot before the line would be a fat shot; way past the line, a thin shot.) Then hit three balls in a row. Shift and rotate left before you accelerate the club through the sand.

At the 2003 Masters, Jeff Maggert went into the final round ahead by two shots. But his lead evaporated on the third hole when he found the fairway bunker about 100 yards from the green. His shot from the sand caught the lip, and the ball rebounded into his chest (above) for a two-stroke penalty.

Maggert managed to sink an 18-footer for triple bogey, but he went on to shoot 75 and finish fifth.

Rick Smith is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

19

Play Your Best

Step by Step by David Leadbetter

%

If you need a birdie, what kind of hole do you want? ▶ Short par 3: 13% ▶ Short par 4: 18% ▶ Short par 5: 69%

Going Forward A good shift makes the club drop on plane ne of the hallmarks of my new A Swing is that it improves the flow of what is often an awkward transition move from backswing to downswing. An easy way to understand this is to visualize what a hitter does as a pitch approaches home plate: He steps toward the ball, and the bat drops from a steep position into a much shallower one. To get your club to fall onto the proper plane as you start down, follow these four steps.

O

David Leadbetter is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

1. SWING IT BACK STEEP

2. AVOID THE OVERSWING

3. SHIFT YOUR HIPS FORWARD

4. FEEL THE SHAFT DROP

▶ The plane of the A Swing halfway back is very upright— the shaft nearly matches the spine angle. I’ve found it’s easier to get the club on plane coming down if it starts from a steeper backswing. This transition also adds rhythm to the motion.

▶ When your torso feels fully wound, the backswing is over. Don’t try to push the club back any farther. With my A Swing, the distance the arms go back is shorter than in a conventional swing, so the downswing is easier to repeat.

▶ To make the club fall onto the right plane, your first move from the top should be a lateral hip bump toward the target. To ingrain this action, practice lifting your front foot and stepping into the shot (top).

You’ll sense the club shallowing.

▶ Look at the shaft here compared to my backswing.

I refer to this position change as the V plane (the shaft halfway back and halfway down forms the letter V). Let the club change planes like this for better flow in the transition.

20 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

photograph by dom furore at the concession golf club, bradenton. fla.

illustrations by todd detwiler • royal albatross: shoes, $370

SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST READERS

Shortcuts by Tom Watson

23% 13%

25%

39%

Play Your Best

5 HDCP What’s the toughest putt for you? ▶ Fast downhiller ▶ Super long lag ▶ Big breaker ▶ Short putt for a tie

42% 34%

SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST READERS

NO PEEKING!

POLO gOLF: SHIRT, $90, PANTS, $198 • AdAmS: HAT

Keep your eyes down for a beat after impact.

Groove Your Putting Stroke It starts with these two fundamentals

here are all kinds of putting styles, but most really good putters have two fundamentals in common: (1) They keep their heads still during the stroke, and (2) they don’t look up until after the ball leaves the putterface.

Arnold Palmer was so stable over his putts because his head never seemed to move. And no matter what style Sam Snead was using, he said he didn’t want to look up until he heard the ball go in the hole.

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photographs by j.d. cuban at the grand golf club, san diego

I’ve always thought that most putts are missed because golfers are too anxious to see the outcome.

They look up too soon. To ensure I don’t do that, I wait one count after impact before my head moves. That helps me continue my stroke through the ball.

It’s natural to want to peek at the ball rolling, especially on must-make putts. But remember these fundamentals when the pressure is on, and you’ll have a better chance of rolling it in.

—with Nick Seitz

ELEMENTARY WATSON If you like to take a final look at the hole before you putt, make sure you swivel your head forward and back—don’t lift it.

Swiveling keeps your eye line parallel to the target line, which you set at address. If you lift, your view changes.

Excerpted from the DVD “Lessons of a Lifetime II,”

by Tom Watson.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

21

Play Your Best Swing Sequence ustin Thomas is a PGA Tour rookie, but he sure seems like he has been around, partly because of his golf pedigree. His grandfather, Paul, played in the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open, and his father, Mike, is the pro at Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen, Ky. That’s where Justin learned to play, mostly by hanging out with the members starting when he was 3.

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Justin Thomas At 145 pounds, this kid’s top 20 in distance

“I taught Justin a lot less than I taught other students,” Mike Thomas says. “I’d tell him, ‘I can give you five minutes, but then I might need to go teach Mr. So-and-So.’ ” As a result, Justin figured out a lot on his own.

At age 7, he watched Tiger Woods win the 2000 PGA at Valhalla Golf Club in nearby Louisville. That made a huge impression, and could be where he learned his

incredible hip speed through the ball. “You can’t teach that,” his father says. “I’ve been more like a coach with him than a teacher.”

Justin played two years at Alabama, where in 2012 he was voted the nation’s top collegiate golfer. Now he’s hitting it with the longest drivers on tour, averaging 301 yards (T-17). “I got lucky and had an easy student,” Mike Thomas says. —roger schiffman

LOOKING ATHLETIC

WIDTH STARTS HERE

TURNING ON TOP

“I always tell my students that good players look like they’re going to hit a great shot at setup,” says Justin Thomas’ father and teacher, Mike. He notes that Justin looks athletic, his legs flexed and arms extended.

Halfway back, his lower body has hardly moved, but his hands and the clubhead are well away from his body.

As Justin’s left arm reaches parallel to the ground and his shoulder turns under his chin, his legs are exactly where they were at address. “This is the sign of a stable lower body and the creation of torque,” Mike Thomas says. “Also notice his head tilts to the right—that’s just part of the personality of his swing.”

Although Justin’s hips don’t turn much, his shoulders rotate a full 90 degrees.

“That resistance of the upper body against the lower is a huge power generator,” his father says. Justin’s left knee at the top has not changed much from address. “The golf swing is from the waist up, and the lower body supports that.”

22 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

▶ DRIVER CARRY DISTANCE

296.9 YDS

Justin Thomas (10th)

▶ PAR 5 BIRDIE OR BETTER

275.0 YDS

308.5 YDS

59.0%

40.9%

59.5%

Tour average

Dustin Johnson (1st)

Justin Thomas (2nd)

Tour average

Rory McIlroy (1st) S O U RC E : S H OT L I N K

DON’T FIX THE FOOT

EFFECTS OF POWER

PHOTO FINISH

PRO-FILE

Starting down, see how Justin’s right heel comes up and out? “It’s another part of the personality of his swing,” his father says. “We worked on keeping it down, and he couldn’t hit the ball at all. So we forgot about that.” Thomas also notes that Justin’s hips have turned much more than his shoulders through impact.

Even Justin’s front foot comes off the ground, similar to other bombers like J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson. “Something’s gotta give when the club’s coming in at 118 miles an hour,” his father says. “He keeps his spine angle and head position. And you can draw a line from the clubhead up the shaft to his left shoulder.”

“His position past impact shows extension and speed,” Mike Thomas says. He notes that the finish is only a result of what happened before: “The ball is gone, so the finish doesn’t influence anything,” he says. “But balance is an indicator of a good swing. As in the setup, Justin looks athletic, like he just hit a great shot.”

justin thomas 22 / 5-10 / 145 pounds Jupiter, Fla. driver Titleist 915D4 7.75 degrees ball Titleist Pro V1x + POLO GOLF shirt, $90, pants, $98 TITLEIST hat, $27, glove, $24 FOOTJOY shoes, $310

photographs by | dom furore

edited by ron kaspriske

THINK YOUNG, PLAY HARD

ecome one of college golf ’s top players, and the inevitable question arises: So, when are you turning pro? Stanford University’s Maverick McNealy has had it asked since his breakout 2014-’15 sophomore season, when he won an NCAAbest six titles, posted a 69.05 stroke average and was national player of the year. Yet, in the case of the 19-year-old from Portola Valley, Calif., the question makes an incorrect assumption. For McNealy, it’s not when will he turn pro, it’s if.

“I’ve still got some thinking to do,” says Maverick, the oldest of Scott and Susan McNealy’s four sons. His indecision stems from being swayed by two passions passed on from dad: golf and entrepreneurship. After Scott played golf at Harvard in the 1970s, he co-founded technology giant Sun Microsystems and recently became CEO of Wayin, a firm that helps companies use social media.

Those business successes have greatly influenced Maverick, and golf has been a possible career choice only for the past year or two. Growing up, Maverick played a lot with his family: On vacations, sometimes he’d squeeze in 72 holes a day with his dad and brothers.

Maverick also competed for his high school team, but he wasn’t considered a top college prospect.

Then he enrolled at Stanford in 2013 to study management science and engineering, and his ball-striking started to emerge. He quickly became a standout player, in part,

B

because he was finally focused on one sport, says Cardinal golf coach Conrad Ray. In high school, McNealy was a good hockey player, spending half the year on the ice.

His rapid improvement as a golfer, which included qualifying for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst (he missed the cut), can be credited to an analytical approach to saving strokes. McNealy keeps a journal detailing every competitive round, and it alerted him to a weakness in putting that he has since corrected, reducing his putts-per-round average by 3.5 strokes from his freshman to sophomore years.

“I thought it would be a fun reference for later, but it became a powerful tool,” he says.

McNealy will get to log significant rounds in that journal when he competes in the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club in August. He’s also a strong bet to play for the U.S. Walker Cup team at Royal Lytham in England this September. But don’t assume that means he’s leaning toward a golf career. He’s keeping his options open, which is why he interned at dad’s company this summer, getting dirty in competitive-market analysis. He also intends to stay at Stanford until he earns a degree.

“I wish every kid had that kind of choice: It’s having either chocolate cake or apple pie à la mode,” Scott says of his son’s decision.

Adds Maverick: “Either way, I know that it’s something I’m going to enjoy.”

24 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

—ryan herrington

Scott McNealy and son Maverick, photographed in June, on their back-yard practice hole.

Maverick: Nike shirt, $95, shoes, $170; scott: Nike shirt, $50

Maverick’s Choice Will a son follow his dad into business or turn pro?

“I’ve been caddieing for him since he was 1 year old. Just not always with a golf bag.”

photograph by | dom furore

The Golf Life

The Core

For those with advanced stages of the disease, the survival rate is on the rise. bypass the biceps The pipes. The pythons. The gun show. The biceps might be mankind’s favorite muscle group.

But do they matter in the golf swing?

We asked renowned strength coach Mike Boyle (@bodybyboyle) about them. —RK Q What role do the biceps have in the golf swing?

A Very little. As elbow flexors, they might assist in slowing the club down after the hit.

Q Wouldn’t stronger biceps boost your swing speed?

A No. Working on them is akin to sharpening the claw on a hammer. Wasted time.

his year an estimated 73,870 cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States, and nearly 10,000 people will die from the disease, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports.

As alarming as those statistics sound—especially to a sundrenched golfer—there is good news in the fight against melanoma.

If detected early—before cancerous cells infiltrate the body’s lymph nodes—the survival rate is now 98 percent.

And for those with advanced stages of the disease, the odds of survival are on the rise, too, thanks to an innovative

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treatment being used at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Checkpoint-inhibitors immunotherapy, which involves administering a cancer-fighting drug to patients intravenously, has roughly doubled the longterm survival rate of people who have late-stage melanoma. The rate, based on follow-up studies of nearly 2,000 patients, is now 21 percent, the center reports.

That rate is expected to improve again now that a second inhibitor drug was approved in 2014, says Dr. Jeffrey Gershenwald, a professor of surgical oncology at MD Anderson.

26 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

One of the mysteries of cancer is that its cells largely go undetected by the body’s natural immune system. But the new drugs have proved effective in getting the immune system to recognize the mutated cells and destroy them.

To help prevent and beat the disease, have your skin checked annually. If you have more than 100 moles on your body, you’re at greater risk. Black and brown moles that are scaly, large or asymmetrical in shape, could be melanoma. —Ron KaspRisKe

Homemade armor for the sun

▶

Golf is expensive enough, so if you don’t want to pay the additional cost of special clothing designed to block the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UPF clothing), here are some tips to get the most out of your wardrobe.

1 Tech fabrics like Lycra, nylon and polyester offer more protection than cotton. 2 If you buy a cotton or cotton-blend shirt, wash it multiple times before wearing so it shrinks. This reduces the space between the fibers, making it harder for the sun’s rays to get through. 3 Shiny materials such as rayon do the best job of reflecting the sun’s rays, and matte materials absorb more UV radiation. 4 Denser materials like corduroy are great for sun protection.

Does your course allow denim? Even better. —RK

illustration by | ken tackett

istockphoto

Beating Melanoma The momentum is shifting in the fight against skin cancer

Q So what are the biceps good for?

A They might do you some good at the 19th hole lifting a beer. Other than that, maybe filling out a tight shirt.

Rules

The Golf Life

Grains of Truth The cans and can’ts of bunker play Remember these handy tips to make your time in the sand easier.

SPOT ILLUSTRATION: JOHN CUNEO

CAN

CAN’T

● Smooth footprints before a shot for the sole reason of tidying (as long as it doesn’t improve the lie, stance, swing, or line of play).

● Rake or smooth sand before hitting a shot if you’re trying to get a feel for its consistency (wet, fluffy, etc.).

● Sweep away enough sand to identify a buried ball, though the original lie must be re-created before hitting. If completely buried, you may leave a small part of the ball visible before hitting.

● Sweep away sand around your ball in a bunker because you can’t see it very well, if at all. You’re not necessarily entitled to see the ball when making a stroke.

● Lean on your club to prevent yourself from falling while trying to get in or out of a bunker (provided that you don’t improve the lie of your shot or test the condition of the sand).

● Touch the sand or loose impediments (stones, leaves, etc.) until the forward motion of the club with the intent to strike the ball begins. This includes leaning on your club while waiting to play.

● Dig in with your feet, even to make a practice swing. You can do this more than once to prepare for the shot.

● Kick the sand in anger before playing a shot or fill footprints from a previous stance.

● Remove man-made objects from the bunker such as candy wrappers, water bottles and rakes, even if you have to touch part of the bunker to do so.

● Remove natural objects from the bunker such as twigs, insects, pine cones, leaves, even a discarded piece of fruit obviously left by another golfer.

● Take free relief

● Take free relief

inside a bunker from a pool of casual water in the hazard (provided it interferes with the lie of your ball, stance or swing).

outside a bunker, even if the hazard is completely covered by casual water. If you drop outside, it’s a one-stroke penalty.

QUIZ

Q

A golfer has to mark his ball in the sand so another shot can be played without interference. When he marks his ball, the lie is slightly improved. Does that golfer have to restore the original lie before playing?

A. No. It’s accepted that the lie of a ball might change as a result of marking.

Regardless of whether the new lie is better or worse than the original, the golfer must accept the result and continue play (decision 20 -1/15.5 ).

I N O R O U T ? T H E R U L E S O N R A K E S We’re making a ruling right now: It’s Toe-MAY-toe, not Toe-MAH-toe. But when it comes to whether rakes should be placed inside bunkers or left near the edges, we’re throwing our hands up. The Rules of Golf says “there is not a perfect answer for the position of rakes,” though there is “less likelihood of an advantage or disadvantage to the player if rakes are placed outside bunkers.” The recommendation is to leave rakes outside of bunkers in a place where they are least likely to affect the movement of the ball.

photograph by | dom furore

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

27

The Golf Life Equipment by Mike Stachura TAYLORMADE AEROBURNER MINI DRIVER ▶ It’s about 50 percent larger than most 3-woods. A slot the width of the sole and a large face area provide distance and forgiveness.

TOUR EDGE EXOTICS CB PRO F2 ▶ A light titanium face wraps around the crown and sole so it can flex more.

The slimmer waves in the ribboned sole plate help this 3-wood glide through the turf.

Small Wonders Deciding between a ‘mini’ driver and a fairway wood

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othing offers more power off the tee than a properly fit, fullsize driver. So where does the new crop of “mini” drivers fit in? The two mini drivers and two fairway woods pictured here have plenty of face pop, but the mini—about half the size of today’s drivers—is larger and has a longer shaft than a typical 3-wood. This increased forgiveness and clubhead speed make the mini a good option off the tee on shorter par 4s. One drawback, though, is that the mini’s larger size makes it harder to hit off the turf. So if versatility is what you’re after, the mini might not be the play. Then again, if you have difficulty hitting your 3-wood off the ground, you should ditch it, too. Instead, add a mini driver and a higher-lofted fairway wood (16 to 17 degrees) to your bag. This gives you two options off the tee and a better chance for success from the fairway.

28 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA MINI 1.5

ADAMS BLUE

▶ Its driver-like qualities include an adjustable hosel and flexible face, but the smaller head (235 cubic centimeters) provides the control of a 3-wood.

▶ The sole slot helps the face flex, but this oversize 3-wood’s key is a thin-diameter shaft that helps launch the ball high. Rear weighting boosts carry distance, too.

photograph by | justin fantl

Shopping Cart

The Golf Life

Under Armour Keeps You on Your Game with New Fall/Winter 2015 Collection or the upcoming Fall/Winter 2015 collection, U.S. high performance sports label Under Armour packs a new punch with an expanded product range tailored to suit every need you might have, and every condition you might face. Be it rain or shine, day or night, in the gym or the great outdoors; whether you’re training for speed and agility, going for distance and endurance, or simply stretching your muscles for recovery – Under Armour has just the right athletic performance gear to help keep you on your game.

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Sun Protection Technology – Coldblack® and Sunblock nder Armour continues to integrate its signature Coldblack® technology into its Golf and running apparel this season. The Coldblack® technology protects the user from harmful UV rays and reflects the heat of the sun, keeping you cooler and more comfortable in brutally hot conditions.

Now endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation, Under Armour’s Sunblock apparel are testified to effectively provide sun protection against UPF30 and UPF50, protecting the skin against UVA and UVB rays that can cause premature skin ageing and skin cancer.

Both product lines see an extension from the previous season, branching from tops into bottoms such as capris. The Coldblack® and Sunblock series remain exclusively for men and women respectively.

U

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

29

Play Your Best

What’s In My Bag

Doing it ‘My Way’ I don’t listen to music while I practice. But when I’m done, I listen to rap. Fetty Wap (right) and Wiz Khalifa are on the playlist now.

age 25 resides Jupiter, Fla. story Won the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Was 2014 European Tour rookie of the year after winning in Turkey. trending upward I’m nowhere close to the pinnacle I want to achieve. It’s one thing to make it on tour and win. But I want to be contending in majors and making the Presidents and Ryder Cup teams. I still have a lot to accomplish. find me on the water When we’re home, anything in the water is fair game.

Fishing, surfing, wakeboarding. I grew up on the water.

—with stephen hennessey CLUB

YDS*

driver

305

3-wood

265

3-hybrid

245

4-iron

225

5-iron

205

6-iron

195

7-iron

180

8-iron

170

9-iron

155

pw

140

gw

128

sw

115

lw

N/A

DRIVER

3-WOOD

specs Titleist 714 CB, 4- through 9-iron; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, Golf Pride Tour Velvet Midsize grips

specs Titleist 915D2, 9.5˚, Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White+ 72 shaft, X-flex, 45 inches, D-2

specs Titleist 915Fd, 15˚, Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White+ 82 shaft, X-flex, 43 inches, D-3

There’s a lot to like about driver technology today. The low spin helps me control the flight into the wind or downwind.

The ball never seems to move off line.

I love hitting a low bullet off the tee with this club on a shorter par 4.

I can hit a ton of shots with it.

I use it mostly off the tee, but it works off the fairway when I need it.

These are crucial clubs for me. I have all the confidence in hitting my driver far.

But it’s about nailing my approach shots, from anywhere I find myself on a hole.

WEDGES specs Titleist Vokey SM5: 48˚, 52˚, 56˚.

SM4: 60˚. True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts I just switched to this wedge setup the week before I won in Turkey. Having a pitching wedge that’s part of my other wedges helps my feel and trajectory.

Head of the states There’s nothing crazy about my ball-marker choice. I have a lot of state quarters. It’s a fun look. I’m partial to any Florida state quarter, too.

Keep it simple I’m not superstitious at all. I keep everything pretty clean. Wedge stampings just say BK. Same goes for my ball mark. Just a red dot on my Titleist Pro V1x.

I’ve never hit a full 60-degree. I’d put too much spin on it. *carry distance

30 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

Anything you can do . . .

My roomie, Peter Uihlein (right), was the top rookie on the European Tour one year before I was. We’re on our way to fulfilling our goals.

HYBRID specs Titleist 915Hd, 20.5˚, Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White+ 92, X-flex Out of rough, off the tee—I’ll use it a lot. The lower spin works with my swing.

PUTTER specs Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2 SLT T10 prototype, 15-gram heel and toe weights I’ve had this putter since college. And I put it back in play right before I won in Phoenix.

It’s my baby.

Tee game strong I have fun with my tees. My initials BK and “Lounge” are on them. It’s an ode to comedian Dane Cook’s skit about Burger King.

equipment: j.d. cuban • koepka: richard heathcote/getty images • fetty wap: cindy ord/getty images • awards: andrew redington/getty images

BROOKS KOEPKA

IRONS

Man About Golf

Golf With a Broken Neck Pure muscle memory helped Thomas Tami shoot a 76 by david owen n Cincinnati a couple of years ago, I played a round at Hyde Park Golf & Country Club, a terrific course designed mostly byDonald Ross.

One of the guys in the group was Thomas Tami, an ear-nose-andthroat doctor, who was 60 at the time. Tami had an unusual swing: Except at address and for a brief moment near the middle,

spot illustration: john cuneo

I

illustration by | john ritter

he never looked at his ball. I asked one of his friends about that, and he said, “Oh, Tom broke his neck.” Tami told me: “When I was in college, I woke up one morning and lifted my head off the pillow to look out the window, and my neck snapped.” It turned out that he had fractured his odontoid process—a little thumb of bone that sticks up from the second cervical vertebra. “Your neck rotates around that little thing, like a dowel, and my spine was partially dislocating every time I moved my head.”

At the hospital, doctors fused his first four cervical vertebrae, in effect bolting his head and neck to his shoulders. They decided his injury was probably the result of a congenital deformity—and as he thought back over his childhood he remembered other incidents.

He’d been a diver on his high school swim team, and on two

occasions at meets he’d needed help getting out of the pool: once after failing to break the water with his hands during a oneand-a-half from a three-meter board, and once after hitting his head on the bottom of a pool that was too shallow for diving. Both times, he was paralyzed briefly.

“When they took me to the hospital from the meet,” Tami told me, “the doctor said, ‘Oh, you probably pinched a nerve.’

Yeah, the big nerve. If you injure your spinal cord that high you stop breathing and all sorts of other stuff, so I’m lucky I never wrestled or played football, because I think it was always just ligaments and muscles that were holding everything together.”

To pay for medical school, Tami joined the Navy after persuading the doctor who gave him his physical that military

The Golf Life

doctors didn’t need functioning necks. He was on active duty for 10 years and was stationed at Camp Pendleton while his wife went to law school. She was busier than he was, so he bought a set of used clubs and told the pro at the golf course on the base that he wanted to learn to play but couldn’t turn his head. “The pro said, ‘No problem—watch this.’ So he closes his eyes and starts hitting balls, and I said, ‘OK, that’s what I want to do.’ ” Learning even to make contact took Tami a long time.

“When I take the club back,” he said, “I completely lose the ball, and I never pick it up on the way down. My swing is purely muscle memory, or proprioception, and when I’m playing well it’s because I have this image in my mind of what my swing should look like.”

His game didn’t really come together until he reached his 40s and could spend more time on the range. His best score for 18 holes is 76 at Hyde Park, and, although he needs a month or two each spring to re-groove his swing, by the time the season ends he has usually pushed his Index from 14 or so down to 8 or 9. “I just love to play golf,” he told me. “I mean, I love to play. If something happened to me and I had to stop, I’d be depressed for a long time.”

There are obvious advantages to seeing an object you’re trying to hit, but there are disadvantages, too. Golfers who aren’t as flexible as Rory McIlroy or Michelle Wie often cramp their swing by trying too hard to keep their head motionless as they turn back and through.

A decade ago, a teacher showed me that I could improve my shots by imitating David Duval and Annika Sorenstam, and allowing my head to follow my torso as I hit the ball. It worked when I tried it, but for some reason I stopped doing it, and I’d forgotten all about it until I talked to Tami. Maybe I’ll try it again. Heck, maybe I’ll close my eyes, too.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

31

The Golf Life Taking Root by Jack Cheong

The healthier the grass the faster it can be made to roll. aintaining a golf course cannot be that difficult as it is still grass isn’t it?

As with any endeavour, the more you push the limits, the harder it gets, as the tolerances for errors are reduced. Driving your car isn’t quite the same as driving around Sepang in an F1 car, while cooking for your family isn’t quite the same as cooking for patrons at a Michelin Star restaurant.

In the same way, maintaining your lawn isn’t the same as a golf course, especially on the greens that are required to roll at 10 feet-plus on the Stimpmeter, while remaining smooth and still covered with grass.

The harder and further you push the limits, the more the little details start to matter and this is where the science of managing turfgrass comes in. It isn’t like the old days anymore where the golf course superintendent can visually inspect the grass and decide if it should be fertilized or if a chemical application is required. Back then, green speeds of 8 feet were considered fast for daily play.

As golfer expectations have risen, so has the need for a more scientific approach towards managing grass.

Rather than relying on subjective observations, today’s superintendents have many more tools at their disposal for objective measurements on various aspects of golf course maintenance.

The following is not meant to be a dissertation on the tools itself but more of how they are applied to manage a golf course. We will start with the tools that measure the quality of the surface itself before moving into the tools used to evaluate the health of the grass.

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Tools of the Trade – Part 1 Anyone who has a home lawn with some semblance of green fingers would probably tell you it isn’t that difficult to manage grass. Some water, fertilizer and nature will take care of the rest. Simple enough?

32 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

STimPmeTeR The Stimpmeter is probably the most well known tool a superintendent uses and it is how the green speed is

derived. It is actually a 3 feet long aluminium bar with a specific groove machined onto the surface that holds onto the golf ball until the bar is raised to a fixed angle before releasing the ball at a consistent speed.

The distance the ball rolls from the Stimpmeter is measured in feet and hence a green speed of 10 feet would mean that the ball rolled 10 feet after being released. The process is repeated in the opposite direction with the difference in both directions required to be less than one foot to ensure the measured area is relatively flat.

The term green speed is erroneously used as the Stimpmeter does not actually provide a green ‘speed’ but rather a ball roll distance with the results reported in feet and not feet per second. However, it’s not just about measuring how fast the greens are. Having fast greens is nice to have, but it is arguably more important for golfer enjoyment to have consistent green speeds.

Research has shown that differences of less than 6 inches are not noticeable to golfers and as such the measured green speeds for all the greens on a golf course should not vary by more than one foot from the

fastest to the slowest greens.

In a major tournament, having consistent green speeds is more important than having faster but inconsistent greens. In fact, the recent British Open only had reported green speeds of 10 feet-plus.

Having accurate green speed records also allows the superintendent to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions and maintenance practices have on green speeds and allow the maintenance practices to be adjusted to meet targeted green speeds.

That said, achieving the ultimate green speeds should not be the primary objective as the health of the greens is what ultimately determines the maximum achievable green speeds. The healthier the grass the faster it can be made to roll.

Turf fIrmneSS meTer There has been more of an emphasis recently on the firmness of the playing surfaces as can be seen at the recent US Open at Chambers Bay where the USGA decided to dry out the playing surfaces to make them hard and firm. The thinking behind this is to encourage a different style of golf with

more of a ground game with surface contours and a bump and run style of golf.

The turf firmness meter was invented to measure surface firmness on all of the playing surfaces from greens, approaches, fairways and even bunkers. Surface firmness can now be objectively measured and maintenance practices adjusted to achieve a targeted surface firmness. As with green speeds, the idea is to achieve a consistent surface firmness throughout the golf course.

This also applies to bunkers where having a firm enough sand surface is important to avoid fried egg lies in bunkers.

The use of turf firmness meters is still not prevalent but it should catch on as the USGA puts more emphasis on not only the speed but also the firmness of the greens and other playing surfaces.

Turf SmooThneSS meTer The turf smoothness meter was invented to try and objectively quantify surface smoothness and trueness with the idea being that the smoother the surface the truer the putting surface. The turf smoothness meter is still being developed and at the moment is prohibitively expensive.

Without a commercially available and affordable turf smoothness meter, it is hard to say if such a device would be of practical value as the maintenance practices which affect speed and firmness would also be beneficial to surface smoothness.

Green Index In the past, turf greenness was one of the hardest aspects of the golf course to measure objectively as colour has been very hard to quantify.

This has now changed with the invention of a tool to objectively measure turf greenness. The turf greenness meter utilizes a smartphone camera and a colour board with a known green and yellow colour printed on a board. The board is laid down onto the turf to be measured and allows the smartphone app to calibrate itself and measure the colour of the grass next to the board.

As greenness is indicative of the chlorophyll content of the grass, it can also be used as a tool to determine turf nutrient availability and also serve as an early indicator for any possible turf stress.

Turf macroScope A simple and inexpensive tool used to magnify the surface of the green with typically 15x to 25x magnification. This tool is used magnify each individual grass leaf blade which allows the quality of the greens mowers to be checked and also to identify any turf diseases which manifest itself on the leaf surfaces. The grass blades should be cleanly cut without any tearing of the top of the leaf blades. Any tearing of the tips would indicate improperly sharpened mowers which could be an avenue for disease to attack the leaf blades. Early signs of disease can also be spotted and preventive action taken to minimize any damage from disease.

Thus far, the tools covered have all been used to measure the playing surface and the grass growing above. While all this is important as it has a direct impact on how the game is played, Part 2 of this article will look into the testing equipment that is used below the surface and how it relates to plant health.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

33

The Golf Life The Designer by Paul Jansen

Paul Jansen (Bsc TRP, Hons) is a Golf Course Architect with the Jansen Golf Design Group. He designed the Laguna Lang Co golf club in Vietnam alongside Sir Nick Faldo

Building a golf course ust to get to the golf course construction stage is a process in itself. In fact when work finally does begin on site it’s normally a sign that the end is near since the planning, permitting and design work can take longer to complete than the actual build itself.

A golf architect friend of mine has a project that is three decades into planning, permitting and countless redesign’s. Just imagine that.

In Malaysia, construction is possible all year round although heavy precipitation can put a halt on work progress for days, weeks and even months.

Realistically you are looking at an 18-month construction period but this

J

number is very dependent on the weather, the nature of the site, the level of construction and engineering required, and the ability of the workforce.

Having an excellent project manager on site is key to ensuring that the work is done to a proper standard and completed in time.

In construction, you start with the end in mind. Grassing the golf course happens at the end - after the land has been cleared and moulded, the irrigation and drainage has been installed and all engineering items completed – but since grass grows best at certain times of the year it’s paramount that the construction program takes this into account at the start or it could be a DISASTER at the end… an expensive disaster.

In many parts of Asia one needs also take into account the volatile weather conditions and particularly the heavy precipitation which generally is worst at certain times of the year. A mammoth amount of rain can have devastating effect if the grass is not already well established and/or there is no sub-surface drainage to move the water away from the play areas.

As an architect there is nothing quite like seeing the arrival of the first batch of heavy machinery on site and starting work, even if it’s just digging a hole. It is a monumental occasion and I have been known to jump up and down in excitement on that day.

As a client, you have the option of contracting out the construction work to a golf

HAVING AN EXCELLENT PROJECT MANAGER ON SITE IS KEY TO ENSURING THAT THE WORK IS DONE TO A PROPER STANDARD AND COMPLETED IN TIME.

34 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

course construction company or as an alternative look to complete the work in-house by employing a project manager and having that person direct the build. My preference would be to do as much of the work in-house as possible – as I had experienced on projects in Thailand and Turkey – since this way the client (and architect) has much more control of the product and the cost. In the case of a rebuild – and as was the case on my recent project in Thailand – We (the Architect, superintendent and most importantly an outstanding project manager) sought to teach the existing staff how to build bunkers, greens, tees, use survey gear, install drainage and etc.

This way the staff were taught a new skill set and the cost of the build was greatly reduced.

The product was great as well a multiple win situation.

Time spent on site during construction and seeing the golf course grow into everything you had imagined, and more, is of great satisfaction. Add to that, the friends you make along the way and the stories you are able to share make for one heck of a great job.

Designing and building golf courses is hard work but that’s trumped by the good times – and there is a lot of that.

Health The Golf Life

thumb in racket sports and golf, is the main culprit.

Treatment De Quervains is easily treated conservatively with rest and ice. Wrist splinting or strapping together with specific rehabilitation exercises once the pain is past its acute phase will help settle the injury and strengthen for future use. If the condition is more chronic, anti-inflammatories may help or Pulsed Ultrasound and Doroclast Shockwave Therapy, which uses the latest technology to accelerate the healing process, will be introduced.

Advice Be sure to get your injury properly assessed and diagnosed by a licensed professional as there are injuries in the hand and wrist area that can mimic De Quervains symptoms. There are simple examinations to De Quervains from the others.

De Quervains is rated as the five most common injuries in golfers after back, tennis/golfers elbow, shoulder pain and carpel tunnel syndrome. So be sure you don't become a statistic and follow these tips to avoid this condition and keep you on the green.

1. Avoid excessive twisting of the wrist

when you swing.

2. Avoid gripping the club too tight.

3. Avoid over-cocking the left wrist (right-

handed) at the top of the backswing.

4. Avoid releasing the hands prematurely

at the top of the backswing.

There are also some conTribuTing facTors To The developmenT of de Quervains you should be aware of:

De Quervains in Golfers Bruce Douglas, Doctor of Chiropractic (RSA), TAGS Ampang

What is De Quervains?

De Quervains is an inflammation of the tendons at the base of the thumb.

These tendons are encased in a sheath and a slippery fluid that allows them to slide easily when in use. Repetitive overuse of these specific tendons can cause a decrease in this fluid which in

photo by | corbis

turn causes excessive friction of these tendons inside the sheath, resulting in pain, swelling and tenderness. Most of the pain usually presents at the left wrist (right-handed and vice-versa if lefthanded) during the top of the backswing.

Causes De Quervains is commonly caused by repetitive or prolonged activities involving stretching of the tendons of the base of the thumb. Forceful or repetitive gripping of the hand and

▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Excessive training or activity Muscle weakness/tightness Joint stiffness poor posture or ergonomic setup Poor or inadequate warm up Injury or pre-existing condition of the neck, upper back or nerves

Lastly, a healthy diet is always recommended to allow the body to absorb to essential nutrients that are vital to stay healthy or help repair an injury. ▶ Essential oils and fats for lubrication of joints and tendons ▶ Protein for muscles ▶ Calcium for bones ▶ Vitamin Bs for nerves

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

35

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36 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

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september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

37

AUTOMATIC!

5 TOP TEACHERS ON HOW TO KNOCK IT STIFF FROM 100 YARDS When your ball is 100 yards from the green, you expect to put it on—we all do. But executing from this distance isn’t as easy as it might seem. We skull it, chunk it, pull it, airmail it and sometimes turn birdie opportunities into desperate attempts to save bogey.

Why do we botch this “easy” shot?

We asked five Golf Digest Teaching Professionals to explain what happens and offer some advice on what you can do to make the 100-yard shot automatic. Here’s what they told us.

—RON KA SPRISKE

SHORTEN IT UP Many golfers don’t have a club that carries the ball only 100 yards with a full swing, so they need to practice hitting three-quarter shots.

Experiment with each of your short irons, gripping down about an inch and making an abbreviated swing back and through.

Pay close attention to how far the ball goes when you hit it flush. You might find that a threequarter swing with a 9-iron or pitching wedge flies 100 yards almost every

38 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

time. Plus, it’ll be easier to control than a full swing.

That’s your new go-to shot.

—RO B A KI NS

HANDS AHEAD Amateurs tend to hit these short approaches fat or thin because the club bottoms out before it reaches the ball. When you swing through impact, your hands should pass the ball before the clubhead strikes it. You won’t see that, but it’s a key concept to remember. It’ll help get the bottom of the swing in front of the ball, where it belongs. A good swing thought: Keep the back of the right wrist bent for as long as you can after impact.

—TO M NESS

SWING EASY Swing speed often plays a big role when things go wrong. It’s only a 100-yard shot, but many players go after the ball like they’re trying to get home on a par 5.

When you swing too fast with a wedge, it’s hard to keep the ball from rolling up the clubface, spinning skyward, and landing well short of the green.

Instead, make a nice, smooth swing that’s equal in length back and through. Don’t try to wrap the club around you. Keep the finish short.

—DE A N REI NMU TH

QUIET WRISTS First, have a good plan. Do you need to flight it high or low, or land it on a specific portion of the green? Think your shot through.

Then stand tall at address and make an unrushed swing.

Resist the urge to flick at the ball with your hands.

Instead, keep the club moving. I like the way Steve Stricker hits these shots. There’s almost no wrist action. His body rotation propels the club through.

—DAVE STO CK TON

DRIVE IT IN LOW For better distance control, good players drive the ball into the green with a lot of spin.

To hit this shot, choose the same club you normally would (and make sure the grooves are clean). Play the ball slightly back of center in your stance, and make a wider, shallower swing back and through. Feel like the clubhead is moving along the ground longer than normal. This will make the ball take off on a lower trajectory and with more backspin so it checks up after a couple of hops.

— J OSH Z AN DER

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LPGA Tour player Ryann O’Toole (right) demos a 100-yard shot.

FOOTJOY glove, $24 KENTWOOL socks, $20

photograph by | dom furore

THE FIVE MOST

BY BRANDT SNEDEK ER A ND B U TC H HAR M O N We’ve all seen players who have an amazing knack

for hitting a certain kind of shot. For us, it might be Dustin Johnson ripping a drive 320 looking like he’s in second gear. Or Freddie Couples hitting one of his full-swing bunker shots that floats out and stops dead. You sit there thinking, Man, that’s sweet. I need to get that shot. For you, it might be one of your regular golf pals who hits that cool (fill in the blank) shot whenever he needs it. What’s great about golf is, a lot of these shots are within your reach. With a little know-how and some practice, they can be your shots, too. Here are five we’re pretty sure you’d love to stick in your bag. —W I TH PE TER MO RRI CE

1

T HE DRIVER DRAW

BRANDT & BUTCH SHIFT FORWARD, SWING OUT RIGHT ▶▶▶ Hitting a big, high draw off the tee is the ultimate playah shot that says you know what you’re doing.

The physics of it are pretty simple: Swing out to the right of your target with the clubface rotating closed through impact. To set that up, drop your back foot away from the target a few inches and pull it to the inside, closing your stance.

That’ll set your path to the right.

For the swing, imagine you’re hitting a topspin forehand in tennis, where you swing low to high with your arms rotating the club over—that closes the clubface. The ball’s on a tee, so you don’t have to worry about getting it in the air. Make a full windup (right), then start down with your front knee shifting toward the target. If you let your lower body lead the downswing, the club will drop to the inside.

Then you can extend your arms out to the ball and smash it.

40 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

WANTED SHOTS

photographs by | j.d. cuban

2

T HE CRISP IRO N S TRI K E

BRANDT SHUT THE DOOR AT IMPACT

▶▶▶ Catching a driver solid off a tee is one thing, but when the ball is on the turf, it’s a different story. You have to trust that hitting down is what creates those pure strikes.

Let’s back up a bit, and look at the setup. Your eyes can do incredible things to help you make solid contact. If you’re hitting it fat, focusing on the front of the ball can shift everything toward the target—including the low point of the swing. Likewise, looking at the back of the ball can keep you from sliding forward and hitting it thin.

When it comes to my irons, Butch and I have been drilling hard on getting my right knee, hip and shoulder in line with the ball at impact (right). If you have any hang-back, you’ll struggle with contact. At impact, I feel like I’m shutting a door with my entire right side.

BUTCH PRACTICE FROM ABOVE THE BALL ▶▶▶ This concept of hitting down to make the ball go up is a tough one for a lot of golfers. But it’s the absolute key to good iron play. Here’s a drill I use with my students all the time: Hit some iron shots with the clubhead starting a few inches off the ground (right). If you set up with the club hovering like this, you’ll instinctively know you have to go down and through the shot, or else you’ll miss it completely.

That’s pretty strong medicine and will have you squeezing your irons off the turf in no time.

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T HE TIG HT-LIE PI TCH

BRANDT KEEP TURNING THROUGH IT

▶ ▶ ▶

3

Here’s the problem when you have a firm lie for a little pitch shot: Your instincts stink. You feel like you need to get the leading edge of the club down and under the ball. But the big mistake on these shots is using the leading edge too much, digging, and chunking the shot.

I tell amateurs I play with to focus on the back of the clubhead, not the front edge. Take some practice swings where you feel the back edge of the club’s sole sliding through the shot. To promote this action, open the

clubface at address and grip down a little. With the back edge touching down first, you improve your chances of scooting the face under the ball.

You also want to keep everything moving together.

People tend to let their hands take over on these shots, but to make a consistent strike, you have to turn your body through. A good key for me is making sure I finish with the club in front of my chest (below). Then I know I kept everything together.

▶ ▶ ▶

BUTCH LEARN TO USE THE BOUNCE

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I couldn’t agree with Brandt more on this one. It’s all about learning to make the clubhead skid on its back edge—what’s called the club’s bounce. Think of it as bruising the ground through impact, not digging or taking any kind of divot. It’s more of a sweep.

Here’s a good visual: Return the loft. Set up with the ball slightly forward and your hands just ahead of it. Then focus on swinging back and returning the clubface loft you set at address (above).

A fun way to practice is to stick a tee halfway in the ground on a low angle, almost lying down. Address the head of the tee, and try to swing so you flip it out of the turf.

If you hit down, you’ll hammer the tee into the ground. If you use the bounce, you’ll slide the club under it and flip it up. Get good at that, and you’ll be a hell of a pitcher.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

43

4

T HE SOFT SPL A S H

BRANDT ACCELERATE UNDER THE BALL

▶▶▶ To hit a greenside bunker shot, the big thing is to get your swing speed in the right place. Amateurs tend to swing back fast, probably because they hate these shots, then decel coming down and bury the club in the sand. I try to make a longer, slower swing that builds speed through the sand (right). I think of Fred Couples: His bunker swing has no speed going back and tons of it under the ball.

The other thing you need is clubface loft to push the ball up and out. Open the face at address, and play the ball up by your front foot. From there, make that long, relaxed swing that’s speedy at the bottom. I tell guys in pro-ams who can’t play a bunker shot to hit it fat with a really big swing. It works.

BUTCH PRACTICE WITH ONE HAND ▶▶▶ A lot of what I teach in the bunkers comes from my dad, who developed a great system for sand play. It’s based on the bottom hand—the right hand for righties—“throwing” the club into the sand behind the ball. This throwing motion maximizes loft and exposes the club’s bounce for a skimming action.

Hit some sand shots righthand only. Feel like you’re really unloading the club with that hand so the shaft leans away from the target at impact (right). Let your arm straighten and wrist unhinge.

After a while, add your left hand but keep that right-hand release.

44 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

BRANDT ALWAYS MAKE IT IN YOUR MIND

I tell myself things like, You’ve done this 10,000 times or That read looks perfect or Keep the face looking down the line. Simple, positive thoughts that put me in a great frame of mind (below).

I want to downplay the importance of the putt, take the door-die out of it, and keep it to the simple act of starting the ball on a good line. Nobody makes them all, but I make more than I would grinding or trying to be perfect.

Less is more on pressure putts.

BUTCH LEARN TO COMMIT AND HIT ▶ ▶ ▶

T HE PRESSURE PU TT

▶ ▶ ▶

5

Everybody talks about how fast I putt. It’s true, once I have the read down and know what I want to do— boom—I’m into my stroke. And I’d bet a quicker routine on pressure putts would help you, too. More time just means thinking up more ways to psych yourself out.

I feel like I have an advantage on the greens, even over the best players in the world, because I think I’m going to make putts.

You can choose to think positive or negative, so keep it upbeat.

There’s no good way on the practice green to simulate pressure putts. The trick to handling them is being prepared for the pressure.

Your best defense is having a preputt routine and an awareness of how stress affects you.

Brandt might be the fastest putter in the game today, and there’s a lesson there. But he takes enough time to do three things I see in great putters: (1) He picks a line from behind the ball (above); (2) he tracks his eyes down the line as he makes practice strokes; and (3) he puts a firm rap on the ball—no long, wimpy strokes. I see him putt and think, Commit and hit.

The last thought I’ll share is that stress finds its way into the hands, so check your grip pressure. If you can keep cool, you’ll own the most important shot there is: the one that puts the ball in the hole. september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

45

Old is GOld Thai sTar Thongchai Jaidee, The only player To win Three asian Tour order of MeriT crowns, is poised To Make The inTernaTional TeaM for The presidenTs cup againsT The uniTed sTaTes in korea in ocTober. in This Q&a, he Talks abouT The prospecT of Making his debuT in The TeaM evenT and how The asian Tour has pushed hiM in his highly decoraTed career.

46 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

What are your thoughts the prospect of making the international team for the first time for the presidents cup? i’m thrilled and excited with the opportunity. i’ve played in almost every major golf event and the presidents cup is one of the last in my to-do list to tick off.

With the presidents cup being held in asia for the first time, hoW do you think this event Will impact the development of the game in this region? of course this will help boost the exposure of the game and create more attention. We need to have more of these events in our region. it has been getting better every year. We now have pga tour, european tour

co-sanctioned events with the asian tour in asia plus the Wgc-hsbc champions as well. have you been pleased With hoW you’ve performed this year Where you’ve got tWo runner-up finishes including at the bmW pga championship in england? yes i am definitely happy.

Winning an event would be better but i’m happy with my performance so far. at the 45 years old, you’re the oldest player in the current top-10 of the international team rankings. hoW do you think you can contribute to the team in korea? apart from my playing abilities, i can be a mentor to the younger

Outside Of game, it has tO be behaviOr and discipline. it’s a big part alOng the line with skill.

48 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

players. my experience can help in planning our strategies. your first asian tour victory Was achieved in 2000 in korea and you’ve got tWo Wins in the country noW. What do you recall from that first victory and hoW special Was it? my first win was like a jumpstart in my career especially on the asian tour. it gave me so much confidence that i can do well in the region. (thongchai is the only player to win three asian tour order of merit titles) you’ve set up an academy and the thongchai jaidee foundation in your hometoWn of lopburi to help underprivileged

golfers. tell us more about this project and Why you started it? i started the tj foundation purely from my passion. i grew up through poverty and i know how it is like. What i’d like to do is to provide an opportunity for kids in the form of schooling, lessons and accommodation. after the completion of the program, they can go on to have career in golf or outside of golf. you Were runner-up in the volvo match play in bulgaria several years ago and captained asia to a 10-10 draW With europe at the inaugural eurasia cup in malaysia last year. hoW much do you enjoy match play golf and Why?

matchplay is the format i like the most! strokeplay is basically you playing with the golf course but match play turns the game into a head-to-head with another player. i like the mentality aspect of match play. as the only player to Win three asian tour order of merit croWns, hoW has the region’s premier tour helped in your career? it’s given me so much of valuable experience. you know the feeling when you get into the position where you’re confident you have done something great and you feel ready for the bigger stage. you’ve also Won 13 times on the asian tour and have also Won tWice on

european soil in Wales and sWeden, on the european tour. What have been the key reasons to your success? outside of game, it has to be behavior and discipline. it’s a big part along the line with skill. the united states team has dominated the presidents cup over the years. What Will be the one thing that you be telling your teammates in korea? anything can happen in match play. it’ll be many players’ first time in the presidents cup so all of us will give nothing less than 100%. that’s the mentality i will encourage the team. at 45, you’re also the oldest player in the

World’s top-50. What keeps you going in this game and hoW do you maintain your good form at this age in a game Which is getting younger? i stay fit and eat healthily. i always find myself outside of golf to relax too and that gives me comfort and less pressure.

With matsuyama, lahiri and yourself in the running to make the international team, that’s four asians out of the top-10 of the rankings.

What does this tell you about the asian golfers? there’s a positive trend in this and it’ll be upward from now onwards. With these great young golfers coming up, it’ll be really an exciting time for the region.

about thongchai jaidee country thailand date of birth november 8, 1969 residence Lop buri, thailand family Married, 2 children turn pro 1999 asian tour victories (13) 2000 Kolon cup Korean open; 2001 indian open; 2002 Myanmar open; 2003 Volvo Masters of asia, thailand, 2004 Myanmar open, 2004 Malaysian open, 2005 Malaysian open, 2006 Volvo Masters of asia, thailand, 2008 hana bank Vietnam Masters, 2008 johnnie Walker cambodian open, 2009 enjoy jakarta indonesia open, 2009 ballantine’s championship, Korea, 2010 johnnie Walker cambodian open. other wins (2) 2012 iSPS handa Wales open, 2014 nordea Masters, Sweden. amateur wins 1998 Putra cup (team and individual), 1998 Singapore amateur championship, 1998 thailand amateur championship, 1997 Putra cup individual title, 1995 Southeast asian games (team), 1995 Pakistan amateur championship.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

49

NO GROWING UP PAINS

BY ROGER RODRIGO

THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR SURPASSES ALL EXPECTATIONS, PLANS TO HAVE 24 STOPS IN 2016 photographs by | ysting photography

Some ideas can be hatched in a flash but takes a while for lift-off.

The Asian Development Tour seems to defy such convention.

In late 2009, a casual discussion between Asian Tour chief Kyi Hla Han and fellow tour official Irfan Hamid moved from hatchery to life in the space of three months.

By February 2010, the ADT, as it’s known in brevity took off with five events, accelerating to eight the following year, 12 in 2012 and 20 from 2013 onwards.

With world ranking points coming three years ago, the ADT is seeing phenomenal growth, said to be among the fastest in the world.

In the interim Malaysia has become the focal point, with 12 ADT ranking events in the domestic PGM tour.

With a likely 21-22 events this year and a possible 24 next year, the ADT seems poised to reach the magical mark of 30 events in the next two or three years.

In an interview with Golf Digest Malaysia the Asian Tour’s associate director for business development, Irfan Hamid, speaks candidly about their relationships with key partners and plans for the future.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

51

For some the Asian Development Tour might seem like a misnomer of sorts because 12 of the 21 tournaments are based in Malaysia, comments please?

We are obviously grateful to the Malaysian Government through PGM Tour chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji’s efforts ,not only for promoting golf in the country but essentially creating playing opportunities for the guys developing (their games).

We know there are 12 events in Malaysia which we feel are very encouraging for Malaysian players as seen by how many guys are climbing up in world ranking points, how their games are improving and so on.

We see Nicholas Fung two years ago and Arie Irawan last year as examples of this. When we talk about younger players like the two I mentioned some may say they are just earning points in Malaysia, but that’s not the case as they are travelling all over the world earning world ranking points.

Tun Sarji understands the benefits as a great platform with its world ranking points, and hence as part of the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour. This is why we have as many as 12 events in Malaysia.

We (the ADT) are happy to work with other mature countries like Thailand, South Korea and even Singapore to have more events.

We noticed that the average prize money in PGM-ADT events is around US$55,000 while it is higher in tournaments outside Malaysia. Why is that?

Malaysia has always been a sporting haven as there’s no tax, it is cheap to travel with hotels, food, flights in and out is cheap. When we aggregate our 12 events, it has way more to offer than other countries like Taiwan, India, the Philippines and others where tax is higher, in some cases up to 25%.

We encourage sponsors to give more and in turn encourage players to take part so that it is affordable all around.

What do the foreign players think of the ADT in Malaysia?

To be honest, the response has very encouraging. When we hold two events in a row, they can budget their travel having by taking one flight in and one flight out. Even when there’s a one-week gap, it is cheaper for them to stay on.

The players are happy and the weather is (mostly) good; it is very positive.

Outside of the PGMADT events there are only tournaments in the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei, are there are prospects in other countries?

In the past we had events in Myanmar, Bangladesh, India and Thailand. We are having negotiations in emerging markets like Laos and Cambodia. So far the spread is good with Malaysia at the helm, having events

in the Philippines, India, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia.

We believe that within 12-24 months we should have events in Cambodia and Laos. All these events are at the development stage and once they mature, they can consider an upgrade to Asian Tour status.

Are there any discussions to include China?

We had discussions in the past to return back to the Asian Tour level. From an exposure standpoint, China already have a development structure in place. I believe their Government and conglomerates are more interested in global exposure.

We will continue to discuss with them. Who knows?

Looking at the Malaysians (at press time) there are two Malaysians in the top five.

We (the ADt) Are hAppy to Work With other mAture countries like thAilAnD, south koreA AnD even singApore to hAve more events.

However, there are only nine Malaysians in the top 100 ranking which points either to under-performance or a lack of participation. What are your views on that?

Players who are religiously active can be seen to place higher. On an aggregate basis we can notice that many of the lower ranked ones only play at home. The ones that are performing well are those that play everywhere whether abroad or at home. As we go down the list we also note that the ages are higher, thus the younger guys are going around. The older guys if they want to move up higher should work harder and play more events.

What is the return of investment for a sponsor?

We have a centralised media department that provides plenty of exposure, producing stories targeted at up and coming players. Most of the sponsors consist of philanthropists and corporations who understand the value of world ranking points. The tour attracts a lot of mainstream media attention worldwide. The media attention generated is only slightly less than the Asian Tour which have higher profile players. It’s a very sustainable platform and sponsors enjoy seeing young talents who are lowly ranked climb up the world rankings quickly. They like the zest that they see in the ADT. What about having an umbrella sponsor?

If it’s something like the Web. com tour in America, we’re happy to give the naming rights. Say with a name like the XYZ tour we can invest the resources back into the tour like profiling our players more. Right now we only have highlight shows for only two events. I would like 10-15 highlight shows, more media buys, more branding for partners and sponsors perhaps, even a global campaign. I would love to see the ADT having an umbrella sponsor.

On the long-term is it safe to have so many eggs in

one basket meaning the Malaysia-centric ADT? Is there a back-up plan should the PGM Tour decline and there be less ADT events?

As you may know the ADT has been the fastest growing tour in the last two years. We had expected to hit 20 events in eight to 10 years but reached that milestone in five years.

Our relationship with Tun Sarji is a telling factor as he came through with all the promises.

In the first year he wanted to test the waters and see how the players feel about the tour. He began to understand the crucial components of the tour - how our players could benefit, earn world rankings and to realise the dream of having a Malaysian in the Olympics. In a way he became a sort of yardstick, as other countries increased their events, looking at Malaysia as a model. The spin-off was positive, many countries are planning to increase events. Indonesia started with one and now have three, all the sponsors look at the PGM, look at the Malaysians climbing the rankings. Taiwan is looking at six events in the next two years.

What about in an extreme situation where the PGM

tour lost events and the ADT got affected?

I do not look at it that way but that’s because I have always been overly optimistic. Tun Sarji understands the 12 events (will stand) as long as they are sustainable, I am sure they will.

My marketing efforts are geared towards looking for events in emerging markets and are aiming to grow events outside Malaysia to 15. God forbid if anything bad happens, the key positive working with Tun Sarji we believe is that all his

30 events is reachable as india and thailand have the potential to add three each, making it another six tournaments.

decisions and vision is backed by the Government, thus there is no fear on our side.

The top five ranked players earn entry into the Asian tour. To increase the number of cards what factors would this depend on?

When we reach 30 events it may be the time to change. This of course needs the approval of the player’s committee. We foresee that sooner than later.

30 events is reachable as India and Thailand have the potential to add three each, making it another six tournaments. We anticipate that 2017 or 2018 as a realistic timeframe to have 30 events.

Coming from a family with long-term involvement in the golf industry how do you perceive the tour and where do you see it going?

We have come a long way from 2010 with a core team that is so solid, we did not have to reinvent the wheel. The people behind the tour who have had long years from tour chief, Kyi Hla Han and the other team members have provided great commitment. This combined with the sincere support from our partners in various

countries has made it easy for us to improve the tour. We have an easy recipe to reach 30 events because of the seamless relationship between us and the sponsors.

Another driving point was having world ranking points three years ago. Obviously this made players work harder and sponsors wanting to join the platform and enable one of their players to potentially become the next gold medallist in the Olympics. This has also created a lot of interest in the marketplace. And of course the ADT provides the path to the Asian Tour. It offers tour professionals the chance to make the top five from a tour that offers US$1.6 million to play in a tour that offers US$30-40 million. In the past when we didn’t have a Challenge tour we used to get 500 players in tour school, of which 40 will get their cards and the other 460 whom we will never see again. Who knows what they could have done on a week-to-week basis?

The ADT is blessed with all these components that have made it easier to become successful. I see it as an easy target of making the ADT a 30stop tour.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

53

The Golf Life Course Watch

Magic at the Hills

S

ince its opening

clubhouse was designed

on July 2008, the

by Argentinian architect

award-winning

Ernesto Bedmar.

Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club in Nusajaya has gained

status, the management

a reputation as Johor’s top

and its 62-strong workforce

golf course.

focuses on a proven

Designed by Australian

maintenance programme

architect Ross Watson, the

of both the clubhouse and

18-hole course was built on

the course.

a budget of US$10 million

“We are currently upgrading

by Gamuda Land and UEM

the sub-soil drainage and

Sunrise Berhad.

conducting tee box leveling on

Its beautiful RM50 million

54 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

In order to maintain its

the blue tees on holes 5, 7, 13

Its beautiful RM50 million clubhouse was designed

by Argentinian architect Ernesto Bedmar.

Ong Seng Kiat

With 10 greens keepers, Horizon Hills spends RM1.65 million per annum on maintenance alone. This

and 18,� said recently promoted

investment allows the greens

club manager Ong Seng Kiat,

to roll impressively at an

who has been attached with

average of 10.5 feet daily on the

Horizon Hills since 2007 as the

Stimpmetre, while they can

superintendent.

achieve 12 feet for tournaments.

The course has 99

Legends who have

bunkers in total and uses

played here include Colin

approximately 6oo metric

Montgomerie, K.J. Choi and

tonnes of sand per year to

Major champion Padraig

top up these bunkers.

Harrington.

FAST FACTS

Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club Land Size 1,200 acres Yardage 6,271 Website: www.hhgcc.com.my

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

55

BEING BUBBA Why we LOVE him, and why we DON’T

By Jaime Diaz 56 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

photographs by | john loomis

G A: “You’re welcome.”

“My golf game is all about imagination turned into something real.�

bringing down a drone was Bubba Watson’s idea. ▶ On the vast grounds of The Greenbrier, where he has a home with his family, there were several possibilities our video team suggested to capture Bubba at his leisure, including riding a horse, skeet shooting, bowling, shooting a basketball (his wife, Angie, is a former player in the WNBA) or even throwing a football at the New Orleans Saints’ on-site practice facility. But Watson was excited by another option: whistling full shots at a distant (and unarmed) drone, with intent to destroy. ▶ “Dude, what would people rather see, me shooting baskets or obliterating a flying saucer out of the sky?” he asked, knowing his long list of YouTube hits (remember the hovercraft?) gave him tacit authority. “C’mon.”

The idea blended golf virtuosity with a Lettermanesque wackiness, including a subtle nod to the military and

the memory of his Green Beret father. Plus, Bubba would have something good to put up for his 1.4 million Twitter followers. All an example of Watson’s 36-yearyoung multitasking synapses.

Armed with his new toy, a 21-degree 7-wood he began using this year, Watson takes to the Old White’s 17th fairway and begins shooting tracers at the buzzing device about 50 yards and varying heights away (see video.golfdigest.com).

As he continues to narrowly miss, he unconsciously puts on a clinic in Bubba Golf, hitting various trajectories and even slices and hooks, all the balls ending in a tight circle just short of the green. Even at rapid-fire frequency, there are no fats, no thins, no sprays.

Hitting a golf ball absolutely square with incredible force is easy for Bubba Watson, and in this bucolic West Virginia valley where the supernal Sam Snead played so much golf, the self-taught lefty seems a natural successor.

With the drone still airborne after a couple dozen shots,

Watson gets more immersed in the challenge, showing none of the exasperation he might during a tournament.

He’s in a sweet spot, checking all his comfort-zone boxes: a scheduled event he could prepare for; home ground that reminds him of his mother’s family farm near Tupelo, Miss.; two members of his management team and Greenbrier pros making up a familiar group; and a novel, stimulating activity.

Finally, Watson wings one of the propellers, which rather than blowing up the drone, sends it crazily upward and then into a long dive onto the lush fairway, bouncing instead of breaking.

“Man, that was bad,” Watson jokes to Burt Baine, The Greenbrier’s golf club general manager. “You guys still want me as an endorser?”

Then aware that onlookers are awaiting his next move, he plays the part by announcing the Bubba Double Wink, closing both eyes and quickly opening them in unison, then deadpanning his practiced exit line, “You’re welcome.”

Alas, Watson is not always this loose. In competition, he’s often high-strung and irritable.

Slow play drives him crazy, as do wet conditions, bad bounces and miscalculated distances.

Foreign venues, too, which is why at No. 3 in the world, Watson was not even among the top-10 favorites going into the Open Championship at St. Andrews, where his length and shotmaking should be ideal.

His 2011 description of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris—“an arch; whatever; I rode around in a circle”—could have come from a Jeff Foxworthy riff on rednecks.

Insiders are amused by other Bubbaisms that possess the kind of exasperation-skewed logic that has made former NFL coach Dennis Green’s “They are who we thought they were!” stick in the mind. With Bubba it’s “There’s no reason for me to show up” (Hartford, 2011); “Water on the clubface, bro” (PGA Championship, 2014); and the original, referring to

:

tour players: “Veterans can kiss my ass” (New Orleans, 2008).

All are on call to leaven temper tantrums with humor.

A standard Watson line is a variation of “I have issues.”

Though never diagnosed, he is sure he suffers from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). An expert in the condition, and a huge Watson fan, Dr. Edward Hallowell, longs for Bubba to let him help, likening Watson’s high creativity and low emotional control to a “Ferrari brain with bicycle brakes.”

True, Watson has twice kept it together at the Masters, but his careening at major courses where his all-around skills would seem to give him an advantage vexes those who admire his talent. Most notably at Pinehurst last year, he talked himself out of the U.S. Open, calling the area outside of the fairways “weeds.” At Chambers Bay, Watson rationalized his missed cut by exaggerating the challenge: “Two guys can hit from the fairway, and the ball marks can be a foot apart. One guy is 60 yards off the green, and one guy is 20 feet from the hole.”

And sometimes his behavior seems irrational, as when he refused to take part in a casual long-drive contest before the PGA last year in part because he hadn’t been informed, hitting a 3-iron before stomping off.

“I don’t like change,” Watson offered in partial explanation.

“I’m terrible on change.”

And, apparently, on lockerroom protocol. In a recent ESPN poll of 103 tour players, Watson received the most votes (23, to second-place Patrick Reed’s 11) to a question that asked “-----is in a fight in the parking lot.

You’re not helping him.”

Davis Love III, assistant captain of the 2015 U.S. Presidents Cup team and captain of the 2016 Ryder Cup team, will have Watson in his locker room. “There are some norms out here that Bubba doesn’t do that well,” Love says. “He doesn’t always say ‘Hi.’ And he doesn’t remember names. To some guys, that stuff matters a lot.”

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

59

Says Ben Crane, a Watson confidant and fellow member of the tour’s Bible-study group: “Bubba’s not intentionally out to blow people off, but very often he’s not thinking of other people; he’s thinking of himself. Like we all get in golf.”

Watson grew up in the Florida Panhandle an unabashed individualist. His late father, Gerry, who died of throat cancer in 2010, told his son he could be a follower

caddie, Ted Scott. Although some Watson rants picked up by microphones have caused the Twitter hashtag #prayfortedscott to go viral, the two are extremely close friends.

“When we started together in 2006, Bubba had already rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Scott says. “I had friends who called me and said, ‘Man, that guy you’re going to work for is a jerk.’ And my impression the first week was, I don’t know about this guy.

“What I quickly found out was that Bubba was very

“One of the first things Bubba told me was, ‘My dad told me to trust no one. So I don’t.’ ” — ted scott

or a leader—and not to be a follower. As a youth, Bubba was a pitcher/first baseman who idolized the Yankees’ Don Mattingly but resented relying on others. “Team sports for me is tough,” he says. “It hurt me when I played best and lost because of teammates behind me.”

The person best positioned to observe and comment on Watson the player and the person is his longtime

uncomfortable in social situations,” Scott says. “It’s difficult for him to make eye contact with people he doesn’t know. He told me he has a fear of crowds. And when we’re fearful, we do things we shouldn’t do. All the ignoring of people, the abrasiveness, the overreacting, the aggressive joking, were all defense mechanisms from being afraid of letting people know who you are.”

Scott’s understanding of his player deepened after he got to know Gerry Watson. The elder Watson served in Vietnam and

60 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

in other locations, but, as his son told David Feherty in 2012, “He was real quiet about it. A bunch of medals in a box— wouldn’t let me see them. Said he lost a lot of good friends.

A lot of things happened over there. He was just living with the dreams and the fears at all times.”

“Bubba’s dad was tough,” Scott says. “The first two times I was around his dad, it was for two hours, but I wasn’t introduced to him, we didn’t shake hands, didn’t exchange names. The second time I saw him, I went to shake his hand, and he said, ‘I don’t shake hands.’ I thought he was the coldest person I’d ever met in my entire life. Not even a contest.

“The next time, I figure, I’ll just ignore him. But I guess he had assessed me and thought I was all right, and he started talking to me, and from that day on he was one of the best people I ever met in my life. When he died, he had four phone numbers in his phone, and mine was one of them.”

Adds Scott: “Children learn from watching. Bubba was close to his father. One of the first things Bubba told me was, ‘My dad told me to trust no one.

So I don’t.’ He saw the world through his dad’s eyes because that was his best friend.”

Scott has encouraged Watson to be more attuned to exchanging salutations with fellow players and acknowledging fans. “I tell him, ‘People want to like you. You’re a freak athlete—they want to be part of your life. Show them who you are.’ Bubba actually loves people. He does all those videos because he loves people. They’re also a refuge because they offer him a controlled environment.

Which is all based on fear. But Bubba is going in the right direction. And to do it in the spotlight—when all you get is praise and ego gratification—is even more impressive.”

The attention on Watson

:

has gradually grown since his first PGA Tour victory, at Hartford in 2010. He has eight victories, including the two green jackets, as well as mega endorsements and social-media stardom. All are potential ingredients of jealousy, which might have tilted that ESPN poll.

There’s also the way Bubba plays. Says Geoff Ogilvy, an occasional practice partner: “He plays golf completely different from everybody else. And a lot of guys on our tour probably get annoyed when somebody is better than them doing it in a way they don’t agree with.

The great majority of tour pros love the preparation side: the practice, the technique, the gym. It’s the road that got most of them out here. But Bubba hates that aspect of it. He loves to play. He is truly, in the purest sense, a golfer. He never thinks about technique, and I’d guess he plays more rounds of golf than anyone on tour by a long way. During a tournament, instead of hitting balls, he’ll go play nine holes at a local course with Teddy. And sometimes he’ll play with just three clubs, or hit all draws, or all fades.

That’s his practice, hitting golf shots on a golf course.”

Lee Trevino, who recently was named pro emeritus at The Greenbrier, calls Watson the most physically talented player in the game. “The key to playing the tour is hitting shots from the subconscious mind. If you don’t believe you can do it without having to think about how you’re doing it, you might manage to hit a good shot about 50 percent of the time, but never under pressure. Bubba completely trusts his ability to hit the ball—all he’s thinking about is what he wants the ball to do, and with his ability, it gives him a huge arsenal.

If he ever figures out how to hit straight instead of curving everything, look out. Every time he wins a tournament, he learns and just keeps getting better.”

Ogilvy most admires the joy Watson can take in a friendly round: “On tour he gets nervous and can be an emotional roller coaster, which is the area where he can most improve. But I’ve played with

him a couple of times away from the tour, and he truly is like a kid having the best day of his life playing golf. His whole demeanor is like a younger boy.

He just plays golf in a really endearing way.”

Watson’s cadre of close friends—which among the players includes Crane, Rickie Fowler, Aaron Baddeley and Webb Simpson—sees him in much the same way. A group of them stayed to follow Watson in his 2012 playoff at Augusta against Louis Oosthuizen. “You don’t see players do that very often for another player,” Love says.

“It’s easy for me to get along with Bubba,” Fowler says. “He’s got a huge heart, and we both have a lot of kid in us, although he probably has more. Even though I’m 10 years younger [at 26], I’m the big brother.”

“Bubba is often initially misunderstood because at first he holds back,” says Angie Watson. “But once Bubba trusts you—once you’re in— he won’t let you go. He’s an amazing friend.”

In the course of adopting two children (Caleb, 3, and Dakota, 9 months), Watson has become more conscious of his effect on others. “Caleb mimics everything he does,” Angie says. “Even something as small as putting his hands on his hips and kind of looking at the ground annoyed because a bunker shot didn’t quite react the way he wanted it to.

Bubba holds that very high in the back of his mind. Bubba has set the bar high for himself.

He wants to walk away from golf being considered a great guy and a great role model.

That matters more to him than being considered one of the greatest golfers.”

The Watsons, who were baptized together shortly after they were married in 2004, are committed to using the Bible as their instruction manual for the challenges of life. Which hasn’t been easy for Bubba. “The Bible is very jumbled for him, + OAKLEY shirt, $70 pants, $85, belt, $75, shoes, $200 PING visor, $24 RICHARD MILLE watch, $650,000

:

like it is for a lot of people,” Angie says. “He’s had enough after 15 minutes, but he’s no longer afraid to ask those who can study it for hours, ‘Hey, I’m really struggling with how much my world has changed since I won the Masters. What does the Bible say about this— can you shed some light?’

And those people have been instrumental.”

As a result, Watson at times actually invites criticism. After the ESPN poll was released he said, “I’m glad it came out, and it’s going to help me improve.” He even said he voted for himself: “If I’m doing something wrong, I want someone to call me out. I want my wife to. I want my friends to. I want the public to. You’ve got to look at it and go, Maybe I need to listen.”

As a result, Watson, who had been publicly against same-sex marriage and saw no problem with the image of the Confederate flag on the roof of the General Lee (the “Dukes of Hazzard” car he purchased in an auction), says he now accepts the Supreme Court decision and is redoing the car’s roof, tweeting, “All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee #USA.” Watson, often accused of arrogance, is humble in a video on his website with good friend Judah Smith, a pastor at The City Church in Seattle, during a friendly round of golf. At one point, Watson says, “Let’s just take me, because I was always messing up, I always have sinful ways, whatever you want to call it. What would you say to a guy like myself who thinks he’s not good enough, thinks he’s always doing wrong, and that the Bible’s overwhelming?

I mean, where do you start?”

With his foundation, and his charities, Watson is wellestablished in philanthropy.

He has ambitions beyond the scope of most golfers. “I can go through life the way I’ve been going, and everybody will still love me the same, but I would know deep down that I didn’t

do more,” he says in the clipped cadence accompanied by steady eye contact that indicates he’s fully focused. “I feel like as an athlete/celebrity, whatever I call myself, I need to do more.

“I just have dreams,” he says, mentioning plans for a radio station, a burrito shop, deeper involvement in charities in the Pensacola area, even buying the public golf course where he grew up.

“Now that I have the income so I can do some of them, my dreams are actually coming to reality. Why would you not do the things you can do? It’s just using your imagination. Look

going to get better physically, but that’s because he’s always had some kind of strange hand/eye coordination that most people don’t have and is basically freakish. When he does something amazing, I always say, ‘Hey, great shot, jerk,’ because it makes the other players feel inferior. But he can improve a lot in the mental aspect, get better at controlling his emotions and using better strategy and being tough and being able to swing freely under pressure. He’s become a better putter by just getting it to the hole. He left everything short forever. That was fear-based.

“Once Bubba trusts you—once you’re in—he won’t let you go.”

— angie watson

at my golf game. My golf game is all about imagination turned into something real.”

To become great, Watson will have to envision for himself something beyond his current goal of 10 career victories.

“That’s another defense mechanism, maybe, to lower expectations,” Scott says.

“Bubba underestimates himself. He probably isn’t

But Bubba is losing his fear.”

Watson won’t go that far, but allows, “I think I’m getting smarter. That’s why mid-30s is when players have their biggest success, because you’ve made enough dumb bogeys and enough mistakes that you’ve made it a little bit cleaner, a little bit better, not always trying to be the hero. So my career is on the up. Yeah, I’ve rubbed some people the wrong way, probably always will. But I think I’m finally getting better at change.”

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61

“

when i watch amateurs hit chips, pitches and bunker shots or listen to them talk about how they approach these parts of the game, I’m always troubled by how complicated they make it. With that in mind, I got together with my coach, David Whelan, and we came up with a handful of swing thoughts—one for each type of greenside shot—that will hopefully erase all that clutter from your mind and get you back to scoring. The way I see it, if you have confidence hitting these shots, you really don’t need your best driving or iron game to make a lot of pars. So let’s put the simple back into your play around the green.” —W I T H R O N K A S P R I S K E

SHORT GAM SIMPLE SWING THOUGHTS TO 62 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

ME REBOOT

BY PAULA CREAMER

GET YOU SCORING YOUR BEST september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

63

64 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

▶▶▶ I don’t like making a big swing with my wedges. You can’t control what the ball does very well. Sometimes it leaps off the clubface and flies over the green, and other times it balloons and falls way short.

Instead, I like to take a little more club than I need and swing

▶ ▶ ▶

“MAKE AN EASY SWING.”

F U LL WE D G E

at what feels like 75-percent effort (above). I play the ball just back of center in my stance, which lowers the flight. Then I try to stay smooth and let my torso rotation guide the club through the ball. My legs stay quiet. If you were watching me, you’d say I made an easy swing.

That’s a good thought over the ball. photographs by | dom furore

HALF-W ED G E

“GO L TO L.”

◀◀◀ Rather than trying to hit a wedge softer to get the ball to fly a specific less-than-full-swing distance, it’s simpler to have a couple of basic swings on tap and vary the distance by changing clubs.

Think L to L for a half-wedge shot. That means take the club back and hinge your wrists to the point where your left arm is parallel to the ground and the shaft is pointing skyward. The club and arm form the letter L (left).

Then swing through, rehinge your wrists and finish with your right arm parallel to the ground and the club again pointing to the sky. This creates a reverse letter L (below).

Stick with this thought, and keep track of how far the ball goes with each short iron in your bag. Using this basic half swing, you’ll cover another range of distances.

CHIP SHOT

▶▶▶ My coach has a killer short game, and he’s always giving me drills to make my chipping more consistent. One of the keys for crisp contact is to make sure the club bottoms out in the same spot every time, just after it hits the ball.

To make sure that happens, the lower body should stay relatively still. If your legs are too active— your knees straightening or swaying—the swing bottom can shift, and that hurts your chances of hitting a good shot. I always want to feel grounded over my chips.

One drill I use to brace my lower body is to put my left hand on my left thigh (right). Then I hit chips with my right hand only.

This works great for me. On the course, think about keeping your feet planted and legs still when you chip.

“KEEP YOUR LEGS STILL.”

“HIT IT LIKE

▶▶▶ Many greenside sand shots are destined to fail before the club starts back. The problem for a lot of golfers is how they set up. If your weight is evenly distributed or favoring your back foot and the shaft of the club is leaning forward, you’re going to struggle to hit a good bunker shot. The club will likely dig too deep and not have enough power to get the ball out.

The goal is to make contact with the sand behind the ball, then skim the club underneath it. The way you set up will help you do that.

Play a sand shot with your lower body shifted toward the target, but your hands and upper body leaning away from it (right). Think, Weight forward, hands back.

BUMP-AND -RU N

◀◀◀ If your ball is just off the green and there’s no high grass or obstacles between you and the hole, putting is a good choice. However, you might find it difficult to hit the putt hard enough to get it all the way there. In that case, try hitting a bump-and-run shot, which you execute much like you do a putt.

Grab your 7- or 8-iron, address the ball a little back of center in your stance, and think about hitting it like a long putt. It’s a pendulum-like swing. The shoulders control the action, and the hands just go along for the ride (left). You don’t need a lot of effort to get the ball to scoot through the fringe and roll to the hole. Think of it as a small, smooth swing.

Now it’s time to go to work on that short game—and watch your scores start coming down. + ADIDAS shirt, $50 shorts, $70, shoes, $180 TAYLORMADE visor, $25, glove, $17

A PUTT.”

“WEIGHT FORWARD, HANDS BACK.”

BUNKER S HOT

STRANGE

BUT TRUE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF THE WEIRDEST THINGS SEEN ON GOLF COURSES

by stephen hennessey

A

golf course is a tranquil place we can go to escape reality, but sometimes what happens there is stranger than fiction.

Nick Price once drove a golf ball that lodged in a pig’s rear end. We asked Golf Digest’s Twitter and Facebook followers to share their craziest on-course tales.

We got some real surprises, like the unlucky golfer who sought refuge from a storm inside a Porta-John, only to have the wind tip it over.

We’ll spare you those dirty details, but here are some others we found most amusing.

the meadows g.c. littleton, colo.

■ “I’m playing as a single. On the second tee, I hear this loud bang but see nothing.

I continue lining up my shot, then I hear cursing and a voice scream, “For God’s sake, look up!” A hot-air balloon crashes four yards in front of my teed ball. I run to avoid getting tangled in the ropes. The man explains his engine had backfired and that he’d drifted over from the nearby mountains. Meanwhile, there's a gust and the balloon starts tumbling down the fairway. He hops in my cart and I drive him to where he can get it under control.”

Jeremy Thee Lakewood, Colo.

torrey pines g. cse. (south) la jolla, calif.

■ “Three of us are on the first tee when a guy rushes up to join us.

He’s visibly drunk. Flubs or whiffs every shot the first two holes. Then we get to the beautiful par3 third. The man takes a pill bottle and starts dumping a sandylooking substance onto the green. Turns out they’re the ashes of his dead brother, who’d requested the act. The guy had taken an earlymorning flight from Las Vegas after staying up all night. After he spread the ashes, he calmed down and played the next 15 holes quite well.

And he turned out to be a pleasant man.”

Deborah Cathey Dallas

68 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

white deer g. cse. montgomery, pa.

■ “The area has a large Amish population, so it wasn’t odd to see a man in dark clothes fishing in one of the ponds on the course.

But then we hear him yelling, and turn to see a horse sprinting down the third fairway, dragging a buggy.

The horse even ran through a bunker on its way to the clubhouse, where it then just stood and waited for its owner. The course was crowded that day, so it was quite the spectacle.”

Bob Koch Williamsport, Pa.

cross creek plantation seneca, s.c.

■ “It was the 2009 South Carolina Open.

I’m waiting to hit my approach at the 14th when I look down and see one pant leg covered with fire ants.

I rip off my shoes and pants right there in the middle of the fairway. I shake the pants violently, but not before I suffer about 15 to 20 bites. I put my stuff back on and play the shot. As we’re walking off the green, a marshal comes up and gives us a slow-play warning. I tell him what happened, but he isn’t interested and just tells us to keep it moving.”

Benji Boyter Charleston, S.C.

green river g.c. corona, calif.

boulder creek g.c. streetsboro, ohio

■ “The course was playing firm and fast, and apparently what caused the fire was a cigarette butt tossed from a passing car.

Huge flames raced up the canyon wall.

Helicopters came within 15 minutes and started filling their huge buckets from the ponds on the golf course.

This operation went on for several hours.

Fortunately the fire was suppressed thanks to the ready source of water. Really fascinating to watch.”

■ “The Ohio State Highway Patrol chased a car from the adjacent turnpike onto our golf course. The car’s driver was shooting at the cops, and they were returning fire. He got away and hid in a drainage pipe. Several days later, his body turned up in a pond off the eighth hole. The worker who found him initially thought it was a dead muskrat—he threw a golf ball at what turned out to be the corpse.

Another car chase ended in that same spot, so we might have to call it Dead Man’s Pond from now on.”

Clay Chadbourne Garden Grove, Calif.

Joe Salemi Northfield, Ohio

fairmont hot springs resort british columbia ■ “We were playing the 15th hole on the Mountainside Course when we encountered a group of four bears near the green. Not uncommon in this area, but what happened after we chipped onto the green was incredible. One of the little cubs grabs the flagstick and starts shaking it and playing around, almost like he was pole dancing.

His routine lasted over two minutes. Luckily, we had our phones handy—the YouTube video has more than 2.6 million views.”

Pascal Van Dijk Fairmont Hot Springs, British Columbia

lingan g. & c.c. sydney, nova scotia ■ “Some fellow groundskeepers and I were in the maintenance shed. There’s an explosion. I’m knocked unconscious. I wake up to scattered glass and everyone yelling my name. A tire from a passing truck had come loose and rolled 250 yards before bursting through the shed window. It hit one guy in the chest, then ricocheted and got me.

My co-worker spent more time in the hospital, but he recovered, too. The truck’s owner was an offduty police officer who believed a criminal had loosened the lug nuts.”

Dave Burns Sydney, Nova Scotia

illustration by | zohar lazar

▶ PHOTOGRAPHS + TEXT BY DOM FURORE

M ATA N U S K A P E A K F R A M E S T H E S I X T H G R E E N AT F I S H H O O K G O L F C O U R S E I N PA L M E R , A L A S K A , A B O U T 4 0 M I L E S O U T S I D E A N C H O R A G E .

ALL IN ON ALASKA GO OFF THE GRID WITH GOLF IN OUR 49TH STATE september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

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‘‘YOU’VE GOTTA GO.’’ ask me about my trip to alaska, and that’s the first thing I’ll tell you. Because it’s true: You have to go there to believe it. ▶ I’ve shot photos of mountain golf courses in the Himalayas, the Swiss Alps and the Canadian Rockies. What makes Alaska so different: These massive, snowcapped mountains just go on forever. ▶ I took the photos on these pages during a twoweek visit in May 2014. My wife, Christina, and I flew into Anchorage. We then made the two-day, 750-mile drive down to Haines. This took us way, way off the grid. We would often drive for hours without seeing a single car going in either direction.

From Haines we caught a 4½-hour ferry to Juneau before flying home. ▶ We arrived in Alaska on the early side of its golf season. I saw some people out playing, but the days were brisk and courses were still in pretty rough condition. June through September are the peak months, with average high temps in the low to mid 60s. It’s a short golf season, but at least the days are long. You can tee off at 4:30 a.m. and play till midnight.

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T H E S E C O N D H O L E AT PA L M E R G O L F C O U R S E , W I T H M ATA N U S K A P E A K I N T H E B A C K G R O U N D.

• ANCHORAGE • PA L M E R • HAINES • JUNEAU

Though Alaska draws more than 1.5 million out-of-state tourists a year, my sense is not a lot of them are there to play golf. Its courses seem mainly populated by locals. These are casual places, where bluejeans are definitely welcome and green fees seldom top $30 for 18 holes.

The challenge won’t be a difficult par 5.

It will be managing the distractions: fairways stamped with wildlife tracks, bald eagles soaring overhead, and views that change continually. The courses I shot integrate the player into this incredible scenery. In playing a round, you become part of it.

Shooting these photos meant getting to the courses very early, often before any employees were there. One guy warned me, half-jokingly, that I should bring a shotgun because of the wildlife I might encounter.

I didn’t bring a gun, but Christina served as my lookout on a few mornings.

“Make a lot of noise, and bears will go away,” people told us. We saw a few bears on the trip, but none on a golf course. At one place, we spotted fresh bear tracks.

The bigger threat, apparently, is moose.

“Bears will leave you alone,” one local explained, “but moose are crazy. They’ll knock you down and stomp you to death.”

We saw some moose, though they were never close enough to make us fear for our lives.

One thing I couldn’t get over was the eagles. Never in my life have I seen so many.

They were everywhere. And it wasn’t even migrating season. In the fall, I’m told, up to 4,000 eagles descend on the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines.

That alone is reason enough for a return visit. In the meantime, I’ll always have the memories of Alaska’s incredible mountains—stretching out as far as my lens can see . . . and beyond.

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VA L L E Y O F T H E E A G L E S G O L F L I N K S A B U T S T H E C H I L K AT R I V E R , W I T H T H E C H I L K AT R A N G E I N T H E D I S TA N C E .

TURN+ 76 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

BURN RIPPING IT WITH YOUR LOWER BODY BY SHAUN WEBB A G OLF DIG EST B EST YOUN G TE ACHER

▶

When you talk about the concept of speed in the golf swing, it’s easy to get confused and frustrated.

Many players’ first instinct—to make their hands and arms go as fast as possible right at the ball—leads to things that actually make the swing slower. It’s a common sight on the range and the course: The more effort and brute force players put in, especially with the upper body, the shorter and more off line their shots seem to go.Real, usable, repeatable speed doesn’t come from trying to kill the ball with your hands and arms, and it doesn’t come from creating a lot of “X-factor” in your swing, meaning a big

▶

photographs | j.d. cuban

+

SETTING UP POWER: STAY TILTED AND SWING BACK WIDE.

1 shoulder turn against a restricted hip turn.

Biomechanical research on the swing tells us that power comes from actively using the muscles in your upper legs and hips to tilt and rotate your pelvis correctly back and through.

Get it right, and you’ll be able to take advantage of the biggest muscles in your

body to initiate a chain reaction of forces from the ground all the way to the clubhead. That’s what allows tour pros—many of whom are probably smaller than you—to create “easy” power and make it look so routine.It’s time to start thinking about swinging the club smarter, not harder.

—WI T H M ATT HE W RU DY

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FEEL THE CORRECT HIP TILT

To get the most benefit from the lower-body movement you’re about to learn, you need to be in the right position to deliver the club. Take your normal stance with a middle iron, but split your hands so that your right hand is holding onto the midpoint of the shaft. Make some backswings using your right arm to pull the club back (above), feeling like the movement is pulling your right hip up and around, which will straighten your right leg. The split grip will also help you feel the wide route your hands need to take to the top of the swing and down to the ball again.

Getting your right hip higher than your left sets you up to deliver maximum energy into the ball, not spin out and wipe across it.

2 2

LOAD UP, DON’T LEAN BACK

You’ve probably heard about loading to the right on the backswing, but most players try to make that move with the upper body, which produces a weak, flat hip turn. If you can load by shifting your lower body while your upper body stays more over the ball, you’ll increase power and make it easier to hit the ball flush. To feel the right kind of load, take your normal setup, then pull your left foot back until the tip of your shoe is even with your right heel (below). With your left heel slightly off the ground, make some backswings and feel the pressure build under your right foot without shifting your hips away from the target.

BIO

Shaun Webb, 37, is the director of instruction at the David Toms 265 Golf Academy in Shreveport, La. He also teaches Toms on the PGA Tour.

+ OAKLEY shirt, $50, pants, $75, belt, $85, shoes, $80 SRIXON glove, $17 ROLEX watch

3 PUSH OFF LIKE A PITCHER

Just as a lean away from the target with your upper body on the backswing is bad news, so is a big lower-body slide toward the target coming down. You want to shift the pressure back to your left foot without sliding too much and giving up the leverage needed to create a slingshot effect through the ball. A great way to feel this move into impact is to practice a baseball-style leg kick. On the backswing, let your left leg come in toward your right leg (top).

Then replant your left foot before starting the downswing, and feel like you’re pushing upward off the ground (above). That aggressive lower-body thrust is the essence of power in the swing.

SHORT GAME WHICH PLAYER ARE YOU? CHECK OUT 4 MISTAKES AND THE MOVES

D O THIS

EXTEND YOUR BODY AND THE CLUB

▶ On chip shots, you want to make consistent use of the loft and bounce on your wedge—to produce predictable shots with less effort. To do that,

make a swing that gets the club to its full height at the ball. Feel like you’re levering the club back in the takeaway with your wrists and a bend in your right elbow, then unlever through impact by straightening your right elbow

photographs by | j.d. cuban

and making the clubhead swing— not by forcing the handle toward the target. If you use your legs to push off the ground and turn your upper body through to a taller finish (above), you’ll use the bounce and put downward pressure on the ball at impact. Solid contact is the key to confidence.

N OT T HIS

FORCING THE HANDLE WILL DRAG YOU DOWN

▶ Whether you’re talking about a chip like this or any other shortgame shot, if your

tendency is to force the handle toward the target instead of letting the clubhead swing, your upper body will look like mine in this photo.

Pulling the handle effectively shortens the club, so you have to dip to make contact. The result?

You’ll crash the leading edge into the ground or blade

it. The worst part is, that usually starts a bad cycle. When you blade one, you think you’re not staying down, so you really stay down the next time.

That’s the opposite of what you need to do. Get tall and use the club at its full length.

DO & DON'TS

YOU NEED TO MAKE INSTEAD / BY STAN UTLEY WITH MATTHEW RUDY

D O THIS

LET THE PUTTERHEAD SWING FREELY

▶ The putting stroke might look different than a full swing, but it’s related in a crucial way: The putterhead should move the most, and the body the

least. Keep your wrists and elbows soft and allow them to give enough so that the putterhead swings freely without pushing your torso or shoulders around (above). When your body moves, it causes your head to move. I’ve

heard my stroke called “wristy,” and that term doesn’t bother me. I don’t want the wrists to be overactive during the stroke, but I want them to be a natural part of the sequence. This also makes it way easier to control distance, because it allows you to make solid contact more often.

N OT T HIS

STIFF ARMS WILL CHANGE THE AXIS

▶ It might seem like keeping a stiff triangle with your arms would be conducive

to a consistent, pendulum-type stroke, but it actually makes your job a lot harder.

As you shift the triangle back and drag the entire club instead of swinging the putterhead, you’re moving the axis of your swing to a point above you (above). I’ve had students come to me with axis

points 20 feet over their heads! When the axis is off your body, it takes lots of practice (and luck) to return the putter to the ball the same way every time. The stiffness also can cause you to hold the putterface open through impact.

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How often we miss greens on chips/pitches ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

PGA Tour pro 5-handicap 10-handicap 20-handicap

6%

8%

11%

19%

33%

27%

How often we make putts of 6-10 feet? ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

PGA Tour pro 5-handicap 10-handicap 20-handicap

51%

37%

S O U R C E : S H O T B Y S H O T. C O M

D O THIS

CONTROL SPEED WITH YOUR BODY TURN

▶ By definition, a pitch shot is one you hit less than full. I like to simplify the swing by controlling the speed with my body, the amount

of wrist hinge, and the speed at which I unhinge my wrists.

The faster I turn my body and the more aggressively I unhinge, the longer and higher the shot will go. Even on a 40-yard pitch, the club finishes low, and the handle stays pointed at

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my belly button (above). To get the feel for this shot, allow your right elbow to fold in the takeaway and your left elbow to fold in the follow-through, keeping the club below your belt on both sides. This is the fastest way to sharpen your pitching from intermediate distances.

N OT T HIS

HITTING THE BRAKES HURTS YOUR CONTACT

▶ The mid-range wedge shot, from 40 to 60 yards out, is the worst problem area I

see with amateur players. They hear that they’re supposed to be aggressive, so they make a big arm swing with the intention of producing some speed. But on the way down, they subconsciously know they have too much speed, so they slow down and lift through impact,

as I'm showing here.

They’re doing the opposite of being aggressive. If you need a 60-percent swing, it doesn’t make any sense to use a full motion with your arms.

Keeping the club lower, back and through, will help you stay aggressive.

THINK OF THE BEST PUTTER YOU KNOW. DOES THAT PERSON HAVE A LONG, MEDIUM OR SHORT FOLLOW-THROUGH? I'D BET IT'S SHORT. + PING shirt, $50 hat, $30 KOHL’S pants, $54 FOOTJOY shoes

D O THIS

LET GRAVITY PULL THE PUTTER TO THE BALL

▶ I’ve asked the same question at the beginning of almost every putting clinic I’ve given over the past three years. Think of the best putter

you know. Does that person have a long, medium or short follow-through?

The overwhelming response? Short.

That’s because most good putters understand what the state-of-theart SAM PuttLab numbers prove: The majority of the

acceleration happens right at the start of the downswing. The rest of the movement is the putterhead falling into the ball—it’s gravity. The end of the stroke is basically the end of its natural momentum. When the putter strikes the ball, the result is a shorter action on the through-side.

N OT T HIS

SHOVING THE PUTTER THROUGH RUINS FEEL

▶ If you have a super-long followthrough and it’s working for you, you shouldn’t change

it. But if you’re an inconsistent putter, that’s the first place to look.

A long followthrough is usually a symptom of two problems that can appear separately or together. First, players have the mistaken idea that they need to be accelerating through the ball.

Second, they don’t

make a big enough backswing for the distance of the putt, so they’re forced to surge the putter through to hit the ball far enough. That causes them to flip the putterhead into that long followthrough, leading to inconsistent results, both long and short.

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BASH BRO THER

MY SHOT / 25 / LEHI / UTAH

▶ Golf and the fire-knife dance have left some scars, but TonganSamoan TONY FINAU has become a top young talent and one of the longest hitters on tour.

W I T H G U Y YO C O M

i’m no authority on the PGA

Tour, because I just got here.

I’m a Web.com Tour graduate, and it took a while to get to the big show—I’d missed making it through the old Q school five times. I can’t get over how nice it is out here. The fact I get a courtesy car every week blows me away. The food is unreal—I love the expression “player dining.” It’s a long way from the mini-tours, where my big meal of the day was the soup and sandwiches the sponsor put out. It’s amazing how we have an assortment of range balls to choose from. I’m addressed correctly as “Mr. FEE-now” more, and “Mr. Fuh-NOO” less.

It’s a whole new level of respect.

●●●

i’m only 25 , but I’ve been a pro for almost eight years, and I’m starting to understand what it takes on tour. For starters, you can venture a little from who you are as a golfer, but don’t mess with your swing DNA too

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photographs by | walter iooss jr.

much. Lee Trevino didn’t become great by trying to hit high hooks, right? Next, you have to develop some thick skin, because ups and downs are part of the deal. We lose a lot. Next, always match your game to the golf course rather than the other way around. Last, you can’t be a crazy excitable person. Getting wildly pumped up and then trying to make good decisions and control your distances is a tough fit. ●●●

we grew up in the Rose Park section of Salt Lake City. It’s a good neighborhood but a tough one, on the poor side but proud.

Sports are big. You learn to fight.

My little brother, Gipper—his given name is Kelepi—and I are only 11 months apart, and he was always the talker. From elementary school on, he’d start trouble with bigger kids, knowing I’d be there to bail him out. He’d talk trash, and when he was ready to get his butt kicked, I’d come in and throw the punches. Then Gipper would move back in and talk more smack to the guy on the ground, like he was the one who just gave the beatdown. He was a pain, but I love the guy.

We grew up closer than most twins. Until we were about 21 we played and practiced together, shared the same car, stayed in the same hotels, everything. Gipper is trying hard to get where I am now. I’ll always have his back.

hitting with old, low-quality irons—my first one was a Merlin model with a green shaft—you learn what to do to hit the ball solid. The strips of carpet were laid on a cement floor, so that taught us not to get too steep and hit down on the ball too much. The rubber grips on the clubs were old and slick, so you needed a sound grip. To help us learn trajectory, my dad spray-painted little dots from high to low on the mattress. And then there was that thumping sound. The louder it was, the better you were hitting it. ●●●

it’s funny what a little sibling

jealousy can do. When I was 7, the TV and news people started coming out to the house to do stories on Gipper. He was sort of a prodigy, beating much older kids in junior tournaments. I envied that attention, so I started playing, too. It took me a couple of years to draw even with Gipper, and longer than that to start beating him once in a while.

Gipper’s a heckuva player.

It’s impossible to overestimate Tiger’s influence on kids like me, or the impact he’s had on golf in general. He’s an icon, absolutely one of a kind. I think people should go out of their way to be nice to him. I haven’t played with Tiger yet or even met him, but when I do, I’m going to thank him. ●●●

needless to say , the Masters

is the tournament I’d like to play in and win the most. I’ve never seen it in person and wouldn’t go even if you gave me tickets, because I made a promise to myself as a kid that I wouldn’t go until I played my way there. It’s the only tournament I watch on TV, and I watch it all four days. I always wear a green shirt on Sundays, and I have in mind a shade that would go well with a green jacket.

●●●

jordan river golf course

was a little city-owned par-3 layout a couple of blocks from our house. When my parents learned that we could chip and putt there for free, they started letting us

day I played it seven times. You don’t need an elaborate training ground to get good. ●●●

the jordan river isn’t so

much a river as a large, slowmoving canal that flows into the Great Salt Lake.

The mud in it is the nastiest stuff you can imagine: black, greasy and stinky. It was home to mosquitoes that would swarm. To this day I never linger over the ball, and I wear tall crew socks— remnants of the Jordan River mosquito days.

●●●

to the everyday golfers

out there: Pick up a kid’s green fee when you can.

To the starters on the first tee who notice poor kids hanging around: Let them play for free when it’s not busy. To the head pros: Don’t get on the starters for doing that. To the bosses of the head pros: Don’t threaten to fire them for giving the kids a break. To everybody: Pay it forward a little. It’s good for your karma.

‘PAY IT FORWARD A LITTLE. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR KARMA.’

●●●

during winter , my dad hung

an old mattress in our little garage. I would hit balls into it from one side, Gipper from the other. The mattress held up OK, but we were always wearing out the little strips of carpet my dad had scrounged up for us to hit off. There was no heater, and it would be about 20 degrees.

Gipper and I would go for 90 minutes, go inside to thaw out our hands, then go at it some more. The thumping sound of the balls hitting that mattress is stamped in my mind. Sometimes, when I’m not playing particularly well and need a little motivation, I’ll hear that thumping sound. It reminds me of where I came from and the price I’ve paid to get where I am.

●●●

the mattress was good

training, really. When your hands are cold and you’re

we didn’t have cable tv.

We just couldn’t afford it.

But you don’t need cable to watch the Masters. In 1997, at the exact moment I started out, I watched Tiger Woods win the Masters. The way he fist-pumped, the red shirt, his power compared to the other players, the way he made the fans go crazy, and the rawness of it all seemed larger than life.

I thought, I want to be like that.

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hang out there, first Gipper, then me. My dad didn’t play golf, but he heard that Tiger learned the game from the green backward, so it sounded perfect. My brother and I hung out there till dark almost every day. At first we just practiced. Green fees weren’t much, but they’re a lot when you have nothing. When the pro there saw how dedicated we were, he started letting us play for free.

We wore that little par 3 out. One

growing up , there were gangs all around us: the Tongan Crip Gang, the Sons of Samoa and a few others that had come up from Los Angeles and formed a presence in Rose Park. A lot of drugs, some crime, and a lot of peer pressure to get into that. Golf saved us. My desire to improve at golf distracted me from a lot of the temptation, but the biggest

Josh hedges/getty Images • CaLL aWay: PoLo, $60, PaNts, $75, BeLt, $55 • FootJoy: shoes, $70

thing was just hanging out at the golf course. Gangs don’t hang out at golf courses.

Jordan River Golf Course created a physical barrier between me and that bad element. After Gipper and I began having some success, we gained a certain measure of hands-off respect, where even the bad guys saw we had value as representatives of the Polynesian peoples.

“in and up,” much like Sam Snead used to do.

Though his arms stay in close, they don’t cramp his swing. He has no problem arriving at the top with a full, wide arc, his left arm extended beautifully. turn your chest through

3

●●●

like gipper , my dad’s given

name is Kelepi, but he goes

by Gary and is an amazing man. One of those guys who is instantly good at anything he tries. Hand my dad a tennis racket, and within an hour he’ll beat you. In high school he starred in basketball, baseball, football and track.

He even boxed in Golden Gloves. He plays guitar, bass, drums and trumpet. Highlevel versatility runs in our family, and it’s a big extended family. Two of my sisters played Division I volleyball.

Two of my cousins played in the NFL, and one of my second-cousins, Jabari Parker, plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

I’ve met Jabari only once, when he made a recruiting

4 WAYS 1 TO SMASH IT LIKE TONY

keep your weight forward

A

BY B OY D S U M M E R H AYS

‘GOLF SAVED US. . . . GANGS DON’T HANG OUT AT GOLF COURSES.’

s a former tour player from Utah, I knew about Tony’s power long before I became his teacher last spring. His distance is almost unbelievable. He holds the record for the highest ball speed ever recorded on the PGA Tour—193 miles per hour— from the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. Tony reins it in a lot of the time, but when he lets one go, there are few people who get anywhere close to him.

Where does he find that power? Tony is largely self-taught and by nature is nontechnical. He’s very smart—he’s a voracious reader—but likes to approach the swing in simple language. He prefers swing keys that are visual and feel-oriented. We call them “feelmages,” a blend of things you can see and sense. Here are a few you can try:

All good athletes function with their weight slightly forward at all times.

Not out over the toes, but on the balls of the feet. I don’t like to see players shifting weight to the right heel on the backswing—a popular tip. It disrupts the turn and isn’t good for balance. Make no mistake, balance is a huge key to hitting it long, and Tony is a great model for dynamic balance. swing your arms in close

2

It’s trendy to try to extend the club straight back away from the ball on a superwide swing arc. Tony and I go the other way on this. If you swing to the inside with your arms in close, it makes the club feel lighter and keeps you in control.

You also are much less likely to “get stuck” on the downswing, the club getting too far behind your body. Tony swings

Firing the hips is a well-established downswing move.

Nothing wrong with that, except it can lead to the upper body not joining with the lower body. If you forget to fire the chest along with the hips and legs, the sequence of motion becomes less dynamic, and you create power leaks. Once Tony has cleared his hips, I like to see him rotate his chest as aggressively as he can. Now his whole body is in on the act. In his follow-through, his belt buckle is aimed left of the target, and his right shoulder is aimed even farther left. It’s a sign of uninhibited motion with the chest, shoulders and arms. find your inner athlete

4

Tony is 6-4, 200 pounds and has uncommonly long arms, shoulders like airplane wings, giant hands and the flexibility of a gymnast. When he goes after it like the athlete he is, he’s more natural and has more fun. The lesson here for you is, take advantage of what you naturally do well. Maybe it’s a powerful swing, or soft hands. Whatever your strong suit, play it to the max. boyd summerhays is the director of instruction at McDowell Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale.

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visit to Brigham Young before deciding on Duke. But we follow each other. ●●●

because my dad didn’t

play golf, he went to the local library and checked out some VHS instruction videos and a copy of Jack Nicklaus’ book Golf My Way. He read it closely, and the one thing he harped on was Jack’s observation that you can maneuver the ball with just one swing. All you do is adjust your stance and the clubface at address. Keep it simple. My teacher, Boyd Summerhays, and I have gone a little further than that as we refine my swing, but we don’t deviate much.

●●●

by the time i was 14 , I knew the rudiments of golf betting.

By the time I was 17, I had it down cold. When I was desperate for cash, I’d get in the car and drive to Las Vegas. There were always some high-rollers ready to put cash up against a few pros. They weren’t too wary of me. I’d show up in basketball shorts and T-shirt, no cap. The goofy crew socks.

No headcovers on my woods.

I wore golf shoes that were inexpensive and a little worn.

Being a person of color took care of the rest—ever seen a Tongan-Samoan who could play? I did nothing dishonest at all with handicap strokes; it wasn’t necessary. I turned $30 into $500 a lot of times that way. ●●●

my dad was really good at

everything but not awesome at any one thing. With Gipper and me, he felt if we put all our energy into one thing, it could be our ticket out.

I played varsity basketball in high school and had scholarship offers in that as well as golf, but even with a full ride, we knew I couldn’t make it financially.

A scholarship doesn’t cover your car, clothes, food or visits home. So in 2007, at 17, I turned pro. ●●●

what really pushed the

decision along was The Ultimate Game, a made-

for-TV event that June at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. It worked like this: There were 40 contestants, each putting up $50,000.

After two rounds of match play, the 10 survivors and two guys from the losers’ bracket played 36 holes, with the winner getting $2 million. The next nine guys got their $50,000 entry fee back, plus another $50,000.

A private sponsor put up the $50,000 and told me to go play. How could I not turn pro? With a decent showing, it would be more money than I ever saw in my life. ●●●

there were some studs in that field, a mix of good pros and really good amateurs.

Scott Piercy, Kevin Streelman and Spencer Levin were there. I won my first match against an older guy, then drew Rick Rhoden.

I had extra incentive to win.

My high school graduation was that night, and if I didn’t win, I had to stick around to play in a consolation bracket, and that meant missing graduation. I closed Rick out on the 17th hole, flew home and made my graduation, then flew back to Las Vegas for the finals the following week. ●●●

i didn’t win The Ultimate Game, but I made enough money to pay back my sponsor, with enough left over to finance some mini-tour stuff. The Ultimate Game was televised on Fox, with Trevino brought in to do some of the commentating. The first hole at Wynn is a 406-yard par 4.

Lee was standing near the first tee when I flew my drive just short of the green. [At 6-4 and 200 pounds, Finau averages 307.2 yards off the tee, including drives of 380, 374 and 373 yards.] As I plucked my tee out of the ground, we made eye contact, and Lee gave me this look I’ll never forget, and a wink. Later, he took me aside and said, “Son, you can be something at this game.” A short time later, I got a call from Callaway Golf. On Lee’s recommendation, they gave me a three-year deal.

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‘BY THE TIME I WAS 14, I KNEW THE RUDIMENTS OF GOLF BETTING.

BY THE TIME I WAS 17, I HAD IT DOWN COLD.’ ●●●

in 2009 , Gipper and I were

playing in a Gateway Tour event in Arizona. Next to the range was a tent labeled “The Big Break.” We didn’t know what “The Big Break” was. It had been going for six years, but remember, we lived in a house with no cable TV. A guy came over and interviewed us and filmed our swings. Three weeks later, the phone rings, and it’s Golf Channel, asking if we wanted to appear on the show. We jumped at it, mainly because the winner got a spot in a PGA Tour event. We went down and played. It took two weeks.

Gipper finished fourth, and I got to the final against Mike Perez, Pat Perez’s brother.

It was stroke play, and I led by two shots with two holes to play. The 17th hole was a dogleg-left par 4 with a cartpath running across the fairway. I hit a huge drive, dead center. Perfect. Except it hits that cartpath and takes a huge bounce into water. I made bogey, Mike birdied, and now we’re tied. On the first playoff hole, Mike made a 25-footer to win. That was tough for a 20-year-old kid to take. In 15 minutes, I went from playing in that tour event to taking a long plane ride home to Utah.

in the polynesian culture , what’s mine is yours. If you come to our homes, all that we have is yours while you’re there. Back in the islands, life is still pretty rural, and people grow a lot of what they eat. As much as we struggled growing up, we always had good food to eat. ●●●

i mention my dad a lot , but my mom, Ravena, was talented, too. When I was young she taught me the fire-knife dance. You connect sharp knives at the end of a long stick, attach some roofing material out by the knives, light the ends on fire and twirl it similar to a baton, and elaborately, while dancing. I did the fire-knife dance until I was 15. The scars you see up and down my arms are from cutting myself with the knives. I had to give that up.

One wrong move could end my golf career. ●●●

on nov. 27, 2011 , we learned my mom had died in a car accident. One of my brothers and a sister were in the same car and were injured. My mom referred to herself as “Mom da bomb” because she was the center of our family.

All of us were heartbroken.

My brother and sister were moved to a hospital in Salt Lake where, a day later, on Nov. 28, my girlfriend, Alayna—we’ve since gotten married—gave birth to our son, Jraice, in another part of the hospital. Talk about a range of emotions. A few months later, Alayna was pregnant again. We were living in a $600-per-month apartment, the bills were piling up, and I had no status on any tour. Sitting at our little kitchen table, I thought, Man, this is tough. This is the real deal. A week later, I got my first ulcer. Nothing I’m going to experience on a golf course can match that kind of pressure. ●●●

that courtesy car I was bragging about? I lost the keys to it the other day and had to bum a ride back to the hotel.

I’ve clearly got a lot to learn.

Travel

by david bowden

Mystical Mulu Many Malaysians may want to explore an exotic holiday destination close to home. It is worth it.

ow many people can fly and most are flying and discovering Malaysia and the region. East Malaysia is a natural paradise that is closer than we all think and with some of the world’s largest caves, Sarawak’s Gunung Mulu National Park is one of Malaysia’s greatest eco destinations that can be combined with golfing destinations such as Miri. �

N

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The Golf Life Travel by David Bowden

(Top, left) River boat ride Mulu.

(Top, right) Penan woman playing a nose flute

accommodation, toilets,

Api (1,750m) and Mulu (2,371m)

the beadwork being some of

souvenir shop and a café.

but this is a serious exercise

the best in Sarawak.

The information displays are

that should only be considered

interactive and very detailed

by experienced climbers with

main caves and enable

in providing excellent

the assistance of experienced

visitors to avoid the mass of

gateway to eco-adventures in

background information on

local guides.

insects consuming mounds

national parks such as Mount

the park’s features.

Miri is Sarawak’s northern

Mulu, Lambir Hills and Niah

Boats are used to reach some

On the boat journey to

Boardwalks traverse the

of bat and swiftlet guano

Clearwater and Wind Caves

that accumulates on the cave

Caves as well as remote inland

of the caves and several other

visitors can stop at a Penan

floor. Swifts and swiftlets are

communities like Bario and

attractions. It’s also possible

community to purchase some

commonly associated with

Ba ‘Kelalan.

to climb to the peaks of Mount

locally-made souvenirs with

caves and swiftlets are well

To The BaT Caves

GununG Mulu national Park at 52,866ha is a unEsCo World hEritaGE sitE ProtECtEd for its astonishinG EColoGiCal assEts abovE thE Ground as WEll as liMEstonE CavEs bEnEath thE surfaCE.

Gunung Mulu National Park at 52,866ha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site protected for its astonishing ecological assets above the ground as well as limestone caves beneath the surface. Deer, Lang, Clearwater and Wind

known for the nests that they

are the four main public caves

make and which are valued

with Deer Cave being the

as a delicacy in Chinese

world’s largest passage and

gastronomy.

Sarawak Chamber, the world’s

These birds also play an

largest chamber. A recently

important ecologically role

discovered cave in Vietnam

as they help keep insect

now holds the record as the

populations in check and one

world’s largest cave.

of the best locations to see

With international

this at work is the evening

management, the new park’s visitor facilities are comprehensive and include

90 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

The room at the Mulu Marriott

exodus of the millions of birds

very good accommodation

from Mulu Caves. Each clear-

for those who like to play and

The signature 13th is

skied evening squadrons of

stay. Local and Western meals

the one most golfers enjoy

private views of the rainforest.

bats fly out of the caves to

are served in the Lake View

playing and while it’s a short

Resort facilities include a

forage in the rainforest. In

Restaurant in the clubhouse.

par three of 196m from the

pool, mountain bike hire, gift

gold tee, its island green

shop (local handicrafts and

five-star resort and feature a

is paramount.

bathtub with panoramic and

doing so, they help pollinate

Apart from weekends

plants and as well as feeding

which tend to be busy with

design requires accuracy from

selection of books), activities

on the insects.

golfers from both the local

golfers in them placing their

programme and gym. Enjoy

area and neighbouring

ball on the green.

drinks in the Riverside Bar

While it is possible to make a boat journey into the park,

Brunei (just 45-minute’s

most visitors choose to fly to

drive away) enjoying a round

Mulu from Miri rather than

of golf, visitors can almost

make the day-long boat journey

be guaranteed access to the

The reclaimed foreshore is

and ikan tunak in the Marriott

along the Melinau River.

par-72, 6,630m course at other

where several hotels including

Café. Mulu Marriott will

the Miri Marriott Resort and

especially appeal to those

Spa are located. Swaying pine

who love nature but without

trees line the South China

compromising on luxury.

MIRI GolfInG sToP oveR

Mulu Marriott from the air.

before dining on Western favourites and local dishes

sTay In sTyle

like fish umai, Sarawak laksa

Miri in northeast Sarawak is well known as the centre of East Malaysia’s lucrative oil industry. Miri is also home to a cultural diversity unseen on the peninsula with tribal communities such as Iban, Melanau, Bisaya, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang and Bidayuh adding to the racial mix typically found in most other Malaysian cities.

Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club is just five-minutes away from Miri Airport. The 18-hole championship course designed by Sabah-based American architect, Glen Nickels, has excellent

tee-off times. The sun rises

Sea and gentle sea breezes

recreational facilities and

early in the east and the first

cool Miri’s coastal strip. While

tee off slot is 6.15am with

the beach here may not be

2.30pm being the last tee off

Malaysia’s finest, Sarawak’s

for a round of 18 holes. Wide

largest swimming pool at the

open fairways greet golfers

Miri Marriott is popular as is

and the first fairway heads

the Mandara Spa.

south from the impressive two-storey clubhouse.

There’s nothing too

Inland, the Mulu Marriott Resort and Spa has a riverside setting on the

complicated about playing

edge of the national park.

from tees to fairways as

This international retreat in

the wide open spaces even

the wilderness has a rather

enable a good lie for wayward

unique layout based upon

drives. Split level, undulating

the Sarawakian longhouse

greens are where some golfers

concept with various sections

could encounter problems so

of the resort being connected

accuracy with approach shots

by elevated wooden walkways.

Rooms include all

sarawak laksa

conveniences expected in a

TRavel TIPs GeTTInG TheRe Malaysia Airlines (www. malaysiaairlines.com) flies daily from Kuala Lumpur to Miri with the journey taking two hours.

There are connecting flights on MASwings (www.maswings. com.my) to Mulu.

1

WheRe To sTay Stay in Miri at the Miri Marriott Resort and Spa (www. marriott.com) and in Mulu at the recently renovated Mulu Marriot Resort and Spa (www. mulumarriott.com).

2

ConTaCT Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club (www. eastwoodvalley.com).

3

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

91

Tun Musa and Steven Thielke with the children of the Rising Star Juniors programme

Rising Star Juniors – Malaysia’s First Golf Academy for Disadvantaged Youths uala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) and MST Golf Sdn Bhd, the operator of the KLGCC Golf Academy, have established a first of its kind golf academy called the Rising Star Juniors.

The main goal of this collaboration is to provide an opportunity for youths from disadvantaged backgrounds to excel in the sport.

The two-year programme is funded by YSD with a sponsorship injection of RM645,000 targeted at youths between the ages of 12 to 17.

18 youths from a pool of 240 applicants were selected

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in April to participate in a comprehensive golf training programme that started in May. The youths will receive complimentary training equipment, professional coaching and transportation to and from KLGCC throughout their course.

“The objective of Rising Star Juniors is not only to train these youths in golf but also to develop skills and uplift their lives to become good, well-rounded and successful citizens contributing positively to society,” said Steven Thielke, General Manager of KLGCC. Earlier in April, KLGCC approached 30 children’s

92 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

shelter homes within the Klang Valley to participate in the programme.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response from the homes. The principals were very excited with the Rising Star Juniors programme and the numerous opportunities in store for the children.

Besides golf, there will also be other activities including leadership development skills, life skills and community engagement,” Thielke said.

He also highlighted the importance of involving the homes and the families of the Rising Star Juniors programme participants in the project.

“KLGCC will not only work with the individuals, but will also be a support structure Thielke showing the kids how its done

for the homes providing assistance financially, physically, morally and emotionally. This is important for the individuals under the Rising Star Juniors programme so they do not feel isolated from the home.

“Golf is often perceived as a sport for the elite in Malaysia; and the programme will extend golf training to disadvantaged youths with limited resources – an initiative we believe has never been introduced before,” Thielke added.

YSD Chairman Tun Musa Hitam said the foundation firmly believed that all children should have equal access to developmental opportunities, regardless of their background.

“We see the potential of the Rising Star Juniors programme to achieve exactly this. Golf is a sport that can help develop

character as it requires high standards of behaviour and sportsmanship. Honesty, integrity and self-regulation are pre-requisites of character building and we believe that the programme will greatly impact the lives of the selected youths,” said Musa. “With the training in golf, they will be exposed to positive developmental opportunities and potentially turn this sport into their vocation someday. We also hope that this opportunity will help to narrow the gap, as golf is often perceived as an elite sport.

We look forward to working with KLGCC and MST Golf to see these youths molded into active, trustworthy, conscientious and productive members of society.”

The Rising Star Juniors programme is divided into three phases: Phase 1 in April began with the screening of 240 participants at KLGCC via a series of physical fitness tests monitored by certified instructors, from which 18 junior trainees were selected for the academy.

Phase2 began in May where 18 junior trainees started a 40-week training stint at KLGCC three times a week for two hours.

The students will first learn the fundamentals of putting, chipping, pitching, swing and bunker play. They will then proceed to learn the rules and etiquette, playing on the golf course, course management and introduction to the psychology of the game, which helps prepare them mentally for the sport. During the final stages of the programme they will learn advanced shotmaking and also be introduced into the club environment and golf industry.

Phase 3 is a continuity programme where the 18 junior trainees will be recommended to train for an additional 40 weeks under the advanced 9-level training programme.

Mohd Isa Lands Kota Permai Club Championship, Yong Wins Lexus ES250 HIO Prize ota Permai Golf & Country Club’s annual Club Championship lived up to its billing as one of the most exciting and entertaining.

The Club Championship started with the Senior and Ladies categories with a field of 77 players.

A few days later, the Men’s category saw 108 players battle it out over two days to make the 72-player cut for the final round.

Played in strokeplay format,the slick greens that were rolling at 12 feet on the Stimpmetre suited eventual champion Mohd Isa bin Abas (5) who carded rounds of 79 and 72 .

Mohd Isa struggled with a gross of 82 in the final round for a total of 233 to finish two strokes ahead of runner up William Cheah (3). Third place went to Willie Lim (2) who carded a total of 238.

The Ladies Champion’s crown belonged to rising teen-star, Raeysha Surendran (4) who successfully defended her title with a

K

total of 154. She finished two shots ahead of Doris Yee (10).

The Senior champion this year was Khoo Gee Seng (7) with a two-day total of 157.

Runner-up was former champion Johnny Wong (6) who was a shot behind Khoo, while Gilbert Low (11) settled for third place on count back.

The three champions of the main categories were honoured in true Kota Permai style when they were taken on a horse carriage for a victory tour, before being presented with ‘green jackets’.

The highlight of the final round though was Yong Kim Shoon’s Hole-in-One achievement on Hole 6. The lucky Yong won himself a brand new LEXUS ES250 worth over RM247,500, sponsored by UMW Toyota Motors.

▼ Champions Mohd Isa, Raeysha and Khoo gets a horse carriage ride

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

93

The Golf Life At The 19th by Patrick Ho

Kazoku-Ai is a great place for family and friends to enjoy great food, have some drinks and hangout

Spreading the Love Forget value for money, Japanese food lovers get super-fresh quality at Kazoku-Ai and, a personal touch ld Klang Road is known for its bak kut teh stalls and other Malaysian street food.

Times have changed though as high-end restaurants have sprouted up lately to cater to the cravings of the affluent gourmand.

Hidden at a corner of the modern looking shop lots of 3rd Mile Square (behind HSBC bank) is a swanky

O

fusion Japanese restaurant that deserves overdue recognition.

Opened on October 18 last year, Kazoku-Ai in English means “family love” and according to its boss, Melvin Kuo, the Modern Teppanyaki Concept is just that.

“Kazoku-Ai is a great place for family and friends to enjoy great food, have some drinks and hangout. We personally

94 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

try out anything new on the menu and if we don’t like it, we won’t sell it,” said Kuo. While some of the food may be fusion, Kuo and his partners live by a motto of “invent and re-invent”.

They have a hands-on approach and even worked closely with the local chefs to come-up with the unique and tasty food.

On the menu, you would

notice names like Spaghetti Mentaiko, which is a Japanese Cod Fish Roe fried Spaghetti (Japanese-Italian) dish. And fortunately for this scribe and photographer Jason, we did try the Jules Maki (Japanese-Malaysian) which is Japanese Maki that tastes like Nasi Lemak!

A teh tarik after that dish is a perfect complement, thanks in part to Melvin for the tip.

The one stand out item that is a must-try is the “famous” Kazoku-Ai Fire Crab and Teppanyaki Tiger King Prawns. Sit by the Teppanyaki counter and watch the flames dancing with the crabs.

But, you have to order them in advance though as there are many regulars who

photographs by | name goes here

1

THE ONE STAND OUT ITEM THAT IS A MUSTTRY IS THE “FAMOUS” KAZOKU-AI FIRE CRAB AND TEPPANYAKI TIGER KING PRAWNS. SIT BY THE TEPPANYAKI COUNTER AND ENJOY THE FLAMES DANCING WITH THE CRABS. have submitted pre-orders a few months back.

“What we have done is that we have re-invented plenty of Japanese Teppanyaki Dishes. Kazoku-Ai serves up over 22 individual Teppanyaki Dishes which is more than any Japanese restaurant in Malaysia,” added Kuo who has sacrificed time on the golf course to start-up the restaurant.

Patrons will enjoy dining al fresco or chill by the cosy and impressive teppanyaki counter that seats 15 people.

“We (shareholders) have been to enough Japanese restaurants our entire lives and realised that the concepts and designs are either very private and serious, or very casual and noisy. We wanted to try and strike a balance in providing something different. Some patrons even labelled us as a Japanese bistro. We have six different seating types

at Kazoku-Ai which is more than most restaurants, Japanese or otherwise. We have al fresco and indoor dining, a Teppanyaki Counter, we have a private room and al fresco high tables for drinkers,” explained Kuo. Kazoku-Ai prides itself on high-quality ingredients and taste. This was evident when the Japanese-certified wagyu beef (Kagoshima or Yonezawa is served here) was served accompanied with a ‘fifth generation’ dipping sauce that was passed down by a friend.

Of course, they were not telling what went into the sauce but its wow factor was perfectly complemented by the roughly chopped wasabi sauce.

After office hours drinks is a must here as they stock up wine, Japanese beers, Nikka Whisky, and even the ultra premium sake known to the Japanese as “Junmai Daiginjo”, which sells for RM250 to RM1,200.

While we went through the sampling plates, my curiosity on what the customers thought of the food crossed my mind.

I got my answer almost immediately when a customer seated at the next table said, “Very good food, so tasty you know!”

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4

3

5

1. Fire Crab 2. Surimaika 3. Scallops 4. Tori Saikyo Yaki 5. Assorted Mushrooms

TASTING NOTES US/Canadian Scallops: The cooking time was perfect. Succulent, lightly flavoured and unforgettable. Surima Ika: This is a big squid that went well with the wasabi cream sauce infused with hot chili padi. Tempura Moriawase: The batter was thin but perfectly crispy. They got the oil temperature right. Durian Fried Rice: It was durian season and we were lucky to try this delicious twist to fried rice. Jason finished most of it.

Teppanyaki Beef (Wagyu): Seared without oil, this is a must-try. Words cannot describe how good it was. Tori Saikyo Yaki: We were the first to try this chicken marinated in miso sauce and mirin wine, wrapped in cucumber. Refreshing with sweet and nutty flavours. Jules Maki: This is nasi lemak wrapped in seaweed. Malaysia Boleh! Killer Brownie: The name was coined from a customer who tasted this invention first. This is highly-recommended. The cream, vanilla ice cream and dripping Hershey’s chocolate sauce is the perfect ending to a meal.

september 2015 | golfdigestmalaysia

95

Closeout NOT HAPPY

America’s Most Miserable Golfer?

He’s 39, a member at a West Coast private club, short, a walker, a teetotaler—and a 14-handicap thanks to good putting

OK

How do you feel on the golf course?

▶ 53%

Always thrilled to be playing

▶ 34%

Pretty happy most of the time

▶ 13%

Often not happy at all, but frustrated

SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST READERS

—MAX ADLER

AND THE HAPPIEST GOLFER IS . . . ▶ Our poll indicates America’s Happiest Golfer is 37, a public-course player, taller, and likes to ride in a cart with an alcoholic beverage while he plays. He’s an 11-handicap whose strength is hitting the ball far.

96 golfdigestmalaysia | september 2015

unhappy: cy cyr • happy: getty images

, it’s possible you know a guy who fits the above description to a tee, except that he’s as happy-go-lucky as they come. Our research method didn’t exactly meet Nobel scientific standards, nevertheless, we think we’ve uncovered something. In our national poll, we analyzed the downtrodden 13 percent who reported feeling “often not happy at all, but frustrated” on the golf course. Against the majority, it was little surprise they skewed shorter in stature (the direct correlation between height and things like selfesteem and income are well-documented).

But the greater representation near the West Coast was curious. Maybe all that extra sunshine and medical marijuana doesn’t make up for the fact that 71 of Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Courses are east of the Mississippi River. As for being a walker, we predicted the added exercise might boost moods, but sometimes it’s hard to get cheerier than a cold beer in a cart dashboard. Good putters usually grind harder, which can be emotionally taxing.

As for the other stuff, we leave you to your own theories. All we do is run the numbers.