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from the editor march 2020 / issue 3 / vol 61

‘Playingamajestic golfcoursewith thelatesthightechequipment isnofunatallifyourgolf gamehasgonesouth’ If you’re an enthusiastic golfer, chances are you start each year thinking about at least one of the following: new gear, exciting places to play and/or a better game and a lower handicap. If that’s the case, we’ve got you covered this issue. While the skies are still grey and the evenings short, my mind always drifts to new destinations. I’ve been fortunate enough to have played most of my bucket list courses (I was able to draw a line through Augusta National and TPC Sawgrass last year) but plenty remain, including Pine Valley and Cypress Point. If anybody has any ideas on how to make it onto those two illustrious courses, I’m all ears!

But there’s so much more to experiencing great golf than visiting Top 100 courses or major championship venues. This year, I’m determined to further expand my horizons by visiting Lofoten Links in Norway and Barnboogle Dunes in Australia, some of the best courses in Japan and Asia as well as some unsung gems that exist within our own isles. The problem is that, with so much choice, it can be difficult to know where to start. If that’s the case, relax. We’ve done the hard work for you. During the past couple of years, we have travelled the length and breadth of Europe – and even

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4 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

further afield – researching our most recent Top 100 Golf Courses and Resorts rankings. We thought we’d put that data to good use by creating a planner that highlights the best golf experiences on a month-bymonth basis. We hope our recommendations, which start on page 34, help you have more fun in 2020.

Elsewhere this issue, we also take a look at the very latest equipment to hit the shelves. Over the past few months, equipment editor Simon Daddow himself has jetted around the globe to attend various manufacturer product launches and get up to speed with all the exciting new technologies. He’s been busy testing and reviewing every new driver, fairway wood, hybrid, iron, wedge, putter and golf ball. Again, to make your life easier, we’ve compiled the very best of these new launches into one 14page package, in which we give you our verdict on their performance and suitability.

But, of course, playing a majestic golf course with the latest high-tech equipment is no fun if your game has gone south! In this issue, we’ve recruited several PGA Tour stars to help you in each area of the game. Justin Thomas gets to grips with your driving, Justin Rose fixes your iron play, Eddie Pepperell perfects your posture and Bubba Watson advises on strategy. Plus, our Golf World teaching panellists chip in here and there (no pun intended!) to help you play better this year.

Enjoy the issue.

Nick Wright, Editor nick.jwright@bauermedia.co.uk @nickjameswright

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Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Tel: 01733 468000 Email (editorial): golf.world@bauermedia.co.uk If you or someone you know are aged between 16 and 24 and are interested in work experience opportunities at Bauer Media go to www.gothinkbig.co.uk EDITORIAL Editor Nick Wright (01733 468633) Deputy Editor Nick Harper (01733 468382) Equipment Editor Simon Daddow (01733 468469) Contributing Editor Rob McGarr Group Art Director Hakan Simsek (01733 465135) Art Director Paul Ridley (01733 468466) Senior Production Editor Rob Jerram (01733 468631) Digital Editor Camilla Tait (01733 468096) Editorial Assistant Stephanie Etchells (01733 468243) Contributors John Huggan, Justin Thomas, Stephen Orr, Justin Rose, Soren Kjeldsen, Bubba Watson, Dr Josephine Perry, Dustin Johnson, Andy Gordon, Eddie Pepperell, Tom Lewis, Duncan Lennard, Kit Alexander, Howard Boylan, Bob Atkins, Angus Murray, Jacques Portal. Getty images unless stated.

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YOUR GUIDE TO THE MARCH ISSUE

34 THE GREAT ESCAPES

Eschew the everyday and aim higher in 2020 – a new year brings an opportunity to experience some of the finest layouts on the planet. From legendary links to super-luxe resorts, your ultimate play list starts here.

09 THE FIFTH AMENDMENT

Now more than ever, does golf need a globe-straddling fifth major?

20 PICASSO’S PASSING

Celebrating the life and works of the great Pete Dye with a classic Golf World interview.

26 PUBLIC ENEMY

Brian Wacker on why the backlash against Patrick Reed has only just begun.

09

56 WEATHERING THE STORM

After the storms and the Trump takeover, Duncan Lennard asks how special can Doonbeg be?

66 EVOLUTION OF THE CADDIE

From servants to superstars, John Huggan charts the evolution of the humble bag carrier.

ON T HE COVER

99 JUSTIN THOMAS

Small man, big drives – JT reveals his secrets.

102 JUSTIN ROSE

77 2020 EQUIPMENT SPECIAL

Six key swing thoughts to help pure your irons.

Expert reviews of this year’s key gear launches, so you can buy better and play better in 2020.

66

104 BEN HOGAN

Quick pick ups from a true legend of the game.

106 DUSTIN JOHNSON Swing it like the big-hitting major champ.

108 EDDIE PEPPERELL

A simple drill to fix your set-up and rip your irons.

18 STEALTH BOMBER

A first look at Ping’s new fast-faced G710 irons.

19 SPHERES OF INFLUENCE

Four balls to add distance, control and spin to your game.

77 THE BUYER’S GUIDE

The key launches for 2020 – reviewed and rated.

48 ON T HE COVER

103 13 ADAM SCOTT

Five burning questions for the dashing Aussie, a man with major plans for 2020.

48 EDOARDO MOLINARI

In conversation with the other brother, one of golf’s most interesting and erudite stars.

92 ERNIE ELS

Now on the other side of 50, Theodore Ernest Els opens up on the lessons he’s learned.

101 MAKE PRACTICE PAY

ON T H C O V E RE

Quality over quantity and the keys to making the most of every range session.

105 YOUR COMFORT IS A CAGE

To make meaningful, long-term changes to your game, prepare to move beyond your ordinary.

107 REFINE YOUR SET-UP

Amateurs miss too many putts because of a consistent error at address. Help is at hand right here.

14 MUST PLAY

Take the trip of a lifetime, to Melbourne’s legendary Sandbelt.

24 TOP 100 ESCAPES

Where to stay, play and make hay in Madrid.

34 THE ULTIMATE 2020 HIT LIST The killer courses you have to experience in 2020.

56 DOONBEG

Assessing the merits of one of Ireland’s finest tracks.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 7

VISIT US ONLINE Golf’s most authoritative course and resort rankings are now online for the first time

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COMPREHENSIVE GOLF COURSE AND RESORT REVIEWS

DESTINATION AND GOLF BREAK GUIDES

INTERVIEWS WITH LEADING DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS

GolfWorldTop100.com

The fifth amendment?

Talk of golf’s need for a fifth major has blown around the game for decades – but there has never been a better time to make that talk a reality, says Rob McGarr.

Golf is now a truly global game.

What once was a primarily British and American sport is now played in 208 countries around the world. Thirty different nationalities are represented on the PGA Tour this season, including players from Chile, China, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand. And the European Tour is even more cosmopolitan,

with more than 40 different nationalities represented. Every continent except Antarctica has produced a major champion.

That’s 208 golfing countries.

Fans all around the world. And yet the game’s four showpiece events – the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and the Open – never step outside the USA and United Kingdom.

Something doesn’t seem right.

There is understandable concern among some of golf’s stakeholders that having threequarters of the majors in one country is unhealthy, especially given golf’s increasingly global audience. There were suggestions, around five years ago, that the PGA Championship should move overseas to give the event a boost while helping to fill that global void. The suggested date

of the move was 2020.

“I heard that the PGA Championship was looking to go global, which I think is a very positive step forward,” said Graeme McDowell at the time.

“I think to have three major championships in America, with the global nature of the game nowadays, is a little too heavyweighted. I think the PGA Championship going global is

“We are very grateful to Alastair for this generous gift.”

Martin Slumbers, chief executive, thanks Alastair Johnston for gifting the R&A his 30,000-strong golf book collection. It will form the world’s most comprehensive library of golf books, due to open in 2021.

Wolff eagled at greatthe forfinal thehole game of golf.” the 3M Open to Rory McIlroy was one of win by one shot. several high-profile players

canvassed by the PGA of America for his opinion on the proposal. “I have spoken to Ted Bishop [then president of the PGA of America] and Pete Bevacqua [then PGA of America chief executive] about this,” he said. “I would be all for it.

The US Open, The Open Championship and the Masters can’t really go elsewhere, but they are thinking of moving the PGA Championship around a little bit. I think it is a great thing for the growth of the game globally.”

Bevacqua, who left the PGA in 2018, had said: “When we sat down to map our strategic plan to service our members and grow the game, the question arose as to what impact it would have to take the PGA Championship to an international location once or twice a decade. Shame on us if we don’t consider it and go through the exercise.”

He later said that the idea had been shelved after a lack of support from association members.

“What a shame,” said Gary Player in response to that.

“What a lack of vision. Golf has never been more global. This could have been a gamechanger for the PGA. Pity.”

But perhaps moving an existing major overseas – even if it is the weakest one – is unnecessarily challenging and, actually, unnecessary. A better solution could be to add a brand new, fifth major. The question of whether golf should have a fifth major is not a new one, but has never been more pertinent.

Not only is golf more global than ever, the four existing majors are now more condensed than ever before.

The big four are packed into just 102 days, leaving a 263-day gulf with no Grade A event. This year, some of that downtime will be bolstered by the Olympics and the Ryder Cup. Next year it won’t. The four grand slams in tennis, in comparison, span 231 days from January to September, while visiting Australia, France, England and

10 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

1

23

Per cent of the world’s golf courses are in Europe.

208

40

Number of countries around the world in which golf is played.

Number of nationalities represented on the European Tour.

FIVE OPTIONS FOR A FIFTH MAJOR

1 EUROPE

2 INDIA

Europe has 23 per cent of the world’s golf courses, including some of its finest in Valderrama, Utrecht de Pan and Monte Rei, and has produced World No.1 golfers like Martin Kaymer, Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros.

The passionate European support seen at each Ryder Cup shows the appetite for top-tier golf is there, and many venues are tournament-ready.

With a booming economy and a population of 1.2 billion, India presents another significant growth opportunity for golf. Indian tour players including two-time European Tour winner Anirban Lahiri and Arjun Atwal, who has won three times on the European Tour and once on the PGA Tour, are regarded as heroes back home. A major championship here may be a challenge to organise in terms of security and infrastructure, but would create a raft of new golfers and fans.

“I want to thank the rest of the International Team for their contributions to the cause and I know all of Australia – and particularly the victims – will be very grateful.” Marc Leishman thanks the Internationals for donating $125,000 to the Australian bushfire relief efforts.

4 3 2

10

5

Per cent of Australia’s population play golf.

3 CHINA

4 JAPAN

5 AUSTRALIA

China has the world’s fastestgrowing economy and a rapidly growing passion for golf. With a population of 1.3 billion, a major championship here could give birth to a huge number of new golf fans. China is also home to the world’s largest golf club, Mission Hills. The 216-hole behemoth has 12 courses, including designs

by Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, David Duval, Jose Maria Olazabal and Jack Nicklaus. Although the irresistible Shanqin Bay might be a more enticing option.

The Land of the Rising Sun has the second highest number of golf courses in the world and more than the rest of Asia put together. Hideki Matsuyama and rising star Shugo Imahira would draw huge followings at a home major and with courses like Hirono, Kawana and Yokohama recently renovated

by Coore & Crenshaw with SubAir greens for perfect conditions year-round, there is plenty of choice when it comes to venues.

Golf is Australia’s number one sport, played by around 10 per cent of the population. A major in Australia would work well in December or January, breaking up the eight-and-ahalf-month major interlude, and there’s no shortage of fitting venues. Royal Melbourne garnered unreserved praise after the Presidents Cup, with Tiger calling it “the ultimate in golf, like an Open Championship course with Augusta greens.” Other ideal options include Kingston Heath, Barnbougle Dunes and Cape Wickham.

America. Surely golf only stands to benefit by adding a landmark event to its calendar? Not only would it break up the eight-anda-half-month period without any major golf, it could be hosted in a different country each year, helping to grow the game globally. This would enable golf to reach the millions of fans who are currently thousands of miles away from their nearest major.

It would mean major championship golf could be hosted on some of the truly majestic golf courses we have outside the United States and Great Britain.

The only barrier seems to be the suggestion that adding a fifth major would be messing with golf’s history. “I’m about upholding the traditions of the game,” said Trevor Immelman, when asked about The Players’ status as the fifth major. “As an aspiring young golfer, I knew that there were four tournaments by which the best players were measured.

I think using the term ‘fifth major’ is ridiculous. There is no such thing.”

But, if the game had refused to change solely for the sake of history in the past, the Masters wouldn’t be a major now. The original majors, lest we forget, were The Open Championship and the Amateur Championship, both in Britain, and the US Open and US Amateur Championship.

The four tournaments we now hold in higher regard than any other weren’t treated as such until the 1960s. Who’s to say that, 60 years from now, the idea of not having a fifth major won’t seem as strange as the idea of not having the Masters is now?

The ladies tour and the senior tour already have five majors each, so adding a fifth to the men’s game would hardly be an unprecedented move.

Traditions change. Sports evolve and grow. Golf is invariably one of the most resistant to change, but it typically gets there in the end.

An international major is starting to feel inevitable, now more a case of when and not if – it’s just a question of how long it takes to arrive.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 11

Riding on the cart, a guy was about three feet from Patrick and said: ‘You *cking suck.” I got off the cart and shoved him, said a couple of things, robably a few expletives.” Having been ejected from the Presidents Cup, Patrick Reed’s

addie, Kessler Karain, explains how he came to manhandle a spectator away from his brother-in-law boss.

THE NUMBER CRUNCHER

The key digits from a decade gone by.

84.6 1,08 463 %

Winning ratio for Team USA in the Presidents Cup since its inception in 1994. The Americans have lost once, tied once, and won 11, including the last eight in a row. #OneHorseRace

Cumulative total under pa for Matt Kuchar during th last decade, better than anyone else on the PGA Tour. #banker

THE NUMBER OF SHOTS HIT ON THE PGA TOUR DURING THE LAST DECADE – OR PUT ANOTHER WAY: 12,000,000. #CALCULATOR

2

Number of win for Rory McIlro between 2010 2019, more tha any other player. #underrated

12 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

Longest drive of the last decade, egistered by Dustin Johnson at the 011 Dell Technologies Championship.

Davis Love III’s 476 yards in 2004 still leads the way. #middled

The shot of the decade, as chosen by the PGA Tour, was Rory’s holed wedge on the 16th hole of the 2016 Tour Championship.

6 317 1

umber of major wins in the last decade for bee Park. In the men’s game, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy lead the way with four each. #dominant

Number of aces registered on the PGA Tour during the last 10 years. Shawn Stefan and Scott Brown contributed to that total with five each. #greedy

one player fied for the on-ending hampionship single year 2010-2019 Dustin on. #reliable

“I think I was overwhelmed. Maybe I could have prepared myself better for that moment, but I don’t know if there’s anything that could prepare you for that.”

In a BBC Ireland documentary, Rory recalls his highlight of 2019, the Open at Portrush.

FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS

Adam Scott

“The main motivation for me in 2020 is to win another major championship. That’s what drives me on” With a first title in almost four years at the end of 2019, Adam Scott enters the new year in a very upbeat mood. Given the choice though, he wants majors over medals.

1

Your victory in the Australian PGA Championship was your first win in almost four years. Did it cross your mind that you may never win again?

Yeah, it’s been a long time between drinks for me and mayb that thought cros fleeting thoughts very difficult to w this age thing no are really good a good golf a coup fell short. You kn I think the course are playing good really get you in, much sensationa and it’s getting h

2

You started rankings and it feel like it’s all Yeah, I think it do of only matter to tournaments. You necessarily motiv the number one p world as much as motivated to win major champions Getting to no.1 is long process but major can happe week, so that’s a more realistic aim for me now.

3

There’s a lon time betwee the Australian PG and the Masters April, but how m does a victory he you in preparing Augusta and doe change your who mindset?

Well, a win is alw big for the confid I mean, I’ve seen it’s done for me i

past [Scott won the Australian Masters in November 2012, following it up with Masters victory in April 2013]. If you win you feel like you’re just never going to lose again, so you want to run with it, which isn’t easy when it comes at the end of the year. There’s obviously a long way to go until the Masters, but it’s nice to have reassurance and the belief of winning. You want to be in

contention and you want to find out how you feel and how you respond when you are in that position, so that always helps.

If I happen to be in that position again at the Masters, be it this year or any other year, I can draw on what I learned and hopefully that will make me stronger.

4

How do you reflect now on the Presidents Cup? onest. And it still ure waking up Sunday ot going to be the result. we had done all week re wasn’t anything we had done for Sunday, we lost. It just felt like we rt in most matches. guys up early and that e long run. The guys who ie and we just didn’t get you know, it’s so se the guys did an in that position we were ne would have given us a 10-8 lead at the start of at the teams on paper. merican train gets strong. It’s got a lot of d if I’m rationalising it, that’s where we came ttle bit short on Sunday. ust didn’t quite have the th to match them. But e was a lot of good me out of it for our team d how we should ucture ourselves moving ward, so I’ll look forward hopefully having another ack and try and get it er the line this time.

The 2020 Olympic Games are now on orizon. Does that e you? ot sure it excites me as I’m just going to take me and see what ens. I mean, I’ve made r the Olympics is not my y, but I wouldn’t rule it would be nice to win a But it would be nice to other major first.

om | March 2020 Golf World 13

“Cheater!”

Patrick Reed’s attempted birdie putt on the third extra playoff hole at the Sentry Tournament of Champions draws a damning response from one spectator, a hangover from Reed’s rules incident at December’s Hero World Challenge.

GREAT ESCAPES

Enter sandman

IN A LAND FAR, FAR AWAY LIVES ONE OF THE GAME’S GREATEST EXPERIENCES.

Last December’s Presidents Cup served as a reminder of several things we already knew. That the USA will always be overpowered against the combined might of the International team. That try as he might, Ernie Els will forever have to play second fiddle to Tiger Woods, though clearly there’s no shame in that. And most crucially, that Melbourne is a land of very glorious golfing opportunity.

Royal Melbourne’s composite course stole many headlines during the Presidents Cup week. Despite boasting a stellar cast list, to many people the course was the star of the show, shining a light on a land often overlooked in golfing terms, largely on the grounds of it being so very far away. But in terms of essential experiences, Melbourne is nigh on peerless. To Royal Melbourne GC add near neighbours Kingston Heath, The Victoria, Yarra Yarra, the Metropolitan, Huntingdale, and the Commonwealth GC. A long week – at the very least – on Melbourne’s Australian mystical Sandbelt is a life-enriching ride for any golfer, a chance to test their game on the region’s very rich vein of sandy loam subsoil.

And while travelling to the other side of the world will feel like far enough without having to travel any further, any visitor to Melbourne now needs to add a 45-minute drive south to their itinerary. That added exertion will take you to the course shown here, Peninsula Kingswood, the amalgamation of Peninsula Country Golf Club and Kingswood GC recently renovated by Mike Clayton to bring it into line with some of Melbourne’s most revered courses. It offers just one more reason to pack your bags and head Down Under. Not that you really needed it. // www.peninsulakingswood.com.au

14 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

“We’re going to get to some hostile environments and he’s going to hear a lot more [like this], maybe even worse.”

Notah Begay warns Patrick Reed to buckle up for a rough season, particularly when the galleries get bigger and the alcohol flows more freely.

THE DETAILS The very definition of long-haul, you’re looking at a flight of around 24 hours from London to Melbourne, with a stop off in Hong Kong, Brunei or Dubai to break things up.

To stay central and enjoy the city, the Novotel, Pegasus Apart’Hotel and Atlantis are good options.

The Windsor and Langham are better but at a price. For convenience, stay in the five-star Sebel Melbourne Moorabbin to be in the heart of the Sandbelt courses.

Australia’s summer runs December to February and the temperature frequently soars past 30°C. It’s mostly dry. The average winter (JuneAugust) temperature is 14°C. Heavy rain is rare, though days are usually chilly and cloudy.

“It doesn’t feel the same as my right knee and it probably won’t for a while. But it feels stable, which all the way up to about a month-and-a-half ago, it just didn’t. ” World No.1 Brooks Koepka on the troublesome left knee that caused his three-month injury lay-off.

A SOLID START AT ADDRESS Grace’s swing shows hints of the fade to come as early as at address. While his set-up and posture are fairly standard, you can see glimpses of the back of his left forearm, which shows that his right arm is set a little too far forwards. Most tour players have a little more ‘fold’ in the right elbow.

WINNING SWING

Branden Grace WINNER OF THE 2020 SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN

16 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

A TOUCH STEEP Grace’s lack of body rotation is evident here.

In most good golf swings, the clubshaft bisect the right bicep –or thereabouts – when halfway back. But Grace’s clubshaft is significantly steeper.

South African Branden Grace’s golf swing isn’t as classically beautiful or as aesthetically pleasing and fluid as those of his compatriots Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel or Louis Oosthuizen, but it’s every bit as consistent, especially under pressure. Grace has literally lived on major championship leaderboards during the past five years, posting five Top 10 finishes in the game’s premier events since 2015. In his most recent win, the South African Open, Grace shot a scorching final round 62 to win his national championship on home soil. No surprise, then, to find that his swing technique is very solid.

“When considering change like that, I welcome it. I don’t want to be out there for six hours, nor does anybody, right.”

Slow play culprit Bryson DeChambeau says he “loves” the new pace of play regulations.

OPEN AT THE TOP

The beauty of playing with an ‘open’ face at the top is that it enables you to fully release the club in the downswing.

Grace can rotate his forearms as hard as he likes, knowing the end result will most likely be his trademark fade.

Problems only arise if he doesn’t fully commit to the shot.

STATS AT A GLANCE HOT

Grace’s backswing is a little unorthodox in that his arms disconnect from his chest a little following his takeaway, with the result that he ‘lifts’ the club to the top of the swing rather than allowing the coiling momentum of his upper body to get him there. The result is a rather steep arm swing, where his hands are high and ‘inside’ his right shoulder. Look closely also at the clubface angle and you’ll see that it’s very open (toe pointing downwards). While not ideal, it means he can aggressively release the club in the downswing without fear of dragging the ball left. In fact, Grace’s trademark shot is a gentle fade.

PUTTING (3FT): 100% (1st) SCRAMBLING: 75% (9th) GREENS IN REG: 76% (16th)

COLD

Excessive arm lift during the backswing is often synonymous with an excessively open clubface at the top.

Unless Grace aggressively releases the clubface in the downswing, the face will return to impact open, causing him to leak shots right.

FREE RELEASE

DRIVING DIST: 310 yards (22nd) DRIVING ACC: 65% (81st) STROKE AVG: 72.014 (189th)

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 17

“The main thing for me is to make that Ryder Cup team, and I’ve kind of set my schedule out, I’ve set everything out to do that.”

Open champion Shane Lowry is targeting a place in Padraig Harrington’s team at Whistling Straits.

ARCCOS AS STANDARD

IRON LAUNCH

Stealth Bomber

EXPECT TOWERING BALL FLIGHTS FROM PING’S NEW BLACK, FAST-FACED G710 IRON.

Ping collaborated with shot tracker Arccos last year, but until now the smart grips were an optional extra. The G710 has them as standard.

Arcoss say their system enables golfers to improve 47 times faster.

TUNING THE SOUND

Back in 2018, when most brands were using hollow body technology to create fast-faced players’ distance irons, Ping were pitching their new G700 at the opposite end of the spectrum. Ping’s first hollow body iron was an attractive, fast and forgiving super game-improver iron that consistently ranked among the longest and most powerful irons we tested during the past two years – so it’s no surprise it sold exceptionally well. Thanks to a stainless steel body and C300 face material, Ping’s new stealth-like G710 iron flexes like a metalwood. That means it’s longer and more forgiving. Not only that, it sounds better, too.

Eliminating undesirable frequencies that are felt by the hands and heard by the ears is a big challenge with hollow irons. However, Ping say a new epoxy behind the G710 face creates a more pleasing impact sound and feel.

STEALTHY FINISH A hydropearl and black PVD finish creates a stealth-like appearance that gives the perception of a smaller, more compact head. The material isn’t just cosmetic, either. It repels water and improves performance from wet turf.

ALLBASES COVERED Ping’s 2020 iron line-up offers something for everyone – from elite players to highhandicappers.

Ping Blue Print £219 PER IRON A compact tour blade.

Shorter blade lengths, less offset and narrow sole widths give elite ball strikers extra precision and control on approaches.

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Ping i210

£126 PER IRON A brilliant players’ iron that, thanks to extra elastomer in the cavity, even tour pros can’t tell isn’t forged.

Ping’s most popular iron on tour.

Ping i500

£149 PER IRON A hollow body players’ distance iron. Combines the looks of a players’ model with the speed and towering trajectory expected of a game improver design.

Ping G410

£126 PER IRON Ping’s game-improver iron has a smaller, more compact head than previous “Gs”, but forgiveness is increased by 8 per cent. Likely to be updated later in 2020.

“If you’re not having the best day it’s alright, because I’ve got my family and I know that I can have another crack tomorrow.”

Becoming a father for the first time has given Andrew “Beef” Johnston a new outlook.

NEW GOLF BALLS

Spheres of Influence

FOUR NEW BALLS PROMISING YOU MORE DISTANCE, CONTROL AND SPIN IN 2020

HIGHER MOI MOI and forgiveness are vital stats when designing super game-improving irons.

Ping say the G710’s tungsten toe and shaft weights make the new model 5 per cent more forgiving. Mid to high-handicap golfers and slower swing speed players can expect extra help launching shots for more distance and better accuracy.

Ping G710

£169 PER IRON This powerful and forgiving super gameimproving design really doesn’t look like a traditional mid-higher handicap iron. Expect towering ball flights.

CALLAWAY CHROME SOFT / CHROME SOFT X Larger cores and mantles for more distance and spin.

SRIXON Q-STAR TOUR A name change for popular AD333 Tour.

Early in 2019 Callaway found themselves embroiled in a production controversy amid claims that the cores in some of their Chrome Soft balls were misaligned, leading to inaccuracy even on perfect shots. Following a $50 million investment in their ball factory, every Chrome Soft now produced is three-dimensionally scanned to ensure every core is centred, and mantle layers and covers are a consistent thickness.

Srixon’s AD333 Tour ball was launched in 2014 on the back of their super successful AD333 marquee ball. AD333 Tour combined wood and iron distance with excellent wedge spin and a soft feel at moderate swing speeds. In 2017, Srixon introduced a new ball to the USA. Because AD333 Tour wasn’t in the range, Srixon called it ‘Q-Star Tour’. So with Srixon soon to reveal a third generation Q-Star ball, it’s the perfect time to bring Europe and America in line. If you’re an AD333 Tour fan, look for Srixon Q-Star.

£39.99

£34.99

TAYLORMADE TOUR RESPONSE

WILSON DUO SOFT+

The only 100 per cent urethane covered golf ball for under £40.

A soft and long game-improver ball that’s incredible value.

Six of the current top 11 players in the world now use TaylorMade’s incredibly successful TP5 and TP5x golf balls. Now, the company’s golf ball engineers are turning their attention to you – the club golfer. TaylorMade claim that Tour Response is the only golf ball on the market with a 100 per cent urethane cover to sell at less than £40 a dozen. The company also say that, in the hands of club golfers, they’re targeting the Titleist Pro V1 and Callaway Chrome Soft user.

Wilson want to lead the low compression golf ball debate in 2020, so the company recently set themselves the target of developing the world’s softest golf ball.

But the goal was not only to make it the softest in the category, but also the longest and straightest. The Duo Soft+ replaces the popular DX2 Soft ball that found its way into many good players’ bags. Wilson say that, thanks to a new core, it has added 1.5mph of ball speed plus six yards of extra carry distance.

£40

£19.99

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s there a bigger dick in the world? Own your stuff. ways excuses. Just say you cheated and you got beat.”

Twitter, Chris DiMarco offers his thoughts on the Patrick Reed conversation.

TRIBUTE

The passing of Picasso

LAST MONTH SAW THE PASSING OF PETE DYE AT THE AGE OF 94, ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST PROLIFIC AND FEARLESS GOLF COURSE CREATORS. An architect almost by accident, Pete Dye forged his reputation creating layouts that merged a fearless imagination with an unforgiving nature. Unlike most, he worked without plans, relying on his instincts to create courses built on strategy rather than power. Likened to Picasso for his fearlessly non-conformist approach, he created more than 100 courses, including TPC Sawgrass, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2013 he told Golf World the lessons that shaped him.

Bay, Murcar and Royal Aberdeen.

I joined the US military in 1944 and ended up in the parachute infantry in a rookie outfit called the 13th Airborne. I didn’t really do anything except jump, so when the war was over in August I still had six months to serve. I was back at Fort Bragg when the captain asked if anyone knew anything about golf – I put my hand up. I ended up being the greenkeeper at the course! The captain used to pick me up every day and we’d go

me he was going to cut those crowns off! He died in 1948 so those crowns were never taken off. The owner told me he was going to take those crowns off, then he sold it, so those crowns have never been taken off... and those ‘dome’ greens have been copied everywhere since then.

When myself and my wife Alice moved down to Indianapolis in 1950 I was made greenkeeper at the country club there. I worked as an insurance salesman, but was also doing

he hired me to build the university course (Radrick Farms GC). I’ve dug dirt ever since.

Sawgrass was a swamp when I got there. But when you play the golf course and look at the tree line you can see that none of the fairways have been raised. Somehow by luck I managed to do that, I think by using pumps and drains. You know, the lake on 18 where all that water is pumped to is six feet below sea level. So I had to do a lot of digging and when I

‘DYE FORGED HIS REPUTATION CREATING LAYOUTS THAT MERGED A FEARLESS IMAGINATION WITH AN OFTEN UNFORGIVING NATURE’ My father was in real estate and he became an avid golfer. My mother’s family had a lot of old farmland around Urbana and went out and built nine holes along with a group of people.

It’s still there... and my youngest son, PB, added another nine holes 70 years later.

I qualified for the US Open in 1957 at Inverness, in Ohio. I remember I found my locker and it was next to Ben Hogan’s. I thought “my gosh, what a thrill”.

Then it turned out he couldn’t raise his arms above his chest and wasn’t able to play, so that was one experience I missed out on. It was a real shame. I missed the cut after a second-round 77, but I was in good company; I shot the same score as Arnold Palmer and was eight shots better than Jack Nicklaus.

and play at Pinehurst. So I got to know Donald Ross, who also built the course at Fort Bragg.

Pinehurst stayed open during the Second World War and they planted Bermuda grass on the greens instead of oiled sand.

Everyone was used to playing sand greens in that part of the world so they kept top dressing it to keep them smooth. As a result, they raised those greens about 12 to 16 inches. Mr Ross kept telling

I qualified for your Amateur Championship in 1963 and ’73 too, both at St Andrews. I used to go over early and play courses that people in America will never have heard of. I remember going all the way up north to Aberdeen and playing Cruden

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It’s 5,000sq ft, but TPC Sawgrass’ 17th green proves a tough target at The Players.

agronomy courses – which I never passed – whenever I could. Then a farmer asked me to build him a nine-hole course.

We thought we’d built Oakmont!

Dr Harland Hatcher, president of the University of Michigan – which has 30,000 students – was driving past one day and he played it. He must’ve had the round of his life because he called me and, even though I told him I didn’t know how to draw plans or anything technical,

got to 17 I found sand. I dug it all out to put it on the fairways and then had a huge hole left and no place to put a par 3. I said to Alice: “What am I going to do now?” She said: “Why not make it an island green?”

The club pro at TPC took 100 balls to the 17th at Sawgrass and hit 100 on the green. I don’t know why when they put that tournament there with all that money to play for, those guys make the worst swings all year.

It’s only 130 yards and it’s not a small green. It’s 5,000sqft.

Golf can be more than just the game. I went to the Dominican Republic, where they wanted me to build a course in the capital – but I didn’t like the land. They told me they owned 550,000 acres in the east. I said: “There must be a course out there somewhere.” So I found a spot, but there wasn’t a road within 35 miles. Well, I built the Teeth of the Dog and now they have 90 holes there. Best of all, 50,000 people work there. It’s not often you can create jobs for 50,000 people.

“It is a great honour, not just for me, but also for the team and for women’s golf as well. My mum and my two daughters are already planning their trip to Buckingham Palace.”

Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew receives an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

‘THE 17TH AT SAWGRASS WAS AN ACCIDENT. MY WIFE SUGGESTED I SURROUND THE GREEN WITH WATER AND MAKE IT AN ISLAND’

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“There was a moment when I would look at a golf ball and I was just terrified because I knew what it was going to feel like. The memory of it is getting less and less.”

The mental and physical pain of hand and wrist injuries had begun to take its toll on Michelle Wie.

THE FLASHBACK

KEY MOMENTS FROM THIS MONTH IN GOLF. FEBRUARY 2, 1949 A near-fatal car crash leaves 36-year-old Ben Hogan, a man who won 10 tournaments in 1948, in hospital with career-threatening injuries. The car Hogan and his wife Valerie are travelling in is hit head-on by a Greyhound bus while crossing a fogshrouded bridge in Van Horn, Texas.

Hogan throws himself across his wife to protect her, an act that likely saves his own life as the steering column punctures his driver’s seat. Valerie escapes unharmed, but Hogan is left with a shattered left collarbone, a double ring fracture of the pelvis, a broken left ankle, a broken rib and several deep cuts around his left eye. Doctors warn he may never walk again, let alone play golf. Hogan defies the prognosis by leaving the hospital 59 days after the accident and making the play-off in his comeback event just 11 months later. He goes on to win the 1950 US Open in what is dubbed the ‘Miracle at Merion’.

February 9, 1834 St Andrews Club is christened the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, with King William IV as patron.

February 10, 1951 Al Brosch shoots the PGA Tour’s first-ever round of 60, during the third round of the Texas Open at Brackenridge Park, San Antonio.

February 7, 1962 Sam Snead becomes the first and only man to win an LPGA Tour event, winning the Royal Poinciana Invitational at the second time of asking. The 72-hole, two-day tournament took place at Palm Beach Golf Club in Florida, on a par-3 course. Snead, playing under a special invitation, finished third in 1961 but triumphed a year later, posting a five-under total to beat Mickey Wright by five shots.

February 6, 1970 Arnold Palmer is named Athlete of the Decade by the Associated Press.

Subsequent winners include ice hockey legend and Dustin Johnson’s future father-in-law Wayne Gretzky, and Tiger Woods.

February 6, 1971 American astronaut Alan Shepard hits the first ever golf shot on the moon, using a club and balls he’d hidden inside his spacesuit prior to the launch of Apollo 14.

Shepard said his first shot was a shank, but the second flew for “miles and miles and miles”.

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“It’s debt that didn’t need to be sitting there, burdening people.”

Dottie Pepper gives back by paying off the school lunch debt of more than 50 students at her former elementary school in Wilton, New York.

NAME TO KNOW Takumi Kanaya

The 21-year-old Japanese star boasts an amateur career to rival any of today’s star players, has tasted professional success before he even turns pro and already challenged for major championships. So here are five things you need to know about the hottest young star of 2020.

HE’S ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THIS YEAR’S OPEN Kanaya’s T3 at the Australian Open secured his spot at this year’s Open in what will be his third appearance in a major. He qualified for the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, where he missed the cut by one shot, and finished T58 at the Masters the same year.

HE’S OVERTAKEN SOME BIG NAMES Not only is he the highest ranked amateur in the world rankings at 216, Kanaya’s performances in professional events place him ahead of major champions Jimmy Walker, Charl Schwartzel and Jason Dufner, and only just behind 2015 Open champion Zach Johnson. Expect him to turn pro after this year’s Open, when he’ll have graduated from university.

1

HE’S THE WORLD NUMBER ONE AMATEUR Holding that spot means he’s following in the footsteps of Rory, Rickie Fowler, Danny Willett, Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth, not to mention compatriot Hideki Matsuyama, who attended the same university (Tohoku Fukushi) that Kanaya will graduate from this year.

2

HE’S ALREADY WON A PROFESSIONAL EVENT Kanaya took the spoils at the Japan Tour’s Taiheiyo Masters last November thanks to weekend rounds of 63 and 65 for a one-shot victory. The win made him the first amateur winner on the Japan Tour since Matsuyama in 2011. In his next start, Kanaya finished T3 at the Australian Open, just behind Louis Oosthuizen.

4

5

HE LED LAST YEAR’S MASTERS

Kanaya secured his 2019 Masters invite by winning the 2018 Asia-Pacific Championship and started birdie-birdie at Augusta, placing him briefly at the top of the leaderboard and going on to become one of four amateurs to make the cut. A final round 78 saw him cede low amateur honours to Viktor Hovland, but nothing could detract from a stunning 68 on the Saturday, including six birdies. Only seven players bettered him that day, proving he has what it takes to compete with the best players in the world.

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“These pampered f*cks need to play... two more holes and we can get a Mai Tai.” Patrick Cantlay’s conversation with his caddie at the Tournament of Champions is picked up by a Golf Channel microphone.

MUST PLAY TOP 100

Madrid

WHERE TO PLAY, STAY AND MAKE HAY IN SPAIN’S BEGUILING CAPITAL CITY. Often overlooked in favour of the more guaranteed sunshine further south, to bypass Spain’s most populous city when planning your next golf escape is a grave mistake.

Spain’s capital has a pull like few other cities on Earth, a sprawling golden metropolis that combines world-renowned architecture and landmarks with glorious gastronomy on an epic scale.

Stir copious amounts of golf into the mix and complement it with accommodation ranging from budget to eyewateringly opulent and you have all the pieces in place for a spectacular escape, be it for a long weekend, a leisurely week or as long as you can get away with.

The bare essentials you’ll need for an unforgettable escape are as follows.

5

2

THE A-LIST OPTIONS Madrid is home to a dozen or so exceptional courses, two of which are strong enough to grace our most recent Top 100 Europe list.

The finest is Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro (1), six miles north of the city centre. Formed in 1904 and considered one of the country’s most venerable golfing institutions, its name translating as ‘Royal Club of the Iron Gate’. It’s home to both the Abajo and Arriba courses, the latter being ranked number 25 in our list of Europe’s 100 greatest courses. ‘El de Arriba’ (‘the upper’) was laid out by Tom Simpson and modified first by Harry Colt and more recently by Kyle Phillips at the start of the new millennium. The results are as high calibre as that makes it sound. Alas, this is a very private club and your

6

3

1 4

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MA

DR ID

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only hope of getting on is at the invitation of a member, so brush up on your Spanish and look approachable.

Golf Santander (2) is far less historic but a far more likely option. It lies just 15 miles west of the city centre and was laid out by a Spaniard named Seve, with assistance from Rees Jones.

Between them, they transformed a rubbish dump into a very long and testing affair that demands you keep it on the straight and narrow. We ranked it the 65th best course in Europe in our most recent Top 100. Unless you can get on Puerta de Hierro, you should rank Santander your top priority.

FIVE ALTERNATIVES Though none of the following suggestions graced our most recent Top 100 Europe ranking, Madrid is not lacking in excellent golf alternatives. Several of them are private clubs you’ll only get on if invited by a member, but most are open to all if planned in advance.

Perhaps the best of these is Golf La Moraleja (3), a 30-minute drive north of the city centre. It’s home to four courses, two of them laid out by Jack Nicklaus and if you can get on, do get on.

The closest club to the city centre is Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (4) (pictured right) five miles north-west of the city centre and open to all.

Other excellent alternatives – in order of proximity – include Centro Nacional de Golf (5) (7 miles), La Moraleja Golf (6) (16 miles) and Club De Golf LomasBosque (7) (15 miles).

“Yeah, I think I got gusted, honestly.”

At a wind-swept Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, Xander Schauffele adds to golf’s ever growing lexicon. This after Patrick Reed complained that having had two putts to win, “one of them got gusted on”. It’s a thing, then.

‘THOUGH OFTEN OVERLOOKED BY GOLFERS CHASING SPAIN’S SUN, MADRID IS HOME TO A DOZEN OR SO EXCEPTIONAL COURSES, WITH TWO STAND-OUTS’

WHERE TO STAY

Gran Via is the main tourist and shopping artery and boasts numerous grand old hotels that will pamper your aching limbs and put you right in the heart of Madrid. Dear Hotel is one excellent choice of many.

WHEN TO GO

Like so many southern European cities, avoid the height of summer with its heat and price hikes that reflect the tourist feet on the street. March to May and September to November are cooler and offer better value.

WHAT TO SEE & DO

In a city of too many options, the Museo del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza are three world-class museums worthy.

Palacio Real is a must-see, El Retiro park is the key green space and a tour of Real Madrid’s silver-laden Santiago Bernabeu is time very well spent.

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“Tiger was taught to play with the old equipment so he could play more shots. He takes what he learned and still uses that with the modern equipment, which makes the game really easy for him.”

Jack Nicklaus on Tiger Woods’ great equipment advantage.

MY TAKE Reed is wrong and mud sticks

NEVER THE MOST POPULAR PLAYER, PATRICK REED’S RECENT INDISCRETIONS ARE DRAGGING GOLF’S NAME THROUGH THE MUD, SAYS BRIAN WACKER. Hanging out at a PGA Tour driving range at a recent tournament, I came away with two unequivocal thoughts that relate to Patrick Reed: That nearly every player I spoke with thought his recent bunker-gate in the Bahamas was at minimum a bad look and at worst outright cheating done with the intent of catch-me-if-you-can nonchalance, and that the cloud of controversy hovering over Reed after this latest incident isn’t going away anytime soon.

On the latter point, if Reed is

getting heckled in the most mild if not one of the happiest places on the planet — Maui — what will happen when he gets to New York or elsewhere on tour?

While Reed said he didn’t hear the full-throated shout of “Cheater!” after he stroked his eight-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a play-off at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in last month, he has surely heard about it by now.

The ugliest word in golf, related to an obvious rules violation at the Hero World Challenge last

26 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

December, it became further amplified by his astonishing explanation in the immediate aftermath, the blaming of a bad camera angle and the insistence that he was getting a raw deal in the court of public opinion.

Inbetween, there was also Reed’s shovelling antics at Royal Melbourne during the Presidents Cup, a move done in response to more heckling by the Aussies rooting for the home team.

Never mind the altercation that his caddie, Kessler Karain, got into with an over-served fan

during Saturday’s play that resulted in the looper being instructed not to come to the course on Sunday or else Reed would be disqualified from his singles match.

The US won that competition, and Reed his singles match, but Captain America, as he is known, is losing this battle.

“It’s definitely going to follow him and make it difficult for him,” said one of the most level-headed voices in golf, Graeme McDowell, when I asked him about it. “When he gets to

“When I stop hitting bombs I’ll play the Champions Tour. But I’m hitting some crazy bombs right now.”

Phil Mickelson is now 50 and could be playing Champions Tour golf.

But don’t expect to see him there anytime soon.

THE RULES REFRESHER Rule 9.4b PENALTY FOR LIFTING OR DELIBERATELY TOUCHING BALL OR CAUSING IT TO MOVE

We were all brought up knowing that if you cause your ball to move in any way when not actually hitting your shot then you get a one-stroke penalty, even if it was completely accidental. But several high-profile controversies around this rule caused it to be relaxed at the start of 2019 and there are now four exceptions when you wouldn’t receive a penalty – all of which it pays to know.

the west coast and Florida, people aren’t going to forget about this.”

While McDowell conceded that he does feel some sympathy for Reed, most players seem to be in agreement that the 29-year-old has brought this storm on himself.

Not that it makes it right or OK for loudmouths to say whatever they want, but there is an underlying point that is indisputable: Reed has a history of controversies (see: Ryder Cup, 2018; use of an anti-gay slur toward himself in Shanghai in 2014; allegations of having cheated and stolen from teammates during his collegiate days) and that has now opened the gates.

Things have grown worse in recent days because there has also been no accounting of what Reed did and why it was so offensive. Silence by those in charge is akin to saying nothing to see here!

If there is a positive for Reed, it’s that this year’s Ryder Cup is on home soil, where the crowds will be highly partisan.

He also seems to roll around in the mud quite well.

The day after bunker-gate, he shot 66 to finish two strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson at the Hero.

The reality, though, is that things are going to get worse before they get better. That’s bad for Reed, and for golf.

With thanks to PGA Fellow Professional and Lead Tournament Director for PGA EuroPro Tour, Ashley Weller.

‘IF PATRICK REED IS GETTING HECKLED IN MAUI, ONE OF THE HAPPIEST PLACES ON EARTH, JUST WAIT UNTIL HE ROLLS UP IN NEW YORK’ 1. When you accidentally cause the ball to move while trying to find or identify it (Rule 7.4).

2. When you accidentally cause the ball to move on the putting green (Rule 13.1d) no matter how that happens.

3. Accidental movement anywhere except on the putting green while applying

a rule – e.g. swinging a club to see if there is interference from an immovable obstruction.

4. When you lift the ball or cause it to move under a rule that: (a) allows the ball to be lifted and then replaced on its original spot, (b) requires a moved ball to be replaced on its original spot, or (c)

requires or allows the player to drop or place a ball again or to play a ball from a different place.

In all these situations it’s vital that you remember to replace the ball to its original spot before it moved, otherwise you would incur a penalty for playing from the wrong place.

GW VERDICT: The new rule is a much more common sense interpretation of the original ruling, so you aren’t being punished when there’s no intent to gain any advantage. Knowing when you can simply replace your ball to its original position after accidentally moving it without a penalty will help you stay within the rules and save shots.

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TALKING POINTS

Dialogue @GolfWorld1 www.facebook.com/golfworld1 golfworldmag golf.world@bauermedia.co.uk Golf World, Media House, Peterborough, PE2 6EA

PRIZE LETTER

STONE THROWING

Much has been written and spoken in recent weeks over the appearance of certain players at the Saudi International. Most views tends to be arguing that the players – among them Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia – should put morals before money and refuse to play.

I take a differing view and would argue that as sportsmen, they have no moral obligation to take a stand against any particular host nation.

They are sportsmen not politicians.

They are their to entertain us, not guide us morally through the political minefield.

They have a right to ply their trade and earn their salaries wherever they see fit and without our collective moral outrage.

If anyone is to blame in all of this it is the European Tour, who are perhaps guilty of taking their tournament to a country with a questionable human rights issue and

REED ALL ABOUT IT Controversy seems to follow Patrick Reed at every turn. His latest incident involving the ‘unintentional’ improvement in the lie of his ball in a sandy waste area in the Hero Challenge in the Bahamas has again left a bitter taste for his fellow competitors and spectators alike.

It surely amounts to nothing more than

cheating and when he got caught he could not even manage to simply acknowledge that he had made a mistake and accept the outcome with good grace. Instead, a string of surprisingly defensive but nonetheless lame excuses followed.

It’s hardly surprising events got a little heated during the Presidents Cup in Australia, culminating

in his caddie being banned by the PGA for ‘shoving’ someone after a verbal altercation.

Golf needs all the publicity and column inches it can muster at a time when participation is declining and many clubs are struggling, but I’m afraid it could do without this type of negative attention.

Mark Robinson, Lisburn

WE ASK, YOU ANSWER After the success of Royal Melbourne hosting the Presidents Cup, how would you feel about a major going Down Under – be it a fifth major or a travelling PGA Championship?

ABSOLUTELY, GROW THE GAME 72.4%

Send us your views and you could win a Motocaddy AquaFLEX bag Motocaddy’s versatile AquaFLEX stand bag is 100 percent waterproof and superlightweight, offering golfers the ultimate flexibility when deciding whether to carry or fit onto a Motocaddy electric or push trolley.

A few of the standout features include a fully adjustable and quick-release dual carry strap, rear stand lock, five spacious pockets, EASILOCK™ compatibility and ‘Smart Fit’ swivel buckle. www.motocaddy.com

28 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

MAJOR CHANGES? NO THANKS, IT WORKS FINE 27.6%

We Ask, You AnsWer

Olympics aside, for the first time since 1955 there will be no live golf on terrestrial television.

How do you feel about this?

DISGUSTED 65.4%

DON’T CARE EITHER WAY 13.6%

tv blackout NOT CONCERNED, I’ll PAY 21%

PATRIOTIC POSTURING

players to dare get on the wrong side of them and I think they’re as likely to make any meaningful change on slow play as they are on the issue of distance destroying the game – which is another subject for another time.

Even if the PGA Tour does move to address the problem, wouldn’t it be nice to feel they were doing so for the good of the game, not because they’ve been backed into a corner and have no choice.

I’d love to write an outraged email arguing against your suggestion that the USA will win this year’s Ryder Cup (February issue), pointing out that Europe have won nine of the last tournaments, have won on US soil as recently as 2012 and have the ability to win when the odds are against them. Sadly, I can’t. Nor, I doubt, could any rightthinking European fan.

The Ryder Cup has become so heavily balanced in favour of the home team these days that I very much doubt we’ll see another away victory any time soon. Add into the equation a frenzied home support containing a drunken, abusive minority who will poison the atmosphere and make life miserable for the many rookies we’re likely to send over, and it’s impossible to predict anything other than a US victory.

Indeed, the situation seems to have escalated so quickly and to such an alarming degree that it would be a result if our European team escape unscathed and in one piece from Whistling Straits.

I really do hope I am wrong.

Jim Daniels, Woking

Chris Etheridge, Email

Bryson DeChambeau: fully behind the PGA Tour’s war on slow play.

then leaving their members to face the criticism alone.

If any blame is to be thrown, throw it their way and spare the players.

Keith O’Neill, Bolsover

NOT SO FAST

Question Number 15 in your 20 Questions for 2020 feature last month was well meaning but rather pointless.

‘Will The Main Tours Finally Make A Stand On Slow Play?’, you asked, and then wasted a whole page explaining why you thought they would.

The likely and depressing truth of the matter, as we all know from experience, is that the PGA Tour in particular will make all the right noises but fail to follow through properly or effectively.

The European Tour is certainly dealing with the issue more seriously and should be applauded for that, but the PGA is dragging its heels in such a way that you have to wonder if anything will ever change.

The PGA Tour seems too fearful of its

FOR THE MAJORITY

I read with interest the article in the January 2020 issue about ‘The advent of the hybrid-iron’, detailing the soon to be released Cobra T-Rail, Wilson Launch Pad and Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo.

I did look at similar clubs made by Adams some years ago but never took the plunge. However, having read your piece thoroughly and spent the last few weeks looking at both written and video reviews, it appears that most reviewers are making

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Dialogue will take any help they can get, so why not us amateurs?

Keith Jackson, Email

REWRITING HISTORY

So Marc Leishman won the US Open at Winged Foot in 2006 (February issue, page 41). Please don’t tell my bookmaker or he might want me to give back the £200 I won on Geoff Ogilvy!!

Trevor Gray, Email

LIMIT THE LOLLY

Geoff Ogilvy, winner of the 2006 US Open.

Apologies Geoff – and Trevor.

YOUR VIEWS Which of golf’s biggest events are you most looking forward to in 2020 – The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, The Open, The Olympics – and why? @17CGB The Open and the Masters.

The Olympics is a joke. @derekdavidson34 The Open – the greatest championship in world golf. @terryb318 1. The Open. 2. The Masters. 3. The Ryder Cup. 4. The rest. @tiggermethis The Olympic Golf – got to be special at four-year interval #goRosey @austinjames71 The Open, The Masters, The Ryder Cup. The rest don’t matter. @DavidKeywood All of them.

30 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

the point that the majority of golfers wouldn’t put any of these new clubs in their bags due to the look of the club behind the ball and the stigma attached to clubs that have been around in previous years of a similar nature.

I cannot understand this attitude as nearly all reviews have stated that they are aimed at helping higher handicap golfers due to the ease in both hitting and launching the ball. It would seem that distance with these clubs is not compromised either. Why do these reviews think that you need to play with blades or using the clubs played by professionals?

We have to remember that most amateurs will never be able to hit the ball as consistently as a pro and that any help the club manufacturers offer us should be taken without hesitation. This also applies to golf balls, but that is another story.

I’m a golfer of many years in my early sixties currently playing off a ninehandicap, and if I can find anyway of helping improve my golf then I will take it as this usually means that as well as improving my scores I am more than likely going to get more enjoyment.

So don’t be embarrassed or made to feel in any way inferior. The professionals

Nick Wright’s article on the likelihood of a world tour in golf (January issue) highlighted the world’s fixture problems, which now seem to be resolved. What concerns me now though is the issue of appearance money, especially the exorbitant figures being asked.

Tiger Woods no doubt receives prodigious sums, but what guidelines are there for other top players, as sponsors are often in a quandary over how much money is required to guarantee a particular player.

There should be a set structure for appearance money payments, rather than players or their managers haggling for the best possible deal. From an agreed top figure there should be a sliding scale linked to the player’s position in the world rankings.

A table for appearance money should be devised by the European Tour, to apply all season, and reviewed at the end of the year.

Chris Robinson, Gosforth

WE ASK, YOU ANSWER If you could pick one of these so far majorless Brits to finally break their duck in 2020, who would it be?

PAUL CASEY 6%

IAN POULTER 16%

BREAKING THROUGH TOMMY FLEETWOOD 52%

LEE WESTWOOD 26%

GolfWorld reserves the right to edit all letters submitted to Dialogue for style and length purposes.

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Grea Escapes Our recent Golf World Top 100 research has taken us the length and breadth of the British Isles and Continental Europe to North Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the fringes of the Far East. In our annual round-up of the best places to play in the coming year, we highlight the standout courses that captivated us most during our travels.

The new Courses Our pick Of the best debutants frOm the last cOuple Of years

michlifen

ifrane, Morocco Tucked away high in the Middle Atlas mountain range, far, far away from the scorched desert terrain and bustling souks of the south lies Ifrane. Here, in this peaceful village – often referred to as “Little Switzerland” due to its Alpine architecture – you will find lush forests, dramatic rocky outcrops, beautiful vistas and very agreeable golfing temperatures for most of the year. It is also home to a new Jack Nicklaus signature design golf course – Michlifen.

“The site is one of the most scenic you will find for a golf experience,” said the 18-time major winner. “I do not single out holes, and I certainly don’t believe in a signature hole when I have been given the mandate to create 18 equally spectacular holes. But when assessing the breathtaking views at Michlifen, they are truly taken into full breadth at holes 9, 17 and 18.”

While that trio of holes do indeed offer some incredible views out over mountain ranges laced with evergreen cedar forests, it is the balance, quality, subtlety and technical excellence that set Michlifen apart.

The course constantly changes character, traversing open areas and craggy outcrops, through forests and alongside clifftops.

With steep elevation changes, ravines and outcrops to navigate, Michlifen forces you to strategise and make decisions. It gives you the chance to hit great shots without being overly punitive. However, the deep, distant mountain backdrops combined with the thin air can at times make depth perception and club selection tricky.

While all 18 holes live long in the memory, Jack saved the very best until last. One of the most spectacular finishing holes you may ever play, the fairway is bordered by a cliff along its left and tall, dense trees along the right. The second shot is semi-blind to a green that scatters in every direction. It’s a beautiful yet dangerous finish – a worthy exclamation mark on a wonderful layout.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 35

Dubai hills

jumeirah, Dubai Dubai’s usual modus operandi when creating anything new is to follow the Las Vegas mantra of building it bigger and bolder, but Emaar, one of the region’s largest property developers, opted not to follow that route when creating Dubai Hills. Having said that, European Golf Design’s brief was to take the best features of Emaar’s two other golf properties – Arabian Ranches and The Montgomerie – and add an extra ‘wow’ factor. A million cubic metres of desert earth was moved to create amphitheatre-like fairways while six lakes were built to add visual impact. Playing against the cityscape of downtown Dubai and with the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, occasionally used as a sightline, Dubai Hills’ sprawling fairways make it less intimidating than some of the region’s best-known courses but sprawling greens and 83 bunkers form a rigid defence. There are many risk-reward holes and a couple of drivable par 4s. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable and fun test of golf.

Dumbarnie Links fife, scotlanD

Located close enough to St Andrews to create plenty of buzz and media attention, as well as set mammoth expectations, Dumbarnie is an upscale pay-and-play course that overlooks the St Andrews Bay and the Forth of Firth. Designed by Clive Clark, it is flanked by almost two miles of spellbinding sea frontage with no fewer than 14 holes offering direct sea vistas. Set amid Scotland’s vast Balcarres Estate, the course doesn’t sit on true links land per se, but it pays enough of a homage to its elder neighbours to slot into the Home of Golf portfolio and that of the surrounding region without raising any sceptical eyebrows. We played the course ahead of its May opening and can confirm that the views are simply breathtaking. It’s great fun, with a sprinkling of driveable par 4s and some risk-reward holes with split fairways, including one with a 200-year old wall running along its spine. It’s as visually impressive as Trump International but with sea views on every hole.

6 New CourSeS you ShouLD exPLore

1 Big Cedar Lodge (Payne’s Valley), Missouri

Nestled into the majestic Ozark Mountains, close to the Big Cedar Lodge, Payne’s Valley is Tiger Woods’ first public golf course design. Its sprawling fairways are flanked by only light rough and play alongside and through bold mountain ridges, sweeping values, streams and mature trees.

Expected to open in May.

36 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

2 Desert Mountain (No.7), Scottsdale, Arizona

This high-end community in the Scottsdale hills, already blessed with six top quality courses, welcomes its first short course in late March. The par 54 is Desert Mountain’s first non-Jack Nicklaus design. Club members Bill Brownlee and Wendell Pickett designed the course that will also serve as an expanded practice area.

3 Torvean (King’s), Inverness, Scotland

Inverness has emerged as a serious rival to the likes of St Andrews in recent years, with the arrival of several new courses and the revival of old links favourites like Nairn and Royal Dornoch. Torvean is further inland, but its new King’s Course, designed by Stuart Rennie, is a heathland that rolls across undulating terrain.

Great Escapes

Osterakers

stockholm, sweden “It’s part TPC Sawgrass with a few Le Golf National touches thrown in for good measure.” That’s how Henrik Stenson described Osterakers when we recently talked to the 2016 Open champion about his first design project. Stenson collaborated with fellow Swede Christian Lundin on this imaginative redesign that sports a classic American parkland look with expansive water features, rolling fairways and white marble-like sand. But uncompromising target golf it certainly is not. Osterakers has been designed to give golfers of differing abilities multiple options on each hole.

“There’s never just one tee shot or approach play option,” Stenson says. “I want every golfer to walk off the 18th having enjoyed their game, regardless of their ability.”

Several holes were rerouted to offer better vistas and play towards small, lively green complexes that are surrounded, in many instances, by lengthy run-offs that encourage and necessitate a range of recovery shots.

Quivira

cabo san lucas, mexico Mexico’s version of Bulgaria’s Thracian Cliffs is a thrill-a-minute clifftop jaunt that, after a trio of reasonably calm and welcoming open holes, delivers a full-on assault of your visual senses. It’s wild, eccentric and exhausting but never less than compelling.

One esteemed golf writer described the experience as akin to playing golf inside a Salvador Dali painting.

Several holes are perched 100 feet or more above the ocean, including the 635-yard downhill par 5, which stealthily winds its way towards the beach where the movie Troy was filmed. The image to the left is the driveable 310-yard par-4 5th, where the ‘risk’ element clearly far outweighs the ‘reward’ – a constant theme at Quivira. As with Thracian, which is built on similarly extravagant terrain, once you resign yourself to the fact that you’ll likely lose a lot of balls, you can relax and revel in the amazing scenery and shotmaking challenge. You won’t want to play here too often, but every golfer should try it once.

4 The West London Links, London, England Although Northolt is about as far removed from being a genuine links location as you can possibly imagine, this new city course promises a bold links-style design with dramatic shaping, imaginative greens complexes with demanding run-offs, revetted pot bunkers, fast-running fairways and blind shots.

5 Rancho San Lucas, Cabo, Mexico

The Ranch is a spectacular Greg Norman-designed beachfront golf course that forms the centrepiece of a new residential community. Placing a strong emphasis on environmental protection, the layout spans three different ecosystems and features an island green plus sweeping ocean views on every hole.

6 Le Vallon (Hulencourt), Brussels

The ambitious renovation of the Le Vallon course is nearing completion with the new look layout expected to be unveiled in June. Sand traps and greens surrounds have been the major focus with several holes brought closer to water hazards to provide a more strategic test.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 37

Rookies and the Risers A SeLeCtioN of tHe CoUrSeS tHAt CLiMBed oUr toP 100 s fASter tHAN A rory M c iLroy drive

New eNtry

Adare Manor, Limerick

UNrANked to 12 Top 100 Ireland When billionaire JP McManus purchased Adare Manor six years ago, Tom Fazio was hired to revamp Robert Trent Jones’ original design.

While Fazio didn’t alter RTJ’s routing, the new layout is all but unrecognisable from the 1995 version. Gone are the swathes of heavy rough that once flanked every fairway. In fact, gone are the thick swathes of rough …period. Adare Manor is now perfectly manicured , its entire playing surface covered in either rich, velvety turf or white sand.

New eNtry

Albatross GC, Prague

UNrANked to 96 Top 100 europe Recent upgrades to Keith Preston’s original 2009 design have turned what was a solid but somewhat uninspiring layout into one of real championship pedigree. The revamp saw more aggressive use of water hazards, a softening of the rough and tweaks to some of the par 4s to reintroduce more strategic values and risk/reward golf. Great condition, too.

New eNtry

Alcanada, Mallorca

UNrANked to 90 Top 100 europe For some unexplained reason, Alcanada has always managed to fly under the radar in our Top 100 rankings so it was

pleasing to see this scenic and challenging course finally receive appropriate recognition. Occupying a vast tract of undulating land, the course veers through ravines and across valleys, often perching you atop elevated tees and, once in a while, giving you a grand view of the beautiful Alcudia Bay. Mover

Beau desert

▲ 9 to 40 Top 100 england The Midlands is one of the UK’s most underrated golf regions. Had Beau Desert been crafted across the Berkshire or Surrey sand belt, it would be lauded as one of our island’s finest inland courses. Herbert Fowler’s intricate and entertaining layout flows over an undulating tract of the heather-laden Cannock Chase through narrow, rolling spruce-, fir- and pine-lined fairways. Sprawling greens complexes with wicked undulations add to the appeal of playing almost every hole in isolation from the next.

Mover

Bro Hof Slott, Sweden

▲ 10 to 10 Top 100 europe Locations rarely get more spellbinding. The club is situated on the edge of Lake Mälaran, a huge fjord an hour’s drive north of Stockholm. And when the sun glistens off that serene turquoise expanse on a summer’s afternoon, you could believe you

38 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

Great Escapes

RAEVO CC in mOsCOw is CRAmmED wiTH JACK niCKLAUs-CRAFTED RisK/REwARD HOLEs AnD is immACULATELY COnDiTiOnED

were in Mauritius or the Maldives rather than Scandinavia. A restored white medieval castle, which now serves as Bro Hof’s stately clubhouse, sits on the hilltop providing a panoramic view of the course and a touch of fairytale ambience. You can even arrive at this beautiful setting by boat – something some of Bro Hof’s more well-heeled members might very well do on the odd occasion.

New eNtry

effingham

UNraNked to 87 Top 100 England Until recently, this Harry Colt classic had always punched just a little below its weight, hence its absence from the Top 100 rankings. A long-term renovation has changed all that, however. In 2013, architectural firm Mackenzie & Ebert was commissioned to restore the course to its original vision, while ensuring it continued to present a challenge for the better player as well as an enjoyable experience for the beginner or shorter hitter. A review of original drawings and old photographs of the course showed that while Colt’s original routing had changed little, many greens and bunkers had been altered or, in places, completely rebuilt. It was also evident that tree growth had gone largely unchecked over the years, effectively changing the aesthetics and character of the course.

Mover

Gleneagles PGa Centenary

▲ 14 to 58 Top 100 ScoTland Inevitably suffers from harsh comparisons with the iconic King’s and Queen’s that occupy the most interesting land on the property – and has been incorrectly ranked by us in the past because of this. Like many, though, we’ve slowly been warming to the PGA Centenary for the simple

reason that it is very, very good. Take the Centenary outside of the Gleneagles estate and it will hold its own against most comers.

The redesign to prepare the course for the 2014 Ryder Cup enhanced its playability, made it visually more appealing and also introduced a wider variety of risk/ reward elements.

and the sense of space and freedom is a joy – especially from the top of Gullane Hill where you look down over the surrounds. And boasting more standout holes, it’s arguably more fun and playable, too. And did we mention the par 3s?

You won’t find a better quartet in the whole of Scotland.

New eNtry

New eNtry

Great Northern, denmark

Hogshead, waterville

UNraNked to 41 Top 100 EuropE It’s unusual for new golf courses to enter our Top 100 rankings so highly – only West Cliffs in Portugal and Raevo in Russia in recent years have penetrated the upper echelons of the list at the first attempt. Great Northern comes very close to joining that elite group. It’s a bold, bigbudget and ambitious Jack Nicklaus design that uses seven artificial lakes to frame several holes on the lower level of the course. The lowland segment contrasts nicely against several holes sited on hillier terrain. An engaging mix of holes and plenty of tee options to make it a playable experience for all.

Mover

Gullane No. 2

▲ 13 to 41 Top 100 ScoTland It is very, very harsh to describe Gullane No.2 as a ‘second’ course because it is nothing less than a firstrate golf experience all the way. The legendary golf writer Bernard Darwin claimed he could barely differentiate between the charms of No.1 and No.2 – and in all honesty neither can we. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given that the first seven holes on No.2 run alongside No.1.

While No.2 doesn’t quite deliver quite as stern a challenge or the same level of dogged consistency hole after hole as its big sister, the views are compelling, the conditioning is out of this world, the turf sublime

40 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

UNraNked to 28 Top 100 IrEland Built on the site of the former Skellig Bay GC, which closed in 2016, Robert Trent Jones was brought in by American financiers Tony Alvarez and Brian Marsal to revamp the 150-acre clifftop property overlooking Waterville House and was given the brief to make it fun, forgiving and playable.

Exposed to the elements, Hogs Head is open, generous off the tee and has its fair share of design quirks and niceties, including Biarritz and Redan greens, a double fairway and sprawling yet relatively flat greens.

TAKE THE PGA CENTENARY OUT OF GLENEAGLES AND IT WILL HOLD ITS OWN AGAINST MOST COMERS

Great Escapes

JACK NICKLAUS’ MONTE REI IN THE ALGARVE IS AN ISOLATED AND BEAUTIFUL TEST OF GOLF

Mover

Lundin

▲ 8 to 34 Top 100 ScoTland If you want a taste of everything links golf has to offer in one highly agreeable and eminently playable package, you’ll find it here – blind tee shots, pot bunkers, burns, swales, elevated tees, gorse, heather, prevailing winds… even a disused railway line. Then there are the jaw-dropping views across Largo Bay – a very welcome bonus.

Lundin originally shared land with neighbouring Leven Links golf course and fervent debates still take place about which is the superior layout.

Overall, we favour Lundin’s accessibility, playability and generally more eye-catching terrain

over Leven’s arguably more stringent test. The opening holes at Lundin follow the coastal contours and the design seamlessly follows the flow of the land across all 18 holes throwing up a wonderful variety of par 4s and some gritty par 3s Mover

Monte rei, Portugal

▲ 9 to 4 Top 100 EuropE In 2019, the Golf World Top 100 panel finally recognised the quality and dogged consistency of Jack Nicklaus’ signature layout that features many strategic bunkers and several risk-and-reward holes. Located in a peaceful corner of the eastern Algarve, set among more than 10,000

acres of glorious countryside and blessed with an enviable climate that delivers warmth all year round, Monte Rei has long been regarded as one of the finest golf experiences in Europe. It is isolated, beautiful and a stern test off any tees.

Monte Rei is not the type of place to rest on its laurels, however.

Construction is underway on a second Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. The South Course should be open for play in autumn 2020. Upon completion, Monte Rei will join a select group of destinations worldwide to boast multiple Jack Nicklaus Signature courses. And while it’s too early to say right now, all evidence suggests that the same impeccable standards

evident throughout the North Course will also run through its sister’s DNA. Better still, for the lucky few, the club has also recently added a collection of luxurious two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom penthouses.

New eNtry

Moor Park (High)

UNraNked to 92 Top 100 England For many years, the High Course has always nestled just below the surface of the Top 100 England without ever breaking through into the upper tier. This time around, however, several panellists stated that we could no longer ignore its claim to a place at the high table.

The course improves every year and is easily

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 41

one of the best parkland layouts in a county that is blessed with more than its fair share. Its personality is characterised by the opening three holes.

You’re greeted by a gentle opening par 4, followed by a challenging dog-leg and then a mid-range downhill par 3, where the green is surrounded by bunkers. This variety continues throughout the round, but the High really gathers pace around the turn where it makes the best use of the undulating topography.

sublime sandy soil, wispy fescue grasses and dramatic bunkering give this course a distinctive seaside feel, but there is just a little too much oncourse water for the true purist. The greens are ‘funky’ but they contrast delightfully with the course’s minimalist feel.

Sandy fairways run between tall pines and there are truly memorable holes throughout, before a grand seaside stretch brings the course to a jaw-dropping conclusion.

Mover

Prince’s (Dunes & Himalayas)

Parnu Bay, estonia

▲ 15 to 30 Top 100 EuropE Wide, yawning fairways, expansive waste areas,

Mover

▲ 10 to 49 Top 100 England Prince’s Golf Club flanks the eminent links of Royal

My Five to Play in 2020

St George’s –the host of this summer’s Open Championship and has three loops of nine holes, of which the Shore and the Dunes have traditionally been regarded as the premier pair. The Himalayas was the lesser nine – a members’ favourite, probably because it was shorter, easier and less likely to ask too many taxing questions.

Sedate might have been a good word for it then... it isn’t now. Designer Martin Ebert was recently given the task of making the Himalayas a “little more testing”.

Ebert’s repositioning of tees and bunkers has made the Himalayas hard to recognise from its former self. Natural wetlands lie along this end of the Kent coastline and have now been exposed with reedy embankments and sandy promontories protecting the boundaries to a number of holes.

Mover

Quinta do Lago (South) Portugal

NiCk wrigHt

eDitor, goLf worLD 1 eaSt Lake, atLaNta A tough challenge in its own right but worthy of a visit for the huge Bobby Jones memorabilia collection in the clubhouse.

2 SeMiNoLe, JUNo BeaCH Hogan’s off-season practice hub. The Donald Ross-designed track is private and expensive but arguably the best routed course on the planet.

3 SeBoNaCk, LoNg iSLaND Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak collaborate in the Hamptons! There’s more of Doak’s thumbprint on this wonderfully raw and dunesy, links-style layout.

4 PeaCHtree, atLaNta A delightful jaunt through the Georgia pines.

Inviting tee shots, wide fairways and huge greens. Sounds like another famous Georgia course?

5 tUrNBerry (aiLSa), ayrSHire Martin Ebert’s redesign of this classic Open links is stunning. The eight coastal holes from 4 through 11 are epic. If only the par 3s weren’t so similar, it would be perfect.

42 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

▲ 27 to 29 Top 100 EuropE Golf in Portugal and the Algarve have benefited greatly from American influence over the years and nowhere is this more evident than at Quinta do Lago’s famous South Course, where architect William Mitchell transplanted greens, tees and bunkers from the US when he crafted the course back in 1974.

With its rolling topography, umbrella pines, sparingly used water features and brilliant white sand, Quinta Do Lago South is, in many ways, similar in feel to TPC Sawgrass in Florida. There are twisting fairways, elevation changes, crafty doglegs, scintillating par 3s and beautiful scenery aplenty.

Sadly, the South had been underrated in our Golf World Top 100 Golf Courses: Continental Europe ranking for many years so it was pleasing to rectify the situation in 2019.

Mover

troia, Portugal

▲ 9 to 8 Top 100 EuropE Robert Trent Jones offered precious few details over the years regarding his design inspiration for Troia so we can only speculate on what his first impressions of the raw materials he was given to work with might have been. It’s safe to assume, however, that when he first scanned the luscious terrain connecting the Sado Estuary, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arrabida mountains he immediately would have started visualising holes.

Troia comes with a fearsome reputation, but it’s as honest as you get.

The course zig-zags across the northern slice of a beautiful peninsular, subjecting you to different

wind directions and changes in topography and vistas. It’s an entertaining layout over a compact piece of land that rewards sharp course management and approach play.

New eNtry

raevo CC, Moscow

UNraNkeD to 18 Top 100 EuropE Raevo is the third Jack Nicklaus signature golf course in the Russian capital. While the gently undulating woodland with a sprinkling of natural water features is delightful terrain for golf, it’s the conditioning rather than the setting that commands your attention.

Bent grass fairways and greens provide sublime playing surfaces while incredible care has been given to the preparation and gradation of the

Great Escapes

Must-Play ResoRt The Machrie

isle oF islAY, scoTlAnD

tom fazio has turned adare manor into a stunning parkland paradise.

shorter grass into what is at times punitive rough and bunkering. A gentle resort-style course this most certainly is not.

Mover

Turnberry (King robert The Bruce)

▲ 39 To 51 Top 100 ScoTland One of the toughest tasks for a course architect is designing or – in the case of the King Robert The Bruce – redesigning a ‘second’ course. Get too ambitious and you risk stealing the main attraction’s thunder.

Dial the design down too much and you expose yourself to widespread criticism for an obvious gulf in class.

The King Robert The Bruce course at Trump Turnberry, which opened in 2017, is pitched just about right. It is without

doubt good enough to stand on its own two feet, but lacks just enough presence to pose a significant threat to the Ailsa’s dominance. While the course retains much of its original framework, widespread gorse and tree clearance, the repositioning of fairway traps, and the resculpting of landing areas give it a more open feel and a more welcoming and interesting character. The four new holes around the turn that deliver splendid views of the iconic lighthouse justify the resort’s claim that this is an entirely new course, not just a redesign.

Mover

Woburn (Duke’s)

▲ 8 To 30 Top 100 England Our personal favourite of the grand trio of courses

at the perennially impressive Woburn Golf Club. It has a little more presence, gravitas and heft than the tighter and more slender Duchess’, and more character, charm and variety than the newer Marquess’ course – which itself is an excellent layout. Overall, it has a maturity and status that belies its relatively young (by the standards of this list, anyway) 1976 conception.

With fairways flanked by a variety of towering trees, including pine, silver birch and chestnut, intimacy is one of the Duke’s most appealing characteristics. Courtesy of its heavy woodland design, pretty much every hole played is in splendid isolation from the next.

Only rarely are you afforded glimpses of neighbouring fairways.

During a three-year overhaul that concluded in 2018, every hole at The Machrie was either reshaped or redesigned, effectively spawning a completely new golf experience. Since The Machrie was one of the world’s most revered and eccentric links, the refresh wasn’t completed without its fair share of controversy.

The fear was that the course would lose the idiosyncrasies and atmosphere that made it unique and become just another excellent links.

Former Tour pro DJ Russell’s revamp has certainly ‘softened’ the course but it is now more fun, forgiving, playable and, importantly, commercially viable.

Russell’s original intention was simply to make some of the most exacting holes less severe. But evolution quickly became revolution and plans were drafted for a development of such scale that play was able to continue on the old course while the adjacent new one was being built.

Willie Campbell’s original 1891 layout was especially noteworthy in that he routed his holes over and round the dunes rather than through them. In doing so, he created no fewer than 20 blind shots – including the iconic drive on the 7th where the golfer was tasked with carrying a 60-foot high, fescue-covered hill directly in front of the tee. Russell concluded that this design, while of great historical value, was no longer fit for purpose. The new routing has a far greater number of expansive sea views. Internal out of bounds and many of the blind shots have gone, as have most of the low-lying bowl greens that, even on a sandy site, were not helpful in winter.

The final piece of the jigsaw was the development of a new 47-room hotel – a converted 18th century farmhouse that sits on seven miles of pristine beach. It is renowned hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray’s first luxury hotel on his home turf and boasts 47 stylish rooms, suites and lodges, many with fabulous views out towards the ocean. Inside you’ll find incredible architecture, art and ambience, plus a first-class restaurant serving wholesome local Scottish fare. And there are eight whisky distilleries within touching distance!

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 43

Lofoten Links NORWAY

Food For Thought EXPAND YOUR GOLFING HORIZONS WITH A VISIT TO ONE OF THESE EXOTIC DESTINATIONS

Lofoten may no longer be Norway’s best-kept secret, but that’s no reason not to make a pilgrimage to what is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and unique golf courses on the planet.

After all, it’s not every day you get to walk fairways flanked by granite boulders with the midnight sun guiding your way.

It takes some effort to reach the Links – three planes, a train and an automobile are required – but the

journey through a Scandinavian wilderness of fjords, mountains and waterfalls is all part of the experience.

You’re rewarded in spades for your toil.

Built on an old Viking burial ground Jeremy Turner’s creation offers three scintillating holes along the coast to start you off, the rippling Norwegian Sea and the snowcapped peaks your companions along the way. And while a few quieter moments

follow, it is largely breathtaking stuff. Or, as we described it in a recent Golf World Top 100, “utterly spellbinding”.

High-standard lodges just off the beach and northfacing to drink in the Northern Lights show complement the course and create a truly great escape.

Best time to play: June and July for 24hour golf or August and September to see the Northern Lights.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE… Keilir, Iceland

Locations rarely get more memorable than the lava-flanked fairways of this dramatic links course on the outskirts of Reykjavik. The front nine plays over wild volcanic terrain while the back nine is located on a tiny slither of a peninsular that offers spectacular views of the famous Snaefellsjokull glacier.

Oslo GC

With the exception of Lofoten Links (main story), Oslo GC is without doubt the best golf course in Norway.

Enjoying a graceful but relatively compact lakeside setting, the course has many varied and challenging holes, lots of scenic backdrops and enough elevation changes to sustain your interest.

Brautarholt, Iceland

A new entry in our 2019 Golf World Top 100 Golf Courses: Continental Europe, Brautarholt is a small, challenging but very scenic course with one of the best opening holes in golf – a rollercoaster par 5 played from an elevated tee that snakes its way along the coast to a cliffside green. Only 12 holes but highly recommended.

Great Escapes

TPC Sawgrass PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA The PGA Tour’s flagship event, The Players, comes to North Florida in March. The course used to be widely criticised by the players but is now viewed as one of the most challenging yet fairest tests of golf on the tour schedule.

We were lucky enough to play both Sawgrass and Augusta National last year and, taking everything into consideration, we preferred the former.

Sawgrass is more scenic, it’s more varied, it’s more consistent and it’s in just as good condition as the iconic host of the Masters.

Towering pines, lush fairways, Pete Dye’s visually stimulating bunkers and plentiful water hazards are the order of the day.

While there’s no getting away from the fact that Sawgrass is tough, it’s more playable for the average golfer

these days now that many of the holes have been ‘softened’ to make it a fairer test. Its design genius is in offering you the choice of an easy or difficult shot in almost every situation – your reward varying according to your nerve or skill level.

And, of course, you have one of golf’s most spectacular closing stretches to negotiate – the do-or-die par-5 16th, followed by the

notorious par-3 17th and the water-flanked 18th. Make it through unscathed and you have an achievement worthy of boasting about in the gargantuan-sized clubhouse afterwards.

Best time to play: Florida weather can be unpredictable in winter but you can strike gold.

Be aware that grass will be brown November until March.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE… World Golf Village

Drag yourself away from the memorabilia at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St Augustine and take on Bobby Weed’s Slammer & Squire, named after Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen, or the Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus co-designed King & Bear.

Raven at Sandestin

Huge, heaving greens, imposing bunkers, avenues of pines and a healthy amount of lakes and wetlands keep Tour pros and resort guests equally engaged. The mango-scented ice towels are a very welcome touch on a hot Florida day.

Hammock Beach

The Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course has six holes along the Atlantic. The Tom Watson-designed Conservatory Course is one of the toughest tracks in Florida, complete with an island green and an 18th hole tee almost 100 feet above the fairway.

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Kawana (Fuji Course) JAPAN Tucked away on the Izu Peninsula, a slender volcanic outcrop that juts into the Pacific Ocean – yet only a twohour journey in a Bullet train from the centre of Tokyo – lies Japan’s original and most charming golf resort.

The Kawana Hotel, the honeymoon venue for Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, boasts two fine courses in a tranquil setting that compares favourably to some of the world’s most iconic oceanside golf locations, including Monterey and Turnberry. For good reason the Fuji has been labelled ‘Japan’s

Pebble Beach’.

The resort’s flagship course, the Fuji, plays out over a sublime piece of golf terrain that tumbles elegantly towards the beautiful Sagami Bay. Exposed to the wind, contorted pines cling to the high points of the course, which offer clear vistas of Japan’s tallest mountain, the snowcapped Mt Fuji.

The Fuji was one of four Japanese golf courses built in the 1930s by the English architect Charles H. Alison. A long-time design partner of Harry Colt, Alison enjoyed creating extreme

Hirono

Harry Colt’s long-time design partner C.H. Alison carved Hirono out of a hilly pine forest in the early 1930s.

Renowned for its spectacular bunkering and perched greens.

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courses and particularly relished ‘working’ a difficult site. With its lopside terrain and lavarock subsoil, Kawana certainly matches this category. The first hole plunges nearly 100-foot downhill, for example, before veering right through an avenue of pines to an elevated green.

The first Alison hallmark? A sand trap presented in the centre of the first fairway at the base of the hill.

Another gargantuan cross-shaped bunker occupies the centre cut at the 400-yard par-4 13th. These encounters should come as no

surprise given Alison’s penchant for dramatic bunkering.

The downhill holes, while scintillating, cannot be overpowered because of these deep hazards. Allied with the sea breezes, the salty air, perched greens and tumultuous fairways that rarely deliver a flat stance, the course has plenty of defence. But when the setting is this sublime, it’s hard to get upset by a few miscues.

Best time to play: Japan is at its most scenic in Spring when its short-lived cherry blossoms bring courses to life.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE… Katsura Country Club

A Robert Trent Jones Jr design that plays through a hillside and forest, making strategic use of dry creeks, lakes and sand traps amid a backdrop of iconic blossom trees.

Hokkaido Brooks CC

One of Japan’s most challenging courses. Visually stunning, white birch and Japanese pines line the front nine before it assumes a links-style character coming in.

Great Escapes

Tara Iti NEW ZEALAND Thrust into the world’s consciousness with the release of the popular Lord of the Rings trilogy at the start of last decade, New Zealand’s Middle-earth landscape again takes centre stage with Tara Iti, created by American businessman Ric Kayne and touched by the hand and vision of architect Tom Doak.

The result is a World Top-10 golf course that should be on every passport-carrying golfer’s bucket list, although the golf course you experience will change depending on when you finally arrive there. “A golf

Cape Kidnappers

The longest drive at Cape Kidnappers is undoubtedly the one that links the public road and the clubhouse – it stretches for miles. Once on the course, it is dramatic clifftop views, heaving fairways and wild, undulating greens all the way.

course is a living thing that organically changes over time,” explains Doak. “That’s exactly what you want to happen, too.”

Doak’s brief was to create a ‘pure’ golf experience. “You pick the tees and you pick the greens and let nature take its course in-between,” was how Ric Kayne explained the concept of a golf course with so much sand but no bunkers (you can ground your club anywhere).

After removing acres of pine trees, Doak spent two years painstakingly contouring the soil into

hummocks, punch bowls and sand dunes that look like they have evolved naturally over centuries. The evidence suggests a spectacular success. If Frodo Baggins played golf, he’d most likely be a member.

Though a very private club that’s happy to stay off the world’s radar, Tara Iti does offer golfers the opportunity to play the links once, but only once. “We loved the idea of allowing someone to be able to come and stay at the club and experience the course one time as long as they came with

WHILE YOU’RE THERE… Paraparaumu Beach

Set on the Kapiti coast, but not directly on the shoreline, it boasts all of the trademark links qualities from crisp turf to sea breezes. Home also to one of the world’s most iconic golf holes – the split fairway 440yard par-4 17th.

a letter of reference from their home club,” explains Tara Iti’s Jim Rohrstaff. “Guests may play the course many times during the course of one stay – they can stay for multiple nights and play 18 or 36 holes a day. But they are able to do this only once, meaning they cannot come back.”

Best time to play: September through May are the optimum months for golf – the southern hemisphere equivalent of our April to October spring/ summer season.

Expect some windy conditions, though.

Kinloch Club

Pays tribute to some of the great British and Irish links despite the fact it’s as far from the ocean as you can get in New Zealand. Crafted across craggy volcanic terrain, you’ll encounter panoramic views over Lake Taupo and plenty of sheep!

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EDOARDO MOLINARI John Huggan meets one of the game’s most interesting and erudite stars to discuss success, insanity and the inevitable sibling rivalry.

T

here are a few things you need to know about Edoardo Molinari, apart from the fact that he is almost certainly the only man ever to play in the Masters with a future Open champion – younger brother Francesco – as his caddie. Possessed of surely the highest IQ on any tour worldwide, the elder Molinari applies his intellect to all aspects of the game that has seen him win three times on the European Tour, claim a World Cup for Italy and play in the 2010 Ryder Cup. This is a man with things to say and a vocabulary – in a language he learned watching golf on Sky Sports – worth listening to. The former US Amateur champion sat down to chat in a quiet corner of the Links clubhouse at St Andrews just prior to the 2019 Dunhill Links Championship. He was his usual self. Humorous. Engaging. Intelligent. And always interesting.

Let’s start with some “this is your life stuff.”

You’re from Italy. Not exactly a hot-bed of golf.

How did you and your brother find the game?

We started because our friends played at a country club in Torino. So we got into golf through them. We were lucky there, too. There were a lot of kids in that club, maybe 40-50 between the ages of eight and 12. So we had competition and a lot of others to play with. Not only golf, football, too. And there was a swimming pool. We spent nearly every weekend in the summer outdoors.

When did it become apparent that you and Francesco had talent?

Not that early to be honest. There was always school and, later, university. We didn’t win very much as juniors. Francesco won an Italian championship when he was about 14. And I won the match play when I was maybe 20. Other than that, while we were members of the national team we were not any better than the others.

Those who were the best tended to be the sons of teaching pros. They played golf seven days a week, 10 hours a day and stopped going to school early in their lives. It was difficult for us to compete against that.

But as we got older and when we got to university, we both started to improve quickly, partly because we had a little bit more time to play. Our parents always told us that education came first. If we didn’t get good marks at school, we didn’t play golf at the weekend. So we had to behave at school. And at university, our parents said we could choose whatever subjects we wanted and we could keep playing golf – but we had to finish our education. That was the best start to life both of us could have ever wanted, How did you choose your course at university?

I studied engineering because my grandfather was an engineer and at school I always enjoyed maths and physics. I saw it as the best way into what you might call a ‘normal’ job. My goal was to finish as soon as possible, then get a job. I never thought of being a professional golfer.

The brothers represented Italy in the 2004 World Amateur Team Championships.

Why not?

Because there were only maybe two Italians – Costantino Rocca and Emanuele Canonica – playing the Tour full-time. Rocca was obviously great. But Canonica struggled to keep his card. So golf wasn’t seen as a way of making a living. Unless you were unbelievably good. At that time, I didn’t think that of myself. When I first thought of being a pro I had been at university for two years. I was playing more and getting better. So it started to feel possible. My initial plan was to give it a go for a year or two and see what happened.

Were you still a student when you won the US Amateur?

Yes. Did that not convince you?

Of course (laughs). But that was my last year as a student. That summer I qualified for The Open at St Andrews. That same week I was due to discuss my thesis at university. I had to call my professor and tell him I wasn’t going to be there.

Did he know what The Open was?

No (laughs). He was telling me he was sure I could make it. But no… I wasn’t going to miss The Open. And when I won the US Amateur soon after that, my mind was made up. I was going to play full time as an amateur for a year, then turn pro. I did that in July the following year, just after The Open.

What age were you by then?

I was 25. Which is late by today’s standards. But I had a great chance to play in some great events all around the world after putting my degree in a drawer for at least a while. I always had that as Plan B. If I wasn’t going to make it as a golfer, I could always go and do something else.

I see so many these days who stop studying when they are 15 or 16.

They play golf full time and by the time that are 20 they have no friends, no social life. They cannot have a chat about anything that is not golf.

And if they start shooting 76s for a month it is the end of the world.

I blame the parents more than the kids for that. Even if a kid is really good when he is 14, he might not be as good when he is 20 or he might get

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‘We had watched the World Cup growing up, so to win it for Italy with each other was very emotional’

injured. And if you have no Plan B, life can be very difficult.

Through all of that, were there periods when you were the best player in the family and vice versa?

Growing up, I was better because I was older, bigger and stronger. But by the time we were 17 and 15 we were pretty much even. Francesco won the Sherry Cup at Sotogrande. I won the US Amateur two years after that. So we were close. It was pretty even until Francesco’s last year as an amateur.

He was better than me at that stage.

Then he got his card at Q School straight away. Which cut short his university career.

How was your relationship through all of that? Was there a rivalry?

Not really. We’ve always been really close and tried to help each other as much as we can. There has been the odd discussion or argument. But never on the golf course. They were usually about football (laughs). It was always very helpful to have a brother playing in the same events. We spurred each other on. And we always had someone to play matches with at home. We always had competitions with each other.

You mentioned the Masters. There is a famous picture of you playing with Tiger and Francesco on the bag. You must smile when you look at that now. You must be the only person who has ever played in the Masters with a future Open champion as your caddie.

Probably (laughs). And I will remain the only one for a long time. It was a great experience. And it was always

ED Edoardo Molinari

our plan to do that. If Francesco had won the Amateur Championship I would have caddied for him at the Masters. At that event and others if one of us lost we would caddie for the other. So I did that for him when he lost on the 18th green to Gary Wolstenholme in the semi-final of the British Amateur in 2003. That was tough. At that time Francesco was by far the best player in the field.

Or at least of those left in. It was after that, we agreed that whoever made the Masters first would have the other on the bag. When I won the US Amateur he was the obvious choice. It was a great experience for both of us, even though I shot millions. My game wasn’t close to being good enough to compete.

Did that open your eyes a bit?

It did. The standard was so much higher. But I played there with my ‘B-game’, which wasn’t even close to good enough. My ‘A-game’ might have made the cut. But the big thing I took away was how the course was set up and watching what the top players did to prepare for each round.

I played a practice round with Olazabal, Garcia and Cabrera, which was an unbelievable experience for a young guy from Italy.

Let’s get into your pro career. What have been the highlights?

So far, my best memory is still winning the World Cup for Italy with Francesco. We had watched that event growing up, so to win it with each other was very emotional.

Even now when I think about it, I am filled with joy and pride.

We had played in the event before, but not when we were both playing well. But the week before I had won in Japan, which was a nice climax to a great year on the Challenge Tour. I was close to getting into the top 50.

And Francesco had already done that. Plus, it was probably the last time most of the big-name players competed. Rory and G-Mac were playing for Ireland. Stenson and Karlsson for Sweden. I think Kuchar and Cink played for America. So there were a lot of good teams.

We both played great. It was great fun until the 14th on the final day.

Francesco made great putts on 12 and 13 from maybe 40 feet. Until

then, we didn’t really think we could win. But suddenly we were ahead.

We looked at each other and our eyes were big. The last five holes were the most stressful I’ve ever experienced.

By far. More than the Ryder Cup and more than any Major.

What did you say to each other?

Not much. We were just trying to hit fairways and greens. It was foursomes and there was a lot of danger on those holes. On the 18th tee – with a one-shot lead – it was Francesco’s turn to drive. It was like the last hole at Sawgrass with water on the left. I remember thinking I was glad it was not me. I couldn’t watch. Nor could his caddie. I looked up only when I heard him hit. The ball was flying straight down the left side of the fairway. A typical Francesco shot. I was so happy.

What about the 2010 Ryder Cup? Have you recovered from Rickie Fowler making birdie at each of the last four holes in the singles to steal a half?

(Laughs) It has never been a big issue because we won. But if we had not, it

might be different. I was fine the next day to be honest.

Whatwasthatwholeexperience like?

I never felt much pressure. It was a lot of fun. Every hole there was a putt that counted. It was so exciting. But I never felt like I didn’t want to be in that position or that there was just too much pressure. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on the course. Just a very enjoyable week. There was a lot more pressure when I won the Scottish Open or at Gleneagles to make the team. Or at the World Cup we won. At all of those I felt a lot more pressure than at Celtic Manor.

We need to talk about slow play.

I thought we might (laughs).

Earlier this year you released the details of who had been fined for slow play. What was your motivation?

It was just that I hate to see guys breaking rules. I’m not saying cheating. An example. If there is a rule saying we can’t tee-off on, say, the 10th tee after 9am on a practice day, I hate to see someone doing

Sharing a moment with father Paolo on his way to US Amateur victory in 2005.

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that at 9.20. I can’t stand that. And slow play is the same. It’s not a rule.

But it is something to be obeyed.

So many guys just don’t care how slow they are. If there are five guys in the field, all they do is piss off the other 151. It is selfish. It is bad manners. It is everything.

We have had a lot of discussion between the players and the committee about this. I have always felt that there must be a way to make things better. I am at the point where I never watch golf on television because I can’t be bothered spending three hours watching nine holes. I never watch the PGA Tour.

Sometimes I watch the European Tour, but never the PGA Tour. Even though they can cut away to players and we don’t see their pre-shot routines. It is horrendous.

They are killing the game really.

Yes. It is not enjoyable to watch. And it’s a bad example to set for youngsters.

What was the reaction to what you did?

Unbelievable. If we assume there are 156 players in an event, 150 of them are wishing they had done what I did.

The slow players haven’t said anything to me, of course. I don’t have a problem with them personally.

But I will never understand why they need to take so long to hit a shot.

The Molinaris made their Ryder Cup debuts together at Celtic Manor in 2010.

What’s your solution?

It’s not easy. If I could decide for myself, I would hand out stroke penalties immediately. As soon as you go over the time allowed, you are penalised. No warnings, other than to say you are on the clock. If you have been taking too long and you are on the clock – and you know you are going to be penalised a shot – you are not going to take too long.

Would it not be better to give everyone, say, three hours and 40 minutes to get round and within that let everyone take as long as they want on an individual shot?

Some shots need longer to play. But if you take longer to get all the way round you will be penalised a shot for every five minutes you are over.

That’s fine. But what if you end up being drawn with Bryson DeChambeau?

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That would be an issue in the shortterm. But only in the short term. I think we can assume you players would sort out any serial offenders.

(Smiles) But also, what if the slow player’s solution is to run from shot to shot so that he can take a long time at the ball? There’s no an easy fix.

You are a big devotee of statistical analysis in golf. Tell me how that has helped your game.

It’s important. A few years ago I was told by someone that not looking at stats is like running a company and not knowing where you are making and losing money. Or what your policy should be going forward. Or who your best clients are. I know some guys don’t keep stats. And I wish there were more of those. They don’t realise how much of an

advantage it is to know exactly what is going on in your game. They don’t know why they play well. They don’t know their strengths or their weaknesses. They don’t know what courses suit them, which ones don’t.

Let me give you an example. Last year at Wentworth I felt like I hit the ball well off the tee, but was poor with my irons. The rest of my game was pretty average. Or so I thought.

When I looked at my stats at the end of the week my coach asked me if I had noticed anything with my irons. I told him I felt like I had hit a lot of pulls to the left. Anyway, over the four rounds I missed 25 greens.

And I missed 16 on the right and nine on the left. So the pulls I remember represented only about one-third of my total misses. My mind deceived me.

Edoardo Molinari

‘I am at the point where I never watch golf on television because I can’t be bothered spending three hours watching nine holes’

compared with what you thought beforehand?

There was so much. I’ve always been known as a great putter. But the year I made the Ryder Cup team I actually lost a quarter of a shot to the field on the greens. That would put me about 150th on the PGA Tour. So I was surprised by how good my long game was back then. I was gaining more than a shot tee-to-green. That’s a lot.

I was also surprised by how little difference you can make with putting over the course of a year. Yes, you can make a big difference over one week or two, but putting really well or really poorly doesn’t have as much effect on your results as you might think. Not as much as the tee-togreen stuff anyway.

Francesco now lives in London. You are still based in Italy. What is the thinking behind both?

That’s why I have used stats for many years now. I am now doing some new stuff, too. Before, I used my numbers to see where my game has been. And to see what I need to practise. But for the last six months I have been using the numbers to plan a strategy going forward. I look at the ideal line on every hole given my tendencies. I’ve been playing much better doing that. I stand on every tee knowing the perfect line for me, so I know what club to hit. That is vital, especially when there are a lot of bunkers in play. I also know where to aim and what to hit on every approach shot. I think that helps separate myself from the rest.

What surprised you when you first started looking at your numbers?

What was your game actually like

Our wives make a lot of difference.

Francesco’s wife wanted to live in London. She spent a year there as a student and really likes the city. My wife is different. She studied in Italy and is very close to her family. She likes to live in the countryside. So we live on the golf course. And we have our friends and family close by.

Let’s talk about modern equipment and the distance issue at the professional level. Where do you stand on all that?

The ball is going way too far. And the drivers are too big and too easy to hit. I have some clubs at home, ones I used in the early 2000s. The 3-wood of today is bigger than the driver was back then. I used persimmon woods as a child. But when I was playing competitively as an amateur, the metal woods had appeared.

It is eye-opening how big the change has been in equipment. I remember back in 2000 or 2001.

We had one guy in Italy who used to go to college in America. He came back with some new Titleist balls.

He told us how far they could go. We laughed. But only until we saw him hit. From being about the same as us, he was hitting past our drives with his 3-wood. Which was okay. We thought the ball would never spin on the approach shots. But it did. He could spin a 9-iron more with the new ball than he could with an old balata. The game had changed overnight. I went from hitting driver, 7-iron to hitting 3-wood, 8-iron on a hole at home.

I see so many problems in this area. Courses are getting too long.

We need to make them firmer. We need to make the greens super-fast.

We need to grow the rough. But some courses don’t have the land to build new tees. Some of the really good courses in Italy can’t be used for pro events any more; they are just too short. Which is a shame. And it is the same everywhere. Look at Sunningdale. Obsolete. Which is terrible. I could say the same about the Old Course at St Andrews. They have had to build tees outside the boundaries in an effort to keep the bunkers relevant. It is madness.

I think the R&A is worried about the next Open at St Andrews in 2021. If they get a calm week people could be breaking 60.

Maybe by then something will have changed. I think so and I hope so. I know many people think the professional game is not nearly as much fun to watch. I know it is not as much fun to play.

I remember when I first played the Old Course in 1997. I came back in 2005 for The Open and the number of new tees was crazy. Then, five years after that they added more. But not all courses can do that.

All of this means it takes forever to play. In ’97 I walked maybe 10 yards from the first green to the second tee.

Now I have to walk back 50 yards. I do that again from the second green to the third tee. And so it goes on.

From the 13th green to the 14th tee it is 150 yards. They have added so much time to every round – and to go nowhere. I am sad to say too, that so many of the bunkers at St Andrews are no longer in play.

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Yeah, but the problem is not guys shooting lower scores. I am all for low scores when guys at your level play well. But you just don’t play courses in the way they were designed to be played. That is the offensive part.

I know. But that is the way it is. Guys are now hitting 9-iron second shots into par 5s - although not me, unfortunately. Maybe they’ll do something drastic at first. If they don’t do that, they might have to do more in a few years’ time. At the moment I can carry the ball maybe 280 yards. I shouldn’t be hitting my drives more than 250 yards through the air. So maybe take off a minimum of 10 per cent. But I don’t make the decisions.

But the ball is not the only problem. It is the clubs. It is everything. Something just has to be done to the equipment so that we play a better form of golf, one that is a better test of every aspect of the game. Here is one example. When I first came out on tour the 36-hole cut in Dubai would be maybe two or three-over par. The last few years it has been five and almost six-under

Francesco carried older brother Edoardo’s bag at the 2016 Masters.

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par. I couldn’t carry the bunker on the first hole back then. Now, 10 years older, I can. It’s just wrong.

How much difference have you and Francesco made to golf’s profile in Italy? And how important will the 2024 Ryder Cup be in raising public awareness of the game?

We have made a difference. But I thought we would make an impact after the 2010 Ryder Cup. We did everything we could to do that.

Others – I won’t name names – should have done more. But they didn’t. So the number of golfers in Italy is pretty much the same as it was eight years ago – about 90,000.

Football obviously dominates the news in Italy, golf doesn’t get much time. When Francesco won The Open he was talked about a lot more.

But it seems like that happens after something extraordinary.

‘Something has to be done to the equipment so we play a better form of golf, a better test of every aspect of the game’

How emotional did you get watching Francesco win The Open?

It was fantastic. But I didn’t get too emotional. I just really enjoyed watching him play so well under that kind of pressure on such a tough course. Winning The Open playing with Tiger was unbelievable. It was very inspiring to me, too. It made me want to play some better golf (smiles).

How do you see the future of the European Tour?

(Laughs) You’re trying to get me into trouble! I think we need to fix a few things. The Rolex Series events have been fantastic. But not perfect. But it is difficult to get things right when you make big changes. I think we are slowly moving towards a better tour.

We are playing for much more money than we were 10 years ago.

But it would be nice to have a bit more support from the top players.

I know it is difficult when you are playing on the PGA Tour. There is a lot of travel. But I would like to see them play a bit more over here.

Can you ever compete with the PGA Tour?

No. That is impossible, at least when it comes to money. Where we can compete is by picking the best courses everywhere in the world other than in the United States.

There are so many great places where we could play. But, unfortunately, we don’t go to as many as I would like.

Wentworth is a perfect example.

The BMW PGA is becoming a very good event. The course has made some unbelievable progress. It is now one of the best in the world in the way it plays. It was in wonderful condition this year. And the crowds were fantastic. I know it is one of our bigger-money events, but we need more weeks like that one.

Sadly, we have too many events where – even when the money is good – no one wants to go. Because travel is difficult. Because the course is poor. Because the crowds are small.

Because the hotel is shit. When there is so much money to play for almost everywhere, you can’t get away with being poor in any of those areas.

The best events are the best, regardless of the money. If we played Wentworth for half the money we do now, the field would still be great.

Edoardo Molinari

I can’t hit too many shots in practice.

I’m not making any excuses, though. If I can keep playing the way I have the last six months, I’ll be well on my way back to where I was. My goal now is to make it back into the world’s top 50. That would be something after all the surgeries.

You were the first person to ‘chase the ace’, courtesy of the European Tour’s social media department.

You hit 500 balls and didn’t make one hole-in-one. How was that?

Edoardo lifts the US Amateur trophy at Merion in 2005.

Do you think the new schedule this year helped or hindered the European Tour?

We were smart to move some events away from May. You can’t play here in May. And the second half of the year has been extremely good. We did well at Wentworth. The Italian Open will be great. And the Fall Series events will be so much better.

Plus, I hear from guys who play in America that many feel their season is too short and that they are now having to play too many events in too short a time. March through August is too congested. And that will be worse in 2020 with the Olympics. So there are massive opportunities for the European Tour to build a slightly different schedule than before. We need to put our best events in the right places on the calendar.

There was a long gap from the Middle East to the run-up to the Open.

True. But the British Masters was a great event on a great course. That is the formula we need to follow – great course in a place that is easy to get to.

There are problems in the first half of the year, though. You can’t really play in Europe until April.

(Laughs) It was a lot of fun. Michael Gibbons from the Tour called me up and said he wanted me to stand on a tee and hit balls all day until I made a hole-in-one. I thought it was a great idea, but I wasn’t sure I would make one. He was convinced though, so I agreed to do it.

We started filming at 7am and I started hitting at maybe 10am. It was a 9-iron at first. Then a wedge. Then back to a 9-iron. I was there until almost 7pm.

It looked like you were starting to lose your mind.

Wentworth in May was always a little too early for the course. And if big events are coming along every two weeks or so on the PGA Tour, it is all but impossible to get the big names to come back to our tour. So, yes, there are times when it is impossible for us. Maybe only Valderrama in southern Spain would have a chance of competing at that time of year.

I was fine at first. I didn’t really care if I made one or not. But after lunch I was thinking I had to get one in the hole. A few shots went close. Then I started to lose it. I got to the point where it was like, “Oh come on”. But it was a great idea. Gibbo and his team do a great job with that stuff.

Much better than the PGA Tour.

Let’s talk about your wrist injury.

You’ve not been quite the same player since you came back from that. How frustrating has that been?

I have always said that when Matteo was playing his best golf he was overachieving. He was never a player with a game that compared with the very best and he was struggling to keep up off the tee. I think he realised that and tried to change when he should have been trying to improve what he already had. Some of the best advice I ever had came from Paul McGinley, who told me not to change anything, just to try to improve what you have.

Matteo has changed too many things and it’s difficult to know what is and isn’t working. And it is a long way back. When you play poorly for so long it is hard to be confident. But the good thing is he is still positive.

He is one of the nicest people I know.

I hope he can come back.

It was a very bad injury. At one point I thought I was never going to play again. Even now, it still bothers me. It will never be 100 per cent.

What caused it?

No one really knows. I actually had two problems. The first was just some calcification. But the second time was more serious. I’m not sure how it got so bad. I never hit a shot and felt immediate pain. It just got worse over a period. And now, although it is definitely not the same as the other hand, I am used to it.

When it is cold, it is not ideal for me.

Last question. What has happened to Matteo Manassero?

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GB & Ireland No.38

Weathering the Storm

Plagued by failed investments, ecological wrangling and biblical storms, can a Trump takeover and clever redesign safeguard the future of one of Ireland’s finest courses? By Duncan Lennard.

F

For most golf courses, ‘future-proofing’ means lengthening holes to cater for the advance of equipment technology. At Doonbeg, however, they have a different and rather more serious interpretation.

Consider the course’s most recent major reworking.

Previously hard up against the shore of beautiful Doughmore Bay, the entire short par-4 6th has just been shunted some 20 yards inland. County Clare’s coastline may be one of Ireland’s most glorious settings, but according to Ireland’s Department of the Environment, it is also receding at rates estimated at between 0.2 and 1.6m per year. And for a golf course whose classic out-in routing parallels the bay’s arcing beach, that spells trouble.

The work was carried out by the course’s superintendent Scott Marr, in tandem with its consultant architect Martin Hawtree. “When Greg Norman first laid out the course back in 2000, the boundaries of its coastal holes – 1st, 6th, 9th and 18th – were probably 20 metres from where they are now,” Marr explains. “No.6 is directly in the middle of the bay, and takes the brunt of the weather here. It had no protection on its left, western side and was getting killed every winter from salt and wind. In moving the hole inland we’ve been able to mound up the left side – you can still see the sea, but not the beach – to give the hole some protection. Basically, we’ve brought ourselves some time on this hole. But in saying that, I’m constantly in fear. From the first week of November to first week in April I go to bed not knowing if I’m going to have an 18-hole course in the morning.”

Marr’s fears are well-founded. In early 2014 Ireland’s south-west coast suffered its worst storms in 500 years.

Marr describes the sea swells created by Storm Darwin’s hurricane-force winds as “acting like a butter-knife, falling over the course and scooping it back to the sea”.

Five greens were washed away, virtually overnight.

Following Donald Trump’s takeover shortly after the storms receded, the club applied for permission to install coastal defences – originally in the form of a sea wall but, after that was vetoed, via zones of concrete sheet piling. Although originally approved by County Clare’s council in 2017, the application was turned over to Ireland’s independent judicial body, An Bord Pleanála, after an appeal was raised. Two years later, the club is still waiting for a decision.

“The objectors believe these defences will stop the local duneland growing as it should, and also that they won’t fit in with the landscape,” adds Marr. “They

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Top 100 Spotlight

‘Storm Darwin’s hurricane-force winds cut through Doonbeg like a butter-knife. Five greens were washed away, virtually overnight’

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believe these to be rolling dunes, where you can lose a metre but gain two back; but this has not been the case.

These are not rolling dunes. It is also our intention to sand-blast over the concrete, then seed and spread marram grass. The sea armour would look like a dune, only it would have rock behind it.

“The situation is a massive frustration and worry. We are prepared to pay for defences that would safeguard local people’s houses, the 300 jobs created by the resort and the vital economic benefits it is bringing to the local community. But right now, the lack of a decision on the issue is putting it all at risk.”

Rescue club

Doonbeg, in fact, owes its very existence to the desire to boost the local community and economy. Witnessing the golf boom of the 1990s – and the roaring trade enjoyed by Lahinch to the north and Ballybunion to the south – Doonbeg’s Community Development Company acquired almost 400 acres of coastal land from local farming, before seeking a developer to turn it into prime golfing real estate. The project was nearly doomed before

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it has even started after concerns were raised about any potential resort’s impact on the rare and precious vertigo angustior, a 2mm snail found in the local wetland habitat. But with safeguards put in place, American company Kiawah Partners duly took on the project, endowing Greg Norman with the rare and precious opportunity to create a new Irish links.

It was one he did not pass up. Pursuing a policy of minimal disturbance, Norman created a nine-out, nineback routing that made excellent use of duneland that, in parts, climbs to 150ft. Almost all the fairways are simply mown strips of existing turf. In particular Norman ensured that climactic, amphitheatre-like greens would be a feature of the course, the putting surfaces at the 1st, 5th, 7th, 14th and 15th particular highlights. After its opening in July 2002 Sports Illustrated magazine labelled it ‘Greg Norman’s Mona Lisa’, while the magazine’s Alan Shipnuck wrote: “I’m not sure I’ve ever trespassed across a course that begins and ends with such memorable holes as those at Doonbeg.”

“This is a course I want to be identified with,” said Norman, “one that I will be able to say with great pride,

Top 100 Spotlight

‘The project was nearly doomed before it began, derailed by a rare and precious 2mm snail’ ‘I did this one’.” In 2004, Doonbeg entered our Top 100 ranking of the United Kingdom and Ireland at 58.

Yet despite the glowing reviews, Doonbeg struggled to turn a profit. Kiawah Partners posted losses of €3m in 2006 and €7m in 2007, before the global financial crisis really bit. Its last accounts before entering receivership in January 2014 showed debts of €80m.

While the picture of Donald Trump riding in on a white horse to save the day might be a hard one to stomach for many, as far as Doonbeg is concerned it is pretty near the mark. Yes, Trump picked up the ailing resort for a knock-down price reckoned to be a little under €8m, in March 2014. But he inherited a set-up that had never made money and whose course had just been ripped to shreds. But with characteristic brio he seconded Marr from his own Aberdeen resort, ensured 18 holes were in play as quickly as possible and quickly

brought in his most trusted architect, Hawtree, to conduct a thorough review of the course. By 2016 Hawtree’s restructuring was complete. A total of 44,000 sqm of sod had been laid by hand, with every green, approach and tee returfed. Trump also upgraded the magnificent stone lodge that acts as clubhouse and onsite accommodation, as well as the small village of cottages that sit to the left of the 17th fairway. In 2017, on the eve of his Presidential inauguration, Trump stood down, handing over control to sons Donald Jnr and Eric.

The stalled situation with sea defences is even more exasperating to Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg because, after 17 years of almost constant difficulties, the resort is finally turning around.

“The increase in performance has been phenomenal over the past three years,” says general manager Joe Russell. “Green fees have gone up 12 per cent year-

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Top 100 Spotlight

on-year since 2016 and we’ve picked up about 30 members each year. Occupation has also improved.”

In November 2019 Doonbeg registered an operating profit of €2,939 – modest, perhaps, but given this is the first time in the venue’s history that it has managed to do so, significant. The Trump marketing machine will have played its part here, but so too has Hawtree’s redesign.

Norman invasion

When Greg Norman first broke ground at Doonbeg back in 2000, he apparently told his builders he “didn’t want some eight-handicapper to come in and tear up this course”. Mission accomplished, Mr Norman.

The course he ultimately constructed may have measured under 7,000 yards and boasted wide fairways – a necessity given the ferocity of the dune grasses either side. Yet, as the initial fanfare over the majesty of the setting died down, a growing rumble began to assert itself. The course was too tough.

“In my opinion the course was too hard for the average golfer,” Marr confirms. “It wasn’t that it was too long or too narrow; it was just awkward. The tee shots at 2 and 13 were not only blind, but for some players it was hard to clear the blind zones that extended to around 165 yards. There was a bunker placed within the 12th green which, while innovative, was also blind. All you could see from the fairway was a swale.

You’d hit a sound shot to the middle of the green and find yourself in sand. For golfers who had not played here before, the experience was often confusing and not always rewarding.”

As a consequence, one of Martin Hawtree’s clear mandates for the redesign work carried out between 2014 and 2016 was to make the course enjoyable for every handicap level. “There were certain eccentricities about some of the original holes that, putting it politely, I felt unhappy about perpetuating in my own name,” Hawtree says. “That bunker on the 12th was one, but another example was the boomerangshaped green at 2, which made putting from one side to the other impossible. My design eased out those problems and generally conformed to what I like doing most – fitting greens to their links surroundings so the green and its contours feel that they arise out of a context, their surroundings, and not from any arbitrary idea of a design for a particular green.”

Hawtree’s first job was to build a new par-3 14th. This was the shortest hole on the course, just 110 yards played back into the wind to an hour-glass green. Golfers either loved its sheer duneland do-or-die drama or hated its need for a precision denied by the Atlantic gusts. Hawtree himself was no fan of a green site he describes as “precariously balanced”. Either way, the hole was claimed by the 2014 storms. His replacement – still excitingly downhill and just 10 yards longer – is scarcely less dramatic and a far better filter of skill.

Hawtree duly removed the infamous bunker on 12, adding some mounding behind the green to improve the

golfer’s understanding of the approach. He created cuts in the dunes on the 2nd and 13th to afford better views of the fairway landing area – just two of many nips and tucks designed to help the holes flow. “Martin, of course, understands the playing aspects of his changes,” says Doonbeg’s long-standing head professional Brian Shaw.

“But he is also a master at understanding the visuals – how bunkers, backdrops and dunes can help shape a hole and improve a golfer’s understanding of what he has to do. He didn’t change the routing of the holes but he changed their shape. He would work on horizons, turn bunkers, create niches to help you see a fade or a draw, and that shape would continue all the way to the green.

“Taking guests out for the first time, I would spend much of the round explaining what was required for the shot to come. I don’t have to do that anymore. Martin has exposed the course’s character, and that makes the playing experience a lot more memorable.”

The course we play today, then, remains the essential Norman routing but with playability enhanced by Hawtree. A more disciplined and considered bunkering policy – greenside traps are revetted to improve visibility, fairway bunkers are more native, marram-fringed affairs – in no way detracts from the rugged, natural feel of the course.

“Someone once said Doonbeg is like a supermodel in the morning… ” Shaw laughs, “… wild and beautiful.”

Looking down the captivating, straightaway form of the par-5 1st, the description seems fitting. With the ocean booming to the left, the hole’s generous fairway is bordered by a glorious crescendo of duneland that comes crashing down on top of you once you reach the coliseum-like green. “It’s what links golf is all about,” says Shaw. “You can hear and see the ocean and you instantly get what you are going to experience in the next four hours.”

Perhaps the next highlight comes with the course’s first change of direction at the 5th, a par 4 of driveable length.

Ambition, though, is thwarted by the two dunes that flank the green and the raw and sporty pit that fronts it.

This green and the following tee mark the visual apogee for the course, their mesmerising, unobstructed views across Doughmore Bay possessed of the authority to absolve a poor start, or perhaps derail a good one.

The first of five par 3s in 10 holes, the 204-yard 7th is a marvellously self-contained one-shotter ably protected by four neat pot bunkers. Slightly sloggy challenges at the par-5 8th and 10th – which borders the adjacent farmland – are compensated by the wicked short coastal 9th and classic signature hole par-3 11th, before the course again finds top gear with a quite sensational 5-3-4 combination of holes from the 13th.

Indeed the bunkerless 15th green, protected on three sides by rugged duneland, may be the most attractivelysited links putting surface you will ever have the pleasure of approaching.

The course, though, has time for one final kicker. A slightly awkward walk across the 1st fairway from the

‘Norman didn’t want an eighthandicapper to come and tear up his course, so made Doonbeg tough. Too tough’

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17th green brings you back to the coast and the 18th tee – a 430-yard beauty sweeping right around the coast. With wind off the right and the OB beach biting in from the same side, this is a hole for the fader. A closing four here, under the shadow of the imposing stone-built Lodge, goes a long way to righting any wrongs committed earlier in the round; but as with any links course worth its salt, your score plays a barely audible second fiddle to the fun, physicality and vigour of the seaside experience.

Survivor

Doonbeg’s privileged location – Lahinch (ranked 16th) is 30 minutes north, Ballybunion (15th) an hour south, with Waterville (13th) within striking distance – means it has a lot to live up to. Its current GW GB&I ranking of 38 (the course was rated while Hawtree’s works were still bedding in) is admittedly some way behind its illustrious neighbours. Yet, as Joe Russell points out, two of those clubs have a century’s head start on Doonbeg. “I think we are steadily making our way up the rankings,” he says calmly. “Our lodging component makes us a great base for those other courses around us, so

‘Trump Doonbeg has emerged, in the image of its new owner, as a survivor’ it’s important people are enjoying Doonbeg as much as them.”

With that in mind, the club is very much pursuing a policy of constant improvement. Marr confirms that more mounding work is scheduled for this winter. “We are creating duneland on the right side of 10 to help turn the hole, to the left of the 11th tee to make you feel more secluded from the greenkeeping nursery, and on the left hand side of the 17th fairway, for health and safety reasons with a road and our links cottages up the left,” he says.

Bunker revetting – the greenkeeper’s ultimate Forth Bridge job – continues apace. Meanwhile off the course, the club has just been granted planning permission for a massive €38m expansion programme that includes new function rooms, leisure facilities and holiday homes.

All of which means that, at the dawn of this new decade, Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg has emerged, in the image of its new owner, as a survivor. To date it has battled a failing ownership regime, the worst weather in centuries, a legion of grumpy golfers who found themselves bunkered on the 12th green and, yes, a microscopic snail, and the place is not only still standing, but finally delivering on its exceptional setting. With a fair wind, it will surely continue to do so.

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Top 100 Spotlight

How we ranked Trump Ireland Design

Greg Norman’s original layout felt pleasingly native, but too tough in parts. Martin Hawtree’s sensitive reshaping has clarified and broadened playing lines.

25.0

ouT of 30

seTTing

PLAyAbiLiTy

Breathtaking location among towering dunes hard up against Clare’s exposed Atlantic coast, shadowing a gorgeous arcing beach.

Has made a big step forward.

Blindness removed, bigger greens, the hit-and-hope 14th replaced and in-green 12th bunker removed.

18.7

11.1

ouT of 20

ouT of 15

TOTAL Arguably lacks the sense of charm intrinsic to its more historic and established neighbours, but Doonbeg matches them in every other way.

81.4

ouT of 100

HOLes

COnsisTenCy

Rare bland moments are swiftly countered by a colourful mix, including five par 5s and five diverse par 3s. Mighty duneland delivers some sublime green sites.

Tightened considerably since every green, approach and teeing area was resodded within the last five years.

7.7

7.4

ouT of 10

ouT of 10

PresenTATiOn

New rye-grassed buggy paths and a disciplined bunker revetting programme contribute to a general feeling of sharpness, though the course remains suitably rugged.

11.5

ouT of 15

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SHOW UP keeP

The evo

of The

Asfarbackasanyonecanrecall,thecaddiewasbutahumbleclubcarrier,a overtime,asthegameevolved,theold-schoolbagmanwasreplaced mathematician,partgamblingman–andoccasionally,woman. Today its is a

Up shUt Up

oluTion

caddie largely mute male of questionable hygiene, sobriety and sanity. But by a more polished, professional model – part scientist, part well-paid but unforgiving arena, as John Huggan explains.

It is a tale that has perhaps grown in the telling. But it makes some sort of sense, as well as featuring a bit of a royal connection.

It does depend on who you talk to, but there are those who believe that the term “caddie” was first uttered by Mary Queen of Scots back in the late 16th century.

The link? That great lady of the links actually grew up in France, where military “cadets” were deployed to carry the clubs by those of a regal disposition – cadet translating as ‘a little chief’.

Whatever the veracity or otherwise of such speculation, a bit further north in Scotland there were no uniforms involved.

That demeaning aspect of caddying came much later. So anything went for those known as cadys, caddys, or cadies, what were general-purpose porters or errand boys in many Caledonian towns during

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the 18th century. In around 1700, the term caddy was applied by Scottish irony to street loafers, guys who were happy to do odd jobs and run errands. Those lads were little more than bag carriers, local men hired to tote the golfing luggage of those belonging to a more affluent strand of society. In those far-off days – and even a lot more recently – caddies sleeping rough and reeking of cheap alcohol was, if not quite the norm, far from unusual.

“When I first came out on tour, we literally had caddies who preferred to spend their nights under a bush rather than in a hotel,” confirms former PGA champion Tony Johnstone.

Not all of them though.

“There was the odd caddie back then who had simply fallen on hard times, or whose family had thrown him out,”

The Caddies

Caddies and their players at the Britannia and Eve Scottish Golf Foursomes at Cruden Bay in 1932.

recalls Peter Alliss, whose playing career spanned more than 20 years before his retirement in 1974. “But they didn’t all smell of urine and spend every winter in jail.” Still, those hard-living, workingclass souls are a big part of the caddie story. For many years, the job remained pretty much unchanged, as did the social standing and backgrounds of those practising the dark art. Carry the bag.

Clean the clubs. Replace the divots.

Tend the pin. Offer occasional advice on what club to hit. The basics stayed almost the same until maybe the late 1950s, early 1960s. Before that, the lot of the caddie was generally a hand-to-mouth existence, identities often disguised (invariably from the income tax authorities) by wellearned nicknames.

There was ‘Fiery’ Crawford at North

Berwick. And ‘Daniels’ at Sandwich, who perhaps not coincidentally died within a year of pocketing the £50 four-time Open champion Walter Hagen slid his way. ‘Butler’ was Henry Cotton’s man.

‘Mad Mack’ was Max Faulkner’s.

“There were many great partnerships on tour,” confirms Alliss. “A good caddie was knowledgeable about the game. They were able – after only a few holes – to judge how far you could hit, say, a 5-iron.

And local caddies were great at reading the greens. That’s why Arnold Palmer used ‘Tip’ Anderson at St Andrews. And Peter Thomson always had ‘Gillespie’ on his bag. He reckoned he couldn’t get round the Old Course without him.

“I had Jimmy Cousins on my bag through the 1960s. He went on to caddie for Manuel Pinero. He was a Bournemouth

lad, a bit of a rascal and my Sancho Panza.

I paid him £10 per week from the 1st of March to the 1st of October. He would wash my car on weeks off. And I paid him a bonus if we did well. Once I gave him a steel Rolex watch. It was worth maybe £100 at the time.”

Indeed, back then, caddying was more art than science. Yardages were a mystery, at least they were at first to ‘Chingy’, eighttime Ryder Cup player Neil Coles’ longtime caddie.

“Chingy had won The Open Championship with Alf Padgham and was a one-handicap player in his youth,” says Coles. “We were together 14 years.

He caddied for the American George Archer at the 1962 Open. Archer was one of the first to pace courses. Chingy latched onto this. Suddenly, we were pacing

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The dreaded weather delay tests even the best caddies.

every course. Or at least he was.

“Anyway, we were at St Andrews. We got to my drive on one hole and I asked him what the marker was. He said, ‘crow sitting on fence to the right.’ I had to laugh. But that was him. We moved on from pacing to a wheel eventually.”

All caddies did, in the sort of development not everyone views as a positive. Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell has his doubts. Yes, the rate of change in the caddying business has surely accelerated over the last quarter century. But not, says McDowell, always for the better.

“The evolution of the caddie is actually a bit sad,” contends the Northern Irishman. “Their value and worth has decreased significantly. There is far too much information out there now. Players have all that to go on, which takes away from the value of a good caddie. There is less incentive for the caddie to do the extra bit of work that might separate himself from the rest. It is ‘paint by numbers’ for caddies too much of the time. Lazy players can get away with too much. I wish it could be changed – although I know it can’t.”

Indeed, before all that, the job of the

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‘some caddies had fallen on hard times, yes, But they didn’t all smell of urine or spend every winter in jail’ caddie was all feel and “knowing your man” as well as the course. But, as McDowell laments, those artists have all but disappeared amidst a cloud of numbers and calculations. In their place are closet mathematicians armed with ever-more sophisticated literature aimed at eliminating any possibility of arithmetical or, on the greens, geometrical error.

“The job has changed dramatically in the more than three decades I’ve been on tour,” agrees another Irishman Colin Byrne, who has worked for major champions Retief Goosen and Paul Lawrie and is now on Rafa Cabrera Bello’s bag. “When I started it was just about showing up on time on Tuesday. If you

did that you were ahead of the game. And if you had a yardage book you were well ahead of the game. And if the yardages were actually correct you were a top-notch caddie.

“Now it is very different. The job has evolved as the game has evolved. The professionals are now more professional and dedicated. It’s becoming a science more than an art. The information the players get is so stream-lined. Before, a caddie could make a difference just by doing a bit of extra work on the course.

Not now though. The yardage books and greens books are so good. You can’t get an edge there.”

Speaking of yardages, Billy Foster – who has worked for the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood and now, Matt Fitzpatrick during his 37 seasons on the European Tour – still dines out on one yardagerelated tale.

“It used to take me six-seven hours to draw up my own yardage book,” says the Yorkshireman. “I was caddying for Seve at Sun City when we had to get a yardage over water. There were no lasers. It took me 75 minutes to measure it by walking through a jungle with a piece of string.

The Caddies

ON THE BAG as Poacher turns gamekeePer, renowned golf writer John huggan relinquishes his Pen and Picks uP a bag.

It’s a wee while ago now, but I once asked Colin Montgomerie how long I would last carrying his golf bag around the course during a tournament. Monty and I knew each other well.

He and I had played a fair bit of golf together before he turned professional and went on to much fame and fortune, culminating in us being two parts of the 11-man Scotland team in the 1984 Home Internationals at Troon.

Anyway, he considered the question of me on his bag for a few seconds before responding. “Second shot to the first green,” he said. “And that’s only because even you and I couldn’t disagree about it being a driver off the tee.”

Bloody cheek.

Before and after that gratuitous and obviously wholly unwarranted insult, I have actually caddied in a variety of events, although none of them were for Monty. The Tartan Tour (Derek Small). The Walker Cup (Stephen Keppler). The Open Championship (Paul Gallagher). The PGA Tour (Forrest Fezler). The European Tour (Russell Claydon). The British Senior Open (Mike Clayton). The LPGA Tour (Catriona Matthew). All have seen me wearing bibs emblazoned with the names of friends of mine. On paper at least, my caddying credentials are fairly extensive and, dare I say, not a little bit impressive.

And what have I learned?

Two things mainly.

Firstly, even someone who is a close pal off the course can turn into a completely different person when playing competitive golf.

Secondly, because of that, it is vital not to stray across the sometimes blurry line that separates a friendship and a

caddie/player relationship.

An example. A few years ago, I caddied for my good friend, New Zealander Greg Turner, in the Swiss Senior Open. In one round, Greg parred the first 14 holes. The 15th at Bad Ragaz is a short par 4 and Greg hit a mildly scabby tee-shot into the semi-rough on the right side.

Walking to his ball I told him not to worry. “You’ll par this hole anyway,” I said in a jocular fashion. Greg’s second shot finished maybe 30-feet from the cup. He then putted up to around three-feet. As he stood over the ball, the implications of my

‘humour’ began to hit home.

What was he going to say if he missed? Would I get the blame for planting a negative seed in his head?

Thankfully, Greg made the putt for a fifteenth consecutive par. But walking off green he looked me in the eye and said, “Yes, I was thinking what you were thinking.”

On the other hand, it is also possible to innocently fall foul of the surprise mood swings players can be prone to mid-round. In another Swiss Senior Open, I was on the bag for another pal, Australian Peter O’Malley,

who is one of the nicest people anyone could wish to meet. Not quite all of the time though. Walking up a fairway, I was loudly castigated for the apparently heinous crime of “not walking in a straight line.”

‘Pom’ was also irritated with me when, after he missed a short putt, he asked me what had happened.

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“You have to tell me. I’m putting with my eyes shut.”

Then there was the time I caddied for my pal Clayton in the Australian Senior Open at Royal Perth. On the 5th hole I had walked forward to where the drives were likely to finish. By the time Mike arrived I had worked out the yardage for the approach shot.

“You’re wrong,” he said.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

The end result was that Mike’s ball, struck with his 7-iron rather than the 8- I recommended, landed on the next tee. Walking to the green he had another look at his yardage book.

“F£&@!” he said. “This thing is from the event in Spain three weeks ago.”

All of the above just goes to show what a complicated business caddying can be.

The men – and women – who do it best make it look easy.

But it is far from that, even if there are only three absolute pre-requisites: An ability to count. A strong back. And – here’s the really important one – owning a personality compatible with the player you are caddying for.

Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I still haven’t heard back from Monty. He’s not wrong though. We might not even have made it to his second shot.

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The walk from green to tee is where many caddies have to become pyschologists.

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The Caddies The next day I found out I had been trudging through a cobra pit.”

The lot of the caddie has gradually improved since those apparently dangerous times, as have the demands made of those “on the bag”. But it has taken a while. Not too long ago, those who now travel the world in jets and spend their working weeks in nice hotels, were existing more than living.

“When I started, 10 of us travelled to each event on the road,” says long-time caddie Dominic Bott, who has worked for six different European Tour winners.

“We had a minibus and slept in a caravan.

We drove no matter where we were going.

And there was always someone driving.

We had some great fun, but we were a long time on the road. I remember we once did 16 weeks straight. If you said that to the lads now, they’d laugh out loud.”

Those modern “lads” are a very different breed. A trend has gradually developed at the sharp end of the game over the last few years. Eschewing the opportunity to employ a gnarled old veteran, a flurry of high-profile professionals currently walk the fairways alongside a relatively inexperienced band of friends and relatives. There have been other changes

too. The level of conversation being one.

“First and foremost, the caddies are now generally more educated than the players,” says Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington. “Not that many players have completed a third-level education. But many of the caddies have. Most of the new breed of caddies say they took the job for a year; they did it for a friend. Those

‘many caddies out there are gambling addicts really. every week they have a chance to win the lottery’ sorts of things. But once they get out there, they find it hard to give up the lifestyle. They are gambling addicts really.

Every week they have the chance to win the lottery.

“It’s a great job for a young, single guy.

But that’s the problem. They all start out that way. But they can’t give it up. Which is understandable. The travel is seductive,

as are many of the places we go. They don’t have to work nine-to-five. They get 25 weeks off a year. Yes, they work hard, but they are in nice places.”

Still, for all of the perks that come with the job, as things have evolved the caddie has understandably had to adjust. For one thing, the man with whom a player spends most of his time is now only part of a growing support team designed to cover every possible aspect of the game.

“When I was on tour my ‘team’ was me, my caddie and, in the evenings especially, my buddies,” says Johnstone. “We all looked after each other. But things are different now. In my role as an assistant to International captain Nick Price, I was at Firestone for a Presidents Cup meeting three years ago. One player turned up with 13 people on his staff. He had a sports psychologist, a manager, a putting coach, a short game coach, a toe-nail cutter, a sideburn trimmer and a nosehair plucker. Players are a lot more insular, travelling with their own little group.”

Which is not to say that on-course interaction between player and caddie has lessened in importance. It is between the ropes that the varying needs, wants and moods of the man hitting the shots become most apparent.

The caddie’s role has changed dramatically since the days of Henry Cotton and Walter Hagen.

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The modern caddie has more information available to them than ever before.

“What I ask of my caddie hasn’t changed,” continues Harrington. “But the job has. I don’t like an overbearing caddie. The pro knows how to play golf better than the caddie. The psychology is more important. You can get a monkey to do the nuts and bolts.

Which doesn’t mean we always get things right. We’ve had professors on tour who can’t add up correctly every time. It’s not an intelligence thing.

“There is nothing to the routine stuff really. But knowing what to say and when to say it is key. Every player relies on his caddie. I couldn’t play the PGA Tour without my caddie. I need a friend. He is the crutch I lean on. America can be a lonely place for a European player, unless you have someone to socialise with after a round. My caddie is my best friend out there. I couldn’t play on tour without having someone with me. He is there to drag me out to dinner and improve my quality of life.”

On the other side of that sometimes subtle equation, the caddie has to be, in so

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many ways, something of a psychologist.

Which is no easy task when dealing with large egos, volatile temperaments and tricky situations.

“Spotting signs in your player is key,” says Byrne. “You need to pre-empt his

‘the modern caddie needs to be a best friend for his player but he also needs to be a psychologist’ downfall. That is a big part of the job in the modern day. A lot of players work with psychologists and the caddie is increasingly part of that relationship.

“Today’s caddies do way more with player’s heads than our predecessors ever did. We are always trying to get them in

the right place mentally to hit the shot.

“You can say the right thing and the wrong thing, even though it is the same thing. It just depends when you say it.

Timing is everything. Trying to spark the player back into focus is the aim really.

No one can concentrate for four-and-ahalf hours. That just wears you out.”

There is one last thing every good caddie provides: a second pair of eyes.

That mostly comes in useful when looking for a ball after an errant shot, but it can help post-round too. A few years ago, Kiwi Greg Turner and Santiago Luna of Spain were marking their cards after the opening round of the WINSTONgolf Senior Open in Germany. At first, things weren’t going too well, the pair debating back and forth whether or not Luna had holed for a four at the 10th hole. It wasn’t an argument though. The problem was neither man could remember. Eventually, Turner’s caddie was summoned to confirm what actually happened.

Mary Queen of Scots would have been so proud.

The Caddies

What I’ve learned Steve Brotherhood haS carried BagS on the european tour for the laSt 15 yearS, including for david howell. he’S Somehow Still Standing...

It’s very easy to get the sack on tour. You don’t have to do anything wrong to get sacked these days. Sometimes players just need a change of face on the bag. But if you work hard and turn up on time, you’re pretty safe, though with some players you never know what’s going to happen.

The job is incredibly intense.

From Thursday onwards, 100 per cent concentration is key.

Five hours out there is pretty intense and you can’t let your guard down once. If you make even a single mistake it could be the difference between a first or second place or even making the cut.

I need to be a psychologist. If your man isn’t playing the best you’ve got to kick him up the backside a bit. And if he is doing well, it’s a case of keeping him fired up.

The best call I ever made? The

last round in Abu Dhabi a few years back, ‘Howeller’ was one clear coming down the stretch, but four-putted and came off the 13th with a seven. He looked like he’d just been kicked in the testicles and there was a good walk to the next tee. So I pulled him back and gave him a good talking to, reminding him there were some tough holes coming up and if he let what happened get to him, we’d finish 30th and all the hard work over 50-60 holes would be wasted. I said “Give me five 100 per cent holes, work hard and we can still finish in the top 10.” He came back in level par and finished seventh.

There’s no let up in pro golf.

Every shot must be 100 per cent.

Happily, there have been no major gaffes. There was a time in China a few years ago where I advised Howeller to hit a club into the final green on Sunday which resulted in him finding the back bunker, the worst place to be. Luckily for me he made a

miracle up and down to make birdie to save us dropping down a few places. He got me out of the crap there.

Caddying is a great life… if you’re doing well. If you can get through to the weekend and you’ve done a good job for the four days, you’re duly rewarded for it. The horrible part of the job for me now is the travelling, being away from the family for weeks on end. But it’s a great life if you’re doing well. The rewards can be pretty lucrative, and that’s why we keep going out there, believing our play is still good enough to win.

I get a weekly wage, which varies from player to player.

From what I know, I receive a very generous wage which basically covers my expenses.

In addition, there’s commission money – normal is five percent if you make the cut, seven-anda-half per cent for a top 10 and 10 per cent for a win. Howeller

collected £500,000 for winning the Dunhill – that’s a good four days’ work!

The key quality for any caddie is that you get on well with your player and vice-versa. It doesn’t matter how good a job you do, if you don’t gel you’re on a slippery slope.

There are loads of funny tales, but most are unsuitable for print. I remember one though when David went to a local muni course to try and straighten his driving up and after hitting two or three balls on one hole, he waved a couple of guys through, only for one of them to pipe up and say: “Hey man, that’s a great swing... what do you play off, five or six?”

If golf was played on the range, everybody on tour would be No.1. It’s out on the course – your scoring ability, plotting your way round – that makes you a top player.

P U E K A W TO C I S U M L A E R ON THE

DAVE BERRY BREAKFAST SHOW

1O5.8 FM, SMART SPEAKER & MOBILE

2020 THE START OF THE YEAR MEANS ONE THING FOR GEAR AFICIONADOS – LOTS OF JUICY LAUNCHES FROM THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS. WE’VE TESTED AND REVIEWED THE BEST NEW PRODUCTS HITTING THE STORES THIS MONTH.

TAYLORMA SIM DRIVER ‘SHAPE IN MOTION’ REPRESENTS NEW THINKING ON DRIVER GEOMETRY. TaylorMade’s M-series drivers have been integral to the brand’s product line-up since the launch of the M1 five years ago.

Designing ‘M’ took TaylorMade down a road of carbon-fibre-fuelled discovery that led to pioneering technologies such as TwistFace and Speed Injection. But TaylorMade now believe it’s time to bank those learnings and move on. While the focus with ‘M’ was pioneering new materials, in 2020 it’s clubhead geometry. TaylorMade’s new “Shape in Motion” concept improves aerodynamics at the point in the swing where the driver clubhead experiences the most drag – the delivery from nine o’clock to six o’clock in the downswing – or just before impact, where you want the clubhead speed to reach its peak. TaylorMade claim that most drivers underperform at this crucial point in the golf swing because they are designed to create speed in a straight line, not a descending swing arc.

Using sophisticated 3D motion analysis technology, TaylorMade have crafted a new “asymmetrical” sole, which targets how the head rotates aerodynamically through 45° at impact. Initial testing – including with TaylorMade’s tour players – showed a gain of 2mph in ball speed over the most recent M driver – an improvement that equates to a five-yard increase in distance.

LOFTS: 8° / 9° / 10.5° STOCK SHAFT: Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited 60, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°) £479

NO NEED FOR SUPER LOW SPIN TaylorMade say golfers don’t need super low-spin drivers, and that even the world’s best players like Rory McIlroy preferred the weight in the M driver towards the back of the clubhead. So SIM has 12g of mass right on the extremities of the “inertia generator”, which delivers high MOI and forgiveness.

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NEW COSMETICS SIM has also had a cosmetic makeover. A chrome carbonfibre crown and grey-tinged chalk paint give a sleek appearance. Both are taken from the automotive industry.

2020 SLIDING WEIGHT AND SPEED POCKET TaylorMade say the new head is so efficient that a 10g sliding forward weight is sufficient to deliver up to 20 yards of draw/fade bias.

A straight-through speed pocket means the face isn’t attached at the bottom, like TaylorMade’s P790 irons.

TWO MORE SIM DRIVERS FOR FORG IVE N E SS

TAYLORMADE SIM MAX LOFTS: 9° / 10.5° / 12° STOCK SHAFT Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 or Red 5 ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°) TaylorMade are well aware that one driver doesn’t suit everyone, so while SIM focuses on controlling spin and dialling in shot bias, SIM Max is more about forgiveness. Losing the weight track means 20g of weight is now located low and deep on the tip of the inertia generator, which boosts MOI by 70 points over the SIM. The clubface is eight per cent larger than the SIM, too. That boosts confidence and comes from TaylorMade’s research into the common impact locations – £449.

FOR DR AW B IA S

TAYLORMADE SIM MAX D THE INERTIA GENERATOR The asymmetrical sole optimises aerodynamics where golfers create most speed. TaylorMade call it an “inertia generator”. Dustin Johnson’s swing speed at the nine o’clock position is 90mph; at impact (six o’clock) it’s 120mph.

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

“What’s really noticeable is how everything that worked in the previous M models has been improved. Long gone are the days of wiping the drawing board clean after a year of R&D and starting again from scratch. The new chromed carbon-fibre crown gives the SIM family an impressive new look and thanks to its structural integrity, it sounds and feels brilliant at impact. The chalk paint job is a lovely step forward and we love how all three drivers bear the same name – a TaylorMade first. TaylorMade say their tour players will be split 50/50 between SIM and SIM Max. We think most club golfers will be better suited to the slightly more forgiving SIM Max, though.”

LOFTS: 9° / 10.5° / 12° STOCK SHAFT UST Mamiya Helium 5 / 4 ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°) TaylorMade introduced their first D-Type driver in the second gen M2, and thanks to its success at helping club golfers keep a slice in check, it continues into the SIM family. TaylorMade’s progressive face sizing means the D-Type’s face is 18 per cent bigger than the SIM, but thanks to some clever top edge graphics it doesn’t look closed at address. Low and deep weighting has been halved, so mass can be moved to a heel pad to create draw bias – £449.

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EXPANDED SWEETSPOT By thinning the face and using progressive inverted cone technology in the longer irons (where shots are often hit towards the toe) TaylorMade say the SIM’s sweetspot has effectively grown by 40 per cent.

TAYLORMADE SIM MAX SIM Max replaces M6 and is directly aimed at golfers who want distance with forgiveness. A deep cavity back ensures playability and a new polymer ECHO dampener behind the face eliminates vibrations. It does its job so well, in fact, that SIM will be the only 2020 cast iron masquerading as a forged model. A fluted hosel removes inefficient mass from the neck, Speed Pockets in the soles of the 4-8 irons maximise ball speed for shots hit lower on the face, while progressive inverted cone technology helps minimise sidespin on mishits with the longer irons.

AVAILABILITY: 4-PW, AW, SW, LW STOCK SHAFT: KBS Max 85 (s), Fujikura Ventus Blue (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 28.5° £899 (s), £1,049 (g)

FEEL AND SOUND TaylorMade compared the sound frequencies of SIM Max with a P760 forged players’ iron.

Incredibly, the two were virtually identical.

That translates to good feel, too.

TAYLORMADE SI

I

FAST-FACE GAME-IMPROVEMENT TECH WITH FORGED SOUND AND FEEL. TaylorMade’s SIM driver story may be based around aerodynamics, drag reduction and aero efficiency, but improving airflow in irons is far less important.

However, according to TaylorMade’s iron gurus, focusing on geometry has opened up a new avenue in the development of distance irons. Golfers who want out-and-out distance previously had to sacrifice sound and feel to get the latest fast-face tech, so the

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company made it a priority to create a distance iron that feels and sounds as good as a forged model.

As with the drivers, TaylorMade haven’t started from scratch. Speed Bridge technology – a supporting beam that attaches the sole to the top edge – featured in last year’s M5 and M6 irons, and it’s fundamental to making the new SIM Max and SIM Max OS faster and longer. This is how...

2020 TAYLORMADE SIM MAX OS The OS represents a new direction for TaylorMade with the 27° 7-iron the strongest they’ve ever made. It’s also equivalent to the strongest on the market – Callaway’s Rogue X. As the name suggests, OS is oversized, but not in a nasty, rowing oar way. Face-height is 1mm taller than the SIM Max and there’s 1mm more offset, which helps position the centre of gravity further back to flight shots to counteract those strong lofts.

Wide sole geometries also position the centre of gravity low and back, delivering a high but penetrating ball flight. Think of the OS as a distanceorientated super game improver iron, which can add five yards of carry distance (half-a-club) over the SIM Max and you won’t go far wrong.

TaylorMade say they work well in the hands of golfers who try to “scoop” shots into the air, too.

AVAILABILITY: 4-PW, AW, SW, LW STOCK SHAFT: KBS Max 85 (s), Fujikura Ventus Blue (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 27° £899 (s), £1,049 (g)

SHOCK ABSORBERS ECHO is TaylorMade’s biggest ever polymer damper. Its concertina design means there are multiple contact points behind the whole length of the face. TaylorMade say vibration channels give space for the damper to flex without impeding face flex.

JOINED-UP THINKING Speed Bridge gives more rigidity to the topline, making it behave like a hinge, flexing and rebounding at impact, improving ball speeds. It also reduces vibrations, improving sound and feel.

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

“Stating that a cast, fast-face game improver iron feels and sounds every bit as good as a forged model is a massive claim. But our initial reaction wasn’t to shoot the claim down. They sound very good, and if we failed to ‘feel’ a difference in 30 minutes on the range, many club golfers will feel exactly the same. We understand why TaylorMade have gone down the strong loft route (with SIM Max OS). With more golfers buying clubs purely on launch monitor data, it’s a case of having to do so to compete. All in, both SIM irons are very good looking, and we have no doubt they’ll perform against the best irons of the year.”

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IRON-LIKE IMPACT SOUND Callaway’s new super computer was unleashed on the Mavrik’s acoustics. The computer was tasked with improving sound for all three new models. And because Callaway’s engineers asked it to focus on known “pleasing” sound frequencies, the new model sounds more like an iron.

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2020 TWO MORE MAVRIKS FOR H IG H FORG IVE N E SS

CALLAWAY MAVRIK MAX LOFTS: 9° / 10.5° / 12° STOCK SHAFT: UST Helium Black 40g / Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g, 60g / Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 60g / 70g ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (-1/+2°) Thanks to two sole weights (14g and 2g) in the back and heel, the Max is a very clever driver. It not only offers the most draw bias, with the 14g weight in the heel, but switching the weight to the back port provides the highest MOI option, too. That’s seriously clever. The head is wider from face to back, and Callaway say it’s five yards longer than an Epic Flash driver.

THREE MODELS, THREE SHAPES The standard Mavrik is the fastest shape; the head is a very different cyclone aero shape, which produces mid-spin with a moderate draw bias.

It’s for everyone, from tour players to mid handicappers.

Mavrik Max is the easiest launching model with the highest MOI and most draw bias, while Mavrik Sub Zero has a more traditional lower-tail design since it’s aimed at the golfers who create decent clubhead speed.

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

FOR LOW SPI N , H IG H MOI

CALLAWAY MAVRIK SUB ZERO LOFTS: 9° / 10.5° STOCK SHAFT: Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g, 60g / Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 60g / 70g ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (-1/+2°)

“Three-model driver families are nothing new, but Mavrik takes the concept to a whole new level. And, boy, is it clever stuff. We loved the solid new sound, which comes down to how each head is individually optimised from so many angles. All three models sit beautifully behind the ball. The shape differences are easy to spot at address, yet the Mavrik MAX won’t draw attention to you being an average golfer. In fact, it might just be the driver club golfers have needed for years. Its ability to be either super forgiving or slice busting, all without an ugly closed face angle, is really very impressive.”

All three drivers have exotic new FS2S titanium faces. The material is lighter and stronger with ultra-high rebound qualities.

Conventional titanium just couldn’t deal with the stresses the AI computer demanded.

The Sub Zero is 450cc. The 14g and 2g sole weights can be switched to dial in spin and launch and there’s also a flatter lie angle and more neutral shot bias. Callaway say SZ is the ultimate combo of low spin and high MOI.

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CALLAWAY MAVRIK IRONS CALLAWAY’S AI COMPUTER SAID, ‘PUT A DIFFERENT FACE IN EVERY IRON’... SO THAT’S WHAT THEY DID! Following the success of the Flash Face in last year’s Epic Flash driver, Callaway knew the next big AI opportunity was going to be iron faces, but they had to teach their super computer to understand how different golfers typically impact iron shots – from a low-heel 4-iron to a high-toe 8. The end result is that all three Mavrik irons have AI optimised faces. Not only that, Callaway have optimised each iron in three new sets. That’s 27 different face designs! Callaway also fed their fitting knowledge into the computer and, therefore, into each new Mavrik iron design. £849

FOR ALL- ROU N D PE R FOR MANCE

CALLAWAY MAVRIK Callaway insist that, thanks to the design complexity of their newest irons, strong lofts are necessary to deliver a ‘normal’ ball flight. The standard iron has a 27° 7-iron, but Callaway say the iron needs a strong loft because the Cup Face adds at least a degree of dynamic loft at impact. The tungsten energy core is so good at positioning mass accurately, it flights strong-lofted irons very differently to traditional strong-lofted models.

STOCK SHAFT: True Temper Elevate 95 (s), Project X Catalyst (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 27°

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

“Creating 27 different faces for three different iron models may sound excessive, but Callaway say it enables the sweetspot to be positioned right where data and AI say golfers hit each particular iron. We love how the standard Mavrik sits behind the ball, the improved sound is light years away from traditional loud fast face tech and the Pro model is so sleek. If you’ve been put off strong-lofted irons, 2020 is the year to give them another look, as the latest tech really does make them very playable. At £849 a set, Mavrik look like very reasonable value, too.”

CALLAWAY MAVRIK HYBRIDS In a Callaway first, the three Mavrik hybrids have fully AI-developed faces, made from SS20 steel like the fairway woods. Callaway say it means you get the perfect blend of ball speed, launch and spin from each model.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Long irons are designed for launch and speed, mid irons target speed and spin consistency, while short irons are optimised for spin and precision to promote pinpoint shot-making.

MAVRIK PRO

LOFTS: 2H-18° / 3H-20° / 4H-23° STOCK SHAFT: KBS Tour Prototype hybrid 70g / 80g The Pro has much more of a fairway wood shape (with full-face grooves), as Callaway’s Apex is their tour-style hybrid. The sole is more cambered for increased versatility; profile is compact and there’s a neutral shot bias set up. £249

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2020 FOR EA SY L AU NCH

CALLAWAY MAVRIK MAX Mavrik MAX heads are larger with extra offset, and there’s a lower centre of gravity for increased forgiveness. A 30° 7-iron means extra help flighting shots for maximum carry – especially beneficial to golfers who don’t quite have the swing speed to launch the stronger lofted standard Mavrik. Callaway say a larger area of the face now meets the maximum legal rebound speed, plus you get more speed when shots are hit lower on the face – a difficult trick to pull off.

STOCK SHAFT: KBS Max (s), Project X Catalyst (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 30°

HIGH-TECH SOUND Using AI, each iron has its own sound. While better players prefer the muted forged sound of the Pro model, the Max targets specific frequencies to sound more powerful.

FOR WOR K AB I LIT Y

CALLAWAY MAVRIK PRO Designed as a tour/player-sized iron. Thanks to AI, even though the head is cast, Callaway engineers have dialled in how the new Flash Cup Face and body vibrates. In other words, they tuned impact frequencies to the same levels as a forged iron. The Pro is more compact, has a flatter lie angle and a thinner topline, which gives better players workability and control. Tungsten weighting and urethane microsphere tech position the centre of gravity for player-preferred trajectories, spin rates and landing angles throughout the set.

STOCK SHAFT: True Temper Elevate 105 (s), Project X Catalyst (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 30.5°

MAVRIK

LOFTS: 3H -18° / 4H-20° / 5H-23° / 6H-26° STOCK SHAFT: UST Helium Black 40g / 50g, Project X Catalyst 55g / 65g / 75g A mid-sized profile and a square toe very much like the Rogue it replaces.

Full-face grooves give a similar look to a long iron. A Project X Catalyst shaft is also lighter and higher launching than the KBS Tour in the Pro. £249

ALL CHANGE! The Flash Cup face, urethane microsphere and tungsten weight bar change shape and size for each iron to optimise CG location, absorb unwanted vibration and improve spin and launch.

MAVRIK MAX

LOFTS: 3H-19° / 4H-21° / 5H-24° / 6H27° / 7H-30° / 8H-33° STOCK SHAFT: UST Helium Black, Project X Catalyst A larger, progressive hybrid with extra draw bias. Easy to launch and flight, with huge forgiveness. Plus, they run all the way to an 8H. A game-changer if you struggle to launch mid irons. £249

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ODYSSE TRACK PU THE BLUE AND RED ALIGNMENT LI GOLF BALLS MAKE THEIR WAY ON Brands often boast about how much time, effort and financial resources their R&D department puts into new products – but Callaway will happily admit that very little of their $40 million annual research budget was spent on Odyssey’s new Triple Track putters! General manager Sean Toulon told us that, as soon as he and his team saw Callaway’s new Triple Track ERC Soft golf ball last year, they knew they just had to use the three-stripe alignment idea on a new range of putters. “I didn’t have a red Sharpie in my office at the time, but I did have a blue one, so I drew two blue lines on a 2-Ball putter. Then I ran to Luke Williams’ office and he drew the red line down the centre. Right there, we knew we had our new Triple Track putters. It really was that simple.”

And sometimes it’s those simple ideas that create the biggest buzz – just like Odyssey’s original 2-Ball 20 years ago.

2-BALL OPTION Twenty years since its launch, the 2-Ball is still going strong. The double bend shaft model is face-balanced to suit a straighter putting stroke.

HEAD SHAPES: Five: 2-Ball / 2-Ball Blade / Marxman / Ten (double bend or slant hosel) / Double Wide (double bend or flow neck) £239-£269 TRIPLE TRACK ALIGNMENT We first saw Vernier hyperacuity on Callaway’s ERC Soft ball. The colours and spacing are critical in helping the brain process and visualise alignment more accurately and more consistently.

THE FOUR ADDITIONAL MODELS

2-BALL BLADE

DOUBLE WIDE

MARXMAN

Perfect for those who aren’t fans of the curvy 2-Ball putter head.

Straighter edges can help alignment.

Just ask Padraig Harrington, who’s been a fan. A 21° toe hang means it’s more suited to a slightly arcing stroke than a face-balanced standard 2-Ball.

We’re big fans of wide-body blades. They inspire confidence and offer similar levels of forgiveness to mallets. The Double Wide is available in both a face-balanced and toe hang model.

A brilliant mix of high MOI performance wrapped into a compact and discreet mallet.

We love how the lines come all the way to the top edge. It gives a seamless flow from the back of the putter to the front of the ball.

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2020 HOW IT WORKS VERNIER HYPERACUITY They’re not just three lines, they’re genuine science!

The Wikipedia definition of Vernier acuity is that it is “a type of visual acuity – more precisely of hyperacuity – that measures the ability to discern a misalignment among two line segments or gratings.”

In layman’s terms, Vernier acuity refers to the brain’s ability to identify subtle differences in alignment detected in the eyes.

With the right kind of multiple reference points – like a centre line flanked by two parallel lines – the brain perceives the straightness of aim better. It’s a technology used in gun sights and the landing strips on aircraft carriers.

POWER, FEEL AND SOUND Expect minimal offset, a thinner top line and what Wilson say is the perfect blade length and toe height to sound and feel perfect.

POWER GENERATOR Wilson tested 16 different power hole combinations (through the sole) before settling on the optimal set-up to generate and protect ball speed.

WILSON D7 FORGED A LINK BETWEEN WILSON’S TOUR IRONS AND GAME-IMPROVERS. Wilson have a rich heritage in crafting forged irons – a reputation that was further enhanced when Gary Woodland won the US Open at Pebble Beach last June. Astonishingly, it was the 62nd major won by Wilson irons. They have now claimed at least one major in every decade since Gene Sarazen’s US Open win in 1922.

Woodland’s success, combined with a very strong game-improver iron in the D7, gave Wilson a successful 2019. The D7

TEN Odyssey’s newest shape is a beauty.

With an MOI of 5504, Odyssey say it outperforms a TaylorMade Spider X for stability. If your putting could do with some additional stability and alignment help – let’s face it, whose doesn’t? – the Ten is your match.

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

iron, in particular, hit the spot with club golfers. It’s fast, long, forgiving and, compared with most of the competitors in its space, very sensibly priced.

But Wilson work on a two-year product life cycle. Just as D7 took off, sales of the 2018 C300 Forged irons were nosediving. Wilson knew they needed a replacement to fill the gap between its excellent tour-level irons and game-improvers. The timing was perfect for a new D7 Forged iron, aimed

squarely at the players’ distance category.

Critics claimed the previous C300 Forged iron was too hard and loud. In response, Wilson have reshaped the cavity back, sole, top line and face thickness to improve acoustics and feel.

AVAILABILITY: 4-PW STOCK SHAFT: KBS $-Taper Lite (s), True Temper Catalyst Black 80 (g) 7-IRON LOFT: 30.5° £699

Over the last few years, Wilson haven’t had anywhere near the credit they have deserved when it comes to irons. The forged FG Tour V6 has had a substantial cult following while last year’s D7 was second-to-none for distance and forgiveness. If you’re a mid- to lowhandicapper who has previously discounted Wilson, the D7 Forged should be the model to make you think again.

Our testing has it right up there with the Ping i500 and TaylorMade P790. Sound, feel and forgiveness are every bit as good as the latest premium more forged irons.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 87

MIZUNO ST200 DRIVERS IT BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF MIZUNO’S FIRST DRIVER WIN ON TOUR FOR 19 YEARS. Mizuno drivers had a breakthrough year in 2019. The ST190 driver was fast, powerful and low spin, and when Keith Mitchell used it to win the Honda Classic, it gave Mizuno their first driver tour win in 19 years (the last was Vijay Singh’s at the 2000 Masters).

That’s big news, especially for a brand that traditionally focuses on forged irons.

Naturally, Mizuno are looking to build on that success for 2020, so their US and Japanese design teams collaborated on an updated ST200 family. There are three new drivers in the line-up and it already looks likely that tour players will adopt them. Even uncontracted pros have been testing the new models – something that would have been unheard of a few years ago. All three have stronger SAT Beta titanium faces which Mizuno say prevents ‘CT creep’ – where a face becomes more flexible, and potentially illegal, over time. £349

MIZUNO ST200

LOOK OUT FOR TWO NEW ST200 FAIRWAYS ST200

ST200X

A tour-ready fairway that sits beautifully alongside the ST200 and ST200G drivers. £239

A full-on titanium driver-style construction. Mizuno say it encourages a high draw ball flight. £239

88 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

The ST200 combines low spin with forgiveness. According to Mizuno, it’s aimed at golfers who are after a high stability driver, but also need more spin to increase distance. A 12g backweight gives a balance between spin control and forgiveness while there are also better acoustics.

LOFTS: 9.5° / 10.5° STOCK SHAFT: Choose from 11 premium options ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°)

2020 MIZUNO ST200G Mizuno say the ST200G has been built for high swing speed efficiency, which means it performs well in the hands of hard hitters. A 14g sliding sole weight can dial in spin rates from mid to ultra-low, which isn’t a claim found in many drivers.

MORE FLEX, MORE SPEED Gen3 faces deflect more than twice as much as previous models. From the same loft and shaft, ball speed increases by 2-3mph.

LOFTS: 9° STOCK SHAFT: Choose from 11 premium options ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°)

TIGHT DESIGN TOLERANCES Every head is forged five times (from 8620 carbon steel) and robotically polished, so shape tolerances are extremely tight.

P V

MIZUNO ST200X Traditionally, Mizuno haven’t had a specific driver that caters to mid- to lower swing speeds. The X is that model for 2020. It comes with built-in high launch and significant draw bias. The X has its own wider head shape (adding forgiveness), with additional heel weight and an upright lie angle to encourage a high draw ball flight.

LOFTS: 9.5° / 10.5° STOCK SHAFT Choose from 11 premium options ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°)

S h s m lo improver designs. And because the bodies are hollow, the faces are naturally faster and more flexible.

While the two previous iron families have progressed from vibration-damping, low density elastomer (Gen1) to high-speed, explosive Gen2 models, the story with Gen3 is ‘DualCOR’ –not just one filling for the hollow body, but two.

Inside each forged Gen3 head there’s an outer layer of polymer. It’s high in strength, with high COR (bounce back), to give structural support to an extremely thin face.

But inside that outer layer there’s

EQUIPMENT EDITOR’S VERDICT

the ball better than any other iron.

Essentially, the new DualCOR means golfers get the both of best worlds. Vibration dampening and improved feel on one hand, but right alongside increased face flex, improved energy transfer and higher ball speeds on the other.

MODELS: T (Tour), P (Players), XP (Xtreme Performance) AVAILABILITY: 3-GW STOCK SHAFT: PXG insist on fitting golfers to their best performing model From £440 each

“We had the chance to try the 0311P as the only UK golf media invited to PXG’s launch in Arizona in October – and we were impressed. Fitted into the P iron, I saw a decent gain in ball speed, which led to an average six-yard carry gain with a 7-iron.

PXG irons are high MOI for their size so shot dispersion is tight, and while previous PXGs have looked great these new models, with their CNC-milled backs, are very special.”

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 89

TAYLORMADE SIM TITANIUM TOUR-PROVEN TITANIUM FAIRWAY WOOD DESIGNS ARE BACK WITH A BANG. Titanium has been the go-to material in drivers for decades, but the metal historically has struggled to make it into fairway woods – mainly because it costs too much.

But in 2019 tour pros started not just playing titanium fairway woods, but winning with them.

Last year’s titanium M5 had a cute little head – just the sort of shape tour pros love – and its lightweight titanium chassis housed a massive 65g sole weight which upped launch and shot shape potential. Tiger, Rory, DJ and Jon Rahm were all big fans, and each won with M5 fairways in the bag.

So it’s no surprise to see a new SIM titanium fairway. Just like the rest of the SIM family there’s an ultra-lightweight carbon crown, with high toe and low heel Twist Face technology.

TaylorMade have also reintroduced V-Steel soles, which they say reduce sole drag by 19 per cent over last year’s M6. There’s also a next generation Speed Pocket design to improve ball speed forgiveness on low-face hits and a 2° hosel adaptor to let golfers dial in loft and face angle at wi

LOWEST EVER CG LOCATION SIM has 80g of steel positioned in the sole, making it TaylorMade’s lowest CG fairway. This translates to higher launch and lower spin.

LOFTS: 3-14° / 3-15° / 5-19°.

STOCK SHAFT: Mitsubishi Diamana FW Limited 75 ADJUSTABLE HOSEL: Yes (+/- 2°) £369

TAYLORMADE SIM MAX AND SIM MAX D If you’re a TaylorMade fan of a certain age, you might recall the original V-Steel fairways from 2004. Some of you might even still be using them! It was a popular model and TaylorMade have reinvented their v-shaped soles for the SIM Max, which is available as a 3-, 5-, 7- and 9-wood. SIM Max, with its multi-material construction, launches shots a yard higher than the M6 fairway, making it the highest launching fairway on the market. While the SIM fairway (main story) has a titanium head, the new SIM Max and SIM Max D are steel with carbon-fibre crowns. SIM Max D fairways, available in 3-, 5 and 7-wood, gain up to 10 yards of draw bias thanks to lighter, higher launching shafts and a little extra of loft over the standard SIM Max. Both Max models come with Twist Face and Speed Pockets, plus ultra-strong and flexible C300 steel faces for explosive ball speeds and distance. £269

90

2020 CALLAWAY MAVRIK FAIRWAY WOODS THREE VERSIONS TO SUIT THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOLFER. If you haven’t already noticed, there’s a trend running through 2020’s newest equipment – everything is coming in threes! Callaway have three Mavrik drivers, three Mavrik irons and three Mavrik hybrids so, of course, there are three matching Mavrik fairway woods, too.

It’s the first time Callaway have produced three fairways under the banner of a single family name. It means each model can be individually tailored down to matching the typical traits of the golfers who are likely to use them. And because Callaway have invested so heavily in their Artificial Intelligence computing power, it made sense to let the algorithms loose on the fairways, too.

MAVRIK SUB ZERO At 169cc, the Sub Zero is the smallest Mavrik fairway (Mavrik is 174cc, Max is 200cc). Sole weights (14g and 2g) can be switched to knock down spin and trajectory to allow harder hitters and better players to dial in their flight. Like the Mavrik drivers, irons and hybrids, each fairway model and each individual loft has its own AI-designed pattern on the back of the face.

LOFTS: 3+ - 13.5° / 3W - 15° / 4W 16.5° / 5W - 18° STOCK SHAFT: Project X Evenflow Riptide 60g, Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI £269

MAVRIK MAX

MAVRIK Just like the standard Mavrik driver, the fairway is the fastest of the new family. AI redesigned the leading edge to be more sweeping, which helps preserve ball speed on shots hit lower on the face. No adjustable hosel means an 8g weight saving, which has been put to good use in creating Callaway’s most forgiving fairway wood ever. Incredibly, Mavrik has a 30 per cent higher MOI than the previous Epic Flash fairway.

LOFTS: 3+ - 13.5° / 3W - 15° / 4W - 16.5° / 5W - 18° / 7W - 21° STOCK SHAFT: UST Helium Black 40g / 50g, Project X Evenflow Riptide 60g / 70g

It’s the largest and most forgiving Mavrik fairway, but don’t think it’s just a draw model. Yes, it’s the most draw-biased fairway Callaway have ever created, but it’s the easiest to launch, too, as weighting naturally increases dynamic loft. AI wanted extra face depth below the equator of the ball, as players suited to this type of fairway tend to sweep into the ball and hit it thin.

LOFTS: 3+ - 13.5° / 3W - 15° / 5W 18° / 7W - 21° / Heavenwood - 20° / 9W - 23° / 11W - 25° STOCK SHAFT: UST Helium Black 40g / 50g, Project X Evenflow Riptide 60g / 70g £269

£269

p100.com | March 2020 Golf World 91

perspectives ERNIE ELS

‘My retireMent plan has always been to open a bar in the caribbean. i’M not ready to do that yet though’ After half-a-century on earth and with 71 victories to his name, Theodore Ernest Els is well placed to offer his perspective on the world. Here, the Big Easy opens up on the lessons learned that have shaped a storied life and a spectacular career.

G

world, as well as The Open Championship. I also won the South African PGA and the Masters and before that Gary Player was the only guy to do that. It was a very good year for me in South Africa, which got me a card in Europe and then I followed that up by finishing fifth at The Open the next year.

Everything happened very quickly in about a twoyear span that started with the ’92 SA Open.

America was a hard place to crack. I was fortunate

to get on the South African Tour and I tried the European Tour a bit in the early days, but for some reason I kept missing in America. Then I got a card in Europe and started doing well there and I then had some very good breaks in South Africa. I won that South African Open and that got me some invites to play in the States and then I won the US Open in 1994. A lot of good things happened to me at an early age, and I had a lot of luck.

Growing up, I played a lot of rugby, cricket and tennis before I ended up focusing on golf. I just loved golf

more than all the other sports. In rugby you get hurt, and I don’t like to get hurt. I stopped playing rugby at 16, my dad really told me not to play anymore. I still play tennis now. I’m a shadow of my former self, but I still enjoy the game.

That US Open [1994] could have gone any way.

It could have gone to Colin Montgomerie, could have gone to Curtis Strange, who was in there, could have gone to Loren Roberts... I guess that for some reason I was in the right place at the right time.

I made so many putts that day. If I didn’t get that one, and a 10-year exemption as a 24-year-old, and a lifetime exemption on the European Tour... That really set me up.

My nickname at school was always just ‘Elsey’.

My wife still calls me Ernest – I think because that tends to get my attention. But I like Ernie. It’s a very friendly name.

I’ve always loved the smell of gas stations. I guess it’s because my

Being part of the ‘Big Five’ was just a great time. There was me,

dad was a trucker and I was in the trucks with him since I was fouryears-old. That smell brings back so many memories.

My very first job was in the air force. I did my basic training and

they gave me a desk job, so it was very uneventful. That was the only job I had other than golf.

It made me realise, even at that young age, that I wasn’t born to be sat in an office. I was born to be out in the open doing what I love, which is golf.

I almost lost my hand once. Things could have been

very different if I had done. I’ve had a couple of car accidents along the way. One of them was a pretty bad one when I was 18 or 19. My friend and I had been out celebrating and we probably shouldn’t have been driving but we went into the centre of Johannesburg and flipped the car over. It was touch and go for my hand so it was a lucky break.

You think you can survive anything when you’re that young but my father was very upset so I knew it was pretty serious. I wish and hope my children won’t ever go through anything like that.

1992 was the year my life changed forever. That year

I won the South African Open and even today the South African Open gets you into events around the

94 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

Tiger and Ernie, pictured in Thailand in 1999, enjoyed many tussles down the years before facing off as Presidents Cup captains last year.

Tiger, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson and we were all in the prime of our careers. It was a golden era.

We won a lot of tournaments around the world. I won, just in that five-year period, I think 27 events around the world. But obviously Tiger was the dominant figure. He was winning the most majors and establishing himself as one of the greatest players. I got four, Phil’s got five, Retief’s got two, Vijay has three and then Tiger has 14, so it just shows you how dominant he was.

Tiger was by far the toughest competitor I encountered. It was tough for me because I felt

I could really be the best player in the world – and I was the best for a short time on paper – but Tiger was really the man to beat because he was the best player of my generation.

It’s been a long ride. I’ve known Tiger since the early ’90s when he was still a junior player, and we’ve shared a lot of moments together. I know I could have [but for Tiger being there] had a couple more events under my belt, but competing against him was a privilege.

I said I had a three-year plan to dethrone Tiger, but that never quite happened. I felt really good after

‘WHEN THAT PUTT DROPPED IN 2002, IT WAS HARD TO TAKE IN WHAT I’D DONE. IT WAS JUST RELIEF. JUST HUGE, HUGE RELIEF’

Golf is and always has been a game of inches and tweaks. In your stance, in your equipment, in your

a win at the South African Open, I think in 2006 or something. I had a very bad knee injury in 2005 and that put me off track and I really wanted to rededicate myself to the game. I don’t normally talk so big or make such bold statements, but, you know, I was feeling that I really needed a goal to go at and I felt I needed a plan, so I made that plan public and I came close. I didn’t quite close the deal and it was maybe something I regret saying, but I wanted to have a goal to go at.

attitude, in everything you are and do.

I still love the competition. I love to compete in

everything I do. Whether it’s golf or table tennis, I have this drive to win. It’s in my blood. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my brother for that. He’s older than me and he wrestled me to death. But he instilled a big, competitive drive in me. Because he was a bit older, I was trying to beat him and I couldn’t quite do that too many times. But, nowadays, I compete for myself. I’m still trying to win. I think I always will be.

How does it feel when you’re standing over a putt to win The Open? Well, your stroke is certainly not

going to be normal, you know that much. You can feel the tension all through your body and in your arms and hands – I mean, the putter head is literally shaking! All you can think of is trying to make solid contact. If you decelerate you’re going to miss it left, if you hit it too hard you’re going to miss right. So you’ve just got to try to make good contact.

But the way your body feels – man, it’s hard to describe.

When that putt dropped for the first one in 2002, it was hard to take in or comprehend what I’d done. At first it’s just a relief. Just huge, huge relief that you’ve done it.

It’s over and you’ve won.

A lot of stuff goes through your mind, but it takes a while before you can really even start to take it in and it takes a while longer to comprehend the scale of your achievement.

I don’t have a favourite of the four majors. Any time

you lift a trophy it’s wonderful. The joy is indescribable. So to pick one of the majors over the other is very hard. When I was young, I was very cocky and thought I’d win them all. I thought The Masters was going to be first, then The Open and then US Open and PGA Championship. Sadly, it hasn’t been as easy as that, but I’ve loved every victory I’ve had.

Winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2010 was one of my happiest memories. Arnold was

one of my favourite people in golf and he inspired me so much. I remember him saying that everything in life that he had he owed to golf, and I completely agree with that. That’s how it is for me and I’m so grateful for everything the game has given me.

I’ve never been a very technical player. I don’t get caught up in

swing positions and mechanics.

When I work on my swing, I’m looking for feels. You’ll get better results – and often more distance – if you swing at 80 per cent. I get all kinds of people telling me I have the best swing in the world – it’s beautiful, it’s effortless – but I know when that isn’t true.

In my view, Louis Oosthuizen has the most beautiful swing in the world. Or at least one of

them. It’s about turning, about rhythm, about building speed gradually and that’s something I can relate to. He’s on the ground [with his swing]. I am, too. Swinging out of my shoes is not a concept for me. Really, I could play barefoot. However, what we all need to remember is that there’s never been only one way to get the ball in the hole efficiently.

If I could time travel to any point, I’d go to the 1950s through to the mid-70s. Everything was much quieter

Top: Els’ last victory came at the 2013 BMW International Open.

Bottom: Launching the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket, the start of Els’ three-year plan to challenge Tiger as World No.1.

and less stressful back then and many of my biggest heroes in golf are from that time.

I’d have loved to play with them in their prime – Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer. I think I’d have had a really good time with Jimmy Demaret.

I’ve had a retirement plan for almost 30 years. Back

in the early 1990s, right before the US Open, the media asked me “What will happen if you win this US Open?” I said I’d just take the money, go to the Caribbean and open a bar, and that would be that.

That was 20-something years ago and I’m still trying to win more tournaments, as well as building golf courses all over the world. So I guess that bar is still gonna have to wait!

Gary Player has always said that the senior majors should count as majors. I’m not sure I agree with that

statement but I think the career ‘Senior Slam’ certainly should be celebrated a little more. That’s a goal for me now though, to win a few of those senior majors.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 97

π5a ≈Z[\ \ZQX into the hil ls was momentous.

That wa lk changed my li fe.î

ìBeing in the hills makes my heart sing. It makes î

ìMounta ins g ive you a rea l sense of achievement and a positive e.î

Mountains for the Mind is a campaign from Trail magazine and mental hea charity Mind, promoting the benefits of being outside. We believe in the power of mountains to change lives and improve mental health – and we need your help to spread the word.

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mountainsforthemind.co.uk M AG A ZINE

JUSTIN THOMAS

Easy power!

The swing keys that made me pound-forpound the world’s biggest hitter will work for you, too I was pretty small as a youngster and couldn’t hit the ball very far off the tee. I had to go for it and swing as hard as I possibly could to get the ball out there. In all fairness, I’m not much bigger now and so, for the most part, I still have to go at it in order to keep up with the bigger hitters like DJ and Rory.

Having said that, fast and wild is no good to anybody. If I’m going to swing hard, I know I’ve got to hit a series of good technical positions.

If I hit them, I can swing as hard as I want and know that the ball will fly long and straight. Here are the swing keys that are important to me. I’m sure, they’ll also help you.

DRIVING ★ PRACTICE ★ TOUR INSIGHT ★ FIVE-MINUTE LESSON ★ STRATEGY ★ THE ARCHIVE ★ MENTAL GAME ★ SWING STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

INSTRUCTION FROM THE GAME’S TOP PLAYERS AND COACHES

DRIVING ★ PRACTICE ★ TOUR INSIGHT ★ FIVE-MINUTE LESSON ★

When you look at my swing now and compare it to when I was a junior, there’s not a whole lot of difference. I was fortunate in that my father – who is a PGA professional – taught me the importance of good basics and keeping my swing technique fairly simple. A lot of people think that hitting long drives is all about pure power, but efficiency and consistency are just as important.

I’m constantly double-checking that my lines are good with my hips, legs, feet and shoulders. I also keep a close eye on my ball position, which has a tendency to creep back. I like it right in line with my left heel. Think legs flexed, distributed equally on the mid both feet, as opposed to on your heels, and arms extended naturall I keep my arms a good bit ex away from my body. I don’t want I’m reaching for the ball but if m are too close to my body I’m dead Another key thing for me is don’t obsess over the topbackswing position. If I’ve hit m two checkpoints, all I’m thinking is creating a nice, wide arc and s balanced. My left arm is a little than you’ll see with some other p I like this because it gives me the to create speed.

HANDS AND CLUB IN SYNC “My first swing checkpoint is at hip height when the club is parallel to the ground. I like to have the clubhead and my hands aligned squarely to my toe line. Once the club starts to move upwards, you’ll see the shaft bisects my right elbow. If I hit this position, I know my swing plane is where I want it to be.”

ROOM E TOP

‘Fire your hips and extend yourright armand shoulder through theball’

100 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

ng close basics, my key to make a wide nced all the way t obsess over ect backswing nty of room, hands are a little in this position.”

DRIVING DISTANCE 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

302.2 yards (37th) 311.8 yards (11th) 309.7 yards (8th) 301.3 yards (24th) 303.2 yards (15th) 296.4 yards (N/A)

STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

LEARN

Practice

MAKE PRACTICEPAY

EFFICIENT USE OF YOUR TIME WILL PRODUCE GAINS

FIRE YOUR RIGHT SIDE! “My dad, who is a PGA professional, has never talked to me about using the ground to swing and create power, even though you hear it a lot these days. If you want to create swing speed, you’ve got to fire your hips at the start of the downswing and really extend your right arm and shoulder through the ball.”

Good practice is a skill. Unfortunately, most people’s idea of practice is simply hitting balls with their favourite club. To make sustainable changes, work with a PGA professional and develop a plan for what you need to change. These pointers will help.

Set a 45-minute limit You probably think that lengthy practice sessions are the

secret to improved golf. Not so. Research has shown that 45 minutes is the maximum we can concentrate on a task and gain maximum benefit from it. If you spend any longer than this in one continuous session, your mental and physical abilities decline. Plan exactly what you want to achieve in a session... and make sure you accomplish it within the time you’ve set.

Get realistic with goals You have to move outside your comfort zone to learn new skills. But be realistic with the challenge. If the tasks are too difficult, you’ll miss targets and become frustrated. The quality of your practice depends on finding the appropriate difficulty level. Work slightly above what you believe you’re capable of. and data Setting tasks and recording your results each time

useful pressure and helps you identify your strengths and s monitor your progress. Pay attention to each shot, analyse ot the result you did and use this to develop and hone your more productive than relentlessly hitting one shot after another. ngland Regional Coach

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 101

DRIVING ★ PRACTICE ★ TOUR INSIGHT ★ FIVE-MINUTE LESSON ★ STRATEGY ★ THE ARCHIVE ★ MENTAL GAME ★ SWING

JUSTIN ROSE

6 WAYS TO ‘PURE’ YOUR IRONS The PGA Tour star and defending Olympic champion reveals the six key swing thoughts he uses to keep his swing in check, plus a crafty trick for squeezing more distance out of your driver.

MATCH YOUR PLANES “In recent years, my coach Sean Foley and I have worked hard on getting my left arm in the correct position at the top of the backswing. We’ve experimented with having the arm a little higher but we always come back to our blueprint where my left arm plane matches the plane of my shoulders.”

GRIP THE GROUND “I want to create a solid base for my swing. I’m going to be swinging the club fast, so I need stability – lots of it! I like to have a light flex in my knees and a straight lower back with ever so slightly rounded shoulders. I also like to feel ‘heavy’ through my feet, like I’m gripping the ground with my toes at address. This helps me to stay centred over the ball and to keep my head still as I turn.”

KEEP YOUR HANDS LOW “I like to feel that the grip of the club is as low as I can get it at impact. That helps me turn quicker to the left in the follow-through, which slows down clubface rotation so it stays squarer for longer through impact. If you stand up out of posture, the handle gets high and your ballstriking will suffer. The more open my body can look at impact, the better.”

ERR TO THE OUTSIDE “I’ve found it’s better to take the club away a little outside the line so when you get to the top, the momentum helps shift the club to the inside as you move into your transition. This will improve your swing path coming into impact.

Taking the club away too far on the inside is a big reason why many amateurs come over the top and hit across the ball with a slice motion.”

LOOK FOR A PUNCHY FINISH “The finish matters because it’s influenced by everything that’s happened before. When I have a controlled follow-through like this, I’m never going to hit a bad shot. I call it having ‘good brakes’ because everything is shorter, almost like a punch shot. When I have a bad follow-through, the club feels like it’s been thrown down the line out of control.”

TAKE YOUR TIME “I like to think of my backswing as a spring. I’ve got all day to create the coil and the tension. It will uncoil with power, irrespective of how quickly I create that tension in the backswing, so you may as well take your time.”

COPY JACK’S TRADEMARK POWER MOVE “Amateurs tend to play the ball way too far back in their stance for a driver. That means they hit down on the ball, which is not the best way to achieve optimal launch conditions. I encourage you to get the ball further forward in your stance towards your left heel or even your left toe.

“When the ball is forward, you feel you have so much more time in the downswing. When it’s too far back, you can get stuck at impact. You then have to stand up to create a bit of extra room.

102 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

“I do have an extra gear with the driver when I need to rip one. I call it the leg-kick. I let my left heel rise in the backswing, a bit like Jack Nicklaus used to. It encourages a bigger arc and turn, but it’s vital how you then stomp that heel back into the turf as you start the downswing. The harder I push my left heel back into the ground, the more lag and speed I create. And the more pressure you can exert on the turf, the more that is going to be available to you to thrust through impact.”

STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

LEARN

STRATEGY FIND SAFE PLACES ON TOUGH PAR 4s There are three key challenges at the par-4 5th at Augusta. The first is avoiding the pair of left fairway bunkers. The second is finding the flat part of the fairway. The third is avoiding the green’s false front. Fall at any of them, and you’re struggling.

POINT 1 I love my driver, but I don’t need it here. I’ll take my 3-wood and aim for the flat part of the fairway, which will give me an easier shot into the flag. I’ll take a slightly longer shot from a level lie than a shorter iron from a hanging lie any day of the week.

POINT 2 Because of the false

front and the cambered green, I’m aiming at a 10ft circle in the centre. That also leaves an uphill putt on most pins.

FIVE-MINUTE LESSON

POINT 3 My main focus is to stay out of the fairway bunkers.

It’s a 315-yard carry to clear them – a big ask given that the hole slopes uphill. It’s tempting to crunch the driver and take your chances but it’s not worth it. You absolutely must find the fairway.

– By Bubba Watson, two-time Masters champion

SOREN KJELDSEN The European Tour professional is known for his amazing recovery skills from the sand.

We quizzed him about what he has worked on in practice to achieve those results.

GW What is the No.1 key to successful bunker play?

SK: “This is actually something that I’ve discussed with a lot of really good bunker players – and the answer might surprise you. The only thing I practise in the sand is listening to my shots. I immediately know when I’ve made a good swing and proper contact just by the sound at impact. It’s a distinctive and solid ‘thump’ as the club goes through sand. If I’ve got speed and downward movement with the clubhead, then I get that nice quality sound. I don’t get that sound if I’m too shallow.”

2

3

1

GW What set-up keys do you use to hit good quality splash shots?

SK: “The key for me here is the angle of your shaft at impact. Ideally, the shaft should be angled slightly away from the target as you hit the sand behind the ball. If you do that, you’l get more speed into the shot and produce the ‘thump’ sound that you want as the head slides through the sand.

GW What’s the biggest flaw you see among amateurs?

SK: “The complete opposite impact to the pros. Many amateurs get the shaft leaning too much towards the target at impact. When that happens, the club has a tendency to dig with that sharp leading edge. You really struggle, then, to get the swing speed you need.”

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 103

DRIVING ★ pRactIce ★ touR INsIGht ★ FIVe-mINute lessoN ★ stRateGy ★ THe arcHive ★ menTal game ★ swING

FROM OUR ARCHIVE

tom kite 1986 “When I first watched Jack Nicklaus putting, I was struck by how high his hands were. If you drew a line up through the putter shaft it would run through his left forearm.”

nick price 1993 On a long-range chip, put the ball back in your stance and swing from the inside to ‘hook’ the shot. The ball will come out low and running.”

learn from a legend hogan’s hip clearance stands the test of time A picture paints a thousand words and it doesn’t have to be a high-speed impact shot to convey important information about a player and what he is trying to do with a shot. Take Ben Hogan here. There’s so much we can learn from this simple photograph. For starters, check out the number of practice golf balls. There are only a handful. The players from yesteryear didn’t have the luxury of being given limitless numbers of free Callaways at every Tour event. Quality balls were scarce and so practice was a more considered endeavour.

What I really like about this photograph from a swing technique perspective, however, is how Hogan has completed his swing not just with his weight on his front foot but on the outside of that foot. His left knee retains a hint of knee flex and, very importantly, his right hip is closer to the target than his left. He could not have cleared his lower body more effectively. In my opinion, Hogan is the best ever at rotating his hips in the downswing. He doesn’t ‘jump’ at the ball like, say, a Justin Thomas of today. And you can tell from the truncated follow-through that the great man was hitting a buttery fade here.

104 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

tom lehman 2001 “With the punch shot, you must make contact with the ball first so you don’t hit it fat. The ball stays lower, which is easier to control and judge distance.”

STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

LEARN

Your comfort zone is a cage IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MEANINGFUL, LONG-TERM CHANGES TO YOUR GAME, YOU HAVE TO STRETCH THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR DAY-TO-DAY PRACTICE

O

n tournament day you want to feel confident, excited and up for the challenge. It’s a big ask, though, when you are surrounded by players looking strong and well-practiced, standing next to golf bags full of the latest tech and glistening clubs. To cope with this, and still be able to perform without too much pressure, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You need to practise feeling out of your depth by leaving your comfort zone. And you need to practise this time after time until the artificial mental boundaries that hold us back and slow down our development are stretched to a whole new level. It is then we discover that our limits are not where we thought they were. It isn’t easy but it is worth it. It’ll change your entire golf mindset.

Your comfort zone is made up of the habits and routines you have developed to give you minimal stress or risk; psychological security. But the longer

you stay inside it the smaller your comfort zone gets. You make the same decisions over and over again, enter the same tournaments, on the same courses, against the same players. You stick to the shots you know you’re good at and you focus only on not messing up. This is a performance-avoidance approach where your goal is to avoid failure and behave cautiously. Instead of mentally growing, you shrink. It may help you appreciate your strengths but it also restricts you from working on your weaknesses. The result is stagnation.

To stretch your comfort zone we need to change our habits – and that takes proactive, uncomfortable steps. We need to decide up front that we want to go all in. That we want to grow and improve. We can start by imagining we are in a situation where we cannot fail. What would you do? What would you try? This daydreaming helps us get braver and gives us the impetus and drive to make our comfort zone bigger.

The next step is to practically assess what is making us think we will fail. What is making us defensive or worried on the course; both when we train and when we compete? Exploding out of our comfort zone would be daunting and stressful but gradually stretching it, bit by bit, with tasks that are slightly uncomfortable but definitely achievable will help us get a lot closer to our goal. So we pick off each of these ‘defensive’ elements one at a time, break down each fear and decide on lots of tiny steps to take to overcome it. We can do this through adversity training sessions that we develop. In each one we take an element of the fear we have and practice it. It may be a specific drill we know we never do well. A hole that every time destroys our score. A head to head with our nemesis in our club.

Attempting and working on these will be uncomfortable. But achieving them means next time we have to do this action in a tournament we will feel so much more comfortable that we stretch a little bit further and grow into the player we should be.

3 ways to escape your comfort zone 1

Pick your biggest weakness and figure out what it will take to turn it into a strength. Plan out each action you will need to take into tiny steps and focus on just one new step each week.

2

Play a round on a new or unfamiliar course. The nerves from playing on a different course, with other players eyeing you up, wondering how well you play, will feel really uncomfortable.

But once you’ve mastered it you’ll feel amazing.

3

Don’t limit yourself with your language.

Phrases like, ‘I can’t’ are far more limiting than ‘I haven’t yet.’

Using growth language reminds us that, even if we fail along the way, there will be more opportunities to succeed in the future.

- Dr Josephine Perry is a sport psychologist at Performance in Mind. performanceinmind.co.uk

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 105

DRIVING ★ pRactIce ★ touR INsIGht ★ FIVe-mINute lessoN ★ stRateGy ★ the aRchIVe ★ meNtal Game ★ swing

swing study: dustin johnson

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE 2016 us OPEN cHAmPION’s POWERFuL sWINg Dustin Johnson has been the poster boy for the modern powerhitting Tour pro for the best part of a decade. His technique is by no means orthodox in places but it’s been finely tuned to deliver immense clubhead speed through impact with complete control.

Two things allow DJ to achieve that. The first is that he prefers to hit a slight fade off the tee. Whereas in the past, the go-to shot

for elite golfers was a soft draw, now it’s a power fade. In DJ’s case, his shut clubface at the top of the swing requires him to aggressively rotate his upper and lower body through the ball so that he can hold the face square or slightly open at impact.

If DJ released his forearms Ernie Els-style through impact, the ball would fly left and further left every single time.

address

backswing

half back

at the top

As with all modern Tour pros, DJ presents exemplary swing basics. He stands tall with just a hint of knee flex. He has his hands a little further away from his body than, say, Rory McIlroy, but he’s not ‘reaching’ for the ball.

DJ is unusual in that his arms rise away from his body in the takeaway. His left arm is ‘outside’ the target line and his right elbow is set forward and out in front of him with no sign of any folding.

Do not try this at home!

By this stage, many players have their left arm deeper and more behind them. This exaggerated position is due to DJ’s philosophy of keeping the clubface pointing directly at the ball in the early part of his backswing.

DJ’s trademark shut clubface at the top is in direct contrast to that of Branden Grace (see page 16). This type of position generally results in hooks or pulls so Johnson will have to find a way to stop that happening.

106 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

STATS AT A GLANCE SAND SAVE %: 63.86 (3rd) DRIVING DIS: 312 yards (4th)

COLD

STROKES GD (TTG): 1.23 (8th) PUTTING AVG: 1.737 (29th) LOWEST ROUND: 63 (35th) GREENS IN REG%: 67 (86th)

LEARN

Putting

REFINEYOURSET-UP

BUILD A PRACTICE STATION TO HOLE MORE PUTTS

When amateurs miss a lot of putts they usually do so consistently.

By this I mean they will always tend to miss putts on one particular side of the hole. In many instances, this problem can often be routed back to a consistent error at address.

If you want to start holing more putts – and let’s face it, who doesn’t? – you have to find the correct ball position as well as the ideal eyeline at address. If you tend to miss putts to the left of the hole, your ball position is probably too far forward and you’re hitting it late in the swing arc when the putter face is starting to close, or swing back to the inside. The reverse is true if you tend to miss to the right. You might be striking the ball before the putter face has had a chance to complete its journey back to square because the ball is too far back in your stance.

The majority of good putters have their eyeline directly over or just inside the ball-to-target line. The eyeline directly over the ball with a more horizontal upper spine usually favours a more linear straight back and straight through putting stroke. Meanwhile, having your eyes just inside the line with a more vertical spine angle encourages a more arcing putting stroke.

Once you have found the ball position that enables you to naturally square the putter face at impact – as well as the distance you have to stand from the ball for the ideal eyeline for your individual stroke – it’s important you can get into this set-up position every single time. That takes practice. Use two canes like this and mark your foot position, ball position and where they cross, so you get it right every time you practise.

- Andy Gordon is an England East Region coach and Advanced PGA Professional

Using canes or shafts to monitor your ball position and alignment will help you hole more putts.

IMPACT DJ does that by rapidly clearing his lower body. Look at how his belt buckle is facing the target!

This ferocious unwinding of the chest and hips gives DJ a channel through which he can pull his hands left through impact, sliding the face across the ball.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 107

DRIVING ★ PRACTICE ★ TOUR INSIGHT ★ FIVE-MINUTE LESSON ★ STRATEGY ★ THE ARCHIVE ★ MENTAL GAME ★ SWING

EDDIE PEPPERELL

FIX YOUR SET-UP TO RIP YOUR IRONS I like to stand quite close to the ball because it means my hands sit a little lower naturally and I get into a better posture and move the club into a better position on the way back.

The classic thing you’re taught when you’re learning to play is that you should have a hand’s width of space between the belt buckle and the butt of the grip, but I prefer half a hand’s width.

HAND CHECK I prefer to have my hands closer to my body than farther away. It improves my posture and takeaway.

NO EXCESSIVE ANGLES

I like to set up so that my arms hang naturally below my shoulders so that my hands are positioned close to my thighs.

I don’t want to feel like I’m ‘reaching’ for the ball.

108 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

CLUBHEAD STAYS OUTSIDE THE HANDS

LEFT ARM STAYS CONNECTED TO MY BODY

I like the clubhead a little outside my hands and under my chest here. It’s easier to achieve when you stand closer to the ball. If I stand too far away, I start reaching for it and my left shoulder gets high and away from me, throwing the clubhead too far inside.

My left arm can get a little disconnected from my body and pointing left of target in the downswing.

Great ballstrikers get their left arm pointing right.

Keep your left arm close to your chest so your hands are below the shoulders when viewed down the line.

STUDY ★ PUTTING ★ IRONS SET-UP ★ SWING TECHNIQUE

LEARN

Swing Technique

HOW TO ‘GROOVE’ A CHANGE KNOWING WHEN TO STOP THE MEDICINE IS A SKILL ALL GOLFERS NEED

As I see it, the golf swing is always very much a work in progress. At least, it is for me. But I can tell you that even the guys on tour who are doing really well week in, week out will almost certainly be tweaking little bits of their technique here and there. That’s just the way golf is at the top level.

Of course, we’re all always trying our hardest to improve. That goes without saying. But for me it’s not about searching for a perfectly pure golf swing.

There are certain things that I’ve worked on over the last year or so and they’ve really helped me perform

I tend to move off the ball quite a lot. I tried to copy Tiger Woods in 2000 and, before I knew it, I’d moved so far off the ball I couldn’t get back. I’ve been working on keeping my nose on top of the ball and keeping my right elbow more folded.

I want more width on the way down.

Everyone seems to create speed and power with more lag, but I want to use a combination of lag and width because that gives me more time through impact to hit the ball solidly.

well. I’ve kind of gone against what I normally do, which has been something of a surprise for me. But sometimes you can over-do stuff if you’re working hard, hitting a lot of balls on the range and practising all hours. For example, you can be working on trying to hit a nice, soft draw and before you know it, you’ve overdone the new moves and you’re hooking it.

You’ve just got to find the balance. The real skill is not so much in making swing changes and implementing them, it’s knowing the right time to stop taking the medicine. Here’s what I’ve worked

My backswing gets flat if I let my right elbow get away from me. I want to see the club a little higher to show the elbow is more folded. I also like the club pointing across the line rather than laid off because it gives me more room on the way down.

I’m trying to keep the face squarer for longer and take it a little further left into the follow-through.

It’s similar to what Justin Rose does. I prefer that than having the club work away from me.

golfworldtop100.com | March 2020 Golf World 109

NEXT MONTH

THE MAKING OF A LEGEND AHEAD OF THE PLAYERS, A CELEBRATION OF SAWGRASS.

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THE FINAL SAY

JOHN HUGGAN

Thesight of Tiger at hisbest underlined thatgolf remains atrueart form

I

t was a privilege, an education, and beyond impressive.

Watching Tiger Woods performing for the United States against the Internationals during the recent Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, that is. On a wonderfully and endlessly nuanced course that only enhanced and highlighted the many attributes that set Woods apart from what passes for his competition, the man whose best golf is surely the best we have yet seen was close to unbeatable.

That it was match play didn’t hurt either. In what is the most thought-provoking – in more ways than one – format of the game, the 15-time major champion was close to what is these days his top form. Three times he teed-up in the fourday event; three times he emerged victorious. Truly, it was fascinating to see him plot his way around the pre-eminent collection of holes in the southern hemisphere. Especially in his 3&2 singles victory over Abraham Ancer, Woods displayed an understanding of head-to-head competition that was light years ahead of anyone else on either side.

In match play, a big part of the contest is getting inside your opponent’s head. You want him thinking negatively.

You want him thinking that you will not make mistakes.

You want him thinking he can’t make any mistakes of his own. You want him thinking he has to be almost perfect to win. Tiger did all of those things to his Mexican opponent.

When he did miss his target – he came up just short in sand a couple of times – it was always only by a matter of feet.

My only negative observation was the fact that both players, along with everyone else on either side, were hitting only short irons into some of the most interesting green complexes on the planet. My friend, Melbourne-native, former European Tour player and now esteemed course architect, Mike Clayton, was disappointed to see the strategic genius of this iconic venue largely negated by the technology wielded by some of the world’s best golfers.

This is nothing new, of course. In order to recreate the strategic challenges and club-choices Alister MacKenzie had in mind when he designed Royal Melbourne in the 1920s, we calculated that the course would today have to measure in excess of 9,000 yards. History will not be kind to those at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association responsible for the regulation of equipment over the last 25 years or so.

Too many of golf’s greatest settings have been rendered

114 Golf World March 2020 | golfworldtop100.com

obsolete by today’s equipment. In the hands of those blessed with even slightly above-average technique, the combination of “hot” balls and huge, frying-pan drivers has too often made a mockery of the game.

Every other sport with similar issues has protected its venues at the expense of the equipment. Tennis slowed the ball. Cricket and baseball banned metal bats. The javelin was restricted. But golf? Oh no, let’s eliminate Cypress Point and Sunningdale – to name but two on a long and depressing list – from professional golf. And let’s screw around with Augusta National to the point where MacKenzie’s original masterplan is all but unrecognisable.

And let’s go so far down the road to hell that the Old Course at St Andrews – the model for MacKenzie’s philosophy – requires tees to be built outside the course boundaries to even remotely challenge today’s tour pros.

In enchanting contrast, the sight of Tiger at his absolute best underlined that golf remains a true art form. Woods is a “proper” golfer in the mould of creative geniuses Seve Ballesteros and Lee Trevino, not simply a one-dimensional robot programmed to make the same swing every time. Or hit the same shot on the same tediously predictable trajectory. The subtlety and variety of his shot-making make him the Leonardo of golf; the Michelangelo. And, let it be said, occasionally a calculating Einstein. Whatever, it was an honour to be there to see him in all his glory.

John Huggan follows the PGA and European Tours. He is the author of seven books and has written for Golf World since 1992.