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HOW TO BEAT SLOW PLAY DRUGTESTINGON PGA TOUR
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HOW TO PLAY
/ WHAT TO PLAY / WHERE TO PLAY
CONTENTS 12 / 17 COVER STORIES
24 UNDERCOVER TOUR PRO A pot smoker applauds the PGA Tour’s new drug-testing programme. With Max Adler
GOLF COURSE LIVING
40 SAVAGE IRONS Gain power and accuracy from copying my swing moves. By Brooks Koepka
56
44 SWING SEQUENCE: BROOKS KOEPKA Hit the power fade. 46 WILD TALES FROM THE RYDER CUP TEAM ROOM Kuchar the prankster turns serious, another side of Tiger, and Mickelson tries to get out of a DJ headlock. By John Feinstein 52 BE A PLAYER 9 ways to perform when it matters. By Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott
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34 14 DAVID LEADBETTER Stop duffing short shots.
THE GOLF LIFE
16 JIM MCLEAN Don’t zap your distance.
20 MOUNT KILIMANJARO A new 18-hole estate course.
17 TOM WATSON Hit it closer from greenside rough. 84 TOUR TECHNIQUE Pitching to a short-sided pin. By Justin Rose 54 YOU CAN BEAT SLOW PLAY Shaving seconds and minutes could cut half an hour off your round. By David Owen 83 WIN A CLEVELAND
LAUNCHER HB DRIVER
9 MOMENTUM SAVERS Two deft shots to keep your round going. By Jordan Spieth 12 BUTCH HARMON One small change for better chip shots.
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FEATURES
40
56 A MODERN THINKER European Tour chief Keith Pelley isn’t afraid to try (almost) anything. With Guy Yocom 84 MUST PLAY COURSES Our monthly feature. 92 THE LONGEST HOLE A 2 000 km challenge across Mongolia. 100 AMATEUR SCENE Mid-Am IPT; Senior Champs.
26 MATCH PLAY Seven ways to win. 27 ASK GOLF DIGEST 28 THE CORE How food choices can affect your scores. 30 STYLE Watches of PGA Tour pros. 32 THINK YOUNG PLAY HARD Jacquin Hess. 34 CLASSIC IRONS Fusing with big-time tech. 36 NO HOLDING BACK Four irons with extra pop. 38 FIX YOUR FLAWS 5 new metalwoods. 98 GALLERY GolfSixes at Kirkwood. Are Trees Really 90% Air? 104 CLOSEOUT 25 best teachers . . . of all time.
COVER PHOTO BY DOM FURORE
PLAY YOUR BEST
66 Atlantic Beach. 70 Arabella. 73 Elements. 74 Koro Creek. 76 Zimbali. 77 San Lameer. 78 St Francis Links. 80 Steenberg. 81 Wild Coast Sun.
12 / 17
BEHIND THE SCENES
GOLF’S BIG IDEAS – A SOUTH AFRICAN BREAKTHROUGH By Stuart McLean, Editor
f time machines existed, famous golfers from distant eras such as Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones and Bobby Locke would have been astounded if they were dropped into a PGATour event today.Vardon, a fashion icon of the early 20th century who wore a croft jacket while winning five Opens, would gape at the outfits players were wearing; Jones, who won the Grand Slam with hickories, wouldn’t comprehend the size and technology of modern clubs. Locke would do a double take at not only the sci-fi style putters on tour, but the weird putting grips, and slick greens. He’d probably still stick with the trusty blade that won him four Opens. Let’s take a time machine ride of our own and imagine where social golf might be in the future. Other than at iconic venues such as St Andrews, and some member clubs where you can only walk, golfers may be riding a new revolutionary brand of carts.They will be listening to music from speakers in the console;Wifi in the cart will connect them via Bluetooth to the GPS screen, and sports fixtures will be shown live on the screen. No need to tee off early to watch the Boks. This scenario could be with us sooner than later. Greg Norman, a business entrepreneur, has a “big idea” for golf which makes better use of the GPS screens on carts that mostly remain idle.The Shark has partnered with Club Car and GPSi to deliver a cart fleet in 2018 equipped with the “Shark Experience” at select courses. “There are 50 or 100 courses where this will not do,” Norman said, but for the other 30 000 courses around the world he believes golf can be “your game, your way,” which is the Shark Experience slogan. Millennials will be thrilled, Baby Boomers perhaps not so much, but we have reached that point where people want different choices, and Norman says golf needs to offer more to keep younger people in the game. I don’t believe many thousands of golf clubs will embrace the Shark’s idea, but what I do foresee is two golfing worlds colliding.There will be courses, mostly resorts
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EDITORIAL Editor Stuart McLean 021 417 5195 Head of Creative Mark Serra Group Account Director: Health & Sport Division Cat Anderson Group Managing Editor: Health & Sport Division Chantel Kleinsmidt 021 417 5156 Contributing Editor Barry Havenga Designer Marcus Viljoen Photographers Grant Leversha, Jamie Thom, Luke Walker
GOLF DIGEST USA Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde Contributing Editor: International Ju Kuang Tan Rights Clearance - Contracts & Rights Evelise Rosario Director of Licensing Angie Byun Playing Editors Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Nick Price, Jordan Spieth, Justin Leonard, David Toms
and newer clubs, embracing the “Shark Experience,” and numerous others which will shun the carting culture altogether. Golfers will still see playing the game as a tranquil escape from their modern lives, not a game where it continues to intrude. Golf ’s flight into the future brings me to a South African triumph in golfing gadgetry. In Stellenbosch, we have one of the world’s leading technology companies. EDH’s FlightScope tracking devices are among the best in golf, outselling their competitors with competitive pricing. EDH was started at the turn of the millennium by Henri Johnson to develop a military radar tracking system, but has found its niche in sport, where its products track the speed and distance of balls in golf, tennis, cricket and baseball. FlightScope launch monitors, like the X3, are so expensive, though (equivalent to the cost of a motor car), that only wealthy individuals can afford them. Now, EDH has produced a ground-breaking tracking device, the pocket-sized Mevo (pictured), which sells for “just” $499, the same as some new drivers, and could be the 2018 toy for golf consumers, used in conjunction with a smartphone app. The Mevo gives a limited amount of data – club speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, spin, carry distance, peak height and flight time – but this alone should excite the golfing geeks among us. Mevo is in its infancy, and FlightScope will surely enhance its capabilities going forward. Golf continues to excite with its infinite variations.
stuart.mclean@newmediapub.co.za
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Published by New Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd, New Media House, 19 Bree Street, Cape Town 8001 PO Box 440, Green Point, Cape Town 8051 Telephone: 021 417 1111 E-mail: info@newmediapub.co.za Web: www.newmediapub.co.za
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
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Play Your Best
MOMENTUM SAVERS Two deft shots to keep your round going BY JORDAN SPIETH GOLF DIGEST PLAYING EDITOR
ou’re going along playing well, and then the wheels start to rattle.You hit some loose shots and three-putt once or twice, and now it feels like another mistake will end your round.You can tell yourself to stay calm, but in these situations you can control your mind only so much. Some shots, like very difficult greenside recoveries, add tension.You just have to power through, try to get excited about the idea of playing the perfect shot.Two hole outs that led to wins for me this year – from behind the 10th green at Royal Birkdale at the Open Championship and from a front bunker on the first playoff hole at the Travelers – are times I pulled it off. When my options are limited, I’m usually hitting lob wedge.What helps my consistency is that I hit a flop shot very similar to how I hit a standard greenside bunker shot. I open the clubface and cut across the ball with loose, fast wrists, letting the clubhead slide past my hands.The best bunker players have several specialty shots, but mastering just two deviations from your standard sand swing will serve you well. I recommend the “chunk-and-roll” and the “nip-spinner.” Practice these to build the nerve to stick them when it counts. They can save your day.
Y
P H O T O S B Y W A LT E R I O O S S J R
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
/ DECEMBER 2017 / 9
▶ sand saves
55.8%
49.8%
68.7%
Jordan Spieth (33rd)
Tour average
Rickie Fowler (1st) SOURCE: SHOTLINK
HIT THE “CHUNK-AND-ROLL” FOR HEIGHT
here are two factors in how you hit any greenside bunker shot: the speed of the swing and where the clubhead enters the sand. For a chunk-androll, the clubhead should blast the sand so far behind the ball (about 5 to 8 centimetres) that you have zero chance of hitting it thin. You want to take a lot of sand with a lot of speed. The prime moments for this shot are when your ball is on an upslope or buried in the sand. The ball can just pop out high with no spin and tumble forward with the break of the green, like a putt. In the setup, favour your front foot to get your weight distribution even with the slope. Just like a regular bunker shot, stand a little open and swing along your foot line. Go hard with a downward driving motion. The slope wants to stop the club’s momentum, but don’t let it. Explode through with strong shoulders and arms.
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“Nothing gets your round back on track like a big sand save.” PLAY THE “NIP-SPINNER” FOR BITE
his is a spicy shot. The risk of skulling the ball over the green is high, so you’ll even see pros back off a little. If you truly go for it, it’s imperative that you strike the sand scarily close to the back edge of the ball, probably just a centimetre away. You whip the clubface through with a lot of speed, though here I’d say it’s generated more with the hands than the big muscles. This shot is useful from any stance, but it’s usually most necessary when you’re on the downslope of a bunker. Despite the terrain running away from you, you need to find a way to make the ball sizzle and check when it strikes the green. To get centred over the ball like a normal bunker shot, you’ll probably need to stand wide and dip your front shoulder. Keep the clubhead moving low and fast along the surface after impact. Then exhale.
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Jordan Spieth writes instruction articles exclusively for Golf Digest.
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
/ DECEMBER 2017 / 11
Play Your Best
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BUTCH HARMON
“A putting grip helps me when chipping.” N
Y
how to add feel
NO-CHUNK CHIPPING
Stand closer to simplify your swing.
hipping isn’t complicated, but a lot of golfers make it so. One issue I see is that they stand too far from the ball, like they’re hitting an iron shot (above, right). From there, the club swings around the body on a circular arc – good for the full swing but bad for chipping.That bigger motion makes you slow the club down before impact for fear of hitting the ball too far.You wind up chunking it. To simplify things, get closer to the ball with the shaft more vertical. Feel like the clubhead is up on its toe (above, left).This sets up a straighter swing path, with the clubface always
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looking down the line you want to hit the ball, not rotating open and closed. Plus, the swing will be shorter, so less can go wrong. Try this routine: First, step in with your back foot, directly across from the ball and about 25 centimetres from it. Then, aim the clubface at your target. Finally, step in with your front foot – that’ll help settle your weight forward, where it needs to be throughout the swing. Make sure the shaft is leaning a bit towards the target, and then it’s just a simple brush back and through. Butch Harmon is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.
I use my putting grip when chipping because it gives me better feel – and little chips are serious feel shots. It also gets me in a putting mind-set, feeling more “over the ball” and zoned in on a target. All you’re trying to do is get the ball over the grass in front of you and let it run out. Why land it on the green instead of the fringe? The bounce is more predictable.
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DAVID LEADBETTER
The overall average driving distance of all golfers, young and old, from low to high handicaps. SOURCE: GAME GOLF
FAT-PROOF PITCHING
201
1. CHOOSE WISELY
2. STAND NARROW
3. SHORTEN UP
4. COPY THAT
▶ You’ll have a lot more success if you use a wedge with the right amount of bounce. Bounce references a design feature that helps wedges produce crisp shots no matter the lie. For most lies, an adequate amount is 10 degrees of bounce, though less is helpful for firm turf or wet/ packed sand.
▶ You don’t need to make a big swing here. A narrow stance will promote a shorter, more balanced swing. Stand with your heels 10 centimetres apart and roughly 60 percent of your weight on your left leg. This stance will help you make crisp contact.
▶ It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get the ball to fly up to 60 metres, so making a big backswing is overkill. It also promotes the deceleration in the downswing we’re trying to avoid. A good rule for these shots is to swing back only until your lead arm is parallel to the ground.
▶ Acceleration is crucial. That doesn’t mean swing down super fast. It just means the club should be increasing speed through impact. Try to finish with the trail arm parallel to the ground, like a mirror image of the arms and club in the backswing. Don’t fear hitting it too far.
here’s something about shots from 30 to 60 metres that give a lot of golfers fits.The biggest problem is making a backswing that’s too long, and then, in fear of hitting the shot too far, slowing the club down as it approaches the ball.The typical result is contact with the ground behind the ball – the dreaded fat shot. If this is your issue, here are four ways to make your pitching swing foolproof – or fat-proof, if you prefer.
T
David Leadbetter operates 34 golf academies worldwide.
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P H OTO B Y J D C U B A N
illustrations: todd detwiler
Stop duffing the short shots
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JIM MCLEAN
“Get your club moving its fastest after the strike.”
PUT YOUR RIGHT KNEE INTO IT Shifting your weight towards the target allows you to apply your body mass to the strike. A good drill to get that weight moving forward is to make practice swings focusing on the movement of the right knee. It should move outward towards the ball and forward towards the target as you start the downswing. Watch old clips of Sam Snead. Knee action was a hallmark to his powerful swing.
When big effort leads to small drives e’ve all been there:You’re playing with a couple of really big bombers, and you’re trying to keep up. After they blow it way by you on a couple of holes, you start swinging harder to pick up extra distance. But the harder you go after it, the shorter your tee shots go. What gives? Average golfers don’t play enough to control a super-fast swing.They’re trying so hard to smash the ball, they have the club moving its fastest in the wrong place – at the start of the downswing instead of the bottom of the arc.They also often lose their
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balance swinging harder, and that makes centreface contact a challenge. If you want more distance, don’t try to kill it. Swing with a smoother tempo and concentrate on hitting the ball in the sweet spot. Here’s how: First, make practice swings varying the amount of effort. Swing at 50 percent of your fastest, then 60 percent, then 70 percent and so on.You’ll start noticing that the “swoosh” sound the club makes comes later and later in the swing.You certainly don’t want to hear it before the clubhead reaches the ball. I’m constantly telling students to think
DRILL: TIMING YOUR RELEASE Without a club, start in a setup position with your arms extended and hands together, palms facing each other. Swing your right arm to the top and then back down as if you were simulating a downswing. When your right hand reaches the left hand, slap it over so that the left palm faces up. That’s the feeling of a proper release through impact. Jim McLean, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, is based at The Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida.
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y C H R I S G A S H
dom furore
POWER OUTAGE
beyond the ball, with their swing centre – and maximum clubhead speed – occurring as much as a metre after impact. The proper grip also will help you pick up distance. Be sure to hold the handle so you feel the connection of the top-hand thumb (left thumb for right-handers) to the lifeline of the lower hand. You also want to feel pressure in the last three fingers of the top hand and the middle two fingers of the bottom hand. Holding the club in this manner gives you control, while allowing your wrists to remain flexible, so they can release the club like a whip through the ball. If you can do that, you won’t have to stare at the back of your playing partners’ heads all day.
TOM WATSON
BUNKER MENTALITY Use your sand technique to get out of greenside rough erhaps the most famous shot I ever hit was my chip-in on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach to help win the 1982 US Open. Getting the ball out of the rough and stopping it quickly by a close hole is unnerving for a lot of golfers.They’re afraid of hitting it too far, so they don’t make a big enough swing, often leaving the ball in the rough for their next shot. The key is to swing much harder than you normally would. If the hole were, say, 15 feet away, you’re going to have to swing like it’s 30 or 40 feet away. Try this technique: I play these shots a lot like a greenside sand shot. I take a sand wedge,
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J D CUBAN
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Play Your Best
open the face at least 30 degrees, grip the club with a weak left-hand position (left thumb straight down the top of the grip), and then make a swing cutting across the ball from outside to inside in relation to my target line. This causes the trajectory of the ball to be higher, which will reduce its roll out. The key is to open that face – many golfers forget to do that – and to accelerate the club through the heavy grass more than seems necessary. Make the face exit left of your target with no rolling over of the wrists through impact. Hold the face open like I am here (above). The bonus of playing this like a bunker shot is it’s forgiving.You can make contact a little behind the ball and still get a good result – as long as you commit to the bigger swing with an open face. –with ron kaspriske Tom Watson writes instruction articles exclusively for Golf Digest.
IN VIEW OF KILIMANJARO On the remote Central African plains, a golf estate arises near Mount Kilimanjaro PHOTOGRAPHS BY GRANT LEVERSHA
The par-3 18th at Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate.
The Golf Life
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DESTINATIONS
entral Africa has a majestic new 18-hole course on the plains of Tanzania that offers golfers dramatic views of Mount Kilimanjaro, within a few hours drive of the world’s most famous wildlife reserves. Kilimanjaro Golf & Wildlife Estate is being officially opened when it hosts the Tanzanian Open in November. Durban photographer Grant Leversha captured these images of KiliGolf, although during his October visit cloud cover mostly concealed the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro,Africa’s highest peak, which on a clear day looms large over the course and palatiallooking clubhouse. The estate was developed in Usa River by two golf-loving Dutch brothers, Jerome and Bas Bruins, who had one of the biggest flower-growing operations in Tanzania.The export of Chrysanthemums is a major business. They had former European Tour player David Jones, nowadays a prominent course architect, design the course. “Kilimanjaro dominates the eastern view and Mount Meru the west,” says Jones.“As if these great mountains weren’t enough this wonderful piece
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of Africa has rivers, wildlife and one of the most tranquil feelings of anywhere I’ve ever worked.” The course opened for play two years ago, and for such a remote destination it currently does in the region of 100 rounds a week, a 60-40 ratio of locals and visitors. The estate is conveniently situated a 30-minute drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), and an hour from the town of Arusha. The dry season is from June to September, and there are two wet seasons; the long rains from March to May, and short rains in November and December. As in Gauteng, it usually arrives in the form of afternoon thunder showers. “It’s a golf experience where we encourage golfers to walk and take caddies, which helps support the local community,” says operations manager Rory Elliot, originally from Zimbabwe. “The course is open all year round, and it’s a 6 318-metre par-73 layout from the men’s club tees, with Tifdwarf, a cynodon grass, from tee to green. The 18th is a long par 3 over water to an island green and that would be our feature hole. “The bridge on the left of the main photo was inspired by a design in a park at Arnhem in Holland, the home town of
the owners.” There are a number of water hazards on the course, including a large lake on the second hole where the different levels are separated by small waterfalls. The golf estate already has 50 houses, and there is a variety of accommodation available for guests on the property, which includes a polo field. As can be expected in this part of the world, there’s a wide variety of buck roaming the estate. “The Bruins brothers have created something quite special,” said Leversha. “It is close to all the main parks. I stayed at KiliGolf with an Italian couple who run a fantastic B&B on the fifth hole. European standards with warm hospitality.” SA Airways have daily 3½-hour flights from Johannesburg to Dar Es Salaam, and connections can be made to either KIA or another airport at Arusha. The green fee for non-residents is $60 for 18 holes, plus $10 for a caddie. Golf carts are available, and clubs can be hired. A seven-day membership can be bought for $250. There is a 9-hole course nearby, the Arusha Gymkhana Club. – STUART McLEAN
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MR X
“Have I ever been high in a PGA Tour event? Sure.”
UNDERCOVER TOUR PRO
As in, you can delude yourself into thinking a little “swing oil” or “green wax” helps, but in any money game, your opponent would love to see you imbibe. Have I ever been high in a PGA Tour event? Sure. Haven’t ing raised by a factor of 10.The done it often, but if I’m teeing threshold for failing a test was 15 off on Sunday near last place nanograms but will now be 150 with no way to move up the nanograms. How much is that? leader board meaningfully, I’ll Marijuana is tricky because it treat myself to making the day stays in the system for a long time, a little more fun, or at least and bodies process it at different different. I’ve smoked beforehand rates. But a doctor friend tells me with the other players in my I could smoke a dozen days per group, too. month and possibly stay under the Each week the tour ranlimit. I always drink a lot of water, domly tests a number of us. An as being hydrated helps avoid administrator will be waiting detection. outside the scoring trailer. If you The tour is following the lead have an existing obligation with of the International Olympic a sponsor or the media, you can Committee, which in 2013 raised delay reporting to the “testing the limit to 150 nanograms, a area.” Produce a urine sample, threshold I consider much more and a few days later, you get an reasonable.The priority is to email saying you passed. But if prevent athletes from gaining a your phone rings and the caller competitive advantage, not to ID reads PGA Tour – and you embarrass them. Among PGA haven’t left a message with the Tour players, no one cares about tour office about another matter recreational drugs. As even regular – you’ve tested positive. It hapgolfers can tell you, ripping a bowl pened to me once. is going to help you make birdies Because it was my first time about as much as chugging a beer. failing for a recreational drug, it
A pot smoker applauds the tour’s new drug testing programme he PGA Tour has rolled out a new drugtesting programme for the new season. In addition to peeing in a cup, we’ll now have our blood inspected for performance-enhancing substances like human growth hormone. Our banned list is being updated to match what’s used for Olympic athletes, and all suspensions for failing tests will now be announced to the public. No more speculating if so and so, who didn’t play a tournament for three months, really hurt his back, or was in fact “quietly suspended” for failing a test. Sounds much stricter, right? Well, as a player who has smoked pot regularly for the past few years, I’m not worried. In fact, I applaud what the tour is doing.The devil, you might say, is in the levels. Under the new policy, the amount of marijuana that can be in my system is be-
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was a slap on the wrist. I had the option to appeal, but I knew that’d be dumb because then it might go public. I accepted my result, then flew to Charlotte and visited with the tour-appointed psychologist for an hour. I know several players who’ve made the same trip.The dude asks all the typical counselling questions, like how much and how often. I was honest but had the impression he couldn’t have cared less about my answers.We were just going through the motions, establishing a paper trail that the matter had been addressed. I also had to attend three sessions with a counsellor in my city. Clearly, there’s a cultural shift happening with weed as legalisation spreads, and the more lenient threshold on our tour is a small part. I’m not looking forward to having my blood drawn, but if it catches a few guys trying to get stronger and longer by real cheating, here’s my arm.With the new programme, the rumour with our disciplinary policy is everybody’s slate is wiped clean. So if I fail another test for weed, my worst-case scenario would be a flight to Charlotte. – WITH MAX ADLER
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MATCH PLAY BY SUZANN PETTERSEN
and your opponent can get frustrated and start making mistakes. be ready to adjust
3
Sometimes you’re up against someone who’s playing well, and your strategy of steady and safe isn’t working. When this happens, find ways to be more aggressive. Sometimes changing strategy can swing momentum your way. expect your opponent to make everything
If you’re up by a few holes and feeling comfortable, snap out of it.Assume your opponent is going to rally at some point, so keep playing your hardest. All it takes is for you to lose one hole, and the match can turn.
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when in doubt, go with the safe shot
It’s easy to get excited and try to hit big shots during match play. But you’re not going to win a match trying to play above your skill level. Hero golf is overrated. It’s better to make no mistakes than to risk too much. don’t ever get ahead of yourself
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GET UP AND STAY UP Seven ways to knock off your next opponent here’s something about match play that gets me fired up, and I’ve developed a proven strategy to compete. Got your own big match coming up? Remember these tips, and you’ll be ready to close out your opponent. –with keely levins
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know your strengths
Think about the best parts of your game and how they might give you an edge. Example: If you’re playing someone where your length is an advantage, use it. Right from the start, pull out driver and send it down the middle.
1
wear out your opponent
2
My main strategy is to be consistent: hit fairways, hit greens. For others, it could mean avoiding double bogeys. Stay steady,
Being up in a match is a great feeling, but don’t start calculating where it will end if you keep playing well. Instead, focus on the shot you’re standing over, and keep the pressure on. Make all your opponents feel they have to play their very best to beat you. prepare for anything
Annika Sorenstam says as long as there are holes left, there are opportunities – for you and your opponent.That means don’t let your opponent’s lucky break or great shot rattle you. Just keep grinding like the match is on the line, because it is.
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polo golf by Ralph Lauren shirt, belt • Maide golf by bonobos pants • footjoy shoes • titleist hat
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P H OTO B Y J D C U B A N
ASK GOLF DIGEST
Q
The Golf Life
My opponent suddenly has a case of the shanks, so he pulls up an online video on curing them and starts rehearsing. Is this legal?
Our view is that anything that stops the shanks should be legal. Luckily for your opponent, Decision 143/16,“Use of Electronic Devices,” says players may pull up a tip as long as it was created before the round. If your opponent watched a video his buddy sent analysing his swing during the round, he’ll get a two-stroke penalty or lose the hole in match play (Rule 143). If he asks for the help, the same penalty applies, but this time he’s breaking Rule 8-1’s stipulations on advice.
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▶▶▶ I recently received an old set of clubs from a co-worker, and I cannot seem to find much information on them. They’re called Chicago Cutlery Par Ace Level Two. Are they worth anything?
rami niemi
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Sadly, the market for older golf clubs isn’t very strong anymore. Even persimmon drivers from the 1950s, which would sell for north of
$1 500 in the 1970s, can be had for $100 or so. Appears your co-worker gave you a decent gift, though. Those clubs are a knockoff of the cavity-back Ping Eye2 BeCu – an iron made from beryllium copper. Beryllium copper is a hazardous material to work with, and its use in golf clubs was discontinued in the late 1990s. That means clubs made from it have value for their scarcity. Individual Level Two clubs from Chicago Cutlery are going for $20 to $25 each on eBay, so it’s not a stretch to think a full set could fetch between $100 and $200. ▶▶▶ A buddy and I have a standing “long drive in the fairway” bet. In a recent round, he hit the fairway and I drove the green. How would the PGA Tour’s long-drive stats score this?
When the tour measures long drives, it doesn’t care if the ball ends up in the fairway. The only
thing that matters is how far it goes off the tee. So yours would be the longer drive. As for your bet, your buddy could argue that the green isn’t technically “fairway.” But the fact is, your drive was so long it ran out of fairway. We declare yours the winner! ▶▶▶ I’ve noticed quite a few American municipal courses opened in the 1920s. Was there a golf boom during Prohibition?
Yes, though we’re not sure Prohibition had anything to do with it. The first municipal-golf boom in the United States was 1915-’25. The second came during the Depression, with FDR’s make-work programmes like PWA and WPA. The third was the late 1960s/ early 1970s, when city fathers still considered providing recreation to citizens an essential task. It’s doubtful anyone hoping for re-election would think of building a new public course today.
The Golf Life
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THE CORE
Even healthy snacks such as raisins and grapes can trigger a crash.
GOLF IN THE FOG
to 19 range can be iffy.Watermelon’s glycemic load is 3.6. One way to counter the effects of high-glycemic foods is to combine them with fatty foods.This tempers the insulin reaction. If you’re eating a tunasalad sandwich on white bread, you’ll have a milder reaction if it has mayonnaise on it. If you must have a Coke, drink it with a burger.A good formula to remember: If the total grams of protein, fat and fibre are higher than the total grams of carbohydrates, you’re in the safe zone. What if you feel like you’re starting to crash from a sugar high during a round? Eat a small snack: a meal-replacement bar, some trail mix, a banana. “Seems counterintuitive to eat some more,” Suppiah says, “but it will help stall the effects of the crash.”
How food choices affect your score
ou’re tired.You’re agitated.You’re hungry. You’re struggling to concentrate.This round feels more like hard work than a pleasant stroll. Question: How refreshing was that sugary drink you had before teeing off?Was your sandwich toasted just right? It’s no mystery why you feel like crap. It’s science.Your body is desperately trying to regain control of itself after you set off a sugar bomb in your bloodstream. First, your glucose level spiked.That probably occurred about 30 minutes after you teed off.Then, to bring the amount of sugar in your bloodstream down, your body released the hormone insulin to process it. But with a massive insulin release comes all those physical reactions that just led to your third double bogey. “When you crash from a significant release of insulin, you also get a release of cortisol, and that triggers a flight-or-fight response,” says Dr Ara Suppiah, a sports-medicine expert and team doctor for the 2016 US Ryder Cup team. Suppiah is a medical advisor to several players on the PGA Tour.“When the body’s survival mechanism kicks in, your ability to control the intricate and complex movements of a golf swing, let alone focus over an important putt, become so much more difficult than if your bloodsugar level remained relatively steady and in a healthy range.” The influence of food and drink on performance is not widely understood, so Suppiah decided to spend some time with his golfers checking their blood-sugar levels as they
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played and to observe how they responded when their levels were brought back down by insulin. He took readings every four holes on players such as Henrik Stenson and Gary Woodland. He found that there were great variances in when the crash occurred and how long it lasted, but all his players experienced bad side effects. “They all reported feeling sluggish and struggling to focus,” Suppiah says.“But the quicker the blood-sugar level came down as a result of an insulin release, the more often they reported feeling tired and, believe it or not, hungry even though they just ate. It was very distracting to performance.” Knowing this, Suppiah’s advice is to stop and think before you eat or drink something during a round.That’s not to say you should avoid calories when you play. On the contrary, you have to get something in your system or fatigue will set in – even if you ride in a golf cart. Just don’t eat or drink things that are high in sugar.
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“Ideally, you don’t want to raise your blood-sugar level beyond 120, and a good range is between 65 and 85,” Suppiah says.“I realise you’re not going to be monitoring this number while you play, but you can avoid sugary choices.” Some of those things might surprise you. Plain, white-flour products (sandwich bread) can easily trigger a reaction. Even seemingly healthy snacks like raisins and grapes should be avoided. Sports and energy drinks have a high Glycemic Index (GI) score not all that far from table sugar (100). But keep in mind that GI tells only part of the story. Some foods are high on the GI, such as watermelon (72), but you’d have to eat a significant amount to spike your sugar level. Researchers at Harvard distinguished between GI and something they called “glycemic load,” which takes into account portion size. Anything rated 20 or higher will likely cause a sugar spike and then a crash, but even foods in the 11
– RON KASPRISKE
MULLIGAN MEALS Some suggested ways to avoid sugar crashes while playing you’re eating this?
eat this instead
Granola bar
Gluten-free, meal-replacement bar
Pretzels
Raw nuts
Hot dog on a bun
Hot dog sans bun (or wrapped in lettuce)
French fries
Popcorn
you’re drinking this?
drink this instead
Sports/energy drink
Dilute drink with water
Beer
Beer, paired with a fatty food
Soda
Fresh-brewed iced tea (with a teaspoon of sugar)
Orange juice
Apple juice
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y S E R G E B L O C H
GLENDOWER GOLF CLUB It’s where you want to be a member
It’s all about feeling at home on the #1 course in Gauteng and #4 in South Africa. Membership is open for 2018. Contact our friendly staff for membership options for your company or in your private capacity. Host your golf day with us and match your brand with Gauteng’s #1 course.
Hosts of the BMW SA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP for 5 consecutive years.
www.glendower.co.za 011 453 1013 | reception@glendower.co.za | golfdirector@glendower.co.za | events@glendower.co.za
The Golf Life
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STYLE
JOINED AT THE GRIP The hands of golf meet the hands of time olfers and watches go together like hands on a club. Though they don’t often compete with them on, you’ll see a lot of tour pros going straight to their bags to find that favourite timepiece once their round is done. Here, nine pros share what they love so much about their No. 1 watches. —MARTY HACKEL
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1 brooks koepka
2 emiliano grillo
“This is a newer model of the first Rolex I ever owned. Getting it to commemorate my US Open victory makes it all the more special.”
“This watch reminds me of (my win at) Frys.com, a great first year and to keep moving forward. It’s the best-looking watch on the market.”
3 patrick reed
stin thomas
“It’s edgy and sharp. I can dress it down or dress it up with the interchangeable band.”
ot this watch und Christmas. ved it when I t saw it because he casual yet ssy look, and I n wear it with lly any outfit – en swim trunks.” P H O T O S B Y G I O VA N N I R E D A
6 sergio garcia
5 jamie lovemark
“I fell in love with this watch because it’s understated and classy. It also pairs well with a black polo or a suit.”
“I got this from my friends at Omega the week of Augusta, and I will never forget it for that reason.”
7 morgan hoffmann
“This was my first Breitling, and it’s my favourite to this day. As a pilot, I use it when I fly to make sure my fuel timechange is precise.”
8 rory mcilroy
“This unique watch commemorates my 2016 Ryder Cup experience at Hazeltine.”
1 rolex oyster perpetual sea-dweller, $11 350. This new version of a
watch that debuted in 1967 has a larger case and the name Sea-Dweller in red. 2 audemars piguet royal oak offshore diver, $19 000. Its dial features its trademark méga tapisserie. 3 hublot unico depeche mode, $24 100. Depeche Mode is a celebrated British rock band that recently released a new album. Proceeds go to “charity: water,” which brings clean drinking water to developing countries. 4 rolex oyster perpetual yacht-master, $11 500. It features a 904L steel-and-platinum case and bracelet, plus a dial made of dark rhodium. 5 officine panerai luminor base logo acciaio, $4 750. This hand-wound mechanical has a 56hour power reserve and features Panerai’s signature crown-protecting bridge. 6 omega seamaster planet ocean “deep black” co-axial master chronometer chronograph, $11 700. This Greenwich Mean Time watch tracks two time zones and serves as a diving watch with a special rubber-and-ceramic bezel. 7 breitling chronomat blacksteel, $10 350. A true pilot’s watch, this timepiece tracks two time zones, and you can easily adjust its bezel in the dark. 8 omega seamaster aqua terra “ryder cup” master co-axial, $7 350. Its silver dial is decorated with a dimpled golf-ball pattern. 9 audemars piguet royal oak concept gmt tourbillon, price upon request. Highlights include its titanium case, ceramic bezel, openwork dial and precision tourbillon.
9 ian poulter
“I love the Audemars Piguet Concept. It’s different, classy, innovative, striking, luxurious.”
The Golf Life
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THINK YOUNG/PLAY HARD
GROWING HIS BRAND Big Easy Tour Order of Merit winner JACQUIN HESS is using social media – and hisclubs–tostartfulfilling his potential. by barry havenga ON MAKING AN ALBATROSS EN ROUTE TO VICTORY
At Observatory Golf Club in Johannesburg, I started the final round of the Big Easy Tour Championship five off the lead and was 5-under when I reached the par-5 14th. My tee shot went right onto the adjacent 16th fairway, and from there I holed out from 158 metres with a 9-iron! It was my first albatross. I shot 65 and won by one for my first victory as a professional. ON CREATING A BRAND
From a young age I dreamed of having my own logo and I would scribble designs on paper. I formulated the ‘JH’ design which is on my apparel and golf bag. Being a pro golfer is a business and I need to market myself accordingly. I’m active on social media and have met sponsors via this valuable networking platform. ON THE JACQUIN HESS INVITATIONAL
I’m a brand ambassador for the Breede River Hospice in Robertson and every year we host a charity day at Robertson Golf Club. We had 250 players last year and at the next one in January I’m getting former Springboks Toks van de Linde and Breyton Paulse to MC the event. ON A CRUCIAL DECISION
At 14 I had to decide between continuing with cricket, or dedicating myself to golf. I was due to represent the Boland Under-15 cricket team. But my golf career was promising, so I opted for golf because of the longevity in the game. ON A BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT AS AN AMATEUR
At the 2012 Premier Interprovincial at PE Golf Club I won five out of five singles matches for Boland in the A section (Hess was joint-MVP with 8½ out of 10 points), a week where we shared the trophy with Western Province. Even though I had won a tournament prior to this (2011 Harry Oppenheimer Trophy at Maccauvlei), it was a moment that made me believe I could play the game for a living. ON TURNING THE TABLES
I was a member of the SA Golf Development Board when I watched Gary Player perform a clinic for our group during the 2008 Nelson Mandela Invitational at Arabella. I was captivated by his every move and amazed at the energy he had. Nine years later I was part of a group of Sunshine Tour players giving a clinic to SAGDB members on the same practice range during a Vodacom Origins event. It was an incredibly rewarding experience.
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JACQUIN HESS
AGE 27 BORN/RESIDES Robertson, Western Cape ATTACHMENT Robertson GC TWITTER/INSTAGRAM @JacquinHess CAREER Had three top-4 finishes before winning the 2017 Big Easy Tour Championship and the Big Easy Tour Order of Merit, earning full playing rights to the 2018/19 Sunshine Tour. A graduate of the SA Golf Development Board, he turned pro in 2013 after representing the SA Students team. Now a member of the Gary Player Class of 2017, which provides financial aid for travel and accommodation and regular access to fitness and mental coaches.
JOHAN RYNNERS/SUNSHINE TOUR
QUIC K FIRE Window or aisle? Window. First person to call in a jam? My sister Maralene. Test match at Lord's or Twickenham? Lord’s. First car? I have never owned a car. Favourite TV shows? Live cricket and rugby and Toks ’n Tjops. Lowest round? 63 at Robertson GC in a social round. Superstitions? I always put my left sock and shoe on first. Best friends on tour? Duane Basson, Heinrich Bruiners, Gerard du Plooy. Strongest player mentally on tour? I’d like to say myself. Most naturally gifted on tour? Jean Hugo. Longest hitter seen? New Zealander Ryan Fox. First thing you bought after first pay cheque as a pro? Probably a nice meal at a restaurant. Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with, living or dead? Rihanna. Which celebrity would sacrifice to zombies? Novak Djokovic.
ON LESS FINANCIAL STRESS
I’ve always believed in my ability, practised hard, trained hard and conducted myself in a professional manner on and off the course. But this is the first year that I’ve been able to just go out and play and not constantly worry about money. And my results show what a difference my sponsors and the Gary Player Class of 2017 have made. ON FRIENDS WITH WHEELS
I have yet to own a car and rely on lifts from friends when I need to go places. It’s a two-hour journey from Robertson to Cape Town Airport so clearly I have some very loyal friends. I do pay petrol money though! ON EATING HABITS ON THE ROAD
I like to get into a routine when I travel to tournaments, so it’s quite common that I’ll eat the same thing each night. During the Sun Sibaya Challenge at Mount Edgecombe in October I had Nandos every night! ON MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN SPORTSMEN
Sharks flyhalf Curwin Bosch began following me on Instagram during the same tournament. We began chatting and I asked him for Currie Cup final tickets. I was blown away by how humble he was. I landed up going to his house on the Friday night to meet him and collect the tickets.
IN THE BAG Driver: Callaway Epic Sub Zero, 9 degrees Fairway: Callaway Epic Sub Zero, 13.5 degrees Hybrid: Callaway Apex, 19 degrees Irons (4-9): Titleist AP2 Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6 (48/52/56/60) Putter: Odyssey White Hot #2 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
G ARY PL AYER CL A SS OF 2017 Hess is one of three members of the Gary Player Class of 2017 to have won tournaments this year on the Sunshine Tour or Big Easy Tour. The Class of 2017, with Player as their patron this year, is a group of 34 previously disadvantaged golfers who have taken the pro route. They are supported by the Sunshine Tour and various sponsors. Makhetha Mazibuko won the Eye of Africa PGA Championship, and Musiwalo Nethunzwi claimed his first win in the BET Glendower event. G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 3 3
Play Your Best
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EQUIPMENT
i zu no m p- 1 8 s c
THE NEW CROSSOVERS
Fusing classic shapes with big-time tech
he hardest clubs to design in golf? You’re looking at them. These irons have the classic compact shape that better players prefer, but with technology for forgiveness (multiple materials) and distance (thin-face inserts) that make them playable for the rest of us. This marriage of old and new technology has caught the attention of the world’s best: About nine in 10 players on the PGA Tour use some form of cavity-back or hollow iron for at least part of their iron set. “We’re still going to chock it full of as much technology as we can,” Mizuno’s Chris Voshall says. “But the priority is the package it’s in, not just the technology it offers.” Here are four new irons that might make us look better than we are. —mike stachura
▶ Mizuno’s forging process yields a tight grain structure for optimal feel on these cavity-backs. The slightly larger size and lower centre of gravity of the middle and long irons make these a natural to mix and match with Mizuno’s MP-18 blades. price R15 999
T
t i t l e i st a p3 ▶ Three different constructions within the set are designed to optimise your needs. High-strength steel face inserts wrap around the soles of the hollow long and middle irons. High-density tungsten-weights in the heel and toe improve stability. price R18 999
taylor m a d e p7 9 0 m i u ra cb 2 0 0 8 ▶ On the long and middle irons, the face and neck are forged from carbon steel. A stainlesssteel composite piece on the back forms Miura’s widest iron sole, keeping the weight low for high launch and smooth turf interaction.
▶ The hollow construction uses a high-strength steel face that wraps around the sole and is about as thick as a coin. It’s supported by an injected foam that allows the face to flex while controlling sound and feel. A sole slot enhances flexing low on the face.
SPECIAL ORDER price R19 999
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P H O T O B Y J U S T I N FA N T L
A
NEW WAY TO
ROLL MICROHINGE INSERT TECHNOLOGY
UNMATCHED ROLL WITH OUR NEW MICROHINGE FACE INSERT ™ The best players in the world consistently generate topspin at impact. The new Microhinge Face Insert dynamically generates topspin, regardless of the putting stroke. Topspin is what keeps the ball from bouncing and skidding off its intended line.
MICROHINGE INSERT TECHNOLOGY
PRE-IMPACT
FORWARD ROLL WITH IMMEDIATE TOPSPIN
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.ODYSSEYGOLF.COM ©2017 Callaway Golf Company. Odyssey, the Odyssey Swirl Device, OWorks, Versa, and Microhinge Face Insert are trademarks and/or registered trademark r
Play Your Best
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EQUIPMENT
tay lorm ade m cgb ▶ The thin face has slots in the face and sole to provide more flexibility. Tungsten weighting positioned low makes this TaylorMade’s highest-flying iron. p ri ce R18 999 (set of eight)
cl e ve l a n d l au nche r h b ▶ The hollow, hybrid-like construction keeps weight low and back. This gives you higher flight and less distancesapping vibration on your mis-hits. There’s also extra pop from a high-strength steel face insert.
NO HOLDING BACK Irons that let you swing with confidence layers who need the game-improvement trifecta of high launch, distance and forgiveness want irons that don’t trade on those characteristics. They want ultra-forgiving sets that maximise distance with oversize shapes or even hollow heads.That makes them almost like mini-drivers, with fast-flexing faces and stable bodies that help mis-hits fly closer to perfect.Their wide soles keep weight low (for high launch) and smooth out the occasional fat shot. Plus, their lightweight shafts let you swing faster. If you’re tired of missing out on how easy the game might be, consider these four new irons – vivid examples of your new game, the one with nothing held back. –mike stachura
price R9 999 (set of seven)
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ca l l away e pic sta r t i t l e i st 7 1 8 a p1 ▶ The company’s most forgiving AP iron ever features hollow long irons and cavity-backs for the rest of the set. The long and middle irons are stabilised by high-density tungsten in the toe.
▶ A lighter head, fuelled by a 50-gram shaft, increases your potential for more swing speed. The company’s thin wraparound cupface on the head is designed for better distance and launch.
price R14 999
SPECIAL ORDER P H OTO B Y V I C TO R P RA D O
Play Your Best
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EQUIPMENT
A club for every weakness.
to u r e d g e e xot i cs cbx
cob r a f- m a x
▶ Better players looking for a lowspin fairway wood might benefit from this construction. It includes a titanium face fused to a high-strength steel body. A lightweight carbon-composite piece in the rear of the sole allows more weight to be placed forward.
▶ This fairway wood provides full service for the flaws of average golfers. Helpful features include a lighter swingweight, anti-slice bias, higher lofts and larger, more comfortable grips. A thin, high-strength steel face insert gives distance a boost. price R2 499
SPECIAL ORDER
t i t l e i st 8 1 8 h1
c a l l away g b b e pic sta r
IT’S PERSONAL
▶ This ultralight driver is designed for golfers with slower swing speeds and features the same distance technology found in the standard Epic – including two rods that join the crown and sole to help the face flex across a larger area.
▶ The H2 is preferred by tour players, but the H1 here offers something for the rest of us. The latest version is more stable on off-centre hits and is designed for golfers who hit their hybrids with more of a sweeping motion than a downward strike. price R3 999
SPECIAL ORDER
Metalwoods to fix your flaws ou might think that all metalwoods are designed to do the same thing: launch it high with low spin. In a way they are, but they go about it in different ways.The newest metalwoods target certain types of swings: (1) big hitters who need shots to launch with less spin; (2) slower swingers who need more clubhead speed; and (3) hitters who need a straighter ball flight. Whether it’s less weight or redistributed internal mass, most new metalwoods are playerspecific. So start your search knowing your weaknesses, and make a purchase based on how a new club can correct what’s wrong. Here are five fixes worth considering. – mike stachura
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p i ng g 4 0 0 s f tec ▶ We don’t just hit slices with our drivers, so the G400 line has a heelweighted fairway-wood option. A high-strength steel face provides extra flexing for more distance, and the slightly larger head size offers forgiveness on mis-hits. price R6 999
P H O T O B Y R YA N Z I M M E R M A N
IRONS
hit them longer and straighter. by brooks koepka 4 0 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOM FURORE
▶ On the Tuesday of US Open week, I was with my short-game coach, Pete Cowen. He pulled me aside and said he wouldn’t work with
me until we talked. That’s when he told me there was no way I could win the way I was going about things. It was harsh, but I’m the type of person that if you tell me I can’t do something, I’ll find a way to do it. And that’s what I did at the US Open. I took his talk as a challenge, got myself super focused on what I needed to do on each and every shot, stayed patient, and ended up winning my first major. A big reason for that was my iron play. I hit 86 percent of the greens in regulation that week. That’s 62 out of 72. When you’re consistently putting for birdie and not trying to save par, that’s a huge advantage at the Open. Most people focus on how hard I swing my clubs as a reason for my success, but there are some other things about my swing that are beneficial for both power and accuracy – and they can help you, too – especially if you’re struggling with consistency. Hitting savage irons sounds cool. Make it a reality. – WITH RON KASPRISKE
ta k e t h e c l u b b a c k h i g h and wide, and swing down w i t h a b o w e d l e f t w r i s t.
‘a bowed left wrist is considered a power position, but it makes me a lot more accurate, too, by minimising the need for clubface rotation to hit the ball on target.'
’ve been working on the same things with my full-swing
back wide and high (small photo, top) creates leverage and more
coach, Claude Harmon, for the past four years. I drew the ball
power. I shallow the club coming down with a lateral shift of my hips
in college but knew a fade is easier to control. The misses
towards the target (small photo, bottom). I also take the club back
are never as bad. My technique for curving it a little left to
with a bowed left wrist and keep it bowed almost all the way through
right is to set up open to my target with my feet, minimise clubface
impact (large photo). The bow keeps the clubface from opening, so
rotation back and down, and turn hard with my body well past impact.
I don’t have to worry about face rotation and timing. My shots are
I want my chest facing 45 degrees left of my target at the end of the
more accurate if I maintain the bow until the moment when I release
swing. That’s the simplest way to explain what I do. Now come a
the club through impact. Then it goes from closed to slightly open,
few important details. I take the club back on a steeper angle than
helping to produce that fade. There’s some split-second hand action
I swing down. For those of you who can’t swing fast, taking the club
going on as I strike the ball, which I’ll explain on the facing page.
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put the club down for a second to show you what my right hand –
(large photo). This opens the clubface just enough to put a little fade spin
the dominant hand – is doing to create a fade as well as add more
on the ball, and it gathers more speed for the hit, just like cracking a whip.
power to the hit. I mentioned earlier how much my body rotates in
So if you put it all together – open stance, wide-and-high backswing,
relation to the target. That’s really important, so don’t just focus
bowed left wrist, hip bump towards the target, good body rotation and a
on your right-hand movement through impact. Turn your body, too. Let it
sidearm release of the right hand through impact – you’ve got my swing
lead the way. The more you rotate, the better off you’ll be. Okay, with that
down. Too much to handle right away? Understood. But the good thing
said, swinging down with a bowed left wrist means your right palm will
is, you can work on any one of these things and start seeing quality
be facing down (small photo). Then, as the club is striking the ball, let the
iron shots. Just blend in the other elements as you get better. My max
right wrist release like you’re throwing a ball sidearm or skipping a stone
with a 7-iron is 196 metres. See how far – and straight – you can hit one.
yo u r r i g h t pa l m fac e s downward until the strike and then releases, like skipping a stone.
Play Your Best
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SWING SEQUENCE
ecognising a common theme among most of the top players in golf today doesn’t take a PhD. Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day are all hyper-athletic and launch the ball off the tee without any fear. Based on that, our prediction is that Brooks Koepka is next in line for stardom. The huge-hitting Floridian won his first PGA Tour title in 2015 and made his first
R
BROOKS KOEPKA Who says fades are weak? Swing like this, and you'll blast it,too
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Ryder Cup team last year. Now he’s the US Open champion.“The way the modern game is played and given his attitude – nothing fazes him – Brooks has what it takes to win a major,” says Claude Harmon, who has worked with Koepka since 2012. “He’s become a really good driver of the ball, and he’s added more shots. His putting has improved a lot, too. It’s a complete game.” Koepka has geared his
swing to produce a “pull cut,” his coach says. It’s a shot that starts left but gently curves back towards the target. And with clubhead speed reaching 205 kilometres per hour, Koepka routinely carries it 300-plus yards. “He hits a very heavy ball, like a boxer who throws hard punches,” Harmon says. “It’s a great swing to copy.” Though your distance may vary. –Matthew rudy
MOVING ON UP
FRONT AND CENTRE
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
A 320-yard tee shot starts with a five-centimetre adjustment. Koepka struggles when his ball position drifts back a touch. “When it’s forward like it is here, Brooks feels like he can really rotate through the ball,” says Claude Harmon, Koepka’s swing coach. “If it drifts back in his stance, it messes with his swing
A big key for Koepka is making sure the club stays in front of his body on the backswing and downswing. That means Koepka doesn’t pull the clubhead inside on the way back. And on the downswing, the clubhead stays outside his hands, so “he can swing free and really use his athleticism,” Harmon says.
“My swing thought has always been the same – don’t overswing,” Koepka says. “I want to feel like I’m going back three-quarters instead of a full turn, and really firing from there.” Harmon says the thought helps Koepka keep width to his swing and prompts him to make an aggressive turn through the ball.
▶ GOING FOR THE GREEN
▶ AVERAGE DRIVING DISTANCE
73.5%
49.3%
73.0%
311.1 YDS
289.7 YDS
317.2 YDS
Brooks Koepka (1st)
Tour average
Tony Finau (2nd)
Brooks Koepka (7th)
Tour average
Rory McIlroy (1st)
THE MATCH GAME
SWEET AND LOW
TURN, TURN, TURN
Koepka’s ability to drive it long and straight under pressure comes from an ideal mixture of swing elements that square the club at impact, Harmon says: “His clubface is a little shut. So if he rotates his body and releases the club, he can go after the ball as hard as he wants, and it’s going to go pretty straight.”
Want to get a better release through impact? Borrow one of Koepka’s favourite sensations. “He tries to feel the handle being low at impact, and his chest more open,” Harmon says. “If the handle is higher, it’s harder to release the club,” which means the clubface won’t be in position to hit his reliable cut.
Look at Koepka’s follow-through. There’s great body rotation. “You don’t see too much separation between his left arm and body right after impact,” Harmon says. “If that arm moves away too much, it means his chest stopped turning.” When the chest stops, it’s really difficult to control the shot shape and find the fairway.
PRO-FILE brooks koepka 27 / 6-0 / 84 kg West Palm Beach driver TaylorMade M2 ball Titleist Pro V1x
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 4 5
INSIDE THE RYDER CUP AT HAZELTINE From the book The First Major by John Feinstein, copyright © 2017 by John Feinstein, published by arrangement with an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 320 pages, R359.
kuchar the prankster turns serious, tiger shows another side, and phil tries (really tries) to get out of a dj headlock BY JOHN FEINSTEIN
phil mickelson is used to being pranked by m at t k u c h a r , b u t t h e y teamed up for a win.
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Mickelson and Kuchar: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
ATT KUCHAR was the court jester of the 2016 US Ryder Cup team, though most golf fans never would have known that. ▶ “His image with the public is a hundred percent different than who he really is,” says Zach Johnson, a close friend. “He smiles and says all the right things, and then you get behind closed doors, and he’s the devil.” ▶ Johnson meant that in an endearing way. He was a frequent victim of Kuchar’s plots, often opening his locker to find some kind of poster – sometimes of a man, sometimes of a woman, usually without any clothes on – hanging prominently from the door. Kuchar’s hope was that Johnson might open his locker in the presence of a media member or perhaps a pro-am partner and be forced to explain himself. ▶ Johnson’s explanation was always quite simple: Kuchar. ▶ Kuchar has a wide, ever-present smile, one that earned him the nickname Smilin’ Matt, and has long been a fan favourite because of that smile and his easygoing manner. Beneath it, though, Kuchar is not only a nonstop prankster, he’s one of the brighter, more thoughtful people in the game. ▶ Phil Mickelson, wary of Kuchar’s antics, tries to avoid verbal combat with him. “He’s too quick,” Mickelson says. “I’m good. I’m very good. But I never beat him.” ▶ Several years earlier, Mickelson had showed up at a tournament wearing custom-made alligator shoes that were a shade of Augusta National green. He walked onto the range and began loosening up. Kuchar was right next to him. ▶ “What are those?” Kuchar asked, pointing at the shoes. ▶ “These?” Mickelson answered. “These are shoes you can only get after you’ve won three Masters.” ▶ Mickelson grinned. He’d played his trump card. ▶ “Well, if that’s the case,” Kuchar said, turning away to resume his warm-up, “I hope I win only two.”
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“something special” uchar and Mickelson teamed up in Saturday afternoon’s four-balls at Hazeltine to defeat Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer, helping the US team take a 9½-6½ lead entering Sunday’s singles. After the day’s play had ended, Kuchar announced to his captains and teammates that he had “something special planned for tonight” once they were back at the hotel. Everyone was convinced this was another Kuchar prank. US captain Davis Love had planned a relatively informal evening that would include a lot of non-team members. “Once you’re back at the hotel, you kind of come out of the zone,” he told his team. “Which is a good thing.You can’t sit around all night thinking about what may or may not happen the next day. It’ll wear you out.” Mike Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 Miracle on Ice US Olympic hockey team at Lake Placid, would be there. Darius Rucker, a huge golf fan whom all the players knew, would sing a few songs.The ex-captains would be around, and, as always, the wives/ partners and caddies would be in the room. No one was completely certain just how serious Kuchar was about his plan. “I’m not sure we wanted to know,” Johnson says, laughing. Love had encouraged the various celebrities and ex-captains to make themselves at home in the team room during the week. “I wanted things to happen spontaneously,” he said. “I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Okay, at 8 o’clock on Thursday, Jack Nicklaus is going to speak.’ ” Eruzione brought hockey jerseys for all the players to the team room on Saturday night.They had USA on the front and the players’ names on the back.Then he spoke about the importance of understanding the moment, reminding the players what US coach Herb Brooks had told his team before it played the Soviet Union in the most important hockey game ever played, on February 22, 1980: “You were all born for this moment.” Rucker got up and told the players how much their friendship meant to him. “I want you to know,” he said, “that anytime any of you need me to come and play in one of your charity events, I’m there. Anytime, anyplace. I’ll play golf, I’ll play music, whatever you want or need.” He paused. “But if you lose tomorrow, I’m charging you full price.”
AT ONE POINT, JACK NICKLAUS POKED HIS HEAD IN THE DOOR, SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND SAID, ‘JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING – IN HERE AND ON THE GOLF COURSE.’ Then it was Zach Johnson’s turn. He passed out shirts that said simply: MAKE TIGER GREAT AGAIN. He had spotted them online a few weeks earlier and bought them for everyone on the team. Every player and vice captain put one on. Love had told Woods earlier in the week that there would come a moment for him to talk to the team – but that it shouldn’t be forced. “It’ll just happen,” he said. “You’ll know when it’s time.” With everyone in the room yelling “Speech!”Woods knew it was time. He told the players how much it had meant to him to be part of the team as a vice captain, how much he had enjoyed everything that had gone into the week, and how close he now felt to each of them. “It was a cool thing,” Mickelson said later. “I think Tiger had been heading in the direction of being one of the guys for a while, but the week at Hazeltine really put it over the top. . . . He’s not the same guy he was all those years ago, when everything he’d been taught by his dad said, ‘Don’t give any of your secrets away.’ Now he’s willing to share pretty much anything he thinks will help us win.” Earlier in the week, in a car going from the golf course to the hotel, Mickelson and Woods had engaged in the sort of goodnatured grief-giving exchange no one had ever dreamed they would witness. “Can’t wait to see you back on tour,” Mickelson said at one point. “I just hope you can find the planet off the tee again sometime soon.” “Found it enough to win 14 and 79, didn’t I?”Woods answered, referring to his haul of major victories and PGA Tour wins.
Mickelson also had a gift to give to his teammates: dog tags. Each had the player’s name on it and the word Beginning. Mickelson had always maintained that Hazeltine would be the beginning of a new era for the US Ryder Cup team. He wanted to give the other players one more reminder of that. “half the room – at least – was crying” inally, after the celebrity speeches and the gift-giving, it was Kuchar’s turn.The idea for the presentation had come to Kuchar after a birthday dinner he had attended eight years earlier at the home of Seth Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank, a longtime PGA Tour sponsor. “He just said, ‘Okay, this is a family tradition,’ and started going around the room,” Kuchar remembered. “It really made you think. It was actually pretty cool.” Kuchar had made the idea a part of his Thanksgiving family dinner. Now he wanted it to be part of Saturday night at the Ryder Cup. He brought in a white board and placed it in front of the room. He stood before his teammates with none of the usual Kuchar “gotcha” in his voice or his demeanor. “I want each of you to tell me two things in your life that you’re really grateful for,” he said. “You aren’t allowed to say friends, family or health.We’re all grateful for those things, and we all understand how important they are. I want other things. I want things you’re thinking about right now sitting in this room tonight.” It took a moment for everyone in the room to realise Kuchar was serious. If there was any doubt, he proved it by starting. “I talked about how much I loved golf and how grateful I was I could play golf for a living,” he said. “I’d also thought about something Phil had said at the Presidents Cup in Korea. He talked about how cool it was that the captains and vice captains thought enough of him to make him a captain’s pick even though he hadn’t made the team on points.That resonated with me – especially after Davis made me a captain’s pick.” Bubba Watson talked at length about why it was so important for him to be part of the team as a vice captain after not getting picked and went on emotionally about how much it meant to him that his father had lived long enough to see him play in
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the Ryder Cup in 2010. “I think it made all of us stop and realise how lucky we were to be sitting there getting ready to try to win the Ryder Cup the next day,” Brandt Snedeker says. “It was really pretty cool.” Snedeker followed Watson. He began by thanking him for all the input and support he’d given him all week.Then he talked about how fortunate he felt to be in this moment and how important it was to him to make sure not to let anyone down the next day: Love, Mickelson, the other players and captains, including past captains. Then Snedeker pulled out his phone. A hockey fan, he had read a book a few years earlier by Mike Babcock about coaching the Canadian Olympic team in 2010 under nearly unbearable pressure because the Games were in Vancouver. The book was called Leave No Doubt: A Credo for Chasing Your Dreams, and in it, Babcock had referenced a quote his coaching mentor, Scotty Bowman, had passed on to him. It came from Chuck Swindoll, a pastor/radio talk-show host. “I keep it in my phone,” Snedeker explained, “because it helps me to pull it out and read it again when I really feel like I’m under pressure.” He began to read: “ ‘The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.’ ” Here, Snedeker added three of his own words: “or a team.” “That’s when I started to lose it,” he said later. He tried to continue that night. “ ‘The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.We cannot change our past. . . . We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.’ ” By now, Snedeker had lost it completely. He handed the phone to his wife, Mandy, and she finished for him. “ ‘We cannot change the inevitable.The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. . . .We are in charge of our attitudes.’ ” Mandy’s voice was quavering at the finish, but she got through it. By now, many in the room were crying. Steve Stricker was next. He was already crying when he stood up. He said about four 5 0 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
words and broke down completely. “Because that’s what I do,” Stricker said later, laughing. “By the time they got to me, half the room – at least – was crying. I got up, started to talk, and lost it. Not only am I not sure what I said, I’m not sure anyone understood what I said. But the whole thing was great.” “Instead of feeling the pressure that we knew was coming the next day, we all felt great,” says Zach Johnson. “I think that’s exactly what Kooch was going for.” Kuchar stood at the board throughout, writing down what each person was thankful for until he’d filled several pages. At one point, Nicklaus poked his head in the door, saw what was going on and said, “Just keep doing what you’re doing – in here and on the golf course.”
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tiger gives reed a surprise unday morning, Patrick Reed was more nervous than he had ever been. He was, after all, Captain America, and in that role it was his job to slay Captain Europe – Rory McIlroy – in the opening match. “I was tight on the range,” Reed said. “Really tight. I didn’t like the way I was hitting the ball, and I knew it was nerves. I was telling myself to calm down and just get ready to play, but it wasn’t working.” Woods was on the range, watching Reed and Jordan Spieth – whom he had taken to describing as “my guys” because they had been in his pod all week – warm up. He could see that Reed wasn’t quite himself. “Hey, Patrick,” he said. “Come here a minute.” “I thought sure he was going to give me a pep talk, say something about my swing or about just relaxing and not trying too hard,” Reed says.“I walked over there. He had his
‘TIGER HAD BEEN HEADING IN THE DIRECTION OF BEING ONE OF THE GUYS FOR A WHILE, BUT THE WEEK AT HAZELTINE REALLY PUT IT OVER THE TOP.’ – PHIL MICKELSON
arms folded. I waited. He looked really serious. “And then he told me a dirty joke.” Woods is well-known among the players for telling and enjoying dirty jokes. So-called locker-room humour is not limited to male athletes. One of the all-time-best dirty-joke tellers among the jock set was Chris Evert, the girl-next-door tennis immortal. No one looked more demure or proper than Evert. No one loved a good down-and-dirty joke more than she did. When Woods told Reed the joke, his face never changing expression, Reed broke up. “It was actually the perfect thing to do,” Reed said later. “It just broke the tension. I went back to hitting balls, and all of a sudden I was loose as could be. I was ready.” Reed and McIlroy went on to play one of the most emotional matches in Ryder Cup history. McIlroy made four straight birdies on 5 through 8 . . . and lost ground. “How great is this?” McIlroy said at one point. “I mean, how great is this?” Added Reed after he’d prevailed, 1 up, before a raucous crowd: “No way could you hear anything.” The best-played match of the day for all 18 holes, however, was Mickelson versus Garcia. Although there was plenty of very public negative history in the Garcia-Woods relationship, Sergio and Mickelson weren’t buddies, either.Their match was played with very little talk or “nice shots” between them, even though there were plenty of nice shots. Mickelson and Garcia made 19 birdies between them: 10 by Mickelson and nine by Garcia. Mickelson made the only bogey, three-putting the par-5 11th. Remarkably, Mickelson shot 63 while playing the four par 5s in even par.With the match tied, both men birdied the last two holes, Mickelson rolling in a 22-footer on 18 and Garcia halving the match with a 15-footer. The only question left was who would have the honour of clinching the Cup. Lee Westwood had to hole his bunker shot for a birdie and hope Ryan Moore missed his putt, or the Ryder Cup would be over. Westwood didn’t come close.The Ryder Cup was coming back to the United States.
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“phil looked pretty beat up” oth teams partied until close to dawn on Monday.There was, to say the least, a lot of drinking in both team rooms. At one point, Mickelson and Dustin Johnson got into an argument about whether Phil could get out of a DJ headlock. “No chance, dude,” Johnson said, finding the notion almost laughable. “Let’s find out,” Mickelson insisted.
Reed and Woods: Scott Halleran/PGA of America/Getty Images • McIlroy and Reed: Andrew Redington/Getty IMages
Everyone gathered around, and Mickelson tried to get loose. No luck. He insisted on trying again. No luck. Then, again. Same result. “By the time it was over,” Stricker said, “Phil looked pretty beat up. He had no shot.” That didn’t deter Mickelson. He kept insisting that this time he’d get loose. “What can I tell you?” Mickelson said later. “I thought I could do it.” He couldn’t.
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europe joins the party t was closing in on 11 o’clock when Rory McIlroy suggested to European captain Darren Clarke that it was time to go and pay tribute to the winners. Clarke and McIlroy led the way across the lobby to where the Americans were partying.When they walked in, Clarke found Love and said, “Your team room is a lot nicer than ours.” “Home-court advantage,” Love said. The first thing McIlroy noticed was what Love was wearing: a onesie that said USA on it. Rickie Fowler had brought a number of onesies for himself and the USA ones for the rest of the team. In victory – fuelled by the alcohol – Love had agreed to wear one. The second thing McIlroy noticed was the T-shirt Snedeker was wearing. “We’d all been given shirts at the beginning of the week that said Beat Europe on them,” Snedeker says. “When we got back to the hotel, I took mine, found a Sharpie, and wrote WE on top of the Beat Europe.Then I put it on.” When McIlroy saw the T-shirt, he reached into his pocket for a Sharpie of his own – golfers almost always carry a Sharpie to be prepared to sign autographs – walked over to Snedeker, and, under the WE Beat Europe, wrote, For the first time in a decade! European vice captain Ian Poulter was right behind him. He turned Snedeker
a dirty joke from tiger woods h e l p e d p at r i c k r e e d l o o s e n u p b e f o r e f a c i n g r o r y m c i l r o y.
around, and on the back of the shirt wrote, I didn’t hit a f------ shot! “I promise you that T-shirt is in a safe place,” Snedeker says. Someone found a microphone, and Clarke told everyone in the room what a great week it had been and how honoured he had been to lead Europe and to compete with the Americans.Then everyone broke into small groups, and the toasts and the alcohol flowed. “I’m sure I had a great time,”Westwood says, “but I don’t remember much about it.” McIlroy found Woods near the bar, and the two began to give each other putting lessons. Stricker and vice captain Jim Furyk stood watching. “There was such a feeling of pride,” Stricker says. “I’ve always been bothered by the fact that people said we didn’t get along in the team room in the past, and Europe did, and that’s why they won. I never felt that way. But the younger guys on this team were really friends – close friends.You could see that even before we got to Hazeltine, and it was such an important part of the week.” Woods and McIlroy gave up on trying to teach each other how to putt, and McIlroy found himself at the bar drinking shots with Sybi Kuchar. “I lost, as best I can remember,” McIlroy says. “The girl can drink.” Matt Kuchar, watching his wife and McIlroy, had his Kuchar grin firmly in place. “It was just nice to see Sybi so relaxed and to see the camaraderie between the two teams,” he says. “I was loving it.” Midnight came and went. On one side of the patio, Snedeker, Spieth,Woods, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Notah Begay
were smoking victory cigars. “It was kind of funny to see Jordan smoking a cigar,” Snedeker says. At the other end of the patio, Mickelson, Clarke and Love sat, drinks in hand, reliving past Ryder Cups. As Love listened to Mickelson and Clarke, he couldn’t help but enjoy the moment. “That might have been the highlight of the whole week for me,” Love said. “Look, I’m a little corny sometimes, but I sat there listening to the two of them, and I honestly thought to myself, This is what Sam Ryder had in mind all those years ago, a competition where the two teams fight like crazy to win and, when it’s over, they go raise a pint to one another and share the experience.” “I don’t think there are two men I respect more than I respect Davis and Phil,” Clarke says. “They’re very different, but all three of us share a lot in common. I remember at Medinah, when we got word the American players just couldn’t deal with seeing all of us that night, we all understood completely. Then I looked up, and there was Davis, coming to the room because he felt, as the captain, he had to come in and congratulate us. He’s such a class act – in victory, in defeat – all the time. Of all the people I’ve known, no one has ever put others ahead of himself more than Davis. “He stood up and talked to all of us briefly that night – which is what inspired me to do the same at Hazeltine,” Clarke says. “When he was finished (on that Sunday night at Medinah), I walked over to him, put my arm around him and said, ‘What the hell were you thinking today with that lineup?’ He looked at me for a second, and then he realised I was joking, and he started to laugh. That’s what I wanted that night – to see him laugh. I knew how devastated he was. I wanted to try to lighten the load a little bit.” Now, four years later, they all laughed well into the night. G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 5 1
BE A a lot of pl ayers come to our Vision54 programmes looking for help with their mental skills, but they also get a heightened awareness of what their bodies are doing when they play their best. That’s really important, too. Your physical state is constantly changing, from round to round and even shot to shot. Some days your body might feel tight. On others it feels relaxed. You might be amped up on the front nine but sluggish on the back. ▶ Our goal is to help you create and maintain a performance state that allows you to access your peak athletic ability no matter how you’re feeling on the course. You can do that if you work on our balance, tempo and tension – BTT – skills. Play nine-hole practice rounds doing one of the exercises we’ve outlined here per hole. Focus on the assignment, not how many strokes it took to hole out. ▶ These drills are designed to get you more in tune with how your body and mind have to work together for you to unlock – and maintain – peak performance. Every hole you play and situation you face on the course is different in obvious and subtle ways. Players who are tuned in to BTT can better recognise those differences and make the adjustments that keep them fluid and able to perform when it matters. – WITH MATTHEW RUDY
1
balance Hit
full shots with your feet together, and chip and putt while standing on one leg. Finish each shot in balance.
2
tempo Make
every swing (including putts) 50 percent slower than your normal tempo.
3
tension Think only about keeping your shoulders soft and loose during each stroke.
4
finish
When you complete every swing, hold your finish for three seconds.
5
pace
Hit shots at 75 percent of your normal tempo.
6
grip
For each swing, hold onto the club with consistent pressure.
7
awareness Go
through your normal pre-shot routine, but swing with your eyes closed.
8
rehearsal Don’t hit any real shots until you first make a one-legged practice swing in balance.
9
attitude
Play every shot with a smile on your face from the beginning of your routine to your finish. Keep tension out of your jaw.
Adapted with permission from Be a Player (R309 on takealot. com), Atria Books. Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott are ranked among the 50 Best Teachers in America. They coach in Scottsdale, Arizona.
9 ways to train to perform when it matters 5 2 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
P H OTO B Y F R E D R I K B RO D E N
by pia nilsson & lynn marriott
YES,YOUCAN Shaving seconds and minutes could cut half an hour from your round BY DAVID OWEN
avid Brailsford, a former competitive cyclist, became the performance director of the British national team in 2003. British Cycling had stunk for most of a century, but Brailsford believed he could turn the team around by applying an idea he’d begun to formulate while earning an MBA – an idea he later described to the Harvard Business Review as “a philosophy of continuous improvement through the aggregation of marginal gains.” He was convinced that, if he and his cyclists broke down everything they did into small components and then improved each of them by just 1 percent, the cumulative impact would be a significant enhancement of their overall performance. Brailsford and his team members searched for tiny improvements everywhere – in their equipment and their technique, of course, but also in such seemingly trivial elements as their handwashing method, the pillows and mattresses they slept on, and the accumulation of dust on the floor of their maintenance truck. The results were remarkable. UK cyclists won two gold medals at the Olympics in 2004, then eight at the Games in 2008 and eight more in 2012. In 2010, Brailsford also became the manager of Team Sky, a British professional team. He applied the same ideas there, and his cyclists won the Tour de France in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Queen Elizabeth rewarded him with a knighthood in 2013. I learned about Brailsford and the 5 4 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
magic of marginal gains from my golf buddy Tony. We were playing what we call a Two-Hour 18: a full round of golf, walking, in two hours or just over. Playing that quickly is possible only when our course is virtually empty – early in the morning or late in the afternoon, or when it’s raining – but it doesn’t involve running, or even walking very fast. As Tony pointed out, we are able to play in what most golfers think of as record time because we have intuitively identified and eliminated innumerable tiny time sucks – the same kind of thing that Brailsford did systematically with his cycling teams. Brailsford’s thinking about marginal gains can probably be applied to life generally, but it lends itself especially well to pace of play. The average round lasts forever, Tony and I are convinced, not because golfers “play slowly” but because they waste 10 seconds here and 20 seconds there, pointlessly, on every shot on every hole. This is an existential issue for golf, because one of the biggest beefs that new players have about the game (in addition to the fact that hitting a golf ball is demonstrably impossible) is that it takes all day. If the members of a fourball each trim just 30 seconds a hole – a target easily within the capabilities of almost any player – the total savings, over a single round, add up to more than half an hour. Tony’s and my discussion about marginal gains began with his observation that not wearing a glove (a practice he adopted many years ago for the purpose of playing faster) saves a surprising amount of time, because he isn’t continually pausing to put it on and take it off.
Not everyone likes to play barehanded, but if you wear a glove, as I do, you can achieve the same benefit by leaving it on all the time or fussing with it only when you’re doing something else, like walking towards your ball. Here are some other areas ripe for marginal improvement: hit first, then search If a member of your group slices one into the weeds, play your shot before you wander over to help. This isn’t rude. He’ll probably have found his ball by the time you’ve hit, anyway, and you won’t be holding up the group behind you by joining the search. hit first, then talk. I’ve played with golfers who save their jokes until it’s their turn to tee off. They’ve got a captive I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y E D D I E G U Y
audience, because no one can move until they’ve hit, so they tee up a ball, then lean on their driver and unwind. Tell them to save it. leave your driver’s headcover in your car. Ten seconds a hole? Twenty
seconds a hole? Painless and easy. tighten your pre-shot routine. Only
two or three of the two dozen regulars in my club’s Sunday-morning men’s game still take practice swings. That alone probably saves 20 minutes per round per fourball. If you can’t play without a practice swing, limit yourself to one. Preshot routines are important (supposedly), but they don’t have to last forever. be ready to play. During a holiday
with my family many years ago, I sat on the terrace of our rented condo, which overlooked a golf course, and spent a couple of hours reading a book and watching other people play golf. Main takeaway: Absolutely no one I observed was ready to act when it was their turn to act. They stood or sat like zombies until they were away, and only then did they begin to check their distance, test the wind, pick a club, clean their grooves, put on their glove. Five minutes per fourball per hole, at least. plan ahead. On a links course in Scotland in the early ’90s, I joined two members who were playing a club match, and even though I thought of myself as a
speedy player, I had to concentrate to keep up with them. One reason they were fast is that at every green they left their clubs in exactly the right place: on their route to the next tee. If (like many slow players) you dump your bag or park your cart in a random location – or, worse, directly in front of the green – the players behind you can’t hit until you’ve fully decamped. Sad! Of course, becoming faster feels futile if everyone else is slow. But a non-dawdling fourball can speed up an entire course, by constantly nudging the group ahead. And there’s a bonus, which is that playing faster leaves less time for the most destructive force in golf: thinking. G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 5 5
EUROPEAN TOUR CHIEF KEITH PELLEY ISN’T AFRAID TO TRY (ALMOST) ANYTHING
my shot / 53 / european tour ceo
canadian-born keith pelley photographed by perou at h o m e i n v i r g i n i a w at e r , s u r r e y, e n g l a n d , w i t h b e l l a ( FA R
LEFT)
a n d t a f f y.
hen i was in high school in Toronto, my best pal and I started a DJ business.We called it 4D Sound, and our slogan was,“Music that takes you one dimension beyond.” We started with albums, went to tapes and, eventually, CDs. I’m certain I’ve been to more wedding receptions and heard more renditions of the “Chicken Dance” and “The Hokey Pokey” than anybody in golf.As we were considering adding music to tour events recently, I thought back on those days. It occurred to me that the “Chicken Dance” was a metaphor for golf. If we don’t continue to modernise, we’re going to be left standing in the same place flapping our arms. ●●●
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how would you like to see
pro golf is entertainment:
a portion of a tournament – or a single, exclusive event – played within the confines of three holes, enclosed by grandstands, using different tee boxes? What if there were a match in which two players could use only a 1-iron and a wedge? Mixed-gender teams, age-group showdowns, more nation versus nation? These are the type of things we have an open mind on. Faster, different, surprising and dramatic is where golf needs to head. The 72-hole strokeplay tournament will always be at the core of any tour. But the future growth of the sport is going to demand some interesting departures. Everything is on the table.
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more on the music idea : At the BMW PGA we played music – players’ choice – on the range. Music is going to become commonplace over time, and we want to lead. What sport doesn’t have music, at least during intermissions? We’re on the verge of taking it further – players choosing their theme song to be played when they enter the first tee.You might start seeing and hearing two announcers, one to give a thrilling and informative introduction, then a separate one to give the more traditional announcement. 5 8 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
The idea is to be entertaining and fashionable, to make watching irresistible and our tournaments the place to be. What drives all entertainment is creativity.You need a working culture in which our employees can unleash their imaginations without restraint. We want daring ideas and want them put into action. We want our people to reek with positivity and know they have permission to fail. I want them to know that my first answer to their ideas will tend to be “yes” rather than “no” or “maybe.” Some awesome ideas – or at least kernels of ideas – have come from this already.
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but here's the deal: We will never mock the game, cheapen it or diminish its integrity. I think we know where the outof-bounds stakes are. A 1-iron from 120
‘WE WANT OUR PEOPLE TO REEK WITH POSITIVITY AND KNOW THEY HAVE PERMISSION TO FAIL.’
metres, yes; to a clown’s mouth, no. But I think the transition to a younger generation demands that we tiptoe nearer the subjective lines. Not just in how the golf is played, but how it’s presented at the highest levels.The game’s got to be faster, even more exuberant and be more a reflection of the young people we’re praying will fall in love with this wonderful game. ●●●
there are certain things
I’d confess to being envious of the PGA Tour. The size of its market – Americans comprise 60 percent of all golfers worldwide – is staggering. They have many choices for venues based on climate, and their tax-exempt status is beneficial. Combine that with corporate America’s support and the multiplicity of TV networks that results in very high rights fees, and you have a solid base to work from. Less obvious, but very real, is the place professional sport occupies in the American psyche. The first thing the average American does when moving is to buy a cable-TV package that includes a ton of sports – golf included. It doesn’t work that way in the rest of the world. But we have some advantages on the European Tour in the fact we are not the same old, same old every week. We play in iconic cities with magnificent cultures and give our members an opportunity to become global players and experience all the world has to offer.
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it would be irrational for me
to view the European Tour as being in direct competition with the PGA Tour. If you want to compare us in terms of resources and bottom lines, then perhaps a good analogy is Pepsi versus Coke. But I relish us as a slightly different brand, very much global and expanding. Like Pepsi, we’re quite successful, and we lead in many markets outside the US. We’re in a position where we’re perhaps less protective and have all kinds of room to explore, innovate and lead.
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there’s a belief that if the right transcendent player came along – Seve Ballesteros is the example I hear most – that it singlehandedly would solve a lot of challenges we face. It’s a much different time than when Seve was playing, and golf in Europe has evolved a great deal, but I think Rory McIlroy has a similar gravitas. He’s a generational player who transcends the sport. I can tell you this: In every initial contact I’ve had with promoters, one of the first questions they ask is, “Is Rory McIlroy playing?”
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if you had seen rory
playing in South Africa earlier this year, you’d realise what I mean. As he came up 18 in the final round, the children in the gallery began chanting, “Rory . . . Rory.” They burst through the ropes and swarmed him like he was some kind of deity. Nothing could stop them; they were there to embrace their hero. You rarely see that kind of adulation in any sport. Somebody said they hadn’t seen anything like it since Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire. Rory is the only contemporary player who has that kind of magic.
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as a canadian living
in England, I choose to look at Donald Trump purely from a golf-business perspective. What I see is a guy who has 19 golf properties and is in the process of adding more.There’s a course in Dubai with Tiger Woods, one in Indonesia with Ernie Els and another proposed in Bali. Trump has re-energised Turnberry. I look at him less as president of the United States and more as someone who has supported our game.
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to the modern athlete
in every pro sport, the most important component is money. It’s just a fact and is the primary reason some European players have chosen to go to America. But we also know that once purses reach a certain threshold, other factors start to grow in importance. There are ways the European Tour can make up ground.The strength of the field impresses the best players to no end because it means better competition and more World Ranking points.The quality of the golf course is huge.You’d be surprised what a deal-breaker a poorly conditioned course or a bad layout can be. Next, is the venue near the player’s home? Finally, what are the amenities like? Are the hotels and food good? Are there things for their families to do? The prize money in Europe is considerable and will get larger, but we will work harder to elevate these other factors so they match the siren call of the purse size. ●●●
in malaysia in january – a murderously hot time of year there – Darren Clarke approached us early in the week, his clothes soaked through with perspiration. He wanted to know if the policy forbidding shorts could be addressed.“We’re dying out there,” he pleaded. We changed the policy immediately to allow shorts in all practice and pro-am rounds. Nobody has protested. A change some thought would signal
the end of civilisation hasn’t done anything except make players happier. It wasn’t desperation on our part, it was common sense. The PGA Championship in America is also now allowing players to wear shorts in practice rounds, too, so maybe it wasn’t that bad of an idea. ●●●
we're a players' tour.
We consult with players like Henrik Stenson before we lock down dates for the Nordea Masters in Sweden. When we go to Ireland or Spain, we want to make sure that Rory’s or Sergio’s foundations are recognised and that we channel our charitable giving in their direction. We want to showcase a player’s sponsors and brands, strengthen those relationships so they’re better compensated on the back end. Our philosophy is to spare nothing in demonstrating to each player that he’s a special commodity – and reinforce our players-first philosophy.
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a last example of innovation is the introduction of a shot clock.We did it at the GolfSixes. It was a formidable challenge for us. When did we start the clock? How long did we allow? But we’re trying to distinguish ourselves by emphasising pace of play. We’ve issued many fines over the years – we keep the details in-house – but it’s an ongoing concern. We all know that young amateur golfers copy tour players, and we want to give them something good to emulate. ●●●
could there be a true
world tour? I’m asked that a lot, the idea of a tour distinct from the European Tour, PGA Tour and other tours. One that would possibly be conducted jointly. We’ve studied it in a limited way. Conceptually, the idea holds water. For now, I pride the European Tour as being a global tour already. We play in 26 countries on several continents. It could happen in the future, but it’s a fairly long way out. ●●●
the media is as incredibly
powerful as ever, though in a far different way than it was even five years ago. The traditional platforms of TV, newspapers, radio and websites might actually have been surpassed by social media.There came a point where provocateurs came to gain traction and credibility. Through the layers upon layers of nonsense on social media – there’s good stuff but mountains of nonsense – opinions are formed and perceptions altered. It’s effective, it extends deep, and it’s massively
‘A CHANGE (ALLOWING SHORTS) SOME THOUGHT WOULD SIGNAL THE END OF CIVILISATION HASN’T DONE ANYTHING EXCEPT MAKE PLAYERS HAPPIER.’ influential. It can make a brand and come close to breaking one. Social media alone is a shaky way to grasp what’s really happening, but it’s the most prominent platform on the media landscape. ●●●
i've been in sports for more than 30 years
and thought I’d seen all the great events: Super Bowls, NBA Finals, World Cups, even Holyfield versus Tyson. But nothing aroused the businessman in me like what I saw at the 2016 Ryder Cup. We were walking around on Wednesday amid the face-painters, people draped in European flags and Uncle Sam getups. I stopped and said to my wife, Joan,“Honey, there are 45 000 people here, and the competition doesn’t start for two more days.” I was dumbfounded but immediately knew this was much bigger than I had anticipated. If there’s a single advantage we have over the PGA Tour, it’s that we are the managing partner of Ryder Cup Europe, working alongside the PGA of America in the US, not the PGA Tour.The Ryder Cup is financially important to our overall business, but that’s not what I saw at that moment. ●●●
what i saw was tribalism,
the only pure example of it in pro golf. At that Ryder Cup, I studied the fans closely. There were three types.There was the diehard golf fan, who would never even dream of missing a Ryder Cup. There were the fashionistas, people there mainly to be seen and be part of something culturally significant. And then there were the bandwagon jumpers who were tribalists, fans who don’t really care about golf but are intensely interested in that one week. This was the group that fascinated me the most. How could we put tribalism to work for the European Tour? It was the impetus for the GolfSixes event I mentioned earlier. It consisted of two-man teams from 16 countries, with a different scoring system in the group stages preceding quarterfinals, semifinals and a final. Amphitheatres were set up around the greens. Players visited fan zones between matches to talk with their followers. It was golf, but not as you know it.
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the typical ryder cup
fan outside of Europe and America tends to root for the Europeans. All things being equal, people will pull for the underdog. America is so prosperous and powerful, a leader in so many ways, that even when the Europeans field a better team on paper, they’re considered an underdog. I’ll admit that, as a Canadian, I’ve rooted for America only once in international competition, when the US beat the Soviets in hockey at the 1980
Olympics. I love our cousins to the south, but the Queen’s image is on our money. ●●●
i own 11 pairs of eyeglasses.
It’s an indulgence that has got out of hand. Just how much I’ll f ind out when I have to buy 11 new pairs following my last eye test. But I will definitely be keeping a blue pair – my 87-year-old mother got a kick out of somebody on social media comparing me to Elton John when I wore them!
PLAY THE FAMOUS LINKS OF SCOTLAND IN 2018
Scotland Links Golf is a new travel business co-founded by Sean Hanley and Norman Raad, former members of Wanderers Golf Club in Gauteng. Our different packages each offer five special links courses, luxury accommodation, a chauffeur-driven vehicle, and a visit to a whisky distillery. Visit our website, www.scotlandlinksgolf.com, to see our 2018 packages. Live your ultimate golf dream.
www.scotlandlinksgolf.com +44 747 008 0592 | +44 131 283 0871 | sean@scotlandlinksgolf.com
SEAN HANLEY AND NORMAN RAAD START A NEW GOLF TRAVEL BUSINESSS
The practice putting green was our backyard for 15 years at Wanderers Golf Club, where Sean’s father Peter Hanley was the manager. Golf became our passion, and our enjoyment came from playing with close friends. Both of us became club champions and the club helped make us the competitors we are today. We felt that our experienced background in golf made us an ideal combination to start a golf tour business together. Sean has lived and worked in Edinburgh for 10 years, and played the best links courses Scotland has to offer. He has caddied at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. This year, after golf with South African friends, Norman and Sean decided to do more about their passion for the game, and give other golf enthusiasts the greatest experience possible in Scotland. They have formed Scotland Links Golf, which will provide an opportunity for golfers to play some of the best links in Scotland with their closest friends. We offer our clients a week of golf at the best of venues, including St Andrews, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Troon and Turnberry, organising everything from luxury transport, accommodation, golf and, naturally, a whisky distillery experience! Let’s get you booked in for 2018 before or after the Open at Carnoustie!
Fall in love with Daikin Emura.
Daikin Emura is refined on the outside and smart on the inside. Built-in intelligence and innovative features ensure low energy consumption. Its smart sensors provide optimal performances for year round comfort at home. Still, you’re always in control via the easy-to-use remote controller and the smartphone app with intuitive interface. You see... The new Daikin Emura has everything to fall in love with. For more information visit www.daikin.co.za and find your nearest installer via our dealer locator.
A I R
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GOLF COURSE
A SHOWCASE OF SA’S PREMIER GOLF ESTATES BROUGHT TO YOU BY A I R
C O N D I T I O N I N G
Atlantic Beach Golf Estate, Western Cape
AN INVEST
Important facts
◉ There are only four more homes to be completed out of a total of 860. The quantity of homes on the estate allows for affordable levies and supports long term financial viability for the association. ◉ The estate’s financial security is supported by the creation of adequate reserves and solid forward planning. ◉ The Atlantic Beach logo resembles a sunbird. Orange-breasted and southern double-collared sunbirds are endemic to the fynbos habitat of the Western Cape and are prominent on the estate. ◉ The Leisure Centre gym facilities offer fitness classes, personal training and Pilates. ◉ The various villages making up the estate have names inspired by famous shipwrecks and golf courses. They pay homage to the estate’s seaside location and its unique golf course.
tlantic Beach Estate is set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, amidst undulating, fynbos-covered dunes.As part of its exclusive lifestyle offering, homeowners can enjoy an 18-hole links style course and a Leisure Centre with gym facilities, pool, tennis courts and space for the kids to play. The vision is to provide residents with a sustainable and secure environment in which to raise families and enjoy retirement years. Many believe the estate’s biggest asset is its proximity to several beaches and the fynbos, which can be enjoyed by residents along estate paths created for walkers and runners. The estate has been designed to preserve the natural heritage of the Blaauwberg Conservation Area which it borders. The Atlantic Beach Home Owners Association, focused on promoting the interest of its residents and the estate, has a first class management team under the leadership of Harry White, formerly of Steenberg Estate. The management, with direction and support from the board and Pam Golding Property Management Services, continues to apply healthy business principles and a strong emphasis on community culture within the estate. By implementing sound financial management practices, White and his team continues to ensure the long-term viability of the estate. In order
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to ensure the estate remains competitive within the estate industry, the estate’s security infrastructure and overall appeal is continually assessed and improved.
site who oversees and services the security infrastructure.
Security
To grow and promote the estate both nationally and internationally, the Home Owners Association has partnered with Pam Golding Properties. The average price paid for homes has almost doubled over the past five years, from R2.8 million in 2012 to R5.4 million in 2017. That means homeowners have seen an average 93% growth. For information regarding properties for sales, Pam Golding Property Consultant, Mandy Oschman can be contacted on 082 567 0398 or her email: mandy.oschman@pamgolding.co.za
Peace of mind for your family’s safety is always a priority when choosing a place to live. Atlantic Beach has invested nearly R4 million on security upgrades this year to improve what is already a formidable infrastructure. Thorburn Security Solutions has been the security provider for many years. Their brief remains simple: ◉ No one shall be able to access the estate through, under or over the perimeter fence without detection and response, which is achieved by way of a state of the art video analytic perimeter camera corridor. ◉ No one can enter the estate without the authorisation of a resident and without details and footage of them entering and exiting the estate. ◉ Monitoring and capturing of incidents or occurrences are done 24/7. ◉ Security manpower is of the highest standard and dedicated response officers offer fire-fighting and first aid benefits to residents. ◉ To maintain the technology and manpower efficiency on a 24/7 basis, the estate employs their own technician on
Real Estate
Lifestyle Apart from the social events, restaurants and activities offered by the Country Club, residents can participate in the numerous activities offered at the estate’s social hub, the Leisure Centre. Pilates, aerobics, art classes, fun runs, and of course the monthly night market for which Atlantic Beach has become well known, are all aimed at fostering community spirit and enhancing lifestyles. Atlantic Beach promises a lifestyle that embraces good family values, appreciates community and respects the beautiful
Golf Course Living
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ATLANTIC BEACH
ENT FOR LIFE An exclusive and secure lifestyle, growth, and a communal environment, has led to Atlantic Beach’s success.
surroundings. This is an estate where you can raise a family and enjoy your retirement years, an estate where people respect the rules and are proud homeowners.
Golf Course Welcome to a well-maintained links style course to keep your game on its toes. Within a kilometre from the beach, it offers gorgeous views and a different kind of round every time you play. The course, which welcomes visitors, has been open since June, 2000 and is one of the best in South Africa. There is a practice facility to loosen up before teeing off . Atlantic Beach Country Club has this to say: “Compared to other courses in Cape Town, on completion of your 18 holes you will agree it is the combination of good golf in unsurpassed natural surroundings that make this a unique experience.”
No course would be complete without a charming clubhouse. The Atlantic Beach clubhouse offers five-star service with a family feel and presents views of the Atlantic Ocean, Robben Island and Table Mountain. In summer, you can enjoy the breeze whilst sipping on a cool drink on the Terrace, while in winter you can cosy up by the open fireplace. Legends Bar & Grill offers a menu with daily and weekly specials.
Environment The estate is strictly governed by a City of Cape Town regulated Operational Environmental Management Plan which ensures the best possible environmental practices. All elements of the estate were built with a commitment to the preservation of the indigenous fauna and flora. This has resulted in an abundance of wild animals remaining on and around the
estate, including springbok, tortoises, chameleons, snakes, caracal (rooikat), duiker, porcupine, grey mongoose and a large variety of birds including barn owls. The estate has a rich abundance of fynbos species, with ongoing programmes to retain and reinstate this natural resource.
Contact details Tel: 021 553 0590 Web: www.atlanticbeachestate.co Facebook: Atlanticbeachestateofficial
ELEGANCE OF CL Daikin has revolutionised the air conditioning industry with advancements such as the introduction of Variable Refrigerant Volume technology.
ith air conditioning, you control the environment in your home or office space to obtain an ideal temperature, purification, ventilation, and humidity, allowing you to enjoy perfect Daikin comfort all year round. For over 45 years, Daikin Air Conditioning South Africa has been present in all market segments nationwide with innovative and energy-efficient climate control products tailored to building demands and the needs of customers. From residential applications for homes, offices, and shops to commercial applications for hotels, restaurants, apartments, and industrial use, Daikin offers solutions which are flexible and tailored for any space.
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As part of the Daikin Industries International group, the global No 1 in air conditioning, Daikin Air Conditioning South Africa delivers air conditioning solutions that enhance the quality of life of clients and ensure that customers can depend on Daikin for the ultimate in comfort experience. Through the dedication of the company to technological excellence, a focus on design aesthetics, and the highest manufacturing quality, Daikin continuously strives to offer customers the pinnacle of climate control solutions for their living and working environments. Daikin has been the innovation leader for over 90 years in the air conditioning industry, and has received awards includ-
ing the coveted Good Design, Red Dot Design, and German Design awards for its top of the line residential unit, the Daikin Emura, and other residential and commercial products. Daikin has revolutionised the air conditioning industry with advancements such as the introduction of Variable Refrigerant Volume technology (VRV). The Daikin VRV system is a multi-split type air conditioner for commercial buildings that uses variable refrigerant flow control to enable customers to maintain individual zone control in each room and floor of a building. Other new products include the Daikin Air to Air Heat Pump. With stylish indoor units and a wide range of models and
IMATE CONTROL controls for each room, the pumps give you comfortable, energy-efficient solutions for your living room, bedroom, office, or anywhere you would like. Also popular are chillers and air side equipment. Air conditioners for the light commercial sector include the Daikin Sky Air, which offers the most complete comfort and energy-efficient solution for small commercial spaces. It puts you in full control of heating and cooling, ventilation, and air curtains. Daikin’s high quality, energy-efficient
chillers, fan coil units, and air handlers have a range of options for conditioning interiors including temperature and humidity control, deodorisation and air purification. Daikin has its head office in Cape Town, and regional sales offices in Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, so the Daikin products and services are readily available throughout South Africa, as well as in Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Swaziland, from 400 registered dealers.
Contact details
Tel: 0860 Daikin E-mail: info@daikin.co.za Web: www.daikin.co.za
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Golf Course Living
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ARABELLA
WHY YOU SHOULD CONSI WESTERN CAPE ESTATE ATTRACTS YOUNGER FAMILIES WITH NEW LIFESTYLE OFFERINGS.
n the shores of Bot River Lagoon, Arabella Country Estate has a spectacular Peter Matkovich golf course as well as the Arabella Hotel & Spa, which attracts international and local visitors. With its magnificent setting in the Kogelberg Biosphere, Arabella has enhanced its lifestyle offerings for residents and visitors. “With so many people seeking to move out of cities for a more tranquil lifestyle, we have found that the estate appeals to more than just holiday home buyers or those in their golden years,” says Estate Manager Dirk Uys. “Arabella has become popular with younger
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families, which means we need to ensure they have adequate offerings to enjoy.” Arabella has become one of the first estates in the area to offer full fibre optic cabling, ensuring high-speed Internet connectivity to all home owners who subscribe to it. “Many people moving onto the estate are doing so to escape the growing stresses and congestion of city life,” says Uys. “We are 110km from Cape Town and, with the increasing trend towards mobile/ home offices and home-based businesses, Arabella has become a nice alternative. The fibre optic cabling allows residents the ability to work efficiently from home.”
Bot River Lagoon Access
For the first time in the history of the estate, residents and visitors now have access to the Bot River Lagoon for nonmotorised boating activities and lagoon fishing. An additional lookout deck has been built on the water’s edge – making it a breathtaking spot for lunch or sundowners – to allow easy access to the water, storage of canoes, and fishing. The children’s playground equipment at the Village Square has been upgraded, making it a great spot to enjoy a picnic with the kids. The tennis courts and putt-putt course are great excuses to get outside. For walkers, bird, and nature
DER LIVING AT ARABELLA lovers, Arabella has extended their walkways within the safety and tranquillity of the estate. Being an ecologically sustainable estate, Arabella are implementing plans to ensure the landscaping aesthetics remain in place for the next 20 years. This includes planting more trees and ensuring all plants are indigenous to the area and sustainable. In conjunction with Arabella Hotel, the estate has established extensive mountain
biking and trail running routes on land bordering the estate, suitable for beginners to intermediates. These routes are exclusive for Arabella residents and visitors only. Arabella residents, unlike at many other golf estates, are not required to become a member of the golf club. Home owners can choose between becoming a member, or paying the standard daily green fee rates.
Contact details Website: www.arabellacountryestate.co.za Facebook: @ArabellaCountryEstate Twitter: @ArabellaEstate Instagram: @arabellacountryestate
SURVEILLANCE T H E A R A B E L L A WAY
Nothing is more important than your safety and your peace of mind. So we seek to employ every possible security feature to make this the safest place on earth. Live life safe, Live life The Arabella Way. A R A B E L L ACO U N T RY E S TAT E .CO. Z A
ELEMENTS
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Golf Course Living
ELEMENTS RISES AGAIN New lease of life for water-secure Elements in the Waterberg region of Limpopo.
here’s a new upbeat feeling of confidence and pride at Elements Private Golf Reserve. The body corporate at Elements has purchased the commercial rights, the clubhouse and its contents, plus 84 residential stands from the former owner.They already owned the golf course. A new management team has been appointed, headed by general manager Ian Leach, experienced at looking after golf estates in the region. Body corporate chairman Gavin Hart said water rights had been obtained on neighbouring properties which will ensure that Elements has sufficient water to secure the future of the acclaimed Peter Matkovich golf course and the estate. “The conflict between the profit motive of a commercial operator and the leisure motive of the home owners has now been removed,” assured Hart. These developments mean that Elements can be viewed as a secure investment opportunity with a superior lifestyle offer.The estate is situated 17 kilometres from Bela Bela (Limpopo) on an undulating bushveld property of 500 hectares at the
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foothills of the Waterberg range, with magnificent views overlooking the championship course opened for play in 2005. The challenging and scenic layout a two-hour drive from Gauteng - has been ranked in the top 20 of Golf Digest’s Top 100. Matkovich himself rates it as one of his best designs.The course, famed for the outstanding quality of its greens, has made a remarkable recovery from the drought thanks to good rainfall last summer, and with the additional water now available it is expected to remain in excellent condition. In addition to golf and excellent practice facilities, the estate offers mountain bike trails – both a 7km beginners track and a challenging 21km technical ride – tennis courts, hiking, game viewing, bird watching, swimming, a spa, conferencing, and a comprehensive food and beverage offering in the clubhouse. Animals on the property include Kudu, Waterbuck,Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, Impala, Bushbuck and the rare Mountain Reedbuck.While controlled, they roam freely, without any commercially driven motive.
The Body Corporate has launched “Phase 4” to market and are selling a limited release of 14 prime stands at attractive launch prices ranging from R75 000 to R350 000, depending on location.There would also be a phased levy obligation.This is a once-off opportunity to invest early in the “New Elements” and enjoy all its lifestyle pleasures. Investment opportunities range from single to multiple fractional ownership with strong potential rental incomes.There are 74 completed houses, out of a potential total of 310. Security on the estate is managed by an external contractor.
Contact details Tel: 010 591 2951 Email: manager@elementsgolfreserve.co.za Web: www.elementsgolfreserve.co.za
LIMPOPO’S # 1 GOLF EXPERIENCE The best in the bush continues to rise at Koro Creek.
oro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate is improving with each passing month. Situated just a 90-minute drive from Gauteng and easily accessible from the N1 and R33, Koro Creek should be on everyone’s list as either a weekend getaway or future retirement home. The estate marries the convenience of city living with the tranquillity of a bushveld farm better than any estate in the region. The Modi Mall is a five-minute hassle-free drive away, yet inside the estate the unspoilt nature of Koro Creek allows one to appreciate the peace of being in the country. The lifestyle Koro Creek offers is second to none. It includes excellent security, giving visitors and owners the freedom to enjoy the wildlife. Estate activities include mountain biking, nature trails, game drives in the adjacent nature reserve, tennis, an equestrian centre, restaurant, and Limpopo’s #1 Golf Experience. The golf course is a true gem with its natural bushveld feel. No artificial features were required when designer Douw van der Merwe laid out what is a stunning routing. The course winds its way through the bushveld, reminding golfers where the Waterberg gets its name. The Nyl River is a close companion on 10 of the holes. The birdlife on the golf course is spectacular and golfers are sure to come across
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the resident Impala, Zebra and Nyala during a round. It is not uncommon for visitors to become quite heated after the round in their discussions of which is the signature hole. One area where consensus is always reached is that the par-3 seventh is without doubt the toughest hole and one of the best par 3s in the country. The clubhouse with its massive thatch roof and lodge feel offers the perfect venue for enjoying the sunset. With a relaxing feel and the excellent Fairways Restaurant it offers the ideal ending to Limpopo’s #1 Golf Experience. The estate offers catering for groups, weddings, corporate golf days and conferencing. The friendly staff are always on hand to assist. For those desiring a convenient getaway for weekends or a potential retirement destination, Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate ticks all the boxes. A full title stand and home can be bought and built for a reasonable investment. For the owner wanting the convenience of a sectional title lockup-and-go, Koro Creek has two successful developments to offer at affordable rates. Ownership comes with benefits like a discount card in the clubhouse and free golf membership. The estate also boasts a medical centre with a GP and nurse on call. If it’s just a weekend away you are seeking, Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate
offers several on-site guest houses accommodating up to 16 guests in a group. The guest houses offer excellent value for money with access to all the estate facilities. Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate should be the first destination on your list if visiting the province. Once you have experienced the friendly reception and challenging golf course you are sure to return for more of Limpopo’s #1 Golf Experience.
Contact details Tel: 014 495 0026 Pro Shop: 0 14 495 0030 Email: manager@korocreek.com Web: www.korocreek.com Facebook: Korocreek Twitter: @korocreek
Kobus: +27 82 773 0794 Chris: +27 82 809 0163 www.kororidge.co.za
Golf Course Living
Important Information
◉ Developer stands available from R 395 000 (dedicated Re-Max agent available).
◉ Email: korocreek@remaxbushveld.co.za ◉ Tel: 014 717 3125 ◉ Mobile: +27 82 490 2079/+27 82 929 4261
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KORO CREEK
Golf Course Living
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FAIRMONT ZIMBALI RESORT
AN ENTHRALLING JOURNEY AT ZIMBALI Fairmont Zimbali Resort - the province’s premier golfing destination.
airmont Zimbali Resort, situated inside the exclusive Zimbali Coastal Resort, is a tranquil retreat offering the utmost in stylish comfort and unrivalled service. Located 5 minutes from the bustling holiday town of Ballito, the Resort provides easy access to the province’s attractions. Situated 16km from King Shaka International Airport, the Fairmont Zimbali Resort is easily accessible. The Resort features 154 guest rooms and suites, including a Penthouse and Presidential suite, as well as 18 Fairmont Heritage Place villas. Guests are able to relax and unwind at the Willow Stream Spa, opt for an exhilarating workout at our Fitness Centre or simply enjoy the sparkling swimming pools. A wide range of dining options further complements the facilities. Guests at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort enjoy the privilege of having one of South
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Africa’s best golf courses on their doorstep and enjoy special rates when playing at Zimbali Country Club. The Zimbali Golf Course offers irresistible ocean and forest views. With exceptional water and wetland features in an inspiring natural setting, Zimbali Country Club has developed a reputation as a memorable course with charisma and challenge. Adhering to “conservation taking precedence,” American golf course designer Tom Weiskopf, a former British Open and South African PGA champion, had to integrate a “cart only” course into a property with dramatic elevation changes, varying eco-systems and substantial residential sections. This was no easy task, but the end result is a prestigious golf course that is eco-logically sound, yet maximises the natural landscape. The golf course has been described as “an enthralling journey through 18 holes,” with a changing terrain stretches the skill and
yet captivates golfers. With the Weiskopf philosophy of “presenting a fair challenge to any level of play,” the essence of this course is that it will reward the good shot and punish the bad. At Fairmont Zimbali Resort, legendary hospitality and attention to detail create an atmosphere of pure paradise – a place where you can effortlessly immerse yourself in Africa’s unforgettable charm and allure.
Contact details Tel: + 27 (0)32 538 5000 Email: zim.reservations@fairmont.com Web: www.fairmont.com/zimbali-resort
UNBEATABLE 5 NIGHT PACKAGE
ONE
BEACH HORSE RIDE After 3 days of golf enjoy some time on the beach on horse back...
1 TWO MEALS PER DAY Dinner and Breakfast at the prestigious San Lameer Resort Hotel and Spa is included daily in this unbeatable package!
THREE
SPECTACULAR 18 HOLE COURSES
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San Lameer Country Club San Lameer offers you everything you would include in a dream course. Eighteen memorable holes that weave a natural challenge through the open glades, forest and wetlands. Wild Coast Sun Country Club This magical course offers a seemingly gentle golf course that was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. This course is as beautiful as it is carefully constructed. Southbroom Golf Club Each of the 18-holes has its own unique feature and ability to test the skill of even the most accomplished golfer.
2 GUESTS, 5 NIGHTS >> TOTAL COST R 12,310.00 4 GUESTS, 5 NIGHTS >> TOTAL COST R 21,620.00
FOUR
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AMAZING DAYS At the San Lameer Estate which is a 200 hectare nature conservancy surrounding an 18 hole championship golf course.
6 GUESTS, 5 NIGHTS >> TOTAL COST R 30,930.00
FIVE
8 GUESTS, 5 NIGHTS >> TOTAL COST R 40,440.00
RELAXING NIGHTS
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San Lameer Villa Rentals offers Superior Self Catering Accommodation: 2 sharing includes 5 nights in a 1 Bedroom Villa 4 sharing includes 5 nights in a 2 Bedroom Villa 6 sharing includes 5 nights in a 3 Bedroom Villa 8 sharing includes 5 nights in a 4 Bedroom Villa Accommodation is based on beds sharing. An alternative quote can be given if beds can’t be shared.
T’s and C’s Subject to Availability Excludes Golf Carts and Air Fare Transport not included. Quote available on Request Valid from 1 October 2017 – 30 May 2018, excluding Peak and Mid Season Periods
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T’s and C’s apply. Visit our website for full details.
+27 (0) 39 39 313 0450 | reservations.villaren@sanlameer.co.za | www.sanlameer.co.za
Golf Course Living
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ST FRANCIS LINKS
BEACON OF SUCCESS St Francis Links continues to up their game every day in the Eastern Cape. By Larry Gould
ne of the personal motivational phrases I use is to ask an audience to jump up and shout,“Every day in every way I am getting better and better.” Returning to St Francis Links I can emphasise that this statement certainly reflects the remarkable improvements the golf estate has shown since it was launched in 2006. The evolution foreseen by the golf course designer, legendary Jack Nicklaus, has seen his vision come to fruition. Nicklaus told the media at the launch that this was probably the best course he had ever seen. His vision was that this was where nature and development would blend into perfection. Without doubt this is reflected as the flora and fauna continue
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to blend into a location totally suited for their habitat. Most noticeable are the improvements on the course, where the original challenge was ferocious due to the regular visit of challenging winds. It is immediately apparent that fairways have been widened, without impacting on nature’s natural habitat, resulting in improved playability and creating a visual envelope framed by that memorable picture postcard of nature’s beauty. The estate has been a success for residents. Today, 120 homes have been built, and another 20 will be completed by the end of the year. Here again the care of the environment has been at a premium. It is rare when golfers can notice any buildings while playing, and the sensational vistas over an ocean background add much charm to
nature’s envelope, with an abundance of sparkling sand dunes to complement the picture. The estate also offers complimentary assets. A superb clubhouse sits high and offers not only a welcome to golfers, but also conference facilities, today regarded as perfect for weddings. A splendid Aqua Spa provides rejuvenation and professional treatments. An added facility is the St Francis Lodge, housed under two attractive thatched buildings, overlooking the first green, providing tranquil moments to recoup from the golf day. Dining is available within walking distance of the Lodge in the clubhouse, where the Lighthouse Restaurant and Jack’s Bar are renowned. Monday and Wednesday evenings are famed for memorable
dinners provided by Chef Jon Hodder and his team. Continuing the theme of ‘Every day we are getting better and better’ is the innovative introduction of a par 3 course. The demand for golf continues, with rounds increasing this year to 18 000, up from 14 000 in 2016. CEO Jeff Clause confirms that the estate is financially sound (with significant reserves for repairs and replacement, and rising yearly). St Francis Links takes pride in being part of the local community. Apart from
having 85 permanent employees, the estate supports several local charities, with the mantra that all of us Are Getting Better and Better.
Contact details Tel: +27 (0) 42 200 4500 Email: info@stfrancislinks.com Web: www.stfrancislinks.com
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EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY WE ARE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. —Jeff Clause, CEO of St Francis Links
Golf Course Living
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STEENBERG
A FIRST-CLASS DESTINATION Steenberg offers world-class golf, vintage wines and luxury accommodation.
teenberg is rated as one of the top courses to visit in South Africa, while the estate itself has earned global recognition as a flagship residential address. Unmistakable in its authenticity, Steenberg is a place of textured heritage, vintage wines and world-class golfing. Rated as the “Top foreign golf resort” by readers of Conde Nast Traveller, Steenberg was aptly described as having “Understated Class.” Situated in Tokai, a 30-minute drive from Cape Town city centre, Steenberg is a first-class destination for fine dining, wines of origin and luxury hotel accommoda-
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tion. Nestled in the crook of the Constantiaberg Mountains, the estate is a piece of time-crafted perfection some three centuries in the making. With famed golf course architect Peter Matkovich as designer, the 18-hole course was created to make full use of the natural features, which include vineyards and trees. The course has been recently upgraded, with new bent grass greens and surrounds, to further improve the playability and shot making challenges expected from a course of its standard. Steenberg has truly transformed itself into a “must visit” golfing destination and one that homeowners and members can
truly be proud of. A little bit more exclusive than most Cape Town courses, but understandably so when one can clearly see and feel at every turn the extra effort that has been made.
Contact details Tel: 021 713 2233 Email: bookings@steenberggolfclub.co.za Web: www.steenberggolfclub.co.za
From the fairways to the city streets, Duca del Cosma continues its successful journey. or the 2018 summer season the brand is presenting a sophisticated lifestyle collection featuring classic golf shoe functions and design elements. In keeping its Italian roots, the Summer 2018 collection presents street fashion that is stylish in design and made from the fi nest materials. Thus, the sporty, yet elegant silhouettes for ladies and men reflect the brand’s heritage and style: craftsmanship, comfort, fashion and commitment to high standards all come
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together in perfect harmony.
Kuba – fashion & function The Evergreen of our Duca del Cosma men’s collection: the Kuba in white-greenred is made with of a soft, full-grain waterproof leather. The Waterproof Bootie System of the Kuba has a breathable and waterproof membrane, which keeps feet dry. The Kuba is fitted with an ergonomic, comfortable and removable Soft PU insert sole. The Kuba has the Airplay Skyflex
Outsole which has an anatomically designed S-channel running through the outsole to ensures optimal traction during downswing and a natural walking motion.
Contact details Tel: 021 506 6900 Email: info@ducadelcosma.co.za Web: www.ducadelcosma.co.za
Competition
WIN
1 OF 4 CLEVELAND GOLF LAUNCHER HB DRIVERS VALUED ATR4 999 EACH
TO ENTER
SMS the answer, your name, e-mail & address to 41398.
Answer this question: What is the name of Cleveland Golf’s new driver? Four lucky readers stand a chance to win a Cleveland Golf Launcher HB Driver valued at R4 999 each. THE NEW CLEVELAND GOLF LAUNCHER HB DRIVER HELPS YOU LAUNCH IT LONGER. It has an ultra-lightweight hosel that optimises weighting for high, long and straight drives. To boost ball speeds, Flex-Fin technology, a Launcher Cup Face, and the all-new HiBore Crown helps you bomb it with explosive distance. Terms and Conditions: The winner will be randomly selected via electronic draw. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. Prizes are not transferable and may not be converted into cash. Entrants must have a South African residential address. Entry into this competition constitutes acceptance of the rules. Employees of New Media Publishing, sponsors, media partners and their immediate families and advertising agencies may not enter. Winners will be notified by the sponsor via telephone or email and will forfeit prize if unreachable. Names of confirmed winners will appear on facebook.com/GolfDigestSA. The competition closes on 18 December 2017. No late entries will be accepted. By entering this competition, the winner indemnifies the organisers and all parties involved in this competition against all claims that may arise from the utilisation of the prize. By entering the competition you agree to receive further communication and direct marketing material from the sponsor/New Media Publishing. Each entry is entitled to win only one prize in a period of three calendar months. SMSs are charged at R1.50 per SMS across all networks.
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
6 COURSES YOU SH
READING COUNTRY CLUB – GAUTENG SOUTH Reading has long been highly regarded in Gauteng golf, and was the first country club south of Johannesburg city, founded as a Jewish club during wartime, officially opened in 1943. This was a time when members of the Jewish community found themselves denied access to other golf clubs. Today, the beautiful parkland course in Alberton is bounded by suburbs and motorways, but back then the course was built on a barren rocky landscape in the veld. Reading soon became one of the top Johannesburg clubs – it had 1 200 members in 1950 – and Gary Player and Bobby Locke were regular visitors, Locke choosing Reading’s par-3 12th (now the fifth) in his Best 18 Holes in the World. However, in 1976 the clubhouse and
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adjoining facilities such as a swimming pool, bowling greens, and tennis courts were expropriated for what is today the N12 southern bypass. The new clubhouse opened in 1978. Only the bowling greens were rebuilt. The golf course, a Sid Brews design, was upgraded in 1996 by Golf Data, and has been a regular in the Golf Digest Top 100, at No 93 in 2016. It’s always been an interesting test, one of the more challenging in Gauteng, with its treelined fairways and water coming into play on 14 holes. Plus, its conditioning is consistently good. The club’s most recent project was to remove all the reeds from their two biggest dams and the visual effect on the course has been dramatic. Reading has a good relationship with
Playmoregolf, securing around 8 000 rounds a year, and this helps the club keep rates at an affordable level for their 800 members. The club encourages visitors. They have an active midweek pensioners section on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and pensioners are welcome to join at a discounted rate. There is an open day on Wednesday afternoons, and a 9-hole meat competition on Fridays. Memorable hole: The par-3 fifth (pictured) is the signature hole. When you reach the tee all you see is water. It can play from an 8- to a 4-iron and there is just no bailout. You are forced to go for the green. General Manager: Marinus Weiss.
JAMIE THOM
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
OULD GET TO PLAY
WIN A FOURBALL TO THE GOLF COURSE OF YOUR CHOICE* *Complimentary green fees. Course must be part of Lastminutegolf, dependent on tee times being available. Which is the highest-ranked course among the 6 courses featured in this issue? Entries close 31 December 2017.
JOIN PL AYMOREGOLF Are you looking to play your ‘bucket list’ courses? Play fun and unintimidating golf with family and friends? We have the solution for you. A membership to South Africa’s leading golf reciprocity offering includes a choice of 130 courses, at the lowest and most affordable rates. Members receive 10% back on Pro Shop purchases. Join Now (t’s and c’s apply).
TO ENTER
SMS the answer, your name and address to 41398.
CONTACT US: Tel: 0861 752 966 • E-mail: info@playmoregolf.co.za • Website: www.playmoregolf.co.za • Facebook: playmoregolfsa • Twitter: playmoregolfsa • Instagram:playmoregolf_with_momentum
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 8 5
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
RICHARDS BAY COUNTRY CLUB – NORTHERN KZN Richards Bay Country Club occupies one of the most attractive sites in South African golf, on the shores of Mzingazi Lagoon in tropical Northern KwaZulu-Natal. Hippos and crocodiles are among the hazards found on the course. Club manager Louise Wood, in describing the most memorable hole, the par-5 18th, says “it is guarded by several crocodiles on the banks of the lagoon.” Locals may be used to them, but visitors will no doubt give the crocs a wide berth. The fortunes of Richards Bay CC took a turn for the better 10 years ago with the development of the Mzingazi Golf Estate on the property. This resulted in a major upgrade of their 18-hole course by Peter Matkovich, the installation of automatic irrigation, and a modernised clubhouse. When it comes to a golf club converting part of its property into housing, it’s usually the developer who approaches the club first. In this case it was the other way around. The Richards Bay CC committee had concluded in the early 1990s, when the club was struggling financially,
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that the only sustainable way forward was the development of a housing estate on the course, with home owners becoming members. The council did a feasibility study, and in 2001 set out to find a developer. That person came along a few years later in the form of Glenn Hesse, and the R300-million estate was launched at the end of 2006. One stipulation was that the development had to accommodate the movement of hippos on the course. Today, Mzingazi Golf Estate is an idyllic paradise for residents in terms of location, security and abundant wildlife. Some 138 different bird species have been logged. The first sports and recreation club in the town was started in 1970, and later that decade came the construction of a 9-hole course, increased to 18 holes in 1987, built by member Gerry Gibson. The first greenkeeper was a youthful Gary Barker, now one of the country’s leading turf consultants. Richards Bay CC was founded in 1985, and the other sports have now relocated elsewhere.
Memorable hole: The 18th is a 498-metre par 5 along the edge of the lake, the banks of the water hazard being home to several crocodiles. Club manager: Louise Wood.
Did you know?
Fact 1 / Richards Bay was proclaimed a town in 1969, and in 1976 a new deep water harbour was opened – the deepest natural harbour in the southern hemisphere – with a railway link to Johannesburg, and an oil/gas pipeline. It became one of the country’s fastest-growing cities, with a coal terminal and two aluminium smelters. Fact 2 / The club’s location on the Mzingazi Lagoon was used as an army base during the Second World War. This land was given by the municipality for the site of a sports club in 1969, and Alusaf paid for a clubhouse. Fact 3 / Richards Bay councillor Louis van Zyl has been a member of the club since its inception, and was part of the committee that formed RBCC in 1985.
JAMIE THOM
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
SELBORNE PARK – KZN SOUTH COAST
Memorable hole: The visually dramatic par-5 third is an exciting hole. From an elevated tee you play to a fairway which slopes downhill towards the green through a narrow avenue of trees. Golfers going for the green in two must risk clearing a ditch short of the green, which is also guarded by water. Golf Director: John Ridl.
Did you know?
Fact 1 / Selborne has been a regular venue for Sunshine Tour events during the winter months, often hosting the Vodacom Origins series. In May this year it held the 72-hole KZN Open, won by 15-year-old Martin Vorster. Fact 2 / At a distance of just 5 952 metres from the championship tees, and a par of 72, Selborne is not long by today’s standards, yet with numerous doglegs and challenging features it remains both a good test of golf and fun experience. Fact 3 / Sunshine Tour legend Trevor Wilkes, now in his 80s and a life member of the PGA of SA, is the club pro, still giving regular lessons to golfers.
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Selborne was the first residential golf estate in South Africa, the vision of South Coast Jersey dairy cattle farmer Denis Barker, who was inspired to develop a luxury estate and golf course on his family home at Pennington following a visit to the United States. Barker, who still lives at Selborne today, personally designed and built the course which was opened in 1987. The historic manor house in which Barker and his family lived is today part of the estate’s four-star hotel facility, a magnificent lodge with a wellness spa, bedrooms and a fine dining restaurant. Other accommodation is in the garden suites. There’s a separate clubhouse and conference centre. Selborne is popular for weddings, having a romantic 80-seater chapel in the estate gardens. It was built by Barker using bricks from the Umzinto chapel where he first took his vows in 1953. The Selborne course was acclaimed as the “Augusta” of South Africa when first opened for play, a similarly undulating layout with water features in a beautiful setting to the one in Georgia. The holes have been cut through indigenous coastal bush, and boast magnificent paspalum greens. It has regularly featured in the Golf Digest Top 100 – it was No 16 in the very first ranking in 1998. Ownership of the estate and course has since passed on from the Barker family to the home owners. The hotel is run by First Group. The Selborne layout was severely damaged by floods in 2008 and 2010, and it took some years for the course to recover, which affected its Top 100 ranking. Today, however, with better drainage, the course is coming back to its best again thanks to improved management practices under course superintendent Hein Labuschagne.
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
AKASIA GOLF CLUB – GAUTENG NORTH Akasia, founded in 1993, has gone through many upgrades, which makes its course one of the most improved in the country. The club, in Pretoria North, has pioneered innovative ideas in attracting membership. While membership has declined from a high of 3 600 to 2 300, it still boasts one of the biggest golf club memberships. Akasia started as a pay-and-play municipal facility, and has developed into a bushveld-type layout that underwent significant changes 10 years ago. With its indigenous trees, the course is home to abundant bird life, and a few antelope species create a wonderful bushveld experience, 13 kilometres from the Pretoria city centre. The Boepensspruit meanders through the course, which means water comes into play on almost every hole and ensures it is green all year round. Akasia has modern, challenging bent grass greens, quick and with undulations that will test the best short games. Akasia opens with a par 3, and there are five in total, plus five par 5s. And with most of the par 4s being at least 400 metres, plus fairways lined with Acacia trees, every club in the bag will be used. The club has produced many fine players, and won the Northern Provinces scratch league finals three times in the past six years under the captaincy of the late Mellette Hendrikse, a two-time SA Senior Amateur champion. The last occasion was in 2016. Akasia is the home of the SA Golf Development Board junior programme
in Gauteng North, and will host the SAGDB Interprovincial early in December. The club is a big supporter of playmoregolf. Akasia boasts all the services of a modern club, golf carts with GPS, caddies, well-equipped golf shop, driving range, and the best value for money at the halfway house and bar. Venues are available for weddings, functions and conferences. Details of specials and packages can be found on the website, akasiacountryclub.co.za. Memorable hole: The third is a terrific 430-metre par 4, while the 18th is an excellent dogleg par 5 of 533 metres with water close to the green. Club manager: Steyn Zietsman.
Did you know?
Fact 1 / Akasia has several good value annual membership options, including R7 695 for a husband and wife with unlimited golf, and R1 060 for juniors. A full membership can be obtained for R4 560. Fact 2 / Visitors are welcome seven days a week. Affiliated visitors pay R120 a round on weekdays, R180 on weekends, and non-affiliated pay R160 and R220. Fact 3 / Steyn Zietsman joined the club more than 20 years ago, and was club captain in 1997, before becoming the first full-time manager in 2001.
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
SERVICES GOLF CLUB – GAUTENG NORTH The club championship board at Services Golf Club in Pretoria includes some famous names in South African golf. US Open champion Retief Goosen was club champion in 1989/90 while doing his military service, as was former SA Open champion Wayne Westner in 1979, Gary Player’s son Wayne in 1981, and Des Terblanche in 1986. Many of South Africa’s top amateur golfers from the 1970s and 1980s belonged to Services during their compulsory military training years. The golf course property, close to the Voortrekker Monument, has always been owned by the SA National Defence Force. The likes of Goosen and Ernie Els used to regularly play the course in the company of officers on club competition days. With the quality of these recruits, the Defence Force regularly fielded one of the most powerful teams in the country. And there were some excellent permanent force golfers. In 2002, Rossouw Loubser, then a lieutenant-colonel in the Air Force, won the SA Amateur at George, and went on to represent South Africa and play the Sunshine Tour. The late Mellette Hendrikse, a lieutenant-colonel in the Army, was twice SA Senior Amateur champion. Services Golf Club was founded in 1969, for members of the Defence Force, SA Police and Correctional Services. Strong ties still exist between the three departments, including an annual triangular tournament. The SANDF won this year, receiving a new trophy presented by Hugo Delport of the SAPS. In August, the club held its first ever SANDF ladies golf day.
CO U RT ESY S E RV I C ES
Golf was first played on this site in the 1920s, when there was a 9-hole layout as part of the Robert Heights GC, near the military college in Pretoria. There was an airfield close by, and cadet pilots used to work on the course when they were not flying. It became 18 holes after World War Two. Major renovations to the course and clubhouse took place in the 1980s, and in 1994 the club was opened to the public for the first time so that it could increase its membership and golfing traffic. Among the current 574 members, 165 are members of the military, who enjoy a special subscription rate. The chairperson, Wiekus Schoeman, is a military officer. Memorable hole: Many a game has been won or lost on the risk-and-reward 514-metre dogleg 18th. Bold golfers first take on the corner of the dogleg. If they fly it, they have a long iron to the green, which has a beautiful water feature guarding the right of the green, one of the biggest on the course. General Manager: Wiekus Schoeman.
Did you know? Fact 1 / Members and visitors pay a set green fee of R100 to play on a Monday. Fact 2 / Services competes strongly for visiting golfers with nearby clubs such as Zwartkop and Waterkloof, and they did 39 500 rounds in 2016. Fact 3 / There is a daily promotional green fee of R600 for a fourball, including carts.
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 8 9
MUST PL AY C OURSES | PRESENTED BY
SEASONS GOLF CLUB – NORTH WEST
For those who enjoy playing true bushveld golf courses, Seasons is the one closest to Johannesburg and Pretoria. It has both wonderful views towards the Magaliesberg range in the countryside north of Hartbeespoort Dam, and a beautiful bush setting. A variety of game such as wildebeest, impala, blesbok, springbok and nyala roam the property, while dams, wetlands and the natural bushveld provide a diverse habitat for over 200 bird species. This is the old Brits Golf Club, transformed some 12 years ago into the Seasons Lifestyle Estate with a refurbished clubhouse. There is also a holiday resort with a health spa. It’s 15 kilometres north of Pecanwood, and 18 kilometres south of Brits. While there are currently just 65 completed homes on the estate, there is a flurry of building activity, and the first phase of 330 stands is almost sold out. The next two phases are due to be launched in early 2018. Seasons began as a 9-hole course built by local farmers in 1976, and the original nine remains outstanding, with several attractive holes undulating softly through the bushveld. The newer nine, built in the early 1990s, ventures into a world of koppies, where the holes undulate accordingly, and many golfers find it difficult to walk. It’s 6 182 metres from the men’s tees. Memorable hole: The par-5 fourth is a dramatic hole, 451 metres, where you tee off from one koppie into a valley, and then play up towards the green on another koppie. The stroke one, 380-metre 10th, is a superb dogleg right par 4, with the approach shot being played over the edge of a dam. Club Manager: Willem Gravett.
Did you know?
Fact 1 / One of the busiest days is a Tuesday, when there is no green fee! However, golfers must take a cart, which is R250 for two. Weekdays are popular with visiting golfers. Monday is R450 for a twoball, including cart and halfway house. Fact 2 / Seasons has 700 members from throughout Gauteng, thanks to a low annual subscription fee which will be R1 650 for 2018. Fact 3 / The two nines are quite different from each other in design and terrain, and they also have different grasses on the greens. The newer front nine has bent grass greens, while the back nine has cynodon greens.
THE TRAVELLING GOLFER Heinrich du Preez is a multiple Guinness world record holder when it comes to golfing achievements. He was the first golfer to play a round of golf on all six continents in five days. He plays off 9, and last year had three holes-in-one, at the Gary Player CC (seventh), Serengeti (15th), and Pearl Valley (third). gansbaai gc Flipping through an in-flight magazine on an international flight, I came across an article titled “Awesome 13.” It was about two golf nuts from the United States going around the world playing what they thought were the 13 most awesome courses on the planet. Their criteria listed the following: Highest (I remember this being a course in Bolivia where you had to take tablets before teeing off to increase your oxygen levels), the lowest, most northerly, easterly, southerly and westerly, cheapest, most expensive, hottest, coldest, most scenic, best course in the world, and most difficult. In true Travelling Golfer style I custom-fit this list for South Africa. This month I introduce our most southerly course, the 9-hole Gansbaai GC. It used to be called Kleinbaai, the area where it is situated some five kilometres from Gansbaai, but was changed for tourism reasons. Gansbaai is known for its shark cage diving. Many a tourist has braved the cold sea offshore to get close and personal with Great Whites. The course was built in the 1980s and one of its first visitors was F W de Klerk. On
arrival at the club, his bodyguard accidently broke his putter shaft while removing his clubs from the car. He had to borrow a flat stick from a local member, and I’m sure you’ll find this framed in some bar in town. Some used to claim that Bredasdorp GC was further south, but GPS co-ordinates confirmed that Gansbaai own this honour. The flat course (2 863 metres for men and 2 504 for women) has a look of a links about it, with few trees, and while the fairways seem wide, the going is not as easy as it looks. Every hole has fynbos lining the fairways. As with most coastal courses, the wind plays a big part. It was blowing strongly on the day I played, and the locals said this was “just a breeze.” For a small, remote club with limited funding I was amazed at the condition of the course and the upkeep of the clubhouse and facilities. Most important for me when rating a course is the standard of the greens. Kudos to the management and staff. I really enjoyed this course. The contact number for Gansbaai GC is 028 384 1441.
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THE LONGEST HOLE The incredible story of one golfer, his caddie and a 2000-kilometre playing challenge across Mongola.
B Y M I C H A E L C AT L I N G
‘IT WAS PHYSICALLY THE HARDEST THING I’VE EVER DONE’
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dam Rolston’s journey had taken him across frozen rivers, up and over glaciers and into the 40 degree heat of the Gobi Desert. Along the way, he had lost 135 golf balls, ridden a camel and inadvertently adopted a dog. Everything had been leading to this moment: A seven-foot putt on the only 18-hole golf course in Mongolia.Watched by 200 spectators, including his friends and family who had flown over from Hong Kong, Rolston sent his bruised and battered ball crashing into the hole to enter the Guinness World Record books. It had taken him 80 days and 20 093 shots – just the 6 093 over par – to complete the longest hole in golf. Accompanied by his ‘caddie’ and old rugby friend Ron Rutland, Rolston had achieved what many thought was impossible. “I had doubters,” admits the former Hong Kong rugby international. “But then it’s always good to prove people wrong. It was physically 9 4 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had never walked that far in my life. It was extremely hard but so satisfying at the end, especially when I managed to two putt from 50 feet. I hadn’t putted in 12 weeks and I swear every single 7ft downhill putt that I’ve had in my life I’ve missed. It was a phenomenal moment when it went in. I’m never going to experience winning the British Masters like Paul Dunne did, but it felt like I had created a winning moment for myself.” For Rutland, the feeling of ecstasy and relief was one he had experienced before after spending 27 months cycling 43 000 kilometres. “I left Cape Town in June 2013 and cycled to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the UK via every country in Africa and most countries in Europe,” he says. “That was the first big adventure of my life and Adam had obviously heard about what I’d done.When we reconnected in Kenya last year, that’s when he told me he wanted to do a golf
adventure.” “I’ve always looked at adventurers and thought, I could do something like that,” explains Rolston, who plays off scratch. “I had spent three and half years playing professional rugby and didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. I took up golf when I was 16 and never got the chance to play professionally. So, I think the amalgamation of the grit and determination I showed playing rugby and the potential skill I showed playing golf made me think that an expedition was built for me.” What started out as an idea over coffee quickly turned into a reality, and within eight months Rolston and Rutland were on a recce in Mongolia where they spent seven hours with a tour company micro-plotting their route and where their food and equipment drops were going to be. Upon their return home, Rutland ordered 150 packets of dehydrated camp food from Amazon so he could stick to his vegan diet. Not that Rolston was too pleased once he found P H OTOS B Y A N D R E W K I N G
THE JOURNEY DAY 1 TEE OFF AT KHUITEN PEAK BASE
CAMP
DAY 2 Suffered their first breakdown after the cart got stuck in marshland and the wheels got
DAY 40 Passed the halfway distance having golfed the length of
Ireland twice.
sucked off the axle.
DAY 70 Shared a meal with two Syrian falcon poachers.
DAY 79 Set up camp 24 km from their destination where they were joined by friends and family.
DAY 80 FINAL SHOT AT MT BOGD GOLF CLUB,
ULAANBAATAR
DAY 3 Joined by a wild Mongolian
dog.
Country facts
THE WORLD’S LONGEST FAIRWAY IN NUMBERS
Number of golf courses: Three
DAY 10 Bog, snow and uneven terrain stunted their progress, putting them 100km behind schedule.
20 093 The total number of strokes
80 days The length of time it took to complete the hole
out they were all the same flavour. “That’s because they were all on special (offer),” laughs Rutland. Equipped with clubs and 400 balls from TaylorMade, they arrived at the base of Khüiten Peak, the highest and most western point of Mongolia, at 1am on June 29 ready to tee off in aid of the Laureus Sport for Good and the South African Golf Development Board. “The European Tour gave us an official endorsement and recognised our challenge as an official golf hole,” explains Rutland. “That was important in terms of our Guinness World Record application.They also provided us with a yardage board and tee markers, but it was only when we stood on the mountain ready to tee off that it really dawned on us the absurdity of what we were attempting. Getting there was no easy task either, and involved hitching a lift in a jeep before packing their equipment – golf cart included – on top of a camel. “After that, four horses took us to the top of the mountain,” says Rolston. “That alone was five hours of plodding along. When we finally got there, there was a glacier to our right and a river valley about 20 metres below us. I hit
Total distance covered
shots.
Population: 3.1 million Capital: Ulaanbaatar Currency: Togrog
2 011km
DAY 4 Racked up 29.4km and 340
6093 The number of shots over par
135
Number of sponsored golf balls used and lost
Suport team TaylorMade supplied the clubs and 400 golf balls.
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Now that’s a water hazard! Rolston and Rutland had to cross more than 100 rivers.
a tee shot and it just disappeared. Luckily I hit a provisional ball because we lost the first. From there, I hit another four shots and then hit a pitching wedge 100 metres and lost that too. I lost five balls that day.We came to the conclusion that Ron would have to walk ahead and I would aim at him so we could see the ball land.” The enormity of the challenge facing them was made clearer when they spent the first four days negotiating the White River Valley. “It was probably the worst golf conditions we faced because of the grass length, rocks and how extreme the descent was,” says Rutland. “We originally wanted to walk 2 000km in 80 days, which works out at 25km a day. But instead of walking 5km an hour, we were probably doing half that. I was towing a cart which, depending on how much water we were carrying, weighed between 100 and 150 kilos. It was sleeting and snowing, and I had to wade through swamps which were knee deep. Adam was able to avoid them, but it was super-tough caddie conditions.” By the end of the first week, they had already repaired their golf cart twice – once when the wheel popped off, the second when the tyre came off the rim. “That was super nerve racking,” admits Rutland, “because if the cart wasn’t fit for purpose, plan B was pretty drastic.We started thinking about hiring a camel or buying an old Russian jeep.We were considering all scenarios but fortunately the conditions did improve.” The repair jobs and the “endless searching for golf balls” meant that they were well behind schedule, and faced the possibility of their visas expiring before the expedition was complete. “The reason we chose 9 6 / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A
Mongolia as the longest hole is because it has very little infrastructure,” says Rolston. “There are no fences or walls and it almost looks like a fairway. But we didn’t just pull the cart across flat land.We must have crossed over 100 rivers and there were times when I was hitting golf balls while Ron had stabilised himself on a mountain with walking poles. Once I played a shot, I was helping Ron to push the cart up the hill inch by inch.We were doing that an hour at a time, creeping up these hills. It was pretty brutal.” Their mood wasn’t helped by an unwanted companion tagging along, and staying with them for the duration of the journey. “After three days, a stray dog decided to join us,” explains Rutland. “Adam and I aren’t really dog people, and that initially caused a bit of tension. Before we started, we were counting the number of socks so we could keep the weight down and then all of a sudden we were carrying 10 extra litres of water and a bit of food for the dog.” “It wasn’t ideal,” adds Rolston, “but the dog provided so much more than what we were giving him. He became part of the gang; we called him UB. He actually ended up becoming a bit of a celebrity in
‘WE HAD TO PLAN FOR NOT SEEING ANOTHER HUMAN FOR FOUR OR FIVE DAYS, SO WE WERE CARRYING UP TO 60 LITRES OF WATER’
Mongolia, and there was a Facebook campaign to find him a home.We ended up finding him a home with a couple in the Terelj National Park, which was quite an emotional moment.” Beyond caring for the dog and adapting to the conditions, one of the biggest challenges was dealing with injuries. Rutland, a former banker and amateur rugby player, was left nursing an inflamed hip and a swollen ankle, while Rolston started suffering back and neck spams with two weeks to go. “I basically had to sleep upright against all my baggage,” says Rolston, who hails from Northern Ireland. “I was in so much pain and trying to hit 300 balls every day slowed the recovery. In the end, I was flicking shots about 60 metres.” The dangers of the journey were laid bare once they reached the Gobi Desert, which Rutland describes as “the most inhospitable environment you can imagine”. “We had to plan for not seeing a human being for four or five days, so we were carrying up to 60 litres of water,” he says. “Although we had a cameraman who joined us for two or three sections because we were doing a documentary, it was just the two of us (and the dog) for the majority of the time. It did feel like we had the whole world to ourselves, but I was surprised how connected we were. We didn’t go longer than four days without any cellphone connection.” As a result, Rutland was able to send pictures of his swollen ankle to his doctor in Hong Kong for advice while Rolston updated their story on social media. They had plenty of time to do so, as it was too hot to even consider playing golf after 9am with temperatures spiking to 40 degrees in the desert.“We were waking up at 3.30am, just when it was light enough to hit a ball 60 to
Uphill struggle. The duo clocked up 2 000km with their furry friend in tow.
100 metres into the distance,” recalls Rolston. “We’d play until 9am before making our own shelter for the day.We’d then lie under tarpaulin on our camping mattresses for between six or eight hours and then get up and play until dark.” Once they re-entered civilisation, they would often leave the dog to guard the tent from wolves and 300-kilogram goats and walked to nearby villages where they drank Russian vodka with locals and taught them how to play golf. “That’s probably the one thing we’ve taken from the journey; how sport transcends language and brings people together,” says Rolston. “We took golf out of its normal environment and took it to a place that has never seen it before.We felt responsible for the golf community of the world, showing the locals this great game, and they all gave it a crack and were pretty good at it.” In return for the lessons, Rolston and Rutland were invited into their "gers" (nomadic tents) and presented with meals. “We had a magic letter which explained who we were, what we were doing and where we were from,” explains Rutland. “We used Google translator to translate it into Mongolian and Kazak – the two main languages. But it almost became embarrassing trying to explain to them that I didn’t eat meat or dairy products.The whole concept of being a vegetarian was unheard of in their culture because their diet is made up of meat, milk and cheese. So, I ended up losing 13 or 14 kilos while Adam took one for the team and drank the fermented horse’s milk.” Not content with living off two-minute noodles and local delicacies, Rolston tried to source his own food by fishing in rivers. “He was so adamant he was going to catch a fish,”
laughs Rutland. "One day when he caught three fish, the joy on his face was incredible. You would have thought he’d won the lottery.” “I didn’t even have a proper rod,” adds Rolston. “It was like a pole with fishing wire tied to the end. Honestly, it probably ranks in the top five moments of my life.” As they neared the finish line on the 18th green at Mt Bogd Golf Club in Ulaanbaatar, they were joined by friends and family for the final 24 km and played the last 500 metres dressed in traditional Mongolian robes. “We started out as golfers and finished as Mongolians – that was a nice way to end it I thought,” says Rolston. “I ended up taking just over 20 000 shots and we raised $20 000, so it worked out at a dollar a shot.We set the par at 14 000 and based it on me hitting full 8-irons across the country, which was stupid.We didn’t really factor in the ball finding a muddy lie or a rocky crevice, so I was 6 093 shots over par.There were times when we were naive in what we were trying to accomplish at the beginning, but we knuckled down and got it done.” “When we started, I don’t think people believed in our dream,” suspects Rutland. “There were times when we thought where the hell is the fun in this. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. I’m still a bit of a wreck even now. But we are both stubborn people and barring a broken leg, Adam and I made up our mind that we were going to do it.The last time we had seen the golf course it was brown.When we arrived, it was in its green glory and there were so many people waiting for us, cheering us on. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. It was just a real fairytale ending and the fact we were doing it for charity gave the journey an extra sense of purpose and meaning.”
Gallery
WINNING LETTER
GOLFSIXES AT KIRKWOOD Eastern Cape club trials a new innovation
s an experiment and an attempt to introduce something new into the Kirkwood Golf Club programme, we launched a new tournament based on the Golf Sixes format played earlier this year on the European Tour.The demands of the citrus season in the Sundays River Valley, together with golf’s diminishing participation, resulted in a few of our members, over a nectar or two, deciding it was time for change. The field was limited to 16 players, generally a good size on any Saturday at our 9-hole country course.The format was Betterball Matchplay Knockout.Two single-figure golfers were not permitted to pair up, and everyone played off two-thirds of their handicaps. There were four matches over a tricky loop of six carefully selected holes, with
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the winning pairs going forward to the cup competition, and the four losers relegated to the plate.We then had semifinals and a final in both events, to conclude 18 holes. The losers played other losers for the minor places, so everyone had a full round. The reduction of handicaps ensured that only four of the six holes were open to stroke advantage. In the event of a match being “all square” after six holes a shootout was played – closest to the pin from a marked out 90-metre distance into the 18th green! There was plenty of banter during the day, and a few bets were laid which added additional spice to the clashes.The day was sponsored by Kaap-Agri – Piet Bosch being our member and Kaap-Agri representative – and the inaugural Golf Sixes winners were Craig Chambers (4 adjusted to 3) and
Charlie Miller (16 adjusted to 10).There were six prizes, won by the four teams in the Cup and the first two in the Plate. The teams finishing seventh and eighth were presented with a “strafdop” and were advised to read the instruction pages of the Golf Digest on a more regular basis! A competitive and fun day was enjoyed by all and the format proved a great success, with suggestions made that the competition should be played twice a year.The option to do so lies entirely with our sponsor! On an 18-hole layout it would be quite easy to set up separate 6-hole groups, and in bigger clubs this could perhaps be done over a number of days with each group’s winners and runners-up going through to the final playoff event, eventually ending up with the club’s Super Six champs! Ken Nieuwenhuizen, Kirkwood GC
NICK PRICE TO JOIN USGA EXECUTIVE he inclusion of three-time major champion Nick Price as a nominee on the US Golf Association Executive Committee is a unique happening in golf. And it’s why it took a little convincing for Price to ultimately become comfortable with the idea of joining the 15-person governing board for 2018. He will be formally voted on at the AGM on February 3. “I asked Mike (Davis, USGA executive director) is this going to be a PR role. And he was adamant that it was not,” said Price. “He wants to take the USGA down a more player-friendly path.” Price, 60, is not the first professional golfer the USGA has pressed into service,
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but he is certainly the most well-known. Davis first broached Price about potentially joining the Executive Committee more than a year ago, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Now that Price is done with his responsibilities as captain of the International Presidents Cup team, he’s ready to give back to the game in a different way. Price’s biggest impact will be as a bridge to the competitive tours. A 48-time winner worldwide, including 18 PGA Tour events, the member of the World Golf Hall of Fame no longer plays on a regular basis. But he remains close to the game’s best players while being a respected voice among his peers. By having Price on the Executive Com-
mittee, the USGA addresses a concern raised – particularly in the midst of some of the various rules controversies that have arisen in recent years – that the association doesn’t take the interest or perspective of competitive tour professionals to heart. “Nick is just a great person. I’ve never met anybody in the world of golf who just doesn’t like him,” Davis said. “One of the things that appealed to us, he comes at it with an international perspective.”
Cape Wickham on King Island “makes Pebble Beach look drab.”
UNIQUE OCEAN GOLF DOWN UNDER he Sandbelt of the Melbourne region in Australia is a paradise of unique courses, but Melbourne is also the gateway to an unexplored golfing Nirvana: King Island with two spectacular new links and the Barnbougle Dunes resort in northern Tasmania, from which I’ve just returned. King Island, with 1 200 inhabitants, lies in the Bass Strait, and many a shipwreck has occurred there due to the turbulent weather.Wind is the defence of the two magnificent courses, Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes. Cape Wickham is so beautiful it makes Pebble Beach look drab. It has a glorious collection of holes on a breathtaking site. Its routing is heart-pounding, starting along rocks and crashing surf, moving inland but not out of the wind, returning to the ocean’s edge at the downhill par-4 10th, pitch-shot 11th and drivable par-4 12th, then wandering into dunes before a crescendo closing hole curving along Victoria Cove beach, which is in play at low tide. Its isolation meant we were the only golfers on the course. Millionaire’s golf! The weather in October was
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cool and windy, and the transient rainstorms passing across from the west only affected us on two holes. February is probably the best month to play. But don’t expect many calm, wind-free days! Barnbougle is a more developed resort with two courses, the premier Barnbougle Dunes, and Lost Farm.The Dunes is the more rugged along the ocean and its charm is that the challenges are more about choice of club for position than length. Doglegs are plentiful and bunkering rugged but fair.The condition of the two Tasmanian courses and those on King Island were right up with the best in the world. Getting to these two venues was an adventure on its own. Golf tour operators offer packages which include commercial flights, accommodation, hire car and golf.You can do your own booking but rates will probably be a bit more. For those with spare dollars a private plane can be hired and kept with the group, which makes for more freedom in moving from place to place. The remoteness of King Island warrants only 2-3 flights a day from Melbourne (35 minutes) and two from Launceston (50
minutes) in Tasmania, in 16-seater twin-engine planes.When we flew to the island 10 of the 16 passengers were golfers! Accommodation on King Island is available at Cape Wickham. There are 16 cosy two-bed cottages overlookingVictoria Cove Beach eastwards and the first hole to the west. Good quality and value for money, with meals at the simple, shed-like clubhouse, where the staff and the views are terrific.There is no pro shop, but golfing essentials are available, as are golf carts or pull carts.The alternative is to stay at the hotel in Currie, 45 minutes away, close to Ocean Dunes. At Barnbougle there is a choice of staying in the lodge or upmarket cottages at Lost Farm or more basic two-bedroom cottages at the Dunes. Again, quality food is available.Walking is the order of the day at Barnbougle, and it is a comfortable walk with only half a dozen climbs to tee boxes. Lost Farm is unique in having 20 holes, there being two extra par 3s. One can see why the architect added them in to utilise the natural terrain which was begging for golfing recognition. After four special golfing days a commercial flight from Launceston took us to Melbourne, an hour away. If you are a collector of World Top 100 courses or just a golfer who loves wonderfully natural layouts, King Island and Barnbougle should be on your bucket list. Ponky Firer, Gauteng WINNING LETTER PRIZE Golf Digest and Titleist South Africa have teamed up to offer the sender of the best letter for the month a box of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and a Titleist cap. WRITE TO THE GALLERY: stuart.mclean@newmediapub.co.za. Please include your full name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium.
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 9 9
Amateur Scene
IT’S GRAND SLAM CENTRAL Mid-Amateur IPT title goes to Central Gauteng, giving them all four major trophies.
Central’s winning team, back row, from left, Andy Truluck (assistant manager), Wendell Bossenger, Kevin Sharp, Jaco du Plessis (manager), Clifford Howes, Dylan Keylock and Ruan Botha. Front, from left, Shaun Stapleton, Ryan Dreyer and Steve Williams (captain).
or the first time in Central Gauteng history, the provincial union holds all four of the major men’s Interprovincial trophies. They are the first in South Africa to achieve this “Grand Slam.” Central claimed the Mid-Amateur IPT at Oubaai Golf Resort in the Garden Route to add to the Premier IPT won in September at Bryanston, the Senior IPT at Simola in April, and the Junior IPT last December at White River. All their triumphs were in the A sections of each event.The four teams played a combined 23 matches, winning 18, halving two, and losing three. Winning the Mid-Amateur trophy was the one Central had always found the most difficult.Their last victory at this level had been in 2012, and they had been runners-up in each of the last three years.This year it took a games count-out to pull them through against defending champions Western Province, after they had tied on 10 points each. Central fielded an experienced team with an average age of 42, the youngest being 33-year-old Ruan Botha
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(Randpark), who was the A Section MVP, and the oldest being 56-yearold team captain Williams, who also happened to be a member of the last victorious team in 2012. By winning their first five matches, Central had virtually wrapped up the title by the time they came up against WP on the final day. Province had lost a match earlier in the week, so they needed to win 10-2 to share the trophy, and by more to win it outright. On a windy final day they did manage to end Central’s unbeaten run with a 7-5 win, but it wasn’t enough. Central had been clinical in dispatching their other opponents by large margins (the closest being 8-4 over Ekurhuleni), which meant they racked up 50½ points over the week, a record for the A section, which was increased to having seven teams in 2016.The Central players were magnificent in the singles, where they earned 34½ points out of a possible 48. Ryan Dreyer at No 1 and Botha at No 3 each had five singles wins out of six. Botha teamed up with Dylan Keylock in the foursomes, where they were
unbeaten, and they had the two best records in the A section. Keylock had been the top Central player last year at Rustenburg. Dreyer earned 9 points, Kevin Sharp 8,Williams and Wendell Bossenger each 7½, and Shaun Stapleton and Cliff Howes 7. WP’s hopes were dealt a blow as early as the second day when they lost to Ekurhuleni by a comfortable 7½ to 4½ margin. Ekurhuleni, the champions in 2010 and 2014, finished third despite being trounced by KwaZulu-Natal on the final day. Cameron Johnston and Elton James were WP’s best performers, Johnston shining in the singles at No 3 where he won five times, including victory over Ruan Botha on the last day. EK’s best players were Dino de Abreu, who claimed the scalp of Ryan Dreyer in the singles, and Donovan Pearse. The best singles record in the A section was by North West’s Albert Britz, who had six wins, while other players with five wins were Jauqo Jacobs (Gauteng North), Shaun le Roux (WP) and Christo Peens (North West). PIETER ELS
SOUTHERN CAPE DOMINANT AT OUBAAI he Mid-Amateur B Section finally saw victory for Southern Cape, who earn promotion for the first time. Playing at home they dominated, winning all six matches and equalling Eastern Province’s record points tally of 54½ points at Humewood in 2011. EP were runners-up with five wins, but they were overwhelmed 10½-1½ in their matchup against the new champions. Southern Cape’s closest match was 7-5, surprisingly against Limpopo on the first day. From then
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on their players got increasingly confident on a course they knew intimately. Three of them shared the MVP title in the B Section with 11 points apiece – team captain Henk Geldenhuys, Ivan Williams and foursomes partner Anton Prinsloo. Williams, the B section MVP for the second time in three years, and Prinsloo each had six singles wins, and lost one foursomes, while Geldenhuys won all six foursomes with Nic Mitchell, but lost a singles match on the first day.
Mitchell, the MVP last year, earned 10 points, while Meyer Potgieter had 8½, Heinrich Frylinck 8, Marlo Pienaar 7, and Ian Norgarb 6½. Team manager Billy Valentyn said the victory was due to a dedicated effort from every player over the last six months. “The guys began preparing in March, competing as often as possible at Oubaai to get a feel for the course in all its varying conditions,” he said. “It paid off because the other teams were affected by the wind and rain we had during the week.” Free State’s SA Mid-Amateur champion Almero Theron had six singles wins, and winning five singles were Southern Cape’s Frylinck and Geldenhuys, plus EP’s Mike Holden, Dillon Germshuys and Johan Coetzer. Southern Cape, back from left, Nicholas Mitchell, Marlo Pienaar, Meyer Potgieter, Billy Valentyn (manager), Henk Geldenhuys (captain) and Ian Norgarb. Front, from left, Anton Prinsloo, Ivan Williams and Heinrich Frylinck.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
12TH MID-AMATEUR IPT Oubaai, October 9 to 13
A SECTION
P
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
Central Gauteng W Province Ekurhuleni Gauteng North KwaZulu-Natal North West Boland
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
5 5 3 3 3 1 0
0 0 1 0 0 1 0
1 1 2 3 3 4 6
50.5 42.5 36.5 33 33 28.5 24.5
17.5 28.5 32.5 38.5 48 41 46.5
10 10 7 6 6 3 0
B SECTION
P
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
Southern Cape Eastern cape Free State Mpumalanga Border Limpopo Northern Cape
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 5 3 3 1 0 1
0 0 1 0 1 2 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 5
54.5 44 39.5 33.5 24 31 25.5
17.5 28.5 32.5 38.5 48 41 46.5
12 10 7 6 3 2 2
A SECTION (Max 12 points) 10½ – Ruan Botha (CG) 10 – Dylan Keylock (CG) 9½ – Jauqo Jacobs (GN) 9 – Cameron Johnston (WP), Ryan Dreyer (CG) 8½ – Elton James (WP) 8 – Greg Sheard, Shaun le Roux (WP), Lyall McNeill, Bradley Davison (KZN), Kevin Sharp (CG), Dino de Abreu, Donovan Pearse (EK) B SECTION (Max 12 points) 11 – Ivan Williams, Anton Prinsloo, Henk Geldenhuys (SC) 10 – Michael Holden, Dillon Germshuys (EP), Nic Mitchell (SC) 9 – Heinrich Erasmus, Almero Theron (FS), Johan Coetzer (EP) 8½ – Eddie Daniel (MP), Meyer Potgieter (SC), Ryno Ferreira, Attie Burger (EP) 8 – Heinrich Frylinck (SC), Roedu du Plessis (FS)
G O L F D I G E S T. C O . Z A / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / 1 0 1
Amateur Scene
FERDI CROWNED TOP SENIOR Wins Senior Amateur in playoff at Hermanus.
ew SA Senior champion Ferdi van der Merwe nearly didn’t enter for the tournament at Hermanus where he beat fellow Boland team-mate Andre van Dyk (ranked No 3) in a playoff. The 51-year-old from Malmesbury hadn’t participated in any of the Western Cape senior tournaments at the beginning of 2017, but decided he should enter the Senior Amateur in his home province.“I was told to enter online, but couldn’t figure it out,” he said.“If it wasn’t for the help of Mariette at the Boland Golf Union office, I wouldn’t have been in Hermanus.” Van der Merwe is Boland’s first national Senior champion, and the first from the Western Cape in 15 years, the last being Jack Derman at George in 2002. Several players have won the title on their first appearance in the championship, and Ferdi was the youngest since Jock Wellington in 2001 at the age of 50. While not in the SAGA rankings, the victory wasn’t too big a surprise considering his pedigree in the game, and his strength as a good wind player. For many years Ferdi represented both Western Province and Boland at what
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is now the Premier IPT, and earlier in 2017 he played No 1 for Boland in the Senior IPT at Simola, finishing second in the B section MVP standings with nine points out of 10. Although living in Malmesbury, where he has a transport business,Van der Merwe plays league golf for Wellington, and his only previous rounds at Hermanus had come in a league match there last year. “That was the first time I had played the new Peter Matkovich course,” he said. The wind blew at Hermanus for all three rounds of the championship, and it was particularly strong for the final round. “About a 4-club wind, and the greens were fast and tricky,” said Ferdie. Graeme Watson, 50, from Ebotse, also playing his first Senior Amateur, had superb rounds of 72 and 69 the first two days for a three-shot lead over Van der Merwe (72-72). Watson had been SA Mid-Amateur champion in 2014, so he was seeking to become the first player to win both titles. After nine holes of the final round he had stretched his lead to five shots over his playing partner, who had struggled to the turn in 40. “Graeme began the back nine with bogeys at 10 and 11, and then four-
putted 12. I birdied that hole, and suddenly we were level,” said Van der Merwe. “He hooked his tee shot into a bush at the par-3 13th, took another double, and I was two ahead.” Watson closed with an 82, painfully failing by one shot to get into the playoff after Van der Merwe (78) made a hash of the closing hole with a double-bogey of his own after a three-putt.Van Dyk, from Langebaan, a friend and business colleague of Van der Merwe, also bogeyed 18 (71-76-75). So they tied on a total of six-over 222. Another Boland player, No 2-ranked Francois le Roux (De Zalze 74-74-75), tied for third for Watson, so it was a 1-2-3 for the local union. “The week was a real test of patience, because Hermanus was a fantastic test of golf,” said Ferdi. “My putting was frustrating, as I hit the ball well, but I had my partner Cornel (de Jager) on the bag, and she kept me calm and confident, which is what I needed to hole the winning putt for par on the first playoff hole.” Jock Wellington (Kyalami) was the Super Senior champion (60+) and ninth on his own on 226 (his 14th top 10 finish in 17 appearances). Stephen Johnston (Ruimsig) was fifth on 224, with Craig Poulton, Rurik Gobel and Morgan Phillips on 225. Brian Mampies, Stanley de Beer and Richard Bruyns were T-10 on 227. Defending champion Steve Williams was not in the field. E R N E S T B L I G N A U LT • S H A U N R O Y/ S P O R T Z P I C S
BUCKET LIST WIN FOR KAJAL Kajal Mistry showed her versatility in different conditions by winning the 54-hole Ackerman Championship in strong winds at Atlantic Beach in Cape Town. The 16-year-old from Randpark won by five shots from 20-year-old Sarah Bouch (Serengeti) with rounds of 7474-72. It was her fourth win of the year, two in Gauteng and two in the Western Cape, the other most recently the Boland title at Hermanus. “The Gus Ackerman Trophy is one of the best on our circuit, and by winning it I can tick another box on my bucket list,” said Mistry.
ALL AFRICA CHAMPS The KZN trio of Malcolm Mitchell, Clayton Mansfield and Matt Saulez, plus Garrick Higgo (Boland) defended South Africa’s title in the All Africa Championship at Elephant Hills (Victoria Falls), by 30 shots from Zimbabwe, with Reunion third. Mitchell won the individual title with 12-under 276 (67-68-73-68) by nine shots from Zimbabwe’s David Amm. Also pictured is SAGA vice-president Naadir Agherdien.
SANLAM CANCER CHALLENGE FINALS West Coast’s Uys wins again est Coast golfer De Villiers Uys of Xamarin CC in Lambert’s Bay defended his men’s title at Sun City during the 25th playing of the Sanlam Cancer Challenge National Final. Uys had a magnificent level par 72 in the second round at the Gary Player CC off his 7-handicap for 43 points, and a total of 79, having scored 36 points the first day at Lost City. He had the same total last year, with 39 and 40, to win by seven points. Uys won by six points from former Sunshine Tour pro Schalk van der Merwe (Gobabis, Namibia), who had 40 and 33, and another A division competitor, Saga Reddy (Umkomaas 35-38). Joyce Hughes of Dainfern CC made her second visit to the National Finals a winning one, claiming the women’s crown and the A section with scores of 36-39 off her 12 handicap. She parred her final hole (the par-5 ninth) to edge by one point 16-year-old Nicola Schoeman (Middelburg CC, Mpumalanga), who had 40-33 off 12. Hughes had her own reasons to feel emotional over her win. “My mom, my
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sister and my uncle all passed away due to cancer and my brother Douglas is currently undergoing cancer treatment. So this win is extra special and I dedicate it to Douglas, who is fighting this disease right now,” Hughes said. Other winners: Men’s B section, Francois Venter (Woodhill) 69; Men’s C, Thomas Liebenberg (Silver Lakes) 69; Women’s B,Veronica Tredoux (Benoni Lake) 65, Women’s C, Marika Neethling (Walvis Bay) 66.
The 25 Best Teachers . . . of All Time 1 butch harmon ▶ Between great jokes, he’ll make you a great golfer. 2 confucius ▶ Pithy, yet effective. 3 walter white ▶ Held the highest standards on purity. 4 yoda ▶ Find better wisdom, you will not. 5 vince lombardi ▶ In other words, second place is the first loser.
6 socrates ▶ That guy knew how to ask a question. 7 mr. miyagi ▶ “No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher.” 8 mr. kotter ▶ Never played favourites, even despite Barbarino’s great hair. 9 lillian müller ▶ The star of Van Halen’s “Hot Teacher” video didn’t have to say much to get a class interested.
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10 mr. hand ▶ Maximised teaching time and even made house calls.
14 john wooden ▶ “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”
18 professor irwin corey ▶ “The World’s Foremost Authority.”
22 ben stein ▶ Always eager to engage his students. “Anyone? Anyone?”
11 miss othmar ▶ The “Peanuts” teacher never let her voice overpower others.
15 mr. keating ▶ Got a class of teenage boys fired up about poetry. Amazing.
19 mr./mrs. garrison ▶ Third-grade teacher in “South Park” went on to become POTUS.
23 mother teresa ▶ Got the message across without a ruler.
12 anne sullivan ▶ Taught Hellen Keller. Nicknamed the Miracle Worker. Nuff said.
16 aristotle ▶ Though cheesy, his one-liners slayed students.
20 edna krabappel ▶ Encouraged underachievers like Bart Simpson to have realistic expectations.
13 voltaire ▶ “A witty saying proves nothing.” Now that’s witty!
17 miss crabtree ▶ Turned those “Little Rascals” into little angels.
21 laura ingalls wilder ▶ Excelled in small, rural classrooms.
24 albert einstein ▶ Forsook personal grooming to spend more time educating. 25 louanne johnson ▶ Turned a gangsta’s paradise into a thriving learning environment.
I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y S E A N M c C A B E
Mother Teresa: Tekee Tanwar/Getty Images • Lombardi: Focus on Sport/Getty Images • Williams: Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images • Miyagi: Columbia Pictures/Getty Images • Einstein: Ed Jackson/Ny Daily News Archive/Getty Images Kotter: Bettmann/Getty Images • Hand: Everett Collection • Harmon: Andrew Redington/Getty Images • socrates: getty images • stein: getty images • White: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images • WOODEN: GETTY IMAGEs
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