Golf Digest India - January 2017 by Golf Digest India

RNI No. HARENG/2016/66983 JANuARy 2017 `150

VolumE 1 IssuE 9

Think Young | PlaY hard

Beginnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide Best Corporate golfers golf on the go

Pawan Munjal Putting india on the global golf MaP Exclusive official media Partner INDIA

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how to play. what to play. where to play.

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Contents 01/17

ArgentinA l AustrAliA l Chile l ChinA l CzeCh republiC l FinlAnd l FrAnCe l hong Kong l IndIa l indonesiA l irelAnd KoreA l MAlAysiA l MexiCo l Middle eAst l portugAl l russiA l south AFriCA l spAin l sweden l tAiwAn l thAilAnd l usA

44 India Digest

Corporate Special 18 Pawan Munjal: Putting India On The Global Golf Map

Beginner’s guide Gett

by rohit bhardwaJ

22 Top Corporate Events

ing Starte d Talking Go lf

23 Corporate Sponsorship 26 Best Corporate Golfers 28 Golf On The Go

35 MercedesTrophy: Race to Stuttgart begins in Pune

30 How To Keep Your Game In Shape

36 Volvo World Golf Challenge

Features 72

Business Of Golf Industry updates

Players in the News Update on Indian Golfers around the world

Jack Nicklaus Recovery shots: Know when to take the risk

by louis oosthuizen

Controlling Your Wedges How to hit them the right distance. by Justin rose

Tom Watson Guide to good footwork

Hank Haney Beat blocks and hooks by synching up your swing

12 golf digest india | january 2017

USHA 100th All India Ladies Amateur Malaysia’s Nur Damian eclipses Diksha Dagar of India to claim coveted title by rohit bhardwaJ

Health & Fitness Belen Mozo

Swing Sequence: Danny Willett What you can learn from this former No. 1 amateur

Back to Basics Why training your hand movement will lead to better golf. by travis fulton

Undercover Tour Pro Bad advice and meddling on the range. with MaX adler

Think Young, Play Hard Hip-hop star Tyler, the Creator explains his fascination with “golf.”

Fire on Ice LET rookie Olafia Kristinsdottir of Iceland fights against geographical odds to pursue golf dream.

Club Round Up Updates from courses across India

Play Your Best

Easy Power My best tips for creating more speed with less effort. Inside Phil’s Wallet How much cash do golfers carry? by dave shedloski

The Golf Life

by ron kaspriske

by rohit bhardwaJ

Editor’s Letter Dear Readers,

oUR conTRiBUToRs

here is no doubt that the single biggest benefactor of golf in India has been Pawan Munjal of Hero MotoCorp. His success in industry has been a boon for the men and women’s game in our country. He has further put India firmly on the world map of golf through his title sponsorship of Tiger Woods’ event – now called the Hero World Challenge and more recently his foray with the European Tour at the British Masters for the Hero Challenge special contest. Hence it should come as no surprise that he graces our cover along with another gentleman whose impact on the game worldwide has been profound – Mr Woods!

Jack Nicklaus

Popularly known as The ‘Golden Bear’, Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time. He won a record 18 Majors during his playing career and is regarded as the ultimate thinker and strategist on the golf course. He lies third on the all-time winner list on the PGA Tour behind Sam Snead and Tiger Woods with 73 titles. Write to me at rishi@teamgolfdigest.com or

Our ‘Corporate Special’ this month aims on Twitter @RishiNarain_ to bring more awareness about why companies sponsor golf and why senior corporate leaders play the game. Also we list some of the best players in the corporate world. It is no easy task keeping up a 2 or 3 handicap playing only weekend golf but this is what some of the players mentioned actually manage to do. Further we have listed India’s best corporate tournaments consisting of events that set a high standard and have been consistently staged year after year. If we have left out some then do write in to us and tell us why you feel that tournament ought to be included. Golf Digest hopes to pique the interest of aspiring beginners and hence a section for those who want to ask all sorts of questions about the game but didn’t know where to go – gift them a copy of this magazine and hopefully they will be more inclined to start playing. There is plenty of golfing action coming up in the next few months and we will keep you updated with all the happenings around the country. Enjoy the great weather for golf in the next couple of months and do drop us a short email on anything noteworthy.

Rishi Narain

Team Golf DiGesT inDia Editor & Publisher Rishi Narain Managing Editor Rohit Bhardwaj

Contributing Editor Bharath Arvind

Editorial Assistant Vineet Mann

Marketing & Advertising Nikhil Narain nikhil@teamgolfdigest.com , +91-9999990364

Assistant Art Director Guneet Singh Oberoi

Srijan Yadav Subscriptions Chitwanmeet Cour/ Monika Chhabra srijan@teamgolfdigest.com , +91-9416252880 subscribe@teamgolfdigest.com Phone: +91-9999868051 Published and Printed by Rishi Narain on behalf of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited and Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18-35 Mile Stone, Delhi-Mathura Road, Faridabad-121 007, Haryana and published from 501, Sushant Tower, Sector-56, Gurgaon-122 011, Haryana. Editor: Rishi Narain. Contains material reprinted by permission from Golf Digest® and Golf World®. Golf Digest India is a monthly publication of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited.

14 golf digest india | january 2017

Golf DiGest international eDitions anD eDitors-in-Chief GD ArGentinA Hernán SimÓ, Jorge R. Arias AustrAliAn GD Brad Clifton GD Chile Rodrigo Soto GD ChinA Echo Ma GD CzeCh republiC Robin Drahonovsky GD FinlAnD Sami Markkanen GD FrAnCe Henry Trouillet GD honG KonG Echo Ma GD inDonesiA Irwan Hermawan GD irelAnD Linton Walsh GD KoreA Eun Jeong “EJ” Sohn GD MAlAysiA Patrick Ho GD MexiCo Rafa Quiroz GD MiDDle eAst Robbie Greenfield GD portuGAl João Morais Leitão GD russiA Fedor Gogolev GD south AFriCA Stuart McLean GD spAin Óscar Maqueda GD sweDen Oskar Åsgård GD tAiwAn Jennifer Wei GD thAilAnD Chumphol Na Takuathung GD usA Jerry Tarde

Tom Watson

Watson is an eighttime Major champion, with five British Open titles to his credit, who defied age by becoming the oldest professional golfer at 60 years to lead the second and third rounds of the 2009 British Open. He topped the World Rankings from 1978 to 1982.

Butch Harmon

Harmon is best known for having been Tiger Woods’ golf coach during the prime of his career from 1993 to 2004. He has also worked with other Major champions such as Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. Has topped many lists as the No. 1 rated golf instructor in the world.

David Leadbetter

Leadbetter, is without doubt the most celebrated golf instructor in history. His books, videos and DVD’s have sold in the millions worldwide. He came to wide notice in the 1980s when he rebuilt the swing of Nick Faldo, who then went on to win six Major championships. Apart from Faldo his students included Greg Norman (1997) and Ernie Els (1990–2008). Leadbetter changed golf instruction for all future generations from guesswork to science.

THIS NEW YEAR

GET READY FOR TAKE OFF WITH BIG BOY TOYZ

Letters to the Editor

From the

Readers Thank you for a timely copy of the magazine.It has certainly been a memorable year for Indian golf especially for women’s golf. I loved reading the piece on Aditi Ashok and would like to congratulate her for her fabulous win through this medium. The fact that the legendary Gary Player congratulated her, speaks volumes of the stature of her victory. The page on 100th All India Ladies Amateur Championship was quite refreshing with vintage photos. Your good work is duly appreciated. —Naveen Nigam, Vadodara As one of the early subscribers, I have noticed the growth of the magazine in terms of richness of content and depth of coverage. The void of a quality golf magazine is surely but steadily getting filled.In December I received an email from Golf Digest that from January onwards every issue will be a special issue focusing on various segments of our nascent golf industry. Looking forward to read them. I wish you and your team all the best in your endeavours. You guys are doing a great job in the service of the sport. Keep it up! —Wg. Cdr. Amlesh Yadav, Srinagar

It’s hard to believe that less than 12 months ago Golf Digest had shut shop and restarted and now in December 2016 its up and running, doing a fantastic job. GDI has always been the most reliable source of any news related to golf the world over. What is even better this time around is the depth of coverage related to golf in India. The articles covering the club news is phenomenal. Before this, unless you are a member of a certain club, you never get to know what’s happening all around the country. Last month, it was heartening to see young Aditi Ashok on the cover of the magazine. GDI is on the right path in promoting & covering our budding golfing talent. You make the starting of every month, the most exciting day for me when I receive your copy. —Mago Ramsundaram, Chennai

VOLUME 1 ISSU

E8 RNI NO. HARENG/2 016/6 DECEMBER 2016 6983 `150

THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

JUNIOR SPECIAL

MEMORABLE NOVEMBER

FOR INDIAN PROS

100 YEARS

OF LADIES AMATEUR GOLF

WONDER GIRL ADITI ASHOK BECOMES FIRST

INDIAN TO WIN ON THE EURO PEAN

TOUR

Exclusive Officia l Media Partner INDIA

MONTHLY LUCKY DRAW!!! The winner of new subscriber lucky draw contest will be announced on the Golf Digest India facebook page on the 30th of every month One new subscriber every month will win a Featherlite chair worth ` 20,000 through a lucky draw

Connect with us @IndiaGolfDigest

16 golf digest india | january 2017

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Corporate Special

InsIde 18 Pawan Munjal: Putting India On The Global Golf Map 22 Top Corporate Events 23 Corporate Sponsorship 26 Best Corporate Golfers 28 Golf On The Go 30 How To Keep Your Game In Shape BEGInnEr'S GuIdE 32 Getting Started 33 understanding Golf On TV 34 Art Of Talking Golf

Corporate Special Cover Story

Pawan Munjal: Putting India on the global golf map

In An Email Interview, Hero MotoCorp Chairman, MD & CEO, Pawan Munjal, Tells Golf Digest India About His Vision Of Expanding The Company To 50 Countries And His Commitment Towards Golf “I am excited to play in the Hero World Challenge at Albany. This is our 18th year, and every year we put together a top field that showcases the best golfers from the previous season. Albany is an outstanding setting, and I can’t thank Hero MotoCorp enough for their support of the tournament and my foundation.” — Tiger Woods, 14-time Major champion

n $3s 23.5.7m crore)

(R World Purse for Hero e Challeng on PGA Tour

Pawan Munjal with Tiger Woods during the Hero World Challenge at Albany in Bahamas

18 golf digest india | january 2017

Cover Story

Corporate Special

ROHIT BHARDWAJ rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

olf is one of the fastest growing sport in India and the one person who has single-handedly put it on the path to progress has been Hero MotoCorp Chairman, Managing Director & CEO, Pawan Munjal. Golf never was a natural choice for young children but over the years the success of Indian professionals overseas has managed to change the perception. Thanks to the platform provided by the Hero Indian Open, which has not only grown to become a European Tour tri-sanctioned tournament along with the Asian Tour and PGTI since 2015, but is also the highest prize money event in the country. This year the Hero Indian Open, to be staged at the DLF Golf & Country Club from March 9 to 12, will be a $1.75 million (Rs 11.85 crore approx) tournament, an increase of $90,000 since the last edition. The corporate czar has also been supporting the Women’s Indian Open since its inaugural edition in 2007. In 2010, Hero became the title sponsor of the tournament and lifted it to the Ladies European Tour (LET) the same year. Being an avid golfer himself, Munjal not only brought 14-time Major champion and former World No. 1 Tiger Woods to India in early 2014 but also hosts the American’s event on the PGA Tour, the $3.5 million Hero World Challenge. In an email interview, Munjal tells Golf Digest India how Hero MotoCorp has expanded its presence to 33 countries worldwide, it’s $126 million investment in an R&D facility in Jaipur and the company’s commitment to promoting golf in the country. Edited excerpts:

Market share

Over 50%

orcycle domestic mot market

“I have always believed that golf has the potential to become hugely popular in India... Today, many Indian golfers have made their mark on the international circuits”

—Pawan Munjal

domestic market in India, but has also emerged as a truly global brand. In a short GDI: Hero has been long-time sponsors span of time, we have expanded our global of prestigious golf events – both the presence to over 33 countries across Asia, men’s and women’s Indian Open. What Africa and Central and South America and prompted you to decide that you should plan to be present in 50 countries by invest in golf? 2020. Last year, our first overseas PM: Hero MotoCorp has been assomanufacturing facility became ciated with various disciplines operational in Colombia. Our of sports including golf, cricket, (Rs 11.8 crore) 17 second manufacturing facility hockey and football for over 20 r Prize money foOpen at a global location is coming two decades now. I have always Hero Indian ur up in Bangladesh, which will believed that golf has the potential To an pe ro Eu on become operational this year. to become hugely popular in India We have also set up a world class and over the years we have seen how state-of-the-art R&D facility – Global the game has evolved in the country. Centre of Innovation & Technology (CIT) Today, many Indian golfers have made their – in Jaipur, the capital city of the northern mark on the international circuits and made Indian state of Rajasthan. Built with an the country proud. The men’s Hero Indian investment of US$126 million, the Centre Open is part of the European Tour and sees has more than 500 engineers from India and participation from many top players from around the world working on Hero’s next across the world, putting India on the global generation of motorcycles and scooters. golfing map. The Maestro Edge and Duet scooters, and the Splendor iSmart 110 motorcycle – the GDI: How has Hero MotoCorp been first of our products, completely designed performing in the last few years? and developed by our in-house R&D team at PM: Over the past five years, Hero has the CIT – have received a positive response not just maintained its leadership in the

$1.75mn

“Indian golf has made tremendous strides over the years. From Arjun Atwal, Jeev Milkha Singh, Mukesh Kumar to the younger generation of golfers that include Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar and S.S.P Chawrasia, golf in India has never seen better times. Pawan Munjal has played an integral role in aiding the rise of Golf in India through his significant sponsorship especially with the Hero Indian Open and we applaud his vision and commitment. The Asian Tour will also continue to provide all golfers in India with the opportunities to compete at the highest level, allowing them to raise their game and become world beaters just like their compatriots.” — Josh Burack, Asian Tour CEO

“It is vital that golf introduces shorter formats to appeal to new audiences and the Hero Challenge onehole straight knockout contest will provide fast-paced entertainment. Last year’s British Masters introduced some terrific innovations, ranging from live masterclasses to on-course interviews, and the Hero Challenge will be another exciting new concept for our fans.” — Keith Pelley, European Tour CEO

january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special Cover Story

“My success in the highly-competitive world of global golf is a testimony to what we can achieve with the right kind of support and encouragement. It gives me immense pleasure to share this moment with the Hero family and particularly with Mr. Munjal, who has been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement throughout my professional career. I am sure with the kind of commitment that Hero has in promoting sportspersons in the country, we will have many more champions emerging out of India in the coming year.” — Anirban Lahiri, Highest-ranked Indian pro

$1s28564 crmore)n

(R r R&D Investment fo ipur Ja in y facilit

Pawan Munjal at Hero MotoCorp’s R&D facility in Jaipur

“In a short span of time, we have expanded our global presence to over 33 countries across Asia, Africa and Central and South America and plan to be present in 50 countries by 2020.” from customers and are helping us consolidate our leadership position. Over the past five years, we have remained the dominant market leader in the country – still having over 50% market share in the domestic motorcycle market - and we are confident of continuing our strong performance in the future as well.

off with Tiger at the iconic Delhi Golf Club. The club was packed with the enthusiasts and fans that day. Occasions such as these inspire young kids to pick-up the game and pursue it as a career option. We were more than happy to become the enabler of this unique opportunity for the fans to come and watch Tiger Woods play up close.

GDI: You were in the news for GDI: How has the company bringing Tiger Woods to India benefitted after making Tiger re Hero Woods the brand ambassador? for the first time ever. Can you Countries wheence has a pres PM: Our association with Tiger please share the experience of Woods as our Global Corporate playing with Tiger at the DGC? Partner is reflective of Brand Hero’s PM: Tiger is not just a golfing chamrapidly expanding global footprint. pion; he is truly a phenomenon and Having been associated with the game an icon for millions around the world. An in India for many years, and being the title achiever par excellence, Tiger’s appeal and sponsor of the Hero Indian Open for both charisma spans across continents cutting men and women for several years, it is only through barriers of geography, age, lanbefitting that we should be stepping on to guage, and nationalities. the global arena of golf with the Hero World It was a one-of-a-kind experience to tee-

20 golf digest india | january 2017

“We have had really good sponsors, especially Hero MotoCorp, who have supported the Women’s Indian Open and the local tour for quite some time now. More girls will have a chance to take golf as a career than five years ago. That’s a good change and hopefully with my win there will be a lot more girls wanting to play golf.” — Aditi Ashok, Two-time winner on the LET

“Mr. Pawan Munjal’s contribution to sport in general and women’s golf in particular has indeed been immense. It is entirely due to his support that today we can boast of a domestic Tour for our girls who can aspire to improve their game and compete internationally. His continued sponsorship of the Women’s Indian Open has showcased India as a favourite destination for the world’s top women golfers. We have just completed the 10th edition of our flagship event and the last decade has been a learning curve for all of us. The WGAI Board is indeed grateful for Mr. Pawan Munjal’s generosity and encouragement, without which this journey would not have been possible.” — Kavita Singh, WGAI president

Cover Story

L-R: The hosts of the India Nite, Pawan Munjal with wife Aniesha, Tiger Woods and his mother Kultida

Corporate Special

Pawan Munjal with former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Finals in Dubai

Challenge. Going forward, we will further participate at global events, like this year we partnered with the prestigious British Masters. The innovative Hero Challenge one-hole knockout, played under floodlights, featured TV and Cricket celebrities and was a major success with spectators.

the players, organizers, and fans of the game. During the inaugural year, when Arnold Palmer made a surprise appearance at our welcome reception and gave us a thumbs-up for our new endeavor, it made an enormous difference to all of us and made us feel welcome and part of the community.

$400,000

Aditi Ashok receiving the 2016 Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy from Pawan

GDI: You have been hosting (Rs 2.7 crore) the Hero World Challenge r Women’s GDI: Hero MotoCorp has been Prize money fo Ladies supporting top Indian pros in the Bahamas. What has Indian Open on ur Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, been the feedback from top European To Daniel Chopra and Sharmila professionals about the first Nicollet since the last 6 years. Do two editions? PM: When we hosted the first edition of you plan to support more promising the hero World Challenge, there was not Indian golfers in the coming years? much awareness about Brand Hero in PM: Over the years, we have supported the United States. However, over the past promising sportspersons in different distwo years, we have received tremendous ciplines and will continue to play this role appreciation and positive feedback from in the future as well.

“Over the last decade, the Hero Women’s Indian Open has inspired a new generation of Indian golfers to follow their dreams to succeed at the highest level… Alongside our partners – Hero MotoCorp and WGAI – we are determined to continue creating a strong legacy for women’s golf in India for years to come.” — Ivan Khodabakhsh, LET CEO

“Mr. Pawan Munjal’s undying support to Indian golf has helped in placing the country on the international golfing map. His name has become synonymous with the country’s flagship golfing event, the Indian Open, which has attracted some of the biggest names of world golf to India over the years. His other initiatives such as the facilitation of Tiger Woods’ golfing trip to India, the staging of the Hero World Challenge on

the USPGA Tour and the support of the Indian domestic women’s tour, have contributed towards further raising India’s stature in the world of golf.” — Uttam Singh Mundy, PGTI director

“Hero MotoCorp have been supporting Indian golf for more than 20 years and if there is someone who has singlehandedly brought Indian Open to the international level is Mr Pawan Munjal. He has not only enhanced the prize money of the tournament but also put it on the European Tour to give Indian golfers a feel of the international competition. IGU is a nursery of golf and we have been churning out talented amateurs and sending them to the professional tours, where they have excelled and made the country proud. Mr Munjal with his passion for golf has helped these pros become heroes in their own right. — Satish Aparajit, IGU president january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

Golf DiGest list of top Corporate tournaments  aCCenture invitational Cup  auDi

Quattro Cup  BmW Golf sport  Business toDay pro-am  Christel house Charity Golf  Cornerstone Cup KarnataKa Golf festival  GoDrej properties Golf ChallenGe  GolDen eaGles Golf Championship  Grover vineyarDs inter-CluB Golf Championship  itC Cup  maDhavrao sCinDia Golf tournament  merCeDestrophy  suDhir ClassiC  turKish airlines WorlD Golf Cup  voDafone tee WalK  volvo WorlD Golf ChallenGe  WorlD Corporate Golf ChallenGe

22 golf digest india | january 2017

Corporate Special

Corporate Sponsorship Senior Corporate Leaders Tell Golf Digest India Why Their Firms Have Been Investing In The Sport

Sanjay Singh

EVP & Global Head (HR), Crompton Greaves Event Sponsored: `1 crore CG Open (on PGTI)

Take Chennai team owner HR Srinivasan (L-R) with golfers Khalin Joshi, SSP Chowrasia and Chikkarangappa S and coach Divakar Vasu celebrate after winning the 2016 Louis Philippe Cup

HR Srinivasan

We are also trying to provide greater playing opportunities by sponsoring tournaments on the Indian and Asian Tours.

GDI: How long has your company been associated with golf? TAKE has been associated with golf for over a decade in various forms, be it through the creation of unique event properties or the sponsorship of deserving players. The event properties that TAKE has conceptualized and supported, cover the entire range of the sport – from amateur to professional. These include: TAKE Solutions World Corporate Golf Challenge TAKE Solutions Masters – Asian Development Tour event TAKE Solutions India Golf Awards TAKE Chennai Team (Louis Philippe Cup) – the only IPL style golf tournament in India TAKE Solutions Open and TAKE Solutions Classic – PGTI tournaments

GDI: How do you evaluate the success of your sponsorship? TAKE is a global brand operating in Life Sciences and other niche spaces, and consequently caters to a very niche target audience. It has been a conscious strategy for the company to engage with and build a long-term relationship amongst this niche using the unique platform of Golf. We have witnessed emphatic success in this regard and its measure is two-pronged. Firstly, in the creation of our aforementioned golf properties, we have been successful in creating significant mindshare among our desired target audience over a sustained period of time. These include top leaders from the business community, the investment and financial community. By sponsoring golf events, we have established a significant presence in the golfing fraternity, an area of interest for our target audience. Through this, we have built significant brand equity. Our corporate golf tournament has been the most sought after one in the country as have been the Pro-Ams of our sponsored tournaments. Our success in building this strong connect with our stakeholders also received validation in the form of the “Most Admired Brand – IT” award bestowed by the Asian Customer Engagement Forum awards. Additionally, our sponsored players act as our brand ambassadors nationally and internationally. Their tremendous achievements at the Indian, Asian and European Tours have created tremendous global visibility for our brand.

Vice-Chairman & MD, Take Solutions

TAKE also supports pro golfers: SSP Chawrasia, Khalin Joshi, Chikkarangappa S, Shubhankar Sharma, Chiragh Kumar and Abhishek Jha GDI: What is the rationale behind your sponsorship? TAKE has always been dedicated to the agenda of placing Indian golf on the global map. We believe that for the sport to develop, corporate support is essential and can either go towards the infrastructure or towards supporting the players. We are trying to do our bit by identifying and supporting talented and dedicated players to make them focus on improving their game.

GDI: How long has your company been associated with golf? CG has been associated with golf through CG Open since 2006, the event held in association with PGTI. GDI: What is the rationale behind your sponsorship? It has been our pleasure to be part of this prestigious event and endorse the game and homegrown golfing talent. CG Open has developed into a marquee event and there is significant brand value associated with it. The objective has been to promote professional golf in the country and create an avenue for growth for new professional golfers. The popularity of the tournament signifies brand visibility and recognition, and sport is always a great platform to create engagement with the target audience. The Pro-Ams garner attention from senior corporate executives and the tournament creates a platform for engaging interactions. GDI: How do you evaluate the success of your sponsorship? CG Open is one of the most exclusive sporting events in India. It is the largest golfing event in the Western Region of the country and is one of the longest-running tournaments on the PGTI. The success of the event can be evaluated in the manner it has grown to be a prestigious golfing championship in India, attracting some of the best golfing talents every year. It is a one-of-its kind experience and hosts the country’s leading golfers like Rashid Khan, Shubhankar Sharma, Khalin Joshi to name a few and also prominent foreign players. january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

Manish Sharma

CEO, Panasonic India; Event Sponsored: $400,000 Panasonic Open India (on Asian Tour) GDI: How long has your company been associated with golf? Panasonic India hosted Open golf tournament for a sixth consecutive time this year. The tournament was launched in the year 2011 and has propelled the careers for many leading players including home hero Anirban Lahiri, who won his first Asian Tour title at the inaugural edition. Mukesh Kumar is 2016’s winner and has become oldest Asian Tour winner. The game is encouraging upcoming players. GDI: How do you evaluate the success of your sponsorship? The association with the sport is one of the ways in which we hope at propelling the vision of the company. Sports is an ideal pathway towards achieving discipline and a better lifestyle overall, and that is something we have been propagating, A Better Life A Better World. Panasonic Open has attracted some of the leading Asian players on the Asian Tour such as Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera, Thailand veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat, and Steve Lewton of England among others. GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? I was introduced to the game by a few friends of mine, we would often get a tee off whilst spending time together. It is then when I was taken aback by the sheer brilliant elegance of the sport and haven’t looked back since. Apart from the professional allegiance, golf is very personal to me and I try making as much efforts as possible to make the open a gearing success. GDI: What do you love most about golf? Golf is an outdoor version of chess, the sport I am extremely fond off. They both require extreme levels of concentration and strategic approach, a continuous activity for the brain. I always look forward to that.

Ozer Guler

General Manager, Turkish Airlines India Event Sponsored: Turkish Airlines World Cup of Golf GDI: How long has your company been associated with golf? In India, Turkish Airlines has been hosting Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup tournament since 2013, in New Delhi & Mumbai. Over the last 4 years, the tournament has emerged as one of the most awaited golfing events for corporates and media with the number of participants increasing with every passing year. The national flag carrier of Turkey is also sponsoring a $7 million European Tour event and it is organizing amateur golf series since 2013 as well. GDI: What is the rationale behind your sponsorship? Turkish Airlines sponsorship of Golf tournaments not only creates significant brand visibility amongst the right clientele but also gives us one-

on-one access to influencers, corporate honchos, media and other stakeholders. Such sponsorship is an ideal fit for Turkish Airlines, building strong link between the airline and corporates. GDI: How do you evaluate the suc c ess of your sponsorship? Over the last 4 years, we have seen a surge in our engagement with corporate & business travellers from India. Most of the corporates who participate in golf tournament are also flying regularly with Turkish Airlines

Kapil Grover

Chairman, Grover Vineyards Event Sponsored: Inter-Club Golf Championship GDI: How long has your company been associated with golf? Grover Zampa Vineyards Ltd has been sponsoring the Western India Interclub Golf Champoinship for 21 years. Infact the 21st edition of the tournament will be held in early February. GDI: What is the rationale behind your sponsorship? As we are producers of wine which is considered a Premium product, we thought of the association with Golf which is a Premium sport. GDI: How do you evaluate the success of your sponsorship? The tournament has grown in stature and we have had plenty of press coverage of the event. We have also used this event as a type of surrogate advertising. I consider this association a great success.

24 golf digest india | january 2017

Corporate Special

C Sasidhar

MD, Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. Event Sponsored: Golden Eagles Golf Championship “Every golf course normally holds tournaments and since we are developing a links style golf course at our port, we could garner recognition for it through the Golden Eagles Golf Championship. As golf courses do not advertise, such tournaments help in bringing p e o p l e t o g e t h e r, strengthening the camaraderie among the fraternity and making people aware of both – Golden Eagles Championship as well as the CVR Links.”

PSPB: In The Service of Sport Petroleum Sports Promotion Board(PSPB) was established in June, 1979, with objectives to develop, promote, encourage, co-ordinate and organize various sports and games in the petroleum sector and the country at large.. PSPB hosted its 1st Inter unit Golf Tournament during the year 1980-81. Approximately 100 Golfer are taking part in an annual event.Amongst the IGU TOP Ranked Golfer most of them are from PSPB. PSPB is seeking affiliation with Indian Golf Union for participation of PSPB teams in National/Internationals events. In addition to this we have a scheme of financial assistance to grant assistance to players in their international participation. Currently 12 Pubic Sector organizations from the Petroleum Sector are members of PSPB as under: Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd., Indian Oil Corp. Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd., Oil India Limited, GAIL India Ltd., Engineers India Limited, Chennai Petroleum Corp. Ltd., Mangalore Refinery Petrochemicals Ltd., Numaligarh Refinery Ltd., Balmer Lawrie., Petronet LNG Limited. Current & Past Golfers Supported By Petroleum Sports Promotion Board

Rahil Gangjee

BP Kumar Babu

Chairman & MD, Cornerstone Properties Event Sponsored: Cornerstone Cup Karnataka Golf Festival

Himmat Rai

GDI: What is the rationale behind your sponsorship? Golf as a game gives us the right connect with both B2B and B2C. Golf is not just a sport but a lifestyle statement. GDI: How do you evaluate the success of your sponsorship? Golf Tourism in Karnataka holds tremendous potential especially due to the salubrious climate Bengaluru offers. With the Karnataka government adding golf tourism to its tourism policy and offering incentives to set up golf courses across the State, this move could help bring in golf enthusiasts from other parts of the country and abroad. The crème de la crème of Bangalore was present during the 4 days of the event and provided us with excellent and focused branding opportunities for Cornerstone as a Corporate entity.

Chiragh Kumar

Gaganjeet Bhullar, Gaurav Ghei, Dinesh Verma, Amit Dubey, Pawan Pratap, Jaideep Patwardhan, Pranita Grewal, Harmeet Kahlon, Shiv Kapur Ashok Kumar, Jasjeet Singh, Keshav Mishra, Gagan Verma, Simarjeet Singh, Gurbaaz Mann, Manav Das, Saurav Bahuguna, Urvashi Sethi Sodhi, Prinita Grewal, Shruti Khanna, Anjali Chopra, Irina Brar, Vandana Agarwal, Mayali Talwar, Amit Nigam, Karanjit Singh, Girish Virk, Harendra Gupta, Tarun Ghogale, Karan Vasudev, Shaurya Singh, Vikrant Chopra, Moin Mallik, Karan Vasudev, Rahul Bagar, H.S. Kang, Nashir Jha, Aman Jyot Singh, Abhinav Lohan, Jaskirit Dullet, Shalini Malik, Udayan Mane, Aman Raj, Chikkarangappa S.

Rashid Khan

january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

Golf DiGest list of Best Corporate Golfers  aDitya Khaitan (2) royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata  aKshay KilaChanD (5) Willingdon sports Club, Mumbai  aMan saWhney (7) Dlf Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon  arun MuruGappan (5) tnGf Cosmopolitan, Chennai  DaviD D’souza (1) Karnataka Golf association, Bengaluru  DevanG shah (5) Kalhaar Blues & Greens, ahmedabad  GanGesh Khaitan (3) Jaypee Greens resort, Greater noida  harMeet sahney (6) royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata  KK BaJoria (3) Delhi Golf Club, new Delhi  Manish Jaitha (5) poona Golf Club, pune

Eligibility: Golfers who do not compete on the IGU national circuit and who are in leadership positions in business concerns * Handicaps in brackets (Please write in to us if you know someone who might belong in this list)

26 golf digest india | january 2017

Corporate Special

Arun Murugappan

MD, Murugappa Group Home Club - TNGF Cosmo (Chennai); Handicap – 5

GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? Some 25 years ago on a rainy day my friend Arvind Swamy ( who is a popular actor now) had nothing better do to but play some nintendo video games. We were playing the golf game and I was loosing pretty bad and he suggested I go learn the real game. So promptly the next day we went to the Madras Gymkhana Club, Guindy to hit some balls. From the first shot I hit, I knew I wanted to play the game. Being an avid sportsperson all my life it didn’t take long for me to get going . I have been hooked on to the game ever since. That was my introduction to golf. GDI: What do you love most about golf? I love everything about the game and I am a very serious golfer. I watch it on TV and I also get most

of my coaching from youtube . What I like the most is when I hit a good shot. To see the ball go where it was intended to go , the satisfaction is uncompareable. I also like playing in different courses in different countries , meeting new people, playing in famous courses (last month I played at The Belfry for the second time). GDI: How often do you play? I play every Saturday and Sunday morning. I try to hit balls at the range atleast once a week. Recent achievements: Winner – Monthly medal at Madras Golf Club (MGC) in October & November 2016 Runner-up – 2016 TNGF Open

"I love everythIng about the game. When I hIt a good shot, to see the ball go Where It Was Intended to go, the satIsfactIon Is uncompareable."

Aman Sawhney

CEO, Swiss Military Home Club - DLF GCC (Gurgaon) Handicap – 7 GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? I don’t remember but if I do I will beat the hell out of the guy. GDI: What do you love most about golf? I am challenging my mental and physical faculties every time with no one to blame with the only principle I follow in life kaizen - continuous improvement. GDI: How often do you play? Saturday definitely and weekdays if tournaments are happening. Recent achievements: Winner – 2015 Panasonic Open Pro-Am with Sujjan Singh DLF annual men’s doubles matchplay runners-up two years in a row Runner-up – 2015 Volvo World Golf Challenge (handicap 0-18) Best gross Take Solutions national final - Glenmarie Golf Club, Malaysia

Akshay Kilachand

Director, Kesar Enterprises Home Club – Willingdon Sports Club (Mumbai) Handicap – 5

GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? I was introduced to the game by my grandfather Ambalal Kilachand at the age of 6 and I used to play as part of his fourball. GDI: What do you love most about golf? Golf teaches you two very valuable lessons. 1. To be patient and not get flustered when you play a bad shot or hole as one can always recover from that, 2. To be an honest player on the course and play by the rules. GDI: How often do you play? I play on weekends. Recent achievements: Winner – BMW National Final, Turkish Airlines Open Pro-Am and Take Solutions World Corporate Golf Challenge

january 2017 | golf digest india

28 golf digest india | january 2017

N O F L O G

O G E TH

SE E TH TER Y TR FAS ? ICE TTER T AC T bE R O p O GE T E Im Ip S T ITH T NO EE T Y Sm R TH RAND bY

G RO OVE A GO -TO SHOT

Everything here is about getting the most from your golf time. First, instead of working on a bunch of greenside shots, pick a wedge— a 56-degree is good—and groove one basic swing that returns the shaft at impact to where it was at address. This is what I taught my friend Frank Voigt (left), a business executive trying to improve on his 8-handicap. Your weight should favor your front side, and you want to skid the club’s sole along the turf and under the ball. By adjusting the ball position up or back, you can vary the trajectory to hit different shots.

LO CK IN YOUR TOUCH

From 20 to 40 feet is what I call the “sweet spot” in putting. It’s where most of your first putts come. The way many people practice—rolling random 10-footers and banging a few 50 feet across the green— doesn’t address this reality. To improve your speed, build a practice grid on a green. Use lengths of string to make two sets of lines in 10-foot increments. Create the first set at 20, 30 and 40 feet, and an identical set next to your starting spot so you can work in a loop. Roll putts up to each of the first set of lines, longest to shortest, then putt back to the second. Give it an hour a week, and you’ll drop a few shots by spring.

FO CUS YOUR WORKOUTS

If you’re going to the gym, don’t forget your golf game. Grab a medicine ball, and get into your golf setup with a solid wall to your left. Mimic your backswing, then throw the ball into the wall with some force (watch out for the rebound). Do this several times. In addition to strengthening key muscles, the weight of the ball forces you to sequence body motion the same way you should with a golf club. Your lower body, arms and chest have to work together. For muscular balance, turn around and throw lefty, too.

randy smith, a Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher, is based at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. Photograph by J.D. Cuban

Corporate Special

How To Keep Your Even When You Can’t Get To The Course

By RIsHI NaRaIN

During the winter season, golf activity in India really gets going. There are corporate tournaments, club tournaments and lots of fun events at the clubs. The weather in most Indian cities is at its most conducive to the game and everyone yearns to get out and play some golf. Unfortunately for many corporate golfers, this is also the season when a lot of business activity increases as well. This is the season for foreign delegations, international conferences, trade shows along with yearending deadlines, budget presentations, travel commitments all eating into valuable golfing time. Where are you supposed to find the time to play let alone get on the range to hit a bucket full of golf balls ? For all you corporate executives who find yourselves in this predicament, here are some tips on how to keep the cobwebs away during those weary weekdays and other times when you cannot get out to even take a practice swing on the front lawn:

Stay Limber: Obviously the one

thing to avoid during the cool weather and infrequent rounds is a sore back or shoulder. To avoid straining a muscle, do stretches as often as you can – preferably daily. Make sure your lower back and your neck and shoulders get the most attention as this is where there is maximum stress and risk of injury. One stretch you can do just before putting on your suit in the morning - While standing upright, hold a golf club in both hands with both arms extended in front of you at shoulder height. Keep your feet shoulder width apart and go through a complete spinal rotation motion. This is a favourite stretch of golf professionals because it addresses the specific golf muscles.

Practice your putting: Buy

yourself an artificial turf putting mat – they are available at most good pro shops and cost around Rs 2000. There is even a deluxe version which at the press of a button simulates various slopes of the green. You can practice the basics of the stroke anytime – in your office or at home. Work on a few good basics like keeping your head still, keeping your grip pressure light and taking your putter straight back and through (most mats have a white line to help with this). This will keep you in touch with the feel of your putter and build confidence for the weekend game.

30 golf digest india | january 2017

Frank Schloeder

President (act.), BMW India Home Club - DLF GCC (Gurgaon), Golf Club Kronach (Germany); Handicap – 24.7 GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? I was introduced to the game of golf almost a decade ago at BMW Golf sport event. The intriguing nature of the game inspired me to learn and enjoy the sport. GDI: What do you love most about golf? Golf an indulging sport and is a fine test of character. It teaches you to be humble. GDI: How often do you play? With an exciting and power packed work schedule I reserve my weekends to rejoice and reflect upon the recent experiences at work and personal life. I enjoy playing golf and have had the opportunity to play golf in one of the best golf courses in India.

Recent achievements:

Won an amateur golf tournament in the net scoring in my father’s home club in Trier, Germany in 2014

Corporate Special

Game In Shape 3

Practice swing in front of a full length mirror: while doing so

try to check your address position and take dummy swings while keeping a good rhythm and perfect balance – the foundations of consistency. Do not get bogged down in technicalities like bending your elbow, cocking your wrists and rotating your shoulders. Instead, concentrate on a good set up and then focus on smoothness, a good rhythm and keeping your balance. Simple thoughts like these will give you better results on the course. Leave complex mechanics to professional players who have all day to work on their swing technique.

Warm up before you tee off. So

its Saturday and you’re on the tee at 8 am. Typically, you would meet your foursome at the clubhouse and sip a cup of tea before teeing off. WRONG ! Get there 40 minutes ahead of time – do a few stretches on the range; then hit no more than 30 shots starting with the wedge and working 4 shots with alternate numbered irons before ending off with a couple of fairway woods and the driver. Then, while your buddies are sipping tea – get onto the practice putting green for 15 minutes and work on putts in the 20 foot range – this will get you thinking about speed and feel. Find a rhythm to help you gauge the speed of the putts and round off the session after you’ve holed a few of those confidence testing three footers around the hole. This 45 minute routine will save you an average of five to eight strokes off your score if you are a 20 handicap golfer –an investment well worth your time.

Tom von Bonsdorff

Ranvir Bhandari

EVP Growth & Business Development, ITC Hotels Home club – Tollygunge Club (Kolkata), KGA (Bengaluru), DLF GCC (Gurgaon), ITC Classic (Gurgaon), TNGF Cosmo (Chennai); Handicap: 16 GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? Being an avid squash player, I really did not take to golf until 2001. As the General Manager of The Oberoi Grand, I had hosted a golf tournament for our top Japanese clients including the Japanese Ambassador at the Tollygunge Club. The Japanese golfers insisted that the host must tee off first along with the Japanese Ambassador. All my protests that I had never hit a golf ball fell on deaf ears and there I was with a borrowed driver looking down the fairway from the first tee with a packed gallery of onlookers. Inexplicably that particular drive (280 yards) was the best drive that I had ever hit thus far. That encouraged me so much that I played the tournament with his Excellency despite the fact that I had never played Golf before. GDI: What do you love most about golf? For me golf is a fantastic bonding with friends and an amazing arena to make new friends. It is a game that teaches you to keep rising after falling and teaches you character, grit and patience. It is also a great leveller as it never allows you to continuously fly high and brings you down to earth very often. I love the competitive spirit that the game evokes. GDI: How often do you play? My hectic travel and being in a job that demands a 24/7 focus, my golfing frequency has reduced to playing once in ten days. Recent achievements: Runners-up at the Pro-Am of the Dubai Desert Classic; Twice winner of the ITC Cup and ITC Monsoon Cup, Kolkata; Winner of the Economic Times leaders challenge; British Airways Challenge Cup, Kolkata; Business Today Golf Tournament, Kolkata

MD, Volvo auto India Home Clubs – Bruks Golf (Finland), ITC Classic (Gurgaon) Handicap – 20

people, whether it’s family, friends, customers or business partners. Constantly trying to get better. I also very much enjoy the visual beauty of golf courses

GDI: How did you get introduced to the game? I was 25 when I played for the first time. Two main reasons: my wife’s family are very keen on players, and we were a group of friends that got inspired at the same time.

GDI: How often do you play? Unfortunately less than ones a month. I haven’t played a tournament in quite some time.

GDI: What do you love most about golf? Spending time with interesting

Recent achievements: My best memory in winning a tournament was many years ago. I scored 39 bogey points, and I was blamed for playing with the wrong handicap. Truth was that I had a very good day, and quite some luck. january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

How to get started

By RisHi NaRaiN

– then spend ten days going to the course for two hours per day and you will have achieved more progress than someone who has been going twice per week for 6 weeks. After the initial ten days make sure you venture onto the course with an instructor. The clubs are the best source of information on who the instructors are . Generally for good instructors, lesson rates vary from Rs 500 to Rs 1500 per half hour. It’s well worth paying the fee because of the time and frustration you will save. The fee for playing on the course varies around Rs 500 to Rs 3000 for an 18 hole round which takes 4 – 5 hours. You will need to take a caddy who carries your clubs and can be a helpful guide around the course. Caddies get paid between Rs 500- 800 per 18 hole round.

EquipmEnt

ith cool weather across most of India for the next couple of months, this is the ideal time to make a start in golf. If you are one of those sporty types who have been looking to make a break into the game, my advice is to take advantage of the pleasant outdoor temperatures, find a friend who already plays or also wants to start golf and don’t procrastinate further. Learning golf is full of positives – you get to breathe some good clean air in the middle of a green oasis – away from the noise and crowds. The learning environment of Golf is a world apart from your normal busy places of visit. Start out by becoming a member of the Indian golf union (IGU) – which is not difficult . Check out their website at www. indiangolfunion.org from where you can

download a membership form. In the past to become a member of the IGU, you needed to first be a member of a golf club (a Catch 22 situation)– but this has changed. Anyone can join now and get preferred rates and access at IGU member golf clubs. To get started, plan on going to the club of your choice on the weekend for around two hours each day for 5 consecutive weekends. Each time spend one hour with an instructor and the second hour on your own. The instructor will show you the basics – how to position your hands on the grip, how to stand to the ball – how to aim your shots and how to determine what shot to play. The starting position and preparation for the shot is half the game and time should be spent in getting the posture and position of the ball relative to your feet and body correct. If you can take some time off from work

plan on going to the club on weekends for around two hours each day 32 golf digest india | january 2017

Contrary to popular belief golf equipment is not terribly expensive. A beginner’s set can be purchased for as little as Rs 20,000 for the complete set which is good for the first couple of years unless you become an avid player and want to go in for a quick upgrade after the first few months. Practically all leading international brands have distribution at the club pro shops and you can spend anywhere from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lac or more for a good set of clubs which last upto 10 years. The preferred brands are Callaway, Ping, Titleist, Taylor –Made, Wilson and Mizuno. Shoes are made by Footjoy, Adidas, Reebok and Nike and can set you back between Rs 3000 – Rs 10,000. Of course they will last you three to five years depending on how regularly you play. Initially as a good pair of normal jogging / walking athletic shoes will do. A glove is useful to prevent blistering of the left hand. You can pick up good gloves for around Rs 400-500 or go in for the name brand like Titleist or FootJoy at around Rs 700-1500 each. A glove will last you between a month – six months depending on how much you practice and play. For the rank beginner – you do not need to invest in all this equipment on day one. At the club, you can rent a club for a nominal fee of Rs 50 per club to take your initial lessons. You will need to rent a bucket of 50 practice balls at around Rs 50 for a bucket. Every time you go to practice you will hire golf balls, a couple of rental clubs – a 5 iron ( to learn the full swing) , 9 iron ( to learn the short chip shots) and a putter – to learn the all important art of putting. So its easier than you think to get started in golf – a reasonable investment to begin with and a lifetime of pleasure awaits you. Make this winter season your time to get into golf.

Corporate Special

Tips To Understand Golf On TV Even if you are not a golfer yet, the next time you see golf on a sports channel in India, watch for a By RisHi NaRaiN while and be amazed at what is going on...

professional golfer has to combine the power of a powerful batsman with the deft touch of a billiards player and the skill of a darts player, all at once.. Driving the ball distances of over 300 yards on every tee shot requires the golfer to generate clubhead speed of over 100 kmph. That’s like hitting the ball over the bowler’s head and out of the stadium every single shot !! Approach shots from 200 yards and less require accuracy and judgement of distance, similar to steering the ball between the fielders accurately. When the golfer gets close to the green, within twenty yards, say, he is to lob the ball lightly like a champion darts player so it lands on the precise spot on the green the size of a handkierchief. And when he rolls the ball smoothly across the putting surface into the hole, he needs the sublime stroke of a billiards champion. Combine these completely different skills with the fact that golfers are completely at the mercy of the elements. Wind, for example. A golf ball weighs as much as an ordinary chicken egg and wind speeds of 20 kmph, which is just a strong breeze, can change the distance and direction the ball travels by some 30 yards ! The golfer has to first figure out how far he is from his target, then factor in wind speeds and direction, elevation changes (because when going uphill the ball will fly shorter distances than when he is playing downhill) and then hit the shot precise dis-

when he rolls the ball into the hole, he needs the sublime stroke of a billiards champion tances. A professional golfer trains himself to vary distances accurately so that if he needs to hit the ball 185 yards, he can do so , give or take 5 yards, 95% of the time ! But the professional players on TV make it all look so easy – it can’t be that hard can it? Well consider how much time these players have spent perfecting their craft. The average 30 year old pro on the circuit will have spent an average of 15 years working on his game for around 8 hours per day. From junior golf days in high school, through college and then into the international amateur and then pro ranks – anyone playing on the major pro tours around the world has to work 8 – 10 hours per day on the golf course. The day begins with 2 hours hitting balls and practicing chipping and putting, playing an 18 hole round of golf which takes 4-5 hours followed by another 2-3 hour session ironing out problems experienced on the course that day. This is all work on the course and doesn’t count the stretching, yoga and weight training, running and gym work that all profes-

sional players find mandatory these days to stay competitive in the modern era of golf. Then there is also working on your swing technicalities with a master coach, studying slow motion replays of your golf swing on video and comparing it with similar replays of the great players. Not to mention the sports psychologist or friend with whom you discuss the mental challenges of performance in pressure packed situations. And then of course there is the travel, time zone changes and variety of golf courses you need to deal with. One day is a noisy crowd in Shanghai, and then cold weather in Finland followed by playing in the dry heat of Arizona and back to the sweltering humidity of Singapore !! Not only are there climate and time changes, there is also the fact that no two golf courses are alike. The size of a tennis court doesn’t change an inch, no matter where in the world you are. And cricket grounds have more or less the same shape. But heck – Pebble Beach atop the cliffs of Carmel overlooking the Pacific is a far cry from the mountainous inland courses of Japan. And the bumpy windswept links of St. Andrews, Scotland where there is no flat surface on the course, is completely different than the flat fairways and thorny bushes of Delhi Golf Club. So next time you switch on the TV, just wonder in amazement and how these geniuses have honed their skills and minds to overcome the elements and achieve sublime ball control and you will enjoy your viewing much more. january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

THE ART OF “TALKING GOLF”

The next time you are at a business conference and the CEO starts talking about his latest game of golf in California or your buddies at a party start comparing the size of their “drivers”, it needn’t sound Greek to you. By Rishi NaRaiN Here is the essential conversation follower guide for non golf-nuts.

round of golf is played over a golf course of 18 holes. The objective of the game on each “hole” is to get the ball from the starting point or “tee’ to the finishing point, the “cup”, in the fewest number of hits of the ball or “strokes”. The length of the hole from tee to green varies. Holes upto 250 yards are rated “Par 3”; holes between 250 and 450 yards are called “par 4” and holes of length 450 to 650 yards are called “par 5”. The par of a hole is the number of strokes an expert player would take to hole out the ball from tee to green. A standard course has a total par for 18 holes of 72 ( 18 holes x 4 strokes) and each player has a skill rating called a “handicap”. The handicap is the average number of strokes more than the par score the player scores to complete the entire round. Commonly club players average 96 strokes per round of 18 holes so earn a handicap of 24 ( 96 -72). Obviously the lower a player’s handicap, the better his ability. Watch out for those guys in your organisation who say they are 10 handicap players – they are really good. India’s top players are all “scratch” or zero handicap rated. In fact professionally paid PGA ( Professional Golfers’ Association) tour players like Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa do not maintain handicaps as they average better than par scores of around 68 or 69 per 18 hole round ! You can google up sites like golfdigest. com or pgatour.com to familiarize yourself with the latest on Tiger Woods and his peers.

34 golf digest india | january 2017

In recent events, “aces” have been rewarded wIth Mercedes sports cars and brIcks of gold! And if you want a small gem of information that even your buddies may not be aware of, a life membership of the Indian Golf Union (IGU), available at only Rs.17,250 on www. indiangolfunion.org entitles you to a game at almost any golf club in India. This is a steal ! India’s biggest corporate tournaments are the Mercedes Trophy, which attracts nearly 3000 participants across 24 rounds annually and the World Corporate Golf Challenge which is the official qualifier for the World Championship of corporate golf in which teams from some 40 countries compete. On the Indian pro circuit, the US$1.75 million Hero Indian Open, to be played in March at DLF Golf & Country Club and the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open, played at the same venue in Gurgaon are the biggest. A useful nugget for your friends who’s kids are keen golfers – they can get national ranking points on the IGU’s Yes Bank IGU Junior Golf Tour which is played across the country around the year.

If someone is showing off about his last golf holiday in Bangkok, the most popular destination for Indian golfers, you can impress them with your knowledge of golf tourism hotspots. Exotic Mauritius is an undiscovered gem for golf lovers with its beautiful seaside courses and ideal weather. Courses such as Le Touessrok and Bel Ombre in Mauritius rival the best in the world and are never hot and crowded. Antalya, Turkey, is another new destination that boasts pleasant summer temperatures and world class fairways. Wow them with your knowledge that St Andrews, Scotland is considered the birthplace of golf. The two most famous courses in America are Augusta National, Georgia, home of “The Masters” tournament, one of golf’s four “majors”, played every April and California’s Pebble Beach where a game of golf will set you back a cool US$1000 (Rs 68,000 approx) and games are booked out six months in advance ! India’s “Royal Calcutta Golf Club”, founded in 1829 is the oldest golf course in the world outside the British Isles and while Chandigarh resident Jeev Milkha Singh is India’s first player ever to be ranked among the world’s top 50, Kolkata born Arjun Atwal, a close buddy of Tiger Woods, is the only Indian in history to win on the ultra competitive USPGA Tour (in August 2010). The final “ace” up your sleeve is to know that in golf terminology an “ace” means a “hole-in-one” which is a once in a lifetime achievement, a golfer’s ultimate thrill.

Corporate Digest

Race to Stuttgart begins in Pune Schedule for the 17th edition of the MercedesTrophy India announced

mateur golfers across the country would be delighted to know that one of India’s longest running corporate tournaments, MercedesTrophy has announced its schedule for the 2017 season. The event will feature 24 days of competitive amateur golf across 12 cities with the participation of 2500 golfers. Apart from an unparalleled golf experience in each city, golf clinics will be conducted to introduce non-golfers to the sport. The opening event at Oxford Golf Resort will feature a special golf clinic by the legendary David Leadbetter – one of the most celebrated golf instructors in history having worked with the likes of Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Ernie Els to name a few. The winners of the regional rounds will square up at the National Final where three winners will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete at the 28th edition of the MercedesTrophy World Finals in Stuttgart, Germany in September this year. The entry into the National Final is limited to Mercedes-Benz owners only. In this annual Indian edition, the sought after ‘Drive to the Major’ contest will see one winner travel as a guest of Mercedes-Benz India to the British Open this July, adding to the excitement. A unique contest for ‘Best Maintained Car’ on each day of qualifiers will see one lucky winner get a direct wild card entry to the National Final in Pune. Globally, MercedesTrophy engages over 60,000 golfers from 60 countries each year to provide them a unique brand experience and strengthening perception of Mercedes-Benz as a global partner in golf. Mercedes-Benz also boasts of prominent presence in professional golf through its association with Major Championships - British Open Championship, Augusta Masters and PGA Championship.

Roland Folger (MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India) poses with Mercedes-AMG GT S

MercedesTrophy India 2017 Schedule S.no

Date

Venue

5-6 January

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

6 January

Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad

11-13 January

Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Mumbai

18-20 January

Prestige Golfshire, Bengaluru

27 January

Hyderabad Golf Association, Hyderabad

27 January

Coimbatore Golf Club, Coimbatore

3 February

TNGF Cosmopolitan, Chennai

8-9 February

Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata

16-17 February

Chandigarh Golf Club, Chandigarh

10.

21-23 February

DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon

11.

26 February

Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur

12.

1-3 March

Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, Greater Noida

national Final 15-17 March

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

Mercedes-Benz Brand Ambassadors

Bernhard Langer

Martin Kaymer

Rickie Fowler

september 2016 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

Chequered flag for Manish Choksi & Veera Singh at Volvo World Golf Challenge 2016

WORLD FINALISTS: Manish Choksi and Veera Singh pose with the trophies

he eight city Volvo World Golf Challenge that started in October last year culminated with the National Final at Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, Greater Noida in December. Ahmedabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manish Choksi and Delhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Veera Singh took top honors amongst 14 national finalists and booked their berth for Volvo World Golf Challenge World Finals. The national finalists were selected from regional rounds in eight cities. The closing two legs were held in Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai and Jaypee Greens Golf Resort in Greater Noida. Manish and Veera will now head to Beijing, China in April this year to compete in the Volvo World Golf Challenge World Final against top amateurs from 40 countries. The annual world final has been graced by top international pros like Henrik Stenson, Darren Clarke, Thongchai Jaidee and Louis Oosthuizen in the past.

36 golf digest india | january 2017

Greater Noida winner Joseph Koshy with Tom von Bonsdorff, MD, Volvo Auto India

Mumbai Winners: Hrishikesh Thackersey and Sandeep Kumar

Corporate Special

BeiJinG, Here i COMe! Veera Singh celebrates her shot on the final hole at the National Final

Carissma Dennis, Neha Chandra and Tom von Bonsdorff from Volvo Auto India at the welcome dinner during the National Final

Anjali Patel Mehta at Willingdon Sports Club

National Finalists were presented with personlised golf bags by Tom von Bonsdorff (in background) to commemorate their achievement

Volvo World Golf Challenge 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; winners city-wise City

Venue

Winners

Visakhapatnam

East Point Golf Club

K Samuel

SK Vishwananda Raju

Hyderabad

Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA)

Sankeerth Nidadavolu

Sumon Chintala

Ahmedabad

Kalhaar Blues & Greens

Manish Choksi

Pranav Kapadia

Kolkata

Tollygunge Golf Club

Khitiz Kasera

Manoj Joshi

Bengaluru

Prestige Golfshire

HB Raju Gowda

Nagesh Allegowda

Chandigarh

Chandigarh Golf Club

Sandeep Gill

Anil Gulati

Mumbai

Willingdon Sports Club

Hrishikesh Thackersey

Sandeep Kumar

Greater Noida

Jaypee Greens Golf Resort

Joseph Koshy

Veera Singh january 2017 | golf digest india

Corporate Special

Akshay Kilachand, Anil Kapur and Dolly Manghat off to Dubai Came on top among 2000 golfers across 13 cities

MW Golf Cup International 2016 concluded its India chapter with the National Finals at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. Competing in various handicap categories, Akshay Kilachand, Anil Kapur and Dolly Manghat took top honors to qualify for the World Final in Dubai in March this year. Around 2000 golfers participated in the BMW Golf Cup International 2016 across 13 cities in India – Kochi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Greater Noida and Gurgaon. The winners from these regional tournaments competed in the National Final of the BMW Golf Cup International 2016. India is one of 50 participating countries at the World Final of BMW Golf Cup International 2016 which is a global series with 1,000 qualifying tournaments involving 100,000 players.

(L–R): BMW Golf Cup International 2016 National Final Winners – Anil Kapur, Frank Schloeder (President (act), BMW India), Dolly Manghat and Akshay Kilachand

BMW’s association with golf has been a long-standing one and we are delighted to present the sport of golf and its many valuable attributes to a broader audience across India. The world of amateur golf in India has fostered progressive development and exemplifies the advancement and legacy of the sport. The BMW Golf Cup International fascinates not just our customers and prospects but also other patrons of the game. We have seen impressive golf this year and look forward to host the next season of BMW Golf Cup International in India —Frank Schloeder, President (act.), BMW India

Pune Patriots and Ahmedabad Arrows for the National Final 10 City BT Pro-Am concludes Pune and Ahmedabad legs

une and Ahmedabad were recent stops on the 10-city LLOYD Business Today Pro-Am of Champions after the inaugural legs were held in Chandigarh, Lucknow and Hyderabad. The newly renovated Poona Golf Club played host to 84 avid golfers while the Jack Nicklaus design Kalhaar Blues and Greens hosted

the event in Ahmedabad. The winners were crowned as Pune Patriots and Ahmedabad Arrows for their victory and earned themselves a place in the Pro-Am National Finals to be held in New Delhi in February this year. Golf Industry Association (GIA) president Devang Shah (Handicap Category 0-14) &

Pune Patriots (L-R): Atanu Sarkar, Mahesh Shahane, Nipun Singhal (LLOYD), Ramesh Kumar and Ravi Budhwar

38 golf digest india | january 2017

V V Iyer (15-24) from Ahmedabad and Ihit Joseph (0-14) & Tata Motors' Sanjay Verma (15-24) from Pune topped the leaderboard in the individual category in their respective handicap divisions. These winners will travel to Thailand along with individual winners from the other cities for the LLOYD BT International Leg.

Ahmedabad Arrows (L-R): Rajiv Tanna, Harsh Shah, Vikas Sharma with Pradeep Shukla (LLOYD)

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Business of Golf

International Golf Travel Market

he International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), a B2B meeting place for the global golf travel community, took place at the island of Mallorca in Spain. Over 600 golf tourism suppliers, 350 pre-qualified buyers and 100 international media personnel participated over four days of pre-scheduled appointments, networking opportunities and industry updates & tours to various golf courses. The Indian Golf Tourism Association (IGTA), with the support of Ministry of Tourism, participated in the event. The Indian delegation

was led by BB Mukherjee, Assistant Director – India Tourism Paris on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism. Some of the participants from India included Arun Iyer – My Golf Tours, Chitaranjan Bakshi – Pash India, Gajendra Panwar – Indo Asia Leisure Services and Kunal Singh –Tee Traveller & ITC Group of Hotels. India made its mark as an emerging golfing destination with the delegation conducting over 100 scheduled appointments with overseas buyers. This also marked the first year that Incredible India! Participated at IGTM.

Over 600 golf tourism suppliers, 350 pre-qualified buyers and 100 international media participated over four days of pre-scheduled appointments, networking opportunities and industry updates & tours to various Golf Courses.

L-R: GS Panwar-Indo Asian Leisure Services & VP-Indian Golf Tourism Association, Chitaranjan Bakshi-Pash India, B.B.MukherjeeDirector, India Tourism Paris & Arun Iyer- MD, My Golf Tours with a visitor to the Incredible India booth

The R&A opens Asia-Pacific office at Sentosa Golf Club to spur regional expansion The R&A, organisers of golf’s oldest Major - The British Open opened its new Asia-Pacific office at Sentosa Golf Club (SGC), Singapore. It is part of The R&A’s commitment to the growth and development of golf in the region, noted Keith Macintosh, captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland, where The R&A is headquartered. The club’s New Tanjong golf course will host the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), considered to be one of the world’s

40 golf digest india | january 2017

most prestigious amateur tournaments. The AAC is organised in conjunction with the Masters Tournament and The R&A. The winner earns a coveted invitation into the next year’s US Masters and both winner and runner-up will gain a spot in The British Open Qualifying Series for the next year’s British Open. The Asian Tour, which governs the multi-million dollar professional circuit in the region, is also based in Sentosa. Next year’s SMBC Singapore Open has been included in The Open Qualifying Series for the first time.

Business of Golf

Costa Rica to host first PGA Tour event in 2017 Professional golf will make its debut in Costa Rica next year when the PGA Tour Latinoamérica makes a May 2017 stop in Playa Conchal, Guanacaste. The Essential Costa Rica Classic will be the first-ever PGA tournament on Tico soil and is being sponsored by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). The Costa Rican Golf Federation and media production company, RPMTV, recently announced the week-long event, which will host 144 professional players from more than 25 countries. In standard PGA Latin American events, the host country can invite up to 30 of its own golfers. Along with the ICT, the Costa Rican Golf Federation is also hoping the televised international tournament can bring more attention to the country. The tournament will be held from May 1-7 2017 as part of the PGA Latin American season that includes 18 tournaments in 12 different countries.

Indian Golf Union appoints Satish Aparajit as President

Satish Aparajit from the South Zone has been appointed as President of the IGU for the 2016-17 season. Below is a list of the council members of the IGU: President Wg Cdr Satish Aparajit Vice President & Hon. Secretary Lt Gen AKS Chandele

HSBC Golf Business Forum 2016

Nicklaus urges golf industry to seize worldwide potential and current opportunities Jack Nicklaus, the winner of a record 18 Major championships and a global icon of the game, challenged the golf industry to show the right leadership and seize its opportunity to be an ‘enormous worldwide game,’ while addressing the 2016 HSBC Golf Business Forum at the Marriott Sawgrass Resort and Spa in Ponte Verde Beach, Florida. Speaking to the annual gathering of the golf industry’s most prominent figures—hosted in the United States of America for the first time— Nicklaus described how he believes golf can gain momentum following a watershed year in 2016, which featured golf’s return to the Olympics, Asia’s first winner of a World Golf Championship at the WGCHSBC Champions, and maiden winners of all four majors in the men’s game. Nicklaus said, “The Olympics was definitely a great boost for the game and it was well-accepted. Because of the Olympics, and with medals won by six different countries, the game of golf has been introduced and showcased to a lot of people. We have 35 more golf federations around the world today than we had

East Zone Farzan Heerjee Dr. Satbinder Singh Ranjit Chaudhri West Zone Devang Shah S K Bhatia Sameer Sinha North Zone CSR Reddy, IPS Sanjeev Rattan Col H S Baidwan South Zone Dilip Thomas C S Subramanian Ishwar Achanta

before golf returned to the Olympics. It was especially important to many parts of the world where golf is not predominantly played, or new and emerging markets.” Much has been made of golf’s declining figures in many of the game’s heartlands. But the consensus from those in attendance is that the sport has undergone a quiet revolution characterized by greater international collaboration amongst the industry, the introduction of new formats, greater attention to youth development and greater focus on digital technologies.

Army Zone Lt Gen AKS Chandele (Retd) Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd) Lt Gen Sanjiv Talwar Lt Gen Abhay Krishna Maj Gen Rajesh Sahai Founder Club Members Gaurav Ghosh (Royal Calcutta Golf Club) Maj Gen KMS Shergill (Delhi Golf Club) Akshay Kilachand (Willingdon Sports Club) Avnish Kumar (Bombay Presidency Golf Club) IGU Ladies Committee Pauline JM Singh Chairperson Nandita Rao Vice Chairperson

january 2017 | golf digest india

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Newsmakers

PLAYERS IN THE NEWS Asian Tour

STAT PACK • At 51 years and 126 days, Mukesh became the oldest golfer to win an Asian Tour title • Full playing rights on the Asian Tour till the end of 2018 for Mukesh • Invitation for Mukesh to play this year’s Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan • Indians have now won five out of six editions of the Panasonic Open India. The previous Indian winners are Anirban Lahiri (2011), Digvijay Singh (2012), SSP Chowrasia (2014) and Chiragh Kumar (2015) • The fifth international and Asian Tour win for India this year following SSP Chowrasia’s Indian Open & Resorts World Manila Masters victories and Gaganjeet Bhullar’s Shinhan Donghae Open and Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open wins • 22nd Indian player to win an international title • 20th Indian player to win on the Asian Tour

“I AM VERY PROUD OF MYSELF. I HAVE WAITED 32 YEARS (SINCE TURNING PROFESSIONAL IN 1984) FOR THIS. THIS MEANS A LOT TO ME. IT IS MY FIRST INTERNATIONAL WIN. WHENEVER I LEAD ON THE LOCAL PGTI TOUR, IT’S NOT EASY FOR ME TO LOSE IT. I AM VERY GLAD THAT I MANAGED TO STAY IN THE MOMENT AND GOT THE JOB DONE” — MUKESH KUMAR

44 golf digest india | january 2017

images: asian Tour

• Indians have now won the last six international events staged on their home soil. The previous winners are – Rashid Khan (SAIL-SBI Open 2014), SSP Chowrasia (Panasonic Open India 2014), Anirban Lahiri (Indian Open 2015), Chiragh Kumar (Panasonic Open India 2015) and SSP Chowrasia (Indian Open 2016). Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman (2013 Indian Open champion) was the last foreigner to win an international event in India

Newsmakers

124 wins, yet another first for ‘Marauder from Mhow’ Mukesh I n a career that spans 32 years, Mukesh Kumar has bagged a whopping 123 titles on the domestic circuit but the only trophy missing from his cabinet was an international title. The ‘Marauder from Mhow’, as the Madhya Pradesh golfer is popularly known as for his stellar performances on Indian courses, came up with a tremendous display at the Delhi Golf Club to pocket his first Asian Tour title at the $400,000 Panasonic Open India. In the process, he also became the oldest first-time winner on the Asian Tour at 51 years 126 days. “I am very proud of myself. I have waited 32 years (since turning professional in 1984) for this. This means a lot to me. It is my first international win. Whenever I lead on the local PGTI Tour, it’s not easy for me to lose it. But it feels very different today because I know there are many good players out here. I am very glad that I managed to stay in the moment and got the job done,” said the World No. 486 after his one-stroke victory with an overall tally of 10-under 206. The win gave Mukesh the highest pay cheque (US$ 72,000) of his career (Rs 48,58,376). The tournament was reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather while Mukesh registered a wire-to-wire victory staving off a tough challenge from Jyoti Randhawa and Rashid Khan, who finished tied second with matching totals of nine-under 207. Mukesh’s heroics led to a chorus of praises from his fellow countrymen, who all tipped their hat to the worthy

of us to follow. He stayed true to his trade and is reaping rich reward even at age 51. Well done!!” wrote Singh. S.S.P. Chowrasia, a five-time Asian Tour winner, also paid tribute to his compatriot on social media for being an inspiration to the game. “We have all learned a lot from Mukesh Kumar. He is a true inspiration. A very worthy winner indeed!”. Whether Mukesh retires after achieving his target of 125 wins or continues to play remains to be seen especially after he has secured playing rights for two years on the Asian Tour with this win.

Nine Indians finish in Top-10

“MUKESH KUMAR IS AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL OF US TO FOLLOW. HE STAYED TRUE TO HIS TRADE AND IS REAPING RICH REWARD EVEN AT AGE 51. — JEEV MILKHA SINGH WELL DONE!!”

OLDEST WINNERS

Panasonic Open India champion. In a Twitter post, Jeev Milkha Singh, a two-time Asian Tour number one, applauded the dedication and belief Kumar had in his game. “Mukesh Kumar is an example for all

A total of nine Indians finis hed in the top-10 of the Panasonic Ope n India, gobbling up $218,970 out of $400,000 prize money. Jyoti Randha wa and Rashid Khan finished joint second to pocket $34,600. They were followed by Honey Baisoya ($16,400) in fifth plac e and Shankar Das ($13,320) in sixt h place. The quartet of Shamim Kha n, Sanjeev Kumar, Kapil Kumar and Kha lin Joshi finished tied seventh to claim $9,350 each in prize money. The only foreigner in the list was Sri Lankan Mithun Perera, who finished fourth to grab $20,000.

Pro-Am Winners

European Tour Miguel Angel Jimenez, 50 (2014 Open de Espana) Jimenez, 49 (2014 Hong Kong Open) Jimenez, 48 (2012 Hong Kong Open)

L-R: Bharath Arvind, Anil Madan, Himmat Singh and Ajay Baisoya receive their award from Panasonic India CEO Manish Sharma

january 2017 | golf digest india

image: dharam diwakar

PGA Tour Sam Snead, 52 (1965 Greater Greensboro Open) Art Wall, 51 (1975 Greater Milwaukee Open) Davis Love III, 51 (2015 Wyndham Championship)

Newsmakers Arjun Atwal finished tied 29th at the season-ending UBS Hong Kong Open

Plenty of learning for SSP & Chikka at World CuP

The Indian team of SSP Chowrasia and Chikkarangappa S finished tied 22nd at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in Melbourne. The duo accumulated a fourday total of five-under-283 with scores of 74- 66-75-68 in the four rounds played in fourball and foursomes format. The Danish pair of Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen won the event with a score of 20-under-268. Chowrasia, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour 2016 season, said: “It’s a great experience. We made lots of mistakes but I think we learned a lot with the top guys being in the field. I’ll like to come and play in another World Cup of Golf.” “I learned so many things that I will take it back home with me. Due to the format which we’re not used to generally, coming over here and playing with SSP, we enjoyed ourselves although we would have wanted to play better. I’m sure the experience will carry on and hopefully we’ll do better. We played good but just made mistakes here and there. The dream would be to come back”, said Chikka.

Atwal secures Asian Tour card for 2017

Former PGA Tour champion Arjun Atwal carded three-under 277 to finish as the best Indian at the $2 million UBS Hong Kong Open. The 2010 Wyndham Championship winner, who lost his PGA Tour card last year owing to poor run of form, ended tied 29th to grab a pay cheque of $16,628. The 1999 Indian Open champion secured his Asian Tour card for next season along with 10 other compatriots (SSP Chowrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, Chikkarangappa S, Shiv Kapur, Chiragh Kumar, Jyoti Randhawa, Jeev Milkha Singh and Shubhankar Sharma), finishing in the top-60 of their Order of Merit. Atwal with earnings of US$85,278 finished at 54th position in the annual money list. The second-best Indian after Atwal was Gaganjeet Bhullar (280) in tied 45th place and Shiv Kapur (282), who had a chance for a top-10 finish, in 54th position.

International Golf

Ajeetesh Sandhu misses Japan Golf Tour Card

After series of impressive performances in the initial two qualification stages, India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu missed out on qualifying for the Japan Golf Tour by seven strokes. The 28-year-old Chandigarh lad, who ended the 2016 PGTI season in seventh place on the Order of Merit including eight top-10s and one win at the Golconda Masters in Hyderabad, shot scores of 69, 71, 69, 70, 73 and 75 to end up with a tournament total of five-under-427 to finish 74th at the Qualifying School’s Final Stage held at the Cocopa Resort Club near the city of Nagoya. The top 35 players out of a total of 97 earned their cards at the end of the sixth and final round.

46 golf digest india | january 2017

SSP Chowrasia (left) with Chikkarangappa during the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne

SelecTed ScoreS: 268: Denmark (Søren KJELDSEN / Thorbjørn OLESEN) 72-60-70-66 272: China (WU Ashun / LI Haotong) 70-65-72-65; France (Victor DUBUISSON / Romain LANGASQUE) 70-67-72-63; USA (Rickie FOWLER / Jimmy WALKER) 70-67-69-66 273: Sweden (Alex NOREN / David LINGMERTH) 72-66-73-62 274: Itally (Francesco MOLINARI / Matteo MANASSERO) 71-66-73-64, Japan (Hideki MATSUYAMA / Ryo ISHIKAWA) 73-65-71-65 283: India (SSP Chowrasia / Chikkarangappa S.) 74-66-75-68.

Newsmakers Professional Golf Tour of India

Shamim shoots 62 in final round to claim thrilling win at CG Open

Sublime Shubhankar ClinCheS hiS third title of the SeaSon

Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma bagged his third title of the year with a wire to wire victory at the 15th TATA Open- the penultimate tournament of the PGTI’s calendar. Played at Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur, Sharma shot rounds of 64-63-70-67 for a tournament total of 20-under 264 to register a one stroke victory over Delhi’s Rashid Khan at the Rs. 75 lakh event. Shubhankar turned pro in 2013 and managed to grab only one win at 2015 Cochin Masters during this period but it’s been a rewarding season for 20-year-old Shubhankar who now has three wins on the domestic circuit and a total of nine top ten finishes out of 11 events he played. His other wins came early in the season at Eagleton Players Championship in February and then Kolkata Classic in March. Overseas, he is still searching for his first Asian Tour title. He came close this season at Bashundhara Bangladesh Open and Resorts World Manila Masters with third and fourth place finishes respectively after back to back 4th place finish at Panasonic Open in 2014 and 15. Shubhankar took home Rs. 11,25,000 and moved up from fourth to first in the Order of Merit with this win. At season’s total earning of Rs. 36,50,348, he is Rs. 2.5 lakh over the nearest challenger Shamim Khan. With a good showing at season ending McLoed Russel Tour Championship, Shubhankar has a real chance at grabbing his maiden Order of Merit crown. He finished sixth in 2015 with Rs. 20,65,445.

“thIs wIn Is quIte satIsfyIng as I feel I wasn’t at my best In the last two rounds. thIs wIn Is a huge moralebooster for my pursuIt of the rolex player of the year tItle.” — shubhankar sharma

PGTI director Uttam Singh Mundy (left) presents the winner’s cheque to Shamim Khan (third from left)

Delhi’s Shamim Khan shot a scintillating round of eight-under 62 on the final day of the Rs. 1 crore Crompton Greaves Open to edge out overnight leader Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi by one stroke. Played at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), 38-year-old Shamim who was two strokes off the lead coming into the final round, shot a total of 19-under261, the lowest four round score at BPGC in a pro event, for his 10th title on PGTI. Shamim took home the winner’s cheque worth Rs. 15,00,000 and jumped from 12th position to the No. 1 rank on the PGTI Order of Merit, with season’s earnings of Rs. 29,84,108, only to be displaced. Shamim’s last victory came in

“It’s great to wIn after so long. I owe a lot to my caddIe for thIs wIn. he was a great support. my ball-strIkIng was also terrIfIc through the week.” — shamIm khan February 2015 at PGTI Masters at Noida Golf Club. “It’s great to win after so long. I owe a lot to my caddie for this win. He was a great support. My ball-striking was also terrific through the week. I’m now looking to win my second Rolex Player of the Year title after 2012.”

PGTI Order of Merit after 15th TATA Open Rank

Player

Prize Money (`)

Played

Won

Top 10

Shubhankar Sharma

36,50,348

Shamim Khan

33,96,458

Khalin Joshi

31,73,965

Rashid Khan

29,79,880

Honey Baisoya

25,57,845

Chikkarangappa S

24,06,640

Ajeetesh Sandhu

21,84,968

Harendra Gupta

21,35,106

M Dharma

20,69,531

Mukesh Kumar

19,09,439

january 2017 | golf digest india

Newsmakers Hero World Challenge

Matsuyama reigns supreme in Tiger’s return

L-R: Hero MotoCorp CMD Pawan Munjal with tournament host Tiger Woods and Hero World Challenge winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan

V KRISHNASWAMY at the Albany, Bahamas True, there were 17 other players. But for ‘this’ week, as opposed to all only ‘he’ mattered. And he had not even played any competitive golf for 466 days before the tee-off on the first day of the Hero World Challenge here. But when it was time for him to make that first drive, it seemed the whole world had dialed in. From players to sponsors to fans and organisers and promoters, there were more questions than answers. But Tiger Woods, owner of 14 Majors and 79 PGA Tour titles and over a 100 wins worldwide, can legitimately lay claim to being one of the best of all times and certainly the best of our times. It was a modest beginning with a round of 73, which placed him just one place above Olympic champion Justin Rose, who would pull out a day later because of a bad back. But on the second day, Woods playing all alone – without a marker, that he was allowed – he may well have simulated all those rounds he had played alone during his recovery and rehab. And he came up with a masterful 65. The smile on his face said it all. Tiger Woods was back. By the end of the week, Woods slipped down to 15th place – but he may well

48 golf digest india | january 2017

cherish that as much as his five wins at this tournament, which is his own and for the Tiger Woods Foundation. He had survived 72 holes, smiled his way through for the entire week; expressed satisfaction at where his game was. It was clear that there was some rust, but nothing that cannot be shaken off. Woods’ manager, Mark Steinberg, had even bigger smiles. His phone had not stopped ringing, said those close to him. Woods was smiling; Steinberg was smiling; the other players were smiling and the fans were ecstatic. Well, Golf itself was smiling! Soon after the penultimate round, Hideki Matsuyama, the hottest player on the planet right now was leading the field by seven

MATSUYAMA (65-67-65-73), DESPITE THE STUTTER ON THE BACK NINE WITH A DOUBLE BOGEY AND A BOGEY AND NO BIRDIES, HELD ON FOR A TWOSHOT WIN OVER STENSON.

shots over Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson. Woods called Matsuyama’s golf ‘unbelievable’ but Matsuyama said, “I don’t care how many strokes I’m leading over him, I still worry about him, fear him.” Through the last few events on the PGA Tour and some off it – as in Japan Matsuyama had put together an amazing string of scores. After his second round 70 at the Japan Open, he shot in the 60s each round until the streak broke on the Sunday at Bahamas. That meant 17 successive rounds in the 60s. No wonder he won four times in five starts and had a second, too, to boot. At the Albany, he strung together rounds of 65-67-65-73 and he looked totally in command as he has in the past few weeks. Matsuyama, despite the stutter on the back nine with a double bogey and a bogey and no birdies, held on for a two-shot win over Stenson. Woods ended way behind in 15th and 14 shots behind the Japanese prodigy, who becomes the highest-ranked Japanese golfer ever at World No. 6. Matsuyama’s obvious respect for Woods was borne out with stats that showed Woods had the highest number of birdies – 24 – in the week. Matsuyama had 22. But what pegged Woods back was that he also had six doubles – three of them on the final day – and eight bogeys – again three of them on Sunday.

Newsmakers

Footloose in Golf

14-time Major champion Tiger Woods made his fans happy with a strong showing in the $3.5 million PGA Tour event

Henrik Stenson put up a stiff challenge against Matsuyama

By V KRISHNASWAMY (@Swinging_Swamy) That, the Hero World Challenge is all about Tiger is a given. Even when he was not playing last year, all that everyone seemed to be concerned about was ‘Tiger’s future’ and whether he would be back at all. Not even Tiger knew, whether he would. This time around, even before the Ryder Cup, Tiger had said he would be back for Safeway and Hero World Challenge, but he pulled out and finally made his comeback after more than 15 months in his own backyard – the Hero World Challenge at the Albany in Bahamas.

MAKE TIGER GREAT

Even at Ryder Cup, where he was a vice-captain, his peer group wanted him to take his game to back where it was. Yes, Woods has always been a great hit for those who watch him on telly or at the courses, but seldom has there been such support for him from fellow players. It started quite some time before the Hero World Challenge. Jason Sobel of ESPN reported that on Friday of the Ryder Cup, Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open champion, addressed his colleagues and said, “I just want to pay tribute to one of our assistant captains. A man who has done so much for this game.” The entire team got up, unzipped the tops and showed off red T-shirts with the text: “MAKE TIGER GREAT AGAIN.” Johnson provided the shirts. Woods was touched and he knew his own peer group wanted him to be back at his best,

The duo on the 18th green

for the game needed him. He did not win the tournament, but he won many hearts. The fans at the Albany were duly rewarded, as Woods took time out to sign caps, souvenir books and even be photographed with them.

THE FASCINATING INDIA NITE

The one evening, which has become a muchawaited one in the week of the Hero World Challenge is the ‘India Nite’ in Bahamas – there was one in Orlando, Florida, too, in the inaugural year in 2014. Overseeing the whole fare is Pawan Munjal, Chairman, CEO and MD of Hero MotoCorp himself. A fiercely proud Indian, who loves the sport way beyond anyone can imagine he takes pride in playing alongside the best in the world. But for him the ‘India Nite’ is where he showcases his own country.

The food, the cultural programme, things like ‘henna’ kiosks, palmistry, Indian bangles and much else mark the evening as one of the most-talked about on the PGA Tour. Tiger never misses an ‘India Nite’, and other players like Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson and others, too, love it. It was no different this year.

THE BEST AT 24 AND BEST AT 40

Matsuyama is 24 and Stenson 40. But both had their best year in 2016. Matsuyama has four wins in last five starts – the only time he did not win, he was second at CIMB Classic. As for Stenson, since his victory at BMW International in June – his first win since DP World Tour Championships in November 2014 – the Swede had won twice (British Open being the other), three second and three other Top-10s. january 2017 | golf digest india

Newsmakers Women’s Golf

Sensational season for rookie Aditi

Aditi Ashok during the LET season-ending event, Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, where she finished tied third

aditi - 2nd indian after Smriti to qualify for lPGa Aditi clinched the LET Rookie of the Year prize with earnings of 206,664 Euros

hat an incredible year it has turned out to be for Indian golfer Aditi Ashok. Not only did she clinch back-to-back titles in her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour (LET) but followed it up by earning a Category 17 card on the lucrative LPGA Tour in USA. After winning the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon mid-November, Aditi also dazzled at the inaugural Qatar Ladies Open. The 18-year-old wonder girl, staved off tough challenge from Sweden’s Caroline Hedwell and Wales’s Lydia Hall to register a threestroke victory for her second title in as many weeks. The 18-year-old wonder girl amassed 75,000 Euros (Rs 53,80,425) with this win to jump to the top spot in the Rookie of the Year rankings. “It’s been a great few weeks. I won my home event in the Indian Open, which was my first win. To win back to back events feels really good. The first win was special, because I won in India, but I felt I played really well here and had to play well every

50 golf digest india | january 2017

day and shoot sub-par rounds.” The Bangalore lass came close to a remarkable hat-trick of titles at the seasonending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters but eventually signed off with six-under 210 for a tied third finish and four strokes behind winner Shanshan Feng of China. The 54-hole tournament played at Emirates Golf Club saw Aditi sealing ‘Rookie of the Year’ honours with a total of 206,664 Euros (Rs 1.48 crore). She also finished second on the LET Order of Merit behind American Beth Allen. This was Aditi's seventh top-10 finish in eight starts. “I’ve been playing a lot of events and been playing well through all of them. I think that’s what’s helping me. After this I will have some off-time, so that’s been good. I am just looking forward to going home. Spending three, four weeks at home, practice. I am actually getting a new driver and 3-wood from the new Titleist 917, so I’m looking forward to practicing with those,” said an elated Aditi later.

Riding high on confidence, Aditi ventured into LPGA Tour final stage qualifying for 2017 season. With a score of two-under-358 over five gruelling days at Daytona Beach, Florida, Aditi finished tied 24th earning herself a Category 17 exemption for 2017. Thus, Aditi became only the second Indian after Kolkata’s Smriti Mehra to achieve this feat. Simi played on the LPGA Tour from 1997- 99 and then 2001-04. Golfers finishing in the top-20 after the final round earned the full LPGA status for 2017, while a partial LPGA status was given to those who finished between 21st and 45th. The entry into tournaments for partial card holders are subject to event field and dropouts from preferred golfers with full card status. “It’s been a long week @ ROAD2LPGA qualifying. Short by 2 to earn a full status @LPGA but had great experience with legendary Annika Sorenstam’s caddy Terry McNamara on my bag,” tweeted Aditi.

images: tristan jones/ l adies european tour

Newsmakers

WGAI Order of Merit – 2016 season

Smriti clincheS maiden title of the SeaSon

Former LPGA regular Smriti Mehra claimed her maiden title of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour (WPGT) 2016 season in the penultimate leg played at The Palms Golf Club & Resort, Lucknow. Kolkata’s ‘Simi’ Mehra scored rounds of 67-75-66 for a total of 208 strokes to emerge victorious by six strokes over Delhi’s Vani Kapoor, who submitted a card of 214.

Rank

Player

Prize Money (`)

Played

Won

Vani Kapoor

12,55,150

Amandeep Drall

11,75,534

Neha Tripathi

10,51,383

Gursimar Badwal

10,20,000

Saaniya Sharma

7,40,825

Shweta Galande

7,06,550

Smriti Mehra

6,63,000

Kiran Matharu

5,52,400

Ankita Tiwana

5,43,050

Afshan Fatima

5,19,350

Sharmila Nicollet

4,92,208

Siddhi Kapoor

2,09,800

Vani toPS order of merit with 7th win of SeaSon

Vani Kapoor hailing from DLF GCC recorded her seventh victory of the WPGT season at the last tournament of the 2016 calendar to be crowned Order of Merit champion. The 54-hole tournament, played at Noida Golf Club saw Vani shoot scores of 73-75-73 for a total of 221 strokes. The Delhi lass edged out veteran Smriti Mehra by two strokes to take top position and equal Mehra’s record of most wins in a season. The 2017 season of Hero WPGT will commence from Ahmedabad in January 2017.

Amateur Golf

Karandeep Kochhar wins iGu 116th amateur Golf championship

After making history on the PGTI Tour as the first Indian amateur to win the Players Championship at Tollygunge Club, 17-year-old Karandeep Kochhar culminated the fine run of form with a victory at the IGU 116th Amateur Golf Championship played at Royal Calcutta Golf Club. After initial two rounds in strokeplay format, the tournament moved to matchplay with Arjun Prasad, 17, and Karandeep vying for the coveted title in a 36-hole competition. Karandeep ousted Faldo Series Grand Final 2016 winner Arjun with a score of 2&1 to be crowned champion. Karandeep entered the tournament with backto-back wins at Maharashtra Juniors (BPGC, Mumbai) and Western India Juniors which doubled up as 12th Faldo Series India qualifier (Oxford Golf Resort, Pune).

memorable year for aadil

Chandigarh’s Aadil Bedi won the Northern India Juniors at Golden Greens Golf Resort in Gurgaon beating Manav Bais by 10 strokes, who finished runner-up. The 16-year-old now has two wins and four podium finishes from seven tournaments on the IGU circuit.

PGA of India

dinesh bags Seniors’ PGa championship title

Dinesh Kumar won the 4th Seniors' PGA Championship and PGA Teachers Cup at the Palms Golf Club & Resort in Lucknow, which saw leading senior golfers from the Professional Golf Association of India (PGAI) competing against each other last month. Prize money purse of Rs. 2.5 lakh was raised within the members of PGAI. Over 60 golfers along with PGAI recognized instructors participated in the event which included two-time Indian open winner Ali Sher, GIA Outstanding Playing Career award winner Rohtas Singh. Dinesh with a superb score of 7-under 63 pocketed the winner’s cheque of Rs 50,000. Ali Sher finished tied 3rd with level par score. Teacher’s Cup belonged to Delhi’s Gast Ram who shot a brilliant 8-under-62 round. january 2017 | golf digest india

Across The Country

Club Round up To share news on your club or updates from across the country, please email vineet@teamgolfdigest.com

The picturesque Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar

Promoting Golf Tourism

Golf returns to Jammu & Kashmir

As Kashmir gradually returns to normalcy, Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar organized ‘Autumn Golf Tournament’ last month in a bid to revive golf tourism in the state. Over 90 golfers including few from outstation took part in the event kicked off by Baseer Ahmad Khan, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. The Tourism Ministry is looking to showcase Kashmir as a high-end golfing and conference tourism destination. The region that boasts picturesque golf courses like Kashmir GC, Pahalgam GC and Gulmarg GC now plans to lace them with adjacent conference infrastructure to attract top corporates and institutions.

“The past five months have been very hard on the tourism sector. This tournament will give a thrust to tourism in the state. It offers golfers the beauty of playing in the autumn colours,” said Director of Tourism, Mahmud Ahmad Shah, who was also present at the event. He added, “To attract tourists we had for the first time organised golf road shows in many cities including Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Now we have been brought back to square one. But we will start again with a series of promotion road shows and tie-ups with golf clubs around the country.”

Spurring Interest

Trick shot artist Karsten Maas at Jaypee Greens Jaypee Greens Golf Resort and Little Masters Junior Golf Tour (LMJGT) hosted Guinness World Record holder and trick shot artist Karsten Maas at the LMJGT Junior ProAm qualifier in December. The event was a qualifier to select players for the 2nd LMJGT Junior Pro-Am next year. The inaugural event was won by the team of Pro Chiragh Kumar and his junior partners Jai Bahl, Ranveer Mitroo and Karan Mehto. Karsten Maas displayed some breathtaking trick shots at the driving range including his world record of hitting with a 4.37 m long club for ‘Longest usable Golf Club’. Maas also invited juniors to try out his shots that included shots with putter, hammer club, 3 face club, shortest club, left hand club, flexible club, two and three balls with one shot, standing on a medicine ball and hitting a long driver and hitting a ball bouncing off a wooden plank.

52 golf digest india | january 2017

Trick shot artist Karsten Maas interacts with the fans

Across The Country Debut

RCGC hosts inaugural Golf Test Series between India and South Africa The prestigious Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) played host to the inaugural India vs South Africa Golf Test Series. The event marked a new beginning for Indian Golf as a commencement of an annual reciprocal partnership between the Indian Golf Union (IGU) and South Africa Golf Association. The guests emerged victorious with a total score of 11.5 points against the home team’s 4.5. The series saw participation of senior Indian players including Amit Luthra, the current winner of the All India

Seniors Championship, and Simarjeet Singh (Mid-Am) a three-time winner of Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championships. “Our boys have played really well, the course is set up quite long which worked in our favour.” said an elated Jock Wellington, Team Manager, SA. South African Gerlou Roux played immaculate golf and scored 5-under in 12 holes while Simarjeet Singh stood tall for the hosts winning all his matches and scoring 3 out of the 4.5 points. The partnership is

the result of initiative taken by golf patrons Dilip Thomas, Chairman of AVT and Johann Rupert, Chairman of Golf RSA. They will support hosting the annual series in their respective countries. “We all know Gandhi grew up in South Africa. So Johann Rupert and I got talking about what we can do to strengthen the connection between India and South Africa. We hope this connection continues for years!”, said Dilip Thomas.

Indian Team L-R: Sanjay Kolkhatkar, Vijay Bhadana, Anil Jule, Amit Luthra, Lakshman Singh (captain) H S Kang, Simarjeet Singh, Aditya Khaitan, Kailash Dhiwar

David Young (L) and Dilip Thomas

South African Team L-R: Stefan Blommaert, Francois Le Roux, Steven Williams, Shaun Stapleton, Jock Wellington, Gerlou Roux, Josef Fourie, Bottom: David Young (Captain), Morgan Phillips

Obituary

CGC president IPS Mann passes away

Chandigarh Golf Club president Ishwar Pratap Singh Mann passed away last month after fighting a long battle against cancer. During his last days, Mann was admitted in PGIMER where he breathed his last. Mann, an industrialist, was elected president of the Golf Club in April this year. His son, Gurbaaz Mann, is a former professional golfer turned entrepreneur. Team GDI expresses heartfelt condolences to the family.

Announcement

DLF to host Indian Open in March

The DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, will stage the 53rd edition of the Hero Indian Open, according to the schedules released by the European Tour and Asian Tour. The event will take place from March 9 to 12 at the picturesque Gary Player designed DLF course, which will organize the tri-sanctioned event, for only the second time. The event was last held at DLF in 2009 when Bangalore’s C Muniyappa emerged as the winner. Title sponsors Hero MotoCorp have enhanced the prize money of the tournament to $1.75 million (Rs 11.85 crore approx), an increase of $90,000 from 2016. january 2017 | golf digest india

Across The Country

David Leadbetter Golf Academy director Laurence Brotheridge at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune

An Academy For The Future

avid Leadbetter is the most celebrated golf instructor in history. His books, videos and DVDs have sold in millions worldwide. He has worked closely with six-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo, former World No. 1 Greg Norman and three-time US Masters champion Phil Mickelson among others. Leadbetter has been the lead coach at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for decades. Now promising young kids can look forward to receiving world class instruction and swing technique as part of customised programmes from his first academy in the country which will open this month at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune. Golf Digest India spoke to David Leadbetter Golf Academy (DLGA) director Laurence Brotheridge. Edited excerpts:

GDI: What is the objective of setting up of DLGA, India’s first internationally branded golf academy? LB: This partnership is actually the brainchild of Oxford Golf Resort chairman Anil Seolekar, who wanted to push golf in India and develop the stars of the future not just in western region but across the country. Our main objective is to provide world class premium coaching combined with the ultimate training facility.

54 golf digest india | january 2017

GDI: What levels of students does the DLGA cater to? LB: Here at DLGA we cater to all levels and abilities. Our programmes are varied and diverse, whether a beginner, weekend golfer or professional we have a programme to suit all needs. From our 1 Day “Express” School to our long term “Evolve” package, we will take you through an individual blue print for success.. GDI: Does the academy offer only structured programmes or can individuals avail of just a one-time private lesson also? LB: Structured programmes are actively encouraged as it motivates players to do

“Our prOgrammes are varied and diverse, whether a beginner, weekend gOlfer Or prOfessiOnal we have a prOgramme tO suit everyOne’s needs.”

some continuous practice in order to maximise potential. However we understand that sometimes a player just wants a quick look over or some quick tips to alleviate a slice!

GDI: What is the DLGA instruction philosophy? LB: I would say we are very holistic in our approach, for example at our headquarters in Orlando we have resident mental conditioning coaches, physical trainers, custom fitters and course management specialists. I am going to replicate this at Oxford within our lesson curriculum and offerings. As for a method? We have been taught David Leadbetter’s “swing philosophies” based around cause and effect and that a simpler more efficient swing (under pressure) leads to better consistency and repeatability. GDI: Who is on the instruction team? LB: As well as myself , we have enrolled Simon Denis and Sachin Nigade into the LGA training programme. It is important for us to have Indian coaches integrated into our network to spread our philosophies and knowledge to others. GDI: Is instruction going to be offered year round or only for certain periods? LB: Instruction will be available year round,

Across The Country

Laurence Brotheridge in action at Oxford Golf Resort

David Leadbetter is one of the most popular golf instructor worldwide

I am staying full time here at Oxford Golf Resort (my family have already settled in with the Pune way of life). With our covered multi-level driving range and indoor chipping and putting studios we can beat whatever the weather throws at us!

GDI: Is DLGA instruction going to be highly technical or can an average busy corporate golfer without much time to practise also benefit? LB: Not at all, obviously we will have students with different dreams, goals and aspirations and as such we customise our approach to each based on their time constraints and work schedules. I was taught to follow an acronym ‘KISS’ (Keep It Simple Stupid!). Simplicity is the goal and complicating things is unnecessary and confusing for students. GDI: Can you tell us about your background and some of your students? LB: From an early age I always wanted to play professionally and reached a scratch handicap by age 16.. I graduated from the University of Birmingham and GB&I PGA, gaining a BA in Applied Golf Management. Soon after in 2006 I was recruited by IMG and Leadbetter for teaching positions at IMG / Leadbetter Junior Academy in Bradenton, Flordia (even coaching David’s son James)

THe mAn HImseLf: David Leadbetter with one of his best selling books - The A Swing

“i was taught tO fOllOw an acrOnym ‘kiss’ (keep it simple stupid!). simplicity is the gOal and cOmplicating things is unnecessary and cOnfusing fOr students.” and also at Reiters Golf Resort in Austria. More recently I served 7 years as Academy Director of LGA Spain at three different locations, setting up a “professional development programme” highlighting my passion with Junior and Elite player development. This programme became fruitful in producing a Ladies European Tour (LET) professional, Alps, Ecco and Europro Tour Members, a Spanish National Team Member, an AJGA winner, various European Junior National Team Members and even PGA Teaching Professionals.

GDI: How can DLGA contribute to increasing interest in the sport in India – a cricket crazy country? Particularly among kids? LB: Great question, I think the game needs to be four things – 1. Accessible, 2. Easy, 3. Fun and 4. Fast. It is about getting people hooked on golf and unfortunately golf is notoriously difficult and time consuming for a beginner. When you look at the popular sports they

encompass all these things. That’s why at Oxford Golf Resort we are creating a 6-Hole Par 3 Course for night time use and incorporating a “Get Golf Ready” initiative with lots of monthly group classes.

GDI: Can you share some goals and objectives you have started out with? LB: My goal is to provide people in India an excellent golf learning destination where you can travel domestically for world class golf tuition. So instead of taking long and tiring trips abroad, you need only fly to Oxford Golf Resort! GDI: Tell us about David Leadbetter’s personal visit to the facility on January 6th – his first ever visit to India we believe? LB: I know David is extremely excited about his trip to India, as it is his first-ever Academy in this country. I am sure he will be thoroughly impressed with Oxford Golf Resort’s world class facilities and breathtaking location. january 2017 | golf digest india

Across The Country

Initiative

Mohali Golf Range – Bringing the game to masses Mohali Golf Range outside Chandigarh recently organized the inaugural Castle Sports Open “Golf Challenge”. Open to members and non-members both, over 90 golfers competed in various age groups in a series of competitions in long-driving, putting, chipping and bunker-play. Under the efforts of Harmeet Kahlon (golf pro and Director, Castle Sports Golf Academy at Mohali Golf Range),

size-specific golf equipment and golf balls were provided in a bid to invite non-golfers to try out and gain a feel for the game. The participants were awarded for their efforts by Amit Dhaka IAS, Chief Administrator, GMADA and Gen Sec, Mohali Golf Range. The Mohali Driving Range was the recipient of ‘Best Golf Facility by a State Development Authority’ award by Golf Digest India at India Golf Expo 2016.

Golf Digest View The efforts of Harmeet Kahlon and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to bring the game to the masses are praiseworthy. With Indian golfers making waves around the world, there is growing interest in golf among the public and efforts such as these will go a long way.

Golf In Schools

Golf Tournament among schools kids at DPS Khanna Junior Golf Course Delhi Public School Khanna near Ludhiana, Punjab hosted the inaugural DPS Khanna Invitational Golf Tournament 2016 at their inhouse nine-hole pitch & putt golf course. The tournament was played among four-member teams from five DPS Schools in the region Sangrur, Pinjore, Patiala, Dhuri and Khanna.

56 golf digest india | january 2017

Golf is part of the school curriculum at DPS Khanna since its inception five year ago and almost 200 kids are taught the game on a daily basis by Manjit Kochar and Arjuna awardee Harmeet Kahlon. Host school’s Eakmjot Singh came on top while DPS Pinjore’s Yuvraj and Abhimanyu

took the rest podium finishes. Concurrently, a putting competition was conducted for the non-golfers to give them a feel for the sport. Prizes were distributed by Chief Guest DS Bains IAS who encouraged school kids to pick up the game and take forward Punjab’s rich heritage of golf.

Junior Golf

How To Groom A Champion Planning is the key to success Starting in 2017, Golf Digest India in partnership with the International Junior Golf Association (IJGA) will bring you tips and advice perfected over decades to help groom the future champions of Indian golf

By BHArATH ArVInD

or over two decades, the International Junior Golf Association (IJGA) has been committed to developing champions both on and off the course. Over the coming months, the IJGA will exclusively share these secrets with the readers of Golf Digest India to help improve your game, maximize your potential and help set yourself or your child on the path to success as a champion golfer! While we all have aspirations of being the next Tiger Woods, the question remains on how does one go about becoming a champion golfer? It certainly takes hard work, dedication and perseverance, however, before you even hit a single ball – PLANNING becomes paramount. One of the first tasks the IJGA undertakes with students is setting a plan. Why is it important to have a plan with proper goals? The purpose of setting the plan is to help give students direction as to where they are going. This article takes a closer look and how the IJGA helps students chart their future plans for success.

Aniruddh Kedlaya attended IJGA and is now on scholarship at East Tennessee State University

Steps To Set A Plan: 1. GATHerInG DATA 2. COMMITMenT COnTrACTS 3. SeTTInG exPeCTATIOnS 4. CArryInG OuT THe PlAn 5. MOnITOrInG THe PlAn AnD MODIfyInG WHen neeDeD The risk of not having a plan may jeopardize the student’s ability to complete his or her daily tasks and can end with a student not achieving their goals due to mismanageme nt of time. Saptak Talwar of New Delhi attends the IJGA Academy in South Carolina

When working on goal setting, the IJGA looks at the following areas:

What = Desired Outcome How = Process Why = Motivation The Why is especially important as it provides intrinsic motivation, which is essential for long term success as well as to avoid burn out. Before you can create a champion, one must be a lifelong participant.

Keep in mind, if the plan is too challenging the student will lose interest and/or get frustrated, if the student is under challenged then they will lose motivation. Getting the challenge point correct is key. It is beneficial to continually monitor the plan based on achievements and be flexible with change. As you can see creating a plan is a process as well, but a well determined plan can mak e the biggest difference in success! Plan and be prepared to play your best! Stay tuned for more!

To learn more about IJGA or any of the training programs, please contact: Patrick O’Toole at patrick.otoole@ijga.com or at +1-843-384-1141. january 2017 | golf digest india

Women’s Golf USHA 100th All India Ladies Amateur

Nur eclipses Diksha to claim coveted title BY ROHIT BHARDWAJ rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

“Though I lost, it was a great experience. Nur played very well and came up with brilliant shots at —Diksha Dagar crucial times.” 58 golf digest india | january 2017

L-R: Runner-up Diksha Dagar, Sports Minister Vijay Goel, USHA 100th All India Ladies champion Nur Durriah Damian of Malaysia and badminton star Saina Nehwal

FORMAT l The Billoo Sethi qualifier comprises of 36 holes of strokeplay, with the top 32 amateurs advancing to the matchplay section. l The matchplay event consists of five knockout rounds including quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The final is a 36-hole matchplay while the earlier rounds are played over 18 holes. l Eight teams competed in the international team event

SELFIE QUEEN: Saina Nehwal clicks a picture with a young fan

Diksha Dagar went neck and neck till the 15th hole in the 36-hole final at Delhi GC

Images: Dharam DIwakar, k jaIraj ChauDhrI

alaysia’s Nur Durriah Damian put up a brilliant performance to thwart a spirited challenge from India No.1 and local hope Diksha Dagar to clinch the historic USHA 100th All India Ladies Amateur title at the iconic Delhi Golf Club (DGC) held from 13th to 18th December. 21-year-old Nur defeated 16-year-old Diksha 7&5 on the 31st hole in what began as a closely contested 36-hole final. The morning session saw both girls going neck and neck until the 15th hole before the three-time Malaysian national champion pulled ahead. Diksha, who won the 7th DGC Ladies Amateur recently, has been in great form of late. The Class 10 student at Mt Saint Mary School, New Delhi, had qualified, a few weeks earlier, for the Faldo Series Asia Grand Finals to be staged in Vietnam in March 2017. She also won four of the eight tournaments she entered this year. The Haryana girl was the only Indian in the last four of the event along with Malaysia’s Nur, Ireland’s Maria Dunne and Chinese Taipei’s Tsei Wei Chia who she defeated on 20th hole in the semifinal. A gracious Diksha later said: “Though I lost, it was a great experience. Nur played very well and came up with brilliant shots at crucial times.” “I enjoyed my visit and am thankful to Delhi Golf Club and Indian Golf Union and USHA, the sponsors. Diksha played very well. She is young and I am confident she will do well in her golfing career,” said Nur after the match. The prizes were given away by Sports Minister Vijay Goel and USHA International chairman and DGC president Siddharth Shriram in the presence of Indian sports icon and Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal. This being the 100th year, a large international contingent participated including teams from Sri Lanka, Bangaldesh, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and for the first time the R&A, who sent a player from Ireland and England to take part. The Indian Golf Union showcased the entire golfing experience in India in grand style and each went away promising to return next year. “The friendliness and fun shared with us during our stay in India, will always leave us with fond memories”, said Karen Olivant, President Women’s Golf of South Africa.

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf

RESULTS

Saina Nehwal | @NSaina

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY

Played badminton with ace golfers during the Usha 100 years of women's golf #ushagolf

Final: Nur Durriah Damian (MAS) beat Diksha Dagar (IND) 7&5 Semifinal: Diksha Dagar (IND) beat Tsai Wei Chia (TPE) on 20th hole

Vijay Goel | @VijayGoelBJP

Nur Durriah Damian (MAS) beat Maria Dunne (IRL) 1 UP

At USHA 100th All India Ladies Amateur #Golf C'ship;golf in #India is growing & as a heritage rich nation we must explore golf tourism

TEAM EVENT Winner: Malaysia - Nur Durriah Damian & Geraldine Wong 1st Runner-up: Singapore - Amanda Tan & Callista Chen 2nd Runner-up: India - Seher Atwal & Sifat Sagoo

The victorious Malaysian team

Nur contemplates a putt during the final round

12-year-old Anika Verma (R), who was the youngest participant in the event, receives her prize from Delhi GC captain Gen. KMS Shergill

L-R: IGU director general Wg. Cdr. Arun Singh in talks with Diksha Dagar and Saina Nehwal

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sifat Sagoo (L) and Seher Atwal (R), with Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal, finished third in the team competition

IGU president Wg. Cdr. Satish Aparajit

Nur Damian (L) with Delhi GC president and USHA International chairman Siddharth Shriram

january 2017 | golf digest india

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Golf

I am really happy and proud to be the fIrst Icelander on the lpGa 60 golf digest india | january 2017

Women’s Golf

FIre on Ice

Fighting Geographical Odds, LET Rookie Olafia Kristinsdottir Of Iceland Took The First Step Towards Realising Her Golfing Dream By Finishing Second At The LPGA Q-School By Rohit BhaRdwaj rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

lafiaThorunn Kristinsdottir is a professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Interestingly, she hails from Iceland which most of us will not perceive as a golfing nation. Guess again. It’s ripe for golf with 65 courses across the country! Most of which are situated in the southern region. Ice cover for 6-8 months has not stopped the Icelandic sensation from dreaming of a victory on the world stage. The 22-year-old became the first female golfer from Iceland to earn an LPGA Tour card recently after finishing second in the final Qualifying School with a five-round total of 12-under 348, a stroke behind eventual winner Jaye Marie Green of USA. “I am really happy and proud to be the first Icelander on the LPGA. Fun times ahead and a lot of learning!” wrote the Wake Forest University graduate (with a major in Economics) in a text message. She started playing golf at the age of 10 with inspiration from father Kristinn Josep Gislason, an engineer, and mother

Elisabet Maria Erlendsdottir, a homemaker. Being the youngest among five siblings, she enjoyed great support from brothers Kristinn Jr and Alfred, both of whom also caddied for her since she began playing big events. Alfred also played for the Icelandic national team. Olafia had a successful amateur career before turning professional in September 2014. She was the national champion in 2011 and 2014 and was the Iceland Golfer of the Year in 2014. The lanky beauty from Reykjavik ended in 14th place on the 2015 LET Access Series Order of Merit, earning herself an exemption to final stage of the Lalla Aicha LET Qualifying School, where she finished tied 25th to earn playing rights on the LET. The LET rookie shot into limelight for leading the first two rounds of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Abu Dhabi despite the demise of her aunt Pamela Erlendsson, a day prior to the tournament. Golf Digest India caught up with Olafia during the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon to gain some insights on her pursuit of global success. Edited excerpts:

KNOW KRISTINSDOTTIR Date of Birth: 15/10/1992 Residence: Reykjavik, Iceland Height: 1.77m Influences: Cheyenne Woods Favourite golfer: Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott Amateur career: Iceland national champion in 2011 & 2014 Turned pro: 2014 Best finish: 5th place at 2015 ASGI Ladies Open (on LET Access Series); Currently 12th on the LET Rookie of the Year rankings (with 10,994 Euros)

january 2017 | golf digest india

Women’s Golf GDI: What are the challenges you face playing in a country which is laden with ice almost 6 to 8 months of the year? In Iceland, you can play golf outdoors only from May to September. The rest of the season I practice either in Spain or go to America or train indoors in Iceland. When training indoors, we go to big soccer halls early in the morning like 6 am when there is no football practice. Then we play at a small pitching course where the ceiling is really high and you can actually hit balls and see it. It also has facility for chipping and indoor putting apart from golf simulators. It’s mostly owned by private clubs. My golf club has the biggest hitting base in Europe -- it has a three-storey height – and you can hit it out into the snow (smiles). And then as I said we take advantage of soccer stadiums.

I WENT TO AMERICA TO PLAY COLLEGE GOLF AND GOT ADMISSION INTO WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY. I LEARNT A LOT THERE AND HAD TEAMMATES LIKE CHEYENNE WOODS.

GDI: Why did you choose golf over playing more popular sport like football or skiing in Iceland? My parents and brother played golf and they took me to a golf course when I was nine years old and that’s how I got introduced to the game. The reason why I took to golf was because my golf club had a really good kids program. They used to have a tournament every Monday and I won a little medal in one of them. I then started competing in bigger tournaments when I was 12 or 13. That gave me good amount of confidence. I went to America to play college golf and got admission into Wake Forest. It had one of the best golf programs and practice facilities in America. I learnt a lot there and I had teammates like Cheyenne Woods. Cheyenne turned pro and is playing successfully on the LPGA. So I felt if I am at the same level then why shouldn’t give it a try. GDI: Prior to the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, your aunt passed away. Still you were leading the first two rounds… The wife of my mother’s brother was very sick since and she passed away just a day prior to the Abu Dhabi event. It was a very sad and emotional moment for me and my family. It gave me a different perspective

SUPER SHOW: Olafia finished second in the 2016 LPGA Q-School

With father Kristinn Gislason on the bag during an Iceland Tour event

62 golf digest india | january 2017

CROWNED: Olafia became the national champion in 2011 & 2014

FUN TIME: Wacky clicks with friends during off-season

Women’s Golf

OLAFIA’S FAVOURITES Favourite golf course Edgefield. I played my first tournament in college there. Movie Me Before You. I read the book after watching the movie Actor Mark Ruffalo Actress Angelina Jolie Drink Electrolyte-based drinks

NURTURING TALENT: The indoor practice facility at a golf club in Reykjavik

about life. There is my aunt fighting for her life and then there is someone like me is just trying to put this ball in the hole. That took a lot of pressure off me as I was thinking about her and how it was so unfair. But this is life and that motivated me to give my 200 per cent. That’s why I played really well in Abu Dhabi. I could have done better in the last round but my rivals played pretty solid and were rewarded. Leading the first two rounds was itself a big victory for me against such a competitive field. GDI: How is golf growing in Iceland? Are more girls picking up the sport after watching you play well at the global stage? I got a lot of messages from little young girls saying that they want to become as good as I am. That’s really cute. When I played those two good rounds at Abu Dhabi I got around 160-180 messages from people in Iceland including my relatives and friends. I felt

really very proud of myself. Golf is growing in Iceland. Private clubs are playing a crucial part in that. But it’s going to take at least a couple of years to produce a bunch of promising youngsters. GDI: What other sport do you play besides golf? I stay away from skiing as it is dangerous. I want to play tennis when I am off golf or on a holiday. Roger Federer is my favourite player. I like how mentally strong he is and keeps his emotions in check on the court. I am not very good at tennis, I learnt it during my college days at Wake Forest. But leisurely I like to be with my nieces and nephews at home.

Food My mother’s homemade pizza, chicken curry. Mid-round power snack Tuna sandwich, bananas & bread Clubs in your golf bag Titleist Interests Love baking and spending time with my nieces and nephews Holiday destination Hawaii

GDI: These days many pros are taking to Yoga. What about you? I am not a yoga person but I meditate half an hour every day. My dad does Reiki and some postures of yoga as well but I fear pulling up a muscle doing that.

I SIT HOME ALONE, MOVED WITH JOY AND TEARS IN MY EYES, MY LITTLE BLADE HAS BECOME LARGE. ÓLAFÍA ENSURED THE RIGHT TO COMPETE ON THE LPGA TOUR... I THANK THE GENTLEMEN WHO SUPPORTED US FOR THIS MARVELOUS MOMENT. —KRISTINN J GISLASON, OLAFIA'S FATHER

LOVE OF HER LIFE: With boyfriend Thomas Bojanowski

WAH TAJ! Enjoying a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra

SISTERHOOD: With Wake Forest University mate Cheyenne Woods

IN ELITE COMPANY: Sharing a pose with legend Arnold Palmer

january 2017 | golf digest india

Health & Fitness

The Belen Way To Fitness

Golf Digest India will feature health and fitness tips from tour pros every month to help you keep yourself in good shape. Here’s a sneak peek into what Spain’s Belen Mozo, runner-up at the recently concluded Hero Women’s Indian Open, does to bolster her confidence on the greens

it helps in shoulder stabilization, works upon your upper butt. Strengthens your core as you always need to maintain a straight back. From the lower back you have to push it out and get the arc by engaging the abs. It helps you get the perfect posture, something very essential for golfers. With leg extension you work your glutes, a vital muscle for your golf swing. Most golfers believe the quads are the most important but I feel its the hamstrings and the glutes which are more vital.

PhySio ball Side PlankS

normally golfers do without the ball but i like to do it with the physio ball as it gives me more stability. To create stability and control you need to engage your abs. I get my torso in the right position by extending my arm and then going up and down with my hips. Engage not only your core but also your obliques.

Belen Mozo is one of the fittest golfers on the Ladies European Tour

64 golf digest india | january 2017

Images: K. JaIraJ ChaudhrI, Instagram - @belenmozo; loCatIon Courtesy: dlF golF & Country Club; text: rohIt bhardwaJ

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On the European Tour

Sam Brazel (13-under 267) of USA won the UBS Hong Kong Open by one stroke

Big finish hands Brazel victory in Hong Kong

am Brazel birdied the last to beat Rafa Cabrera Bello by one shot and win his first European Tour title at the UBS Hong Kong Open. The Australian entered the week ranked 480th in the Official World Golf Ranking but entered the final day at Hong Kong Golf Club tied at the top of the leaderboard alongside Ryder Cup star Cabrera Bello in just his 17th European Tour appearance. At one point there were six players in a tie for the lead on the back nine but Brazel held off a group with 11 European Tour titles between them, and an eight-foot putt on the last handed him a closing 68 and a 13-under par total. Cabrera Bello birded the 16th and 17th to set up a grandstand finish down the last hole but he could only make a par and finish 12-under as Brazel’s stunning approach set up just the second birdie of the day on the closing hole. Australian Andrew Dodt and England’s Tommy Fleetwood were then at 11-under to finish tied 3rd, a shot clear of

66 golf digest india | january 2017

American David Lipsky and two ahead of Danny Willett. Brazel was visibly emotional as he lifted the trophy and the 37-year-old credited a new set of clubs with helping get him over the line. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “I’ve been playing good. It’s just been a bit of a struggle with the old irons and my man, Adam, set me up with a new set of bats, and it’s all sort of turned around. This is the fruit.”

“It’s been a long tIme comIng, I’ve been playIng good. It’s just been a bIt of a struggle wIth the old Irons and my man, adam, set me up wIth a new set of bats, and It’s all sort of turned around. thIs Is the fruIt.” —sam brazel

Elvira namEd GraduatE of tHE YEar Nacho Elvira has been named as the Graduate of the Year by the European Tour after a breakthrough 2016 season saw him finish 44th in the Race to Dubai, six places ahead of nearest rival Brandon Stone. The award follows the announcement of Jeunghun Wang as Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and Elvira follows Byeong Hun An and Brooks Koepka as recent recipients of the prestigious prize. The Graduate of the Year is awarded to the best-performing player to have graduated from the European Challenge Tour the previous season and while Stone led the way for much of 2016, it was Elvira’s strong finish to the season that sealed his victory. After tying for third in the Italian Open, back-to-back top tens at the Portugal Masters and the Turkish Airlines Open earned Elvira this award, with those results taking him to 824,367 points for the year. It also makes it two awards in two seasons for the 29-year-old after his albatross on the way to victory in the Challenge de Madrid was voted the Challenge Tour’s Shot of the Year for 2015 by the public.

On the European Tour

Stars of Chinese golf unveil country’s first dedicated museum

hree Chinese golf legends, including Olympic bronze medalist Feng Shanshan, were at Mission Hills Golf Club in southern China recently to celebrate the opening of their country’s first golf museum. The 27-year-old Feng, fresh from her win at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters last month, was joined at Mission Hills in Shenzhen by the reigning Volvo China Open champion Li Haotong and Zhang Lianwei, who in 2004 became the first Chinese golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament.

“We have created China’s first golf museum to showcase world golf but also to celebrate the history of the game in our country,” said Dr. Ken Chu, Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group. “We are honoured that Feng Shanshan, Li Haotong and Zhang Lianwei should join us for the official opening – they have done so much to put Chinese golf on the world map since Zhang became the first Chinese golfer to win on the European Tour in 2003.” The Golf Museum at Mission Hills features a number of unique exhibits and artefacts from world golf, including the famous ‘Claret Jug’ trophy, which is awarded annually to the winner of The Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, and has been loaned by The R&A. The museum also celebrates the life of the late Dr. David Chu, the founder of the Mission Hills Group, and traces his contribution to the sport in China since creating what is now recognized as the world’s largest golf club in 1992.

L-R: Zhang Lianwei, Shanshan Feng, Mission Hills Group Chairman Dr. Ken Chu, Li Haotong and Mission Hills Group Vice Chairman Tenniel Chu

Golf museum at Mission Hills Club in China

“we have created chIna’s fIrst golf museum to showcase world golf but also to celebrate the — dr. Ken chu, chaIrman and ceo of mIssIon hIlls group hIstory of the game In our country.” january 2017 | golf digest india

On the European Tour

Dominant Denmark’s maiden World Cup victory Denmark won the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf for the first time as Søren Kjeldsen and Thorbjørn Olesen claimed a thrilling four-shot victory at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne. The Danes had been a dominant force all week, with a stunning round of 60 in the fourballs helping them take a four-shot lead into a final day where they would be playing the same format. They did not have it all their own way, though, and the lead was cut to one shot on the back nine as the United States and China kept applying the pressure and France and Sweden made surging late charges. A run of five birdies in six holes from the tenth was to reassert the Danish dominance, however, and Kjeldsen and Olesen finished at 20 under after a closing 66. The French duo of Victor Dubuisson and Romian Langasque shared second with China - represented by Ashun Wu and Li Haotong - and the United States duo of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. Alex Noren and David Lingmerth combined for a brilliant closing 62 to finish in fifth place for Sweden. The win completes excellent seasons for Kjeldsen and Olesen, with both finishing in the Top 20 of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and the latter extending his streak of winning seasons on the European Tour to three with victory at the Turkish Airlines Open.

Soren Kjeldsen (L) and Thorbjorn Olesen with the World Cup trophy

Denmark's previous best finish at the World Cup had been in 2001 when Thomas Bjørn and Soren Hansen finished in a tie for

second, and for Kjeldsen it was a first victory in his sixth appearance, while Olesen was making his third.

Volvo China Open to return to Topwin

he Volvo China Open will return to Topwin Golf and Country Club from April 27-30, 2017 where Li Haotong will aim to defend his title after a dramatic home victory last time

around. The 23rd edition of the tournament will be held at the course in Huairou, Beijing following its hosting debut in 2016. Volvo has also announced that its ‘Volvo in Golf’ strategy will now primarily focus on the Chinese market, after seeing many talented young players, including Li, emerge from the junior ranks over the past 23 years. China will be the core market for Volvo’s new golf strategy and will revolve around three main events – the Volvo China Open, Volvo China Junior Match Play Championship and the Volvo World Golf Challenge. The aim is to provide world-class competitive arenas for golfers at all levels, and develop golf in China across professional, junior and amateur fields. Having sponsored golf events in China for the past 22 years and now with China being its second largest market, Volvo cars will place even more focus on the country with the aim of promoting and developing the sport throughout China.

68 golf digest india | january 2017

2016 Volvo China Open winner Li Haotong

On the European Tour

Stenson awarded European Tour Honorary Life Membership Brandon Stone

Sensational Stone cruises to victory on home soil

Henrik Stenson of Sweden is presented with Honorary Life Membership by Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of The European Tour

enrik Stenson became the latest player to join the exclusive group of Honorary Life Members of the European Tour. Stenson is the 51st player – and the first from Sweden – to receive the accolade, in recognition of his maiden Major Championship win at the The 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The first Honorary Life Member of the European Tour was its Founding Father, John Jacobs OBE, the Tour’s first Executive Director. He was later joined by golf luminaries such as Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Danny Willett became the 50th member of the club earlier this year in recognition of his triumph at the Masters Tournament and Stenson now follows him after becoming

the second European Tour member to win a Major Championship in 2016. Stenson, who broke a plethora of longstanding records during his three-shot win in Troon, went toe-to-toe with five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson in a thrilling final day duel. The Swede carded a 63 to equal the lowest round in Major history, while his 264 aggregate score was also the lowest in a Major Championship. Stenson has enjoyed a stellar year, winning the BMW International Open in June and following up his triumph at The Open with a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A tied second-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai last month was enough to propel him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings heading into the final week.

Home favourite Brandon Stone claimed his second European Tour title in style with a seven shot victory at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. The South African produced a closing 67 at Leopard Creek Country Club to finish the week on 22-under par and secure his second trophy of the calendar year after winning January’s BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni. Richard Sterne finished alone in second on 15-under after posting a bogeyfree 67 in his final round, while Belgium’s Thomas Detry was two strokes further back in third. Stone began the day three shots clear of the chasing pack, but he had company at the top of the leaderboard early on Sunday after Charl Schwartzel a four-time winner of this event - notched three birdies in his opening six holes to join his countryman on 17-under. But, after safely parring his first five holes, Stone made a gain at the sixth to regain the outright lead. And with Schwartzel dropping a shot at the seventh and Stone rolling in his 15 foot birdie putt at the same hole, the 23-year-old’s lead was back to three strokes.

Varner claims maiden title Down Under Harold Varner III put last season's play-off heartbreak behind him to card a closing 65 and win his first European Tour title at the Australian PGA Championship. The American entered the final round 12 months ago in a share of the lead but a closing 75 in testing conditions saw him finish level par and lose out on the first play-off hole to Nathan Holman. This time around at RACV Royal Pines Resort

he teed off two shots behind overnight leader Andrew Dodt and after the two went toe-to-toe in a thrilling battle down the stretch, his second 65 of the week saw him win by two shots at 19-under. Varner’s victory makes him the first non-Australian to lift the trophy since New Zealander Greg Turner in 1999 and moves him to the top of the fledgling Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex as the first victor of the 2017 season.

Harold Varner III

january 2017 | golf digest india

On the European Tour Reigning US Masters champion Danny Willett (2L)

Willett confirmed for Maybank Championship Malaysia return

asters Tournament Champion Danny Willett will tee off at Saujana Golf & Country Club in February 2017 in a tournament that promises an experience of ‘Golf Like Never Before’. The Yorkshireman is the first high profile announcement in a field that will compete for a US$3million prize purse from 9-12 February. Willett will be looking to replicate his winning start in February 2016, when he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Two months later he picked up his biggest career win to date at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, finishing the season in second place in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after another four top-ten finishes. He was part of the victorious Team Europe at the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in January 2016 before making his debut at The Ryder Cup in October, and represented Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Willett said: “I am delighted to confirm my participation in Maybank Championship 2017. It’s always great to be back in Malaysia and I have some great memories of my past appearances here in Kuala Lumpur.” Maybank has also reaffirmed its commitment to support the continued pursuit of more ASEAN golf champions with the announcement of an all new ASEAN category at the Maybank Championship to be held from 9-12 February. The category will see the region’s rising tour professionals, as well as top ten Malaysians from the PGM Tour, tee-off alongside some of the world’s best golfers from both the European and Asian Tours. This specific allocation builds on the inaugural event last year where four ASEAN players were given tournament invites. Last year, the top player from Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam will be selected by their home Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) order of Merit based on their local tour Order of Merit and their Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour and World Rankings. By cementing this commitment in the makeup of the player field, regional players can aim for selection and the PGA in each market can include this as a key focus for growth of the game locally. There is also a spot for the top Malaysian amateur which will be based on the R&A World Rankings as of mid-December 2016 and a second amateur invite has been extended to Curtis Luck of Australia who won the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in September this year. The winner of the season-ending PGM Maybank Players’ Championship in December 2016 will also be included in the line-up.

70 golf digest india | january 2017

Wang naMed Sir Henry Cotton rookie of tHe year

Jeunghun Wang of South Korea

e u n g h u n Wa n g h a s capped a remarkable maiden season on the European Tour by claiming the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year title, becoming the second South Korean to take the honour in successive years following compatriot Byeong Hun An in 2015. Wang set a host of records in May with back-to-back European Tour wins at the Trophée Hassan II and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, and finished the season in 16th position in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex. Wang pulled ahead of his closest challengers for the Rookie of the Year award - China’s Haotong Li (23rd), fellow Korean Soomin Lee (43rd) and Brandon Stone of South Africa (50th) - with a strong end to 2016 in the Final Series. He finished second behind Alex Noren at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player, and tied 17th alongside Ross Fisher on sixunder par at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. In January, the 21-year-old was a captain’s pick in Asia’s team for the EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM. An impressive second place at the Hero Indian Open followed in March suggesting his potential before his momentous May.

He became the youngest winner on the European Tour since Matteo Manassero triumphed at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, aged 20 years and 27 days. Wang holed three remarkable putts on the 18th green, first in regulation play and then in each of the two extra holes, to see off Nacho Elvira in a play-off on a dramatic final day at the Trophée Hassan II played in Rabat, Morocco. A week later, Wang became the first Korean player to record multiple victories in the same European Tour season when he came out on top in a final round battle with Siddikur Rahman to claim the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. That victory made him the the first player to triumph in back-toback European Tour events since 2014, when Rory McIlroy won the WGC–Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship. He also became the first Asian player to win consecutive European Tour events, and at 20 years and 263 days, the youngest ever player to win consecutive European Tour events. He follows Manassero, Sergio Garcia, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo and José Maria Olazábal, by winning his first two official European Tour events before the age of 21.

“I dIdn’t even thInk about wInnIng RookIe of the YeaR untIl the tuRkIsh aIRlInes open when lI fInIshed second, so It Is nIce to fInallY make It. I’m the second koRean to wIn thIs awaRd and I’m so pRoud.” — Jeunghun wang

On the European Tour

Challenge tour Class of 2016 stars to watch in 2017

Gary King

Christofer Blomstrand

Jordan Smith

s the Class of 2016, and an array of European Challenge Tour members, prepare to make the step up to the European Tour in 2017, we profile five players who could make an impact on the top tier.

Romain Langasque

After a stellar rookie season on Europe’s top developmental tour, where Langasque finished ninth in the Road to Oman Rankings, the Frenchman teamed up with compatriot Victor Dubuisson at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf. The former Amateur Champion, who led for two rounds at the 2016 Omega European Masters, fuelled his growing reputation with an outstanding display at Kingston Heath Golf Club, taking a share of second place with Ryder Cup winner Dubuisson. After claiming the biggest pay cheque of his career to date, half of €803,641, the 21 year old will be one of the form players going into 2017.

Gary King

Joining his fellow countryman Smith in the

Dylan Frittelli

Romain Langasque

big league is King. The 26 year old produced some final round heroics at this year’s Final Stage of European Tour Qualifying School, firing a six under par 66 to earn a European Tour card on the mark. The 2016 Montecchia Open by Lyoness champion, who also shot a nine under par third round of 63 to put himself into contention for a top-16 spot at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final, will be hoping that he can continue to go low in 2017.

wins, four further top fives and two other top tens on Europe’s top developmental tour last season. Competing in Australia, the young Englishman had the honour of hitting the first shot of the 2017 European Tour season, and he will be looking to get off to a good start and follow in the footsteps of former Challenge Tour Rankings winners, such as Andrew Johnston, Edoardo Molinari and Henrik Stenson.

Dylan Frittelli

Christofer Blomstrand

The 26 year old notched up nine top tens in 18 tournaments on the Challenge Tour last season and will be looking to maintain that sort of consistency during his debut European Tour campaign. The South African, who enjoyed a glittering amateur career in the American collegiate ranks, will be hoping to live up to his early promise as he takes his first steps as a full European Tour member.

Jordan Smith

The 23 year old Road to Oman winner will be raring to go on the European Tour after two

The 24 year old romped to victory at the Zambia Sugar Open on the Sunshine Tour in April, rising up the leaderboard on the final day with a ten under par score of 63. Blomstrand, who secured two top fives on the 2016 Road to Oman, finished 74th in the Rankings after competing in 14 events during his first Challenge Tour season. With the renowned Fanny Sunesson – the former caddie of Sir Nick Faldo and Stenson – as his coach, Blomstrand will be looking to emulate those famous names when he joins the esteemed company of the European Tour’s current stars in 2017. january 2017 | golf digest india

EASY pow Photographs by Dylan Coulter

wEr

bY louiS ooSthuizEn I was never the biggest or strongest guy growing up on the southern cape of South Africa, so from the beginning I knew I was going to have to create clubhead speed with good fundamentals and efficient technique. So those are things I’ve always paid attention to. At 5-11, 160 pounds, I’m still on the smaller side for a tour player, but I can carry my driver almost 300 yards and hit my 7-iron 180, and that’s using what I would call a comfortable swing. Rory McIlroy hits it even longer, and he’s about the same size I am. Watch a sport like rugby or basketball, and the pitch or court is filled with guys who are huge and super fast, and they’re doing things you can’t even try to copy. But golf is different. All golfers can improve in the basics and find more “easy power”—the kind that comes from good rhythm, stability and the right sequence of motion, not by going after the ball as hard as you can with brute force. Here I’ll show you some of the things I work on to keep my swing in balance and working at optimum speed. — w i t h m at t h e w r u dy

how you can create more speed with less effort

january 2017 | golf digest india

going back keep your arms soft and make a full hinge to the top.

74 golfdigest.com | month 2016

gutter credit tk

A lot of players mess around with their grips to get more speed, but they stop there. The grip is important, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more important to have your arms relaxed when you start, centered under your chest and positioned with the elbows pointing down. Then you can turn back with your right arm close to your body and make an easy, full wrist hinge to the top instead of fighting yourself. Try to make a big shoulder turn, keeping your feet quiet, and feel your right hip rotate behind you during the backswing. Photograph by First Lastname

coming down

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start your hips first and let them pull your upper body.

Clubhead speed is measured at the ball, but most players have already lost it halfway down. They try to make the club go fast from the top, rather than giving everything time to unwind. Feel like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re throwing the club underhanded as far and high as you can down the range, not like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re chopping an ax into the ball. The hips should start first and pull the upper body, which gives the club a free swing through. When you re-route the club from the top, trying to force it down, you sacrifice swing speed. Photograph by First Lastname

january month2017 2016| |golf golfdigest.com digest india

into impact Push against the ground KeePing Your feet flat.

As you swing down to the ball, imagine a set of dominos getting tipped over. If you push one domino out of sequence, the whole row won’t fall. A lot of players go hard at the target with the body or come through early with the shoulders, instead of turning the hips out of the way first. That’s like pulling out a couple of dominos and breaking the chain. Push against the ground with your feet flat, continue rotating your hips forward, and feel like your chest doesn’t get back to square until you reach impact.

to the finish

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let the club sPeed through without forcing it.

The only swing thoughts I have during my best rounds are some form of let it go. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not focused on my body when I play, just where I want to hit the ball. Work on these moves in practice, one by one, so you can eventually play without thinking about them. Ironically, the more you try to consciously direct the club into specific positions, rather than letting it react to your body movements, the slower and less predictably it will swing. Remember, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to find power without forceful effort. Photograph by First Lastname

january month2017 2016| |golf golfdigest.com digest india

Play Your Best

Strategy by Jack Nicklaus

Can you gain a full shot? That’s your first question. Road to Recovery Know when taking the risk is smart he recovery is among the most beautiful shots in golf. That’s why I like courses where the player has the opportunity to make one. If the natural vegetation is such that you usually have no choice but to chip your ball out sideways, well, that can be boring. The great architect Donald Ross would periodically go around Pinehurst and identify spots where golfers commonly missed drives. If he saw that a tree or bush had grown so it prevented the playing of a recovery shot toward the green, he ordered it removed. Hitting a low draw or high fade, or whatever shot is available to escape, takes skill and nerve. Knowing when to try it is just a basic calculation. Let’s look at a course I designed: Spring Creek Ranch in Collierville, Tenn. Suppose you hook a tee shot on No. 12 (shown). Here are your options. —with max adler

1. wEiGH THE GamBlE Can you gain a full shot? In other words, can you do a stroke better than if you chipped out sideways? On a par 4 like this, assuming you’re playing from the appropriate tees, that should mean getting on the green. What are your odds? Let’s say your best path to the green is between two trees. To consider trying to thread the needle, you should feel confident you could pull off the shot at least 90 percent of the time. Never let your first mistake cost you any more than one shot.

2. HEDGE YOUR BET Can you gain half a shot? If any recovery attempt would have to roll in hot with a small chance of holding the green, not all is lost. You’ll probably make twice as many pars from near the green than by chipping out and leaving a long approach. Provided your sand game is functional, even finishing in a greenside bunker is a win. Don’t like the bunkers? Then consider playing short to set up a simple little pitch shot.

ignore the doubters

3. DON’T DiG a HOlE

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Sometimes you try the risky shot, the ball brushes a limb and kicks to where you were going to chip out anyway. If that’s the worst that can happen, go for it. But never compound mistakes. If I don’t like my lie or the size of my escape window, I look hard at the worstcase scenarios. Catching this bunker about 100 yards short of the green leaves a very difficult shot. And I’m not flirting with any recovery that could end up in the wetlands across the fairway. No matter what, your No. 1 priority is to end up in a better place.

Illustration by Chris O’Riley

One of my most memorable recovery shots was in the final round of the 1975 PGA Championship at Firestone. On the par-5 16th, I was lying three in the rough behind two trees, 138 yards out, with a shot over a lake. Bob Rosburg was trailing us doing commentary for TV. I hear Bob say, “He’s dead now. He’s got to chip out.” The lie wasn’t terrible. I lofted a 9-iron over the trees, holed the 20-footer for par, and went on to win.

edited by peter morrice

Play

How to Control Your Wedges Keys to getting the distance right every time

most amateurs i play with understand the fundamentals of pitching and chipping. They know to set up in a slightly open stance and to favor the front foot. They know they should accelerate through impact and let the loft on the clubface provide the height and spin they need to stop the ball close. They understand all of this, yet they still hit some really bad short-game shots. Why? I think it’s because they get caught up in trying to control the distance the ball goes without really knowing how to do it. On short shots, they decelerate and dump it. On longer ones, they swing too wildly and skull it. Assuming your technique is fairly sound, I’m going to give you my blueprint for distance control around the greens. Hit these shots pin high, and you’ll score better than ever. —WITH ron kasprIske

by justin rose

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

january 2017 | golf digest india

Play Your Best Short Game

chippinG: Keep the handle centered chip with a 56degree wedge, especially out of the rough. You’ll catch more ball on the face than you would with a lob wedge. also, it’s more versatile in terms of distance control. depending on the shot you want, address the ball in one of the five positions i’m showing here (left and above). the farther back, the lower the ball will fly and the farther it will roll. But no matter where you position the ball, the butt end of the club should be centered on your body at address. don’t lean the handle forward or back of this spot, or you risk making poor contact.

“With my three-backswing system, you cover so many yardages.”

wedGe ShotS: VarY Your BacKSwinG it’s too difficult to regulate distance by swinging harder or softer. instead, develop a system of wedge distances by varying how far back you take the club (left and above). For example, swing your lob wedge back until your left arm is at 9 o’clock or parallel to the ground and see how far you hit the ball. then take it back to 10 o’clock and note the distance. Finally, make a full backswing and note it again. try to keep your swing speed and follow-through the same for each. do this with all your wedges, and you’ll be able to adapt to so many yardages. no more guesswork on short shots into the green.

january 2017 | golf digest india

Play Your Best Shortcuts by Tom Watson

henever I evaluate a golfer’s ability, I first check for a proper grip and a balanced, athletic setup. Then I watch the footwork, which ultimately determines how efficiently the player creates clubhead speed. Proper footwork is a necessity for consistency and power,

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

and there’s a sequence you should strive for. Start with your center of gravity directly between the balls of your feet. Then as you take the club back, let your weight transfer slightly to the inside of your right foot and eventually toward the heel. As you start the downswing, plant your left heel firmly to ini-

tiate the forward rotation of your hips. Replanting the left heel is an important lesson that my teacher, Stan Thirsk, taught me when I was growing up. It allows you to accelerate your swing and release the club powerfully through impact. If your footwork is good, you’ll be able to finish the swing in a posed position. Look for almost all of your weight on your front foot, with your back foot used only as a counterbalance. Tom Watson is a Golf Digest Playing Editor.

ELEMENTARY WATSON If you want to hit it longer, copy the power moves in other sports. Whether it’s hitting a baseball, playing a forehand in tennis, throwing a pass or even kicking a soccer ball, you shift and turn your lower body—feet in particular—toward the intended target. You plant the lead foot, turn the hips and then go with the upper body or leg. That’s an athletic move. Golf is the same.

illustration by john caldwell

From the Ground Up An effective golf swing starts with your feet

Fixed on Twitter by Hank Haney

36% 14% 10%

40%

Play Your Best

What would you most like to 5 be ableHDCPto say after a round? ▶ I made some putts ▶ I hit the ball solid ▶ I drove it well ▶ I had a good score

42% 34%

source: Golf DiGest reaDers

all TogeTHer Maintain the relationship between your hands and chest as you go back and through.

Beating Blocks and Hooks The answer is to keep your body and arms in sync

ommentators analyzing tour pros have a phrase they use to describe a certain good-player mistake: They call it “getting stuck.” It’s a colorful term, but I’m not sure if regular golfers—like those I go back and forth with on Twitter— know what it means. The easiest way to picture it is to compare it to the opposite problem: a slicer coming over the top. In that move, the player swings the club down from the

outside on a steep angle. Getting stuck is coming from too far inside and behind the body. The upper body obstructs or interferes with the club’s path to the ball. The most common reason players get stuck is, they don’t keep the arms and club in front of the chest as they turn back and through. When the club trails the upper body on the way down, the hands have to flip the clubhead over to recover. Hello, hook. If that player tries to make a

big body turn through to compensate, the club gets even more stuck. That’s often a block. If you can keep the same relationship between your upper body, arms and the club from address through impact, you’ll be able to swing fast and free. Hank Haney is based at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch, Lewisville, Texas. To get fixed in Golf Digest, send Hank your swing on Twitter: @HankHaney. Photograph by J.D. Cuban

Play Your Best Swing Sequence anny Willett doesn’t always go out of his way to make you feel comfortable, and that might be why he’s such a tough competitor. As his teacher, Mike Walker, says, “He was the No. 1 amateur in the world in 2008, so he expects a lot of himself. He’s not unfriendly. He’s single-minded.” A 2007 Walker Cup standout from England, Willett had to learn patience as a pro.

Danny Willett A former No. 1 amateur now a formidable pro

84 golf digest india | january 2017

It wasn’t until 2012 that he captured the BMW International, the first of his three European Tour titles. Since then, he has put himself in position on Sunday many times. He won the Omega European Masters in July, and a week earlier, he found himself one stroke out of the 36-hole lead at the British Open at St. Andrews, and wound up finishing T-6, his best showing in a major.

As Willett refines his swing, mainly working to eliminate the miss to the left, look for great things. “He’s become a much better putter this year,” according to Walker, who says he gives Willett drills that would help the average golfer, including hitting balls with only the right or left arm. “They magnify the problem so we know what to work on,” Walker says. —roger schiffman

right hip DoWn

holD off the hinge

quiet loWer boDy

At address, Danny Willett likes to have the ball under his left shoulder, pre-setting a slightly upward strike. “When he struggles, his right hip gets too high, causing his hips to point left,” says his swing coach, Mike Walker. “Getting the right hip lower is a good thought for most players with the driver.”

Willett hinges his wrists earlier on the backswing than most tour players do. “We’ve inherited that,” Walker says. “We’re working on making him longer with his right arm and keeping his wrists quieter on the takeaway.” That added extension will help Willett load the club correctly and unload it more efficiently.

Getting to the top, Willett elevates his left arm for more extension. “If you looked at Danny’s swing from down the line, you’d see his left arm is on his shoulder line or slightly above it at the top. It used to be under the shoulders,” Walker says. “Also, notice how stable his lower body is. That gives him tremendous torque.”

s o u rc e : e u ro p e a n to u r

Super lag aCtion

Clamp the armS

a free finiSh

pro-file

Starting down, Willett creates a lot of lag (the angle between his left arm and the clubshaft). On the move into impact, Walker says, “He swings the handle down and to the left at the same time. He used to throw the javelin in school, and that’s a similar move with the right hand.” It helps deliver the club squarely to the ball.

The shaft is leaning forward at impact, but the sweet spot is in line with the left shoulder. “He feels like his arms are clamped under his shoulders so there’s no extra movement,” Walker says. “His left wrist is in perfect position given his strong left-hand grip, and his right wrist is bent, discouraging a hook.”

Willett looks as if he’s freewheeling the club through the strike, holding nothing back. Note his arm extension when the clubshaft is parallel with the ground. “This full release and his perfectly balanced finish are symptoms of a good delivery position at impact,” Walker says. “Danny could hold his finish for a long time.”

danny willett 29 / 5-11 / 170 pounds Sheffield, england driver Callaway Xr 10.5 degrees ball Callaway Sr3

Photographs by Dom Furore

Play Your Best Back to Basics

5-Minute Clinic Try this handy way to play better golf by travis fulton our hands are the only connection you have to a golf club, so it’s logical that if you want to improve your swing, focusing on their positions and movement is a smart way to go about it. Remember, it’s your hands that control the clubface, and its orientation at impact is the biggest factor in what happens to the ball. That means if you work on hand action, you’re essentially working on ball-flight control. From your driver to your irons to your wedges and even the putter, use these tips to get hold of a better golf game.

—with ron kaspriske Travis Fulton, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, runs the Golf Channel Academy at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.

2 bunker play

‘Hitting drives on tHe upswing keeps tHe ball in tHe air longer witH less spin.’

Stay loose on greenside sand shots ▶ Don’t shorten up and brace for impact in the bunker. You want your swing to feel long and unhurried. Your left wrist should cup at the top as if it’s bending from the weight of the clubhead. Make practice swings with your left hand only and, when you reach the top, check that wrist and make sure it’s more cupped (above). This will help open the clubface. From here, keep the hands relaxed when you swing down, and let the club glide through the sand.

1 tee balls

▶ Golf-ball radar systems like TrackMan prove that you should hit drives with an ascending blow. To pattern this upswing, focus on both hands moving upward as they approach the ball and inward after impact. Here’s how: Set the driver on the ground a few feet behind a teed-up ball (near right). Then make half-swings sweeping the driver along the turf and hitting up on the ball (far right). Sense the hand movements and copy them on the course.

86 golf digest india | january 2017

gutter credit tk

Swing up and in to smash it

“Hit down on the ball, but don’t let the club dig into the turf.” 4 chipping action

Maintain the dish

yes

▶ Your goal is to make ball-first contact when you chip. But what you don’t want is to swing down so steeply that the leading edge of the club digs into the turf, gets stuck, and you chunk the shot. You need a shallower approach so the wedge glides along the turf through impact. You can get that by creating a little dish in your left wrist at address (left), and maintaining that slightly cupped position when you swing. The shaft will still lean slightly forward at address so you can hit down on the ball, but the dish ensures the club doesn’t stub. That’s how you hit it crisply.

iron game

Support the club at the top

lofted wedges

▶ A good backswing is critical to hitting crisp irons. Focus on two key spots for your hand movements: (1) About halfway back, hinge your wrists moving the clubhead skyward and aligned with the left forearm. Feel the heel pad of the right hand pushing against the thumb of the left. (2) As you reach the top, sense that the bottom three fingers of the left hand are gripping the handle and are curled toward the right palm, which should be supporting the club’s weight (right). Now you’re ready to start down.

▶ Many golfers think they have to hold the face skyward on shorter wedge shots to hit it high and soft. This leads to distancecontrol issues, because the club isn’t making solid contact. Instead, swing so your hands rotate the clubface down and to the left as it passes through the impact zone. This is not a flip in which the right hand scoops under the left. The right should rotate on top of the left, and the shaft should be in line with the target with the toe pointing up after impact (above). The shot will feel solid, yet the ball will still fly high and stop quickly—with added backspin.

Turn over your pitch shots

6 on the green

Take your hands out of the stroke

▶ Active hands can do more harm than good when you’re on the green, because they make it difficult to keep the putterface square to your putting line. Instead, when you swing back and through, keep your grip light and feel like the motion of the

putter is being generated by a small turning, not rocking, of the shoulders. If the hands stay passive, this slight shoulder turn will allow the face to move on a small arc yet remain square to your putting line. Better face control means more made putts.

Photographs by Dom Furore

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88 golfdigest.com | month 2016

Photograph by First Lastname

[ golf + money ]

how W much cash do you on tour, it’s carry?

e begin with a disclosure: When you ask folks in all walks of golf life a personal question, it’s only fair to answer it yourself. The question was this: “How much cash do you have on you . . . and why?” Cash is still king, right? Even in this age of credit cards and electronic banking, people still carry cash. OK, well, most people.

anywhere from $0 to a lot more

b y d av e s h e d l o s k i

Illustrations by Eddie Guy

I had $182 when I stopped Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee at the Open Championship last summer at St. Andrews. To Chamblee’s credit, he was forthcoming. (One major champion declined—old school.) Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player, was carrying $80, plus £70. “I usually carry about $300,” he said. “I’m not extravagant. I mean, if this is a contest, then Phil Mickelson is going to win it.” Well, it isn’t a contest, just a survey. And we’ll get to Phil in a bit. But what did we learn? One surprise was that a few

golf writers actually carry more than some players. Aren’t writers supposed to be broke? Another surprise, and a nice one, was that most people with cash on hand were thinking of others, mainly in the tipping department. That says a lot about people in the golf business. What was no surprise is that the vast majority of players carry

january 2017 | golf digest india

a little more cash than the average person. Beyond tipping the locker-room attendants and assorted other service providers, there are real uses for cash. One is that players want to make sure they’re not stiffing anyone if one of those Tuesday practice-round bets— supposedly banned by the tour—goes bad. It seems like every week we’re reading a story about cash being dead, dying or degraded. As we were preparing this story, Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, was predicting the demise of money . . . while promoting the Apple Pay alternative.

Hmmmm. Seems correlative. A big job doesn’t always equate to a big roll of cash, though we’ve seen President Obama springing for burgers. A number of First Golfers appear on currency, but these three didn’t carry much—or any—of it: • In 2014, presidential historian Thomas Whalen told the BBC that John F. Kennedy “didn’t carry any cash at all, even before he was president. His friends would have to foot the bill for the privilege of hanging out with him.” • Dwight Eisenhower once had to borrow money to buy a toy for a grandchild.

• In 1989, People magazine asked George H.W. Bush how much he was carrying. The answer: $53. “I’ve had it there for quite a while,” he said. As for the average person, a Money magazine survey in 2013 revealed the following: • 42 percent of the people surveyed carry $1-$40 in cash. • 30 percent carry $41-$99. • 17 percent carry $100-$199. • 11 percent carry $200 or more. We writers are always looking for what we like to call “the money quote.” Bonanza: The rest of this story is nothing but money quotes.

mark o’meara : “I’m going to guess $750. [Gets out bills, counts . . . $752.] That’s a pretty good guess, huh? I feel uncomfortable if it gets less than $300, because I like to pay cash for things. Other guys, I know, are more heavy on credit cards, but you can’t tip people with credit cards. And you always think there might be something you need in a pinch that requires cash.” lizette salas : “I’ve got 10 bucks in my pocket. Won a bet with my pro-am partner. I said, ‘Hey, closest to the pin, 10 bucks,’ and I won. Good thing— I didn’t have 10 bucks on me.” jessica korda : “None, because my wallet is back in my room, but there’s about 40 bucks in it. We aren’t like PGA Tour players—they carry half their bank account with them.” damon green , caddie for Zach Johnson: $800. “That’s probably about normal.” zach johnson : usually $100$300. “He [Green] has more than me.” green: “Well, if I get into a game and I don’t play well, I want to take care of it right away.” johnson : “Well, so do I. I lost $20 on Tuesday to Brendon Todd. I paid off right away.” (Ernie Els, who was carrying £700 when we talked to him, is another proponent of fast pay: “I like to pay off on any golf bets right there on the spot. Because I would expect the same.”) jack nicklaus : usually $300$700, plus a commemorative £5 note with his likeness commissioned by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2005. Jack’s general rule: a credit card for purchases over $150 and cash for items less than that. ellie day , the week her husband, Jason, won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits: $20. “I don’t usually need to carry cash on the road. I’m bad about it.” adam scott : “No more than a few hundred bucks, maybe $300-$400. I never used to carry even that much, but spending a lot of time in the U.S., I’ve become used to the tipping culture. I like it, actually. It’s one of the best things about America. It works well, I think. I like the feeling of looking after someone, safe in the knowledge that someone else would look after

me in similar circumstances.” mike whan , LPGA Tour commissioner: “About $300, because it’s pro-am day. I asked myself, How do I interact with 40 groups in the pro-am without being a creepy 50-year-old guy? So I walk out and make bets with the players, like ‘I bet you can’t hit it within 10 feet’ stuff. So I need cash to pay them off.” charlie meachem , former LPGA commissioner: “I usually don’t have more than $200, usually in twenties. Plus, I have a habit of buying those instant lottery games, and I buy those in denominations of $20. Last month I was near San Francisco and I had a winner, and although I’ve won before, it usually is $50 here or there. This time I won $1,000. The directions said I could mail it in or go collect in person. I thought, There’s no way I’m sticking this in the mail. Now I’m hooked. But it’s some innocent fun. As for carrying more than $200, I don’t see a reason for it. If I need more, I can go to an ATM and get more.” dan jenkins , Golf Digest Writer-at-Large: “In the gambling days of my youth around Goat Hills or other places of interest, I always carried at least $25 to pay off losses. That was probably the equivalent of $50 or $100 today. But I never intended to lose, and most often didn’t. But I wanted to be able to pay, unlike one or two others in the group who chose to owe.” hank haney : $556. “I probably don’t need anything more than $20 and a credit card.” ty votaw, PGA Tour chief marketing officer: $100. “I usually carry very little. It’s all credit cards. I pay for everything with MasterCard [a tour sponsor], of course.” [Grins.] sean foley , swing instructor: “I don’t carry anything in my pockets because it bulges out and makes me look even shorter than I already am. I do usually have a couple hundred in my bag, though, which is a habit left over from when I worked as a waiter.” morgan pressel : “About $150. Usually I just swipe the credit card. What are you trying to do, get me robbed?” [Laughs.] stuart appleby , after a round: “I’ve got 50 cents in my pocket. That’s a 1966 50-cent coin [that he uses to mark his ball]. A cou-

ple of hundred bucks is about all I like to carry. Probably goes back to my upbringing, but still seems like a lot to me.” steve burkowski , Golf Channel announcer: $2,000. “That’s a bit higher than normal. It’s usually about $500, but I know there’s a casino about 20 miles from here, and I figured I might want to check it out.” austin ernst , LPGA Tour: “About 14 bucks. I lost a bet last week. Got cleaned out playing blackjack.” mark stevens , PGA Tour media official: $0. “I stopped carrying cash a few years ago.” paula creamer: “Usually about $200. I don’t carry crazy amounts, and it’s always small bills. I want to be ready for the everyday things that come up. I get hungry a lot and pull into places for snacks. I pay cash for gas, too.” ron sirak , Golf Digest Senior Writer: “On every trip I leave with $400 in twenties. I break one twenty at the airport buying coffee and break another twenty buying The New York Times, to give me hotel tip money for the week. I learned to carry cash when I played the Callaway Invitational in 1997. After my practice round, I got hit with a $125 caddie fee and had to scramble to an ATM.” doug ferguson , Associated Press golf writer: “I think I have $7. [Checks, sees a five and two ones.] Usually I have between $40 and $60. But I gave a $10 tip at a media-day outing the other day. And my Starbucks card just ran out, and I had to pay for coffee. A couple of things out of the ordinary, so I’m low. But if I’m going to be playing golf, I’ll get $150-$200 to not be short with a caddie, because that’s bad. It’s funny, whenever I have

a lot of cash—maybe at the start of a trip—I never spend anything, but whenever all I have is a twenty is when I get stuck needing to tip or I end up in a cash-only restaurant.” davis love III : “I never carry around more than $500. Seems like I’m always trying to scrape together 30 bucks for something. In the locker room, I’m usually looking for a hundred bucks from another player to take care of somebody. And I’m always out of money at the end of the week.” mike moraghan , executive director of the Connecticut State Golf Association: “I have a twenty, two fives and two ones on my person at the moment for a grand total of 32 bucks. It’s what I had left over when I got home last night after a week in California attending the International Association of Golf Administrators Annual Meeting. I went out there with about $250 in cash knowing I might buy a few rounds of drinks and tip generously to anyone carrying a bag or a tray—as I did many, many years ago.” ken macdonald , who has been volunteering at Firestone since the 1966 PGA Championship: $142. “But that’s only because a buddy owed me $100, and I just got it in the mail.” courtney holt , Golf Channel senior director of player relations and booking: “I probably have about $50 in my purse. I usually don’t like to have less than that. A lot of younger people today, they don’t carry any cash. I have a lot of friends like that, and I don’t know how anybody gets by that way, especially when you need to tip people. That’s what you should do a story on: the lost art or courtesy of tipping people.” slugger white , PGA Tour rules official: $300. “I’m usually

not comfortable with less than $400. It goes back to something that happened to me about 30 years ago when I took a group of people out to dinner. I tried to pay for it with American Express, but they didn’t take that card, and it was the only one I had. I didn’t have enough cash to cover it, and I had to ask some of my party to help me out. I don’t think I ever was more embarrassed. I felt awful. I paid everyone back, but it was a lesson for me. I see young guys today who don’t carry a lot of cash, and I wonder how they take care of things, if they’re tipping people—I hope they are. They could learn a thing or two from Phil. I watched him tip $20 at The Barclays when all he had for breakfast was two strips of bacon. But there he goes before going out to play, putting $20 on the table. He’s the best tipper on tour. You should ask him.” Indeed, last year at the Memorial Tournament, Mickelson handed the attendant at the halfway house at Muirfield Village a $100 tip. All Phil had was a hot dog—without the bun. We finally caught up with him at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He was forthcoming, which is so Phil. He keeps some cash in his pocket, some in his golf bag. “I probably have five grand, more or less,” he said. “I want to take care of people. You shouldn’t be expecting stuff for free. If someone does something for you, you should take care of them.” Later came a text, Phil following up: $6,500 in $100s and $1,600 in $20s. $8,100 total. So, that’s how you become the best tipper on the PGA Tour. additional reporting by Max Adler, Bob Carney, Jaime Diaz, John Huggan, Mike O’Malley, Matthew Rudy, Ron Sirak and Guy Yocom.

‘I dIdn’t have enough cash to cover [dInner], and I had to ask some of my party to help me out. I don’t thInk I ever was more embarrassed.’ —slugger whIte, pga tour rules offIcIal january 2017 | golf digest india

The Golf Life

Mr. X

If I don’t seek your advice, then I don’t want it.

Undercover Tour Pro Bad advice and meddling on the range he other day a friend asked, “What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?” The question really stumped me. Every week I get unsolicited advice out here. People I don’t know have come up to me at the practice green to make a comment about my stance. I’ve listened to caddies for other players openly debate my alignment. On the PGA Tour, it’s tough to practice on a Tuesday because everybody and his brother wants to help you. I’ve won once out here. It took me years. A lot of people

Illustration by Andrew Roberts

say they’re surprised I haven’t won more, but maybe they’re just my friends. It doesn’t matter how many cuts in a row I’ve missed. If I don’t seek your advice, then I don’t want it. Sometimes I’ll even move to the far end of the range to send the message. Not that it works. In all seriousness, I wish the tour would cut back access to the range. To be fair, a lot of the equipment reps out here played professionally at some level, and so they’re somewhat qualified to analyze a golf swing. I know they’re genuinely trying to help, so when a rep flips his credential off his belly and starts pantomiming swing positions, expect-

ing me to pay attention, I try not to be rude. I stand there for a bit. As for teachers, I get that they’re trying to find work. Most are very courteous. They won’t break down your swing right then and there. They’ll kiss your butt a little before giving you their phone number and saying, “Hey, I think I could really help you out.” Psychologists are the biggest joke out here. If I see a player with a psychologist, I automatically think that player is weakminded. The shrinks are full of it, but they don’t bother anyone. They let players pursue them. Any good teacher knows just as much as a psychologist. Butch Harmon tells his students they should beat the best, and they all believe it. Physical trainers are the most aggressive, without a doubt. A few have been known to really chase players. It seems

like the magic number for these guys is five. If a trainer can get work with five players, two or three will probably be in the field at any given tournament, and that’s enough to justify the hotel and airfare. All the staffers in the PGA Tour fitness trailer are certified, but now and again we’ll get random muscleheads hanging around, crowing they know the secret. I had a buddy whose new trainer put him through a really strenuous workout on a Wednesday, and he was so sore the next morning he had to withdraw from the tournament. I’ve also seen these independent trainers hang around our fitness trailer to see how the staff is treating us, and then just copy the regimens. Don’t get me wrong—most trainers are great. My guy at home is also my nutritionist. He’s encouraged me to grocery shop on the road. The meals we get each week at the clubhouse and various sponsor dinners are tasty, and it’s hard turning down free and easy, but restaurant cuisine does tend to push rich and memorable. This season, I’ve eaten simpler, and I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my energy level, particularly at the end of playing several weeks in a row. Most of my fitness routine is stretching, but I also do some weights. Got to keep up with the young bucks, or at least be long enough to contend on the shorter courses. I think it’s funny how the golfers who are injured the most are usually the young, good-looking ones. Maybe they should listen to Steve Pate, who once told me, “You can’t pull fat, you can only pull muscle.” Not enough people appreciate Vijay Singh. He was the first golfer to figure out that if you were highly abrasive, you could reclaim the range as your office. Swing coaches, caddies, trainers, reps—pretty much everyone stopped approaching Vijay because they knew they were going to get told to go f--- themselves. —with Max adler

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x-golf

Tyler, The Creator A hip-hop star’s fascination with the word ‘golf’

intervie wed in his range rover while driving to a meeting “some where” in los angeles o u design and sell clothes with the word “golf” embl a zoned on them, but yo u told billboard mag a zine in 2014 that it’s yo ur le ast-favorite sp ort. are we still at the bottom? Overall, I don’t

really like sports. I was never like the really masculine sports boy growing up. But because of my clothes, people always ask me, “Do you like golf?” It made me realize, if I would play any sport, golf would be the one. what’s yo ur fascination with the word “golf”? Me and my friends call

each other the Wolf Gang. One day I just switched the first letters. When the word “Golf” is simmered on something at a perfect size, it just looks really tight.

yo u’re a hip-hop artist, clothing designer and t v personalit y, but to u s, yo u’re a budding golfer . yo u ok with that? Actually, in the next

month or so I was going to figure out how to play this damn sport. I can’t be writing it on all my clothes and shoes and not know how to hit a ball. what do yo u know abo ut the g ame? here’s a p op q uiz: one of yo ur songs is called “sandwitches,” but do yo u know what a sand wedge is?

Is it a club? Am I right?

gutter credit tk

“I didn’t intend for golfers to wear this stuff— but they are.”

Illustration by First Lastname

Photographs by Julian Berman month 2016 95 | golfdigest.com

“The beautiful fields of grass you get to play on. It’s awesome.” ok , here’s another . what’s a birdie? Let me take a wild guess:

Is that when the ball doesn’t go far?

yo u’re thinking of a d uff. one more: who is arnold palmer? He’s a legendary golfer.

And he makes the drink. I hate that drink. It’s not that delicious. do yo u e ver run into middle-age golfers we aring yo ur clothes? Yeah, actually a

lot of my fans’ parents. It looks really cool on them. Golfers actually look cool to me. It would be great to see a pro-golfer dude in something I made. Crazy colors. Just to give the game some excitement. Instead of burgundy and beige, pink and blue. Now beige with polka dots, that would be the sickest shit ever. so unds like yo u think the g ame needs more energy.

Golf is pretty boring. It’s quiet. People clap really low. But the plus you have over every other sport are the beautiful fields of grass you guys get to play on. It’s awesome.

tyler, the creator age Turns 26 on March 6. lives L.A. from Ladera

Heights, Calif.

noted Hip-hop

artist/producer with three albums, plus collaborations on several more. Creator and designer of Golf Wang clothing (golfwang .com). Played aging golfer Thurnis Haley for “Loiter Squad,” a sketch-comedy TV series that aired on the Cartoon Network (2012-’14). Real name is Tyler Okonma.

what does yo ur alter ego, thurnis haley, say abo ut yo ur feelings toward golf?

Thurnis is sick. He’s based on a composite of people. There were these old guys who used to hang out at Starbucks, where I worked. They played golf and dressed liked golfers and talked about nonsense. It was really funny how I did those videos on YouTube as Thurnis and then me actually ending up one day making golf attire. are you wearing your brand golf wang right now? That’s all I wear, other

than my Fruit of the Loom boxers. The hats are my favorite, and right now I’m in this green-and-blue fleece that I made for lumberjack type of dudes. we know yo u’re bu sy. are we o ut of time?

We’ve got a few more minutes. Maybe like . . . Fore! minutes. Get it? I love that word . . . Fore! gre at way to wrap. thanks.

Thank you so much. I love you. —Interviewed by Ron Kaspriske

96 golfdigest.com | month 2016

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