Golf International - 107

IN W

AY LIDAL HOUG ETAILS RY RT FOR D XU PO E 130 LU O AG A T SEE P

2012

GOLF

INTERNATIONAL Sergio: Lovin’ It

A happier personal life has led to a renaissance in the career of Sergio Garcia

TRAVEL

INSTRUCTION

Top Writing

EQUIPMENT

THE

ULTIMATE

Peter Alliss Jeremy Chapman Tom Cox Robert Green John Hopkins Dominic Pedler Dr Felix Shank The Major!

SWING

GOLF

Why Adam scott has the best move in world golf - analysis by Sir Nick Faldo

Plane Talking

In conversation with world-renowned coach and best-selling author Jim Hardy IssUe 107 • JAN/FeB ’12 • £4.25

07

9 771368 402034

SIR MATTHEW PINSENT / MEMORABILIA / ST ENODOC / FERRARI 458 ITALIA...

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GOLF INTERNATIONAL

RICHARD SIMMONS

MAGAZINE

FIRST UP

ESSENTIAL READING FROM THE BEST IN THE GAME

10, Buckingham Place, London sW1e 6HX Tel: +44 (0)20 7828 3003 editor:

Richard simmons +44 (0)7798 722 461 richard@golfinternationalmag.com

editor in chief: Robert Green robert@golfinternationalmag.com

Love golf?

equipment editor: Dominic Pedler dominic@golfinternationalmag.com

We have an App for that Sooner or later even the most stubborn of traditionalists among us are going to have to accept the fact that FootJoy really have terminated the Classics, and it’s not all been some sort of strung-out marketing stunt, and, secondly, those blades we insist on carrying around really don’t give us the margins we need these days. Sad, but true. We move on.

In the name of ‘progress’, and at a rate of knots, new materials and new technology have changed the way the game of golf looks and the way it is played. Forever. Not necessarily for the better, many (traditionalists) would be happy to argue. But, hey, there’s no going back. It’s the same story pretty well everywhere in this world, and not least in publishing, an industry that has witnessed perhaps the most radical transformation of all in recent years – the good news being the benefits are yours ondemand, back-lit and crystal clear.

Which brings me to the latest addition to the Gi family. Launching with this issue, I am delighted to announce that, at the touch of a button, you can now choose to enjoy the magazine in a digital format designed specifically for iPad and other similar tablet devices. Full details on how to access this subscription service can be found at our website www.golfinternationalmag.com It’s quick and simple – and can save you money on the newsstand price.

You don’t need me to tell you what a world of opportunity this opens up – for both of us. Not only are we able to share with you a lot more of the stunning photography that has been a feature of our magazine since its launch in 1997, viewed on a digital screen all of the images that make golf the game it is come to life as the colour and texture hits you with a realism that is simply not possible in print. Video and audio content will add a new dimension to the editorial – with obvious benefits to coaching features – and there will be many other ways in which you will be invited to interact with the team who deliver what we hope you regard as the finest magazine in golf.

Exciting times ahead. Here’s wishing you a very happy 2012.

Tony seagrave Design: design@golfinternationalmag.com

Professional Teaching Panel: Robert Baker, Tim Barter, Pete cowen, Jim christine, Dan Frost, Andrew Hall, simon Holmes, Paul Hurrion, stuart Morgan, Denis Pugh, stuart smith, David Whelan & Jonathan Yarwood Regular contributors: clive Agran, Peter Alliss, colin callander, Jeremy chapman, Tom cox, Richard Gillis, Anthony ffrench-constant, Michael Flannery, John Hopkins, Tony Johnstone, kevin McGimpsey, David Purdie, Ronan Rafferty, sarah stirk, Jayne storey, Paul Trow & Jake Ulrich

Photographers: David cannon, Peter Dazeley, Phil Inglis, Ross kinnaird, Andrew Redington, Getty Images, charles Briscoe-knight, Matthew Harris, Mark Newcombe, eric Hepworth, steve Read Regular Illustrators: Peter clark, Harold Riley, Dave F. smith, Tony Husband

Overseas correspondents: karl Ableidinger Austria Jan kees van der Velden Holland spencer Robinson Hong kong Mario camicia Italy UsA Andy Brumer

Advertising/Publishing Director: Peter simmons peter@golfinternationalmag.com Tel: (020) 7828 3003 • Mobile: 07827 995 080 Advertising Director: Nick edgley nick@golfinternationalmag.com Mobile: 07774 703 491

Advertising consultant: Ian Harkness ian@golfinternationalmag.com Tel: 01702 558512 • Mobile: 07980 464 378 Us Travel Representative: Gary edwards gary@coastalsc.com Tel: (00) 1 843 849 1308 special Projects: Brosnan event Management Tel: (020) 8691 6836

Printers: Wyndeham Group // Tel: 01726 892400 Distribution: comag // Tel: 01895 433600

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ISSUE 107 • JAN/FEB 2012

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EDITOR richard@golfinternationalmag.com

Essential reading from the best in the game

106

#107 • JAN/FEB 2012

FEATURES

52

IN LOVe He cAN cONQUeR ALL

sergio Garcia doesn’t so much as wear his heart on his sleeve as on the front and back of his shirt as well. And with a special lady in his life, his golf is back to where it should be, as John Hopkins reports

58

eQUIPMeNT 2012

With the annual PGA Trade show looming in Orlando at the end of January, Gi’s equipment editor Dominic Pedler is preparing for a bumper review in our next issue – but ahead of that here’s a sneak peek at some of the new gear to have already caught his eye

106 PLANe TALkING

His book The Plane Truth for Golfers has become a best-seller, while a growing network of certified Plane Truth instructors are helping hundreds of golfers across the world unravel the mystery of their ‘natural’ swing. editor Richard Simmons talked to Jim Hardy

114 PLAYING IT BY THe BOOk in

Rules expert Ashley Weller highlights some of the more useful Rules you need to be aware of in winter, plus a look at a couple of the revisions to have been made the latest R&A Rules of Golf, effective January 1

58

REGULARS

12 16

COLUMNS

LeTTeRs

6

PLANeT GOLF

36

Do you have an opinion you’d like to share?

Why not email us? You could win the latest FootJoy shoes and wind-shirts A glimpse of what awaits in Abu Dhabi...

19th Hole Q&A - chubby chandler...

‘My Top 10 Finest Things in Golf’... Martin kaymer & simon Dyson...Latest in Biom Hybrid shoe from ecco.... High-tech at Urban Golf...Jayne storey’s chi-Power Golf...more advice from Dr Felix shank... 2-Minute Lesson on swing plane with scott cranfield...The Major!..

86 THe AMATeUR sceNe

Success breeds Success – Nigel Edwards is the eGU’s new Director of Golf Development, and is determined to build on the strength of a system that is flush with talent...Colin Callander on the ramifications of the recent merger between the english Golf Union and the english Wom

154 WORLD TOURNAMeNT NeWs

In becoming the first player to officially top the money list on either side of the Atlantic, Luke Donald has underlined his position as the world’s No. 1 golfer. Andy Farrell has that story along with the latest news from the world of professional golf and final money lists for 2011

38 40 42

FIRsT UP

There’s a welcome addition to our family – and it’s every bit as cute as a new-born baby (and editor Richard Simmons should know...)

GOLF INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE JAN/FEB 2012

SIR MATTHEW PINSENT // HOTEL ST MORITZ & ST ENODOC // MEMORABILIA // FERRARI 458 ITALIA...

The ultimate expression of the world’s most iconic sports car?

AND ANOTHeR THING...

A major duck but a truly remarkable season for england’s Luke Donald, writes Robert Green

ON THe AIR

Following Rory McIlory’s split with IsM, Peter Alliss considers the delicate art of player management

19TH HOLe

The ever-colourful Clive Agran reports on yet another exotic professional assignment

BeTTING

We’ve seen the best of Tiger – when it comes to the majors in 2012, the more interesting bets are elsewhere, writes Jeremy Chapman

148 LITeRALLY GOLF

Thanks for the Memorex: uncovering a stack of old golf videos took Tom Cox on a nostalgia trip

163 THe LAsT sHOT

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 89

90

John Hopkins reveals the events he would be very pleased to see unfold in 2012

94 98

100

TRAVEL 126 As TIMe GOes BY

128 YOUR GOLF TRAVeL

132 LONG-HAUL TO PARADIse

138 TO DYe FOR

Dominic Pedler travelled to Mazagan, Morocco’s stunning new hotel with a Gary Player designed course destined to be a classic

13 0

There is a lot of great golf on the island of Mauritius and ernie els has added his twist at Four seasons Robert Green reports

Anahita.

WIN

In association with our partners at Your Golf Travel our showcase destinations this issue include Argentaro in Italy, cameron House on Loch Lomond and Villamoura, Portugal

south carolina boasts some of the greatest golf in America, and nowhere more challenging than kiawah Island.

Peter Swain found sanctuary in the ‘Low country’

A LUXURY GOLF TRIP FOR 4 PLAYERS TO BOM SUCESSO

sIR MATTHeW PINseNT One of Britain’s greatest athletes, four-time Olympic gold medallist sir Matthew Pinsent is busier than ever in his role with the BBc. But still makes time for a regular game of golf, he tells Gi’s Carolyn Nicoll

MeMORABILIA Gi’s auction-room expert Kevin McGimpsey reflects on the best of the items to come to market in 2011 ResORT sPOTLIGHT Escape to the west country: For luxury lodgings and picturepostcard links golf, the st Moritz Hotel and st enodoc Golf club have all bases covered.

Carly Frost reports

MOTORING Anthony ffrench-Constant is shaken and stirred after a weekend in the company of Ferrari’s jawdropping 458 Italia

Subscribe today...

subscribe today and you will receive a dozen srixon balls with your order. Assuming you do use golf balls, it’s a no-brainer: for just £39.99 you will have all eight issues of Gi published in 2012 delivered to your door PLUs receive a dozen Srixon Z-Star premium golf balls (which alone retail for £45.99 per dozen).

Alternatively, from this issue you can enjoy Gi on your iPad or similar tablet device via Zinio.

For details, see page 112

Probably the best instruction on the Planet!

ISSUE #107 // JAN/FEB 2012

Ben Hogan was an advocate. so, too, was Nick Faldo. continuing her series exploring the many ways in which the ancient art of T’ai chi can benefit your golf, Jayne Storey recommends the slow motion swing exercise

30 Plane is simple with the ‘Smart Stick’

With a cover story feature two issues ago PGA Master Professional Scott Cranfield delivered a terrific lesson to simplify the concept of circular motion in a golf swing. Here he identifies the checkpoints to look out for to keep your swing working in ‘plane’

45 The best in the business COVER STORY

The consensus on tour is that Australia’s Adam Scott has the best move in the game.

Sir Nick Faldo agrees, and with a fascinating analysis explains here what you can learn from the man many believe will win a major in 2012

70 Happy New Year! (or same old, same old?

The choice is all yours as PGA Master Professional Jonathan Yarwood shows you how to replace cliched chipping technique with a tour-inspired method that will open up all sorts of possibility around the green in 2012

82 A driving lesson

Director of Golf at Lough erne Resort, Lynn McCool has a number of ideas that can help you to find a more powerful swing and a few extra yards this season

118 Take control of your putting

Dan Frost applies a holistic approach to the way you think about and practice your putting, enabling you to focus on the key elements that determine your success

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID CANNON/GETTYIMAGES.COM

WITHIN PLANeT GOLF

26 Discover the benefits of a slow-motion rehearsal swing

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Links fescues add garnish to Kyle Philips’ outstanding work at Yas Links, right beside Abu Dhabi’s marina and Formula 1 circuit

8 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

GOLF DAVID CANNON // NICK FALDO’S TOP-10 FINEST // NEW GEAR // DR FELIX SHANK // THE MAJOR...

stunning, isn't it? The kyle Philips-designed Yas Links,

built largely on reclaimed sand and silt dredged from the Arabian sea, is one of three championship Abu Dhabi

courses that are together being packaged in an initiative to increase the emirate's penetration of the lucrative golf

tourism market. Gi will be bringing you the full story next

issue with a detailed report on what is a staggering investment in infrastructure aimed at placing the region at the

top of the league when it comes to offering world-class

attractions and hotel facilities – not to mention the golf.

With holes like this, little wonder that Yas Links is

regarded as the stand-out venue and yet at this level you are really picking at straws. The capital’s golf offering is

neatly marketed as Parkland, Ocean and Links, thanks to

the diversity of the three layouts at the centre of the initia-

tive. The championship course at Abu Dhabi – scene of

Martin kaymer's annual benefit tournament (see overleaf)

– is outstanding, while the Gary Player-designed saadiyat

Beach boasts some of the most spectacular coastal holes

in the region.

Abu Dhabi’s appeal is strengthened by the one unit of

measurement nearly all golfers agree on: price. A surfeit

of top hotels has seen room-rates fall considerably in the

last 12 months, while green fees are more than reason-

able year-round.

Find out more next issue. In the meantime, visit

www.golfinabudhabi.com for more information on one

of golf’s most fascinating emerging destinations.

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 9

PLANET GOLF

DR FELIX SHANK

Do you have a golf problem that’s keeping you awake at night?

Is there some aspect of your game that you simply can’t sort out?

Stop worrying because Dr Felix Shank, a more or less genuine expert on all aspects of the game, is here to help. Illustrations by Tony Husband.

Ever since I married about three years ago I have been suffering from constipation. Consequently, I spent quite a bit of time in the smallest room in the house. To help pass the hours, I keep a pile of back issues of your magazine in there which I regularly read. Although you would have thought that there was no real upside to my problem, you might be interested to learn that my handicap has come down by five shots in that time and I attribute all of that to careful and repeated reading of your excellent instruction articles. However, I would willingly give back those five shots if I could re-establish regular movements. My wife is convinced that golf might be aggravating my condition and seems keen for me to cut down on the number of rounds I play a week or, better still in her opinion, give up the game altogether.

roughage) on every par five. Assuming that this relieves your condition, be prepared for the paradox that the more you play, the worse your game will get.

I’m rather pleased with myself for surviving five rounds and making it through to the final of my club’s Summer Cup. However, my opponent is a rather slippery character called Simon. A notoriously bad bunker player, he has somehow managed to convince the competition committee that he suffers from a rare sand allergy and has produced a medical certificate to support his claim.

The committee have, foolishly in my opinion, given him special dispensation to drop out of any bunker without penalty. Incidentally, he does this by elaborately donning a pair of disposable protective gloves. He has also managed to have the final put back until October because he knows that I’m a marketing director of a fireworks company and that October is our busiest month. He claims that he arranged his holiday to Skiathos some months ago and is sorry that he can’t make the traditional third weekend in September. I know, because he’s going with my non-golfing neighbour, that he only booked it a couple of weeks ago.

someone supposedly allergic to sand. Tell your neighbour that you’re thinking of going there next year and would like to be reassured that the beaches are as beautiful as they appear in the brochure. Would he mind, therefore, showing you any photos of the beaches and the sea? Unless he is indeed allergic or remarkably lucky, Simon should, as it were, be trapped by the rising tide of evidence.

The least liked member of our club, Thomas Osborne,

V MABBUTT, STOCKPORT

Although nowadays there are all sorts of allergies, neither I, nor any of my medical friends have encountered a sand allergy before. So your suspicion that Simon is a fraud would appear to be well founded and exposing him as one must be our aim. A Greek island seems a strange destination for Could she be right?

NAME AND ADDRESS WITHHELD

Although somewhat surprised that you are anxious to overcome a condition that has evidently benefited your game so much, I can appreciate that being stuck in the lavatory for long periods can be tiresome. Your wife, of course, is completely wrong. Exercise is a recognised laxative and I suspect that there may be some hidden agenda in her seeking to persuade you to reduce the amount you play. Indeed, her hostility to your golf might well have triggered the anxiety that, in turn, could have brought about your condition.

How strange that she might inadvertently have been responsible for lowering your handicap. Far from giving up the game, you should play as often as you can, drink plenty of water on the way round and try and eat an apple (excellent

10 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

sadly died of a heart attack at our Christmas dinner. It is testimony to his unpopularity that, in order to persuade members to sit with him at that dinner, tickets for his table were sold at a substantial discount.

Anyhow his widow, Mrs Osborne, gloriously unaware of the low esteem in which he was universally held, has generously donated his wedding ring mounted on a plaque to the club as a trophy to be awarded in his memory. Our problem is finding a suitable competition to which we could appropriately attach his name without giving the false impression that we cherish his memory.

M WHITTAKER, HORLEY

Anything to do with death has to be handled with great sensitivity, which makes my initial thought that the trophy could be awarded annually to the least popular member of the club one that I instantly dismissed as gratuitously offensive. However, the integrity of the

PLANET GOLF

DRFELIXSHANK & THEDIVOTS club, its competitions and the names on the other trophies must be protected and not devalued. After careful thought, could you not create a low-key eclectic event to run in conjunction with the monthly Stableford competitions from, say, June to August and award the Thomas Osborne Summer Stablefords Eclectic Ring to the winner? That should satisfy his widow, whilst those who knew him could refer to it colloquially as ‘The Tosser.’

Three months ago, I met and fell in love with a beautiful young woman called Ellen. Previously, the only true love in my life had been golf.

Anyway, Ellen recently moved into my one-bedroom flat and noticed how much space was taken up with my golf gear. Not only the clubs and bag, but the boxes of balls, clothes, shoes, tee-pegs, instruction DVDs and, forgive me, the piles of your magazine. They had, Ellen explained, taken over my life and so she encouraged me to get rid of them and literally clear some space in my life for what really matters. Although extremely apprehensive at first, I took her advice and have to tell you that it was an incredibly liberating experience. To be blunt, I have never been happier. There is space in my flat and, just as important, now that my weekends aren’t wasted on the golf course I have time to explore other areas of human activity that I had previously neglected. Golf had taken over my life and I now I feel blissfully free.

V L ATTWATER, GLOSSOP

Although I know I should feel happy for you, I don’t. What you are experiencing is very similar to what people who have lost their jobs go through. Beware, the initial exhilaration at being freed from the perceived shackles that previously constrained you will soon be replaced by boredom in much the same way

as those who are unemployed are more bored than liberated. And I must confess to being rather nervous about Ellen and her motives.

Instead of understanding that golf is a perfectly healthy recreation, the fact that she sees it is a threat as if it were a rival for your affection, is a worry. My hunch is that when spring comes, you will yearn to get back on the fairways. And come the summer, it will be Ellen’s things that will be cluttering your flat. Then you will have to make a choice. Although it would be inappropriate for me to interfere, may I simply say that, compared with most women, golf is cheaper, more tolerant and less demanding.

Two years ago, a friend of mine at my club (let’s call him Harry) begged me to partner him in the Winter Fourball Competition. Although he is rather unreliable, I reluctantly agreed. Anyway, he

PLANET GOLF

SMART STICK

By Scott Cranfield PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN MURRAY SHOT ON LOCATION AT THE LONDON CLUB

The importance of swinging in plane is well documented. Let’s face it, whenever you need to hit an object with some force you will be most effective when the implement or tool doing the hitting is travelling in the appropriate plane. If you are driving a nail into a wall you try to make sure the motion of the hammer lines up with the nail – you know full well that if the hammer attacks the nail from the wrong angle the nail will bend instead of going into the wall.

The principle is similar in golf in that, if you attack the ball with the clubface travelling on a poor path or plane, the ball is likely to bend in flight or go off at tangents.

So how do you know if the club is swinging in plane? Well, that has not always been easy to demonstrate but with the use of this clever little device, a smart stick fitted with a laser pointer, I hope that I can give you a visual lesson that will make

AT THE SET-UP

THE TAKEWAY

In a good posture we would be looking for the club to sit flush behind the ball, the sole fairly flat (the benefit of well-fitted clubs!). With the ball opposite the centre of the clubface, by definition, the club is in plane. Here the laser beam from the Smart Stick hits the middle of the ball, while the base plane line has been superimposed, representing the line on which I want to start the ball.

The first move away from the ball sees the laser (i.e. clubhead) track the base line (i.e. an extension of the line on which I wish the ball to start).

The clubhead traces an arc (a true, natural path) away from the ball – you don’t have to swing on a straight line to track that base plane. At this point of the swing it is worth checking the top laser, you want it pointing in the region of your belly button.

swing plane easier to understand.

DECIPHERING POINTS OF THEORY Base Plane Line – this is the line you intend to start the ball on (and not necessarily the same as your target line). Your base plane line extends in both directions through the ball on that starting line, running to infinity. This line is a vital point of reference, because you want the clubshaft to always maintain a relationship with this line as you make your swing.

OK, so what does that mean?...

At any point in the swing, if the angle of the club is pointing toward this line (or parallel to it) then the club is in plane to the line you want to send the ball on, which means you have a far greater chance of hitting your shots on line and with power. (This is not the only point of reference, but it is a very important one.)

As we have embellished in these pictures, at either end of the Smart Stick is a laser, and for the purpose of illustrating plane we are interested in whichever laser is the lowest (i.e. pointing towards the ground) at any point in the swing.

For example, the clubhead-end is lowest at the set-up, and in the first move away in the backswing.

Then, as the wrists hinge the stick up the butt-end points to the ground, and this is again the case as you pass through the transition into the downswing.

Travelling to impact the head end again becomes our focus, pointing down.

The laser beam gives us instant feedback on where our club is relative to the base plane line and thus we can learn to adjust the motion of our swing to improve the plane. I’m not expecting you to rush 12 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

HALFWAY DOWN

DELIVERY POSITION

A good transition enables your arms and hands to fall into what is essentially a mirror-image of the position halfway back. Your point of reference here is again the grip-end, the laser pointing directly at the base plane line. (As I mentioned in the intro, it’s a good idea to stick a tee-peg in the hole in the grip of a normal club to increase your awareness as to exactly where the grip end is pointing.)

Approaching impact, the focus is where it should be – on the clubhead, the laser continuing to track the base line, indicating that the club is in a great position to ‘release’ without any need of ‘handsy’ compensation. This is one of the key benefits to using the Smart Stick and swinging in plane – you eliminate the need to recover a swing. From here, the arms and body unwind together at speed.

PARALLEL CHECKPOINT

HALFWAY BACK

AT THE TOP

This is a useful checkpoint to make in your backswing – the clubshaft (and the lasers) now simultaneously parallel to the ground and parallel with the base plane line. The wrists display the early stages of hingeing up to ‘set’ the club on plane...as you can see in the next frame. Note, also, that my body angles have all been maintained – and will be maintained all the way to impact.

The focus is now on the grip-end of the club; with the wrists fully hinged and the club now turned up on its end, the laser should again be pointing down to track the base plane line. If you have allowed your body to respond to this moving club (more on this later) or Smart Stick you will now be into a good turn – the shaft of the club cutting through the right shoulder is a good checkpoint here.

The length of the Smart Stick equates to about a 6-iron, a club you would not expect to get all the way to parallel at the top (a 3-wood and driver, maybe).

Here, at what is essentially the top of the backswing, the grip-end is still the low end and the laser should once again track the base plane line (which, as you can imagine at this point is now way off in the distance behind the ball).

A word on ‘focus’

IMPACT Bang! We are back to where we started, pouring on the power with the club in perfect plane for the most efficient transfer of energy to the ball. (Note that if you arrived her via several compensations in your swing, your speed and power will be compromised).

Rehearsing your swing based on the easy checkpoints illustrated here will help you to make a technically correct swing, and that can only mean one thing…better golf!

One of the additional benefits of using the Smart Stick (and one that would equally apply to a drill using a club with a tee-peg stuck in the grip to give you a pointer) is that your focus throughout the swing rehearsal is on the laser (or that tee peg!) – i.e. it is concerned with an ‘external’ focus.

This is important to understand, though not yet commonly understood. Dr Gabrielle Wulf has completed extensive research in this area and, in essence, has demonstrated that golfers learn and retain information more effectively (as well as perform better under pressure) when they adopt an external focus.

Most golfers rely on an internal focus, where they are consciously thinking about their body and trying to control parts of their swing. This focus goes against the way the body moves. Dr Wulf’s studies prove that we all perform more effectively when are movements are subconscious, and this is achieved when you adopt an external focus.

So, in this exercise, when you are focused on where the laser is aiming (external) you are allowing the movement of your arms, shoulders, hips, etc, to occur subconsciously and very often they will be in just the right position as well as moving in a coordinated fashion. That’s quite a bonus!

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 13

PETER ALLISS

ON THE AIR

Management: a question of balance From his own experiences as a past client of IMG – and a highly satisfied one at that – the author reflects on the recent surprise defection of Rory McIlroy from his erstwhile management team at ISM he recent parting of the ways between Rory McIlroy,

T

the young Irish wizard, and his management company, ISM, caused much interest and conversation. But

why, oh why, did so many people twitter, passing on all sorts of caustic messages trying to decipher

something from those odd mutterings that would suggest a great

disharmony? Some newspapers seemed to be making the point that this was unique – how could this young man suddenly leave the team that had done him so well, creat-

McDowell, winner of the US Open in 2010, and Ernie Els both left the safety of his nest before McIlroy quit, leaving Lee Westwood and

Darren Clarke as the two leading lights of the company. Without

being too unkind, they are perhaps tiptoeing towards the end of

their wonderful careers, so who will replace the wondrous Irishmen?

I had an association with Mark McCormack for over 25 years. It

was a rather strange arrangement. I, imagining that I was a little cleverer than I really was, had been courted by him. He’d been

ing the beginning of a fortune?

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

Agents and management teams are

not as new as many people may think.

Although I never played golf with Old

Tom Morris, I have been around long

enough to have discovered much about golf. The first real golf manager was an American called Fred Corcoran. Rather like Colonel Tom Parker with Elvis

Presley, he had one client – Samuel

Jackson Snead. They got together in the 1930s and he did very well for ‘The

Slammer’. He went on to be the first man-

ager of a US Ryder Cup team and it was-

n’t long before he became a major figure in the fledgling professional golf tour,

which later developed round the world.

Mark McCormack picked up the baton

from Corcoran when he got together

with Arnold Palmer. Within a short time

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had joined

them at McCormack’s International Management Group (IMG) and they became the ‘Big 3’ of golf. It was McCormack who revolutionised that side of golf and they were all very successful until Nicklaus left,

allegedly because he thought he was earning too much money for IMG

and he could better look after his own business affairs.

Some players have long-term relations with their caddies, too, but

there is nearly always a moment when they fall out. It’s usually

Pioneering spirit: Mark McCormack founded IMG on the basis of a handshake with Arnold Palmer – and so was born the modern sports agent

approached by the ABC Television Network in

the United States to see if I would be available to work for them alongside the BBC. I was

wary. I had been doing rather well and I knew he would wish to take a percentage, but a

percentage of what? Everything one earned or just the business deals he did? How would

about money, a player’s loss of form, or familiarity. How many times

the deal be structured?

ken up, not too acrimoniously it must be said – at least not in public

thought would be reasonable, thinking that would be the end of it,

over the last 30 or 40 years have seemingly great partnerships bro-

– but behind the scenes a lot of muttering goes on?

The excuses made for any break-up are many: “We’ve grown

apart”, “We will always remain friends”, “No one else is involved” etc, etc. Some players go through caddies almost on a monthly

basis. One reads of as much as 10% being given to the caddie if the player wins a tournament. I think my hand would be trembling too

much to write a cheque for $100,000 even though I may have won a million, knowing full well that along with his $100,000 a certain

amount would be going to the Treasury and there would be a lot of presents for the wife.

Chubby Chandler at ISM hasn’t been so lucky of late. Graeme

14 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

He asked what I thought. I added quite a bit on to what I really

but no, he added another few thousand and said “Are you sure you are happy with that amount?” I said yes.

“In that case, would you be happy for me to take 25% of whatever

new business I get for you, providing you wish to do it?” How could I

possibly say no? It was a glorious partnership for over 20 years and, I

think, a unique one. I doubt whether many of his clients ever had that sort of association.

I once spoke to Gary Player, asking whether or not, if he had to

start again, would he still let IMG look after his affairs. He said, with-

out pausing for breath, he would, even if they took another 10%.

There’s your answer, but we mustn’t forget Tiger Woods, who was

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ON THE LESSON TEE

He’s one of the hottest properties in sport and one of the finest role-models in golf today.

The current world No. 8 Adam Scott also happens to own perhaps the most enviable swing in the world. Six-time major champion and Gi professional Sir Nick Faldo certainly thinks so, and in this exclusive analysis he draws out the key elements in the Australian’s technique that can help you to go out and improve yours

A Modern

Classıc In full flow: Mercedes-Benz ambassador Adam Scott displays the form many believe will win him major honours in 2012

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 17

INSTRUCTION ADAM SCOTT Pay particular attention to the ‘sequencing’ of the movement from the set-up to halfway back.

The ‘gearing’, or relative movement of the knees, hips and belly – ‘1-2-3’ – is what creates torque

Textbook structure, insides of the feet shoulder-width for stability with the driver, hands and arms beautifully ‘in sync’ with the body

Left shoulder works down and left arm begins its rotation – smooth and subtle moves to initiate momentum

Left arm works across the chest as right arm softens and folds – note the clubface is square to the path

A WINNING COMBINATION – ‘Sequencing’ of movement is his key Playing this game for a living was a heck of a lifestyle but in ‘retirement’ I may have found an even better number. In my role as analyst for CBS television I get paid to sit and watch the best players in the world, a privileged and fascinating experience given the talent on tour these days. And if someone were to ask me who currently has the best swing in golf I would not hesitate in nominating Australia’s Adam Scott.

There simply isn’t a flaw in the motion you see here. This is as good as it gets. In fact, looking at these images I’m reminded of the classic on-air advice from the producer: ‘If you cannot better the picture, there’s no need to say anything!’

Fortunately, magazines are a little different and so I’m going to take this opportunity to talk you through Adam’s swing from two angles (face-on here, down-the-line over the page) and at the same time try to help you identify with the key areas those of you young enough and supple enough should try to copy.

First up, just look at the quality of Adam’s body lines and angles. The posture lines are terrific, his alignment of feet, knees, hips and shoulders all agree, the proportions perfect. A model set-up to a model golf swing.

One thing I know Adam has worked on this year is keeping the clubhead square in the first move away from the ball. For a while there he had a little too much rotation and the clubface was open a fraction; here it looks just right. The clubface is square to the path as the arms and the shoulders control this initial sequence.

18 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

Stop a moment to study the relationship between the arms as Adam works from the setup through frame 4; the left arm rotates while the right elbow folds gently, all the time working in harmony with the rotation of the torso (overleaf, in the equivalent position to frame 4 here, you will see how the hands are directly in line with the sternum at this point).

Adam is not a player who likes to ‘set’ the club (or the wrists) early in the backswing; he fully sets when he gets to the top. Of course, the angle in the wrists is steadily increasing and he times it all so perfectly, so that the maximum ‘set’ coincides with the full extent of his backswing rotation.

My style, notably so during the swing change in the mid-1980s was to ‘set’ the wrists much earlier (an antidote to my old tendency of dragging the hands back). This is an area you, as an individual, must work on and experiment with to discover which ‘feel’ works best.

The critical gearing of body movement Studying the movement to the top of the swing you appreciate just how beautifully Adam engineers the coiling motion. And this is typical of the young generation today – these guys are strong, they work out to develop their core muscle. This is where golf at the highest level is going. But no one in the game can beat Adam Scott for the sheer quality of the motion.

For me, it’s the quality of the ratio of turn between knee, hips and belly-button. Focus on that when you practice and you can dramatically

Love the position of the right elbow here, increasing the lag as he approaches the hitting area.

ON THE LESSON TEE

Like many strong young players today, Adam likes to delay the full setting of the wrists...it’s increasing...60%...70%...

Head remains perfectly still behind the ball as he lets it all go – to focus on a precise dimple or dot on back of the ball is a great way of achieving this

....and now 100%.

Full wrist set timed perfectly with the rotation of the upper body

Rotation of the right shoulder continues all the way through the hitting area – a sense of ‘chasing’ after the ball

Balance on the toe, knees kissing, great angles and the clubshaft in a full wrap

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 19

FEATURE

SERGIO GARCIA

20 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

In Love, HE CAN

CONQUER

ALL

Once he was regarded as the European equivalent of Tiger Woods, and assuredly the biggest cert to make the Ryder Cup team. Then it all went wrong for Sergio Garcia. Lately, however, it’s all started to go right again. John Hopkins talked to him at the end of a successful season and found love was in the air PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

SERGIO GARCIA WALKED ON TO A TEE DURING A PRACTICE ROUND AT THE Dubai World Championship in December. He held a massive sandwich in one hand and was debating with Glen Murray, his caddie, as to its merits. “It’s a 7, I would say, wouldn’t you? Not the best but very solid. A 7 or maybe an 8.” A speck of mayonnaise on his upper lip and an impish grin on his face made Garcia looked like a mischievous boy. Seeing him so animated and talkative, someone said: “Nice to see you with a smile on your face at last. You look happy.”

The wide smile on Garcia’s face narrowed only long enough for him to reply.

“Obviously I am, but don’t get me wrong” Garcia replied. “I was before the two wins. And that is probably one of the reasons why the two wins came along. I’ve always had it. It is just that it has been a bit dormant.” The two wins Garcia referred to were in the Castello Masters at his own club in Castellon, Valencia, in October 2011 followed seven days later by victory in the Andalucia Valderrama Masters (pictured here). They were a stunning comeback for a player who had been in a slump since early in 2009. The slump had come unannounced, too.

In 2007 Garcia was beaten in a playoff for the Open by Padraig Harrington. In 2008, after winning The Players Championship in May, he finished second, again to Harrington, in the USPGA in August and won the HSBC Champions event in

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 21

EQUIPMENT

NEW FOR 2012

TECHNOLOGY

2012

While the PGA Merchandise Show is not until late January (with a full round-up appearing in issue 108, early February), there is already some great equipment on the market for next season. Following the Ping and Titleist launches covered in recent issues, Dominic Pedler brings you a selection of new gear from golf’s leading manufacturers covering every category Cleveland 588 Forged wedge

Contemporary take on a classic

cleveland Golf relaunch their famous 588

extra friction between the grooves (and as

generation of wedges which debuted back

sole suited to the better player’s strategy of

wedge whose model number, incidentally,

refers to the company’s now legendary fifth in 1988. These proved exceptionally suc-

cessful, both on and off tour, before being superceded by new technical ideas in the new millennium, such as the cG range.

But the classic shape gets a comprehen-

sive makeover, starting with a lavish forged head construction (amazingly, a first for a

cleveland wedge) fashioned in a state-ofthe-art precision process. This apparently

ensures the highest manufacturing consistency of the 1025 carbon steel, a ‘soft-yetsolid’ feel and less unwanted vibration.

Grooves are cleveland’s patented con-

forming Tour Zip variety, accompanied by

the Laser Milled ‘blasted’ face that creates

22 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

debuted on the cG15).

We particularly like the slightly narrower

opening the face for greater effective loft while retaining a flush leading edge.

With a unique stiffness profile that fea-

tures a less active tip, the Tour concept

steel shaft is designed for a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control.

“The 588s have always been the best

wedges ever made, and they continue to

improve with great aesthetics and the clas-

sic cleveland lines. They have an improved feel and spin control than their predecessors,” says Graeme McDowell, who

switched into the 588 Forged at the Dunhill Links. Meanwhile, Gonzalo Fernandez-

Blast from the past.

Cleveland’s classic 588 wedge from 1988 gets a stylish makeover for 2012, starting with a forged head construction

EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT

Callaway RAZR FIT driver

Flagship model with full adjustability

While callaway pioneered the elaborate

composite material – lighter and stronger

ers to the market for fully adjustable drivers

debuted in last year’s flagship RAZR Hawk

i-Mix interchangeable shaft system a few

years ago, they have been relative latecomin terms of weights, lofts and face angles.

But featuring the latest evolution of the com-

pany’s OptiFit hosel technology the RAZR

FIT driver introduces very effective ball flight

‘personalisation’ across a full range of para-

meters within a surprisingly traditional look-

ing 440cc head.

The RAZR FIT features moveable 12g

and 2g weights that shift the clubhead’s

centre of gravity to promote either a draw, or

neutral ball flight while a quick turn of the ‘smart’ metal sleeve within the high-tech

than titanium – famously developed in collaboration with Lamborghini and which

and Octane Black models. The RAZR FIT

also incorporates brand new speed Frame face technology that continues callaway’s quest to deliver higher ballspeeds over a wider face area.

Phil Mickelson is already using the club

which we will revisit in more detail once we test it again at Orlando, along with the matching adjustable fairways. £329. www.callawaygolf.com

hosel allows you to alter the loft (up or down a degree) and face angle (open or closed) to your preferences.

so far we’ve given this a brief test on a

simulator/launch monitor and appreciate the way golfers will be able to combine these

concepts easily in ways that work both aesthetically and performance wise. For example, many players like to see a neutral or

even open face angle at address yet can

still benefit from a draw bias through setting the weighting.

The driver also makes use of the Forged

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 23

INSTRUCTION JONATHAN YARWOOD

Look at the way the upper arms rest on the upper part of the chest – that ‘connection’ is key. A sense of being close to the shot, the upper arms riding on the ribs, helps you to repeat a consistent action

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

By Jonathan Yarwood PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL / WWW.GOLFJY.COM PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID CANNON/GETTYIMAGES

Want to experience some short-game cheer in 2012? Then it’s time to forget the old-fashioned ‘ball back, hands forward, weight forward’ mantra that leads – inevitably – to a one-dimensional (i.e. low & skiddy) type of shot. In its place, let me show you how tour players approach one of golf’s critical scoring shots with a neutral technique that allows for a terrific variety of scoring shots

24 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

No need to exaggerate the adjustments at the set up; with your body nicely open to the target you simply let your arms hang, placing the hands in the middle of the body, while your sternum is marginally ahead of the ball

TOUR-STYLE CHIPPING

Your relationship with the club is maintained all the way to the finish – natural loft on the clubface is preserved

Neutral motion sees the butt-end of the club always point back in the general direction of your body

The ‘engine’ of the stroke is provided by the gentle rotation of the hips, belly and shoulders – the arms move in unison. A nice sense of ‘play’ in the wrists gets some speed in the shaft through the ball

OR SAME OLD, SAME OLD...

If you recognise your chipping action in the photos below, it’s time to make a change

Old school: with ball back and the hands pushed forward, there is too much shaft ‘lean, club is seriously de-lofted

Too much emphasis on playing the shot with the hands; this severe angle in the right wrist typifies a ‘closed-down’ stroke

This driving forwards of the hands is typical of the golfer who ball driven forwards

Detachment of arms and club is clear at the finish

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 25

AMATEUR Edwards poses with photographs of previous GB&I Walker Cup winning sides in the team room at Royal Aberdeen

Success breeds success

continued overleaf...

Fresh from captaining the GB&I team to victory in the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen, Nigel Edwards has been lured across the border to England as Director of Player Development The Walker cup match at Royal Aberdeen will

go down as one of the highlights of the 2011

season and the english Golf Union can be justifi-

ably proud of its recent coup of luring captain

Nigel edwards over the severn Bridge to take

over as their director of coaching in 2012.

edwards, who was the Golf Union of Wales

director of player development and coaching, fills

the post vacated by sweden’s Peter Mattsson

who has returned home.

The Welshman is a man in demand and was

recently reappointed as captain of the Great Britain

& Ireland Walker cup team for the 2013 match in

Long Island having led them to a glorious 14-12

win over a highly-rated United states side at Royal

Aberdeen in september. He will also be at the

helm for next year’s st Andrews Trophy.

edwards takes over in January and he is confi-

dent he can build on Mattsson’s considerable suc-

cess, which has seen the likes of Tom Lewis, Jack

senior and Andrew sullivan make a real impact on

the game at the highest level. There is no danger

of him being accused of deserting the game in his

homeland – through his considerable efforts he

has left Welsh golf in a pretty healthy state – but at

the same time no denying he will enjoy greater

scope with the additional financial muscle at his

disposal at the eGU.

26 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM NOV/DEC 2011

“I am excited about the new challenge, but also

sad to be leaving my role with Wales,” edwards told

Gi. “There are more players and a bigger budget in

england so it is a great career opportunity, I think I can make an impact there with the skills I have

developed in Wales.

“I feel we have developed a structure which will

continue to benefit Welsh golf. Working alongside

the excellent coaches, we have maximised

resources to get things going in the right direction.

“We won the Ladies’ Home Internationals back-to-

back for the first time and also have seen the development of players such as Amy Boulden and Rhys

Pugh. I like to think I have played a part in all of that. “england is pretty successful anyway, all you

have to do is look at someone like Tom Lewis who

was part of our winning Walker cup team and has

already won a european Tour event. However I

hope I can make a contribution there. I am looking

forward to the challenge and hope to build on all

the good work that is already in place.”

The eGU know they have landed a big fish to

replace Mattsson and chief executive John Petrie

added: “Nigel’s playing record speaks for itself and he

has also done some impressive work in changing the

structures in Welsh golf, developing the academy sys-

tem throughout Wales and putting a regional coaching

system in place to identify and develop talent.”

edwards’ Walker cup pedigree is well known.

The Whitchurch member played four times – win-

ning twice and holing the match-clinching putt at

Ganton in 2003 – and proved himself a graduate of

the Peter Mcevoy school of captaincy at Aberdeen

as he masterminded his team’s success.

The United states outfit was described by one

writer as the best Walker cup side to land on these shores but they were seen off.

“I think the Walker cup has given me greater

respect and profile,” edwards admitted. “Great

Britain and Ireland needed to win that Walker cup

and being part of it was special.

“People will know me more for that than the

work I have done with the Golf Union of Wales

because of the huge profile it brings, but that is

only part of the story.

“I started more than a decade ago running the

championships and developing the coaching

structure at the Welsh Golfing Union, then it

changed to the merged Golf Union of Wales and I

was able to work more closely with players and

coaches in developing their skills and the structure.

“It is not coaching, but giving them the benefit of

my experience and passion. “We have increased funding from sport Wales and the R&A to back

our talent identification programme – we are aim-

ing to have more tournaments at the younger lev-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

GETTYIMAGES.COM

NOV/DEC 2011 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 27

INSTRUCTION LYNN MCCOOL

28 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

PRACTICE POINTERS

By Lynn McCool DIRECTOR OF GOLF & HEAD PROFESSIONAL LOUGH ERNE / WWW.LOUGHERNERESORT.COM WRITTEN WITH CARLY CUMMINS / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MURRAY

It all starts at the set-up...and once I have helped you to get yourself into a good position over the ball I’m going to demonstrate some favourite exercises that will quickly enhance the quality of your body action and increase speed

There isn’t a golfer on the planet who doesn’t want to hit their driver further and straighter – and yet so many players deny themselves the opportunity through sheer carelessness at the set up. The root of all problems off the tee stem from a number of basic errors at address that make it all but impossible to generate the clubhead speed and launch conditions for distance.

So let me share a few ideas that will help you avoid making those mistakes and get you primed to launch it longer & straighter

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 29

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GOLF INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE JAN/FEB 2012

SIR MATTHEW PINSENT // HOTEL ST MORITZ & ST ENODOC // MEMORABILIA // FERRARI 458 ITALIA...

The ultimate expression of the world’s most iconic sports car?

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 31

Q&A WITH SIR MATTHEW PINSENT

A true champion of our (tee) time When it comes to listing great sporting achievements and achievers, they don’t come much bigger than the UK’s Matthew Pinsent. Alongside his hero, Sir Steve Redgrave, his triumphant finish as part of the coxless four at the 2000 Sydney Olympics has been voted Britain’s Greatest Sporting Moment, and he consolidated his place in the history books at the ’04 Games in Athens, where victory placed Pinsent in an elite group of only five athletes to gain four consecutive Olympic golds.

In the run up to the biggest event on the 2012 sporting calendar, the sports star-turned BBC broadcaster is today as busy as ever, reporting on the training progress of athletes from around the world in preparation for the biggest trial of their lives in London this summer. With both feet now firmly on dry land, he’s also keen to work on improving his golf game, as Carolyn Nicoll discovered when she stuck her, er, oar in...

What’s your earliest golfing memory?

the charity golf tournaments, especially the

our family home, and when I was about 8 or 9

I feel that I’ve achieved so much as an amateur.

There was always a set of my Dad’s golf clubs at years old he took me to the park with them. I

didn’t know what a tee was back then and cer-

tainly didn’t know the difference between an

iron and a putter. I was having fun teeing off the long grass, when the park warden came along and shouted that I couldn’t do that.

Who taught you to play golf?

Steve Redgrave taught me. I actually didn’t play

a full round of golf until I was in my 20s. I was

rowing and training with Steve and we went to a pitch and putt in Canada. That’s how it started

and it has since progressed into a competitive love of the game.

What is your current handicap?

Sixteen. And it has never been any lower, but I like to think one day it will be.

Where’s your home club?

I live in London now and regularly play at Stoke Park. It’s a terrific club with a fantastic history, and I often make it to the mid-week Roll Up. I have 3 young children, so trying to fit golf in at the

weekend just wouldn’t be fair

on my wife. So if I can fit it into my diary in the middle of the week, I do.

Have you introduced your children to the game yet?

I have twin sons aged 5, and a 3-year-old daughter. As yet I haven’t introduced them to

golf, but I’m thinking now’s

the time. With a set of clubs arriving at Christmas, it’s going to start in 2012.

What do you hope to

achieve with your game?

No huge ambitions, I just

love the game and the peo-

ple. It’s a great link to the rowing world

and it allows me to spend time with Steve

[Redgrave]. I also really enjoy taking part in

32 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

Dunhill Links Pro Am, which is fabulous.

The thought of winning at Augusta would be

great [laughs] but the hacker that I am, I’ll settle for simply trying to get my handicap down.

What rule of golf would you change if you

were in charge of the game for a day?

I think the 14 club rule is a bit weird. So I’d

change the lower limit on clubs because in some circumstances it really restricts your options.

You have to make decisions about the 2 or 3

that you use the least. Why not have 16 or 17?

Where is your ultimate golfing destination?

I can’t get passed the Old Course at St Andrews, because I love it for its history and for me it’s

SIR MATTHEW PINSENT

really challenging. I’ve not played a huge

him around and call the two members of the win-

in the states, particularly Augusta, for the histo-

Cracknell made Steve and I stick to the wager.

amount of courses overseas but I’d love to play ry and tradition, and California’s legendary

Pebble Beach, a stunning location overlooking the bay and the ocean.

A dream fourball...who would you invite?

Definitely Ernie [Els], because I want his swing,

plus Jack [Nicklaus], he’d be such good compa-

ning pair ‘My Lord’, and for 24 hours Foster and

You’re a direct descendant from William the

Conqueror, who it’s said had “Such strength

of arm that it was often a matter of surprise

that no one was able to draw his bow, which

he himself could bend when his horse was on

full gallop”. Your strength of arm obviously

ny and it would mean I’d get to do a round with

passes the test when it comes to rowing, is

one who I can try and beat, as he’s pretty simi-

I’m a direct descendant of Edward I, but it is all

try to get him to tell some stories.

back. The answer is yes, I have certainly got

a legend. It would also have to be Steve, some-

lar to me. I’d put Steve Williams on the bag and Out of the ‘famous four’ Olympic winning

team-mates (Redgrave, Tim Foster or James

Cracknell) who’s the best golfer?

Oh, that would be Steve probably. He better

enjoy it while he can...hopefully it’s going to change in the coming year!

You all played a ‘coxless fourball’ before

going off to the final training camp before

Sydney in 2000. Did it help you all to relax?

It really did help us to relax. We played it in the run

up to the Regatta in Sydney. Tim and James won on the 18th! The deal was that the losers had to pick

up the opposing team member, load his bags, drive

that the same for your golf?

linked to William the Conqueror, 32 generations strength of arm in golf, but probably too much.

My grip is too hard, I’m always holding on too tight. I really need to work on relaxing my

hands and not throttling the club so much.

If you had your time again would you consid-

er the professional golf option or would it

always be rowing?

Never in a million years could I consider being a pro golf player. I could practice for 20 years

and still not make it. Unfortunately I’ve got an

inherent inability when it comes to ball sports.

What golf gadget could you not live without?

I’m not much of a gadget person, but I’m a ter-

rible golf ball snob. I love the right golf ball and will only play with a Pro V1. I know it’s an

(Clockwise from far left): Fore! – Pinsent displays his four Olympic winner’s medals; his style belies a 16 handicap – in action at the Dunhill Links; alongside his great friend, fellow Olympian and arch golfing rival Sir Steve Redgrave

expensive ball, but if I hit anything else it just doesn’t feel right.

What’s been the best new piece of equipment or technology that has helped your game?

Probably the Laser Range Finder, giving you a perfect yardage every time. It’s really important for

the feedback, you get to find out the distance and

it means you’re not stuck between clubs. I know

if I use a Laser Range Finder and then hit it right I

will be within 5 or 8 yards, but ten years ago I could never have been so accurate and would

have been 12 or even 15 yards away.

How often do you take golf lessons?

For the first time I’ve just started having regular lessons with Stuart Rank, Stoke Park’s Head of

Instruction, and it’s something that I’m going to make sure I do consistently from now on.

Do you follow the pro game and how often do

you watch live golf on TV?

I don’t watch much beyond the majors, but I do love to watch them. I’d seldom have the time to

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 33

FEATURE

THE BIG INTERVIEW

PLANE

TALKING Gi: So, a golfer is going through a tough spell with his or her golf swing – is it better to be fixed or changed?

JH: Fixing a problem is surely the optimum solution. To ‘fix’ something suggests an improvement at the end of the process, a move to a positive place. To change your swing or style is absolutely ludicrous – and yet I see so many players who try to do that, good players a lot of them. The scrapheap of golf is littered with good players who were not satisfied with how they went about it and decided to change. I go back to the 1940s with Ralph Guddahl, a wonderful player who made a short instructional movie with a Hollywood studio, which forced him to think about swing mechanics for the first time in his life. He didn’t like the way his swing looked and so decided he had to change. Effectively the end of his career; he left the Tour in 1942 and, apart from a brief return in 1949, was never heard of again. In more modern times there have been other great players who have decided they had to make wholesale swing changes and it signalled the end of their careers, too. I think all styles are either one-plane or two-plane – that’s not a model that’s just a style. The worst golfer in the world could be either one- or two-plane and the best golfer in the world could be, too.

One swings his arms more around him as he turns his body, the other keeps his arms more up and down as he turns his body. But the crux of it all is that a golfer should stay within his style, fixing and refining it as and when necessary.

Gi: When did you first make the distinction between one- and two-plane swings?

JH: Interestingly enough when I talked years ago with John Jacobs. He always taught a style in which the arms swing more upright than the body turns. The arms and the body are oriented in two different planes. One night over dinner I asked of John: ‘Relative to the two planes, what we teach, what would you say Ben Hogan did?.’ John laughed, then replied: ‘Well, I guess he just threw the whole mess into one plane!.’

Well, that conversation led me down a path that lasted nine years in which I tried to figure out exactly what Ben Hogan did.

And I started calling them one-and two-plane swings. Jose Marie Olazabal would be a classic one-planer, as would Graeme McDowell and Miguel Angel Jimenez. Tom Watson would be a classic two-planer, as would Jack Nicklaus and our current Ryder Cup captain who is playing very well right now, Davis Love III. As you picture those different players’ swings in your mind I think you can begin to visualise the differences I’m talking about.

Gi: From a teaching perspective the biggest problem for any

34 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

Editor Richard Simmons talks to Jim Hardy, the author of the ground-breaking book The Plane Truth for Golfers, which essentially classifies all of us as falling into one of two distinct styles or categories: one-plane or two-plane. Understanding your own preference is the first step to improving your swing and each has its own guiding fundamentals.

The implication is clear: if you are naturally a one-plane swinger of the club (think rotary motion, Hogan, Olazabal) but have been working on two-plane principles you are compromising your n atural instincts, effectively fighting a losing battle in your efforts to improve. If you are a natural two-planer (Jack Nicklaus, Colin Montgomerie) and have been influenced by examples of one-plane swings, chances are you are similarly trapped in confusion.

For any serious student of the game Hardy’s book is essential reading for the way it shines a light on this fascinating issue. So sit back and enjoy a conversation with one of golf’s true pioneers of instruction

golfer, then, is not making this distinction?

JH: Correct. Players who fall into these two broad categories do very different things and in order to be effective a coach would need to be aware of this. Otherwise the instruction simply doesn’t match the swing type – oftentimes as compatible as oil and water.

The problem, as I see it, is that too many instructors see a golf swing that doesn’t match their prejudice. Let’s say their prejudice is for two plane. They get an Olazabal in front of them and they want to change them. Although he taught a twoplane swing, where John [Jacobs] was a genius was that he realised the overall rule of golf is a correct impact done repetitively; the method employed is of no real significance. Now, John taught Olazabal for years – a pure one-planer if ever there was one, with a strong rotary action. John recognised in the young Jose a player with a natural rotary swing, and he wouldn’t change him. He’d just fix him. If Olazabal was hitting the ball too low and with a hook, John would fix him. He’d get rid of the low hook rather than changing his swing. To me that kind of teaching is missing today. I never saw Jack Nicklaus change his style – when he was off he just fixed it. Ben Hogan didn’t change his style, he just refined it. Trevino certainly didn’t change his natural game – if he had been advised to we’d never of heard of him! Player didn’t, Palmer didn’t. If they ran into a patch of bad golf they fixed it.

Gi: I have a sense Tiger’s name is looming here…

JH: Tiger is undergoing his third major swing change. It’s really not all that long ago when Tiger was at a place in his career where he was a truly wonderful player, and if he needed a reliable shot – a ‘go-to’ shot – he’d hit a low cut, or that ‘stinger’ 3wood off the tee. Many was the time when he’d be experimenting through 63 holes, didn’t work, and then over the last 9 holes he’d slice the ball around and beat everybody. Apparently he didn’t like the left to right shot and wanted to hit high draws. So he started changing his golf swing. I think he’d have already beaten Jack’s record if he’d stuck with the style he had in his golden era, between ’99 and 2003. Tiger’s go-to shot was that left-to-right stinger. That was certainly Jack’s stock shot. And I never saw Trevino play anything other than that when he needed to. Butch Harmon taught Tiger how to play short irons.

Previously, Tiger played short irons with too long a golf swing that had too much up-and-under in it, throwing the ball high into the air and losing distance control. Butch taught Tiger how to get the ball flight down with a lower and more penetrating flight. He got him a little bit wider and shorter golf swing, on both sides of the ball, and made him a brilliant short iron player. As far as his go-to shot went, well it was always a cut. That’s all he needed. Why has he endured all these swing changes?

Well, it just seems to be our culture today – if it’s not working bag the whole thing and try something else.

Gi: The Plane Truth – how is your teaching organisation operated here and throughout Europe?

JH: By the end of this year we will have approaching 100 certified instructors throughout Europe and the UK, including Scandinavia. I have been here in the UK three times in recent years – and Chris O’Connell, who works with me [and who coaches Matt Kuchar] has been over more than that. We present seminars on the Plane Truth methods and help instructors achieve Level 1 certification. We have received great interest JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 35

FEATURE DO YOU KNOW THE RULES?

This issue I thought we would cover some situations you may encounter during winter golf, plus take a look at a couple of the changes to the Rules, due to take effect on Jan 1 2012 – Ashley Weller

t i g n i Play the book by PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MURRAY

Plugged ball

With the ground becoming softer the likelihood of a ball becoming plugged increases. This situation is covered by Rule 25-2 – Embedded Ball. The Rule states, “A ball embedded in its own pitchmark in the ground in any closely-mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. ‘closely-mown area’ means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.”

The phrase “through the green” is mentioned twice in this Rule, so to understand the Rule fully we need to know what the phrase means, and to do this we head to the Definitions section at the beginning of the Rule book. To safely negotiate the book it is important to have an understanding of the definitions.

“Through the green” is the whole area of the course except: * The teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played; and * All hazards on the course.

It is clear from the above that if the ball is plugged in the rough there is no relief. However, at times a course may be so wet that this is a common occurrence. In such circumstances a committee may introduce a Local Rule to deem that relief is available for an embedded ball anywhere through the green.

Always check the local rules at the club!

36 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

You’ ll need the help of a Local Rule to take relief from a ball plugged in the rough – so always check before you play

Are you entitled to relief?

Only if casual water is visible before or after taking a normal stance

Casual water

Again, referring to the Definitions at the front of the Rule book, “casual water is any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is not in a water hazard and is visible before or after the player takes his stance...”

You are not allowed to press down hard with your feet to make water become visible (Decision 25/4 in the Decisions On The Rules Of Golf).

The two photos show a player’s feet in soft ground, one with casual water visible and one without.

Relief from casual Water is available under the guidance of Rule 25-1 – Abnormal Ground Conditions.

Through the green (see above) the ball may be dropped within one club-length and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief.

It is important to note that as there is no distinction between rough and fairway in the definition of through the green it may happen that your ball lies in the fairway and your nearest point of relief is in the rough, and vice versa.

Another example here of it being important to assess the situation before taking a drop as the outcome may be worse than the situation you are in originally! Our pictures show a ball on the edge of the fairway lying in very shallow casual water. The player decides to take relief, but as the nearest point of relief is to the left as we view the situation, the player ends up playing out of the rough with the ball below his feet.

Rule 25-1 makes no distinction between rough and fairway – you simply have to find your nearest point of relief

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM

INSTRUCTION DAN FROST

We’re all well aware of the importance of putting – but how often do you really put in some serious effort on the practice green?

Let me give you a strategy covering four key perspectives: technical, tactical, practical and co-ordination. Whatever your standard of golf, I’m certain that one or more of the drills within each of these sections will inspire you to better putting figures and consistently lower scores next season

Take control

of your

PUTTING

By Dan Frost

WWW.FROSTGOLF.COM SHOT ON LOCATION AT CARTON HOUSE WWW.CARTONHOUSE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNY MATTHEWS

38 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

SHORT-GAME SHORT-CUTS TECHNICAL

1. Aim the pistol for a perfect hold Confused about how the grip of the putter should run through the hands? Let me kick off with a simple way of finding a good hold, running the grip correctly through the lifeline of your hands. This will help you to create the correct relationship between the hands, wrists and posture in a simple manner.

Step 1: Secure the grip into your top hand as you would if asked to aim the putter as if you were pointing a pistol in front of you.

Step 2: Find a good relationship with your low hand. (I say high and low because as you can see I predominantly prefer the left-below-right grip, whereas for you it may be the other way

round.) You should now get the sensation that the club is sitting in the lifelines of the hands, the top of the wrist bone is slightly inverted and there is a line forming between the club shaft and the forearms.

Step 3: Now simply keep this relationship and slowly tilt forward from the hips until the sole of the putter touches the surface of the green.

Step 4: All you need to do now is find nice balance through your feet with the weight nicely in the middle and knees slightly flexed. Notice how I have kept the relationship formed from my hold through my forearms.

2. For consistency of stroke, train your shoulders to govern a true pendulum motion ‘Rock your shoulders’ is a phrase that most of us have heard on the putting green and yet very few club golfers actually achieve a pure shoulder-controlled pendulum stroke.

The problem, of course, is that it’s all too easy (and instinctive!) to want to use the hands and wrists – after all, you are holding the putter in your hands and fingers. But for control and consistency we must start higher up. The key to creating this superior pendulum motion lies in adjusting your focus, so that you feel the momentum of your stroke originating from the shoulders. Here’s a drill that can help you:

Step 1: To isolate the movement of the shoulders trap a cane between your upper arms and the top of your chest, allowing your arms and hands to hang down towards the green Step 2: Next, form your regular grip trying not to add too much tension to the hang of your arms Step 3: Comfortable in your starting position, initiate motion by making the cane work up on the backswing and down in the throughswing.

Step 4: Make sure you hold your finish to show control and to familiarise yourself with the feeling that the hands have been relatively inactive.

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 39

TRAVEL MAZAGAN

70 years after the Oscar-winning movie brought the romance of Casablanca to a global audience, Morocco’s famous city is back on the radar for discerning golfers. Dominic Pedler is seduced by the five-star experience of the Mazagan Beach Resort and its thrilling ocean-front layout.

W

hile the film of the same name was actually shot entirely in Hollywood, Casablanca will always be associated with that 1942 classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Sure enough, movie buffs visiting Morocco’s most cosmopolitan city today can visit a replica Rick’s Café, complete with Veuve Clicquot cocktails and Sam’s grand piano churning out As Time Goes By. Meanwhile, golfers might like to cue up Casablanca’s opening sequence which features an old map of Morocco clearly marking Mazagan as the next point along the coast to the south-west of the city.

For while that ancient Portuguese port with its colourful souks and famous citadel has long since been renamed El Jadida, the old exotic

40 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

name has been revived for a stunning new golf resort that basks a few miles away in splendid isolation on the region’s unspoilt coastline.

The Mazagan Beach Resort, an hour’s drive from Casablanca, with its superb setting, palatial hotel and exceptional Gary Player-designed course, is rapidly emerging as one the most acclaimed golf developments of the decade.

And despite the African address, it is barely 20 minutes flying time beyond southern Spain.

Gazing onto the course from your ocean view room it seems obvious that this stretch of Morocco was always destined to be exploited for golf. The wild beauty of the landscape with its rugged dunes bordering endless beaches pounding to the hypnotic soundtrack of the Atlantic, make it a no brainer.

But, nature aside, Mazagan still needed some serious design, financing, construction and management to realise its potential and deliver

such a compelling all-round experience.

Starting with the King of Morocco who first gave his blessing, an A-list of developers, operators and assorted movers and shakers behind Mazagan goes some way to explaining the vision and success of the finished project.

Nine-time major champion, Gary Player, with a portfolio of over 300 courses and an obvious personal interest in promoting his home continent was clear choice as course architect.

Meanwhile, his fellow South African, legendary hotel mogul Sol Kerzener, is the force behind the ambitious 500-room resort.

The Player/Kerzener connection of course dates back to Sun City, and while Mazagan is not conceived as such a hedonistic hotspot, it nevertheless has its moments with North Africa’s largest casino, lavish restaurants and a nightclub as a foil for its authentic local charm.

Still, to get golfers beyond continental Europe’s

MOROCCO

One for the high rollers. With the pounding Atlantic ocean for a backdrop, the 15th at Mazagan, designed

by Gary Player, is a showstopper of a par three.

boundaries you need to tempt them with something special in terms of the golf. And the setting, design and condition of the 18-hole course and adjoining academy have, unequivocally, done just that.

For much of the round the routing takes you out and back within yards of the shore with sometimes overwhelming sea views. Imagine the awesome abandon of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, the gripping variety of Kingsbarns and the authentic African flavour of Player’s own Fish River Sun on South Africa’s Wild Coast, and you have some idea of the feast in store.

“I knew we were in for a treat when I walked the site before construction,” said Player when Gi asked him for his first impressions. “The natural dunes and vegetation were just made for a links-style golf course with a spectacular series of ocean-front holes. It seemed that

many of the holes were already there, and the wind off the Atlantic reminds one of the conditions of many of the Scottish links.”

Mazagan may not be a purist’s conventional links, with the course built directly on the sandy fertile remains of on old eucalyptus forest. But Player’s adventurous fairway countouring, green/bunker complexes spanning a rich mix of plateaus and gathering dells, and a full complement of seemingly natural ridges and swales, has certainly ensured one of the great seaside golf experiences.

Player again (Sam): “I was so taken with the site that I walked right out onto the beach and took a “skinny dip” in the Atlantic!”

And we’re quite taken with his layout.

Among the many signature holes is the picture perfect par-three 15th (main photo), played directly towards the sea with a raised plateau green perched on a ridge of dunes framed by a

backdrop of ‘white horses’. Imagine the 11th on the Old Course transplanted to Morocco (complete with a treacherously deep Hill bunker fronting the green) but with the Atlantic ocean instead of the Eden estuary as the backdrop, and you’re almost there.

‘Money shots’ aside, the architect’s skill here has been maintaining the aesthetic appeal while balancing the technical challenge for all standards of golfer. For while Mazagan is Morocco’s longest course (a mighty 6,885metre, par 72, from the tips), four sets of carefully located tees ensure both the photogenic drama and a variety of different lines to the landing areas.

Being essentially a resort course, the fairways are generous – indeed sometimes vast.

But, rather cleverly, this is not always evident from the tee. Often the driving lines look tight, focusing the mind. And yet when you arrive at JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 41

COMPETITION

WIN 42 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

A GOLFING HOLIDAY FOR FOUR PEOPLE

Hugging Portugal’s stunning Silver Coast, and close to the seaside town of Óbidos, the innovative and visually striking Bom Sucesso Resort stands out among the crowd as a destination of utmost quality. The progressive ethos behind the development sees a departure from the norm in golf and leisure destinations, most obviously in the resort accommodation; each unit in the collection of apartments and villas is individually designed, with parameters merely to be contemporary in style and that rooftops should be covered in greenery.

The resort blends seamlessly with the beautiful local environment, and is accessed by a leisurely drive from Lisbon's international airport. Among an almost endless list of activities and amenities is Bom sucesso’s par-72 championship golf course, mapped out by esteemed designer Donald steel.

Having hosted prestigious tour events, the course has earned an impressive reputation in its short existence, providing glorious views of the silver coast and beyond. Flights into Lisbon are available with British Airways, TAP and easyjet. www.bomsucessogolf.net

THe FANTAsTIc PRIZe Is As FOLLOWs:

4 NIGHTS, BED & BREAKFAST 2 ROuNDS OF GOLF (PER PERSON) VALID FOR FOuR PEOPLE * FLIGHTs & TRANsFeRs NOT INcLUDeD

Prize valid for travel any time in 2012, excluding:

02/04/12 – 07/04/12 13/07/12 – 25/08/12 28/12/12 – 31/12/12

To enter, simply answer the following question: Question: On which Coast is the Bom Sucesso Resort situated?

Answer A: Gold Coast B: Silver Coast C: Emerald Coast To enter visit: www.golfinternationalmag.com/competitions or send your answer on a Postcard to: Bom Sucesso Competition, Golf International Magazine, 10 Buckingham Place, London, SW1E 6HX

This competition will run from 23/12/2011 to midnight 31/01/2012. Open to Uk residents only. By entering this competition you are accepting that Golf International services Ltd will pass your details on to the prize provider. One entry per person only.

For more offers from YourGolfTravel, visit: www.yourgolftravel.com

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 43

TRAVEL SOUTH CAROLINA

TO DYE FOR

Peter Swain looks at the challenges facing the 2012 PGA field, and the Southern delights of what many believe to be America’s number one golfing resort

I

f one-time Charleston resident Rhett Butler were alive today, he would undoubtedly play his golf at Kiawah Island, near the famous old South Carolina seaport where the first shots of the Civil War, at Fort Sumpter, were fired.

Pete Dye’s Ocean Course, the venue of the 2012 US PGA Championship, is by common consent the most difficult set-up in North America. But Rhett always liked a challenge. Along with the other four resort courses at Kiawah, he would at least be allowed to play it.

In contrast, it’s unlikely a man of his ‘reputation’ would be accepted into the exclusive Kiawah Island Club, the élite part of the enter-

44 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

prise with its own two private 18-holers, the stunning Tom Watson-designed Cassique and Tom Fazio’s River Course.

So, one island, seven courses, beautiful natural scenery and wildlife, private beaches, soigné spas, several great clubhouses exuding Southern charm, palatial homes, brilliant tennis facilities and, in The Sanctuary, probably the best golf resort hotel in the US – it’s easy to see why Kiawah is a legend.

Of course, to most of us, the Ocean course brings back memories of the 6-foot putt Bernard Langer missed to lose the 1991 Ryder Cup. And if the players found it tough back then, Dye has made the set-up way more challenging for what will be a fascinating fourth leg of this season’s major championships.

At 7,676 yards for the PGA, it will be longest course in the history of golf’s majors. It will also be the first time Paspalum greens have been used. The fairways have another variant of the same grass, and with the first cut at 2 ½ inches, the strangely tangly turf is likely to play havoc with scoring.

The serious rough is wiregrass or marshland, so balls will be lost. The Ocean also features waste areas of compacted sand running alongside – and, on average, about seven feet below – the majority of fairways and around several greens.

Then there’s the water. Even if you see a Pro V1 trickle in, it’ll probably be left there. Almost every pond of any size on Kiawah has at least one alligator…

KIAWAH ISLAND

A tumbling fairway shrinks to a green sided by water at the par-four 13th; (below) right on the beach, the clubhouse oozes lowcountry charm

In comparison with most US country club layouts, the Ocean Course has a far wilder, less manicured feel to it. Out on the 14th tee, I even found myself reminded of Royal St George’s. It isn’t a true links – too much earth has been moved and there’s too much water – but it has the bouncy uneven fairways and deadly pot bunkers beloved of links devotees, and truly comes alive when the wind blows. Darren Clarke should love it.

So the challenges facing the pros are exceptional, as indeed they should be. For the rest of us, even off the forward tees, the challenges are as thrilling as they are intimidating.

The front nine features marshland and trees, with the back playing through the dunes.

With forced carries seldom less than 200 yards, JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 45

INSTRUCTION

DR KARL MORRIS

Winning the mind game Rather than busy your mind with so-called ‘positive thoughts’ about what you hope to do (in the future), a ‘quiet’, neutral mindset based on the ‘here’ and ‘now’ is proven to be the most effective way of allowing peak performance to flow

n recent years I have found it interesting

to observe a discernible movement

I

towards ‘positive thinking’ as being the

be-all and end-all solution to the multi-

faceted challenge of becoming a better

golfer. Sure, for some it works fine, and yet as we work our

way through this article I think you might be surprised to

find an alternative way of thinking that could make a signifi-

By Dr Karl Morris EUROPEAN TOUR MIND COACH • WWW.GOLF-BRAIN.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

cant difference to your game.

How do you approach the game? What is central to your

beliefs about how the game should be played? What drives your behaviour?

‘Come on, be positive. You can make it happen with the

power of the mind’.

Does that sort of coaching sound familiar?

‘Just believe in yourself and it will happen’.

‘It’s all about BELIEF’.

Have you tried that approach?

I think one of the most

destructive elements of the

‘self help’ movement is the implied suggestion that things are ‘all in the

mind’. You just need to

get into the right frame

of mind and will things

to happen. In other

words, if you are tuned

into the right channel, then

you can literally make things

happen with the ‘strength’ of

your mind.

Well, it’s a good story, it sells

lots of books, seminars and business

courses but, unfortunately, for most people it has little or no real impact.

Generally, all you get as a result of

this type of encouragement is a short

span of what I call ‘false confidence’

whereby you hype yourself up with all

the positivity you can muster. Unfortunately,

when the results from the outside (i.e. real) world do

not match up to this oh-so-positive vision you are left search-

ing for answers. Where do you go from there?

For most people, the only option then is a terrible down-

ward spiral of negativity. Or, to put it another way, they get

negative about trying to be positive!

The problem with ‘positive thinking’ is it is just that: more

GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM SEPT/OCT 2011

THE MIND FACTOR ESSAY

and more thinking. You get to the point where your mind is incredibly busy with all of these positive thoughts. And yet, here’s the thing: think about the last time you played your

very best golf...was it down to more or less thinking?

Interesting, isn’t it.

Over and over again, when I have quizzed some of the

world’s finest golfers about their very best performances, the distinct pattern that emerges is one of a quiet or calm mind, as opposed to a mind drowning in thinking.

This was brought home to me again recently after speak-

ing to Michael Hoey, a client of mine and the winner of the

Dunhill Links Championship. Under extreme pressure from

Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen (both major cham-

pions – and Mind Factor clients!), Michael played a terrific

last round at St Andrews and he described afterwards the

sensation of a ‘still mind’, which he believes allows him to get the best out of himself in just such a circumstance.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ‘HERE, NOW’

The other problem with positive thinking is that it often

takes you into the future – which is the very place even the

most basic of psychology courses would tell us not to be. For

example, if you stand on the 1st tee and tell yourself the ball is going down the middle of the fairway, or try to convince yourself over and over again that ‘this is going to be your day’, your mind is fixed on the future.

So you could argue that positive thinking is really nothing

other than a projection of what we anticipate (hope) the

future to be. And if the future doesn’t turn out as we have

imagined, then what? Well, usually on a destructive path of

negative thinking, which in many cases will involve making the other cardinal sin: going into the PAST.

‘I’ve just missed all of these six footers, so there is no way

that I can hole ANYTHING!’

As we jump from one time zone to another, from future

to past, the mind just gets busier and actually robs us of the

very time frame we need, which is the PRESENT MOMENT.

Do not underestimate the skill levels required to be in the

present moment. For me, the key to being in the moment

and being present to your experience will never be found by

pumping yourself up with false positivity. The solution, I am certain, is to embrace the concept of neutral thinking.

The art and science of neutral thinking has at its roots in

something so profoundly important. Neutral thinking deals

So, with all that positivity, where do you stand now?

Probably on the edge of a downward spiral of negativity.

Which, again, if we look at the same six foot putt.

n You have missed everything all day.

n Your stroke feels terrible.

n You are not even sure of the line.

n You send the ball on its way….

n Now, does the ball definitely MISS? Of course not, so by the same measure all of the negative

thinking is ALSO a lie!

Can you see the insanity of it all?

Some people they spend their entire golfing life oscillating

from one position to the other with the mind busy trying to

fight off the negativity with a bunch of positives.

Unfortunately, it just DOESN’T work.

How do you get good at neutral thinking?

Well, first of all you need to get good at recognising when

you are out of neutral and the triggers which cause you to

push the destructive buttons. Many of the players that I have worked with over the years have recognized this destructive

with the TRUTH and it deals with the HERE and NOW. It isn’t

cycle yet we ALL need to work hard to get ourselves out of

happening. Neutral thinking has the effect of quietening the

thinking and behaviour is unconscious and habitual; we just

a projection of what should be happening or what could be

old and ingrained poor thinking habits. So much of our

mind and allowing the wisdom of the body to take over.

do not know we are doing certain things.

golf, can be examined on a single six foot putt!

public, they are often horrified to hear words like ‘you know’

The big problem with ‘positive thinking’, as applied to

Picture the scene as you are standing over a six footer:

If you video people making a speech or presentation in

or ‘okay’ or ‘ahem’ repeated over and over again. They are

n You tell yourself you are DEFINITELY going to hole it!

stunned because the behaviour is out of normal awareness.

n Your stroke is great

can take steps to rectify the situation.

n Send the ball on its way…

how busy your mind is making both PREDICTIONS and

n You are certain that it will go in! n You pick the right line

n Now, does the ball DEFINITELY go in?

Oh, big problem! It doesn’t definitely go in. So, what has

all of the positive thinking been? A lie! And how does the

mind feel when it is being lied to?

Keeping his thoughts in the ‘here and now’, Michael Hoey was able to focus on playing his own game – and in so doing hold off former US Open champion Graeme McDowell at the Dunhill Links

Yet, when we do have evidence such as a video, then we

Begin to recognise when you are out of neutral by noticing

FORECASTS. One of the most damaging mental errors is that

of future forecasting and, as you will come to understand,

the society which we live in, is CONSTANTLY programming

us to become forecasters.

• Will the housing market go up or down?

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 47

WORLD

NEWS

While certain sections of the press remain fixated on the rehabilitation of Tiger Woods, there’s one player who has quietly proved he is the finest golfer in the world, bar none. Andy Farrell salutes England’s Luke Donald

Respect.

Stand up, start cheering and do not stop.

Luke Donald deserves it. Donald’s quest for history was rewarded when he became the first player to win the money lists as a member of both the PGA Tour in America and the European Tour. Ironically, for a player who was once criticised for just picking up the cheques and not being interested in winning, Donald added to his riches by becoming a winner.

His four wins included a WGC at the Accenture Matchplay and two of the European Tours biggest titles, the BMW PGA Championship, where he took over from Lee Westwood as the world No 1, and the Scottish Open. But perhaps his most impressive victory came at the Children’s Miracle Network tournament at Disney when he made six birdies on the back nine to pip Webb Simpson for the US money title.

At the Dubai World Championship, he did not need to win but after a slow start he finished third behind Alvaro Quiros and Paul 48 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM JAN/FEB 2012

Lawrie to be confirmed as the winner of the Race to Dubai. Rory McIlroy made it interesting by winning the Hong Kong Open the previous week but the US Open champion had to win again to stand any chance, ultimately fading with fatigue over the weekend. Donald was not taking any chances, finishing with twin rounds of 66 to make win No 1 in Europe, America and the world.

Could there be a more modest yet classy champion? Donald became the best golfer on the planet and deserves all the gongs that have come his way – and some that didn’t. Yet it was an emotional time as the 34year-old experienced the best and worst of life. Within days there was the birth of his second daughter, Sophia, and the death of his father, Colin. “Thanks for doing it for Dad,” said Christian, Luke’s brother and former caddie, at the finish in Dubai.

With Donald it is sometimes easy not to see what is so impressive. He does not hit the ball forever. He does not even hit it straight all the time. But his iron play is so crisp, his wedges from 100 yards remarkable and his short game second to none. As for his putting, no one holes out so relentlessly. If McIlroy holed out like Donald, he would be unbeatable – but he does not, so it is moot. Donald does and that makes him currently the best golfer around. With one event still to play, he had chalked up 20 toptens from 26 tournaments. It is a level of consistency that has awed his fellow professionals. He may not intimidate them like Tiger Woods at his peak did, but they know he is the man to beat.

Woods, of course, is among those who have earned most money on either side of the Atlantic in previous seasons. He did so by not playing in enough events to be a member of the European Tour. In one sense, that is a bigger achievement but Donald has proved possible what he, and many others, The Race to Dubai turned out to be a one-man show; with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki in tow, fatigue, apparently, did for McIlroy

thought was impossible – maintaining his level over a worldwide schedule. “I played consistent golf all year but also played well at the right times,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be possible but about halfway through the season it became a possibility.

Rory made it tough but history is why we play the game and I’m very proud of this.”

Donald admits that criticism in the past had hurt him, especially when made by people who did not see how hard he worked. “I want to prove people wrong,” he said, “but more than anything I want to prove myself right. I only play the game to win.”

All his experiences this year can only help Donald play his best in the weeks that matter, and so add that major which everyone knows is lacking so far. “Success breeds success and I can feed off knowing that I have come up with the shots when I needed to. I hope that will help me in my quest for a major. That’s the one thing that’s missing from my resume. I’m excited about having four more chances next year.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTYIMAGES.COM

EDITED BY ANDY FARRELL EuROPEAN TOuR / RACE TO DuBAI Dubai World Championship

Presented by DP World Jumeirah Golf estates Dubai, United Arab Emirates / 08-11 December 1 Alvaro Quiros esP -19 68 64 70 67 2 Paul Lawrie scO -17 65 73 66 67 3 Luke Donald eNG -16 72 68 66 66 4 Peter Hanson sWe -14 64 72 71 67 5 charl schwartzel RsA -13 69 71 68 67 6 Francesco Molinari ITA -12 71 68 68 69 RsA -12 72 67 66 71 6 Louis Oosthuizen 8 shane Lowry IRL -11 69 70 68 70 8 Robert Rock eNG -11 68 69 71 69 10 Pablo Larrazábal esP -10 71 68 70 69 11 sergio Garcia esP -9 67 73 68 71 11 Robert karlsson sWe -9 73 72 68 66 GeR -9 73 71 64 71 11 Martin kaymer 11 Graeme McDowell NIR -9 71 71 71 66 11 Rory McIlroy NIR -9 66 71 71 71 16 Paul casey eNG -8 72 66 70 72 16 Johan edfors sWe -8 72 68 72 68 eNG -8 69 72 70 69 16 David Lynn 19 Fredrik Andersson Hed sWe -6 75 66 72 69 19 Nicolas colsaerts BeL -6 72 74 67 69 19 Thorbjørn Olesen DeN -6 70 73 70 69 22 George coetzee RsA -5 74 73 69 67 22 Hennie Otto RsA -5 70 75 71 67 eNG -5 73 69 68 73 22 Ian Poulter RsA -5 69 70 72 72 22 Jaco Van Zyl 26 Thomas Aiken RsA -4 69 73 75 67 26 Rafael cabrera-Bello esP -4 72 70 74 68 26 Jamie Donaldson WAL -4 75 69 69 71 29 Thomas Björn DeN -3 73 70 71 71 29 Grégory Bourdy FRA -3 70 73 71 71 esP -3 70 71 72 72 29 Gonzalo Fdez-castaño 29 edoardo Molinari ITA -3 71 73 68 73 29 Lee Westwood eNG -3 73 69 69 74 34 ernie els RsA -2 74 69 73 70 34 Mark Foster eNG -2 76 71 70 69 34 Matteo Manassero ITA -2 73 68 72 73 37 Felipe Aguilar cHI -1 70 77 68 72 37 Lorenzo Gagli ITA -1 72 71 73 71 RsA -1 74 69 75 69 37 Retief Goosen 37 David Horsey eNG -1 69 72 73 73 37 Alexander Noren sWe -1 70 72 70 75 42 Thomas Levet FRA Par 70 75 69 74 42 Richie Ramsay scO Par 74 69 70 75 44 Anders Hansen DeN +2 74 73 69 74 44 Miguel Angel Jiménez esP +2 71 77 71 71 46 simon Dyson eNG +3 77 75 69 70 46 Ross Fisher eNG +3 68 74 75 74 48 Rhys Davies WAL +4 73 73 69 77 48 Grégory Havret FRA +4 72 72 72 76 48 Raphaël Jacquelin FRA +4 74 67 74 77 51 Peter Lawrie IRL +5 75 74 71 73 NeD +5 76 71 73 73 51 Joost Luiten 53 James Morrison eNG +6 75 70 76 73 54 Michael Hoey NIR +8 75 72 76 73 scO +8 72 72 79 73 54 scott Jamieson 56 christian Nilsson sWe +9 76 73 73 75 57 Darren clarke NIR +11 76 72 75 76 kOR 58 Y. e. Yang

269 271 272 274 275 276 276 277 277 278 279 279 279 279 279 280 280 280 282 282 282 283 283 283 283 284 284 284 285 285 285 285 285 286 286 286 287 287 287 287 287 288 288 290 290 291 291 292 292 292 293 293 294 296 296 297 299

€ 922,645 € 615,094 € 359,832 € 276,794 € 221,435 € 170,291 € 170,291 € 143,933 € 143,933 € 127,325 € 105,182 € 105,182 € 105,182 € 105,182 € 105,182 € 83,038 € 83,038 € 83,038 € 67,538 € 67,538 € 67,538 € 60,064 € 60,064 € 60,064 € 60,064 € 54,252 € 54,252 € 54,252 € 47,609 € 47,609 € 47,609 € 47,609 € 47,609 € 41,519 € 41,519 € 41,519 € 37,090 € 37,090 € 37,090 € 37,090 € 37,090 € 33,215 € 33,215 € 31,001 € 31,001 € 28,787 € 28,787 € 26,019 € 26,019 € 26,019 € 23,251 € 23,251 € 21,590 € 19,929 € 19,929 € 18,268 € 17,161

Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong / 01-04 December 1 Rory McIlroy NIR -12 64 69 70 65 268 2 Grégory Havret FRA -10 70 69 66 65 270 3 Peter Hanson sWe -9 68 68 65 70 271 4 Pariya Junhasavasdikul THA -8 70 65 67 70 272 4 Ian Poulter eNG -8 71 68 67 66 272 4 Richie Ramsay scO -8 68 66 72 66 272 7 kiradech Aphibarnrat THA -7 68 69 70 66 273 7 Alvaro Quiros esP -7 64 69 67 73 273 7 Y. e. Yang kOR -7 68 69 65 71 273 10 Juvic Pagunsan PHI -6 68 70 68 68 274

€ 341,724 € 227,813 € 128,352 € 87,072 € 87,072 € 87,072 € 52,899 € 52,899 € 52,899 € 41,007

Serengeti Golf Club, Ekurhuleni, South Africa / 24-27 November 1 Hennie Otto RsA -14 70 67 65 72 274 2 Bernd Wiesberger AUT -13 69 68 70 68 275 3 Thomas Aiken RsA -11 68 69 68 72 277 3 Richard Mcevoy eNG -11 70 70 69 68 277 3 Ockie strydom RsA -11 69 72 67 69 277 6 Magnus A carlsson sWe -10 73 66 66 73 278 6 Trevor Fisher Jnr RsA -10 68 72 70 68 278 6 Retief Goosen RsA -10 66 68 71 73 278 9 Jaco Ahlers RsA -9 74 67 65 73 279 9 Branden Grace RsA -9 69 68 74 68 279

€158,500 €115,000 €53,200 €53,200 €53,200 €29,833 €29,833 €29,833 €18,950 €18,950

Horizon Hills G&CC. Johor, Malayasia / 17-20 November 1 Joost Luiten NeD -15 63 70 65 198 2 Daniel chopra sWe -14 64 65 70 199 3 Rhys Davies WAL -13 70 65 65 200 3 Padraig Harrington IRL -13 64 67 69 200 3 James Morrison eNG -13 66 65 69 200 6 Grégory Bourdy FRA -12 64 67 70 201 7 søren kjeldsen DeN -11 71 64 67 202 8 Fredrik Andersson Hed sWe -10 68 67 68 203 8 Darren Beck AUs -10 70 65 68 203 8 Marcus Fraser AUs -10 64 70 69 203

€242,581 €161,720 €75,201 €75,201 €75,201 €50,942 €43,665 €29,983 €29,983 €29,983

Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa / 17-20 November 1 Garth Mulroy RsA -19 69 68 64 68 269 2 George Murray scO -17 66 69 69 67 271 3 Felipe Aguilar cHI -13 71 64 68 72 275 3 George coetzee RsA -13 66 71 69 69 275 3 Jaco Van Zyl RsA -13 68 68 72 67 275 3 Peter Whiteford scO -13 73 67 64 71 275 7 Hennie Otto RsA -12 69 68 67 72 276 7 Andrea Pavan ITA -12 68 70 68 70 276 9 James kamte RsA -11 72 70 69 66 277 9 Jbe kruger RsA -11 64 67 73 73 277

€158,500 €115,000 €48,750 €48,750 €48,750 €48,750 €27,050 €27,050 €19,700 €19,700

uBS Hong Kong Open

SA Open Championship

Iskandar Johor Open

Alfred Dunhill Championship

JAN/FEB 2012 GOLFINTERNATIONALMAG.COM 49