Golf World June 2013 by Golf World

FREE 40-PAGE SUPPLEMENT ENGLAND’S TOP 100 COURSES JUNE 2013, ISSUE 6 VOL 54 IAN POULTER n

WHERE NEXT FOR GOLF? n

! FMRONETHE S OF E NC

THE TROUBLE WITH BEING WORLD NO.1

3 NSURA GOLF IR EVERY FO DER REA

BUSHMILLS DUNES n

THE DEATH OF FORE! n

INSIDE DORNOCH

HIT IT CLOSE EVERY TIME! My keys for pinpoint iron play

MAURITIUS

By Ian Poulter

Tour Pro Tips

Peter Hanson’s putting drills Ross Fisher on bunker play Jesper Parnevik cures your slice

Inside the mind of Padraig Harrington: It’s a scary place!

Nike’s new VR Forged wedges

TOP 100 ENGLAND

(PLUS bonus swing tips from his coach David Leadbetter)

THE BURDEN OF EXPECTATION ERNIE, RORY AND TIGER ON THE PRESSURE OF BEING WORLD NO.1

10 Things

The stuff that’s on our radar this month

137 Yards from tee to green.

Balls found the water on the 17th during the first round of last year’s Players Championship. Angel Cabrera contributed three.

The fear factor

Golf’s most exciting hole is back, but what makes Sawgrass’ 17th so deadly? Tiger Woods explains it best. “When you play the 17th at Sawgrass on Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s a pretty easy hole, a little flip 9-iron, no big deal. Then you get out there in the tournament, all of a sudden... the green seems to shrink up a little bit.” And when the greens seems to shrink up a little bit, the top professionals seem to screw up a little bit. In the first round of last year’s Players Championship, a fifth of the field missed the island green – 20 percent of the

players in one the strongest events in world golf missed the putting surface on a hole that measures a mere 137 yards and requires “a little flip with a 9-iron”. So what is it about the 17th that petrifies the world’s finest? The answer, as well all know, is water. But what we don’t all know is how to ensure our balls flies safely over the wet stuff. So we sought expert advice. “Never try to block out the water,” says leading mind coach Dr Karl Morris (www.themindfactor.com). “You

The number of years since a professional recorded a hole-in-one at the 17th in the Players Championship: Miguel Angel Jimenez, 2002.

have eyes, so you will see the water, and because the brain doesn’t process the word don’t, you end up thinking about the one thing you don’t want to think about.” Instead, he advises picking a club and shot you feel confident with (e.g. a hard-hit wedge) and the utilising the water for your own benefit. “You should go through a process called framing,” he explains. “This involves you taking the water to the left and right and using it to frame the green. Once you have this frame, your

attention will be on the putting surface rather than the trouble, then you can proceed to the final mental step, which is asking yourself this question that will focus your attention: what does a good shot look like? The answer is a draw, fade or punch into the centre of the green, which is exactly what all golfers should be thinking about when they step up to play over water, be it at your local course or at the 17th at Sawgrass.” n The Players Championship starts on May 9.

GOLF’S FUTURE

To Anchor, or not to Anchor... That is the key question in golf right now, but how will it really affect you and your game? Tony Dear investigates both sides of the argument in search of an answer…

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ALLOWED. The normal, standard grip, with a standard length putter and no contact between grip and body.

Golf World June 2013

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NOT ALLOWED. The left hand (of a right-hander) grips the club and is anchored intentionally against the body.

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ALLOWED. This is a standard grip with a medium length putter. There is no attempt to anchor.

hen it comes to the Great Anchoring Debate (and when we say ‘Great’ we mean totally overblown rather than critically important), people lean one of four ways. There are those that use a broomstick or belly putter anchored against their body and say they should be allowed to continue. There are folk who anchor but would welcome a ban should the R&A and USGA decide to implement one – or silently comply with the new Rule at least. Some non-anchorers perceive their anchoring brothers enjoy no unfair advantage and are happy for them to anchor away. Perhaps the largest group, however, comprises conventional putters who believe there is no place in the game for anchoring, that the governing bodies should go ahead and execute their proposed ban in 2016, ideally sooner, and who wonder why it took almost 30 years to have it outlawed. Whatever the game’s governors finally decide, some folk probably aren’t going to like it. But then, when did a ruling

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NOT ALLOWED. Hands are intentionally held against the body to establish an anchor point.

entity ever make a decision that was universally accepted? To be fair, those that have come to depend on their onehanded stroke will have plenty to gripe about should the ban come into effect, while the neutral party, unmoved by either outcome, would have little trouble playing devil’s advocate on their behalf. Not only did the R&A and USGA take unfeasibly long to decide that this dubious putting method might actually contravene what the game’s first protagonists considered a proper stroke, neither organisation has yet been able to prove anchorers gain an unfair advantage either. And they never will. You can only boast of an unfair advantage when you are given something, or permitted to do something which your adversary isn’t. That obviously hasn’t been the case with the use of extended putters as anyone has been able to use one. Those that choose to anchor the putter do so not to gain an unfair advantage but simply to putt better, in much the same way you or I might choose a 460cc all-titanium driver over a 440cc composite club in the hope of

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ALLOWED. The Rule does allow the gripping hand to be in contact with the forearm as the stroke is made.

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NOT ALLOWED. The player is intentionallly holding his forearm against his body, so establishing an anchor.

June 2013 Golf World

GOLF’S FUTURE

Golf World June 2013

JOHN JACOBS

“Golf is a wonderful game, but it takes far too long to play” When constructing a piece on the future of golf, few men are better placed to discuss it than John Jacobs. Nick Pitt picks his brain…

ohn Jacobs has dispensed more wisdom and to greater effect for the advancement of golf than any man alive. He has done it in many diverse ways: as an instructor who has improved standards at every level around the world, as the architect of the European Tour, as a Ryder Cup captain, as an innovator and trusted friend of golfers everywhere. Every professional who makes a good living, every player who is better taught and plays a little better, everyone who loves the game, owes him a debt. So when Jacobs speaks, only a golfing fool fails to listen. Jacobs has recently turned 88. His mobility is limited and he no longer plays the game or keeps the dogs he used to love to take for walks near his home in the New Forest. After a long and fulfilling life, it is understandable that he enjoys delving into his treasure chest of reminiscences. But he remains at heart a forward-thinker, a visionary whose primary concern is not the past but the future of the game. “Golf is a fabulous game but it has become too expensive and takes far too long,” he says, animated, communicating with the firm voice and natural command of a born teacher. “We need to remember the joy of playing and the natural pattern of the day. There’s breakfast, lunch and tea and you should be able to play a round between each of them. A round should take two to two-and-a-half hours. As a boy, I often played three

rounds in a day. I played with a light bag and a few clubs. You don’t need all that gear. We should limit the number of clubs to eight, including the putter. Believe me it would bring skill and fun to the fore.” For his next prescription, Jacobs turns to the ball. “I know there is nothing new in this and Jack Nicklaus has campaigned for ages but it is so sad that the administrators have not limited the ball for distance. It needs to be done. I only need give one example: the Road Hole on the Old Course and the foolishness of putting the tee back over the railway line. It’s the most famous golf course in the world and my favourite but it will soon become totally redundant.” Next, Jacobs considers the courses themselves. “Right now, there should be more tees, especially on the long new courses,” he says. “Some holes and even courses are unplayable for the handicap golfer and that negates the benefit of the handicap system, which is one of the joys of the game. In the old days, there used to be tees for the over-80s and we need to build more tees for different ages and capabilities.” Most radical of all, and looking far into the future, Jacobs questions golf’s apparently sacrosanct but entirely arbitrary number of holes – 18. “It’s too many,” Jacobs says. “This is another point on which I agree with Jack Nicklaus. He says 12 would be ideal and I think that’s right. Most people just don’t have the time to play 18 these days.”

June 2013 Golf World

The Hunted Being World No.1 is the ultimate accolade for any golfer, but that doesn’t mean they have to enjoy it. As Paul Mahoney explains.

olf crowned a new World No.1 last month… and the deposed queen let out a sigh of relief. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng sat at the top of the game for 109 weeks until American Stacy Lewis stole her throne. “Before I was No.1, and when I became No.1, I’d tell myself to smile and I’d smile,” Tseng reported. “But last year, it was hard. I’d tell myself to smile, but it just looked fake.” Being No.1 is every professional golfer’s dream. Or so they’d have us believe. Tseng’s brilliance was clearly

tempered by her discomfort under the spotlight. She called it “a great release” to relinquish the No.1 spot. Lewis, meanwhile, can’t stop smiling – for now. “I love that pressure,” she said. Ah, that pressure. The recrowned World No.1 Tiger Woods seems to inhale pressure like oxygen, while the man he deposed, Rory McIlroy, struggled with the weight of expectation. His friend Graeme McDowell has noticed the effects. “Sure, he’s been bred for stardom since an early age and his upbringing was Tiger-esque. He’s taken it in stride. But in the end something had to give,”

June 2013 Golf World

1 Pick your shot… and commit to it Some club golfers try to be aggressive, but lose faith in their bold approach mid-swing because they have not connected with what they are trying to achieve. So note a bold approach must begin with a vivid image of the aggressive play you want to execute. Here, I am 140 yards out. The wind is off the left, and my experience tells me it will move the ball around five yards through the air on a shot this length. The pin is cut to the right, so I know

that if I start the ball at the flag I could well miss the green to the right, short-siding myself. So with this wind, I need to start five yards left of the pin. Fortunately for me, there is a tree behind the green that represents this line. So I need to be aggressive to my target and not the pin. Unless the wind drops, it will move the ball to the right and towards the pin.

A CALM APPROACH CAN BE AN AGGRESSIVE ONE You can be aggressive without hitting the ball aggressively. For example, you might be able to cover a shot of 120 yards with either a soft 9-iron or a firm wedge. A softer strike means you create less spin, which means the ball releases further on landing. So if the pin is at the back of the green, and there is room to run the ball up to the hole, the aggressive play is actually the softer shot. Since being aggressive is yardage and spinrelated, an understanding of how far you hit each scoring club is essential. When you’re armed with this knowledge, it’s a great confidence booster for taking on the flag.

IAN POULTER: HIT BETTER IRON SHOTS

2 Connect your set-up to your shot Although every aspect of your address position is important, for aggressive iron play you need to focus on alignment and ball position.

▲ The second ball here highlights the spot I’ve identified. I aim the clubface at this intermediate target. It is much easier to aim at something close than something distant. Make your near target no more than a few feet away.

▲ Avoid aiming your body at the target. Your feet, knees, hips and shoulders should be parallel to the target line. Placing the club across your body can help you stay square.

STEP 1: FOCUS ON ALIGNMENT ▲ I have identified a tree behind the green here as my line in this left-to-right breeze. However, it’s difficult to align to an object 200 yards away. When you’re taking on the pin, the margin for error can be small, so precision is important. Here’s my routine. I stand behind my ball-to-target line. In this case it’s the tree and not the flag. I hold the club with the shaft

vertical (above) so that it runs through my far target, the tree and the ball. By looking up and down the shaft, I can effectively look up and down my target line and pick reference points along it. Next, I look for a near target on this shaft line. It could be an old divot or a daisy – anything that gives a close-up reference for my target line.

▲ This process may sound longwinded, but knowing you’ve followed a rigorous pre-shot routine gives you the confidence to fully commit to the shot.

June 2013 Golf World

PADRAIG’S MIND

What’s really going on in the head of Harrington? Padraig Harrington is one of the most complex and complicated individuals the game of golf has ever seen. James Corrigan tries to reveal what makes the three-time Major-winning Irishman tick.

hen Paul McGinley is told Golf World is running a piece entitled “Inside Padraig Harrington’s head”, he can’t contain his amusement. “Good luck with that one,” says Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain, with a huge smile. “It’s a vast and complex place.” McGinley isn’t being rude. More than anyone, he admires Harrington’s mental fortitude. Both attended the same Dublin school, a Catholic Boys Secondary School called Coláiste Éanna, and know each other well. McGinley has been privileged to have had a box seat to witness the rise of a man who many erroneously believe is off his box. “If Padraig was here and wanted to convince himself

Golf World June 2013

that that cup of tea over there is, in fact, a cup of coffee, he could do so,” he says, “and you couldn’t do anything to tell him otherwise. He has learnt to do that and it’s a pretty useful skill to have as a professional golfer. It’s mental fortitude. “You know, the thing you need to understand about Padraig is that he was the youngest of five brothers, who’s father was a Gaelic football hero, and a policeman. Padraig had to fight for what he wanted. It made him tough. Especially in the mind.” McGinley would acknowledge there is more than mere strength to the Harrington philosophy. So much, much more. While the majority of his colleagues have approached the mental side of golf on tiptoes, desperate to forge its favour, Harrington has rushed up and embraced it in the manner of the high school stud, spotting the queen of the prom on the dance floor. The question is, has Padraig gone too far?

June 2013 Golf World

TOP 100 ENGLAND

29 The Addington

28 Ferndown (Old)

27 St George’s Hill

Designer: JF Abercromby. Green fees: £65 Mon-Thu; £80 Fri; £100 Sat-Sun. Tel: 020 8777 1055. Established in 1912 but only now gaining the reputation this quirky and memorable course warrants. Not one of Abercromby’s bestknown designs, but one of his best. Visit this heathland – with all 34 bunkers refurbished to the original – and it won’t disappoint.

Designer: Harold Hilton. Green fees: £75 weekdays. Tel: 01202 653950. Moved up six places in our GB&I Top 100 after extensive bunker refurbishment and tree removal added a greater feeling of space to this classic heathland. Tees are the next on the agenda for the ambitious club and a further rise up both this and the GB&I list looks likely as Dorset’s portfolio gets even stronger.

Designer: Harry Colt. Green fees: Price on application. All bookings (weekday play only) are made in advance and confirmed in writing. Tel: 01932 847758. The Red and Blue loops of nine at this Surrey heathland are considered to be the finest (although the Green is no weakling). Another Colt masterpiece, this one’s changes in elevation provide pleasant views.

Croydon, Surrey. Par 69, 6,284 yards.

Golf World England’s Top 100

Ferndown, Dorset. Par 71, 6,556 yards.

Weybridge, Surrey. Par 70, 6,526 yards.

www.golfbreaks.com 0845 688 5404

Woburn (Marquess)

Woburn, Bedfordshire. Par 72, 7,214 yards. Designer: Alliss, Clark, McMurray, Hay. Green fees: Mon-Fri £139. Tel: 01908 370756. It is an achievement which should be appreciated perhaps a little more than it is; for a new course to open at a venue where the existing tracks are both of Top 100 standard, and to surpass them is seriously impressive. That is what the Marquess, the youngest of Woburn’s trio, has done. Tree planting and bunker refurbishment as well as conditioning to highest-ever levels mean Woburn’s most muscular course is well worth its spot in the top 30.

26 Hunstanton

25 Notts/Hollinwell

24 Royal West Norfolk

Designer: Willie Fernie. Green fees: Mon-Fri £90; Sat-Sun £95 (day). Tel: 01485 532811. Laid out in 1891, still relevant in 2013. Hunstanton has benefited from a five-year plan by Martin Hawtree, and his work has made this fine links a stiffer test (6,911 yards!). The first five have had significant work with bunkers redeveloped and improved. Hunstanton is only heading in one direction.

Designer: Willie Park. Green fees: £75 (£105 for 36 holes, £90 for 27). Tel: 01623 753225. The journey down the drive to the clubhouse sets the scene for a day here, giving glimpses of the idyllic heathland and woodland in which it is laid out and generally leaving behind the strains of life as you enter the serene, forested bowl which Hollinwell calls home. Alongside Sherwood and Lindrick, they are a fine trio.

Designer: Holcombe Ingleby. Green fees: £85 (singles) and £60 (foursomes). Just £15 for extra round of foursomes. Tel: 01485 210223. A wonderful links and just as noteworthy is this traditional club’s eagerness to allow visitors the chance to sample their seaside turf. This is especially true if you have come to play RWN’s format of choice; foursomes. RWN encourages us to do so by setting their fees accordingly.

Hunstanton, Norfolk. Par 72, 6,911 yards.

Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. Par 72, 7,250 yards.

Brancaster, Norfolk. Par 71, 6,457 yards.

England’s Top 100 Golf World

Clothing showcase 2013

Best foot forward

Wave bye-bye to blisters with our pick of this season’s golf shoes. BUYER’S GUIDE

Ashworth’s European Product Manager Naomi Thomas on purchasing golf shoes. “When Ashworth builds golf shoes our first and last consideration is always comfort. This should also be your first and last consideration when buying golf shoes. In golf, comfort equals performance, so when you try on a new pair you need to make sure they are suitable to walk in for four hours or more. “To do this, lace them up like you would in the locker room and then ask yourself the following questions. Are they too tight or too narrow? Do my feet slide around when I walk? Are there any points of abrasive contact that could cause blisters? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, hand them back and look for another pair. “If you like to follow trends then styles like the Ashworth Cardiff, which can be worn on and off the course, are very much in at the moment.”

Adidas adizero Tour £129.99, www.adidasgolf.com

Ashworth Cardiff £84.99, www.ashworthgolf.com

Puma AMP CELL Fusion SL shoes £150, www.puma.com/golf

Ecco Men’s Golf Street Sport £115, www.ecco.com/golf

Ecco World Class GTX £285, www.ecco.com/golf

Hi-Tec CDT Power 700 Wpi £79.99, www.hi-tec.com

Stuburt FSZ £69.99, www.stuburt.com

Crocs Karlson £119.99, www.crocs.com

Oakley Carbon Pro £165, www.uk.oakley.com

Footjoy Sport Spikeless £100, www.footjoy.co.uk

Footjoy Contour Casual £100, www.footjoy.co.uk

Footjoy Icon £200, www.footjoy.co.uk

Nike Lunar Control II £120, www.nikegolf.eu

Golf World June 2013

Like it or loathe it:

Sergio’s outfit from Royal Liverpool in 2006 lives long in the memory.

Dedicated follower of fashion

Greg Pearse, European Brand Director, adidas Golf and Ashworth. What exactly does a European Brand Director do? I’m responsible for managing the team who look after all the product and marketing plans for adidas Golf and Ashworth. We put golfers at the heart of everything we do and aim to deliver the best products and surround them with exciting and engaging marketing. What are the differences between the adidas Golf and Ashworth brands? adidas Golf is built around performance, so we treat adidas products like equipment. Whether it’s a ClimaCool polo that wicks moisture away from the skin, or our new adizero golf shoe that weighs a mere 301gs, all of our focus is on driving innovation to deliver the best performance products that can help golfers achieve their goals. Ashworth on the other hand, is focused on golf style and fashion with performance one of the benefits, rather than the focus. We know that golfers want to look good, feel good and, ultimately, play good. As we say – All We Do Is Golf. How far ahead do you have to think? A long, long way. We are already well into our spring/summer 2014 planning and have also started our autumn/winter 2014 preparation. It’s easy to lose track of what year we’re actually in. How long does it take to get a product from the idea stage to market? The whole process, from submitting a range brief to crafting the initial designs to delivering the finished product to stores, can take up to 18 months, but we are working hard to reduce our timelines so we can be quicker to market. Our business is built on speed and the quicker we act, the closer we can be to market trends.

How much input do your Tour players have in the design of clothes? They are involved heavily right through from the initial design briefs to product testing. They won’t wear something if they aren’t happy, so it’s important we produce great products that they want to wear. And how much say do they have in terms of what they wear? Again, they have a big say. We will showcase the collections to them and then work with them on their preferred scripts for each event. We want them to feel good about what they are wearing, so it’s important they are happy. Are there any outfits you regret? Maybe Sergio’s all-yellow at Royal Liverpool in 2006? No regrets with that one, as the fact you still remember it is a great sign. Of course, there will be occasions where a certain product or colour doesn’t work as well as hoped but that’s life. When we make a mistake we just learn from it and move on. What do you think is the most important single item of golf apparel? It’s impossible to pick out a single item. From top to toe, everything has to fit well, perform and look good. If a golfer isn’t comfortable they will be distracted from their game and, as we all know, the game is challenging enough without that. Finally, is 2013 a good or bad time for golf fashion? It’s a great time. Over the last few years, golfers have really started to stand out as individuals. We all know certain tour players have their own style and it’s great to see club golfers wearing more colours and embracing more designs. Gone are the days where a golfer just cared about clubs.