Inside Golf Feb 2017

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Issue 139 // FEBRUARY 2017 www.insidegolf.com.au

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Bubba goes bold(er) with Volvik

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In Tom Doak’s ‘Confidential Guide’, a review of the architecture of the best courses in the world, the four par 3s at Yarra Yarra are rated seventh (the only course in this category in the Southern Hemisphere).

The 11th hole, described by Peter Thomson as a ‘national treasure’, is invariably in the experts’ collections of the best 18 holes in Australia

www.yarrayarra.com.au

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Best Opinion (2015-16) Best Column (2011-12) Best Photojournalism (2006-07)

starters box

No, you can’t (yes, you can!)

Richard Fellner Group Editor richard@insidegolf.com.au @insidegolf

R

ecently, I was enjoying a coffee in the/bar lounge at a local club, getting ready for an afternoon meeting. The room was empty, apart from another guest who was tucked away in a corner, reading a newspaper. As I sat there quietly, passing the time by reading a news story on my iPhone, a member of the wait staff approached me and informed me that I wasn’t allowed to use my phone in the clubhouse, and that they had a special room set aside for electronic device usage.

crinkling of the pages of the newspaper could arguably have created more noise than my (noiseless) scrolling through stories on my iPhone. Yet, here I was, being treated as if I’d started smashing a set of cymbals in the air.

Electronic devices are becoming more and more widely accepted at golf clubs (for checking email, scores, text messages to the wife/ husband, handicap look ups, reading Inside Golf, etc). Some clubs are even encouraging members and guests to enjoy free Wi-Fi in the clubhouse and work away on their computers or devices. So for a club to continue to ban them altogether felt like a throwback to a bygone era.

I’m well aware that many clubs have a “No Phone” policy. And for the most part, I agree that someone blabbing on the phone can be distracting and annoying. But it struck me as odd that (in this day and age) the act of simply looking at an electronic device was the modern-day equivalent to, say, lighting up a cigarette (and thus being asked to go to the “Smoking Room”).

In essence, I was doing nothing different to the guy reading the newspaper. In fact, his turning/

By and large, golf is still a game of “No”. If we really want to get the next generation of golfers onto the

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course (and shed its “elitist” image) then it really needs to become a game of “Yes”. “Yes! You can wear that on the course, as long as it’s not offensive.”...“Yes! Your wife or son can play today, as long as there is a spot open and it doesn’t disrupt other members” ... And “Yes, you can check your email on your phone, as long as it’s quiet.”

I’d love to hear any stories/examples from readers about this topic. Do you think golf is overbearing? Or do you think it’s critical to keep the status quo? Let me know! (yes, you can share your opinion!)

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I’m not saying we need to throw out all the rules and let chaos reign.

But we need to examine where we (as a club, industry, or whatever) can soften the rules in order to be a bit more welcoming. Golf needs to be less like an “Evil Stepmother”, and more like a “Fun Uncle”.

This is just one of the many reasons that golf (as an industry) is stuck in the past. Whether you’re new to the game, or a seasoned veteran you will doubtless have been exposed to the numerous restrictions that surround the sport: “No, you can’t wear those types of socks/shoes/shorts/shirts”...

“No, women (or juniors) can’t be on the course this day of the week,”... “No, you can’t use your own buggy, you must hire one from us.”... “No, your son can’t caddy for you on a comp day.”...

“No, you can’t play unless you have an official handicap.” No, no, no. The list goes on.

I sat there stunned for a moment.

I wasn’t talking on the phone, mind you. Just looking at it.

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FEB 2017

Coastal tr easures: The NsW south

The Gold

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GOLD COAST

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news Dates set for QLD PGA Championship at City Golf Club Toowoomba will once again host some of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia’s brightest stars when the Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship tees off next month.

Having hosted the tournament since its return to the garden city in 2009, the City Golf Club will stage the 2017 instalment from 16-19 March, as part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“We are thrilled to organise the QLD PGA Championship in Toowomba once again this year. The City Golf Club has been and continues to be a great partner of this tournament,” said Simon Butterly, General Manager of the Tournament Division of the PGA of Australia.

Each year the Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship attracts a strong field to contest the title with recent winners including Steven Bowditch, Brad Kennedy and recent European Tour graduate Ryan Fox. Last year’s tournament was no exception as Queenslander Tim Hart fired a final round 61 to force a playoff where Germany’s David Klein emerged victorious.

More than just a golf tournament, the Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship has built a special relationship with the Toowoomba community thanks to the many activities run throughout the week.

“The Championship is always a highly anticipated event for the region. We are looking forward to providing another opportunity to showcase the great talent on offer each and every year,” said Ed Britnell, President of City Golf Club.

“We have continued to make improvements to our facility over recent years and with the addition to the course changes, the new driving range and mini putt-putt ensures we have something to offer everyone who visits the City Golf Club.”

The Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship will be played from 16-19 March for AUD$125,000 and Official World Golf Ranking points.

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Final field announced for RACV Big names Gold Coast Challenge to battle in

A

ustralian Ladies Professional Golf has announced a top-quality field of international players who will compete in the 2017 RACV Gold Coast Challenge, which will be played from 2-4 February 2017 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

The field of 120 players, who will be competing for prizemoney of AUD$150,000 will consist of 65 ALPG and ALPG International Members, 35 Ladies European Tour Members and 20 invitations from players across the globe.

Amongst the 120 players there are 20 tournament winners who have won a combined total of 175 professional tournaments on the major women’s golf tours.

The high-quality field comprises players from 27 different nationalities, including Korean star Jiyai Shin and Dame Laura Davies, winner of 84 international professional titles which include three wins at RACV Royal Pines Resort and two Australian Open titles.

Of the Australian players, Sarah Jane Smith has just come off her most successful season on the USLPGA Tour in 2016 and has committed to play, along with former Ladies Masters champion and two-time LPGA winner Katherine Kirk, LET stars Rebecca Artis, Stacey Keating, Sarah Kemp and Whitney Hillier who is coming off her best season on the Ladies European Tour in 2016.

The field also boasts five of the top 10 players from the Ladies European Tour (LET) money list in 2016, including Indian teen sensation Aditi Ashok, Englishwoman Florentyna Parker (runner-up at RACV Ladies Masters in 2015), Swede Camilla Lennarth and 2015 Oates Victorian Open Champion Marianne Skarpnord.

Joining the impressive LET contingent are rising Danish stars Emily Pederson and Nanna Koertz Madsen who finished 6th and 7th respectively in 2016 and along

Adelaide

T

with Parker are tracking well to make their Solheim Cup debuts in the U.S. in 2017.

The youngest player in the field in 2017 will be Norwegian teenager Madelene Stanvar, who recently qualified for the 2017 LET Tour at Qualifying School in December.

The promising 16-year-old will make her professional debut at RACV Royal Pines Resort and from all reports she is a star in the making. The oldest player in the tournament is of course Dame Laura Davies who makes her 26th appearance at RACV Royal Pines Resort aged 53.

On the elite amateur side rising Korean star Eun Jeong Seong, who made history in 2016 by becoming the first female player to win both the U.S. Junior Girls Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will clearly start as favourite, but will face a tough challenge from Australia’s leading amateur Karis Davidson and fellow Gold Coaster Rebecca Kay. Other amateurs in the field include Ian Baker-Finch Junior Classic winner Sarah Wilson, and Greg Norman Junior Masters winner Grace Kim.

he hottest player in world golf has signed to play the 2017 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.

Thai superstar Ariya Jutanugarn soared all the way to No.2 in the Rolex Rankings last year on the back of a proliflic and record-setting 2016 season.

And she’ll now pick up the race for the world No.1 tag with incumbent Lydia Ko at Royal Adelaide Golf Club from February 16-19.

Jutanugarn, whose sister Moriya will also play in South Australia, was a winner of an incredible five events on the 2016 LPGA Tour, including her first major at the Women’s British Open.

She also won an LPGA record three consecutive events in May to ignite her run to the year-long Race to the CME Globe title and pushing her within reach of Ko at the top of women’s golf.

Tournament director Trevor Herden was ecstatic with the sisters’ decision to return to Australia for the first time since 2015, when Ariya was third behind Ko at Royal Melbourne.

“We have always admired the way both Ariya and Moriya played, but to see Ariya take such a massive step forward last year was testament to her great talent,” Herden said.

Other notables in the field are recent additions to the professional ranks Hannah Green and Lizzie Elmassian, both of whom are making their professional debuts.

“Nobody in world golf, men’s or women’s, was hotter than Ariya last year and we are delighted to have her commit to South Australia.

The winner of the RACV Gold Coast Challenge will automatically receive an exemption into the 2017 ISPS Hand Women’s Australian Open, to be played at Royal Adelaide from 16-21 February.

“She plays attacking golf and we’re sure that all the fans who come to Royal Adelaide to watch her play will be in for a treat.

For more information visit https://alpg.com.au/gcc

“Her commitment really underlines the increasing importance of the Women’s

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

news

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17-year-old Yuan secures LET playing rights

2016 champion Haru Nomura

Australian Open and will heighten the global focus on South Australia in February.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the signatures of Ko and defending champion Haru Nomura to return to Adelaide after their shootout at The Grange last year.

They will all join top-ranked Australian contingent Minjee Lee, five-time champ Karrie Webb and Su Oh as key parts of South Australia’s events and festivals throughout summer.

“I encourage golf fans to come to Adelaide and enjoy the atmosphere of this world-class international sporting event in South Australia. Our state was recently named one of Lonely Planet’s must-see regions for 2017 and there’s never been a better time to visit.

Acting Minister for Tourism Susan Close said the tournament continued to grow.

“Women’s sport is vitally important to the State Government. As well as the Women’s Australian Open, we have a growing list of incredible events including the women’s T20 Cricket, the Santos Women’s Tour and the International Netball Quad Series.”

“The ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open is one of the nation’s premier female sporting events, set in the beautiful surrounds of the world-renowned Royal Adelaide Golf Club.

In 2017 the tournament brings together the finest international players and we are delighted to welcome Ariya Jutanugarn to the field,” Dr Close said.

With the Women’s Australian Open part of a calendar including the Santos Tour Down Under and Clipsal 500 Adelaide to the Fringe, Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide, South Australia was named Best Events State at the 2016 Australian Event Awards, the second year running it has won the accolade.

17-year-old NSW amateur golfer Celina Yuan from Chipping Norton in South-West Sydney has secured playing rights on the Ladies European Tour (LET) for 2017.

The 2016 Queensland Women’s Amateur Champion and the 2014 Australian Girl’s Amateur Champion, carded a one-under par 71 in the fifth and final round, finishing in a tie for third place at 14-under par for during the LET final stage Tour School in Morocco last month.

Yuan, who has just completed her Higher School Certificate, said “I wasn’t expecting to get anywhere near the top 10. I wasn’t happy with how I played on the last day, but a top 10 is good enough for me. I hope to make all the cuts in 2017 and play well enough to be happy!”

The Australian Golf Club Member and

member of the Golf NSW girls team that took out last year’s interstate series in Tasmania, had a roller coaster start to her final round in beautiful conditions at the Samanah Golf Club, with three birdies and three bogies on the front nine, before steadying to finish with a oneunder-par back nine in her final round.

Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom took out first place honours after carding a final round fourunder-par 68 to finish the 90-hole marathon at 17-under par. The Swede started the final day four shots behind the fourth round Leader Celine Boutier, who could only manage a 3-over par 75 to eventually finish in third alongside Yuan.

Yuan will be one of at least 36 rookies on the tour in 2017. The first event is expected to be played this month.

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Richard Green (Photo: Asian Tour)

Green on top at Q-School, Sinnott, Both and Higginbottom earn cards Australia’s Richard Green topped the class when he defeated compatriot Todd Sinnott with a birdie at the first play-off hole to secure his playing rights at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage presented by Sports Authority of Thailand.

of golf ahead of me now. I’m busy again. At one stage towards the end of the year, just before the Australian Open when I got the news from the European Tour, I thought I would be out of job but now it looks like it’s going to be a busy year. I’m very happy with that.”

Despite being defeated in the play-off by his role model, Sinnott was delighted to post a final round 62. His closing 260 total was also the lowest score he has ever signed for in his career.

“I guess the world has strange ways of repaying you for your misfortune,” Green said. “I’ve a lot to be thankful for. I started to work with a new coach in Australia and he has seriously helped me a lot in the last couple of weeks. I was really struggling towards the end of the year and the work we did sort of led up to this event.

“The main objective was to come here and get my Tour card,” Sinnott said. “I achieved that and 28-under is my best score that I’ve ever shot in four rounds. There was a disappointing spin at the end of the play-off but it’s okay. I got my card and that’s all that matters. I’ve only been to China and Korea before this week and it’s going to be a whole new experience for me, traveling around Asia and play in some of the bigger events here. Finishing second will obviously motivate me to try to get the big win now. I grew up at the same golf course, Kooringal Golf Club as Richard Green so he is always someone I look up to. I remembered him finishing fourth at the British Open and seeing him win the Australian Masters.”

“I really wanted to come here and play well and I’m glad I did that as I feel like my game is back to where it should be. It’s nice to have a season

Fellow Australians Jake Higginbottom and Marcus Both also earned Tour cards for the season, courtesy of their top-35 finishes.

Green earned his Tour card on the back of a grueling week which saw him compete with distinction at the Suvarnabhumi Golf and Country Club. The 45-year-old marked his card with a nine-under-par 63 to sign off with fourday total of 28-under-par 260 which is the third lowest score in the Asian Tour history for a 72hole scoring.

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ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth to be tri-sanctioned in 2017 The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth will have a truly global presence in its inaugural staging with the European Tour, Asian Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia partnering to tri-sanction the tournament.

To be played at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from 16-19 February 2017 the unique stroke play and match play hybrid tournament is now an official event on three of the world’s main Tours.

A total of 30 players from the Asian Tour and 60 players from European Tour will join 60 players from the host tour; ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia to contest the AUD$1.75million tournament.

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to capture the attention of the world with the Asian Tour, World Number 8 Patrick Reed, World Number 9 Alex Noren and a number of key tournament partners all signing on.

“We had a vision to create a tournament which would reinvigorate golf and a bold vision requires the support of fellow forward thinking individuals and organisations,” said Stephen Ayles, Chief Commercial Officer of the PGA of Australia which oversees the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

A unique format in world golf, the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth will combine 54 holes of traditional stroke play across the first three days with an exciting knockout match play format for the fourth and final round.

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The R&A and Ladies Golf Union complete merger The merger of the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) and The R&A has been finalised and came into effect last month.

The heads of agreement between the two organisations was signed in June leading to the integration of the LGU’s business operations and its members of staff into The R&A group of companies. An agreed governance structure has also been implemented to give LGU Board members representation on relevant R&A Committees.

The R&A will assume responsibility for staging the LGU’s championships and international matches this year, offering leading women’s professional and elite amateur golfers opportunities to play in a world class series of events. The Ricoh Women’s British Open will continue to be managed by IMG in 2017 under the existing agreement with the LGU. Trish Wilson, Chair of the LGU, said, “The completion of the merger is a progressive and important step for the development of women’s golf.

“Bringing the two organisations together creates a platform that will allow us to develop our aspirations for women’s golf on a global stage and encourage more girls and women to play golf and become members of clubs.”

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The integration of the two organisations puts us in a better, stronger position to realise our collective vision for growing the game of golf around the world.

“Our combined resources and staff expertise will help us to achieve our shared aims for the development of golf, including increasing girls’ and women’s participation and encouraging more families to enjoy golf as a recreational activity.”

Coletta joins pro ranks Brett Coletta, one of Australian golf’s hottest prospects, has turned professional.

Coletta joined the paid ranks at last month’s Singapore Open and will soon try his hand on the U.S. PGA Tour.

The 20-year-old Melburnian changed status after reaching a career-high No.7 in the world amateur rankings but, more importantly for the next phase of his career, after a string of stunning results in PGA Tour of Australasia events around Australia.

Coletta, a member of the Golf Australia national squad for the past three years, roared to prominence when he finished runner-up to good mate and fellow Australian Curtis Luck in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in September.

But having watched the chance to play in The Masters agonisingly slip through his fingers in South Korea, Coletta quickly displayed the tenacity for which he’s already renowned.

The Woodlands Golf Club member became the first amateur since Stuart Appleby in 1991 to win the Queensland Open. He backed that up with a superb runner-up finish at the New South Wales Open and then went deep again in Queensland with a T6 finish against a top international field at the Australian PGA Championship.

“It’s been a big couple of months, that’s for sure,” Coletta said.

“I have been working hard for several years to reach the point where I think my game can contend at the professional level and those results proved to me that it’s time to give it a shot.

Coletta has signed with management company Wasserman to represent his interests, following in the steps of Jason Day, Cameron Smith and fellow Victorian Marc Leishman, with the plan to join that trio on the US PGA Tour for several tournaments during 2017.

Golf Victoria launches #9after5 Golf Victoria unveiled #9after5, a daylight savings golf campaign which encourages all Victorians to relax and unwind by playing nine holes after work. #9after5 portrays the stresses of the typical 9am to 5pm workday and showcases the beautiful sights and scenes that can be found at a golf course, particularly at twilight.

One of the greatest barriers associated with playing golf is time. With daylight savings upon us, and the days getting longer, playing #9after5 is an ideal way to fit golf into a busy lifestyle.

To bring the initiative to life, Golf Victoria partnered with Caddie Films to produce a suite of videos and images which will be rolled out across digital and social media platforms over the coming months.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

9

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Popular club goes the extra minute C A LO U N D R A G o l f C l u b o n Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is trialling eight-minute intervals instead of seven in an attempt to alleviate congestion on the first two holes on each nine.

It’s a good move and one American pace of play expert Bill Yates will undoubtedly endorse.

Yates was in Australia last year to give clubs advice on how to improve pace of play.

“The trick for any golf club is to get the right flow from the start,” Yates told Inside Golf.

Sandhurst-Rossdale merger talks stall

“That starts by getting the correct starting intervals for the course.”

The proposed merger between two Melbourne clubs, Sandhurst Club and Rossdale Golf Club, has stalled.

At Mission Hills Country Club in California, Yates suggested the club needed three different tee times for its three courses – 8 minutes for one course, 9 minutes for another and 10 minutes for the third and it now works wonderfully well.

At another course in Canada, Yates helped shave 50 minutes off its average round.

“We are not trying to make people go faster,” Yates said. “We are trying to make them go smoothly around the course.

“What everybody hates on the golf course is waiting.

“If you play golf with three friends and it takes four-and-a-half hours and you didn’t have to wait you would have a wonderful time.

when factual information relating to any merger is known and can be released.”

“We have been advised by the RGC Board they have declined the offer,” Greaves wrote. “However, they have informed that this is not to say the offer will not be appropriate at a later date.”

The proposed merger would have given Rossdale Golf Club between $300,000 and $500,000 of financial support for the golf course and facilities for three years, as well as complimentary 10-year membership subscriptions to Sandhurst for RGC voting members. The offer also highlighted the development of a new sporting, cultural and environmental complex (which could include leading-edge golf practice and entertainment facilities integrated within a new public sports precinct on a portion of the RGC land) to the value of $10m, that would be gifted to the Aspendale community.

“The Club Board and management will continue with a multi-pronged approach to achieve and maintain financial viability by pursuing any potential viable merger and/or amalgamation and members will be kept informed as and

This was the second failed merger for Sandhurst in 12 months, following a failed three-club proposal in 2015 which would have seen Sandhurst combine with Patterson River and Huntingdale GC.

In a recent letter to Sandhurst members, Club Chairman Kevin Greaves noted that the Board of Rossdale had rejected Sandhurst’s proposed merger, which was first noted in August last year.

“If you played the game in the same amount of time and had to wait on every shot you would complain.

“It’s not the time that makes the difference, it’s the experience.

THE BALLS THAT CHANGED THE BALL.

“And that is what golf clubs sell – the experience and the memory.

“The customer (golfer) is interested in two things – the condition of the course and the pace of play.”

A smooth game (of golf ) is a good game of golf.

Caloundra is a terrific, mustplay golf course when visiting the Sunshine Coast, but make sure you book ahead because it’s popular with locals and visitors alike.

SPREAD THE NEWS! Got a story that would fit in Inside Golf?

We are looking for interesting stories, quirky tidbits, club news or anything else worth sharing with other golfers. If you or your club have an interesting story, drop us an email and let us know! ed@insidegolf.com.au

Peregian reopens with new name QUEENSLAND Sunshine Coast golfers received an early Christmas present when Peregian Springs Golf Club reopened after financial problems forced it to close in mid-2016.

Mind you, the club has a new name and now falls under the Peregian Golf Club banner.

Golf Services Management spokesman Phillip Redley told the Sunshine Coast Daily there was a “buzz of excitement” among Peregian golfers.

“Everyone is welcome to come and play,” he said.

“We have a wide choice of access options that suit the occasional player through to the avid golfer who spends much of their leisure time strolling the fairways.”

Peregian Golf Club reopened midDecember.

“The driving range is proving popular with a steady stream of customers,” Redley said.

He said the club was working hard to increase its junior ranks with beginner clinics and one-on-one tuition.

The course superintendent and his staff are working overtime to return the course to its original condition.

Green fees are $69 for 18 holes and $59 for a playing partner or group.

The nine-hole fee is $45 and $38 for a partner or group.

Juniors are half-priced at $34.50.

The club will offer a $345 “Lifestyle Access” pass, which provides discounted fees of $34.50 for 18 holes and $22.50 for nine.

After 10 full rounds, the pass saves the player $34.50 every time they step on the course.

Weekday full access passes cost $1695 annually or $845 for four months with full access fees set at $2295 or $1145 for four months.

A joining fee of $129 has been set for the new Peregian Golf Club.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

11

CALLAWAYGOLF.COM.AU

club news

www.insidegolf.com.au/news

Further rounds will be contested on March 24, May 9, July 14, August 18 and October 13.

All events will be played on a Friday with prizes galore on offer.

The cost for members is $12 and guests $60 including a shared cart.

For more information, call (07) 3410-4011 or email golfadmin@phgcc.com.au

Three aces: same hole, same day

CONGRATULATIONS: Classic winners Harry Wills and Briggette Griffin.

CQ Summer Classic success EMERALD Golf Club’s Harry Wills returned rounds of 72-75 for a 147 total to win the Central Queensland Summer Classic at Capricorn Resort.

He finished four shots clear of Ben Scott of Capricorn Resort.

Pelican Waters Golf Club junior Briggette Griffin carded rounds of 81-78 (159) to win the Summer Classic girls’ event from Blackwater Golf Club’s Rae Weiki (161).

Meanwhile, Capricorn Resort’s Isaak Jensen scored a runaway victory in the B grade.

With rounds of 85-83 for a 168 total, Isaack finished 10 shots ahead of Capricorn Resort’s Aiden Scott.

In C grade, Atherton’s Matthew Graves-Bothow won with a score of 213 from Mackay’s Timothy Hermann.

12

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

In the girls events, Rockhampton’s Caitlin Cox won the C grade on 232 with Cairns Golf Club’s Angel Pizzichemi winning the 13-hole division on 132 from Miriam Vale’s Gracie Bayliss.

Golfers came from as far as Cairns, the Gold Coast, Mackay, Townsville and Bowen to play in the tournament.

Take on Harbour Master DO you have what it takes to be the Harbour Master?

Pacific Harbour Golf and Country Club on Queensland’s Bribie Island has relaunching its coveted Harbour Master Back Tee Challenge.

The format is stableford.

The first round of the Harbour Master Back Tee Challenge teed off on Friday, January 27.

There will be six events in 2017 with an order of merit prize.

Holes-in-one are a rare occurrence for a golfer. The probability of making a hole-inone for an average player is roughly 12,500to-1. The chances of two people getting an Ace on the same hole on the same day are in the 17 million-to-1 range. Add in a third person, hitting from the same tees and the statistics are beyond belief.

At Rosebud Country Club on Tuesday 10th January, in the ladies competition, 3 Holein-Ones on the same hole occurred. Members Jan Brown, Narelle Colahan and guest Suzanne Lynch all ‘Aced’ the par 3, 14th Hole on the South Course.

“We average 15 hole-in-ones annually” says Danny McGrath, Rosebud Country Club General Manager. “In all my years in the industry, I have never had three aces in one day, it’s a wonderful achievement for the ladies!”

Centrally located on the Mornington Peninsula, Rosebud Country Club has been part of the Peninsula since 1962. It features 36 holes of quality golf. North Course lined with large Pines that frame fairways. South Course offers wide landing areas and beautifully sculptured gardens. On-site accommodation and a modern clubhouse that caters for 220 people.

Membership options available and visitors welcome.

Rosebud Country Club Members Jan Brown, Narelle Colahan and guest Suzanne Lynch all ‘Aced’ the 14th Hole on the South Course.

club news

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Arnie’s Café and Bar opens Willow the crocodile has gone to a new home.

Snappy end to on-course croc GOLFERS at Willows Golf Club in Townsville are feeling less stressed on the golf course after a large saltwater crocodile caught lurking on the fairways was captured and removed.

The club’s head professional Josh Tindale said the 2.3-metre crocodile was first sighted on the golf course in December.

“The Environment of Heritage and Protection (EHP) provided us with a trap and within a week he was captured and safely removed,” Tindale said.

“I understand he went into one of EHP’s lakes and pools and may end up at a croc farm.

“People get a buzz and members claimed ownership of the one taken away and named it Willow.”

Willow might be gone but that doesn’t mean members and visiting golfers can relax because a second crocodile has been sighted on the golf course.

“Yes, there is a second one lurking throughout the lake but it’s a freshwater croc which is upwards of three metres,” Tindale said.

“This one has been sighted regularly, but EHP deemed it safe.”

Still, golfers are steering clear and are no longer attempting to retrieve their golf balls from the water hazard.

“He is not really a danger to our members and guests, but we have all the warning signs so everyone is aware of the danger and what’s on the golf course.”

Tindale said recent rain has the golf course looking a picture.

“The rain has also helped flush the waterways out and I think that brought in the second croc.”

Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club recently announced the opening of Arnie’s Café and Bar. The brand-new venue is open to the public and offers incredible views, modern décor, complimentary wi-fi, an extensive menu and premium coffee – the perfect formula for an unforgettable dining experience.

Arnie’s boasts a 140 square metre deck which overlooks the picturesque Palms golf course, a perfect place to enjoy a drink from the extensive beverage menu which includes premium coffee, ice-cold draft beer and a selection of freshly-made smoothies and juices.

the “Seafood Platter”. Lunch is available daily from 11am – 3pm.

Arnie’s Café and Bar also features a private function space which caters for up to 120 guests.

“Arnie’s Café and Bar is a fantastic addition to our public facilities,” says Paul Sanders, Executive General Manager Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club. “The venue caters to all members of the public whether you are in search of a genuine café experience, somewhere for your next social function or wedding, a post-round drink after golf or a healthy juice or smoothie after a visit to The Country Club gym.”

Breakfast is available daily from 6am, where you will find a combination of café staples such as the Arnie’s Eggs Benedict together with a selection of innovative options such as the Mexican Breakfast Tacos, which has been designed by Head Chef Danny Donoghue.

Later, drop in with friends for lunch and try a pizza, a healthy salad or choose one of their share plates like “The Hungry American” or

PLAY LIKE THE PROS AT 13TH BEACH Oates Vic Open tournament routing Available on the 14th and 15th February only!

For more information or to book, head to www.13thbeach.net or call us (03) 5254 2922

Follow the conversation

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

13

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Super ‘Sully’ a hit with his peers

By Michael Court

H

Clublinks Management Pty Ltd has announced the recent appointment of Mr. Anthony Edgar as the new General Manager - Operations.

E might be regarded as part of the furniture at Roseville Golf Club on Sydney’s north shore.

Mr. Edgar brings with him a wealth of management experience from within some of Victoria’s most wellknown leisure and aquatic facilities, and is a highly respected figure within the industry. He joins Clublinks from his previous role as Regional Development Manager at YMCA.

After all, Mark O’Sullivan has been head super there for more than 32 years.

All that back-breaking work and early morning starts was forgotten, briefly, last month when ‘Sully’ was awarded the prestigious NSW Golf Course Superintendents Association Award for Excellence in Turf Management.

“We’re thrilled that Anthony is joining us and will be a great asset to our existing team of professionals,” said Clublinks Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Lawrence.

He had only just finishing getting the par-66 layout looking its absolute best for Roseville’s annual Gold Mashie, the club’s biggest week of the year, when he headed for Terrey Hills Golf and Country Club to learn of his award, which was decided by votes from fellow peers in the golf industry.

“This appointment represents an important growth area for Clublinks. We believe we have unique strengths and experience to assist local councils and private owners across Australia as they manage their sports and leisure facilities. Whilst our heritage has predominantly been in golf, our previous and current clients have included wider sport, leisure and hospitality facilities such as gyms, pools and sports stadiums. As such, this is not an entirely new space for us to be operating in.”

‘Sully’ began his career at Ryde-Parramatta when he was just 16 and finished there in April, 1980 to begin work as assistant course super at Roseville before graduating to the top job in June, 1984.

He has seen some massive changes to a course and club widely regarded as one of the friendliest on the north shore.

In 1991 he oversaw installation of the first computerised irrigation system and in the 20 years that followed helped rebuild numerous greens, tees and bunkers.

Still the biggest and most successful project was definitely the construction of a 26-megalitre water storage dam and a new layout on Roseville’s back nine, eliminating those famous “blind par-threes” that had brought so many of the big-name pros undone during the annual Gold Mashie.

The dam was completed at the end of 2010 and the following year the club’s water bill shrunk from $15,000 and $16,000 for the last two quarters to a mere $95 and $115.

At last count the club had harvested 390 megalitres from nearby Moore’s Creek, which would have cost the club around $800,000.

Clublinks appoints new General Manager

Roseville superintendent Mark O’Sullivan with professional Geoff Scott.

Sully is much-loved and respected by most of the Roseville regulars and frequently puts himself through an earlymorning round with some of the members so he can ensure they are happy with the course and it is set up to test their games to the ‘max’.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” grins the Wests’ Tigers rugby league fanatic who lives beside the 16th green with his wife Janine and three daughters Corinne, Monique and Georgia. •

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Clublinks has over 14 years of experience in managing and consulting to some of Australia’s finest master-planned golfing developments, public and private golfing facilities, residential estates and leisure centres. Located at the national headquarters for the PGA of Australia at Sandhurst Club in Melbourne, Clublinks delivers facility and community management services to a number of clients and has experience managing all business aspects, including day to day operations, course maintenance, hospitality, estate maintenance, security, human resources, finance, IT, marketing, sales and membership.

More: www.clublinks.com.au

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general managers

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From Glasgow to Geelong for GM Craig

I

n golfing terms, Craig Skimming is a man well-travelled. But now he and his wife Sally think they’ve found an idyllic spot to put down some roots.

John Karsten Solheim, the oldest son of John A. Solheim and the grandson of PING Founder Karsten Solheim, was named president of PING recently. He succeeds Doug Hawken as president, who is retiring after a distinguished 45-year career with the company.

Craig, 41, was recently appointed General Manager of Thirteenth Beach Golf Club at Barwon Heads, the gateway to Victoria’s Surf Coast. The relatively young club, blessed with two courses well inside Australia’s Top 50, is going places, Craig believes.

“It fills me with great pride to name my oldest son, John K., to the role of president of our family-owned company,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman and CEO. “Together with the other thirdgeneration family members and our strong teams throughout the organization, I’m confident John K. will continue to advance our primary goal of engineering innovative, performance-based products of the highest quality while providing unmatched levels of service.”

This month, Thirteenth Beach will host its fifth consecutive Oates Victorian Open in the internationally-unique format where the championships for men and women are held concurrently. The formula has proved a huge crowd puller, with attendances exceeding 20,000.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge such a large event will present to us,” he says.

“Even though the club has managed the event so well in the past, I’m sure there are a few things we can do that will add to the tournament’s appeal for players, spectators and sponsors.”

Craig was born in Glasgow, Scotland, completed a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering before switching to Marketing, graduating with a Masters degree. He played golf in Glasgow, getting down to a handicap of five. Following uni, he spent three months on the east coast of Australia. He loved the surf and sunshine and before returning home, determined one day to return.

He worked for the UK PGA doing tournament and pro-ams and corporate events as well as refereeing European Tour events. In 2001 he and Sally, an Occupational Therapist, moved to Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club where he ran tournaments and corporate events before

John K. Solheim new PING President

switching to the brand-new Robert Trent Jones II designed Al Badia GC, also in Dubai, as head of golf.

From there the couple moved to Australia in 2011. Craig was appointed deputy GM at Elanora Country Club in Sydney where he spent more than three years before moving on to Mount Lawley GC in Perth as General Manager prior to his appointment at Thirteenth Beach.

And while this month’s tournament is sure to be exciting for players, fans and members of Thirteenth Beach, it’s not just the Oates Vic Open challenge that excites Craig.

“This is a modern club, similar to how clubs operate in Dubai. It is very relaxed, no gender differentiation, a modern clubhouse with an

easy, neat casual dress code. Not to mention two great golf courses.

“There is plenty of scope to grow the club in so many ways, not only in membership but particularly public access rounds. Both courses have developed great reputations with visiting golfers and we’ll be looking at how we can add value to a day of golf at Thirteenth Beach for the visitor as well as corporate events.

“Even though there is certainly great value for members here, we will be striving to increase that. Leasing memberships is proving more and more popular and I plan to spend considerable energy on that aspect of development to introduce new members to the Club. With Geelong and District growing so fast I believe the club has a terrific future.” •

John K., as he is known within the company, served as an executive vice president for the last two years after a four-year assignment as president of PING Golf Japan. Prior to his time in Japan, he oversaw PING’s new product development efforts as vice president of engineering.

“I am grateful for this opportunity,” said John K., 42. “We all know a lot has changed since my grandfather entered the golf industry more than five decades ago. But what hasn’t changed is the foundation Karsten built here at PING. We are committed to making the best golf products in the world to help golfers play better and enjoy the game more. I look forward to working even more closely with my dad and the rest of the thirdgeneration family members as we focus on continuing to grow PING’s reputation as an industry leader.”

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

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Manager David Marr on a mission David Newbery

Club Managers Orlando-bound

david@insidegolf.com.au

T

Aaron Muirhead

WIN Waters Golf Club assistant general manager David Marr is off to Sydney on a fact-finding mission.

National Director, Golf Management Australia eo@gma.org.au

Marr, the 2017 Inside Golf Interstate Bursary recipient, will visit Avondale Golf Club and Elanora Country Club from February 20-23 to study the workings of both facilities.

There, he will be able to pick the brains of general managers Paul Paterson (Avondale) and Cathy Neagle (Elanora).

“This is a fantastic opportunity and a great experience for me,” said Marr, who has spent the past two-anda-half years as 2IC at Twin Waters working under the guidance of GM Steve Hutchison.

“Obviously, both Avondale and Elanora are well respected clubs so it will be interesting to see the difference in management styles.

“At Avondale, I want to find out about ownership, how the board works, governance, election periods and how the management of that occurs.

“I want to find out about memberships and what they offer and how the club is viewed in the community.

“Basically, I want to try to get a better understanding on how the club operates overall.”

After that, Marr will head to Elanora Country Club.

Elanora Country Club is totally private so I’m looking forward to seeing how the club operates,” he said.

“It will also be great to get some information on how they do conferences, weddings and functions.”

Both these clubs are modelled differently to Twin Waters Golf Club, which is independently owned and doesn’t have a board or committee.

“It’s my understanding that both clubs are run by a board of directors,” Marr said.

David Marr “Avondale and Elanora are both private and have a board so it will be interesting to see the difference in governance and the application of the day-to-day running of the club.

“This would be different to what I have experienced so far.”

A sign writer by trade, Marr has worked in the golf industry “on and off” since 2001.

He worked at Twin Waters between 2001 and 2006 and returned to sign writing before taking on the golf operations manager’s role at Pelican Waters Golf Club (2009-11).

“Then I went back to sign writing for a couple of years and came back to Twin Waters in 2014,” said Marr, who plays off a four handicap.

In March, Marr will complete a comprehensive report on his findings and report to Golf Management Australia (Queensland division).

“I’ll be doing a presentation to GMA on my experiences,” he said.

FOOTNOTE: Marr is also completing an “Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management” through the PGA of Australia.

Golf Management Australia State Associations remain committed to providing various opportunities for managers to get the very best education possible by supporting, either part funding or fully funding members to attend conferences such as the Club Managers Association of America World Conference each year. With many hours of continuing education available, this event each year is a fantastic investment of time resulting in both tangible personal and professional benefits.

I was lucky enough to attend the CMAA’s 89th World Conference on Club Management and Club Business Expo that was held in San Diego, California in 2016 and was attended by 11 GMA Managers. The Conference offered club management professionals the opportunity to take part in more than 70 education sessions, peer networking events and also featured a preview of the latest products and services available in the industry at the Club Business Expo.

In 2017, there is another contingent of GMA managers that are being supported by their respective state associations heading over to Orlando to experience this truly memorable conference event including Paul McAra (Coffs Harbour GC), Michael Phillips (Ballarat GC), Chris Anderson (Mansfield GC), Ben Telley (Eastern GC), Peter Paccagnan (Metropolitan GC), Bruce Mead (Royal Fremantle) and Carl Warren (Cottesloe GC). There are other GMA members that are attending the conference with their own clubs’ support as they see the huge benefit of attending.

GMANSW Provisional Member of the Year Award has gone to Newcastle GC’s Golf Manager, Mark Gilson who receives support to attend this year’s GMA National Conference in Adelaide from 8 – 12 October 2017 along with State nominees for the PGAIGI Bursary including Brendan Kopp (Penrith GC), Peter Busch (Green Acres GC) and Andrew Webb (City GC).

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Welcome back to Brookwater

After undergoing extensive course renovations over the past two years, we are pleased to announce the relaunch of the Brookwater Golf Course in March 2017.

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Eyes of the world on ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth Gavin Kirkman

tournament will feature Kids’ Day on the Tuesday. Modeled on the event run at the Australian PGA Championship, Kids’ Day introduces juniors to the game in a fun and exciting environment. At the Australian PGA Championship, we saw kids’ faces light up when the likes of Ian Poulter dropped by to answer questions. It’s that level of interaction we hope to replicate at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

Chief Membership Officer/Joint Interim CEO, PGA of Australia

T

he golfing world is looking forward to seeing how the inaugural ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth tournament will unfold. To be played this month, the entire Western Australia golfing community along with the PGA has come together to ensure they won’t be disappointed.

We’ve seen more than 15,000 boys and girls participate in junior golf programs over the last 12 months and only expect the number to grow this year with MyGolf having a presence at our major tournaments.

The unique format is set to change the way new fans view golf with an exciting finish on the final day of play, it’s a big innovation for golf in Australia, Europe and Asia. A tournament of this nature requires the backing of many stakeholders including the world’s best players. In the tournament’s first year the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth has assembled an incredible playing field headlined by the caliber of World Number 8 Patrick Reed and World Number 9 Alex Noren. Their attendance helps solidify this tournament’s place on the world stage.

Joining the international stars will be a host of Australian golfers vying for the first title, including hometown hero Curtis Luck who put the golfing world on notice last season when he took out the U.S Amateur Championship and the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. He’s certainly one to watch in action as he measures his talent against the best in the world as he prepares for his Masters debut.

Off the course some of WA’s best local products will be on display for fans including West Cape Howe Wines and a selection of food trucks to feature produce from around the area, it’s great to be able to advertise

The ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth has very much been a collaborative effort between the PGA of Australia, the WA/SA Division of the PGA and Golf WA, together with the City of Perth and the staff and members at Lake Karrinyup Country Club.

To produce a tournament of international caliber, which proudly promotes Western Australia to the world, a collaborative approach was necessary and together with the ISPS HANDA organisation, a world class tournament is set to take place from 16-19 February.

Tickets are available now from www.ticketmaster.com.au, be sure to book your place to be there when we crown our inaugural champion of the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

Hometown hero Curtis Luck set to tee it up in the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth what Perth has to offer while we watch the action inside the ropes.

With the eyes of the world watching the best players in the world, the ISPS

HANDA World Super 6 Perth is also the prime time to promote Australia’s National Junior Golf Program; MyGolf. In addition to the MyGolf clinics running daily, the

Looking beyond the new tournament, we are well underway with our regular season and I’d like to wish the best of luck to all competing, I can’t wait to see who emerges as a standout performer on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia in 2017.

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Oates Vic Open a true groundbreaker 2016 Oates Vic Open champions, Georgia Hall and Michael Long

Karen Lunn CEO – ALPG

B

y the time this month’s magazine is on the shelves we will be getting all geared up for the 2017 version of the Oates Vic Open. It has been well documented that the tournament continues to go from strength to strength, and has a model that no other professional golf tournament in the world uses. It seems that finally the world seems to be starting to take notice!

New PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan informed the Golf Channel in the U.S. that talks are currently in the works with LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan to stage a similar women’s event jointly with the men’s in the future, and that event is strongly rumoured to be the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Back in March, the PGA Tour and LPGA announced a “strategic alliance agreement” where the tours would work together coordinating schedules, including trying to come up with joint events. The tours said the alliance would include some joint marketing and domestic television and media strategies.

Monahan went on to say “We are spending more time talking about how do we drive more people to the game, both men and women, girls and boys. Can we potentially get men and women into the same field of play?

Again, another thing that no other sport can do, and then looking at media. Are there some shared efficiencies with how we present our tours to the world at large?”

Well, HELLO everyone! This has been happening right here in our own backyard for

five years now with The Oates Vic Open, and every year the event continues to grow both in prizemoney and stature.

In 2017 the women’s event will be cosanctioned with the Ladies European Tour for the first time, and on the men’s side the tournament has taken on Tier 1 status. Quite impressive for a tournament which started out playing with prizemoney of $250,000 total in 2012!

In 2017 the prizemoney will be $1million in total, $500,000 each for the women and the men. There is no doubt that the significant increase in prizemoney in 2017 from $600,000 to $1 million will translate directly to stronger fields across both events.

From the women’s side we are delighted that our two Olympians, Su Oh and Minjee Lee will play, Minjee won the title back in 2014 as an amateur and Su finished 2nd in 2015, so there is no doubt they will be the favourites this year. The opposition will be extremely tough, though, with players of the calibre of Laura Davies,

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Sandra Gal, Beth Allen, Ayako Matsumori, Pernilla Lindberg, Melissa Reid and Caroline Hedwell in the field along with our other Aussie stars Katherine Kirk, Rebecca Artis, Sarah Kemp, Stacey Keating and Whitney Hillier. All in all we have 144 players from 29 countries competing, 28 of whom have won international tournaments on the major woman’s tours.

I am sure that on the men’s side we can also expect some of our star players to tee it up this year.

The tournament will be played once again at the magnificent 13th Beach Links at Barwon Heads in Victoria from 9-12th February. Don’t miss out on the action, it will be a great 4 days and you can see the players up close and personal as there are no gallery ropes to restrict you!

For more information go to www.vicopengolf.com Don’t forget to follow ALPG on Twitter: @ALPGTour, Instagram: alpgtour and Facebook. •

Vic Open to be cosanctioned with LET Golf Victoria has signed an agreement with the Ladies European Tour (LET) that will see the women’s event at the 2017 Oates Vic Open co-sanctioned with Europe’s leading women’s professional golf tour.

The Oates Vic Open is currently the only professional event in the world that stages both men’s and women’s championships concurrently at the same venue, and this new agreement will add substantial strength to the women’s side of the already prominent tournament.

In 2016 we witnessed LET member Georgia Hall (England) claim her maiden major professional title after leading the tournament wire-to-wire and holding off fellow LET members Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark) and Marianne Skarpnord (Norway), who was also the reigning champion. Hall, who was 19 at the time of the victory, brought the tournament phrase “where stars are born” to life, going on to record another eight top-10 finishes in the season.

“We’re very pleased the 2017 Oates Vic Open will be co-sanctioned on the LET along with the ALPG Tour and the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia on the men’s side,” said Golf Victoria CEO Simon Brookhouse. “It was always our goal and intention to progress to LET status and we must give special thanks to the Victorian Government for helping us make this happen with the additional funding they announced on December 9 last year at our official launch.”

“Being on a worldwide tour like the LET attracts higher ranked players, an increase in world ranking points on offer and provides the potential for a young Australian to secure full LET status with a victory.”

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

21

cover story

Hendy’s fire still burns bright show up you are thinking ‘well now I’ve just got to try and beat the golf course’.

By Andrew Crockett

S

cott Hend wrote himself into the history books in 2016, becoming the first Australian to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit. And he did it in style, also taking out the Asian Tour Player of the Year (as voted by the players) and amassing over US$1million in prize money.

Talking with ‘Hendy’, you get a strong feeling that his best golf is ahead of him.

Having played six WGC events, the Olympics, U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the USPGA would be enough for most golfers, but the competitive flame still burns bright in Hendy.

You’ve accomplished a lot; what’s the next big goal?

“I still dream of playing the U.S. Masters. I have been lucky enough to play The Open three times and I am exempt into it this year.

The U.S. PGA and the U.S. Open were great, but the big one is the U.S. Masters. That’s the one I want to play.

“The more times you play the major tournaments the easier it gets. The first time you show up you are just sh***ing yourself; the second time you are showing up you are half-sh***ing yourself and the third time you

“There is so much stuff that goes on at the majors that are not happening at the other events. So many people, so much media and commitments. There might be 10,000 people lining the fairways and it all just looks like ants. After a few times playing those big events with, say 40,000 people, you sort of learn to block it out. All you see is the fairway, you don’t even hear the crowds or the cameras; you don’t even know they are there.

But when you first play a major you notice everything, it is all new and it really takes your attention.”

It must be exciting for you going forwards, now you are becoming comfortable at the majors. But I guess you will still get pretty nervous if you get the invite for the U.S. Masters.

“For sure. My biggest thing will be who am I going to get to caddy for me at the par3 competition. How good would that be, to do what Adam Scott did and win the Masters and know that you can show up every year until you are so old they have to wheel you out of there. Go to the Champions dinner every year, get blind drunk, have a laugh.”

In 2016 you racked up over 90 flights around the world, playing the Asian tour while living in America. 167 competitive rounds in the year. That’s a lot of travel!

“I have been sponsored by the same Korean pharmaceutical company since 2008.

They have been very good to me, like family. I love going to Korea...especially for the food. Actually, I love everywhere. Anywhere I can play golf I am happy. I don’t play golf because I have to, I play because I want to. If I have a week off in the year it’s me hassling my caddie to come and have a hit, play a comp somewhere. If I am having a week off I will be playing three or four times. I love it.”

You travelled a lot as a kid, is that right?

“I played everywhere around Australia as a kid because dad

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cover story was in the Air Force. We were always moving house. Wagga Wagga, Laverton, Catherine, real country courses. I played schoolboys for the Northern Territory. I remember Greg Chalmers was the gun junior at the time, he beat me 1up. As a teenager playing cricket, baseball and pretty much any sport, I remember when the legends of Australian golf came to town at Wagga Wagga and played an exhibition at the RAF base. It was around then, I was probably 15, I decided this is COOL! This is what I want to do. I decided cricket and team sports suck and I want to play golf. Play by myself and if I stuff up I blame myself, I don’t blame anyone else. By the age of 18 I started to settle down a bit at Nudgee in Brisbane, Charlie Earp giving me a few lessons.”

You have nine wins on the Asian Tour. You’re obviously comfortable to win there, but how do you go handling the pressure at the majors?

“Pressure is only what you make it. It is something you make up and put upon yourself.

“When it comes down to it, all you are doing is going through a process of doing your job.

Whether I am coming down the 72nd hole at the U.S. Open with a one-shot lead, or coming down the 18th with a $5 bet with you, it is the exact same pressure. It is the exact same shot, it is something you have practised your entire life and it is right where you want to be.

“Everyone on the outside looking in is thinking ‘oh God this is really hard.’ It is not that hard. You are the person right there and you either make it hard on yourself or you make it easy on yourself. The guys that make it hard on themselves are the ones that retire early.

“I have always paid my own bills. That is pressure. I have never had a sponsor come and take care of that side of life, I have always

golf for the recognition and the accolades, I do it to support my family and in some cases my extended family who are privileged to get some pretty cool golf gear. [Laughs.] I have been lucky enough to win at least one tournament every year for the last four or five years.”

Who would you like to thank in Australia?

People who have helped your career?

“Charlie Earp, Chris Chaplin and Johnny Downes. My brother-in-law, Gary Hislop, he caddied for me at the Australian Open and the Olympics. We had a great time in Brazil in a house with Ian Baker-Finch, Marcus Fraser, caddies, a security guard, couple of maids doing our ironing, cooking us breakfast in the morning and big ‘gazza’ sharing the room with me snoring and farting. done it myself. I think there is a big difference right there, particularly with some of the young kids coming through who have always been given everything. When I was coming through, I didn’t have a sponsor, I had a credit card. Guys like myself, Tony Carolan we would play the summer in Australia try and make enough money to go to Canada and make a $15,000 loss, but keep our card. Come back to Australia and play pro-ams to pay the bills off. That is how we survived. People say to me now ‘Gee you made a lot of money this year’ and I say ‘yeah, yes I did, but what about 15 years ago when I worked my arse off and made jack diddly squat.”

it is never who is the best putter, it is who hits it the longest. But the only stat that really matters at the end of the year is who is on top of the money list. But look, I don’t play

“Travel is the fun part, that is when you get to see all the nutcases! I wouldn’t change anything. The only thing I would change would be having a few shots less in a couple of tournaments.” •

On the U.S. Tour you were the longest hitter. How would you say your game has changed?

“I try and play golf a bit more maturely now.

I’m not 100% all-out any more. I don’t care how long I hit it or how long anyone else hits it. When I was younger, in my 20s, I tried to be the longest I could be and yeah it was fun there in the States, being the longest. But it is always the latest and the greatest in the U.S.,

Photos courtesy of The Asian Tour, and FENIX XCELL.

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

23

on tour

Golf’s rankings rollercoaster Blyth moved up 988 places and Hall 756.

David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

E

IGHTEEN leading Australasia touring professionals improved their world golf ranking in 2016 with a number of players rocketing up the table.

Jason Day only moved up one place in 2016, but you can’t finish any higher than number one so he’ll be thrilled he spent more than half the year in top spot after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC Dell Match Play and the Players Championship.

Former world number one Adam Scott jumped five places to finish the year seventh in the rankings courtesy of two victories – the Honda Classic and the WGC Cadillac Championship.

Two-time Australian Open champion Aaron Baddeley, the almost forgotten man of Australian golf, had a good year moving to 130th after starting 2016 in 419th place.

In 2016, Scott Hend was another on the move. He won the True Thailand Classic and the Queen’s Cup to move to 60th in the world – up 52 places.

One man who didn’t want the year to end was Swede Alex Norén, who won four tournaments on the European Tour and leapfrogged from 96th to ninth in the rankings.

Surprisingly, American Jordan Spieth slipped from world #1 to fifth despite winning the Australian Open.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson went from eighth to third while veteran Phil Mickelson proved he’s not done yet by moving up 15 places to 19th.

Up 73 places to 32nd in the rankings was American Kevin Chapell.

Of the Africans, Brandon Stone and Richard Sterne were the standouts. Stone started the year in 252nd place and ended in 72nd position while Sterne jumped 318 places to 93rd.

Sadly, two former world number ones, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, lost ground.

Understandably, Tiger didn’t play and dropped 236 places to 416th while Els went from 190th to 371st in the rankings.

Aussie Sam Brazel won the Hong Kong Open and ended the year 143rd after starting in 352nd spot.

But it was former Australian Open winner Tim Clark who was in free-fall all year dropping to 1171st after starting the year in 151st place.

Aussies Adam Blyth and Ashley Hall must have become a little giddy after going from 1265th to 277th and 1029th to 273rd respectively.

That’s down with a bullet, but German Alexander Knappe did the opposite rocketing up the ladder. He went from 1231st to 113th – up 1118 spots.

Another big mover was Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, who jumped 953 places to 110th but these two had nothing on Grayson Murray.

The American, who played mostly on the Web.com Tour, teed off in 1711th place and closed out the year in 163rd spot. That a leap of 1548 places.

France’s Matthieu Pavon also started 2016 in 1711th and improved 1493 places to 218th.

Toowoomba Festival of Golf Amateur Classic 19th--22nd March 2017

In the women’s world rankings New Zealand’s Lydia Ko ended the year as world number one, just ahead of Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn.

Minjee Lee is the best placed Australian in 18th followed by former world No.1 Karrie Webb in 31st place. Rebecca Artis is 135th in the world.

On the next page is a list of the men’s world rankings continent-by-continent and the women’s top-12 plus Australians.

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07 4636 9000 | For more info contact golf@citygolf.com.au or phone 46369070 | citygolf.com.au 24

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Toowoomba

on tour Australasia

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Africa

Jason Day Adam Scott Marc Leishman Scott Hend Danny Lee (NZ) Cameron Smith Marcus Fraser Ryan Fox (NZ) Matt Jones Aaron Baddeley Rod Pampling John Senden Sam Brazel Brad Kennedy Michael Hendry (NZ) Geoff Ogilvy Andrew Dodt Jason Scrivener Rhein Gibson Steven Bowditch Brett Rumford Ashley Hall Adam Blyth Greg Chalmers Brendan Jones Nathan Holman Brett Coletta

2 12 26 112 67 93 127 139 54 419 216 79 352 177 341 140 208 287 286 72 266 1029 1265 326 343 167 1711

Brandon Grace (RSA) 14 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 35 Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 18 Brandon Stone 252 411 Richard Sterne Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 67 George Coetzee (RSA) 89 Dylan Frittelli 460 Dean Burmester (RSA) 126 163 Thomas Aiken Retief Goosen 241 Brendon de Jonge (Zim) 141 Tim Clark (RSA) 151 Ernie Els (RSA) 190

Asia

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Byeong-Hun An (Kor) 29 Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) 28 Si-woo Kim (Kor) 252 K.T. Kim (Kor) 60 Jeung-hun Wang (Kor) 169

1 7 55 60 47 111 117 123 129 130 131 134 143 150 157 194 215 240 250 261 264 273 277 280 292 309 413

46 52 74 57 61

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016 17 23 25 72 93 104 147 152 189 193 208 513 1171 371

Japan

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Hideki Matsuyama Yuta Ikeda Hideto Tanihara Ryo Ishikawa

15 89 116 103

6 33 56 95

Women’s world rankings Dec 31, 2016 1 Lydia Ko (New Zealand) 2 Ariya Jutanugarn (Thai) 3 In Gee Chun (Korea) Shanshan Feng (China) 4 Lexi Thompson (USA) 5 6 Sei Young Kim (Korea) 7 Ha-Na Jang (Korea) 8 Brooke M. Henderson (Canada) So-yeon Ryu (Korea) 9 10 Sung Hyun Park (Korea) 11 Inbee Park (Korea) 12 Amy Park (Korea) Australians 17 Minjee Lee (Australia) 63 Karrie Webb (Australia) 71 Su-Hyun Oh (Australia) 117 Sarah-Jane Smith (Australia) 267 Rebecca Artis (Australia) 292 Katherine Kirk (Australia)

Europe

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Rory McIlroy (N. Ireland) 3 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 5 Alex Noren (Swe) 96 Danny Willett (Eng) 19 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 11 Paul Casey (Eng) 22 Justin Rose (Eng) 7 Russell Knox (Scot) 30 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) 104 Rafael Cabrera Bello (Sp) 114 Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) 43 Francesco Molinari (It) 66

2 4 9 11 13 14 15 18 24 27 30 31

North America

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Dustin Johnson Jordan Spieth Patrick Reed Bubba Watson Rickie Fowler Brooks Koepka Phil Mickelson Matt Kuchar Jimmy Walker Justin Thomas Brandt Snedeker JB Holmes Kevin Chappell Daniel Berger Ryan Moore

8 1 10 4 6 16 34 20 25 37 49 24 105 53 62

South America

Jan 1, Dec 31, 2016 2016

Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 32 Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 289 Fabian Gomez (Arg) 133 Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 118 Camilo Villegas (Colombia) 187

3 5 8 10 12 16 19 20 21 22 28 29 32 34 35

26 71 82 175 298

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

25

on tour

www.insidegolf.com.au/author/steven-jeffress

Three shots over 108 holes The weather on day 6 turned a little ugly with 50kph winds. With the wind came the cold so out came the beanies and gloves. I played great around the front-9, turning 1-under which had me now one shot outside the number. The 12th hole is a strong 160 metre par-3. The wind was howling straight into us so I hit a low hard 6-iron. Unfortunately I hit it too good and it went through the wind and over the back, resulting in a bogey. Bogeys are never great, but this was a really bad time as I only had six holes to catch it back up.

with Steven Jeffress ed@insidegolf.com.au

M

y final stop for 2016 was in the land of the rising sun, Japan, for the Final stage of Japanese tour school.

There’s no tougher test than final stages of tour schools. Japan consisted of over 200 players, six rounds over six days around a long, hilly golf course where every shot you hit counts. Added to that, it’s winter up there so temperatures of 2 or 3 degrees or colder are normal. Plus, there are also two practice rounds (the event is held on a 36-hole layout, so you have two courses to look at, the King and Queen courses).

The final 6 holes were solid but I made nothing on the greens. I ended up signing for a 1-over-par 73, three shots off getting a card. It was disappointing but that’s golf. I did get Challenge Tour membership but there is a massive difference between the tours: on the main tour they play about 24 events for an average of $1.5 million an event. The Challenge Tour has 10 events where they play for about $110,000 an event. And it costs you almost the same to play, about $3000 a week.

Now that I’ve made it sound like a horrific eight days, I must admit it’s pretty cool to be in Japan playing golf. Plus, there were about 10 Aussies over there so there were some funny conversations at dinner.

(Before I tell you about the week, I must mention that we think we have found possibly the biggest head on tour. It came down to Matt Guyatt and Dave Bransdon.

Now I know what you’re thinking, Dave has it comfortably! (sorry Dave) But after extensive measuring, Matt has it!)

We were treated with some of the best weather I have ever seen in a Japanese winter. I also had a good mate on the bag, Josh Beecher. Josh is a school teacher and plays off a 4 handicap at Southport GC. He’s caddied for me in Pro-Ams many times but not in anything as big as an International tour school.

I started on the Queen course, which is the easier out of the two. I played solid but didn’t do anything great. A 2-under-par round of 70 had me back in the field but it was a solid start. The second round at the King course was disappointing as I signed for a 1-over-par

73. I played nicely but couldn’t hole anything on the greens. This dropped me a fair way back in the field. I still had four more rounds to make a move forward, as long I could make the four-round cut, which was the top 90 and ties.

The weather for rounds 3 and 4 were perfect. When the weather is like that you pretty much know that you need to shoot some good scores. A 3-under-par 69 in the third round had me a few behind the number I needed but at least I was moving in the right direction. I was 4-under for the week and it looked like the cut was going to be 5-under after the 4th day. I played great on day 4 without any reward. I hit a great 6-iron into about 15 foot on the 14th and being 1-under-par for the day I knew that I needed to make something coming in to give myself some breathing room from the cut line. Trying to make it, I hit my first putt

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four feet past, then missed the one coming back. Needless to say walking to the 15th tee I wasn’t happy! I knew that I needed at least one or two birdies if I was going to make the cut for the final two rounds. Then I thought, why not birdie the last four to finish? So from there I birdied 15, 16, 17 and had a 15-footer on the last to shoot 68. Unfortunately I missed it but signed for a 69, which had me inside the cut line but still four shots outside the top 35, which is where you needed to finish to gain a card.

I had a great opportunity on day 5 to make a massive move but let it slip through my fingers. I was 4-under through 11 holes and thinking if I could pick up three more birdies coming in, I would move inside the number heading into the last day. I obviously got ahead of myself as the putts dried up and I shot a 69. It was a good score but still had me two outside the top 35 number.

Three shots over 108 holes of golf is nothing, but it means a heap in terms of what you get. But as I say, “don’t get bitter, get better”. Someone once told me that things that are worthwhile are rarely easy. I’m fairly sure that Josh was happy there wasn’t another round to go. He did a great job as it’s not easy carrying an 18kg bag around a course for 8 days in a row. He also lost quite a few beers to me throughout the week (Once, I was hitting drivers on the range, he bet me 6 beers that I couldn’t hit a little 1m x 1m target that was about 240m away. As Josh found out, you shouldn’t bet me beers!!)

I then had some much-needed time off until Christmas. Over that time I’ve looked at my stats and realised that I have to boost my hours on my short game. I know if I do this that it will improve. (Those of you who’ve done this know how hard it is mentally and physically). My next events start in early February in Melbourne so I have plenty of time to work hard on all parts of my game and hopefully come out in 2017 firing. •

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At 25, Bonville is just getting started

A

t the foot of The Great Dividing Range in Coffs Harbour, lies Bonville Golf Resort. A place built over a quarter of a century ago, that would change the landscape of the Australian golfing world by offering a combination of golf, food and beverage and customer service previously unseen. A place which now means so much to so many people, a place that so many would come to call their golfing home. As Bonville celebrates the stories of the past 25 years, people flock from around the country and around the world to experience this unique and iconic golfer’s paradise.

The 72-hole championship course is a place which, for many, has become the epitome of the golfing experience and that for many years, golfing groups have travelled from far and wide to enjoy. Over the past two decades, a dedication to making incremental improvements across the whole property has attracted acclaim and recognition in the form of high national rankings and multiple national awards. The property has been recognised as ‘Australia’s most beautiful mainland golf course’ for 16 years running.

In December 2016, Bonville Golf Resort

was named “Australia’s favourite golf course” in the ‘Australia’s 50 favourite golf courses competition’. This is an accolade that means a lot to General Manager Brad Daymond, who said “The win is a reflection of our commitment to quality, our team’s continued ability to go above and beyond and our drive to create Australia’s number one golfing destination right here on The Coffs Coast!”

The golf course itself has been long regarded as “Australia’s Augusta” due to its similarity to Augusta National in the USA, with undulating fairways, natural waterways and the serene nature of the property. Their team of dedicated green staff carefully manicure each and every square inch of the course to ensure its utmost quality.

Golfers can expect forgiving approach shots, wide fairways and well groomed greens all set amongst a jaw-dropping Flooded Gum forest where wildlife abounds. That’s something you just don’t get anywhere else in Australia and that is why Bonville continues to be such a drawcard for so many. www.bonvillegolf.com.au

Club Taree on the rise

S

ituated just three hours north from the start of the expressway, Club Taree golf course is regularly described as a “hidden gem” by visiting golfers. The “hidden” part of the comment is starting to disappear as more travelling golfers make a point of stopping at Taree to play this pretty yet challenging course.

The course is a par-70 (par 72 for women) with a Slope rating from the blue tees of 129 for men (130 for women). You commence your round on the club’s signature hole, a long, downhill par-3 (186m for men and 173m for women). The green is about 30m below tee level with the vista behind the green showing the Manning Valley farm land backed by the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. The first 12 holes are located on the western side of Wingham Road with another 9 (with 6 in competition use) on the eastern side of the course. The course is challenging yet enjoyable for any level of golfer, as you can hit off a number of tees on the western side of the course.

In recent years course superintendent, Mark Spraggs, and his team have worked

hard at refining the course to a level where the greens and surrounds are now recognised as equal to the best on the coast.

In 2016 Club Taree held both the NSW CHS and All Schools tournament and the NSW Mid-Amateur tournament.

Weekly competitions commence on Mondays when Veteran golfers host their weekly event and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Open Medley Stableford events are held. Wednesday is Women’s competition day and Saturday the main men’s competition is played and a women’s competition is played in conjunction. Visitors with AGU or LGA handicaps are warmly welcomed to play.

The club itself has grown into the region’s number one entertainment facility. It is home to the award-winning Dineon19 restaurant and has full TAB, Keno and a superb gaming arena. In the pro shop Wayne Dodd and his team will ensure you are made welcome and then you can commence your game on this not so hidden gem. www.clubtaree.com.au

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Brookwater Golf Course is looking a million dollars after significant changes.

New-look Brookwater beckons golfers B ROOKWATER has always had a strong identity and that will continue after more than $1m was spent upgrading the championship golf course.

To celebrate the changes, Brookwater, located at Springfield 30 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD and 45 minutes from the Gold Coast, has planned a property developers’ golf day on 24th March followed by a members’ day and a golf expo on Saturday, March 25.

Then on Sunday, March 26, there’ll be a walk around Brookwater for the local community and a peewees competition for schools and local juniors.

That’s when club and social golfers can test their skills on the refurbished golf course.

In fact, Adam Scott ducked out for a sneak peek in early January and by all accounts liked what he saw.

For the record, Brookwater remains one of Greg Norman’s favourite golf courses in Australia.

The Shark visited Brookwater last year to sign off on the proposed changes.

“My team and I at GNGCD (Greg Norman Golf Course Design) are excited to partner with Springfield Land Corporation to redesign and construct several green complexes and resurface all greens,” Norman said.

“During this process we considered the playability, agronomy, golf strategy and maintenance practices and are confident the end result will appeal to the members and future hotel guests alike.”

Perhaps the most significant changes included the removal of some trees and thick scrub that bordered the fairways.

“We have taken out a lot of trees and underbrush, which has widened the playing corridors and landing areas,” Dale said.

Greens on holes one and three have been lowered substantially allowing for softer surrounds and a better variety of pin positions.

“The course has been opened up so golfers will now be able to find their golf ball if they miss the fairways.”

Holes nine and 10 have had the green surfaces enlarged and made slightly more visible from the approach shot allowing an average player a better chance of keeping their ball on the green.

Golf course superintendent Rob Weiks said the redesign and construction process would ensure golfers receive maximum satisfaction from their golfing experience.

The 13th green approach and complex has had a complete overhaul.

“Golf corridors have been widened as trees have encroached over the years,” he said.

“Enlarging this green and shifting the approach bunkers has allowed it to be more enticing for the long hitter to reach in two shots while the average golfer has room to lay up,” Weiks said.

“This process has helped bring back some of the original design strategy while also creating wider areas making it more playable for the higher handicap player.

“Introducing couch in these areas and removing tussock grasses around tees has also made it more playable resulting in an increased pace of play for golfers.

“The course remains to be a challenging test of golf for the low handicap player while subtle design changes have made it more playable and enjoyable for the beginner and intermediate golfer as well.”

Brookwater has also improved aesthetically.

“Now you can actually see the fairways and greens whereas before they were partly hidden by trees or shrubs,” Dale said.

“It’s opened it up and got back to natural bush and it’s going to make it a much more enjoyable round of golf for the average player.”

Six greens and surrounding complexes were redesigned.

“All of these redesign adjustments have not only improved on the playability and strategy of the holes but also on traffic and wear around the greens and agronomic and surface conditions throughout.”

“The greens will also be better to putt on so it’s quite exciting,” Dale said.

“We still have a challenging course, but we also have a golf course that people will want to come back and play on a regular basis.

“These changes were made with the average golfer in mind.”

A must-play golf course, Brookwater has always been rated one of Australia’s best layouts and the debate shows no sign of letting up.

It might be slightly less demanding following the upgrade, but it remains a testing challenge.

From the first tee shot to the final putt, golfers will still have to bear down and concentrate on each shot.

Those who do will head for the 19th hole very happy with themselves. •

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

29

junior news

www.insidegolf.com.au/juniors

Invincibles attracts who’s who

They also provide the kids with the best opportunity to follow their dreams and meet new friends.

MORE than 140 guests, including some of the who’s who of Queensland golf, attended the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour annual presentation dinner at Noosa Springs Golf and Spa.

The Invincibles are committed to providing young people with an opportunity to build on both their golf skills and life skills.

“We also aim to nurture and promote the growth and development of junior golf on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast through our junior development program to anyone wishing to be involved,” Miller concluded.

Among the guest were Ian Baker-Finch (Invincibles patron), Greg Norman’s parents Merv and Toini Norman, Charlie Earp, Rae Clarke, Noosa Springs Golf and Spa general manager Mark Brady, Peter Heiniger (coach and advisor to the Invincibles), Sunshine Coast and South Burnett District Golf Association president Dallas Furner and Ladies Zone president Dinana Banks.

For a full rundown of the award winners go to the website www.theinvinciblestour.org

Adam Scott, Robert Allenby, Cameron Smith and Curtis Luck sent a video message from America congratulating the winners.

The Invincibles founder and president Graeme Miller said it was a good night after another successful year for Sunshine Coast junior golf.

“Once the Gold Cup had been contested the juniors and their families focus and attention turned to the gala evening,” he said.

“To witness our young men and women walk off the course and into the presentations was just breathtaking.

“As the evening unfolded, we were more than impressed in the way our young men and women represented themselves – both on and off the golf course.

“To revisit some of the incredible performances our juniors achieved during 2016 was a thrill, but what really got everyone’s attention was the way our young children had grown into young men and women right before our eyes.

“The way they dressed, their speeches and the way they mixed with guests during the evening was an absolute credit to them, particularly with the older members, who really are great mentors for the younger brigade coming through.

Rhianna-Maree Lewis, Rory Turner and Sarah Wilson were all smiles at the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour’s presentation dinner.

Toini and Merv Norman at the dinner.

“These kids are truly something special and they are a credit to the game,” Miller added.

because he was in America contesting the Aaron Baddeley International Championship.

Of course, there were plenty of trophies to hand out including a number of major awards.

Shae Wools-Cobb (Invincibles ambassador) presented the prestigious Wools-Cobb Family “Quiet Achiever Award” to Tyler Duncan (Redcliffe).

Rhianna-Maree Lewis and Christian Butterworth received the Coastline BMW Encouragement Awards.

Donna and Kerry Coleborn accepted the highly esteemed “Players’ Player” and the “Best All Round Junior Golfer Awards for 2016” on behalf of Lochie.

Tyler Duncan (Redcliffe) and Caleb Purdey (Virginia) won the Drummond Golf Achiever of The Month Award.

Julie Morgan accepted Jed Morgan’s Drummond Golf Representative Award

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A great team member and mentor to The Invincibles Tour, Steve Cox (Wantima) was there to accept his A Grade Matchplay Award.

Sam Haines (Noosa Springs) was the proud and excited main raffle winner of the magnificent set of Callaway clubs.

For the record, the Invincibles Tour strives to promote integrity and sportsmanship in a safe and friendly environment.

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junior news

www.insidegolf.com.au/juniors

Kim and Kalz claim Vic Junior Masters Grace Kim (Avondale GC) and Jackson Kalz (Glenelg GC) have been crowned champions of the 2017 Sportscover Victorian Junior Masters after the final round was contested in hot conditions at Churchill – Waverley Golf and Bowls Club.

With a record high field and no cut in 2017, players were divided across both the Waverley and Churchill Park sites in the morning with the tournament leaders teeing off at Waverley in the afternoon.

Young Lincoln learning the art of chipping under the watchful eye of coach Shane Ellery.

Juniors find perfect starting point SEFTON Golf Course is the perfect starting point for beginners including juniors, according to proud dad Michael Hitchcock.

He took his sons aged five and three there one afternoon and was delighted with the treatment he and his boys received.

“He was friendly, happy, positive and most importantly, made the experience fun.

“After one hour Lincoln was starting to understand some basics and walked away from the clinic with a grin from ear-to-ear.

“He couldn’t wait to go back to practice again.

“We need more people like Shane and the staff at Sefton,” Michael said.

“The lady behind the counter was beyond friendly to the boys,” he told Inside Golf.

“They bend over backwards to chat and help the kids get into the most wonderful and frustrating game we call golf.”

“They had a plastic set ready for the three-yearold and some hire clubs for the five-year-old.

Michael said he didn’t want his son Lincoln to be the next Tiger Woods or Jason Day.

“We walked away with a positive experience from an afternoon of golf.

“I just want him to enjoy life and sport,” he said.

“The lady suggested doing the kids clinic for my five-year-old on a Sunday morning.

“She said ‘he might be a little young, but bring him along to have fun with the other kids’.

“So we went to the golf course and I introduced my son Lincoln to Shane Ellery, who is the teaching professional.

“I am just impressed with how much these guys encourage the kids.”

Sefton Golf Course is located in the south-western suburbs of Sydney just minutes from Bankstown.

The golf course, which is set over gently sloping ground within a quiet natural parkland setting, includes a practice putting green, a practice chipping green and three practice driving nets.

For the third day in a row, temperatures surpassed 30 degrees proving a testing finish to the week for all players.

In the girls’ section reigning Victorian Girls’ Champion and Victorian Women’s Amateur Champion Alizza Hetherington started the day with the lead, however as the round progressed, the door opened for New South Welshman Kim. Birdies flew on the front nine for both players as Kim took a one stroke lead at the turn.

Tragedy soon struck for Hetherington who triple-bogeyed the 15th hole after an outof-bounds penalty, handing Kim a four-shot lead that Hetherington was unable to recover.

The heat didn’t seem to affect Kono Matsumoto who shot an equal course record of five-under par to draw level with Hetherington. The Victorian duo eventually finished two-strokes adrift of the winning Kim. Meanwhile, the boys’ championship came down to an exciting finish with South Australian Kalz rallying to fend off Queenslander Zach Maxwell and claim a narrow one-shot victory.

Kalz played solid golf from start to finish while Maxwell will be will be left questioning what might have been. Maxwell, who held a

two shot lead on the back nine, bogeyed holes 15, 16 and 17 allowing Kalz to draw level down the 18th.

After knocking it on the green for two Kalz remained calm and sunk the birdie putt at the last, where Maxwell could only muster a par, to seal the deal.

In a staggering feat, two hole-in-ones were recorded in consecutive groups on the fifth hole at the Waverley site. Keeley Marx aced the par-3 and about 12 minutes later, in the next group, so did Ethan Chen.

Impressive wins were recorded in all age groups with a high level of talent across all divisions.

Nivethan Kanthan from Spring Valley won the U12 boys with a total of 336 to win by eight. Anne Fernandez from Singapore Island in Singapore won the U12 girls with a total of 315 to win by 51.

Nathan Page from The National won the U14 boys with a total of 307 to win by 18. Piper Stubbs from Huntingdale won the U14 girls with a total of 321 to win by three.

Tyler Duncan from Redcliffe in Queensland won the U16 boys with a total of 291 to win by seven. Rose Zheng from Pakuranga in New Zealand won the U16 girls with a total of 292 to win by eight.

The tournament was live streamed for the second year running on the Golf Victoria website and in a first for Australian amateur golf, the stream was simulcast on Facebook LIVE via the Golf Victoria page.

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PlaneSWING

No Plane, No Gain. The daddy of all golf training aids. From weekend golfers to Major Winners including Dustin Johnson, Shaun Micheel and Darren Clarke, PlaneSWING with the unique PowerSLIDER is used in over 70 countries. If you want to see a dramatic improvement in your game and stay free of injury to play better for longer, then PlaneSWING is the answer.

This FEEL MACHINE will not only instantly improve your game, it’ll improve your understanding of how the body should move in the golf swing. Use it every week to ingrain that perfect swing plane.

RRP: From $1,100 delivered with 24/7 support www.planeswing.com onplane@planeswing.com 1800-083-990

Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic and Epic Sub Zero line Callaway’s new Great Big Bertha Epic and Great Big Bertha Epic Sub Zero line of drivers and Fairways feature Callaway’s innovative new Jailbreak Technology, which fundamentally changes how the head and clubface behave at impact to deliver more ball speed and distance. At impact, a metalwood’s face flexes and the crown bulges upward while the sole bulges downward. Jailbreak bars form a firm connection between the crown and sole to inhibit their flexing. That puts more of the load of impact on the face, which promotes faster ball speed for more distance.

Both Epic driver clubheads consist of Callaway’s new aerospace-grade titanium Exo-cage outfitted with a crown and sole panels made of triaxial carbon, an extraordinarily light and strong composite material developed by Callaway.

The crown of GBB Epic weighs just 9.7g and the sole just 5.8g, while Epic Sub Zero crown weighs in at 10.8g, the sole panels just 7.4g.

In GBB Epic, Callaway’s Adjustable Perimeter Weighting technology allows golfers to quickly and easily adjust the club to fit their swing. For Epic Sub Zero, two interchangeable weights (12g and 2g) positioned at the front and back of the sole, which can be used in tandem with the Optifit hosel, give players the ability to adjust the spin-rate, the launch angle and MOI. RRP: G BB Epic Driver and Epic Sub Zero Driver. $729.99ea GBB Epic Fairway Wood and Epic Sub Zero Fairway Wood: $419.99

RRP $239.99 each

Callaway Mack Daddy Forged Wedges The appealing new shape, forged of soft 1025c steel, delivers exceptionally satisfying feel and response on every shot. Less offset, a squarer toe and a straighter leading edge create a clean, confidence-inducing appearance at address to promote crisp contact and command control.

High spin comes from the new Mack Daddy 16-groove configuration that incorporates an added groove at the bottom, close to the leading edge, to promote added stopping power, especially on pitches and chips.

Added control comes from progressive CG positioning, in which the CG gradually moves upward as the loft of each wedge increases. This promotes a lower and easier-tocontrol flight in the higher lofts without sacrificing spin, making it easier to attack the pin.

Available in two finishes: Satin Chrome and Brushed Slate, www.CallawayGolf.com.au 36

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

PutterWheel The world’s #1 Selling Putting Aid delivers on three levels.

Alignment, Posture and Stroke. This is a training aid that you’ll use at home and every time you visit the course.

This “half ball” is simple to use and provides instant feedback but is a high technical piece of equipment. It weighs EXACTLY the same as a golf ball and when struck perfectly it performs like a golf ball. Comes complete with patented alignment template for marking your ball so it’s like taking PutterWheel onto the course.

RRP: From just $30 delivered. www.planeswing.com onplane@planeswing.com 1800-083-990

New Callaway Supersoft Ball Callaway Golf’s softest feeling golf ball, Supersoft, is a leader in the soft-and-long category because it combines phenomenally soft feel with long distance, accurate flight and excellent greenside control.

The new Supersoft’s added distance comes from a new, soft core composition that spins less off the long clubs to promote more distance. Less spin also means less sidespin, which promotes straighter, more accurate flight. Softer feel and increased greenside spin and control come from a new, softer Trionomer cover formulation.

Available in white, yellow and pink, and in a multi-colour pack including white, yellow, orange and blue. www.CallawayGolf.com.au

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new gear

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Odyssey O-Works Putters

PING G Le Women’s Gear

Odyssey Golf’s new O-Works putter line features Micro-hinge technology.Micro-hinge technology consists of a 304 stainless steel Hinge Plate backed by a soft thermoplastic elastomer inner layer. The Hinge Plate is populated with “microhinges” designed to gently flex and rebound at impact to impart forward spin. That helps start the ball rolling immediately, smoothly and accurately. Odyssey robot tests indicate that Micro-hinge technology promotes almost twice as much forward-spin as Odyssey’s Fusion RX insert.

The PING G Le Driver is a 460 cc titanium driver (11.5° loft) engineered especially for women with a T9S face that is thinner than the G driver face to match women’s swing speeds resulting in higher ball speeds for more distance and optimal spin and launch. Crown turbulators and Vortec Technology combine to improve aerodynamics for greater clubhead speed, while Dragonfly technology positions the centre of gravity for increased MOI for greater forgiveness and consistency. It also features a Heel-side CG and lighter swingweight for straighter ball flight, as well as an adjustable hosel (+- 1° loft).

The O-Works lineup consists of four popular Odyssey blade shapes: #1, #1W, #2, #9 – and four mallet shapes #7, #7 Tank, 2-Ball, V-Line Fang CH and R-Line. Tank versions of the #1 and #7 are also available. Blades incorporate Odyssey’s new Versa-T alignment system to further enhance accuracy.

All models are available in left handed except the #2. Grip options include SuperStroke Slim 2.0 with CounterCore Technology, SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour with CounterCore Technology and SuperStroke Tank. www.CallawayGolf.com.au

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PING Sigma G Putters PING Sigma G putters are offered in 15 models engineered to provide a soft feel and pleasing sound and fit to stroke type and personal preference: Slight Arc models (Anser, Kinloch, Piper 3, D66, B60, Ketsch B and Kinloch CB), Straight Stroke models (Kinloch C, Darby, Wolverine T, Doon), Strong Arc Stroke models (Tess, Shea H) and Slight Arc or Straight models (Kushin, Tyne). Each model offers a variety of head shapes and sizes. New True Roll face Technology with variable depth face pattern ensures full-face forgiveness for consistent ball speeds and improved distance control, while Multilayer face design combines a PEBAX elastomer insert (a high energy compound) with an anodized 6061 aluminium face to provide a softer face that delivers consistent ball speeds. Contrasting full-face insert aids in alignment.

Offered in two PING Pistol grip options: PP60 (midsize) and PP62 (over-size). Counter-balanced (CB60) is standard on Kinloch CB and Doon models.

The Fairway Woods feature a thin CarTech 455 face which increases ball speed for higher launch and more distance, and Heel-side CG and lighter swingweight for straighter ball flight. The thin crown design saves weight for higher MOI and greater forgiveness. Available in 3 (19°), 5 (22°), 7 (26°) and 9 (30°) woods.

The Irons/Hybrids combo set features irons (17-4 stainless steel) with COR-Eye Technology to create a 11% thinner face to increase ball speed for higher launch and more distance for slower swing speeds. Perimeter weighting provides 19% tighter dispersion compare to previous models. The Hybrid features a thin, CarTech 455 face to increase launch and ball speed for more distance, and lighter swingweights for easier club face squaring and improved accuracy. Irons available: 5-9, PW, UW, SW; hybrids available: 4H (22°), 5H (26°), 6H (30°) Finally, there are three models of Putters available: Caru (Blade), Arna (Mid-mallet) and Oslo (Mallet). All models feature True Roll Technology with variable depth face pattern to speed up off-centre hits for improved distance control and consistency. Caru (Slight Arc stroke type) and Arna (Slight Arc stroke type) are engineered with flow-style neck for improved optics and alignment, while Oslo (Slight Arc or Straight stroke type) is fully machined from aerospace grade aluminium w/stainless steel sole plate for a high MOI. Geometric features help frame ball at address and a lower level sightline aids in precise alignment.

PING GLIDE 2.0 Wedges New precision milled grooves in the Glide 2.0 wedges increase spin rate approximately 350rpm on full shots and 200rpm on shots around the green compared to original Glide Wedge.

PING i200 The new PING 1200 irons combine the look and feel of a players-style iron with exceptional forgiveness. These sleek irons feature a minimal offset with thin top rail and sharper face radius, machined grooves and back cavity and a soft, 431 stainless steel with hydropearl chrome finish. An elastomer insert behind the face activates at impact for more damping and solid feel, while the thin, fast face delivers more distance and tour-level gapping. Weight savings from the thin face has been redistributed to toe and hosel regions for increased MOI, while the higher lead edge and more bounce improves turf interaction.

Higher lofted options (54 – 60 degree) have been engineered for finesse shots around the green, and have two more grooves than the original Glide. Lower lofted options (46 – 52) are designed for full shots and feature one additional groove compared to original Glide.

The wedges feature a Soft 431 stainless steel heads with hydropearl chrome finish which repels water.

Available in four sole widths: Thin (TS), Standard (SS), Wide (WS) and Eye (ES) and 16 loft/bounce/sole grind option to allow golfers to fit their wedges for typical divot depth and playing conditions.

Available in 3-9, PW, UW.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

37

gear news

www.insidegolf.com.au/gear

Bubba goes bold with Volvik

English to play PING Two-time PGA Tour winner Harris English has signed an agreement to play PING equipment, PING Chairman & CEO John A. Solheim announced last month.

Bubba Watson made history last month, becoming the first player to put a pink-coloured golf ball into play in PGA TOUR history.

Watson, who is no stranger to making bold, colourful choices on the course (he is known for playing a pink PING driver), debuted his colourful Volvik S4 golf ball at last month’s SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, following his signing of a multi-year deal with Volvik to play and endorse the company’s line of extreme performance golf balls.

Unlike many player-manufacturer relationships on the PGA Tour, the Watson/Volvik deal is unique in that Watson initiated the conversation, having seen the balls being used in the World Long Driving Championships.

“For me, at first, the colours Volvik offered in a high-performance golf ball intrigued me,” said Watson. “We are trying to make the game more fun and looking at how we are going to help grow the game. And then in my testing, to find such a high-quality performance golf ball really showed me I was onto something. Once I started hitting the ball and I saw what I could do with it, I became very interested. It did everything I wanted it to do: go high, go low, curve, spin and have distance at the same time. This has worked out very nicely in both the growing the game aspect and in the performance of my own game.”

English, 27, played last month’s Sony Open in Hawaii as PING’s newest PGA Tour staff member, playing PING’s G driver, 3- and 5-woods, iBlade irons, Glide 2.0 wedges and a Cadence TR Ketsch putter.

signing is not only important and extremely exciting for us because it validates our position as world leaders in golf ball innovation at the very highest level, but it is also equally exciting for golf in general as we feel expanding colours onto the PGA TOUR will help grow the game in new and exciting ways and will lead to a new future for the game to have such a charismatic, talented and extremely long hitting ambassador on Team Volvik hitting different colour golf balls on the world’s biggest stage.”

As part of the deal, Watson will play three different colour Volvik golf balls, starting with their pink, pearl blue/white and green versions of their S4 4-piece, 105-compression golf ball.

Watson is among the longest drivers on the PGA TOUR. In 2016, he posted an average drive of 310.6 yards, ranking him 4th in driving distance on the PGA TOUR. Watson is capable of generating ball speed up to 195 MPH, making him the perfect fit for Volvik’s 105-compression S4, one of the few available balls in golf with that high of a compression.

“Bubba Watson is a world-class player and champion of our sport, a top 10 player in the world that has an extraordinary appeal that attracts a huge fan base,” said Volvik USA President Don Shin. “His choice to represent Volvik on the PGA TOUR is the biggest news in our 36-year history of manufacturing and selling golf balls. This

“We had a special new colour of pink made up just for Bubba in our S4 golf ball,” said National Director of Sales and Marketing for Volvik USA Jon Claffey. “It has been USGA approved and is currently in production to bring in to sell to the consumer. The green S4 he has requested should be ready by the Waste Management Phoenix

Open. We are forming a pre-order list for anyone interested in playing the same exact ball that Bubba is playing.”

Watson is joining a professional staff that has had significant success on their respective professional tours. Volvik has experienced more colour golf balls in play on the world’s professional tours than any other manufacturer in the history of golf with over 900 instances of different colour golf balls being put into play with five different colours.

Volvik is one of the most played golf ball manufacturers on the LPGA Tour over the past four seasons. Their staff players have won three LPGA Tour events with different colours, including the first and second ever orange golf ball victories in the history of the LPGA Tour.

Volvik have been in play in 29 different PGA TOUR events by staff player Tim Petrovic over the past three seasons. Petrovic earned a 2nd place finish on the PGA TOUR with a Volvik ball in 2015 at the Puerto Rico Open. Petrovic will continue to play orange and yellow Volvik golf balls on both the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour in 2017.

“We’re very excited to welcome Harris back to the PING team,” Solheim said.

“Our relationship dates back to his junior golf days and throughout his distinguished college career at the University of Georgia. We watched his pro career advance quickly from the Web.com Tour to the PGA Tour, where he won twice as a PING professional.

He has a wonderful all-around game and he’s a proven winner. He’s a great addition to our staff.”

“It feels great to have a PING bag with my name on it again,” said English, a fourtime collegiate All-American who won the 2013 FedEx St. Jude Classic and 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba as a PING pro.

“I’m very excited to be a member of the PING tour staff. I have a lot of comfort and confidence with the clubs in my bag and the people at PING who design and build them for me. Their focus on engineering the highest-performing equipment gives me the best chance to play my best golf.”

As part of a multi-year agreement, English will carry a PING staff bag and play a minimum of 11 PING clubs.

Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not disclosed.

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We chat with

Jose Miraflor > Senior Director of Product Marketing and Creation at Cobra PUMA Golf

Cobra Puma has long been known for their bold and innovative creations on the course. This month, we talk with one of the key people who helps bring the company’s vision to life.

What do you do at Cobra Puma?

I am the ‘conduit of architecture’, so I get to play chess with the innovation guys— stuff that they’re working on and the marketplace—and I get to decide what technologies, what products and what’s the price point. When I first started, just over five years ago, there was a big open gap in the marketing side as well. There was nobody in charge of buying media and working with the press, and doing all that, so I juggled both for a couple of years. We brought over a great marketeer from our UK side and he took over the marketing side. So three years ago—two years into my tenure—I moved down to R&D and I started doing what I was really supposed to be doing, which is working with them in developing and creating new products.

Is that what you love?

I do. I’m not an engineer by trade—I have a marketing degree—but my dad was an

engineer and my mom was an architect, so I have that in me about design. I used to travel to China three times a year to look at how they manufacture stuff, so there’s really not much I don’t know about how to make a product, and so the engineers have been really open to having me with them, because it’s my vision and it’s their design, and together it makes a really good team.

You live in California now...where are you from originally?

I was born in the Philippines, but we moved to California when I was three. So that’s all I’ve really known. I grew up in LA, went to college at Cal State Northridge, got my degree there and went to the San Diego Golf Academy to get into the golf business. I’ve lived in San Diego since 1994.

Where did you work before Cobra Puma?

putters and wedges (and went to the accessory side for three years), then Bob Philion, president of Cobra, called me one day and said, ‘I’ve heard your name a little bit, I’d like to talk to you about coming over and helping us with clubs’. It was awesome, it was a great break.

What’s the best thing about working for Cobra Puma?

What I love about Cobra is the fun nature that we have, the culture is incredible. It’s an entrepreneurial culture where you get to 1_4_final_A.pdf 14/10/2016 PM work and do your own 1thing, but 4:55:42 knowing

I was a green grass pro; I worked at Titleist for three years; I worked for Taylor Made on their club side for seven years in charge of irons,

& T e al es Thin e b ig h r lT o l i sT

that there is this giant company above us, Kering, that has us under their belt. But at the same time we’re a small entity of a fun young company that can drive things by making some of the best products, and not held to be ‘the same’. One of our big mottos is doing things differently. We don’t have to do things the normal way, and we can really think outside the box, so electronics, colour in our golf clubs, one-length. Nobody does these things. We’re still within the confining rules of the USGA, but at the same time, we’re having a good time creating product.

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

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gear

www.insidegolf.com.au/gear

Do you play golf?

Yes, for 33 years. I’ve been as good as a +1, now I’m a 2. I work a lot.

I’m only a 2 now because I’ve been playing a lot of golf doing all this testing. It’s been a great year for testing for me. But I love this game.

Let’s talk about the gear. The clubs that are coming out now, when did you start working on them?

About 18 to 24 months ago.

That must be an odd feeling. Is it a challenge to keep tabs on these new products versus what you’re working on for the next generation of clubs?

Yeah, it’s funny you say that. We’re knee-deep in 2018, and we have 2019 technologies already in the hopper.

When people say, ‘So what’s new this year?’, I have to think right away ‘is he talking 2016, 2017’? I really try not to think 2018, and it’s to the point now where we come up with code names for products so that I don’t actually say the real name by accident when talking to media guys. So it’s a tough thing to do. It’s a tough thing to decide 2018 direction before we’ve sold a single 2017 product. It is really tough, but somehow I keep it straight in my head. It takes me a couple of seconds, I pause, and people think I’m giving this wisdom, but I’m really trying to decide which product I am supposed to be talking about.

During the launch of your latest clubs, you mentioned engineering around sound. How does sound affect club design?

It’s one of the greatest satisfactions when you can get it right. It’s one of the largest hindrances to creating product because sound involves stiffening or managing vibrations as they go through material. When you manage vibration, you usually do it by ribs, or some complicated structure, and that moves weight around. And weight being moved to the centre of the club is detrimental to forgiveness; weight moving to the outside is detrimental to low spin performance. So it’s all intermingled.

I feel sorry for the engineers. I’m asking for it to sound good; I’m asking for it to spin less, I’m asking for it to not twist when a golfer misses it, and they all look at me, and like, “you can’t have it all” [Laughs] So we have

some fun, the dialogue, but in the end we feel like we’ve come out with some good products.

Let’s talk about the new Cobra Connect for a second, the smartphone app that connects wirelessly to a chip in the grip of the club. How can it help a golfer?

If you download the app, there’s a bunch of things you get; one of the coolest things is a report card and a trend for yourself, so you can actually see your trend and how you’re doing.

If you look at my stats, here, [pointing to the app on his phone] you can look at me as a player; it tells me a lot about my trend as to how good a driver of the golf ball I am. It keeps track of all your rounds. So when I’m playing badly, I can see if it’s because of my driver, or because of other parts of my game. This says that I am 62% in my driving game. I get a lot of confidence out of that. If this told me that I miss a lot to the left, then I know to work on that on the range. So this helps you to manage your ability and know what you can deliver. It also tells me I can drive the ball 250 yards every time. That means I don’t have to worry about driving into a bunker that’s 280 yards.

It means that I know I can carry a 230 yard bunker.

Another great thing is that it’s a really complex GPS system. When I came here to Australia, I got to play Kingston Heath and I knew nothing about the course. With this, I can review different parts of the golf course. [Points to the app, and draws a circle from the tee] this tells me, for example, that from the tee, this bunker, to carry it would have been 222 yards.

The other stuff that I like is ‘social’; since I have so many friends using it now. We can brag to each other about where we went. I play with these guys, when you go to a hole and you touch the ‘king of the hill’ button, it shows that Daniel drove it 268, I drove 249 and Jason was 266. You can actually see where you rank on this. There’s a lot of great things in it.

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Finally, what keeps you up at night?

Well, first and foremost, this game that we all love. It’s not the fastest-growing game right now. It’s true that there’s more people coming in, but it is also true that there are a lot of people leaving, and a lot of people on the fringe. So it keeps me up at nights wondering if I can help bring more joy to the game so that more people play. Finding cool stories like one-length irons, or electronics and the club head.

Those don’t all come from me, but my job is to find ways to give good stories, to bring some excitement.

It also helps if Rickie (Fowler), Bryson (DeChambeau) and Lexie (Thompson) all play well, it helps our brand. But you know what really keeps me up at night? I’m 49 now, I’d like to be in golf until I retire, but I’d like golf to be doing well until that retirement. So I think all of us want to share the same thing: we want more people to enjoy this game. •

ONE LENGTH. ONE SWING. MORE CONSISTENCY IN EVERY SWING.

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But if you are looking for more simplicity and consistency in every swing, try the new ONE-Length irons. You will be amazed by what you discover – a simpler, easier way to play.

COBRA. Doing things differently.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

41

COBRAGOLF.COM.AU/KINGF7

game improvement

Take your best shot at KDV Sport T

As the kids hone their skills, they also have a lot of fun and can’t wait to return for more tuition.

HERE comes a time in every golfer’s life when we must decide if we are happy playing mediocre golf or if we want to improve and take our game to the next level.

Based on the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) junior golf performance program, it’s a detailed four-phase program developed for students 5 to 17.

If you chose the latter, then a good starting point is to make contact with Richard Woodhouse, director of golf instruction at KDV Sport Golf Academy at Carrara on the Gold Coast.

The Fundamental Phase is for students 5-8 years, the Play Phase (9-11 years), the Training Phase (914 years) and the High Performance Phase (15-17 years).

Woodhouse is a highly skilled teaching professional, who has picked up a number of important awards in recent years including 2013 and 2015 Queensland PGA coaching professional of the year and 2016 PGA National Teaching Professional of the year.

“The program is designed to take a student through the various training blocks to maximise physical and golfing ability and strives to develop tomorrow’s champions by implementing a worldclass long-term athletic development program,” Mercieca said.

He’s also on the Golf Queensland state coaching panel and is a fitness and nutrition specialist.

Woodhouse enjoys working with weekend golf enthusiasts just as much as he does with professionals so you have all bases covered.

SHORT GAME: Meanwhile, a new addition to KDV Sport Golf Academy is the excellent short-game area.

By combining the skill sets of having expertise in understanding ball-flight parameters and biomechanics of the body, Woodhouse can develop efficient improvement cycles for all golfers.

Everyone knows the importance of the short game and KDV Sport has designed the facility to ensure golfers can practice in a well-constructed, friendly environment.

He can identify and implement improvements that allow students to understand how a properly functioning body allows a player to swing a golf club in the most efficient way possible.

FACILITIES: There’s also a 40-bay driving range, a golf swing analysis and custom club fitting centre, an 18-hole mini-golf circuit with three levels of difficulty, tennis courts, gym, sauna, a heated swimming pool and an all-day bistro.

Remember, a person’s physical limitations can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury.

KDV Sport on Nerang-Broadbeach Road at Carrara is without doubt your one-stop facility and it’s only 10 minutes to the Gold Coast’s golden beaches.

In a short space of time, Richard will have your game on track.

For more information, telephone (07) 5596-0404, email info@kdvsport.com or go to the website www.kdvsport.com

JUNIORS: KDV Sport Golf Academy also caters for juniors and has accredited and highly respected PGA professional and junior development coach Joel Mercieca running the program.

It supports physical growth and development to improve and maximise golfing technique and ability in juniors.

42

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

His name is Richard Woodhouse and he’s here to help your golf game.

KDV Sport has an excellent and fun website. By the way, the guy with the French accent is renowned tennis legend Henri Leconte and he’s a hoot as he walks you through the facility.

instruction

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How to practice to play in golf events David Merriman

Golf Professional, Australian PGA 0412 44 2205

I

t’s the week before the Club Championships. My diary is filling up with bookings of players who want to have a great score for the event. Some people think that a couple of lessons and a little bit of preparation will give them a winning score. However in most cases this does the exact opposite and you go into the event not only thinking about the changes you have made but your preparation has not been long enough for it to become a natural part of your game.

If you want to make minor adjustments these need to be done up to a month before and if you want to make major adjustments this can take 6 to 12 months.

Here are some basic practice routines that will help you achieve a good result without having to work too much on the mechanics.

When you go to the range you should work on good set up, making solid contact with the ball, rhythm and balance (this is the glue that creates consistency in your golf swing), controlling ball flight and focussing on correct practice enabling you to take it from the range to the golf course.

Focus on polishing up your short game by practicing putting, hitting 30-40 foot putts focussing on feel (speed) and them some four or five-foot putts focussing on line and speed. Remember the longer the putt the more you focus on speed, the shorter the putt the more you focus on line. When practicing your chipping learn to perfect your standard “bread and butter” chip shot by focussing on setup, ball position, contact and where your ball lands. Only a small percentage of your practice should focus on a variety of different chip shots. If you are in the bunker mainly focus on taking the same amount of sand

David and Dylan practice for the golf course

If you can’t get to the range every day do a little practice at least 3 or 4 times a week at home or in the office. Even if it is just picking up a golf club and having a swing in the back yard or putting on the carpet. This will help you to familiarise yourself with the golf club.

as well as contact, rhythm and balance. Each day I alternate the clubs I practice with. After the range I practice bunker shots, followed by chipping and finishing off with my putter.

My warm up routine is practicing for the golf course. After my warm up I go to the golf course. When I finish my round I go back to the range and work on any weakness that I have identified during play. This means going back to basics at the range and working through my routine to repair the damage.

When I am preparing to play in a tournament my routine starts with a warm up at the range hitting a number of balls with every second club in my bag right through to my driver. I work on things such as what ball flight will work on the course for the day

If your practice is average, you will become an average player, if you strive for perfection your game will be good, however do be realistic about “perfection”. In other words if you are doing putting drills see how many putts it takes you to get 10 in the hole from

and hitting approximately two inches behind the ball. Vary the length of your swing for the distance you want the ball to go. Practice some different shots but don’t make this your main focus.

five feet and 10 in the hole from 10 feet. With your shots on the range see how long it takes you to get 10 balls inside 15 feet with your wedge. These practice exercise will help to create discipline for the golf course. The better you get at this the better you will play on the golf course.

For a better understanding of these exercises contact your local PGA member or book a lesson with me at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

David Merriman is an Australian PGA Tour Player and Teaching Professional on the Gold Coast. Contact him on 0412 44 22 04.

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Normally $124 Terms & Conditions: • Each coupon is for 2 people, for an 18-hole social round of golf with shared motorised cart at Gailes Golf Club. • Not for play in club competitions. • Bookings essential & subject to availability. Ph: (07) 3271 2333 (please mention the coupon when you book) • Booking times: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Fridays, after 12.30pm subject to availability. • Coupon must be presented to Proshop on the day you arrive to play • Dress Code Applies: Neat golf attire. • Valid from 1/1/2017-31/3/2017 • 24 hours’ notice for cancellations.

Contact GAILES GOLF CLUB on (07) 3271 1045 or email: office@gailesgolf.com.au Gailes Golf Club Inc. 299 Wilruna Street, Wacol, QLD 4076 www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

43

instruction

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Set up for success your spine tilt through to the back of your head.

Allan May 0414 977 121

I

see a lot of people do a lot of practice working on a large variety of methods and practice drills but rarely do I see many golfers work as hard on their set up and stance.

The correct set up helps you keep your balance and also helps in developing a correct swing path, both of which are essentials for good ball striking.

The correct set up has your feet shoulder width apart with your weight evenly distributed on both feet. The knees are only very slightly flexed with the upper body bent over from the hips trying to keep your back straight. If you take a line from your shoulders to your feet, the shoulders should line up with your toes, any more spine tilt than this and it’s very difficult to make a good shoulder turn getting that left shoulder behind the ball at the top of the backswing.

Now you are in position to let your arms hang relaxed from your shoulders so that your left arm is hanging vertically from your shoulder. Relax those arms and let the tension go, and where your hands come together is where you grip the club.

The most common fault I see is when all the above is achieved the golfer then drops the chin onto their chest which really restricts that shoulder turn on your backswing, so get that chin off your chest and try and keep

The grip is a very important part of the set up and probably needs a full article written for it and there are plenty of those around.

The key points for your grip without getting into too much detail are: 1) with your arms hanging relaxed from your shoulders, bring your palms together and then move your right hand below your left 2) let the club sit in between those hands, gripping the club in the lower half palm of your left hand and gripping the club in the fingers of your right hand 3) let the little finger of your right hand sit on top of the index finger of your left hand which gives you a connection between the hands and helps them work together. Don’t over tighten your grip, gripping tighter doesn’t mean more distance. In fact, it probably means less. When you throw a ball you don’t hold the ball tight. In fact, your right hand and arm are quite relaxed so it should be the same when holding the club, just hold the grip so the club doesn’t fly out of your hands and remember that your hands will automatically tighten when you are about to hit the ball.

Ball position is another important part of the correct setup, I like to keep all iron shots about 5cm inside the left heel except for those mid and short wedge shots which should be more centred, with the driver move the ball more towards your left heel.

The hands should be moved forward so they are slightly in front of your club head with all your irons and over the club head with your drivers. Both of these positions help with your attack angles at impact, down with your irons and up with your drivers.

So in getting these fundamentals correct you are now in a position to make a good turn and a balanced follow-through. If you are not sure if your grip and stance are correct, book a lesson and get them checked.

If you don’t start your swing from a good position you are just making the game all that harder for yourself.

Good Golfing ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Allan is a PGA Certified Advanced Level Coach at Thornleigh Golf Centre, Australia’s most modern golf centre. www.thornleighgolfcentre.com.au

Remember: TrackMan is only a measuring device of your swing and athletic potential, I only teach what I believe you can do, this is a very personal thing

Jason Wood

• Hitting indoors certainly has its merits, but my experience tells me that players react, swing and respond differently outdoors when they see the actual ball flight

0406 343 757

J

ust before Christmas one of my regular students turned up for a lesson. As usual the first few minutes were spent with him loosening up with a few wedge shots and me asking him how his practice and course golf had gone since we last got together. To my surprise he said “I’ve had another TrackMan lesson at my local golf club since I last saw you.”

I was a little surprised and taken aback as the previous sessions we had done had all been very successful with the student reaching and exceeding the goals we had set out at the start. My first question was to ask why he had chosen to go somewhere else and the second was to ask how he had played since. His answer to the first question was understandable to a degree but also a little concerning. He said “My club had recently installed a TrackMan and offered me a free session, I thought as I had come for lessons with you on the TrackMan that it would be the same everywhere....” After we discussed that for a moment he then went on to answer the second question in the way I expected, having seen him hit his warm up shots: “I suffered a real downturn in my 44

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

• Just because other facilities have access to or own a TrackMan, doesn’t always mean to say that the instructor/operator you are with can interpret the numbers in a meaningful and productive way • Have a lesson with 5 different TrackMan owners and you may end up working on 5 very different interpretations of that data

performance and play and have become very confused. The session was very confusing and he tried to get me doing things very differently to the way you do.”

working for you and that it concurs with the ball flight we are seeing

At that we point I stopped him hitting for a few moments and discussed my views on the subject, my main bullet points were:

• Remember that TrackMan is “only a measuring device”; it offers no solutions or answers, it simply provides highly accurate radar data broken into different numeric parameters

• When you have lessons with me, I only use the TrackMan to highlight what the initial issues are, and then subsequently to verify that the changes I have made are actually

• When you have golf lessons with me, how I interpret that data is down to my 25 years of knowledge of teaching this game. The changes we make are based on my study

The moral of the story is that now, more than ever, golf is about “Individual Tuition” that is right for you. These days, the number of coaches having a ‘theory’ or ‘method’ are getting smaller by the year. The best coaches would now generally agree that “swings are really just personal style” and that controlling the club’s “Path” and “Face” from downswing delivery to impact and through the exit are our main goals. Having a coach who understands your goals and personal physical ability and is will to work within those parameters is the only way for you to achieve long-term improvement in the game. Simply having a TrackMan lesson is no guarantee that you working with the right coach for your game, but if you are with the right coach it certainly will verify it!

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Creating (and controlling) your movement

A wonderful day was had by all recently at the Blackmores Bayview Bowl.

Richard Nizielski

The tournament is an annual major mixed weekend event held at Bayview Golf Club, Mona Vale. Over the last few years Blackmores have sponsored the event and each year club member Caroline Blackmore sets a fun dress theme to add to the challenge of the day and offers some great prizes. This year it was a beach theme!

www.golffitsolutions.com

E

ssentially, in the golf swing you want the body to do two things – Create the desired movement and control the movement.

The better this can be done, the better the body can reproduce a movement.

Both creating movement and controlling movement requires muscle contraction and muscle sequencing. Just like throwing a ball, there is a preferable recruitment pattern of the muscles involved to create the n optimal outcome.

Research shows the most important aspect of motor learning is engagement in the process whether that is learning to do barbell squats or lift a suitcase into a car.

In essence, every physical task we perform is a skill, yet we take many of them for granted and ultimately end up with a less than optimal movement or worse and injury.

How often at the gym do we see people bending from the waist to pick up a dumbbell putting their back at risk, then doing the exercise with poor form and no control all the time believing they are getting fit.

For me, movement is firstly rehearsed in the mind then expressed through the muscles.

Every golf coach will tell you to see the shape and type of shot you want to execute in your mind before addressing the ball. Why should any other movement be different?

Being present, in the movement and connected to the task at hand is essential to learning a skill and improving. Every single rep of every single movement needs to be performed with purpose and presence.

golf? As you swing the club an immense amount of forces act on the body, which if you don’t have efficient movement patterns and body control, will ultimately disrupt the end result (i.e. where the ball goes).

Developing kinaesthetic awareness (knowing how we move and control movement) is a great way to understand, where we do and do not have control of our muscular system.

Whatever the activity you are doing, every once and awhile take a moment to feel what exactly the movement is, how the body responds (if the body needs to counter balance, weight shift, muscle activation etc.) and whether there is need for refinement.

A simple exercise is to stand with your eyes closed. Feel if you’re swaying, where the weight goes to in your feet and how you maintain stability. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

When you have successfully experienced what you feel through your senses on two feet, lift one foot (knee to hip height). Get the kinaesthetic awareness of that position, then hold a small dumbbell in one hand (out in front of you, out to the side, overhead) and feel, how that affects your physical control and kinaesthetic awareness.

How do these ‘simple’ tasks relate to your

Upcoming Annual Events DUNTRYLEAGUE ORANGE

F.o.o.D. WEEk PLATE ToURNAmENT 3-5 April 2017

The F.O.O.D. Week Plate provides an ideal opportunity for all male and female golfers with an official handicap to play at one of Orange’s great golf courses. It is a fantastic time to come and visit Australia’s Colour City and leading cool climate wine region, during Orange F.O.O.D. Week 2017.

The 54 hole indiviual stableford tournament is limited to 180 players. Entry fees are great value at $160 per person which includes all green fees and competition fees, $5,000 worth of prizes, 3 course presentation dinner extravaganza with champagne on arrival.

Accommodation is also available at Duntryleague’s Historic Mansion.

• Monday 3 April – All day individual stableford • Tuesday 4 April – All day individual stableford • Wednesday 5 April – All day individual stableford and Presentation dinner

DUNTRYLEAGUE SENioRS CUP

NSW Golf SeNior order of Merit tourNaMeNt 36 HoleS SCratCH/StaBleford 11-12 MAY 2017 • Open to Female and Male Competitors • 18 & 36 Hole Events • Great Prizes • Both Days: $70

• 55 years of age and over • Nearest to Pins • Entry Fees: 1 Day $40

Only 3½ hours from Sydney Ph: (02) 6362 3466

www.duntryleague.com.au

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Blackmores Bayview Bowl hits the beach

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Richard Nizielski is a Brisbane-based golf fitness expert and the Director of Golf Fit Solutions. A three-time Olympian and medallist in the sport of short track speed skating, Richard is a qualified sports and personal trainer designing individual fitness and nutrition programs for both professional and amateur golfers here in Australia and overseas. www.golffitsolutions.com

The club decided to make this event open to visitors and friends from other clubs, and with 130 players, lunch, a DJ a dance off for the best dressed and lots of laughs on and off the course it was a great day for everyone. Congratulations to the 2016 winners Rob & Carol McLeod, who edged out three other couples on a countback.

Sponsors of the day included major sponsor Blackmores together with Col Crawford BMW, Terrey Hills Par-3, Travel Compass & Crazy Golf Deals; who offered up prizes like a five-day trip to Hamilton Island and $200 worth of airfares, a chance to drive a BMW for a weekend and many fun prizes for the best dressed.

The event will be back bigger and better this year. The club is going to have more FUNDAY SUNDAYS in 2017 where members will be able to invite friends for a mixed game of golf and lunch for $40pp.

More: 02 99993786, or visit www.bayviewgolfclub.com.au

2017 BRISBANE INVITATIONAL 21-22 February

The best are coming to Brisbane

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SENIOR Amateur WRAP With Denis Dale ed@insidegolf.com.au

2017 another great year for Australia’s senior golfers 2016 was a great golfing year but the more exciting news is the fantastic calendar of events and courses available for Australia’s senior amateur golfers in 2017. Many of Australia’s Top 100 courses are included, providing Australian senior golfers with the enviable task of choosing just which great course and event they will play.

The Australian Senior Ranking Competition Now entering its twelfth year the Australian Senior Ranking competition provides toplevel golf for seniors who are ready to travel across the country to compete at the highest level. Beginning in 2006 when it was called the Australian Senior Order of Merit, the Ranking System in 2017 will include 17 events across every state and territory.

Who can play in National Ranking Events?

You need to be 55 years or older on the first day of the event being played. While some of the events have handicap restrictions there are others without any handicap limit. All entry forms contain this information.

The Australian Senior Amateur, the Royal Melbourne Classic, the National Masters and the NSW Senior Classic are very popular and a handicap ballot may be required. The best policy is to enter and wait to see if a ballot is needed.

Entry in the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship is open to any senior golfer who has played at least one ranking event during the preceding 12 months.

How does the Ranking Points System work?

The Golf Australia website has full details on the Senior Ranking System. While each senior ranking event stands alone with prizes awarded in both scratch, age and handicap divisions ranking points are awarded to all players at the conclusion of the tournament.

The number of competitors from inside the Top 20 on the Senior Ranking Table is used to calculate a tournament rating. A higher rating event means a higher number of points. The highest rated event is the Australian Senior Amateur with an automatic Level 6 rating with other events achieving a level 2, 3, 4 or 5.

A table of ranking positions and points is available on the AUSOOM website (www.ausoom.com).

When are the Ranking Points used?

At different times during the year various national senior teams are selected using the Golf Australia Rolling 12 Months points table as a basis for this selection.

At the end of each ranking year Golf Australia medals are awarded to those seniors in the top three positions in the overall scratch, the over 65 section and in the handicap competition Using a rolling 12-month table ensures selection is based on performance over the previous year. As events are played, the old event drops off e.g. points gained in the 2016 Australian Senior Amateur Championship will remain current until replaced when the 2017 Australian Senior Amateur Championship is played.

Royal Melbourne – number one course in Australia and home of the Royal Melbourne Senior Classic.

A 12-man Golf Australia Senior team will be selected for a match against the Australian Defence Forces Golf Association in March. Selection in the team is based on current rankings although any senior who represented in the previous Sanctuary Cove or Asia Pacific teams is ineligible. This policy ensures at least 24 seniors are rewarded with major team selection each year.

How do I enter a National Ranking event?

A 12-man Australian Senior team will be selected to play New Zealand in July 2017 for the Sanctuary Cove Trophy. The match will be played at Sanctuary Cove Golf Club.

Although many of Australia’s best senior golfers will be competing you do not have to be a low marker to play and enjoy the competition and the friendships that will soon be made. If you have thought about playing in one or more of these senior events then why not make 2017 the year to put the plan into action.

A six-man team to represent Australia in the 2017 Asia Pacific Championships will be selected after the 2017 Victorian Senior Amateur Championship in September.

Entry forms are always available on the AUSOOM website (www.ausoom.com) and can also be found on Golf Australia and various state golf organisations’ websites.

Portarlington golf club www.portarlingtongolf.com.au

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130 Hood road, portarlington, Victoria clubhouse: (03) 5259 2492 www.portarlingtongolf.com.au 48

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Colebee (Stonecutters Ridge Golf Estate) 9 Savannah Street 4 bed | 2.5 bath | 2 garage 42sq house | 525.3m2 land

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What events are on in 2017?

May

The National Ranking year runs from November to October, meaning the first two events for the 2017 year have already been played.

The 2017 ACT Senior Championship was played in November on three courses – Queanbeyan, Gungahlin Lakes and Federal (87 in Australia).

In a close finish Newcastle senior Russell Bunn recorded his first senior ranking event win with a narrow victory over Ken Brewer (NSW).

November also saw the playing of the 2016 Tasmanian Senior Masters. This is a new event on the calendar and in 2016 was played at Royal Hobart Golf Club.

The inaugural winner was Queenslander Steve Toyne who easily accounted for the field winning by five strokes. Second place went to West Australian visitor Mark Gatty.

January The 2017 Royal Melbourne Senior Classic was played in January using each of Royal Melbourne’s famous layouts, the West Course (number 1 in Australia), the East Course (7) and the world renowned Composite Course.

This was the fifth playing of the event and as could be expected the opportunity to play these three layouts, coupled with the outstanding organisation of the tournament, attracts quality golfers from across Australia and New Zealand.

A ballot was needed to reduce the large list of entries and a handicap of 5.6 was the cut off number. The winner was not known at press time but a full report will be in next month’s issue and is currently available on the AUSOOM website.

February The 2017 New Zealand Senior Amateur Championship will be played at the Ohope course from February 9-11. An increasing number of Australian golfers are making the trip over the ditch to play this national championship and this year close to twenty Australians have entered. Current Australian senior champion Kym Olsen will lead the Aussie charge and it is time we won the title.

March Each year, a 12-man Golf Australia Senior Team contests a match against the Australian Defence Forces team. This year The National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula will again host the event that begins on March 20.

The event will be played on the Ocean Course (rated 38) over two days, with foursomes and four-ball matches on day one, and singles matches on day two. Last year the ADFGA Team recorded a narrow 13.5 – 10.5 win over the Golf Australia team.

Bathurst Golf Cub – site of the 2017 NSW Senior Amateur Championship.

This event is a must do for those who get the opportunity to play as the ADF guys are a great bunch of our finest Aussies. The competition is keen with both teams looking for victory but it also a great opportunity for senior golfers to share some time and stories with our defence force personnel.

The end of the month sees the 2017 NSW Senior Amateur being played for the first time at Bathurst Golf Club.

A break until another very popular event, the 2017 NSW Senior Classic from May 15-17.

The event is played over three outstanding courses - The Lakes Golf Club (rated number 16 in Australia) and the venue for the 2011 and 2012 Australian Opens, The Australian Golf Club (12) and the host club for the 2014 and 2015 Australian Open and the beautiful tree lined Avondale (65) on Sydney’s north shore.

This is always a popular event and a strong field of low handicap players is ensured. The 2016 championship saw a tie for first place with Stefan Albinski and Gordon Claney sharing the honours. Denis Dale finished in third place.

This tournament always attracts a great field and 2017 is once again expected to attract a high quality field of local, interstate and overseas players.

April Early April sees the first of the events that make up the “West Australian double” with the playing of the 2017 Royal Perth Senior Open from April 2-3.

The defending champion is West Australian Dennis Warburton who defeated Neville Delane and John Banting by one stroke in an exciting finish.

A few a days later and the 2017 West Australian Senior Championship is played at Wanneroo Golf Cub from April 5-7.

In 2016 the winner was local star golfer Paul Chappell who had a six-stroke winning margin over Australia’s top ranked senior golfer Greg Rhodes. John Banting finished in third place.

Avondale Golf Club – one of three wonderful courses used for the 2016 NSW Senior Classic.

Our Facebook fans won over $10,000 of prizes in 2016, including drivers, woods, irons, event tickets, laser rangefinders, shoes and more!

Time to head north and visit the top end for the 2017 Northern Territory Senior Amateur Championship. The venue is not yet confirmed at time of writing but the dates will be May 25 to May 28. This event is played in conjunction with the Northern Territory Amateur Championship that always attracts many of the country’s best younger amateur players.

A great opportunity to visit the top-end, see some of our future champions and also compete in a 72-hole national senior ranking event on a very good golf course.

Queensland senior Steve Toyne had a comfortable win in 2016 defeating Peter Hannah by nine stokes. West Australian Mark Gatty finished third.

June

Played at same time as the West Australian title is the 2017 National Senior Masters from April 4-6. Golf doesn’t get any better than a round of each of the three courses at The National Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

After three very successful years as host of the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship the Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club will again host this national championship in 2017. The event will be played from June 19-22.

The event will again be very popular event as it is played over all three of The National’s championship courses - The Moonah (number 11 in Australia), The Old (10) and The Ocean (38).

This is the only match-play event on the national senior circuit and as it carries a national title and many ranking points most of Australia’s top senior golfers are expected to add this event to their 2017 golfing calendar.

In 2016 a top-class field was entered for this championship and the winner was Victorian champion Gordon Claney. He defeated New Zealand’s Michael Barltrop in the final.

Victorian Ian Frost is the defending champion who won in a play off from local member Simon Bracegirdle. In a star packed leaderboard Bracegirdle (69-75) held a slim lead over Gordon Claney (78-67), Tony Briers (74-72) and Ian Frost (75-70) with one round remaining.

Be part of Inside Golf’s community of vocal and loyal readers! Share your opinions on anything related to golf via our Facebook page.

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In a sure to be popular move the NSW Senior Foursome Championship is being played the day before the championship starts. An excellent start to a great week of golf.

The defending champion is NSW senior Stefan Albinski who completed a fantastic record with his victory. Albinski has now won every state and territory championship in a stellar career.

He will be one of the favourites again.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

In a nail biting playoff Frost edged our Bracegirdle with Stefan Albinski finishing two shots away in third place.

The National Masters will be played using all three courses in 2017.

All who play in this tournament appreciate both the magnificent courses and the outstanding tournament organisation and hospitality. This is one tournament not to miss.

Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf Club – venue for the 2017 Australian Senior Matchplay Championship. www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

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strokes. Queenslander Mario La Chiusa finished a stroke further away in third place.

Following on from the Gold Coast is the 2017 Queensland Senior Amateur Championship to be played at the Carbrook Golf Club from July 24-26. Carbrook is a beautiful course located midway between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

Kooyonga Golf Club – venue for the 2016 Australian Senior Amateur Championship.

July A busy month and it begins with the annual Australia vs New Zealand event for the Sanctuary Cove Trophy. This tournament rotates between each country and in 2017 will be played at the Sanctuary Cove Golf Club in Queensland.

Once again a 12-man team of Australians will be playing the Kiwis in this Ryder Cup format competition. The Kiwis have now established a clear lead having won seven of the ten years this event has been played.

In 2017 a strong team will be representing Australia with team captain Denis Dale confident of winning back the trophy.

July is the month for the “Queensland Double” beginning with the 2017 Gold Coast Senior Classic starting on July 19. This event is currently scheduled for three outstanding courses – Royal Pines, The Glades and Hope Island but the venues are to be confirmed.

The recently redeveloped Royal Pines Golf Club (90 in Australia) was the host of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Australian PGA Championship.

Not to be over shadowed are The Glades and Hope Island. The Glades is always in immaculate condition and is currently rated at number 51 in the Top 100 courses list while Hope Island sits at number 37.

The defending champion from 2016 is Victorian Gordon Claney who defeated Queensland Senior Warren Colefax by five

Victorian senior Kym Olsen is the defending Queensland Seniors champion after his victory at Bribie Island Golf Club in 2016. Olsen proved too strong for the Barltrop brothers from New Zealand, Michael and Rodney, who finished in second and third place.

August August 31-September 1 are the dates for the 36 hole 2017 Grange/Kooyonga Senior Classic played on two of Adelaide’s best courses. The will again be split over two courses – Kooyonga (rated 26) and Grange (East course rated at 44 and the West at 47).

Last year Greg Rhodes continued his great form with another comfortable victory. His total of 147 gave him a ten-stroke winning margin over New South Wakes golfers Graham Beasley and Lester Peterson.

September Beginning two days after The Grange/ Kooyonga tournament is the 2017 South Australian Senior Amateur Championship beginning on September 4. The venue is the Tanunda Pines Golf Course, site of the 2011 Australian Senior Championship.

Tanunda Pines Golf Club – host of the 2017 South Australian Seniors.

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Victorian Greg Rhodes continued on his winning ways with victory in 2016. He completely dominated the field, winning by ten strokes at Victor Harbor Golf Club. NSW senior David Gleeson and Queenslander Steve Toyne finished together in second place.

Following one week after the South Australian title golfers will journey to Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance Gold Clubs for the playing of the 2017 Victorian Senior Amateur Championship beginning on September 11.

The winner in 2016 was Greg Rhodes at Coomealla Golf Club. Using his local knowledge to great effect, Rhodes won by four strokes from a gallant Martin Minogue from West Australia. Queenslander Steve Toyne was his usual consistent self and finished in third place.

Royal Adelaide will host this year’s Asia Pacific Senior Championship.

October also sees the playing of the 2017 Asia Pacific Senior Amateur Championship. This year the championship is being played at Royal Adelaide Golf Club from October 18-20.

Australia is the reigning team champions and Greg Rhodes is the reigning individual champion after a dominant performance by the Australians in the Philippines in 2016.

With the event being played in Australia there is sure to be a great field.

November

Royal Hobart Golf Club – venue for the new Tasmanian Senior Masters.

October The 2017 Australian Senior Amateur Championship is to be played in Tasmania at the Royal Hobart Gold Club . This is the most prestigious event for the year and as usual most of Australia’s top level senior amateur golfers will line up for a chance to take home the title.

The 2016 Australian Senior champion was Victorian Kym Olsen who finished an impressive debut year in the senior ranks with the victory. Olsen played magnificent golf in the final round and his two-under-par 70 gave him victory by four strokes over Canadian visitor David Schultz with Greg Rhodes another five strokes away in third place.

The new 2017-18 Australian Senior Ranking year begins with the 2017 ACT Seniors Championship to be played November 6-8 at three of Canberra’s best courses and the list is likely to include Queanbeyan, Gold Creek and Federal Golf Clubs.

The 2017 Tasmanian Senior Championship has a new date and will be held from November 15-17 at Mowbray Golf Club.

The following week the 2017 Tasmanian Senior Masters will be again played at Royal Hobart Golf Club starting on November 24.

Overall a great year of golf on some of the best courses in the country.

Federal Golf Club – a venue for the 2017 ACT Senior Amateur Championship.

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golf queensland Qld Golf Foundation supports RACV Gold Coast Challenge

Start swinging with iGolf

The ALPG is pleased to announce the Qld Golf Foundation as the 2017 RACV Gold Coast Challenge Charity Partner.

The Qld Golf Foundation, the fundraising arm of Golf Queensland, works to increase the number of people playing golf in Queensland through implementing new programs and initiatives for children, women and in clubs. With the support of the ALPG and the RACV Gold Coast Challenge, the Qld Golf Foundation will be able to provide even more opportunity for people in Queensland to play our great game.

RACV Gold Coast Challenge Tournament Director, Lee Harrington said it was an honour to be connected with such a worthwhile cause.

“I’m proud to announce the RACV Gold Coast Challenge association with the Qld Golf Foundation as our charity partner for 2017,” Mrs Harrington said.

“The Qld Golf Foundation does a wonderful job in improving participation and development of golf in Queensland. We hope our partnership will help attract increased funding and raise awareness of the good work they carry out.”

Louise Corrigan of the Qld Golf Foundation said she was delighted with the announcement of the RACV Gold Coast Challenge partnership with the Foundation.

“The Qld Golf Foundation is privileged to be the official charity partner of the RACV Gold Coast Challenge,” Mrs Corrigan said.

“We rely heavily on the support of the golfing community to continue our work increasing participation that will help grow and secure the future of golf in Queensland. This is the perfect partnership to help us raise awareness of the Foundation within our key market.”

The 2017 RACV Gold Coat Challenge will be played from 2nd to 4th February at RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast.

Visit www.alpg.com.au/gcc for more details.

Butterworth and Edgar win Titleist 2 Day Classic

C

hristian Butterworth (Noosa) and Lisa Edgar (Surfers Paradise) have won the 2017 Titleist 2 Day Summer Classic, played at Mt Coolum Golf Club An outstanding field of 106 players teed it up for the first of three 2 Day Classics of 2017.

Butterworth claimed the Boy’s title with rounds of 71-78 for a 36-hole total of 149. The Noosa member was able to maintain his overnight lead edging out runner-up Bailey Knoll by four-shots after Knoll suffered late double bogeys on the 14th and 17th to fall nine-shots from his previous 72 round.

In the Girl’s division, Lisa Edgar (Surfers Paradise) fired a closing one-under 71 to fend off Sarah Wilson (Maroochy River) by threestrokes. Edgar held a one-shot buffer heading into the final 18 holes with

consecutive birdies on 15, 16, and 17 securing the title, while Wilson produced consistent 75-75 rounds to claim runner-up.

In the division 2 section, Teeran Kannan (Redcliffe) won the boy’s title with rounds of 83-85 while Emily Martin (Burleigh) was victorious in the girl’s division carding rounds of 90-87. Isaak Jensen (Yeppoon) won the boy’s division 3 by four-shots with consistent 89-89 rounds.

The 9 hole event was won by Lily Saba with a 18 hole score of 85 and Yutaro Matsushita with a score of 80.

The next Titleist 2 Day Classic will be held at Pelican Waters Golf Club from 6-7 April 2017. The event is open to 9 and 18 hole members of Junior Golf Queensland with this year’s events announced as Greg Norman Junior Masters qualifiers.

More: www.golfqueensland.org.au

If you’re ready to step up from being a casual player, but you’re not quite ready to join a golf club, iGolf is the perfect pathway.

Whether you’re burning to play competitively or you simply love playing the game, Golf Queensland’s iGolf program provides an easy introduction to playing competitively, whilst giving you the opportunity to meet like-minded golf lovers through access and invitations to exciting events.

You’ll also get a chance to sample some of the benefits of membership at a selection of great golf clubs.

Golf is not just about sport!

It provides the community with opportunities to learn key core life skills including honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgement.

The iGolf program is designed to do just that, engaging with the casual golfer and increasing participation of the wonderful sport throughout Queensland.

The program provides a bridge for casual golfers by increasing the frequency of play, an easy start to competitive play.

If you’ve always wanted to play, but just never had the money, iGolf Queensland is a costeffective pathway that keeps you involved in the sport even when your budget is a little bit stretched.

The major driver for golfers actively participating in clubs these days is relaxation, health benefits, intrinsic satisfaction of play and opportunity for socialisation, with most of them more important than competition.

As a virtual club, iGolf Queensland will increase casual golfer’s participation, improve their experience while encouraging an active healthy lifestyle and engaging with other like-minded golfers.

No matter what age you are or your golfing ability, everyone can enjoy the game of golf and reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle.

For more information visit www.igolfqld.com.au

Qld Men’s & Women’s Foursomes Championship 26 March 2017 Wynnum Golf Club The Qld Men’s & Women’s Foursomes Championship is played over 36 holes of stroke play, in Foursome format. The Championship is open to pairs of male amateur golfers (whose combined GA handicaps, when halved, do not exceed 18) and female amateur golfers. www.facebook.com/GolfQueensland

www.golfqueensland.org.au T: (07) 3252 8155 52

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

@GolfQueensland

golf new south wales

Bermagui greenkeeper grabs award

Mr Stuart Fraser, CEO of Golf NSW and Mr Michael Coffey, President of the Liverpool Catholic Club shake hands after announcing that the NSW Men’s Senior Open Golf Championship will be played at Thurgoona Country Club Resort for the next three years.

Men’s Senior Open bound for Thurgoona

G

olf NSW and the PGA of Australia have announced that a new event on the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour will be introduced in 2017, the NSW Men’s Senior Open Golf Championship.

The 54–hole tournament, which will be held at Thurgoona Country Club & Resort for the next three years, will be played from 1-4 November 2017 and will boast a minimum prize purse of $100,000.

“Golf NSW is thrilled to provide the opportunity for golfers aged over 50 to compete in a Championship against some of the legends of Australian professional golf for what will be a much sought-after State title,” Golf NSW CEO, Mr Stuart Fraser said.

“We look forward to working closely with the Liverpool Catholic Club over the next three years to develop the Championship into an event which both the players and spectators will enjoy,” Mr Fraser added.

The event will be aiming to draw players the calibre of Rodger Davis, Peter Fowler, Mike Harwood and Peter O’Malley, all former PGA Tour of Australasia winners, as well as many of Australia’s finest senior amateur golfers.

PGA of Australia’s General Manager, Tournament Division, Mr Simon Butterly was excited to be working with Golf NSW in creating this new event.

“The PGA congratulates Golf NSW on its decision to

introduce the NSW Senior Open Championship, and for this to form an integral part of the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour from November next year,” said Mr Butterly.

“To have our professionals play for such a title with such a lucrative prize purse, and to compete against the nation’s elite amateurs will certainly be a great spectacle.”

A tournament of this stature would not be possible without a golf course of the standard of Thurgoona Country Club Resort or the support of the resort owners, the Liverpool Catholic Club, its President, Michael Coffey, General Manager, John Turnbull, and the Club’s Board of Directors.

The Peter Thomson-designed course is a true championship test and is maintained in a meticulous condition. The layout has some wonderful golf holes which have been recently enhanced through a major investment in a new irrigation system.

“We’re delighted to work with Golf NSW and the PGA to showcase what a fabulous facility we have here at Thurgoona,” Mr Coffey said.

“We believe that our course will present a real challenge for the players, and we look forward to the Championship becoming a successful event over the ensuing years, one that will draw visitors to the wonderful Albury region,” he added.

JT Turf representative John Purtell presents Jake Needs of Bermagui Country Club with his Vince Church Graduate of the Year Award.

B

ermagui Country Club Greenkeeper Jake Needs has been awarded the NSW Golf Course Superintendents Association (NSWGCSA) annual Vince Church Graduate of the Year Award at a presentation at Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club on December 5th.

Needs was endorsed by his TAFE College in the ACT. He was one of four finalists vying for the prestigious award from TAFE Colleges across NSW, including Ryde, Kurri and Yallah.

All four candidates were interviewed by a panel of the Association’s Directors with Needs awarded the award in a very even contest.

“TAFE Colleges across NSW only endorse their top graduates,” Malcolm Harris, Education Officer for the NSWGCSA said.

“The award is held in incredibly high regard. It looks good on a resume, and it will open doors when applying for jobs.”

“It sets an apprentice like Jake up for a great career in the industry,” Mr Harris added.

As part of his prize, Jake will receive a trip to the United States to attend the 2017 Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Florida this month, which is hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. While there, he will get to visit several world renown golf courses and to learn about some of the golf industry’s best practices.

Jake will now go on to represent NSW at the Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association Graduate of the Year Award during the organisation’s annual conference on the Sunshine Coast in June 2017.

ENTRIES ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2017 NSW MEN’S SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

TEST YOUR SKILLS ON ONE OF INLAND NSW FINEST COURSES FOR THOSE AGED 55 AND OVER

WHEN: WHERE: ENTRIES CLOSE: HANDICAP LIMIT:

March 28th – 30th, 2017 Bathurst Golf Club March 12th, 2017 15.4

For more information and to enter online, go to www.golfnsw.org/events

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

53

19th hole

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Whadda ya reckon, Laz?

Driving can be fatal HOW often have you heard golfers moan: “Why can’t these golf carts go any fasters?

I can walk faster than this.”

Larry Canning

Well, many golf clubs purposely slow down their fleet of golf carts for a reason.

ed@insidegolf.com.au

I hope I don’t sound predictable but I thought I’d have another crack at some prophecies for 2017. This time last year amidst my rants and raves, I foresaw a victory in the British Open for one of my favourite players, Henrik Stenson. I know what you’re thinking – A major win for the big guy was about as easy to forecast as me not winning one but at the risk of self flagellation it wasn’t a bad effort to choose the Open over the other three... if I don’t say so myself.

In the wrong hands, golf carts with a bit of zip can be dangerous – even deadly.

With my confidence at an all-time high, I’m throwing some more “I Reckon” predictions out there for 2017.

Late last year, a young man died when he fell from a golf cart on the Gold Coast.

We have heard too many stories of accidents involving carts on golf courses.

Inside Golf has heard stories of golf carts driven into trees, rolling or ending up in lakes.

But when a person is struck by a golf cart or falls from a golf cart it can be fatal.

It might be okay to open your shoulders when driving a golf ball, but when in charge of a golf cart – drive safely.

We saw Tiger Woods showing snippets of form at the Hero World Challenge last December but a blitzkrieg of dropped shots kept him on the second page of the leaderboard. That’s another way of saying he came second-last in a field of 18.

From all reports after the tournament, he appeared to have all the parts of his troublesome body still where they should be. And as we all know, there have been elements of Tiger’s

The quick nine quiz THERE are 22 stableford points up for grabs on the front nine.

How many can you get?

with David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

1. Where was Aaron Baddeley born – Australia, America, New Zealand or Singapore? (3 pts) 2. In which Australian state will you find Lakelands Country Club? (3 pts) 3. Which Australasian lost an 18-hole playoff to Tom Watson in the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie? Was it Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Jack Newton or Greg Norman? (3 pts) 4. What is the first name of former Masters and US Open champion Fuzzy Zoeller? Is it Frank, Fred, Fabrizio or Frazier? (3 pts) 5. Can you solve the following anagram – All modern rap? Clue: He passed away in 2016.

(2 pts) 6. What nationality is world number 18 Suzann Pettersen? (2 pts) 7. True or false: Donald Trump owns Scotland’s Turnberry the course where Greg Norman won his first major in 1986. (1pt) 8. When preparing to make a stroke, a player accidently causes the ball to move. What is the ruling? (2 pts) 9. In a long career, Argentinean Roberto de Vicenzo won 215 tournaments including one major. Which major did he win? (3 pts) ANSWERS: (1). America; (2). West Australia; (3). Jack Newton; (4). Frank; (5). Arnold Palmer; (6). Norwegian; (7). True; (8). Replace the ball without penalty; (9) Open Championship.

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

anatomy that have caused all kinds of concern for him over recent years. I’m going out on a “Limb” and stating, I reckon he’s going to have a win in 2017.

the greens will be fast - whatever it takes to kick their a…”.

I reckon an American will win on the PGA Tour that has two initials on the start of his name and the “lll” on the end.

Ashley Hall has always been a good player but in a magical couple of weeks last November stepped his game up to new heights. He also instantly became one of my favourite players when he admitted he was about to take on a new job on the eve of the Aussie Open – What was that new job? “I have no idea!” he replied.

After proving his Australian Open performance was no fluke by nearly wining the PGA a couple of weeks later I reckon he will win something big this year.

Bubba Watson will go another year without receiving a Facebook friend request.

Lydia Ko will break the record for being the youngest player to break every record.

I also like a Presidents Cup win for the Americans in 2017. With Trump’s pre-election commitment to banish just about anyone to America outside of… well, Americans... I just can’t see how the International team can find 12 Russian Tour Players up to the task.

I reckon someone will be interviewed on TV holding the lead after the third round and say “I just need to trust my swing and have fun out there tomorrow.”

There will be a huge scandal later in the year when Bernhard Langer is exposed as being not actually real. A German scientist will publically announce that his former friend and 10-time American Senior Tour Money List winner is actually one of many 27-year-old clones the Langer camp use. Doctor Bunsenburner stores the DNA in a hidden underground laboratory in Liechtenstein and swaps a Bernhard clone over whenever one of the others appears to be developing the putting yips.

After Jason Day wins the British Open it’s discovered he is the third major winner in a row to use a putter with a red grip. The R&A decide it’s in the best interests of the game to ban red putter grips.

Golf’s most tortured superstar, Sergio Garcia finally wins his first major, the Masters. He decides to end the pain on a good note, retires and uses his claw putting grip to become the world’s greatest flamenco guitarist.

The USGA go overboard again while setting up the course for their country’s U.S. Open Championship. In fact, the scores are that bad, nobody actually makes the cut. Upon further investigation it’s revealed the president of the USGA is a practicing Satanic High Priest and has convinced all the committee to have monthly meetings where they run around a camp-fire naked while chanting “rough will be long and

I will work out how to use Instagram.

Finally I reckon with the help of my about to arrive new Cleveland RX3 wedges I can break 80 in 2017. After all, my long game is perfect.

Allenby not that bad PLAYERS on the Web.com Tour usually shoot low numbers, but the opposite happened when the tour started with the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at the Emerald Reef Course in January.

In the first round, Aussie Robert Allenby carded a nine-over par 81, but that wasn’t too bad.

Former US PGA Tour player Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe signed for an 89 and a number of players failed to break 90 including American Bryan Bigley (90), Englishman Greg Eason (91) and Byron Smith (95).

Garcia to tie the knot SPANIARD Sergio Garcia will walk down the aisle this year.

In a Twitter message, the 36-year-old announced that he and Angela Akins would tie the knot.

The culprit?

The 65-kilometre per hour wind was apparently to blame.

When darkness stopped play, American Kyle Thompson was the clubhouse leader at four-over par.

There you go. Next time you shoot 10- or 20-over your handicap don’t feel too bad.

Akins played college golf at the University of Texas and is a former Golf Channel reporter.

It’s not the first time Garcia, ranked 13th in the world, has been in high-profile relationships as he once dated Greg Norman’s daughter Morgan-Leigh.

19th hole

www.insidegolf.com.au/19thhole

The Shark on cricket GREG Norman’s playing career might be over, but he is never far from the spotlight.

Recently, the Shark’s name came up during Fox Sports cricket commentary between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Cape Town.

Australian-born cricketer and South African resident Mike Haysman, who in 1985-86 was chosen for the rebel Australian tour of South Africa, was in the commentary box with former South African great Shaun Pollock when Norman’s name came up.

The pair were comparing their golf games when Haysman said, “Polly, did you know that Greg Norman went from a 27 handicapper to scratch in 18 months?”

“That’s quite amazing – must have had a good coach,” Pollock replied.

Charlie Earp will be proud.

What the…?

TELL me it isn’t true.

Did you hear about the politically correct country golf club?

They no longer refer to their golfers as having handicaps.

Instead, they are “stroke challenged”.

Six of the best for Toini Norman

Winner versus loser THIS was unsolicited but we thought we’d share it with you.

WHILE on the subject of the Shark, Greg Norman’s mum Toini hit her sixth hole-inone when she aced the 110-metre sixth hole at Pelican Waters Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.

The hole may be short, but it’s no pushover.

Golfers have to hit over water to a green that is protected by water and bunkers on the on the left.

Winner says ‘let me do it for you’.

Loser says ‘it’s not my job’.

inner sees a green near every sand W trap.

inner says ‘it may be difficult but it is W possible’.

L oser sees two or three traps near every green.

Crossword > 1

2

3

4

Norman’s parents Merv and Toini are huge supporters of golf, particularly junior golf, in Queensland.

In the past 15 years, the Normans have the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour annual presentation dinner and corporate golf day where they are paired with a number of juniors.

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We won’t tell you how old Toini is but Greg turns 62 this month.

For the record, Greg Norman designed the golf courses at Pelican Waters.

L oser says ‘it may be possible but it’s too difficult’.

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15

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“The Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour covers all generations,” said founder and president Graeme Miller.

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25 27

28 29

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ACROSS

DOWN

1 Acts as a substitute (5,2)

1 Bands of colour (7)

5 Australian Open winner in 2014 and 2016 (6)

2 Winner of the 2016 Franklin Templeton Shootout with Matt Kuchar, Harris _______ (7)

10 Pleasantly mischievous person (5) 11 Settled in a new place (9) 12 Financial reward for winning a tournament (5,5) 13 The tapered projecting part where the shaft of the club joins the head (4) 15 A series of rounds used to determine which golfers can join the PGA Tour, Qualifying ______ (6) 17 Winner of the 2016 Hong Kong Open, Sam _____ (6) 19 Winner of the 2015 US PGA Championship, Jason ___ (3) 20 Nickname of Craig Parry (6) 22 Winner of the 2014 Valspar Championship, John ______ (6) 27 Implement used to keep a bunker in good order (4) 28 Welsh pro who will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017 (3,7) 30 Australian winner of the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit (5,4) 31 Values (5) 32 Come back (6)

3 Winner of the US Open in 1996 (5,5) 4 Of little breadth or width (6) 6 Speed at which a ball travels across a green (4) 7 Limit (7) 8 Winner of the 2016 Hero World Challenge, ______ Matsuyama (6) 9 Aussie, Robert, who won the 2009 Australian PGA Championship (7) 14 Track on which horses compete (10) 16 Metal container in the hole on a golf green (3) 18 NZ winner of the 2015 Greenbrier Classic, Danny ___ (3) 19 Held up due to lightning perhaps (7) 21 Country Club that was the host of the 2016 US Open (7) 23 Small eating area sometimes found in a motel room (7) 24 A rival or opponent who cannot be beaten (7) 25 Aussie winner of the 2016 Maybank Championship Malaysia, Marcus ______ (6)

33 Devices used to grass a fairway, say (7)

26 Jesper Parnevik and Henrik Stenson, for example (6)

Answers: page 60

29 High-profile player (4) www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

55

calendar

Top ladies to tee up at McLeod McLeod Country Golf Club, at Mt Ommaney in Brisbane’s west, will play host to 55 of the world’s and Australia’s up and coming women pro golfers at the Brisbane Invitational on 21st and 22nd February.

Players from the USA, Norway, Canada, France and Germany have accepted the challenge to try and break the course record set by Stacey Keating at last year’s event.

“Attracting quality players from around the world to our shores gives the Brisbane public a great opportunity to witness the talent of our Australian women players and overseas visitors and McLeod is delighted to once again be hosting the only Ladies’ Pro Am in Brisbane,” said Carolyn Mcilvenny, the Club President.

“We are hoping that many golfers from around South East Queensland will take the opportunity to participate in the event and join in the excitement of seeing these magnificent players in action”, said Mrs McIlvenny.

The golf course at McLeod is 5347m in length, and is the only course in the world designed as a championship women’s course, with no two holes playing the same. Every hole offers a different challenge and the course uses the whole bag of clubs.

While McLeod Country Golf Club is unique, having been founded by women some 48 years ago, it has grown and prospered through inclusion of all levels of membership, female, male and juniors.

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February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

www.insidegolf.com.au/events

GOLF NSW FEBRUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS Golf NSW Events

Handiskins

When: Various Where: Various Info: www.handiskins.com.au Handiskins the ultimate game of skins for club golfers. Handiskins is a five-qualifyinground stableford competition.

A player’s best three rounds count towards their final score.

Players don’t have to play all five qualifying rounds if their scores are good enough.

The top four players with the best scores at the end of the qualifying rounds go into the ‘skins’ format final and have the opportunity to play for $1,200 in club or pro shop vouchers.

UPCOMING HANDISKINS EVENTS: Everglades Country Club Dunban Road, Woy Woy NSW 2256 3rd Qualifying Round 1st February 2017 4th Qualifying Round 8th February 2017 5th Qualifying Round 15th February 2017 Final 1st March 2017 Balgowlah Golf Club Sydney Road, Balgowlah NSW 2093 1st Qualifying Round 18th February 2017 2nd Qualifying Round 25th February 2017 3rd Qualifying Round 18th March 2017 4th Qualifying Round 25th March 2017 5th Qualifying Round 1st April 2017 Final 9th April 2017 Southport Golf Club Slatyer Avenue, Southport QLD 4215 1st Qualifying Round 25th February 2017 2nd Qualifying Round 4th March 2017 3rd Qualifying Round 11th March 2017 4th Qualifying Round 18th March 2017 5th Qualifying Round 25th March 2017 Final 1st April 2017

Date 01-03 Feb 01-03 Feb 06-Feb

Event Men's NSW Amateur Championship (Match Play) Women's NSW Amateur Championship (Match Play) Women's NSW Champion of Champions

Venue Terrey Hills G&CC Terrey Hills G&CC Manly GC

Men’s Vardon Events Date 04-Feb 04-Feb 11-Feb 18-Feb

NSW Cup South Creek Cup Camden Lakeside Cup Concord Cup

Event

Venue New South Wales GC Dunheved GC Lakeside GC, Camden Concord GC

Event

Venue Northern Beaches Clubs New South Wales GC Elanora CC

Women’s Jean Derrin Events Date 13-17 Feb 20-Feb 27-Feb

Barrenjoey Week of Golf Women's Silver Cup The Elanora Salver

Men’s Senior Order of Merit Events Date 03-Feb 13-Feb

Wollongong Seniors Concord Seniors

Event

Venue Wollongong GC Concord GC

Men’s Senior Order of Merit Events Date 12-Feb 12-Feb 19-Feb 19-Feb 24-Feb 26-Feb 26-Feb

Event Srixon Men's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 1 Srixon Women's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 1 Srixon Men's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 2 Srixon Women's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 2 Golf NSW Metropolitan Grade Competition - Round 1 Srixon Men's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 3 Srixon Women's Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 3

Venue Various Various Various Various Various Various Various

For information on any of the above events, or for a full list of fixtures go to: www.golfnsw.org

COMING SENIOR AMATEUR EVENTS

February 2-3 Surfcoast Seniors (VIC) February 6 South Lakes Seniors (SA) February 9-11 New Zealand Seniors – Ohope GC February 13 Concord Seniors (NSW) February 14-15 Kooringal Seniors (VIC) February 23-24 Gardiner’s Run Seniors (VIC) February 27-28 Cranbourne Seniors (VIC) February 27 Blackwood Seniors (SA) * Part of the Australian Senior Ranking System

your voice

www.facebook.com/insidegolf

This month’s winner!

This month’s Prize: 1 dozen Volvik S4 Tour balls, plus Volvik Tour cap

Discrimination - when 7 isn’t 7

Regarding the letter from Rosalind (When 7 isn’t 7, Letters, November), she notes, that women are provided less access to the golf course compared to men for the same membership paid. The ‘55’ membership she mentioned, allowed her to choose which day of the week she would be denied access, so as either a 6 or 7 day member she was expected to pay for a day when she wouldn’t receive access to the course.

This is the problem with golf clubs, they have not kept ‘up to date’ with modern practice and many are offering varying membership benefits, depending on gender, which appear to be in contravention of the federal Equal Opportunity Act of 2010. What golf clubs should be offering is a ‘gender neutral’ membership. 7 day membership is just that: an ability to play the course 7 days a week, regardless of whether the member is male or female.

Women and men can go to any other service provider and they ‘get what they paid for’. This is not so at many golf clubs throughout the country; men get what they pay for and women get some of what they have paid for.

I recently attended several VCAT mediation sessions to help bring about a more ‘up to date’ attitude regarding the policy making at my golf club. Another issue raised at my club was that Men’s championships were held on the weekend, whilst Women’s championships at my club were, and at most other golf clubs still are, played mid-week. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for working women and school girls to participate in the biggest event on the golf club calendar. Again, as a result of mediation, Women’s Championships at my club are now being transitioned to weekends.

As most golf clubs operate under similar policies to Rosalind’s and, until recently, mine; could this be why there is such a scant number of women under 40 and young girls playing golf?

Recently a male member of my club (who is a past member of the Board of Directors and who I have never met), rang me to congratulate me on seeing the mediation through to an acceptable agreement. He told me his granddaughter plays golf, and she is very excited and proud that women’s rights are finally being addressed at golf clubs. He told me his whole family was proud of what had been achieved through mediation. Young girls feeling valued and equal is a key initiative golf clubs need to focus on, if they are to have any chance of tapping into this demographic as a viable membership source.

Melinda Scott Editor’s note: Thanks Melinda. I expressed this same thought about “Gender Neutral” memberships in a recent article: Closing the Gender (membership) gap. Check it out on our website.

Closing the Gender (membership) gap We read with pleasure your article in the last edition regarding the above subject and thought you might be interested to know that Lane Cove Golf Club recently opened up their men’s and ladies day competitions to both genders, which has been well received.

Your informative magazine is well read by our members who eagerly await each edition.

Kent Lipman, Club Manager Lane Cove Golf Club

No women?

Really?

Have just got off the phone to (a NSW club) to book a round of golf in the Wednesday Competition. I was wanting to play the course and book a cart and take my wife with me for company. Everything was OK until I said my wife would accompany me in the cart just to fill in time but not play golf. The reply was that ‘females are not allowed on the course on this day’. As I was going to pay over $140 for the privilege of playing on their course I think their attitude was over the top. Having played golf all over Australia for over 66 years I cannot believe this type of reaction. This is why golf has now become an elitist game in some circles and is declining in other areas.

Barry Cooper Dubbo NSW

Closing the gap = success!

I thought I would share the positive story out of Settlers Run with relation to the golfing gender mix here.

The Club is relatively new, being only 9 years old. I’m not sure if the original idea was to have mixed golf or not but it’s definitely the case now. The Club doesn’t have any gender issues nor do we have any gender-based golf days of the week.

All members are included in the daily competitions and mix well while playing the course. The only separation in gender is the Medal days and Club Championships.

However, all players are on course together during these matches.

We have worked on the principal of all members having equal playing rights.

Whether they are a senior, intermediate or junior and all are encouraged to mix with the club. This also helps, of course, with the social side of the Club.

There has been a substantial rise in the Club’s membership in the past 12 months in all categories having already signed up 115 new members since April and the strongest Food and Beverage year the club has seen in the 9 years of operation. We attribute the success to the inclusion of all members be it male, female or junior in the Club’s golfing activities and a welcoming Clubhouse environment.

Tim Hanton General Manager Settlers Run

Distribution and Sales phone Yamaha-Motor Australia Pty Ltd on (02) 9827 7500 wayne.trefoni@yamaha-motor.com.au www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

57

demo dates PING

Location

Ph: (02) 9524 8233 or visit www.ping.com Day Date Time

Queensland Nudgee Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 03 10am - 2pm Royal Queensland ° ** Saturday February 04 10am - 2pm February 07 10am - 2pm Indooroopilly Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday Victoria Park Driving Range ◊ * Tuesday February 07 5 - 7.30pm Mcleod Country Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 08 12 - 4pm HOG Coffs Harbour ◊ * Wednesday February 08 3 - 6.30pm Coffs Harbour Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 09 9am - 1pm House of Golf Bundall ◊ * Friday February 10 2 - 5pm Noosa Golf Club ° Tuesday February 14 9.30am - 12pm Caloundra Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 14 1.30 - 4pm Oxley Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 15 10am - 3pm Headland Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 16 12 - 3pm Sanctuary Cove ◊ ** Thursday February 16 1 - 5pm Hope Island ° Friday February 17 1 - 5pm Maroochy River Golf Club ° Friday February 17 2 - 5pm Bribie Island Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 22 10.30am - 2.30pm Golf Central ◊ * Thursday February 23 3 - 7pm Pacific Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 24 12 - 4pm Palm Meadows Driving Range ° Friday February 24 1 - 5pm New South Wales Castle Hill Country Club ◊ * Wednesday February 01 9am - 1pm Avondale Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 02 8.30am - 12pm Windsor Country Club ◊ * Friday February 03 10am - 3pm Bayview Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 04 8am - 12pm Pymble Golf Club ◊ * Monday February 06 8am - 3pm Pennant Hills Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 07 8am - 2pm 4.30 - 7.30pm The Ridge Golf Course and Range ◊ * Tuesday February 07 Royal Sydney Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 08 9am - 3pm Concord Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 09 12 - 5pm February 10 12 - 5pm Muirfield Golf Club ◊ * Friday Queanbeyan ◊ * Monday February 13 1 - 5pm Royal Canberra ◊ * Tuesday February 14 9am - 1pm February 15 9am - 1pm Yowani ◊ * Wednesday Petes ◊ * Thursday February 16 4 - 7pm Federal ◊ * Thursday February 16 8am - 12pm Cabramatta Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 17 1 - 5pm Springwood Country Club ◊ * Monday February 20 9am - 1pm Bonnie Doon Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 21 9am - 2pm Cumberland Country Club ◊ * Wednesday February 22 1 - 5pm The Lakes Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 23 9am - 3pm Oatlands Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 24 1 - 5pm Maitland Golf Club ◊ * Monday February 27 11 - 4pm Moore Park ◊ * Tuesday February 28 4 - 7pm Victoria Melbourne Golf Academy ° Wednesday February 01 4 - 7pm The House of Golf - Mentone ◊ * Wednesday February 08 10am - 5pm February 09 10am - 1pm Victoria Golf Club ◊ * Thursday Yarra Bend Driving Range ° Thursday February 09 4 - 7pm Kew Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 10 10am - 3pm February 14 1 - 5pm Kooringal Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday Riversdale Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 15 9am - 3pm Green Acres Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 16 1 - 5pm National Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 17 9am - 2pm South Australia Mount Compass Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 17 9am - 12pm February 21 11am - 2pm Glenelg Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday South Lakes Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 25 10am - 12.30pm

MIZUNO

Location

New South Wales / ACT Barnwell Park GC * Killara GC * ** Helensburg Driving Range * Oatlands GC * Thornleigh Golf Centre * Roseville GC * Ryde Parramatta GC * Goulburn GC * Royal Sydney GC * Drummond Golf - North Mead * The Lakes GC * ** Moore Park Driving Range * Bayview GC * Oatlands GC * Roseville GC * Bayview GC * Queensland Royal Queensland Victoria Park Ballina Bonville Carbrook Palm Meadows Emerald GC Rockhampton GC Victoria Black Bull GC Morack GC * Northern GC * ** HOG Ringwood * Cranbourne GC * ** Sunshine GC * Centenary Park GC * Kingston Heath GC * ** Western Australia Capel Wembley Sea View Mandurah Country Club Marangaroo South Australia Murray Bridge GC Tasmania Launceston GC Bryce Gorham GC Royal Hobart GC Tasmania GC Ulverstone GC Devonport GC

mizuno.com.au

Day

Date Time

Friday Monday Thursday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Wednesday Thursday Friday Tuesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday

February 13 February 16 February 19 February 13 February 14 February 15 February 16 February 17 February 22 February 23 February 24 February 28 March 03 May 15 May 17 June 02

12 - 5pm 3 - 7pm 2 - 7pm 1 - 5pm 4 - 7pm 8am - 1pm 11am - 3pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 3pm 4 - 7pm 12.30 - 4pm 4 - 7pm 2 - 6pm 1 - 5pm 8am - 1pm 2 - 6pm

Saturday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Wednesday Friday Sunday Tuesday

February 04 February 07 February 08 February 09 February 15 February 24 February 26 February 28

11am - 1pm 5.30 - 7.30pm 2 - 5pm 12 - 3pm 10am - 1pm 2 - 5pm 8.30-10.30am + 3-6pm 9am - 12pm

Wednesday Thursday Friday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Tuesday Wednesday

February 01 February 09 February 10 February 14 February 15 February 17 February 21 February 22

9am - 3pm 3 - 7pm 10am - 3pm 10am - 5pm 10am - 2pm 12 - 5pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm

Thursday Saturday Monday Wednesday Friday

February 02 February 04 February 13 February 15 February 17

10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 12 - 4pm 10am - 2pm 1 - 5pm

Friday

February 10 11am - 3pm

Saturday Sunday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday

February 18 February 19 February 21 February 22 February 23 February 23

8am - 1pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 8.30am - 12.30pm 1 - 5pm

* Appointment Only. ** Members Only. °Ping Demo day. ◊ Ping Fitting. » TaylorMade Demo Day. † TaylorMade Fitting. √ Wilson Staff Fitting Day. ≠ Wilson Staff Demo Day. ¥ Amer Sports Fitting Day. » Amer SportDemo Day. Dates subject to change without notice. It is recommended that you contact venue before attending.

58

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

COBRA PUMA Location

New South Wales Australian Golf Club Stonecutters Ridge Links Shell Cove South West Rocks Golf Club Camden Lakeside Drummond Golf Penrith Victoria Melbourne Golf Academy Mansfield Golf Club Queensland Drummond Golf Underwood Victoria Park Complex Golf Central Brisbane Palm Meadows GC Western Australia Drummond Cannington – In store Capel Golf Club Fremantle Public Golf Course

WILSON STAFF Location

cobragolf.com.au

Day Date Time

Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Friday Friday Thursday

February 01 February 08 February 08 February 10 February 17 February 23

9.30am - 1.30pm 9.30am - 1pm 10am - 2pm 9am - 1pm 11am - 2.30pm 5 - 8pm

Wednesday Wednesday

February 01 February 08

4 - 7pm 10am - 3pm

Thursday Tuesday Thursday Friday

February 09 February 21 February 23 February 24

2 - 5pm 5.30 - 7.30pm 3 - 7pm 1 - 4pm

Thursday Thursday Friday

February 09 February 23 February 24

4 - 7pm 10am - 1pm 2 - 5pm

www.wilson.com/en-au/golf/ | (03) 8586 6600 Day

New South Wales Drummond Golf Northmead » Thursday The Ridge Golf Club Driving Range ¥ Wednesday Victoria Tirhatuan Lakes Golf Club ¥ Tuesday Phillip Island Golf Club ¥ ** Friday Flinders Golf Club » ** Thursday South Australia Regency Park Golf Club ¥ Wednesday Western Australia Hillview Golf Club ¥ Friday

CALLAWAY

Location

Date Time

February 16 February 22

4 - 7pm 4 - 7pm

February 07 February 17 February 23

10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm

February 15

10am - 2.30pm

February 17

12 - 4pm

www.callawaygolf.com.au | callawaygolf.com/demo-days

New South Wales / ACT Canterbury Golf Course √ The Australian Golf Club √ ** Thornleigh Golf Centre √ Drummond Golf Northmead ≠ Belconnen Golf Club √ Asquith Golf Club √ Maitland Golf Club √ Queanbeyan Golf Club √ Drummond Golf Fyshwick ≠ Newcastle Golf Club √ ** Coffs Harbour Driving Range ≠ Merewether Golf Club √ Cumberland Golf Club √ / ≠ * Bonville International Golf Resort ≠ Waratah Golf Club √ ** Nelson Bay Golf Club √ Carnarvon Golf Club (Odyssey Short Game Event) Killara Golf Course √ / ≠ ** * The Vintage Golf Club √ Liverpool Golf Club √ / ≠ * Drummond Golf Gosford √ Moore Park Golf House ≠ Pymble Golf Club √ ** Queensland Gailes Golf Club ≠ Golf World Virginia The House Of Golf Bundall √ Victoria Park Golf Complex ≠ The Brisbane Golf Club ≠ Southport Golf Club ≠ Links Hope Island ≠ Toowoomba Golf Club ≠ Tasmania The Launceston Golf Club √ Devonport Golf Club ≠ * Victoria The Black Bull Golf Club (Epic Launch event) Midlands Golf Club √ Commonwealth Golf Club ≠ Golf City Driving Range (Epic Launch event) The Metropolitan Golf Club √ ** Leongatha Golf Club √ Horsham Golf Club √ * Yering Meadows Golf Club (Epic Launch event) Yarra Yarra Golf Club √ ** Yarra Bend Golf Club (Epic Launch event) Victoria Golf Club √ ** Werribee Park Golf Club (Epic Launch event) Keysborough Golf Club √ ** * Green Acres Golf Club (Epic Launch event) Drummond Golf Kew (Epic Launch event) Growling Frog Golf Course (Epic Launch event) Drummond Golf Preston (Epic Launch event) Royal Melbourne Golf Club √ ** * Eastwood Golf Club (Epic Launch event) ≠ Heidelberg Golf Club ≠ Thirteenth Beach Golf Links √ Western Australia Whaleback Golf Course Carramar Golf Club Collier Park Golf Course Wanneroo Golf Club

Day

Date Time

Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Wednesday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Monday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Monday

February 01 February 02 February 02 February 02 February 03 February 06 February 07 February 07 February 08 February 08 February 08 February 09 February 09 February 10 February 10 February 13 February 14 February 14 February 15 February 16 February 16 February 16 February 20

11am - 3pm 9am - 1pm 3 - 7pm 4 - 7pm 11am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 12 - 4pm 1 - 5pm 3 - 6pm 8am - 12pm 3 - 7pm 1 - 5pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 12pm 12 - 4pm 10am - 5pm 7am - 12pm 1 - 5pm 8am - 12pm 9am - 1pm 2 - 6pm 4 - 7pm 8am - 2pm

Wednesday Thursday Friday Tuesday Wednesday Friday Friday Wednesday

February 01 February 02 February 03 February 14 February 15 February 17 February 17 February 22

9am - 1pm 2 - 4pm 1 - 5pm 5.30 - 7.30pm 10am - 1pm 9am - 12pm 2 - 5pm 9am - 12pm

Wednesday Thursday

February 01 2 - 6pm February 02 10am - 2pm

Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Friday Saturday Wednesday Thursday Wednesday Friday Saturday

February 01 February 02 February 02 February 02 February 03 February 04 February 05 February 08 February 08 February 08 February 09 February 09 February 10 February 10 February 10 February 11 February 15 February 16 February 22 February 24 February 25

9am - 12pm 9am - 12pm 10am - 2pm 3 - 7pm 10am - 2pm 12.30 - 4pm 9am - 1pm 10am - 1pm 10am - 2pm 4 - 7pm 10am - 1pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 11am - 3pm 4 - 7pm 10am - 2m 12 - 4pm 10am - 2pm 10.30am - 2.30pm 2 - 7pm 9am - 2pm

Friday Saturday Friday Wednesday

February 03 February 11 February 17 February 22

3 - 7pm 10am - 2pm 9am - 1pm 10am - 2pm

golf directory

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Discount not available with any other promotions, reservations need to be made direct to the resort on (07) 5538 7666.

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MoSS Vale Golf club iS a

Golfer’s Paradise

Receive expert tuition in all facets of the game, while staying on course at the beautiful Dormie House.

Package Includes: • 3 Nights accommodation • 3 Dinners • Professional Tuition

SUMMER Golf PaCkaGE $250 per night for 2 people includes daily: Breakfast, Accommodation, $50 credit towards dinner, 18 holes*

• 3 Buffet Breakfasts • Morning tea & Lunch on two days

Dates: 22nd – 25th February 2017, 8th – 11th March 2017

*Offer based on 2 persons per room in a standard room. Minimum 2 night stay, mid-week only.

Valid 1st December 2016 to 28th February 2017.

For bookings at these exclusive rates quote Inside Golf

Cost: $699 p/p twin share, $799 single

Ph: (02) 4868 1800 www.dormiehouse.com.au

Bookings through Dormie House phone: (02) 4868 1800

For advertising call 1300 465 300

*Group sizes are limited to 8 people

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

59

golf directory

GOLF CLOTHING FACTORY OUTLET PRESENT THIS ADVERT AND

SPEND $200 for $40 DOLLARS Off or SPEND $400 for $100 DOLLARS Off Valid till 28 february 2017

NEW ARRIVALS

- Nancy Lopez - Jo fit - Greg Norman - Dwyers Shorts - Sporte

UP TO 70% Off RRP* Tops Brands include: Calvin Klein Golf – Green Lamb – Dwyers & Co Cross – Hollas – Greg Norman – Nancy Lopez Callaway – Travis Mathew & more With a large and changing range of Men’s & Women’s Golf Polos, Pants, Shorts, Skirts, Skorts, Capris, Knitwear, Wet Weather gear & accessories etc you are sure to find something to enhance your game!

INSTORE SHOPPING ONLY

Trading 7 days a week ~ Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm, Closed Public Holidays

176 BOUNDARY ROAD, BRAESIDE VIC 3195 | (03) 9588 1779

www.golfclothingfactoryoutlet.com.au

QUALITY GOLF CLOTHING AT BARGAIN PRICES Need new batteries?

IS YOUR GOLF CART SLOWING DOWN?

OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO INCREASE THE LIFE OF YOUR BATTERIES?

Don’t replace them, restore them with the Battery Reviver > Cleans the damaging sulphure build up on the lead plates. > Restores the voltage of the batteries. > Restores the sulphuric acid strength. > Restores the performance of the batteries.

Want to triple the life of your good batteries?

Increase the life of your batteries by up to three times by eliminating the main reasons the batteries fail, SULPHATION. If you eliminate the main reason your batteries fail, it must increase the life of your batteries.

30 DAY SATISFACTION GUARANTEE OR YOUR MONEY BACK Patent # 7374839

InsideGolf

AustrAliA’s Most reAd Golf MAGAzine

If your golf club needs more copIes of AustrAlIA’s most reAd golf mAgAzIne then pleAse cAll InsIde golf on 1300 465 300

www.insidegolf.com.au Saturday Golf & Breakfast Online Special Tee off on our South Course between 6.20 & 7.30am on a Saturday for 13 holes golf & then relax in our air conditioned club house with a

18 holes of golf followed by a hot meat pie and a cold pot of beer

$30 per player

Bacon & Egg Burger & Hot Drink

$30 per player

For more information, pricing and to order

Phone 1300 852 433 or visit our website

www.batteryreviver.com.au

AS SEEN ON TV: Find-A-Ball golf glasses

The Find-a-Ball glasses come complete with a moulded, zip up case that can clip onto your bag and a cleaning cloth.

For more information, cost or to order visit our website www.golfscene.com.au or call us on 1300 852 433.

Find-a-Ball glasses are designed to block out the majority of light, creating a clever way of locating your white or yellow balls easily. The specially tinted, UV coated lenses filter out foliage and grass, enabling the ball to stand out.

Offers only available online. Visit our bookings site

www.nudgee.miclub.com.au/cms/public-bookings/

Crossword Answers S T R I P E S

4 NIGHTS ACCOM. 5 NIGHTS ACCOM.

60

$485

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

P/P Twin Share Conditions apply

4 Rounds of golf + Carts Breakfast each day FROM

FROM

3 Rounds of golf + Carts Breakfast each day

$555

P/P Twin Share Conditions apply

F R A S E R

T E N O G L R I S C H U P O A A K M C O N E T

For advertising call 1300 465 300

P S T U E V Z E J O O N P E S E S T T A U R

I N A R R M O W L D Y E L I A Y H E D N

A E L L N E N B A Y S N W E N D E S

S P A O C E Y R R A C S E C O O U R S E E

I E X A T R N E M Z E N D I S N E A T T D E

T H I E D E C K I L E E N E A M E E S I R S

golf directory

Benalla Golf Club

pp $215 From share n twi week mid

Three Day / Two Night Golf Package Includes: Unlimited golf, two nights accommodation, breakfast each morning, 2 x evening meals (vouchers up to the value of $20) • Fully Irrigated Greens & Fairways • Full Bar & Bistro Facilities • Abundant Wildlife including Kangaroos

www.benallagolfclub.com.au (03) 5762 1920 | benagolf@bigpond.net.au

For nine and 18 holes - $18 weekdays - $22 weekends and public holidays*

BEERWAH GOLF CLUB All golfers stay for

$50 per night including cooked breakfast (twin share) week days only ...minimum group of 10.

Rounds of golf not included

At the base of the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains…

Play • Horizons • Kooindah Waters (Wyong) • Pacific Dunes • Cypress Lakes • Nelson Bay • Tanilba Bay • Hawks Nest • The Vintage • Newcastle • Muree Golf Club

*SPECIAL*

4 nights accommodation with cooked breakfast (twin share), 4 games golf/carts, (playing Horizons, Nelson Bay, Muree and Tanilba Bay) All for $400 per person

Other packages available upOn request

• Timeless Tuesday - Unlimited* Golf for ONLY $25 • Golf Equipment for Hire & Sale • Fully Licensed Clubhouse • Social Clubs & Corporate Days • No JoiNiNg Fees

Visitors pay only $25 to play in our competitions (Wed, Sat & Sun)

More social playing times now on a Monday & Thursday

For reservations or additional information call Christine or Mike on

47 Meredith Ave, Lemon Tree Passage, NSW 2319 Email: lemontreepassagemotel@idl.net.au

admin@beerwahgolfclub.com.au www.beerwahgolfclub.com.au

Phone (02) 4982 3300

www.lemontreemotel.com.au

Ph: (07) 5494 0630 Golf Shop (07) 5494 6611

SINGLE LENGTH IRONS NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA Is this you?

• Wish all your irons were as easy to hit as your 7 iron?

• Despair when hitting longer irons?

• Frustrated with lack of consistency in your iron play?

• Longing for an easier way to play the game?

JOIN THE MOVE TO MILFORD SINGLE LENGTH IRONS

Biondi Crescent, Beerwah (only 20 minutes from the Coast)

Clearwater Noosa PW - 4 iron stainless steel shafts $499 PW - 4 iron graphite shafts $549

Benefits of Milford single-length irons?

• Simplicity • Comfort • Consistency • Confidence • Success • Enjoyment

- all irons equal in length, weight and lie-angle - same set-up, stance, ball position and swing - single swing plane and tempo - through consistent ball striking The R&A has ruled - more accurate shots that these clubs - greater success = more enjoyment conform to the rules of golf IT’S TIME TO START ENJOYING YOUR GOLF MORE

Your choice of resort and club courses.

• Noosa Springs • Twin Waters • Club Pelican • Coolum Golf & Spa • Mt Coolum • Noosa Golf Club • Maroochy River • Headland • Caloundra • Peregian Springs Some conditions apply

For more information on Milford single length irons, including pricing of additional L, S and A wedges, please contact Fred Stewart on 0412 563 977, at fred@milfordgolf.com.au or Milford Golf on Facebook.

SIMPLE SYSTEM THAT WORKS For advertising call 1300 465 300

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2017

61

golf directory

3 Great Courses and a Great Place to Stay in Orange

Golf & Accommodation from only $70 per day

The Original Golf Package Specialist in Orange 2 Night Accommodation and 2 Rounds of Golf (Duntryleague and Wentworth)

Port Stephens Golfing Holidays

$

210

pp twin share

There is nothing like golfing in the high country of Orange only 3 hours drive from Sydney.

Orange has three wonderful courses where visitors are most welcome. All courses are minutes from Melview Greens which is a chip away from Wentworth Golf Course and owned by a keen golfing family. All apartments are fully appointed with undercover parking at the door.

9 16 Golf courses including Horizons, Nelson Bay, Newcastle, Muree, Tanilba, Cypress Lakes, Pacific Dunes, The Vintage, by boat to Hawks Nest & others 9 Play any day & with any number of people 9 Golf & accommodation from a choice of motels, hotels, units & resorts

www.facebook.com/golfpsgh

T: 02 4984 9618 | M: 0428 820 477 | info@psgh.com.au | www.psgh.com.au

“Once you have stayed you’ll come back again”

Packages

To suit your individual needs

52

$

MELVIEW GREENS

Phone 02 6362 0955 Studio & Family Apartments, Ploughmans Lane Orange NSW 2800 www.melviewgreens.com.au

TRUEMANS COTTAGES

*

18 HOLES

On our championship course.

Includes Twin Share electric cart hire and lunch.

p/person

1 NiGHt PACKAGE DEALs

125

$

*

p/person

To book accomm call 02 6680 2222

• 1 night’s accommodation in twin share or double room • Continental Breakfast • 18 holes of Golf with shared electric cart at Ocean Shores Golf Club

BLUE MARKER CHALLENGE Played last Friday of each month.

Play to your handicap or better & receive a dozen Pro V’s.

Only 30 minutes south of Coolangatta and 15 minutes north of Byron Bay *Conditions apply

Mornington Peninsula In the heart of Mornington Peninsula golf country, 3 spacious self contained houses accommodating groups of 2-12 people with Foxtel, Wifi and BBQ areas. Golf Packages tailored to suit.

Stay 7 nights play 5 rounds

from

$650p/p

Choose from: The Dunes, Moonah Links, St Andrews, Portsea, Cape Schanck, Flinders, Sorrento or Rosebud CC.

P: (03) 5988 6540 | M: 0419 365 142 | www.truemanscottage.com.au

Read Inside Golf FREE on iPads

AUs tRA liA’ s Issue 139 // FEBRUA www.i RY nsidEg olF.co 2017 m.AU

Plus, our unique Golf Map is updated each month with links to reviews and information about all courses featured in both the main magazine and Inside Golf Travel.

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The Pow er an The Pass ion d

If you love your monthly fix of Inside Golf, but can’t always get your copy before they’re all snapped up, then we’ve got some great news: our new and improved Inside Golf Digital iPad app is now available on the App Store... and it’s absolutely FREE. Now, not only can you view current and back issues of your favourite golf magazine for free every month, but our new app includes the latest and breaking news across a variety of categories, tips and instruction, gear reviews, quizzes, puzzles, social media and more.

Mos t-R ead

> GEA R GALOR

the late E greates t gea st and r fro m the u.s. >

GOLF TRAVEL

LIFT-OU the coa sts withT the mos t:

great golf the gol on nsw sou d coa and sapp th coa st, hire coa st st

FREE

Download it today from the App store (search Inside Golf Magazine), or scan the QR Code. Alternately, get the link from our website or at http://goo.gl/ZAXaFD

http://goo.gl/ZAXaFD 62

February 2017 | www.insidegolf.com.au

For advertising call 1300 465 300

32*

$

Visitors

GOLF FACTORY PENRITH 269 High St, Penrith (near Officeworks) (02) 4722 8640 - Mail Order - 6 ½ Days info@penrithgolffactory.com.au

Callaway Apex Irons (7) Easy to use model Forged Heads 6, 7, 8, 9, Pitching, Gap and Sand Wedges XP True Temper 95 R300 Regular Flex Shafts Wedge Lofts 45°, 50°, 55°

TaylorMade RSi 1 3 Iron

$129

17° Loft 39.5” Long Driving Iron Specifications Regular or Stiff Steel Shaft

OVERSIZE HEAD

$100

Right or Left Hand

$599

Precept Balls

Laddie Mens Model Individually Boxed

$25

$15 DOZEN

$84

Individually Boxed - White

$99

FOR 72 BALLS

TaylorMade Sldr Fairway Woods

15° - 3 19° - 5 Adjustable +/- 1.5° Mens Right Hand Only Regular Flex Only Includes Cover

$159 $239

$59

(All Matching) 64º or 62º Flop (Std Bounce) 60º or 58º Lob (Low or Std Bounce) Ea 56º or 54º Sand (Low or Std Bounce) 52º or 50º Gap (Std Bounce) Dynamic Gold 48º or 46º Pitching (Std Bounce) Wedge Flex Only

Mid Cavity 4 - PW (7 Irons) KBS Tour V 110 Stiff Flex Shafts Superceded Models

Right Hand Only

Callaway Hybrids XR - 2015 5 - 25º Regular 3 - 19º Regular + Stiff

$1050

$699

Cloudy (not see through) GPS $349 Phone Pocket 14 Full Length Dividers Oversize Putter Holder Waterproof Bag Coverall Cooler Pocket Variety of Colours Navy/Red, Black/Charcoal, Black/Blue & Black

$199

$22

Left Hand 3 - 19º Regular

dozen

Individually Boxed - White

Srixon Z H45 Hybrid (Right Hand)

$189 Includes Cover

Yellow Ball Sale (Superceded Models) Srixon Soft Feel Durable Cover Individually Boxed

$20 DOZ

Callaway Hex Chrome 3 Piece Soft Compression Urethane Cover

$23 DOZ

Srixon Z-Star 3 Piece Tour Quality Urethane Cover

$36 DOZ

16º - 2 19º - 3 22º - 4 Kurokage Shaft

$269

$149 Includes Cover

TaylorMade Small Tour Bag Vinyl not Nylon

$399

$249

Ping G30 Driver

Pinnacle Balls

Mens Right Hand

Distance Mens or Ladies Models Individually Boxed (144)

Adjustable

CURRENT Model

$26

Callaway Graphite XR Irons 5 - PW (6) Regular Flex Graphite Right or Left Hand

(02) 4647 8542 - Mail Order - 7 Days

10.5º Loft

Srixon Q-Star Balls

Individually Boxed White Only

Narellan Supa Centre, Narellan Rd

Regular Flex

Huge reduction due to cloudy pocket

Regular Flex

Left Hand Only Cleveland RTX 2.0 Tour Satin Wedges $129 2016

Callaway Apex Pro Forged Irons

Visa, Mastercard and American Express accepted $7 NSW, $9 VIC & QLD, $10 SA, TAS, NT & WA. Postage and handling any quantity

3 DOZEN FOR

Superceded Model

Current Model

www.thegolffactory.com.au

Bridgestone E6 3 Srixon Lady Soft Piece Ball (or E7) Feel Balls (2015)

Green Number Soft Compression

FOR 48 BALLS

in-store only clearance

Eagles & Birdies Royal Troon 4.2kg

New Loose (not boxed) Srixon Balls Z-Star XV Tour Soft Feel Red Number Urethane Cover

TITLEIST PRO v1 (2015) GOLF FACTORY NARELLAN

2015 Model

$660

Iron Covers - Black

Eagles & Birdies 3 - SW (9) Fits Right or Left Hand

$35

Castle Bay 2 - SW (10) Right Hand Only

$49

$359

Includes Cover & Wrench

$499

$259

3 15.5º Loft

$17 DOZ $18 DOZ $20 DOZ $24 DOZ $29 DOZ

XTD Distance Soft Feel Lady Optima TS Premium TS3 (3 Piece)

$8 Fitted

$649 SET $79 $79 $129 $569 SET $39 EA $89

Cabretta Leather Srixon Gloves 3 FOR (White Only)

$42

Mens Left S, M, M-L, L, XL Mens Right S, M + XL Ladies Left Medium Tour Quality $7 Postage Anywhere in Australia

$139

$89

TaylorMade Burner Soft Balls

$17

Doz

Individually Boxed

Srixon Z F45 Fairway Srixon Z-Star

or Z-Star XV

13º Low Loft $299 3 Wood Regular Flex Kurakage Shaft Also availble 15º - 3 and 17º - 4 Includes Cover

$189

$29 EA

Callaway XR Irons 4 - SW (8) Regular Steel Cleveland Smart Square Putter + Cover Callaway X-Hot 19° - 5 Wood Regular + Cover Ping G30 19° - 3 Hybrid Regular + Cover Callaway XR Irons 5 - PW (6) Regular Graphite Cleveland CG - 16 Wedges 54°, 56° & 58° Loft Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Forged 60° Lob Wedge

Includes Cover

Each

Mens Left Hand Graphite Wide Sole Sand Wedge

Left Hand Only Specials

Classic XL

$6

14 Full Length Dividers Oversize Putter Tube Waterproof Bag Coverall Cooler Pocket Black/Charcoal $399 Black or Black/Red

$39 EA

Regular Flex

Mens Standard Thickness White Only Full Cord

$49 EA

Mens Steel 3 or 4

Right or Left

Tour Velvet Cord Golf Pride Grip

Mens Graphite 3 or 4

$29 EA

FOR 12 Dozen

(Individually Boxed)

Magnetic Pro

Gap or Sand Wedge

$13 DOZEN

Cleveland Fairway

Hybrid/Irons (not Hybrids)

Ladies Graphite 5, Pitching,

$156

Optima Balls

Srixon Z545 Driver Cleveland 588 Altitude Eagles & Birdies Kurokage 60grm Regular or Stiff Shaft 10.5º Loft Adjustable Includes Cover & Wrench

2015 Models

4.5kg

(2016 Model)

Gold or Silver Box

$38

Urethane Tour Cover Ball White Balls

dozen

CURRENT Model

Callaway X-Hot Pro Project X-Stiff Graphite 6.0 18º - 2 Hybrid Right Hand 15º - 3 Fairway Right Hand 13.5º - Strong 3 Right Hand 9.5º - Left Hand Driver EA

$79

$325

Including Covers & Wrench (Driver)

Sand Wedge Sale (Right Hand)

Srixon Deluxe Bags - 2015 Models

Callaway X-Hot N14 55º Steel Shaft

$39

Cleveland 588TT 55º Graphite Shaft

$39

Cleveland RTX 2.0 Satin 56º Loft - 14º Bounce Steel Shaft

$79

Carry with Pop Out Stand Lightweight Black Bag with either White, Yellow or Red Piping

$109

$169

Srixon All Weather Gloves Mens Left S, M, M-L, L, XL Mens Right Black Only Ladies Left S, M, L Ladies Right Black Only White or Black Left Hand

$40 5 FOR

+ $7 POSTAGE ANYWHERE IN AUSTRALIA

THIS

MAKES IT

JAILBREAK TECHNOLOGY A breakthrough innovation which dramatically increases distance by stiffening the body to transfer more energy to the ball.

And no one else has it…

CALLAWAYGOLF.COM.AU