Golf Digest - May 2020

THE #1 GOLF PUBLICATION

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OF THE BEST

SWING JARGON TRANSLATED

THE MIDDLE EAST’S FAVOURITE HOLES

TIGER’S LAW OF THE DRAW

HOT LIST 12 NEW WEDGES

TOMMY FLEETWOOD

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Tee Sheet 05/20

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

▶ 18 of the best Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s iconic 16th makes the cut in our favourite holes selection. 34

Features cover story 28 Class Act Tommy Fleetwood chose golf over the stage. Funny how things worked out. by john feinstein

34 Favourite Courses What would an 18-hole compilation of the Middle East’s favourite holes look like? Stunning. Long. And very, very challenging. by kent gray

42 Temp Work Our writer spent a week on tour as a caddie.

saadiyat beach gc: troon abu dhabi • woods: J.d. cuban • anniversary: golf digest • illustration: John cuneo

by daniel rapaport

The Starter

22 Major Upheaval Three of the four men’s majors and the Ryder Cup are still on…for now.

06 Ayla Golf Club The bold plan to bring the MENA Tour’s cosmopolitan membership together to save the Journey to Jordan season.

by kent gray

24 Golfers We Like Former FBI agent Asha Rangapppa draws parallels between golf and government.

by kent gray

Play 08 Myth Buster The next time you’re told to ‘keep your head down’... laugh and send them this article.

by peter finch

16 Michael Breed My simple putting checkup.

by alex riggs

12 Butch Harmon The benefit of using two different practice swings.

13 David Leadbetter Nearly every good player makes this move with the knees to start the downswing.

17 Tiger Woods The law of the draw.

66 70th Anniversary A 1961 cover story by physicist Alastair Cochran holds true. by guy yocom

18 Of Course Comparing the best new architectural designs of now and 30 years ago. by derek duncan

14 Swing Science You’d think 3-wood off the tee is the safer play but new data says hit the big dog.

20 One Tough Rookie We find out how MENA Tour leader David Langley has kept focused during the COVID-19 lockdown.

by e. michael johnson

with kent gray

Cover photograph by Dylan Coulter

26 Swing Sequence Butch Harmon analyses Dustin Johnson’s power.

48 What the #@$%!

Does That Mean?

A glossary of swing jargon. by ron kaspriske

52 How Good Can You Get? We came up with a test for your full swing and short game so you can find out. by matthew rudy

58 Hold On or Let It Go? Understanding how to release the club correctly. by jim mclean

the hot list (part 3) 60 Wedges by mike stachura

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

3

Editor’s Letter

“The only way the new European Tour can survive after COVID-19 is to support development tours.”

MENA Remedy ould the MENA Tour play an integral role in getting the European Tour back on its feet in the aftermath of the devastating coronavirus pandemic?

MENA Tour by Arena commissioner David Spencer is absolutely convinced it can and should do, running with an idea first floated by Robert Rock – via former Ryder Cupper Peter Hanson – that would reinvent the European Tour’s critical feeder circuit.

“I played with Peter earlier this year and he had a great idea,” Rock said. “Elevate all the national mini-tours, and at the end of the year have a final series where the top guys qualify for their [European] tour cards. That sounds like a better option than the Challenge Tour, which is just a grind for all concerned.”

With events postponed or cancelled as deep into its schedule as late August, European Tour CEO Keith Pelley has one of the toughest jobs in world sport resuscitating the cosmopolitan travelling circus. Unlike the PGA Tour, Pelley has to negotiate a geopolitical minefield where internally focused governments are grappling with COVID-19 with varying degrees of success.

Pelley has already prepped his membership for a “radically different” look when the European Tour does eventually return. Below the top tier?

The worry is how the Challenge and Staysure (Senior) Tours can survive given the deep recession and potential depression quickly enveloping the world. It is fair to assume some of the main tour events that have been cancelled will never return, so how can the bottom feeders survive?

One way, Spencer is convinced, is by elevating mini tours such as the MENA, EuroPro and Alps Tours per Hanson’s vision.

“That’s a nugget of an idea, Peter Hanson’s idea, and what a lot of people have been pushing for a long time,” said the Aussie administrator.

Spencer, of course, has a barrow to push but there is value in many of his offshoot ideas. Like abolishing Q-School for Hanson’s model and allowing the near £2 million the European Tour

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4 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

collected in Q-School entry fees last year to filter down to the development circuits. A dash of Rolex funding, or the like, wouldn’t go amiss either.

“The European Tour should then have strict criteria, like you have to provide X amount of events and X amount of prize money,” Spencer said. “I think you’d have every development tour in the European Tour’s world wholeheartedly support this. It would be incredible, creating something sustainable at exactly the right level and time.”

Spencer points to Bob MacIntyre who used the MENA Tour – the Scottish lefty won his second start as a professional at the Kuwait Open in 2017 – as a stepping stone to European Tour rookie of the year honours last year.

“We need to have more of those stories.

Guys would do well on the MENA Tour, get their cards via the playoffs, and go on to qualify for the Race to Dubai decider… incredible stories would unfold.

“I always take a glass half full outlook. I am trying to create opportunities because there are a whole lot of players, not just on the MENA Tour - look at the stories coming out of the Korn Ferry [The PGA Tour’s second tier] Tour - who are in a business that is not viable right now.

“The only way the new European Tour can survive after COVID-19 is to support European development tours.”

In the same story that Rock promoted Hanson’s idea, a ‘tour insider’ said the European Tour was looking at ways to innovate, and that it had “great relationships with Sky, Rolex and the Dubai royal family”. Perhaps that is a hint to the 2020 Race to Dubai season resuming with a series of events in the UAE or a further funding injection? Maybe a better longer term strategy would be to task the likes of the MENA Tour with tapping into their local markets to turn Hanson’s vision into reality.

Surely the European Tour, which wouldn’t be what it is today without this region, owes the Middle East the chance to at least try to rebuild opportunities for golf’s next generation, the very players hardest hit by this pandemic.

editor-in-chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice editor Kent Gray art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores photographer Mustufa Abidi instruction editors Mike Kinloch, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer Anthony Milne publisher David Burke general manager - production S. Sunil Kumar assistant production manager Binu Purandaran THE GOLF DIGEST PUBLICATIONS chairman & editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde international licensing director Edward Klaris international editor Ju Kuang Tan GOLF DIGEST USA chairman & editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde editorial director Max Adler executive editor Mike O’Malley, Peter Morrice general manager Chris Reynolds managing editor Alan P. Pittman design director Ken DeLago playing editors Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, Jordan Spieth

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GOLF DIGEST USA (ISSN 0017-176X) is published monthly by The Golf Digest Publications, a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. Editorial and executive offices at 20 Westport Road (PO Box 850), Wilton, CT 06897-0850. Telephone: 091-203-761-5100. Copyright 2001 by The Golf Digest Publications and Touchline Media (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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david spencer: mustufa abidi

KENT GRAY kent.gray@motivate.ae • Twitter: @KentGrayGolf / @GolfDigestME

THE HOME OF STORYTELLING IN THE MIDDLE EAST

“MY BEST FRIEND IS A PERSON WHO WILL GIVE ME A BOOK I HAVE NOT READ” ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Ayla Golf Club Destination partner poised to go above and beyond to ensure MENA Tour season is saved by kent gray

6 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

s host of a two stage Q-School and two regular season events before the COVID-19 enforced postponement of the MENA Tour season in early March, Ayla Golf Club is already a home away from home for the regional development circuit. But the Aqaba resort is poised to take its “destination partner” status to the extreme with plans afoot to turn Ayla G.C. into the hub of a luxury, sixweek encampment to allow the tour’s cosmopolitan membership to complete the 2020 season. Subject to the approval of the “necessary regulatory authorities”, the tour is poised to play its final five events at the Greg Norman design from mid-Oct. to late Nov. “We are looking at the complete package that would leave the professionals with literally nothing else to focus on than playing golf tournaments,” said MENA Tour

by Arena Commissioner David Spencer. “We are talking about food and beverage, laundry, medical support, etc, a beach club maybe.

A

“We are really taking a deep dive but that’s part of our job and that’s to come up with realistic opportunities for our members. Ayla is so spectacular; we think the players will like the idea of staying in one place,” Spencer continued. “I think the days of a travelling sports circus are… a long time to come [return] for golf.”

Photograph courtesy of Ayla Golf Club

Play

Still Trying to Hit Down?

Learn how great players compress the ball while pulling up!

WATCH THE VIDEO ▶ Alex brings this lesson to life at golfdigestme.com

BY ALEX RIGGS

OST OF US HAVE BEEN TOLD at some point that we must either “hit down” or “keep your head down”. Sorry to burst the bubble, but you should delete that thought from your memory. Now I’m sure you’re thinking, “If I lift my head, I’ll surely top it?” Let me explain… If you slow down golf swings of elite players through the impact zone, you’ll start to notice something well before impact, the hands along with their entire lead side, start to travel up. The club head is still travelling down (negative angle of attack) through impact, though the player is going up. This extension through impact helps the golfer maximise their ‘Ground Reaction Forces’ leading to massive acceleration of the club. It also provides space for the arms to remain structured, giving the club face more support. When we start to use the ground and control the club face to a higher degree, good things happen.

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myth busted When you try and stay down, you create a whole list of issues as you’ll see in this image. Because I am consciously staying down, my lead side is as well. Therefore I’m severely compromising my power. More importantly, I’m not creating the necessary room for my arms to extend, thus forcing them to buckle.

Who likes chicken wings? I do too, just not in my golf swing.

It makes it extremely difficult to achieve solid contact or have club face control. You should see the faces of golfers I’ve showed this too who had similar positions and assumed they were topping the ball from lifting their head.

power position Notice how, at impact, my left knee, hip, and shoulder are all higher than those on my my right side. At the moment of impact, you should have about 80 percent of your pressure into your lead foot. This forward pressure helps position the divot after the middle of our stance thus ensuring ball first contact.

This is one of the single most important factors to quality iron striking. The pressure also allows you to use that lead side to push off the ground. Your trail side should be banked down assisting in giving your pelvis the necessary tilt through contact.

Photographs by Masam Ali

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

9

Play Myth Busted

“The next time someone tells you to keep your head down...laugh and send them this article.�

SWORD FROM THE STONE DRILL Take an alignment stick or an old shaft and stick it into the ground at a 45 degree angle. Hold the end of the stick or shaft and get into a standard golf stance. Shift 80-90 percent of your pressure into your lead side and bank down your trail side. Make sure your lead arm is long and strong and your trail arm is softer. Prepare for the movement by exaggerating that lead side pressure and trail side bank. Now pull the stick

10 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

out of the ground as hard as you can by pulling up with your lead side. Allow your eyes to follow the stick, with your head rotating along with your chest. Maintain the structure in your arms by extending them away from your torso. Extend your hips and push your belly button to the target by contracting your glutes. Once your hands make it to the height of your sternum, hold this position. Pay attention to where you are in space and where you feel your mus-

cles working. This is the magic we are after!

In the future, the next time someone tells you to keep your head down, make sure to laugh, then send them this article.

Alex Riggs is a Canadian born golf coach who specialises in finding simple and effective strategies to lower scores. He is a Brand Ambassador for PXG and Under Armour. For lesson inquiries, contact Alex via riggsgolf@gmail.com or +971 55 497 7913

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Play Tee to Green by Butch Harmon

“Use that time waiting to hit to your advantage.”

The 1-2-3 of Great Driving It starts with a dress rehearsal OST GOLFERS SWING as hard as they can with the driver—in case they hit it solid. That’s my funny line, but it’s true. Let’s talk about what you can do to prepare and perform better on tee shots. Try my three-step process: two different practice swings and a better real swing.

The first practice swing is without a club. When you’re waiting for your turn to hit, grip an imaginary club and mimic your driver swing at full speed. With no urge

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12 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

to manipulate a club with your hands, you’ll naturally sequence your arms and body properly, back and through.

The second practice swing is all about rhythm. Grab your driver and make a full-motion swing at about 50 percent of your maximum speed (above). Feel your weight moving in the direction of the swing—to the back foot, then to the front foot—and keep your arms accelerating to the finish.

Let’s get rid of the instinct to hit at

the ball that so many golfers have.

For your actual swing, stick with the rhythm theme. I love Jack Nicklaus’ favourite key: Finish the backswing. That’s a great thought to keep you from rushing the club back or starting the downswing too fast.

Wind up to the top, then shift forward and swing through to a full finish. That’s my 1-2-3 to great driving.

▶ Sometimes, I get a student who wants to swing like a certain player, usually Tiger or Ernie or Freddie— all of whom I’ve taught. When that happens, my mind always flashes back to a story my dad used to tell.

One time at Winged Foot, where Dad was the pro, a guy showed up and said he wanted to copy Sam Snead’s swing. Dad said, “OK, let’s go to the putting green.”

“No, I want to swing like Snead, not putt like him,” the guy said.

“I understand,” Dad said as he dropped a ball into one of the cups on the green. “Now, can you pick that ball out of the hole without bending your knees?”

“No.” “Well, Sam Snead can, so let’s forget about what he does and start working on what you can do.”

—WITH PETER MORRICE butch harmon is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

Photograph by J.D. Cuban

chris trotman/stringer/getty images

learn your own swing

BioGolf by David Leadbetter

Play

“Sam Snead would squat to start his downswing.”

dom furore

2 THE DISTANCE INCREASE BETWEEN THE KNEES OF AN ELITE LEVEL PLAYER STARTING THE DOWNSWING. IN AMATEURS, THE DISTANCE TYPICALLY DECREASES.

Catapult Effect How to use your legs to hit better tee shots hink of a symphony. If the musicians’ timing is just right, and all the parts of the orchestra play on their individual cues, the collective sound produced is beautiful. Now think of a golf swing. We might focus advice on one particular segment, but what we’re really looking for is that the various body parts and club move in the correct sequence. If something misses its cue, the whole swing can suffer. This is especially true when it comes to generating power.

My friend J.J. Rivet, a biomechanist who works with the European Tour, talks about the body, arms and club moving like a catapult

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to create, store and release energy during the golf swing. This catapult effect happens with the legs during the transition from backswing to downswing. As the club is about to start down, the lead side of the lower body (left leg and hip for righthanders) should initially move diagonally to the right of the target, slightly distancing itself from the trail side—ideal for a draw. This creates a stretch similar to the tension generated when a catapult is pulled back into its firing position.

Then, as pressure builds in the trail

leg’s thigh muscle, that side of the lower body is released toward the target—just like a catapult’s arm.

J.J.’s testing of this move in elite-level golfers challenges the belief that the lower body rotates toward the target as one unit.

It shows that holding back the trail side for a moment adds significant power to a swing. You can train this squat move by putting a golf shaft between your legs (above, left). Rehearse your transition from backswing to downswing, but use the shaft to briefly hold back the movement of your trail leg as you start down. Then let that knee move toward the target (above, right). Keep doing this, and you’ll soon feel how to re-create this catapult effect when you swing. You’ll generate more energy than ever and start crushing it.

—with ron kaspriske david leadbetter is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

13

Play Swing Science

Driver vs.

3-Wood New data to consider in the tee-shot debate by e. michael johnson

t’s one of the worst feelings in golf. You’re on a par 4 with a narrow landing area. You reach for your 3-wood to ensure you get it in play but miss the fairway anyway. Can you still hold your head up that the 3-wood was the smart choice? Maybe not. Data from ShotScope, a Scotland-based company that produces watches with shot-tracking capabilities, studied millions of tee shots from everyday golfers and found the percentage of fairways hit using a driver is very close to the percentage using the seemingly more accurate 3-wood. This was true for amateurs of several skill levels.

It’s also worth noting from the data that the 3-wood tee shots forced golfers to hit much longer approaches into the green.

For example, the group of players who had an average handicap of 14 hit the fairway 46 percent of the time with a driver and 48 percent with a 3-wood, with an average

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Photograph by Victor Prado / Illustrations by Jameson Simpson

length of 207 yards and 188 yards respectively. When the outliers (duffed shots) were tossed, the gap increased to 222 yards with a driver and 194 with a 3-wood.

Even the farthest shots hit with each club showed how many yards are being sacrificed with a 3-wood (246 versus 222). For those middle-handicappers, that’s a twoto three-club difference on approach shots in exchange for hitting two more fairways in 100 attempts than if they used a driver.

The logical conclusion is it’s better to hit driver every time, but you also might want to learn how to find more fairways with a 3-wood. If you improve accuracy with that club, you’ll lessen the distance gap with the driver because shots that hit the fairway roll more than those in the rough. Mark Blackburn, who coaches Chez Reavie (last year’s driving accuracy leader on the PGA Tour), has advice on how to use both clubs better—so you can keep your options open.

Does a 3-wood guarantee significantly better accuracy? driver

shallow out your path ▶ “If your angle of attack is too steep and if the ball is on a tee, the tendency is to pop it up or hit it too low,” says instructor Mark Blackburn. “To shallow your attack angle, address the ball with your shoulders slightly closed (pointing right of the target for righties). On the way back, make sure your trail forearm doesn’t droop below your lead forearm. This will give your swing better width. Then swing down on an insideout path—matching the orientation of your shoulders at address.

You’ll launch your drives off the tee.”

3-wood

dial back your effort ▶ “Tee it up with half the ball above the crown of the club, and make the same shallow, inside-out swing I prescribed for the driver,” Blackburn says. “This allows the club to exit high in the follow-through, creating better impact.

The other keys are balance and restraint.

Players overswing with the 3-wood because they know they’re giving up distance. The result is a swing that’s too long, too fast—or both.

Take the club back so the shaft is just short of parallel. And make a smooth, unhurried swing.”

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

15

Play The Leading Edge by Michael Breed

“A second ball can teach you what you need to know.”

OOD PUTTERS know how to blend line and speed. If one of those factors is off, the putt is probably not going in. Here’s a putting drill that will train you to swing on a consistent path and at a consistent pace.

That’s how you control the line and the speed.

Set up to a ball, then place another ball directly behind the centre of the putterhead.

Practice making a backstroke in which you slowly push back the second ball. When you change directions to stroke the putt, the second ball should essentially stop (right, top).

If it keeps rolling away, you swung back too fast (right, bottom). Why does this matter?

Because the backstroke sets up how hard you hit the ball.

Now, let’s look at direction.

When you push back that second ball, make sure it rolls straight. If it rolls to the inside, your path is too inside; if it rolls to the outside, your path is outside. You’re even checking the putterface: A straight path means a square face; an inside path is an open face, and an outside path is a closed face. And just like tempo, what you do going back largely determines what you do going forward.

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—WITH PETER MORRICE michael breed is Golf Digest’s Chief Digital Instructor.

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indoor fun for the kiddos ▶ Here’s a game I play with my kids when we can’t get out on the course— or even the back yard. (You’ll thank me aft er you try it.)

The goal is to chip or pitch homemade balls off the carpet into pots that you place around a room. You can also use planters, small trash cans, whatever gives you a nice target.

To make your own balls, take half a newspaper page and crumple it up.

Then wrap it in tape so it stays together.

Try to use packing tape, because the slippery texture slides off the club.

You should make 10 to 12 balls.

As for rules and scoring, go ahead and make up your own. I would suggest giving a point for simply hitting a target and maybe double for knocking one in. Whatever you do, you’ll get in a little golf fun right at home, and keep your kids busy.

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

istock/getty images

Putting Checkup Try my all-in-one stroke evaluation

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Play

“This might sound crazy, but open the face at address.”

The Law of the Draw Try my method to straighten out your slice

BY TIGER WOODS

my putting drill

HEN I WAS growing up, the conventional wisdom was that if you wanted to hit a draw or a fade, you’d point your clubface to where you wanted the ball to finish and your body to where you wanted the ball to start.

That means for a draw, you would set the clubface closed at address. For a fade, your clubface would be open.

With all due respect to teaching pros and players from the old days, that’s all wrong.

I figured out at a young age that I needed to have the clubface open in relation to my target at address to hit a draw,

mike ehrmann/getty images

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Photograph by J.D. Cuban

and closed for a cut. Highspeed cameras and TrackMan data have confirmed what I’ve long known—the angle of the clubface determines where the ball starts, and the path of the clubface determines how the ball spins. If you’re hitting a draw, you want the ball to start right of your target and then have the spin curve it back toward the target. So you need to have an open clubface in relation to your target at impact

combined with an inside-toout swing path. (To clarify, the face is closed in relation to the path.) If the clubface was square to the target at impact, the ball would start at the target and then hook left of it.

One thing I love about this method for amateurs is that it helps them straighten out a slice because you really have to swing in-to-out to get the ball to draw. Next time you head to the range, try working on shaping shots using the principles I just laid out. It might seem strange at first, but trust me, it works.

—WITH DANIEL RAPAPORT

▶ I’m a huge believer in two things when it comes to putting practice: simplicity and consistency. That’s why I’ve been using the same putting warm-up for as long as I can remember.

I put two tees in the ground, just wider than my putter, and hit a straight putt. I do it first with just my right hand, so I can feel the release of the putterhead as it strikes the ball. Then I put both hands on the club and do it again. The routine makes putting on any greens seem familiar, and it’s a great confidence builder.

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

17

Play Of Course

Then and Wow The past 30 years have seen course design evolve in four significant ways by derek duncan Photograph by Will Watt

We’ve returned to playability and the more organic roots of the game.

T’S A COMMON SENTIMENT to believe things were better in the past—air travel, cinema, political discourse, french fries. In golf-course architecture, however, a conceit exists among designers, writers and ranking panelists that today’s best courses are functionally and artistically superior to those built from the 1950s into the 1990s. We’re in a “second Golden Age” of golf design, some say. ▶ Immodesty—and judgment—aside, there has been a distinct shift in tastes and architectural practices during the past 30 years. The catalyst was the opening of Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska in 1995. Scooped and seeded from relentless and rural sand dunes, the design was a breathtaking departure stylistically and philosophically from the architectural extravagance of the moment. ▶ Golf Digest’s annual Best New Courses lists illustrate the distinction between then and now. The 1989 private-course winner, Shadow Glen Golf Club in Kansas, is an archetype of formality reflecting that era’s precise architectural intent and careful assemblage of features. Florida’s Streamsong Black, 2018’s Best New Public course, is heir to Sand Hills’ wild nonconformity and penchant for found, holistic (or holistic-appearing) holes. ▶ In the voyage from the age of industrialism to the age of illusion— of expressing construction grandly and expressing it barely at all—several core themes developed:

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spread: ben walton shadow glen: stephen szurlej

NATURALISM If this is a golden age of anything, it’s the golden age of site selection. Developers have given architects breathtaking sites, often on sandy terrain or coastal dunes, inspiring naturalistic aesthetics. A contagious impulse ensued to make golf courses appear as extensions of the environment—an ideal that goes back more than

100 years but was replaced by pristine landscaping, artificial mounding and nontraditional materials like rock bulkheading—that’s even imported to locations that aren’t sandy, grassy or wind-blown.

WIDTH The most important development from a playing perspective is the emphasis on width, rather than length.

Destinations like Bandon Dunes reintroduced the modern game to the old spirit of playability and exploration and the need to “read” the golf hole. Today’s generous, open-source course design upends the dominant belief in the 1980s and ’90s that golf ▶ Contrast in styles: The precision of Golf Digest’s Best New private of 1989 (Shadow Glen, inset) versus the naturalism of Streamsong Black, 2018’s Best New public.

needed to be long, challenging and exacting to be taken seriously. That mentality still exists, but it looks increasingly limited compared to the joys of playing in space and finishing with the same ball.

DEFORESTATION Trees have always been a cherished aspect of American golf, and they often enhance property values and playing experiences—until they don’t.

Too many designs became infatuated with corridors of trees, often planted on arboreal binges, that suffocate playing strategies and compromise turf condition.

To unclog vistas, expand shot variety and improve sunlight and air circulation, tree removal is often now at the top of the list of any renovation.

An affinity for naked, open landscapes has increased accordingly. Bald, it turns out, is beautiful.

NEOCLASSICAL STRATEGY “Classical,” in golf terms, is roughly the period from 1915-’30, the original Golden Age when architectural and strategic principles like the emphasis on shot angles, multiple lines of play, centralised bunkers and the use of ground and greens slope became indoctrinated. After generations of narrowing fairways and prescriptive setups, designers like Bill Coore, Tom Doak and Mike DeVries aggressively reasserted the importance of strategy into their products. The blending of these neoclassical concepts into the previous three principles has created what is now the prevailing design vernacular.

Trends have changed—and will continue to change—in more ways than these. But so far, the story of 21st-century architecture is how we’ve returned to playability and the more organic roots of the game. It’s hard to imagine that won’t age well.

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

19

david langley mena tour age 26 lives marlow, buckinghamshire

Journey to Jordan No.1 Play

“We are in unprecedented times so we have to be grateful for any chance to finish our season.”

David Langley One Tough Rookie he MENA Tour has been great. I was encouraged by my coach Rob Watts to play. It was a bit of a risk for me because I only had enough money to play the first event and then after that I would’ve been playing on my credit overdraft. Luckily I won that first event.

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it has been a difficult couple of years. my father has struggled with an alcohol addiction for many years which has progressively got worse and eventually deteriorated his health dramatically in 2019 [Langley’s father passed away late last year]. We’ve always been on a tight budget because of this and my mum has been amazing in helping support me where she can.

Even though we’ve had some difficulties at home she has never once stopped me from chasing my dream and I have had the freedoms and support to travel the world and gain some great experiences. ●●●

i turned pro last september after a two year walker cup run that I fell just short of achieving. I played two EuroPro tournaments on invite and made it to second stage of European Tour Q school. This is my first “tour” of what I consider to be my rookie season. ●●●

with everything going on right now i’m very grateful for the opportunity to compete and win the Journey to Jordan #1 Championship. Not many people this year are going to get that op-

portunity so I’m glad I was able to take that opportunity. ●●●

winning has been a massive boost to my confidence and self-belief. Also my other experiences during the first half of the tour were invaluable. I’ve learnt from my win and comparing that to some of the other mental states, what really works for me and I’ve been able to use that. I think my 29 on the back nine in Oman was proof of those things… I have learnt after that bad start to the final round I was able to drag myself into the right frame of mind to pose a challenge to the win [Langley eventually finished runner-up to countryman Bailey Gill at the Ghala Open]. ●●●

i have put myself in a great position to win the overall journey to jordan title. Obviously we don’t know the schedule yet so we will just have to wait to know what will happen but I would love to get the chance to play those events. So far it seems that Middle Eastern golf suits my game. I hit it relatively high and spin my wedges a lot so the firm desert conditions have been good for me. ●●●

i think from a logistical

Photograph by Joy Chakravarty/MENA Tour

standpoint, the idea of the six-week, five tournament encampment at ayla golf club to finish the season makes sense. From a player point of view, it’s a little bit frustrating to have to play the same course [potentially up to eight times, not including Q-School] in tournaments but we are in unprecedented times, so I think we have to be grateful that we even have that opportunity to potentially finish our season. ●●●

you know, we’ll adapt at whatever gets thrown at us. If we play the last six weeks at Jordan, I’m okay with that. Obviously for me I’ve got a win there so it’s definitely a course I feel comfortable on. ●●●

the covid-19 lockdown has been difficult emotionally, i’m not going to lie. Obviously I play golf fulltime so to all of the sudden have nothing is very strange, you sort of feel like your sense of purpose has gone a little bit. I’ve been extremely bored really. ●●●

i think my diy skills have improved a lot, doing bits and bobs and jobs around the house. I’ve been reading more books so I’ve learnt some stuff from that but other than that, I can’t say I’ve really learned any new skills. Not a whole lot really. ●●●

i have an indoor hitting bay that i’ve created in my garage because of this.

I’m able to hit iron and wedges but I can’t get swings on the woods in here just because of the space available. I’ve just got a launch monitor and simulator in here so I will be able to practice with a bit more purpose. I have been hitting balls and doing drills and sending videos to my coach but there’s definitely a limited amount of productivity in here. ●●●

to be honest, i haven’t read up on it really

deeply but i’ve heard the european tour might struggle after this, I’m not too sure. I just don’t think we know so we’ve just to take everything as it comes.

Hopefully the mini tours find the financial backing to continue because I think they’re really important pathway for us. ●●●

i’m really looking forward to the opportunity to play in the trophÉe hassan ii [Langley earned the invite as the halfway leader in the Journey to Jordan OOM]. My game has proven itself across the globe and I have had great experiences from my time at Old Dominion University in USA which has set my game up to be very adaptable to many grass types and conditions. I’m hoping it gets rescheduled and my invite is valid but I’ve not heard anything yet. ●●●

i’ve glad i’ve had a little time to work on my physique and get flexible again because the travelling had taken its toll a bit. But it’s not really been the rest I had already planned in terms of seeing friends and family.

I’ve been at home with my Mum so that’s been good to spend more time with her but my girlfriend is from America and she was meant to be coming over for a week or so. So stuff like that has been called off, so it hasn’t been that kind of reset. ●●●

i’m itching to get back playing in the sense that I just miss the game more than anything. To be honest, I wouldn’t particularly want to compete right now because I know I would be rusty. I think the competing side almost comes second to just wanting to get out there and improve and practice and improve and play and then we can hopefully compete after that.

—with kent gray

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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Upheaval THREE OF THE FOUR MEN’S MAJORS AND THE RYDER CUP ARE STILL ON…FOR NOW.

he open championship’s continuous run since the end of WWII in 1946 has been broken, the Olympic Games golf tournaments likewise delayed 12 months. The schedules of the game’s leading tours, meanwhile, remain very much a work in progress as the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic presents itself to the golf world. But where there is hope, there is a will to see the majority of the big events played in 2020, without spectators if need be. ▶ “In recent weeks, the global golf community has come together to collectively put forward a calendar of events that will, we hope, serve to entertain and inspire golf fans around the world,” Augusta National G.C., the European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour, The R&A and USGA said in a joint statement April 6. “We are grateful to our respective partners, sponsors and players, who have allowed us to make decisions – some of them, very tough decisions – in order to move the game and the industry forward.” ▶ With that, we look at what the remainder of 2020 might look like for the game’s elite events and tours. —kent gray 22 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

cancelled 149th Open Championship July 2020 Royal St. George’s G.C. Sandwich, Kent, England “We care deeply about this historic Championship and have made this decision with a heavy heart. We appreciate that this will be disappointing for a great many people around the world but we have to act responsibly during this pandemic and it is the right thing to do.

I can assure everyone that we have explored every option for playing The Open this year but it is not going to be possible.”

– r&a chief executive martin slumbers The 149th Open will still be played at Royal St George’s but now from July 15-18 next year. The 150th edition will be played at St. Andrews from July 14-17, 2022.

rescheduled 102nd PGA Championship August 6-9 (originally May 14-17) TPC Harding Park San Francisco, California

PGA TOUR

“Sports, and particularly the game of golf, are important vehicles for healing and hope. With our country going through extremely difficult times, it will be an honour for all of us at the PGA of America to hopefully help turn a page in August with the PGA Championship and September with the Ryder Cup.” – pga of america ceo seth waugh

FedEx Cup Playoffs Aug. 20-23: The Northern Trust, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts Aug. 27-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois Sept. 4-7: TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia

rescheduled 120th U.S. Open September 17-20 (originally June 18-21) Winged Foot G.C. Mamaroneck, New York “We are hopeful that postponing the championship will offer us the opportunity to mitigate health and safety issues while still providing us with the best opportunity to conduct the U.S. Open this year.”

– usga chief executive mike davis as scheduled 43rd Ryder Cup September 22-27 Whistling Straits Kohler, Wisconsin “We have begun to talk about whether you could create some virtual fan experience, and we’re going to try to be as creative as we can. It’s [still] to be determined, frankly, whether you could hold it without fans or not.”

– pga of america ceo seth waugh rescheduled 84th Masters Tournament November 12-15 (originally April 9-12) Augusta National G.C. Augusta, Georgia “We want to emphasise that our future plans are incumbent upon favourable counsel and direction from health officials. Provided that occurs and we can conduct the 2020 Masters, we intend to invite those professionals and amateurs who would have qualified for our original April date and welcome all existing ticket holders to enjoy the excitement of Masters week.” – augusta national g.c. chairman fred ridley

The PGA Tour has moved its final regular season event the Aug.13-16 Wyndham Championship (Sedgefield C.C., Greensboro, North Carolina) – and three FedExCup Playoffs a week later than originally scheduled.

It also hopes to reschedule tournaments into the weeks formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the Men’s Olympic golf competition in June and July.

EUROPEAN TOUR As we went to press, the European Tour had postponed nine (10 including the Olympics) and cancelled five regular season events, not including the R&A-administered Open Championship. The next scheduled event, the British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood at Close House in Newcastle, looked doubtful in its original July 30-Aug. 2 slot but European Tour CEO Keith Pelley remained upbeat in a statement April 17: “…my primary message to you, as a valued fan of the European Tour, is actually one of optimism because I am genuinely hopeful that from now on the information I send you in relation to our 2020 schedule will be positive.”

In an earlier memo to players, Pelley said the European Tour were looking at a number of rescheduling options including playing several events in the same location, two events in the same week or three in a fortnight, or “three or four tournaments back-to-back in the UK with a 14-day quarantine period” to allow non-Brits to be able to play. He did warn however, that whatever shape the revised 2020 schedule took, the tour would look “radically different” going forward.

“The reality is, the pandemic is going to have a profound impact on the tour financially, as well as many of our partners, both in sponsorship and broadcast areas.”

LPGA TOUR The LPGA’s revised 2020 schedule is set to resume June 19 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. It has also rescheduled the first two majors of the year - the ANA Inspiration in California (to Sept. 10-13) and the U.S. Women’s Open in Texas (to Dec. 10-13).

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR The LET were, curiously, conspicuous by their absence from the joint ‘Golf World Presents Revised Calendar of Events for 2020’ press release on April 6. Four events had been postponed as this edition went to press and there was no official word of a planned return to action. However, the inaugural $1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International, originally scheduled for late March, has been rescheduled for Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City from Oct. 8-11. The €260,000 OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic remains earmarked for its original Nov. 4-6 timeslot at Emirates G.C.

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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Play Golfers We Like

Her Aim Is True CNN’s Asha Rangappa, an ex-FBI agent, uncovers a new challenge: golf HERE’S A CERTAIN ZEN QUALITY TO IT,” says Asha Rangappa. “You have to detach. You have to trust that if you perform all the elements without trying to control the outcome, you will get the outcome you want.” ▶ The former FBI counterintelligence agent is talking about learning to shoot firearms at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. But it turns out that experience is a lot like golf, a game she took up five years ago. ▶ “If you can just let go and trust the physics of the golf swing, that’s when it works for you,” says Rangappa, now a CNN contributor and senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.

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Rangappa, 45, first tried golf at a women’s clinic promoted by the Connecticut Bar Association, and she loved it. She signed up for more lessons, then joined a women’s league for beginners, competed in a tournament with other fellow former special agents and helped organise an FBI golf outing in New Haven, Conn.

Looking back on it, she easily could have ignored the invitation to come learn golf at Connecticut’s Lyman Orchards Golf Club. But because the event was organised by the bar association—meaning it was people she already knew—that made it vastly more appealing. She also liked that it was a women-only group. Why? “I don’t know,” she says. “Sports plus guys: There’s going to be somebody trying to flex in there.”

The instructors “literally walked us through the nuts and bolts,” she says.

“That was important because it’s really easy to think of golf as intimidating if

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you didn’t grow up playing. My parents were Indian immigrants. They made a valiant effort to expose me to as many opportunities as possible, but I don’t think golf was even on their radar.”

It’s hard to imagine Rangappa being intimidated by much. After growing up in Hampton, Va., where her father worked as an Army doctor and her mother was an accountant, she went on to Princeton University, a Fulbright scholarship and Yale Law School.

She joined the FBI soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks. At a time when the bureau was eager to hire multilingual agents, she says, her fluency in Spanish and the Indian language Kannada put her application on the fast track.

Even still, it took about nine months of drug tests, polygraph exams and other screening measures before she entered the FBI Academy.

Becoming an agent was, in her words, “incredibly challenging.” Making matters worse: She had been in a car accident a month before entering Quantico, suffering a rib injury, so she

“spectacularly” failed the first day’s fitness test.

“I had never failed anything in my life before,” she says. “It was a huge wake-up call. I had to decide if this was something I really wanted to do.

I just had to marshal all of my resources to meet the challenge. I trained like a maniac. I would get up at 4:30 in the morning and wrap my ribs and do situps with weights on my chest. They give you another test at six weeks, and I passed that with flying colors. For me, it was a really transformative experience.”

Rangappa left the bureau in 2005, becoming associate dean of admissions at Yale Law before settling into her current role. Among the classes she teaches: Russian intelligence and national security law.

One of the things she finds most interesting about golf is the relationship between its rules and its unwritten norms, or etiquette. It’s a bit like the U.S. government, she says.

“People have realised over the past three years, particularly when it comes to the office of the presidency, that most of the things we have accepted have been norms,” she says. “People will ask, ‘Is that legal?’ Sometimes the answer is yes, but being legal doesn’t make it right.”

To put it back into golf context, you might decide not to help your opponent hunt for a lost ball—but should you?

“Yes, exactly. Golf is not fun because you win at all costs,” Rangappa says.

“It’s fun because you enjoy it. And there’s a sense that you’re contributing to everyone’s mutual enjoyment.”

Her job, combined with raising two kids and appearing on CNN a lot during the Mueller investigation, has cut into her golf time lately. But she’s hoping to squeeze more golf into her schedule.

“Whenever I do play, I always find that it kind of hits me: I don’t do this enough!” Rangappa says. “It’s just such a great way to unplug and be in nature with people I like.” —PETER FINCH

Photograph by Adam Glanzman

Play Swing Sequence

Dustin Johnson Turn and deliver

BY BUTCH HARMON

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OU’RE LOOKING AT one of those

rare players who hits the ball a mile but looks like he’s in second gear.

That’s partly because of Dustin’s natural speed and athleticism but also the way he sequences his swing.

DJ starts his downswing from the ground up, shifting to his front foot and turning his hips forward. He’s super fast with his lower body, which is a big power key, but that has to be paired with a good delivery position, meaning the club doesn’t get stuck behind his body. With the club coming down in front of him, he can release the angles in his wrists and arms and send that energy down the line. He’s giving it about 80 percent, which gives him the perfect blend of power and control.

The lesson for you? Swing back as wide as you can, then let your lower body lead the downswing. Feel like you drop the club into position, so you can make a straightline delivery through the ball. Then release everything out toward the target. That’s how you bomb it. —WITH PETER MORRICE

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POISED FOR POWER ▶ Halfway down, Dustin has shifted forward and started to unwind, leading with the lower body.

I love that there’s still a little space between his right elbow and body; if he jammed the elbow in, the club would drop behind him. And he has maintained the full hinge in his wrists. Here comes a lot of power.

“He’s a great power model: Stretch to the target.”

by the numbers 35 / 6-4 / 190 Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. driver TaylorMade SIM Max (10.5 degrees) strokes gained/ off the tee (2019) .703 (fourth) average drive (2019) 312 yards (fourth)

LETTING IT GO

REACHING OUT

▶ At impact, his lower body is still leading. The hips are wide open, and the shoulders essentially square. His left arm is straight and right arm is straightening. But check out how soft his right hand looks. He can swing at 120-plus miles an hour, but he’s clearly not trying to steer the club or square the face with his hands.

▶ This is a beautiful release, with the arms fully extended, the left shoulder turning out of the way, the head swiveling forward—no holding back here. But he still looks relaxed and in control.

This big extension is proof that he’s keeping up his speed to the finish. Burn this image into your brain for distance and accuracy.

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

Photograph by Dylan Coulter

Class Act: Tommy Fleetwood chose golf over the stage. Funny how things worked out.

by John Feinstein may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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rooks koepka was talking about Tommy Fleetwood, someone he played a lot of golf with when they were competing on the European Tour several years ago.

“He was fun to play with because he was funny,” Koepka says. “Sneaky funny.

Underrated funny. A lot of times he’d say something, and a minute later, you’d get it and start to laugh. He’s that quick.”

Koepka pauses for a moment, smiles and adds, “The Europeans are just funnier than we are. Maybe it’s because they don’t take themselves that seriously.”

There’s no better example of European humor than the video Fleetwood made with Francesco Molinari during the 2018 Ryder Cup victory party in Paris.

Fleetwood and Molinari had become the first European team in history to go 4-0 in foursomes and four-ball matches— including three wins over teams that featured Tiger Woods—leading Europe to a 17½-10½ victory. Molinari had beaten Phil Mickelson in singles on Sunday, and Fleetwood had lost to Tony Finau.

Late that night, someone from the European Tour’s staff—the players aren’t the only funny ones—came up with an

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idea for a video. Shot on a cellphone, it opens with the “Moliwood” duo asleep in bed, the Ryder Cup between them.

Molinari wakes up, gives a little start at the sight of Fleetwood next to him, and nudges him several times to wake him up.

Fleetwood—who considered going to drama school to become an actor when he was a teenager—drowsily turns to Molinari and says, “How good was that for you?”

Molinari shrugs and says, “Four out of four?”

Fleetwood, still sleepy, replies, “I’d give you five out of five, Frankie.”

Arguably the 15 funniest seconds in golf history. It has been viewed more than three million times.

Months later, Fleetwood was making a corporate appearance in Hartford.

The opening question of the night wasn’t about his Ryder Cup performance or his one-shot loss to Koepka in the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. It was about the video.

“Tommy,” the moderator asked, “Can you explain to us how you ended up in bed with Francesco Molinari?”

Without missing a beat, Fleetwood said, “Which time?”

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left: stuart franklin/getty images • top: european tour • right: david cannon/getty images

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‘a guy who gets it’ here might not be a betterliked player on the PGA and European tours than Fleetwood. He’s one of those guys who can take his golf seriously without taking himself seriously.

“He’s a lovely guy, simple as that,” Ian Poulter says. “He’s fun to play with because he has a great attitude and he’s a very good player. I think everyone in the locker room would love to see him win a major. He’s good for golf.”

Shane Lowry, the Irishman who denied Fleetwood a major title last summer at the Open Championship played at Portrush, agrees with Poulter. “I can’t think of a win that would be more popular—at least among the European players,” he says.

Then smiling, he adds: “Of course I’m glad that win didn’t come at Portrush.”

Most American players who know Fleetwood will tell you that his popularity isn’t limited to his European compatriots.

“He’s just one of the good guys out here,” Gary Woodland says. “Some of it is his sense of humor, but some of it is that if he’s playing badly he never lets it ruin your day. He’s just a guy who gets it.”

Fleetwood is also one of the most recognisable players on tour. He wears his brown hair long and has what might be described as a scruffy beard. David Feherty once described him as “looking like a homeless guy who just robbed a Nike store.” Feherty has also suggested that Fleetwood’s hair should be the next president of the United States. Others call him Fairway Jesus.

Feherty adds this: “He’s one of those people who could have done almost anything he wanted to be: an actor, a businessman, a lawyer, a politician.

He’s that bright and that charming.

He just happens to be very good at golf.”

Amid all the kind words Fleetwood’s peers pass around, there is one dissenting voice: his wife, Clare: “He can’t make bloody toast,” she says, laughing. “And he leaves clothes around the house like he’s still in a hotel.”

That’s it. That’s the list of complaints.

When Feherty interviewed Fleetwood for “Feherty” last summer, he referenced Fleetwood’s abandoned acting career and suggested they act out a scene from “Romeo and Juliet.” Fleetwood was Romeo; Feherty was Juliet—complete with ridiculous-looking wig.

“I thought he was quite good,” Feherty says. “Not so sure about me.”

“I was shocked that David didn’t take it more seriously,” Fleetwood says, his sarcasm fully intact. “So unlike him.”

Then he adds, “It was certainly my mostviewed acting performance.” ▶ on a roll Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari were dominant in the 2018 Ryder Cup, on and off the course. Fleetwood shot a final-round 63 in the U.S. Open that year to fall just one shot short of Brooks Koepka at Shinnecock Hills.

shaved head: ‘mom was horrified’ n most professional sports, Fleetwood’s look would hardly draw a second glance. His brown hair is shoulder-length, nothing more, and his beard doesn’t begin to touch some of those that seem to hang down to belts in other sports. But in the buttoned-down, rules-filled world of golf, he’s clearly different.

“I’ve never been one who wanted to just follow along with what others are doing or saying,” he says. “I kind of do my own thing and don’t really worry what people think about me.”

Fleetwood’s semi-scruffy look grew out of a prank gone semi-wrong five years ago. He and his older brother, Joe, were hanging out, looking for something to do.

“Our parents had gone out,” Fleetwood says. “We weren’t drinking at all, but we just got kind of giggly thinking of things to do. For some reason, we decided it would be funny to go to the local barber and get our heads shaved. Didn’t take long— maybe five minutes apiece.”

Fleetwood’s parents, Pete and Sue, came home soon after. “Mom was horrified; I thought she was going to cry,” Tommy says. “I know Dad wanted to laugh, but seeing the look on Mom’s face, he just smiled. After that, I decided to let it grow for a while and, well, here I am.”

Here is where he is today: a five-time winner on the European Tour, a winner of the Race to Dubai (2017) and a Ryder Cup hero. He came achingly close to winning at Shinnecock, missing an eight-foot-birdie putt on the 18th hole on Sunday that would have made him the second player in majorchampionship history to shoot 62, after Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

Instead, Fleetwood became the 33rd man to shoot 63 in a major. More important, that miss allowed Koepka to hang on for a one-shot victory. ►

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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Fleetwood had been one of the early finishers that Sunday, so he saw most of Koepka’s back nine on television. “He hit it left at 11, and I thought he was going to make at least a 5,” he says, laughing now at the memory. “Then he did it again at 12—turned a sure 5 into a 4. After that, I just felt as if it was meant to be for him that day. That’s why he’s a great player.”

The memory of that final round remains mixed. “I played one of the great rounds of my life on a historic golf course,” Fleetwood says. “The thought that I could win never crossed my mind at the start of the day. But to come that close and not quite get there still hurts.

I’d be lying if I said different.”

Ian Finnis, Fleetwood’s caddie, who was the best man at his wedding and has known him since he was a teenager, still jokes with Koepka that his victory is the reason he can’t afford to send his kids to private school. “Like I said,” Koepka says, “They are funnier than we are.”

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choosing golf over acting leetwood grew up in Southport, England, not far from Royal Birkdale. In fact, his first experience with major-championship golf came in 1998, when he and Joe sneaked into the Open Championship that Mark O’Meara won. Fleetwood began playing as a boy with Joe and their father, who was a construction worker when Tommy was young, and back then, they would occasionally sneak on and play a few holes at Birkdale after the golf course had been closed for the day.

Tommy had two passions as a boy: golf and acting. He took a number of acting classes in high school—“aced them,” he says—and considered applying to drama school when he graduated at the age of 16.

“Golf was my favourite, and acting was second,” he says. “I never really liked school much, so I decided to try to play golf full-time for two years and see what happened. If it didn’t go well, then I’d think about going back to school.”

Golf went well. By the time he was 19, he was the third-ranked amateur golfer in the world, and after briefly flirting with the idea of going to an American college to play golf, he turned pro not long after playing in the Walker Cup for Great Britain & Ireland.

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▶ another good team Fleetwood and his wife, Clare, at the 2018 Ryder Cup Gala at the Palace of Versailles in France.

“I knew I was going to turn pro at some point,” he says. “I kept asking people, ‘When do I do it?’ The best answer I got was, ‘You’ll know when it’s time.’ I got to a point where I felt I’d done everything I could do as an amateur. Plus, I was ready to start making some money by then.”

His first full year as a pro—2011—was a big success. He played his way onto the European Challenge Tour, won a tournament and ended up as the leading money-winner on the Challenge Tour at the age of 20—the youngest player ever to do so. “I still am the youngest,” he says, smiling. “Quite proud of that, in fact.”

His play got him promoted to the European Tour the next year. “I found out quickly that I wasn’t ready for that level,” he says. “I just wasn’t a good enough player to compete consistently, and I put too much pressure on myself to succeed.

I could drive the golf ball pretty well, but my short game just wasn’t good enough.”

As the year wore on, with his father traveling with him, Fleetwood learned to not treat every tournament as if the future of the world—or at least his world—was riding on it. He came to the final event of the year, the South African Open, needing a top-10 finish to keep his playing privileges.

He finished sixth.

“That told me a lot about myself, about my ability to handle pressure,” he says.

“I definitely felt it that week. I mean, it was horrible, truly horrible. But I got through it. If I could go back and go through that again, I’d tell myself to remember that losing your card isn’t the end of the world.

A lot of guys have gone through it and come right back the next year. It isn’t that big a deal. Of course, back then, it felt like exactly that big a deal.”

He pauses. “That said, I’m glad I didn’t have to go through it.”

Fleetwood won his first European Tour event the next year, at Gleneagles. For the next several years he was a solid player in Europe, finishing as high as 21st and no lower than 41st on the Race to Dubai points list. It was during 2016 that his career path changed.

Perhaps pushing too hard to try to make the Ryder Cup team, he missed five of seven cuts. He decided to ask his boyhood teacher, Alan Thompson, to start working with him again, and he asked Finnis, who had caddied for him at times during his amateur career, to come out and caddie for him again.

He also asked his dad to travel with him some of the time.

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finding success and love oincidence or not, Fleetwood began to play better than he ever had.

He started 2017 with a victory in Abu Dhabi, finished fourth in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills—his first top 10 in a major—won in France in July and ended up winning the Race to Dubai.

He was clearly becoming a star.

He was also in love. He’d first met Clare Craig in her role as vice president/ Europe for the Hambric Sports Group, a management firm. They’d always gotten along. “Sense of humor,” Fleetwood says.

“We’re both from northern England and have that sarcastic, dry sense of humor.”

Fleetwood claims there are times when he’ll say something meant to be funny, and people who don’t know him well will miss it. “When you have to explain the joke, it’s no longer funny,” he says. “With Clare, I never had to explain the joke.”

Adds Clare: “I think we’re both that way. I always got it when he was being funny—and I thought he was funny.”

She had met plenty of golfers as an agent but none, she says, like Fleetwood.

“He wasn’t as . . . self-absorbed,” she says. ”Just very comfortable with himself in a way that you didn’t expect from someone so young.”

Fleetwood had changed management groups and joined Hambric after Joe—

Ross KinnaiRd/Getty imaGes

“I SEE IT IN HIS FACE WHEN HE WANTS TO SLIT SOMEONE’S THROAT ON THE GOLF COURSE. TRUST ME, IT’S THERE.”

who is nine years older than he is—went to work there. Initially, Tommy and Clare’s relationship was strictly business. But then that feeling changed.

“I found myself looking forward to seeing him, whether on the range or in a clubhouse or occasionally on the same flight home on Sunday,” Clare says. “I told myself the idea of being attracted to him was crazy. I was 20 years older than he was, I had two kids, and my job was massively important to me.”

Fleetwood got all that, but he kept asking her to have a drink or perhaps dinner. She kept keeping him at arm’s length, even though she had admitted to herself by then that she was attracted to him. By then, her boys had met Fleetwood and liked him a lot. “My older one [Oscar] kept saying to me, ‘Why don’t you go out with him?’ Finally, I did.”

They kept the relationship quiet during the summer of 2015, but then Clare told her boss, Rocky Hambric.

He fired her.

“At the time I don’t think he believed me when I told him it was love, pure and simple,” she says. “I thought he was just being nasty. Now, I realise he did the right thing. We’ve rebuilt our bridges.”

Tommy and Clare had a son—Franklin, who is called Frankie by everyone—in September 2017, and they were married in December of that year. Tommy adopted Clare’s sons: matchmaker Oscar, now 13, and Mo, now 11. The last two years, the five Fleetwoods have traveled the PGA Tour circuit in the summer after the older boys are out of school, and Clare’s full-time nonfamily job is representing Tommy.

That job has become a lot more complicated, starting with Shinnecock and then, soon after, with the Ryder Cup. Fleetwood wasn’t surprised when European captain Thomas Bjorn paired him with Molinari. Their games jibed well, and the two were already good friends.

Another person not surprised by the success of the pairing was U.S. captain Jim Furyk. “I thought going in they’d be a strong pairing, especially on that golf course,” he says, referencing the importance of keeping the ball in the fairway at Le Golf National. “It fit both their games perfectly.”

In the Friday four-balls, they scored Europe’s only point—beating Woods and Patrick Reed—then led the European sweep of the afternoon foursomes with a 5-and-4 win over Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, the American duo’s only loss. Two more wins on Saturday improved Fleetwood and Molinari’s record to 4-0, a mark not even reached by Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.

“That’s been the highlight for me so far,” Fleetwood says. “Being part of a team made it special, and going 4-0 with Fran made it even better.” He smiles.

“Of course, if I’d won the U.S. Open maybe it would be No. 1, but since I didn’t . . . ” He says he’s looking forward to playing the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. “It will definitely be a different sort of crowd,” he says with a grin. “But I’m kind of looking forward to the challenge. Makes it fun.”

F

awaiting a win in america leetwood didn’t become a PGA Tour member until 2018.

In fact, when he missed the cut in March at Bay Hill, it was only his second missed cut in 34 starts as a PGA Tour member and ended a streak of 33 straight made cuts worldwide. He finished 19th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2018 and 16th in 2019.

But he’s still looking for his first win in the United States—as NBC’s Paul Azinger pointed out during the last round of the Honda Classic, sounding as if Fleetwood’s five European Tour wins were almost meaningless (and without any mention of his play in the Ryder Cup).

Though several European players, notably Poulter and Lee Westwood, found Azinger’s tone condescending, one person who agrees with Azinger is Fleetwood.

“I’m playing here because it’s the best tour in the world,” he says. “I’m a homebody—I love being at home in England, but I want to challenge myself regularly against the best. That’s why I’m here and why I plan to stay here.”

He and Clare still don’t have a place in the United States, but they’ve discussed it. The last two summers, they used weeks off in the summer to travel. Last year it was the Bahamas (where they were married) and the Hamptons. “Wouldn’t mind living there,” Tommy says, laughing.

In the meantime, Fleetwood will keep trying to get better. He thought he had a shot at winning the Open Championship last summer before Lowry pulled away on the last day. Fleetwood had played a little better every day: 68-67-66 in relatively benign conditions and was in second place, trailing Lowry by four after Lowry’s brilliant Saturday 63.

“It felt as if it was just Shane and me, and I went to bed thinking I really had a chance,” Fleetwood says. “Since I was a boy, winning our Open has been my dream. I remember Shane and I were the last two out of the locker room on Saturday, and I said to him, ‘Well, I hope it’s one of us tomorrow.’ Of course, I was hoping that one would be me.

“It wasn’t meant to be. It was a tough

day, and Shane held together better than anyone. That’s why he won by six. When I made double bogey at 14, it was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever had on a golf course, because it was completely over at that point. I’ll say this: Sometimes you lose a golf tournament, sometimes the other guy wins. That day Shane won.”

Fleetwood is considered one of golf’s best drivers and is a solid iron player. He’d like to be more consistent around the greens, and he believes he’s got plenty of room for improvement.

If other players question anything about him it is whether he is perhaps too nice to be a major champion.

“I wondered it myself at times as an agent,” Clare says. “But now, seeing what I see in him as his wife, I am 100 percent convinced he’s got what he needs. I see it in his face when he wants to slit someone’s throat on the golf course.

Trust me, it’s there.”

Fleetwood is still as driven, he says, as he was on the Challenge Tour. “I never want to feel comfortable,” he says. “Part of that is because I’ve struggled at times and don’t want to have that feeling again.

Part of that is because I still have a lot more I want to accomplish.”

Most of those who have played with him believe he’ll take those next steps— winning in the United States, winning a major—in the not-too-distant future.

He came close at the Honda Classic, coming to the 18th hole Sunday needing a birdie on the par 5 to tie Sungjae Im. But he over-cut his 5-wood second shot, and it found the water. “Right shot,” he says. “Poor execution.” And the lout who screamed after his swing? “Never heard him,” he says.

Fleetwood flew home as soon as the Players Championship was canceled because of the coronavirus, and he felt relieved to be there. “Just being home at a time like this is comforting,” he says. “It was a confusing few days with things being shut down. I just hope for everyone’s sake we can collectively push through this and come out the other side eventually—wherever that is.”

His peers believe that once golf starts up again he’ll win in the U.S. very soon.

“He’s got the kind of game that travels well,” Woodland says. “You drive the ball like that, there isn’t any kind of golf course you can’t play. And he has such a good attitude. He’s been knocked down a few times. He may get knocked down a few more. My bet is he gets back up.”

And when that time comes, one thing is almost certain: Tommy Fleetwood will win with grace and style. And, he’ll leave them laughing. may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

33

H LY MIDDLE EAST’S

FAVOURITE HOLES

WHAT WOULD A COMPILATION OF THE MIDDLE EAST’S FAVOURITE HOLES LOOK LIKE? STUNNING. LONG. AND VERY, VERY TOUGH. WELCOME TO THE REGION’S DREAM 18.

“The ideal hole

is surely one that affords the greatest pleasure to the greatest number, gives the fullest advantage for accurate play, stimulates players to improve their game, and never becomes monotonous.” ▶ Alister MacKenzie departed this life 86 years ago, more than 50 years before golf first met grass in Dubai and longer still before the game spread its virtuous tentacles around the Middle East. ▶ But if he could, the revered British course architect surely would doff his Tam o’ Shanter to this, our compilation of the Middle East’s favourite holes. ▶ Judged by the expert panel that brought you Golf Digest’s Top 10 Courses of the Middle East 2020 ranking (see our December 2019 edition or visit GolfDigestme.com) and dreamed into a composite 18 by the editorial team, this is an impressive and imposing test of golf. ▶ The criteria to be considered for the region’s dream 18? The same exhaustive process that determines the world’s most respected course rating system, a series of seven categories which reward shot values, design variety, resistance to scoring, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and ambience. The kicker is that holes had to receive at least 75 per cent of the panel’s collective ‘your favourite hole’ vote at a respective course to be considered. ▶ There is nothing more subjective in sport than the apples versus pears ranking of players or matches from different eras. The same can be applied to the rating of golf courses where one players manicured hybrid of parkland and desert, is another’s modern-day seaside layout, or, in the Middle East at least, yet another’s inland links wannabe. Drill down further to individual holes and the debate is even hotter. The most impartial way to measure that is with Golf Digest’s internationally trusted formula. ▶ What is indisputable is that our composite layout complies to the criteria of the ideal hole as MacKenzie once famously hypothesised. Each and every hole inspires, demands accuracy (or acceptance of a lack thereof), will send you to the range searching for solutions and could never, ever be considered tedious. Enjoy. ▶▶▶ 34 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

M LY BY

KENT GRAY

Photographs courtesy of the clubs

1.

The 16 , Saadiyat Beach Golf Club th

488 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 1 we’re fans of course architects who like to ease you into a round with a simple hole, providing, if not a birdie chance, then a relatively straight forward shot at par.

There is no such luxury at our composite course. With its tight tee shot, magnetic waste bunker hugging almost the entire right-hand side of the fairway and approach over yet more sand to a deceptively large green well protected by humps and hollows, par is no cinch. Add in a breeze off the Arabian Sea and, well, good luck. This hole is stunningly brutal, a bit like designer Gary Player’s fitness regime.

2.

The 16th, Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

180 Yards, Par 3, Stroke Index 16 we’ve gone for a par-4, par-3, par-5 opening to our composite 18 to test every club in your bag early. You won’t find many short holes in the Middle East more picturesque than the last par 3 on the Kingdom’s most recognisable course but don’t be lulled by those turquoise Red Sea views. Dustin Johnson nearly lost the inaugural Saudi International here before producing a miraculous recovery from the drop zone for a bogey to hold off Li Haotong in 2019. Take par and run.

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3.

The 18th, The Address Montgomerie Dubai

656 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 1 how many good and great rounds at The Monty have been sunk by Colin’s (in)famous closing hole? Finding dry land off one of the numerous teeing grounds is cause for mini celebration but this par 5 will keep you sweating till the end. The hole is relatively straight forward if you can get off the tee but isn’t it amazing how sensible strategy goes out the window with so much water everywhere, or how you suddenly chunk a wedge that has been co-operating so well until now? The potential sucker punch is under clubbing what should be your third (but probably your fourth, fifth of sixth) shot into the green. You deserve a drink but we are only getting started…

▶ clockwise from left The 18th at Greg Norman’s Muscat gem, Al Mouj Golf, tests the European Tour’s best in the Oman Open so don’t fret your score; the 16th at Al Ain is another par 4 where getting wet is an everpresent danger; Soak in those Red Sea views on the 16th at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia; Any par on the closing hole at The Address Montgomerie Dubai will help you soar up the club’s monthly medal leaderboard. ▶ previous spread The 17th at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (foreground p.35) didn’t make the cut in our dream 18 but easily could have.

The closing par 4, as you approach the iconic Dhow shaped clubhouse, did and thoroughly warrants the distinction

4.

The 18th, Al Mouj Golf

410 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 9 speaking of tough closing holes with watery graves…

The 18th at Greg Norman’s Muscat masterpiece tests the mettle of the European Tour’s top players at the Oman Open so it’s a given that it will keep the blowtorch focused on your ball striking now you’ve warmed your way into our composite course. Slicers can’t aim far enough left off this tee – and invariably they’ll hit it straight into trouble if they do. Don’t be tempted by any pin cut in the right half of the putting surface or you could be playing pinball with the rocks which elevate this green, and hole, to favourite status among our judges... a big call on a layout overflowing with memorable holes.

5.

The 16th, Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club 421 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 5

this par-4 ranks as just the fifth toughest hole at AESGC but don’t be fooled by the stroke index or the alluring design aesthetic. A telephone number awaits any player who strays from the fairway off the tee and that’s just the beginning of the fun. Ideally you’ll shape your drive around the dogleg and past the two furthermost palm trees on the right, hopefully without needing a second or third ball with all that water right and sand and OB left. Now play smart, ignoring any back left (bunker bound!) or centre-right (you’re wet!) pin.

Simply rifle your mid-iron to the centre of the green, two-putt and walk off with a big smile and plenty of lead left in your pencil. may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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▶ clockwise from below Good luck if you need a birdie to win your match on the 18th at The Faldo at Emirates Golf Club. Actually, best of British if you need a par; The curvy 18th at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai is another testy finishing hole but comes early in our dream 18; Do you pull the trigger from this spot on the closing hole on the Majlis course at Emirates G.C. or lay-up and risk getting wet with a wedge anyway?; The 4th at The Track, Meydan Golf isn’t quite the shortest par 4 in our composite layout but it is a, ahem, tall order for those who suddenly get nervous with a bit of H20 to negotiate.

6.

8.

485 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 5

354 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 14

The 18th, The Faldo, Emirates Golf Club

The 16th, Al Zorah Golf Club

we find The Faldo one of the region’s most exacting tests off the tee, particularly on the outward nine with all those tight doglegs.

And sand. And water. To be fair, the closing hole on the Majlis’ sister course at Emirates G.C. offers a generous landing area for all but the biggest slicers but there are few more intimidating approach shots than here. Sir Nick was one of the game’s great shotmakers. You’ll feel like one too if you escape with par of better here.

the 16th at Nicklaus Designs’ Ajman gem will have you umming and ahhing like the ebb and flooding tides that engross the hole’s island tees. The smart strategic play, with sodden marshland left and desert despair right, dictates a hybrid or mid-iron off the tee and a flick of a wedge in. But maybe, just maybe, you could get there with driver, maybe even a 3-wood? A classic risk and reward hole from another classic course Jack (kinda) built.

7.

9.

The 18 , Trump International Golf Club, Dubai th

425 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3

just don’t go left, right? Easier said than done on designer Gil Hanse’s closing hole at Trump Dubai. With that man-made lake hugging the dog-legged par 4, it’s easy to push it way right off the tee which then brings the wet stuff into play with your approach. Aim right of the green and hope for a members’ bounce onto the putting surface because any chip, downhill and with that ever-present water begging, is sure to unearth any jitters in your short game. In effort not to thin it? A frustrating fat? Fun and sometimes frightening.

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The 4th, The Track, Meydan Golf

358 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 7 for further, irrefutable proof, that a hole needn’t be long to be memorable, welcome to this feisty little dogleg at The Track, Meydan Golf. You could almost throw it off the tee and have a shot at a green that is generously proportioned. Isn’t it amazing how even the silkiest of swings suddenly becomes a little twitchy though when you have to negotiate a bit of H20.

And good luck if you over club (prudent) with your approach and leave yourself a slippery downhill chip, looking back at that hypnotic water.

Our Dream 18 *from the championship tees

hole 1. The 16th 2. The 16th 3. The 18th 4. The 18th 5. The 16th 6. The 18th 7. The 18th 8. The 16th 9. The 4th OUT 10. The 18th 11. The 18th 12. The 18th 13. The 16th 14. The 8th 15. The 15th 16. The 18th 17. The 17th 18. The 18th In Total

club stroke Saadiyat Beach Golf Club 1 Royal Greens Golf & Country Club 16 The Address Montgomerie Dubai 1 Al Mouj Golf 9 Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & G.C. 5 The Faldo, Emirates Golf Club 5 Trump International G.C., Dubai 3 Al Zorah Golf Club 14 The Track, Meydan Golf 7 Majlis, Emirates Golf Club Dubai Hills Golf Club Yas Links Abu Dhabi Earth, Jumeirah Golf Estates Majlis, Emirates Golf Club The Els Club Dubai Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Yas Links Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Golf Club

12 10 3 10 3 1 3 13 5

yards 488 180 656 410 421 485 425 354 358 3,777 546 486 646 486 459 489 421 204 567 4,304 8,081

par 4 3 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 36 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 3 5 38 74

You’ve done well to make it to the turn with balls left in your bag, not to mention the will to carry on. Grab yourself a nice drink and perhaps an extra sleeve or two of your favourite ammo and prepare for yet more fun.

10.

The 18th, Majlis, Emirates Golf Club

546 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 12 it’s the scene of so much OMEGA Dubai Desert and Moonlight Classics glory – and amateur heartache. Go straight off the tee and you run the risk of not reaching the corner of the dogleg and blocking yourself out or overpowering things and running out of fairway. Hit it too far left and you’re in the trees or lush rough at best.

Somewhere in between and either wooden or watery fate potentially awaits. Then you must decide to go for it or lay-up and test your nerve over the water. Short is wet while air mailing the green brings another chance of the same. A brilliant strategic test.

11.

The 18th, Dubai Hills Golf Club

486 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 10 european golf design architect Gary Johnson wanted to differentiate Dubai Hills’ finale from the par-5s that predominate the UAE golfscape. The Scot surely did - the 485-yard finish is an absolute brute. Getting it in play off the tee of this par 4 (don’t go too far right) is the (not so) easy bit. Afterwards you’ll need to rifle a mid-iron to a peninsula green guarded by water left and magnetic bunkering front right that looks like it’s cut tight to the green but is actually a clever optical illusion. Par? You’ve just roared up the leaderboard. may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

39

12.

The 18th, Yas Links Abu Dhabi

646 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 3 there is arguably no tougher finish in Middle East golf than Yas Links’ closing par-5, a hole that just keeps coming at you.

That’s why we’ve slotted it in early in our inward nine, to leave you some energy to get back to the 19th! You’ll need a solid drive and two decent whacks from there to stand any chance of reaching a green large enough to make three-putting almost inevitable. Into a breeze? Your blob won’t be the first or the last today.

13.

The 16th, Earth, Jumeirah Golf Estates

486 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 10 the best players on Earth breathe a sigh of relief if they escape here without a scorecard glitch during the DP World Tour Championship each November so who are we to sniff at par? Proof again a hole needn’t be long to be challenging. Watch that your tee shot doesn’t bound right, never to be seen again. Commit fully to the approach shot too, ignoring the water that frames the partial island green. Yeah, we can’t either.

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“YOU’LL NEED A SOLID DRIVE AND TWO DECENT WHACKS FROM THERE TO STAND ANY CHANCE OF REACHING A GREEN WHERE THREE-PUTTING IS ALMOST INEVITABLE. INTO A BREEZE? YOUR BLOB WON’T BE THE FIRST OR LAST TODAY.” 14.

16.

459 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3

421 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 3

The 8 , Majlis, Emirates Golf Club th

is there a more iconic hole in the Middle East? Is there a hole where more golfers miss right off the tee anywhere in the world? Dust yourself off at the end of this famous par 4 and remember that no matter your score, you’ve got a marina views selfie your pals the world over will be jealous of.

15.

The 15th, The Els Club Dubai

489 Yards, Par 4, Stroke Index 1 thankfully in our composite 18, you haven’t had to play the par 4 that mirrors the 15th at The Els Club Dubai because, no doubt, you’d rock up to this tee with the mental scar tissue from negotiating the 6th hole at Ernie’s course still fresh in your mind. Instead, rid your thoughts of the water right, that welcoming pot bunker in the landing zone off the tee left, and the bailout area left of the green, a no go zone for those with a twitchy wedge game. Instead, find the fairway, pure your approach to the heart of the green, two-putt and walk away with a par and the lingering admiration of your playing partners. If only golf was as simple as the Big Easy makes it look.

▶ clockwise from left The approach shot to the 16th is one of the trickiest shots on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates; It’s the most photographed hole in the Middle East, the iconic 8th on the Majlis at Emirates G.C.; Any par on the 15th hole at The Els Club, Dubai is to be celebrated, especially if you manage to get up and down from the bailout area pictured to the right of the green here; the sun sets on one of the prettiest - and most testing - par 3s in the Middle East, the 17th at Yas Links Abu Dhabi

The 18th, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

likewise, be thankful you haven’t had to play the previous hole at the Creek (see p.39) before you roll up to this beautifully brutal par-4. There is actually no option here other than hitting it arrow straight down the middle and then purposefully onto the green.

There is no Creek. Or sand. Or rocks guarding the green to send your ball there anyway.

Who are we kidding. Grab a group selfie with the iconic clubhouse in the background and forget that double. Or was it a triple?

17.

The 17th, Yas Links Abu Dhabi

204 Yards, Par 3, Stroke Index 13 for golf eye candy, it doesn’t get much better than the penultimate par 3 at Kyle Phillips’ Abu Dhabi masterpiece.

Aesthetically pleasing yes, easy no. You’ll need to strike it crisp, long and straight to walk away with a score anywhere as attractive as those shots your entire group did manage to nail off the tee – with their camera phones. Majestic.

18.

The 18th, Abu Dhabi Golf Club

567 Yards, Par 5, Stroke Index 5 great closing holes effortlessly conjure great late drama. A doff of our cap then to architect Peter Harradine for the climax to the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship each January. Risk and reward comes in wet and sandy waves, tempts the big hitter, teases till the end with its speedy, sprawling green and lures all to the most astonishing clubhouse anywhere in the Middle East. You’ve made it and well played, regardless of your score. Enjoy your drink and the debrief of the Middle East’s favourite holes. may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

41

TEMP OUR WRITER goes farther inside the ropes to caddie for pal Matt Fitzpatrick

BY DANIEL RAPAPORT

came while “The Text” I was asleep, as all my favourite texts seem to do. It was one of those messages you have to read a few times before you can convince yourself it’s actually real: Got a question for you, pal . . . looks like I’m going to be playing AT&T. Would you want to caddie for me?

On one hand, this was a long time coming. Matt Fitzpatrick—always Matt to me, never Matthew—and I became friends during his 10 minutes on campus at Northwestern.

(I graduated in four years; he pulled out after one especially cold freshman fall to prepare for some major tournament in Georgia.) Matt had won the U.S. Amateur about a month earlier and was the No. 1 am in the world. I had been following his rise closely because I was trying to walk on to the golf team, and the coach had communicated that there was only one roster spot open, and it was going to this British kid, Fitzpatrick. So, if I were to make the team, I’d have to convince the coaches that I was better than the best amateur golfer in the world. In related news: My dreams of playing for the team didn’t last long. ▶

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WORK Photographs by J.D. Cuban

I

’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking for this Fitzpatrick fellow when I arrived on campus, and sure enough, I saw him eating alone in the dining hall during the first week. (He denies that he was eating alone, but trust me, he was full Steven Glansberg.)

Being the generally shameless person that I was in my teenage years and the golf perv I still am, I plopped next to him and immediately began babbling about all things golf. Miraculously, he didn’t run away, and a friendship was born.

We kept in loose touch after Matt left school. During his time on the Challenge Tour, I’d reach out every now and then to make sure he was finding something to eat in places like Kazakhstan. After he got his European Tour card, he came back to

44 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

Chicago to visit semi-regularly, so I’d see him once in a while, but our relationship basically consisted of my “good luck” and “congratulations” texts and, on good days, him blessing me with some tour gossip: This guy has got the chipping yips.

That guy has a new girlfriend. That sort of thing.

That all changed in March 2018 when Sports Illustrated granted my wish to move from a general-assignment position to the golf beat. I made it out to a few tournaments that year, and Matt and I would have dinner and walk a few practice-round holes together. Our correspondence became more frequent: texting, Instagram direct messages, etc.

Toward the second half of 2018, when he had cracked the world top 50, we planned for him to stay at my parents’ house in Los Angeles during the Genesis Open at

Riviera. Despite not yet being a PGA Tour member, he was optimistic he’d receive a sponsor’s invitation.

He was wrong. No invite came, but he’d already booked his flights and was planning on taking the tour charter from L.A. to Mexico on Sunday night for the WGC event there, so he came anyway. Teed it up in the Monday qualifier; missed by one.

This was bad news for Matt, who now had a week in L.A. with nothing on his schedule. This was great news for our friendship, which blossomed over the next seven days. He showed up to my normal Sunday-morning game at Brentwood Country Club, dressed head-to-toe in full PGA Tour attire. On his first time seeing the course, he shot a seven-under-par 65 with a three-putt and a water ball. We went out to a swanky

“I WAS ABOUT TO CADDIE FOR A TOP-25 PLAYER IN THE WORLD, FOR A FULL WEEK, AT AN ICONIC PGA TOUR EVENT.”

▶ look, everybody! Rapaport and Fitzpatrick at Pebble Beach’s 18th during the opening round, when PGA Tour Live broadcast their group’s play to families and golf’s masses.

Italian restaurant and ran into Sergio Garcia, whose wife asked me if I, too, was a golfer. (Only an amateur, I said.) Matt complained about the traffic all week, but he loved L.A., though he might never admit it. He finished T-27 the next week in Mexico, then took solo second at Bay Hill in his next start, all but securing his PGA Tour card for the next year.

Before that three-week stretch, I had a semi-friend who was trying to get his card.

After that stretch, I had a dear friend on the PGA Tour.

I had joked about the possibility of me guest-caddieing but never expected anything to come of it. Matt is the

ultimate professional and isn’t the type to waste a week of competition just to do a friend a favour. Plus, he started working in January 2019 with Billy Foster, a legendary caddie who looped for Seve Ballesteros and helped Lee Westwood reach world No. 1.

My window cracked open when Matt climbed inside the top 30 in the World Ranking in the fall of 2019, putting him on the cusp of qualifying for the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. I said to Matt that if he played well enough to qualify for that exhibition, I should get to caddie for him.

He didn’t say no. Billy would be enjoying time off with his family, and Matt was second alternate, so he didn’t want to make Billy fly across the Atlantic at a moment’s notice for one tournament.

I was already going to be there covering the event for Golf Digest, so a moment’s notice was no issue for me. A week before the event, Matt finally said it: If he got in, I was on the bag.

Still, we needed two withdrawals for that to happen. I received a text from Matt saying, “One more to go!”—suggesting one guy had pulled out, right before I received a push notification from the PGA Tour saying, “Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from the Hero World Challenge.” I thought we were in, but Matt had learned of DJ’s withdrawal before it became official, so the text and the notification were both talking about DJ. Chez Reavie took the spot. Bummer.

But the caddie door was open now.

One month later, The Text arrived.

I know other writers have gotten the chance to caddie for a touring pro. But I was about to caddie for a top-25 player in the world, for a full week, at an iconic PGA Tour event. That I somehow refrained from tweeting the news until the Monday of the tournament was a miracle of self-restraint.

I

practice prep: math is involved flew to Monterey on Tuesday morning of tournament week.

The plan was for me to walk Monterey Peninsula Country Club on Tuesday afternoon before Matt arrived Tuesday night. Then we’d play a practice round on Wednesday at Spyglass.

I didn’t have a yardage book as I walked MPCC, so I took a ridiculous amount of notes, all of which were made obsolete when I got my yardage book the next morning. I wrapped up at MPCC and met Matt’s manager for dinner that night in the village of Carmel. We got back to the Airbnb—a quaint-as-can-be cottage in Carmel—and shut the lights off for an early night. In our haste, we almost forgot to leave the door open for the boss, who would be arriving around 11 p.m. One should never forget to leave the door open for the boss.

The next morning we packed up the TrackMan—always be extra careful with the TrackMan, cuz that thing ain’t cheap—before breakfast. With the sea-level elevation and damp air of the Monterrey Peninsula, launch-monitor sessions before every round are extra critical for calibrating carry distances.

As we left the table and headed to the door, there was an awkward silence as no one made a move toward the bag. Then I remembered, That’s on me this week.

I got my first taste of the 45ish-pound behemoth as I carried it to the Lexus courtesy car. I’d find that if I stretched each night, I wouldn’t wake up too sore.

Matt made sure we played the practice round alone, possibly because he prefers going at it solo, but more likely to give me a chance to get my bearings without worrying about anything else. What a nice boss!

My first order of business was figuring out how we’d calculate yardages. There’s a surprising amount of math involved.

It’s not difficult math, but there’s a lot of it, and it needs to be done quickly and correctly. The process starts with the tee shot. The tour yardage book gives you a number to every sprinkler head, as well as how many yards uphill or downhill it is. But the yardage is given from the back of whatever tee the person who made the book thinks will be used, so you have to pace off how far the markers are from the back of the box. If they’re using another tee box, that’s another layer.

The more crucial calculations come with the approach shot. The book will list every sprinkler head out there, and the sprinkler heads show a number to the middle of the green. But pros aren’t may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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“HE THEN GAVE ME THE LOOK. EVERY CADDIE KNOWS THE LOOK. YOU BOTH KNOW THAT YOU HAVE JUST SCREWED UP MASSIVELY.”

concerned with this yardage. So you find the nearest sprinkler—say, in this case, it reads 140—and check the book. The book tells you that from the 140 sprinkler, it’s 124 yards to the front, and it will also list the slope. Say it’s six yards uphill—it’s playing 130 to the front edge. You then consult the daily pin sheet, which tells you how many paces on the green the flag is. Say it’s 14 paces on. Now we’re at 144 to the flag. But we’re not trying to land it at the flag. Say we want the ball to pitch four paces short. Now we’re back to 140. On to the wind. Say it’s a bit into the fan. Matt thinks it’s playing five yards more. Now we’re at our number: 145. Last calculation: a start line and a finish line. Then, finally, it’s go time. All that in under 30 seconds.

I thought I had the hang of it all until we reached the ninth hole, an uphill par 4 that turns slightly right. Matt hit his drive in the middle of the fairway—it’s hard to overstate just how straight Fitzy hits it—and asks me, and me alone, to get the yardage. A test! I ran through the numbers quickly and confidently. I communicated to him that it was playing 158 with a hair of wind in the face, a perfect 8-iron. After he struck the approach, it was clear the ball needed to sit—quickly. Get. Down.

Now. It didn’t, and it pitched on the back

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edge of the green, a solid 15 yards past the pin. He then gave me The Look. Every caddie knows The Look. It’s when your player stares at you piercingly, and you both know that you have just screwed up massively, and someone better just say something already. I looked back down at the pin sheet, and sure as hell, I was looking at the eighth hole, not the ninth.

Fitz found it in his heart to forgive me, and I hit my stride by the back nine. There was hardly a soul at the course besides the players and their caddies. The best way I can describe that stress-free afternoon is through a casual interaction we had with Patrick Rodgers, who was walking back toward the 16th tee when we passed him.

“How we doing?” Matt said.

Rodgers looked around a second, at the towering pines and the pristine bunkers and the shadows blanketing the fairways, then looked back at Fitz: “Living the dream, man.” On tour, everyone is all smiles on Wednesdays.

We finished the practice round and headed into Carmel for the first of four consecutive Italian dinners. (The boss likes Italian, and the boss pays for dinner, so Italian it is.) It was there that we found out our pairing (Matt Kuchar) and pro-am partner: Eddy Cue, a legendary Apple

executive and, it turns out, a super-fun guy. It was also at dinner that I discovered that our first round, at Pebble, was going to be featured on PGA Tour Live, meaning my family and friends could watch every shot of my first-ever round caddieing on the PGA Tour. Storybook stuff.

I hardly slept, yet felt extremely fresh when I rolled out of bed around 6 a.m.

Here’s to you, adrenaline. It was still dark as we loaded the car, cranked the heat up and made a silent drive to Pebble. Too early for conversation. I go to a number of PGA Tour events and get inside-the-ropes access, so seeing all the golfers wasn’t much of a rush. But man, it was hard to keep a poker face as I stood in the buffet line between Peyton Manning (partnering with Luke Donald) and Aaron Rodgers (Max Homa).

As we munched on our toast and eggs, Fitz asked me if this was my first time caddieing for a pro. No, I told him. I used to loop for a guy from my club who played a couple seasons on the then-Nationwide Tour, now-Korn Ferry Tour before he gave it up to become an app developer. I told Matt the story of what happened in a 2010 U.S. Open sectional qualifier. My player, Danny Wax, had shot three-over 74 in the first round of the 36-hole day, essentially putting him out of it. We went for every pin in the second round, and it worked.

After holing out from a greenside bunker for birdie on 17, he was eight under for the second round heading to 18.

I was 15, so perhaps I deserve some leniency, but I committed what amounts to a Caddieing Felony. I turned to Danny and said, “Looks like we’re getting ourselves a course record today.” He hated the comment, pushed his drive into the trees and made bogey. He did set the course record, but he also missed a playoff for the U.S. Open by one shot.

So that was the last story Matt heard before we headed to the course. He laughed, then he stopped and stared into my soul: “Don’t do that.”

W

the ups and downs of a paycheck

e’ve arrived at the tournament part of this story, which I’ll keep brief. Matt started with a solid one-under 71 at Pebble, then followed it with a two-under 70 at Spyglass.

I could sense his trust in me growing.

We discussed start and finish lines on every tee box. We went back-and-forth on club selections. And he even called me in for a few reads. “Don’t get excited,”

he said, always one to keep me in place.

“It’s just because you grew up on Poa.” We were in a great position heading into Saturday at Monterey Peninsula, the easiest of the three courses. Yet we found ourselves one over for the day and one shot outside the cut line on the 15th tee.

Unbothered, he told me we needed only two more birdies and we’d be fine. “Screw two, let’s get four,” I said. Optimistic.

Naïve. He laughed. Then he proceeded to go nuclear—birdie, eagle, birdie, par to finish. That’s four shots, for those of you counting. A three-under 69 had us T-20 entering Sunday. Read: a guaranteed paycheck for this fill-in caddie.

We played the first eight of the final round in even par, which had us creeping up the board on a brutally windy day. The last 10 holes were a disaster. We made triple on 9, bogey at 10 and double on 12, and just like that, any possibility of a solid finish vanished. It’s funny—when you’re six over for the day through 12 holes, the mind wanders to what could have been done differently: We could have hit 9-iron on 9 instead of wedge, I could have said something different on 10 tee, we could have started that tee shot on 12 more right. To what you learned: Putts really do miss because of bumps, pros hit their 3-woods so damn high,

Matt Kuchar gets more out of his game than anyone I’ve ever seen. And, I must admit, to dollars and cents: How much does one make for finishing 58th?

To Fitz’s enormous credit, he did not get all pissy and quiet—only a little pissy and quiet. After he hit the fairway on the par-5 18th, we had a brief discussion on whether to go for it. It would require a punch-draw 3-wood, under the tree in the fairway, with Stillwater Cove looming down the left, begging for a ball. Middeliberation, Matt goes, “Well, we do have to protect the lead.” We both laughed.

He did go for it, found the left bunker, then played a nice, long bunker shot to 14 feet and . . . three-putted. He signed for seven-over 79 and finished T-60— good for $17,472. Fitz, because we’re boys but also because he was staying at my house the next week, generously paid me as though I was full-time: 8 percent of winnings, which was just under $1,400—it would have been 10 percent for a top 10, we’d agreed—plus a healthy flat fee for the week. Tying for 60th wasn’t what I had in mind, but the sum that came through via direct deposit was still the most money I’ve ever made for a week in my life.

Players always talk about how “mentally tired” they are after a tournament, but I never understood what they meant.

I do now. This was the most emotionally invested I’ve been in anything since high school sports. I was nervous as hell on the first tee every morning. I lived and died with every birdie putt. I cringed as he prepared to play a tricky flop shot, and my eyes got huge as I saw an approach fly directly at the flag. I buzzed as we started making birdies, and cursed as we started making bogeys. I was the happiest guy in the world after our Saturday back-nine flourish and virtually inconsolable (just ask my girlfriend) after a bitterly disappointing Sunday.

As I headed to the airport on Sunday evening, I just felt . . . spent. Pooped.

My brain was tired from caring so damn hard for so damn long. I had the week of a lifetime, and I absolutely want to caddie in many more PGA Tour events, but let’s just say I wasn’t too upset to be back to the writing grind for the Genesis. I spent that week at my parents’ house, and Matt did as well. I slept in a bit Monday morning, sipped coffee, hung out with my dogs, wrote an article and worked on a few others, and just enjoyed not being a thousand-percent invested for an entire afternoon. I needed a break.

And Fitzy? He headed to Riviera first thing in the morning for a 9:20 pro-am tee time. may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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Illustrations by John Cuneo

golf-swing jargon : translated

WHAT THE #@$%!

DOES THAT MEAN? You’re forward pressing at address, reverse pivoting in the backswing, coming over the top in the downswing, getting in front of it before impact and chicken winging in the followthrough. But hey, we love that you’re not bailing out! As far as we know, there is no Rosetta stone to decode all the bizarre terms you hear every time you watch golf on TV, step on the practice tee or mistakenly listen to Big Lou giving you advice about your game. So as best we can, allow us to make some sense out of the often nonsensical language used to describe what’s going on when you swing the club. These things sometimes confuse us, too. —ron kaspriske may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

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FORWARD PRESSING meaning Leaning the club’s shaft noticeably toward the target at address. in a sentence “If you want to help your putting, you don’t need to forward press, you need to genuflect.”

GETTING AHEAD OF IT

aka out in front of it / lunging meaning Making a significant lateral move during the downswing that shifts the upper body ahead of the golf ball’s position on the ground. in a sentence “The way he keeps getting ahead of it, you’d think he forgot that you have to hit the ball before you walk toward the hole .”

BAILING OUT

aka spinning out meaning As the club approaches the ball, abruptly straightening up and wildly rotating so the entire body finishes the swing facing the target. in a sentence “He bails out so hard when he swings, a golf instructor suggested nailing his left shoe to the ground.”

CASTING THE CLUB meaning Making a downswing in which there’s an early unhinging of the wrists in in an attempt to fling the clubhead into the ball.” in a sentence “Let me tell you, I haven’t seen casting this bad since they added Ashton Kutcher to ‘Two and a Half Men.’ ”

CHICKEN WINGING aka flying elbow

meaning Letting the arms bend during the swing so that the elbow or elbows jut away from the club and the arc of the swing narrows. in a sentence “All day the guy kept asking me if I wanted a side of blue cheese and celery with my wings.”

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COMING OVER THE TOP

GETTING LAID OFF

meaning Swinging down on a path in which the clubhead crosses over the top of the target line, usually causing a slice. in a sentence “If I can stop coming over the top, I might actually get to see what the left side of the golf course looks like.”

meaning Swinging the club so the shaft is pointing to the left of the target line at the top. For left-handed swingers, it’s pointing to the right. in a sentence “I’m so laid off when I get the club to the top, they call me Pink Slip.”

COVERING THE BALL

GETTING STUCK

meaning Making a swing in which the chest feels like it’s directly over the top of the ball at impact. in a sentence “I told him the only thing covering your ball is sod.”

meaning Swinging down on a path inside the target line so significantly that the body interferes with the club getting back to the ball. in a sentence “The instructor told me that getting stuck is a better golfer’s problem, so I think he was trying to tell me not to worry about it.”

DOUBLE CROSSING meaning Intending to curve a shot in one direction but hitting it in the other direction. in a sentence “And then I reloaded for a third time and double-crossed it onto the road—that’s how I made a 13.”

EARLY EXTENDING meaning Thrusting the hips toward the golf ball during the downswing. in a sentence “If you keep early extending, sooner or later you’re going to get a call from human resources.”

HANGING BACK

aka back-footing it meaning Hitting a shot with body weight mostly supported by the foot farthest from the target. in a sentence “You’re hanging back so much, you look like you’re swinging for the fence at Wrigley.”

the leftovers Some golf-swing terms to be used at your discretion:

CALVIN PULLIDGE • CHUNKA BURNIN’ LOVE • DUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON HEEL OF FORTUNE • HOOK, LINE AND STINKER • SHANKS FOR COMING • TOE-RIFIC TOP O’ THE MORNING, TO YA• VANILLA SLICE

HANGING ON

RELEASING THE CLUB

SLOTTING IT

meaning Holding the club so tightly that the clubhead doesn’t pass the position of the hands—release—through the impact zone. in a sentence “He told me I was hanging on to the club like I was afraid it was gonna run away.”

meaning Letting the momentum generated in the downswing propel the clubhead through the impact zone without restriction. in a sentence “It would’ve been good to know that’s what you meant by release the club before I had to fish my hybrid out of that pond.”

meaning Getting the golf shaft in an ideal position halfway into the downswing so the club can strike the ball from inside the target line. in a sentence “He said for me to find the slot, but I told him I’m more of a blackjack man.”

HOODING THE CLUB meaning Setting the clubhead down at address so the face is delofted and appears to be partially covering the top of the ball. in a sentence “I tried to fix my slice by hooding the club, and I did. . . . Now I’m hooking it off the planet.”

REVERSE PIVOTING meaning Shifting weight onto the front foot in the backswing and the back foot in the downswing. in a sentence “If you keep reverse pivoting like that, you should exchange your golf clubs for a shovel.”

SWINGING ACROSS THE LINE meaning Swinging the club so the shaft is pointing to the right of the target line at the top. For lefties, it’s pointing to the left. in a sentence “He’s so far across the line at the top, he makes Jim Furyk’s swing seem conventional.”

LAGGING THE CLUB meaning Making a downswing in which the clubhead significantly trails the position of the hands for a long period. in a sentence “Watching Sergio lag the club so well reminds me of something about my swing—it sucks.”

LOSING YOUR POSTURE meaning Altering the angle of the spine established at address, typically by straightening up. in a sentence “I’m sure the guy with a dent in his Porsche will understand that you skulled it because you ‘lost your posture.’ ”

PRONATING/SUPINATING meaning Rotating the hands, wrists or arms in a particular direction. Pronating is down and toward the body. Supinating is up and away from the body. in a sentence “He told me to supinate the lead wrist like Ben Hogan, and I told him the only thing I can do like Ben Hogan is smoke a cigarette—and I’m not even sure about that. ”

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WE CAME UP WITH A TEST SO YOU CAN FIND OUT BY MATTHEW RUDY

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HOW GOOD CAN YOU GET?

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Y

OU MIGHT USE YOUR HANDICAP INDEX (if you have one) mostly for playing competitions and friendly matches, but what the number measures is your “regular game.” ▶ And that’s good to know, but what if you want to find out what your game would look like if you were able to turn every knob up to the max?

With the body, brain and talent you have, just how good could you get? ▶ We set out to answer that question for you—quantitatively and qualitatively—with the help of experts in data analysis, swing instruction and sport psychology.

Lucius Riccio is a sports-data researcher at Columbia University and one of the original members of the USGA committee that developed golf course Slope Ratings. James Sieckmann and Nick Clearwater are Golf Digest 50 Best Teachers with special skill sets. Sieckmann is the short-game coach to dozens of PGA Tour players and thousands of amateurs from his base in Omaha, and Clearwater develops the teaching programs that hundreds of coaches use at GolfTEC locations worldwide. Rounding out the team, Bhrett McCabe is the mental-game coach for the University of Alabama athletic department and works with several PGA Tour players, including Billy Horschel, Graeme McDowell, Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman. ▶

➐

TEST

SHORT GAME : JAMES SIECKMANN HIT THE FOLLOWING NINE SHOTS TWO TIMES

➊ 10-yard pitch with your most lofted club, flat fairway lie ➋ 25-yard pitch with your most lofted club, flat fairway lie ➌ 20-yard chip-and-run with an 8- or 9-iron, flat fairway lie ➍ 10-yard shot, ball buried in the rough ➎ 15-yard lob shot, fairway lie to a tucked flag ➏ 10-yard shot, rough, off an upslope ➐ 15-yard shot, rough, off a downslope ➑ 25-yard shot, rough, ball sitting up ➒ 15-yard shot, fairway, to a tucked flag, landing it short

➏ ➍

➊ ➎➒ ➌ ➑ ➋

of the green scoring + 3 points for holing the shot + 2 points for a ball less than four feet away from the cup + 1 point for a ball between four and 12 feet from the cup 0 points for a ball on the green but outside of 12 feet - 2 points for missing the green Pro: 24 or higher • 0 hdcp: 18 • 10 hdcp: 12 • 20 hdcp: 6 sieckmann teaches at Shadow Ridge Golf Academy in Omaha.

BECOME YOUR OWN BEST COACH

KEEP IT UP

MOVE YOUR FOCUS

▶ I don’t mind if you make mistakes as long as they lead to learning. Use the test above to identify how and why you’re missing shots. The first drill here will help you use the club’s bounce and control loft. The second will help you find a good low point in your swing and control the angle of attack. —sieckmann

▶ On a finesse swing, the face should open relative to swing direction. Make sure it stays skyward and the toe doesn’t roll over at impact (left).

▶ From a tight lie, hit pitches striking the ball and a dime two inches in front of it (left). This will groove the ideal attack angle and low point.

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previous pages: eddie guy • this page: jameson simpson

FULL SWING : NICK CLEARWATER

TEST

HIT 20 DRIVERS ▶ Check how many times the ball struck within a half-inch of the centre of the clubface. Your results determine the quality of your ball-striking.

HIT 20 7-IRONS ▶ Map your average carry distance, ignoring any shots that fly less than 100 yards.

Your results determine how close you are to producing your maximum ball speed.

● = 1/2” ▲

To truly predict an amateur player’s peak playing ability, we first asked Riccio to crunch big data—individual shot outcomes from thousands of golfers with Handicap Indexes from +2 to 30.

By figuring how likely a player at each scoring level is to produce what is considered an “acceptable” result, Riccio was able to determine how many shot attempts any player would need to have at least an 80-percent chance to hit a good one. That analysis led Riccio to develop a simple test that golfers of any skill level can take to determine how close they are to playing their best.

The way to reveal your potential, Riccio says, is to play a modified nine-hole scramble. Depending on your current average score, you’ll hit up to four balls from each location tee to green. If your average score is 77 or lower, you get one extra ball from each spot. If you shoot 78 to 93, you can hit up to two extra balls. For those who average 94 or higher, it potentially becomes a four-ball scramble.

But where this differs from a normal scramble is that you should move on after hitting any shot you would deem good in a typical round. For example, if you’d normally be satisfied to hit a shot anywhere on the green on a par 3, and you do that on your first try from the tee, don’t bother hitting again. Move on to the putt.

(It’s probably best to do this scramble on a quiet day at your course.) ▶

FIND THE SWEET SPOT ALL THE TIME ▶ Centreface contact is what separates good players from poor players. These drills will get you to find the sweet spot on your clubs nearly every time you swing. —clearwater

scoring

180 170 160 150 140 130

DRIVER CONTACT ● Tour: 19 of 20 ● 0 handicap: 16 of 20 ● 10 handicap: 13 of 20 ● 20 handicap: 9 of 20 7-IRON CARRY ● Tour: 175 yards ● 0 handicap: 160 ● 10 handicap: 150 ● 20 handicap: 135

clearwater teaches at GolfTEC

120

Headquarters in Englewood, Colo.

STRETCH OUT

TURN MORE

▶ Start with slow driver swings and slowly ramp up the speed finishing with this shorter, arms-extended pose (above).

▶ The path to solid irons is from inside the target line. The way to set up for that is to turn your hips as far as you can early in the takeaway (above).

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plans that will translate into noticeable improvement the next time you try the modified scramble.

Sieckmann’s short-game challenge allows you to compare your test score to those of players from beginners to tour level. If you don’t perform as well as you’d like, check out his two drills to improve your success rate (page 60).

If you think your full swing is too inconsistent, Clearwater’s two skills tests—one for your driver and one for your 7-iron— show you how to measure yourself against other golfers in terms of ball-striking. He also offers a practice plan to help you hit better shots (previous page).

One of the fascinating elements of Riccio’s research is that it predicts the score players of various abilities should shoot in the modified scramble (chart, below). How you fare in comparison to Riccio’s prediction is another indicator of why you aren’t (or are) playing to your potential. If your scramble score is significantly lower than Riccio’s predicted score, it means you have the physical goods to be a lot better at this

“WHEN YOUR EXPECTATIONS GET OUT OF CONTROL, YOU TEND TO QUIT.”—McCABE HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? ▶ Researcher Lou Riccio’s model predicts what players at each skill level should shoot if they play his modified nine-hole scramble and then double the score. The key is strictly adhering to the rules, especially always putting out.

AVERAGE SCORE

PREDICTED SCRAMBLE SCORE

105

96

100

92

95

88

90

84

85

80

80

77

75

73

72

70

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game, but you likely need to improve your playing strategy and/or mental performance to access that ability more often.

According to McCabe, it’s a skill any player can learn. “It starts with understanding that your best is not your standard,” McCabe says. “When your expectations get out of control, you tend to quit when it gets hard. You make a double or triple bogey early in the round and throw in the towel because you know you aren’t going to shoot a ‘good’ score.”

Instead, McCabe says defuse the performance pressure that comes with those expectations by resetting your focus on shooting your average score, treating each shot as separate and distinct with no lingering feelings about them, good or bad. “Try to do just your thing, not create an outlier score,” he says. “Accept that there are variances. That’s what gives you the freedom to shoot some of your lowest scores—not putting pressure on yourself to do it on the first tee.”

An example of that thought process?

One of McCabe’s clients was struggling through a poor driving day, but after the round, he was practical and matter-of-fact about what happened.

“He said the range was the place to work those issues out,” McCabe says. “In the moment, on the course, it was time to play golf with whatever he had. He embraced the challenge of being the best version of himself he could be that day.”

STILL NOT SURE HOW GOOD CAN YOU BE? TAKE THIS QUIZ

I

nsurance actuaries prove with sobering accuracy just how little information they need to predict how long a person will live. Can we do the same for how good a person will get at golf? Potential is a funny thing to gauge in this game, where great amateur players come in all shapes and sizes. There are so many intangibles, but let’s just say we think the golfer who stands to improve the most has a good attitude and a lifestyle conducive to playing loads of golf. Tally the value of your answers to see how many strokes we think you can improve. If it’s depressing, hey, we hope you’re the exception who proves us wrong.

i shot my career best round . . . +3 Within the last six months +1 Within the last six years 0 Within the last six decades a telling feature of my local climate is . . .

0 Some golf carts have heaters +1 Some golf carts have misters +2 Carts? You could walk all day in this weather +3 Our club pro is also a scubadiving instructor when i’m playing well . . .

0 I’m waiting for something bad to happen +1 I just ride the wave +2 It’s one shot at a time -1 I need to focus extra hard the largest impediment to my sleep health is . . . +3 My bedroom blinds let in just that creep of light +2 Bingeing Netflix 0 Pre-dawn alarm clocks for work and golf -2 Multiple infants/children crying in the night

eddie guy

Another difference from a normal scramble is that you get only one extra chance on the green. In other words, you can take another try at improving your lag, or re-do a shorter putt you feel you should have made, but you don’t get multiple whacks from every location on the putting surface.

The final step to completing this test is to take your nine-hole score and double it. That number reflects the best you can expect to play with the physical skills and mental game you have now, Riccio says.

A bonus benefit of taking this test is it magnifies the tendencies—good and bad—of your typical game. For example, you might need to take all four of your scramble tee shots on a majority of holes.

That means your driving is likely holding you back. Or you can’t capitalise on the extra shots you get around the greens.

Maybe more time around the practice green is needed. But if you’re still not sure, Sieckmann and Clearwater have designed programs to evaluate exactly where your skills in those areas stand, with practice

the most convenient driving range for me is . . .

0 Two towns over -1 Off mats with crappy balls +2 Part of a facility that also has a great short-game area +4 Right on the way home from work when i play, i’ll often . . .

-1 Respond to work emails -2 Skip a shot or two to answer a call -4 Skip a hole or two to run a call +4 Remember how life was before I invested in Google my mind-set about practice is . . . +2 I like to have a drill to work on +3 I split equal time between swing and short game -1 Boring! I can go for a half hour, tops -2 After two minutes, it’s all drivers other than golf, my weekend is probably going to include . . .

-1 A trip to Home Depot -2 A kid’s soccer game -3 Multiple kids’ soccer games +4 A romantic encounter followed by a lazy brunch and getting to know each other when i hit a bad shot . . . +1 I want to go make up for it -2 Stay the hell away from me 0 I think I should be home mowing the lawn +2 I just think, Hey, bad shots happen when i wake up, my back feels like . . . +3 A well-oiled machine 0 I could use a new mattress -1 It had a saddle on it yesterday -4 I better check my insurance deductible

key –15 to 0 Sorry, but your best golf is behind you until a major life event happens.

1-15 You’re primed to shave two to three strokes off your game.

16-30 There’s really no excuse for not cutting your handicap in half this season.

HOLD ON OR...

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i’m oversimplifying a bit, but there are two camps in pro golf. There are players who hold off releasing the club until around impact. And there are players who release it as soon as they start the downswing. Hold-off players include Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson and Lee Trevino. The releasers: Adam Scott, Patrick Reed and Jack Nicklaus. I mention these guys because they’re all major winners, which proves there’s more than one way to swing the club effectively. And when I say “release the club,” I mean letting the momentum generated in the downswing propel the clubhead through the impact zone without trying to restrict it. The feeling is that you’re letting go; there’s no tension in your swing.

To find out what type of release would improve your swing, mark a line in the turf that represents your ball position. Using a 7-iron, make several swings at that line. If your divots are taken mostly behind the line, you might need more “hold on” in your swing.

You’re probably too active with your hands, flicking the club at the ball with minimal body rotation. Instead, feel more like the clubhead stays behind your hands through impact. Your drill: Make swings with your left hand only, letting your body and arm lead the club through the hitting area (left).

If you’re taking deep divots in front of the line, you might be gripping too tight and not letting the clubhead fire past your body. You’re probably trying to steer shots into play. You need to grip lighter and let the clubhead release. your drill : Make rightarm swings (right), noting how you can’t stop the club from slinging forward. You can practice these fixes anywhere, and your throughswing will improve. —with ron kaspriske

LET IT GO SHOULD YOU RELEASE THE CLUB THROUGH IMPACT? by jim mclean

Photographs by Dom Furore

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60 golf digest | issue 2 . 2020

Photograph by First Lastname

in association with

WEDGES

▶ you’ve lost 2 ,5 0 0 rpm of spin if your wedge i s f r o m 2 0 1 7. g e t i t b a c k a n d m o r e w i t h 2 0 2 0 ’ s b e s t. w e c o n s i d e r e d 2 6 m o d e l s ; 1 2 m a d e t h e l i s t. c a l l away

RRP AED 745

jaws md5

verdict The MD5’s primary objective is providing more spin on the

look • sound • feel

partial shots as you get closer to the green. Rather than traditional vertical-groove walls, the grooves on the higher lofts feature walls that angle away from the base, exposing the edges for better grab.

Milled ridges between the grooves also help with spin. A new lowbounce version added to the company’s W-grind (wide sole) provides heel relief for the higher-lofted wedges.

demand

com m ent “I could check it or roll it greenside. In the sand or

performance

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i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

thick rough, the ball comes out effortlessly.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

clevel and

RRP AED 525

cbx2 • full face

verdict On this everyman wedge, the cavity-back and hidden, performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

look • sound • feel

★★★★½ demand

★★★

hollowed-out areas in the hosel and heel nudge the sweet spot toward the toe where Cleveland says average golfers hit it. The soles vary in width throughout the set to match average-player needs.

This regular Joe wedge has a tour-pro face with milled and laseretched surface roughness and grooves. High-loft options with larger faces and grooves that stretch across the face are available.

com m ent “Awesome divot action. A lot of effort went into designing that sole. I liked the softness, too.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

cobra

RRP AED 699

king mim

verdict Cobra uses a metal-injection molding process to construct

look • sound • feel

the head rather than the usual forging or casting. This method, which includes a custom blend of two kinds of steel, reduces hand polishing, leading to a softer metal and keeping the integrity of the sole shaping and weighting. The face’s spiral-milling pattern provides surface roughness on square- and open-face shots. New for 2020: twice as many loft-sole options.

demand

com m ent “The gunmetal is glare-free. The leading edge sits

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

gutter credit tk

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★

clean; perfect turf interaction and good spin.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Photograph

by First Lastname listed alphabetically

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

61

WEDGES

mizuno

RRP AED 595

t20

verdict When designing the face of its new T20, Mizuno looked

look • sound • feel

at tire treads for inspiration. The texture of the face aims to increase friction in dry conditions and channel moisture upward and away from the face when it’s wet. Mizuno’s loft-specific design—narrow and deep in the stronger lofts; wider and shallow in the weaker lofts—matches groove shape to the typical shots played by each loft.

There’s also an extra groove low for better grab on partial shots.

demand

com m ent “Nearly impossible to chunk. Perfect, shallow little

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★

divots. Easy to use the bounce how ever you want.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

ping

glide 3.0 verdict To enhance feel and forgiveness, the Glide 3.0 combines

look • sound • feel

a stainless-steel head with a large elastomer insert in the rear cavity.

“Wheel-cut” grooves, which feature two profiles based on loft, produce a sharper-edge radius to create more friction and spin. The higher lofts even add half a groove low on the face for better spin off the tightest lies. Finally, there’s an updated, bunker-friendly Eye2 look among the four sole grinds.

demand

com m ent “The club’s weight goes fully through impact. With

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★

any contact, the ball went where I wanted.”

tay l o r m a d e

RRP AED 735

milled grind 2.0 • hi-toe

verdict The distinctive Hi-Toe look receives attention, but the

look • sound • feel

update to the classic-looking Milled Grind might catch your eye even more, thanks to its raw, un-plated face. The idea is that eliminating the chrome layer allows for a cleaner, sharper groove. The new raw face and groove construction—a narrow, deep shape based on Tiger Woods’ specs—offer twice the friction of a plated face for dramatic improvements when there’s moisture.

demand

com m ent “One of the best in terms of feel. Consistent on a

performance

★★★★½

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★

★★★★½ ★★★★

variety of shots, and the trajectory was spot-on.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

titleist

RRP AED 695

vokey design sm8

verdict Past Vokey versions have focused on perfecting a

look • sound • feel

progressive centre of gravity where the CG is higher as loft increases to control spin and trajectory. That philosophy continues here, but this club also pushes the CG forward by lengthening the hosel and adding tungsten to the toe. This minimises dynamic loft at impact for a consistently stable feel, particularly in half-wedge shots. As before, there are two groove shapes based on loft to optimise spin.

demand

com m ent “An OK wedge if you’re into perfection. Answered

performance

★★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

every ask. Modern update but still classic looks.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

listed alphabetically

Photographs by Dom Furore

in association with

fourteen dj-4

verdict The game-improvement appearance might cause you to

look • sound • feel

overlook the subtleties of this players wedge. Notable is the versatile sole, which uses its leading-edge angle to facilitate clean contact on full swings from the fairway. It also relies on its width and ample bounce to power through deep rough and bunkers. The cavity-back provides forgiveness, and the thicker top of the blade raises the centre of gravity for better spin and trajectory control.

demand

com m ent “Plows through the sand. Plenty of spin whenever

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★

you need it. The weighting just feels right.”

miura

tour wedge • hb • k-grind 2.0

RRP AED 1,199

verdict Miura’s heralded forging process is the foundation of these

look • sound • feel

shapes, both classic and unique. The variable thickness on the back of the blade has more mass on the upper half for a higher centre of gravity to flatten trajectory. The distinctive “K Grind 2.0” features knuckle-size channels on the back of the sole to reduce resistance when in the bunker. For the first time in company history, the grooves are computer-milled for maximum volume and consistency.

demand

com m ent “Those notches cut through everything smoothly. Its

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★ ★★★★ ★

stability on a variety of shots was apparent.”

ping

RRP AED 1,175

glide forged

verdict Compared to most wedges, the more compact shape and

look • sound • feel

sole width fuels workability for skilled players and reduces turf resistance. A tapered, offset hosel harkens to Ping’s famous Eye2 wedge and helps the club skim through taller grass and sand. This also helps the face stay on its intended path so shots launch high and land softly. A “wheel-cut” precision-milled process results in sharp groove edges for increased friction.

demand

com m ent “Easy to open the face. The ball checks up

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★

beautifully and was smooth out of the sand.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

pxg

RRP AED 1,395

0311 forged

verdict Hiding the weight redistribution was a neat trick. The

look • sound • feel

slightly thicker toe section draws the centre of gravity higher and toward the centre of the clubhead for better transfer of energy and spin consistency. This weighting helps the playability on open-face shots and chips as well. The triple-forging process refines the head’s angles and curves, and the computer-milled face helps the grooves push the USGA limits on size and edge radius for better spin.

demand

com m ent “Powerful feel with good distance control.

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

gutter credit tk

★★★★ ★★★★ ★★

A nice rounded look with a sweet satin finish.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

Photograph by First Lastname

may 2020 | golfdigestme.com

63

in association with

WEDGES

wilson

staff model • ht verdict A higher-density groove pattern means tighter spacing.

look • sound • feel

This allows the ball to engage more grooves (and more groove edges) at impact, creating spin and control, particularly on mid-range shots that don’t compress the ball as much. Constructed out of 8620 carbon steel for a softer feel, the Staff Model features a high-toe, wide-sole option with grooves that stretch across the face for more versatility and forgiveness around the greens.

demand

com m ent “The low-profile is so clean, it’s hard not to have a

performance

★★★★

i n n o vat i o n

★★★★

★★★★½ ★★

soft touch. Great backspin. Easy to flight low.”

t o u r ta lk : w e d ge s

consistency is key in your wedges

▶ it’s a question not nearly enough players ask themselves: When purchasing wedges, should I stick with standard “wedge” shafts or use the same type of shafts I have in my irons? If Jordan Spieth’s clubs offer any insight, the answer is both.

According to Titleist, the 46and 52-degree Titleist Vokey SM7 wedges that Spieth uses have Project X 6.5 shafts—the same shafts Spieth has in his irons. But his 56- and 60-degree wedges have a sub-flex shaft, which can add feel. The reason: Lower-lofted wedges are used more as fullswing clubs that benefit from the same shafts as in his irons, and the sub-flex shafts help on shorter shots around the green.

Another takeaway from Spieth’s wedge setup is that he extends his wedge model down to the pitching wedge, meaning all four of his wedges are the same model club as opposed to having the pitching wedge from his iron set. Although the majority of everyday players use a set wedge, it’s an idea that merits consideration. After all, when having your scoring clubs in your hands, why wouldn’t you want them to feel familiar? —emj listed alphabetically

Andy Lyons/Getty ImAGes

Jordan Spieth has some advice for wedge shafts and matching clubheads

HOT LIST

To dial in distance on wedge shots, choose swing length or swing speed.

wedges / stick it from anywhere

nathaniel welch gutter credit tk

You first have to decide how to control distance ▶ the secret to great wedge play is being able to produce any distance on command and that comes from knowing how to control speed at impact. There are two leading methods: Vary the length of the backswing and accelerate through, or make whatever backswing you want and just feel out the right speed at impact.

Think of a car that has to hit a checkpoint at 50 miles an hour—it can be speeding up or slowing down. If accelerating makes more sense to you, set the length of your backswing so that normal acceleration gives you the distance you want (right). If you’re more of a feel player, you can swing back to any length and focus on putting in the right speed—even if that means decelerating into the ball.

There are terrific wedge players on both sides. Experiment to see which feels better to you.

Play The Archive

An early cover captured the physics of club-ball contact.

Smash Factor Revealing the ballistics of ball flight

66 golfdigestme.com | may 2020

his cover image from April 1961 to many was a revelation, the ingenious, high-speed photograph providing a rare glimpse of impact. One can practically hear the click-thwock sound of persimmon meeting balata.

The cover story, “The Ballistics of Golf: Ball, Flight and Spin,” explained why golf balls have dimples and how backspin helps the ball get airborne and stay aloft for—then as now—about six seconds. It included charts, graphs and photos. Rudimentary to be sure, but new to an audience far less techno-savvy than readers today. It was written by Alastair Cochran, who seven

T

years later co-wrote (with John Stobbs) The Search for the Perfect Swing, the first exhaustive treatise on the physics of the swing and club-ball dynamics.

Content wise, the elements of the story hold up today. Cochran, a one-time physicist for the Royal Military College of Science in England, is known for his sense of humour. In the story he makes playful analogies to curving pingpong balls and rubber balloons. He remains a delight.

For years at the PGA Merchandise Show, he has handed out a business card that bears the imprint, “Alastair,” with no title, address or phone number. —guy yocom

golf digest is celebrating 70 years with a look back through its archive.

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