Worldwide Golf March 2021

T H E M I D D L E E A S T ’ S N O .1 G O L F M A G A Z I N E

EST

1999

Worldwide Golf

TAYLORMADE

MARCH

2021

PING

G425 HYBRID

SIM 2 DRIVER

GAPPING LONG DISTANCE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

MORE GOODIES THAN JAMES BOND ON A BACK-PACKING HOLIDAY

BEWARE THE ANGRY GOLFER FEATURE

FOCUS

JUSTIN ROSE

THE ENGLISHMAN REVEALS HIS BLUEPRINT FOR A RETURN TO WINNING WAYS

LAURIE CANTER

+ PITCH SHOT - BACK TO BASICS

ON PROVING THE OLD ADAGE: IF AT FIRST YOU DON’ T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN

+ ESCAPE THE BUNKERS

Worldwide Golf is the Official Media partner to the European Tour in the Middle East and the official magazine of the Emirates Golf Federation

+ CALLAWAY - NEED FOR SPEED

EXECUTIVE EDITOR GARY PLAYER

DON’T WRITE OFF TIGER

All our prayers are with Tiger and his family for a speedy recovery but regardless of the length of his rehabilitation he will always be able to affect the game in a great way.

I

T was sad to see on television the terrible accident Tiger Woods suffered last month. It was a life-threatening single-car crash but, thankfully, he survived.

Whether he will be able to play golf again, only time will tell and whether he can return to play at the highest level will be decided by how long it will take him to recover.

He has had numerous injuries and operations throughout his spectacular career, particularly concerning his back. I spoke to him during an exhibition event late last year and he was clearly suffering considerable pain. For a golfer, there’s nothing worse than back injuries which can cause excruciating pain.

I thought it somewhat inappropriate for the U.S. police officer on the scene to comment on television that the stretch of road where the accident occurred was renowned for being a dangerous part of the highway and that ‘lots of accidents have happened here’.

Perhaps it would have been worthwhile to

warn drivers to slow down and prevent accidents.

Life is a succession of ‘IFS’ and whether Tiger gets back to his best is something we can only hope for. One particular record which is unlikely to be surpassed is Tiger’s Grand Slam by the tender age of 24.

I remember Sam Snead suffering a serious road accident which many thought would have ended his career but he made a miraculous recovery and despite the fact that he served in the armed forces for five years he continued to rack up more Majors.

I have to say that the recent ruling by the USGA and the R&A to reduce the clubhead speed by reducing drivers by two inches from 48inches to 46inches is nonsense.

Those players over the height of six-feet will feel as though they’re swinging a tooth-pick when they get their drivers out. If the intention of the USGA and R&A is to reduce the distances drivers can reach then why don’t they make the ball bigger?

They could also make it more difficult for

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putts to be holed simply by preventing players from taking their ball out of the hole and thereby making the hole bigger through players’ fingers widening the hole.

It’s good to see that lockdown is finally being reduced in various parts of the world but what has been going on with golf courses over recent months is nothing more than contradictory. Many courses have been closed but what can be more healthy than spending a day out in the open air.

Although the world is beginning to get back to some sort of normality there is still a great deal to be done to help small and large businesses to get back on their feet and get the world’s economy back on track. So much damage has been done over the past year to get people back in work. My heart goes out to the unfortunate people who have suffered from months of lockdowns. Job redundancies have meant that workers could not even put food on the family table. Although the vaccines are starting to have an affect there is still a long way to go. We need to attend to cancer and diabetes which is rampant around the world, and increase attention to reduce sugar.

Gary Player

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CONTENTS 14

COLUMN

COLUMN

39

COLUMN

40

41

Starter

Pete Cowen

David Howell

Adri Arnaus

All the latest news from around the global game and we preview the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Master PGA Professional Pete Cowen on how he hopes playing opportunities don’t dry up for young European prospects after the pandemic recedes.

European Tour stalwart David Howell on how a return to normal is within reach and amateur golf will flourish.

The Dubai-based Spanish ace on exploring the Emirate and getting to grips with his new Callaway set up.

34

Tyrrell Hatton With a Ryder Cup spot seemingly locked up courtesy of his win in Abu Dhabi, Tyrrell Hatton isn’t going to take his foot off the gas as the big events start to come thick and fast.

24

30

60

Laurie Canter

Justin Rose

Unheralded Englishman Laurie Canter was one of the success stories of 2020 – we chat exclusively to the Englishman about his journey in the game and what the future has in store for him.

Despite a drop in the world rankings after a poor showing in 2020, Justin Rose is ready to grind it out, with Majors, the Olympic Games and the Ryder Cup high on his agenda.

UAE World Amateur Junior Golf Championship

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Last month’s historic tournament hosted some of the world’s leading amateur golfers as they went head-to-head in the World Amateur Golf Ranking event.

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CONTENTS

GEAR

50

Callaway’s need for speed

We test the latest offerings from Callaway - the Epic Speed, Epic Speed Max and the Max LS.

42 INSTRUCTION 46

TaylorMade – Moving Metal We put the SIM2 and the SIM2 MAX through their paces and see how they stack up against the 2017 M6 and the 2007 Burner

54

Escape the bunkers

PING G425 Hybrid Struggling with the longirons? We test the new PING hybrid to see if it can fill a need in your bag.

56

Dong Lee, PGA Professional at the Peter Cowen Academy, Dubai, shows us a simple visual drill for a successful escape from the bunker.

PXG 0211 Hybrid

Looking for a hybrid with that extra muscle? Look no further as we put the latest PXG 0211 hybrid through its paces.

Stick to the basics Tim Backhouse, Senior Teaching Professional at Jumeirah Golf Estates, demonstrates the key fundamentals needed in the setup for a basic pitch shot.

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ALEX GALLEMORE

EDITOR’S LETTER

SEVE BALLESTEROS GETS A RULING AFTER HITTING HIS BALL IN A CAR PARK DURING THE 108TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP HELD AT ROYAL LYTHAM & ST ANNES GOLF CLUB IN 1979

We need more tee shot TV drama In our January issue Pete Cowen and I crudely proved that the way to tackle the distance issue is to limit driver technology. It took half a day and series of balls dating back to the 1960s to showcase that the ball isn’t the issue but the driver heads are. The fact that Pete’s son Adam, a five handicapper with a 110mph swing speed could hit a 60-year-old ball more than 300 yards with a modern driver couldn’t highlight this any better.

So why on earth has the R&A and USGA spent millions on reviewing the issue of combating distance, especially at a professional level, to then come out and just limit the shaft length two inches to a maximum of 46 inches?

When we gave Adam Cowen a 1970 Persimmon driver, used by Jack Nicklaus to win the Open that year at St Andrews, he sprayed the ball all over the place and we saw duck hooks and slices. Why? The head is 170cc at best and it produces huge amounts of spin compared to the 460cc drivers used today.

It didn’t matter which ball Adam played, the results were the same.

So the ball is not having a huge impact on distance compared to the technology and size of modern-day driver heads.

BIG BUSINESS

The game of golf is big business and any radical changes will require the support of all the major players – from the tours and manufacturers to the governing bodies and television broadcast companies.

There will be no quick fix, but I miss the days of watching the likes of Seve playing out of car parks and tournaments lost from a wayward tee shot played under the pressure in the final stretch.

When was the last time you saw a Tour pro reload off the tee?

For amateurs, we need as much help as possible. So I welcome as

much tech support as the manufacturers can throw our way. Having said that, we have become obsessed with distance and I’m one of the worst culprits. I’m not going to break course records or compete in the local monthly medal, but I do get great satisfaction from striping a drive close to 300 yards down the middle. It’s rare, but when it comes off I quickly forget the run of bogeys and lost balls leading up to it. But distance is not all about having the latest driver, as I recently found out. It is all about optimising your clubhead speed.

GAIN MORE DISTANCE WITH BETTER MECHANICS

In this issue I tested TaylorMade’s SIM2 and Callaway’s Epic Speed driver range and this brought my swing mechanic issue to light. I put them up against older heads to see how technology has changed and how it equates to distance gains. As you would expect – they are longer, though the gap is not vast. Nick Huby, Head Teach Professional at the Peter Cowen Academy in the UK was supervising the tests and studied the numbers on TrackMan. He quickly noticed that unless I corrected my face angle and club to path I would not be able to optimise any driver.

My face angle was sometimes five degrees open with a club to path going up to three degrees left. So I was cutting across the face of the ball and causing the spin rates to rocket. With a 2007 TaylorMade Burner I was initially hitting the ball around 245 yards. The moment I managed to neutralise the face angle and club to path, with the same swing speed, I was in the 280-yard range. The spin rate had halved and there was not deviation with the flight.

So before you all rush out to buy the latest drivers in that quest for distance, it might be worth booking in with your local pro and having a swing check up. It took 45 minutes with Nick for me to find 35 yards.

The new driver was the icing on the cake! ■

ISSUE No.233 MARCH 2021 • Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd • Published in Dubai by: Prografix • PO Box 24677 • Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore • Executive Editor: Gary Player • Editor: Alex Gallemore (alex@wspglobal.com) Publisher: Mike Gallemore (mike@wspglobal.com) • General Manager Dubai: Richard Bevan (rick@wspglobal.com) • Editors: Todd Staszko, Thomas Wragg, Ashraf Ahmed • Production/Design Editor: Thameem Rayyan • Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko • Photography: Getty Images • June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 • Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280 • Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

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GOLFING IN DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS

THE COURSE Fossil Trace Golf Club

E

ver wanted to play golf where dinosaurs once roamed? Well, thanks to the good folk at Fossil Trace Golf Club on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, you can!

Approximated 64 millions years after lumbering triceratops left their imprints in the ground, an 18-hole layout opened in 2003 which features ancient footprints and fossils.

The back nine of the course is where you encounter what remains of the Rockwell Mine – mined by George W. Parfet in 1877.

After removing the clay, all that remained was the sandstone column (a feature which enhances the approach to the 12th green) which exposes the triceratops and hadrosaurs footprints.

Architect Jim Engh completed the initial routing of Fossil Trace Golf Club in 1991.

He faced numerous challenges for over a decade, including the clean up of mining residuals, the environmental impact of the building process, and historical preservation.

The property is well known for its historical significance, and the award-winning golf course continues to attract golfers from around the world.

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STARTER

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2021 QATAR MASTERS EDUCATION CITY GC HOSTS THE SECOND-LONGEST STANDING EUROPEAN TOUR EVENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING

MAR 11 – 14

PRIZE FUND $1,500,000

R2D POINTS 2,000

2020 RECAP

Last year’s Qatar Masters was the final event held on Tour prior to the global shutdown of professional sports as the coronavirus pandemic began to soar. It also produced a memorable play-off finish, as five extra holes were needed to crown Jorge Campillo the winner over David Drysdale. Campillo had to wait 229 events for his first European Tour victory (which came in 2019) but the win in Qatar meant he had gotten his hands on some silverware in two consecutive seasons. After matching Campillo over the first four extra holes, Drysdale was unable to replicate the Spaniard’s birdie at the fifth and had to settle for the fourth runner up finish of his career.

THE COURSE

The Championship Course plays to 7,307 yards and opened in 2018. Sizeable bunkers are dotted around and there are greenside water hazards on more than half of the holes.

ONES TO WATCH

Adri Arnaus

Thomas Detry

Thomas Pieters

George Coetzee

Still searching for a breakthrough win on Tour, the Spaniard finished in the top 15 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January and will be looking to kick on in Qatar where there will be fewer world-class obstacles operating spots on the leaderboard.

Belgian Detry has posted top tens in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi in his career is comfortable playing in the Middle East. Finished 17th in Qatar last year with two 66s and two 72s and he played well in the two events in Cyprus late last year so can handle gusty conditions.

Detry’s compatriot got progressively better as this year’s Middle East Swing progressed – a T41 in Abu Dhabi was followed by T27 in Dubai and T10 in Saudi. Four-time European Tour winner is hoping to get back in the Ryder Cup fold this year.

34-year-old Coetzee won his fifth European Tour title in Portugal last year – his first outside of Africa – and has a superb record in Qatar, with six top tens in nine appearances, including two runner-up finishes.

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STARTER

RECORD BREAKER ■ The Qatar Masters has a history of creating records that began in 2000, when Rolf Muntz became the first Dutch Player to win a European Tour title.

■ In 2006 Ernie Els tied Bernhard Langer’s total of most consecutive cuts in European Tour history at 69. The South African would go on to set the record at 82 consecutive cuts, which still stands today.

■ Steve Webster become the first player to begin a European Tour event with an albatross, holing out for a two on the par five tenth hole at Doha GC. ■ In 2017, a total of nine players shared the lead after two rounds of the event - a first on the European Tour.

■ The 2004 Qatar Masters holds the European Tour record for the fewest number of shots between the halfway leaders and the cut mark – just five. The cut fell at 1-under while the leaders were on 6-under.

Established at Doha Golf Club in 1998, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters has seen some of the best players of the modern era walk away with the ‘Mother of Pearl’ trophy – with the likes of Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia (right) all victorious.

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STARTER QUICK Hits

Facts and Figures from around the world of golf

LET Schedule confirmes improved schedule for 2021

▲

RANGE-FINDERS WILL SLOW PLAY DOWN SAYS EX-CADDIE

The Ladies European Tour’s 2021 schedule will see players compete for a combined prize fund of over $19m across 27 events in 29 different countries. After a Covid-affected 2020, the schedule welcomes the addition of as many as nine new fully sanctioned tournaments as the Joint Venture between the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and LET starts to gather momentum.

▲

Second Kenyan event added to European Tour schedule

check yardage at the end.

“If the yardage between the book number (which we have worked off forever) are different from the laser, play will come to a screeching halt while player and caddie try and figure out why there is a discrepancy.

“Plus, there is a skill to finding a correct yardage from strange angles, which should be rewarded. I’m not a fan of this decision for PGA Tour level play.”

Players and caddies have long used range finders during practice rounds to gather relevant yardages and PGA of America President Jim Richerson is confident that this year’s new rule will speed up play.

“We’re always interested in methods that may help improve the flow of play during our championships,” said Richerson. “The use of distance-measuring devices is already common within the game and is now a part of the Rules of Golf.”

Niemann raises $2.1m to help save baby cousin

▲

Former top-level caddie turned Golf Channel on-course commentator John Wood believes the US PGA’s move to allow range-finders during their championships will not quicken the pace of play.

The PGA of America announced that this year distance measuring devices can be used during competitive rounds at the US PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Senior PGA Championship.

“In my opinion, this will slow play down at the highest level,” said Wood, who caddied for Matt Kuchar (inset), Hunter Mahan and Mark Calcavecchia in his career on the bag. “The total yardage to a flag is sometimes the last thing we need. We want covers of swales, bunkers, water and where we want the ball to land – players and caddies will do all their calculations, then double

In the wake of the loss of the Oman Open, The European Tour has added a new tournament, the Kenya Savannah Classic, to its 2021 International Schedule. The €1million, 72 hole stroke play event will take place from Tuesday March 23 – Friday March 26 at Karen Country Club, in Nairobi. It will form a double-header with the previously announced Magical Kenya Open, which will be played at the same venue in the week beforehand.

Joaquin Niemann has helped raised over $2m through various charitable means – donations from fellow players, the PGA Tour and sponsors – to pay for his baby cousin’s treatment for a rare genetic spinal disease. Spinal Muscular Atrophy affects one in every 10,000 newborns each year and 22-year-old Niemann’s said his cousin Rafita was “doing great” after the first dose of the drug Zolgensma.

McIlroy becomes Tour decision maker The PGA Tour has announced that Rory McIlroy has been elected Chairman of the Player Advisory Council (PAC) by the Tour’s membership for the 2021 calendar year. The 16-member PAC advises and consults with the Tour’s Board of Directors and Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the Tour.

Rory McIlroy, who prevailed over Russell Knox and Kevin Streelman, will succeed Jordan Spieth as a Player Director on the PGA Tour Policy Board next year, serving a three-year term (2022-24). He will join James Hahn (2020-22), Charley Hoffman (2021-23) and Kevin Kisner (2020-22) on the Policy Board. He becomes the first international player to serve on the policy board, which dates back to the tour’s first season in 1969. “I’ve enjoyed being on the PAC the last

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couple of years and I think that with what’s happening between the PGA Tour and the European Tour I have the ear of the PGA Tour and I have the ear of the European Tour,” McIlroy told GolfChannel.com at last month’s Farmers Insurance Open. “I just feel like I’ve been around a long time and I feel I can maybe help facilitate things and maybe guide things in a certain direction for what I think is better for everyone.”

STARTER by four-times European Tour winner Thomas Pieters

HOW TO SPIN YOUR WEDGE SHOTS For me there are a number of things to factor in when trying to control the ball using spin and they mostly revolve around the trajectory of the shot. A lower trajectory shot would bounce twice before grabbing, while a higher trajectory takes one hop and maybe rips back a bit or stops dead. So it’s very important to judge what kind of shot you want to hit and then be able to control the spin.

A lot of the times in Pro-Ams I see amateurs flip their wrists and hands at impact in order to try and create spin that way. But the way to create spin is not about flash speed at the strike, but more about having a consistent strike, which in itself creates a bit of spin.

I like to see a nice ‘V’ shape in the arms at address and this remains as you take the club back – no cocking or hinging of the wrists or hands when you get to the end of how far you want to take the club.

So you keep a nice smooth triangle between the arms and the shaft. And by taking the club back and letting it go – and this should lead to more consistent strikes.

This means that there’s no manipulation. And you can practice this indoors even without a club in your hand – just practice maintaining that triangle, taking your arms back and through.

PIETERS WAS A MEMBER OF THE 2016 RYDER CUP TEAM

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OLIVER FISHER

400 NOT OUT A

s Dustin Johnson was busy celebrating his 16th win in his last 100 worldwide starts at the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, Oliver Fisher also had cause for celebration having just ticked off a historic milestone on the European Tour.

The Englishman’s visit to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was his 400th European Tour start and, at the age of just 32, he is also the youngest to reach that number ahead of European giants such as Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie.

Fisher is no stranger to setting records and is best known for the historic moment that saw him become the first player to record a 59 on the European Tour, which he achieved during the second round of the Portugal Masters in 2018.

Until that day at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course there had previously been 19 rounds of 60 recorded with the elusive 59 always being out of reach. But Fisher wrote his name in the history books as he ended a run of 46 years and over 690,000 rounds on Tour with ten birdies and an eagle for a bogey-free 12 under par 59.

Fisher also holds the record for becoming the youngest player to reach 200, and then 300, events on the European Tour.

In total, 104 players have reached the 400 career appearances milestone in European

Tour history, with Fisher overtaking the previous record set by Peter Baker in 2001, who was 33 years old at the time.

A further 63 players have reached 500 events, thirteen have passed the 600-event marker, and just two of that number – Miguel

HATTON SECURES GOLFER OF THE MONTH

O

ff the back of his superb Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship triumph, Tyrrell Hatton was voted the European Tour’s Golfer of the Month for January.

The Englishman secured the title with 59.4% of the vote while OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic champion, Paul Casey, finished runnerup after receiving 40.4% of the vote having won a milestone 15th European Tour title at Emirates Golf Club.

Hatton’s triumph at Abu Dhabi Golf Club was his fourth Rolex Series title, which also saw him secure a career-high of fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking.

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Angel Jiménez and Sam Torrance – have made it past 700.

And while those numbers are still a while off for Fisher, he has plenty of time on his side to target Jiménez’s record of 712 appearances.

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As well as a host of outdoor facilities, the Academy is home to two performance gyms including a dedicated weight lifting room to ensure you are in peak condition for the season. The Academy also features two indoor private lesson bays for year-round comfort and instant Trackman feedback, as well as a SAM Putt Lab studio to fine-tune your skills on the short grass. If you are looking

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LAURIE CANTER

MAKING UP After toiling away for ten years with multiple successful and unsuccessful trips to Q-School and scratching around for starts on the Challenge Tour, Laurie Canter has finally earned a firm category to play alongside the leading lights on the European Tour after a breakout campaign in 2020.

We caught up with the Englishman, as he prepared for a debut in the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession among the game’s elite, to retrace his early beginnings in the game and find out how he’s trying to establish himself at the top table of European golf.

BY TODD STASZKO

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LAURIE CANTER

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I

t’s been a whirlwind 12 months for England’s Laurie Canter, who spoke to us direct from Florida where he headed after playing the Middle East Swing events for the first time in his career. The 31-year-old finished 19th in the Race to Dubai last year having never previously cracked the top 150.

A pair of runner-up finishes in Italy and Portugal and a handful of top-tens, including a share of fifth place at the DP World Tour Championship where he played in the final pairing alongside winner Matt Fitzpatrick, saw him end the season in style and earn spots in all the biggest European Tour events for 2021 and the first WGC of the year.

“I snuck in to this WGC field through finishing in the top 20 in the Race to Dubai last year, and I had no idea about that criteria until I was told after the DP World Tour Championship finished and my ranking was finalised – so that was cool,” smiles Canter.

“I think at Jumeirah Golf Estates, I really felt like my game was in a really good place and I really thought I could win the tournament.

I know that would have been a right turn up, but the way I was playing, and the way I felt – it was a good opportunity.”

Opportunity will surely come knocking again for the talented Canter, who hails from Bath and grew up as a promising tennis junior before changing his racket for golf clubs as an early teen.

STARTED PLAYING AT 14

“I really took up golf just before my 14th birthday, so I was pretty late to it,” he reflects.

“I’d played national-level junior tennis, and I’ve always been quite sporty but especially enjoyed sports where there’s an element of hitting something with a tool –I love tennis, hockey and cricket, as there’s a technique to learn. And golf seemed like one of those where you can be a bit more unstructured about how you go about learning it. You can figure it out yourself, and I’ve kind of always gravitated towards that type of sport.

“With tennis, I’d got to the age where I had to make a decision between relocating, changing schools, dropping my GCSE exams and putting all my eggs in the tennis basket.

But deep down I felt that I wasn’t going to become a top-level tennis player, and I knew I wanted to get stuck into something else. At the time we lived literally across the road from a par-3 course and I just started going there, got the bug and was constantly asking my parents to get me out there playing golf.

“Having the background with tennis, I understood about the levels of training required and the time needed to put in to get better, and that helped me to progress with golf. When I was in that cognitive stage of learning, I knew and accepted I needed to spend 8-10 hours a day at it. I was lucky enough to be able to do that and it’s been a cool journey.”

Canter had a superb amateur career with a smattering of international victories and reaching a high of fifth in the global

‘

Looking back, I would definitely advise going to play more minitour events and getting stuck in, lose any ego that you might have around what you think you should be doing, or any perception of how good you are, and just go play. Because that’s where you really harden yourself up against other professionals at that level – and higher - and that’s the acid test of seeing how you stack up.

C A N T E R

rankings before he turned professional.

He found his first couple of years in the paid ranks tough as he struggled to gain momentum with only a few playing opportunities arriving at his door. However, after he ‘lost his ego’ he decided to travel more in an attempt to compete more often, and it paid off.

EARLY DAYS

“Those first couple of years, I had some invites but really my playing opportunities seemed so few and far between,” he says.

“When I look back on it, I probably could have got more stuck in with playing professional golf anywhere, in general, whereas I was kind of waiting for my Challenge Tour opportunities. And I ended up not playing as much golf as I was used to, having played a lot and regularly as an amateur. Sometimes during summer there’d be two amateur tournaments every week, but then in those first couple of years as a pro I think I only played about 10/11 tournaments in one whole year.

“So, looking back, I would definitely advise going to play more mini-tour events and getting stuck in, lose any ego that you might have around what you think you should be

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doing, or any perception of how good you are, and just go play. Because that’s where you really harden yourself up against other professionals at that level – and higher - and that’s the acid test of seeing how you stack up.

“Those first two years, I was thinking ‘I don’t need to play on the mini-tours, I can do well on the Challenge Tour’, but I would turn up to some events not very sharp, and the standard is very, very good on the Challenge Tour.

“After those two years I had to re-evaluate as I had no status anywhere, so I played the Alps Tour, the EuroPro Tour, a bit on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. I played everywhere I could, from about 2012 until I got my European Tour card at the 2015 Qualifying School. It was tough going, but I began to compete more, got some confidence and looking back it was very important for me to have had that experience.”

BREAKTHROUGH

Canter’s successful navigation through Q-School saw him endure a rookie campaign on the European Tour in 2016 where he made just six cuts in 17 starts. But he put that disappointment behind him by re-earning his card for 2017 through Q-School. This was a

LAURIE CANTER

sequence he then went through again, so after five early trips to Q-School from 2010-2014 (each one he left empty handed), he had three successful attempts in succession.

“Getting through Q-School for three years in a row is something to look back on positively, especially that second time because I had had such a rough first full season as a European Tour player,” he says. “To go back there and reearn it was massive for me because you learn so much, if you let yourself learn.

THE MIND CHANGED

“After my first 6 or 7 months of that first season, I knew it would take a monumental effort to retain my card, so I almost changed my mind-set to setting myself a challenge of just learning what I could for the last ten events or so, and that helped when I got back to Q-School.

“And this is something I would give as advice to a young player who earns their first card through Q-School – they’ve got to try and enjoy their first year on Tour. Just go and try and play as many practice rounds as you can with the top professionals and pick things up from them. Because with a different mind-set you’ll give yourself a chance. If you go in with burdening thoughts like ‘I’ve got to get off to a

“IF YOU GO IN WITH BURDENING THOUGHTS LIKE ‘I’VE GOT TO GET OFF TO A GOOD START’ – THEY ARE THE PITFALLS I FELL INTO, SO I TRIED TO CHANGE IT AROUND AND USE IT MORE AS A LEARNING TOOL, AND IT HELPED FOR THE SUBSEQUENT SEASONS.” C A N T E R

good start’ – they are the pitfalls I fell into, so I tried to change it around and use it more as a learning tool, and it helped for the subsequent seasons.”

Canter was once again back at Q-School in 2019 and finished fifth to earn his card for 2020. He made a slow start to the year and the coronavirus lockdown in March came at a good time for him after he missed the cut

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in Oman and finishing 61st Qatar. It gave him a chance to look at how he prepared and practiced for events.

TRAIN ON COURSE

“I’m definitely the type of player who needs to play a lot of golf, whether that be competitively or in practice,” he says. “For me, being on a driving range all day is a waste of time, unless I’m working on something specific with a coach. I want to train myself on the golf course, and use the course as my training ground to practice different shots and work on my short game. I’ll do that in practice rounds at events and in weeks off. This is something new to me – it’s something that I only really thought of in last year’s first lockdown and it’s made life, and golf more enjoyable. The video work and slaving away on the range has its place, but getting away from that as my main form of practice and spending the majority of my practice time out on the course has been big for me.”

So far this season Canter has been paired with some biggest names on Tour and enjoyed practicing with some legends, which is something he reveals he’ll look to put in place more as the year goes on.

“I want to play with people who are better

LAURIE CANTER

LAURIE CANTER PICKED UP €119,071 WITH HIS TIED FOURTH PLACE FINISH AT THIS YEAR’S OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC than me, who want to beat me and I want them to push me and they want me to push them,” he says. “I don’t see how there can be a better form of practice than that.

“In Saudi I had the chance to play a practice round with Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood, and that was awesome. We had a competitive game and I asked them some things about my game that I was struggling with and they were really generous with their time. I think that is unique to golf in some respect in that we’re lucky to be able to do that in practice rounds.

“So that’s the main focus of everything I want to do, just play and practice a lot with these guys, especially guys who’ve had amazing careers who you can learn from and lean on. They know so much about playing under pressure.”

TRAIN ON COURSE

In Saudi, Canter got a first-hand look at how to put together a score when not firing on all cylinders, as he played with Justin Rose in the third round.

“There were little subtle things I picked up playing with the likes of Rose and Poulter and Hatton in the Middle East,” said Canter, who finished in a share of fourth at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic to forge a strong start to his season. “The nature of golf is the fact that it doesn’t matter who you are – 99% of the time you’re not going to be absolutely firing on your game. It’s more a case of how good are you at effectively grinding out scores in the struggle – can you shoot 67/68 when really you’re not playing that well.

“And I saw that in Saudi with Justin Rose.

He was not on his game at all on the Saturday,

“THERE WERE LITTLE SUBTLE THINGS I PICKED UP PLAYING WITH THE LIKES OF ROSE AND POULTER AND HATTON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THE NATURE OF GOLF IS THE FACT THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO YOU ARE – 99% OF THE TIME YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABSOLUTELY FIRING ON YOUR GAME. IT’S MORE A CASE OF HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT EFFECTIVELY GRINDING OUT SCORES IN THE STRUGGLE – CAN YOU SHOOT 67/68 WHEN REALLY YOU’RE NOT PLAYING THAT WELL.” C A N T E R

if I’m being honest, and I think he shot the same score as me – a 68. And then he had a great day on Sunday and finished second. So their ability as golfers to just accept where they are and how they are playing on any given day, and create the best opportunity for themselves to score and keep themselves in the tournament – that’s the art of golf, really.

And you do see that with the top guys.”

Canter will get the chance again to see how the top guys do it plenty of times this season and he has a debut at the BMW PGA Championship to look forward to later this year, an event he has been to many times in the past as a spectator.

“I can’t wait to play at Wentworth later this year, it’s one of the iconic events, outside of the Majors,” he says. “They get great fields and great crowds year after year and the golf course lends itself to a bit of drama,

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especially with the two par-5s to finish. From about the age of 15 I’d go to Wentworth every year to watch. Even as a professional I’ve gone up there and watched, and caddied for an amateur friend who played in the Pro-Am a couple of times.

“The schedule over summer also looks absolutely brilliant and I’m chuffed that I can pick my own route. Looking at it, I’m going to try and play in little bursts, but hopefully not overplay myself so I’ve got enough left in the tank towards the end of the season – for tournaments like Wentworth and, if I qualify, the DP World Tour Championship. It’d be nice to turn to up the big events like those not completely flogged.”

With the cushion of being able to set up his own schedule and a renewed confidence, Canter’s is a name we can expect to see more of on leaderboards as 2021 progresses. ■

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COMING OUT

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fter a turbulent couple of years, Justin Rose is dead-set on making 2021 a year to remember as he looks to put the disappointment of 2020 behind him.

Rose turned 40 last summer and endured his first winless season since 2009, something he puts down to a number of factors which he’s determined to put right. Despite not firing on all cylinders, he put in a decent showing on the Middle East swing with a runner-up finish in Saudi leaving him with something to build on, and he feels he’s trending in the right direction ahead of The Masters...

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s Justin closed the book on 2020 he knew he had three weeks of worldclass action to look forward to in the Middle East to kick-off 2021. The rust took some time to shake off as he didn’t break 70 in Abu Dhabi, but did make the cut to finish T57. Then he played well to get in contention in Dubai only to be undone by a final round 77 to finish T35. He bounced back in style in Saudi Arabia, finishing runner-up to Dustin Johnson after rounds of 68-66-6865, despite not possessing his ‘A’ game for large spells.

“I was in decent position going into the final round in Dubai – I was seventh but had a poor Sunday and that drops you being back into making it a terrible week,” reflected Rose after his Middle Eastern jaunt came to a close. “So it’s nice to feel like I’ve come out of the trip with a nice bit of positive momentum.

“I’ve been working on a lot of stuff but really staying patient. I haven’t been playing my best golf and it’s easy to get frustrated.

I’ve kind of stayed with it, even through those three weeks in the Middle East, it felt like it was slow going, and good golf hasn’t been rewarded and I’ve made silly mistakes.

Momentum hasn’t quite been on my side yet. But to play a bogey-free 65 on a Sunday is something to kind of take and fuel the upcoming run.”

Rose knows what it takes to win at the highest level, with a Major win coming at the 2013 US Open nestled among 10 PGA Tour wins and 11 on the European Tour. With five Ryder Cup outings under his belt he’s one

Justin Rose basks in the glow after winning his first Major at the 2013 US Open.

said Rose, who dropped out of the top 30 late last year. “Confidence and momentum is an amazing thing in golf and I’ve got to earn that back. The golf course doesn’t know my world ranking, so I’ve got to go out every week, and I’m building, working hard on all the things that enable me to play well. All that matters to me is winning the big tournaments – and I know I can do that, whether I’m 30th or 50th in the world, I know I have that ability. So it’s a matter of finding form and the confidence that goes with it.

“World Rankings only serve a purpose to get into tournaments, they don’t concern me.

Winning Major Championships concern me, I still feel like that’s ahead of me and I have that opportunity.

“I still wake up every day and believe that my best is ahead of me. That motivates me. If I felt I was on that slippery slope out, then it’s hard to put one foot in front of the other. I’m not concerned about playing the game for the sake of playing the game, I only play because I feel like I can improve and I’ve dedicated my whole career to leaving no stone unturned and enjoying the process of getting better as a player.

“That is still, ultimately, what gets me out of bed and that in turn creates results.

I’ve definitely made some mistakes the last couple of years and they are only really mistakes in hindsight. I was trying to make a few good decisions.”

Back in November 2018 Rose successfully

Rose returned to World No.1 in January 2019 with victory in San Diego.

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JUSTIN ROSE

scenarios. Sometimes there’s water that’s gone under the bridge and you need to work your way back a little bit. It’s what my career has been about, I’ve had my ups and downs.

“When I’m on the slide it makes me want to come out swinging and with my back against the wall a little bit, I kind of like it that way. It keeps me motivated and it keeps me hungry.”

The changes have come thick and fast as Rose knows that in his 40s the chances of adding to his Major collection diminishes as fresh young talent emerges year after year. He has relocated back to the UK with his family hoping that it will be easier from a travel perspective.

Rose made his fifth Ryder Cup appearance three years ago in Paris.

defended his title at the Turkish Airlines Open which took him back to World No.1 for the second time in his career. A new equipment deal with Honma was already in progress at that point and was rubberstamped in January 2019. He won on his second start with the new clubs at Torrey Pines but is yet to win since and just over a year later his Honma agreement was over. The loss of long-time Caddie Mark ‘Fooch’ Fulcher to health issues in 2019 also came as another blow and Rose also parted ways with coach Sean Foley. This year Rose has replaced Henrik Stenson’s old bag-man Gareth Lord with David Cark, and has also taken on the services of a physio to work with him on the road.

“Some stuff has been out of my control – like Fooch and caddie stuff,” said Rose.

“Some were my decisions. The way the whole side of things worked after getting to the top of the World Rankings. Some things didn’t fall into place after that. You make the best decision you can at the time, thinking it’s the right decision. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. I’ve pivoted as quickly as I can in those

Rose narrowly missed out on a second Major in a play-off loss to Sergio Garcia at the 2017 Masters.

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VIBE “We still have our place in the Bahamas so we’re spending time there, the kids are doing their online learning from there, but the move helps from a travel point of view and seeing my family,” he said. “It’s going to be a simpler process for now. I’ve added a couple of new members to the team as I wanted to come into 2021 with a slightly different vibe. Changed my caddie. ‘Lordy’ continues to be a great friend of mine. We weren’t putting results on the board, it was one of those moments where we sat down looked at each other and said “shall we move on?” he said ‘yep’, perfect. No hard feelings.

“David Clark is a great friend of mine and an experienced caddie, he stepped up and is on the bag. We’ll have a lot more fun on the golf course and that can only help you play better.

From a physio point of view, I’m focussed on the recovery, fitness and physio work on Tour.

Tailoring my body better for the weeks I’m on Tour. I work hard in the gym at home, but sometimes on Tour I’ve not had that regular support to fine-tune myself for the week. Your golf swing is sometimes only as good as the body lets it be. I’ve fallen into a few bad habits and traps with the body over the last year or two and that’s manifested into my game a bit.”

With the building blocks in place and some good performances on the board without playing his best, look out for Rose as he plots a path towards reaching his Major goals in 2021. ■

Rose on his 2021 Schedule: “I’ve got to play what events suit me, and a rhythm of golf that suits me. I like to play three events in a row and take a week or two off, then build another run of events. I don’t want it to be too stop-start.

There’s a little more travel involved this year as well, so I need to be smart with how I put the schedule together. The first building block I’m working towards is the Masters and the run-up to Augusta, then your focus shifts onto the next Major. We all know 2021 is a massive year and there’s not too many breaths to take.”

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Rose hopes his runner-up finish in Saudi Arabia will provide a platform to build on ahead of the opening Major of the year at Augusta next month.

Cat T Y R R E L L H AT T O N

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tch ME IF YOU CAN

BY THOMAS WRAGG

emember, when you’re feeling glum, pop up your thumb,” Tommy Fleetwood told Tyrrell Hatton in the European Tour’s hilarious ‘Angry Golfers’ sketch during the season opening Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. There would be no glumness that week, though, as the Englishman surged to a fourth Rolex Series title after carding a superb final round 66 to pull clear of overnight leader Rory McIlroy and finish the week on 18 under par.

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Tyrrell Hatton bumps fists with his caddie Michael Donaghy after winning this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

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he win in the UAE capital came just twelve months after the 29 year old was working hard to recover from a wrist injury which saw him miss out on last year’s Desert Swing. He has now cemented his position as the best British golfer on the planet as he moved up to a career-high fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking – something he is still coming to terms with.

“The win still feels a little bit surreal, alongside with where we’ve moved up to in the World Rankings. It doesn’t feel like it was me who won the tournament,” admitted Hatton. “I don’t see myself as anything special, I’m just going about my business, doing my own thing.

That’s just the way I am, I guess.

“I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable with the position I’m in, I just don’t see myself as anything different. It’s not something that I really worry about. I’m just trying to play good golf and the World Rankings take care of themselves, if you’re able to do that.

Fortunately for me, the last 14 months, I’ve been on a really good run and I’m hoping that continues.”

The victory, which was Hatton’s fourth in his last 20 starts, also propelled him to the top of the European Ryder Cup points list and, bar a drastic turn of events, he will be one of Europe’s key men at Whistling Straits.

“Any time you win it gives you massive confidence, and to win in my first start of the season is a great feeling with Ryder Cup points starting again,” said Hatton, who made his

“The win still feels a little bit surreal, alongside with where we’ve moved up to in the World Rankings. It doesn’t feel like it was me who won the tournament,” TYRRELL HATTON Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018.

“That’s definitely a goal of mine for the year ahead, so to pick up a lot of points in Abu Dhabi is great. I want to secure my place on that team as fast as possible, and this win has certainly gone a long way to helping me achieve that goal. The last Ryder Cup was the best golfing experience of my life to date. Home fans, and that first tee with the grandstand was just amazing. I absolutely loved the week.

“I’m sure it will be a very different experience playing away, if I make that team, and hopefully I’m there at Whistling Straits. So, I’d love to try and help the team win. But you

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know, there’s a lot of golf to play between now and then, but fingers crossed that I’m there.”

Hatton’s Ryder Cup debut in Paris came courtesy of automatic qualification which was aided with victories at the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship and Italian Open, a Rolex Series event. With a changing of the guard expected this year in the European team, Hatton shared some sound advice with those looking to earn their spot on Padraig Harrington’s team.

“When I look back at that year, I thought I did really good job of not thinking about The Ryder Cup,” he said. “It might sound weird to say, but it never crossed my mind when I was out there on a Sunday or, you know, worried about if I had a bad round on the Saturday that took me out of contention going into the final round. I wasn’t worried about what potential Ryder Cup points I could lose.

“I would just say try your best to not put too much pressure on yourself and try to not think about The Ryder Cup and just play, play your own game, play the tournaments that you were going to play. You play good golf; you’ll make the team. And I can certainly say, if you make the team, it will be an unforgettable experience.”

One of those looking to make the trip to Wisconsin in September is 2018 Challenge Tour graduate Robert MacIntyre. The Scotsman broke his European Tour duck last year with victory at the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown before going on to challenge Paul Casey at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic – eventually finishing five shots back in third.

TYRRELL HATTON

That saw the youngster surge into the top 50 in the world as well as becoming the highest ranked lefty on the planet which has led to plenty of talk of a maiden Ryder Cup berth this autumn.

“Bob’s a fantastic player,” said Hatton. “I saw on social media that he had moved inside the top 50. He’s 24 and breaking inside the top 50 which is so impressive, and I’d like to think that everyone out here on The European Tour would probably expect him to go from strength-tostrength. His good result in Dubai is certainly going to help his confidence. I guess we wish him all the best.”

ANGRY GOLFER Hatton, as previously mentioned, had begun the week in Abu Dhabi by poking fun at his fiery temperament by starring in ‘Angry Golfers’ alongside the likes of Ian Poulter, Eddie

Pepperell and Henrik Stenson.

Despite having a reputation as one of golf’s raging characters, Hatton’s demeanor out on course has seemed a lot more relaxed in recent months and he looks to move past his previous problems.

“I wouldn’t say I’m past it,” he said. “But I’ve gotten better at managing myself, certainly coming down the stretch on Sunday when there’s more pressure. My first few years on Tour, I’d probably throw away a couple of tournaments from just getting in my own way.

“And that’s not to say I’m not going to do that again in the future. I’m only human and I am going to make mistakes. I try my best to stay calm but then there’s always other factors; if I didn’t sleep that great the night before then naturally everyone is frustrated if they don’t sleep that well and they are just tired and whatnot. If I’m in a good place, I feel like I have

got better at managing it.

“This game, some days it can feel so easy and then the very next day you don’t feel like you’re doing anything different and it feels like the hardest game in the world.

“When you hit good shots and get a bad bounce, stuff that’s out of your control, when you’ve done everything you think is right and it doesn’t go your way, obviously it’s frustrating, and that’s obviously at every level of the game.

Hatton has two top-tens at The Open, most recently a share of sixth in 2019 at Royal Portrush

It’s pretty easy to have a moment of rage out there. I think everyone’s experienced it at one time or another.”

“He’s everything you’d want in a player for sure.

Obviously, there’s plenty of good golfers out there, but Tyrrell does seem to have ‘it’ when he comes under pressure on the big occasions with big players staring him down, like he was going against Rory and Tommy Fleetwood in Abu Dhabi. He’s a Ryder Cup Captain’s dream, isn’t he? That’s exactly what you want, a player that has that gumption and can really get it done.”

European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington on Tyrrell Hatton

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MAJOR CHALLENGE Despite his stunning form over the last 14 months, Hatton’s Major form has dipped having missed the cut in all three Major Championships that were held in 2020. He gets the opportunity to put that right next month as the world’s best return to Augusta National for the second time in six months for the Masters Tournament.

“Everyone in their career, their goal is to win a Major and I’m no different from that,” said Hatton, who has finished inside the top ten of all the Majors aside from the Masters.

“Obviously the Majors last year were disappointing for me to miss the cut in all three. But golf’s a funny game. You’re trying your best every single week, and some weeks, it sort of works out better than others.

“So, I’m hoping the 2021 Majors fall in good weeks for me, and I can put in some good performances there.”

By his side in his quest for a maiden Major will be charismatic caddie Mick Donaghy, who has helped Hatton take his game to a new level since linking up for the first time at the British Masters in 2019. Since then the two have struck up a superb partnership with their four victories worth more than a whopping £4.5 million at the Turkish Airlines Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational, BMW PGA Championship and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“Mick’s brilliant,” he said. “He’s got so much experience. He’s won, what is it, four times the amount that I’ve won. The experience he has is great, and we get on really well away from the course, too. We’ve had a fantastic run so far.

I love our partnership and working together.

Obviously, I’m hoping that continues for a very long time.” ■

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COLUMN

PETE COWEN Wins will surely come soon for Tony Finau.

We might be losing great European talent There is a lack of great teenage talent coming through in Europe at the moment and any prospects that do show potential will have their route to the top hampered by a lack of playing opportunities caused by the pandemic.

fter the Desert Classic and a short break at home I’m now going to be based in America for a month leading up to the Masters in April. It was a weird feeling flying over with just 40 people on the plane and then having my credentials checked by the FBI when I landed. But it’s great to be stood on the range with the lads in the sunshine, albeit wearing masks!

I’ve caught up with Brooks and Matt, and it’s great to see them showing some form leading into the WGC events and The Players and focused on carrying things through to Augusta. Fitzpatrick is now 16th in the World and just goes to show that strength of mind is more powerful than just huge distance off the tee.

Brooks has to be one of the longest in the game but his touch on the 17th at the Phoenix Open last month, when he chipped in for eagle, illustrated the how the game is won and lost around the greens and not off the tee. Though it doesn’t hurt to be able to carry the ball 320 yards when you need to!

I also bumped into Rory prior to the start of the WGC event at The Concession. We chatted about his recent missed cut in Los Angeles and he just said that he was struggling to visualise shots and could only think about his swing.

I see this a lot with great players who think they can only win when they are playing well. But when they win they aren’t actually playing as well as they thought. Once Rory starts visualising shots he will start winning.

Players are never 100%, though when Henrik hit 69 greens in regulation out of 72 to win the DP World Tour Championship in 2013 it was like watching a PlayStation game. That was close to perfect. His 3-wood into the last became legendary but Henrik would tell you it wasn’t the perfect hit – though it was the perfect shot!

One player that keeps on coming close to winning is Tony Finau.

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His closing 64 at the Genesis Invitational last month showed what a true talent he is and he shouldn’t get hung up about finishing runner up. For Tony it will feel like waiting for a bus. None come along for ages, then all of a sudden a load come at once.

We also can’t forget this is a Ryder Cup year and I keep on getting reminded, especially by the Americans, just how strong team USA are when you look down the Official World Rankings. I always smile and remind them of the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama. When the star studded American team on paper should have given Europe a beating but they left empty handed. You can have the best footballers in the world playing for the same club but it doesn’t guarantee a great team. Golf is no different and Europe always finds a way to punch about their ranking weight. So I think, even at this stage, the Ryder Cup will be closer than people think.

The problem for Europe isn’t right now but in the future, as I’m not seeing many youngsters coming through – when I say youngsters I mean teenagers. With the COVID pandemic, the opportunities to break through the conventional routes on the supporting tours will be very limited. We might lose great players, as they will not get the starts and the main route could be via the US college system.

Matt Fitzpatrick’s brother Alex has done just that and he is a talent but at 21 years of age he needs to get out there and make things happen.

It’s tough for everyone right now, especially for people back in the UK, who are still under lockdown. Though hopefully things are easing and we might be able to open our range in Rotherham back up at the end of March. Getting the kids back on the courses and hitting balls instead of cooped up in their rooms playing video games is what needs to happen. Not just for the game but for their sanity. ■

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COLUMN

DAVID HOWELL The game of golf will flourish again soon.

Let’s focus on how fortunate we are I’m grateful to be going about my business when many others have sadly suffered so badly over the course of this last 12 months.

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ROM New Zealand to Paraguay, from California to leafy Surrey, the members of the European Tour truly do come from countries covering the globe. During these restricted times every person faces their own challenges, whilst understanding that we are all incredibly fortunate just to be even still be playing tournament golf.

Players from Australia and New Zealand are having to hotel quarantine when they return home to visit their families. Fourteen days on arrival is an enormous strain to have to go through, and they have to book the hotel several months in advance - miss the slot and it’s months before another becomes available. Many Asian players have decided not to return to their homes at all, so as not to face similar challenges.

That being said, the Europeans can get home, but cannot practice when they are at home due to lockdowns far and wide, so every way we turn someone is being affected in some way. It’s no surprise that when the Europeans watch the PGA Tour players going about their business in near normality, leaving them feeling rather jealous, to say the least.

However, jealousy is a negative emotion, gratitude is a far better feeling to focus on, so I’m grateful to be going about my business when many others have sadly suffered so badly over the course of this last 12 months.

So let’s think positively, and look forward to the ‘spring of all springs,’ when life, hopefully, starts to return to something like normality, starting on the 29th of March when the golf community here in the UK can start to stride the fairways and greens once more.

It’s going to feel like a collective sigh of relief, at 7:30 am on that wonderful day, with the intake of breath taking in the smells of freshly cut grass, first tee banter will echo around the nation, and that first wild slice or a flush down the middle will be struck somewhat in unison across the land.

It will be a sweet day, no doubt about that, whether in two-balls or four-balls, with rakes in bunkers or preferred lies in the sand, still the order of the day, it won’t matter - Britain’s golfers will be unleashed once again to play the most frustrating, yet enjoyable, game of all.

I have witnessed many an online discussion over the last year, hearing from golfers old and young, good players and average players, talking about why they love the game so much. It’s universally liked for so many great reasons: Fresh air, beautiful surroundings, camaraderie, competition, peace and quiet, solitude, friendship and,

of course, the 19th hole, where we can bore each other with the highs and lows of our rounds, until we remember, once again, that no-one else really cares.

Having just isolated myself at home in lockdown for ten days after my last recent trip, I have been lucky enough to clip a few balls from the practice tee at my home club due to our elite athlete exemption status, with the dog walkers who pass me by stop and say how jealous they are watching the simple act of club hitting ball, that sweet feeling when you find the middle of the clubface.

The sounds of golf have been like a soundtrack to my life. In years gone by the sound of metal spikes crunching on shingle pathways; a distant cry of ‘FORE!’ to warn players and spectators to take cover; the sound of a sweetly struck putt dropping into an empty hole, now replaced by the clatter of ball on flagstick. The sound of the mowers trimming the greens and clubs rattling in the the bags as those few last remaining carriers go about their day’s round; the first tee nerves at the club championship as members gather around, I remember all those feelings, thinking that other people care about how you play, when all they actually want is for you to enjoy your round.

In the busy life we all now lead I have always thought that someone who can manage to play golf at least once a week has got their life balance about right, and having taken that balance away people are missing it more than even they realised they would.

So whilst the amateur game is still on pause, the pro game is in for an exciting stretch of events, with the season’s first WGC taking place at The Concession, the brainchild of Tony Jacklin and Jack Nicklaus, on the back of one of the biggest sporting gestures golf has seen. We have seen great putts holed to win Ryder Cups, we have seen the anguish on the face of Bernhard Langer when he missed from 7 feet to tie at Kiawah Island all those years ago, but, thankfully, to date we haven’t seen a tiddler missed in the pivotal match, on the final hole to swing the match in a different direction. What a class act that was from Jack Nicklaus, the toughest of all competitors, judging the moment to perfection. It would be so interesting to see what would happen in the same circumstances nowadays, as the crescendo builds on Ryder Cup Sunday. I get the feeling the crowd would feel let down without seeing the outcome, but I also know that ‘golf people,’ on whichever side they stand wouldn’t want anyone to miss from that distance, and we certainly wouldn’t be getting to view what I hear is a sensational venue if Jack hadn’t made that generous concession. Golf was the winner that day, just as it will be on March 29th. ■

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COLUMN

ADRI ARNAUS It’s important to have a life away from golf.

Break was needed after intense start to the year It’s been nice to step away from the course and explore this amazing place in-between events. My girlfriend and I are loving every single moment in Dubai.

ebruary was a bit of weird month having played no professional golf since the Saudi International finished but, I have to say, after that event I needed a break, it’s been a very intense start to the year.

I took a good week off without touching any clubs and by the end of week I was motivated to get back into gear slowly. It gave me the chance to enjoy myself when practicing and I was soon back in the full swing of things in the gym and out on the golf course playing the sport I love. It’s important to have a life away from golf as well so you must you get the balance right and not wear yourself out which gave my girlfriend and I the opportunity to discover Dubai a little bit more. We visited the desert a couple of times, went to Topgolf and took a trip to Miracle Garden which was pretty cool. It’s been great having this opportunity to explore this amazing place and we are loving every single moment.

Having this time off has also given me more time to get more practice under my belt with my new Callaway set up after we entered a partnership earlier this year. I’ve always played Callaway woods ever since I turned professional but I had to adapt to the irons and that process has gone very smoothly thanks to the fantastic team they have in place. I’ve been really impressed with everything they’ve brought to the table and I’ve also seen improvement in my driver and woods, I feel like it has definitely given me the look I like on the club that helps me

F

swing better and faster. Regarding the irons, it was a matter of finding something that matched my eye and I am really happy and surprised with the outcome as I’ve gained 8-10 metres off the tee with a Callaway 2 iron compared to the Srixon 2 iron which is great. When you decide to make a big change with your equipment you never know if it will turn out ok but I gave it a lot of thought and I’m delighted with the outcome which I also think has shown in my game with two top 15 finishes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

I travel to Doha next for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters before heading to Kenya for a double-header which I’m really looking forward to. Last time I was there in 2019 it was one of my best weeks on the European Tour as I finished runner up, which was a real confidence booster knowing that I could perform on a Sunday and be in contention at this level. It was very early on in my European Tour career so it’s definitely a week I remember well. When I play in Africa, I feel very lucky to be doing what I’m doing and the people over there show me that being happy is the most important thing - they always have good vibes and I feed from that. I always look forward to playing in these events because the people are so nice and I play well on these types of courses but, with the current restrictions in place, it is going to be pretty intense playing two back-to-back tournaments so we are going to have to be patient and play the best golf we can and hopefully we can finish one place better off than last time. ■

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ESCAPE THE BUNKERS O BY

DONG LEE,

PGA PROFESSIONAL, PETER COWEN ACADEMY, DUBAI

dongkyonlee

ne of the biggest problems I have seen golfers suffer with over the years is the dreaded bunker shot. Many a time I watch them hit it past the green and into more trouble or just struggle to get out of the bunker after multiple shots!

In this article, I’m going to demonstrate a visual drill that will help you escape

those greenside bunkers by producing a high soft-landing shot which will help you lower your score. To execute this shot most of my focus is on making sure I don’t de-loft the face of my club and use the bounce (sole) of the club correctly; in other words, I’m trying to keep my loft on as much as I can throughout my swing.

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INSTRUCTION

The drill To visualise the correct shot, I have made a training aid where I have glued a tee on to my club face which represents the loft. You need to ensure the tee is pointing towards the sky as you address the ball until you follow through. This will help you get under the ball and lift it up for a soft landing on the green. I have noticed when the tee is pointing left after impact it de-lofts the club face and therefore does not use the bounce of the club correctly which won’t help to elevate the ball from the bunkers.

When doing this drill at your local short game area you just need to ensure that tee on your club is pointing towards the sky which will help bring more bounce into play and better the interaction through the sand for more successful escapes from the bunkers.

VISUALISE THE TEE ON THE CLUB POINTING TOWARDS THE SKY

Join me or one of our team at the Emirates Golf Club Peter Cowen Academy to improve your bunker play

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LOOK OUT FOR THE VIDEO AT WorldwideGolf Worldwide.Golf

STICK TO THE I

n this article I will explain how to play a soft flighted pitch shot, which is an absolute must here in the UAE. The technique demonstrated here is also ideal for the tight lies we find around the greens.

A couple of key fundamentals when it comes to the basic pitch shot are in the set up.

The first is to make sure you stand quite close to the ball, a very common mistake I see every day is golfers standing too far from the ball, with all shots but especially around the green.

The second is to ensure the shaft angle

is quite upright, more than most people would expect. Allowing the club to travel on a slightly more vertical plane throughout this movement. The feeling will be that the toe of the club is pushing into the ground and the heel is slightly lifted.

As the club starts to move into the backswing, the shaft sets into a position

BY

TIM BACKHOUSE,

SENIOR TEACHING PROFESSIONAL, JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

tim_backhouse

parallel to the ‘toe line’ which allows the weight of the club to return to the ball. As a result, the heel of the club doesn’t dig in at impact (resulting in fat/heavy shots). This enables us to have the confidence to hit the ground with the bounce (bottom) of the club and therefore lifting the all into the air with a lot of spin.

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INSTRUCTION

A

SET UP Close to the ball, shaft angle up-right and toe down.

B

BACKSWING Shaft parallel to toe line, butt of club pointing at target.

C

IMPACT Hands level with ball or even slightly behind depending on height required. Feeling the bounce of the club strike the ground to allow the loft of the club to lift the ball.

Check out the video online and if you need any more help with your game then come down and visit me or one of the team at the Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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LOOK OUT FOR THE VIDEO AT WorldwideGolf Worldwide.Golf

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

The 2019 M6 was a great club that focused on speed and forgiveness, making it a tough act for the 2020 SIM driver to follow.

The 1986 TaylorMade Burner Plus was revolutionary back in the day, with a 144cc foam filled head.

In 2007 TaylorMade launched the Burner, in line with their high tech moveable weight R Series. It was a no frills driver with a fixed loft, limited shaft options and a fast face.

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TAYLORMADE SIM2 & SIM2 MAX

TaylorMade has been one of the most consistent manufacturers of metal drivers since they launched the Burner back in the early 1980s, and it’s 40 years since Ron Streck gave the brand their first victory at the 1981 Houston Open. Over the past four decades we have seen TaylorMade bring out some game changing advancements in driver technology, especially moveable head weighting. Their 2021 SIM2 head has dropped that feature – but has it effected performance?

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BY ALEX GALLEMORE

T

o see how TaylorMade have evolved we put their lastest SIM2 driver up against the 2007 TaylorMade Burner and the 2019 M6. The Burner was simple and not caught up in the moveable weight technology found in their R series range. You had three lofts and the choice of a regular or stiff shaft.

The TaylorMade M6 was packed full of technology: Speed injected face, where they produce a face that’s beyond the R&A and USGA speed limits and dialled it back to the maximum tolerance by injecting the face to make sure each driver is right on the legal limit. It was also the model to receive the aerodynamic sole called the Inertia Generator. You’ve got to love their marketing team for coming up with these names. Plus the Twist Face technology, which is designed to iron out wayward strikes from the heel and toe. So, why haven’t I selected a club packed with moveable weight technology, as TaylorMade has made this a key selling point since they brought out the R7 quad in 2004? It’s due to the fact that the new SIM2 drivers have a fixed weight system – and they have removed the sliding weight feature.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIM2 AND THE SIM2 MAX? Simply put… not that much! But the changes are subtle. They look, at first glace, to be identical which is very confusing. Thankfully one has MAX written on the sole, which helps. The stock shafts differ with the SIM2 MAX offered in the Fujikura Ventus Blue and the Kuro Kage Silver, while the regular SIM2 comes with the Tensei Raw Blue or the Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX. Both heads are 460cc but it’s the weighting that changes the characterising of the clubs.

The SIM2 Max delivers high MOI with a heavy 24g tungsten weight positioned on the Inertia Generator. The TPS Front Weight is strategically located on the sole of the club to boost forgiveness and launch.

The SIM2 has a slightly lighter 16g steel weight positioned on the Inertia Generator and the front weight is strategically located to encourage optimal launch with low spin compared the the MAX head.

The SIM2 is aimed at the slightly better golfer that is trying to balance that new found issue of increased ball speed and elevated spin rates.

THE TEST

First up was the 2007 Burner. A classic shaped head that does look a little dated against the modern heads. With a 9.5 degree head and a stock 50g TaylorMade shaft it was impossible to adjust anything. Which took me back to the days of changing shafts with a blow torch on the work bench, trying to make sure I didn’t melt the hosel. The swing speed was there and feel was solid, but nudging close to 107mph I was never going to get the spin under control.

JAMES BOND WOULD BE DELIGHTED

Don’t let the removal of the movable weigh technology make you believe these are stripped down in terms of technology. They both house more goodies than James Bond on a back-packing holiday: Forged Ring Construction Forged from a lightweight and highstrength aluminium that is milled to an exacting shape, Forged Ring Construction unites a massive rear weight, a full carbon sole, crown and a milled back cup face.

This creates a confidence-inspiring driver designed for increased stability and forgiveness.

SIM Inertia Generator The asymmetric Inertia Generator is designed to provide faster club head speed through advanced geometry and aerodynamic analytics. A full lightweight carbon sole enables the redistribution of mass for a deeper centre of gravity and enhanced forgiveness.

The M6 with its carbon crown is a great looking club. I wasn’t a great fan of the Inertia Generator on the sole but thankfully at address you can’t see it. Fitted with a Fujikura Atmos 6S shaft and set to 9 degrees I was still managing the same swing speed as the Burner, but the ball speed was on average 9mph higher. Which lead me to believe the Inertia Generator wasn’t really adding much in terms of club head speed. The main benefit was coming

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Speed Injected Twist Face Speed Injected Twist Face improves ball speed by calibrating each head to the threshold of the legal speed limit with corrective face curvature also protecting against heel and toe mishits.

Thru-Slot Speed Pocket TaylorMade’s most flexible Speed Pocket™ design is engineered to maximise ball speeds and produce additional forgiveness on low face strikes.

Split Mass Weighting Featuring a TPS weight on the sole of the club and 16g of steel at the rear in the SIM2 and a 24g Tungsten weight in the SIM2 MAX , this design element promotes enhanced forgiveness and optimal spin.

from the Speed Pocket and the Speed Injected face.

I tested the SIM2 Max next as it was very comparable in specification to the M6 with the addition of the Forged Ring. Straight off it was faster than the M6 but the swing speed remained the same, at close to 107mph. So once again I wasn’t sure about the Inertia Generator, but all the other goodies were certainly doing the job.

Considering I couldn’t get my speed above 107mph I was impressed with the results from 10 shots with both the SIM2 and the SIM2 MAX.

TAYLORMADE SIM2 & SIM2 MAX

SIM2 MAX LOFTS: 9, 10.5, 12 (Degrees) Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Blue. Flex: S,R, A / Kuro Kage Silver. Flex X,S,R

SIM2 MAX

SIM2 LOFTS: 8, 9, 10.5 (Degrees) Shafts: Tensei AV Raw Blue. Flex: X,S,R / Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX. Flex X,S

SIM2

The SIM2 spun the ball 400rpm less than the MAX, which equated to a further 10 yards on average, in terms of total distance. The furthest I hit the SIM2 was 294 yards and the shortest was 281. Considering the worst strike came out of the heel the lack of yardage drop off was impressive.

THIRD MODEL SIM2 HEAD There is a draw bias model in the range but I’m not a huge advocate of modern day heavy draw bias drivers. It just highlights that something is severely wrong in the mechanics of your swing. It might iron out your major slice to a regular slice, but you can’t apply this to the other clubs in the bag. Book in with your local pro and get to the bottom of things first. A few decent tips might be the better way to enjoy the game.

REVIEW This year I like the fact TaylorMade have kept things simple – but perhaps it’s too simple. It’s very hard to tell the difference between the two models and the vibrant colours are attractive but this might date the club quickly. The crown is also too fussy. I understand the reason for a painted top line to give the impression of more loft to build confidence at address and also assist with face alignment, but the painted edges just give me too much to focus on. I would have preferred a clutter-free carbon crown with a subtle ball aligner. You can keep the sole busy and bright as you cant see it at address.

I’m not overly impressed with the Inertia Generator but all the other elements certainly work. The face is the engine room and it pairs so well with the other features such as the Speed Pocket; Forged Ring and

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Split Mass Weighting. The swing speed to ball speed ratio has to be one of the best.

So it doesn’t matter if you have a low or high swing speed, the SIM2 heads with help optimise your drives. It’s priced competitively and the quality isn’t quite as a high as some other drivers on the market right now.

FINAL THOUGHT To hit a 294 yard drive with a swing speed of 107mph was astonishing when you factor in a spin rate close to 2,500 rpm. It was the poor strikes where this club was a pleasant surprise as I got out of jail a few times with what could only be described as shocking swings.

The blue colour has grown on me and it’s much improved look over the 2020 SIM head.

SPEE

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

THE NEED FOR

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ED

CALLAWAY EPIC SPEED / MAX / MAX LS Ever since Callaway got their knuckles wrapped by the R&A and USGA for their non conforming ERC driver in the early 2000s they have always found a way to find that ‘hot face formula’ in their drivers. The Callaway XHot range was a huge success in 2013, which evolved the following year into the X2Hot. The speed off the face was, as the name suggests, fast. But battling the increase in spin rates then became their main challenge. Their pro model heads produced a slightly lower rpm over the standard head, but off centre strikes were punished and therefore this club tended to be favoured by the better player. The revolutionary break through for Callaway came in 2017 when their R&D department formulated their Jailbreak technology in the Callaway EPIC head. Jailbreak technology consists of two metal rods connecting the crown and sole just behind the club face.

When a golf ball is struck with Jailbreak, the face compresses like normal, but the crown and sole are now a solid structure allowing the energy to be completely directed back into the club face. This creates a faster rebound effect, which equates to faster ball speeds.

Jailbreak has been the engine room behind Callaway’s drivers ever since.

From the Rogue to the Mavrik and now their latest Epic Speed range.

EPIC NAME LIVES ON WITH THE SPEED & MAX LINE UP Callaway’s 2017 Epic driver was a huge hit in performance and sales for the brand. Over recent years the brand has made minor advancements in development, but they key ingredient remains the Jailbreak technology. Since the Epic was launched we have had various models: Rogue; Epic Flash and their lastest Epic Speed / MAX range.

JAILBREAK UPGRADE Callaway’s previous Jailbreak design stiffened the body in the vertical direction. By using Artificial Intelligence, their new Jailbreak Speed Frame structure is designed to enhance horizontal and torsional stability to promote an increase in ball speeds across the face.

A.I. DESIGNED FLASH FACE SS21 Paired with the Jailbreak Speed Frame, the titanium face has been created to give even more speed, forgiveness and spin control.

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BY ALEX GALLEMORE

2017 I CALLAWAY EPIC SUB ZERO I 9 DEGREES I NEUTRAL

2014 I CALLAWAY X2HOT

Launched in 2014 this was the evolved version of the fast-faced Callaway XHot. A classic matt grey crown with a fixed shaft and no fancy weights meant all you had to choose was the loft and the shaft.

In 2017 this was the lowest spinning driver that I managed to gel with. Centre and toe strikes went deep and the flight remained strong. The down side with the Epic was the dreaded heel and low face strike. I could lose 30 yards compared to a well-struck drive. This is common with nearly all drivers, and it’s the difference between good and bad strikes that caught me out.

TrackMan Findings It came as no surprise to see the X2Hot was the shortest due to the spin rate but it had remarkably great acoustics and feel. It’s still a great looking club and for someone with a low to moderate swing speed it’s not a bad starting point for driver on a tight budget. You can pick these up online from $50.

TrackMan Findings The Epic Sub Zero showed that when you fail to find the right spot on the face the performance is way off an optimised strike. Which is why the standard Epic was by far the biggest selling head at the time. The spin rate was higher but it was more forgiving.

MAX SWING SPEED: 108.3mph BEST DRIVE: 289 yards BEST DRIVE: 274 yards

WORST DRIVE: 258 yards

WORST DRIVE: 253 yards

HIGHEST SPIN RATE: 2.940rpm

HIGHEST SPIN RATE: 3,733rpm

LOWEST SPIN RATE: 2,217rpm

LOWEST SPIN RATE: 3,204rpm

CALLAWAY EPIC SPEED I 9 DEGREES I NEUTRAL

MAX SWING SPEED: 109.1mph BEST DRIVE: 286.1 yards WORST DRIVE: 273.4 yards HIGHEST SPIN RATE: 3,312rpm LOWEST SPIN RATE: 2,675rpm

Even though it looks more compact than the Max head, it still measures 460cc. There are no sliding weights and a slight draw bias face make this the best-looking club out of the current range. The feel was also the best, but it was the worst out of the three when it came to forgiveness. It’s ideally suited to the better

player that doesn’t strike it all over the face.

The head has Callaway’s latest Cyclone Aero Shape but this recorded a slower club swing speed compared to the MAX and MAX LS heads.

It comes in a Project X HZRDUS Smoke IM10 shaft in either 50g R / S shaft or a slightly heavier 60g s. So regardless of my findings, due

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to the shafts on offer Callaway are aiming this at the amateur golfer just as much as the pros, even though this is the head newly signed Jon Rahm opted for.

LOFTS 9 o,, 10.5o and 12o .

CALLAWAY EPIC SPEED / MAX / MAX LS CALLAWAY EPIC MAX I 9 DEGREES I NEUTRAL

SHAFT OPTIONS: MITSUBISHI MMT 60G (S, X) · 70G (S, X)

16g weight

MAX SWING SPEED: 112.1mph BEST DRIVE: 288.3 yards WORST DRIVE: 277.2 yards HIGHEST SPIN RATE: 3,451pm LOWEST SPIN RATE: 2,697rpm

LOFTS 9 o,, 10.5o and 12o

Straight off the bat my swing speed was up 4 mph to 112mph compared to the 2017 Epic – which was noticeable because these days when I try and step on a drive I rarely get close to 110mph. Off-centre strikes were still performing in comparison to a pure strike. The drop off in heel to centre strikes was close to

10 yards but with a swing path averaging 1.7 degrees left and a 4 degree face angle, I was always going to be struggling with spin in the Max head.

Sliding the 16g weight did assist in rectifying the face angle and in turn helped to drop the spin, but I started to pull the ball

CALLAWAY EPIC MAX LS I 9 DEGREES I NEUTRAL

slightly as a result. That was down to my poor swing path.

I dropped the loft from 9 to 8 degrees and this dropped my spin rate further, but it was still higher than the 2017 Epic but certainly more forgiving, especially from the dreaded low face heel strike.

SHAFT OPTIONS: MITSUBISHI MMT 60G (S, X) · 70G (S, X)

13g weight

MAX SWING SPEED: 116mph BEST DRIVE: 299.4 yards WORST DRIVE: 284.7 yards HIGHEST SPIN RATE: 2,804 rpm LOWEST SPIN RATE: 2,271rpm

LOFTS 9 o,, 10.5o and 12o

Having hit the other two first I knew this club would suit me best. I could open my shoulders a little more and even edged up to a 116mph swing

speed. The surprise came from off centre strikes.

My longest drive was 299.4 yards and shortest was 284.7 yards - a vast improvement over the old Epic.

REVIEW The Epic Speed is faster and definitely more forgiving that the 2017 Epic.

The Epic Max will be the biggest seller for sure and the Callaway guys on Tour will put the Epic Speed or MAX LS in play. The Max LS head will appeal to players with slightly higher swing speeds and those that struggle to optimise their numbers due to elevated spin rates. The classic looks paired with a gloss carbon crown and green highlight colours certainly make this one of the best looking clubs on the market.

Like the MAX, I also dropped the loft one degree and swapped in an X flex shaft but I couldn’t convert that extra speed into more distance.

WOULD I PUT THE EPIC SPEED / MAX / MAX IN THE BAG? I would delve a little deeper with the guys at Golf Superstore or eGolf Megastore in Dubai or Golf X in the UK to see why the Max LS is not optimising the club head speed. If they can find that missing ingredient it will go straight in the bag, as I’ve never come close to 116mph in recent years and I’m getting on a bit now!

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BY ALEX GALLEMORE

STOCK SHAFT THE PING ALTA CB SLATE IS THE STANDARD SHAFT IN THE G425 LINE OF DRIVERS, FAIRWAYS AND HYBRIDS. THE LIGHTWEIGHT SHAFT IS CUSTOMENGINEERED TO DELIVER HIGH LAUNCH WITH STABILITY AND A CONSISTENT FEEL.

OPTIONAL SHAFTS

ALDILA ROGUE BLACK 95 HYBRID OFFERS LOWER LAUNCH AND TORQUE, WITH LOW/ MID SPIN TO MAXIMISE DISTANCE WHILE HOLDING GREENS. MITSUBISHI TENSEI CK PRO ORANGE 80 IS MID LAUNCH, MID SPIN AND COUNTER-BALANCED FOR STABILITY AND CONTROL

TUNGSTEN WEIGHTING

A TUNGSTEN SOLE WEIGHT STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED IN EACH CLUB INCREASES THE MOI IN THE STAINLESS STEEL HEAD FOR ADDED FORGIVENESS.

ALIGNMENT GUIDE

ON THE CROWN, A NEW 3-DOT ALIGNMENT FEATURE (LARGE DOT IN THE MIDDLE) OFFERS ALIGNMENT GUIDANCE AND INSPIRES CONFIDENCE AT ADDRESS.

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PING IN HIS OWN G425

PING G425 4-HYBRID

I A N P O U LT E R

HYBRID

GAPPING YOUR LONG IRONS HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

W

ith courses getting longer, we are often faced with par-3s that measure over 200 yards and lengthy approach shots into daunting par-4s. Last month I was impressed with PING’s latest G425 iron, but despite its length and forgiveness, anything over 200 yards would have me reaching for a hybrid to cover shots up to 220 yards with ease. This is not about how far I can hit a hybrid, instead it’s all about control when trying to land the ball on a green and keep it there.

PING G425 IRON One of the most confidence-inspiring irons ever produced by PING and packed full of punch and forgiveness, I managed to carry the G425 5-iron, on average, 197 yards for a total distance of 209 yards. Peak height averaged

98 feet and the spin was 4439rpm. Those stats mean I have no worries flying a greenside bunker over 190 yards and I’m not concerned about the ball firing through the back of the green.

WHEN THE PRESSURE IS ON Imagine playing a shot to a green where you need to carry 10 yards further than your 5 iron range but you still need that ‘drop and stop’ effect on the green. Instead of opting for a 4-iron it might be worth trying the G425 4-Hybrid.

IDEAL FOR THE JOB The G425 4-Hybrid is all about control and gapping a yardage. In the Middle East we are left with long approach shots and to make matters worse they are normally guarded by

SPINSISTENCY™

bunkers or water! Under pressure I want a club that looks after me and gets the ball airborne when the strike isn’t perfect.

G425 4-HYBRID TEST The slightly larger head makes the club feel shorter and more compact, as if I was holding a mid iron. The G425 4-Hybrid shows plenty of loft at address and inspires confidence. You would have no issue using it out of the semi rough or from a tight lie. It just shouts: “Don’t worry I will look after you!”

I hit five shots with that ‘control’ shot in mind, not ‘hey lets see how far I can hit this’ to polish my ego.

Set at 22 degrees / Shaft: Tensei CK Orange 80 Height average: 105 Feet Carry: 211.6 yards Spin: 4,619 rpm Total yards: 218.6

REVIEW The G425 4-Hybrid hit that awkward 210 yardage with ease. The loft adjustability means you can crank the loft up 1.5 degrees to 23.5 or drop it to 20.5. So you will have no issues gapping the club to your irons. The options that PING offer in their shafts are probably some of the best in the market right now.

A COMPLEX FACE CURVATURE MODIFIES THE ROLL PROFILE, MAINLY LOW ON THE FACE WHERE LOFT DECREASES, TO BRING MORE CONSISTENT SPIN PERFORMANCE AND INCREASE BALL SPEED FOR ADDED DISTANCE.

FINAL THOUGHTS If I were looking for a confidence-building set right now, the G425 would be towards the top of my list – out here in the Middle East I would opt for the 4-Hybrid over the 4-iron. The G425 look great and go even better.

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PXG 0211

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

LOOKING FOR A HYBRID WITH MUSCLE?

F

or years I’ve struggling to tame my fairway woods, which has resulted in my handicap gradually increasing.

I’m confident with the driver, because standing over a 460cc head just makes it feel impossible to miss, but I’m left wanting when needing to play a controlled tee shot or challenge a long par-5 from the fairway.

As you can imagine I’ve tried all the fairway woods and it’s totally down to operator error not the equipment. I shallow my swing too early and catch the ball thin with a fairway metal.

Resulting in worm-burning slice that would do well to run out to 180 yards on a good day.

Having just tested the PING G425 where I was looking to gap a number, this time I’m searching for a hybrid that can just go long and act like a 4 wood. With a hybrid I’m normally hitting two degrees down at impact so I’m able to make a solid strike and I’m not concerned with the early shallow delivery issue I have with fairway woods.

So far this year the longest irons I’ve tested were the PXG 0211 GEN2, so the hybrid from the same 2021 range is a great place to start in my quest for some hybrid muscle. I’m not looking for a target number, just a solid strike and as deep as possible when it comes to yardage.

THE TEST

The 0211 Hybrid was set up at 19 degrees with a HZRDUS Smoke 6.5 80g shaft, so I was able to really ramp up my speed and the club remained stable.

I averaged a -1.1 degree attack angle, so I

TRACKMAN NUMBERS

isn’t optimised to the loft. The neutral face and path gave me a further 10 yards distance and 100 rpm less spin. With that shot coming to rest at 258.2 yards.

REVIEW

The 0211 Hybrid with the carbon crown just looks menacing. I’m impressed with the price point and quality. I was concerned that the rail sole would grab the turf but it doesn’t detract from the quality of strike. The flight, even at an average of 92 feet, was strong and penetrating, and with a reduced spin rate close to my driver it did the job of giving me a club that gets close to the distance of a fairway metal and the accuracy of an iron.

was getting a solid contact with a 96.5mph club head speed. Even with it set at 19 degrees I managed an average height of 92 feet and a total yardage of 248.6 with a spin rate of 2743 rpm. Which is only 350 rpm more than my 9-degree driver.

The best result from the five shots which were recorded was the one with the second slowest club head speed of 96.1mph, but my face angle and club to path were completely neutralised. I normally have a face open about 4 degrees at impact, which is why my spin rate

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Right now I probably would put it straight in the bag, as it does fill a hole in my game and it’s great to have PXG at a good price point. In the mid-to-long term I would probably move on as I need to fix my fairway metal issue. I average 285 yards off the tee and the 0211 is long for a hybrid but I’m still a good 30 yards back from a driver and with that low spin rate it would struggle to hold a long approach shot into a firm green.

PXG O211 HYBRID

RRP: $275* HONEY COMB TPE INSERT This insert helps to dampen vibration and enhance the overall feel and the sound at impact

RAIL SOLE Created to give better interaction with the turf at impact.

0211 HYBRID SPECS

* U.S RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE

HIGH SPEED SQUARE FACE Made from high strength HT1770 stainless steel, the larger, square face is designed for speed and forgiveness.

HYBRID CROWN A stainless steel body provides durability and stiffness for more spring and faster ball speeds. The carbon centre crown creates an optimal centre of gravity and Moment of Inertial for increased forgiveness.

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BOOK GOLF & CLOSE YOUR GAME !

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5

THINGS WE LEARNED…

1. The concept of Topgolf is one based around entertainment.

You do not have to be a golfer or have even held a golf club before to enjoy Topgolf. This is a key element to the Topgolf experience and it could just prove to be one of the most striking catalysts for introducing more golfers in the UAE to the game than any of the countless initiatives that have been rolled out over the years.

2. There are a variety of different games to choose from.

All based on the basic concept of hitting balls at targets of varying distances with points awarded according to which target you hit and how close to the ‘bullseye’ you hit. The signature ‘Topgolf’ game which we

played gives players 20 balls each to score as many points as possible from any of the targets. Other games include ‘Top Pressure’ which involves hitting all the sections of one particular target, ‘Top Drive’ which is all about distance and ‘Top Chip’ which tests short game by focussing on the closer targets.

There are even more ‘off the wall’ games such as ‘Angry Birds’ where the name of the game is to destroy targets on the digital screen by firing balls where directed – this one is a great one for kids or complete beginners.

3. The facility is gargantuan and a truly impressive sight.

It’s split over three levels and spans more than 60,000 feet accommodating 1,100 guests. There are 96 climate controlled hitting bays which can each hold up to six players at a time with state of the art digital screens similar to those you might find at a bowling alley, which trace your shots and track scores. We also snuck a peek at the huge VIP suites which can be hired out for private functions or special occasions, resplendent with leather sofas and private bars.

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4. You pay by the hour for the bay.

Not per person – which makes it great value if you go with a group to play some games, enjoy some food and beverages.

5. The menu is extensive!

The venue is open from morning through to the early hours and there are food choices to suit whatever time you visit with a full range of TexMex and Arabic choices. As well as being able to eat and drink at your bay, there’s also a sports bar showing all the latest matches and tournaments called the Yard, a more refined dining area called The Loft on the top floor offering spectacular views of Dubai and the Bunker cafe on the lower level which also features a mini-golf course.

For more information or bookings visit www.topgolfdubai.ae

KANG AND GARCIA SHINE AT UAE WORLD AMATEUR JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP Hyeonji Kang and Hugo Garcia were the big winners at last month’s historic inaugural UAE World Amateur Junior Golf Championship as leading amateur golfers from across the world descended upon Al Hamra Golf Club for the first-of-its-kind event.

T

he tournament, which is officially recognised by the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), hosted more than 22 different nationalities who competed for WAGR points as well as the opportunity to be ranked on the Global Junior Golf Ranking and Junior Golf Score Board Ranking.

Kang was the stand out star over the three days with the 18-year-old posting rounds of 68, 72 and 70 to sign for a highly impressive 6 under par total which saw the youngster finish five shots ahead of Chantal El Chaib on 1 under par to secure the Girls Division. The two were the only players to finish under par with Kate Bibby completing the top three on 13 over par while Sakura Kawakami and Lara El Chaib finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In the Boys Division, 17-year-old Garcia secured top honours after 54 holes with his total of 1 over par narrowly beating Oliver Mukherjee by one stroke in Ras Al Khaimah.

Edoardo Scialanga finished two further back to claim third spot with Sam Mullane and Valdemar Kofod-Olsen completing the top five

“The competition and the results show how strong the field was and this event will continue to get stronger over the years and be one of the most anticipated tournaments for junior amateurs across the world.”

Abedallah Shana’ah Managing Director, Golf Events Management.

on 5 over par and 8 over par.

Mousa Shana’ah, who was one of the youngest players competing at just 13 year old, belied his age to finish in sixth spot on 9 over par while the only Emirati in the field, Abdullah Kalbat, finished in 22nd place over the Greg Norman-designed track.

The Middle East’s biggest organiser of golf events for amateur juniors, Golf Events Management, were delighted with the first

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MOUSA SHANA’AH SECURED SIXTH PLACE AT THE INAUGURAL EVENT

UAE WORLD AMATEUR JUNIOR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP staging of the event and also announced the tournament would be returning later this year from December 15 - 18 in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and Al Hamra Golf Club with support from the Emirates Golf Federation.

“We are delighted to see players travel from around the world to compete in the UAE World Amateur Junior Golf Championship during this difficult time especially after we had to postpone the original tournament in December last year,” said Abedallah Shana’ah, Managing Director, Golf Events Management.

“We are proud to host an event of this scale in cooperation with the highest golf ranking organisation in the world for amateurs (WAGR) and other junior global ranking organisations.

“The competition and the results show how strong the field was and this event ABDULLAH will continue to get KALBAT, THE ONLY stronger over the EMIRATI IN THE years and be one of FIELD, FINISHED A the most anticipated RESPECTABLE 22ND tournaments for junior amateurs across the world.

“The partnership with RAKTDA combines with our own vision to showcase Ras Al Khaimah and the United Arab Emirates as one of the main international destinations for golf, offering an abundance of facilities for players and tourists.

“We would like to thank all the supporters and the sponsors for their trust and support at this difficult time, with special thanks to the Emirates Golf Federation helping us make this tournament happen. A special mention also goes to Al Hamra Golf Club for making the Championship a success by hosting the tournament on one of the best courses in the UAE.”

Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi

Secretary General, Emirates Golf Federation “Having Junior Championships like this in the UAE is a great way to give junior golfers the exposure they need in order to advance their game. The UAE is an ideal central location that provides great facilities, fantastic weather, and a safe environment for championships of this level. Congratulations to the winners, we are excited to see how this event can impact a junior’s golfing career. We also send our congratulations to the event organisers (Golf Events Management) and to Al Hamra Golf Club on hosting a successful championship.”

Ali Kalbat

General Manager of Golf Events Management “This competition offered the best young golfers in the region a chance to compete against their counterparts from across the world, and we will be sure to grow and market this event to the entire region, positioning it to become one of the biggest events in the world.

We are so proud that we are the first national company to establish an event of this high standing within the region, in cooperation with our main partners RAKTDA and Al Hamra Golf Club. We will keep developing this event to be one of the best and biggest not only in the region but in the world.

“The main goal of this event is

Paul Booth

General Manager of Al Hamra Golf Club “Al Hamra and Troon are proud to partner with Golf Events Management and the EGF with this initiative, that will undoubtedly develop the game among the younger generation, here locally and further afield.

“The goal is to create a platform that will allow aspiring golfers to compete in multiple round events. While promoting the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, and the United Arab Emirates as a whole, as part of the WAGR network. The inaugural event was a great success with two excellent champions in

Hugo and Hyeonji, we hope they go on and earn many more World Ranking Points and have a very successful amateur career, before reaching the pinnacle of the game in the professional ranks.

Our long-term vision is to see future a Major Champion that has been a former UAE World Amateur Junior Golf Champion.

“We are already planning for the 2021 event that is scheduled for December 15th to 18th. We will continue to grow this event for many years to come with the support and vision of RAKTDA.”

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to introduce youth to the professional golfing environment, help serious players to compete in high class ranked events and lead juniors to the path of professional golf. On behalf of everyone at Golf Events Management, we would to thank all the players and their parents and congratulations to our worthy champions.”

S HA RJA H G O LF & SHO OTI NG CLUB

E MIRAT E S GOL F C LU B

Thom and Andrews break records at the 11th SGSC Ultimate Pairs

Rigid Industries Golf Society League moves into knockout stage Defending champions White Rose Golf Society were knocked out of this year’s Rigid Industries Golf Society League after losing to the GTI team and therefore missing out on a spot in the knockout stage. The Rigid Industries League saw the Team International top the pile while the Filipino Golfers in the Middle East (FIGME) also progressed alongside the GTI. In the Worldwide Golf league the Happy Hookers sealed two wins in the final fixtures against Dubai Divots to progress while the Spartans Golf Society emerged as league leaders having only lost one match so far in the competition. In the SGSC league the Angry Birdies sealed their spot in the next stage alongside Sharjah Night Riders and the Nepalese Golf Society. As well as the matches, competitors had a chance to win day prizes for best betterball stableford score and the day’s winners were Rajesh Chitti & Ravi AE of Team International.

Sulaiman storms to victory Ramli Sulaiman added another trophy to his cabinet with victory at last month’s Unitechnik Stableford competition thanks to a haul of 35 points. In Division A James Malone scored 35 to top the pile while a score of 27 saw Club Captain Hans Ettengruber win Division B. The overall gross prize was won by Sunny Ramadas with 27.

Andrew Thom and Christofer Andrews dovetailed perfectly to storm to victory in the latest edition of the ultimate pairs after 36 holes of excellence.

With four different formats played for each loop of nine holes, Thom and Andrews topped the leader board by an impressive six shots, cruising to victory with a record-breaking score off 11-underpar total. Finishing second on 5-under-par were Namir and Aamir Al Naimi while third place went to low handicappers Ramli Sulaiman and Sunny Ramadas. The best gross tally on the day came from Nathan Brown and Shane Righton on 159 while Dirk Bruwer and Louis De Villers took home best Texas Scramble score. The best Greensomes prize was won by Jumadi Bin Husani and Captain Zein Ismail with 31 and the Foursomes winners were Matthias Trinler and Fahd Chaudhry with 35.

Asia & Middle East win the International Cup in style The International Cup supported by BMW and Rigid Industries is the newest event on the club’s calendar and proved another popular affair as the Asia & Middle East team won it for the first time.

Teams of America, Europe and Africa battled it out against Asia and The Middle East in a 27 hole Ryder Cup style final. After the morning wave it could not have been closer as both teams won six points each. The afternoon wave saw players face off in nine-hole singles matches and with 14 points up for grabs it was all to play for, and the resilience of Asia and Middle East players saw them pull through to clinch victory by a score of 15.5 - 10.5.

MONTGOMERIE GOLF CLUB DUBAI

AB U D HA B I C ITY G O LF CLUB

Kirkwood breaks the course record in Men’s Open win

Fitches on song in February Stableford Marie Fitches carded a quite superb round of 43 points to win the ladies division of the recent Stableford competition and signed off on a memorable day by winning both of the on-course prizes. Masoud Sobati won the Men’s Division A with a score of 38 while the same tally saw Robert Kruidenier top the pile in Division B. Also held last month was the Members Rivoli Step-Aside Scramble. In the net section Marije Van Koolwijk, Masoud Sobati, Jeongho Lee and Grace Yoon won with a score of 59.7 while a tally of 65 saw Deepak Jain, John Nitties, Paul Murnaghan and Richard Keating win the gross title.

Dan Kirkwood fired a new course record 67 to win this year’s Men’s Open while the net trophy went to Robert Wakeling with a 65 and a countback win over Miguel Marti. In Division A Michael Gibson fired a 66 to win while a 68 saw Nigel Cann take the spoils in Division B. Chilo Silvino shot a net 69 from his 22 handicap to win Division C.

Great fun and low scoring at the Captain’s Day An unorthodox Irish Rumble format was played for this year’s Captains Day on the Majlis, which welcomed in Ishu Rupani into his role as Club Captain. A field of 150 took to the course and shooting a combined team score of 47-underpar was the quartet of Ajay Shah, Himanshu Gandhi, Christian Klynge, Celeste Cordova and Anders Kron. One stroke back was the team of Shaz Peshimam, Dinesh Sharma, Sekhar Reddy, Suresh Shewakramani and Jake Carney while third place on 44-under was the team of Adel Zarouni, Abdulla Al Hashimi, Dileep Kumar, Alniz Popat and Naima Maya.

Great Play throughout the Lady Captain’s Challenge Match Team golf was the order of the day in the recent Lady Captain Vs Lady Vice Captain challenge match as 61 players took to the Majlis in a fourball betterball competition. After a slight fog delay, the Lady Vice Captain’s team flew into an early lead but a comeback by the Lady Captain’s charges saw the scores level with just a couple of matches left to complete. In the end, the winning point came from Amarjeet Radia’s Lady Vice Captain team who prevailed by 8 points to 6.

Asia topple the ROW in the annual clash The annual Rest of the World vs Asia tournament was held on the Majlis last month as 124 players competed across a fourball betterball format and after a tense battle the Asian team prevailed with a score of 21 – 19.5.

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J U M E I R A H GO L F E STA T ES

DUBAI CR E E K GOL F & Y AC H T C LU B

OMEGA Match Play Champions announced

Three championships in one weekend at the Creek

Hill dominates to win Men’s Am Open

Josh Hill underlined his potential with a superb bogey-free 5-under-par round on the Earth course to win this year’s JGE Men’s Amateur Open sponsored by Solutions Leisure. Gordon Munro took second place with Zubair Firdaus in third while the net division winner was Sam Mullane with a one stroke win over Khalifa Al Masood.

The 2020 Match Play season at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club was once again a roaring success with some extremely worthy winners battling their way to victory. The Men’s Scratch winner was Max Burrow (below) while the Men’s Singles champion was Bayhaan Lakdawala. The Men’s Doubles winner was the pairing of Simon Elliott and Christopher Cornwall while the Mixed Doubles title went to Shiba Wahid and Tauseef Khan. Finally the Ladies champion was Glory Xavier.

For the second time in the Club’s history, the Men’s, Women’s and Junior Club Championships were held over the same weekend, creating an electric atmosphere throughout the membership. The Junior competition saw a play-off needed to decide the winner after both Raghav Gulati (above) and Hannah Alan finished with a two-round total of 14-over-par gross. On the first extra hole Gulati found the green in regulation and two-putted for par to take the title while the Junior net prizes went to Samara D’Silva and Sandro Wulff. Glory Xavier (below) successfully defended the Ladies title with rounds of 88-83 to win ahead of Carlotta Riccio while Shina Wahid won the net title. The Men’s winner was Bayhaan Lakdawala as he walked away with the title for the fourth time with a 3-over-par tally, three ahead of Dino Varkey with JP Fitzgerald in third. The net title went to Allan Stanton after he won a countback over Tauseef Khan with both players firing a 142 total.

Fadlu-Dean seals the medal

Tangney tops the pile David Tangney won last month’s OMA Emirates Medalford played over the Earth course with a fantastic score of net 67 while a net 68 saw Omer Khan clinch the Division A spoils by two ahead of Seth Hopkinson. In Division B Scotty Booth took first place with a net 68, one clear of Veneet Kumar with Sam Routledge in third while the Ladies Division saw Mitsuko Emmerson emerge victorious with a 69. The best gross score on the day came from Graeme Henderson with a 73.

Great scoring in the Lincoln Open

Kang downs Al Suwaidi for Ping Ladies Am Open title Hyeonji Kang overcame Hamda Al Suwaidi in a sudden-death play-off to win the PING Ladies Amateur Open for the second time. A small field of 21 players took to the course and at the end of 18 holes both Kang and Al Suwaidi were tied at the top with level-par scores. On their first extra hole down the 18th, Al Suwaidi found trouble off the tee and had to play a percentage shot while Kang found the green in two. Al Suwaidi missed the green with her third shot and chipped up to 15 feet, leaving Kang two putts for the title and she delivered the winning blow by lagging up to within inches for a tap-in par. Hannah Alan took third place while in the net competition Maria Josefina Ratto fired a 66 to win ahead of Glory Xavier with Fatima Rizvi in third.

After a delay for fog, this year’s Lincoln Open was won by the team of Samvit Chopra, Arjun Singh, Anshuman Nair and Aman Dhillon who scored an incredible 97 points, one point clear of Richard Burden, Scotty Taylor, Michael Vertigans and Jason Walters. Third place on 95 points went to Shames Al Hashemi, Mohamed Abdulla, Yousef Al Hashimi and Essa Farooq while the nearest the pin prize went to JC Viollet who missed out on a hole-in-one by a matter of inches.

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A superb score of 5-under-par 66 helped Tejan Fadlu-Dean clinch last month’s OMA Emirates Medal as 104 players battled it out in firm and fast conditions. The best gross on the day came from Max Burrow with a 70 while in Division A Mark Jolliffe topped the pile with a 67, one clear of Sammy Eldin. Division B saw Kurup Devenand take the spoils with a level-par 71 ahead of Joseph Ghossoub while the Ladies Division winner was Glory Xavier with a superb 67.

T RU MP INT E RNAT IONAL GC , DU B A I

Hill takes route 66 to Men’s Open title Josh Hill fired two rounds of 66 for a 10-under par 132 total to win the 2021 Men’s Open title by 12 shots ahead of Toby Bishop with defending champion Ahmad Skaik in third place with a 145 tally. The net prize was won by Mohammed Adel AlHajeri on 146 while Chris Woods clinched second place ahead of Trystan Du Plessis on a countback with both players returning scores of 149.

Celebrity We ask the European Tour’s top golfers how their dream dinner party would unfold.

Players must choose three celebrities to accompany them, one band or artist to provide the music, what would be on the menu and tell us their favourite party trick! Next in the hotseat is nine-time European Tour winner Branden Grace.

BRANDEN GRACE

MY WIFE Music

MAROON 5

I think they are awesome.

ANGELINA JOLIE

She’s my wife’s favourite so I’d bring Angelina for her!

MENU

- Starter -

ROGER FEDERER

MUSSELS

He’s one of my heroes and my son is kind of named after him. What an icon.

PARTY TRICK

I CAN DRINK A LOT OF SHOTS! Worldwide GOLF 64

- Main -

STEAK WITH A NICE SALAD - Dessert -

SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM

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