Today's Golfer Issue 317

BIG BERTHA IS BACK!

Golfer PLUS: Nike’s Covert 2.0 and TaylorMade’s SLDR 430

Today’s

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NEW YEAR REVOLUTION!

THE 2014 GEAR THAT MATTERS Six Odyssey putters Five all-new balls Driving irons return

NEW WAY TO READ GREENS

Using your fingers!

CUT YOUR HANDICAP

IN HALF We’ve proved you can do it – find out how inside

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New ideas to make 2014 your best year ever

SWAP DOUBLES FOR PARS

Easy strategy tips

DRIVERS TESTED

TaylorMade JetSpeed Callaway’s X2 Hot Cobra BiO CELL

CASEY’S CAREER FEARS + STENSON’S £12m TIP + BEAT CHIPPING YIPS + ULTIMATE SPAIN GUIDE

PAUL CASEY EXCLUSIVE

‘There was a time I feared for my career’ Back in the winner’s circle after a torrid two years, the Englishman tells us how excited he is to be fighting fit again in a Ryder Cup year W O R D S J O E L TA D M A N P I C T U R E S N I K E , G E T T Y I M A G E S

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rofessional golf is often touted as a game of highs and lows. No one personifies this better than comeback king Henrik Stenson – but not far behind is Paul Casey.

He’s been as high as No.3 in the world. He’s won once on the PGA and 12 times on the European Tour. He’s played in three Ryder Cups, and been on the winning side twice.

But Casey’s career has been blighted by injuries. There have been three serious ailments, the worst of which came at the start of 2012 when he dislocated his shoulder in a snowboarding crash.

No-one could have envisaged the fall from grace that would ensue, even after the injury had healed. Casey plummeted all the way down to 169th in the world and started to doubt if he’d ever rediscover the form that saw him dominate so impressively just a few years before.

But after a two-and-a-half year drought, the 36-year-old is showing signs that the Casey of old is back, winning the 2013 Irish Open in storming style, with an eagle on the last.

We sat down with the Englishman at Nike Golf’s campus in Portland, Oregon, to find out if the best is yet to come...

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What are your reflections on 2013?

Quite emotional! Ireland felt very much like my first win on tour. Going through what I went through, having played great golf, being No.3 in the world and in the top 10 for such a long time, then really struggling. The injury led to not swinging the club the way I wanted to; that led to bad shots; that led to damaged confidence. It was a spiral effect. Golf is a humbling game, so it was very rewarding to win in Ireland and right the ship. I’m 36 now and feel like I’ve got a good understanding of the game and my swing. I have a renewed enthusiasm for the game and am enjoying my golf every time I go out there.

The manner in which you won in Ireland must have been very satisfying?

Absolutely. Two 67s on the weekend in those conditions was the best of anyone by far. To hole a long putt and get the fist pump out – I haven’t done that for a while – was great.

Were you nervous at all?

I was nervous on the first couple of holes. Once I got going I was fine, almost cruising. What was so satisfying was that I was four shots behind – and with the first sniff of being in contention, ➔

NOW THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL

CRAZY GOLF

In a world with ever-extreme weather, golfers all over the globe are having to find new and innovative ways to enjoy a round WORDS DUNCAN LENNARD PICTURES GETTY IMAGES

EXTREME COURSES

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eserts and monsoons, volcanoes and glaciers... it doesn’t matter how wild the planet gets, we humans will find the time, energy and inclination to create a golfing community there. The act of smacking a ball with a stick into a hole is so addictive, people stop at nothing to make it happen – even when there’s no grass, or sun, or rain... They find a way to create a course, and though they are not as manicured as Augusta, or as storied as St Andrews, we commend the vision and sheer will-power to play golf in some of the most inhospitable places on earth...

Bring a brolly if you want to play Shillong.

Image courtesy of Golfgaga.com

THE STRANGEST...

COOBER PEDY GC, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Coober Pedy has “sand browns” rather than greens.

It’s fair to say that in the wake of Armageddon, a round of golf would not be top of the agenda. But if anyone decided to build a postnuclear golf course, it would look like Coober Pedy GC. The course’s 18 holes perch on the rocky crust of a landscape so baked and barren it was used to film parts of the post-apocalyptic Mad Max trilogy. On its parched, dusty fairways, temperatures routinely top 40º. There is no water, and no grass – indeed if any tries to grow, the locals kill it. “It gets prickly and bushy and you can’t mow it because there are so many rocks around,” says club president Kim Kelly.

In fact the boulder-strewn terrain has led to one of the club’s most used local rules – a free drop from a rock.

The rule has created the dastardly if burdensome tactic of carrying rocks in your bag – and using them to claim relief when tangling with the uncompromising Eremophilla bushes. The course’s black greens – called scrapes – are a blend of red sand, sump oil and crusherdust (squashed road gravel). Each of the club’s 56 members carries a two-feetlong scrape tool. On one side is a rake, which you use to scrape your path to the hole; on the other side is a round pipe which smooths out your scrape.

The course serves a 3,500-strong community, created almost instantly in 1915 when opal was discovered here. Two-thirds of the locals live underground to avoid the heat –

indeed Coober Pedy is Aboriginal for ‘white man’s hole in the ground’.

Today, some 95% of the world’s opals come from Australia, and of those 80% come from Coober Pedy.

The golf course uses mull – the heap that gets churned up by the mines – to patch up their fairways.

“Sometimes you’ll see opals in that, bits that have been missed,” adds Kelly. “But so far they’ve only been worth a few dollars.”

Kelly concedes the course isn’t much to look at. “The first time you see the place you think ‘My God, what a course. But after a couple of games you realise you are going through the same battles – duffing chip shots and slicing drives – any golfer goes through. Like anywhere, you can get lost in that challenge.

“It might look like the arse-end of the world round here, but we have a lot of fun on our golf course.” n Green fees: $20 n Contact: 0061 (08) 8672 3535

THE WETTEST...

SHILLONG GOLF CLUB, MEGHALAYA, INDIA If you got a bit hacked off with the rain last summer, just don’t grumble about it to the good people of Cherrapunji, eastern India. The UK had 1,330mm of rain in 2012; Cherrapunji averages almost 12,000mm. No wonder it’s been labelled the rain capital of the world.

Just 30 miles from Cherrapunji is the spectacular – if slightly soggy – Shillong Golf Club. Though it doesn’t rain as much here, it’s still subject to the same precipitation systems – which include monsoon from May to TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 317

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In association with

YOU CAN

HALVE

MAKE A LONGER BACKSWING

YOUR HANDICAP

TOO!

Targeted tips to slash shots in 2014 – based on what better players do well W O R D S J A M E S R I DYA R D , W I T H K I T A L E X A N D E R P I C T U R E S B O B AT K I N S

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he eight club golfers you’ve just read about prove there’s nothing to stop you halving your handicap next year. It can be done.

To help you, we analysed 814,508 rounds from scoring and handicapping system HowDidiDo to find exactly what more accomplished golfers do better than you.

All the data was broken down into averages for category one (up to five handicap), two (six-12), three (13-20) and four (21-28) golfers. By focusing your practice on the areas we’ve identified, you will improve your technique, scores and handicap as quickly and efficiently as possible. Here, TG pro James Ridyard provides a range of targeted tips to help you halve your handicap in 2014.

1. DRIVING

What the stats say: There is a gradual reduction in tee shot accuracy as handicap increases, but the difference between category one and four players is only 11 per cent and better players are still missing the fairway with more than a third of their tee shots. The woods stats show all players are hitting roughly the same proportion of wood shoots and with a very similar success rate. Given these stats, the average golfer can make the biggest gains off the tee by focusing on adding power – while making sure their misses are still in play.

CATEGORY

CAT 1

CAT 2

CAT 3

CAT 4

TEE SHOTS ON TARGET

62.12%

57.54%

53.99%

51.25%

WOOD SHOTS PER ROUND

19.59%

20.42%

20.82%

20.74%

WOOD SHOTS ON TARGET

59.46%

57.24%

55.82%

55.07%

COCKED WRISTS At the top, a good wrist cock creates a 90º angle between left arm and shaft.

This angle helps create downswing lag and clubhead speed.

COMPLETE SHOULDER TURN A full turn sees the shoulders pointing behind the ball. This position enables you to create resistance against your lower half in the downswing and produce power.

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COVER FEATURE

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INCOMPLETE BACKSWING The shoulders are pointing in front of the ball, hands are below the head and wrists are not fully hinged.

Making only a partial turn like this will limit the amount of clubhead speed you can generate and compromise your swing path.

This will rob you of vital yards and could mean wayward shots that make par impossible.

GOOD HIP TURN A good hip turn sees the belt buckle point over the back foot. It underpins the ability to make a full shoulder turn and create a lot of stored energy at the top of the backswing. The hips should turn and rotate in their own space.

Moving your hips a fraction towards target in the backswing is a good way to encourage a more neutral swing path.

FOCUS ON IMPACT

GROUND SHAFT IMPACT GUIDE Place a club just inside your front heel, at right angles to your target, pointing at the ball. It helps you see and find the correct shaft angle for a square and efficient impact.

START IT STRAIGHT Place a club or cane just in front of the ball, pointing where you want it to start. It helps you visualise your start line. It offers immediate feedback on which side the ball starts out.

SHAFTS PARALLEL Your shaft should appear parallel with the shaft on the ground at impact. If your shaft leans forward or back, your hands are too far in front or behind the ball; you will struggle to square the face.

‘I WAS BOOED BY 10,000 PEOPLE I FELT LIKE LIAM GALLAGHER... I WAS DELIGHTED’

Actor David Morrissey, photographed for TG at Centurion Club, Herts, December 2013.

MY LIFE IN GOLF

Golf with The Governor British actor David Morrissey used a 5-iron to beat someone as a sadistic killer in TV’s Walking Dead... but how good is he with one on the course?

WORDS ROB JERR AM PICTURES HOWARD BOYL AN

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he last time I saw David Morrissey he was beating a man around the head with a 5-iron and throwing him to his death. So as we stood side-by-side at Centurion Golf Club, I couldn’t help but feel a little trepidation as the Walking Dead’s “Governor” pulled the same club from his bag. Fortunately the only thing the Liverpudlian actor, director and producer was hitting this time was range balls ahead of our match at Britain’s newest course.

“Filming that scene was a lot of fun. A lot of people ask what club I used,” he laughs. “I had another good scene in season three where I was driving balls off a truck roof at zombies in the street.”

Shot in Atlanta, Georgia, the postapocalyptic zombie drama first hit our screens in 2010, with Morrissey joining the fray as the sadistic ruler of Woodbury in 2012. With the show attracting up to 20 million viewers and regularly beating American Football in the ratings, it has ensured the RADAtrained star is now as recognisable Stateside as he is in Britain.

“It’s like nothing I’ve done before – I even have my own action figure!

“At Comic-Con (San Diego convention celebrating graphic novels, sci-fi and horror) I was booed by 10,000 people – I felt like Liam Gallagher. I was absolutely delighted, because it showed I was

THE CV OF DAVID MORRISSEY n Born June 21, 1964 in Liverpool. n Married Esther Freud in 2006. n Children: Albie (18), Anna (15), Gene (nine). n Screen notes 1983: One Summer. 1994: The Knock.

1996: The One That Got Away; Out of the Blue.

1997: Holding On. 1998: Our Mutual Friend. 2000: Being Human.

2001: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

2002: Out of Control. 2003: State of Play; The Deal. 2004: Blackpool. 2006: Viva Blackpool; Basic Instinct 2. 2007: The Reaping. 2008: Sense and Sensibility; Doctor Who. 2009: Red Riding; U Be Dead. 2010: Five Days; Thorne; Centurion. 20112013: The Field of Blood. 2012-2013: The Walking Dead.

2013: Welcome to the Punch.

doing my job well.”

No surprise there. Morrissey is renowned for his research and attention to detail, never more so than in one of his more-celebrated roles – portraying Gordon Brown in 2004’s The Deal, a part which saw him gain two-stone and dye and perm his hair.

And while playing the Governor required a less dramatic physical change, it did require a southernAmerican accent – something Morrissey and co-star, fellow Brit and old friend Andrew Lincoln, maintained everywhere, bar the golf course.

“Golf is a big part of the show because so many of the cast and crew like it. Andrew (who plays lead character Rick Grimes) is especially good, but he practises a lot. We had a weekly fourball with Scott Wilson (Hershel) and Darrell Pritchett (special effects) and it was our down time,” Morrissey tells TG. “The first time I played out there I hit a ball into the rough and Andrew said ‘be careful of the snakes’. I laughed and then realised he wasn’t joking. It’s very different and Andrew’s always coming up with a new format with some seemingly impossible mathematical equation... ultimately Andrew wins the money,” smiles the towering 49-year-old.

But as fans of The Walking Dead now know, series four’s brutal midseason finale halved that weekly fourball with Morrissey’s Governor producing another impressive swing (this time with a sword) to decapitate Scott’s character Hershel, before being stabbed and shot himself.

“We did an eight-day shoot per episode and got the script for the next

Morrissey fires another tee shot down the middle, but his short game lets him down.

episode at lunchtime on the fourth day, so I didn’t really know until I read that. I was really upset because I’ve loved the show and I’m a genuine fan – but my final episode was superbly written and directed.”

While Lincoln’s winnings may be down for now, the fourball could be reunited with Morrissey waiting to hear if Line of Sight, an American pilot in which he stars as a transport crash investigator and plane crash survivor, will become a full series.

In the meantime the father-of-three remains a man in demand, producing and starring in a new Manchesterbased BBC drama, The Driver, and promoting The 7.39, a two-part BBC drama revolving around two commuters’ illicit affair. And while it’s a role that will inevitably win ➔ TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 317

KINGS OF SPAIN Spain was recently revealed as Britain’s favourite foreign golf destination by some margin – and this is why

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pain is still the most popular destination for British golfers looking for a game in the sun.

The Algarve has always been a rival and the likes of Turkey and Bulgaria have emerged in the last decade – but none of them can compete with Spain’s costs, climate and the sheer variety of golf on offer.

Sports Marketing Surveys’ new study of European golfers, including thousands from the UK, revealed a third of us have played in Spain in the past year; 12.7 per cent headed for the

PGA Catalunya – which is now regarded as the top course in Spain.

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ever-popular Costa del Sol and 3.9 per cent to the fast-improving Costa Brava region. The research also reveals that Spanish golf tourism is a whopping £340 million industry.

Here, we take an in-depth look at these Spanish super regions and highlight the must-play courses, best places to stay and what to see and do off the course.

We also tell you how to get there and have even picked out some fantastic breaks offering great value for each hotspot.

TRAVEL SPECIAL

Costa Brava

The pride of Costa Brava is undoubtedly the multi award-winning PGA Catalunya Resort, located a few miles south of Girona. It has two courses, the Stadium and the Tour, with the former’s No.5 ranking making it the country’s top course in sister magazine Golf World’s European Top 100 list.

The 20-year-old par-72 Torremirona track in the north is a gentle introduction to golf in the region and boasts a great set of greens along with a stunning signature hole, the long par-3 5th played to an island green.

Peralada, plotted in the foothills of the Pyrenees, opened the following year and really gets the competitive juices flowing. It has hosted European Tour pre-Qualifying School as well as the Catalonia Open and finishes in style – you need to carry a large lake to a two-tier sloping green.

Golf Girona’s location – a short drive from the centre of town, 30 minutes from the coast and less than an hour from the Pyrenees and Barcelona – is just one of the attractions of this impressive par-72 Fred Hawtree design.

It winds its way between valleys and hills and the British architect described it as “one of my best creations”.

Or head east to the coast and you’ll discover a plethora of quality venues including Woburn-lookalike Pals, Emporda with its two 18-hole layouts (Links and Forest) and Golf d’Aro-Mas Nou, a breathtaking rollercoaster of a track sitting 300m above sea level and surrounded by thousands of olive trees, pines, holm oaks and cork oaks in the heart of a nature park. n What it costs PGA Catalunya: Green fees range from £67 in low season to £120 in high season; Torremirona: range from £55 in low season to £66 in high season; Peralada: range from £40-£67; Golf Girona: range from £44-£64; Mas Nou: range from £60-£81; Pals: £57-£75; Emporda: £64-£75. n Best places to stay Hotel Melia Golf Vichy Catalan – on-site hotel of the PGA Golf Catalunya Resort. This luxury

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Platja de Pals is a Woburn-like challenge in Costa Brava.

‘FRED HAWTREE'S DESIGN AT GIRONA WINDS BETWEEN VALLEYS AND HILLS’ four-star resort has 149 elegant rooms and a superb restaurant.

Hotel Torremirona Golf & Spa Resort – A small but extremely warm and friendly fourstar hotel in Navata in the north. It has 49 rooms and one suite while the restaurant has excellent views of the par-3 10th hole.

Hotel Guitart Monterrey – A genuine fivestar hotel in the residential area of Lloret de Mar and it even has its own casino. It was fully renovated and updated in 2010. Other features include a splendid Spa & Wellness area and three excellent restaurants. n Off-course attractions Catalans love their art, especially in Costa Brava, where Salvador Dali is the region's most famous son; you can visit his ThreatreMuseum in his home town of Figueres; the House-Museum in Portlligat and the Gala Dali Castle in Pubol. The Old Town of Girona is also worth a visit. n Getting there Ryanair fly from Luton to Girona (from £20 one way) while easyJet fly to Barcelona from Luton (around £55 for mid-Jan break) and

The Links course at Emporda.

Gatwick. British Airways operate daily Heathrow-Barcelona flights. n Sample breaks Deal one: One night's B&B at Hotel Melia Golf Vichy Catalan and one round on the Tour course, daily range balls, special buggy rate (£34), use of gym and spa, costs £99 per person (sharing double room). Valid ’til Mar 9 & Jun 1-Sept 7. To book call 0034 972 472577 or e-mail reserves@pgacatalunya.com Deal two: Five nights’ B&B at the Emporda Golf Hotel & Spa (double/twin room with balcony), four rounds at Emporda, one free access to spa, and car hire. Costs £360pp from Jan 1-Feb 28 (based on four travelling).

To book call Golf Holidays.com on 01376 336720 or e-mail info@golfholidays.com ➔ TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 317