FIRST TEE THE THINGS WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS MONTH The island offers a choice of 43 private villas in total, each with its own pool.
The 37ft Tavaru Tower offers excellent views and cuisine, plus a wine cellar that cost over £1 million to stock. Probably best not to ask for a glass of Lambrini.
Submarine tours for two, operated by a trained skipper (who may or may not be a moonlighting James Bond).
Edited by Rob McGarr
THE WORLD’S MOST LUXURIOUS RANGE It’s on a private Maldive island... and Jose Maria Olazabal designed it Step one: Take a look at this private island with full practice facilities. Step two: Take a look at the short game area at your local driving range. Step three: Cry. If you’re looking for the ultimate practice
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facility, look no further. Located in the Maldives, Velaa Private Island features a versatile golf academy designed by José Maria Olazábal. Rooms start at around £2,000 per night, and you’ll pay around £20,000 for a night in
the most upmarket accommodation. Well, you wouldn’t want to slum it... If, like us, your first question is “how much is a bucket of balls?”, it's probably safe to say you can’t afford it. n www.velaaprivateisland.com
The golf academy has six greens and nine tees, with shots ranging from 65 to 180 yards, plus a state-of-the-art indoor swing studio. There is also a resident professional, who we imagine is pretty pleased with his lot.
A luxury yacht is available for day trips or an overnight cruise. Nice for a getaway if island life gets a bit much for you…
Accessed only by boat, the 623 square metre "romantic pool residence" has its own pool, gym and spa treatment room. It also features a “sunken bath” – maybe they should look into that.
“Cloud-shaped reclining treatment pods that slowly sway and cradle guests into deep relaxation” sound lovely, but we’re most excited by the Maldives' first “snow room”. We don’t know what that means, but we like it.
YOUR GAME LONG GAME
How to play this...
A TEE SHOT WITH TROUBLE RIGHT Take a 3-wood and focus on a specific target in the distance PICK A SPECIFIC TARGET TO FOCUS ON Pick a specific point in line with the centre of the fairway or just left if you favour a fade way in the distance like a tree or rock. Think positively and stay focused on hitting the ball at this specific point.
TAKE A 3-WOOD It’s common for amateurs to lose their drives to the right with slice spin – so use a 3-wood because it has a bit more loft, which makes it easier to hit straight or draw without sacrificing too much distance. You’re better off shorter than in the trouble.
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Facing a tee shot with serious trouble on the right – like water, woodland or out of bounds – can be very daunting for many of us. But there are things you can do to alter your set-up, technique and mindset to reduce your chances of losing the ball to the right and taking the dreaded “three off the tee”. Follow this advice and you’ll find more fairways on tough tee shots and won’t have to listen to your partners say “think it’s a reload”.
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ANDREW MURRAY plays on the European Seniors Tour and is a Cleveland Golf/Srixon ambassador.
GRIP DOWN FOR CONTROL Hold the handle half-an-inch further down the grip than usual so you are able to make a slightly more compact swing, which makes it easier to control your swing path and clubface direction.
TEE IT UP ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE Use the full width of the tee box to your advantage and tee up as far right as possible to shift the angle of the shot and encourage you to hit the ball away from the danger down the right.
SMOOTH SWING TO FULL FINISH Make a smooth and rhythmic swing that you’re able to maintain complete control of from start to finish, while fully committing to the shot so you swing through to a full and balanced finish. You should be able to hold a balanced finish like this after completing your swing. For hundreds of great video tips, visit www.todaysgolfer. co.uk/tips-and-tuition
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THE INTERVIEW
THE RORY
SO FAR
ILROY RORY TMEcDIT0R GUES OW
KN WHAT I
At just 24 years old, Rory McIlroy has already tasted the most extreme highs and lows of professional golf. Now, as he regains the form that made him the most exciting player in the world, our Guest Editor reveals where it all went wrong last year, how he’s turned things around – and why he’s stronger than ever... W O R D S R O R Y M c I L R OY, W I T H G R A E M E H A M L E T T P I C T U R E S A N G U S M U R R AY, G E T T Y I M AG E S
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olf was a poorer place in 2013 without Rory McIlroy’s free-flowing brilliance, so we couldn’t be happier to see him now bouncing down the fairway after trademark 300-yard arrowstraight drives. He’s also dispatching laserguided irons to their target, holing putts and, perhaps more than anything, smiling again. “I haven’t hit the ball as well for a long time,” he told us. “It’s been a good start to the season. I have two events under my belt and had a chance to win both of them. “I was a little disappointed with how I putted at the weekend in Dubai, but have spent two days with (putting coach) Dave Stockton; it was nice to catch up with him and have him take a look at it. “He doesn’t have to tell me much, just a slight grip change. “It’s much more settled, I can just go about my business and play my golf. Everything is in a good place; the game is in good shape.” It’s hard to believe Rory has been on Tour now for seven years. He’s experienced the highs of winning two Majors and being world No.1, and the lows of having every swing – along with his personal life – intensely scrutinised. Here, in his own words, is what he’s learned since he turned pro in 2007... Keep your perspective I’ve experienced a lot more in golf than I ever thought I would when I was starting out in 2007. I think everyone knows me by now; there are times when I make it look easy and there are times where I struggle.
I was struggling in 2012, and then all of a sudden things clicked. I won my second Major, won two of the FedEx Cup play-offs, won Dubai, and suddenly everyone was saying: “What was the big deal?” You go through periods where the game doesn’t feel quite as good, but you’ve just got to keep your perspective. People don’t have to worry about me! 2013 was a tough year, but I’m getting back to where I belong. Winning in Australia proves it. Confidence is everything I just wasn’t swinging it the best in 2013. I got into a couple of bad habits, and it’s taken me a bit longer to get out of them. Obviously when you’re fighting that much, it’s hard to play the golf that I want to play, which is fluid and free flowing. That’s the way I play my best. Trying to work on my swing so much has not allowed me to do that, and every time you play and you don’t play well, it chips away at your confidence a little bit. Now it’s just about building that back up. It’s all in the timing The speed of my body through the ball has always been one of my biggest advantages, and maybe one of my disadvantages, because when you have so much speed through the ball, you need to time it perfectly for it to work well all the time. When I’m on and I can sync my upper body and lower body, everything’s great. When those two just get a little bit out of sync is when I start to struggle.
You’ve got to stay patient It’s frustrating when you’re not able to emulate successful seasons. There’s a point in time where you’re thinking: ‘Right, come on, let’s get this back on track.’ But the best way to approach it is to stay patient and not force the issue too much. The way I look at it, if I have a 25-year career, nine mediocre months isn’t actually that long. If you look at your career as an 18-hole golf course, it’s really half a hole that you’re struggling on. But I’m glad to be drawing a line under last season. Make the most of any momentum I feel like I’m much better prepared this season than I was last year. My swing is in a much better place. I’m in a really good frame of mind and I feel like I built a lot of momentum at the back end of last year. I’m going to try to continue that into this season. Find your bubble It’s frustrating when people try to make things up. They say “this is why he’s not playing well”, when they actually don’t have a clue. That’s very annoying to deal with. I cannot talk about the court case [with former management company Horizon], for obvious legal reasons, but I wasn’t happy. It will get sorted. Generally, I think people are going to be nice and hype you up when you’re playing well, but when you’re not playing well, they’re going to look for reasons. That’s the nature of it. I’m not going to let it get to me. I guess I’m a victim of my own success at times, so I’ve learnt to not listen as much, not read as much, or not look as much. You just have to wrap yourself in your own little bubble. ➔ TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 320
SIX SHOTS WITH ONE CLUB
The hybrid should be your most versatile club. Liam Cregan shows you why WORDS KIT ALE X ANDER PICTURES HOWARD BOYL AN
1
STANDARD SHOT
Hit it like an iron to produce a high flight and soft landing
POST-IMPACT EXTENSION Many golfers try to sweep hybrids but you need to compress the ball like an iron with a downward attack angle. Extending your arms through and after impact will encourage a descending blow.
NEUTRAL SET-UP The ball should be just ahead of centre, left shoulder very slightly higher than the right and hands slightly ahead of the ball at address to encourage a neutral swing path and a downward attack that compresses the ball.
STABLE LOWER HALF A good strike is vital and stable legs help you return the clubhead accurately at impact. Make sure you turn your hips around the spine as you swing rather than sliding them away from and towards target.
CREATE WRIST HINGE Your left arm and shaft should form a right angle and the shoulder line should point at the ball at the top. Releasing this wrist hinge and turning your torso back towards the target in the downswing generates clubhead speed.
ONE CLUB, SIX SHOTS
2
OUT OF THE ROUGH
Carve through the long grass to get the ball out
WEIGHT SHIFTS THROUGH Amateurs often get stuck with their weight behind the ball at impact as they try and lift the ball out the thick rough, but it’s essential that you transfer your weight onto your front foot through impact.
STEEPER ATTACK ANGLE Choking down on the grip produces a steeper swing that hits down on the ball more sharply than the standard hybrid shot. Taking the club away from the ball on a steeper plane will also encourage this attack angle.
BALL IN THE CENTRE A steep descending blow into impact can encourage the ball to come out lower, but keeping it in the centre of the stance will encourage it to launch as high as possible and help get the clubface square.
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STINGER THROUGH WIND
A penetrative flight ideal in gusty weather MAKE A SHORTER BACKSWING A full swing is hard to control, even in perfect conditions. A shorter backswing, where your left arm goes back as far as parallel with the ground, keeps the swing compact and makes it far easier to maintain control in the windy weather that this shot is so effective in.
FORWARD SHAFT LEAN AT IMPACT The ball is further back in the stance and the hands are further forward at impact which creates a lot of shaft lean. This squeezes the ball out lower and reduces the amount of backspin so the ball doesn’t climb steeply into the air, meaning it should fly under the wind and therefore achieve good distance and get some roll.
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13th HOLE
1934
2014
15th HOLE
17th HOLE
The changing face of Augusta National
How the world’s most famous course has evolved over its 80 years
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lot can happen in 80 years. You could live and die and be deemed to have had ‘a good innings’. You could build ten Colosseums. You could plant an acorn and watch it turn into a mature mighty oak. You could even get through the entire box set of Lost, though we wouldn’t recommend it. Eighty years is a long time at Augusta, too. When Horton Smith sealed victory at the first Masters in 1934, it was on a layout measuring just 6,680 yards. Whoever dons the Green Jacket this year will have negotiated 7,435. And that’s far from the biggest change. The course was originally played in the opposite order, with the holes we now know as 10-18 forming the front nine. Imagine facing Amen Corner in your first four holes... IS SUE 320 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK
The nines were reversed in 1935, and have stayed that way ever since. One of the subtler but most impactful changes came in 1981, when the quarter-of-an-inch Bermuda grass was replaced by the faster and more consistent Bentgrass, only an eighth-of-an-inch long. The greens at Augusta were never slow, but 1981 was the year they hit warp speed. The most widespread changes came in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004. When Tiger Woods won in 1997 by a record 12 shots, the fear was that his ability to hit a wedge into most of the greens was undermining the majesty of the course. If the 1998 and 1999
alterations were an attempt at ‘Tiger-proofing’, it didn’t work. He won again in 2001 and 2002, albeit by tighter margins. Today’s course plays 510 yards longer than in 1997, but the average winning score across the last five tournaments is -12. No one who has watched a dramatic Masters Sunday unfold would ever say that it is easy. Augusta has no desire to create a challenge so unforgiving that the world’s best golfers are reduced to hacking through foot-high rough on their way to an over-par victory. It provides a fair test, as ready to reward fantastic shots as it is to punish errant ones. That’s what gives us those epic Sunday back nines. That’s what makes it Augusta – and this is how it’s evolved.
1934
THE MASTERS
2014 Hole No.1 Par 4
Hole No.2 Par 5
1951 Left side bunker filled in. New bunker now prevents bump-and-run approach shots.
1946 New bunker prevents bump-and-run shots from the left side.
1972 & 2006 Trees eliminate bailout areas.
1954 Green rebuilt and extended left to add more hole locations.
2002 Bunker on the right moved forwards 15 yards, narrowing the driving landing area.
1966 & 1999 Fairway bunker moved forwards into landing area, then moved right.
1983, 2002 & 2006 Tee moved back 60 yards in total.
1977 & 1999 Tee moved back 40 yards in total.
Hole No.3 Par 4
Hole No.4 Par 3
1937 Green tongue reduced in size, and left-side bunker reshaped.
1938 Tongue widened and bunkers moved closer to the collar.
1982 Bunker cluster and mounding replaces single left-side bunker.
1955, 1961 & 2006 New back tee created. Tee moved back and right a total of 35 yards.
Hole No.5 Par 4
Hole No.6 Par 3
Tea Olive 1934: 400 yards 2014: 445 yards
Flowering Peach 1934: 350 yards 2014: 350 yards
Magnolia 1934: 440 yards 2014: 455 yards
1937 Green reshaped.
Pink Dogwood 1934: 525 yards 2014: 575 yards
Flowering Crab Apple 1934: 190 yards 2014: 240 yards
Juniper 1934: 185 yards 2014: 180 yards
1958 & 1994 Back right of green extended. Later flattened to re-establish pin placements.
1956 Back bunker added.
1950s Fairway bunker filled in.
1950s, 1964 & 2003 Three bunkers replace the single bunker on the left. One is filled in; the remaining two were moved 80 yards closer to the green.
1950s Bunker changes made.
2003 Tee moved back 20 yards. âž”
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‘SOMETIMES I JUST SEE IT HANGING IN THE CLOSET AND THINK ‘WHY NOT?’
THE MASTERS WORDS CHRIS JONES PICTURES GETTY IMAGES
‘I might serve kangaroo at the Champion’s Dinner!’ Adam Scott on Green Jacket rules, the Major comedown and planning his meal
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reg Norman inspired a nation of golfers,
anyone near to my age. He was the best player in the world and an icon in Australia. Everything about the way he handled himself was incredible... what a role model. That was enough, but he’s devoted so much time to myself and other young Australian players who came after him. Most of us would feel that he could have slipped a Green Jacket on, for sure, and I said part of this is for him because he’s given me so much time and inspiration and belief. The jacket feels kind of light. It’s a
pretty good fit considering they have a bit of a guess at your size, but I don’t wear it anywhere too unusual because they give you a two-page list of rules for it. That came as a bit of a surprise. It’s not exactly casual wear in their eyes. You have to be dressed up to have it on in public. There’s nothing to stop me wearing it around the house. Sometimes I just
see it hanging in the closet and think ‘ahhh, why not?’ The Augusta people certainly prefer you don’t go out on the turps (alcohol) with it that’s for sure. They don’t want you to take it to the local dry cleaners and just drop it off either. I think it is funny they give you a sheet with some rules. That means they must have had some issues in the past. When people see it, they don’t even think it’s real. They just stare at it,
like it’s this mythical thing - the Green Jacket! The other day a friend came over and he just about died when he saw it lying on the sofa. That side of it is enjoyable. I’ve had it with me almost every week since they gave it to me.
MY MEMORIES OF THAT DAY Everything fell my way in the end. I just kept plugging away, and I didn’t know if it was going to happen through nine. But a good back nine at Augusta gives you a chance. On 18, I said to myself ‘that’s the putt you’ve seen guys hole’. O’Meara comes to mind. You’ve seen the read. You know it goes a bit right to left. I just told myself to go with instinct; just hit it. I wasn’t comfortable with my shot into the 10th (in the playoff). I had to just feather a 6-iron a bit. I was excited, so I knew I was going to hit it hard and I needed to hit it soft. I could hardly see the green in the darkness. I was struggling to read the putt, so I called Steve. He said, “It’s at least two cups, it’s going to break more than you think.” He was my eyes on that putt. I started on line and managed to hang in. An amazing feeling.
I get to go back to Augusta for the rest of my life! I look forward to
playing there and going to that Champion’s Dinner for a long, long time. I think that’s got to be the best opportunity. There’s so many perks that keep popping up in your mind. And then I’ll play somewhere with Zach Johnson and he points out we’ll be eating dinner together until they put us in the ground. I look forward to that kind of stuff. I’m working on my Champion’s Dinner now. I’ve got to put some
time into thinking about that. It’s no surprise to anyone there’s definitely going to be an Australian theme to every part of the dinner... whether that means they are eating kangaroo, I’m not sure yet, but we’ll see. My celebration on the 18th was probably slightly out of character,
but maybe that was all those years of frustration coming out of not having won a Major. At those moments, you see how much it means to anyone competing out there. I can’t help but smile when I see that. It’s pretty funny. I was very tempted to go home to Australia after Augusta (he
finally went back in November). I wanted to see my mum and my sister and my friends and also share in the celebrations with all the fans in Australia. It was an incredible response to winning. The Prime Minister of Australia called me. I was overwhelmed. A lot of great things happened afterwards. I’ve been really
interested to see how far the Masters reaches. It goes beyond golf and touches people in the real world. People who aren’t sports fans.
The first Major didn’t come so easy.
It took a while. I’d like the second one to come quicker, but we’ll see. Of course, I put a big emphasis on the Majors and the world golf events and The Players, all the big tournaments. But the Majors is what we are here for, and now I’ve got a taste of it, I certainly want to try and get another one. The sense of accomplishment doesn’t last very long. It basically
goes through that night and you wake up the next day, and everyone’s moving on. That’s not undermining the sense of achievement of winning the Masters, or any other Major. It’s just how it works, because 150 other guys didn’t win and they are moving on to try and win the next week. It doesn’t last as long as you think considering it’s something you’ve worked your whole life towards. I don’t really have a back-up plan for
the long putter ban (in 2016). I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and deal with it then. I don’t think there will be anything much for me to change. If I have to separate the putter a millimeter from my chest, then I’ll do that. World No.1 is a hard spot to get to.
Maybe if I play like I have for another 12 months, I might sneak in there. But it’s not something I can focus on. Tiger’s on a dry spell at the moment and that’s what happens in a career.
Jack Nicklaus had a run like that and he’s still the greatest player of all time. It wouldn’t surprise me that Tiger comes and wins again this year, but I think my generation of player feels like their time is now, so they have to take advantage of it. TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 320
EXCLUSIVE
MEMORIES OF A
MASTER
It’s 20 years since José María Olazábal won his first Green Jacket. Here, he talks about that, his second win and his tips for today’s players WORDS ROBBIE GREENFIELD PICTURES GETTY IMAGES
T
he beauty about Augusta is
that for the same shot, there are all kinds of possibilities. You can hit flop shots or you can use the slopes. A detail that not many people know is that around the greens the grass grows into you, not away from you, which makes executing delicate chips even more difficult. When I was at my peak, the more difficult the course, the better. I liked courses with small, firm greens, because that would place a greater emphasis on short-game shots. Though Augusta looks open, position is
key. If you get out of position around the greens, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you have no chance. It’s a very tough course for rookies. You need to know how to use the contours, and also that with certain pin positions, you don’t even look at the flag. Modern players aren’t used to doing that. Tell a young guy with a wedge in his hands that he needs to aim eight yards right of the hole and he’ll look at you like you’re crazy. But at Augusta, there are pins you just don’t take on. IS SUE 320 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK
I had a poor first round the year I won my first Masters, in 1994. I always struggled on the front nine; you don’t have as many birdie chances, and the greens are more undulating than they are on the back. But that year, I managed to keep my composure and get myself into contention as we came to the back nine on Sunday. When we reached the par-5 15th, I was tied for the lead with Tom Lehman, and what happened on that hole turned out to be the key moment of the tournament. We both hit good drives and were able to go for the green in two. I was first to hit and was between a 4 and 5-iron. The greens were very firm that week; I didn’t want to go long, because that chip back down the slope towards the water is scary. So I went with a 5-iron, knowing I had to hit it as hard as I could. As it was in the air, I thought it was going to be plenty of club, but the ball just barely made it onto the front edge and somehow it stopped A victory salute after his 1994 triumph at Augusta.
there. It must have been inches from rolling back into the water. Tom hit a fantastic second shot, one of his
best all day. He was such a steady player, always hit the same shot, a tiny little draw. He hit it to seven feet. I made my long putt from about 30 feet for eagle, and he hit a lovely putt that looked great all the way, but just caught the right edge and lipped out. I could see him close his eyes – he must have been thinking, ‘how the hell did that not drop?’ It’s tough for a player to accept that. We got to 18 and I had the cushion of a two-stroke lead. I remember in 1991, I was
in the second-last group, with Tom Watson and Ian Woosnam behind us. The three of us were all tied when I got to the last. I hit a driver down 18, a lovely shot that I thought was going to be perfect, but the ball just pitched a fraction left and caught the fairway bunker. I made bogey and Woosie won with a par. The following week I was talking to Seve, and he asked me: ‘why did you hit driver there?’ My feeling was that both those guys were playing great and I didn’t think either would make a bogey there, so I was ➔
THE MASTERS
‘TELL A YOUNG GUY WITH A WEDGE HE NEEDS TO AIM EIGHT YARDS RIGHT OF THE HOLE AND HE’LL LOOK AT YOU LIKE YOU’RE CRAZY’
THE TEST HYBRIDS
COMING TO THE RESCUE!
30 clubs designed to get you out of trouble – which should you buy? W O R D S J O E L TA D M A N P I C T U R E S T O M C R I T C H E L L / H O WA R D B OY L A N
If more and more tour players are appreciating the extra forgiveness and versatility of hybrids and plumping for one or two in their bags over their difficult-to-hit long irons, there’s no reason why us club golfers shouldn’t do
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the same. Not only do they tend to launch the ball higher, but they’re easier to hit due to the wider sole design and they come in a vast range of shapes and lofts so you can perfectly fit them into your bag between your longest iron and a wood.
There’s never been a wider choice of hybrids, and the tech on offer can be a bit dazzling. So to help you decide which is best for you, we enlisted the help of a pro and two TG readers to test 30 of the latest models...
Hybrids come in a variety of shapes.
Shots from rough helped decide a club’s versatility.
Trackman assessed shots hit from a range mat.
Where we tested We tested the hybrids over two intense days at The Belfry’s PGA National academy. This fullyequipped facility accommodates all of your golfing needs; from expert tuition with the first class team of hand-picked PGA Qualified Professionals; to custom fitting in one of the four brand new fitting suites, which feature the very latest state-of-theart technology and host top brands such as Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade and Ping. The iconic resort at The Belfry has undergone a major £26 million refurbishment across the whole resort, which has elevated every aspect of guest experiences. n Visit www. thebelfry.co.uk or call 01675 470256 for more information. See more details of the refurbishment back on page 18 in this issue.
HOW WE TESTED Manufacturers supplied us with up to two models each in the closest loft to 20° available in both stiff and regular stock shaft options. PGA Pro James Ridyard ensured Equipment Editor Joel Tadman and the other two testers used the best flex and model to suit their swings and preferences. Testers were given the opportunity to hit both standard and Tour versions where applicable, settling on the one that worked best for them. For James and Joel, this was usually the Tour versions and for Peter and Ross, this was the standard versions. All testers were given sufficient time and balls to warm up with. Assessed shots to collect the data were hit from the range mat for consistency. Given the array of lofts on test, we weren’t able to rank hybrids for distance alone, but we have included the distance and dispersion averages, as well as the lofts on test, for each model in the conclusion as we appreciate distance is still an important aspect of a hybrid’s performance. Instead, we ranked clubs for the consistency of their distance using a sliding scale – so the shorter the distance between a club’s longest and shortest assessed shots, the higher it will score. We also awarded a mark out of 10 for dispersion, along with the subjective categories of Looks, Feel, Forgiveness and Versatility. Versatility is an
important area for a hybrid as they can be used in a variety of situations. To assess this, testers hit shots from a tee and also two inches of rough to formulate an idea as to how well the club works from different lies and situations. All these scores were combined to create an overall star rating out of 10. This test is a guide as to which hybrids may suit your game. We would always recommend you get custom-fitted before making your final buying decision. OUR LAUNCH MONITOR TrackMan is the choice of the PGA Tour, USGA and R&A for swing and ball flight analysis. A staple on professional tours, TrackMan is the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and ease of use. It measures and displays the full trajectory of any shot, from six-foot pitches to 400-yard drives, pinpointing the landing position with an accuracy of a foot at 100 yards. Delivering state-of-the-art data without using any modeling, TrackMan displays the shot’s actual 3D trajectory in real time. THE RATINGS Today’s Golfer doesn’t shy away from rating and ranking products. We have awarded winners in the following way: Gold Award: Total ranking of 9.5. Silver Award: Total ranking of 9. Bronze Award: Total ranking of 8.5.
MEET THE TESTERS James Ridyard Handicap: Pro Clubhead speed: 100mph Current hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue, 19°. Looking for: Ability to strike the ball cleanly from a variety of lies. Compact head that sits squarely.
Joel Tadman Handicap: 3 Clubhead speed: 99mph Current hybrid: Titleist 913H, 19°. Looking for: Slimline design, traditional look with a shallow face. Penetrating flight off the tee.
Peter Ward Handicap: 9 Clubhead speed: 82mph Current hybrid: Cleveland Launcher 2i, 18°. Looking for: Forgiveness, distance from the rough and decent stopping power for hitting into par 5s.
Ross Nichols Handicap: 17 Clubhead speed: 97mph Current hybrid: Ping Rapture V2, 20°. Looking for: Larger head with a deep face and wide sole to glide along the turf but also works from the rough. ➔
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