TODAY’S GOLFER NOVEMBER 2014 (OCTOBER 2-29)
SIX HOT NEW DRIVERS
Longer, straighter and more adjustable than ever
DISTANIACLE SPEC
UNLEASH YOUR INNER
POWER!
> Add 25 yards with one move > How to fire your hips like Rory WORLD EXCLUSIVE
TIGER Tells us about his gear, his game and his best tips
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NOVEMBER 2014 ISSUE 327 OCT 2-29 £4.40
‘I’ll save you five shots a round’ By Poulter’s caddie
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Trolleys tested 14 drills to beat bunkers A new way to pitch
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PLUS SIR NICK FALDO + THE WORLD’S BIGGEST AMATEUR COMP + UNDISCOVERED IRELAND + NEW IRONS REVEALED
TIGER WORLD EXCLUSIVE
MY GAME, MY GEAR
The 14-time Major champion tells us how the clubs in his bag have changed, how he designs gear and his best advice for amateurs W O R D S J O E L TA D M A N P H O T O G R A P H Y B E N D U F F Y, N I K E
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nly a privileged few have had the chance to sit down with Tiger Woods, to talk one-onone and gaze into the eyes that have instilled so much fear and intimidation down the years. Thankfully, the situation in which we are looking at them is not on a golf course during the back nine of a Major championship. It’s on the terrace of the clubhouse at Liberty National Golf Club, New York, during the launch of Nike’s new Vapor iron range. Despite his endless timetable of media commitments, Woods is in a jovial mood. Why? Because the Vapor Pro model, the blade within the new trio (see page 84), is a product he has helped shape through over four years of testing – and he’s excited to see it revealed to the world. “Helping the average golfer – it’s how Nike started as a company,”
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he tells me. “Athletes give their input to create a product that will allow them to win, dominate, be the best and distribute it to the masses – that’s what Nike does. Golf is no different. Working with the club team to bring the concept of the Vapor Pro to life was a great experience.” Woods signed with Nike when he turned pro in 1996. As a company, it boasts sport’s finest athletes on its roster, so gaining Woods’ signature made perfect sense. At the time Nike were still some six years from bringing out their first golf clubs, but they’ve caught up fast and have become a force in the equipment business. A big part of this is down to Mike Taylor, Nike Golf’s master craftsman, who possesses the enviable title of being the only club engineer that has shaped clubs for Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Rory McIlroy and Woods. His knowledge and experience has ➔
Tiger Woods
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Fault Fixer With GARETH JOHNSTON Head pro at Calcot Park, Berkshire, and part of the TG Elite coaching staff
Strategy
HOW TO DECIDE WHETHER GOING FOR IT IS WORTH THE RISK
TAKE IT ON! WITH A WOOD
2 The true benefits
Sometimes, a risk makes no sense. With a front pin, going for it can leave you a tough, long chip back towards the trouble! The lay-up could open up that tricky pin position. Alternatively, if you are shooting up a long, narrow green with the pin at the back, a chasing shot from distance makes far more sense.
1 Your success rate
Ask how many times out of 10 you’ll pull off the risky option. The number you’ll write on your scorecard depends on the honesty of your answer. Consider wind direction, stance and lie, current form and energy levels. If, after all that, you can honestly see success seven or more times out of 10, then go for it.
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Saving you shots every time you play
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etting a good drive away on a par 5 can be a mixed blessing. Bringing the green into range for the second shot also brings temptation, typically in the form of a long, dangerous shot to a wellprotected green designed to receive
pitches. So do you opt for the tame 6-iron lay-up, or the high-risk cut at the green with your fairway wood to potentially set up an eagle chance? Don’t reach for a club before you make these three key considerations.
TWO DRILLS TO TRY
PLAY SAFE HIT A MID IRON
Set-up: Create a level hit A fairway wood face typically has 13-18 degrees of loft. That may not seem much but it’s plenty to send the ball up and out, so never try to help it. Instead your goal is aim to apply the club’s loft to the ball with a neutral, forward attack. Promote this by playing the ball at the bottom of the arc – just inside the lead heel.
3 Your match status
Three-up with six to play is no time to hand holes back. If you’re in control, knock it into position and keep the pressure on. In strokeplay, suddenly playing a shot out of your comfort zone can stall momentum. Conversely, if you need to turn a match or score around, the risk is more worth taking.
Swing: Keep the eyes level The takeaway…
Take form, match status and the benefits into account before choosing your shot.
Reinforce that forward, level strike by feeling your eyes are level approaching impact; picture a horizontal shaft under your head, your eyes an equal distance from it. If your lead eye is higher, you’ll tend to hit up on the ball – spelling a thin and disaster. Similarly, lead-eye-low will typically promote a downward strike.
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The Big Interview
‘Rory could be the favourite in every Major for 15 years’ Sir Nick Faldo opens up about the state of the game, technology, Tiger... and the young player who might soon replace him as Britain’s greatest ever golfer
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WORDS STUART HOOD PICTURES GETTY IMAGES
op quiz, readers. Who was the last golfer to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year? Too slow. The answer is Sir Nick Faldo, who received the award after winning the Masters and World Matchplay Championship in 1989. At the time, critics deemed the award ironic, largely because Faldo’s on-course persona displayed little, if any, personality at all. A quarter of a century on, however, things have changed. Faldo is now seen as one of the funniest men in the game, and it’s all thanks to his role as lead golf analyst on American TV station CBS. So, 25 years on from his victory, we chatted to the former world No.1 about displaying his personality on TV, getting to grips with modern technology, and discovering Rory McIlroy, the man who is both a whitehot favourite to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014 and odds-on to replace Faldo as the most successful European golfer of the modern era.
invited back. In 2006, I was offered the role of lead golf analyst on CBS and I love it. Being on TV allows me to still be a high profile golfer even though I actually play very little golf. It also allows you to display your very dry sense of humour…
I just say what comes into my head. Sometimes my American colleagues get it and sometimes it hits the back wall of the studio. When then happens, I keep talking, but I know someone, from somewhere or other, is going to remind me about it on Twitter. Which players do you particularly enjoy commentating on?
There is plenty of entertainment and there are lots of good guys out there, but we love bouncing around with Bubba, because you never know what you’re going to get. Also, Jason Day always goes in with 100%, which is good entertainment given how far these guys can bust it, and Adam Scott’s swing is just superb. Then, of course, there is Rory.
How did you get into TV work?
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You first saw him play when he joined the Faldo Series aged 12. Was he special then?
I could see his rhythm and tempo were very impressive from the off and was delighted to have him as part of the Faldo Series. My
clearest memories of the young Rory are playing an exhibition match with him when he was 16 and a practice round with him when he was 18. What was impressive about him in those days was that even when he was wearing waterproofs his swing didn’t change. It was so impressive to see a young guy manage to maintain his amazing rhythm when he was wrapped up in lots of kit in the pouring rain. Of course, this rhythm has gone on to become his hallmark. Do you think we’re entering the “Rory McIlroy era”?
It looks like it. The guy has won four Majors in four years, and look how dominant he was in three of them. That used to be Tiger’s word, didn’t it? He absolutely dominated and Rory is doing the same. He has got an incredible opportunity to be the favourite in every Major he tees it up in for the next five, 10 or perhaps even 15 years. All he needs to do now is come from behind to win one. If he can do that, then everyone will think ‘if he’s leading, he’ll win it, and even if he’s behind, he can catch me.’ What do you make of the distances Rory can propel his drives?
Physically, he can spin his hips faster than
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New Gear Adjustable heel and toe weights alter the draw/ fade bias in the Alpha 815.
Let the big dogs eat! Out-drive your partners with any one of these six new drivers
The ends of the Gravity Core are now colour coded and visible through a hole.
Callaway BB Alpha 815 Following the Big Bertha V Series launched in August, Callaway completes its trio of Big Bertha drivers for 2015 with the Big Bertha Alpha 815 and Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond. The original Alpha was geared towards better players, but the updated model comes in two versions to fit a broader range of abilities. Callaway has retained its Gravity Core technology, which alters the centre of gravity location, in both new drivers. “We found from research during fittings that not only did golfers use the Gravity Core to change the spin, they also used it to get the heavier end more behind their impact location on the face to boost ball speeds,” Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s Head of R&D, told us. The standard BB Alpha 815 offers less spin, with forgiveness. The clubhead is bigger, up to the maximum 460cc, which increases MOI. The centre of gravity is also slightly higher and further back, while the clubhead is lighter and has more draw bias. It’s constructed like the original Big Bertha Alpha, using eight different materials, including a forged cup face and composite crown. But it has a clever “R-Moto” face, which saves weight to move the CG lower and raises MOI. Testing has shown a 1mph increase in ball speed over the original BB Alpha. n Details: RRP £379. Available from November 14 in 9°, 10.5° and 12° with a 53g Fujikura Speeder Motore 565 shaft as standard. www.callawaygolf.com
Callaway’s OptiFit hosel allows loft and lie to be adjusted.
At-a-glance technology
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1. R-Moto face Callaway’s “R-Moto” face removes weight from the face via internal ribs to control the motion of the face and lower the CG. They connect the sole to the face and are visible from underneath.
2. Visible Gravity Core The two ends of the Gravity Core are now coloured and visible through a hole in the sole so you know what position it’s in. If you see silver, it’s in the ‘low’ position, black and it’s in the ‘up’.
3. Double Black Diamond (£399) For experts only (and named after the hardest ski run) the lowest-spinning BB driver is still 460cc, but is shorter from front-to-back and has a taller face. It also has more draw bias.
4. Longer Gravity Core The shape of the Double Diamond model has allowed engineers to make the Gravity Core inside the head longer by about 4-5mm to generate 100rpm less spin in the “low” position.
Two versions are available – this 460cc D2 and a 440cc D3.
A new face is thinner in the heel and toe to maintain ball speeds on off-centre hits.
The “Active Recoil Channel” behind the face is said to boost ball speeds.
Titleist 915 Five years in development, the Titleist 915 driver features a new technology behind the clubface called the Active Recoil Channel (ARC), which allows the face to flex more evenly at impact, reducing spin and increasing ball speeds across the face. The clubface itself is more forgiving thanks to a new design and material while a lighter, ultra-thin cast crown saves weight, which has been repositioned towards the edges to boost the moment of inertia (MOI). Titleist says internal testing has shown the D2 version is 15 yards longer in total and the D3 is 20 yards longer than their predecessors. “ARC moves the centre of gravity slightly forwards compared to previous models,” Stephanie Bezilla, Director of Titleist metalwood development, told TG. “But we’ve been able to reallocate mass from the face insert change and internal pocket geometry, allowing us to put ARC in and maintain high overall MOI.” The 915 retains two head designs – D2 (460cc) and D3 (440cc) – as well as a SureFit hosel, which allows for independent loft and lie adjustability. The woods have been seeded on Tour for a number of months and have already notched up a PGA Tour win, with Geoff Ogilvy succeeding at the Barracuda Championship in early August. n Details: RRP: £379. Available from November 14 in 7.5°, 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5° and 12° (D2 only) with a choice of five stock shafts. www.titleist.co.uk
At-a-glance technology
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1. Radial Speed Face It is thinner in the heel and toe areas and thicker in the centre to reach the legal limits on spring-like effect. Titleist says 99% of ball speed is maintained on a square inch area around the sweetspot.
2. Higher MOI The moment of inertia has been increased over previous models thanks to internal weight pockets on the crown, which allow weight to be moved lower and further back in the head.
3. Classic head shapes The D2 (left) is the traditional 460cc full pear profile with more draw bias, while the D3 (right) is the deep face, lower spinning 440cc head with less draw bias and a lower trajectory.
4. Fairways and hybrids The 915 fairway wood features a thinner and more forward ARC position to control the launch and spin. The hybrids have a deeper centre of gravity. RRP: fairway £220, hybrid £205.
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Caddie tips
‘I can save you five shots a round’ But Terry Mundy isn’t a swing coach or a mental guru. He’s Ian Poulter’s caddie on the PGA Tour – and today he’s working for you
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W O R D S H A N S S E E B E R G & J O E D O W N E S P I C T U R E S A N G U S M U R R AY
f you think Terry Mundy’s job as Ian Poulter’s caddie means he’s got some good tales from the Tour, you’d be right. “You see a lot of stuff going on,” he laughs. “At The Open recently, one of Dustin Johnson’s tee shots hit this bloke on the head and then bounced back onto the fairway. I mean, Dustin Johnson hits a driver as hard as anybody and this ball has hit him flush from 350 yards! This guy is like, ‘It’s OK, I’m fine’. Johnson put $200 in his glove and gave it to the guy.” I’m impressed a pro carries that much cash on him. Mundy smiles knowingly. “Oh, I think you’ll find just about every player has their wallet in the bag...” Mundy is great company, but he’s not just here at Woburn to gossip. It is 10.24am and as three nervy amateurs – Hans Seeberg (24hcp), TG’s Joe Downes (16) and Lewis Remington (two) – stand on the first tee of the Duchess’ Course the goal is simple – to discover just how a professional caddie would set about improving the scores of three mere mortals. Mundy believes he could reduce the average club player’s score by up to five shots – effectively knocking a hole off our score. How would he set about that? “What are you doing?” I hear as I pull my 6-iron out of the bag on the daunting
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182-yard par-3 2nd. I feel like I’m back at school as I cower under Mundy’s glare. “On that first hole you had a similar yardage for your approach,” he explains. “You pulled 6-iron and came up short.” I’m mumbling something about feeling more comfortable with my 6-iron when Terry spies my 4-hybrid. “What about that thing then?” I have never felt good with the hybrid, so much so that I spent the entirety of our deliberations on the first fairway trying to hide it from him. He softens. “Look, just trust your swing. You are far better off swinging smoothly with that than trying to muscle a 6-iron to a distance you can’t hit.” Hybrid out, I feel a mixture of nerves, anger and enlightenment. I swing smoothly as instructed and find the fringe, just past pin high. “There we go!” is the cry from Mundy who has already scampered off to assess my next shot. “That’s lesson one. Now let’s see what we can do.” The round is going well and I’m hitting hybrid for safety off nearly every tee on this incredibly tight track. “It’s the most common fault I see in amateurs,” he explains later. “99 per cent of golfers with handicaps between around 10 and 24 hit it shorter than they think – I’d bet
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“99 per cent of golfers with handicaps of 10 to 24 hit it shorter than they think,” says Mundy.
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Courses The inside line on where to play, home and abroad
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Edited by Kevin Brown
UNDISCOVERED IRELAND Visit the area south of Dublin... before everyone realises how good it is WORDS CLIVE AGRAN & KEVIN BROWN
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reland is undoubtedly one of the very best countries in the world in which to play golf. The scenery is spectacular, the roads are uncrowded, the Guinness is plentiful and the people are incredibly friendly. On top of all that, there are far more outstanding courses than the Irish
know what to do with and so they’re more than happy to share them with visitors. The vast majority of us head for the magical collection of links courses on the west coast or experience the qualities and pedigree of Royals Porthcawl and County Down up north.
But there’s a new, fast-emerging region on the block: a warm welcome to the south-eastern corner of the country. It’s been undiscovered for so long, but now the secret seems to be out. The only slight downside to playing golf in Ireland is the weather, which can be rather unreliable and rarely as ➔
Close to Dublin’s ports and airports, Castleknock makes a great end to a trip.
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