Inside Golf Issue 127

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Issue 127 // FEBRUARY 2016 www.insidegolf.com.au

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> TOUR NEWS Peter Lonard gets Web.com boost > RISING STARS Ryan Ruffels JOINS pro tour > CELEBRITY SWINGER Golf is ‘Kewell’ for Harry

> CLUB OF THE MONTH The magnificent Peregian SpRings Golf Club > GEAR UP! New gear for 2016

> GOLF TRAVEL LIFTOUT Golf along the glittering Gold Coast and NSW South Coast

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2016 FRANCE GOLF TOUR PARIS, THE EVIAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP AND WW1/WW11 MEMORIAL SITE VISITS

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2016 MILLBROOK MASTERS 09 – 14 April Queenstown’s annual tournament – always a sell out!

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Play-Cations

Finding Aussie golf’s X-Factor play with the guys! Cheyenne Woods and uncle Tiger could pair up (or go head to head)!

Richard Fellner Group Editor richard@insidegolf.com.au @insidegolf

Maybe we split up the event into mini-events?

Players could, say, play 9-holes with hickory clubs. Could you imagine seeing Rickie Fowler in orange plusfours, teeing it up with a Brassie (and having to slow down his swing to compensate for the whippy hickory shafts). And we’d finally know how current superstars REALLY compare with the greats of yesterday like Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson and others.

D

espite being a hopeless golf tragic (and a Yankee transplant) many of you will be surprised to learn that I am also a fan of cricket.

Now, before you spit out your tea, keep in mind that my interest is primarily in the shorter versions of the game (Twenty20, BBL, etc.) Yes, I understand that there are many intricacies in Test Cricket (and I do enjoy The Ashes), but as a member of Generation X (with X equalling a short attention span), we need things quick, exciting and fun.

So, last month I took the family to the Melbourne Derby of the Big Bash League. You may have heard about this particular contest, as it attracted nearly 81,000 spectators!

Howzat! A record attendance for a sport that many people (including many of my Facebook friends) had assumed is all but dead.

Golf is in exactly the same boat, and it’s time that our administrators here in Australia did something about it.

Now, the traditional form of golf (like Test Cricket) will always have its place.

But the traditional form doesn’t get today’s all-important TV viewership.

Low viewership equals no sponsors, which equates to fewer events, which equals even lower viewership. It’s a repetitive downward spiral.

Golf on TV, in general, is boring.

It’s the same-old 72-hole stroke play snooze-fest. It’s a far cry from the past, when golf on TV was fun and quirky. “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” was a ripper, featuring made-forTV matchplay events with the great players. As was “The Skins Game”, which had top players competing for charity. And let’s not forget about the Crosby Clambake (now the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), with Bill Murray and other celebrities teeing it up with the pros.

These types of events had a bit of the X-factor. They were unique, entertaining and fun.

And this is exactly what Australian Golf needs.

Once the unofficial “Fifth Major”, the Australian Open will likely never regain its footing in the world tours.

We are now like the nerdy child in the school playground calling out “pick me...PICK ME!”. Australian Golf’s administrators have, in my opinion, made fatal mistakes over the years (like locking our flagship tournament into Sydney, versus rotating it to other states, etc.) Now, our three “majors” are a homogenous mix of the same old thing – albeit with very low sponsorship and prizemoney.

So why not do something

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Or maybe they play 9 holes with only one or two clubs? How fun would it be to see Phil Mickelson play a greenside bunker shot with, say, a 5-iron?

completely different? Australians are known for innovation and our quirky nature. So why not lead by example when it comes to golf?

Why not create a made-for-TV golf event that is fun, quick and quirky?

Instead of focussing on the standard 72-hole snoozer, let’s invite a small field of high-level players. Stage it in January (the unofficial “off season”, against only the Hawaii events). And make it a made-for-TV charity event.

For lack of a better name, maybe we call it something like the “Down Under Charity Knockout”, aka The DUCK – with maybe Challenge Australia’s “Leuk the Duck” as the mascot/ beneficiary (Note: this is simply an example of how we could match an event to a charity--there is obviously a better name out there!)

Anyway, first off, we need to let the players wear fun and interesting clothes. Instead of the standard collared shirt and trousers, let them wear, for example, guernseys from their favourite AFL/Gridiron/sport team. Or fancy dress. Or pink (for breast cancer), etc. At the very least, let them wear shorts if they like.

Recently, Rickie Fowler got media attention for simply wearing Puma high-tops on the course. Let’s learn from that.

Next, all players would have a microphone and GoPro camera during the round. We could hear/ watch them chat with their caddie or their playing partner, banter with the commentators, etc. They could tell us where (and how) they are going to try and hit the next shot, the club they are using, and their rationale. Make us (the viewer) feel like we are on the course with them! And why not give pro tips/ instruction at the same time?

The day could start at the driving range – where players could have a target challenge (maybe sponsored by Target. See what I did there?). Maybe they aim for buckets, bells, nets, or even the Range Ball cart as it picks up balls. This could follow to a Long Drive contest, complete with music, etc.

For the tournament itself, it could be any non-stroke format, really.

Matchplay, teams, skins, knockout, Pro-am, etc. And why not take a leaf from the Vic Open, and have women

Maybe there is a random element to the par-3s? Players could hit a shot blindfolded (with the Blind Golf Association getting the benefit). Or maybe a left-handed or one-handed tee shot, (to benefit disabled golfers or wounded veterans via Soldier On, etc).

Maybe they tee off with a Cricket bat, tennis racket or a kid’s club (to benefit Junior golf). Maybe a Happy Gilmore style tee shot on one hole. Or tee off with a putter (see our Facebook page to watch Bubba Watson do this).

Or maybe they play a few holes of “Speed golf” where they jog between shots. Their time (in minutes) to play the hole(s) is then added to their score for the hole(s). Maybe their caddies could play a hole, with the player carrying the bag? Depending on the location, they could play a quick round of pitch and putt (like the Masters Par3 challenge, which always has a heap of interest).

All the while, we need some exciting commentary. Instead of hearing Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo waffle on about their glory days on tour, why not give the players a chance in the booth? Or take a note from the BBL and get golf lovers from other sports and areas (like Ricky Ponting, Freddie Flintoff, Andy Lee, etc).

Note that I’m not suggesting ALL of these in one event. Maybe we just pick a couple. But just imagine the global demand for this on TV? Golf enthusiasts will eat it up, while other sports fans will tune in to see what happens.

C’mon, we just need to give it a Bash.

See you on the fairways,

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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Webb to contest Oates Vic Open

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19TH HOLE

I

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n a major coup for the 2016 Oates Vic Open, Australia’s most decorated female golfer Karrie Webb will step onto the dual course layout of Thirteenth Beach Golf Links from February 4-7.

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With 57 professional wins worldwide and two decades playing on tour, the Oates Vic Open will provide a unique experience for Webb, playing alongside a men’s field for the first time in a professional event.

It will also mark the first time Webb has played in the Oates Vic Open and at Thirteenth Beach, of which the World Golf Hall of Fame inductee has heard plenty about.

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“I have heard a lot about the growth of the Oates Vic Open over the past few years and I think it’s a great idea to play the men’s and women’s events at the same time. Growing up in a regional town in Queensland, I like the idea of taking the Opens outside of the

main cities, so taking it to Thirteenth Beach and the Geelong area gets a big vote from me,” Webb stated.

“I know Stacey Keating and Minjee Lee have won the tournament previously - both winners of my Karrie Webb amateur series, so it would be quite special if I could join them on the trophy.

“I have spoken to quite a few players about the quality of the golf courses and everyone has been very complimentary. This will be an excellent preparation for the ISPS Handa Australian Open and a great way for me to start the year.”

The 2016 Oates Vic Open will be the fourth consecutive year the event will be hosted at Thirteenth Beach Golf Links. Defending champions are Richard Green and Marianne Skarpnord.

For more, visit www.golfvic.org.au/ vicopen. •

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#CROSSTHELINE

World Cup venue, format announced

K

ingston Heath Golf Club has been named as the host club of the 58th edition of the World Cup of Golf, with the format returning to team play (two-man teams) from 28 different countries squaring off on November 21-27, 2016, in Melbourne.

One of the most historic global events in the game, the World Cup of Golf has been played 57 times in 25 countries and will carry an $8 million (US) purse with the first-place team splitting $2.56 million. The event boasts an impressive and prestigious list of winners that includes the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Arnold Palmer, Bernhard Langer, Sam Snead, Peter Thomson, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Jason Day, among many others.

Kingston Heath is one of Australia’s best golf courses and consistently ranked among the top 50 courses in the world. The course is renowned for its natural charm and strategies created by its superbly crafted greens and bunkers. The signature par-3 15th hole is one of the classic short holes in Australia, if not the world.

“We at Kingston Heath are delighted that the International Federation of PGA Tours and the International Golf Association are bringing the 2016 World Cup of Golf back to the Melbourne Sandbelt,” said Club Captain

Comfort Powers Performance.

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Jason Day and Adam Scott during the 2013 World Cup at Royal Melbourne Peter Clark. “Our Club has a rich history of hosting major golfing events and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best players and modern day champions to The Heath in November.”

The 2016 World Cup of Golf will mark the fifth time in the tournament’s history that it will be played in Australia and the first at any course other than Royal Melbourne.

The 2016 tournament will return to a 72-hole, stroke play, two-man team event format. The first and third days of competition will be the foursomes (alternate shot) format and the second and final days are fourball (best ball) play.

different countries from the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, August 1, 2016 (Monday after the PGA Championship) will choose their teammates for the competition. As the defending Individual Champion of the 2013 World Cup of Golf, Jason Day will qualify automatically as the top-ranked player for Australia. Day will be allowed to choose his partner. All of the other top 28 players have until Thursday, August 12, 2016, to commit to play in the tournament. The deadline for each exempt player to select his partner is August 26, 2016.

More: www.pgatour.com/ tournaments/world-cup-of-golf. html •

The top 28 available players of

New golf course for Brisbane FINALLY. After decades of debate, protests and promises, Brisbane will get its first public golf course in more than 70 years.

First mooted in 1961, the golf course at Cannon Hill near Minnippi Parklands in Brisbane’s eastern suburbs is set to open in 2018 after the Brisbane City Council (BCC) formalised a land swap with developers BMD Group.

The Cannon Hill Community Links project will include new housing and conservation areas on 125 hectares bounded by the western side of Bulimba Creek, east of Creek Road and north of Fursden Road at Cannon Hill.

Bulimba Creek separates the development site from the existing Minnippi Parklands recreation area.

Pacific Coast Design (PGD) has designed the 6123-metre 18-hole championship golf course in conjunction with BMD. Residential surrounds will border sections of the golf course.

According to PCD, the public golf course “will be a challenge as well

site for its state training facility.

as enjoyable experience for golfers of all levels”.

With all the to-ing and fro-ing, the facility was established at Brookwater.

The development will include an open recreational area, informal dining venues, walkways, bikeways and picnic areas.

In 2005, protesters collected petition signatures in Brisbane in an attempt to stop a golf course development.

Unlike most capital cities, Brisbane currently has just two public golf courses – St Lucia Golf Links at Indooroopilly and Victoria Park Golf Complex at Herston.

Inside Golf understands BMD set aside $2m to preserving and improving the squirrel glider habitat and had agreed nearly 28 hectares for dedicated conservation, habitat and parkland zones.

The original golf course proposal for the area went before the BCC as far back as 1961.

BMD won the tender back in 1998 to develop 15 hectares for residential use and a small shopping precinct, which would enable BCC to build the course at no cost to ratepayers.

Still, the development is not without controversy.

Opponents of the development, Minnippi Against Development Group, were concerned about the impact it would have on squirrel glider and micro bat populations in the area.

In 2003, Golf Queensland had been interested in the project as a possible

Golf Queensland chairman Peter Castrisos told 612 ABC Brisbane’s Tim Cox the new course was a welcome relief for the city’s golfers.

“It’s great to see another one on the scene,” he said. “The more golf courses we have the better chance we have to get people playing this great game.

“There are 70,000 registered golfers in Queensland that play at member golf clubs, but there are 140,000 people who play the game of golf and need access to golf courses too.”

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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news

Fires hit and miss WA and SA clubs David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

M

EMBERS at Hartfield Country Club near Perth lost just two days of play when deadly bushfires in Western Australia damaged parts of the golf course’s surrounds.

The club’s president Tony Sutton said the bushfire was so severe the club and golf course closed temporarily.

“At the time of the fire a Christmas luncheon catering for 100 people was in full flow and an evacuation procedure was activated,” he said.

“Our staff ensured that all our guests were moved to safety swiftly in a calm, calculated manner.”

Sutton said the fire entered the golf course via the Tonkin Highway through the back of the third green and fourth fairway and reached the 18th tee box and 17th green.

Following instructions from the local fire brigade, the golf course staff turned on the golf course’s irrigation system and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with fire service employees to help contain the fire.

That helped create a firebreak to neighbouring properties.

“Our employees Mick Smith, Brad Wallis, Nick Kinley, Brendan Wright, Scott Hawkins, Tom Tristram, Mike Toki and Jake Ferguson all went above and beyond their duties to save our golf course,” Sutton said.

One of the club’s members, Russ Miller, was also a huge help.

He spent hours hosing down the clubhouse and ensured the staff had refreshments throughout the day.

The fire service and the club’s quick-thinking staff prevented major damage to the fairways and greens.

“We were lucky,” said the club’s events and catering manager Brad Wallace.

“The greens and fairways were saved and the only damage was to the surrounds.

“We kept the irrigation running the whole time to stop the

FIRE ALERT: Fire approaches Hartfield Country Club in Western Australia. fire from moving any further and that prevented the fairways and greens from being burnt.”

“We had a lot of damage in the fire last year when similar fires burnt half the bushland in the golf course.”

Unfortunately, some of the wildlife around the golf course didn’t make a safe exit.

McKay said Waroona Golf Club has sand greens and only operates seven months a year.

“When a fire comes through you do see lots of snakes, bandicoots, rabbits and wildlife fleeing, but the fire turned around quickly and some wildlife didn’t make it.”

“It’s pretty hot over here in the summer months and we don’t have any water.”

Local rules are in place to protect fire-affected areas.

MEANWHILE, the fire that ripped through large chunks of Western Australia’s south-west, destroying at least 128 homes and claiming the lives of two people, didn’t affect Waroona Golf Club.

Club president Mark McKay said there was “very little damage to the golf course”.

“The fire burnt along the northern end of the golf course in the bush reserve,” he said.

IN South Australia, Hamley Bridge Golf Club is recovering following the Pinery bushfire that ripped through the midnorth region of the state late last year killing two people and tens of thousands of livestock.

Golf South Australia’s communications and development manager Christian Puccini said there were 17 golf clubs with Golf SA’s Mid North District.

“With the fire affecting such a vast area of the golden plains it was almost inevitable that at least one member club would be affected,” he said.

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

news

Lorne CC narrowly escapes Christmas Day bushfires

Australia’s Marc Leishman, and eighttime Major Champion Tom Watson have joined Callaway Golf as Staff Professionals. The pair will use Callaway Clubs and Odyssey Putters on Tour, while Leishman will also use the Callaway golf ball.

Hamley Bridge Golf Club secretary Roen Cameron said the club suffered major damage to the machinery shed.

“We lost everything – plant included tractor with slasher, Ford ute, members bike and clubs as well storage racks containing small plant items,” Cameron said.

“The 18th fence-line was damaged and quite a lot of vegetation lost with a number of trees either burnt or blown down.

“It is quite possible the fire break created by our fairway may have stopped the fire from travelling further east to neighbouring properties.”

A number of the club’s 61 members lost houses, fencing, stock and crops.

The club continues to clean up the damage and replace the lost machinery.

The club’s next big task is to ready the golf course for the State Sand Green Championships later this year.

Henry Peters

ed@insidegolf.com.au @hsspeters

L

orne Country Club narrowly avoided the wrath of the Great Ocean Road bushfires, which destroyed more than 100 homes in the Otways and forced thousands of people to evacuate the area over the Christmas period.

Fires raged between Lorne and Wye River on Christmas Day and spread towards the golf course.

“It was still probably only three or four (kilometres away) as the crow flies. They sprayed us well and truly with the deterrent just in case it came this way,” said Lorne Country Club manager Sheryll Crowe.

“The greenkeeper was pouring tons of water into it and those big planes, they flew around, they dropped a lot of fire deterrent. They didn’t actually come onto the course but they sort of surrounded Lorne, all the dangerous bush around Lorne.”

BURN OUT: The remains of a work vehicle at Hamley Bridge Golf Club.

Marc Leishman, Tom Watson Join Callaway Golf Tour Staff

Crowe said conditions could have conspired against the golf club, which sits

Lorne Country Club. high above the coast only two kilometres from Lorne’s town centre.

“If the north winds picked up, we could have been in danger but the wind turned around and blew it back onto itself.

You could see the red glow at night but you couldn’t actually see any flames or anything. It was only smoke…we were covered in smoke.”

The fire threat in Lorne brought green fees at the nine-hole course to a near standstill between Christmas and the New Year as holiday-makers fled to safety.

“When it really hit Christmas Eve, when it really flared up, we had no one here Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, it was pretty quiet right through. New Year’s Eve day, we were debating closing the course because it had flared up again.

There was no one at all here that day, normally that day would be flat out. We probably had a week of very poor green fees, at least a week.”

Lorne Country Club rebuilt its clubhouse in 1984 after the Ash Wednesday fires destroyed it the previous year.

A long hitter off the tee, Leishman is on the rise after a tremendous 2015 campaign that included a runner-up finish at the Open Championship. He made his 2nd consecutive Presidents Cup appearance for the International Team in October, and in November, he won the Nedbank Challenge for his 9th professional win.

“I’m really excited to be on the Callaway team,” Leishman said. “I’ve seen firsthand how their equipment has helped players out on Tour, and I’m looking forward to playing with the new clubs and having a great year.”

Widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers ever, Watson’s legendary career has featured 8 major wins on the PGA Tour, led by 5 victories at the Open Championship. He has earned 39 career PGA Tour wins, was named Player of the Year 6 times, won 5 money titles, earned 3 Vardon Trophies for lowest scoring average, and was enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988. He has been extremely successful on the Champions Tour as well, with 14 wins and 6 senior major wins to date.

The pair join a Callaway Tour team that features 6 of the top 20 players in the world – including Kevin Kisner, Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk, and Patrick Reed – a long list of young, proven players like Lydia Ko and Emiliano Grillo and 5-time major winner Phil Mickelson.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

9

news

Public golfers pampered at ‘new’ North Turramurra Bill Colhoun ed@insidegolf.com.au

G

OLFERS in Sydney’s north-west received a brilliant “Christmas gift” recently, with the finishing touches being applied to the new-look 18-hole North Turramurra Golf course.

The practice facilities are free for use by social golfers before they play the 18-hole course, but cost $15 an hour for public golfers wanting only to practise.

The North Turramurra course is the outstanding feature of Ku-ring-gai Council’s $28 million North Turramurra Recreation Area project, which will cater for multi-sports use on three new sportsfields with supporting infrastructure when completed this year.

The Council’s website reports that the project “will transform the Council-owned North Turramurra golf course and surrounding area into a large regional recreation area”.

“When finished, residents and visitors can enjoy golf, picnic areas, walking trails,

Entries are open for the Portarlington Golf Club’s fifth annual award-winning Barwon Cleaning Supplies Pro-Am, which is being held on Wednesday the 24th of February.

The club hopes to build on the momentum of the last four years, with the Pro-Am winning the ‘PGA Regional Course of the Year’ twice, the ‘PGA Regional Pro-Am of the Year’ and winning the Community Clubs Victoria Award for ‘Best Golf Club 2014’. With accolades like that, it’s an event on the calendar that is not to be missed.

The high-quality scenic complex overlooking Garigal National Park boasts some of the best short-game practice facilities available to public golfers in Australia.

Not only is there a massive undulating chipping and putting green, which Inside Golf measured to be about 70m long and 35m wide, but there is a large world-class pitching practice green which features an oversize bunker.

Portarlington Pro-Am set to impress...again

Jumping for joy: The North Turramurra Junior Clinic kids certainly are happy with the new facilities, as is PGA club pro James Macdonald (right). Picture: Elite Golf NSW multi-use sports fields and areas of natural bushland.”

With a rerouted layout, including 11 new holes from Golf by Design’s Jim Wilcher which features impressive undulating greens and well-placed bunkers, the decades-old “Royal Turramurra” (as it is known locally) will rate as one of Sydney’s best public courses.

Although the North Turramurra course has not yet had an official opening—with finishing touches to some holes continuing— its quality design quickly is being discovered and patronised by Sydney’s many pay-for-play public golfers.

And a top-value $249 a year GolfLink handicap club membership offer—organised

by Elite Golf NSW’s James Macdonald, the PGA professional who leases the facility—

also has proved very popular.

More than 150 men and women golfers have joined as members in the first six months of it being offered. Apart from having the opportunity of playing in Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday club competitions, they also get free unlimited use of the practice facilities.

In fact, Macdonald reports that several golfers have joined at North Turramurra primarily to use it as a practice option on an almost daily basis.

It seems the well-known sports axiom “build it and they will come” (from the film Field of Dreams), is resonating clearly at North Turramurra.

More: www.elitegolfnsw.com.au

The Pro-Am has become the pinnacle in terms of golfing events on the Bellarine Peninsula, and Portarlington Golf Club is committed to making sure that the trend continues. Inside Golf played in the 2015 Pro-Am and were so impressed by the course and hospitality, we have entered again in 2016.

The Pro-Am event attracts over 70 of Australia’s best Professional Golfers and is a fantastic opportunity for amateurs to get amongst the mix and perhaps even pick up a pointer or two.

Do yourself a favour and put the Barwon Cleaning Supplies Portarlington Pro-Am on your golfing calendar, either as a player or a spectator. Entries are available on the Club website: www.portarlingtongolf.com.au or for more information contact the resident Club Pro, Matt Milne on 5259 3361.

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Lonard wins web.com boost for Champions Tour Bill Colhoun ed@insidegolf.com.au

P

ETER Lonard, one of Australia’s most popular golfers, has earned the chance to reignite his career in America with several early starts on the US PGA Tour web.com tour in 2016.

On Peter’s official website www.peterlonard.com, Bruce Young recently wrote: “Peter has continued to have physiotherapy on his back since playing his last 2015 event in Australia in December and is now gearing himself towards starts in the early season Web.Com events in Central and South America.”

Lonard, 48, said: “I have been told I should get several early season starts, as the Web.com Tour makes available opportunities for former PGA Tour players -- at the ages of 48 and 49 -- to prepare themselves for the over-50 Champions Tour.

“Overall I am pleased with the progress I have made in 2015 and I’m looking forward to getting back into the web.com Tour.”

Lonard made the cut in eight of his last 10 tournaments in 2015, which continued an encouraging comeback by the former US Tour title winner.

“A fourth-place finish at the NSW Open in November followed three weeks later by a ninth at the

Peter Lonard at last year’s NSW Open (photo courtesy of Golf NSW) Australian PGA Championship were impressive and gave heart to a campaign in 2016 that will include several starts on the Web.Com Tour,” Young wrote on the website.

“Then I made a mistake with my approach at the 17th and, perhaps deflated, I hit a bad drive at the last and in the end was lucky to make bogey really.”

Lonard also reported that at one stage late on the final day he thought he was a chance to win his third Australian PGA Championship, having won in 2002 and 2007.

An even-par 288 total would have earned Lonard a place in the playoff for the title won by Nathan Holman and a win would have placed Lonard back onto the European Tour.

“When I birdied the 15th at Royal Pines to get to two-over in the PGA, I thought if I could find a couple more and post even-par then it might well be the winning score as the golf course was playing really tough on that final day.

Lonard finished 32nd on the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Order of Merit, which, when it is considered he only played 12 events here in 2015, it was a solid year, Young reported. •

Strathfield’s Golf by Design renovation underway Bill Colhoun ed@insidegolf.com.au

O

ne of Sydney’s busiest golf course makeover companies, James Wilcher’s Golf by Design, has won the contract to rebuild Strathfield’s new-look layout, with work recently beginning on the project.

clubhouse and practice area included after gaining $52 million from the sale of its clubhouse and carpark.

It is anticipated that the course redesign – which will involve the building of six new holes – will be completed by the end of 2017. The new clubhouse is expected to take about 24 months to be finished

The GBD Master Plan for the project was released late last year and the new design will feature both the 18th and eighth holes finishing near the clubhouse, making the front eight and back 10 more accessible.

According to the club’s website, in January the par-5 9th hole was shortened to a par-4 with a temporary tee located in front of the works area. The 10th hole was then taken out of play to build a new green and surrounds and holes 13A and 13B were introduced to continue to have 18 holes in play.

Strathfield has undertaken a massive enhancement of the entire property with a new

The club expected this phase of the project to be fairly straightforward, subject to weather conditions, with

the holes back in play 16 weeks after the work begins.

The new Strathfield layout will be a testing par-71 (35-36) with its five par-5 holes, six par-3s and seven par-4s measuring 5827m overall.

Golf by Design also has been appointed to undertake the redesign of Merewether Golf Club near Newcastle. In recent years it also has redesigned Roseville, North Ryde, North Turramurra, Pennant Hills and Cromer golf courses.

And GBD’s Managing Director James Wilcher says it soon will announce some global projects in which it will link with one of Australia’s best-known Majorwinning golfers, who is based in the USA.

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

11

inside golf business

Awards season hits the Sunshine State

F

ollowing on from the inaugural Greg Norman Medal staged in December, Queensland are again in the grip of awards season with the QLD Golf Industry Awards night set to be staged on the 10th March at Jupiters, Gold Coast.

The evening will bring together the entire industry with the PGA, Golf Queensland, Golf Course Superintendents Association of QLD and Golf Management Australia (QLD Div) recognising the outstanding achievements over the past 12 months.

Broc Greenhalgh, QLD State Manager of the PGA is excited to see the industry once again unite.

“With approximately 500 guests, the evening has multiple benefits for the industry in the sunshine state. Recognising those who have excelled over the past 12 months is a big part of the evening, though for each of the industry’s key bodies to collaborate is a great display of unity and continues to show the industry is moving in the right direction.

New awards this year include the Game Development Professional of the Year, rewarding PGA professionals for their efforts in growing the game either by programs in place or actively promoting the game via other sources. In conjunction with other recently introduced awards such as the Golf Club Staff Member of the Year and Golf Club Board Member of the Year, not to mention the highly regarded Superintendents Achievement, PGA Club Professional and Golf Manager of the Year Awards, the evening is set to ensure recognition is offered to all areas of the industry.

Nominations for the following awards are now available via www.pga.org.au (nominations will close on the 5th February, 2016):

2014 Graduating Class of PGA Trainees

QLD PGA Club Professional of the Year QLD PGA Teaching Professional of the Year Golf Queensland Volunteer of the Year QLD Golf Industry Services to Golf Award QLD Golf Industry Junior Program of the Year QLD Golf Industry Golf Supplier of the Year GCSAQ Turf Apprentice of the Year Award GCSAQ Superintendents Environment Award GCSAQ Superintendents Achievement Award GCSAQ Assistant Superintendent Recognition Award GMAQ Manager of the Year GMAQ Golf Club of the Year GMAQ Golf Club Board Member of the Year GMAQ Golf Club Staff Member of the Year

PGA Teaching Professional Sean Dwyer accepting Victoria Park’s 2014 Junior Program of the Year Winner Award from Lindsay Ellis

On the evening, the Queensland Golf Industry are also looking forward to crowning the winner of the following additional awards:

PGA Legends Tournament of the Year (Selected via a panel of PGA Professionals)

Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year (Based on tournament results)

PGA Metropolitan Tournament of the Year (Selected via a panel of PGA Professionals)

Junior Female Amateur Golfer of the Year (Based on tournament results)

PGA Regional Tournament of the Year (Selected via a panel of PGA Professionals)

Male Amateur Golfer of the Year (Based on tournament results)

PGA IGI Excellence in Golf Education Award (Selected via a PGA IGI panel)

Female Amateur Golfer of the Year (Based on tournament results) PGA Order of Merit Winner (Based on tournament results) PGA Rookie of the Year (Based on tournament results) PGA Trainee Order of Merit Winner (Based on tournament results) PGA Trainee of the Year (Based on tournament and academic results) PGA Tournament of the Year (Selected via a panel of PGA Professionals)

One of the highlights of the evening will also be unveiling the graduating class of 2015 PGA Trainees. After dedicating recent years to obtaining their qualifications whilst gaining a broad knowledge of the professional side of the game, the evening will congratulate those who will be leaders of the industry in the future.

Tickets for this gala event are available to the entire golfing community for $125pp or $115pp for partners and can be purchased by going to www.pga.org.au •

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Looking back (and ahead) at great Aussie talent

A spectacular summer schedule being played at the picturesque Hills and Millbrook Resorts in Queenstown.

Brian Thorburn CEO – PGA of Australia

Stephen Pitt

T

CEO – Golf Australia

W

he Australian summer of golf continues over the coming months with the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule offering plenty of golf action across the country.

ell, what a ride Australian golf went on through 2015.

In Jason Day we crowned just our third male world No.1 since rankings began and just our fifth US PGA champion.

The Tour will tee off again on the 4th of February 2016 at the Oates Vic Open.

To be held at Thirteenth Beach Golf Links the tournament will again see the men’s and women’s championship played concurrently for the same amount of prize money, a minimum of $250,000.

In Minjee Lee we had an LPGA Tour winner in her rookie season – as an 18-year-old.

In Cameron Smith we had one of the most rapid rises through US ranks in years to a full card without any status, thanks largely to a near albatross that almost won him a US Open.

From the Astor Trophy in January through to Min Woo Lee’s win in the Aaron Baddeley International in December, we had amateur winners galore in global events.

We watched our own national squad member Antonio Murdaca stand tall on the grand stage of Augusta National.

We saw an incredibly talented wave of amateurs, Murdaca included, take the plunge and join the professional ranks with immediate effect. Well, Ben Eccles actually won the NSW Open as an amateur before his big move and then Jarryd Felton won the NSW PGA as a newly minted pro.

Then to watch our GA rookie squad member Nathan Holman hold on for his breakthrough Australian PGA Championship win was another sign of positive things happening at the young end of town.

That’s not to say we didn’t revel in watching the sublime Peter Senior complete his post50 Triple Crown at the Australian Masters in November – which we all loved – just that the next wave is making ground rapidly.

All of which leaves us craving more and wondering what might unfold in 2016 to topple all that.

Another key element of all these successes is that you can never be certain of the direction from which the next one will emerge.

We hope we’ve got a finger on the pulse of who’s coming through the ranks, but with so much talent across our great nation, it’s sometimes impossible to catch it all.

And with this in mind, I urge all golfers and their families to take in the myriad tournaments – professional right through to club pennant – that go on around the country each summer.

In particular, if you’re in South Australia, or haven’t visited spectacular Adelaide for a while, come and check out the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open at The Grange from February 18-21.

It’s a world-class tournament at a spectacular club – and if either inspires you or your family members to pick up a club in 2016, then we’ll have already had a win.

And by the looks of it, there’s going to be plenty of winning to be done by Aussie golfers this year.

The Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus Victorian PGA Championship will be played the following week at the prestigious Huntingdale Golf Club. Following on from its successful introduction in 2015, the tournament will be staged in a pro-am format allowing amateurs the chance to play in a PGA Tour of Australasia tournament alongside the Professionals - and on the famed Melbourne Sandbelt.

At the end of February the European Tour will be making a much-anticipated return to Western Australia for the Perth International to be held at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club. I am thrilled to see the tournament attract the 2010 Open Champion and current world number 17, Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa. With the tournament now tri-sanctioned with the Asian Tour the Perth International is set to reach new heights in 2016.

From Perth, the PGA Tour of Australasia will head across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand for its major tournaments of the year. The Holden NZ PGA Championship will be played at Remuera Golf Club and the following week will see the prestigious BMW ISPS Handa New Zealand Open

Rounding out the early part of the 2016 schedule is the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship, which will be played at the City Golf Club in Toowoomba from 17-20 March.

2016 will see more than 250 PGA Trainees continue to embark on their career in golf through the PGA Academy. Since its inception, the PGA Academy has been producing PGA Professionals who have gone on to forge successful careers in both Vocational and Tournament areas. The PGA continues to offer Traineeships, Diplomas in both Coaching and Management and a Golf Performance Program to PGA Members, Tour Professionals and the public, both domestic and international.

For more information on our PGA education and training offerings, please visit www.pga.org.au/education In addition to our tournaments and education, the PGA’s program of events from the National Choice Series ProAm’s, PGA E-Z-GO Legends Tour, the 25th Year Anniversary of the Holden Scramble, MyGolf Junior participation program and more are all looking towards a successful 2016, and our PGA Professionals and staff look forward to seeing you on the fairways soon.

Finally, I am delighted to report that competition rounds data recorded through Golf Link to the Australian Golf Industry Council across 2015 showed a steady increase of 2.4 per cent compared to the same time last year, with metropolitan areas continuing to record growth over regional areas, with a 4.6 per cent increase.

Australia offers world-class golf courses, competitions and programs that go head-to-head with the best in the world and to see an increase in the number of Australians playing and enjoying golf is fantastic.

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Webb to tackle 13th Beach as season opener Executive Director – ALPG

T

he tour grapevine was well and truly alive last month when it was rumoured that ALPG legend Karrie Webb was considering kicking off her 22nd season on tour at the 2016 Oates Victorian Open at 13th Beach this month.

I was fortunate enough to play in this event in 2012 and 2013, and from a player’s perspective it is so much fun to practice and play in an event alongside PGA professionals.

The tournament has a completely different feel compared to a regular tour event, and each year competitors continue to spread the word across the globe about this fantastic new event in Victoria where the men and women compete in the same tournament.

Golf Australia has named Stamford Grand Adelaide as its official accommodation partner of the ISPS HANDA Women’s Australian to be held at The Grange Golf Club this month.

The national championship, held from February 18-21, will attract some of the best female golfers in the world, including world Number 1 and defending champion Lydia Ko, along with Australia’s top-ranked players Minjee Lee and five-time champion Karrie Webb.

Karen Lunn

Karrie has traditionally supported the major Australian events on the ALPG Tour, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the RACV Ladies Masters whenever her US Tour commitments have allowed, and 2016 will be the first time since Karrie’s rookie year in 1995 that she will play any other event on the ALPG Tour schedule. This really is a testament to Golf Victoria and the progress that they have made since they resurrected the Victorian Open in 2012, launching this new model which sees the men and women playing at the same venue.

Golf Australia partners with Stamford Grand Adelaide

The Stamford Grand Adelaide’s ballroom will also host the tournament’s gala charity ball earlier in the week.

Karrie Webb (Photo by Dustin Satloff) The event continues to go from strength to strength each year; in 2016 on the women’s side we have received 126 professional entries from players from 28 different countries. I would be surprised if that is not some kind of record for a professional golf tournament in Australia!

For the people of the City of Geelong and Barwon Heads district, the event this year will provide them with a unique opportunity to watch Australia’s finest ever player up close; at the Oates Victorian Open there are no gallery ropes in place which again adds to the flavour of the tournament and the fan experience. To stand behind the ball and watch a professional hit a shot from the fairway rather than from 100 metres away standing in the rough is a completely different experience. It is very easy to see why the galleries have continued to flock

to the magnificent 13th Beach Resort to watch the best of both sexes over the past three years, and I am certain that with Karrie’s participation now confirmed these numbers will increase in 2016.

For the ALPG players and our International guests from other tours, the tournament provides them with the potential for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of being paired alongside Karrie, something that is usually only enjoyed by players who compete on the LPGA Tour. I know that this is something that many of our members will be hoping for, we will have to wait a few weeks to see which lucky players will get the pleasure of Karrie’s company in the opening two rounds!

Follow ALPG on twitter @ALPGTour, Instagram alpgtour and our Facebook page Australian Ladies Professional Golf. •

Tickets are on sale now for the February 16 gala, with Kerri-Anne Kennerley hosting a star-studded evening featuring many of the world’s top players and with money raised to benefit Soldier On, a foundation that helps our wounded soldiers.

Stamford Grand Adelaide general manager Russell Cool said the hotel was selected as the official partner largely because of its iconic location right on the beach at Glenelg.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be selected as the official accommodation partner for this tournament. We are a short 10-minute drive to The Grange, so it couldn’t have worked out any better for both parties,” Mr Cool said.

The 2016 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open is the flagship tournament on the ALPG Tour and is jointly sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour.

The prizemoney is $US1.3million (approx. $AUD1.8million), making it the largest prize purse in Australian golf this summer.

For more information on the Stamford Grand Adelaide, visit www.stamford.com.au/sga

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

15

inside golf business

For Murray, ‘superclubs’ are a positive step Henry Peters

ed@insidegolf.com.au @hsspeters

A

s the CEO of Melbourne’s Sandhurst Club, Julian Murray has seen, firsthand, how embracing new business models and innovation can reap massive rewards for a club.

Over the past few years, the vibrant and dynamic Sandhurst Club has, under Murray’s guidance, adopted a clever and forwardthinking strategy that shuns the traditional old-fashioned “golf only” attitude of many golf clubs (many of which are struggling in the modern era), and instead has embraced the idea of a ‘community hub’, multi-sport facility with flexible convenience-based options designed to complement today’s busy lifestyles.

It’s exactly what modern golfers are looking for, and the idea has been met with praise in the industry, as well as the area’s locals.

“At a time when golf requires new thinking, Sandhurst aims to make golf more accessible, fun and rewarding,” Murray explains.

“We continually seek to create new packages, new ways to get more people into the game and new events to get more people to experience Sandhurst. We are open-minded and quick to act, but most of all we know, every day we have to go a little further in our efforts to make Sandhurst an exciting and rewarding experience,” he adds.

Murray - who grew up in Wangaratta – began his role as Sandhurst CEO in 2010, bringing with him a unique blend of five-star hotel, private and public golf club and gaming club management experience. From his early

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

years with the Radisson Group, to his overseas experience at the five-star Canadian Pacific Hotel Group in Whistler, Murray has worked in a variety of managerial positions, including Barwon Heads, Barham, Berwick Montuna, The Wonthaggi Club and, immediately prior to his current role, was general manager at Moore Park golf course in Sydney.

It was Murray’s 10 years managing The Wonthaggi Club (a hospitality and gaming venue), which introduced him to the complicated arena of club mergers—a growing trend which is gaining traction in the golf industry as well as in other sports.

“I came down [to The Wonthaggi Club] on the lure that there was a significant opportunity present to amalgamate with [Wonthaggi] Golf Club and try and combine with the local football and bowls club. I had a few attempts to try and amalgamate three or four clubs and benefit the community but the politics curtailed it. I suppose the thing driving that was the power struggles within each of the clubs. And I think people just weren’t able to see my vision, which was a shame.”

In five and a half years at Sandhurst, Murray has helped the 36-hole club—which has close to 1400 on-course homes—develop the necessary strategic plan to transition from a developer-controlled board to a member-controlled board and ensure its viability into the future.

In addition, after extensive spending on drainage and bunkering, Sandhurst continues to reduce its operating losses.

And Murray predicts that profitability would be fast-tracked by the proposed merger between Sandhurst, Patterson River and Huntingdale, which was announced in November at the commencement of The Australian Masters held at Huntingdale.

The objective is to develop a detailed merger proposal to put to members which would require 75 per cent of each club’s membership to vote in favour, and would see the creation of Melbourne’s latest ‘superclub’.

“Much work is still to be completed but it’s a significant milestone to reach the execution of a heads of agreement phase and commence the extensive due diligence where independent expert advice will be sought to implement industry best practice,” says Murray.

“We think three [clubs] into two is certainly a much better proposal than two into one would ever be. Each of the venues bring something unique to the party; Sandhurst brings capacity of golf course, Patterson River brings a solid base of wonderful members as well as capital through partial sale of land to establish a future fund, and Huntingdale the internationally recognized brand. ” “We see the potential of half a million dollars in savings just through combining the management, administration and course maintenance, while establishing a unique

membership offer that is innovative, appealing to a broader range of members, provides a breadth of services and is value for money.” “[Sandhurst] had a lot of discussions with many other neighbouring golf clubs during the past two years but these failed to gain any traction until Huntingdale, the prominent Sandbelt club, became involved,” states Murray.

Murray says the general consensus amongst Sandhurst’s membership is positive regarding the heads of agreement. Through the recent experience of transition member trust is high that the Board will only present a merger proposal which is in the best interests of all members.

“I think our members were aware, to maintain two championship golf courses in the current state that we’ve been able to get them back to, that we needed to be able to have more members or more utilisation through the courses. Once you start reducing the standard within a course, you then reduce its appeal and then the membership reduces.” •

inside golf business – general managers

GM Brett Holland is on a mission David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

B

RETT Holland, the general manager at Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club, is not one to allow the grass to grow under his feet.

More than a decade ago, as GM at Murwillumbah Golf Club, he recognised the golf industry was in decline and implemented major changes at the northern New South Wales club.

Today the club operates as a healthy, viable business.

“We took Murwillumbah Golf Club from a members’ club to a social golf club,” he explained.

“We did a $1m redevelopment to the clubhouse and they are now reaping the rewards because they welcome everyone – not just golfers.

“When I arrived there, there were no strategic plans in place and no vision for the future.

“At the end of the day, they were struggling and needed to change like most golf clubs need to change.

“We can’t continue to run golf clubs in the traditional way, however, as most golf clubs know it just isn’t working.

“We have to provide people with something of a shorter gain because the traditional golf membership is declining and will not be there in the future.

“The golf industry has to start engaging the 25 to 46 demographic as well as juniors.

One idea is to revamp nine of the current 36 holes into a shorter, fun nine-hole layout, state-of-the-art driving range, mini-golf set-up and golf academy to cater for the demographic that’s missing in the game.

“If juniors aren’t introduced to golf and don’t come through as future members then the industry is in a lot of trouble.

“I think the bigger entities like the NRL, AFL, cricket etc do it well when it comes to engaging juniors.”

“The members would still have a 27-hole golf course,” Holland said. “It’s visionary and most of the members agree something has to happen, however, when it comes to the vote that may be a different story.

A butcher by trade, Holland entered golf club management in 2003 and completed his Bachelor of Business in Club Management at Southern Cross University in 2010.

“We have to target the younger demographic, which we currently don’t have.

He spent six years at Murwillumbah Golf Club before moving to Surfers Paradise Golf Club as GM for four years.

“Today, there is no commitment to golf membership so we need to engage people that just want to come to the club and play a shorter version of the game and go home.”

He has been at the helm at Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club’s 36-hole complex for the past 18 months.

Like most golf club managers, Holland is hands-on and spends long hours at the coalface.

Before joining the golf industry, Holland had 13 years in the hotels and clubs industry including working as operations manager at Arana Leagues Club in the northern suburbs of Brisbane where he helped oversee the club’s $10m redevelopment.

“Running a 36-hole facility is no different to an 18-hole facility,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you still have to manage people and if they are doing the job well then things will go well.”

Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club is a popular, friendly club that is on many golfers’ list of favourites.

Holland says his business philosophy is to work with people in a constructive manner.

It has around 1600 golfing members and 4000 social members and generates more than 100,000 rounds of golf per annum on its two championship golf courses – the River and West layouts.

Still, like most golf clubs, it has an aging membership and needs to switch its focus, according to Holland.

He is currently looking at strategic options to ensure the 90-year-old club survives for the next 90 years and beyond.

“I’m also trying to get better at what I do and try to engage people with my innovative and visionary ideas.”

Brett Holland.

“We have to make some strategic changes because the club doesn’t work as well as it did when there were over 300 poker machines prior to the introduction of poker machines to Queensland,” he said.

Born and bred in Gilgandra, a small country town near Dubbo in New South Wales, Holland plays off a 12 handicap but rarely finds the time for a round.

“I probably play once a fortnight,” he said.

“Away from work I enjoy spending time with family and friends.” •

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inside golf business

Plan for the future Ross Perrett ed@insidegolf.com.au

G

OLF Courses are living organisms and therefore are constantly changing.

Managing this change is a challenge that every golf club or golfing facility must face, and golf course architects can play an important role in this process. It is surprising, however, that very few golf clubs have a clear plan for their long-term future.

In traditional golf clubs, the leadership and management is constantly changing as the office bearers generally serve for relatively short periods due the demands of what is usually a honorary position. The Captain is effectively the Chief Executive and is often motivated to leave his/her mark on the course which can lead to unnecessary changes to the course design and management. The changes are well intended but are often short sighted, ad hoc and inevitably have a negative cumulative effect on the course. The Captain is often a respected ‘captain of industry’ having had a successful career, due probably in large part to having had a clear business plan supported by stable leadership and management with expertise in the particular industry.

Golf clubs deserve the same approach and will benefit from developing and signing off on a long-term vision for the course and setting in place protocols that will ensure the club is constantly heading in a clear direction. Golf Course Architects can assist

clubs in developing and documenting a long-term vision for the course and provide independent professional expertise on a range of related technical issues. There is not a single golf course that cannot be improved, but every golf course is different and requires an individual approach. If all courses were given a thorough health check, some would pass the fitness test with flying colours whereas some would fail miserably and would require a long-term fitness regimen and/or major surgery. Unfortunately, others choose cosmetic surgery which is only a short-term makeover and not sustainable.

In order to rationally assess the current health of a golf course, Thomson Perrett has developed a Course Audit System that provides a comprehensive analysis of all key areas of the course and a logical starting point in a process that leads to the preparation of a Course Masterplan: 1. A Review and Audit of existing conditions.

2. The Identification of the constraints and opportunities to improve the course.

3. Recommendations for improvements and the preparation of a Course Masterplan that formalizes a plan of action.

4. The staged implementation of the Masterplan.

Understanding your course is a fundamental starting point as with any health check. The Audit of existing conditions covers a broad range of topics including the site conditions, course history and heritage, financial resources and staff levels, membership/user profile, course layout, length, bunkering and strategy, external and internal safety, the Clubhouse, car parking and practice facilities, turf and maintenance,

The 18th hole at The Ballarat Golf Club (David Scaletti) irrigation and water management, landscape character and sustainability and miscellaneous topics specific to the facility.

Following a careful analysis of the course audit a series of recommendations are discussed with key stakeholders of the club management. This interactive process establishes a clear set of objectives and priorities.

A Golf Course Masterplan is then developed by the Golf Course Architect which formalizes an agreed scope of work and direction for the club. The Masterplan must be ‘sold’ to the broader golf club in order for it to be adopted as a shared vision and way forward.

For example, when designing Ballarat Golf Course, TP as the course architects produced a detailed report in consultation with the club which sets in stone the expectations for the ongoing management of the course. This document continues to guide the golf club in the management of the course.

The Implementation phase follows, and requires considerable time, careful planning, professional expertise, money and resources.

It is essential that good communication

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with members and patrons is maintained throughout in order to manage and satisfy their expectations. Newsletters, 3D computer visualizations, site inspections and regular forums are all beneficial. It’s desirable to set achievable milestones that can generate enthusiasm and pride as the course is improved. Word of mouth is a powerful ally.

In summary, every course is capable of being improved. It is recommended that the club engage a suitably qualified Golf Course Architect to undertake a thorough course Audit and to work with the club’s management to prepare a Course Masterplan that can be logically staged and funded. At all times the management must communicate and respect the members throughout the process. • Ross Perrett is Managing Director of Thomson Perrett Golf Course Architects, one of the world’s premier golf course design companies. Together with Australian legend Peter Thomson, Thomson Perrett has worked on over 250 projects around the globe. They can be contacted on +61 3 8698 8000, or via thomsonperrett.com.au.

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RACV Ladies Masters preview

Golf fans in for a treat David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

F

OR 27 years, RACV Ladies Masters tournament chairman Bob Tuohy has made a habit of introducing brilliant new talent to the tournament and this year is no exception.

Last year Australian Su Oh wowed the galleries when she took on English sensation Charley Hull and experienced campaigner Katherine Kirk and won.

The good news is she’s back to defend her crown from February 25-28.

“She’s a brilliant talent and one to watch,” Tuohy said.

“Of course, there will be some familiar faces like 2014 champion Cheyenne Woods, South Korean Yiyai Shin and Laura Davies.”

Shin, a two-time Women’s British Open winner, has 44 professional wins world-wide including 11 on the US LPGA Tour.”

“She’s an incredible talent,” Tuohy said. “But we also have a whole bunch of new faces.

“We have seven Solheim Cup players confirmed in a field that will include 60 Ladies European Tour (LET) players.

had always been about introducing new talent.

“We have had a good record in that regard,” he said. “Karrie Webb played her first professional event at Royal Pines and went on to become the world’s best player.

“We have a long list of players that played in the Ladies Masters before going on to stardom.

“There was Annika Sorenstam, who won here in 1995 and again in 2002 and 2004.

“We introduced Yani Tseng in 2010 as an amateur and a year later she won the tournament. Lorena Ochoa was another who played in the event before becoming the world’s top ranked player.

“New Zealand’s Lydia Ko played in the event before she became the best player in the world and Minjee Lee finished runner-up as an amateur in 2014.

“I can assure golf fans that there will be a number of stars of the future in the field again this year.”

THE GOLF COURSE Golf fans had their first glance at the newlook Graham Marsh-designed Royal Pines Resort layout during the Australian PGA Championship last December.

“They all want to play in the event and we have had to increase the European player intake by 10 and still have another 20 on the waiting list.

Of course, inclement weather played havoc on a revamped golf course tailored to combat leading-edge equipment and the players’ muscle.

“We have had a hell of a response this year – it’s unbelievable.

In recent years, the “old” Royal Pines Resort golf course suffered from lack of length and ineffectual hazards – at lease for the professionals.

“Canadian sensation Brooke Henderson will play. She’s already won on the US LPGA Tour and is going to be golf’s next megastar.”

Tuohy said his focus for the Ladies Masters

This year the slate is clean.

“I remember coming here in 1992 and there was hardly a tree on the course,” Tuohy said.

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“The first two Ladies Masters tournaments (1990-91) were played at Palm Meadows and it’s been at Royal Pines ever since.

“The golf course is a new experience for the players, but we are going to endeavour to set the course up so the players can produce good scores.

“We don’t want even-par winning. From teeto-green, the course will be set up very different to how it was set up for the Australian PGA. “We will widen the fairways where they taper in and reduce the height of the rough.

FOR THE RECORD THE RACV Ladies Masters has been played 26 times, but only has 13 champions.

“We won’t see the severe run-offs from the greens because we plan to enhance the first cut length to stop the ball rolling off into all sorts of difficult areas.”

Karrie Webb has won it eight times, Swede Annika Sorenstam and Dame Laura Davies (three each) and Australian Jane Crafter and American Jane Geddes (two each).

LONG SERVICE The RACV Ladies Masters has a proud record spanning three decades.

“It’s our 27th year, which is something of a miracle,” Bob Tuohy said. “I was told by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate that he thinks the tournament is the oldest, settled event on the Gold Coast.

“The Magic Millions has been going for a long time, but I think we beat them by a year.”

Other winners: Gail Graham (Canada), Amy Yang (South Korea), Lisa Hall (England), Aussie Katherine Kirk (nee Hull), Yani Tseng (Taiwan), Christel Boeljon (Netherlands), Cheyenne Woods (US) and Su Oh (Australia). •

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RACV Ladies Masters preview PAST WINNERS 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990

Su Oh Cheyenne Woods Karrie Webb Christel Boeljon Yani Tseng Karrie Webb Katherine Hull Lisa Hall Karrie Webb Amy Yang Karrie Webb Annika Sorenstam Laura Davies Annika Sorenstam Karrie Webb Karrie Webb Karrie Webb Karrie Webb Gail Graham Jane Crafter Annika Sorenstam Laura Davies Laura Davies Jane Crafter Jane Geddes Jane Geddes

Australia United States Australia Netherlands Taiwan Australia Australia England Australia South Korea Australia Sweden England Sweden Australia Australia Australia Australia Canada Australia Sweden England England Australia United States United States

Volunteers wanted for RACV Ladies Masters HOW would you like to spend an exciting few days as a RACV Ladies Masters volunteer at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast from February 25-28?

If that appeals, simply put up your hand and volunteer for duty.

Volunteer boss Marie McGuinness is urging club golfers (men, women and juniors) to join the army of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the tournament.

“With the RACV Ladies Masters only weeks away, I am still short of 100 volunteers,” she said.

“Volunteers are rewarded with a shirt and hat, food and beverage on days they work, free pass for family and friends, a barbeque at the end of play on the final day and a complimentary game of golf for those who work four days or more.”

If you want to get involved, call Marie McGuinness on 0414-534-230 or email marie.kielly70@gmail.com

Oh for that winning feeling – again David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

R

ACV Ladies Masters defending champion Su Oh says she doesn’t remember all the hole-by-hole details of last year’s final round at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

What Oh does remember is she birdied the final four holes to win her first professional tournament.

What she also remembers is Karrie Webb’s words of wisdom ringing in her ears.

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“Karrie sent me a message saying ‘good luck’,” Oh said. “I then asked Karrie for advice on how I should approach the final round and she told me not to think about it too much and just play my own game.

“So I went in with the mentality to play my own game because I knew if I did that I would have a chance to win.”

Oh, the world’s number one amateur in 2013, did win and now she can’t wait to defend her title and cast her eye over the new-look back nine holes designed by Graham Marsh to complement the front nine completed at the end of 2014.

Su Oh is aiming to become a two-time winner of the RACV Ladies Masters. win and says she would take that score again if it was offered.

Mind you, she’ll reserve her judgement until after her first practice round in the lead-up to the tournament played from February 25-28.

Who knows, if Su Oh is in contention going into the final round she just might seek the advice of Australian PGA champion and fellow Victorian Nathan Holman.

Oh hasn’t had the chance to test her considerable skills on new holes (10 to 18), but did watch the Australian PGA Championship won by Nathan Holman.

Holman defeated South African Dylan Fritelli and American Harold Varner III on the first extra hole of a playoff – the tough 18th hole.

“It looks tough,” she said. “Accuracy is going to be the key and hitting the ball in the right areas of the greens is very important.

I ask Oh what her strategy will be if she is a shot adrift playing the final hole – the 423-metre par-5.

“The greens are undulating and the areas you need to land your ball are quite small if you want to get close to the pin.”

Last year, the South Korean-born Australian shot seven-under par to

“I have heard the 18th hole is much harder now, but I would probably go for the green in two and try and make eagle or birdie,” she said.

“Every other year it’s been reachable in two with a driver and three- for five-wood.” •

GETTING TO KNOW SU OH Age: 19.

Turned pro: 2014.

My first job was … professional golfer although I did voluntary work at tournament events.

My goal for 2016 is … to gain full LPGA status for 2017.

My favourite club in the bag is …

I wish I knew. It changes all the time.

Usually I do well with my putter.

The strength of my game is … it changes all the time.

A work in progress is … my short game.

The best part of playing golf for a living is … I love to travel and work at something I love. I don’t see it as a tough job.

The hardest part of playing golf for a living is … being away from home.

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A tournament I’d like to win is … the US Women’s Open.

My best ever score is … 64 – eightunder par.

My favourite golfer is … I never really had one, but I look up to Karrie Webb.

My favourite golf tournament to watch is … the British Open.

Another sport I’d like to be good at is … tennis.

I was … nine years old when I took up golf.

My hidden talent is … I can play the piano but not brilliantly.

My favourite food is … dessert. I have a sweet tooth.

When I’m not playing golf I’m … chilling out at home and catching up with friends. I also enjoy building Nanoblocks (similar to Lego but smaller blocks).

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

21

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cover story

Senior’s ‘swan song’ season With his seventh and final year on the Champions Tour now upon him, Peter Senior is hoping that 2016 will be the year that he (finally) breaks through for an elusive Tour victory.

Brian O’Hare

editor@australianseniorgolfer.com.au

P

ETER SENIOR has never been one to shirk the hard yards and has fittingly set himself up for what could be a crowning final season on the US Champions Tour.

The 56-year-old couldn’t have had a much better return home in 2015 than his Masterswinning Aussie summer, but that success is bookended by situations requiring Senior to display his legendary fighting qualities.

We first caught up with Senior shortly after he returned to Australia after what had been his sixth year on the lucrative American over 50’s circuit.

Senior was playing in the Australian Senior PGA Championship at the Richmond Golf Club in Western Sydney and after what many saw as two comparatively lean years in the US was in a surprisingly buoyant mood.

He’d missed qualifying for the tour’s seasonending Charles Schwab Cup Championship two years in a row but wasn’t showing any signs of disappointment.

Instead, he detailed the long battle he had gone through to even complete the 2014 season and qualify for 2015.

“I did my shoulder in August [2014] and had to play the last eight events hitting it180 yards off the tee,” Senior explained. Not an easy cross to bear for a pro golfer playing alongside some of the game’s all-time greats.

“I had no tour status in America [at that stage] so if I didn’t finish inside the top 50 I wouldn’t be able to go back unless I went to the players school and the way my shoulder was I couldn’t go back to the player school anyway. So I just went through the last eight tournaments, finished about 50th every week and managed to finish 44th overall, which got me enough tournaments [in 2015].”

Senior had shoulder surgery at home that Christmas and said he was “a bit slow” starting the 2015 season.

“It took me a few months to get going but the last three months I played over there, from July onwards, I played pretty good.”

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cover story To illustrate, he finished T67 in his first event and T7 in his final appearance – a rather good summary of his season.

could be a very long year or it could be a very short year.”

But whatever happens with the short stick this season – and everyone knows he will battle to make it work – Senior was adamant that 2016 would be his final year of international golf.

“I missed seven tournaments but did enough to get me fully exempt for [2016].

I finished 35th, which will get me into everything except two events,” he said.

Senior went very close to winning that week in Richmond, narrowly defeated by an evergreen Rodger Davis in a three-man playoff that included Mike Harwood.

“I’m just tired of being away from home,” he said. “For nearly 40 years I’ve been travelling.

I ‘m really happy I had my wife and my son with me every week, but if that wasn’t the case I wouldn’t be playing.

The following week he was due in Huntingdale for the Australian Masters and was quietly confident about his chances.

“I will still play a couple of events here but I won’t play many. I will play a few of the senior events to help the boys out but I won’t be playing full time.”

“I haven’t played there for a long time so it will be interesting,” he told us. “It’s a course that really suits me so I’m hoping to do pretty well.”

So here’s hoping in his seventh and final year on the Champions Tour Senior can record that first elusive win. It would only be fitting having gone so close so many times.

He, of course, did exceptionally well, recording an historic win that had Melbourne golf fans enraptured. Famously, it completed a “Triple Crown” of Australia’s three major championships in his 50’s.

“I know it’s coming to an end. I’ve had a ball,” Senior says. •

Senior was still buzzing the next week when he was about to contest the Australian Open, an event he won for the second time in 2012.

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of hype over the last couple of days,” he said at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. “The last nine holes at Huntingdale was the first time since I played with Greg Norman that I’ve had crowds cheering all the way up the fairway from tee to green. It hasn’t happened - well I haven’t seen it happen in Australian golf for some time. The crowd following me that afternoon … the last 9 holes was unbelievable.”

He proved correct in that assessment, missing both cuts, but went on to narrowly miss winning the Australian Legends Championship at Byron Bay in another playoff; then won the inaugural Sunshine Coast Masters, the last event of the 2015 E-ZGO PGA Legends Tour.

At Richmond last year he laughed at his own previous suggestion he would be hanging out the “Gone Fishing” sign.

And that brings us to Senior’s next challenge. After some 28 years that event was Senior’s last with a long putter.

“I have always been a good putter so it shouldn’t worry me at all,” he said. By the Australian Open he’d had a chance to talk to another affected Aussie about the new rule.

Senior knew enough about his own game to forecast that the Australian Open and When the new “no anchoring” rule was first Australian PGA Championship courses at The announced in 2012 we spoke to Senior in Australian and Royal Pines would favour the Sydney and he ventured it would probably longer hitters and that he didn’t have much mean4:05 2015 InsideGolfAd_PTSEvolution.pdf 1 4/6/15 PM would be his last year of professional golf. of a chance.

Senior said he had already been practicing hard with the short putter and was “actually looking forward to playing with it.”

“I’ve talked to Adam Scott about it,” he said. “I’m going to do the same as what he’s been doing. But the first two tournaments in America [in 2016] will be worth watching. It

Brian O’Hare is the founder and editor of Australian Senior Golfer, a website and online magazine providing news, information and entertainment for golfers aged 45 plus. www.Australianseniorgolfer.com.au

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

23

tour talk

The perfect player of 2015? with Steven Jeffress ed@insidegolf.com.au

P

eter and I met at the Qantas club on the Sunday night after the Australian Open and had a couple of beers to get ready for our flight to Osaka, Japan, via Hong Kong. We landed just after lunch on Monday and had a twoand-a-half-hour drive down to Hakusan prefecture, where our hotel was. No matter how many times you drive in Japan, it’s hard to get used to the tolls. In our drive it cost us about $70 and the maximum speed limit is 80. All you can do is pay the money and smile and listen to Peter’s bad jokes.

At last year’s tour school the temperature didn’t get above 2 degrees so we weren’t sure what to expect. The two practice days this year, however, were perfect. It was cold, around 7 degrees, but I only needed a shirt and vest and not the five layers that I had on last year. To be honest, my lack of form continued for the first 27 holes of the practice rounds. The ball was going everywhere and I wasn’t sure why. I had my playing partners attempting to help me find something that may spark my golf. I had a little thought of trying to hit the ball a little from right to left and all of a sudden I found it! I had 7-under my last nine and there was a little light at the end of the tunnel. It was really important for me to see a couple of nice shots to create some positive thoughts.

The weather the first day was great and my back-9 form from the day before continued. I turned 4-under through nine and had a five-foot putt on 10 to go 5-under. Things were looking good; maybe my poor form and injuries were over.

But unfortunately that’s where my Japan tour school turned upside down. In my final eight holes I made a silly bogey and had three 3-putts to shoot even par. Now, you may say that even par is not a bad score. But after three weeks of average golf, being in a great position to finally put a good score on the board but then throw it away felt very average. The next three days didn’t get any better, with rounds of 73, 75 and a final round of 70 had me missing the four-round cut by two shots.

It was a disappointing finish to the year. On the flight back home I had some time to reflect on 2015 and I came to the conclusion that it was a great year! I played great in the limited Pro-Ams that I played, with four wins and I finished 10th on the OneAsia money list. If I could guarantee that sort of year every year I would be happy.

I was sent an email asking me who was the best player that I played with during the 2015 season. So I thought I would break it down to individual parts of the game and create what I believe is the perfect player of 2015.

Driving –This is an easy one for me. At the HSBC Champions event in China I played with Adam Scott in the 3rd round. He was a standout best driver of the golf ball. He hits the ball a long way but what I was really impressed with was the consistency of his ball flight. It always came out at the same trajectory and with a little draw, it was great to watch. And I can see why he was a number 1 player in the world!

Irons – Ryan Palmer. Ryan has won four times on the US tour and played in the Ryder Cup twice, and you could see why.

Most of the time he hit the ball with a little draw but if the pin was on the right side of the green, he would hit a fade in. It looked like he just had amazing control of his ball and could get at any pin. He was also one of the nicest guys that I have played with.

Short Game – This is another easy one. I played the first two rounds of the Fiji International with Nick Cullen and his short game was unbelievable. High, low, chip and runs or flop shots, he had them. Every chip or bunker shot he hit was stone dead. Once again I loved watching it as it showed me where my short game needs to get to.

Putting – This was a tough one as I played with a lot of great putters throughout the year but I am going with

Hunter Mahan. For those of you who don’t know Hunter, he is a multiple winner on the US tour and has played nearly 10 Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups. I played with him at the Cadillac championship at Doral. He was having a little trouble getting to the green but once he was there, it felt like he didn’t miss. The roll on the ball was awesome and if they didn’t go in they weren’t far away. His speed was perfect every time as it looked like every putt came out of the middle.

Mental Game – I was really impressed with KT Kim and the way he handled adversity. KT is a Korean-born tour player who plays on the Japanese tour. I played with him at the Tour championship in Japan in mid June this year. He was having an average day but hung in there and kept grinding.

I remember him hitting a shot in just right of the green. It hit a sprinkler and went out of bounds. That’s enough to get anyone cranky! But he didn’t. It didn’t look like anything was going to upset him. At the end of the week I looked and saw that he finished top 10 in the event, when early he looked like missing the cut. He went on to win five times on the Japanese tour in 2015 and won the money list.

This is maybe one of the most important parts of anyone’s game. You can drive it straight, hole putts, chip it close but if you can’t handle the tough days, this game will eat you up.

And as you know through my articles there are a lot of them!!

I love watching guys at the top of their game because it makes you realise the level you have to get to, to win at the top level. •

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

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Up and down the world rankings Shane Lowry (Ireland) Paul Casey (Eng) Martin Kaymer (Germany) Russell Knox (Scot) Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)

David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

Y

OU would have received juicy odds if you had predicted veteran Peter Senior would climb 586 places in the world golf rankings in 2015.

Senior wasn’t the only Australasian player to rocket up the rankings.

Kiwi Danny Lee moved up 173 places to end the year in 47th place.

Jason Day, who had a stint as world number one, started 2015 in eighth and ended the year as world number two.

Adam Scott, another man who reached the summit in 2015, was world number three at the start of 2015 and entered 2016 in 12th place.

Of the Africans, Dean Burmester (Dean Who?) moved up 543 places to 126th.

The Zimbabwe-born South African representative helped his cause by winning four times on the Sunshine Tour in 2015.

Tiger Woods almost disappeared off the radar in 2015. He started the year in 42nd place and slipped to 416th by year’s end.

In the women’s world rankings New Zealand’s Lydia Ko ended the year as world number one,

21 22 27 20 43

Japan Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Hideki Matsuyana 16 15 Shingo Katayama 79 59 106 89 Yuta Ikeda

Senior, who plays on the Champions Tour in the US, started 2015 ranked 1025th in the world ended the year in 439th position courtesy of a number of good results including winning the Australian Masters.

Rookie professional Cameron Smith was another player to move in the right direction.

The 22-year-old started the year 190th and entered 2016 in 93rd position.

44 75 12 100 413

Peter Senior. just ahead of Inbee Park of Korea.

Minjee Lee is the best placed Australian in 18th followed by former world No.1 Karrie Webb in 31st place. Rebecca Artis is 135th in the world.

Below is a list of the men’s world rankings continent-by continent and the women’s top10.

Australasia Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Jason Day 8 2 Adam Scott 3 12 Marc Leishman 46 26 Danny Lee (NZ) 220 47 Matt Jones 78 54 89 72 Steven Bowditch John Senden 49 79 Cameron Smith 190 93 Scott Hend 96 112 Marcus Fraser 172 127 Ryan Fox (NZ) 261 139 Geoff Ogilvy 94 140

Africa Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Brandon Grace (RSA) 82 14 Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 45 18 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 31 35 Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 362 67 81 89 George Coetzee (RSA) Dean Burmester (RSA) 669 126 Brenden De Jonge (Zim) 83 141 Tim Clark (RSA) 62 151 Ernie Els (RSA) 63 190 Asia Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) 37 28 Byeong Hun An (Kor) 179 29 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thai) 134 38 K.T. Kim (Kor) 284 60 Europe Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 Rory McIlroy (N. Ireland) 1 3 Henrick Stenson (Swe) 2 5 Justin Rose (Eng) 6 7 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 5 11 Danny Willett (Eng) 50 19

Portarlington golf club

North America Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 9 1 Jordan Spieth BubbaWatson 4 4 10 6 Rickie Fowler Dustin Johnson 19 8 Jim Furyk 7 9 23 10 Patrick Reed Zach Johnson 18 13 34 16 Brooks Koepka Kevin Kisner 236 17 Matt Kuchar 11 20 25 23 Kevin Na Phil Mickelson 14 34 42 416 Tiger Woods South America Jan 1, 2015 Dec 31, 2015 128 32 Emiliano Grillo (Arg) Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay) 99 118 Fabian Gomez (Arg) 245 133 73 218 Angel Cabrera (Arg) Women’s world rankings Dec 31, 2015 1 Lydia Ko (New Zealand) 2 Inbee Park (Korea) 3 Stacey Lewis (USA) 4 Lexi Thompson (USA) 5 So Yeon Ryu (Korea) 6 Shanshan Feng (China) 7 Sei Young Kim (Korea) 8 Amy Park (Korea) 9 Hyo-Joo Kim (Korea) 10 In Gee Chun (Korea) 18 Minjee Lee (Australia) 31 Karrie Webb (Australia) 135 Rebecca Artis (Australia)

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on tour

Davis scaling back, but not finished Davis won’t be quitting the Legends Tour completely, but is planning to scale back somewhat in 2016. He resigned as Chairman of the Legends Tour Players Committee in August 2015 and will be a little more selective about which tournaments he plays.

Famously, he was runner-up at the 1987 British Open after carding a 64 in the opening round at Muirfield.

Brian O’Hare

editor@australianseniorgolfer.com.au

A

USSIE golfing icon Rodger Davis has always had great timing and demonstrated that talent with aplomb at the end of what will likely be his final full-time season on Australian golfing circuits.

The 64-year-old has planned on cutting back on his PGA Legends Tour appearances in 2016 but last year finished with a bang by winning the Australian Senior PGA Championship.

The popular Queenslander brightened the outlook of a water-logged crowd at the Richmond Golf Club in Western Sydney with a compelling final day to take what is the over 50’s tour’s flagship event.

Davis first shot a stunning 4-under 66 on an increasingly sodden layout to force his way into a three way playoff, then beat highly fancied competitors Peter Senior and Mike Harwood in a nerve-racking three hole sudden-death playoff.

Davis was clearly delighted to win the major event on a tour he has helped shape in recent years.

It was his 46th title in a continuing illustrious career that has spanned more than 40 years.

As well as the Australian Open, New Zealand Open and 2009 Australian Senior Open, Davis had seven wins on The European Tour and one on the US Champions Tour.

“I’m extremely happy,” he said after accepting the winning trophy. “I actually haven’t won that title [previously]. Being a life PGA Member it just makes you very proud.”

“The tour is getting stronger and stronger which is great, the boys are looking after their amateur partner the way they should. Everything on the Legends Tour is going well,” he said, with the tour now encompassing some 70 events in Australia and New Zealand.

“They used to play the Australian PGA in August when I turned 50 so I didn’t play for 10 years and then all of sudden you’ve got Harwood and [Peter] Fowler and all these guys playing and it is pretty hard to win.”

“To beat Peter Senior and Mike Harwood when they’re playing the best they’ve played for a while – well Pete Senior never plays badly – is just fantastic.

One thing that won’t be missing this year in the events he does play is his continued zeal to win and his continued enjoyment of golf.

“You know I had to hit certain shots out there on the back nine and I did. I missed a few putts actually but that doesn’t matter now. But at the end of the day under pressure I hit the shots that I used to be able to hit and that is really pleasurable.”

Davis revealed he had been struggling with his game during the year until a dinner conversation with Royal Sydney teaching professional Ron Luxton, who suggested he wasn’t pressing his hands forward as he had in the past.

“You never finish learning in golf,” he laughed.

Davis went into the final round at Richmond in the second-last group and facing an uphill battle. The winner was expected to come from the final group that included Senior, who would go on the next week to win the Australian Masters, Harwood, having a blue ribbon year, and senior tour rookie Peter O’Malley, fresh from an impressive debut on the European Senior Tour.

“There might be more [wins] if I keep hitting it like that,” he said, with another hearty laugh.

In steadily worsening conditions, Davis shone on the back nine and then clinched the win by putting his approach shot on the third playoff hole a couple of feet from the pin.

The win gave Davis automatic entry into the Australian PGA Championship, for which he was already exempt, but as he told the crowd during his acceptance speech, there was no way he would be taking up the option.

“I can tell you right now I’m not playing,” he said. “…. [in 2013] I tried to play and when I hit my best four-iron off the 16th and Adam Scott hit an eight iron … I knew it was time to quit.”

Davis was at the Australian Open in Sydney in November, particularly to be one of the 19 former champions that assembled to celebrate the 100th edition of the event, and admitted to being only mildly bemused when Senior, the man he beat in Richmond, went on to win one of the nation’s biggest golfing events the following week.

It wasn’t going to change his intended scheduling, but no doubt it will just further inspire one of Australia’s golfing greats when next he takes to the paddock. • Brian O’Hare is the founder and editor of Australian Senior Golfer, a website and online magazine providing news, information and entertainment for golfers aged 45 plus. www.Australianseniorgolfer.com.au

THE NEW REIGN OF POWER WWW.COBRAGOLF.COM.AU/KING Inside_Golf_Feb_Half_Page.indd 1

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

18/01/16 09:52

amateurs

‘Golden Tickets’ going fast for ACGC Lauren McGregor

Champion Events

T

he 2015/16 series of the Auto Club Golf Championship is now well into 2016 and the Championship Final is clearly in sight. The New Year brought plenty more regional events and chances to score the Golden Tickets to Queensland, and events are filling up fast as May approaches.

With the 2015 regional events behind us now and the series more than halfway complete, the ACGC Committee can reflect on the successes and strengths of the series thus far.

The 2015/16 series has experienced higher numbers at each regional event, with particular growth in WA and Tasmania and a series high of 156 at Victoria’s Gisborne Golf Club. We attribute this growth to the reputation of the ACGC tournament being the fastest-growing amateur pair event in Australia, as well as the top prize trip to Queensland being a big drawcard.

This growth, of course, means a tougher competition, but also a more exciting and entertaining event for everyone involved.

We would like to send our thanks to the hardworking hosting clubs who attract these high numbers and provide a great experience for everyone who attends.

Another strength of the 2015/16 ACGC series has been the introduction of our Junior Golf Initiative, which encourages juniors to grow their love of golf through tournament play. Every junior (with a Golf Link handicap)

who participates in any of the ACGC qualifying rounds will go into a state-based draw to have their Golf Club membership subscription paid for 12 months. With this incentive coupled with allowing juniors qualify through to the Final, the ACGC committee has hopes of seeing more young and competitive faces at the events.

This has certainly been the case with multiple junior golfers playing in regional events, a noticeable increase from years past. We are proud to report the December event at Royal Pines Resort made ACGC history with the first junior golfer to win through to the Championship Final. Trent

Rhodes is seventeen years old and plays off a GA handicap of 3.4. He won the Golden Tickets to the Championship Final with his father Barry Rhodes with a combined score of 71 points. We look forward to watching the father and son pair representing RACQ at their home course of Royal Pines in May. It is the hope of the committee that Trent’s success will motivate even more junior golfers to sign up for regional events.

There are still plenty of opportunities to qualify for the Championship Final at regional events around Australia. To find or register at an event near you, go to www. acgc.com.au.

UPCOMING ACGC DATES STATE

EVENT

DATE

VIC

Mornington

5/02/2016

WA

Meadow Springs

5/02/2016

NSW

Fairfield Golf Club #2

7/02/2016

WA

Blackwood

12/02/2016

VIC

Cohuna

13/02/2016

SA

West Lakes

14/2/2015

TAS

Royal Hobart

14/02/2016

NSW

Corowa

14/02/2016

VIC

RACV Torquay

21/02/2016

WA

Port Kennedy

24/02/2016

VIC

Lakes Entrance

28/02/2016

QLD

Yeppoon

28/02/2016

SA

McCracken

11/03/2016

VIC

Garfield Golf Club

13/03/2016

VIC

RACV Cape Schanck

15/03/2016

NSW

Casino

20/03/2016

VIC

Sanctuary Lakes

31/03/2016

WA

Seaview

01/04/2016

VIC

Morwell

03/04/2016

NSW

Cobram Barooga

09/04/2016

SA

Port Augusta

10/04/2016

SA

McLaren Vale

16/04/2016

This schedule is subject to change, and venues are being added regularly. Visit www.acgc.com.au for the latest schedule.

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www.acgc.com.au 30

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

legends

Driving forward…Thomas changes gears

H

e didn’t start playing the game of golf until he was in his 30s, but Tomas Mezera has found his place on the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour and says it’s one of his biggest sporting achievements to date.

“It’s such an amazing achievement for me because there are so many good players coming through, more each year, and it’s not just the guys I spoke about above.

There are players more than capable of beating them and they are doing really well. Guys like Craig Warren and David Hando who won tournaments but don’t have the same status because they weren’t able to win the majors. They are all very capable golfers and getting the chance to be out there on the course with them, playing in tournaments is a great experience,” Mezera said.

This is a pretty big call for Mezera, who (as many will remember) was the V8 Supercar driver who won Australia’s biggest race, the Bathurst 1000, in 1988 alongside Tony Longhurst.

A former teammate of Peter Brock and Holden Racing Team manager, Mezera was born in Czechoslovakia and arrived in Australia via an Austrian refugee camp in his early 20s. His dream at that time was to be an Olympic skier or Formula 1 driver. And while he didn’t make those milestones his life has been full of outstanding sporting achievements.

“I think the Legends Tour is really gaining momentum.

There are more and more players at all levels joining and more tournaments for them to play in with greater prize money, it’s a great time to be out there playing golf.”

On the golf course, he says his ambitions are more down to earth.

Mezera was recently awarded the David Mercer Award for services to the PGA Legends Tour; an honour he says still has him shocked.

“I’m not trying to win a tournament or pro-am, I have to be realistic because I’m not good enough, especially now with the calibre of players who are playing on the Legends Tour - guys like Rodger Davis, Wayne Grady, Peter Senior and Ian Baker-Finch. But I just can’t get enough of it; I could spend all day on the golf course,” Mezera said.

“I was so surprised, I thought ‘why me?’ I have always enjoyed looking after the people we play golf with; getting up and speaking about my time in motorsport, and people have always seemed to like it. But I never did it for any recognition. I just liked helping the Legends Tour in my own little way.

“When you look back at your life achievements sometimes the ones that are the biggest on paper aren’t the ones that you find yourself reflecting on. Sometimes you don’t win – a race or a tournament - but you can be more satisfied because you have done a really good job under the circumstances. That’s golf to me; I am not setting the world on fire but am really proud of what I’m achieving.

“You meet so many people and it’s amazing how many of them follow motorsport and remember when I used to race and when I won Bathurst. If they get some enjoyment out of hearing me talk about those experiences, well, I’m just happy to do that. To receive an award for it was very surprising. But I’m quite chuffed.

“Mentally it’s the hardest thing I have ever done. I say that and people think I’m joking. I understand why. I mean, I used to drive a car at speeds up to 380kms an hour, and when you make a mistake in that type of situation it can have some pretty devastating consequences. But golf is different; it’s such a frustrating game. You’ve got too much time to think about it before you hit the ball and that’s the biggest problem with golf for me, because in motor racing

Former V8 Supercar driver Tomas Mezera. you work on instinct…you don’t think about it because you don’t have time to think. But in golf it’s completely different; it’s all about confidence and sometimes you try to over think, which I find difficult.”

Mezera turned his attention to golf when he turned 50 and earned his spot on the PGA Legends Tour via Qualifying School. After five years of finishing inside the top 60 players on the Tour, he has earned his PGA Membership.

“I’m just so grateful to the PGA for this opportunity.

At the age of 50 there aren’t many other sports where you can play in a professional tournament and it’s great to see a lot of other guys just like me giving it a go and sinking their time into it.” • For more information on the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour visit www.pga.org.au

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

31

legends

Senior a creature of habit I

Cheyenne Woods returns for RACV Ladies Masters

T seems old habits are hard to break especially when you have absolutely no desire to break them.

In this case, it’s Peter Senior’s penchant for winning golf tournaments in Australia in his 50s.

Cheyenne Woods will return to Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast as a former champion of the RACV Ladies Masters and should she reproduce the form that saw her sweep to victory in 2014, she will have a great chance of lifting the crystal trophy for the second time.

The 56-year-old did it in 2010 to win the Australian PGA Championship.

He did it in 2012, overcoming wild weather to win the Australian Open and he did it again in 2015 when he won the Australian Masters.

It doesn’t end there, though.

The popular American, well-known as Tiger Woods’ niece, is making her third successive appearance in the tournament to be played from February 25-28.

Late last year, Senior played a number of PGA Legends Tour (over 50s) events and cleaned up.

He took out the inaugural Sunshine Coast Masters Series with a score of 14-under par over the four rounds at Twin Waters Resort, Peregian Springs and Noosa golf clubs.

As a rookie in the field in 2014, Woods soon worked out a strategy that fitted perfectly with her ability to play to her strengths and finished two shots clear of Australian sensation Minjee Lee, an amateur at the time.

In the unique event, professionals competed at three separate E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour pro-ams where the players with the best three aggregate scores contested the final round at Twin Waters Golf Club.

She made light work of the unfamiliar golf course and became one of only a handful of players to break par in every round when she carded 69-67-71-69 for a 276 total – 16-under par.

Senior was off to a flying start winning the legends Noosa pro-am with a five-under par – two shots ahead of Mike Zilco and Michael Barry.

In round two, Brisbane’s Allan Cooper carded a creditable four-under 68 to win the Schweppes Peregian Springs pro-am.

SURF’S UP: Sunshine Coast Masters champion Peter Senior with Ian Baker-Finch.

Cooper edged out Senior, former British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch, Ossie Moore, Mike Harwood, Terry Price and a number of other well-known players.

firing a five-under-par 67 for overall victory at 14-under par.

“This has been a great week for me and I can only congratulate all the players on the performances in making it a wonderful series of events,” Senior said.

In round three, Richard Backwell was successful winning the Cricks Twin Waters Legends pro-am with a four-under par 68.

“It’s great to have golf on the map in the area (Sunshine Coast) again and thanks has to go to Ian Baker-Finch for his efforts in getting this off the ground with the host golf clubs.”

Senior finished in a four-way tie for second, one stroke back.

Starting the fourth and final round at nineunder par, Senior was five shots clear of his nearest rival Tim Elliot.

Peregian Springs Golf Club CEO and one of the organisers Declan McCollam said the series was a major success.

Backwell, too, was in the leading group, but the legendary Peter Senior was at his best

G

E

OF MEMBE

R IPS

“This event is not only good for the region’s golf – it is good for tourism as well.” •

“She also has a nice presence, a lot of charisma and goes about her job on the golf course in a professional manner.

“In the US, she has a huge following via Twitter, Facebook and on television, which is important when it comes to the RACV Ladies Masters.”

• Listed in the Rolex top 1000 courses in the world 2011 • Consistently ranked in the top 20 courses in Australia (Australian Golf Digest) • No 4 Public Access course in Australia (Golf Australia Magazine 2013) • Range of membership packages available • Driving range open to public • Fully Licensed Club House DON’T DELAY - WHY NOT JOIN TODAY? For more information call (08) 9524 5991 or visit our website

N

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“Many of the professionals playing have brought their families with them to enjoy the Sunshine Coast while they play.

KENNEDY BAY

SH

A R AN

A

RACV Ladies Masters tournament chairman Bob Tuohy said Woods was “an absolute asset to the event”.

“Cheyenne will add spark to the event,” he said. “Apart from being a past champion, Cheyenne is a very good player.

“We received many compliments about how well our course presented on the day and look forward to making this event even bigger and better in 2016.

The Links

GE

N LLE

A CH Y T A N RE RY D E F E DIF EV

“We are honoured to play host to so many legends of golf who have taken time out of their busy schedules to support this event,” he said.

Woods, who joined the Ladies European Tour in 2013 and currently plays on the US LPGA Tour, was denied last year when she finished in a tie for 26th.

W

AVAILA

B

L

Proudly managed by:

Email info@kennedybay.com.au • www.kennedybay.com.au • Tel 08 9524 5991 32

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

clubs

CLUB OF THE MONTH >

The beauty of Peregian Springs

David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

O

PENED in 2003, Peregian Springs Golf Club on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast is building a reputation as a must-play golf course and must-visit golfing destination in the region.

The club’s chief executive officer Declan McCollam said Peregian Springs started life as a private members club, but now welcomed green fee players seven days per week.

The club is thriving and is fast becoming one of the most sought-after and popular golfing destinations for club golfers and social players on the coast.

In the past 12 months, more than 28,000 rounds have been played on the Phil Scottdesigned golf course, which is located at Peregian Beach 15 minutes from Noosa’s famous Hastings Street and the Sunshine Coast Airport.

“Since opening to the general public two years ago, we have seen a dramatic interest from the public to play the course,” McCollam said.

“That’s because Troon Golf, who manage the agronomy, have improved the condition of the golf course dramatically.

“Every week, we are getting more and more players to come and play the golf course and leave with positive comments about the course and the friendly atmosphere the club provides to members and guests alike.”

McCollam says Peregian Springs has managed to combine the attraction of a 34

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

resort-style golf destination with the charm and atmosphere of a local golf club.

“Aside from the local community, we get a lot of interstate visitors and players from the New Zealand market.”

And with the recent introduction of Club Car golf carts equipped with the latest Visage GPS, there is even more reason to play there.

“We also partner up with Noosa Springs, Twin Waters and Pelican Waters golf clubs to offer a four-course package,” McCollam stated.

Some of the recent improvements at Peregian Springs have been the redesign of a couple of holes and upgrades to the bunker drainage.

McCollam said Peregian Springs was the only golf club on the Sunshine Coast that had GPS in its golf carts and that the Visage system was something very special, not just another GPS system.

Peregian Springs Golf Club and Troon Golf have a course development plan to further improve the conditioning of the parklandstyle golf course although they won’t go overboard as it’s already a great and fair test of golf.

And when it comes to accommodation, interstate and overseas golfers have the option of first-class facilities at the Peppers Resort and Spa in Noosa – the club’s playand-stay package partner.

An easy-walking golf course with enough challenges for players of all levels, there are five tee positions that allows players of differing skill levels to choose their own level of difficulty.

“Peregian Springs is a friendly golf course for the average golfer because there are generous landing zones on the fairways and greens,” McCollam said.

“But off the back (black) tees it’s a totally different golf course.

“In fact, there is a difference of 750 metres from the black to the gold tees so there is a bigger challenge playing off the tips.”

For women, the golf course stretches to a comfortable, yet testing, 5135 metres.

Both nines are similar in style with tree-lined fairways and water coming into play on the third, fourth, 11th, 12th and 13th holes.

The front nine has its challenges, especially holes five through eight.

“The signature holes are the 12th and 13th

clubs with one playing over water and the other alongside a large lake with the lake coming into play on both the first and second shots,” McCollam said.

The 312m par-4 fifth hole is perhaps the best chance at a birdie.

Your tee shot needs to be centre right to prevent landing in the fairway bunkers and try to finish under the hole as the green has a ridge running through it. Any ball coming to rest above the hole will be faced with a speedy downhill putt.

Long hitters can be aggressive off the tee although a fairway bunker just short of the green and bush either side of the fairway awaits an errant ball.

The courses ends with three more absorbing holes of great variety.

They begin with the 401m par-4 16th where a long green is shaped diagonally away from you left to right. The best approach is from the right although most players can’t reach it in two.

The 358m (white tees 332m) par-4 17th has water 270m off the tee and 30m short of the green.

This will influence club selection from the tee for the longer hitter and the second shot in the case of the shorter hitter.

The final hole is top-notch and doglegs left with bunkers in play from the tee through to the long, narrow green.

The ever-present breeze has a different effect on almost every shot.

“The great thing about this golf course is it doesn’t beat you up if your game is a little off like some other courses do,” McCollam said.

“It is fun and it has a few nice short par-4s which can get tight as you get towards the smaller greens.”

A round, including golf cart and range balls, costs $79 with the Inside Golf special.

For those people considering joining, Peregian Springs Golf Club they have introduced a number of new membership categories including a five-day, a seven-day, a weekend and a three-month trial membership. Plus they have a Sunday Club that costs $365 per annum with an event held every alternate Sunday and costs just $15pp for Sunday Club players.

“The practice facilities are first-class with a fulllength driving range that has grass area and 12 mat tees,” McCollam said. “There is a putting and chipping green and we also have a fullyequipped gymnasium.

The clubhouse is a wonderful surprise – a modern single-storey building that isn’t pretentious.

“It’s fully stocked with top name Australian and international brands. We stock fashionable apparel, shoes, clubs and an extensive range of accessories.”

It’s pleasantly spacious inside, the focus is on comfort with two bars, a restaurant area, locker rooms and showers open to visitors.

The restaurant is open Wednesday to Sunday, but the bars are open every day. Snacks are available on Mondays and Tuesdays.

“The pro shop is the hub of our golf operations and is open 6am to 6pm seven days a week.

One of the nice things about Peregian Springs Golf Club is it’s junior friendly and boasts a successful junior program with head professional Kai McKay. “On any given Wednesday, you will find 40-50

juniors taking part in our clinics,” McCollam said.

Peregian Springs Golf Club also specialises in corporate golf days, weddings or functions.

Whether it’s for a social group booking for 16 players or a corporate golf day for over 50 players, Peregian Springs will take care of all your and your clients’ needs.

The club, too, offers the most intimate gatherings to the grandest of weddings.

There is a choice of a number of fabulous rooms and stunning outdoor locations.

For more information, call Peregian Springs Golf Club clubhouse on (07) 5471-5471 or the pro shop on (07) 5471-5400 or visit www.peregianspringsgolfclub.com.au •

PEREGIAN SPRINGS GOLF CLUB

A Noosa Golfing Destination

Peregian SPringS golf Club Peregian Springs Drive Peregian Springs QLD 4573 Tel: (07) 5471 5471 Fax: (07) 5471 5444 email: info@psgc.com.au www.peregianspringsgolfclub.com.au

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

35

clubs

New-look City GC to test players

A

NEW driving range and practice facility and changes to a number of holes will greet players contesting the Queensland PGA Championship at City Golf Club in Toowoomba from March 17-20.

Scotland’s Connor Syme and Korea’s Min-ji Park played stunning golf to win their respective Australian Amateur Championships, presented by Swinging Skirts.

“We will have a new first hole in play,” said the club’s golf operations manager Andrew Webb.

Syme, 20, will return later this year to play the Emirates Australian Open at Royal Sydney after winning an epic two-round final 3&2 over New South Welshman Travis Smyth at Metropolitan Golf Club.

“The hole has been lengthened by 75 metres to 390 metres for the professionals and the new green has been moved to across the creek.

Park, 18, similarly, won the right to play this month’s ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open at The Grange in Adelaide, but said later that she would need her mum’s permission to make another overseas trip.

“Now the players will be faced with a water carry over the hazard, which is just five metres short of the green.

“The other change is to the 18th hole. We have put in a fairways bunker down the left side of the fairway at driving distance.

A new driving range and practice area will be in play for the Queensland PGA Championship.

“This might encourage the professionals to hit an iron or a three-wood off the tee and that will give them a longer shot in.

and the driving range – it’s all going to tie in nicely with the Queensland PGA.

“Normally the pros hit driver to 100 metres out, but we have narrowed that area with a bunker.”

In the lead-up to the tournament, there will be two pro-am days – Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16 and on Friday, March 18 The Eagles Tribute Band will perform.

Still, Webb predicts scoring will be “hot”.

“The golf course is not overly long for the professionals, but with narrower fairways and fast greens the winning score might not reach 17-under par which was Ryan Fox’s winning score last year,” Webb said.

“It’s exciting for the golf fans when the players are scoring birdies and eagles.

“People don’t want to see professionals shooting even par.”

Other changes at City Golf Club include a brand-new driving range and practice facility, which will open just ahead of the Queensland PGA Championship.

“The professionals will be some of the

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Syme, Park win Australian Amateur

Ryan Fox, son of legendary All Black rugby player Grant Fox, shows off the Queensland PGA trophy (photo courtesy of City Golf Club). first players to use the facility, which has 18 undercover synthetic bays and 18 grassed bays,” Webb said.

“We are also hoping to have the full service café and outdoor deck precinct open at the same time, but that’s weather dependent.

“The mini golf will roll out in the middle of the year.

“We are excited with the new development

Webb said club golfers keen to test their skills on the championship 18-hole golf course were always welcome.

It costs just $30 to play 18 holes and $22 to play nine holes.

After a round, golfers can relax in the impressive clubhouse which has a number of bars, restaurant, Café 19, lounge, gaming room, function rooms, pro shop, administration area and locker rooms.

City Golf Club is located just five minutes from the city centre and a 90-minute drive from Brisbane’s CBD.

Syme was outstanding in making just two bogeys through 34 holes of a back-and-forth tussle with Smyth. The Scotsman was three under through his morning round and was again three under through 16 when Smyth’s birdie try ran by, ending the match to rapturous applause from an appreciative gallery.

“I can’t wait to get back here and play the Open. It’s my first time playing in Australia and I think it’s great, clearly,” Syme beamed.

Park was equally impressive. The Korean ran in 10 birdies across the 31 holes it took her to better fellow Korean Ayean Cho 6&5 in a highquality women’s final.

“I’m really looking forward to participating (in the Women’s Australian Open) … but I’ll have to ask Mum first,” she said.

Park was unofficially eight under – a number Cho, who also played well, was simply unable to match.

Korea won the international teams event, while New South Wales won the national teams title, both playing for a trophy honouring Ross Herbert.

clubs

New sponsor, membership special brings bright future to Pacific Golf Club

O

ne of Brisbane’s best member golf courses is offering new membership options which are sure to get golfers to stand up and take notice.

Pacific Golf Club, situated just 15 minutes south-east of the Brisbane CBD, provides a challenging golfing experience for players of all levels. Easily accessible from all major routes travelling north or south, it makes for a great member club, or simply a regular game of social golf. The club has a new major sponsor, Citisolar, and the association is bringing new life to the club. Citisolar is a 100% Australian-owned and operated company specialising in solar energy and is now working with Pacific Golf Club to ensure a bright future for the club.

Pacific Golf Club has a magnificent 18hole championship golf course, as well as an additional Par-3 nine which is perfect for the beginner or Junior just starting out. The main course is open for competition and social play across most days of the week and visitors are always welcome to come along and play.

The parkland style golf course is in fantastic condition, being nestled in between the tributaries of Bulimba and Spring Creeks, which supply the golf course with an abundance of water. The club is about to open its new 13th hole which will see it adding to the signature precinct of the course. Stunning new rock-faced ponds surround large greens, while contrasting against lush tree-lined fairways. The native gardens make it a beautiful haven for all

the opportunity of midweek competition or social play without overtaking your weekends with the family. This is also a great membership opportunity for the beginner as they learn to build their golfing skills. All for a greatly reduced price.

types of birdlife and the waterways are homes to turtles and fish.

Pacific currently has membership open in a range of different categories for both men and women. The new three-day “Lifestyle” and six-month (summer and winter) memberships are available as well as the normal Full and Ladies membership options.

Seven, six, five and three-day memberships are now available on one of Brisbane’s most affordable, picturesque and manicured golf courses.

Pacific’s new six-month membership covers the summer or winter period and is perfect for the sportsperson who plays a competitive alternative sport during the year, but wants to play golf in their off-season, without paying a full year’s membership fee.

The three-day “Lifestyle” membership offers

Pacific is offering special membership opportunities for new members and there are great payment options on offer. There are regular daily competitions for both men and women or social play times every day.

The fully-stocked Pro Shop caters for every need and the accredited Golf Professionals run regular Junior and Ladies clinics for beginners.

The Monthly “Citisolar Black Snake Challenge” kicks off this month and will see the golf course set to a black marker standard. The more monthly rounds a person

plays in, the better the chance to scoop the end-of-year prize. Citisolar are proud sponsors of this monthly event which sees the course set to its challenging best. The main competition is a Stableford across three grades, so winning a prize is not just left to the top grade players.

Pacific Golf Club is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and has a large gaming precinct in the Social part of the clubhouse.

Social membership is only $5 for the year and you are able to enjoy all the facilities of the clubhouse - including special member’s prices on all food and beverage purchases at any time, day or night.

There has never been a better time to join Pacific Golf Club, so visit the website at www.pacificgolf.com.au for all the membership options available. •

PRESCARE QUEENSLAND SENIOR ORDER OF MERIT Open to all men and women golfers over the age of 55 years Scratch and nett divisions for all events and order of merit Over 65 years section Play a few or play them all!

Go to www.golfqueensland.org.au for event details and to register. upcoming events WHEN WHERE Friday 19 February Bribie Island PresCare QSOOM Monday 14 March Redcliffe PresCare QSOOM Friday 1 April McLeod PresCare QSOOM Friday 15 April Carbrook PresCare QSOOM Sunday 17 April Brisbane Senior & Veteran Championships / Nudgee Golf Club Friday 22 April Laidley Ladies Classic

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www.golfqueensland.org.au | T: (07) 3252 8155 www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

37

clubs

FEATURED FAVOURITE>

Gardiners Run Golf Course Richard Fellner richard@insidegolf.com.au

L

ocated just 35 minutes east of the Melbourne CBD, Gardiners Run Golf Course is one of the Yarra Valley’s newest and most talked-about clubs, providing golfers of all ages and abilities with an aesthetically stimulating yet highly playable layout.

The clubhouse is a modern, comfortable and functional facility that sets the standard by which many clubs should model their new developments. The bar, lounge, pro-shop and function room all share the open-plan space in a seamless, integrated manner, and the room offers a welcoming atmosphere to members and guests alike. Or enjoy a meal and drink after your game on the shaded deck which overlooks the 18th green.

On the doorstep to the Yarra Valley, Gardiners Run Golf Course has been architecturally crafted by Pacific Coast Design, taking full advantage of the gentle sloping contours of the countryside site terrain, to create a golf course that features golfing holes of individuality and character.

After a warm-up at the well-designed driving range (complete with target greens), or a putt on the large practice putting green, golfers can move on to the course, which has been designed to appeal to players of every level. With multiple tee locations, and versatile greens providing a multitude of pin placements, the course can play completely differently from one day to the next.

The two nines at Gardiners Run are very different in look, feel and character. The front nine features an open and meandering course that takes full advantage of the area’s scenery and landscape. This is especially true on holes 2-6, which are laid out in all four compass directions, and feature some sharp changes in elevation. The 495m par-5 2nd is a lovely hole that plays over a hill to an open valley. The longer hitters who can hit it straight here will be rewarded with a chance at hitting the green in two. If you’re offline,

lowland landing area; if you hit it straight and long, you’ll find yourself with an easy chip and/or birdie opportunity. Wayward shots, however, may require some serious scrambling (and hunting) to save par. The short 148m uphill par-3 16th requires a solid tee shot, lest you find yourself in one of two very difficult bunkers. 17 and 18 are difficult closing holes that require solid tee shots and course management; with 18 partially surrounded by a lake at the back/ sides, and a sneaky bunker on the front.

however, be prepared to re-load, as a lost ball will be commonplace.

The downhill 304m Par-4 5th hole is a tempting and challenging little gem with a remarkable view. With the wind at your back— via an elevated tee—the green is driveable for many (even with a fairway wood), but the bunkers and swales surrounding the green can be extremely penal. Indeed, driving this green requires courage, skill and more than a bit of luck. The safe play is to the large landing area on the left, leaving you with a short iron to the green. This is followed by the challenging 340m par-4 6th hole, with water on both sides leading to an elevated green. The generous fairway will be a saviour for those struggling off the tee, but the resulting uphill approach shot requires finesse.

Both of the Par-3s on the front nine (the 150m 3rd and the 175m 7th) are straightforward and enjoyable, albeit deadly if you miss the green; the 3rd features a ballgrabbing lake in front, while the uphill 7th has imposing rough, bunkers and a difficult ridge line. The back-nine is a more undulating layout that features a number of risk-reward opportunities, as well as a few blind tee shots to keep you on your toes. The 518m par-5 10th is a rollercoaster of a hole, with an uphill tee shot followed by a downhill approach around a dogleg right to a well-guarded green.

Great value golf memberships are available in all categories including corporate opportunities and the new Ladies Provisional membership.

Social group bookings are welcomed.

Sunday-Friday, they offer a discounted green fee rate for groups of 12 players or more. They can also organise some food options to satisfy your post-round hungers.

Gardiners Run is also a great setting for corporate golf days and the team would love to help organise your next big event. •

The finishing set of 15-18 will provide many opportunities to either bolster or destroy your scorecard, depending on how much risk you take. The shortish 319m par-4 15th features a blind tee shot over a hill to a

FACT FILE Gardiners Run Golf Course 132 Victoria Road, Lilydale 3140 03 9739 7522 www.gardinersrun.com.au Twitter: @GardinersRun

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clubs

Buddy Club program a boon for Oberon

O

beron Golf Club was a big winner last month as it welcomed a visit from their ‘Big Buddy club’, Oatlands Golf Club.

Oatlands and Oberon were brought together through the Golf NSW Buddy Club program, an initiative of Golf New South Wales to promote the game and club facilities across both venues.

The program was launched earlier this year with more than 120 clubs signing up to the program during the first round of offers. To date, clubs have benefitted in many ways including the facilitation of strategic planning workshops, lending unused or under-utilised course and office equipment, and organised club visits from staff and executives.

The two-day visit from Oatlands included a delegation of executive staff including Club General Manager Barnaby Sumner, Director of Golf Operations, Steve Younan, Teaching Professional David Ecob and Head Chef Paul Molan.

During the visit, Oatlands staff passed on their knowledge of golf club management and operations, as well as coordinated activities aimed at introducing new members and engaging current members within the Oberon Club and its community.

The visiting delegation from Oatlands helped coordinate a range of activities including a “Super 6s” competition, golf clinics and a 9-hole Ambrose competition.

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

There was also a pop-up golf shop offering products that Oberon locals did not usually have regular access to. The new Oberon kitchen was in operation and there was plenty of time to share ideas and golf stories.

Oatlands also donated dinnerware to be used in the newly renovated kitchen.

“Oberon is the big winner out of this and we are truly grateful to be part of the initiative,” said Sean Mooney, Secretary of Oberon Golf Club. “The bonus to the Oatlands team was a trip to our lovely town and golf club, and if they picked up one idea from us, that’s a bonus.”

Oatlands General Manager Barnaby

Sumner regarded the buddy club as a great opportunity for his team to mentor and help develop other clubs within the industry.

“We are excited to be playing our part in developing our industry and assisting those clubs that perhaps aren’t as fortunate as our own in terms of resources and member numbers,” Mr Sumner says.

Golf NSW is currently calling for expressions of interest from any affiliated club that missed out on nominating for the first round of offers. More information can be obtained by calling the Golf NSW office on (02) 9505 9105 or emailing Jon Shineberg at jon.shineberg@golfnsw.org •

Finchem named World Golf Foundation Chairman for 2016 Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR Commissioner, has been named World Golf Foundation (WGF) Chairman for 2016 by the Board of Directors.

He succeeds Pete Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA of America.

Finchem became Commissioner of the PGA TOUR on June 1, 1994. Now entering his 26th year with the organization, he has played an integral role in strengthening the PGA TOUR’s position as one of the most successful, wellrespected sports organizations in the world, and his leadership has helped foster the growth of the game, both domestically and internationally.

During his tenure, the PGA TOUR has raised more than $1 billion of the $2 billionplus raised in its history for charitable organizations. Additionally, Finchem has been instrumental in the formation of the International Federation of PGA Tours and WGF. His personal dedication to the success of The First Tee has led to the establishment of nearly 200 chapters, which have reached 6.5 million young people in the last decade.

“As a caretaker and ambassador of the game, I look forward to leading the World Golf Foundation’s Board as we take the game to new heights in 2016,” said Finchem. “With the Olympics on the horizon, it is an exciting time for the industry as we introduce golf to new audiences around the world.”

“Tim has elevated golf’s profile globally and 2016 will be even more compelling with golf’s return to the Olympics,” said Steve Mona, CEO of WGF. “We are in store for an historic year and Tim’s leadership of WGF brings further promise.”

More: www.worldgolffoundation.org.

6 1 0 2 e h t f o e m o H b u l C f l o G p y i t h s Ci n o i p m a h C A G P D L Q a l o C a c o C

Tournament Dates March 17-20

Spectator Entry Free

Friday 18th Beer and Wine Night from 5.30pm, $25 entry Friday 18th The Eagels Show from 7.30pm, $30 per ticket Sunday 20th VIP Marquee from 11am, $75 entry Monday 21st Play where the pro’s play (final round course setup) $30pp 254 South Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350 07 4636 9000 • www.citygolf.com.au

clubs

‘New’ Kew continues sparkling transformation

beverages and food for members and guests.

Richard Fellner richard@insidegolf.com.au

O

ne of Melbourne’s premier member courses, The Kew Golf Club, has completed the next steps in a massive, multi-year, multi-million-dollar transformation which is set to position the club as one of the city’s most welcoming and enjoyable golf club facilities.

Following last year’s completion of their impressive course redevelopment—which saw the layout and condition of the golf course vastly improved—the club has recently completed Stages 1 and 2 of their clubhouse redevelopment.

These recent changes include an updating of the clubhouse’s Main Bar, which received a new ceiling, sparkling lighting, painting and new carpeting. The bar is now on par with the best in the area, and is a warm and welcoming area for dining and pre- or post-round

Another area to benefit from the renovation is the Northern Lounge, which now sports a new functions bar, lighting, carpet, painting and furniture. The project also extended the back wall and installed a glass sliding door that creates a functional and enticing indoor/ outdoor area.

bathroom, showers and lockers, resulting in a fresh, clean and modern look.

other beautification projects to refresh the 121-year-old club.

Finally, the Golf Professional Training Facility received its own rejuvenation, celebrating a new, modern indoor/outdoor training facility on the practice fairway. Members and guests can now train in style, and receive modern instruction.

Plans are in place to rebuild the last of the older greens over the next few years.

In addition, the renovation saw the removal of the dividing wall between the two northern lounges to create one large room—resulting in an open, inviting area which can now accommodate larger groups for functions and events.

Stages 3 and 4 of the proposed six-stage project are set to be implemented in the coming years, which will see an ambitious kitchen extension and relocation, new expanded dining rooms, function bar and more.

The club’s Northern Terrace also received a major facelift, with new paving, updated furniture and glass balustrades, which now takes full advantage of the elevated view over the golf course. A new front fence and impressive entrance adds a refreshing feel to welcome members and guests.

These latest renovations come hot on the heels of the course renovation project, which saw the re-design/building of eight new holes, the switch to Santa Ana Couch grass for the fairways/surrounds and Bentgrass to the greens, removal of numerous trees throughout the course, comprehensive drainage works to improve the playing conditions during the winter months, and

Not to be forgotten is the renovated men’s locker room, which proudly sports a new

“There has been an overwhelmingly positive response from the members regarding the clubhouse renovations,” says Kew Golf Club CEO Mathew Loughnane.

All told, the transformation of Kew Golf Club continues to pave the way for the club to become one of Melbourne’s most appealing facilities for not only golfers and members, but also the highly-lucrative corporate/event and private function market, especially weddings, birthdays, corporate seminars and the like. As the club is a mere 15 minutes from the CBD, it is arguably in one of Melbourne’s most ideal and convenient locations for a Corporate Golf Day or private event.

For more information: Phone: 03 9859 6848, Pro Shop: 03 9859 2039, Email info@kewgolf. com.au or visit www.kewgolfclub.com.au. •

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

celebrity swinger

Golf a ‘Kewell’ game for Harry in Australia is the Old Course at The National Golf Club, but he isn’t a member anywhere and chooses to hop between courses.

Henry Peters

ed@insidegolf.com.au @hsspeters

“I used to play a lot of golf with Steve Finnan at Liverpool and because he was single, he played virtually every day except for two days out [from a game] and we played at The Mere in Manchester and he played there all the time. I took him to a tight course, a long course, and I beat him because you can get used to playing the same shots.”

A

fter a healthy football career marked by multi-million dollar deals and stints at Liverpool, Leeds and Galatasaray, you’d be wrong to think a room filled with brand-new golf clubs wouldn’t excite the hell out of Harry Kewell.

‘I’m like a kid in a candy store,’ the 37-yearold quips as he wanders into Melbourne Golf Academy’s TaylorMade Concept Store during a short stop-over in Melbourne to run summer masterclasses for the Harry Kewell Academy.

Kewell spent 12 years playing in the UK but only once found the time to play alongside some of golf’s stars in a pro-am.

That appearance came in the late 90s at The Belfry in Birmingham playing alongside English football icon Teddy Sheringham and then European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie who commanded massive galleries.

Kewell - who spearheaded two World Cup campaigns for the Socceroos but now sits on the sidelines as under-21s coach for EPL club Watford - has long harboured a golfing obsession.

“People laugh at me, but I always say, if I wasn’t a professional footballer, I would have loved to have tried to be a professional golfer because I think the concentration that you must have in golf is phenomenal,” the TaylorMade-adidas golf ambassador admits. “You never hit the same shot twice, you’re always testing yourself, there’s always elements that you’ve got to work with.”

Kewell - a left-hander who took up the game as a right-hander - remembers that his first taste of golf was caddying for his dad during his childhood.

The Sydney-born star’s talent for football was evident from a young age but he juggled that passion with interests in tennis, swimming and Australian Rules football and it wasn’t until he was 10 or 11 years-old that he first played 18 holes of golf.

“I remember the first hole and everyone was just waiting for him. And I’m never nervous, you can’t make me nervous. I was nervous on the first tee.”

TaylorMade-adidas golf ambassador Harry Kewell has been a golf tragic since childhood.

“If I knew, on the weekend, I was playing, I was so excited, the night before or two nights before, I couldn’t sleep. I was that excited about playing golf.”

By the time Kewell became a household name in Leeds during the late 1990s, trips to the golf course became a midweek ritual.

“When I was at Leeds, we used to train, 10 o’clock and 11.30am we’re finished. Every day, me and Leigh Bowyer [played] golf. The only days we didn’t play were probably Thursdays and Fridays just prior to a game.

“We had Bridgy [Michael Bridges], [Steven] McPhail, [Alan] Maybury…everyone played.

Then when I moved to Liverpool, everyone played.”

Now a 9-handicapper, Kewell laments a ‘rusty’ putter that holds his game back.

Pro-am tee times remain a low priority for Kewell as he continues developing Watford’s younger players.

A four-over par round at The Grove in Watford (site of this year’s British Masters and Tiger Woods’ victory at the 2006 WGCAmerican Express Championship) remains Kewell’s proudest on-course achievement.

He eventually wants to become a senior club manager in a major national league but much of his energy remains focused on the Harry Kewell Academy.

“I was buzzing with that and playing off the [back tees] as well. I’m not bad, I just need to practice but I don’t get enough time now with coaching.”

Kewell describes himself as a golfing ‘nomad’.

His favourite course anywhere is Wentworth near London while his number one choice

Have Fun at the Run

“When someone puts their name to an academy, they’d better be there. I’ve had parents at registrations when I’m standing there and they look and say, ‘oh my god, you’re here’. I say, ‘why wouldn’t I?’ I like to do things properly so I will be at every single clinic that is there with my name to it.” •

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45

on tour

Ruffels joins pro ranks Henry Peters and Golf Australia ed@insidegolf.com.au

L

ong touted as the ‘next big thing’ of Australian golf, 17-year-old Victorian prodigy Ryan Ruffels last month announced that he was entering the professional ranks to take on the US PGA Tour.

“It’s been an anxious wait to tell everyone,” said Ruffels last month. “For probably 2-3 months I’ve been set on this particular time and it’s pretty exciting the time is finally here.”

Ruffels, for most of the past year ranked in the world’s top-10 amateurs (while also completing his Year 12 studies at Melbourne’s Haileybury College) said the decision was made not long after bad weather robbed him of a chance to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October.

he turning pro?’, I feel like the time is right. I’ve done what I needed to do as an amateur.”

What Ruffels has up his sleeve that could prove invaluable for his future is an affinity for American-style golf.

Born in the United States, Ruffels, the son of tennis legends Ray and Anna-Maria (Fernandez), said his dual citizenship status was important in the next chapter in his career.

“My family has a residence in southern California which is nice as a base and I’ll look to base myself in Florida a little later on this year around family friends.”

He said the American lifestyle – and golf courses – would be an easy transition.

“I grew up in the States until I was 11 so I’ve kind of known that sort of golf since the

outset. Golf in the US has just always suited me and I think that’s backed by my results as well. I have been able to win tournaments over there.

“I know I was probably out of my league in the French Open. The European Tour was really difficult, for some reason or another. I’ve never felt that I had control over the courses, or there was a course I could play well at.

Europe is a great tour and there were some great courses I played but, for now anyway, I prefer to play in the US.”

“I was very nervous playing my first PGA Tour event and everyone you’re around is kind of your idol, then all of a sudden you’re there against them. But I felt like I handled that pretty well in the first round and while it didn’t finish off the way I wanted it to, at least it gave me a good gauge of my game and seeing my name on that leaderboard there, I knew that next time I’m in that

Ruffels shot into international fame when he fired a first-round 66 in the Canadian Open in his first US Tour event last July.

The Melburnian was one shot off the pace after 54 holes but was left gutted when he was stripped of the chance to chase down the eventual winner, Chinese young gun Cheng Jin, who took the all-important victor’s invite to Augusta National.

While Ruffels tied for second, only a win— and the resulting direct entry to The Masters in April—would have kept him in amateur ranks.

“It was one of my big goals to play in a major championship as an amateur, but that was really it,” said Ruffels, who dismissed suggestions he was turning pro too early.

“For a while now, I feel like I’ve been playing the amateur and junior stuff for a long time.

I played my first amateur at 12 and the men’s interstate series not long after that, so as much as people are going to say, ‘He’s only 17, why is

Photos courtesy of Golf Australia, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

on tour position I’ll be better off for that experience.

“And I don’t think it was just a one-off experience.

“It’s been almost frustrating not being pro the past 3-4 months. I haven’t played an amateur event since the Asia Pacific Amateur, so it’s sort of like I was training like a pro, around pros all the time and I just wanted to be one of them.

“It’s been an anxious wait and I feel like I’m ready, I know what those guys are about and how they go about it. I’ve played events on the US Tour, the European Tour and Aussie Tour now, so I’m prepared and know what to expect.”

Golf Australia high performance director Brad James was thrilled with Ruffels’ plans.

“We’re not losing our best amateur, what we are striving for is to produce major champions and amateur golf is just a pathway to that goal,” James said.

“We’re not losing an amateur athlete, it’s just another person playing in professional ranks for Australia and representing us all at

the highest level. We should be – and all are – very proud of Ryan.

“It’s fantastic opportunity for Ryan to take the next step in his career. He’s had some fantastic learning opportunities along the way, he’s got a great team around him in Denis, the VIS and all the people who are a part of that team.

“He’s got all the tools in place to be a great player and now he just has to keep learning and working hard as he has in the past couple of years – and I’m confident he’ll do that.”

Prior to turning professional, Ruffels had been shouldering the burden of being touted as the ‘next big thing’ of Australian golf. But that’s not surprising when you consider that he finished 24th in the Australian Open as a 15-year-old and, in 2015, was only two shots out of a playoff at the Oates Victorian Open.

His results against the pros are probably more impressive than what Adam Scott and Jason Day were doing at the same age.

Against his one-time fellow amateur mortals, Ruffels has displayed countless

(L-R) Cameron Davis & Ryan Ruffels. moments of breathtaking play.

He’s won a Riversdale Cup, back-to-back Australian Junior titles (including a 15shot victory in 2015) and, in 2014, won the Callaway World Junior Championship’s 15-17 title in California.

None of those were flukes. Shooting 10-under through 15 holes at Huntingdale in early 2015 to win his singles match and be part of his second straight Australian Men’s Interstate Teams Matches title with Victoria wasn’t a fluke.

Not since perhaps Aaron Baddeley’s feat of winning an Australian Open as an 18-year-old amateur had so much hype surrounded an Australian amateur’s entry into the pro ranks.

Just like Baddeley, Ruffels displays an uncanny ability to deal with pressure.

At the 2014 Australian Masters, he was grouped with Adam Scott, who had been the

The Flinders Golf Club “Flinders is one of those unique coastal courses…….not quite links…..neither is it woodland or marsh, that perches high on the cliff top, making it a distant cousin of Pebble Beach and a relative of Murfield....

The Flinders golf course is friendly yet full of surprises and intrigue. Bring all your clubs because you are going to need them and a good understanding of what Golf is all about.”

Peter Thomson OBE

world number one earlier in the year. Most amateurs would have faltered under the watch of a national sporting icon but Ruffels relished the challenge, unfazed by giant galleries at Metropolitan as he eventually finished the tournament tied 17th.

That type of exposure is invaluable. Just like his experience of playing the European Tour’s Open De France in 2015 - even though he missed the cut - and meeting Day during practice at the Canadian Open, which the Queenslander would win and use to kickstart his own ascent to the top of the world rankings.

In September 2015, Ruffels signed with noted sports management company Wasserman Media Group and is now managed by Bud Martin, whose most prized golf client is Jason Day. Wasserman also houses Aussie Marc Leishman, Americans Fowler, Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan and German Bernd Wiesberger. “(Bud Martin) manages a lot of great players on the US tour,” Ruffels says. “Wasserman Media is a great company as well. I feel like I’m in good hands there and I’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

With Martin at his side, Ruffels has already secured two invitations to play on world golf’s biggest stage. He was set to play the Farmers Insurance Open from January 28 at San Diego’s famous Torrey Pines course— where he won the world junior title in 2014 (results were unavailable at press time).

This month he will play his second event at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, also in California.

Ruffels is confident he will secure five more Tour starts to reach his permitted maximum of seven invitations this season. To secure a Tour card for next season, Ruffels must, within those seven starts, match the 125th-ranked finisher on FedEx Cup points from last season – a mark held by Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa. •

Green fees: Weekend $49 Midweek $35

Book online to receive a $5 discount and be in the running to win a “Mates Day” (10 free rounds) New Flexible Membership - Limited numbers available - Enquire NOW www.flindersgolfclub.com.au Proshop: (03) 5989 0583 www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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new gear

>NEW

GEAR RRP $700.00

(standard shafts)

RRP $740.00

(with tour shafts)

PING G series Drivers (Standard, LS Tec, SF Tec) A close-up photograph of a dragonfly was the inspiration for the primary innovation in the driver. Inspired by biomimicry, an approach to innovation that emulates nature’s time-tested patterns, PING engineers created Dragonfly Technology. The complex exoskeleton design yields PING’s thinnest (0.43 mm) and lightest crown to date, saving eight grams while creating an intricate and stable structure. The weight savings helped drive the centre of gravity lower and deeper than any PING driver, increasing dynamic loft and elevating MOI significantly for maximizing distance and forgiveness.

Researchers also studied the base flaps that minimize large-scale vortex shedding behind 18-wheel semi-trailers and integrated their learnings into the G drivers to improve aerodynamics and increase speed. Vortec Technology on the back of the club and turbulators on the crown contribute to reducing drag 37% in the impact zone, yielding greater clubhead speed and ball velocity for measurable distance gains from all swing speeds. The variable-thickness T9S face has a high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing for a thin face to increase ball speed.

Golfers can optimize launch conditions prior to a round by adjusting loft up to +/- 1º with five settings utilizing a lightweight, aerodynamically efficient and high-strength 7075 aluminium hosel sleeve.

The G SF Tec driver is custom-engineered with weight closer to the heel to produce a right-to-left shot bend (for righthanded golfers) and steer the ball back into the fairway. The G LS Tec driver features a CG that is extremely low (slightly forward of the standard G driver), for the player who desires low, stable spin with forgiveness.

- Lofts 9° & 10.5° in standard and LS Tec heads, 10° & 12° in SF Tec head. Lofts adjustable +/- 0.6° or 1°.

- Std. Length 45.75”, D3, 206g (standard), D4, 207.5g (LS Tec), D1, 203g (SF Tec), 460cc 48

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

RRP $455.00

(standard shafts)

G Irons The G iron utilizes revolutionary COR-Eye Technology (introduced in the GMax irons), which activates the sole, face and top rail in flexing for consistently faster ball speeds across the hotter face. The entire G set is heat treated using a specialized process that creates Hyper 17-4 alloy, which is 40% stronger than traditional 17-4 stainless steel.

Metallurgical advancements combined with COR-Eye Technology provide four times the face flexing with improved stability.

Weight saved from the face was allocated to the low toe and perimeter, creating a high MOI for extreme forgiveness.

Connecting the Custom Tuning Port to the sole creates a deeper CG that helps elevate the launch angle while increasing MOI. At address, the iron’s refined look is created by a thin top rail, satinblast finish and appropriate offset. An enlarged multi-material damping badge joined to the cavity works with COR-Eye Technology to provide exceptional sound and feel.

RRP $500.00

(with tour shafts)

G Fairway Woods (Standard, SF Tec, Stretch) Nearly all golfers struggle getting the ball in the air easily with fairway woods. To solve that, the G fairway woods have a lower lead edge that yields 12% higher face impact, relative to the G30 series. High-strength Carpenter 455® steel allows for a thinner, precision-machined, variable-thickness face.

The cascading sole design engages more of the structure in face flexing, resulting in faster ball speeds and higher launch. PING’s thinnest crown ever in a fairway wood means discretionary weight has been used to move the CG lower and farther back, making it easier to get the ball airborne.

A unique process adds friction to the face for reduced spin.

Crown turbulators provide a captured appearance and help with aim and alignment. Golfers can optimize launch conditions prior to a round by adjusting loft up to +/- 1º with five settings utilizing a lightweight, aerodynamically efficient and high-strength 7075 aluminum hosel sleeve.

The G SF Tec fairway woods have weight closer to the heel, a lighter swing weight, and higher lofts to produce right-to-left shot bend for players whose typical miss is to the right.

The G Stretch 3 is custom-engineered to stretch a player’s distance off the tee and on shots into the green with its larger head, slightly forward CG, 13º loft, and reduced spin.

- Lofts 3W (14.5°), 5W (17.5°) & 7W (20.5°) in standard head, 3W (16°) & 5W (19°) in SF Tec head and 3W (13°) in Stretch 3.

Lofts adjustable +/- 0.6° or 1°.

RRP $390.00

(standard graphite & steel shafts)

RRP $435.00

RRP $390.00

(with tour shafts)

NEW CATEGORY: Crossover PING created a new category – the Crossover – to combine the precision, workability and control of an iron with the ball speed and forgiveness of a hybrid.

G Hybrid

(standard graphite & steel shafts)

RRP $435.00

(with tour shafts)

The high-strength Carpenter 455® steel face is precision machined to an optimal thickness for greater face flexing, faster ball speeds and longer results. The flat face, narrow top rail and appropriate offset deliver iron-like accuracy and workability. An innovative cascading internal sole engages the entire face, sole and top rail in flexing to maximize distance. Extreme heel-toe weighting helps locate the centre of gravity low-back and expands the perimeter weighting to create a high MOI for maximizing forgiveness.

An innovative tiered internal sole helps activate face flexing to power the ball off the face faster for greater distance. The ultra-thin crown allows for a low-back centre of gravity to ensure high launch, reduced spin and a higher MOI for maximizing forgiveness. The highstrength Carpenter 455® steel face is precision-machined to variable thickness, which saves weight and maximizes flexing to generate faster ball speeds across the face for consistently longer results. Like the G fairways, a unique process adds friction to the face to reduce spin. Crown turbulators and contrasting grooves on the face help provide a captured look and assist in aim and alignment, creating a consistently centred impact position.

- Available 3 (18°), 4 (21°), 5 (24°)

-A vailable 17°, 19°, 22°, 26°, 30°

new gear

Callaway >NEWGEAR

Available: February 26, 2016

XR OS Hybrids XR 16 Driver

RRP $579.99

Callaway’s renowned Research & Development team worked closely with aerodynamics experts at Boeing to achieve a new threshold in ball speed with the XR 16 Driver. By pinpointing the size and placement of the re-engineered Speed Step Crown, engineers saved weight and lowered drag. That result is an increase in clubhead speed and, in turn, more ball speed. The extreme forgiveness of the XR 16 Driver was accomplished thanks to the larger, high MOI shape with a stretched crown, and a lower and deeper centre of gravity. All that forgiveness leads to more ball speed at every impact location, which can add more distance for golfers of all ability levels. Callaway’s nextgeneration R*MOTO Face Technology is nine grams lighter and thinner than in previous models, yet still stronger due to the use of new 8-1-1 titanium. The body is lighter, too, which leads to more ball speed across the entire face.

Shaft: The XR 16 Driver comes standard with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 565 Shaft, or choose a custom shaft to best suit your swing.

XR 16 Fairway Wood

RRP $389.99

Callaway’s recent fairway wood advances have helped the company become the #1 Fairway Wood in Golf. In 2016, the company continues its innovative streak in the category with the launch of the new XR 16 Fairway Woods. Designed with a bigger, more forgiving head shape, they combine Callaway’s highest MOI, a low centre of gravity, and the highest COR (a technical term for face hotness) in a fairway wood. The XR 16 Fairway Woods also boast Callaway’s lightest fairway wood crown ever, which has allowed engineers to move club head weight where you need it most. The company’s industryleading Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup has been made hotter and thinner for even more speed and a large sweet spot, while a more aerodynamic head shape helps create even more head speed, which translates into greater ball speed and distance. As easy to hit as they look to be, the XR 16 Fairway Woods are also highly versatile, thanks to a cambered sole that helps make them more playable from all lies.

Designed to complement Callaway’s new XR OS Irons, the XR OS Hybrids have a larger head design to provide confidence over the ball at address and a higher MOI for maximum forgiveness. Callaway’s Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup delivers distance and forgiveness across the face so that you get the most out of every shot. The XR OS Hybrids also have higher launch characteristics and a draw bias designed to make it easier to turn the ball over. A keeled utility sole make these hybrids versatile enough to use off the tee, from the fairway or out of the rough. The XR OS Women’s Hybrids have a wider sole, graphite shaft, lighter swing weight, and lengths and lofts more suitable to a woman’s swing in order to deliver more distance.

XR OS Irons To create the new XR OS Irons, Callaway club designers took the company’s industry-leading Face Cup technology and made it even faster, implemented a wider sole design, and placed the centre of gravity in a location that helps optimize launch conditions. The CG has been positioned lower and further back, making these irons easier to hit and to achieve launch conditions that lead to more distance. The XR OS Irons’ multi-piece construction includes a new heat treatment of the face cup for even more ball speed, and a soft heat treatment on the body for better feel. The wide sole design provides more forgiveness, and progressive lengths and lofts through the set are designed to give you more distance from each club. Specifically designed hybrids have been integrated into the set to offer greater forgiveness and distance in your long game. In addition, the women’s XR OS Irons feature a wider sole, graphite shafts and light swing weights to help deliver more distance.

RRP PER IRON

XR 16 Pro Driver

RRP $649.99

The new XR 16 Pro Driver is the result of a collaborative effort between Callaway’s Research & Development team and Boeing’s aerodynamics experts to redefine ball speed possibilities in a deeper face design. Engineered for more advanced players who desire workability in their long game, the XR 16 Pro has a 450 cc stretched head design, lower spin and a more neutral centre of gravity bias that is low and deep in the club head. The re-engineered shape helps reduce drag, and a lighter Speed Step Crown helps save weight. Next-generation R*MOTO Face Technology is lighter and thinner to deliver more ball speed across the face.

Shaft: The standard shaft offering in the XR 16 Pro is the Tourproven Fujikura Evolution II TS 665 Shaft, or choose from Callaway’s extensive selection of shaft options to find the one that fits your swing.

RRP $339.99

steel $168.75

GRAPHITE $187.50

RRP $409.99

XR 16 Pro Fairway Wood Callaway’s XR 16 Pro Fairway Woods represent a huge leap in the company’s industry-leading fairway wood technology. The compact, aerodynamic head shape is designed to appeal to better players while delivering more head speed, fantastic turf interaction and low-spinning shots. Callaway’s forged Hyper Speed Face Cup is hotter and thinner to deliver more ball speed and a greater sweet spot. The thin crown design has allowed Callaway engineers to move weight to where it’s needed most, improving forgiveness, and the lower centre of gravity makes for a highly versatile fairway wood that can be relied upon to pull off any shot you can conjure up.

Available: February 26, 2016

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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new gear

WcusItNom-fiiets

A G Ser PING river D

>NEWGEAR

Inside Golf and PING are giving away a custom-fit, PING G Series Driver to one lucky reader!

Using the new Dragonfly Technology, the new G Series Driver features PING’s thinnest (0.43 mm) and lightest crown to date, with a lower and deeper centre of gravity than any PING Driver, thus maximizing distance and forgiveness.

Vortec Technology on the back of the club and turbulators on the crown contribute to reducing drag 37% in the impact zone, yielding greater clubhead speed and ball velocity for measurable distance gains from all swing speeds.

To enter, simply visit www.insidegolf.com.au/competitions Good Luck!

TaylorMade M2 Metalwoods Following the remarkable success of M1, TaylorMade Golf, makers of the No. 1 Driver in Golf, have announced M2 drivers, fairways and Rescue clubs to complete the M family. In M2, engineers have utilised the same proprietary multi-material combination, including the seven-layer carbon composite crown found in the M1, to develop a line of products that deliver two highly sought-after performance benefits: distance and forgiveness.

Sureshotgps Hero 750X

Titleist DT TruSoft Golf Ball

Titleist, the #1 ball in golf, introduces the new DT TruSoft golf ball, precisely designed and manufactured to provide supremely soft feel on every shot with the exceptionally consistent performance and quality of Titleist.

For golfers who prefer a truly soft feel, the new DT TruSoft is the best performing golf ball in its class – a result of Titleist’s rigorous research and development and industryleading manufacturing technologies. Made at Titleist Ball Plant 2 in New Bedford, Mass.

USA, DT TruSoft features a new core and cover formulation engineered by Titleist R&D to deliver incredibly soft compression feel with impressive distance and short game playability.

DT TruSoft is designed with a fast, very low compression core and soft pure ionomer cover – the softest core construction and ionomer cover blend Titleist has ever used.

The new core and cover work together to provide a uniquely soft feel and sound on every shot, while delivering very low spin in the long game for consistently long distance and reliable short game spin for playability into and around the green. A 376 tetrahedral dimple design ensures an RRP aerodynamically consistent flight.

$34.95

Available in Australian golf shops beginning Feb.6. DT TruSoft models are available in White and Optic Yellow models with play numbers 1-4.

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

An advanced handheld golf GPS for the experienced golfer, The Hero 750X delivers exceptional quality with professional features including the advanced ability to customise maps. Measure specific point-topoint distances on any map rather than the standard measurements from the front, back and centre of the course.

This device understands your active lifestyle and offers a clever function to track personal status updates including distance walked, duration of round and calories burnt.

As part of the Hero range, Sureshotgps are head and shoulders above the rest with their unique mapping method. You can trust all maps have been carefully created with high attention to detail by experienced golfers trained in course mapping. Each one personally walks the course using advanced technology to provide you with the most accurate information.

RRP $299.00

Similar to M1, the M2 product line meets the challenge of delivering more performance to players of all skill levels with the utilisation of multi-material construction (driver and fairway).

From the outset, the key product deliverable for the M2 line has been to deliver maximum forgiveness without sacrificing distance. TaylorMade has achieved this by leveraging the weight savings from the carbon crown and redistributing the discretionary weight to the sole of the club, resulting in a low and slightly farther back centre of gravity. This ultimately gives many golfers what they want: distance and forgiveness, without compromise. The result is a family of clubs that deliver hot trajectories with massive sweet spots and maximum forgiveness.

RRP: DRIVER: $649.00 FWY: $399.00 RESCUE: $299.00 www.taylormadegolf.com.au With a huge database of pre-loaded maps, this device will follow your position using auto course recognition and auto hole advance. Switch the GPS to hazard mode and you can evaluate any risks on the green and avoid making mistakes.

For Stockists: Sureshotgps www.sureshotgps.com

TaylorMade M2 irons

TaylorMade Golf, the industry leader in iron innovation, announces the M2 irons, the embodiment of the company’s pursuit to equip golfers with both maximum distance and playability in a game improvement iron.

Designed for golfers who would benefit from an iron that prioritizes both distance and trajectory, while also delivering great forgiveness and feel, the M2 iron is designed for complete performance. By pushing the boundaries of innovation, the engineers behind M2 created a dominant blend of distance, peak trajectory, look, sound and feel that will give many golfers performance they didn’t know they were missing.

In creating the M2 irons, engineers employed many innovative features, including a new, proprietary fluted hosel, 360° undercut, Inverted Cone Technology (ICT), a new 3D badge and the company’s patented Speed Pocket technology.

A significant amount of mass is trapped in the hosel of all irons. To position the centre of gravity low in the M2 iron, TaylorMade’s engineers utilized a new fluted hosel design to remove discretionary mass from the hosel, redistributing it lower and further back in the clubhead. The M2 iron also features an advanced topline construction – a 360° undercut that functions to increase the unsupported face area while saving weight to lower the CG, creating a canvas that lends itself to a unique combination of high ball speed, optimized launch angle and spin rate which yields exceptional distance and high peak trajectory.

RRP: $169.00 Steel, $189.00 Graphite www.taylormadegolf.com.au

Sureshotgps Hero 350X Following the success of the Micro 300X, Sureshotgps has designed a new and improved handheld golf GPS that goes further. The versatile Sureshotgps Hero 350X delivers all the benefits a golfer needs while also monitoring your physical fitness on and off the course.

RRP Improve your strength, stamina and $229.00 speed using the new Hero 350X and see results in your golf swing. The multisport mode provides cycling and walking functions where you can monitor distance walked and ridden, calories burnt and even duration of a round while out on the green.

With a large database of pre-loaded course This handy and compact device is the maps and features including auto course perfect tracking tool for more than just golf. recognition and auto hole advance, it’s the smarter way to play golf. Analyse your game You can trust that the most accurate by measuring distances across the course and real information is loaded onto and take advantage of the individual shot all Sureshotgps products due to their assessment to line up your position. innovative mapping technique. Enlisting the help of experienced golfers called “pro This reliable and easy to use device is the mappers” - every course has been walked ideal companion for your days out on the through, tested and measured to provide course. Available in black/grey and black/ the most up-to-date information. Now lime, the Sureshotgps 350X is a real winner. you can really play like the pros standing exactly where they stood on the course For Stockists: www.sureshotgps.com and increase your skills.

new gear

WE TRIED IT > Cobra’s KING F6 family

Last month, Cobra introduced the highly-anticipated KING F6+ and F6 richard@insidegolf.com.au family of products, expanding the collection of clubs under the legendary KING brand name. Inside Golf took these exciting and powerful clubs out for a test-drive, and had a blast along the way!

Richard Fellner

KING F6 Driver.

F

these two settings helps you optimise your launch and spin (and thereby boost your driving performance). The heavier weight in the front CG position gives you a penetrating ball flight with less spin (for more roll) while the back CG weight position delivers a towering ball flight with added spin to create more carry and increased forgiveness.

This progressive set of clubs is different from other sets you may have seen, in that the clubs are engineered with four distinctly different iron constructions and characteristics.

Right off the bat, we loved this club. Well balanced, light and pleasing to the eye, it also features a satisfying sound at impact— it’s more of a traditional “thwack” than today’s common tingy metallic sound. True to its promise, it was very forgiving—even our off-centre hits still found the fairway, while the sweet spot felt massive. This gave us added confidence off the tee. It was also very workable (draws or fades, etc) and the added adjustability of the weights allows a variety of trajectories and shot shapes.

irst up were the sleek and stylish KING F6 irons (RRP: $149pi, Steel, $169pi, Graphite). From the minute we took them out of the bag, we could tell that these were something special. Comfortable, well balanced and super snazzy, they give you the feeling like you’re an F1 driver, revving your engine at the starting line.

The Long irons (3i-5i) are comprised of a full hollow construction, with V-shaped grooves on the 100% milled face. The mid irons (6i-7i) are half-hollow construction with U-shaped grooves on the face. The short irons (8i-PW) are constructed with a deep undercut cavityback design (and also feature U grooves).

Finally, the wedges (GW-SW) feature a specialty muscleback shape and tour contoured sole, along with specialised wedge grooves. Even the shafts are engineered for the different characteristics, with greater carry and more distance on the mid- and long-irons, while the short irons and wedges feature more precision and control.

What this all means is that you don’t have to choose an entire set of clubs based on just one aspect (i.e. a “distance set” or a “forgiveness set”, etc.) You can have it all in the one King F6 iron set.

In our tests, for example, we found that the long irons flew long and straight, with a controlled trajectory; the mid-irons provided extreme consistency and accuracy for those all-important approach shots to the green,

KING F6 Irons. while the short irons and wedges provide trajectory and spin control for the critical shots around the green.

In short, by engineering the four different characteristics into these clubs, you don’t have to compromise when buying the set.

You get distance, accuracy, feel and control whenever you need it. Pure gold!

Overall, we truly loved these irons, and we highly recommend that you give them a demo test of your own.

The KING F6 Iron comes with the FST Steel Flighted shaft or Matrix Red Tie 65Q4 graphite shaft and is available in both right and left handed options (L, A,R, S flexes) NOTE: The KING F6 Irons are also available in RH/LH for women in Silver with Ultramarine Blue and Raspberry. The irons feature a graphite Matrix Red Tie Q4 shaft and a Cobra Winn Wrap.

The stock set is comprised of six irons (7-SW) and two KING F6 Hybrids (4-5H and 5-6H).

Next, we grabbed the big dogs. First up was the KING F6 Driver (RRP: $499), touted as Cobra’s longest and most forgiving adjustable driver. This sleek and powerful club features moveable 10g and 3G weights that allow you to move the centre of gravity to either the Front or Back. Adjusting the weight between

The KING F6 Driver is available in three colours (Black/Blue/White) in both right and left handed and comes stock with the Matrix Black Red Tie 60Q4 shaft, (L, A, R, S & X flexes) as well as an extensive range of free custom shaft options. Loft Range: 9°, 9.5°, 9.5°D, 10.5°, 10.5°D, 11.5°, 11.5°D, and 12°.

The KING F6+ Driver (RRP: $599) adds even more adjustability to the mix, featuring five positions to move the centre of gravity from front to back. Like the KING F6, this allows you to dial-in an optimised ball flight, while still achieving maximum distance. The adjustability of this driver made it extremely fun to test. Over each of the five CG positions, we were able to create a variety of shot shapes and trajectories. The sky was literally the limit!

Puma Golf’s Titantour Ignite Golf Shoes

Titantour Ignite features the new IGNITE foam, which is engineered to provide ultra-high energy return, superior step-in comfort and stable cushioning, while Puma’s PWRCOOL technology powered by Outlast helps absorb, store and release heat for optimal thermal comfort. Titantour Ignite is made from premium materials; including a full-grain leather upper, heavy gauge thread and a dual-density TPU outsole, providing long-lasting quality and durability.

Overall, this shoe was an absolute dream to wear. As with all new shoes, we took them

KING F6+ Driver. out for two 9-hole rounds (to break them in gently). Over both of those rounds, when we switched over to our regular shoes for the back-9, we immediately felt the difference, and longed to put the Ignites back on. After a subsequent full round with these shoes, we found that our feet and legs were less tired/fatigued, and certainly cooler. In general, they provided ultimate comfort, and secure grip in any turf, wet or dry.

Titantour Ignite shoes come with a 60-day comfort guarantee and 2-year Waterproof Guarantee.

PRO Model Loft Range: 7°, 7.5°, 7.5° Fade, 8.5°, 8.5° Fade, 9.5°, 9.5° Fade, 10° Next up, we tried the KING F6 Fairway Woods (RRP: $349). Like the KING F6 driver, these also feature adjustable front-to-back weighting, with two CG positions and 20gram and 3-gram moveable weights. All up, you can get up to eight loft positions to finetune your long game.

All we can say is Wow! It’s an extremely comfortable and easy-to-hit fairway wood, with a true, penetrating ball flight. The ball flew forever, and was extremely workable.

From the fairway, light rough, not-so-lightrough and even off the tee, it is a spectacular all-rounder of a fairway wood.

The F6 Fairway woods are available in black and blue in RH/LH, and come with a Matrix OZIK Red 65Q4 shaft in Lite, R, S and X, and a Lamkin REL 360 grip.

Rounding out the metalwood collection are the KING F6 Hybrids (RRP: $289). Each club (2-3H, 3-4H and 4-5H) in RH/LH features a fixed 13-gram back CG weight. The marketing brochure claims that this “delivers high MOI and a centre CG for both forgiveness and precision shot after shot”. All we know is that was the most workable, easy-to-hit hybrid we’ve ever tested. At address, the hybrid even looked easy to hit. Shot after shot (after shot) were straight down the middle with plenty of carry. If you’ve struggled to hit hybrids in the past, you must give this one a try.

The hybrids come in black, with a MATRIX OZIK Red Tie 75Q4 shaft and a Lamkin REL 360 grip.

NOTE: Though we didn’t test them, The KING F6 metalwoods are also available in Women’s models, including driver, fairway and hybrid, in Raspberry/Silver and Silver/Ultramarine Blue.

KING F6 ladies clubs feature the same technology used in the men’s versions but have been finetuned to maximise launch and distance for women golfers (who generally have slower swing speeds and need slightly shorter lengths and lighter swing weights). Loft Range: 10°, 10.5°, 10.5°D, 11.5°, 11.5°D, 12.5°, 12.5°D, and 13°.

WE ALSO TRIED> The Scottish band The Proclaimers were famous for walking “500 miles” (twice) for someone they love. Well, a round of golf may not be quite that far, but with Puma Golf’s Titantour Ignite Golf Shoes (RRP: $189.95), you could certainly make it through a round or two feeling as freshfooted as when you started.

Standard Model Loft Range: 9°, 9.5°, 9.5°D, 10.5°, 10.5°D, 11.5°, 11.5°D, and 12°.

For more information on the entire KING family of products, visit www.cobragolf.com

New, revolutionary CarbonTrac™ Technology replaces the heavy titanium track structure typically needed for an adjustable sliding weight system. This new design saves weight and allows for a moveable 18g weight piece to be repositioned along the track to optimize CG setting.

The KING F6+ Driver is available in 2 models with the Standard Driver in three colours (Black/Blue/White) whilst the PRO Model is available in Black Only. Both are available in right and left handed and come stock with the Matrix Black Tie 65M4 shaft, (R, S & X flexes) as well as an extensive range of free custom shaft options.

KING F6 Fairway and Hybrids www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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people

David Burton awarded GMA Life Membership a seminar to assist managers to deal with the hard issues around working with Boards and Board governance.

David played a major role in building the strength of club managers through resources, training, education and networking.

David Allen

GMA Executive Officer eo@gma.org.au

He has been a quiet mentor for managers who have asked his advice over the years, on hundreds of occasions, something nobody would know about.

G

MA is pleased to confirm that David Burton, General Manager of New South Wales Golf Club and Past President of GMA, was awarded Life Membership of GMA during the National Conference 2015 held on the Gold Coast last year.

He hired the first executive officer for GMA in David Allen and was the representative of GMA on the AGIC (Australian Golf Industry Council), and as well as going to Canberra to visit government ministers as a united front for golf, has also been instrumental in researching necessary consolidation information such as economic impact reports, industry salary surveys, industry consumer behaviour reports and others.

The GMA Board Policies Manual states that to be worthy of Life membership a candidate must satisfy comprehensive criteria including Extraordinary or exemplary service and achievements for the organisation.

David also spent an enormous amount of time with the PGA and AGCSA reviewing the benefits and feasibility of a combined conference where we all continue to have our own conference but share in an industry golf show at the same time.

National Life Membership is the highest honour GMA can confer on a member who has given stellar service to its members and so it should be reserved for those very few who have demonstrated extraordinary or exemplary service or their achievements for the organisation were of such significance that the honour is warranted.

David has also served on the GMA NSW board for more than eight years including a significant time as treasurer.

David was the catalyst for the first GMA strategic plan and the agreed vision for GMA on a national level, which identified the core areas which the GMA Board have been focussing on.

David served on the GMA Board from 2008 to 2013, the last four years as President and has been a great colleague and mentor to many in the industry.

David has been a guest speaker on club strategic planning or an industry panellist in Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. He has also been giving business advice to the graduating NSW PGA professionals for the last few years.

Upon receiving his award, David thanked the GMA Board and stated that anything he had done was purely in the interests of continuing to enhance GMA’s image and reputation in the golf industry.

David represented GMA on a number of occasions at the CMAA conference (including breakfast speeches on behalf of GMA) and in 2013 was the host for the international symposium where around 100 international delegates attend a day session to discuss issues of club operations from around the world.

David introduced annual GMA meetings with state GMA boards, to stimulate dialogue, address issues and develop lines of communication

David Burton’s acceptance speech at the Conference He introduced GMA Benchmarking to Australia by brokering an agreement with Club Benchmarking He provided world class speakers for GMA conferences through his contacts globally including Jim James, Mike Leemhuis, and along with Max Mason, Norm Spitzig.

He also worked intensively with Tony Sernack on the publication of the Green Book for strategic planning in clubs and worked with the GMA NSW Board and Tony, to develop

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally ran in the November 2015 issue of Inside Golf. In that issue, we mistakenly ran an incorrect photo. We are running the corrected story this month, in full, and we apologise to Mr Burton, and GMA, for the error, especially given the fact that the story celebrates a monumental honour bestowed upon Mr Burton.

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people

Aussie pro wows ’em in the US Craig Hocknull

David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

A

USTRALIAN professional golfer and trick-shot specialist Craig Hocknull remembers the first day he picked up and hit a golf ball.

It was in the 1980s while growing up in Darwin and he didn’t use the conventional method.

Rather, he threw the ball in the air and smashed it down the fairway with his driver.

Today Hocknull, 41, is wowing audiences in the USA with his trick-shot wizardry.

Mind you, he is more than a trick-shot specialist.

Hocknull is a former Web.com Tour and Canadian Tour player and expert instructor.

In 2014, he was named PGA of America Teacher of the Year, PGA Player Development Professional of the Year (both Southwest Section) and recently was appointed director of instruction at one of Arizona’s leading private golf clubs, The Silverleaf Club in Scottsdale.

“What a great honour it is for me to work with one of America’s leading golf clubs,” Hocknull told the Scottsdale Independent.

“It’s not often you receive this kind of professional opportunity to help members and their guests with their golf games at a spectacular property like Silverleaf.”

Hocknull, a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education graduate of Jackson State University in Mississippi, is described as a total game golf coach.

He works with players on their mental

game, physical fitness, technical refinement and equipment optimisation.

The Silverleaf Club’s general manager David O’Donoghue said Hocknull’s approach to teaching was “first-class”.

“Craig’s ability to interact with golfers of all ages and abilities is especially impressive,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have a player of his calibre assisting our members.”

Hot Stix Golf, Dobson Ranch, Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Western Skies Golf Club and Desert Forest Golf Club.

He has active PGA memberships in Australia, Canada and is advanced certified by the PGA of America in teaching and coaching.

Then there’s his hugely popular Outback Golf Academy, which entertains audiences with some amazing trick-shot routines.

“From that point on I began to build an entertaining show full of unbelievable trick shots accompanied with hilarious Aussie jokes and stories.”

Hocknull’s father John, director of Education Development Office Management Services, said his son went to the US aiming to become a touring professional.

“That was his objective, but he earned a reputation as an excellent teacher,” he said.

Hocknull’s teaching career started at the Yuma Golf and Country Club.

Hocknull says he remembers his first trickshot show.

After that, he worked his way through Arizona with stops at The Nike Golf Learning Centre at Kokopelli, The Golf Academy of America, Resort Golf Schools at Gold Canyon,

“My audience was in such awe that they were relatively silent,” he recalls. “It was at that time that I realised ‘ball-whacking’ is not a show.

FOOTNOTE: At Jackson State University, Hocknull earned the coveted Walter Payton Award named in honour of the late NFL Hall of Famer. •

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53

juniors

U.S. Kids Golf ignites Aussie juniors boom “Each Tour consists of eight events, so that’s more than 100 U.S. Kids Golf events for junior players to be staged in Australia in 2016”

Bill Colhoun ed@insidegolf.com.au

W

However the Tournaments—by way of which the children qualify to represent Australia at the famous USKG World titles at the renowned Pinehurst golf resort in North Carolina in August—are only a part of the huge and very professionally organised USKG junior and family golf promotion package.

However, although USKG’s highly-regarded specialised clubs, apparel and unique quality equipment were popular with parents and children on the social golf front, by October 2014 at Moore Park in Sydney, when they staged their first U.S. Kids Golf tournament, they had just nine players tee it up.

American father Dan Van Horn founded U.S. Kids Golf in 1996 after he found there was no quality, specifically designed equipment for his three and five-year-old children. The heavy cut-down adult clubs and junior clubs available caused the youngsters to tire and lose interest after a short time.

Now, 16 months later, the Australian business expects this year to have more than 2000 competitors nationally after in 2015 organising more than 40 events with each having an average of about 50 players. Last year 15 Aussie girls and boys qualified to play in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Van Horn developed a range of Ultralight Kids Clubs—designed to be up to 25 per cent lighter than adult and most junior clubs— and once they had the right gear they had fun and enjoyed playing and regularly joined him on a specially shortened course. Soon after he formed the company U.S. Kids Golf.

HEN the world’s leading junior golf equipment, coaching and competition brand – U. S. Kids Golf -- teed off their Australian business in 2011, one of the major targets was to foster the game by way of friendly competition among children aged from toddlers to teenagers.

U.S. Kids Golf Australia’s Managing Director, Kevin Wallis, said the business has some exciting growth plans in 2016 with a rash of interest from a wide variety of clubs to stage USKG tournaments and become USKG Family Golf Courses.

Kevin Wallis, who in 2000 operated a small business that represented a few golf agencies in Australia, saw the U.S. Kids Golf products and program first-hand when attending the U.S. Golf Show in Florida and he was hooked.

“We have 66 clubs committed this year for our Summer, Autumn and Spring tours in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne,” Wallis said.

“From the outset I loved what the brand stood for and I bought into the vision that Dan Van Horn had for teaching kids the game by making it fun and by involving families to create life- long memories,” he says.

“More than 50 per cent of the clubs are hosting events in each tour – in some states we now have a waiting list for clubs to host events.

He was impressed not only by the quality of the U.S. Kids Golf equipment he also was impressed with the structure of the company which is central to its mission.

The tournament side of the U.S. Kids Golf business, as well as the Certified Coaching and kids tuition programs and golf course management programs such as the Family Course, all fall under the banner of the USKG Foundation As a foundation it runs as a not-for-profit business where all of its profits are reinvested back into the growth of the game And grow the game it has, with its Family Courses concept proving a winner in the U.S.A., Europe and Asia to the extent that there now are more than1500 Family Courses and more than 2500 USKG Certified Coaches worldwide. At the 2015 U.S. Kids Golf World Championships there were 1442 juniors competing from a total of 56 countries.

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Wallis sees enormous potential to grow the game in Australia by having golf layouts agree to become USKG Family Courses which offer several tee-off spots on each hole, specially attuned to junior golfers of all ages and sizes.

Although they only began promoting the Family Courses concept last year, by the end of 2015 there already were eight in Australia

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juniors

-- at Moore Park, Avalon, Cammeray and Liverpool in Sydney, three in Victoria at Albert Park, Pakenham and Spring Park and at Secret Harbour in Perth.

“We began marketing the Family Courses in June, but already there are another seven courses who wish to install the program in 2016, the take-up and interest has been fantastic in this short time,” Wallis said.

“Each age group at USKG Family Courses hits off from a different place on the fairway so there is no need for handicaps in our events.

The course offers tee-off points of less metres to make it reasonable for the kids -- no matter their age -- to achieve par. So they are given the chance to play an authentic game of golf.

“All of a sudden they are talking about true scores and making par and birdies. They love it and the competitive nature of the tournaments is fun.

“Kids who have rarely been given the opportunity to practise what they learn at the practice range or on the practice green get to compare themselves with kids their own age in a real game environment.

“Parents are encouraged to caddy for their kids and often we have the whole family, including grandparents following the kids as they play.”

“In recent years some segments of the market seem to have become more open to encouraging kids onto courses. In the early days, few were interested in having the conversation, but now there is a shift in play.

“The astute clubs are beginning to understand the role that junior golf will play in their future. They are open to being aligned with a brand that can offer the whole gamut in Junior golf – Equipment, Instruction and Competition.

“A great example of this is Moore Park Golf who have taken on all that we have to offer and are seeing the rewards after having made the transition to a U.S. Kids Golf Family Course.

“U.S. Kids Golf has the ability to run a club’s junior golf program from start to finish, including instructional programs that provide an assessable structure or framework and allows kids to move through various levels and mark their progress with incentive pins and awards.”

Wallis started promoting the equipment range fully in 2011 through “Green Grass” accounts who had a dedicated Junior program – today U.S. Kids Golf is helping clubs set up their own Junior Programs.

“Our clubs start with the My First Club -suitable for kids aged two to four,” Wallis says.

Wallis said that in 2000, opportunities for Australian kids to get good quality golf equipment, access to courses and the chance to play in tournaments, was very limited.

“Our sets and individual clubs are recommended for kids aged 5 plus, however what is unique to USKG equipment is that we fit kids with clubs based on nine different height criteria – not age.

“There was a clear opportunity to do something tangible for the game at a grass roots level and this was very appealing,” he said.

“No other equipment brand on the market comes close to offering this range. Our mantra is obviously by putting the right

equipment in the hands of the kids, they have more success, they enjoy the game more and are keen to keep playing.

Sophie Yip from Concord Golf Club was our top performer who came an impressive 26st in her age group.

U.S. Kids Golf not only brings the game of golf to kids by providing the right equipment but also by modifying the courses they play on.

“Three others finished in the top 40. Our youngest representatives were aged 7 and our oldest 12. It looks like we will achieve our goal of having 30 kids with the opportunity to represent Australia in 2016.

“In tournaments our kids are grouped in 12 age and gender categories. So 12-year-old girls play other 12-year-old girls, 8-year-old boys play other 8-year-old boys,” Wallis said.

“They are taught the ethics of the game and the rules in a fun environment where you don’t need to be an elite player.

“In fact, while the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships is a big drawcard for some kids, we are committed to ensuring that this is not what defines us.

“We have a strong commitment to grass roots golf for kids and building the participation rates and appeal of the game to juniors. We have done this through running events that have never been offered before, such as the recent Parent Child event at Cammeray Golf Club where 40 parents and children competed in a foursomes format. It was a great day.”

“Additional to the Summer, Autumn and Spring Tours in 2016 we are introducing the US Kids Golf Trans – Tasman Cup. This is to be played between Australia and New Zealand (Ryder Cup Style) in May. Preceding this will be the first ever Pro-Am at a Junior event where kids will play alongside a professional.

“In January 2017 we will also hold the inaugural U.S. Kids Golf Australian Open. An exciting event which will attract kids from all over Australia and New Zealand – and we already have interest from other U.S. Kids Golf Countries.

“We are also looking at establishing U.S. Kids Golf Centres of Excellence in each state. These will allow us to truly showcase the brand, tuition and competition programs we offer.” •

For those with the desire to compete on the world stage the USKG Tour Events offer a pathway to playing at the European Championship in Scotland, the Venice Open in Italy, the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur and the pinnacle, the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships, played at Pinehurst for the past 10 years.

Kids compete for points and to reach a scoring criteria for qualification. They need to participate in a minimum of four US Kids Golf tournaments in the same Tour.

“In 2015 we had 15 kids travel to the US to represent Australia. This put us in the top 10 countries in terms of numbers of kids participating,” Wallis proudly said.

“At the opening ceremony the kids march in their country grouping with one of the players holding the Australian Flag reminiscent of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

“The Aussie kids did very well for their first event however in the heat and on the challenging courses of Pinehurst they realised there was a lot to learn. Ten-year-old

All pictures supplied courtesy of U.S. Kids Golf Australia. U.S. Kids Golf equipment and apparel is available via the U.S. Kids Golf Australia website www.uskidsgolf. com.au or through its green-grass partners.

Phone: 0498 988 455 www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

55

juniors

Sam’s the man at Faldo Series Australia Championship

S

am Nashaar wrote his name into Faldo Series history by winning the inaugural Faldo Series Australia Championship in December.

Chris Fan [Boys’ Under-16 winner]; Lucy Harris [Girls’ Under-21 winner] and Amy Chu [Girls’ Under-16 winner].

Avondale Golf Club member Fan, in particular, has been in fine form this year with victory in the Brett Ogle Junior Masters and three other top-three finishes before his Faldo Series Australia Championship divisional success.

Making the most of home course advantage, Nashaar blew his rivals away with a stunning opening eight-under-par 64 at Sydney’s Castle Hill Country Club in the 17th leg of the record-breaking 2015-16 Faldo Series Asia season.

Since its inception in 1950, Castle Hill Country Club has been a frequent tournament venue. As well as holding the 2013 New South Wales (NSW) Open, the club has staged two Australian PGA Championships, three NSW PGA Championships, four Canon Challenges and the 2013 Men’s and Women’s NSW Medal.

Further rounds of 70 and 73 gave him a 54-hole aggregate of nine-under 207 and a three-stroke triumph from Jordan Garner, who soared up the leaderboard with a finalround 66.

Sydneysider Nashaar can now look forward to a trip to China and a starting spot in the 10th Anniversary Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, to be hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at Mission Hills Shenzhen in March.

In a tournament high on quality, five players in the 60-strong field at Castle Hill bettered par in the event that is counted in the R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Sam Nashaar at the trophy presentation with Castle Hill Country Club President David Geraghty [left] and Club Captain Lindsay Verdon [right].

“It is my hope that the Faldo Series Australia Championship will provide a platform for identifying and nurturing the next generation of world-class Australian golfers.

Six-time Major champion Faldo, Britain’s most successful golfer, said: “It’s wonderful to see such impressive scoring in our first Faldo Series Australia Championship and underlines the strength in depth in elite amateur golf in the country.

“My thanks to everyone at Castle Hill Country Club and to all the participants for ensuring that the inaugural Faldo Series Australia Championship was such an overwhelming success.”

“Australia has a proud history of producing great golfing champions, male and female.

Today, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Karrie Webb are among the best-known players in the world.

In total there will be a five-strong contingent flying the Australian flag for the first time at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final – Nashaar [Overall winner and Boys’ Under-21 winner]; Garner [Boys’ Under-18 winner];

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Final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 207 – Samuel Nashaar (6470-73). 213 – Daniel Kolar (72-68-73). 214 – Daniel Gale (74-72-68); Mitchell Norbis (7174-69).

Boys’ Under-18: 210 – Jordan Garner (74-7066). 216 – Isaac Noh (71-73-72). 220 – Harry Doig (78-71-71); Josh Gadd (74-72-74).

Boys’ Under-16: 219 – Christopher Fan (7471-74). 223 – Brad Doherty (76-77-70). 230 – Luka Brucic (79-76-75).

Girls’ Under-21: 241 – Lucy Harris (80-79-82).

243 – Brianna Baird (81-80-82). 263 – Anna McHugh (95-82-86).

Girls’ Under-16: 224 – Amy Chu (74-74-76).

227 – Grace Kim (77-72-78). 239 – Bella Kil (81-75-83).

More: www.nickfaldo.com/about-faldo-series

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS: Ben Scott and Kiera King show off the spoils of victory.

King, Scott Classic champions IN Central Queensland, Capricorn Resort juniors Ben Scott and Kiera King have taken out this year’s junior Summer Classic at the Capricorn Resort.

Scott, who carded rounds of 74-72, recorded his first major junior open victory when he edged out Yeppoon’s Ben Swaffield and Gladstone Ryan Stitt in a playoff.

A large spectator group watched the playoff on the par-5 18th hole and they weren’t disappointed with the quality of play.

All three players parred the first extra hole and returned to the 18th tee for a second opportunity at victory.

This time, Ryan Stitt dropped out with a bogey six.

Scott and Swaffield then moved to the difficult 10th hole where Scott birdied to take the title.

Other gross winners: Three-hole boys winner, Travis Taylor (Hervey Bay); sixhole girls winner Lexy Olive of Blackwater; six-hole boys winner, Yeppoon’s Jackson Mapes; nine-hole girls winner, Tahlia Trennery (Capricorn Resort; nine-hole boys winner, Yeppoon’s Jayden Gardner; 13-hole boys winner, Pioneer Valley’s Pratty Bharadwaj.

The C grade girls’ winner was Clermont’s Eric Marteene while Blackwater’s Brock Olive took out the C grade boys’ title.

instruction

Trust your practice strokes

Team Europe romped to an emphatic 18½ to 5½ victory over Asia to secure their first win at the EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last month.

Glenn Whittle

0439 165 750

Ian Poulter set the tone for Europe by beating Malaysia’s Danny Chia 4 & 3 in the top singles match to put some early blue scores on the board and quell any hope of an Asian fightback at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.

A

s I have mentioned many times in these articles, I spend a lot of time helping golfers improve their putting every week. This has provided a great insight into the common problems that the majority of club golfers experience and why they have difficulty putting consistently.

The English duo of Lee Westwood and Andy Sullivan followed up on Poulter’s lead by beating Nicholas Fung 7 & 6 and Thongchai Jaidee 4 & 3 respectively before leaving it to compatriot Danny Willett to deliver the final blow to Team Asia’s hopes.

One of the main points I discuss with my clients over and over is the fact that they guess how hard to “hit” the ball as they putt.

My theory when teaching club golfers is based on the fact there is actually no ball (even though there is), it always brings me back to helping them build a precise and consistent routine that includes a few practice strokes where they gauge the length and speed of the stroke they ANTICIPATE THEY WILL NEED for this putt. I refer to this as pre-determining the putting stroke in advance. Then the final step, which sounds so easy to do but we all know is not so easy to commit to, is simply set up to the ball, aim, look at the intended starting line and repeat the practice stroke. That’s the key: repeat the practice stroke. Let me say it one more time so it sinks in - repeat your practice stroke! One point that is worth mentioning is grip pressure; I notice that a player’s grip pressure can often tighten just before they take the putter away, I generally like a soft, consistent grip pressure that does not change.

During this lesson (see photo), I was using an adjustable putting plane board that I had a friend build for me, which improved this client’s awareness of the correct swing direction. After a while, this had improved considerably so we spent some time on his ability to simply repeat the smooth, pre-determined practice stroke over the ball. He, like many, found it fascinating when he was focussed on this that it was more difficult than he first thought. After twenty minutes or so, he improved and was excited to try it in his next comp game the following weekend.

If you are having trouble with your putting or would like to lower your handicap, please call the Ridge Golf Course pro shop in Sydney on 0295414960 and make a booking.

Europe cruise to EurAsia cup victory

Willett’s 3 & 1 defeat of Byeonghun An ensured Team Europe would become the first side to lift the EurAsia Cup after the inaugural event in 2014 ended in a 10-10 draw.

Team Asia’s points came courtesy of India’s Anirban Lahiri and Korea’s K.T. Kim, who beat Shane Lowry 2 & 1 and Bernd Wiesberger 3 & 2 respectively. Jeunghun Wang and Ross Fisher finished in a tie.

Clarke, who will also captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team in September, was delighted with his team’s emphatic victory.

They won the fourball and foursomes sessions 4 ½ to 1 ½ on both days before winning nine singles matches and halving one out of the 12 on the final day.

The 2008 NSW PGA Teacher of the Year, Glenn Whittle is a Certified PGA Professional, Advanced Status – Coaching.

He can be contacted at The Ridge Golf Course in Sydney, or via phone at 0439 165 750.

Members $20.00, Non Members $30.00

“The team have played fantastic this week.

There have been a lot of positives. I’ve learnt a few things, and hopefully I’ll do a better job come September,” said Clarke.

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www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

57

mental

Secret #2 – Apply Learning Principles > Peter Croker www.keytofgolf.com

T

he subject “How to Learn” is not a thoroughly taught subject in many schools throughout the world, from Kindergarten to Primary to Secondary to University. And golfers wonder why learning golf can be a difficult undertaking.

The ‘Know’ to ‘Mystery’ Scale

feel, and the basics of a simple and orthodox golf swing can be understood

This is the Formula that allowed us to uncover the major alignments of the golf swing.

This allows you to develop an ever-improving ability to play well and to rise above “swing mechanics” and to play golf “out of your Mind.”

Correct drilling leads to the golfer wanting to play more, play better, and have more fun playing.

KNOW (Able to Do)

Learning “how to learn” can be accomplished by following a few steps: STEP 1: Willingness to Learn - Where there is a “will” there is a “way!” An open mind prepared to LOOK, LISTEN, FEEL, and DO is the entrance level required. Tick this Box and you can enter on the journey.

STEP 2: Belief in the System of Instruction and the Coach - Trust and a preparedness to take the journey, and a strong acceptance that both the material is highly workable and that the coach is well qualified to supervise and assist you on your “Path to Better Golf.”

Intuition and a “Leap of Faith” are healthy qualities to have here.

STEP 3: Knowing How to Know - There is a formula that is worth its weight in gold and the Croker Golf System has applied it thoroughly to build this program in golf education here for you.

Peter Croker is a Certified PGA Professional, and has been a PGA Member since 1971.

He has given lessons using The Croker Golf System to many students from beginners to Major Championship winners including Arnold Palmer, Vijay Singh, Rocco Mediate, Fred Funk, Bob Charles, and Olin Brown.

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The 7 Secrets to Mind Control Golf The Barriers to Learning

Above Thinking

Not Know

Above Ego

Know About

Ego

Look

Open to Learn - Gathering Data

Willingness to Learn

Strong Interest

Mild Interest

Awareness Increasing

Mystery

Becoming Aware

Maybe

Confusion

To explain the chart, working your way up from the bottom: Golfers start off with a decision to be made. MAYBE I will be interested in learning the game of golf or maybe not? Where should one start? There is initial CONFUSION here.

When we get interested in becoming better at golf (or anything for that matter), we are confronted with a “MYSTERY” as to what path to take? What advice to follow? What is the first step? What is the next step? etc. We are BECOMING AWARE that there is something here to learn.

MILD INTEREST leads to AWARENESS INCREASING and this leads to more WILLINGNESS TO LEARN. With STRONG INTEREST, the ability to LOOK and be OPEN TO LEARN paves the way forward.

The trap here is to stop LOOKING when

A willingness to learn and do the necessary drills does not guarantee success. It is helpful to recognise the Barriers to Learning and know the ways to overcome them. When we have the tools to break free of any of these barriers, we are no longer under the effect of not knowing.

There are three major barriers to learning: 1. Missing Steps (or Steps done out of sequence) 2. Out of Balance between Theory and Doing 3. The Misunderstood Word or Concept There is a saying that “The way out is the way through” and in Mind Control Golf the “Way” is through the Drills, both Mental and Physical.

Drills

the KNOW ABOUT stage in the process is reached. The GATHERING OF DATA builds the EGO and the KNOW ABOUT is becoming stronger and a “KNOW ALL” can emerge.

We need to be careful here! There are people who never let the fact that they cannot do it stand in the way of them knowing all about it (golf - that is). Such a person lacks the humility of vast wisdom, and in its place has the arrogance of a “KNOW IT ALL. “ The ability is to ask the question of yourself: “What do I ‘NOT KNOW’ here? This is the next step forward. This lack of EGO and the ability to CONFRONT what there is to KNOW, allows the EGO to rest, and progress towards full understanding.

This is the aim of the Master Coaching Community and here golfers can focus on

Confront doing any drills slowly and do each drill in a new unit of time, each time.

The drills are the way to build “feelingawareness” for both alignments within the swing mechanics and bringing Mind and Body together in the now and in a condition that will assist the building of effortless power, rhythm, and balance

Frequency For any serious advancement as a golfer, the student would need a minimum of 3 x 10 repetitions x minimum 3 times per week of the senior drills of the Mind Training and Swing Mechanics.

Viewpoint Persistence wins the race in golf.

Thoroughness is the key.

Next month, we will discuss secret #3, and start bringing the points above into practise.

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fitness

Fun fit for time-poor golfers

Play golf ...

I

Get fit ...

Relax.

“People are time poor and don’t have the time to play nine holes after work or 18 holes on the weekends.”

“We cater for corporate functions, birthday parties and those sorts of things.”

The venue is open until late most nights and licensed until midnight seven days a week.

Taylor, a qualified PGA professional, is also available to give private lessons.

More Golf and Fitness, an indoor golf simulator centre at Bundall on the Gold Coast, is one such venue.

More Golf and Fitness’ golf simulators can be set to driving range mode or players can choose to play one of 50 golf courses including St Andrews and Pebble Beach.

More Golf and Fitness has a number of membership packages.

Since opening late last year, the business has been attracting golfers and newcomers to the game.

“Players can hire the simulators for as long as they like,” Taylor said.

Golf professional Corey Taylor, who operates the establishment, said More Golf and Fitness offered more than just a round.

“We start with half an hour blocks, but most players like to spend one or two hours having fun playing their favourite golf course or working on their swing using the feedback given in driving range mode.

T’S a well-known fact golfers are time-poor and don’t play golf as frequently as they once did.

With that in mind, many keens golfers have found an alternative and are getting their “fix” by playing on an indoor golf simulator.

“We have four golf simulators and also have a fitness area that does over 30 high intensity cardio classes a week under the guidance of a personal trainer,” he said.

“A lot of people are coming in and loving the concept.

“Usually, there are four people per bay and because we are fully licensed they like to have a few drinks while having a hit with mates.

Unlimited golf simulator memberships are $499 per person per annum while unlimited fitness classes are $750 per person per annum.

“We also offer golf simulator membership with golf lessons and a range of other membership options,” Taylor added.

“Alternatively, four golfers can hire a golf simulator for $100 per hour. That’s $25 each to have a lot of fun playing golf and having a few drinks at the same time.”

For more information, call Corey Taylor on (07) 5531-5103 or visit the website www.moregolfandfitness.com •

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59

fitness

Getting kids fit for golf

Better fitness for better golf Ready to play your best golf game? Then you need to think about your fitness.

Richard Nizielski

Most golfers know the benefit of fitness for golf, yet still there is a belief that just practicing and playing are going to be enough. No matter what level your game is at, if you are serious about improving your performance, adding in strength work will benefit your game.

richard@golffitsolutions.com 0438 027 768

I

hope you all had a great holiday season and have kicked off the New Year the right way (with plenty of golf ). With summer in full swing, this is a great time to introduce children to playing golf. If you are keen to have your children/grandchildren playing golf, it is important they have the right-sized equipment.

As it is with any other sport, strength and fitness is important for golf players. However, golfers are often put off by this idea, thinking that weightlifting will make them bulky and unable to swing the club easily. This is far from the truth. Weightlifting does not mean that you are a bodybuilder with a goal to getting huge. No, using weights is about becoming better prepared for your sport and lowering the risk of injury. In the long run, this means more time playing at your best.

A well-designed gym program for golf players will help in two main ways:

Where children are concerned, all equipment used should be suited to the child’s size and ability. Children have nowhere near the same strength that an adult has, so taking an old set of adult clubs and cutting them down is not the answer. The shafts, lie angles and weight of the equipment are too much for a child’s body to swing correctly and control. Using such inappropriate equipment will cause the young player to compensate technique through incorrect muscle recruitment and will place undue stress and strain on the joints and muscles.

Likewise, using equipment which is too small can lead to problems. As the child grows both in height and general strength the golf clubs should be upgraded to suit. This will keep the young golfer at the correct posture and body position during the golf swing, thereby minimising the exposure to stresses and risk of injury. Several junior golf club suppliers offer shaft upgrades; so as the child grows, the clubs can be lengthened. There are plenty of child golf club kits which can be purchased through your local golf shop or club pro-shop.

All golf players will benefit from an appropriate fitness program. For junior players, a fitness program should focus on the development of functional strength, overall fitness, movement skills, coordination, balance and, most importantly, enjoying sport and moving. As with golf equipment, the fitness equipment should be of an appropriate size and weight. The activities should include a blend of skill development and healthy competition.

Hopping, jumping, throwing and catching activities will improve hand-eye coordination, body control and balance.

These acquired skills can then be incorporated into golf swing activities. As an example: standing on one leg and throwing and catching a ball, either against a wall or with a partner,

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Injury prevention. The golf swing is a repetitive, single sided movement, which involves the whole body. Over time, the repetitive nature of the activity creates imbalances in the body, which can result in poor posture habits often manifesting themselves in overuse injuries. A proper strength and conditioning training program will look at addressing those imbalances before injuries can take over.

Performance: A well-designed strength and conditioning training program will improve performance by improving the body in the following ways.

Core: Core strength and stability is vital for a golf player. The upper and lower body act in sequence with each other. The mid section of the body is the link between both. Without a stabile and mobile midsection, you will leak energy through inefficient movement patterns and ultimately lose both power and distance.

at varying distances will help develop leg strength, balance, power generation, distance control and coordination. A golf activity can then be added, which includes all these skills.

Just as it is for adults, children like to improve their skills and in doing so enjoy their golf. Having the correct equipment, developing a body which can perform the required movements and avoid injury will help with achieving this.

Giving children these opportunities will keep them healthy and enjoying golf.

Happy golfing!

Richard Nizielski is a Brisbane-based golf fitness expert and the Director of Golf Fit Solutions. A three-time Olympian and medallist in the sport of short track speed skating, Richard is a qualified sports and personal trainer designing individual fitness and nutrition programs for both professional and amateur golfers here in Australia and overseas. www.golffitsolutions.com

Posture: Without a strong and stable mid-section, posture will most likely be compromised. The most common poor posture habits are rounded shoulders in the upper body and pelvis tilting forward, towards your toes in the lower body. This places extra stress on the body and interferes with the golf swing.

Mobility: Having optimal mobility in the joints and muscles allows the body to achieve the range of movement in the golf swing. Flexibility and stretching activities are a must for golf players.

Power: Everyone wants to improve the distance they make the ball travel. To increase your force production you need to improve relative strength. However, for the golf swing, improving relative strength is only part of the puzzle.

Mobility, stability, and posture and speed all feature in power development.

All of the above points are linked. Remember, the idea is not to turn into a weightlifter but to become a better athlete. If you’re not sure where to start or you want the best results, I suggest finding a qualified sports physiotherapist and a golf fitness professional to give you the best chance of preparing your body for a better golf game. •

fitness

Does your golf swing cause you back pain?

Dr Richard Parkinson http://ispine.com.au/

G

olf is generally considered a low-impact activity, so it might surprise you that it’s a sport in which players can incur a lot of back pain. If you are suffering golfers’ back pain you can get back on par and avoid serious back injury from golf by addressing some key issues.

Don’t skip the warm up Because golf is a sport where you are relatively sedentary and then suddenly moving, it’s important you warm up your muscles before you go out for a round. It’s also a very asymmetrical sport requiring a lot of twisting when the time to move does come, so a warm up is a good idea to promote a supple spine and help guard yourself against a back injury.

It can even be beneficial to include gentle stretching out on the course before you get the 1 or 2 iron out, as the larger the club the more intense the twist in your back. If you have a history of back pain a physiotherapist can prescribe a set of beneficial exercises to do before a game of golf.

Age shall not weary them It’s a catch 22 isn’t it? Once we retire or cut back our working hours we have more time for leisure activities like golf, but the older you are the more statistically likely you are to suffer from back pain or have a back injury.

This does not mean golf need be off limits. Quite the contrary, as movement and physical activity becomes increasingly important in addressing back pain as we age.

Again, a physiotherapist can offer specific exercises for before and after a game to avoid back injury from golf.

It can also help to take an anti-inflammatory before a game of golf so you don’t end up with a back spasm. Golf is an enjoyable and beneficial activity for people any age; so don’t let a back injury from golf put you out of the game.

to guide your return to the game. Once your clinician gives you the go ahead spend a month or two working on your short game and work on the larger swings with the assistance of a physiotherapist.

If you find you have sustained a back injury from golf it’s important to seek advice from a health practitioner and address the pain as early as possible to limit any long-term complications and get back to the green quickly.

It’s even worth seeking out a physio or sports physician who has an interest in golfers’ back pain. Your doctor will be able to help you track one down. As is the case after any surgery you will need to be very aware of your limitations and also acknowledge that you’re not going to be hitting like a pro for a while. •

Back surgery doesn’t put you in the rough If you’ve had back surgery you will be working with health professionals on your rehabilitation and they are well placed

Dr Richard Parkinson is an expert on spinal injuries in sportspeople and sees many golfers in his practice with back injuries. http://ispine.com.au/

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61

senior amateurs SENIOR Amateurs With Denis Dale ed@insidegolf.com.au

2

015 was definitely a great golfing year but the more exciting news is the fantastic calendar of events and courses available for Australia’s senior amateur golfers in 2016. Many of Australia’s Top 100 courses are included, providing Australian senior golfers with the enviable task of choosing just which great course and event they will play.

The Australian Senior Ranking Competition Now entering its eleventh year the Australian Senior Ranking competition provides top-level golf for seniors who are ready to travel across the country to compete at the highest level. Beginning in 2006 when it was called the Australian Senior Order of Merit the Ranking System, in 2016 it will include 17 events across every state and territory.

Who can play in National Ranking Events?

You need to be 55 years or older on the first day of the event being played. While some of the events have handicap restrictions there are others without any handicap limit. All entry forms contain this information.

The Australian Senior Amateur, the Royal Melbourne Classic, the National Masters and the NSW Senior Classic are very popular and a handicap ballot may be required. The best policy is to enter and wait to see if a ballot is needed.

Entry in the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship is open to any senior golfer who has played at least one ranking event during the preceding 12 months.

Fantastic calendar set for Australia’s senior golfers How does the Ranking Points System work?

The Golf Australia web site has full details on the Senior Ranking System. While each senior ranking event stands alone with prizes awarded in both scratch, age and handicap divisions ranking points are awarded to all players at the conclusion of the tournament.

The number of competitors from inside the Top 20 on the Senior Ranking Table is used to calculate a tournament rating. A higher rating event means a higher number of points. The highest rated event is the Australian Senior Amateur with an automatic Level 6 rating with other events achieving a level 3, 4 or 5.

Royal Melbourne – number one course in Australia and home of the Royal Melbourne Senior Classic.

A table of ranking positions and points is available on the AUSOOM website (www.ausoom.com).

Zealand this month to challenge the host country for the Sanctuary Cove Trophy. The next match will be held in Australia in 2017.

When are the Ranking Points used?

At different times during the year various national senior teams are selected using the Golf Australia Rolling 12 Months points table as a basis for this selection.

Using a rolling 12-month table ensures selection is based on performance over the previous year. As events are played the old event drops off e.g. points gained in the 2015 Australian Senior Amateur Championship will remain current until replaced when the 2016 Australian Senior Amateur Championship is played.

A 12-man Australian Senior team has already been selected to travel to New

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A six-man team to represent Australia in the 2016 Asia Pacific Championships in the Philippines will be selected after the 2016 South Australian Senior Amateur Championship in September.

How do I enter a National Ranking event?

A 12-man Golf Australia Senior team will be selected for a match against the Australian Defence Forces Golf Association in April. Selection in the team is based on current rankings although any senior who represented in the previous Sanctuary Cove or Asia Pacific teams is ineligible. This policy ensures at least 24 seniors are rewarded with major team selection each year.

At the end of each ranking year Golf

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Entry forms are always available on the AUSOOM website (www.ausoom.com) and can also be found on Golf Australia and various state golf organisation’s web sites.

Although many of Australia’s best senior golfers will be competing you do not have to be a low marker to play and enjoy the competition and the friendships that will soon be made. If you have thought about playing in one or more of these senior events then why not make 2016 the year to put the plan into action.

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senior amateurs

What events are on in 2016?

The National Ranking year runs from November to October meaning the first event for the 2016 year has already been played. The 2015 ACT Senior Championship was played in November on three courses – Queanbeyan, Gungahlin Lakes and Federal. This was the first year for the Queanbeyan course and all players enjoyed the challenge of this well conditioned and interesting layout.

After another close finish NSW senior Greg Ellis joined a small group that have won successive national level events. After winning the Victorian Senior Amateur Championship in October Ellis again played wonderful golf to win the ACT title a few weeks later. In a drama filled day at Federal Golf Club Ellis began with a one stroke overnight lead and would eventually win by the same margin..

Runner-up was Victorian Greg Rhodes who once again demonstrated his class with great tee-to-green golf but he had no luck at all with the putter. His second place finish did extend his lead in the national rankings and he is now the dominant number one senior golfer in Australia.

Golf WA have also advised that their traditional secondary event, the Lake Karrinyup Senior Classic, will not be played at this course. A decision on the new venue and date is also not yet available. All senior golfers are advised to use the Golf Australia or AUSOOM website for the latest information on these two events.

Narooma Golf Club – venue for the 2016 NSW Senior Championship.

Zealand Open twelve times. Thirty Australians have entered the championship, easily the highest number of overseas representatives in the event’s history.

Following immediately after the New Zealand Senior Championship is the annual Australia vs New Zealand event for the Sanctuary Cove Trophy. This tournament rotates between each country and in 2016 will be played at the Royal Wellington Golf Club.

Once again a 12-man team of Australians will be playing the Kiwis in this Ryder Cup format competition. The Kiwis have now established a clear lead having won six of the nine years this event has been played.

In 2016 a strong team will be representing Australia with team captain Tony Kennings confident of winning back the trophy.

The third national senior ranking event on the 2016 calendar is the 2016 Tasmanian Senior Amateur starting on February 10 at Mowbray Golf Club in Launceston. Mowbray has been the home of this event for many years and is always good test of golf.

Queanbeyan Golf Club was used for the 2015 ACT Senior Amateur Championship.

January The 2016 Royal Melbourne Senior Classic was played on January 20-22 using each of Royal Melbourne’s famous layouts, the West Course (number 1 in Australia), the East Course (6) and the world renowned Composite Course. This was the fourth playing of the event and as could be expected the opportunity to play these three layouts coupled with the outstanding organisation of the tournament is attracting hundreds of golfers from across Australia and New Zealand.

A ballot was needed to reduce the large list of entries and a record low handicap of 3.5 was the cut off number. The winner was not known when this story was prepared but a full report will be in next month’s issue and is currently available on the AUSOOM website.

Paraparaumu Golf Club – venue for the 2016 New Zealand Senior Championship.

February February will see many of Australia’s leading senior amateurs heading to New Zealand.

The 2016 New Zealand Senior Amateur Championship will be played at the Paraparaumu Beach course from February 1114. Regarded by many as one of the greatest links courses in the southern hemisphere, Paraparaumu is a world-renowned layout just outside Wellington and has hosted the New

The defending champion is NSW senior golfer Stefan Albinski who has won this event 5 times. In 2015 Albinski improved every day and his rounds of 75-73-71 gave him a six-stroke margin over local Mowbray member Michael Leedham. Both Albinski and Leedham have won this championship five times although Tasmanian legend Max Robison holds the record with 8 titles between1995 and 2003.

The popular Bermagui course was the venue for the 2011 NSW Senior Amateur Championship when Queenslander Peter King won in a play-off. The seaside Narooma course is rated inside the Top 100 Australian courses.

The combination of these two courses will ensure that the 2016 champion is a worthy one.

The defending champion is Victorian Greg Rhodes who won his first national event in 2015 with a great display of golf finishing a combined six under par on the Duntry League and Serviceman’s courses. He finished eight strokes ahead of local champion Robert Payne.

March is the usual month for two West Australian events – the WA Senior Amateur and the Lake Karrinyup Senior Classic.

At the time of writing Golf WA has advised that although the West Australian Seniors is currently scheduled for April 6-8 at Melville Glades Golf Club there is a possibility that this date will be changed.

The defending champion is WA senior Martin Minogue who won at Royal Fremantle in 2015 bringing to an end a run of six successive titles

by NSW senior Stefan Albinski.

This is always a popular event and a strong field of low handicap players is ensured. The 2015 event was abandoned when some wild weather hit Sydney for a week making golf impossible. This will only make the number of entries even bigger and a high quality field of local, interstate and overseas players is certain for 2016.

May The National Masters will be played using all three courses in April 2016.

April Each year, a 12-man Golf Australia Senior Team contests a match against the Australian Defence Forces team. This year The National Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula will again host the event that begins on April 4.

The event will be played on the Ocean Course (rated 47) over two days, with foursomes and four-ball matches on day one, and singles matches on day two. The event was first played in 2007 and last year the Golf Australia Senior Team recorded a convincing 16-8 win over the ADFGA team.

This event is a must do for those who get the opportunity to play as the ADF guys are a great bunch of our finest Aussies. The competition is keen with both teams looking for victory but it also a great opportunity for senior golfers to share some time and stories with our defence force personnel.

Golf doesn’t get any better than a round of each of the three courses at The National Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The 2015 National Masters begins on April 12 and is played over all three of The National’s championship courses - The Moonah (number 9 in Australia), The Old (17) and The Ocean (47).

March March begins with the 2016 NSW Senior Amateur to be played on the Bermagui and Narooma courses on NSW’s beautiful south coast. Golf NSW is again using two courses to ensure that all who nominate for this popular event will get a start.

the venue for the 2011 and 2012 Australian Opens, The Australian Golf Club (31) and the host club for the 2014 and 2015 Australian Open and the beautiful tree lined Avondale (56) on Sydney’s north shore.

Avondale Golf Club – one of three wonderful courses used for the 2016 NSW Senior Classic.

The defending champion is local member John Wheeler who played some outstanding golf to record his inaugural win on the senior ranking circuit. Wheeler had led after his opening round of two under par 70 on the Moonah course and was then in second place after a round of 74 on the Old course. A determined final round of 77 on the challenging Ocean course saw him claim the title with a tournament record score of 221. Second place was shared by defending 2014 champion Barry Tippett and leading Victorian Gordon Claney.

Time to head north and visit Darwin for the 2016 Northern Territory Senior Amateur Championship to be played at Darwin Golf Club from May 26-29. This event is played in conjunction with the Northern Territory Amateur Championship that always attracts many of the countries best younger amateur players.

A great opportunity to visit the top-end, see some of our future champions and also compete in a 72-hole national senior ranking event on a very good golf course.

Darwin senior Tom Harold is the defending champion after his exciting one-stroke victory over Barry Tippett at Alice Springs Golf Club in 2015. With the advantage of local knowledge Harold will start as one of the favourites as he attempts to defend his title.

June After two successful years as host of the Australian Senior Matchplay Championship the Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club will again host this national championship in 2016. The event will be played from June 15-17.

This is the only match-play event on the national senior circuit and as it carries a national title and many ranking points most of Australia’s top senior golfers are expected to add this event to their 2016 golfing calendar. In 2015 the field of 32 included 23 of the top 27 ranked players and every player was ranked inside the top 50.

The defending champion is West Australian Ian McPherson who needed 24 holes to defeat Queenslander Trevor Box in a drama filled final. When he holed his birdie putt on the sixth extra hole it was he only time McPherson had led all day with this victory giving him his second success in the event.

July July is the month for the “Queensland Double” beginning with the 2016 Gold Coast Senior Classic starting on July 20.

This event is currently scheduled for three outstanding courses – Royal Pines, The Glades and Hope Island.

The recently redeveloped Royal Pines Golf Club was the host of the 2014 and 2015 Australian PGA Championship and presents

All who play in this tournament appreciate both the magnificent courses and the outstanding tournament organisation and hospitality. This is one tournament not to miss.

Wondering what event could possibly follow a week of golf at The National? Then how about a 54-hole tournament on three courses rated well inside the countries top 100 with two of them venues for recent Australian Opens?

The tournament is the 2016 NSW Senior Classic and the three courses are The Lakes Golf Club (rated number 15 in Australia) and

Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf Club – venue for the 2016 Australian Senior Macthplay Championship. www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

63

senior amateurs September

November

Senior golfers have a break in August to fine-tune their game in preparation for a trip to South Australia where there will be two national ranking events in September. The first is the 2016 Grange/Kooyonga Senior Classic played September 1-2. This year the 36-hole event will again be split over two courses – Kooyonga (rated 26) and Grange (East course rated at 35 and the West at 28).

Bribie Island Golf Club – venue for the 2016 Queensland Senior Championship. an opportunity to play the course that will again host the PGA later in 2016. Not to be overshadowed are The Glades and Hope Island. The Glades is always in immaculate condition and is currently rated at number 62 in the Top 100 courses list while Hope Island sits at number 55.

Last year Greg Rhodes continued his great form with another comfortable victory. His total of 150 gave him a six-stroke margin over veteran Vince Clark (NSW).

Beginning two days after The Grange/ Kooyonga tournament is the 2015 South Australian Senior Amateur Championship beginning on September 5. At this stage the venue is still to be finalised.

The defending champion from 2015 is New Zealander Frank Borren who defeated fellow Kiwi Michael Barltrop by three shots with Michael’s brother Rodney completing a Kiwi trifecta in finishing third. Rodney Barltrop had the best round of the tournament with his opening score of 68 (four under par and equalling his age) at Royal Pines.

In last year’s South Australian Senior Amateur Championship at Links Lady Bay Golf Club, Victorian Ian Frost continued on his winning ways with a play-off victory. Victorian Gordon Claney had charged home with a round of 69 (seven birdies) to force the play off that Frost eventually won the third extra hole.

Following on from Royal Pines is the 2016 Queensland Senior Amateur Championship to be played at the Bribie Island Golf Club located an hour north of Brisbane. Built on the rolling natural sand dunes of Bribie Island the 18-hole championship layout is often described as “the hidden treasure” of the south-east Queensland golf courses.

The 2016 Australian Senior Amateur Championship is to be played in Adelaide at the Kooyonga Golf Club. (26) This is the most prestigious event for the year and as usual most of Australia’s top level senior amateur golfers will line up for a chance to take home the title.

Victorian senior Ian Frost is the defending Queensland Seniors champion after his victory at Southport Golf Club in 2015. In an exciting finish it was not until the final few holes that Frost established a clear margin before finishing five strokes clear of Queenslander Sam Christie and overnight leader Barry Shannon (New Zealand).

October

The 2015 Australian Senior champion was Victorian Greg Rhodes who capped an outstanding year in senior golf with his victory at Manly Golf Club. After opening with consecutive sub-par rounds 69 Rhodes held on to defeat a gallant Mark Pearson (NSW) by a single stroke. West Australian Trevor Hughes was another stroke away in third place.

Kooyonga Golf Club – venue for the 2016 Australian Senior Amateur Championship.

November 16-18 sees the playing of the 2016 Asia Pacific Senior Amateur Championship at the Alabang Country Club in Manila, The Philippines. A 6-man team will be selected to represent Australia in the team championship and they will be trying to improve on their third place finish in 2015. There is likely to be quite a few other Australians also make the trip to compete in the individual championship.

Rhodes will be hard to beat in 2016 but the competition will be keen as the standard of senior golf in Australia is definitely on the rise as are the number of high quality players playing in all the major events.

The new 2016-17 Australian Senior Ranking year begins with the 2016 ACT Seniors Championship to be played November 8-10 at three of Canberra’s best courses and the list is likely to include Gungahlin Lakes and Federal Golf Clubs.

Following soon after the Australian Senior Amateur is the 2016 Victorian Senior Amateur Championship beginning on October 19 at Coomealla and Riverside Golf Clubs. These neighbouring clubs are located on the Murray River just three hours from Melbourne and are top quality and challenging country courses.

The early favourite is definitely Greg Rhodes, Australia’s top-rated senior golfer, as he is a member of the Coomealla club.

The winner in 2015 was New South Welshman Greg Ellis who recorded his inaugural ranking event victory at the Bright and Myrtleford courses. Ellis played wonderful controlled golf to record a final round one-over 73 and a 54-hole total of 220 to take the Championship by three strokes.

Overnight leader John Banting from Royal Perth hung on well to finish second.

With the Australian Matchplay moving to June the Victorian Seniors is now the final event of the 2015-16 Senior Ranking competition. This means that medal winners for the top ranking players in the Open, Over 65 and Handicap competitions will be decided after the Victorian Seniors.

In 2015 the Queanbeyan course was added to the roster and player comments indicated it would be a welcome venue if included again in 2016. The final courses will be available later in 2016.

In wonderful news for all senior golfers Golf Tasmania has added a new event to the senior golfing calendar – the Tasmanian Senior Masters.

In 2016 this event will be played at the beautiful Royal Hobart Golf Club from November 18-20. Royal Hobart was last used for a senior event in 2005 when the Australian Senior Championship was played there. There will be many mainlanders making the trip to play this top quality course with some likely to develop a golfing holiday that includes Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm and Cape Wickham. •

Royal Hobart Golf Club – venue for the new Tasmanian Senior Masters.

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LNCDGA 64

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

rules

What’s the Rule?

lifting it does. If your ball in play is moved by wind, it must be played from its new position even if the marker is in place behind the ball because the ball is still in play.

Ball in Play Frank Gal

Chairman of Rules Committee Golf NSW

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he first Rule of Golf tells us that golf involves playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole (Rule 1-1).

It is important to know when a ball is in play in order to proceed correctly under the Rules, and a careful reading of the definition of “ball in play” is a good starting point towards getting that knowledge.

The definition tells us firstly that a ball is not in play at a hole until a stroke has been made on the teeing ground, i.e., from within the two club-length deep area described in the definition of “teeing ground.” This is why there is no penalty if your ball falls off the tee before a stroke is made, even if you caused the ball to fall off the tee by touching it with a club. There would also be no penalty if the ball was knocked off the tee accidentally by a practice swing, since a practice swing is not a stroke (see the definition of “stroke”).

However, an “air swing” which was meant to hit the ball is a stroke, so if you have an “air swing” at a teed ball, the ball is in play at its position on top of the tee and if you subsequently cause it to move (except as allowed by the Rules), you will incur a penalty stroke and must replace the ball.

The definition then goes on to clarify the status of a ball which is played from outside the “teeing ground” when starting play of a hole.

In stroke play, if you play a ball from outside the teeing ground when starting a hole, or when attempting to correct this mistake, the error must be corrected by playing a ball from within the teeing ground (Rule 11-4b).

The ball was not in play and if you continue the round you would have no valid score for that hole.

The definition goes on to say that “the ball remains in play until it is holed, except when it is lost, out of bounds or lifted, or another ball has been substituted…” The following points should be noted regarding this section of the definition: •A ball is lost when any one of the five conditions listed in the definition of “lost ball” exists. Since a lost ball is not in play, if you make a stroke at a ball that is deemed to be lost you are making a stroke at a wrong ball and will incur the penalty outlined in Rule 15-3.

• I f you make a stroke at a ball lying out of bounds, you are also playing a wrong ball.

•P laying a provisional ball is not the same as putting a substituted ball into play. A provisional ball only becomes the ball in play when the original ball is lost or out of bounds or when a stroke has been made at the provisional ball from where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place (Rule 272b). If none of these conditions exists, the provisional ball must be abandoned and if you make a further stroke at it you would be playing a wrong ball.

The definition was revised in the 2016 edition and now includes the following statement: “A ball in play that has been marked but not lifted remains in play. A ball that has been

marked, lifted and replaced is back in play whether or not the ball-marker has been removed.”

Rule 20-4 was also amended to clarify that a ball that has been replaced is in play whether or not the ball-marker has been removed.

This was the case prior to 2016 but the principle was previously contained in Decision 20-4/1. Including this clarification in the definition and the Rule itself will greatly assist players to understand a previously much misunderstood Rule.

To illustrate the principle, if you mark a ball, say on the putting green, it is still in play until it is lifted; putting a marker behind the ball does not take it out of play, the act of

However, if you start a hole correctly from within the teeing ground but the ball goes out of bounds, you are faced with a different set of circumstances if you play the next stroke from outside the teeing ground. In this case, the definition advises that the ball played from outside the teeing ground is in play. The hole was started correctly when the original ball was hit out of bounds. Although the second ball is in play, it was played from a wrong place and the provisions of Rule 20-7c would apply.

In match play the result is different again.

If you play a ball from outside the teeing ground, your opponent may require you to cancel the stroke and play a ball from within the teeing ground. If your opponent does not require you to replay the stroke, the exception to the definition clarifies that the ball played from outside the teeing ground is in fact in play (see Rule 11-4a).

This discussion highlights the importance that a sound knowledge of the definitions has in the interpretation of the Rules. This topic is also fairly technical but it is important to know whether or when a ball we touch, move, lift, drop, place or play is in play. •

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golf nsw

High Performance camp a cooking classic

GOLF NSW FEBRUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS Golf NSW Events Date 31-Jan-16 31-Jan-16 18-Feb-16

Event Men’s NSW Amateur Championship (Match Play) Women’s Summer Foursomes Men’s NSW Medal & Amateur Championship

Venue Riverside Oaks GR Riverside Oaks GR Manly GC

Men’s Vardon Events Date 03-05-Feb-16 06-Feb-16 13-Feb-16 13-Feb-16 20-Feb-16 27-Feb-16

Event Avondale Medal (72) South Creek Cup Camden Lakeside Cup NSW Cup Concord Cup Bonnie Doon Open Amateur

Venue Avondale GC Dunheved GC Lakeside GC, Camden New South Wales GC Concord GC Bonnie Doon GC

Women’s Jean Derrin Events The HP Squad don aprons and learn a little bit about nutritious sports cooking.

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wapping golf clubs for a frying pan, an apron and oven mitts might seem a strange way to train a budding golf superstar at a High Performance Camp, but for National Coach NSW Dean Kinney it’s all part of the plan that will hopefully turn Golf NSW’s finest young talent into more rounded, complete athletes.

Cooking nutritious meals for themselves, however, is something that’s a little new to most of them.

“We’ve had a dietician in before, but this lesson is more simplistic,” says Kinney.

“We thought we could show them what they need to be eating in a performance environment. What’s going to fuel them better, what they can do when they’re travelling and how to prepare it themselves.”

The cooking class was a part of a recently completed Golf NSW High Performance Camp held at the Riverside Oaks Golf Resort.

Nine of the State’s finest amateurs attended the two-day session to learn about topics ranging from cooking and nutrition, to bio mechanics, physiotherapy, emotional intelligence and psychology.

While no stone is left unturned in trying to prepare these athletes for what they are going to face when they get out in the

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big world, it’s the variety of topics that are covered during the two days that’s pushing them further.

“We try to tailor the program as the athlete evolves to what they need.”

“It means looking at every way of improving them comprehensively to ensure they understand what’s necessary to be an elite athlete. It’s all encompassing.”

Keeping a fresh approach to what and how the athletes are taught is a challenge that Kinney relishes. Whether it’s through a cooking class or bringing in motivational speakers and elite performers from other sporting disciplines like Herb Elliott and Guy Leach.

“I think one of the goals for myself as a coach is to try and make it more engaging and different.”

Kinney also likes ensuring that the athletes are challenged in new ways whenever they are brought together.

“They don’t know what to expect when they arrive and that’s what I want. One of my mottos in High Performance coaching is to keep pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone all of the time.”

“We’re trying to produce top 100 players in the world. That’s our main focus.” •

Date 01-Feb-16 08-12-Feb-16 15-Feb-16 22-Feb-16 23-24-Feb-16

Event The Elanora Salver Barrenjoey Week of Golf The Lakes Cup, Bowl & Bronze Salver Women’s Silver Cup Avondale Bowl

Venue Elanora CC Northern Beaches Clubs The Lakes GC New South Wales GC Avondale GC

Men’s Senior Order of Merit Events Date 01-Feb-16 15-Feb-16

Wollongong Seniors Concord Seniors

Event

Venue Wollongong GC Concord GC

Pennants / Grade Date 07-Feb-16 07-Feb-16 14-Feb-16 14-Feb-16 19-Feb-16 21-Feb-16 21-Feb-16 26-Feb-16 28-Feb-16 28-Feb-16

Event Srixon Men’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 1 Srixon Women’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 1 Srixon Men’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 2 Srixon Women’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 2 Golf NSW Metropolitan Grade Competition - Round 1 Srixon Men’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 3 Srixon Women’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 3 Golf NSW Metropolitan Grade Competition - Round 2 Srixon Men’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 4 Srixon Women’s Major Metropolitan Pennant Rd 4

Venue Various Various Various Various Various Various Various Various Various Various

For information on any of the above events, or for a full list of fixtures go to: www.golfnsw.org

Congratulations to the latest St Hallett Wines Hole-in-One Achievers: Terrence Dankin, Derek Douglas, Peter Dutch, Laraine Gianniotis, Graham Halliday, Cong Hoang, Grace SJ Kim, Leo Lennon, Lynne Papandrea, Craig Pithers, Geoff Vial, and Ray Walker.

golf queensland

Dobbelaar and Choi cap stellar year with Qld Boys and Girls Amateur Titles Matthew Field

Kirsty Wrice

ed@insidegolf.com.au

ed@insidegolf.com.au

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ouis Dobbelaar (Brookwater) and Robyn Choi (Royal Pines) claimed victory in their respective Qld Junior amateur championships after overcoming their rivals during three intense and taxing days at Indooroopilly Golf Club.

Trailing overnight leader Matias Sanchez (Royal Melbourne) by 7 shots heading into the 36 hole marathon third day, Dobbelaar rocketed up the leaderboard with an, at the time, tournament low round of 68 (-4). Not to be outdone, Charles Pilon (Hills International), playing in the final group with Sanchez and fellow state-team member Steven Cox (North Lakes), took the 54-hole lead with a fine 69.

As Sanchez and Cox fell away over the final 18 holes, it quickly emerged that it was a two-horse race between Dobbelaar and Pilon. The short par-5 18th would prove decisive. Dobbelaar had birdied the hole the previous three rounds and when he rolled in his putt for 4, he had made his 13th and arguably most important birdie of the final day to sign for 67 and a 72-hole score of 283 (-5).

Pilon’s approach flew long and faced with a difficult pitch shot down the green, he managed to leave an extremely testing 25-footer to force a playoff. As Pilon’s valiant attempt slid narrowly by, the result was confirmed with Dobbelaar becoming one of the tournament’s youngest champions at age 14.

Choi has been the commanding force in Queensland Women’s golf this year, having already claimed victories in the Katherine Kirk Classic and Qld Women’s Amateur, and it was business as usual as she opened with a 3-under round of 71 to share the first round

Not a member yet?

Choi, Lyon crowned 2015 Greg Norman Junior Masters Champions

Robyn Choi and Louis Dobbelaar lead with Kirsty Hodgkins (Redcliffe).

Summoning the composure that has been her hallmark all 2015, Choi put space between herself and the chasing pack with a blistering 3-under front 9. Try as they might, Darcy Habgood, Hazel Martin and Stacey White were unable to apply the necessary pressure and when Choi made her 4th birdie on the par-5 12th, all that remained was the coronation walk down the 18th in celebration of one of the more dominant years witnessed in Queensland women’s golf history.

Habgood’s closing round of 74 was enough to clinch second and at only 15 years of age, she is definitely a player to watch in the years to come.

The Boys and Girls Amateur now ventures to a new club and a new time with the 2016 edition (June 28 to July 1) to be the first of many championships held at Bargara Golf Club.

For more information visit www.golfqueensland.org.au •

eter Lyon (Southport) and Robyn Choi (Royal Pines) have claimed victory in spectacular style at the 2015 Greg Norman Junior Masters, celebrating 25 years of the prestigious Queensland junior event.

Lyon and Choi overcame their opponents during four intense days at Palmer Gold Coast and Palmer Colonial in December with over 224 eager and aspiring junior golfers from around Queensland and interstate in the field.

Lyon had his breakthrough win claiming the boys’ championship over Charles Pilon (Hills) after a gruelling six-hole playoff. Carding rounds of 70-70-72, Lyon headed into the final round as the overnight leader with Pilon trailing by one shot.

What happened next in the playoff could only be described as ‘nail-bitting and enthralling’ as it was only on the 18th for the third time that day that we found a winner.

Lyon’s saving grace chip-in saw him make par to take out his first championship with Pilon narrowly missing his par putt. Both players are to be congratulated on their excellent display of sportsmanship, noted by Charlie Earp.

Choi capped off a stellar year winning the girls’ championship after already claiming three prestigious titles in past months.

Robyn’s incredible 9-under tournament and rounds of 67-71-76-68 (282) finished a single shot ahead of Kirsty Hodgkins (Redcliffe).

Junior Golf Foundation CEO Rae Clark also extended an invitation for Robyn to play at the 2016 RACV Ladies Masters played at her home course Royal Pines, competing with

Robyn Choi and Peter Lyon the likes of Karrie Webb, Katherine Kirk and defending Australian Champion Su Oh. The 15 Years & Under division was won by Louis Dobbelaar (Brookwater) continuing his successful streak after taking out he QLD Boys’ Amateur the week prior (292) with Min Kewon (Sanctuary Cove) winning the girls division.

The 13 Years & Under division was won by junior star Elvis Smylie (Southport) with a tournament score of 302 and Emerald Lakes member Lion Higo carding 315 taking out the girls division.

Aces of the week belong to Peter Lyon who had a hole-in-one on the 135m 4th hole at Palmer Gold Coast, with Jack Pountney following in style with an ace on the 17th.

2016 will see the consolidation of Golf Queensland and the Junior Golf Foundation of Queensland junior operations to form one united body for junior golf in Queensland with exciting developments to come.

For more information visit www.golfqueensland.org.au •

JOIN NOW! WWW.JUNIORGOLFQUEENSLAND.ORG.AU www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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19th hole

Peering into the crystal (golf) ball Larry Canning ed@insidegolf.com.au

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hhh, yes… it’s becoming quite clear now. I’m looking into my TaylorMade Tour Preferred Crystal Ball and I’m seeing some amazing extrapolations for 2016.

I can see inside the famed Butler Cabin at Augusta National and there’s Jason Day being handed the Green Jacket by one of his greatest rivals, Jorden Spieth. That’s come right after another one of those exhaustingly syrupy banters between the Chairman of Augusta, Billy Paine, and America’s nicest bloke and long-time Butler cabin TV host, Jim Nantz.

I’m in a bit of a quandary with Big Jim. Whenever he speaks, I get the urge to bawl my eyes out and give him a big hug… then I’m suddenly consumed with the overriding impulse to smack him across the chops to harden him up.

If ever there was a golfer perfectly designed to wear a Green Jacket, it’s Jason Day. He hits the ball long and high with a slight draw and can putt the absolute dots off his nut. And now that he has finally removed that giant “Eastern Silverback Gorilla” from his back with a victory in last year’s PGA, you’d have to think he’s freed up to win a bunch more majors.

Just a second… I’m making out an image of a young Irishman on the 18th green dancing up and down on the one spot with both his arms hanging limp by his side. Is it Michael Flatley?

No its, Rory McIlroy! (Remember him?).

Possibly the most naturally gifted golfer ever to have thrown a 3-iron into a lake, Rors appears to be back in the winner’s circle after claiming his fifth major, the US Open. Rory’s 2015 was interrupted by what I estimate to be a $13million accident, while having a kick in the back yard with some mates. What a scrumptious thought it is, watching Spieth, Day and McIlroy battling it out for the world number one spot throughout year!

A bit of a wipe of my crystal sphere and I appear to be looking into… what appears to be a board room? There is a group of blokes sitting around a large square table, all wearing golf clothes. Another wipe of the TaylorMade Oracle and I’m starting to make out some of their faces. There’s Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson... and... there seems to be an empty chair at the end with the name Henrik Stenson written on the back. Up on the wall there is a photo of John Daly with three darts stuck in his forehead. I know what that meeting is all about now. It’s the annual, “Best players in the world not to have won a Major” convention.

Actually a closer look at the empty chair and I can now see the Old Claret Jug sitting on it. Despite owning most of Sweden (after winning both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the space of a fortnight) Henrik’s trophy cabinet has been full of spondooley but sadly devoid of a major trophy. It seems this will change in late July this year when he smashes “Rorrl Trorn” (that’s Scottish for Royal Troon) into complete submission. If it can’t be an Aussie to win a biggie, I always hope it’s a player who really deserves a win and has earned his or her right to make the speech.

Now what does the Crystal Tour Preferred have for me next?

I think it’s the US PGA Championship because I can hear lots of boisterous American fans yelling out “Go Jordan, Go Jordan!” Spieth is leading but there seems to be a big, languid, powerful golfer who looks a lot like Marc Leishman. Yes! It’s the big Aussie and he has just birdied the last to beat Spiethy by a shot.

Leish has now led both the Masters and the Open with nine holes to play and it’s time to finish the job off. Had it not been for a divot hole the size of The Large Canyon (that’s the one which is just south of The Grand Canyon) during the playoff at St Andrews last year,

Chips and Raining aces at Shanks Burleigh Golf Club david@insidegolf.com.au

C

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Daly philosophy WE all know John Daly has an explosive long game but “Wild Thing” also has a short game to match.

“You can’t win tournaments if you don’t have the short game going.”

“Greg joined the golf club in May 2015 and has been enjoying social golf until now,” said the club’s general manager Ian Cottle. “He is presently submitting his handicap cards.

His last hole-in-one was in 2012.

Wow! What a year it’s going to be!

“I won the British Open with my short game. I won the US PGA Championship with my short game.

On Wednesday, December 23 Greg Squires, Grahame Powell and Andrew Roubicek went out and aced the 170-metre 17th, the 162m 11th and 141m eighth respectively.

For Grahame, who has been a member of Burleigh Golf Club for 16 years, it was his second ace at Burleigh Golf Club.

Finally, I can make out an emotional Larry Canning standing at the bar with a KENO ticket he has just won off his mate Brooksy.

“Whether it’s chipping or putting, you win tournaments with your short game.

HRISTMAS arrived early for a trio of golfers when each scored a hole-inone on the same day at Burleigh Golf Club on the Gold Coast.

For the record, it was Greg’s first hole-in-one.

A bit more rubbing and I can now see a small framed female professional jumping into the dam that surrounds the final green at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. No, it’s not Lydia Ko, it’s Australia’s highest-ranked female golfer, Minjee Lee. Witnessing the teenager’s short but brilliant career emerging is like watching a seedling grow into a huge gum tree in time lapse photography.

“Any time you win a tournament, you win with your short game,” the two-time major winner said.

with David Newbery

“Greg played his junior golf for Carnarvon Golf Club in Sydney and has been living on the Gold Coast for 10 years.”

Marc would have a major already.

THREE BURLEIGH ACES: Sharp-shooters Greg Squires (left), Grahame Powell (centre) and Andrew Roubicek.

Andrew Roubicek, a member from Royal Queensland Golf Club, was playing at Burleigh as a guest.

“Andrew’s son Alexander previously had a hole-in-one on the same hole (the 141m

eighth) in 2009 when he was 10 years of age.

It’s taken a while, but dad has finally caught up.

19th hole

Nomads battle in national tournament

Karrie Slam on cards SHOULD Karrie Webb win the Evian Championship this year, she will achieve what no other player has done on the US LPGA Tour – win a sixth different major championship.

major she has yet to win.

Webb has already won the US Women’s Open, Women’s US PGA Championship, Women’s British Open, the du Maurier Classic and the ANA Inspiration, leaving the Evian Championship as the last remaining

According to Amy Rogers from LPGA. com, the Australian is the remaining active player on the LPGA Tour to have a chance at accomplishing what has yet to be defined with a title so she is referring to it as the “Karrie Slam”.

For the record, Webb finished runner-up in the Evian Championship in 2014.

Crossword > THE 7th Australian Nomads National Tournament was held at The Novotel Vines Resort and Country Club last October. The tournament was hosted by the Nomads Golf Club Perth.

108 Nomads participated in the threeday event representing Nomads clubs in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Saturday Results A Division Richard Gallie Sydney South B Division Jason Drever Sydney North C Division Simo Pallaspuro Sunshine Coast Sunday Results A Division Roy Kowarski Sydney South B Division Chris Fichardt Sydney North C Division Lucky Adamou Sydney North Champion of Champions Roy Kowarski Sydney South Floating Trophies A number of floating trophies were also contested during the two days.

Best Australian Club Tri Nations Origin Cup

Sydney South South Africa New South Wales

Scoring is never easy as Nomads play Medal Stableford with a player’s handicap being added to the Stableford Points as if he were playing off scratch. After each round handicaps are adjusted based on the Total Points scored.

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(Don’t they do that every Saturday?)

In B grade, Glen Stephens won with 36 points and in C grade three players: Graham Green, young up-and-comer Paul Hope and Harold Roberts posted 36 points with Green getting on the nod on a countback.

He carded 40 stableford points – four more than runner-up Lester English.

Who’s speaking? Staying power WHO says professional golfers don’t have endurance?

Last year, South Korean Chella Choi played in all 31 US LPGA Tour events and in 2014 played 31 of 32 tournaments.

AN irate reader called us to suggest we look at recording the list of names and clubs of golf club officials who don’t return phone calls.

The 25-year-old won once in 2015 at the appropriately title Marathon Classic.

Appears our reader, a businessman, has had extreme difficulty at one particular metropolitan golf club.

Germany’s Caroline Masson is next. In 2014’15, she played 58 of 63 tournaments.

Meanwhile, Lydia Ko’s streak of 53 successive cuts made ended in 2015.

Such a published list would be less than average news for a number of people.

Unfortunately, the New Zealander and world number one missed the cut at the Women’s PGA Championship.

If we don’t return your calls we are probably compiling the list.

So Yeon Ryu has taken over as the frontrunner with 31 successive cuts made.

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More can be found out about the history, the philosophy, and aims of Nomads by visiting the web site of Nomads Golf Club of Australia at www.nomadsgolfaustralia.com

Playing in A Reserve, Robb Robertson, too, conquered the subtle breaks on the greens.

He said we should publish the list to let club members know how inefficient their paid staff are.

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It’s a day when the golf course superintendent Mark Ryan has the privilege of sticking the pins in some very tricky positions on the greens.

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This year the event will take place in October at the Links Hope Island Resort in Queensland.

James finished four points clear of Graham Kulmar, who edged out Kane Hancock on a countback.

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AT Yamba Golf and Country Club in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, they have an event called the Greenkeeper’s Revenge.

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The annual event is more than just golf as there is always live entertainment in the evenings as well as an excursion programme to the local sights for visiting wives and girlfriends.

Greenkeeper’s revenge

Anyway, the superintendent might have tricked most of the 105-strong field but not A-grade player Anthony James, who posted a credible 41 stableford points.

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ACROSS

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1 Winner of the 2015 Hero World Challenge, Bubba ______ (6) 4 Powered by energy from the sun’s rays (5) 9 A golf club (No. 8 iron) with a short, rounded, flat head whose face slopes greatly from the vertical (7) 10 Turned over (7) 11 Diagram of the layout of a golf course, for example (3) 12 Inactive medicine (7) 13 To raise to a higher position (7) 14 Joint second-place getter at the 2015 Franklin Templeton Shootout, ____ Kuchar (4) 15 Scoring system used in golf where points are awarded depending on shots taken (10) 18 Feeling pressure on all sides (5,5) 22 Runner-up at the 2015 Hero World Challenge, Patrick ____ (4) 25 Played the first stroke on a hole (4,3) 26 Public rooms for relaxing in the clubhouse, maybe (7) 28 Out of position (3) 29 A person who has charge of the receiving and paying of money (7) 30 Level with the flagstick (3-4) 31 A person who is competing in a golf tournament generally (5) 32 Position of Rod Pampling at the 2015 Australian Open (6)

DOWN

1 Live video over the Internet (7) 2 Worked hard (6) 3 Scheduled location of the 2016 US Open (7) 4 Co-winner of the 2015 Franklin Templeton Shootout, Brandt ________ (8) 5 NZ winner of the 2015 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year Award (5,2) 6 Describing a “ranga” (3-6) 7 Bite suddenly (4) 8 Impressively splendid (6) 14 Growth once featured by Craig Stadler and Corey Pavin (9) 16 Hole in one (3) 17 The right to proceed before others on a golf course (8) 19 Recessed (4-3) 20 Playing well consistently (2,4) 21 Non-amateur player (4,3) 23 Joint second-place getter at the 2015 Franklin Templeton Shootout, Harris _______ (7) 24 Co-winner of the 2015 Franklin Templeton Shootout, Jason ______ (6) 27 A city district of central London now noted for restaurants and nightclubs (4) Answers: page 75 www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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19th hole

Vale Christy O’Connor Jnr IRISH professional Christy O’Connor Jnr, hero of the 1989 Ryder Cup, has died in Spain aged 67.

O’Connor Jnr, who twice won the Senior British Open, was known as “Junior” because he was the nephew of the legendary Christy O’Connor.

He won four times on the European Tour including the 1975 Irish Open and the British Masters in 1992.

O’Connor Jnr played Ryder Cup twice – 1975 and again in 1989.

In his second Ryder Cup appearance, O’Connor Jnr defeated Fred Couples when a stunning 2-iron shot on the last hole at The Belfry finished one metre from the hole.

He later sold the 2-iron to an anonymous Irish businessman for £50,000, which he donated to a local hospice in his hometown of Galway.

Later, O’Connor Jnr forged a successful career in golf course design and was involved in the design of 18 golf courses in Ireland and many more abroad.

One of the game’s true gentlemen, O’Connor is survived by his wife Ann, daughter Ann and son Nigel.

The quick nine quiz THERE are 22 stableford points up for grabs on the front nine.

How many can you get?

with David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

1. Who won the 2015 Australian Open? (2 pts) 2. What nationality is Jamie Donaldson? (2 pts) 3. Can you solve the following anagram – Bids our viscount. Clue: He’s French and was runner-up to Jason Day at the 2014 Accenture Matchplay Championship. (3 pts) 4. In stroke play, a marker recorded some of the competitor’s hole scores in the wrong boxes. He altered the hole numbers on the card to correct the error. Should the card be accepted? (2 pts) 5. Who said: “My swing is faultless.” Was it, Ian Woosnam, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson or Ben Hogan? (3 pts) 6. Can you name the American golf course where each hole is named after a flower, tree or shrub that grows next to it? (3 pts) 7. True or false: No Frenchman has ever won the Open Championship. (2 pts) 8. Which famous basketball player bowled over Jason Day’s wife Ellie at a US basketball game? (2 pts) 9. Name the year when Greg Norman won his second Open Championship title. (3 pts) ANSWERS: (1). Matt Jones; (2). Welsh; (3). Victor Dubuisson; (4). Yes; (5). Ian Woosnam; (6). Augusta National; (7). False – Arnaud Massy won in 1907 (8). LeBron James; (9). 1993.

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February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

Ray lifts the lid on IBF’s hat David Newbery david@insidegolf.com.au

L

ONG-TIME golf tournament volunteer Ray Weeks has something arguably no other person has – an Ian BakerFinch golf hat signed by 17 different Open Championship winners.

Canadian-born Ray purchased the Akubrastyle IBF original golf hat at Sanctuary Cove in 1995.

“Ian, who won the Open Championship in 1991, signed it first,” Ray said.

Since then Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Padraig Harrington, Ben Curtis, David Duval, Paul Lawrie, Darren Clarke, Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard, John Daly, Tom Lehman and Tony Jacklin have personally signed the hat.

Ray told Inside Golf he had carted his prized possession around the globe.

“It’s been to the Open at Carnoustie in 2007 when Padraig Harrington won, the 1998 US PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland, the Dunhill Links, the World Matchplay in Melbourne in 2001 and to Canada for the Air Canada Championship in 1999,” Ray said.

Ray never misses an opportunity to volunteer at major events.

In addition to golf, Ray has worked on the Gold Coast Indy, Gold Coast 600 in the media centre for the past 22 years.

Last month his role was to guard the players exit from the 18th green at the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

Over the four days, he became a popular figure with the players and even had Ian Baker-Finch stop for a chat en route to the commentary box.

“The first volunteering work I did was at the 1993 Skins Game between Greg (Norman), Ian (Baker-Finch), Nick Price and Craig Parry at Sanctuary Cove,” Ray said.

“They were looking for volunteers and I recruited 48 Robina Woods Golf Club members.

NO HAT TRICK: Volunteer Ray Weeks poses with Ian Baker-Finch and his well-worn hat signed by 17 Open champions.

“I was a marshal at five Queensland Opens, five Queensland PGAs. I was a volunteer at the Australian Ladies Masters for 17 years and was the chief marshal at the Australasian Players’ Championship in 1996 at Robina Woods.

“I went to the Air Canada Championship in 1999 where I was a marshal and walked the course with Payne Stewart.”

Aside from the well-autographed hat, Ray has more than 200 golf balls signed by players including Peter Thomson, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sandy Lyle, John Daly, Ernie Els, Karrie Webb, Annika Sorenstam, Laura Davies et al.

In 1994, he had his first golf ball signed by 2005 US Open winner Michael Campbell at the Queensland Open at Windaroo Golf Club.

Like many players, Campbell had trouble negotiating the infamous Snake Gully (16th) and threw his ball into a creek.

“I fished it out because back then Titleist 100s were expensive golf balls,” Ray said. “Anyway, I saw kids getting golf balls autographed in the clubhouse so I went and got Michael to sign it.”

An 18 handicapper at Palm Meadows Golf Club, Ray was on the original golf program

Keep the game simple stupid THE game of golf is a lot easier than many people make out, according to the late, great Norman von Nida.

And don’t for a moment think you have to be super intelligent to be a successful player.

“I think the more intelligent you are the harder it is to play the game,” he wrote in his book simply titled, The Von. Von Nida had two disadvantages in life that he turned into advantages.

“One was my lack of height and the second my lack of formal education.

“Because I wasn’t a big man, I decided early on in my career that accuracy would have to be my main weapon, as power was out of the question.

“And because I didn’t have a great education, I decided to use my common-sense. I applied it to the game of golf and I think it held me in good stead over the years.”

(The Von won 46 professional tournaments including three Australian Opens and four Australian PGA Championships).

“I think the more intelligent you are the harder it is to play the game,” he continued.

“You have to keep it simple, which is hard for some people to do.

“The game is a lot easier than academics would have us believe,” he concluded.

FOOTNOTE: The Von, first published by University of Queensland Press in 1999, was coauthored by Ben Robertson.

at Griffith University in 1993 – a joint venture between the university and the PGA of Australia.

“I was on the program to learn golf management skills,” he said.

“While I was there, the students on the golf program won the National University Golf Championship and I happened to be the team’s manager.”

I ask Ray what he does when he’s not volunteering his time at major golf tournaments.

“I actually have a fancy work title,” he said.

“I am an Adjunct Teaching Fellow for the Business School at Bond University.

“I work with a Masters of Business Administration program teaching an on-line course.”

Ray, who drives a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, has an unusual golf “business card”, which reads: Ray Weeks, CD, MBA – Gentleman Golfer. Play when and where I want.

Handicap 14 clubs.

“I have had a lot of fun with golf,” he said. “I have done a lot of things and gone to a lot of places and I have played golf at some famous courses like the Old Course (St Andrews), Carnoustie and Gleneagles.”

THE WINNER

your voice

NEW:

Good Onya, Joe.

PHOT of theO Month !

Yep, that’s right, Inside Golf is including reader photographs as part of our “Your Say” monthly competition. Now, not only can you submit your great stories, comments, feedback and ideas to Inside Golf each month, but you can also send us any quirky or exciting photographs for print consideration.

This month’s winner is Warwick Marlow, who was playing at Redcliffe when playing partner Dave Burleigh (pictured) had this shot to contend with, playing this ball onto the green while the wildlife looked on.

Now THAT’S what we call “branching out!”

Your Voice

Have you got something to say? Then tell us! Write to us via email at ed@insidegolf.com.au. Tell an interesting story or something funny about golf and you could WIN a prize like this month’s GolfBuddy Voice GPS unit!

DSR is B.A.D I am writing this out of frustration with our handicapping system. We almost got it right with the courses being rated and personal handicaps being calculated on ‘form’, being top 8 from last 20 rounds.

The DSR is creating a C grade paradise out there; players shooting 10 or 12 under their handicap and having a great day out (which I have no problem with) are setting the DSR for the day for everyone. The DSR ends up 4 shots less than par and low markers, who may have battled and scrambled to achieve a respectable score, find Golflink telling us we have shot 3 or 4 over handicap. The higher handicapper doesn’t get chopped much and the A graders stay the same or go out.

My personal goal every time I play is to beat my handicap and try to get the lowest handicap I can; I have little interest in prizes.

So the fact that each grade has its own comp is only about prizes, because at the end of the day the DSR affects everyone.

WHY CAN’T WE PLAY TO PAR!!! The course has been rated for difficulty by a team that took years to get that information. Perhaps the rating should be adjusted for future events if scores are consistently below par.

If that means we all have lower handicaps, so be it, this will encourage people starting out that they have a chance in a comp and bring back good quality A grade players into the field for others to admire and watch. I have noticed the number of regular (every week) low markers diminish over the last few years.

As I said earlier, we nearly got this right but the DSR has got to go.

Neil Maddison

Social Studies I love Inside Golf, and your column, but have gradually noticed your obsession with social golf!

I’m a member of Heidelberg GC in Victoria and we welcome social groups and are thankful for the income. I ask you, do you see little hope for the survival of membershipbased clubs? As said, we welcome social groups but I believe they should have a responsible coordinator who regulates golf etiquette, speed of play and should be liable for any damage to the course if it occurs. Last, but not least, most golf clubs have land that is sitting idle but due to zoning issues, good land and revenue opportunities are wasted.

We are a community and health-based industry! Surely we as a golfing power can go to government and get some leniency in this area.

Tony Shaw EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks for the letter, Tony.

My tendency to write about Social Golf isn’t an obsession. It’s merely a by-product of the fact that golfers play differently than they once did.

Social Golf is a growing trend across the globe for a number of reasons. And it’s not just golf – other sports are changing as well (see page 5 this month). I’ve written in the past that the “membership model” will likely only survive for the top-tier clubs. Most other clubs, I believe, will eventually convert to green-fee play (see my online article “The private to public conversion…is it imminent?”)

And yes, it is critical that social groups have a responsible coordinator. While many groups do, there are, alas, many who do not. So perhaps this is an area that could be improved.

And land issues, as you mention, are but one of the many areas where Golf’s Governing Bodies could certainly lend a hand. But I’ve learned to steer clear of politics whenever possible!

Congratulations on the story of Joe Kirkwood in the January issue. Joe was one of the first home-grown winners of the Australian Open, which he won in 1920, and did probably more than anyone in popularising the game all over Australia. My old boss, Don Spence, who grew up in the Kirkwood years, and won the Australian PGA Title in 1931, told me that Joe “could do anything with a golf ball”, from stamping it into the ground and hitting a

perfect shot with a Brassie, to using a club with a piece of rubber hose as a shaft.

Don always felt that this rare ability came against Joe in many ways, since on many occasions upon arriving at his ball, he had difficulty in deciding just what shot he would play.

Tom Moore Golf Historian

A great Day I always enjoy reading Larry Canning’s column, especially the “Larry Awards” (January).

As someone who has followed Jason Day’s career from the earliest days, I was pretty concerned when I saw him with his vertigo issues. This resonated for me as I went through similar issues and as a result of viral attack, lost the balance nerve in my right ear.

I can tell you that trying to hit a golf ball in those circumstances is one hell of a test of one’s hand-eye and motor skills. That

Jason was able to do so speaks volumes for his physical and mental capacities and my guess is that this experience, even though very confronting at the time, would have given him huge self-belief. The postscript to my situation was that the medical staff told me to play as much golf as I could, as golf provides such a stern test for one’s balance system, that it is far and away the best form of rehabilitation. Happy to report that I’m back to single figures.

David Gordon

More Social Studies I read your Starters Box column every month, and I enjoy the whole magazine, especially the travel section.

I belong to a Private club. We have around 800 members which include 5, 6, and 7-day members, as well as lifestyle members. Also, we are having twilight golf, so there is a lot of golf being played at our course. And yes, we have the social members playing there as well.

We’ve had about 30 members join from another club. These members support the club via the clubhouse and membership. Although I must stress that these guys are basically a “club within a club”. They don’t mix, and don’t seem to want to mix. We also have a hell of a lot of carpark members, who pay their respective fee, but don’t really support via the clubhouse. These guys are getting the best of both worlds: they play golf all week, and when you add it up in fees they get their game for about $20.00. Try getting a game of golf on a public course for this.

Now I come to the social golfer. What our club is finding, and I must stress the management don’t seem to care, is that these social golfers show no respect for the course. Not all, but a big majority.

Since we have opened our doors to this we are finding divots not filled, pitch marks not repaired and bunkers not raked. The club has asked us members to “adopt a hole” and repair all this stuff.

When I joined this club 20 years ago we had to play with a member and he showed us the etiquette. In the past we

didn’t have many divots or pitch marks to repair. Now, four of us can empty a sand bucket on every hole and repair 10 or 15 pitch marks. This didn’t happen five years ago.

Last week we were about to hit off the first tee when these two social golfers decided to drive across the tee, looking for the 10th tee. We put them on the right path, and noticed they were playing with our ex-captain. After the game, I asked how these two guys went. Apparently they had won a game of golf from a radio station. They had never played golf ever before and I think our course was lucky the ex-captain played with them. At the ninth he told them to go to the clubhouse and have a meal and wait till 3.30 when the field had gone through. What they should have won was free golf lessons.

Anyway, my point is: How many social golfers know golf etiquette? How many social golfers know the basic rules of golf? Who or how do the clubs pay for the repair to the course? This repair comes out of the member fees, not the social golfer. Management get up and bleat on how good the course is looking etc, and when you tell them it’s not as good as it was five years ago they look stunned. The fairways were like carpet, now there is no fluff, just hard clay under the so-called grass.

Keep up the good work on the magazine, and let’s see if we can figure out how clubs will survive.

Geoff Martin

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

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calendar

Tee it up at the EM Golf Championships Tour EM Golf is passionate about hosting the EM Golf Championships Tour each year for adults and juniors, male and female, who hold a current Golf Australia Handicap. The more tournaments you play in, the more points you will earn, giving you a bigger chance of winning the grand prize of a one-night stay for two adults in a superior room (Inc. Buffet breakfast) at Mercure

Gold Coast Resort, PLUS three TaylorMade Wedges and a $100 Gift Certificate. All tournaments are a single stableford event off tournament tees. There will be a raffle at each event giving you the chance to win even more prizes.

Sponsors are welcome to help and support this event. Please contact Ellesha Michie 0411 515 402.

Upcoming EM Golf Championships: 6th March, Palm Meadows, $65 inc. elec cart 16th April, The Glades Golf Club, $75 inc. elec cart 29th May, Coolangatta Tweed Heads, $65 inc. elec cart 23rd July, The Glades Golf Club, $75 inc. elec cart 21st August, Palm Meadows, $65 inc. elec cart Sunday 27th November, Coolangatta Tweed Heads, $65 inc. elec cart For more information, contact: Ellesha Michie, director of EM Golf (Member: ALPG).

Mobile: 0411 515 402, emgolf@hotmail.com. Or visit www.emgolf.com.au

CALENDAR > MARCH

NSW VETERANS STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIPS WHERE: Richmond, Penrith and Stonecutters Ridge WHEN: 21-22-23 March 2016 INFO: Chris Evans, Secretary, WSRVGA on 0413912888 Now in its third year in Western Sydney, the 54-hole State Strokeplay Championships are now also a Senior Order of Merit (SOOM) event and attracting the very best golfers (aged 55 years and over) from across the state.

A rule change in 2014 means that all

72

February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

players can enjoy the final day of these Championships from the luxury of a cart, if they so choose.

With significant sponsorship from Frasers Property Australia and Warren Saunders Insurance Brokers, the entry fee remains at just $99 for the three days of golf competition and this includes a luncheon on the final day at Stonecutters prior to the presentation of trophies. A full field of 144 players is anticipated.

COMING SENIOR AMATEUR EVENTS Feb 15-17

* Australia vs New Zealand – Royal Wellington GC

Feb 1 Wollongong Seniors (NSW)

Feb 15

Concord Seniors (NSW)

Feb 16-17

Kooringal Seniors (VIC)

Feb 11-12

Surf Coast Seniors - The Sands GC (VIC)

Feb 25-26

Warragul Seniors (VIC)

Feb 10-12

* Tasmanian Senior Amateur – Mowbray GC

Feb 29-Mar 1

Cranbourne Seniors (VIC)

Mar 1-3

* NSW Senior Amateur – Bermagui & Narooma GCs

Feb 1

Yarra Courses Senior- Latrobe GC (VIC)

Feb 11-13 New Zealand Senior

Amateur – Paraparaumu GC

Handiskins

When: Various Where: Various Info: www.handiskins.com.au Handiskins the ultimate game of skins for club golfers. Handiskins is a five-qualifyinground stableford competition. A player’s best three rounds count towards their final score. Players don’t have to play all five qualifying rounds if their scores are good enough.

The top four players with the best scores at the end of the qualifying rounds go into the ‘skins’ format final and have the opportunity to play for $1,200 in club or pro shop vouchers.

* Part of the Australian Senior Ranking System

UPCOMING HANDISKINS EVENTS: Everglades Golf Club Dunban Road, Woy Woy NSW 2256 3rd Qualifying Round 3rd February 2016 4th Qualifying Round 17th February 2016 5th Qualifying Round 24th February 2016 Final 2nd March 2016 Balgowlah Golf Club Sydney Road, Balgowlah NSW 2093 1st Qualifying Round 20th February 2016 2nd Qualifying Round 27th February 2016 3rd Qualifying Round 19th March 2016 4th Qualifying Round 9th April 2016 5th Qualifying Round 16th April 2015 Final 17th April 2016

demo dates PING

Location

Ph: (02) 9524 8233 or visit www.ping.com Day Date Time

New South Wales Elanora Country Club ◊ * Friday February 05 Federal Golf Club ◊ * Monday February 08 Queanbeyan Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 09 Royal Canberra Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 10 Canberra International Driving Range ◊ * Wednesday February 10 February 11 Yowani Golf Club ◊ * Thursday Gold Creek Country Club ◊ * Friday February 12 Oatlands Golf Club ◊ * Monday February 15 February 16 Bayview Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday Drummond Golf - Camperdown ◊ * Tuesday February 16 Belmont Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 17 February 18 Avondale Golf Club ◊ * Thursday Ridge Golf & Driving Range ◊ * Thursday February 18 Mona Vale Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 19 February 22 Maitland Golf Club ◊ * Monday Charlestown Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 23 Shortland Waters Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 24 Merewether Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 25 Wauchope Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 26 Cabramatta Golf Club ◊ * Monday February 29 Victoria Saturday February 03 Kingswood Golf Club ◊ * Melbourne Golf Academy ° Thursday February 03 Kew Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 04 Green Acres Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 05 Saturday February 11 Victoria Golf Club ◊ ** Yarra Bend Driving Range ° Saturday February 11 Portsea Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 13 Commonwealth Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 16 Kingston Heath Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 17 Rossdale Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 18 Saturday February 19 Riversdale Golf Club ◊ * Metropolitan Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 20 Kooringal Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 23 February 25 National Golf Club - Long Island ◊ * Saturday Mornington Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 26 Settlers Run Golf and Country Club ◊ * Saturday February 27 Queensland Victoria Park Driving Range ° * Tuesday February 02 Brisbane Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 05 Noosa Golf Club ° Tuesday February 09 Peregian Springs Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 10 Redcliffe Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 11 Pacific Golf Club ° Friday February 11 House of Golf Bundall ◊ * Friday February 12 Middle Ridge Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 13 Drummond Ashmore ◊ * Saturday February 13 Drummond Wooloongabba ◊ * Monday February 15 February 16 Drummond West Burleigh ◊ * Tuesday Bribie Island Golf Club ° Wednesday February 17 Indooroopilly Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 17 Redland Bay Golf Club ° Wednesday February 17 Drummond Golf Underwood ◊ * Thursday February 18 Mcleod Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 18 Gripped on Golf ◊ * Friday February 19 Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf Club ◊ * Friday February 19 Parkwood International Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 20 Surfers Paradise Golf Club ◊ * Tuesday February 23 Wantima Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 24 Burleigh Golf Club ◊ * Wednesday February 24 Golf Central ◊ * Thursday February 25 Nudgee Golf Club ° Friday February 26 Palm Meadows ° Friday February 26 Western Australia Maylands Golf Club ° Saturday February 13 Mt Lawley Golf Club ° Wednesday February 17 Wembley Golf Club ° Thursday February 18 Marangaroo Golf Club ° Friday February 19

9am - 3pm 12 - 5pm 9am - 3pm 9am - 2pm 4 - 7pm 8am - 2pm 9am - 3pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 1pm 4 - 8pm 9am - 2pm 8am - 1pm 4 - 7pm 8am - 1pm 11am - 5pm 12 - 4pm 8.30am - 2pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 2pm 1 - 5pm 10am - 2pm 4 - 7pm 9am - 3pm 1 - 5pm 10am - 1pm 4 - 7pm 3 - 7pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 9am - 3pm 10am - 2pm 1 - 5pm 10am - 2pm 10am - 4pm 10am - 2pm 5 - 7.30pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 12pm 9am - 12pm 1 - 4pm 12 - 4pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 12pm 9am - 1pm 2 - 5pm 1 - 5pm 10am - 1pm 9am - 1pm 4 - 6pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 1pm 11am - 3pm 2 - 5pm 9am - 1pm 2 - 5pm 1 - 4pm 1 - 5pm 4 - 7pm 12 - 4pm 1 - 5pm 9.30am - 3pm 9.30am - 1pm 11am - 3pm 11am - 3pm

PING

Ph: (02) 9524 8233 or visit www.ping.com

Location

Day Date Time

Wanneroo Golf Club ° Wednesday February 24 February 27 Carramar Golf Club ° Saturday South Australia Murray Bridge Golf Club ◊ * Thursday February 18 The Vines Of Reynella Golf Course ◊ * Friday February 19 South Lakes Golf Club ◊ * Saturday February 20 Drummond Golf Tea Tree Gully ◊ * Thursday February 25 Drummod Golf Mile End ◊ * Thursday February 25 TAYLORMADE Location

Location

1 - 5pm 3 - 6pm 10 - 12.30pm 10am - 1pm 3 - 7pm

www.taylormadegolf.com.au | 1800 700 011

Queensland Wantima † * Drummond - Gabba † * Royal Queensland † * ** Indooroopilly † * Golf Central † * Hope Island † * ** Emerald Lakes † * Parkwood † * Virginia † * Brookwater † * Vic Park » Bribie Island † * Golf Central † * Coolangatta Tweed † * Victoria MGA » Rossdale GC (Ball Seeding) Gisbourne † Anglesea † Anglesea (Ball Seeding) Goonawarra Eastern (Ball Seeding) Mandalay (Ball & Shoe) CALLAWAY

9.30am - 1pm 9am - 1pm

Day

Date Time

Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday

February 03 February 04 February 05 February 10 February 11 February 12 February 17 February 18 February 19 February 20 February 23 February 24 February 25 February 26

1 - 4pm

Wednesday Saturday Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday Wednesday Saturday

February 03 February 06 February 11 February 12 February 13 February 20 February 24 February 27

4 - 7pm 7am - 1pm 9am - 2pm 10am - 2pm 7am - 1pm 9am - 2pm 7am - 1pm 7am - 1pm

12 - 5pm 10am - 3pm 4 - 7pm 2 - 5pm 2 - 5pm 4 - 7pm 1 - 5pm 9am - 1pm 5.30 - 7.30pm 10am - 1pm 4 - 7pm 3 - 6pm

www.callawaygolf.com.au | callawaygolf.com/demo-days

New South Wales / ACT Nelson Bay Golf Club Pro Shop √ * Bayview Golf Pro Shop √ * Pennant Hills Golf Club √ ≠ * ** Lake Macquarie Golf Schools √ * Canterbury Golf Course √ ≠ * Toronto Golf Club √ * Mona Vale Golf Club √ * Queensland Victoria Park Golf Complex ≠ * The Golf Shop √ * Links Hope Island ≠ Noosa Golf Club Golf Central Palm Meadows Driving Range ≠ Victoria/Tasmania Horsham Golf Club * South Australia Drummond Golf West Beach Driving Range COBRA PUMA Location

New South Wales / ACT Cumberland GC Victoria Melbourne Golf Academy Albert Park Driving Range Queensland Redlands Golf Club Victoria Park

Day

Date Time

Monday Friday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Wednesday

February 01 12 - 5pm February 05 10am - 3pm February 09 8am - 2pm February 10 8am - 12pm February 11 9am - 2pm February 12 1 - 5pm February 17 7am - 12pm

Tuesday Wednesday Friday Tuesday Thursday Friday

February 09 February 10 February 12 February 19 February 28 February 29

Wednesday

February 10 10am - 2pm

Monday

February 08 4 - 7pm

5.30 - 7.30pm 10am - 12pm 2 - 5pm 10am - 12pm 4 - 7pm 2 - 5pm

cobragolf.com.au

Day Date Time

Friday

February 19

2 - 8pm

Wednesday Wednesday

February 03 February 10

4 - 7pm 5 - 7pm

Wednesday Tuesday

February 10 February 23

3.30 - 5pm 5.30 - 7.30pm

* Appointment Only. ** Members Only. °Ping Demo day. ◊ Ping Fitting. » TaylorMade Demo Day. † TaylorMade Fitting. √ Callaway Fitting Day. ≠ Callaway Demo Day. Dates subject to change without notice. It is recommended that you contact venue before attending. www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

73

golf directory

Play Australia’s Finest Sandbelt Courses Benalla Golf Club

pp $215 From share twin eek w mid

Three Day / Two Night Golf Package Includes: Unlimited golf, two nights accommodation, breakfast each morning, 2 x evening meals (vouchers up to the value of $20) • Fully Irrigated Greens & Fairways • Full Bar & Bistro Facilities • Abundant Wildlife including Kangaroos

• 6 nights accommodation • Green fees on 5 golf courses (Cape Schanck, Devil Bend, Eagle Ridge Golf From Course, Flinders Golf Club, Moonah Links, Mornington Golf Club, Portsea Golf Club, Rosebud Country Club, Sorrento Golf Club, The Dunes Golf Links, The National Golf Club, St Andrews, Mornington Peninsula) • Cooked or Continental breakfast included • Foxtel in all units per person per night* • Rosebud House also available to hire

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ROSEBUD MOTEL

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For further enquires and bookings P: (03) 5985 2041 E: rosebudmotel@bigpond.com W: www.rosebudmotel.com.au

BARGARA GOLF CLUB

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• 1 night Twin Share Accommodation • 18 Holes on our Championship Course • Lunch at the BGC Bistro • Twin Share Electric Cart • Beautiful beach side location • Short walk to the first tee *Conditions apply available Tuesday-Sunday only. Comp fees extra POA.

For bookings call (07) 4159 1180 info@shorelineapartments.com.au | www.bargaragolfclub.com.au

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golf directory

“you give up things when you buy a Kahma Golf Bag”

TRUEMANS COTTAGES Mornington Peninsula In the heart of Mornington Peninsula golf country, 3 spacious self contained houses accommodating groups of 2 – 12 people with Foxtel, Wifi and BBQ areas.

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P: (03) 5988 6540 | M: 0419 365 142 | www.truemanscottage.com.au

InsideGolf

From the inventors oF the CaddyraCk

GET ORGANISED WITH

AustrAliA’s Most reAd Golf MAGAzine

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If your golf club needs more copIes of AustrAlIA’s most reAd golf mAgAzIne then pleAse cAll InsIde golf on 1300 465 300

1300 738 557

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MoSS Vale Golf club iS a Golfer’S paraDiSe

2 Day Golf School at MoSS Vale Golf club

Summer Golf Package

Receive expert tuition from club professional Robert Kennedy in all facets of the game, while staying on course at the beautiful Dormie House.

$225 per night for 2 people includes daily: 4 course dinner, breakfast, Accommodation, 18 holes*

Package Includes: • 3 Nights accommodation • 3 Dinners • Professional Tuition

*Offer based on 2 persons per room in a standard room. Minimum 2 night stay, mid-week only.

Available 1st December to 29th February. Not available over Christmas and New Years.

Dates: 10th-13th February 2016, 17th-20th February 2016, 6th-9th April 2016, 13th-16th April 2016, 4th-7th May 2016, 25th-28th May 2016.

For bookings at these exclusive rates quote Inside Golf

Ph: (02) 4868 1800

|

www.dormiehouse.com.au

• 3 Buffet Breakfasts • Morning tea & Lunch on two days

Cost: $699 p/p twin share, $799 single Bookings through Dormie House phone: (02) 4868 1800

*Group sizes are limited to 8 people

Crossword Answers S O N S O L A A S N Y C K U P E N D E M A P D I B O E L E V A T N R K K S T A B L E F O R C R S I E G E R E E N O D N F F L O U N G E O F F F L E R P I N H I G M R E S F O U R T H

R E D H E A D E D S O H O For advertising call 1300 465 300

4 NIGHTS ACCOM. 5 NIGHTS ACCOM. 3 Rounds of golf + Carts Breakfast each day

$485

P/P Twin Share Conditions apply

4 Rounds of golf + Carts Breakfast each day FROM

A T O L I L C E D T P E R I D O R H I T R Y

FROM

W S E N I B A C P L A S M A T O U N D S E T E E A P C A S H E E N T

$555

P/P Twin Share Conditions apply

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

75

golf directory

Port Stephens Golfing Holidays Golf & Accommodation from only $70 per day 9 16 Golf courses including Horizons, Nelson Bay, Newcastle, Muree, Tanilba, Cypress Lakes, Pacific Dunes, The Vintage, by boat to Hawks Nest & others 9 Play any day & with any number of people 9 Golf & accommodation from a choice of motels, hotels, units & resorts

140

$

www.facebook.com/golfpsgh

T: 02 4984 9618 | M: 0428 820 477 | info@psgh.com.au | www.psgh.com.au

Play • Horizons • Kooindah Waters (Wyong) • Pacific Dunes • Cypress Lakes • Nelson Bay • Tanilba Bay • Muree • Hawks Nest • The Vintage • Newcastle

*SUMMER SPECIAL*

Other packages alsO available

BEERWAH GOLF CLUB

• 3 Games Golf - Horizons, Nelson Bay and Tanilba Bay • 3 x $20 Dinner Vouchers • 3 Cooked Breakfasts • 3 Nights Accomodation (twin share) • Total Cost per person $300 (Arriving Sunday, Monday or Tuesday)

At the base of the beautiful Glasshouse Mountains…

www.lemontreemotel.com.au

For reservations or additional information call Christine or Mike on

Phone (02) 4982 3300

Pro Golf IQ Guarantees to Lower Your Score

Ph: (07) 5494 0630 Golf Shop (07) 5494 6611

Aquarius

Join the hundreds of Inside Golf readers who followed Richard’s advice and now playing the best golf of their lives

R

INSIDE GOLF READERS DMOISNS’T OUT!

$219 - JUST $97 Go to

www.progolfiq.com/richard or call Pete Nicholson on (07) 5657 0902 TODAY February 2016 | www.insidegolf.com.au

(Wed, Sat & Sun)

More social playing times now on a Monday & Thursday

admin@beerwahgolfclub.com.au www.beerwahgolfclub.com.au

Read his detailed review at www.progolfiq.com/richard and learn how Pro Golf IQ can seriously improve YOUR game in just a few weeks.

76

Visitors pay only $25 to play in our competitions

Biondi Crescent, Beerwah (only 20 minutes from the Coast)

Inside Golf’s Editor, Richard Fellner, recently tested the powerful mind-coaching program Pro Golf IQ and gave it a massive THUMBS UP

SPECIAL OFFER

• Timeless Tuesday - Unlimited* Golf for ONLY $25 • Golf Equipment for Hire & Sale • Fully Licensed Clubhouse • Social Clubs & Corporate Days • No JoiNiNg Fees

E

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MAGIC MERIMBULA This is the most popular package on the Sapphire Coast, it gets booked out early - don't miss out

T

• 4 days golf playing at the beautiful Sapphire Coast courses of Pambula/ Merimbula, Tathra Beach, Eden, Bega, and Tura Beach. All courses are only 5 to 20 mins drive from the Resort.

• 6 nights accommodation in a 2 & 3 bedroom fully self contained apartment (linen supplied).

• 6 FREE fully cooked poolside breakfasts, buffet style.

Packages starting from:

• Free use of resort facilities, indoor gas heated pool, sauna & spa, full size tennis court, BBQ area and outdoor pool.

• Large Groups Welcome

Phone Toll Free 1800 688 881 Ring toll free for free brochure

For advertising call 1300 465 300

$499*pp / 2 Share $415*pp / 3 Share $395*pp / 4 Share *Conditions apply

aquariusresort@netspeed.com.au Crn Dunns Lane & Arthur Kaine Drv, MERIMBULA NSW www.aquarius-resort.com.au

golf directory

Wine and Golf Weekend

Play anytime - No waiting

Stay for 3 nightS, pay for 2

Howeston Golf Course Enquiries welcome

$

16 Weekdays

$

20 Weekends & Public Holidays *

100A Creek Road, Birkdale, Qld | Phone (07) 3207-2452

Nudgee Golf Club

BLACK TEE CHALLENGE 3rd Friday of each month “Bay Golf Day”

Members & Bay Golf Memberships $15 Visitors $25

From $145 per person twin share accomodation only

*prices include GST

Established 1972 • Full length 27-hole course • Excellent greens • Professional tuition available • Clubs for hire • Open seven days - BYO • Electric golf carts available

Stay at picturesque Greentrees Guest House located on the Doorstep of Wentworth Golf Club and Duntryleague Golf Club, close to our premier wineries and restaurants.

Conditions apply

Steve Conran Junior Tournament 22 November 2015 Mercedes Benz Duntryleague Classic 16-19 January 2016 F.O.O.D. Week Plate Tournament 11-13 April 2016

Ph: Jasmin (02) 63 614 546

www.greentreeshouse.com.au

Read Inside Golf FREE on iPads

AUs tRA liA’ s Issue 127 www.in // FEBRUARY sidEgo 2016 lF.com .AU

Plus, our unique Golf Map is updated each month with links to reviews and information about all courses featured in both the main magazine and Inside Golf Travel.

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If you love your monthly fix of Inside Golf, but can’t always get your copy before they’re all snapped up, then we’ve got some great news: our new and improved Inside Golf Digital iPad app is now available on the App Store... and it’s absolutely FREE. Now, not only can you view current and back issues of your favourite golf magazine for free every month, but our new app includes the latest and breaking news across a variety of categories, tips and instruction, gear reviews, quizzes, puzzles, social media and more.

Includes competition fee and after golf platter for 4 Phone: (07) 3267 7744

Stay for 6 nightS & pay for 4

FREE

Download it today from the App store (search Inside Golf Magazine), or scan the QR Code. Alternately, get the link from our website or at http://goo.gl/ZAXaFD

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Clearwater Noosa Genuine All Inclusive:

• On Course accommodation all on ground level.

Central to all Murray Courses • Self-serve, eat as much as you like, Buffet Continental Breakfast • Club evening dinner vouchers • Group organisers free of charge (groups of 12 or more) • Unlimited golf each day (conditions apply at some clubs) • Non golfers deduct $30 per day • Single Supplement $20 extra per day • Upgrade to Spa Room or cooked breakfast only $7.50 per person per day!

• FREE Golf Prizes - min. group of 12 • WEEKENDS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS $10 extra per person per day • FREE Wifi

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Your choice of resort and club courses.

• Noosa Springs • Twin Waters • Club Pelican • Coolum Golf & Spa • Mt Coolum • Noosa Golf Club • Horton Park • Headland • Caloundra • Peregian Springs Some conditions apply

For advertising call 1300 465 300

www.insidegolf.com.au | February 2016

77

The future of golf is here F E AT U R E S

• Dual 1000w brushless motors • 10 inch all-terrain tyres • 30ah lithium battery (2+ rounds of 18 holes) • Five volt weather-proof USB charger • Ergonomic mono handle • Storage compartment for four balls, a selection of tees and a sand divot pourer • Rear chill box capable of carrying three cans or two bottles of water • Quick release spring seat (cannot be used while moving) • Score card holder • Front drink holder • High wind resistant umbrella • Customised bespoke synthetic grass surface • Smooth ABS braking system • Two LED driving lights

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| 1300 55 69 79

For more information or to organise a club or personal demonstration please speak to one of our reps around Australia today.

Brisbane Gold Coast Byron Bay Newcastle Sydney Melbourne Adelaide / Tas Perth Busselton WA

Douglas Mizzi Palm Meadows Driving Range Gary Sanderson Rod Browning Megan Symington Darren Browning Marcus Breach Geoff Htoon Busselton GC

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GOLF FACTORY PENRITH 269 High St, Penrith (near Officeworks) (02) 4722 8640 - Mail Order - 6 ½ Days info@penrithgolffactory.com.au

Eagles & Birdies Stableford Bag 3.5kg

Ladies Callaway X-Hot Irons (6)

$30

Graphite Irons x 7 4 to Pitching Wedge Graphite Regular Flex Shafts

SUPERSEDED model

$455

URETHANE COVER TOUR BALL

Srixon Distance

Right Hand

4 - 23º Loft 5 - 26º Loft Regular Flex Right hand

$79

Callaway HX Bite Balls

$18

3 Piece Construction Durable Cover Sleeves (not individual) Distance & Green Grabbing Control

$13

Includes Cover

Srixon Distance Superseded Callaway HX Diablo

Optima TS Premium

Srixon Soft Feel Mens or Ladies

Chippers (Approach Putters)

Rescue 11 Right Hand #4 Regular shaft 21 degree adjustable +/- 1 degree Wrench and cover included

Tour Special Right Hand Mens or Ladies Lengths Infiniti Left Hand Stainless Steel Head

Bridgestone E6

Callaway X-Hot Pro Model 16º or 18º Hybrid Right Hand 15º 3 Fairway Right or left 13.5º Strong 3 Fairway Right Hand

$149

Titleist Velocity Superseded - IN STOCK NOW! Srixon Q-Star White or Yellow TaylorMade Burner Soft Maxfli Black Max Spin Optima TS +

$39

$49

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TaylorMade Burner Superseded

TaylorMade Adjustable Hybrid

9.5º Adjustable Driver Right or Left

Individually Boxed Doz

Optima M2D Distance

$108 for 6 Dozen Carton

$149

$17

Individually Boxed Doz

Individually Boxed Balls x144 (12 Dozen) Dozen

Callaway Super Soft

$79 $79 $79

Callaway Eleven Metalwood

Callaway Hex Black Tour Balls

25º Loft

5 Piece Urethane Cover

X-Hot Regular or Seniors Graphite Shaft Includes Cover

Project X Stiff Graphite Shafts (6.0) Including Covers & Wrench (Drivers)

$229

$119

$49

$129

Yellow Srixon Soft Feel Balls

$18

Dozen

Individually Boxed

3, 4 Sand Wedge - Steel $39ea

3, 4 + P.W Graphite Ladies 5, 6, P.W, Gap W, Sand Wedge Graphite

$39ea

13.5º Loft Easy Driver with cover & wrench

3 Hybrid 19º Graphite with cover 3 Fairway 15º Graphite with cover

Rubber grips Callaway Hex

$35 $24

Ladies Tour Special Minimum qty 10

$59

of 9 Eagles &SetBirdies

3 - S.W

$2

$89

each

$39 Dozen

$109 $169

60º Lob Right 56º Sand Right 56º Sand Left 52º Gap Left

Rescue Hybrid Fairway Metalwood Titanium Head Driver Including covers

Callaway Left Only Lob Wedge Mack Daddy 2 60º Loft Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex Slate Finish

$79

$150

$89

$129

Lightweight 14 Way Bags

$99

Cleveland Waterproof zippers 2014 Model 14 Full Length Dividers Black only

Srixon Airlite 2.9kg Black/Green /White only

TaylorMade Purelite Stand Bag

SUPERSEDED model

$20 Dozen

Black/Green only

$129

White or Yellow

TaylorMade Small Tour Bag

Optima TS Premium

Vinyl not Nylon

$22

Individually Doz Boxed

Eagles & Birdies Magnetic Pro Bag

14 Full Length Dividers $89 6 Magnetic Pockets $99 Putter Pit Cooler Pocket $159 Black/Orange

$349

$249

TaylorMade Graphite Irons Aero Burner

Cleveland Classic XL

Chrome Ball

Urethane Cover White or Yellow Plus postage

$189 $239

Dozen

4 Hybrid 22º Graphite with cover

Eagles & Birdies Mens Black Black Only Srixon or Cleveland Fits Right or Left Hand

Lightweight Black Bag with either White, Yellow, Red or Blue Piping

$29 $249

$69ea $39ea

Iron Covers

Full Length Rain Cover Putter Holder Cooler Pocket & Hood Black/Red/White or Black/White

$399

Cleveland Hybrid Iron Callaway X-Hot (Right Hand Regular) Left Hand Only TaylorMade Driver 588 Altitude Right Hand Sand Wedge Lightweight Steel Shaft $39 8º to 11º Loft $299 Adjustable Jetspeed 49grm Firm Stiff Shaft Includes Cover & Wrench

(02) 4647 8542 - Mail Order - 7 Days

Srixon Q-Star $240 Individually Boxed $204 $156 $240 $300 $180

Precept Laddie X

Narellan Supa Centre, Narellan Rd

TaylorMade ATV TaylorMade Burner Soft Balls Wedge

$139

$329

Game Improvement Models

Doz

GOLF FACTORY NARELLAN

Cleveland 588 MT Srixon Deluxe Bags - 2015 Models Cart Full Length Dividers Carry with Pop Out Stand or TT

Not individually boxed

Cleveland 588 Hybrid

$499

Easy to use

Visa, Mastercard and American Express accepted $7 NSW, $9 VIC & QLD, $10 SA, TAS, NT & WA. Postage and handling any quantity

$249

Graphite Shafts 6 - SW

www.thegolffactory.com.au

Srixon Z-Star or Srixon Z-Star XV

$159

14 Full Length Dividers Cooler Pocket Internal Putter Pit Black/Orange or Black/Yellow

2016 WEBSITE

$79 $89 $139

Right or Left Game Improvement Regular Flex Graphite 5 Iron to Sand Wedge Various Thickness Grips

$980

$769