Table of contents for April 2019 in Golf Monthly

I’m writing this welcome note in February – barely two weeks ago the UK was covered in a blanket of snow, making golf courses perfect for taking photographs for 2019 Christmas cards but not ideal for actually playing golf. A fortnight later and it couldn’t be more different, with temperatures in double figures and sunshine a-plenty. On days like this it feels like spring is on its way and for every golfer that means one thing: The Masters is around the corner! Even though the season’s first Major is six weeks away, the build-up most definitely starts now, and to help those days pass more quickly, this issue features a special Masters preview section. Golf Monthly playing editor Lee Westwood recalls his experiences of playing in The Masters, a tournament…

Photography: Getty Images The GM view: Sponsors pay a lot of money to be associated with professional golf tournaments, so they are more than entitled to invite who they see fit. Choi brought increased publicity to the event, so it clearly worked from a marketing perspective – the point of event sponsorship in the first place. TC Murray: This is entertainment – it gets viewers! Whether they like it or not, golfers are supposed to entertain the public – they are just lucky they get vast sums to do so. Choi was captivating and helped raise the profile of golf in South Korea. Parsaregood: He didn’t take up golf until his mid-20s. That’s what you call proper talent. And he was more interesting to watch than many in the field.…

Photography: Getty Images NO CONGU’s decision not to permit the new alternative Local Rule for balls that are lost or out of bounds in counting rounds is the correct one. Allowing players an option to drop on the fairway with a two-stroke penalty provides an easy way out and detracts from a key requirement within the game: accuracy. One of the toughest shots in golf is the provisional drive on a very tight hole after a first ball has sailed clear over the boundary line. Composing oneself to try and find a straight strike under heightened pressure is a great test with card in hand, and it’s not one that should be removed from the game. In terms of handicap, the Local Rule would actually have little impact. Clause 19…

PING HOOFER Features a five-way top, 12 pockets, including a water-resistant valuables and rangefinder pocket, and front-adjusting shoulder pads. Three colours. SUN MOUNTAIN H2NO LITE Made from a waterproof TPU-coated fabric, it has six pockets and a soft hip-pad for carrying comfort. Comes in five colours. TAYLORMADE FLEXTECH The 11 pockets include a suede-lined one for valuables. A Strap Slider System keeps the bag stable on your back. Comes in four colours. TITLEIST PLAYERS 4 PLUS STADRY The waterproof design includes seam-sealed zippers. A hinged bottom aids stability. Comes in four colours.…

Winning the Masters does not stop with the Green Jacket presentation at Augusta National on Sunday. In fact, that’s when it really starts. In the hours following a Masters victory, a champion takes part in winner’s commitments, a press conference, formal celebrations with the members and is then taken to his newly allocated locker in the coveted Champions Locker Room. After that, a winner will go back to his rented house and have a few drinks with those close to him – wearing the Green Jacket, of course. Many, but not all, then fly to New York for the media tour. Breakfast shows, radio shows and photo opportunities at the New York Stock Exchange, Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden. It all sounds exhausting, but it’s a parade Paul…

Photography: Tom Miles The fairways may not be at their best, and your course may have been closed due to all the rain, but there’s no reason why this year can’t be your best ever on the course. If you’re serious about lowering your scores, now is the time to put in the groundwork. Whether you need a few extra yards off the tee, a greater level of consistency with your irons or more confidence with the flat stick, Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Ged Walters has every aspect of your game covered. With more structure to your range time and perhaps one or two new training aids, we’re confident he’ll help you take your game to new heights in 2019. Your season starts now… DRIVER 1 Semicircle drill A…

1 Clubface control drill The Tour Striker S.A.M.I. is one of my favourite training aids as it can be used in a number of ways. In this drill, it helps to give us the right angle of attack, control the wrists through impact and prevent the arms from collapsing. Attach the S.A.M.I. around the top of the shaft and clip it to your shirt sleeve. Hit some shots; your hands should be ahead of the string at impact with a slight forward shaft lean. If you’re flapping at the golf ball the lanyard will make much more noise; we want it to be relatively quiet. Start with some shorter shots and build it up. You should develop a much smoother rotation of the body and arms through the ball. 2…

Photography: Kevin Murray 1 Bunker play Sixty degrees of loft is more than enough to get the ball out. You’ve just got to understand how to return the club to the ball correctly. I’d stand a bit wider and have my hands slightly behind the ball at address so I’m using the bounce. You don’t want the leading edge driving into the sand. And keep the speed up. 2 Beating a slice There could be many reasons, but it’s often poor set-up. Imagine a wall on the left side of the ball so you can’t swing left through impact. This will help your slice ultimately, but forget about where the ball goes for a while! 3 Reading greens I heard this from Rickie Fowler, I think. He reads the last…

LOOKS The smoked PVD finish creates a premium, anti-glare look. There’s a fair amount of offset, but the topline appears relatively thin for a distance iron. PERFORMANCE Fast ball speed and very low spin contribute to extreme distance, but still on a relatively high ball flight. This model is aimed at golfers seeking extra distance from their iron shots. Key technology Faster ball speed and easier launch comes from the Suspended Energy Core, which comprises a floating tungsten weight suspended within Callaway’s urethane microspheres deep within the head. A thinner and faster 360 Face Cup – a shallow, flexible rim around the perimeter of the face – combines with high launch from the Suspended Energy Core to deliver longer ball flights. How we tested We hit the stock steel-shafted 6-iron…

“I'M SHOCKED TO STILL BE SEEING GAINS FROM MANY OF THE NEW MODELS. BE OPEN TO CHANGE, BUT ONLY IF NEW IS MEASURABLY BETTER”Joel Tadman, GM technical editor Time doesn’t stand still. Change happens, and you don’t want to be left behind. This year has already seen a number of brands break new ground on the innovation front, making it an exciting time to buy a driver. Some of the most significant advancements concern face technology. On the new TaylorMade M5 and M6 drivers, each clubhead is made with a non-conforming clubface beyond legal COR limits, before being ‘speed tuned’ back to make it legal. Callaway, too, has caused a few ‘ripples’ with its new Flash Face designed by a super computer that uses machine learning to maximise ball speed.…

FARLEIGH Surrey The supporting cast of Surrey’s less well-known courses is extremely strong, and this 27-hole complex a few miles inside the southern point of the M25 is no exception. John Jacobs designed the Blue, Red and Yellow loops which run over gently undulating and remarkably tranquil land that drains extremely well. Each set of nine has two par 5s and two short holes, with a variety of teeing options to suit all playing abilities. Each hole is as strategic and scenic as the next. The best idea, therefore, is simply to play them all! W: farleighfox.co.uk GF: Round: £15-£45 DOOKS County Kerry The west coast of Ireland is blessed with a good number of golfing heavyweights, which means that Dooks is sometimes a little overlooked. This is a shame,…

A good drill to improve your ball-striking is to put a ball down on the fairway with a tee-peg in the ground just in front of it – perhaps a couple of inches ahead. Your objective is to make sure you clip the tee out of the ground after impact to ensure that the low point of your swing comes after the ball. If you want to strike your irons purely, you need to create a descending angle of attack into the ball – the tee peg just ahead of the ball provides extra visual encouragement to promote this correct angle of attack. To achieve this, you will need to keep your sternum over the tee-peg through impact, rather than leaning back and then flicking at the ball. You have to…

“I LOVE THE SHAPES AND THE YELLOW REALLY POPS OFF THE FLANGE. THIS IS NEXT-LEVEL CRAFTSMANSHIP FROM SCOTTY CAMERON” Joel Tadman, GM technical editor KEY INFO Phantom X models: 5, 5.5, 6, 6STR, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 12 in 33”, 34” and 35” shaft lengths. On sale from April 12. RRP £399. Whenever Scotty Cameron launches a new putter range, it’s a big deal. The buzz around his stand at the PGA Merchandise show was electric, with golfers trying to get a first glimpse of the new Phantom X mallet range. It’s no wonder as they truly are works of art – combining numerous intricate pieces that fit together perfectly. Replacing the Futura line are the nine Phantom X models, built around a mix of five head styles with different…

Driver Cobra King F9 Speedback, 9°, Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 7X shaft. Irons Cobra King Forged MB, 4-PW, KBS Tour C-Taper S+ 125 shafts. Wedges Cobra King V-Grind, 52°, 56° and 60°, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts. Fairway wood Cobra King F8+, 14.5°, Aldila Synergy 75TX shaft. Utility iron Cobra King F9 Speedback 4-iron, Graphite Design Tour AD shaft. Putter Scotty Cameron Circle T Newport 2. Ball TaylorMade TP5x.…

Photography: Kevin Murray Well folks, how good does it feel to be watching top-quality golf week in, week out again? I know we have a relatively short, and some would say almost non-existent, off-season in golf, but the lack of top-tier events from late November to late January really does mean you’re excited when things get going again. The early part of the year features some of the best tournaments on both circuits’ schedules, from the Desert Swing in Europe to the likes of Torrey Pines, Phoenix and Pebble Beach in America. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is probably my tournament of the year so far. It’s just a fantastic event and it’s been taken to a different level now it’s part of the Rolex Series. There was a different…

You grew up watching Australian Augusta heartbreaks. What was it like to vanquish 77 years of Masters demons? “I felt it was something big for Australian sport. It was just incredible” Well … “When is an Aussie going to win the Masters?” was a question I had to answer every single year I played at Augusta, right from the beginning. I’d been doing that for about 12 years by the time 2013 came around. Even though you block out some of the stuff you have to talk about with the media, sometimes it’s still on your mind. Did it occur to you when you defeated Angel Cabrera in a play-off that you’d made history? Yes, I think so. I was well aware of what a thing it was – not…

A Amen Corner: The supremely evocative moniker given by famed writer Herbert Warren Wind to the stretch of holes from the 11th to the 13th at Augusta National. B Ballesteros: In 1980, the great Spaniard was the first European to win a Masters title, inspiring a charge by players from our continent. Seve won again in 1983. C Crow’s Nest: Above the Champions’ Locker Room and the library in the clubhouse at Augusta, this is where amateurs competing at The Masters stay during tournament week. D Draw: The course at Augusta favours players who can consistently hit the ball from right to left. That means a fade is preferable for the left-handed players. E Elevation changes: There’s 152 feet between the low point (12th green) and high point (10th tee).…

ROBERTO DE VICENZO 1968 – De Vicenzo shot a 65 in the final round of the 1968 Masters but the Argentine actually signed for a 66, which left him one shot shy of a play-off with Bob Goalby. The scoring error came about after he bogeyed the 18th hole, which he believed had cost him the tournament. He therefore signed his card without rectifying the mistake his playing partner Tommy Aaron had made, who said De Vicenzo had parred the 17th, not birdied it. “All I can say is what a stupid I am,” was De Vicenzo’s reaction. ANGEL CABRERA 2009 – Cabrera won his Masters title in 2009 in a play-off with Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell after Perry had led by two shots with two to play. In…

Photography Getty Images Consistent players are a minority in amateur golf. This multifaceted game makes it impossible to regularly fire on all cylinders. But if you’ve ever played 18 holes with a low-handicap golfer, or professional, you’ll notice they have a lot in common. They take advantage of opportunities when presented, they always seem to give themselves at least a par putt when butchering a hole, and they limit their mistakes by missing in the correct spots. World No. 17 Marc Leishman has been one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour since taking Rookie of the Year honours in 2009 – the first Australian player to win the award. On golf’s toughest professional circuit, Leishman knows only consistent players survive long-term. We asked the 35-year-old what the…

1 Par 18 Many golfers know that adding a competitive element to their chipping practice is a great idea, whether playing for a drink, a quid or two, or simply pride. It adds a little bit of ‘live’ pressure as you look to beat your mate or improve your personal best. Chip from a variety of distances and lies, with the winner of the last chip choosing the next one. Even better, add a putting element by creating a nine-hole ‘Par 18’ challenge where your objective is to get up and down every time. Chipping repetitively from the same spot is fine when you’re working on technique, but one chance is all you get on the course. 2 Coat hanger drill Use a plastic coat hanger like this one to…

I do hope you enjoyed the ‘New Gear Special’ in the last issue of Golf Monthly, covering, as the name suggests, all the special new gear unveiled at the start of 2019. It promises to be another corker. I say this because I endured many late nights pulling it all together, as the arrival of new golf gear is always like one of those badly run bus services – appearing sporadically throughout the year before all turning up at basically the same time in January. The dust is now settling and my aching back is a sign that I’ve been struggling to keep up in my efforts to assess whether or not the new is better than the old. I was at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January…

WANT TO SEE MORE? For video reviews of both these irons, visit golf-monthly.co.uk…

ISLE OF SKYE GOLF CLUB Par 67, 4,776 yards This delightful little nine-holer boasts impressive views inland to the mountains and out to sea. Laid out by Dr Frank Deighton in 1964, the course is well kept and tremendous fun to play, boasting the kind of soft, forgiving turf many golfers find so accommodating. It starts with a visually stirring par 4 down towards the water and the island of Raasay beyond, before turning right for its toughest test – the 447-yard 2nd, where the shore and out of bounds run all the way along the left. Mercifully, this hole morphs into a par 5 second time round. Later on, slicers beware, for the shoreline switches to your right as you play the 6th. A lovely place to play golf……

I have come late to golf after success in several other sports, but have been very disappointed by the lack of inclusivity among members of my club. There seems little appetite for anyone to make contact with new members; to introduce them to the course, the club, competitions or the game of golf itself! In other sports, a new club member of any ability or age would be welcomed with open arms. After all, they may prove to be a committee member of the future, a mentor for new players, a future champion or simply a good club member. I wish all clubs would realise how effective a welcoming smile, a chat over a cup of coffee or the offer to play a couple of rounds would be to broadening…

Spieth 3 is the third generation of Under Armour’s signature golf shoe, once again designed with input from its star athlete Jordan Spieth. The three-time Major Champion once again asked for weight to be removed (Spieth 3 is 56g lighter than Spieth 2) and for a more trainer-like look and feel. This has been done by bringing in more of the Smart Weave section, which features TPU threads for support, to the midfoot and toe areas of the upper. The continued collaboration with J.J. Rivet, a leader in biomechanics at the European Tour Performance Institute, has led to a new design for the second-generation rotational resistance RST 2.0 cleat. This red assymetrical spike is designed to rotate into the turf then stop for horizontal traction, helping golfers use the ground…

1 Where did the inspiration come from? I love classic things and I’m a mallet fan so I loved the lines, but the goal was to keep everything moving. So even the weights are angled to make it look fast. I wanted something classic, but to still get the weight wide and back to increase the resistance of twist on off-centre hits. I wanted it fast, sleek and cool but I also wanted sound, performance and feel all in one. 2 Why such a drastic change in the looks? We’ve designed a variety of flange set-ups, alignment options and shaft bends to offer mallet players more models to choose from. Tour players were asking for slightly smaller profiles with more alignment options and a solid face construction. 3 How important…

Justin Thomas moved to a Scotty Cameron T-5.5 putter at the Sony Open Dustin Johnson won in Saudi Arabia with a TaylorMade M6 driver Bubba Watson is playing the Ping G410 Plus driver and yellow Titleist Pro V1x Gary Woodland put Wilson Staff D7 3- and 5-woods in the bag for Phoenix Phil Mickelson won at Pebble Beach using a Triple Track Chrome Soft x ball Tommy Fleetwood has switched to a 2007 Odyssey DFX 2-Ball Blade putter…

Photography: Tom Miles As my eight-year-old watched the video of Sergio Garcia attacking a Saudi Arabian bunker on my phone over my shoulder, he asked “Why is that man so angry? Is he joking?” It’s safe to say the Spaniard had a particularly bad week on tour – he was disqualified for damaging the first five greens with his shoes and then leaving a divot mark on the 6th. It is one thing to get angry with yourself – many top sportsmen and women do that – but it is something else to affect the chances of others with your unregulated fury. I don’t know what was going on in the life of Garcia that week, but Iain Carter and Andrew Cotter had a fascinating discussion about it on their…

Photography: Kevin Murray Mechanically, this is a really sound swing. Andy is a bit like Lee Westwood – a noted fader of the ball – and at set-up you can see that the ball is a little more towards the heel, which is a classic fader’s position. The big thing then is his very wide, connected takeaway. See how his body is coiling and how much the club is outside the hands going back. For such a small guy he’s creating an enormous amount of width, but from a very stable base. Many club golfers trying to generate width tend to slide a bit and get out of position. Andy retains a really solid lower-half base reminiscent of Ian Woosnam. I love his dynamic pre-impact position in photo four. His…

1 Power from the ground Golf has become much more of a power game and a few extra yards can give you shorter clubs in or bring longer par 4s or even par 5s into range. So how do you go about generating more power? Look to your main power sources first – the legs and the ground. Try to feel as though you’re pushing down more into your left side with your body as you start down from the top, as Rory does, then move back up again as you actually hit through to draw power up from the ground. The best players in the world move upwards and back a little bit through the ball, staying behind it with the sternum. You could try this without a club…

“THIS DRIVER, WITH HELP FROM A NEW BALL, GAVE ME LOFTY BALL SPEEDS I HADN’T EXPERIENCED BEFORE”Joel Tadman, GM technical editor LOOKS The G410 Plus has a smaller address footprint than G400 Max, much closer to that of the G400. The thicker Turbulators catch your eye even more, while the ‘creased hood’ is slicker than the G400’s Dragonfly look. PERFORMANCE We found the G410 Plus launched a touch higher than G400 Max and spin came down by around 200rpm. The added club speed and resulting extra ball speed produced 11-yard-longer carries on average. ADJUSTABILITY The position of the adjustable weight at the very back of the driver is clever. It’s a little fiddly to move, but it does a good job of adjusting shot shape while maintaining clubhead stability. This…

PERFORMANCE The ST190G has a noticeably lower-spinning capability. We found it spun just over 200rpm less than GT180, resulting in two-yard-longer carries. Spin and forgiveness increased when we moved the weights back. LOOKS Traditional in shape, the carbon fibre pleating is visible on top. But that aside, it has a fairly simple look. The all-black visual makes the face a little tricky to align. This is targeting golfers wanting to optimise launch conditions via moveable weight adjustability to maximise distance. Key technology The ST190G offers Mizuno’s lowest spin rates and uses an ultra-fast forged face to deliver consistently higher ball speeds, helped by a weight-saving carbon composite crown and an Amplified Wave soleplate that expands the high COR region. Twin 7g weights on external tracks can reduce spin by an…

MIZUNO RB TOUR X BALL I found it to be a good all-rounder, offering ample spin and distance off the tee, but it didn’t feel as soft as the premium ball I currently play. ODYSSEY STROKELAB ONE PUTTER I enjoyed the counterbalanced feel without noticing extra weight – my stroke certainly felt smoother. WILSON STAFF D7 DRIVER Has a hot, solid feel from the middle comparable to drivers nearly twice the price. Lacks forgiveness and spec options.…

Photography: Tom Miles Sometimes I despair. This last month was one of those times. Two players penalised for a rules infringement that, to my eye, did not infringe at all does nothing to promote the idea of golf being a good idea to watch or to play, while Sergio Garcia’s infantile antics in Saudi Arabia underlined the thought that, likeable though he usually is, he occasionally can act like a spoiled brat. Whether he, or anyone else, should have been in The Kingdom in the first place offers a separate but important discussion. Let’s deal first with Li Haotong’s two-shot penalty in Dubai, a penalty imposed because the rules guys believed his caddie had helped him line up his final short putt. Having watched the video of this more times…