Table of contents for February 2018 in Golf Monthly

Ever since Harold Hilton established Golf Monthly in 1911, our aim has been to offer insight into every aspect of the game. I believe the first issue of 2018 encapsulates our mission to cover the whole game in one. Starting off in the professional ranks, we have a quick-fire interview with Sergio Garcia on page 15. He talks about a dream 12 months, where he chalked up his maiden Major and two other high-profile wins. I suspect many readers' first memories of Sergio will be his duel with Tiger Woods at the 1999 USPGA, where he took on a bold shot around a tree and chased up the fairway after it, a smile beaming across his face. After 11 months on the sidelines, it was good to see Tiger play…

Photography: Getty Images The GM view: It does seem as if common sense has prevailed here. While most didn’t have a huge issue with viewers calling in to point out rules breaches, players being penalised for offenses they didn’t know they’d committed and subsequently being disqualified for an incorrect scorecard clearly wasn’t fair. David Quinn: One of the things I’ve always loved about golf is the manner in which many players conduct themselves. We see tour pros who are playing for their livelihoods calling penalties on themselves that no one else could have known about. I don’t want that aspect compromised. Golf has always been a game of honour. MetalMickie: About time! How is it fair if only some players in a tournament are subject to scrutiny? Everyone’s actions affect…

“Why should clubs cater for those with a deficiency rather than those with an aptitude?” Fergus Bisset says YES  Fast greens are a feature of the modern game. Agronomy and greenkeeping equipment have moved on in recent decades (just as with other aspects of the sport) and are now so advanced as to allow the preparation and maintenance of fast putting surfaces throughout the season. Where it's possible, and as long as it's practicable, i.e. the slopes aren't too severe or the wind isn't forecast to be too strong, the greens should be as quick as possible. Not to strive for this objective is backward. It's the equivalent of refusing to move on from wooden-headed drivers and wound golf balls. The ability to deal with a fast green is…

MIZUNO ST180 WOODS The Mizuno ST180 is one of two new drivers set to replace the excellent JPX900 Series in February, placing more of a focus on distance through high-speed, low-spin performance over comprehensive adjustability. The ST180 is the first Mizuno driver to feature Mizuno's Wave sole, which places every available gram of weight low and towards the face in order to reduce spin. The sole contracts and expands to increase the energy imparted to the ball for elevated ball speeds, too. A new Forged SP700 Ti multi-thickness face promotes faster ball speeds than its predecessor, while the striking blue head's Internal Waffle Crown saves weight to enhance low-spin performance even further. The new ST180 fairway wood shares many of the driver's innovative features, including the Wave sole technology that…

Irons TaylorMade TP UDI 2-iron, 18°, Project X PXi 7.0 shaft; TGR Prototype, 3-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts. Wedges Nike VR Forged 56° and 60°, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts. Driver TaylorMade 2016 M2, 9.5°, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70TX shaft. Fairway wood TaylorMade 2017 M1, 13.5°, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90TX shaft. Putter Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS. Ball Bridgestone Tour B XS. SPOTTED ON TOUR Scott seeks putting turnaround Adam Scott used the long putter at the Australian PGA Championship. Like Bernhard Langer, he held it just off his chest to conform to the anchoring ban. Rahm’s winning wedge Justin Rose and winner Jon Rahm used new TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi-Toe lob wedges in Dubai recently. New irons for…

Photography: Kevin Murray Happy new year to all of you, my friends. Hope you overindulged over the Christmas period, and that you're feeling fit and ready to go in 2018. I definitely am, and I'm excited about what's to come, but there are a few things I'd like to see implemented over the coming years to make our great game even more exciting and appealing to a wider audience. First of all, I think Keith Pelley and the European Tour are doing a good job with their efforts to innovate. I have to say I'd much rather see someone having a go and making a few mistakes than not bothering at all. However, one of the initiatives announced recently caught my attention for the wrong reasons. I don't know if…

Darren Clarke 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Clarke may have been in the world's top 20 at the time, but Tiger was into the second year of an unbroken 264-week spell at No.1. The Northern Irishman had no expectations, having even lost to manager Chubby Chandler a few days before. But he rediscovered his game in style to crush Tiger 4&3 in the final. YE Yang 2009 USPGA Championship In the red corner, a man ranked 110th in the world from a continent with no previous Major Champions to its name; in the blue corner, a World No. 1 with 14 Majors to his name, holding a two-shot lead having never previously lost a Major he had led or co-led after 54 holes. One five-shot swing later and both records…

1 Weight transfer One of the most common errors I see among amateurs relates to weight transfer. A good analogy is to think of yourself swinging a golf club while standing on a see-saw. Your weight is split evenly at address and then as you reach the top of the backswing, your weight sets over your back foot and the see-saw tips accordingly. From here, your weight should then move back towards the target until the see-saw tips in the opposite direction as you reach the finish. Too often it moves in the opposite direction for amateurs. 2 Find the low point If you want to improve your ball-striking, it makes sense to find the low point in your swing. You'll then know exactly where to position the ball for…

Photography: Kevin Murray Kiradech is a solidly built yet supple man who assumes a comfortable stance with an excellent spine angle. Although he's big, there's no question of him hunching over the ball. It's then a classic push away, potentially initiated by the left shoulder. You can see how stable his body is – it's quite a John Daly-like swing. The club then loads well with a noticeable weight shift into his right side. Down the line, photo two shows how classically on plane the club is, with the shaft matching his toe line. Textbook! But the big talking point is the top of the backswing – the club is well beyond parallel, but he's still in full control as he's retained his spine angle and the flex in his…

LOOKS The S18 is a touch smaller than the S5, but is still generous in size. It has a rounded, teardrop profile. The chrome finish does produce unwanted sun glare from certain angles. C O N T R O L The spin on well-struck chips and pitches is mid to high and remains that way over time. There was a nice zip on the second bounce, even from bunkers, and a consistent trajectory on full shots. These wedges are aimed at a wide spectrum of golfers seeking a blend of soft feel, control and versatility. Key technology Replacing the S5, the lower-lofted S18 wedges incorporate narrower and deeper Quad Cut grooves, as well as a lower CG. The higher lofts feature wider and shallower grooves and a higher CG for…

“MANY OF THESE CLUBS NOW BREAK THE £200 BARRIER, BUT FOR THIS OUTLAY YOU GET MODERN-DAY FORGIVENESS AND VARIED ADJUSTABILITY”Jake O’Reilly, GM technical writer The most versatile club in your bag can often be the hardest to select. Not only do you need to consider your personal preferences for workability, forgiveness and aesthetics, but you also need something that can perfectly fill the gap between your longest iron and your shortest fairway. From our testing we know that, with the right combination, each model in this showcase can offer ample distance and forgiveness, so it’s essential to dig a little deeper into the differences between them and ask yourself what you really need. For example, if you are likely to play in all conditions and put time into improving…

An intriguing year ahead I must admit I'm rather excited about 2018. Not only do we have young stars at the top of their games, we have a potentially very exciting Ryder Cup ahead. But I'm intrigued as to the impact of two golfers: Rory and Tiger. McIlroy had a shocking 2017 by his own standards, although the injuries certainly didn't help. If he starts the year fully fit and raring to go, I can see him back to his absolute best challenging for all the Majors. More intriguing is the potential of a rejuvenated Woods. I mooted a while back that he wouldn't win another Major, now I'm not quite so sure. Bring it on! Simon Thorpe, Southampton Devil in the detail I recently played in a Stableford competition…

Copyright: 2018 TI Golf Holdings, Inc, reprinted with permission While many courses start with gentle opening hole, there are hundreds around the world that provide a stern challenge from the get-go. The 440-yard par-4 1st at Bethpage Black – host of the 2009 US Open – is one such example. Make sure you don't do anything rash and understand that you don't have to make par on the first hole to register a good overall score. 1 Think slow Naturally, you'll be feeling excited and probably a bit nervous as you set foot on the 1st tee. The key here is to keep your emotions in check by doing things a bit slower. Take deep breaths, relax and, when it's your turn to hit, make a good swing, not a…

 Modern-day drivers do a pretty good job of keeping your mishits close to the fairway, but apparently they can do it better. TaylorMade claims to have discovered that the bulge and roll properties of drivers have been flawed, and has redesigned the face to provide straighter distance. The findings are based on data collected from thousands of shots hit by humans, not robots. “TWIST FACE COULD WELL REPRESENT A FAIRLY DRASTIC CHANGE TO DRIVER DESIGN AS WE KNOW IT” Joel Tadman, technical editor The result is Twist Face, which curves in new ways to help tighten dispersion, reduce distance loss and produce more consistent spin. It features on both the M3 and M4 models, which replace M1 and M2 respectively – M3 provides the adjustability, while M4 offers speed and…

Fowler won the Hero World Challenge with Cobra King F8 woods Jordan Spieth has switched to Titleist 718 AP2 irons and SM7 wedges Sergio Garcia played Callaway Epic woods and Apex MB irons in Dubai DJ has switched back from the TaylorMade P730s to his 2014 TP MBs Dylan Frittelli won the Mauritius Open using TaylorMade M2 woods Austin Cook won the RSM Classic with a Ping G400 LST driver and fairway…

Photography: Tom Miles I have always had a soft spot for Geoff Ogilvy. It is partly down to the fact that I once shared a couple of chocolate Hobnobs with him, but mainly because he always answers your questions. In a sporting world where obfuscation and cliche are far too common, the 40-year-old Aussie is one of the game's straight talkers. I was reminded of this recently. I was having one of those days when I was meant to be sorting out bills and my car tax renewal, but was desperate for a distraction. It wasn't long before I was watching cat videos and swing-motion analysis on YouTube and I saw a link to a Geoff Ogilvy press conference from the week of the 2017 Australian Open. It was the…

Photography: Getty Images, The R&A “One of the key parts of my job is to ensure golf is here in 50 years” I am enormously positive about our sport, and excited that we can change some of the perceptions of our game and make it one of the truly great sports to play. I see golf as a game for all people, all ages and all abilities. However, we all know the traditional structure of golf clubs has been struggling in recent years, and ensuring golf is here in 50 years is top of my to-do list. As a golfer, I recognise the crucial importance of clubs to the game and I would like to see golf be a sport which is accessible to all. There is always a place…

JANUARY It all starts with a simple resolution. “I hereby pledge that I will hit at least 100 practice balls per week for the whole year!” FEBRUARY Sliced tee shots, duffed chips, three-putts – that was the old you. A package of lessons will almost certainly banish your oldest golfing foes. This time next year, you’ll have the technical prowess of Faldo in his prime! MARCH A new swing needs new clothes. Your confidence is high and your wardrobe needs to reflect that. “Bring me the Rickie Fowler collection...” APRIL A mystical concoction of Augusta National, late night sporting drama and red wine combine to send you into a golfing frenzy. MAY Time to put your hard work to the test. You sign yourself up for a spate of club…

Over 30 years as executive director, from 1975 to 2004, Ken Schofield oversaw the transformation of the European Tour. During his tenure, the circuit expanded from 17 Order of Merit tournaments to 45 by 2003. Total prize money in that time grew from £600,000 to more than £100 million. He was also instrumental in the expansion of the Ryder Cup to include continental Europeans from 1979, which paved the way for Seve Ballesteros' participation and the first US defeat for 28 years in 1985. How did your involvement with golf come about? I had a fanaticism for sport, mainly in the beginning for football and cricket. Although I grew up in Scotland, my father was a Lancastrian who loved both sports and I enjoyed them in school. But when I…

1 Read your putt backwards When it comes to green reading, I strongly recommend reading your putts ‘backwards', and by that I mean from behind the hole first. The putt I'm assessing here is a 20-yarder. From behind the hole I can see that the last 12 feet are downhill, with the grain towards me and across a slope, and I think the ball is going to break two to two-and-a-half feet over this final stage. Most golfers start from behind the ball and get the first part of the putt right, but neglect to look at the second part so closely. 2 Find the break point Reading greens this way helps you figure out your break point more easily – I've put a tee in the ground here where…

No matter where you play your golf, a bad day off the tee can kill your score and your enthusiasm for the game. A bad season of driving, however, is even worse, and can send you close to the brink. Unfortunately, Golf Monthly reader Richard Coleman recently found himself in that situation. The 9-handicapper can shoot in the 70s, but his quest for Category One has ground to a halt, with his errant drives the main culprit. Fed up, he applied to take part in one of our reader lessons and was selected to have a session with GM Top 25 Coach Paul Foston, an experienced pro who has made a name for himself teaching tour winners Jamie Spence and Paul Way, along with many of Kent's other club golfers.…

“I LIKED HOW THE BALL DIDN’T GO TOO FAR – I’D RATHER THE DISTANCES WERE CONSISTENT, AND THEY WERE”Joel Tadman, technical editor LOOKS The C300 has a clean, inviting profile down by the ball, with no Power Holes visible on the mid-sized topline. It is rounded in shape with lots of softened edges and has a shiny, polished finish. FEEL AND SOUND The feel has a hint of softness about it but is also springy off the face, similar to a hollow club. The sound is noticeably quieter than the C300 iron. PERFORMANCE With an average carry of 167 yards, we didn't quite get the distance we were expecting from a 7-iron lofted at 31°, but the dispersion was tight in both directions. The C300 Forged irons are aimed…

STYLING The half-zip comes in a number of colour options, white being our favourite. It's unusual to be able to see and feel the Reactor technology inside the fabric, but this just adds to the shelf appeal. PERFORMANCE For such a thin layer, it kept us surprisingly warm on cold days. It can be combined with a jacket in the rain without restricting the swing through added bulk. The UA Reactor range is aimed at golfers looking for performance-driven products with modern, sporty styling for year-round play. Key technology This adaptive fabric is said to respond to your climate and effort level, trapping warmth while releasing excess heat and moisture for comfort with no damp feeling. How we tested We tested the half-zip and the ColdGear Infrared Reactor jacket (£125)…

1. TAUNTON & PICKERIDGE Somerset While the start of the round at Taunton & Pickeridge simply eases you in, this is a course of strength in depth, and from the 4th onwards there is much to enjoy. Among the best holes on the front nine are the 7th, which is stroke index one and works its way from right to left, and the 9th, a rollercoaster of a par 5 with an extremely tricky green. The high standard continues on the way home with the excellent short hole at 14 and the 17th, a tough dogleg down into a dip flanked by a pond before a long approach. W: tauntongolf.co.uk GF: Round: £25-£45 2. BURNHAM & BERROW Somerset This Top 100 stalwart is a genuine classic that has hosted many…

Photography: Tom Miles “My mistake was to stand too long admiring the rather surprising beauty of my shot. Andy’s error was to hit the accelerator too hard” Great to see Tiger Woods play 72 holes recently without once wincing with pain, despite swinging his driver at 180mph – a brutal assault that must have had his back surgeon burying his head in his hands. Sadly, as one legend returns thrillingly to the lists, another falls by the wayside. Well, okay, maybe not a legend but a bloke who loves the game, who has ignored the mediocrity of his technique to continue playing into older age and a man who has never been known to give up almost as much as he has rarely been known to win. Yes, I'm talking…

Photography: Tom Miles, Getty Images Club together Are we approaching the ageing club member dilemma from the wrong direction? When I was young, I was a member of numerous sports clubs. After leaving school, I gave up cricket and rugby and concentrated on golf. Over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of ex-cricket, tennis and rugby players I’ve seen turning up on the golf course, having become too old to play their chosen sport. My club sometimes runs taster sessions and these have attracted a few new members. I think facilities should be offering these sessions around local sports clubs. Surely anyone who has been a keen sportsman in their youth will want to continue to participate in sport, particularly one like golf, where you can play into…

1 Tell us about Twist Face on the drivers Through our data from human testing, we know now that the current bulge and roll properties of driver faces are flawed. We have learned that when golfers mishit shots high on the toe, their clubface is more closed to the path, and vice versa, on low heel misses, the face becomes more open. The new Twist Face creates the proper curvature via adjusted loft and face angle to correct the ball flight and reduce dispersion by up to 11 yards. 2 How else will performance improve over M1 and M2? Our new Hammerhead slot is on both the M3 and M4 drivers and is designed to provide more ball speed and drop unwanted spin. Ribs on either side allow us to…

The punch is an easy shot to master and one that is very useful out on the course. Start by moving the ball one ball's width further back in your stance to de-loft the club and create the ideal launch conditions. Now set a little more weight on your front foot. With a normal mid-iron shot your weight will be split 50:50 at address, but for a punch I want you to change that to 60:40. This helps you deliver a steeper angle of attack. Do not swing the club past the point at which your left arm is parallel to the ground on the way back. Then, through impact put the brakes on, stopping it when the shaft reaches parallel to the ground on the way through. This takes…

Photography: Tom Miles First off, happy new year to everyone! I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed yourselves over the Christmas period. I certainly did, although as a professional golfer you have to make sure you're still putting a lot of work into your game in the off-season so you can hit the ground running in your first event. If I'm honest with myself, I'd give last year a three out of ten. Both 2015 and 2016 were solid years for me, with each including a victory. In 2016, I also finished in my highest position on the Race to Dubai and made my Ryder Cup debut, which was a dream come true. When you do all that, you just expect more of the same. I just never really played well…

Photography: Tom Miles Every golfer yearns to play better, and these off-season months are the ideal time to work on your game to give yourself the best chance of doing that in 2018. But how best to practise? Some have more time to devote to it than others, but the beauty of my ultimate range practice session is that it works equally well however much time you have to spare. I'm not going to tell you how many golf balls to hit in your range sessions. I want it to be based on the time you have available, and I want you to split that time into three equal sections: Master the Mechanics, Own the Ball Flight and The Test. You might have an hour and a half; you might…

Photography: Dan Gould RICHARD COLEMAN | HANDICAP: 9 | HOME CLUB: NEVILL GC Paul’s assessment My first impression was that Richard had a fairly stable base and a good swing plane. That said, I did notice how far away from the ball he stood. He's obviously tall and was rightly using longer clubs, but that only moved him further away. The problem is this leads to toe strikes that harm both distance and accuracy as you're not making repeatable, solid contact. Richard also had a few minor set-up faults we could remedy, like his ball position and stance. Paul ’s remedy By getting Richard to stand taller and bring his hands closer to his thighs, we were able to get him about four inches closer to the ball. To test…

LOOKS The new AP1 appears sleeker and more modern. It's the largest in the 718 family, inspiring confidence for the average player while still maintaining that classic Titleist aesthetic. PERFORMANCE Versus the 716 AP1 7-iron, we saw around 300rpm less spin and more ball speed, leading to three-yard-longer carries. However, the lofts are slightly stronger. The 718 AP1 is for inconsistent ball-strikers who need help with distance. Key technology Thinner, unsupported face inserts generate more ball speed. An average of 58.5 grams of tungsten per head produces a lower CG for higher launch with shot-stopping control, as well as providing off-centre stability. How we tested We were custom fitted for the 718 AP1 irons and hit them on our GC2 launch monitor. VERDICT Good shots seem to come easy with…

“What about the faster fairways, more forgiving clubs and fitter, stronger players?” The poor golf ball is taking flack again. A tour pro shoots a good score at a historically significant venue and suddenly it becomes the cause of all of golf's woes – specifically the scoring being too low and players hitting it too far with no regard for the heritage of this great game. Shocking, right? I think not. The round in question was Ross Fisher's 61 at St Andrews' Old Course during the Alfred Dunhill Links, which led Gary Player to come out and say the course had been “brought to its knees”. Or to put it another way, a very good golfer played really well on an unusually calm day with soft greens and holed a…

FOOTJOY DRYJOYS TOUR LTS This lightweight jacket has taped seams, waterproof zips and a four-way stretch fabric to help you swing powerfully. GALVIN GREEN ACHILLES Galvin also uses Gore-Tex for maximum protection, while this model has a C-Knit backer for a super-smooth feel inside. PING ZERO GRAVITY TOUR Ping's Pertex Shield 2.5-layer fabric allows this jacket to be packed into a tiny pouch for easy storage in your bag. ADIDAS CLIMAPROOF HEATHERED This seam-sealed, mesh-lined jacket has back ventilation for maximum breathability.…

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was inaugurated almost a decade ago, since when it has become one of the most prestigious such tournaments in the world. Run by The R&A in conjunction with The Masters and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, its status is underlined by the fact that Hideki Matsuyama won it in both 2010 and 2011. The field comprised 120 of the world's best amateur golfers from the 41 member organisations of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. Televised in 160 countries, the tournament is run in the most professional way, with The R&A's Martin Slumbers and new Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley in attendance. The opening ceremony included a fly-past by the Royal New Zealand Air Force and performances of traditional Maori song and dance (below). Golfers from the host nation,…

THE GOLF Par 72, 6,546 yards Ever since first seeing photos of the signature viaduct hole – the 14th – I'd wanted to play this Dave Thomas creation that opened in 1997. It didn't disappoint either, proving to be a peaceful haven of solitude blessed with superb bunkering throughout. It was in excellent late-September condition too, despite heavy overnight rain. The front nine was exceptional, with holes like the curving 2nd and the tough par-3 4th over water standing out. But the 10th and 11th were the stars for me, the former a gorgeous long par 4 sweeping down to the banks of the River Teviot, the latter then flanking the 10th before climbing to a raised green. As for that signature 14th, the view from the tee is magnificent.…