Golf World July Preview

JULY 2011 ISSU

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THE NEW WAY TO HIT IT FURTHERH OW T O U S E T H E T E C H NO L O G Y I N YOU R D R I V E R

BIG-NAME INTERVIEWS

PHIL MICKELSONON FAMILY, GOLF & TIGER

SCHWARTZELTHE BASICS OF MY GAME

McDOWELLMY LIFE AFTER PEBBLE

ALGARVE GUIDEWHERE TO STAY & PLAY

US OPEN PREVIEWKEY HOLES & SHOTS

PUTTER FITTING TESTSAVE SHOTS... FASTSCORING

ZONEKEY MOVES IN GOLF’S CLASSIEST SWINGMAKE WEDGE PLAY YOUR No.1 STRENGTHKNOCK IT CLOSER OUT OF BUNKERS

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> TIGER’S IRONPLAY BASICS > HOW TO PLAY UNEVEN LIES> MAKE YOUR THIRD SHOT COUNT

P L U SWIN> CADDIE FOR KHAN

> HANDMADE SHOES > SCOTTISH BREAK> COBRA DRIVER

B Y L U K E D O N A L D

YAN I TS E NG POWE R PL AY GOLF B R E AK 100/90/80

MASTER THE

Tuesdays on tour tend to mean sluggish practice rounds, but for 23- year-old Danny Willett the pace is rather quicker. Walk round in the evening and you could well see him running the course. Exceptionally fit, Willett recently ran Andalucian Open venue Parador de Málaga in 29 minutes and the Sicilian Open’s Donnafugata layout in 31.

And according to coach Graham Walker, who has worked with Sheffield-born Willett since 2003 and analyses his swing here, it’s not just for fitness. “Leg strength plays a key role in Dan’s technique,” he says. “Dan gets his power by coiling his upper body against this stable base.

“This sequence shows well just what a solid foundation Dan is working from. At the top, his left knee has hardly moved from its address position. If the lower body gives way, the upper body has no choice but to respond to balance you, hindering a good coil.

“If you don’t have the fitness for this, it’s fine to allow some left knee movement and hip turn, as long as the left side does not collapse.” Another point to note, says Walker, is the relatively early wrist hinge in frame two. “As a young player Dan used to move the club away too much around his body, under plane,” he explains. “It can be easier to set the club on plane with an early wrist break. Over the years we’ve worked hard to build this into his technique, and blend it with his body action.”

But Walker is in no doubt as to what has helped turn Willett from a two-handicapper in the Yorkshire Intermediate squad to one of the European Tour’s hottest prospects. “Since 2003 we’ve worked so hard at the basics of aim, grip, stance, ball position, strong posture. I call these five attributes ‘a handful of skills’. The work he’s put into these less glamorous but vital areas is an object lesson to any golfer who is serious about improving.”

Dan’s clubheadstarts on the floor.He lifts it up justbefore takeaway,relieving some of thetension in the body.

This early wrist break helps Dan set the swing’s plane. It looks handsy, but ifblended with the body action it’s fine.

PUT IN THE LEG WORKSTRENGTH IS PROVING KEY FOR DANNY WILLETT

Very dynamic here, with the legs leading and upper body following. Throwing a ball is a great exercise to feel the correct sequence; Dan can throw a golf ball 90 yards.

Dan’s right elbow is in front of his right hip, a verypowerful move. His head hasmoved backslightly so he canwork his bodybehind the shotwith full power.

D A N N Y W I L L E T T BIO AGE 23, 5FT 11IN HOMETOWN: SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE DRIVER: CALLAWAY RAZR HAWK TOUR 9.5º DRIVING DISTANCE (RANK): 296.4 YARDS (22) DRIVING ACCURACY (RANK) 54.4% (124)

Q U I C K T I P S S W I N G S E Q U E N C E

JULY 2011 // www.golf-world.co.uk

Dan hates to see the ball going left, but a full forearm rotation shows he is not trying to steer it. He is just freewheeling through the ball here.

Left foot flat, right foot on the toe, looking down the fairway over the right shoulder. Build these three into your finish and you can’t help but hit the ball better.

Unusually, Dan’s right elbow is a little below the left. This allows him to use his upper body strength without his arms moving away from him.

Dan’s strong legs are starting to show here. Aided by a rock-solid base, the upper body is able to make a powerful coil.

D A N N Y W I L L E T T BIO AGE 23, 5FT 11IN HOMETOWN: SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE DRIVER: CALLAWAY RAZR HAWK TOUR 9.5º DRIVING DISTANCE (RANK): 296.4 YARDS (22) DRIVING ACCURACY (RANK) 54.4% (124)

www.golf-world.co.uk // JULY 2011

WORDS BY JOHN HUGGAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES CHEADLE, GETTY

T H E B I G I N T E RV I E W

I FELT PEOPLE WERE THINKING I HAD LOST THE ABILITY TO

WIN... AND MAYBE I STARTED TO BELIEVE

THAT AS WELL...EVENTUALLY IT GOT TOO

MUCH... I HAD TO GET AWAY FROM GOLF... MY

HEAD WASN’T IN THE GAME... THAT HAD TO BE

FIXED... I HAD FALLEN OUT OF LOVE WITH THE GAME

BJORN AGAIN

BJORN AGAIN

WHAT TIGER’S W ORKING ONWOODS’ COACH SEAN FOLEY REVEALS HIS NEW FULL-SWING FUNDAMENTALS, AND EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THEM.

WORDS BY SEAN FOLEY PHOTOGRAPH BY JD CUBAN

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

He now has good connection between his arms and body. His

left arm is in closer, but not super tight, and the clubhead is a little more in line with his hands. From here, he’ll just turn to get to the top. He’s loading into his right

side but staying pretty centred.

1SHORTENING

IT UP We’ve discovered Tiger has

no loss in clubhead speed with a shorter backswing, so he’s

starting to go back to the more compact move he worked on

with Butch Harmon. He’s trying to keep it about this length. The

longer it is, the higher the odds of something going wrong.

2STRENGTHENING

HIS GRIP Here’s one of the big changes: He’s

got a stronger grip, and you can see that his left wrist matches the clubface. His old grip, which was weaker, used to force him to bow

his wrist to square the face at impact. Now he doesn’t have to

manipulate the clubface as much.

3

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OLF

DIG

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WHAT TIGER’S W ORKING ONWOODS’ COACH SEAN FOLEY REVEALS HIS NEW FULL-SWING FUNDAMENTALS, AND EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THEM.

Tiger’s making some mechanical changes, but he’s still very much a feel player. If we’re working on a particular move, he’ll get the hang of it by focusing on what it feels like instead of what’s actually happening. It makes sense to him that way. Here are a few moves we’re working on.

MAINTAINING CONNECTION

As Tiger swings down, you can see his left bicep is still against

his chest – great connection. His weight has shifted to his left foot, and he’s really putting pressure

into the ground. Everything’s working together at this point in

a simple, athletic move.

4WATCHING THE BALL

Tiger is now turning his head slightly toward the target and

watching the ball after impact. If his head stayed down, his body

wouldn’t be able to keep turning. The top part of the spine has to rotate. Otherwise the clubhead will pass the hands too soon.

5MATCHING

SIDES Compare this photo to No.2: they look like mirror images. The shaft here has stayed on plane, with the grip end pointing at the target line. Tiger’s right arm has replaced his

left across his chest, and his shoulders are still in tilt – all

indicators of a really straight shot.

6

TO U R T U ITI O N

M A S T E R T H E

ZO NESCORING

WORDS BY PETER MASTERS, DUNCAN LENNARD PHOTOGRAPHY BY STREETER LECKA, ANGUS MURRAY

LUKE DONALD IS 2011’S HOTTEST PLAYER. HERE HE SHARES HIS SHORT GAME SECRETS, AFTER

HIS COACH EXPLAINS HIS DRAMATIC RESURGENCE.

PGA TOUR RANK: 1st ($2,754,067)

FEDEX STANDING: 2nd (63 pts back)

PUTTING AVERAGE: 1st (1.690)

SCORING AVERAGE: 1st (68.97)

TOP-10 FINISHES: 2nd (5)

SCRAMBLING: 2nd (68.60%)

* Correct as of April 28.

DONALD’S

STUNNING 2011*

H O W L U K E H A S C H A N G E D F O R T H E B E T T E R


I was so proud of Luke at the Masters because for the first time we were able to see the prizefighter in him. I always knew he had a special quality, but it has been a long time reaching the surface.

For quite some time, I felt that there had been two Luke Donalds. The one who rose to the occasion in the Ryder Cup and the one that seemed to fail to reach his potential in the big tournaments.

At Augusta it was different. Here we saw Luke as I hope we’ll see him from now on. The Major performer, full of energy and ready to take the fight head on. Too many times in Majors he has been too tentative mentally, but in April he looked a different animal.

When I watched him on that Sunday he never looked scared or tentative. He looked like he was having fun. He was competing hard and he was believing in what he was doing. He was making a lot of birdies and he was playing confidently.

I was most impressed to see how he reacted to the moment that he put his tee-shot in the water on 12. He took it in his stride, pulled a club for his pitch shot and got on with the job at hand. He went on to birdie 13, 15, 16 and 18.

At Augusta we saw Luke the Ryder Cup player. He looked like the weight of expectation, that has hampered him in the past, was gone.

The Ryder Cup had always brought that

out because it means the world to him. There is no one more proud of playing in that event. He found it tough when his wrist injury stopped him playing at Valhalla. Watching him in Ryder Cups, he seemed a different person. His energy levels were up and he was running on adrenaline for much more of the time. His focus in those matches was frightening. I just think that more aggressive attitude has now transcended into the rest of his game.

I was very impressed with what he did in the off-season because he took six weeks off. He’d played the FedEx Cup, the Ryder Cup and done a lot of international travel, so he really needed the break to rest himself physically and mentally.

He then took a month out to work on his game and avoided the temptation to play in Hawaii, at Torrey Pines and then Pebble – all events that he has done well in before. I think that showed how dedicated he is to getting the best out of himself.

We constantly monitor his address position and over the winter we carried on that work. The small of the back needs to be straight and we make sure that he tilts forward without too much knee flex – in the past Luke has sat down a bit too much at address. He has steadily weakened his grip a little in the left hand to avoid the club getting shut at the top.

The big things we’ve done are in the takeaway where we’ve looked at keeping the handle in, but the clubhead out as he moves back. In other words, keeping the clubhead slightly outside the hands to halfway and then hinging upwards into a slightly higher position at the top. Luke had a tendency to shut the clubface by bowing his left wrist too much and cupping the right. We have looked to do the exact opposite which helps to keep the club more open.

We’ve also tried to get more width in his arms at the top of the backswing. Luke has overswung the longer clubs on occasions, especially the driver. If I could get him to swing the driver the same distance back as his 6-iron then I’d be very happy. Reducing the distance he swings back, helps him to keep the club on plane.

I’ve read that he has been worried that he doesn’t hit the ball far enough, but that has never been something we’ve discussed. I’ve always felt that he hits it far enough. We’ve worked hard on his sequencing, trying to get his lower body to start sooner as he completes the backswing. This separation between the legs and upper torso gives a better coil. It’s then a question of moving over his left leg and turning around it. It took work to get this right because we wanted it all to start from the ground up. We don’t want to see his hips initiate the downswing, but his feet then working up. Feet, knees, hips – that’s the perfect sequence.

n Luke’s short game has been nothing short of sensational this year. Turn over to read his exclusive tips for better pitching and bunker play.

‘LUKE WAS TENTATIVE IN MAJORS; BUT AT AUGUSTA HE WAS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL’

1 Luke has had a tendency to ‘sit down’ too much at address. We check he does not have excess knee flex.

2 A sensation of ‘handle in, clubhead out’ allows Luke to hinge the club into a higher position going back.

3 Luke’s clubface is no longer shut at the top, a consequence of weakening his left-hand grip.

4 Improved sequencing, the lower body firing earlier in the downswing, helps Luke drop the club into position.

5 Through the ball Luke’s feeling is of moving over his left leg, and turning around it into the followthrough.

6 You’ll never see Luke fall off the ball – but much of his famed balance is down to the work we do at set-up .

BY PAT GOSSTHE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY COACH HAS WORKED WITH DONALD SINCE 1997.

THE QUEEN OF GOLF

YANI TSENG

T wo years ago, Yani Tseng bought Annika Sorenstam’s old home in Orlando. Who knew it wouldn’t take much longer for Tseng to move into

Sorenstam’s former spot as the queen of women’s golf?

That’s even what the Taiwanese media have taken to calling Tseng: The Queen of Golf. These days, there’s no question the top woman golfer was made in Taiwan.

Just 22, Tseng is dominating women’s golf the way Sorenstam did in the early 2000s. Last year Tseng became the youngest to have won three Majors when she captured the Kraft Nabisco Championship and RICOH Women’s British Open, and she can set another record if she wins July’s US Women’s Open by becoming the youngest to sweep the modern Grand Slam.

Tseng earned her first Rolex Player of the Year award from the LPGA Tour in 2010 and, to prove there would be no letdown, she won her first four starts this year on three tours to become the world’s top-ranked woman golfer.

“It all seems a little surreal,” Tseng says. “But I’m living my dream. I want to continue to work hard because I like being number one. It’s very special.”

Tseng is not going anywhere. She has the game – and the physique – that’s built to last. The muscular 5ft 6in Tseng doesn’t just defeat her opponents, she overpowers them. Unlike most Asian golfers, she

swings the club very hard, something she has always done since she started playing the game at six. “For the first two years I swung the club as hard as I could,” she says. “After two years, that’s when I started learning how to swing the club properly.”

She is no overnight sensation, either. Seven years ago, as a 15-year-old, she defeated heralded Michelle Wie in the US Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. A year later, she beat Morgan Pressel in the finals to win the prestigious North & South Women’s Amateur Championship.

Tseng had to wait two more years, for her to turn 18, to become old enough to join the LPGA Tour, even though she already had won professional events in Canada and on the Asian Golf Tour. She qualified by finishing sixth at the LPGA’s Q-school.

Tseng didn’t skip a beat on the LPGA Tour, where as a rookie in 2008 she made her first title a Major, winning the McDonald’s LPGA Championship. In doing so she became the second-youngest to win a Major on the LPGA Tour (trailing only Pressel). Tseng also received the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award as the LPGA’s top newcomer.

At an age where most professional golfers are just trying to figure out how to travel and compete at the highest level, Tseng already owns six LPGA titles, three Majors and has earned more than $5 million. And she’s just getting started.

WORDS BY CRAIG DOLCH PHOTOGRAPH BY GETTY

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TAIWAN’S YANI TSENG IS EMULATING ANNIKA SORENSTAM IN MORE WAYS THAN

ONE... EVEN LIVING IN HER OLD HOUSE.

www.golf-world.co.uk // JULY2011


THERE’S A NEW BIG CAT ON THE PGA TOUR, WHO HAS A KNACK OF BRUSHING OFF ANY SETBACK.

WORDS BY JIM MORIARTY PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES

D U S T I N J O H N S O N

C H I L L I N ’ W I T H T H E

C H E E TA H


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M urvagh is a beautiful course. But it can be an unforgiving beast when the weather turns so foul. You only have to

look at the names of some of the holes at Donegal Golf Club to realise that you are in for one hell of a ride when those angry black clouds roll in from the Atlantic – Valley of Tears, The Long Ridge, Round the Bend, Bogey Hill.

It could easily have ended Graeme McDowell’s career before it got started.

Aged just 15, McDowell made the 90-mile journey from Portrush to Murvagh to represent Rathmore in an Irish Senior Cup match back in 1994, ready to eat the world but blissfully unaware he was about to suffer one of the most humiliating days of his amateur career. His first Senior Cup appearance was memorable for all the wrong reasons because he shot a 16-over-par 89 that could have scarred a lesser player for life.

Instead, McDowell used it as a stepping stone to greater things and the rest, as they say, is history.

In fact the only victim that day was McDowell’s affable father Kenny, whose career as a caddie ended in a hail of bogeys and double bogeys on Ireland’s rugged northwest coast.

“My dad was on the bag that day and that was a short caddying experience,” McDowell recalls with a chuckle. “That was a very humbling day. Here I am, a teenage kid thinking I had a chance to be a decent player and bang, 89.

“We have all had setbacks like that in our lives on the golf course. It can be a tough game and it beats you up now and again. But it is the tough times that have made me stronger.”

One of the most frequent questions asked of the reigning US Open champion in the wake of his momentous 2010 season is this: How has winning the US Open and the Ryder Cup and beating Tiger Woods down the stretch changed him as a player and a person? There’s no doubt his bank account is bigger and his ambition greater, but

McDowell the man hasn’t changed one jot. The big change in McDowell’s life

occurred at the end of 2007, when he realised he was going nowhere fast if he didn’t take steps to change his approach to the game. When a born winner stops winning and starts struggling, they start asking questions. McDowell decided to change management companies, leaving Chubby Chandler’s ISM (home to Lee, Rory, Ernie) to handpick his own support team – Horizon Sports in Dublin.

“What we are seeing from McDowell now is the player we expected to see when he won the Scandinavian Masters in just his fourth start as a professional,” says the respected Irish golf writer Dermot Gilleece of the Sunday Independent.

“He was used to winning. He won 14 tournaments in two seasons as an amateur, including nine college events with the University of Alabama. He became the undisputed number one amateur in the US, arguably in the world.

“In fact, he achieved such dominance in the US that his stroke-average of 69.86 for 43 rounds in his last season was a full stroke better than his closest rival, better even than Tiger Woods’ college record.

“Graeme became used to the idea of challenging for things as an amateur. I suspect he got a little bit lost in 2005 and ➨

L I F E A F T E R A M A J O R

WORDS BY BRIAN KEOGH PHOTOGRAPHY BY PACEMAKER PRESS, GETTY IMAGES

GRAEME McDOWELL DISCUSSES HIS YEAR AS THE US OPEN CHAMPION – AND HOW IT’S AFFECTED HIS LIFE AND HIS GAME.

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I ’ M M U C H M O R E

E M O T I O N A L T H A N T I G E R

AFTER A ROLLER-COASTER COUPLE OF YEARS, PHIL MICKELSON IS COUNTING HIS BLESSINGS – AND LOOKING

FORWARD TO A FANTASTIC (AND FUN) 2011 SEASON.

P H I LM I C K E L S O N

WORDS BY KATE MEYERS PHOTOGRAPH BY GETTY

I t was Phil Mickelson’s first PGA Tour tournament of 2011, and after battling it out for four rounds and closing out with four birdies on the back nine, he was

outgunned by a single shot. On the last hole. By a skinny guy named Bubba.

Yet throughout the entire nail-biting day at the Farmers Insurance Open, Mickelson flashed that sweet smile and did the kinds of things he always does: handed a golf ball to a little girl who was missing two front teeth, wrote the word “sorry” – a frown inside the “o” – on one of his golf gloves for a spectator he’d hit in the back with an errant drive, and signed a sea of autographs. Second is not where he wanted to finish, but no matter. Life is sweet, even on a not-so-sweet day at the office. ➨

E Q U I P M E N TT H EN E W C L U B S / T E C H N O L O G Y / T O U R I N S I G H T / T E S T S

The biggest development in golf balls in the last 20 years was the switch from wound balls to solid-core models. Now Nike think it’s made a similarly big leap with its new 20XI.

Why? Its core is made by injection-moulding a new resin that Nike developed with DuPont. The material took four years to perfect, and Nike claims it makes the 20XI 2-3mph faster than the company’s previous balls with compression-moulded rubber cores. Because the new material is so light, Nike was able to use heavier materials in the layers that surround the core, which should boost durability and increase the ball’s moment of inertia (MOI).

It’s not often moment of inertia properties are mentioned in golf balls, but according to Nike’s ball guru Rock Ishii, six points in golf ball moment of inertia equates to one yard of carry into the wind. The resin core material is also designed to promote a faster initial velocity.

Ishii says the design also produces a “steeper spin slope,” meaning more short-iron spin with less driver spin.

The ball also has the benefit of being green-friendly through the use of some renewable raw materials.www.nikegolf.com

F I R S T L O OK

OPINIONW H AT T H E D E S I G N E R S AY S W H AT T H E P L AY E R S AY S

I N S I DE T H I S

S E C T ION

GEAR NEWS AND ANALYSIS118

JONATHAN BYRD’S BAG 122

TOUR DRIVERS FACE THE TEST120

THE FITTING ROOM: PUTTERS123

N I K E 2 0 X I B A L LSNIKE SAYS RADICAL RESIN CORE MAKES IT FASTER & STRAIGHTER.

RESIN CORE

Nike says the resin core delivers faster ball speeds. Tests with Nike tour

players have shown an average of 2-3mph increase in ball speed – a

1mph increase equates to 2-3 yards carry distance.

STEWART CINK2009 Open Champion

“Rock and his team have nailed this. They’ve been able to increase the gap between driver spin and wedge/iron spin. With this ball, I

have 2mph more speed off of the driver and I’m hitting it 10 yards further. Nike has developed a ball that goes faster and has found materials that spin more with the wedges and less with the driver. So it’s longest off the tee and spinniest around the greens. What’s not to like?”

ROCK ISHIINike Golf’s Product Development Director for golf balls

“I have never been more excited about a new golf ball innovation than I am now. For many

years, golf ball development has primarily been focused on the number of layers with a solid rubber core. We believe there wasn’t really anywhere else to go as far as technology advancement in these areas, and felt that the next window of opportunity was in the exploration of various materials for the core.”

THE BIG LAUNCH

ON TOUR

To date, the following Nike players have made the switch

to the new Nike 20XI: Stephen Ames, Stewart Cink, Richard

Finch, Lucas Glover, Matt Haines, Anthony Kim, Justin

Leonard, Jamie Lovemark, Pablo Martin, Francesco

Molinari, James Morrison and Carl Pettersson.

PERIMETER WEIGHTING

A lighter core and heavier outer layers result in “perimeter weighting” for a ball. A high MOI helps in reducing driver spin by 100-200rpm, but maintains spin beyond the ball’s flight apex to maintain carry and control.

SOFT COVER

Softer cover materials allow for greater short iron spin

and control.

The 20XI-X offers tour-level distance and 20XI-S gives

tour-level spin. Nike says that while both balls deliver on

faster speed, higher MOI and a steeper spin slope,

the 20XI-X is optimised to reduce excess driver spin to

maximise distance. The 20XI-S incorporates a softer

cover for more greenside control. RRP: TBC.

20XI-X AND S AVAILABLE

C O U R S E ST H EN E W S / R E V I E W S / D E S T I N AT I O N S

I N S I DE T H I S

S E C T ION

A WEEKEND IN BERKSHIRE133

EAST ANGLIA'S HIDDEN GEMS130

APPEAL OF THE ALGARVE136

THE FINEST IN SOUTH AFRICA140

I N C O R P O R A T I N G

TOP 100 MONTHLY

The Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa is ranked 20th in our World Top 100 Courses ranking, ninth in our GB&I list – and you can see why from this picture.

Quite simply, it is heathland golf at its best and features some of the most dramatic bunkering anywhere in the world.

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a member of a World Top 100 course, here’s your opportunity. The National Golf Centre Woodhall Spa is releasing a limited number of Country Memberships that, amazingly, give you the same playing privileges as full

members, including weekend golf and access to club events, not to mention play on the Bracken Course and use of the fantastic practice facilities.

Terms and conditions apply – including living outside a 60-mile radius of Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and being a current member of a golf club with a handicap. However, for £500 per year and no joining fee, this has to be the best value membership deal in the UK.

For more details, contact Joy Trafford at The National Golf Centre: email: [email protected] , tel: 01526 351835.

WOODHALL BARGAINNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP OFFER IS A STEAL.


THE NEW OFFER


C O U R S E ST H E

Gary Player’s FancourtLinks, the new No.1 course in South Africa.

THE TOP 100 IN SOUTH AFRICA

N E W R A N K I N G

LOUIS AND CHARL WILL TELL YOU THERE’S A WEALTH OF COURSES TO PLAY IN THE COUNTRY, BUT THESE ARE THE VERY BEST OF THEM.


WORDS BY STUART McLEAN

NEWSTOP 100

IN SOUTH AFRICA

www.golf-world.co.uk // JUNE 2011

T he Links at Fancourt is now the No.1 course in South Africa, having edged the perennial titleholder, Leopard Creek, by the

statistical equivalent of a short putt.Leopard Creek had been No.1 for six

straight years, so dropping to No.2 is a seismic shift for a club which had grown comfortable with its continuing dominance. And owner Johann Rupert will no longer have bragging rights over Fancourt’s Hasso Plattner, who was just as much an inspiration behind the

building of the Links as Rupert was in establishing Leopard Creek in the mid-’90s. Leopard Creek’s slip to No.2 should not be deemed a demotion. This magnificent venue overlooking the Kruger National Park remains the benchmark when evaluating other courses in terms of its Memorability, Aesthetics and Conditioning. But in elevating the Links to No.1 we are recognising the transformation taking place there in fulfilling its immense potential.

The Links, an incredible architectural achievement in local terms, created out of

flat farmland, has made the leap from No.3 to the top spot after an intensive campaign over the last two years by the Fancourt resort team to further improve the quality of a golf course which has received numerous plaudits.

Course designer Gary Player has also had considerable influence. Since moving his Gary Player Invitational tournament to the Links in 2008 he has spent more time at Fancourt, and thus had frequent opportunities to play the course and consider changes to the layout. The GPI field attracts tour professionals, celebrities


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