November 2012

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EDITORIAL tee to Green2

What a summer of golf lies in wait for the South African profes-sional golfers and for golf fans.

Six European co-sanctioned events starting with the South African Open Championship at Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate in mid-November, through to the Tshwane Open which ends on the 3rd of February. Add to this the Nedbank Golf Challenge in its traditional fi rst week of December date slot and the Volvo Golf Champions from the 10th to13th January 2013.

These tournaments will take us from Ekurhuleni to Sun City, Durban, Leopard Creek, East London, Tshwane and Johannesburg. Cape Town will be hosting the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club from November 22-25, fans in the George area will be able to watch South Africa’s best at the Dimension Data Invitational in late February and the Telkom PGA Championship will again be played at Country Club Johannesburg from 14 to 17 March. Even Polokwane will get a look in from 31st January through to 3rd of February and Johannesburg will host the Telkom PGA Championship. And just to top it off the Investec Cup, the fi nal summer event will be held at three different courses namely Millvale Private Retreat near Koster, Rustenburg Golf Club and the Lost City Golf Course.

And, as they say in the TV infomercials: “And that’s not all!” Eight of the legends of the game will be here to compete at the Gary Player Country Club for the Nedbank Champions Challenge. Nick Price, Jeff Sluman, Ian Woosnam, Jay Haas, Mark Calcavecchia, Bernhard Langer,

Tom Watson and Fred Funck have won a total of 16 Majors between them and a combined 349 professional victories worldwide.

One must acknowledge the work done by the Southern African Tour in putting all this together and our thanks to all the sponsors for supporting our game.

LONG PUTTERSAs the year draws to a close, expectations are high that the USGA and R&A are about to come out with a ruling on the use of long putters and/or the style used by players in which they anchor the putter to their body. My view? Apply that old cliché: “If it’s not broke, don’t fi x it.” This style of putting has not dramatically changed the game. None of the players using these putters are now suddenly making 3 or 4 putts fewer per round. As an example, Els in 2011 averaged just over 30 putts per round with a standard putter, and this year, putting with a belly putter, managed to drop that by an almighty one putt per round. At 29.4 putts per round Ernie now ranks 114th on the putting list for the PGA Tour.

That is not to say that a stroke a round does not make a huge difference in the modern game. A look at last year’s Majors shows that 4 strokes over 72 holes made the difference between winning and fi nishing 6th. At the US Open, four strokes behind placed one in 10th spot, while at the Open Championship four strokes would have meant coming 3rd. At the PGA it would have made no difference at all to winner Rory McIlroy as he won comfortably by 8 strokes.

Editorial BoardEditor-in-Chief Dennis Bruynsbruyns@icon.co.zateetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za

PublisherEric Bornmaneric@ballyhoomedia.co.za

Creative DirectorSteven Macbeth

Art DirectorTumi Sibambo

Financial ManagerMorgan Lufumpa

ContributorsTheo BezuidenhoutFerdi Morris

Published by Ballyhoo Media Company Reg No 2007/207595/2314 6TH Street, Parkhurst, JohannesburgSouth Africa, 2193PO Box 3125, Parklands, 2121Tel: 086 111 4626Fax: 086 6706429

Printed by Paarl Coldset

Tee to Green is published monthly by Ballyhoo Media in association with Easygolf Publishing.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of either parties. No responsibility is accepted for errors as all information was believed to be correct at the time of print. Copyright subsists on all content within this publication. Any reproduction without consent is strictly prohibited and may constitute a criminal offence.

Best Summer Golf Yet

Despite this statistic, players on tour are not rushing to this style of putting simply because it gives them no advantage. So why the rules keepers don’t leave well enough alone and let the players just get on with playing golf.

STATISTICSThe average winning scores and the average overall score should give an indication as to the quality of the fi eld and also the challenge presented by how the course is set up. And, of course, what advantage the players of today might have as a result in improvements in golf club and golf ball technology.

The average winning score for the fi rst three years (1981, 82, 83) was 277 with an overall average score per round of 70.7. The years 1989, 90 and 91 saw no change in the average winning score (still 277) but the overall average moved out to 72.6. In the years 1999, 2000, and 2001 the winning average dropped to 265 and the overall average to 69.2. Over the last

So what are the reasons for the lower scores? Are the players simply better? Can we attribute it all to improvement in equipment technology?

Then throw in another variable. Yes the tournament is still played at the Gary Player Country Club but how has the course matured and changed. To really analyse this I would need much more space than what is available to me here. Parts of the course have got softer and easier while new tee boxes and deeper bunkers have increased the challenge. And yes the course is set up longer than it was ten, twenty and certainly thirty years ago.

Comparisons like this are odious. All a player can do is win the tournament by taking fewer strokes than any other player in the fi eld. The score in relation to par means nothing and how much you win by is also of no consequence as long as you win.

Got something to get off your chest? Have something good (or bad) to say about the paper? Any feedback and ideas are welcome so go ahead and mail us on teetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za.The winning letter will receive one of three pairs of Tag Heuer sunglasses.

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golf talk tee to Green4

News, Views and ReviewsInternational and Local

Golfers and golf fans have always been fascinated by long driving. We buy into the latest technology

with bigger heads, made with space age compounds and metals, golf balls with lower spin rates etc. all with the aim of gaining those extra few metres. So much so that over the years the R&A and USGA have introduced various restrictions on golf clubs and golf balls to limit the distance a golfer can hit.

In the past the longest hitters were almost always drawn from the professional ranks. In the 70’s we marvelled at the exploits of Gert “Bomber” van Biljon generally regarded as the longest in SA at the time. In the 80’s it was left hander the “Germiston Giant” Phil Simmons. I remember Phil rolling or pulling up the sleeve on his right arm, revealing a rippling bicep and then launching into another 300 metre plus drive. I can recall a SA Long Driving Championship held at Killarney as part of the Sharp Classic sometime in the eighties. The winner, an American professional out here to play the Sunshine Tour, was John McComish. John was at the time the World Long Driving Champion.

But the landscape for this level of specialisation has changed and developed into a skill both related to golf but at the same time separate of it. It is now golf’s extreme game, and very, very specialist. For years now world long driving has been sponsored by the Re/Max of Southern Africa. They have promoted events for long drivers in many countries including South Africa. And this year was no exception.

September and October is long driving season. The final of the SA version took place at Copperleaf on Saturday 8th September. This is one of the few driving ranges in South Africa that has a long enough hitting area to accommodate the event these days. Keith Starke was crowned the Re/Max Long Drive Champion of South Africa after a drive of 369.2 metres. This was good enough to beat Joe van Wyk (354.2m) and David Melman (348.7m). But the biggest news came

in the lead up to the event. In qualifying event held at Royal Johannesburg Nico Grobbelaar registered one of the longest drives ever in competitive conditions. Hitting down the 10th fairway on the east course (not ideal with slope etc.) Nico drove the ball through the green some 426 metres away.

On to the World Final: In all seven SA players made the trip to Mesquite, Nevada to take on the world best – current champion Keith Starke was joined by Joe van Wyk, Nico Grobbelaar, Ryan Louw, Sidney Venter, David Melman and Dewald Gouws. Unfortunately none of the seven made the final eight with Ryan Louw placing best in the top 24.

The 2012 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship was won by American Ryan Winther, now the strongest long driver of the planet.

With a 343y drive, Winther defeated Tim Burke in the final, under conditions of cold and constant wind (15-20 mph) that made the event harder. He received the cheque of $150,000, thoroughly merited as he was also the player with the three longest shots of the event (469y, 468y 463y).

The World Long Drive is almost a week of competition, due to the number of categories, which features not great golf players but rather hard hitters who come from all over the world. They are elite athletes of an extreme sport, which exhibit as many shapes and sizes of swing as there are competitors. The physique of these golfers is portentous. Some of them you could call ‘golf giants’, with muscles like a bodybuilder and the strength of a weightlifter. Some even manage to bring the shaft straight down perpendicular to the ground at the top of the backswing, amazing!

Long Drive events are not about

Extreme Golf

consistency. A player gets six shots and the longest ball finishing within the grid qualifies for the next round. The Grid is 70 metres across and in Mesquite for the final a flat piece of turf specifically constructed for long driving. After a series of elimination rounds eight players step up to the tee for the final. Then it is “Mano against Mano” until two face-off in the final.

Ryan, from Sacramento California, is a 29-year-old guy of 6 foot 4 inches, weighing 250 pounds, who played baseball as a semipro. He’s been competing in the Long Drive for five years, and is now the new world champion.

LoNGEst DRIVEs of the 2012 Re/Max World Championship469y (428,9m) Ryan Winther

460y (420,6m) Jamie Sadlowski

459y (419,7m) Josh Crews

454y (415,1m) Tommy Hug

453y (414,2m) Rob Toettmeyer

452y (413,3m) Mitch McDowell

451y (412,4m) Aaron Mansfield

451y (412,4m) Scott Smith

450y (411,5m) Brandon Holden

449y (410,6m) Ryan Cooper

448y (409,7m) Ryan Louw (SA)

447y (408,7m) Trevor Consavage

446y (407,8m) Kyle Blakely

445y (406,9m) Troy Templeton

445y (406,9m) Joe Van Wyk (SA)

DECoNstRuCtING RyaNDriver: Krank Rage Black (loft 4º), shaft Fujikura Firewire, flex Livewire – 3XHighest swing speed: 167 mphHighest ball speed: 239 mph / Full Swing SimulatorHighest ball speed: 220.4 mph / TPI 2012Longest competition drive: 469y

golf talk tee to Green6

Extreme WeatherThunderstorms go with the territory on the Highveld and delays are expected. In golf the guideline is simple – if it is unsafe to play leave the course. Hailstones the size of golf balls and in many cases bigger certainly rendered conditions at Glendower for the second round of the BMG Classic unsafe. And how the greens staff managed to get the course playable the next day was nothing short of miraculous.

They did and enabled Teboho Sefatsa to record his first win as a professional.

“I’ve finally broken through and it feels fantastic. It hasn’t totally hit me yet, but I’m sure when I get home it will sink in. My career really takes off from here – this is where the hard work begins,” he said.

It’s amazing what confidence does for golfers, as Sefatsa proved with his victory, which came exactly a month after he won the Big Easy Tour Order of Merit.

“I’ve got to give thanks to the Big Easy Tour – I played the whole season there and it honed my game. I won the Order of Merit and it got me prepared for the second half of the season. I’m really grateful for that, and I’m chuffed that I could turn that success into a win,” he said.

The 29-year-old plays out of

Glendower and put local knowledge to good use on the back nine, keeping bogeys off his card until the 18th. His long run without a drop shifted all of the pressure to his chasers, who faltered under the strain.

Merrick Bremner managed a final-round 69 to claim sole second at nine-under-par, while overnight leader Matthew Carvell shot a Sunday 71 to share third with Desvonde Botes.

Just a week later Ruan de Smidt shot a confident 71 at Durban Country Club on the final day to win the Suncoast Classic, his maiden title, by four strokes. He broke par in all three rounds for a wire-to-wire victory at a club that’s hosted the SA Open 17 times and netted a cool R95,100 in the process.

“I just played really well this week,” he said. “Neil Schietekat spoke to me when we were flying down from Joburg and his advice was to not use driver a lot. I hit lots of two-irons this week and I hardly missed the fairway – that helped a lot.”

Certainly a winning move on day one as gale force wind from the Northeast made the course close to unplayable. Scores rocketed. Wayne Westner, a winner of the SA Open at the course in the 90’s, was out in 50 strokes. That he came back from that disaster of a start to play the next three nines in one

under par says much about him. No short cut and recording an NR, just regrouping and getting it back together.

The young De Smidt celebrated his 23rd birthday just two days before the tournament and couldn’t have asked for a better present as the Sunshine Tour heads into summer.

Nike RulesNo sooner had the news got out that world’s No.1 golfer Rory McIlroy would be leaving the Titleist stable that speculation started on which company would sign up the young star. And now we have unconfirmed reports from FOXSports.com that in a deal reportedly worth at least $200 million, Nike has made the world’s No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy its biggest star.

And the news is that McIlroy has already filmed his first Nike television commercial, to debut next year. In it the personable young Northern Irishman appears in the ad alongside the man who helped recruit him to Nike, Tiger Woods. The two banter while hitting the company’s new red

driver and marvel at how far they’re hitting the ball.

McIlroy, who had used Titleist clubs and balls in his five years as a professional, has signed a 10-year deal with the Oregon-based sports giant. The deal – which could net as much as $250 million – makes him Nike’s highest-paid golfer, replacing Woods. It’s believed that Woods once earned $35 million a year from Nike, but took a hefty paycut after his marital infidelities became public in 2009.

Els moves to IMGOne of the world’s most recognised professional golfers, South Africa’s Ernie Els, has signed with IMG, the world’s leading sports, fashion and media company, for worldwide management and marketing representation.

Els, a four time major champion, former world number one and winner of over 65 international titles, is one of golf’s truly global stars. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011 and is today known as much for his charity work as for his golfing prowess, both in aiding underprivileged children in South Africa and more recently for his work for autism through his charity, Els for Autism. He also has burgeoning golf course design and wine businesses.

Els enjoyed a fairytale return to the major league when he won the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in July, proving he is still competing at the very highest level.

Els explained his decision to join IMG commenting, “IMG has a

global network of offices, loads of experienced and dedicated golf staff operating in every aspect of the game so really is best equipped to help me achieve everything I want to do on and off the course.”

Ernie’s management at Pros Inc will be moved to IMG who will work closely with Phil Cotton and Ernie’s existing team of staff. Vinny Giles of Pros Inc commented, “I am delighted to be part of transitioning Ernie to IMG where he will be in the most capable of hands.”

Guy Kinnings of IMG commented, “Ernie has had an amazing career to date and his influence on the game is extraordinary. We are delighted to be working with Ernie and his team and know that IMG’s offices and staff situated all around the world will be excited to have the opportunity to work with one of golf’s most inspiring figures. IMG is ideally placed to showcase both what Ernie has achieved and to assist with the exciting times ahead of him as one of the world’s iconic golfers.

The deal – which could neT as much as $250 million – makes him nike’s highesT-paid golfer, replacing woods

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GOLF TALKtee to Green 7

A year ago Branden Grace was a young professional about to embark on an international career fi lled with dreams of what might be. One year later he has far surpassed any dream he might have had with four European Tour victories. It is back to where it all began for Branden as he prepares to take on Europe’s best in defending his Volvo Golf Champions title .

This is the annual curtain-raiser for the European Tour and features an elite fi eld of proven winners. Entry is restricted to those who have either won an event on Tour in the previous year or who are long-term champions who have won ten or more titles during their career. As such, it features those who are in form and emerging onto the world’s stage as well as some of golf’s most popular, well-known and established stars.

A strong Ryder Cup fl avour dominates the early entrants of the Volvo Golf Champions with winning 2010 and 2012 Captains, Colin Montgomerie and José María Olazábal qualifying as current Tour Members with more than ten European Tour victories along with the 2012 Vice Captain and 13-time winner on the European Tour, Thomas Björn. All are looking to use their experience to reignite their playing careers with a return to winning form at the famous Durban Country Club.

Nicolas Colsaerts, Paul Lawrie and Francesco Molinari, who all played a vital role in the winning 2012 Ryder Cup team at Medinah, will be aiming to build on their 2012 success with an early win in 2013 but the Europeans will face

a tough task in the form of a formidable home challenge.

In January, six South Africans fi nished in the top ten of the 2012 Volvo Golf Champions and, once again, the home contingent will be very strong. The 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen has confi rmed his entry having won twice in 2012 in South Africa and Malaysia. He joins South Africa’s rising star, Branden Grace, the defending champion and a four-time winner on the European Tour this year and two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen to head the list of home favourites.

Former Ryder Cup star and past champion Paul Casey has had his fair share of injuries in recent years but hopes to start 2013 fully fi t and ready to return to the top form which has seen him win 11 titles on The European Tour. Casey added, “Having hurt my shoulder last winter I was very disappointed to miss out on defending my 2011 Volvo Golf Champions title. I can’t wait for the new season to begin as I am starting to fi nd my form again. I will keep working hard to ensure I arrive in South Africa for the 2013 season with my game in the best possible shape….and, more importantly, injury free!”

George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said:

“The Volvo Golf Champions should make for a terrifi c start to 2013 and already, with this list of European Tour Champions, the fi eld is shaping up well. While Volvo is our longest-serving partner and this will mark their 78th European Tour event, we are also delighted to be working with

new partners, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and South African Government. We also thank the Sunshine Tour for their support as we head to the Durban Country Club, another leading course in South Africa where golf, and its golfers, continue to enjoy a rich vein of form.”

The Durban Country Club is a renowned Championship course with an impressive résumé having hosted the South African Open on no less than 17 occasions. It enjoys beautiful vistas overlooking the Indian Ocean and, with its undulating fairways, lush vegetation and sand dunes is considered one of the most unique and challenging courses in the world. It was recently voted one of the Top 100 golf courses in the World by Golf Magazine USA and is undoubtedly a shot maker’s course that players will have to think their way around.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has over 70 golf courses in the region which flourish in this beautiful garden province of South Africa, with its subtropical climate of lush and well-watered valleys, washed by the warm Indian Ocean.

GIVEAWAY: Email your name and surname to teetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za and stand a chance to win one of the following prizes: 1 x Pro-Am Spot as part of a team of three amateurs playing alongside a participating Professional in the tournament competition. The Pro-Am takes place at the same venue on Wednesday 9 January 2013. Amateurs must have a playing handicap of no more than 24 for men and 36 for ladies (a club handicap certifi cate is required; fl ights and accommodation excluded) 2 x Hospitality tickets. Daily hospitality in the Volvo suite which includes morning tea & coffee, lunch, afternoon snacks and bar on account.Valid for all 4 days (10 – 13 January 2013) 2 x Access tickets. Valid for all 4 days (10 – 13 January 2013)

Back to the beginning

DURBAN COUNTRY CLUB IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND CHALLENGING COURSES IN THE WORLD

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GOLF TALK tee to Green8

Spreading their wings The European Tour and PGA Tour of America continue to spread their infl uence as golf becomes more and more international. We have already seen this in South Africa with six co-sanctioned European Tour events and the Volvo Champions tournament all scheduled over the next four months. And the fi rst World Championship event, The Tournament of Hope scheduled for next year in November. Now golf in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Turkey stand to benefi t from the Euro spread while the PGA Tour looks to its neighbours Canada for further development of professional golf in the Americas.

The Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Thracian Cliffs (pictured below) has been announced as the venue of the 2013 World Match Play Championship as part of a new hosting concept for the leading golf tournament, introduced by title sponsor Volvo.

Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Belek, Antalya, the week before the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – the climax to the Race to Dubai.

The PGA Tour has agreed to assume operational control of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour after lending strategic and fi nancial support to the series throughout 2012, with organisation set to be rebranded as PGA Tour Canada in 2013.

The developmental series is now set to provide direct access to the PGA Tour’s main feeder event, the Web.com Tour, with the top fi ve players receiving playing privileges on the Tour, while the next fi ve will be exempt into the fi nals of its qualifying school. PGA Tour Canada will debut with a minimum of eight tournaments in 2013 offering a minimum purse of $150,000, with the goal of eventually growing to 12 or 13 events. All tournaments will be held in Canada during the summer months.

The creation of PGA Tour Canada comes after the debut this autumn of PGA Tour Latinoamerica, which emerged from a collaboration between the PGA Tour, Tour de las Americas, National Golf Federations, promoters and host clubs throughout Latin America, and featured 11 tournaments in seven countries. Between PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s plan to go to a split spring-autumn schedule and PGA Tour Canada’s summer schedule, players qualifying for both Tours will have the oppor-tunity to play a year-long schedule.

Caddie of the YearZack Rasego was crowned HSBC Caddie of

the Year at the annual party laid on for the bagmen during the WGC-HSBC Champions.

Branden Grace, Rasego’s employer, could not have been more proud as Zack was awarded the coveted trophy. After holding the silverware aloft, Rasego thanked the sponsors and spoke of how honoured he felt that his peers would have voted for him.

All told, Grace won four European Tour titles and one Sunshine Tour event this year, with the last of those victories the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, all with Zack on the bag.That week, they had a 60 over Kingsbarns which both felt could have been a 59. But it was on the last day that Rasego really came into his own when his master was beginning to struggle on the greens.

“I told Zack, ‘Just jump in with reading the lines as I need a little clarification,’” said Grace. After that, they made birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th to draw comfortably clear of the field.

Before linking up with Grace, Rasego caddied for Louis Oosthuizen for seven years in a partnership which saw the pair win the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews.

The last three editions of the European Tour-sanctioned World Match Play Championships were held at Finca Cortesín in Spain, with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts winning this year’s event. However, Swedish automotive fi rm Volvo announced that the Championship will now rotate between a few host destinations, acknowledging the growing global appeal of golf while also serving geographical areas of interest for Volvo’s businesses. The 2013 World Match Play Championship will be played at the Thracian Cliffs Course from May 16-19, marking the fi rst time a full European Tour event will be played in Bulgaria. For the 48th edition of the event Volvo and partner IMG will work closely with the Bulgarian government in conjunction with the national golf association. Bulgaria was named the undiscovered golf destination of 2012 by the International Golf Travel Market.

Turkey has further enhanced its credentials in the event hosting market with the announcement of a three-year deal between the European Tour, the Turkish Golf Federation and International Sports Management (ISM) that will lead to the formation of the Turkish Open.

The new US$7 million event will serve as the penultimate tournament on the 2013 European Tour International Schedule. The 78-man fi eld tournament will be played from November 7-10, 2013, at The

CELEBRATING THE CHILDREN

6 - 9 DECEMBER 2012ROYAL DURBAN GOLF CLUB

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT PROVINCE OF KWAZULU-NATAL

CELEBRATING THE CHILDREN

6 - 9 DECEMBER 2012ROYAL DURBAN GOLF CLUB

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT PROVINCE OF KWAZULU-NATAL

BLAST FROM THE PAST tee to Green10

Golf’s Grand Slam

oday the four majors,the Masters, the US Open,

the Open Championship andthe USPGA Championship make up what has come to be known as Golf’s Grand Slam. Five players in the history of the game have won all four. They are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. And no player has achieved “The Slam” by winning all four in a calendar year. Only one of these great golf tournaments is played at the same course year after year – the Masters at Augusta National. The Open Championship is always played on a seaside links while the US Open and USPGA Championships vary between parkland, links, ocean side and even desert style courses. There is one constant - the courses are the best and most challenging in the game. And therefore a player winning all four in one year would no doubt be the complete golfer.

More than any player in history the model for the complete golfer is a man who never won all four Majors. In fact he never competed in the USPGA Championship as he was an amateur golfer. And as for the Masters? Well he founded the tournament only after he had retired from regular competitive golf. Yes Bobby Jones is the model of the complete golfer. Supremely gifted, Jones was also a man of vast

intelligence and profound character, and he merged all three forces to become not only a singular champion, but a genuine hero.

As a golfer, Jones was a giant. In the 1920s, he was “an ultra-athlete,” according to writer and historian Charles Price, “recognized at being better at his game than any other athlete was at his.” While there is no doubt Jones is the finest amateur golfer the game has ever produced, there’s a strong argument that he was the greatest golfer, period. Beginning with his victory in the 1923 U.S. Open at Inwood and ending with his U.S. Amateur victory at Merion in 1930, Jones won 13 championships in 20 tries, the most imposing run of major titles the game has ever seen.

His crowning glory was in 1930, when he became the only golfer ever to win the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, British Open and U.S. Open in the same year, indeed, the only golfer to win all four in a career. The sports world searched for ways to capture the magnitude of his accomplishment. The Atlanta Journal’s O.B. Keeler dubbed it the “Grand Slam,” borrowing a bridge

term. George Trevor of the New York Sun wrote that Jones had “stormed the impregnable quadrilateral of golf.” Keeler would later write: This victory, the fourth major title in the same season and in the space of four months, had now and for all time entrenched Bobby Jones safely within the “Impregnable Quadrilateral of Golf”, that granite fortress that he alone could take by escalade, and that others may attack in vain, forever.

Jones accomplished all this while playing competitive golf no more

than three months in a year at any point in his life. The rest of the time was dedicated to academics, and later, the workaday

world of the law. He studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, graduating in three years, received a degree in English Literature from Harvard and attended law school at Emory University, withdrawing in his third semester to pass the bar. He would go on to become one of the game’s most lucid and enlightening writers.

When he retired at the end of 1930 at the age of 28, The New York Times noted the occasion in an editorial

that read, “With dignity, he quit the scene on which he nothing common did, or mean.”

While known primarily for his unmatched skill on the golf course, the true measure of Bobby Jones was his character.

In retirement, Jones continued to demonstrate his wide range of talents and interests. Having already contributed immeasurably to the game as a player, he proved himself to be equally impressive as a teacher, writer and golf course designer. In 1931, Jones began working on 12 short, educational golf films for Warner Brothers entitled “How I Play Golf.” Hollywood stars like W.C. Fields clamoured to participate in the project. O.B. Keeler wrote the scripts, which generally consisted of a loose story line with instruction from Jones mixed in somewhere along the way. Entertaining and insightful, the films are still considered classics today.

Jones also assisted A.G. Spalding & Co. in designing the first set of matched golf clubs. As a player, Jones had always worked closely with club makers in the design of his own clubs. He worked with Spalding to create a set of clubs that would have the superior feel of hand-crafted Scottish clubs, but could be mass produced in the U.S. and sold as sets. After rejecting over 200 different clubs, Jones finally arrived at a set that satisfied him. The clubs

“We all have to play the ball

as it lies.”

BLAST FROM THE PASTtee to Green 11

were made with steel shafts—a design that was quickly replacing the hickory shafts Jones had used. Each club was also given a number instead of the old Scottish names used up until that time, an innovation that quickly became the industry standard and remains in place today. The clubs appeared in 1932 bearing Jones’ name and sold steadily for over 40 years.

Perhaps Bobby Jones’ greatest legacy to the game of golf was his design of the Augusta National Golf Club. Still considered one of the fi nest golf courses in the world, Augusta opened in 1933 and is home to the Masters, one of the four major tournaments played today.

In 1942, at the age of 40, Jones was commissioned a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps, intent on doing his part to support the war effort. He later served as an intelligence offi cer with the U.S. 9th Air Corps, but his unit was converted to infantry and landed at Normandy on D–Day plus one. After spending two days under intense enemy fi re, Jones remained in Europe for several months before returning from the war as a Lieutenant Colonel. Later in life, Jones would speak little about his experiences in the war, defl ecting the subject in much the same way as he defl ected people’s efforts to get him to talk about his exploits in golf.

In 1948, Jones would come face to face with the greatest challenge of his life. Suffering from severe back and neck pain, tests showed he had bone growths on three cervical vertebrae. Eventually, he was diagnosed with syringomyelia, a rare and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Paralysis fi rst required Jones to use a cane, then leg braces, and fi nally a wheelchair. At fi rst glance, Jones’ fate might appear a cruel irony, as the author of one of golf’s most graceful and powerful swings lived out his days crippled by a deadly disease. But those who knew him would disagree. While known primarily for his unmatched skill on the golf course, the true measure of Bobby Jones was his character. One story passed down through the years has Jones responding to a question about his disease late in life with the statement, “We all have to play the ball as it lies.” And play it he did, enduring tremendous pain with stoic bravery for some 22 years. “As a young man,” wrote Herbert Warren Wind, “he was able to stand up to just about the best that life can offer, which is not easy, and later he stood up with equal grace to just about the worst.”.

In 1958 Bobby Jones was invited back to St. Andrews, Scotland to be made a freeman of that city, the only American ever to be so honoured. Benjamin Franklin had also been

granted this distinction in 1759, when he was still a subject of the British Crown.

Jones had endeared himself to the people of St. Andrews with his masterful playing and modest demeanour. He utterly won their hearts, following his 1927 victory at the British Open, when he was presented with the trophy, the Claret Jug. “You have done so many things,” he said in his acceptance speech, “that I am embarrassed to ask for one more, but I will. I want this wonderful old club [the Royal and Ancient Golf Club] to accept custody of the cup for the coming year.”

By the time of the ceremony in 1958, Jones’ illness had progressed to such a point that he walked with great diffi culty, supported by leg braces and canes. He took his place alongside the ermine-and-crimson clad Provost Robert Leonard on the platform in St. Andrews University’s Younger Graduation Hall. A capacity crowd of 1700 were seated in the hall; hundreds more waited outside.

After Leonard presented him with a small silver casket containing the scroll that conferred upon him the freedom of the city, Jones rose and unsteadily made his way to the podium, using his canes. His daughter Mary Ellen watched apprehensively, fearful that her father would not be able to make it to the lectern. But he did.

Standing there, facing the people of St. Andrews, he spoke not from notes but from the heart. He expressed his gratitude for the friendship he had always felt from the citizens of the town. “I could take out my life everything but my experiences here in St. Andrews and I would still have had a rich and full life,” he said, adding, “Now I offi cially have the right to feel at home in St. Andrews as much as I, in fact, have always done.”

Thunderous applause followed his remarks; then Jones and Provost Leonard got into an electric golf cart and began to roll down the aisle. A lone tenor voice began singing – and others took it up until the entire assembly joined in a spontaneous rendition of the beautiful old Scottish air: “Will Ye No’ Come Back Again?”

In the anthology The Greatest of Them All, Peter Dobereiner summed up Bobby Jones’ enduring signifi cance to the people of St. Andrews: “He lives on…in legend, especially in St. Andrews, as the man who conquered himself and, by so doing, conquered golf and, by so doing, conquered a nation.”

On December 18, 1971, golfers on the Old Course at St. Andrews stopped play as the fl ag on the clubhouse in front of the 18th hole was lowered to half–staff. The legendary Bobby Jones was dead at the age of 69.

Clockwise from right: On September 22, 1930, the Bobby Jones legend reached critical mass at

the 11th hole of Merion Golf Club when he closed out his opponents to win his fi fth U.S. Amateur

crown, and, with it, the Grand Slam of what was then golf’s four majors; Bobby Jones being

hoisted by the crowd as he holds up his famous putter, Calamity Jane; a hole-by-hole description

of what was to become the Augusta National Golf Club; Bobby Jones receives a ticker tape parade

down New York’s Broadway, in 1930.

MAIN FEATURE tee to Green12

The Class of 2012The Major Class of 2012 are four very differenT golfers wiTh very differenT golf gaMes. soMeThing old,

soMeThing new – no plaCe for The borrowed so we will jusT go wiTh soMeThing wild and soMeThing blue. leT’s Take a Closer look

MAIN FEATUREtee to Green 13

SOMETHINGNEW

SOMETHINGOLD

I know Ernie is not going to like this but he cannot deny his seniority

amongst this class. Winning a Major at 42 years of age after an absence from the podium of 10 years is no mean feat. And he did it in style, everything about him all week screamed the “big easy”. He is a big man, at 6 foot 3 inches and weighing in at 210 lbs he is the biggest of our class but all week he had that lazy walk, relaxed attitude and easy golf swing – no doubt about it the “Big Easy” was back. Do we really need to review Ernie’s profi le yet again – Yes we do. And why? Quite simply” lest we forget”. Only Gary Player has a more impressive resume and we have not seen the last of Ernie. I am sure he has his eye on one or two more Majors – the grand slam has always been his quest and then there is the 2016 Olympic Games. Four years away I know but still in his sights and if he keeps fi t, well and keen on the game who knows.

ERNIE’S PROFILEBorn: 17th October 1969Height: 6’ 3”Weight: 210 lbsTurned Pro: 1989Ernie Els is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the game, having won more than 65 tournaments since turning professional in 1989, including two US Opens, two Open Championships, and a record seven World Matchplay titles. The international scope of Ernie’s victories is second to none. He is one of golf’s truly global players. Ernie was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.

Ernie was born in South Africa on 17th October 1969. As a youngster, he was outstanding in soccer, cricket, rugby and tennis. At the age of 13 he won a signifi cant regional tennis event, the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships. A year later aged 14 and playing off a scratch handicap, Ernie won the world junior golf championship in San Diego, California.

Ernie was awarded his Junior Springbok colours in 1984, the State President Sports Award in 1987, and in 1988 his full Springbok colours.

His classic, powerful golf swing is universally admired, and aspired to, from both sides of the ropes. And while his easy-going nature masks a fi erce competitive drive, it is all of these qualities, along with an engaging on-course persona, that have helped make Ernie one of the most popular golfers in the game today.

Off the golf course Ernie and his wife Liezl set up the Els for Autism Foundation and launched a capital campaign to raise funds for a Centre of Excellence, the fi rst of its kind in the world, dedicated to the treatment and research of Autism. When built the Centre will incorporate all the services a child with autism needs in order to become a productive member of society, including cutting-edge education, therapy and research. Through its proposed digital learning program the Centre will also have a global reach, helping individuals and families all over the world.

The inaugural Els for Autism Pro Am, which took place at PGA National, looked almost like a who’s who of golf. Among those taking part were Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Tim Clark, Richard Sterne, Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Jeev Milkha Singh and many more. The event was a great success and raised more than $700,000 for Autism.

Meanwhile in the world of Ernie Els Design, the renovation of Wentworth’s iconic West Course continued, including a complete rebuilding of the greens and greens’ complexes and a totally redesigned par-5 18th hole. This fi nal phase of renovations would ultimately be completed in late 2010.

The 2009 Ernie Els Invitational at Fancourt in December coincided with the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, with European Tour winners teaming up with celebrities and stars from South African rugby and the sporting world to raise money for charity and celebrate the success of the Foundation, which has helped many young adults go on to lead fulfi lling lives and also nurtured successful golfers, including 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen.

For Ernie Els Wines 2010 marked a signifi cant and exciting period of expansion, as it introduced additional wines to its portfolio to offer greater diversity and also extend its products across a wider price range. A total of six separate wines are now housed under the Ernie Els Wines portfolio. The Ernie Els Signature remains the fl agship wine. In addition there is the Ernie Els Proprietor’s Blend, the Big Easy, Ernie Els Proprietor’s Syrah, Ernie Els Cabernet Sauvignon and Ernie Els Merlot.

The Veritas Awards, the longest running and most prestigious wine competition in South Africa and synonymous with excellence in wine, awarded gold medals to three wines from the Ernie Els Wines portfolio. The Ernie Els Signature 2007 was also awarded the maximum ‘fi ve star’ accolade by the 2011 John Platter Wine Guide.

Rory McIlroy is exactly what the game needs – a new hero. Already a player of great skill and

determination and when he learns to control it all he will win more and more majors. If two by the tender age of 23 is not good enough one must look at the victory margins in both to understand his potential. 8 strokes in winning last year’s US Open Championship and 8 again this year at the PGA. When he is on song no player today can live with him. Just as well it does not happen every week. Will he become more consistent? Of course he will and in doing so will win more majors. Will he equal the exploits of his new Nike stable mate Tiger Woods? That remains to be seen. But no question about it Rory is the most exciting golfer in the world today

RORY’S PROFILEBorn: 4th May 1989Height: 5’ 10”Weight: 160 lbsTurned Pro: 2007Claimed his second Major Championship at the age of just 23 with ano``ther sensational performance to win the 2012 US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, and in doing so reclaimed the World Number One spot he fi rst occupied after winning the Honda Classic on the US PGA Tour in March. Finished an incredible eight shots clear of David Lynn to triumph by the same margin that he won his maiden Major by at the 2011 US Open at Congressional.

With that fi rst victory he became the youngest European Major winner in history and banish the memories of two months earlier at the Masters Tournament, where he led by four shots going into the fi nal round but carded an 80 to fall way back. Pushed Luke Donald all the way in The Race to Dubai, winning the UBS Hong Kong Open – the season’s penultimate event – to take it to the wire, but ultimately had to settle for second, the same position he occupied in 2009 when Lee Westwood pipped him to the Harry Vardon Trophy.

Had near-misses in Majors in 2010, coming tied third in both The Open Championship and the US PGA Championship, his opening 63 in the former at St Andrews the lowest fi rst round in the history of the tournament. Made his breakthrough on the US PGA Tour the same year, winning the Quail Hollow Championship after blitzing through the fi eld with a fi nal round 62 to beat Phil Mickelson. Became the second 20 year old to break into the world’s top ten, after Sergio Garcia, and reached a career-high World Number Two in 2011.

Hit a 40 yard drive at the age of two and later enjoyed a glittering amateur career during which he reached the top of the World Amateur Rankings and became the youngest winner of the prestigious West of Ireland and Irish Closed Championship, in 2005. Caught the eye with a superb opening 68 in The 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie, the only bogey-free round of the day, and fi nished third in his second event as a professional, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. That earned him enough money to assure his place in the top 115 to be the then youngest and quickest Affi liate Member to secure his card – in just two events.

NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, RORY IS THE MOST EXCITING GOLFER IN THE WORLD TODAY

MAIN FEATURE tee to Green14

Get

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SOMETHINGBLUE

SOMETHINGWILD K nown for incredible shot-making, mammoth drives, a

hot pink shafted driver and an electric personality, Bubba Watson is a true all

Why blue? Webb Simpson is the true blue American

professional golfer. A golfer who came up through the system that has produced carbon copy champions for the last 50 years. As an amateur, he was a member of the United States’ victorious 2007 Walker Cup and 2007 Palmer Cup teams. In college, Simpson played on the Wake Forest University golf team on the Arnold Palmer scholarship. After turning professional, Simpson played on the Nationwide Tour where he fi nished in second place twice. Simpson qualifi ed for the PGA Tour after his tie for seventh at the 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School.

WEBB’S PROFILEBorn: 8th August 1985Height: 6’ 2”Weight: 175 lbsTurned Pro: 2008Simpson was born on August 8, 1985, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to Evander Samuel “Sam” Simpson III and Debbie Webb Simpson, the fi fth of six children. He has four sisters: Chase, Natalie, Deborah and Camille; and one brother, named Evander IV.

Simpson married Taylor Dowd Keith on January 2, 2010, in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2011, the couple had their fi rst child, a son named James. On July 28 2012, Webb and his wife had their second

In June 2011, Simpson played in his fi rst major championship at the U.S. Open and recorded a tied 14th fi nish. He followed it up with another top-20 showing at The Open Championship a month later.

Simpson won his fi rst PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, his home state, on August 21, 2011. Simpson won the championship by three strokes over George McNeill, carding a fi nal round of 67, which included three birdies and no bogeys. After achieving his fi rst victory so close to home, Simpson said “I really couldn’t think of a better place to win than here in Greensboro. That was probably the most fun 18 holes I’ve ever been a part of.” As a result of this victory, one week before the season ending FedEx Cup playoffs, Simpson jumped to third in the overall standings.

In September, Simpson won his second tournament of the 2011 PGA Tour season and of his career, at the second FedEx Cup playoff event, the Deutsche Bank Championship.

American superstar. Bubba grew up the small town of Bagdad Florida where he began the game of golf at age 6. He was given a cut down 9-iron from his father and learned to play the game by hitting wiffl e-balls around the house. More interestingly, the only golf lesson Bubba received was from his father at a very young age and he has not had a lesson since. He is truly a self-taught golfer.

BUBBA’S PROFILEBorn: 5th November 1978Height: 6’ 3”Weight: 180lbsAlthough Bubba was a standout left-handed pitcher in high school, he chose to stick with golf and received a golf scholarship to the University of Georgia where he helped lead the Bulldogs to an SEC title in 2000. In 2001, a year away from graduating, Bubba decided to turn professional and went on to lead the Tour in driving distance multiple years in a row. From humble beginnings to winning three times on the PGA Tour, Bubba knows what it takes to

succeed at the highest level. He takes great pride in his performance on the course and he works even harder off the course.

Bubba quickly recognized his responsibility as a role model to young kids and in 2008, without telling his family and friends, he decided to go back to the University of Georgia and complete his degree. Bubba wanted to be able to encourage kids to get an education and pursue their dreams and therefore felt it was important to set an example. Bubba and his wife, Angie are committed Christians who share a passion for philanthropy and dedicate as much time as possible to giving back. They are involved with multiple charities throughout the year and run several junior golf events. Both on and off the course, Bubba’s character exemplifi es the strength and humility it takes to succeed in life.

In August 2010, provided a clinic in partnership with the PGA TOUR’s “Birdies for the Brave” program with the U.S. Armed Forces. Father Gerry, who was a lieutenant in the Green Berets’ Special Forces during the Vietnam War, was honoured prior to the clinic for his military service with a plaque presented to him by Gen. Steven Duff, commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C. “It’s special. With my dad’s situation, it’s brought to my heart that the military is much more important than what we do for a living. So I needed to do something for the Green Berets and bring light to the Pensacola area.” Following his win at the Travelers Championship, dedicated the win to his wife and father, Gerry, who was battling lung cancer and later passed away in October of 2010.

Watson and his wife, Angie, 6-foot-4 former University of Georgia, WNBA and European pofessional basketball player, adopted their son (Caleb) on March 26, 2012. Without letting family and friends know, he completed requirements toward a degree at the University of Georgia in the summer of 2008, thereby validating his push for kids to stay in school.

His most impressive drive came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2012 when he showed up at TPC Scottsdale driving the “General Lee,” one of the original Dodge Chargers from the 1980s TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard” that he purchased at a car show. He arrived at the tournament each day driving the car.

Simpson moved to fi rst in the FedEx Cup standings for the fi rst time in his career.

He came close to picking up his third victory of the year at the McGladrey Classic in October but lost to Ben Crane in a playoff. Simpson missed a three footer for par on the second extra hole to lose out to Crane. The runner-up fi nish made him number one on the money list, overtaking Luke Donald with one week remaining. Donald however won the fi nal event of the season at the Children’s Miracle

Network Hospitals Classic to beat Simpson to the money title meaning he fi nished second on the 2011 PGA Tour money list. He fi nished the year with a record of 23 cuts made in 26 starts and well over $6 million in prize money.

On June 17 2012, Simpson won the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He shot a two-under 68 in the fi nal round for a fi nal score of one-over par. It was good enough to win by one stroke over Graeme McDowell and Michael Thompson. Following his victory at the U.S. Open, Simpson announced his intention to skip The Open Championship the following month, as his wife was due to give birth to their second child during this time. With his withdrawal from The Open Championship, Simpson did not play for another month until at the fi nal major of the year, the PGA Championship. This showed when he started the fi rst round at six-over-par through seven holes on his way to an opening round of 79. This left him too much to do in round two and despite shooting an even-par round in very diffi cult conditions, he missed the cut by one stroke.

COMPOSITE PLAYERSo how does our composite player stack up. Who will we choose for which shots and how do we get the maximum out of the class of 2012

Driving: It has to be Bubba Watson, if for no other reason that he has a pink headed driver with a pink shaft. Seriously he leads the Driving Distance stats and has done since he turned professional. And don’t get confused he hits it straight as well.

Fairway Woods: Ernie Els. These shots require perfect rhythm and nobody on Tour has better rhythm than ErnieLong irons: Rory McIlroy is as fi ne a long iron player as there is today hitting the green over 62% of the time when over 200 metres from the greenMid Irons: Again McIlroy is our man. It is how he sets up all those birdie chances and how, when all is going for him he wins so comfortablyShort Irons: Webb Simpson. All the players in our group are more than adept

at this distance. They have to be to play at this level and Webb is no exceptionTrouble Shooting: Look no further than Bubba Watson. One has to have great strength and great hands to hit recovery shots from deep rough and out of threes and Bubba this aplenty.Scrambling: Around the green I must go with Ernie Els. A wonderful chipper bunker player and putter. Has to be to have won two US Opens and two Open Championships.Putting: Nothing much to choose

between Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson with 28.72 and 28.79 putts per round respectively. In the spring of 2012, Simpson played 220 consecutive holes without recording a three-putt until he did so at the 11th hole in the fi nal round of the Quail Hollow Championship.Metal Strength and Course Management (15th Club): Always choose an old and experienced head and so it must be Ernie Els. I would suspect that both Bubba and Webb would take Ernie’s four majors right now. Only McIlroy has the class to win more.

WORLD - CLASS CITYWORLD - CLASS PROFESSIONAL GOLF

22 - 25 NOVEMBER 2012ROYAL CAPE GOLF CLUB

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE GATE

THE RULES tee to Green16

I t’s hard to pinpoint the fi rst time this ultimate penalty was used but many feel the fi rst occasion was in the

1876 British Open at St. Andrews. Bob Martin and Davie Strath were tied for the lead at the end of regulation play and thus a playoff would be needed to settle the matter. However, during the course of regulation play, Strath was accused of a Rules infraction when he drove into a group in front of him, a breach of the Rule at the time which provided that no one shall play to a green with players on it. After nothing was resolved, it was announced that the playoff would be played under protest. Strath refused to compete in the playoff because no decision had been made on his alleged infringement of the Rule, thus disqualifying himself from winning the championship.

Since then, hundreds of golfers have been disqualifi ed. What follows is a brief summary of some of the situations that either cost player’s titles or a chance at a title.

1987 ANDY WILLIAMS OPEN In the third round at Torrey Pines in 1987 Craig Stadler’s ball came to rest under the branches of a tree. Stadler decided to kneel on the ground under the branches and play the ball off his knees. Ground conditions were very wet on the day as a result of earlier rains so, in an effort to keep his trousers clean, Stadler placed a towel on the ground and knelt on it. In effect this was a breach of Rule 13, which entitles a player to fi rmly take a stance but not to build a stance. The act of kneeling on the ground in such circumstances was not a breach of the rules, however kneeling on the towel was. The towel had in effect provided Stadler with a fi rmer, less slippery, stance. As the infringement was only brought to the attention of rules offi cials the next day the two-stroke penalty imposed resulted in Stadler’s disqualifi cation from the tournament as he had now signed for a wrong score. Years later Stadler had the

satisfaction of returning to Torrey Pines to assist in the cutting down of the offending tree that was now dying of a fungus infection.

Note: Since 1744 the basic tenets of the Rules have been to play the course as you fi nd it and the ball as it lies.

Rule 13 covers a whole host of everyday occurrences on the course from improving your lie, your stance, the area of your intended swing and your line of play. Take the time to read and understand this Rule.

1966 PENSACOLA OPEN After shooting a second-round 67 to go along with his opening round 63 Doug Sanders had a four-shot lead. But instead of signing his scorecard Sanders signed dozens of autographs and forgot to sign his second-round card. While he was in the pressroom talking about his round he was told that he was

disqualifi ed for not signing the card. Back then fi rst place paid $10,000. Sanders estimated the disqualifi cation cost him $25,000 in endorsements with companies that paid bonuses for tournament victories

1990 PALM MEADOWS CUP Going into the third round it appeared that a classic battle was about to unfold as Greg Norman had a one-shot lead over Curtis Strange. However, on the driving range he found out that on the fi rst day he had taken an illegal drop from a water hazard. When told of the problem Norman disqualifi ed himself thus losing a chance at the fi rst-place check of $160,000.

1992 NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE Nick Price was tied for the lead with David Frost after the third round. However, during the round, Price hit a drive into the fairway and his caddie

Red Card RulingsAS LONG AS GOLF HAS BEEN PLAYED, PLAYERS HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED

FROM TOURNAMENTS FOR RULES INFRACTIONS. DENNIS BRUYNS REFLECTS ON SOME OF THE MORE (IN)FAMOUS ONES.

THE RULEStee to Green 17

AT THE WORLD OF GOLF

Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to become a Tour Pro?

The GARY PLAYER SCHOOL FOR CHAMPIONS at THE WORLD OF GOLF has produced 3 National Amateur No. 1’s and numerous Sunshine Tour players since inception in 2006!

Our 2012 students have secured no less than 9 major titles already and 4 of them are ranked amongst SA’s top 20 amateurs!

We continue to seek young golfing talent for our full-time game improvement program and bursaries are available. To make application, e-mail your CV now to dannyb@gpge.co.za with “TEE TO GREEN” in the subject line.

To provide a mentored, holistic golf experience, which focuses on the most modern game improvement dimensions and which is designed to deliver all the necessary tools to prepare the champion golfer for professional, international competition.

GARY PLAYER SCHOOL FOR CHAMPIONS MISSION STATEMENT:

moved an advertising board which was 20 metres ahead of Price’s ball. Even though they replaced the sign the act of moving it was in breach of the Local Rule at the time. The sign was classifi ed as a temporary immovable obstruction so Price should have gotten a free drop, instead he received a two shot penalty. What followed was a rather unpleasant scene at the scoring table at the back of the 18th green. The chief rules offi cial advised Price of the penalty in a manner that was most antagonistic and then showed no tact in resolving the situation. Price eventually refused to accept the penalty and left the area without signing his card thus disqualifying himself from the tournament. Instead of a chance at either the $1 million winner’s cheque or the runner-up cheque of $300,000, Price received $105,000.

1997 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP In the fi nal round on the 17th hole Davis Love III accidentally hit his ball on the putting green with a practice stroke. He did not replace the ball, two-putted from there, and scored himself as having made a bogey 4. However, he should have replaced his ball to the original spot before continuing to putt. Not doing so is an extra one-stroke penalty and thus his score for the hole was actually a double-bogey 5. Offi cials found out about the mistake, but unfortunately for Love it was after he signed his

AT THE WORLD OF GOLF

Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to become a Tour Pro?

The GARY PLAYER SCHOOL FOR CHAMPIONS at THE WORLD OF GOLF has produced 3 National Amateur No. 1’s and numerous Sunshine Tour players since inception in 2006!

Our 2012 students have secured no less than 9 major titles already and 4 of them are ranked amongst SA’s top 20 amateurs!

We continue to seek young golfing talent for our full-time game improvement program and bursaries are available. To make application, e-mail your CV now to dannyb@gpge.co.za with “TEE TO GREEN” in the subject line.

To provide a mentored, holistic golf experience, which focuses on the most modern game improvement dimensions and which is designed to deliver all the necessary tools to prepare the champion golfer for professional, international competition.

GARY PLAYER SCHOOL FOR CHAMPIONS MISSION STATEMENT:

scorecard. So instead of fi nishing tied 7th, he was disqualifi ed for signing an incorrect scorecard. The mistake cost Love $105,000 as well as valuable Ryder Cup qualifying points. However, he did go on to make the 1997 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Note: Remember to replace your ball and so avoid the double whammy of a two-stroke penalty.

Some (In)famous breaches of the Rules have been discovered and resolved in time and have

fortunately not resulted in disqualifi cations

1968 MASTERSThe application of Rule 6-6 has prompted the most celebrated Rule’s controversies in the history of the game and none more so than the infringement of the rule by Roberto de Vicenzo at the 1968 Masters. De Vicenzo, the reigning Open champion at the time, sank a metre and half putt on the par four 17th hole for a birdie

three. A bogey at the last left the great Argentinean on an eleven under total of 277 in a tie with Bob Goalby. However his marker, Tommy Aaron, although getting the total correct on the card, wrote down a four at 17. De Vicenzo did not notice the mistake, signed the card and rushed off for press interviews. Augusta founder Bobby Jones searched for a way round the ruling but none could be found. Once the scorecard was signed and returned, the higher score had to stand and Goalby was declared the winner. If De Vicenzo had signed for a lower score he would have been disqualifi ed. Afterwards de Vicenzo simply said, “What a stupid I am.” To compound matters the whole incident happened on de Vicenzo’s 45th birthday.

Note: There is no getting around the application of this Rule and the average golfer should be aware of his scorecard responsibilities when playing in a competition. Briefl y they are:• Ensure that your name appears on the card.• That your gross scores for each individual hole are correctly recorded.• You and your marker must sign the card.• And your correct handicap must be refl ected on the card.

1980 TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONSBob Goalby was a bit player in

another prominent ruling at the 1980 Tournament of Champions, this time involving Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. Watson was cruising towards an easy victory but fellow competitor Trevino was struggling. Noticing a small swing fl aw in Trevino’s swing Watson casually told Trevino about it. Goalby, working as a roving television commentator on the day, noted it as a friendly gesture between the two players. However there is nothing friendly about Rule 8 and on completion of the round offi cials advised Watson that he had incurred a two stroke penalty for breach of the Rule. Lucky for Watson he had fi nished three strokes ahead of the rest of the fi eld so despite the penalty was still declared the winner.

Note: Basically, the Rule prevents a player from giving or receiving advice from anyone other than his caddie or his partner.

Advice is any counsel or suggestion which could infl uence a player in determining his play, the choice of club or the method of making a stroke.

Information on the Rules or matters of public information such as the position of hazards or the fl agstick is not advice.

MY OVERALL MESSAGE IS:Be patient, have a Rule Book on hand and resolve any issues or doubts before you sign and hand in your card.

WHAT FOLLOWED WAS A RATHER UNPLEASANT SCENE AT THE SCORING TABLE AT THE BACK OF THE 18TH GREEN

SUNSHINE TOUR NEwS tee to Green18

W ith its origins dating back to 1893, the South African Open Champion is widely

acknowledged as one of the oldest national Open Championships in golf and truly embodies the spirit of competitive golf in South Africa.

From its beginnings as a match play event, the country’s flagship event evolved into a stroke play tournament in 1903 and continues to draw sizeable numbers of top golfers competing for the honour of being crowned champion. The Championship holds an important place on the international golf calendar and is a prominent fixture on both the Sunshine Tour and European Tour.

While the professionals compete for the honour of capturing the national title, the rising amateur stars compete for their own historic piece of silverware – the Freddie Tait Cup, which is presented to the leading amateur after 72 holes. In 1929, the

Freddie Tait Cup was presented for the first time to the leading amateur in the South African Open Championship. This trophy was purchased by the South African Golf Union with the surplus funds after the visit of the British amateur team in 1927-28. On it are the badges of the Army Golfing Society, of which the late Lieutenant Freddie Tait was a member. He was also a member of the R and A. A brilliant match player, he won the British Amateur Championship in 1896 and 1898. He died fighting at Koodoosberg Drift during the “boer war” in 1900. The last amateur golfer to win the championship was Denis Hutchinson in 1959. The lowest 72 score by an amateur in the championship is 282 recorded by Denis Hutchinson (1959); Ian Hutchings (1987); Ernie Els (1989); Hennie Otto (1997).

The story of the South African Open Floating trophy is a little less certain. There is a record of an

advertisement in 1909 which refers to the “Open Championship Floating Trophy” and which was to be held by the amateur or professional with the lowest score in the Open. But there is no indication, either then or since, in the SAGA office records regarding how or when the trophy was first acquired or by whom it was presented. It is referred to in all instances as the “Open Championship Cup” or “Trophy”.

Hennie Otto claimed the 101st South African Open Championship at Serengeti when he edged out Austrian Bernd Wiesberger by one stroke for the coveted national title. Otto, the overnight leader was under pressure coming down the stretch with Wiesburger already in the clubhouse, but after driving the green at 17th, a chip to six feet set up a birdie putt for the outright lead. The big-hitting Otto followed with another superb tee shot down the 18th fairway, found the green with his

An emotional Hennie Otto wins 2011 the South African Open Championship at Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate

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1909Potchefstroom Golf Club became the first golf course with 18 grass greens to host the South African Open Championship. This year also marked the formation of the South African Golf Union.

approach and two-putted for par to clinch the title.

It was a second European Tour win for the 35-year-old, who won the Italian Open in 2007, and the sixth by a South African on the European Tour in the 2012 season. One of the most consistent performers on the Sunshine Tour since he joined the paid ranks in 1997, Otto has won 12 times in South Africa but the SA Open victory was by far the biggest achievement of his career. Otto will face a tough challenge in defending his title.

Confirmed entries include, major winners Charl Swartzel and Martin Kaymer, past champions Tim Clark, James Kingston and Richard Sterne and Swedish star Hendrik Stenson.

SA OpenTimeline

1952Sid Brews became the oldest winner of the South African Open Championship at the age of 52.

1913Jimmy Prentice (right) became the first amateur to win the South African Open Championship at Kimberley Golf Club.

SUNSHINE TOUR NEwStee to Green 19

The CourseThe greens at Serengeti Golf Course will always be a talking point ahead of the Championship with most of the professionals agreeing that this is where the greatest test will lie. And as one has come to expect from a Jack Nicklaus signature design nothing can be taken for granted.

1959Denis hutchinson wins the south African open Championship and remains the last amateur to have achieved this.

1970England’s Tommy Horton became the first foreign player to win the south African open Championship. only seven foreigners have ever won the south African open Championship, including horton, Bob Charles (New Zealand) in 1973, Charles Bolling (united states) in 1983, Fred Wadsworth (united states) in 1989, Vijay singh (Fiji) in 1997, Mathias Gronberg (sweden) in 2000 and richie ramsay in 2008.

Key holeshole 8The signature hole of Serengeti is a short but picturesque par 5 with a water hazard running down the right hand side of this challenging hole. The tee shot requires a well struck driver down the left hand side because the fairway slopes left to right. For the brave an accurate approach to an island green will set you up for a possible eagle but for the timid a short to mid iron short of the water will set up a pitch to the green.

hole 16This is an intimidating par 5 with a long carry over water and water all the way on the left. The big hitters can go for the green in two but the green is protected with water short and left and a few pot bunkers.

hole 17A genuine risk and reward short par 4. The hole looks long off the tees but is drivable by the big hitters. The big hitter can aim the ball over the bunkers on the right. Achieving this will leave you with an open green to chip and put to. RISK and REWARD! The percentage play off the tee is to keep the ball to the left bunkers in the fairway. This leave you with a tricky pitch to a narrow green protected by a bunker short left.

hole 18Possible the toughest hole on the course. Your drive is to be aimed at the right edge of the fairway as it slopes from right to left. Keeping it right also allows you to attack the pin with an open green. The green is guarded by water on the left and bunkers on the right.

SA Open TriviaThe South African Open Championship was first played for in 1893It is the second oldest National Championship after the Open Championship

The SA Open is the second oldest sporting event in south Africa after the Currie Cup rugby trophy was first played for in 1893

Durban Country Club hosted the sA open Championship for a record 17th time in 2010. Royal Cape and Royal Johannesburg and Kensington are second with 10 each.

This year marks the 102nd playing of the SA Open Championship.

The first South African-born winner of the SA Open was Fred Jangle in 1922

Three sets of brothers have won the SA Open including George and Jack Fotheringham, who won six titles between them, Sid and Jock Brews, who shared 12 victories and Harold and Allan Henning, who won three

Most wins: 13 - Gary Player (Between 1956 – 1981)

Most consecutive wins: Five – Bobby Locke (1937–40 and 46); Gary Player (1965–69)

youngest winner: Bobby Locke (17 in 1935)

oldest winner: Sid Brews (53 in 1952)

lowest winning total: 267 (Tony Johnstone in 1993 at Durban Country Club)

lowest 18 hole score: 62 (John Bland in 1993 at Durban Country Club)

Biggest victory margin: 20 shots (George Fotheringham in 1914 at Royal Cape Town)

Winners in four decades: Sid Brews (1925, 30, 49 and 52); Gary Player (1956, 60, 72 and 81)

richie ramsay of Scotland broke an eight-year stranglehold South Africans had on the tournament when he won the 2008 edition at Pearl Valley Golf Estates. The previous winners were Richard Sterne (2009), James Kingston (2008), Ernie Els (2007), Retief Goosen (2006), Tim Clark (2005 & 2002) and Trevor Immelman (2003 & 2004).

Clockwise from top left: SA Open champion for the seventh time, Sid Brews is carried shoulder-high by members of the family – Mickey Janks (brother-in-law), Roger Brews (son) and Jock Brews (brother); Bobby Locke; Richard Ramsay wins in 2009

1956Gary Player won the first of his record 13 south African open Championship titles at Durban Country Club.

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nedbank golf challenge tee to Green22

Golfers love to set records. Low round, low winning score and for any player winning a high profile

tournament three years in a row. For defending champion Lee Westwood this would be especially rewarding as he had he had come close on a number of occasions and is now set to equal the record of three wins by David Frost (1989,1990,1992), Nick Price (1993,1997,1998) and Ernie Els (1999, 2000, 2002). In fact he would be doing what they could not and win three in a row.

There have been many magic moments at the Nedbank Golf Challenge but none more that in its first year, 1981, when Johnny Miller and Seve Ballesteros battled it out for what was then the biggest

winner’s purse in professional golf - $500,000. Tied for the lead after 54 holes, still inseparable after 72, Miller and Ballesteros thrilled the crowd matching shot for shot for another nine holes of sudden death until Miller finally prevailed.

If that tournament took nine extra holes to complete in 1981, the fans were in for more magic the next year when American’s Raymond Floyd and Craig Stadler finished the 72 holes of regulation play tied on 280. This time the event was decided at the fourth extra hole.

It wasn’t until 1996, when Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els skilfully traded blows for 72 holes only to find themselves tied on 274 that extra holes were again needed.

Against all odds Monty won at the third extra hole overcoming not just the fine play of rival Els but also a crowd that was both unpleasantly loud and fiercely partisan.

Since then it has almost become expected that fans will see more than 72 holes played. The field for the 1998 event included the world’s No1 Tiger Woods and was one of the strongest-ever. Woods stood on the side of the 18th green in the final round needing to chip in from the semi-rough to tie Nick Price. And as we have come to expect it never looked like missing. Maybe that took too much out of the young American as Price went on to win his third title in extra time.

Then it was Ernie Els making it

back to back wins and taking the first $2million pot from Lee Westwood with a birdie at second extra hole. Els was on the receiving end the next year when Sergio Garcia chipped in at the first

The CourseIt has never been the policy when setting up the course at Sun City for the Nedbank Golf Challenge to “trick it up” and so protect par. This protection of par is the stated policy of the United States Golf Association and they go to extreme lengths to achieve it at the US Open each year. And when narrowing the fairways, growing the rough and baking the greens until they are rock hard and lightning fast aren’t enough to

2012?

Lee WesTWoodCountry: EnglandBorn: 24 April 1973.Turned pro: 1993.Family: Wife: Laurae (1999). Children: Samuel Bevan, Poppy Grace.Career highlights: In November 2010

became world number one for the first time in his career. Finished runner-up in both the Masters and Open in 2010. In the 2008 Ryder Cup he equalled Arnold Palmer’s record when he went 12 matches unbeaten. In 2000 he won seven tournaments and finished top of the European Tour’s Order of Merit.2012 highlights: Won the Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour and the Nordea Masters on the European Tour. Currently ninth on the all-time European Tour winner’s list with 22 victories.2012 Majors: The Masters – T3. The US Open – T10. The Open – T45. The PGA Championship – MC.World ranking: 4.NGC record: Ninth appearance. Finished tied 4th in 1998, 4th in 1999, 2nd in 2000, 5th in 2001, tied 4th in 2004, tied 5th in 2008, 1st in 2010 and 1st in 2011.

NiCoLas CoLsaerTsCountry: BelgiumBorn: 14 November 1982. Turned pro: 2000. Career highlights: Won the 2011 Volvo China Open on his way to finishing 20th

on the Race to Dubai, his highest ranking to date. 2012 highlights: Won the Volvo World Match Play Championship. Made his debut for the European team in the Ryder Cup at Medinah. 2012 Majors: The Masters – Did not play. The US Open – T27. The Open – T7. The PGA Championship – MC. World ranking: 35. NGC record: Debut.

PeTer haNsoNCountry: SwedenBorn: 4 October 1977. Turned pro: 1998.Family: Wife: Sanna (2005). Children: Stella, Tim.Career highlights: Won twice on the

European Tour in 2010 to claim a place on the European Ryder Cup team that year. Finished 17th in the 2010 Race to Dubai.2012 highlights: Won the KLM Open on the European Tour. Reached the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship, and finished tied fourth in the WGC Cadillac Championship. A

member of the winning European Ryder Cup team.2012 Majors: The Masters – T3. The US Open – MC. The Open – T23. The PGA Championship – T7.World ranking: 25.NGC record: Debut.

BiLL haasCountry: USABorn: 24 May 1982. Turned pro: 2004.Family: Wife: Julie (2005).Career highlights: Won the 2011 FedEx Cup. Represented the United States in

the 2011 Presidents Cup.2012 highlights: Won the Northern Trust Open.2012 Majors: The Masters – T37. The US Open – MC. The Open – T19. The PGA Championship – T32.World ranking: 34.NGC record: Debut.

MarTiN KayMerCountry: GermanyBorn: 28 December 1984. Turned pro: 2005.Career highlights: In 2010 he won three tournaments on the European Tour and his first Major, the

PGA Championship. He finished the season as the European Tour’s number one. He earned €4.5-million in prize

money over the season, beating the record Lee Westwood set the previous year. In 2007 became the first German to receive the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award on the European Tour. Has been on the winning European Ryder Cup team in 2010 and 2012.2012 highlights: Holed the putt that ensured Europe would retain the Ryder Cup at Medinah.2012 Majors: The Masters – T44. The US Open – T15. The Open – MC. The PGA Championship – MC.World ranking: 33.NGC record: Second appearance – 2011 – 8th.

PauL LaWrieCountry: ScotlandBorn: 1 January 1969. Turned pro: 1986. Family: Wife: Marian (1991). Children: Michael, Craig. Career highlights: Won the Open

Championship in 1999. Twice represented Europe in the Ryder Cup. 2012 highlights: A two-time winner on the European Tour in the Qatar Masters and the Johnnie Walker Championship. A member of the winning European Ryder Cup team. 2012 Majors: The Masters – T24. The US Open – Did not play. The Open – T34. The PGA Championship – T48.World ranking: 29. NGC record: Second appearance. 1999 – 12th.

Player Profiles

nedbank golf challengetee to Green 23

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guarantee the protection of par the USGA simply adjust the par of the course by turning par fives into par fours. All this is quite academic, as a player’s performance is not measured against par but rather against the rest of the field. In strokeplay the purest and simplest scoring system applies –the player playing the fewest number of shots is the winner. And that’s it whether that score is under or over par.

Despite this, the debate about the integrity of the game goes on and at its core is whether golf courses have been made obsolete by the distance modern professional golfers hit the ball. There is no denying the fact that the combination of better equipment (clubs and balls) and the increased

athleticism of today’s tour players have combined to give the them a 20 or 30 meter edge over their counterparts of 20 years ago. This length takes out of play certain hazards and bunkers and changes the general strategy of the course.

From the tips the Gary Player Country Club measures a lengthy 7,067 metres, but to date, when set up for the Nedbank Golf Challenge it has never been stretched to its maximum. From tee to green conditions are much the same as average golfers will find any time of the year. There is no narrowing of the fairways or excessive growing of the rough. Special attention is given to the greens, which are firmer and faster but this is the professional

player’s preference anyway. Dennis Bruyns recalls, “It did

become clear some years back that something needed to be done to make the course more challenging. Early Sunday morning just before the final round of the 2000 event I received a call from Gary Player asking me how the course was set for play that day. I quickly ran through the tee and corresponding pin placements”

“That sounds good Denny,” said Gary.

To which I replied, “The only problem is Gary that that is how the course was set up yesterday (Saturday) and as you know John Huston and Colin Montgomerie shot 64’s and Thomas Bjorn a 65.” The

average score that day was a course low of 67.91.

Since then various changes have been made, new tees constructed, bunkers added and reshaped. And even a new green (17th) built into the dam on the left of the fairway on this penultimate hole. This has brought the scores back but still the policy remains to make the course challenging not impossible, to ensure that good play is rewarded and bad punished, and therefore to end up with a deserving winner.

For any self-respecting golf fan the place to be from 29 November through to 2 December is the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City for the playing of the 2012 Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Francesco Molinaricountry: ItalyBorn: 8 November 1982. Turned pro: 2004. Family: Wife: Valentina (2007),Children: Tommaso.

career highlights: Winner of the 2006 Italian Open and 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions. Made his Ryder Cup debut for the European team in the 2010 event at Celtic Manor in Wales. 2012 highlights: A key member of the European team to win the Ryder Cup. Won his third title on the European Tour in the Open de Espana. 2012 Majors: The Masters – T19. The US Open – T29. The Open – T39. The PGA Championship – T54. World ranking: 30. nGc record: Second appearance – 2011 –11th.

GarTh Mulroycountry: South AfricaBorn: 7 August 1978. Turned pro: 2002.Family: Wife: Christina (2005). Children Max, Ryan.career highlights: Three-time winner on

the Sunshine Tour, including the 2008 Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour at Arabella, 2008 Coca-Cola Championship and 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship. Winner of

the 2011 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.2012 Majors: The Masters – Did not play. The US Open – Did not play. The Open – T64. The PGA Championship – Did not play.World ranking: 172.nGc record: Debut

louis oosThuizencountry: South AfricaBorn: 19 October 1982. Turned pro: 2003. Family: Wife: Nel-Mare (2007). Children:

Jana, Sophia. career highlights: Broke through for his maiden European Tour win at the 2010 Open de Andalucía and four months later won the Open Championship at St Andrews in only his ninth Major appearance. Subsequently broke into the world top 50 and reached the top 20 at the end of 2010. Five-time European Tour winner, including back-to-back Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned African Open titles in 2011 and 2012, and seven-time Sunshine Tour winner. 2012 Majors: The Masters – 2nd. The US Open – MC. The Open – T19. The PGA Championship – T21. World ranking: 12. nGc record: Second appearance. 2010 – 12th.

carl PeTTerssoncountry: SwedenBorn: 29 August 1977. Turned pro: 2000. Family: Wife: DeAnna (2003). Children: Carlie, Chase.

career highlights: Won his first tournament on the European Tour in the 2002 Algarve Open de Portugal. Claimed his first victory on the PGA Tour in the 2005 Chrysler Championship, becoming only the third Swede to win on the tour. 2012 highlights: Won the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour. Finished tied third in the 2012 US PGA Championship. 2012 Majors: The Masters – Did not play. The US Open – MC. The Open – T23. The PGA Championship – T3. World ranking: 32. nGc record: Debut.

JusTin rosecountry: EnglandBorn: 30 July 1980. Turned pro: 1998. Family: Wife: Kate (2006). Children: Leo, Charlotte. career highlights: Claimed the biggest win of his career in

the 2012 WGC Cadillac Championship. In 2010 he won twice in the space of four weeks on the PGA Tour. In 2007 he finished first on the European Tour Order of Merit.

2012 highlights: Beating Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy to win the WGC Cadillac Championship. Beating Lee Westwood in the final of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final. Winning the Ryder Cup with Europe. 2012 Majors: The Masters – T8. The US Open – T21. The Open – MC. The PGA Championship – T3. World ranking: 5. nGc record: Fourth appearance – 2007 – 2nd, 2008 – 9th, 2010 – T9.

charl schWarTzelcountry: South AfricaBorn: 31 August 1984. Turned pro: 2002.Family: Wife: Rosalind (2008).career highlights:

Won his first Major at the Masters in 2011. Has won seven times on the European Tour and five times on the Sunshine Tour. Won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit three years in succession in 2005, 2006 and 2007.2012 highlights: Reached a career high of sixth on the world rankings with his finish of tied fourth in the WGC Cadillac Championship.2012 Majors: The Masters – T50. The US Open – T38. The Open – MC. The PGA Championship – T59.World ranking: 31.nGc record: Fourth appearance. Finished 5th in 2006, 10th in 2007, 6th in 2011.

2012 field

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The X-Factor

In his 2007 book “Tales From Q-School”, writer John Feinstein highlights the trials and tribulations

of the PGA Tour Q-School class of 2005. Included in the names of those who gained exemption in 2005 and have moved on to bigger things are Bill Haas, Nick Watney, JB Holmes, Brett Wetterich and Jeff Overton.

However there is one notable absentee from this list. In fact he missed the qualifying cut in 2005 by two shots but Steve Stricker did not allow this failure to deter. In fact in 2006 he won enough money on sponsor’s invites to not have to return to Q-School again.

I often get asked what is the difference between those players who “make it” on the big tours of the world and those who are doomed to be also-rans. Short answer: you can never say for sure but after much personal observation I would venture the following thoughts. You may even get some insights into why you never seem to reach your “holy grail”.

CONSISTENT MENTORSHIPOne cardinal sin that too many professional golfers commit is too much change, too often. Especially when it comes to coaching, players “coach hop” so often that it is diffi cult to keep up with who is coaching who.

Something the best players in the world do is to fi nd a coach that works for them and then they stick to them like glue. Faldo and Leadbetter, Harrington and Torrance and Tiger and Butch are only a few examples of teaching relationships that lasted for many years and the results are there for all to see.

for the best players in the world. Specifi cally due to the fact that with

longer and more diffi cult courses missing fairways and greens has become more commonplace. A fact that puts much more emphasis on how you get out of the rough or onto the green when you miss, something players like Steve Stricker and Tiger do more times than we admit.

So if you want to know the difference between the best and the rest make sure you and your coach spend some time on and around the greens. You will know exactly why you should make this a priority when the next time you play you make a 15ft putt for a par that should’ve been a double…..That feeling is the difference between good and great.

THE ABILITY TO REMAIN CALM (OR AT LEAST TO LOOK LIKE YOU ARE CALM)The day of the hot-headed player is over. I repeat: the day of players who lose their cool, break clubs and swear is over. The reason? You are up against guys who don’t say boo to a mouse on

the course and give very little away with their demeanors.

Goosen, Stricker, Donald and Kaymer are examples of the prototypical 21st century golfer. Cool, calm and collected, whether they are playing practice rounds or playing in the US Open the mental approach they exhibit is one of task-focus.

Thus instead of reacting on each emotion they experience on the course, they accept it as part of the game and instead focus on the task at hand. So if you are one of those

players who likes to: “let out my frustration because it is better to let it out than to keep it inside” I have some bad news for you. Get a grip, or get a different game!

Just ask Hennie Otto the reigning SA Open champion what a difference a bit of composure can make.

THAT EXTRA ONE PERCENTWhen Sir Clive Woodward took over as English Rugby coach in the 90’s he stated in one of the fi rst team meetings that they needed to improve 100%. A disgruntled player got up and reminded Sir Clive that they were professional players and surely deserved a bit more credit than that. To which Woodward replied: “You are looking at it wrong. We are not going to change any one thing by a 100% we are going to change a 100 things by 1%.

The players who make it on the big stage are always looking for, or are working at, the extra one percent. A good example of this is Ernie Els who has recently been working with eye training specialist Sherylle Calder (who also incidentally worked with Wood-ward’s 2003 World Cup winning team).

In committing to something that few players are doing (visual training) Ernie has re-invented himself and his putting. Something the Big Easy has admitted to even he thought he would never change.

In this instance I am not advocating changing putters or drivers every other week as some high-handicappers do in search of better performance. Instead fi gure out if it is your mind, your body or an area of your game that needs work. Then spend one extra percent of your time on that area. As we saw with Ernie and the English Rugby team a little can go a long way.

PROFILE:Theo Bezuidenhout is a sport psychologist in private practice and consults with golfers of all abilities and ages. His clients include top juniors, amateurs and Sunshine Tour professionals. Theo has been a columnist for Tee to Green for over seven years. He is also an ambassador for Volvo South Africa and Volvo in Golf as well as a Titleist ambassador. He has a special interest in parental involvement in sport and has also been involved with the Glacier Junior Series for the last two years as a consultant. He refuses to divulge how often he gets to work on his own golf.

Some may say that not all long-term coaching relationships end on amicable terms which would be true, especially in the case of Woods and Harmon. However, too many young pro’s change teachers for the most innocuous reasons especially when teachers tell them what they do not want to hear.

My advice to you in this instance is

to not do what the pro’s do. Find someone you can relate to, communicate with and that tells it like it is. Improvement without honesty is almost impossible

FOCUS ON THE SHORT GAMEIn the world of modern golf where distance is (almost) everything, it is notable that the game is not just being dominated by those who can hit the ball a mile. Although distance is important, getting the ball in the hole has become a very necessary priority

GET A GRIP, OR GET A DIFFERENT GAME!

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The X-Factor

In his 2007 book “Tales From Q-School”, writer John Feinstein highlights the trials and tribulations

of the PGA Tour Q-School class of 2005. Included in the names of those who gained exemption in 2005 and have moved on to bigger things are Bill Haas, Nick Watney, JB Holmes, Brett Wetterich and Jeff Overton.

However there is one notable absentee from this list. In fact he missed the qualifying cut in 2005 by two shots but Steve Stricker did not allow this failure to deter. In fact in 2006 he won enough money on sponsor’s invites to not have to return to Q-School again.

I often get asked what is the difference between those players who “make it” on the big tours of the world and those who are doomed to be also-rans. Short answer: you can never say for sure but after much personal observation I would venture the following thoughts. You may even get some insights into why you never seem to reach your “holy grail”.

CONSISTENT MENTORSHIPOne cardinal sin that too many professional golfers commit is too much change, too often. Especially when it comes to coaching, players “coach hop” so often that it is diffi cult to keep up with who is coaching who.

Something the best players in the world do is to fi nd a coach that works for them and then they stick to them like glue. Faldo and Leadbetter, Harrington and Torrance and Tiger and Butch are only a few examples of teaching relationships that lasted for many years and the results are there for all to see.

for the best players in the world. Specifi cally due to the fact that with

longer and more diffi cult courses missing fairways and greens has become more commonplace. A fact that puts much more emphasis on how you get out of the rough or onto the green when you miss, something players like Steve Stricker and Tiger do more times than we admit.

So if you want to know the difference between the best and the rest make sure you and your coach spend some time on and around the greens. You will know exactly why you should make this a priority when the next time you play you make a 15ft putt for a par that should’ve been a double…..That feeling is the difference between good and great.

THE ABILITY TO REMAIN CALM (OR AT LEAST TO LOOK LIKE YOU ARE CALM)The day of the hot-headed player is over. I repeat: the day of players who lose their cool, break clubs and swear is over. The reason? You are up against guys who don’t say boo to a mouse on

the course and give very little away with their demeanors.

Goosen, Stricker, Donald and Kaymer are examples of the prototypical 21st century golfer. Cool, calm and collected, whether they are playing practice rounds or playing in the US Open the mental approach they exhibit is one of task-focus.

Thus instead of reacting on each emotion they experience on the course, they accept it as part of the game and instead focus on the task at hand. So if you are one of those

players who likes to: “let out my frustration because it is better to let it out than to keep it inside” I have some bad news for you. Get a grip, or get a different game!

Just ask Hennie Otto the reigning SA Open champion what a difference a bit of composure can make.

THAT EXTRA ONE PERCENTWhen Sir Clive Woodward took over as English Rugby coach in the 90’s he stated in one of the fi rst team meetings that they needed to improve 100%. A disgruntled player got up and reminded Sir Clive that they were professional players and surely deserved a bit more credit than that. To which Woodward replied: “You are looking at it wrong. We are not going to change any one thing by a 100% we are going to change a 100 things by 1%.

The players who make it on the big stage are always looking for, or are working at, the extra one percent. A good example of this is Ernie Els who has recently been working with eye training specialist Sherylle Calder (who also incidentally worked with Wood-ward’s 2003 World Cup winning team).

In committing to something that few players are doing (visual training) Ernie has re-invented himself and his putting. Something the Big Easy has admitted to even he thought he would never change.

In this instance I am not advocating changing putters or drivers every other week as some high-handicappers do in search of better performance. Instead fi gure out if it is your mind, your body or an area of your game that needs work. Then spend one extra percent of your time on that area. As we saw with Ernie and the English Rugby team a little can go a long way.

PROFILE:Theo Bezuidenhout is a sport psychologist in private practice and consults with golfers of all abilities and ages. His clients include top juniors, amateurs and Sunshine Tour professionals. Theo has been a columnist for Tee to Green for over seven years. He is also an ambassador for Volvo South Africa and Volvo in Golf as well as a Titleist ambassador. He has a special interest in parental involvement in sport and has also been involved with the Glacier Junior Series for the last two years as a consultant. He refuses to divulge how often he gets to work on his own golf.

Some may say that not all long-term coaching relationships end on amicable terms which would be true, especially in the case of Woods and Harmon. However, too many young pro’s change teachers for the most innocuous reasons especially when teachers tell them what they do not want to hear.

My advice to you in this instance is

to not do what the pro’s do. Find someone you can relate to, communicate with and that tells it like it is. Improvement without honesty is almost impossible

FOCUS ON THE SHORT GAMEIn the world of modern golf where distance is (almost) everything, it is notable that the game is not just being dominated by those who can hit the ball a mile. Although distance is important, getting the ball in the hole has become a very necessary priority

GET A GRIP, OR GET A DIFFERENT GAME!

HEALTHY GOLF tee to Green26

BY DR ROWENA THOMSON- SELIBOWITZ

Survivingthe Silly Season

rich in potassium which may help to prevent cramping.

That said there are other fruits which are just as convenient and are actually lower in sugar than bananas such as apples and pears (both GI 38) with their skins on.

I have been diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. What cautions should I take during a round of golf? What effects can diabetes have on golfers?The most important thing to do whilst playing golf is to make sure that your blood sugar levels are well controlled. This means it is important to avoid high- sugar containing foods (diabetics should not eat bananas) and to make sure that you snack on high protein, high fi bre and low carbohydrate snacks while playing golf. Be aware that fruit juices are very high in sugar and defi nitely should not be consumed while out on the course – rather stick to water.

Please look after your feet as diabetics often have poor sensation in their feet and so wearing shoes that are too tight or causing blisters may be problematic.

I have noticed that the Tour players often eat bananas during their rounds. Is it just that they are easy to peel and eat or are they the preferred fruit nutritionally?Aside from their obvious convenience as a snack on the Green, bananas do have nutritional merit. Bananas are considered a relatively low GI food (51 GI) meaning that the sugars within the banana are released over a longer period of time. This means that they help to sustain energy for longer periods of time. Bananas are also

Diabetics may also have some vision challenges and making sure you wear good polarised sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun is also very important.

Golf is good exercise as long as you walk and don’t use a golf cart it can only benefi t diabetics (and everyone else).

Summer is here. Could you give us some advice on skin protection?The fi rst thing to do is make sure you wear a hat and make sure that it covers your ears! Cool, long sleeved cotton clothing will also help a bit but it is absolutely essential to wear a high factor sunscreen and reapply it continually throughout the day. Make sure that the sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB light.

There are a few supplements that also help to protect you from the sun but must always be used in conjunction with sunscreen.

Places that are often forgotten when applying sunscreen include: ears, back of the knees

These include beta carotene and astaxanthin.

After a heavy – and I mean heavy – night out, what should I do the next morning before and during my round of golf? Regmaakers, Red Bull, Energy Drink, Flat Coke, full English breakfast? Seriously, what is the best to do?The fi rst thing to do is to hydrate your body adequately with water- not tea, coffee or any other “regmaakers”. Alcohol consumption causes dehydration and is one of the primary causes of the symptoms of hangovers. Blood sugar levels may also be unbalanced so having a light breakfast that includes nuts and seeds for protein and some complex carbohydrate such as oats or sorghum with some antioxidant-rich blueberries should help to get you ready for your round of golf. While playing, make sure you sip small amounts of water frequently and snack on some fresh fruit and raw nuts if you feel your blood sugar dropping.

In terms of supplementation, a good multivitamin like VM 2000 and some Milk Thistle to support your liver may be benefi cial too.

WHILE PLAYING, MAKE SURE YOU SIP SMALL AMOUNTS OF WATER

FREQUENTLY AND SNACK ON SOME FRESH FRUIT AND RAW NUTS IF YOU

FEEL YOUR BLOOD SUGAR DROPPING

What Is It With Ireland And The Majors?

Time To Find Out.

Time To Play.

Six majors captured by Irish players in just a few years is more than just coincidence. Find out exactly what it is by playing the courses where these champions shaped their games. World-beating links, exceptional parkland courses.

It’s all here. And when the round ends, the fun is only beginning. This is Ireland, after all.

Go to discoverireland.com/golf

Refer to page 38 for special travel packages to Ireland

TRAVEL tee to Green28

Starters,

Mains,

TRAVELtee to Green 29

DESERT!Namibia iS NoT ofTEN ThoughT of aS a golfiNg DESTiNaTioN.

REaD oN aND foRgET whaT you ThoughT you kNEw abouT

ouR mySTERiouS NoRTh wESTERN NEighboR.

A breAthtAking bAckdrop of

red sAnd dunes, 450 pAlm trees

lining the horizon And

more thAn 250 springbok

grAzing freely Across the

course

TRAVEL tee to Green30

WINTee to Green is offering a Citizen Eco-Drive (men’s or ladies) to a lucky reader that travels to Namibia and sends us some decent golfing pics of the attractions listed above. Email us at teetogreen@ballyhoomedia.co.za

F riends, South Africans, fellow golfers; allow me to bend your ears. If you are planning a golfing

getaway but don’t feel like traveling half way around the world and are keen for something a little different, assemble a group of open minded and easy-going golfers and organize a trip to Namibia. I don’t suggest driving there so book a flight and hire a Toyota Hilux Double Cab in Windhoek from where you will tour one of the most breathtakingly beautiful pieces of God’s green earth. Namibia offers a range of weird and wonderful golf courses to challenge every ability while simultaneously offering the chance to play the game in some of the most spectacular and remote scenery in Africa. Whether the course is desert or grass, private or public, an impressive variety lays a waiting in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Gobabis, Okahandja, Oshakati, Luderitz, Tsumeb, Otjiwarongo, Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Oranjemund and Henties Bay. Try saying that in one breath after a fines meeting!

When talking golf as we South Africans know it, two golf clubs dominate the conversation, namely the Windhoek Golf and Country Club and the Rossmund Golf Club. Situated on the outskirts of the capital city Windhoek, the Windhoek Golf and Country Club boasts a par-71, 18-hole fully grassed course as well as a practice putting green and a floodlit practice range. The golf club recently underwent a refurbishment and new tees, bunkers and greens were completed. The resort offers caddies and motorised caddie carts for those who want to take in the scenic views on the course.

Four hours out of Windhoek (which by the way is a lazy afternoon drive in this land of vastness) is Swakopmund, which is home to the Rossmund Golf Club & Lodge. A breathtaking backdrop of red sand dunes, 450 palm trees lining the horizon and more than 250 springbok grazing freely across the course is something uniquely Namibian that you won’t see anywhere else in the world. It offers fully grassed fairways and is believed to be the first course in the world to have the same grass on the tee, fairway and green. (The preparation for each is varied and different of course). The golf club offers a modern club house, with bar and restaurant and a driving range.

OB 10 10782 Tee to Green strip repro.indd 1 2012/10/03 11:25 AM

A host of intriguing little courses offer different challenges that believe me you will talk about for the rest of your life. I refer back to my opening statement regarding the type of people you invite along on this excursion. And remember what the rules say; play it as you find it. If you’re going to whinge about it being bumpy and hot or that they don’t have frozen cinnamon lattes or chilled duck salad in the half way house like at your home course, stay at home and play your home course. Luderitz is case in point. Described by locals as “rocky with oiled greens” the course is a desert one, rough and tough without any grass and is only played between the months of March to October, as the wind during the remainder of the year makes playing there impossible. Henties Bay on the rugged west coast features a course that is seen by many as being a tourist attraction in itself. Nine holes course have been prepared in the old bed of the Omaruru River delta. The course is well known for its challenging sand fairways which has even the most skilled golfer praying for Sun City’s kikuyu rough at the Million Dollar.

Tsumeb presents the opportunity to play a little 9-hole bush course, many travellers have called a well kept secret of the region. So secret I know nothing more about it other than that guests are welcome on the course and clubhouse, the beer is cold and the scenery is amazing.

The small town of Gobabis in the Omaheke region of Namibia, has an 18-hole desert course offering some remarkable views and breathtaking scenery. Oranjemund, where the mighty Orange River flows into the ocean boasts a mesmerising 18-hole course where wildlife such as jackal, gemsbok and ostriches share the course with players as they make their way to the clubhouse. Central Namibia proudly presents the 18-hole Okahandja Golf Club. For travellers heading to the far northern area, Oshakati offers a 9-hole course to enjoy.

No matter your selection of courses or how active or relaxed you want this trip to be, you are spoilt for choice when is comes to accommodation. Lodging is widely available and varied to fit each want and wallet.

Establishments registered with the tourism board are graded on a system similar to the one currently used in South Africa. Book accommodation well in advance, especially during school holidays when the accommodation in the game parks is in peak demand.

I for one will want to return to a bit of luxury after fighting the elements, the wildlife and my opponent out on the course but for the real hardcore travellers looking to experience Namibia from a whole different angle by sleeping under the stars, camping is an option to consider. Remember that Africa is not a place to be taken on without proper planning and preparation and Namibia even more so. The landscape can be harsh so

don’t plan this trip over a few to many cold ones at the 19TH whilst getting braver with each passing pint. If you’re serious about the camping option you can hire the equipment you require through local tour operators and camping suppliers or take your own equipment if you’re driving up.

For those on a tight budget, a simple backpacker’s establishment, a self-catering unit, camping or caravan site may even suffice. Very popular are the many and varied guest

houses and game farms, luxurious spas and lodges. International branded hotels currently operating in Namibia include The Hilton in Windhoek, and Protea Hotels in Luderitz and Walvis Bay which provide excellent options and are easily accessible. No matter how you end up going about it you will experience a wonderful peak into a mind-boggling mix of traditional German heritage and culture with laid back African warmth and kindness all contributing to an experience you’ll never forget.

www.namibiatourism.com.na Namibia Tourism Board (011) 702 9602 or (021) 422 3298

OB 10 10782 Tee to Green ad repro.indd 1 2012/10/03 11:24 AM

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HUMOUR tee to Green38

CaddiesBreaking 100Caddying for the elderly beginner had required great patience. He was doddery but he was dogged and he had sworn to break 100 before the summer was out. In fact there was a bottle of malt riding on it - his faithful caddie would receive it when the magic score had been broken.

Then arrived a day when dogged persistence seemed about to pay off for both player and caddie. They were on the green at the eighteenth and only 97 strokes had been accounted for. Player and caddie were excited and in the grip of such emotion it was small wonder that the player sent his first putt racing three metres past the hole.

In a flash the caddie had dropped the flagstick, picked up the ball and was crying excitedly. “Well done, sir! You’ve done it! You’ve done it! Anyone would give you that.”

What would Trevino doMulholland believed himself a superior caddie. He certainly had a superior attitude towards the man whose clubs he carried. Why only last month he had caddied for Lee Trevino, and now each time his client asked for a 5-wood, the boy would sneer,

“Lee Trevino used a 4-iron from here.” And so it continued all the way around. The caddie recom-mended the clubs Trevino would have used and the golfer’s game went rapidly from bad to worse.

Finally, at the eighteenth, there was a huge lake to cross.

“OK, know-all,” said the golfer, “what would Trevino suggest here?”

“I think if Lee had come this far with you, he’d say, `Use an old ball.”

Drive and a puttThat’s good for one long drive and a putt,” said the cocky golfer as he teed his ball and looked down the fairway to the green. He swung mightily and hit his ball which landed about a metre from the tee.

His caddie handed him a putter and remarked: “And now for one hell of a putt.”

company, Edward Hopson, died insane.3. The President of the N.Y.S.E., Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home.4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.5. The President of the Bank of International Settlement shot himself.6. The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Rivermore, died of suicide.

That same year, 1923, the winner of the USPGA Championship was Gene

Sarazen. He was still playing golf at 90 and solvent.Moral: Don’t worry about business and concentrate on your golf!

Doctor’s adviceHe’d rejected the idea of dieting, health spas and swimming but when his doctor advised golf, the corpulent patient thought it might be worth trying.

After a few weeks, however, he was back at the doctor’s and asking whether he could take up some other game.

The Lighter SideExcuses that you can use when you just have to go and play golf!• A free round of golf was included with lessons.• A free round of golf was thrown in for test driving the car.• All the cool kids play golf.• All the executives from my company play this course.• All the tee placements are forward today.• All the TV shows are reruns.• Because I am retired.• Church was cancelled because of all the snow, so I’m going golfing.• Excuse? I don’t need no stinking excuse!• Golf teaches me patience, and I need a lesson.• I almost broke 90 last time out. I need to keep trying.

Arnold Palmer & Tiger WoodsArnold Palmer and Tiger Woods are playing the 16th hole, when Tiger’s tee shot lands behind a huge, 100 foot fir tree. Tiger looks at Arnie and says, “How would you play this one? Lay up and take the extra stroke?”

Arnold replies: “When I was your age, I’d just play right over this tree.”

Tiger, not wanting to be shown up by ol’ Arnold Palmer, proceeds to hit the ball high, but not high enough. It bounces off the tree and lands out of bounds. Tiger, really ticked at this point, asks Arnold how he EVER hit a ball over that tree.

Arnold replied: “Well, when I was your age, that tree was only three feet tall.”

What happened to important people of 1923Do you know who in 1923 was:1. President of the largest steel company?2. President of the largest gas company?3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?4. Greatest wheat speculator?5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?6. Great Bear of Wall Street?These men should have been considered some of the world’s most successful men. At least they found the secret of making money.Now more than 55 years later, do you know what has become of these men?

1. The President of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a pauper.2. The President of the largest gas

“But,” protested the doctor, “what’s wrong with golf? There’s no finer game!”

“You are doubtless correct,” the patient replied, “but my trouble is that when I put the wretched ball where I can see it I can’t hit it and when 1 put it where I can hit it, I can’t see it!”

Golf is a Game where Guts and blind devotion will always net you absolutely nothinG but an ulcer. – Tommy Bolt

Stevie Wonder & Jack NicklausStevie Wonder and Jack Nicklaus are in a bar. Nicklaus turns to Wonder and says, “How is the singing career going?”

Stevie Wonder says, “Not too bad, the latest album has gone into the top 10, so all in all I think it is pretty good. By the way how is the golf.”

Nicklaus replies: “Not too bad, I am not winning as much as I used to but I’m still making a bit of money. I have some problems with my swing but I think I’ve got that right now.”

“I always find that when my swing goes wrong I need to stop playing for a while and think about it, then the next time I play it seems to be all right,” says Stevie.

“You play golf!?” asks Jack.Stevie says, “Yes, I have been playing for years.” “But I thought you were blind; how can you play golf if you are blind?”

Jack asks.“I get my caddie to stand in the middle of the fairway and he calls to me.

I listen for the sound of his voice and play the ball towards him, then when I get to where the ball lands the caddie moves to the green or further down the fairway and again I play the ball towards his voice,” explains Stevie.

“But how do you putt?” Nicklaus wondered.“Well,” says Stevie, “I get my caddie to lean down in front of the hole and

call to me with his head on the ground and I just play the ball to the sound of his voice.”

Nicklaus says, “What is your handicap?”“Well, I play off scratch,” Stevie assures Jack. Nicklaus is incredulous

and says to Stevie, “We must play a game sometime.” Wonder replies, “Well, people don’t take me seriously so I only play for

money, and I never play for less than $100,000 a hole.” Nicklaus thinks it over and says, “OK, I’m up for that. When would you

like to play?” “I don’t care - any night next week is OK with me.”

Quote-worthy i’m GoinG to win so much money this year, my caddie will make the top twenty money-winners list – Lee Trevino

i’m hittinG the driver so Good i Gotta dial the operator for lonG distance after i hit it– Lee Trevino

i think i fail just a bit less than everyone else – Jack Nicklaus

Play some of the World’s Top golf courses on the emerald isle: Ireland. Several interesting packages available over the European

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Play the famous Northern Ireland Golf Courses from your base in Belfast

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Enjoy golf in Northern Ireland and tour the county of Antrim

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