Golf Australia

I can only imagine, but it must be an incredible feeling to be selected to represent your country in any pursuit that means a lot to you. For someone that has never reached those lofty heights, I can only imagine the great sense of pride you would feel – firstly at being selected, but donning the uniform or team strip with the word ‘Australia’ on it, I would imagine, would have you feeling ten foot tall, bulletproof and bursting with pride. I’ve no doubt that’s what the feeling will be in the team of 16 Australian golfers, who will compete at the 13th World Deaf Golf Championships (WDGC) in Hawaii in October. Players will compete in male, female and senior categories over four rounds of the biennial event, which was last played in…

I have no doubt the great Dr Alister MacKenzie would like the links at Albany Golf Club. Not only does it fit the accepted definition of a links course – a strip of gently undulating, sandy terrain linking the sea with farmland or a town – but it also meets many of the 13 principles of course design he championed. The course should be arranged in two loops of nine holes. Check. There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes, two or three drive-and-pitch holes, and at least four one-shot holes. Check. The greens and fairways should be sufficiently undulating, but there should be no hill climbing. Check. Every hole should have a diffierent character. Check. There should be a minimum of blindness for the approach shots. Check. The course should have beautiful surroundings and…

Jordan Spieth had just signed his card following a brilliant final round of 66 at this year’s RBC Heritage. Leaving the scorer’s hut, the 28-year-old American was met by a sea of autograph hunters. But the time wasn’t right. With a number of players still to finish, Spieth’s 13-under-par aggregate was likely to be either a winning score or involve him in a play-off for the title. So, he explained to his young fans that he would be back when all was resolved. And he made good on his promise. After Spieth picked up his 13th PGA Tour title by beating Patrick Cantlay on the first extra hole, he returned, amidst much high-pitched cheering, to sign his name and pose for selfies. “So what?” you might think. Such behaviour constitutes nothing out of the…

It had long been rumoured that the men’s and women’s Australian Opens could follow the Vic Open example and combine at the same venue. The move confirmed recently, with the 2022 editions set to be played at Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs in December. When considering the success of the Vic Open, the brainchild of David Greenhill that has proven a leading example for other events around the world, the decision to do the same with our national Opens was hardly a stretch. And given the support of the Daniel Andrews led Victorian Government for that event, getting the same backing for the first combined national Opens to be played anywhere in the world was not a monumental task. To be played December 1-4, the week following the Australian PGA Championship at…

If you’re not on Twitter, you may not be familiar with Sam Harrop and his song covers rewritten as odes to Tour pros. We caught up with the man whose first diddy ‘When will Tony Finau win again?’ to the tune of REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ started something special. What is the thing about golf for Sam Harrop? What I love about golf is every time you go out and play it has the potential to be your best ever round. It is a blank slate every time and it just has that potential to be something better than you have ever done before, maybe it is the first time you get a hole-in-one, or it’s the best score you ever shoot. There is always the possibility of a personal…

long JIMMY EMANUEL Golf Australia magazine Deputy & Digital Editor Is it better? No. Do I prefer it? No. Is it more effective at controlling scoring? Yes. Long rough is not something I enjoy watching employed in professional golf. I dislike playing courses covered in it, too. But as this month’s U.S. Opens will prove, it is the most effective way of controlling scoring in the current game. At least for the pros. Each year the USGA and its decision to grow up the long grass, narrow fairways and firm up greens divides the opinions of golfers, but while good vs bad will never be agreed upon, it is certainly effective at keeping the world’s best closer to par than usual. Rarely is the winning score in the double digits under par, weather, new courses and immense play…