Fun, interesting and bizarre things in the world of golf.
In this episode of Backspin, Larry and Steve catch up with Ian Baker-Finch and cover a stack of topics including the PGA Tour in a post-Covid world, the Australian summer of golf, the Olympic Games, Donald Trump and Jim Nantz. Larry’s tip involves popping in to your local pro shop to talk about your balls, […]
In this episode of Backspin. Who got his 10 thousand steps up at the 2020 PGA Golf Show in Orlando Florida? Inside Golf editor Richard Fellner did, and he takes us inside this massive expo to find out what’s new in the world of golf merchandise. Many parts of the NSW South Coast were ravaged […]
In this episode of Backspin, Larry and Steve catch up with Aussie young gun, Jarryd Felton as he heads to Spain to have a crack at qualifying for the European Tour. PGA of Australia Media Manager, Jonno Nash, gives us a wrap-up of this year’s PGA Expo and explains some of the strategies they’re using […]
Steve and Larry talk to Under Armour Sales Director for Walkinshaw Sports Mark Rosel about how this sports apparel giant is working with the Aussie Golf Industry. World-renowned coach Garry Barter was at the US Open and shares his thoughts on Pebble Beach. Plus: the boys discuss Tiger Woods, Brooks (The Bulldozer) Koepka, Adam Scott […]
Mike Mosher from Teed Up Golf Tours checks in with the boys, post-2019 Masters. Mosh has been to Augusta every year for the past twenty years, and he recounts some of his highlights over that time, (the bloke loves Tiger so this year features pretty prominently!). Two Melbourne golf clubs joined forces to form Peninsula […]
In this episode of Backspin, Larry & Steve catch up with Karen Lunn, CEO of Australian Ladies Professional Golf. How does a golf course get to be rated as one of the best in the world in just a few short years? Find out when the boys talk with Jane Bell, GM of Cape Wickham […]
In Episode 16 of Backspin, the boys catch up with PGA Chairman, Rodger Davis and cover a multitude of topics, from the state of the game heading into 2019 to Jack Wilson’s haircut. John Dyer, the Managing Director of Air Adventures Australia joins Larry and Steve to talk about the amazing history of the company, […]
In Episode 15, Larry and Steve catch up with one of Australia’s hottest young golfers, Jake McLeod. We head to the magnificent Ocean Shores Country Club on the NSW Far North Coast where the head pro can sell you a dozen golf balls and a set of lawn bowls if you want. Larry reviews Srixon’s […]
In Episode 14 of Backspin, Larry and Steve catch up with Aussie golfing great, Peter Senior. Is he really the King of Spain? Find out in Backspin. Richard Fellner gets his golfing swagger going, testing Under Armour’s new Spieth 2 Golf Shoes, and Larry’s tip is all about getting your footwork right for a great […]
The 2018 Ryder Cup was a great event, (particularly for the European Team), and Michael Mosher from Teed Up Golf Tours tells us what it was like to actually be there. We catch up with rising Aussie star, Danny Nisbet, a bloke who likes to put it in overdrive every time he hits the course. […]
In this episode of Backspin, the boys are getting pretty excited about the upcoming ISPS Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf. They were so impressed with the event’s Executive Director, Robyn Cooper, last time she was on the show, they invited her back to talk about the quality of the field, (and she’s just as […]
It’s a hell of a jump from the battlefields of Iraq to the fairways and greens of the Australasian Tour, but Damien Jordan is one bloke who has made that leap, and his story is in this episode of Backspin. Mark Hayes from Golf Australia talks about the incredible outpouring of emotion and support since […]
After successfully picking Francesco Molinari to win the British Open, a certain co-host is cock-a-hoop and pretty sure he’s on the money for the US PGA. Find out who he’s tipping in this episode of Backspin. We catch up with one of the golf world’s most respected coaches, Gary Barter, and Inside Golf editor, Richard […]
With the British Open coming up at Carnoustie, we revisit the 1999 Open at the same venue, when it famously fell apart for tournament leader Jean Van Der Velde on the 72nd hole. His playing partner that day was Craig Parry, who talks us through what happened on that incredible final hole. Larry’s love affair […]
In this episode of Backspin, Larry and Steve catch up with Aussie trailblazer and two-time Major winner, David Graham. We find out more about the colourful range Volvik golf balls, and ask two questions in the process. Are they a gimmick, and who is Chairman Moon? Larry dreams of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast when we talk […]
Is it time to get off the board of your golf club when your main focus at meetings is what sort of toilet paper the club is using? Inside Golf Editor Richard Fellner thinks so, and Larry seconds the motion in this episode of Backspin, as we discuss what we can do to better promote […]
In Episode 6 of Backspin, thanks to Inside Golf, we talk with Mark Hayes from Golf Australia about the state of the game in Australia, and all agree that a middle aged golf pro wearing a bikini in the pro shop will do nothing to help the game, (it will make even less sense when […]
Is it possible for an ageing golf pro to find true love with a cavity back wedge? We think the answer is yes, and it happens in this episode of Backspin when Larry reviews Cleveland Golf’s CBX Wedge. We find out what it feels like for a young pro to win big for the first […]
In this episode of Backspin, Larry and Steve wrap up this year’s Masters. Larry’s fascination with the word “Mizuno” becomes painstakingly obvious when he reviews their MP18 Hi Fli irons. Aussie golf legend Jack Newton joins us to talk junior golf, his memories of playing at the Masters, and what it was like to win […]
It’s Masters Week and in this episode, Larry Canning and Steve Anderson get excited about Augusta. They catch up with Nick O’Hern all the way from Orlando to talk about the Masters, Jordan Zunic, and his book, Tour Mentality. The boys also discuss big issues, like who was Dinah Shore, and what did she really […]
In this episode Larry & Steve talk with Dean Herden, one of the most respected caddies in Women’s golf, and find out why you should never wear caddie overalls in a Japanese toilet. The boys look at Orange in the NSW Central West, home to great food, great wine and some great golf courses. We […]
Larry and Steve chat with Australian golfing legend Rodger Davis, test-drive a Callaway Rogue Driver, share our golf tip of the week, (Hint: it involves toothpaste), and explore our destination of the week: The NSW Southern Highlands. All that, plus much more! Tweet
Holes-in-one are a rare occurrence for a golfer. The probability of making a hole-in-one for an average player is roughly 12,500-to-1. The chances of two people getting an Ace on the same hole on the same day are in the 17 million-to-1 range. Add in a third person, hitting from the same tees and the statistics […]
As you are probably aware, “The Larrys” have been awarded to some seriously significant golfing luminaries since they were created all those years ago. “Just how long ago?” I hear you ask. “Damn fine question”, I hear me say. They actually date back to 1497 when my ancestor “Prince Larry the Impaler” used to cut […]
Titanium was promised to be the hot new material for golfers back in the 1990s, but given recent events in California, we’ll bet the creators had no idea of the flammable properties. TV stations in America reported last week that a golfer was trying to hit his ball out of dry rough at Arroyo Trabuco […]
As part of my plan to self-educate my way to some kind of level of middle-aged competence in the field of “Golf Technology”, I recently booked a session at the TaylorMade Performance Lab in Brisbane. I have to say, it was nothing short of mind blowing. Here’s a diary of my day: It was my […]
It had been some time since I’d played golf with someone with a reputation. But in this particular case, I wasn’t sure what the golfer’s reputation was. On a recent wintery, mid-week afternoon, things had fallen into place to allow me the opportunity to sneak out for 18 holes. It’s rare the planets align for […]
FROM THE MAILBOX… Why have a countback? In my opinion the countback system to determine a winner in golf is very strange and most unfair. Why? Because it is the only sport in the world that determines a winner by the equivalent of tossing a coin. Two, three or more golfers finish on 36 stableford […]
Three aces all in a day’s work IT’S not the first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last, but it is an extraordinary feat when three golfers playing in different groups on the same day score a hole-in-one on the same hole. Ian Leech, Stephen Wright and Daryl Docherty defied the odds […]
It’s not until I introduce some new golfers to the game that I remember how intimidating a golf club can be. The game of golf itself is difficult enough but it comes with a mind-bogglingly complicated rule book and a bizarre set of extra quirks that very few of us dare to question, if we […]
When I was a young trainee golf professional, being asked for advice on golf equipment required little more than offering a choice of “B51 or Hot Dot ball” or selecting one of the three different types of clubs on display. My advice was based on my estimation of the customer’s previous year’s earnings and whatever […]
In a particular state, in a particular city, in a particular suburb, lies a golf course that I particularly love to play. The first time I played the golf course I played particularly well and ever since I’ve been particularly enamoured by it. My problem is that one of my long-term golfing buddies dislikes this […]
Inside Golf’s Henry Peters chats with professional golfer–and self-confessed “Rev Head”–Marcus Fraser about life on tour, his most memorable moments and more.
I would like to ponder, along with you, my readers, the subject that is Course Superintendents. We used to call the lads Green Keepers but in this day of political correctness, it’s now Course Superintendents. Just like a Club Pro is now The Senior Manager of Golf and Retail Operations and the Gardener is the […]
In a move that would make Al “Caddyshack” Czervik get up and dance, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled designs for a visionary golf cart that could revolutionise how we get around the course. Based upon ideas submitted via golf fans during an international competition, the Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart combines aspects of Mercedes-Benz vehicles with all the […]
We get a lot of mail from readers concerning rake placement. Should they go inside the bunker? Outside the bunker? Should they be eliminated altogether?
I pity the world’s best golfers. The greatest fear they have on the golf course is missing the cut or if they’re lucky, tightening up as they get in contention on Sunday. To them, the life of a hacker must look like an extreme sport with enough fear-inducing shots during a round of golf to […]
We’ve heard of “nearest point of relief”, but this is a bit wacky. In the quarterfinals of the Volvo World Match Play event in Bulgaria, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts hit a wayward tee shot that flew over a toilet block, into a red-staked hazard. In determining the drop location from the hazard, the rules official determined […]
We are all familiar with the unwritten laws of golf. The third shot off the tee is usually a good one; long putts are easier to hole when they are for triple bogey; and golf balls always go further when you’re trying to lay up short of the water hazard. Obviously, some are more steadfast […]
I was recently driving a golf cart at break neck speed–which as you know could be upwards of 12 KPH–trying to stay in front of a storm that looked like it could take out Wollongong. When I found myself dangling two wheels over the edge of the water hazard on the 6th, I remembered just how bloody dangerous these little electric missiles can be.
