An Island golf trip fit for a King
Australian golf circles are buzzing with excitement around the planned opening of the new Cape Wickham Golf Course currently under construction on King Island.
Murray River Magic 2015
Golf & Gourmet have launched the new 2015 program with more departures, new innovations and a new vessel from All Seasons Houseboats. The interest in the Murray River Magic has blossomed with calls being received from across Australia and New Zealand. Where else could one stay on board a luxury houseboat with ensuite cabins which […]
Golf Classic a huge hit on the Mornington Peninsula
The Fifth Annual Mornington Peninsula Golf Classic was a massive success over the week of 5 to 10 October. A field of nearly 220 players travelled from around Australia and New Zealand to play the four tournament courses – The Ocean Course at The National, Portsea, Flinders and The Dunes.
Aussie ladies impress overseas
July and August are some of the most exciting months in the Women’s game, with the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters (LEM), The Ricoh Women’s British Open and, a new event in 2015, the International Crown (which I will get to in next month’s issue)! This year, I was fortunate enough to spend a few […]
Juniors go for gold in WA
Juniors in WA will strike gold again this year at the 2014 Smarter than Smoking – Goldfields Junior Desert Open. The Goldfields Golf Club of Kalgoorlie-Boulder will be staging the event for the third time on the 1st and 2nd October. The STS-GJDO is a WA state junior ranking event over 36 holes of stroke. […]
Micheluzzi and Shin crowned NSW Junior Champions
Despite a tough final round in the 2014 Subaru State Championships, Victorian David Mucheluzzi held his nerve to take the highly-coveted Junior title. Micheluzzi’s rounds of 68, 66, 67 and 77 saw him finish the tournament at 3-under par, just enough to hold off Queenslander Liam Andersen, who finished with a four-round total of even […]
We tried it: GolfZon
Virtual golf is not a new concept in Australia, with facilities rapidly popping up all over the country. Being able to fine-tune your swing at any time of day or night, in any weather conditions is an attractive proposition for those who are time-poor. In Sydney, a new player has entered the market, and in […]
Less practice, more fun: How Geoff Ogilvy lifted his game by changing his mindset
How did you feel about your game before the win (Barracuda Championship), and what had you been working on? The best thing I did was take three weeks off after Congressional (Quicken Loans National, June). I mean, I hit the ball so well at Congressional it’s incredible. But I couldn’t touch the hole from three […]
Women (finally) welcome at St Andrews
The membership of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has voted overwhelmingly in favour of welcoming women members for the first time. More than three quarters of the club’s 2,500 global members took part in the September 18 ballot, with a decisive 85% voting for women to become members. “This vote has […]
RACV Royal Pines shaping up well
RACV Royal Pines Resort golf course superintendent Lincoln Coombes is confident the redesigned front nine holes will be ready for play when the Australian PGA Championship gets underway on December 11. The Winter Green grass fairways and TifEagle grass greens have taken root and the reshaped bunkering looks impressive and decidedly different to the […]
Aussies win Women’s World Amateur
The Australian team of Minjee Lee, Su Hyun Oh and Shelly Shin were on the top of the world last month, winning the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and clinching the Espirito Santo Trophy in Japan. The Australians finished with a team total of 547 strokes to finish two strokes ahead of Canada, and […]
Playing by the (relaxed) rules
Recently, there has been a huge surge in the media about new, non-traditional formats of golf. From Big Hole/Hack Golf (which features 15-inch cups) to Light It Up Golf (playing with glow-in-the-dark balls) to Project Flogton (a set of “improved playability” guidelines and rules), to suggestions about 6-hole layouts, etc., it seems that this great […]
Playing golf with a reputation
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 […]
Is the swing plane the ‘Holy Grail’ of golf?
For many golfers, the swing can feel like the most complicated and complex process in all of sport. Why does it seem so confusing? One of the reasons is due to the fact that there are thousands of articles, videos, blogs and websites proclaiming that they’ll deliver you to the golfing Promised Land. While they […]
Pacific Golf Club just gets better
PACIFIC Golf Club in Brisbane’s southeast is one of those feel-good stories. “Things have been on the up-and-up ever since we put in place better processes,” said the club’s general manager Cameron Harvey. A new course superintendent, course improvements and renovations, a beautification program and changes to the catering department have given the popular club […]
10,000 hours of golf, The Dan Plan in Australia
It was no surprise to hear that my playing partner for the day had arrived at the course early and was spending his time practicing. For my playing partner was none other than Dan McLaughlin, and Dan has a plan to spend 10,000 hours on his golf game in an attempt to become one of […]
Aussie pro revs up golf in Indonesia
TO his Indonesian golf students and their parents, Australian teaching professional Tony Blacker is a diamond in the rough. For the past eight years, the former Brisbane club pro has taught golf in Indonesia and now calls Jakarta home. It’s where Blacker, the head coach at the Aserra Golf Academy at the Senayan Golf Driving […]
Holden Scramble Finals draw near
The Holden Scramble season is drawing to a close for 2014. September presents golfers with their last chance to qualify through a local event to join nearly 2,500 players in October who will battle it out at the Holden Scramble Regional Finals. These golfers will have qualified by beating over 35,000 players at their local […]
Goggin’s Golf Preserve gains momentum
Tasmanian touring pro Mathew Goggin has revealed construction of his proposed multi-million dollar Golf Preserve development at Hobart’s Seven Mile Beach could begin before the end of this year. The proponent’s push for two 18-hole courses, a five-hole children’s course and five-star accommodation has gained momentum in recent months, receiving Clarence City Council’s approval to […]
Aussie veterans ‘Soldier On’ in Scotland
An Australian group of wounded war veterans are proving that golf can be their means for positive reintegration into the community. With the help of national charity Soldier On, a small band of Aussie veterans made the pilgrimage to the home of golf, St Andrews, in Scotland for a global veterans charity event in July […]
Dodt captures Isuzu Queensland Open
Queensland’s Andrew Dodt has won the 2014 Isuzu QLD Open played at Brookwater Golf and Country Club. Starting the final round six shots off the lead, Dodt fired an impressive 67 today for a tournament total of 7-under 281. He claimed the title by two shots from South Australian Tom Bond. Having practiced at the […]
From prisons to club management: Aaron Muirhead
AS a nightclub bouncer, prison officer and pub manager, Aaron Muirhead knew a thing or two about keeping people in check. But having spent close to a decade in irksome jobs he decided to change careers and now works as the general manager at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane. The prison system and the pub […]
Whatever happened to … Ian Hepburn
REMEMBER Ian Hepburn? Most probably will as he spent close to 20 years working in management positions at club level and with golf’s governing bodies – Golf Queensland and the PGA (Queensland). Between 1989-’95, Ian was the trainee and then assistant manager at Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane before joining the Queensland Golf Union (Golf […]
PGA Member Profile – Gavin Campbell
Ramsay McMaster Education Scholarship winner Gavin Campbell knows the benefits of hard work – and the joyous feeling of helping his clients achieve their best. At 15 years of age, well past what might be considered the ‘industry norm’, Gavin Campbell quite literally stumbled into golf for the first time. “Like most kids back […]
Greg Norman Golf Foundation takes golf to Duaringa
IN its never-ending search for junior golfers, the Brisbane-based Greg Norman Golf Foundation (GNGF) spreads its message far-and-wide. Last month the foundation, which for many years has taken golf to schools in some of the state’s most remote areas, visited the small town of Duaringa. Duaringa, 700kms northwest of Brisbane, has a population of approximately […]
Young Darcy a record breaker
JUNIOR golfer Darcy Habgood fired a one-under par 72 to set a new women’s course record at the Toowoomba Golf Club at Middle Ridge. Needing a par on her last hole (ninth hole) to break the previous record held by Leah Hart, Darcy rolled in a three-metre breaking putt to seal the deal. The 14-year-old is having […]
Senden’s homecoming delights Keperra kids
WHAT does US PGA Tour star John Senden do when he takes a well-earned break from the world’s richest tour? He comes home to Brisbane and heads for Keperra Country Golf Club where he honed his incredible skills. In late June-early July, Senden spent time playing golf with his dad Gerry and some of the […]
Golf’s a way of life, says Jean Thomas
THERE is a real genuineness in Jean Thomas’ voice when she talks about her 47-year love affair with golf. “It started in July 1967,” the Redcliffe Golf Club stalwart said. “I was a 23-year-old school teacher when a staff member asked me if I wanted to join the golf club. “I said I’d have a […]
Tee it up at the TaylorMade World Masters Golf Championships
Club golfers are set to be the big winners with TaylorMade signing on as title sponsor for the 19th annual World Masters Golf Championship on the Gold Coast from 19 to 25 October 2014. The TaylorMade announcement marks a new beginning for this tournament which was well known as the Mitsubishi Masters. Mitsubishi Motors had […]
WHAT’S THE RULE: GPS Apps on Smartphones
In 2006, golf’s rules makers allowed the use of distance measuring devices in competition golf when a Local Rule is in effect. The Local Rule must provide that “… a player may obtain distance information by using a device that measures distance only. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device that […]
Geoff Ogilvy joins Perth International field
Former US Open Champion Geoff Ogilvy will return to Australia to play the Perth International at Lake Karrinyup Country Club from 23 to 26 October. The 37-year-old has had a strong year on the PGA TOUR, winning the Barracuda Championship earlier this month – his first TOUR win since 2010. He has eight PGA TOUR […]
Jeffress makes history with win in Fiji
Inside Golf columnist, and tour veteran Steven Jeffress has made history by becoming the inaugural winner of the Fiji International played at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course. Hitting the very first tee shot of the Fiji International, Jeffress went onto sink the last putt of the tournament as he birdied the 18th hole to claim the […]
Jeffress, Higginbottom lead in Fiji
INSIDE GOLF columnist and Tour veteran Steven Jeffress, and young gun Jake Higginbottom are tied for the lead after three rounds at the Fiji International. Starting the day with a two shot lead, Higginbottom watched it quickly evaporate before maintaining his composure on a tough day to shoot 1-under 71 to be 8-under the card […]
PGA TOUR announces 2014-15 schedule
The PGA TOUR today announced the schedule for its 2014-2015 season, which features 47 FedExCup tournaments. This represents two more than the current season, due to the addition of tournaments conducted the same week as the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in November and The Open Championship in July. The biggest change in the schedule, as […]
Inaugural Fiji International is underway
The stage is set for a showdown at the inaugural Fiji International being played at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course. A quality field has assembled to contest the tournament which gets underway at 6.35am this morning local time, with a two tee start. Groups to watch…. 7.25am 10th Gareth Paddison (NZ), Peter O’Malley (AUS), Liang Wenchong […]
Hero’s welcome has Singh motivated to win in Fiji
He’s won more than 50 Professional titles across a career spanning more than 30 years, but Vijay Singh is still feeling the pressure to perform back home in Fiji. Receiving a hero’s welcome on arrival for the inaugural Fiji International, it’s the first time that Singh has been back in Fiji since 2006. “A lot […]
Jones looking on bright side at Fiji International
Brendan Jones has arrived at the Fiji International with a sunny outlook despite a lack of golf clubs. Arriving in Fiji yesterday afternoon, Jones was pleased to be greeted by the tropical climate but soon discovered his clubs had been left behind in Australia. “I had planned to get out and play 18 today, 18 […]
FOX SPORTS to broadcast Fiji International
FOX SPORTS will broadcast the inaugural Fiji International this week, with 20 hours of live coverage set to be produced from one of world golf’s most exotic destinations. With players now making their way to the pristine shores of Fiji for the US$1 million PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia tournament, organisers are promising golf […]
Jones’ Journey: Matt and Melissa Jones discuss the daily grind of a PGA Tour pro
At long last Matt Jones can relax a bit. After leaving his home in Sydney at age 18 to pursue college and pro golf in America the 34-year-old’s hard work is fully paying off. In this year filled with Aussie victories on the US PGA Tour Jones’ breakthrough win in Houston easily takes the cake […]
See the best at Augusta: 2015 US Masters Tour
For most golfers, a trip to Augusta National to see the US Masters is the ultimate dream trip. Many Australians are turning this dream into a reality via Teed-Up Golf Tours’ US Masters Golf Tour. This once-in-a-lifetime “bucket list” event is a trip that EVERY golf lover must take: being up close to such amazing talent is […]
