south africa
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
SMART WAYS TO PLAY BETTER
JOHANN RUPERT BEHIND TIGER’S FIRST DEALS TURN YOUR 7-IRON INTO A 5-IRON
WIN A PRO-AM SPOT PAGE 29
COLLIN MORIKAWA
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TEE SHEET how to play . what to play . where to play . NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
ATLANTIC BEACH LINKS Table Mountain is part of the view on most holes at this coastal golf estate in the Western Cape. In the foreground is the par-3 16th, with the par-4 second hole on the other side of the houses. SEE STORY ON PAGE 111
6 Editor’s Letter BY STUART MCLEAN Mind 8 Undercover Pro WITH DREW POWELL 12 Journeys MARCEL SIEM, WITH STUART MCLEAN 14 Phil Mickelson made 47 holes-in-one, and I believe him. BY JERRY TARDE
68 Pivot around the post BY BEN GRIFFIN
71 Tight lie, no problem BY JASON SEDAN
102 Hold your hands high SWING ANALYSIS DAVIS THOMPSON. What to Play 92 Cobra’s LIMIT3D irons use a 3-D printing process that grow shape from steel powder. Why some pros are opting for drivers designed for the masses (page 94), and why others are converting to game-improvement irons (page 96). What’s the worst thing for your kid’s golf game (page 98), and every club in Danielle Kang’s bag (page 100). Where to Play 104 Pinnacle Point and other coastal beauties to play this summer. Royal Johannesburg’s new Pelz Target Greens (page 112) Features 44 The Man behind Tiger’s first deals BY HUGHES NORTON AND GEORGE PEPER 52 Genius Golf Seven smart ways to play better tomorrow. BY COLLIN MORIKAWA
16 There really is a leaf rule.
18 Undercover Caddie WITH JOEL BEALL
20 Who is the greatest golfer-tennis player? BY MAX ADLER
23 Johann Rupert BY JOHN HUGGAN
26 The Loop BY COLEMAN BENTLEY How to Play 10 Running late for golf? BY MARK BLACKBURN 30 For a balanced posture, pretend you’re surfing BY JASON BAILE
32 Course Management BY MIKE LABAUVE
34 Turn your 7-iron into a 5-iron BY RON KASPRISKE 36 How to pick the right spot on the range. BY MARK BLACKBURN 38 Try this new way to think about putting BY LUKE KERR-DINEEN
64 Presidents Cup PGA Tour need to show less
bias towards US team. BY STUART MCLEAN
74 Nedbank Challenge Max Homa defends at Sun City.
84 Who Was Payne Stewart? Twenty-five years after the golfer’s passing, a writer remembers unguarded times. BY GUY YOCOM
40 Give your swing a lift BY CJ NAFUS
42 What a tour caddie learned looping for an
average golfer BY PAUL TESORI
90 Gary & Viv Invitational
EDITOR’S LETTER E Deserved honour for Peter Matkovich
T he 2024 World Golf Awards have been announced, and our own Peter Matkovich honoured as the Golf Course Designer of the Year, an award he richly deserves for his body of work over the past 40 years. Matko receives it principally because of his new Mauritian masterpiece, the La Réserve Golf Links at Heritage resort, but this is mainly international recognition for decades of creative and artistic design accomplishments. Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Gary Player and Bill Coore were among the losing nominees in this highly competitive category. While it may have taken an international assignment to gain Matko the award, South African golfers have long been enraptured by the likes of Arabella, Pinnacle Point, Elements Private Reserve, De Zalze, Prince’s Grant and Hermanus, just to name some of his best courses. Nine of them were in the Top 50 of the Golf Digest SA rankings. It all began at San Lameer in the early 1990s with his first original 18-hole design – he had worked prior to that for Gary Player Design – and the KZN South Coast estate layout epitomises his bold and daring style which generally tends to raise the anxiety level of golfers. On top of his own personal award, La Réserve Golf Links itself received an accolade for the Best New Course of 2024. It was opened a year ago and within a few weeks was hosting the AfrAsia Mauritius Open to great
acclaim. I haven’t yet played it myself but was on site with Matkovich five years ago when he was breaking ground on the southern slopes of the island, embarking on his grand vision to produce one of the most unusual designs in planet golf. “Listen to the Land” is his catchphrase, and the first tee at La Réserve contradicts every law of course design, being remotely separated from the clubhouse at a distant location in the hills. From there the holes cascade downhill back to the 18th green with glorious ocean views to admire. It’s an exhilarating roller-coaster ride. Matkovich shares the design credit with Louis Oosthuizen, who won the Mauritius Open on his own course, yet the main input and hard graft came from a man who has stamped his architectural credentials firmly on our golfing heritage. His legacy as Southern Africa’s greatest course designer – he has also built courses in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zanzibar – will live on forever. The World Golf Awards are in their 11th year and play an important role in promoting golf globally, although some award choices are questionable. Hanoi in Vietnam has won Best Golf City Destination for two consecutive years. I’d be surprised if Johannesburg was even considered. Ditto, Costa Navarino in Greece as the World’s Best Golf Venue. It also has the Best Clubhouse. The Club at Steyn City was a past Clubhouse winner in 2015 and 2016. More deservedly, Ascot Golf Tours,
a luxury SA travel company which sells golf here to a worldwide clientele, was named Africa’s Best Golf Tour Operator for a fourth time. Giltedge, another SA-based company (Africa’s winner in 2023), was one of eight nominees for World’s Best Golf Tour Operator. Giltedge is concentrating on the American market to boost our golf tourism. Fancourt was honoured as SA’s Best Golf Hotel for a sixth consecutive year, and Pinnacle Point as Best Golf Course (for a record fifth time). Stuart McLean stuartm@morecorp.co.za
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Superbomber Christo Lamprecht Jack Nicklaus reflects
on Presidents Cup Scottie Scheffler: How pros pick their targets Butch Harmon: How to get rid of pulls How to stick your wedges How to avoid popping up your drives
EDITOR STUART MCLEAN DESIGN ELINORE DE LISLE MEDIA SALES DANIEL EGDES (daniele@morecorp.co.za) GOLF DIGEST USA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JERRY TARDE, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR MAX ADLER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR PETER MORRICE, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR JU KUANG TAN TEACHING PROFESSIONALS: TODD ANDERSON, MARK BLACKBURN, CHUCK COOK, HANK HANEY, BUTCH HARMON, ERIKA LARKIN, DAVID LEADBETTER, CAMERON MCCORMICK, JIM MCLEAN, RENEE POWELL, RANDY SMITH, RICK SMITH, DAVE STOCKTON, JOSH ZANDER PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS: AMY ALCOTT, RANDY MYERS, NICK PRICE, JUDY RANKIN, LUCIUS RICCIO, BOB ROTELLA, BEN SHEAR, RALPH SIMPSON, DR ARA SUPPIAH PLAYING EDITORS: COLLIN MORIKAWA, JORDAN SPIETH, BUBBA WATSON A LICENSING AGREEMENT BETWEEN WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY AND MORECORP, OWNERS OF THE PRO SHOP AND WORLD OF GOLF. WARNER BROTHERS DISCOVERY IS A GLOBAL LEADER IN REAL-LIFE ENTERTAINMENT, SERVING A PASSIONATE AUDIENCE OF SUPERFANS AROUND THE WORLD WITH CONTENT THAT INSPIRES, INFORMS AND ENTERTAINS.
6 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
MIND / UNDERCOVER PRO M
Golf Parents Are Getting Crazier ‘I stopped teaching a junior world No 1 because of abuse’
ILLUSTRATION BY DIEGO PATIÑO
8 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
L AST YEAR, I WAS COACHING a 13-year-old girl who is one of the top juniors in the country for her age. During one tour- nament, she didn’t play well, and as I was walking to my car, I spotted the mom grabbing the young girl by the shoulder and scolding her. Then, slap, right across the face, she unloaded into her daughter with great force. I imme- diately interjected, “Is everything OK over here, guys?” The mother turned red, clearly embarrassed that I had caught her. I know it’s not my place to parent other people’s kids, but this was over the line. I wish I could say it was the first time I had seen something like this in my career. When I got into coaching 30 years ago, I wanted to help young kids develop their golf games, but I es- pecially wanted to be a life coach. Three decades in, I certainly am a life coach – but not just to the kids. I’m a guiding force to parents, too. How bad is the abuse problem? I’ve left multiple No 1-ranked junior golf- ers in the world for their age, including a current tour player, over how their parents treated them. I have seen and heard parents pull their children aside on the course and call them slurs that make the F-word seem like a pleasant- ry. As a father myself, I have no toler- ance for such actions. A few years ago, I was working with a student on the range at a qualifier for a prestigious national tournament. Given the stakes, it’s one of the most impor- tant days of the junior season. One kid, a few places down, was not hitting it well, and the dad was heating up. After one too many chunks, the dad stormed up to the kid: “How can you do this on the day of your qualifier!” he screamed as he whacked his son across the shoulder, grazing his face. After seeing this same pattern repeatedly, I think it all stems from narcissism and controlling personali- ties. Many parents believe that exces- sive discipline creates champions. I argue very strongly against that. When parents push a kid too hard, the kid loses interest in golf, and the relation- ship gets damaged for a lifetime.
Here’s the usual routine: A parent, usually the dad, will desperately ask me to train his child. “My kid is go- ing to be a world champion – the next Tiger Woods – but we need your help,” the person says. “I can’t do it anymore. I need someone to take over so that my child doesn’t hate me for the rest of my life.” Earlier in my career, I bought in to this narrative that the parents were ready to step aside and let me coach their kids. I know better now. One 12-year-old girl who I used to coach was the nicest girl, and her family moved from another country so that they could see me frequently. Her dad gave me the typical spiel when we started about how he needed to step back, but soon enough, he couldn’t help himself. At one tournament, the girl made a few mental mistakes – nothing crazy, but she missed the ball in the wrong spot, as many junior golfers tend to do. Because the family spoke another language, it could be tough to pick up on what was being said, but the dad started yelling at his daughter in their native language. The other parents in the group understood and reported him to an official. The gist was, “You b----! What the f--- are you doing?!” That was the dad’s third strike with me, so I stopped working with them. Abuse was less common when I started teaching. What has changed? Junior golf is so competitive now, with elite coaching starting younger so that kids can try to secure college scholarships. In the parents’ minds, there is no room for error: Either their kid continues to improve, play well in the biggest tournaments and land a D-I scholarship, or the parents have failed. When they pass along that pressure to the kid, things get ugly. I recently attended an event on a prominent junior golf tour and was following one of my students in the 12- and 13-year-old division. A lot of the moms and dads were caddieing, which is fine, but these weren’t just any caddies. I saw numerous parents lining up their kids’ balls on the green, only for the kids to step in, read the putt on their own and adjust the line to what they thought was correct. The mom or dad
would quickly jump back in and move the line back to what they wanted. Back and forth they went. It was ridiculous. How do they expect a kid to learn? I encourage families to be an integral part of the team. Often, because I teach kids as young as 6 or 7, I talk to both the kid and the parent during a lesson so that they all know what to work on during practice. The key here is that the kid needs to be in love with the game. If the kid loves it, then by all means get to work. Many parents understand this and are supportive without being overbearing. If I suspect a parent is being abusive, I will have a one-on-one chat with the junior. When I do that, 95 percent of the time the kids will cry, complain- ing about the pressure they are under. “I can’t stand my dad! I wish he would just leave me alone. I’m not trying to hit a bad shot!” they’ll often say to me. Over time I have learned how to spot the toxic parents more quickly. I limit the number of players who I coach, and I put each prospective family through a rigorous interview process as a way of sifting out the narcissists and control freaks. To be sure, all these toxic situations have made me question my career choice numerous times. I’ve seriously considered retiring for at least a decade. What keeps me going? My dad. He was the ideal junior-golf parent – tough but always positive. Right before he passed away, as I was struggling with these overbearing parents, he told me, “Keep pushing, son. You have a gift. Never give up.” – WITH DREW POWELL ‘Then, slap, right across the face, she unloaded into her daughter with great force. The mother turned red, clearly embarrassed that I caught her.’
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 9
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
MIND / TOUR INTELLIGENCE M
SPOT ON Don’t just search for nice turf. Consider the wind.
How to Pick the Right Spot on the Range Tour pros are very particular about it. You should be, too BY MARK BLACKBURN
AT A PGA TOUR EVENT, very little a player does is left to chance, especially when it
fuller set of targets for aiming, and more visual cues about what the ball is doing relative to what the player expects to see. The takeaway for you is that if you tend to hit a certain shot shape, pick the side of the range that allows for the wind to soften some of your curve. Change your process away from hitting a bunch of the same shots in a row and instead hit each shot to a specific target. It sounds cumbersome, but if you can incorporate your pre-shot routine into each warm-up shot, that’s an even better way to transfer what you’re doing before you play into what happens when you’re on the course. – WITH MATTHEW RUDY MARK BLACKBURN is No 1 on Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers in America list. He has worked with several tour pros including Collin Morikawa and Max Homa.
comes to a pre-round warm-up. Unless the range is packed and there are no options, a player is going to do whatever he can to set a stage that lets him get his preparation done fully and comfortably. For example: Virtually every player would prefer to hit into the wind in a warm-up, because doing so provides faster feedback on how the ball is flighting and curving. If the predominant breeze is across the range, the goal becomes getting to the side of the tee that lets the player hit his preferred shot shape – so it curves into that wind as much as possible. If there’s no wind, the priority is to favour the side of the range that allows for the preferred shot shape to curve away from a boundary. That provides a
MIKE EHRMANN/GETTY IMAGES
10 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
M
MIND / JOURNEYS
‘My new life in Mauritius helps me recharge’ We left our home in Germany to live golf 24/7 on an
bilitation from February through to May after surgery on my left hip. I had been in a lot of discomfort playing in 2023. There were painfully hard days on the course. I delayed the operation until I had played the four events in the Middle East at the beginning of the year. ● ● ● My breakthrough European Tour vic- tory was more than 20 years ago, in Jan- uary 2004 at Houghton Golf Club in the Dunhill Championship. That was the old Houghton course before it was redone by Jack Nicklaus. I beat two Frenchmen in a playoff. The last Dunhill at Houghton before Johann Rupert moved it to Leop- ard Creek. There I made a good defence of my title, finishing in the top 10 just two shots behind winner Charl Schwartzel. And that was after taking 9 shots on the par-5 18th in my first round 76! ● ● ● I won the World Cup of Golf for Ger- many playing with Bernhard Langer in 2006 at Sandy Lane in Barbados – we beat Scotland in a playoff – but had to wait eight years for my second Europe- an Tour victory, the 2012 French Open. I had three good years through to 2014, winning in each of them. My Masters win in China in 2014 was worth nearly a million euro. ● ● ● While at home I play golf with the Heritage members and have a regu- lar group. When I am in training mode I love a challenge. Every Friday we have the Ray Jennings challenge. I have a preference for the Le Château course. Such a well-designed layout, in pristine condition. My favourite hole is the par-5 18th, a dogleg left around the water. The wind mostly comes from the left, mak- ing it quite challenging despite not being the longest hole. It's always fun to finish there. My lowest round on Le Château is
estate course in a warm climate. By Marcel Siem, with Stuart McLean
D URING COVID WHEN WE HAD SO MANY RESTRICTIONS living in Germany, my home country, we talked as a family – my wife Laura and I have two daughters Viktoria and Car- lotta – about relocating to start a new life in Mauritius. We made the move in January 2023 to a villa at Heritage which we have been renting. It is an amazing island on which to live, offering such a great work-life balance, and I would recommend it to anyone consider- ing moving here. Our main reason for moving was to live golf 24/7 on an estate course with warm conditions throughout the year. You only live once, and this move has been a great boost for us. We're loving it!
I played my first AfrAsia Mauri- tius Open in 2018. Missed the cut at Anahita after a poor second round but enjoyed my week on the island. The following year I had a more successful tournament when the Open returned to Heritage resort in the south of the is- land. This was a few months before the Covid pandemic, and my family joined me to spend Xmas and New Year at the resort. I became a Heritage ambassa- dor. Mauritius was off limits to visitors
chipping and putting greens, and the courses themselves. It makes working here enjoyable, and after work we can truly enjoy life, whether on the beach or out on a boat with the family. Our girls, aged 14 and 10, attend a primary and secondary school near Heritage. ● ● ● I love the Mauritian people who are incredibly friendly and laid-back. I'm happy living on a beautiful estate and driving a golf buggy everywhere. I've al-
ways wanted to try kite-surf- ing; my wife already does it – and now, living in Mauri- tius, I can. I enjoy boating, fishing, snorkelling and re- laxing on the water. These activities help me recharge. I’m careful with other sports
for a couple of years dur- ing Covid, and the Open wasn’t played in either 2020 or 2021. I returned to play in the December 2022 Open at Mont Choisy, and a month later I was back as a resident. ● ● ●
MARCEL SIEM DP WORLD TOUR AGE 44 LIVES HERITAGE RESORTS BEL OMBRE, MAURITIUS
a 62. ● ● ●
The new La Réserve Links is spec- tacular, and I am always eager to play it. I had a top 20 finish there in last year’s Mauritius Open. It has its own unique appeal, presenting a different kind of challenge exposed to the natural coastal elements. My favourite hole is the long par-4 ninth, which offers stunning views of the coastline and requires precise shot-making due to the strategic bunker- ing and undulating fairway.
like padel or tennis to avoid injuries. I'm the only tour pro living in Mauritius. Haydn Porteous owned an apartment on the island but has sold it. ● ● ● My first year I spent about three months in Mauritius, the rest of my time travelling around the world as I played 29 tournaments in 2023. This past year it was different. I was on the is- land longer due to my undergoing reha-
Being in Mauritius has changed my golfing outlook compared to living in Germany. The warm environment con- tributed to my winning again on the DP World Tour in 2023 (Indian Open) and 2024 (Italian Open), and I’m not done yet! I can start my day with gym sessions and practice in perfect golf conditions, which is incredibly beneficial. The fa- cilities at Heritage are outstanding – the
PHOTOGRAPH BY LANDMARK MEDIA
12 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
● ● ● Winning the Mauritius Open is high on my list of goals, up there with try- ing to qualify for the Masters and get- ting into the European Ryder Cup team. I will not throw this away with partying – and to be honest, my hangovers last three days nowadays, so there's no point doing it anymore. I think I have created a nice hype around pro golf on the is- land. It’s lovely to see people cheering for me and supporting me. I think win- ning this tournament would make the island go bouncing!
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 13
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
Phil Mickelson Made 47 Holes-In-One, and I Believe Him Dear Leader had 11 aces in a round – you can look it up By Jerry Tarde MIND / THE NEXT ONE’S GOOD M
L ast year an 11-year-old named Holden Bautista made two holes-in-one in a single round, and, even better, Tiger Woods was an eyewitness. The kid asked Tiger if he had ever made double aces – “I mean you’re the GOAT, so it would be expected?”
much more aptitude than luck. The same for pitching a perfect game in baseball. Even with an imperfect swing, every golfer can make an ace. I read in the LIV media guide that Phil Mickelson claims to have made 47 holes-in-one. I believe him, but by the time I finished typing the previ-
“You had to go there,” replied Tiger, laughing. “I’ll give you that one.” There is no real equivalent to a hole- in-one in other sports. It’s the perfect combination of skill and good fortune with an emphasis on the latter. The closest is a “perfect game” in bowling, but I would argue rolling a 300 requires
PHOTOGRAPH BY MAX ADLER
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
to him recently. “A hole-in-one doesn’t excite me,” he said, “because that’s what the hell I’m aiming at. To tell you the truth, I haven’t a clue how many I’ve made. At Hardy Greenwood’s driving range in Dallas (before going on tour), I made dozens. The lights would stay on until the last group came in, when I’d turn them off, and we’d gamble past midnight. I made quite a few in the dark. Hell, I might have made some with a Dr Pepper bottle.” There is a quirkiness to making aces. According to Golf Digest records, the oldest man to make an ace was Gus Andreone, 103; the oldest woman was Elsie McLean, 102. The youngest boy was Christian Carpenter, 4 years, 195 days; the youngest girl, Soona Lee- Tolley, 5 years, 103 days. One of the most contentious records we attested was the longest ace on a straight-away hole at 447 yards in 1965 by Robert Mitera at the aptly named Miracle Hill Golf Course in Omaha. The Guinness Book of World Records recognises Shaun Lynch for a longer ace at a 496-yard hole in England, but it was a dogleg. Fed up with the debate over whether he did or didn’t, Mitera became a virtual recluse until he was tracked down in 2001 by our architec- ture editor, Ron Whitten, who reported: “Golf Digest continues to list Mitera’s shot as the world’s longest hole-in- one, period. No qualifier. No asterisk. Having talked to two eyewitnesses, I’m still convinced he made it.” Looking for that same conviction, I flew into town and went to dinner with the woman who made all the aces. Her husband and the club pro and his wife were with us. It was a pleasant evening. Just before dessert, I excused myself. The pro said he would join me. As we walked to the restroom, he leaned over and said in a stage whisper, “You know, nobody here believes her.” Not another word was exchanged. We finished our ice cream, the record disappeared, and we didn’t hear from her again. You had to go there, as Tiger said.
I knew Art Wall, who won 14 tourna- ments on the PGA Tour, including the 1959 Masters, but was more infamous for having made 45 holes-in-one. The number stretched credulity. He was frequently questioned and became a source of golf humour to the point that he wouldn’t talk about it. After all, Byron Nelson had made only eight holes-in-one in his Brobdingnagian career, Gene Sarazen seven, Bobby Jones two, Patty Berg one, and the Iron- man himself, Ben Hogan, only four. (“I might have made more if I’d shot at the flag more often,” Hogan said. “Usu- ally, I aim to portions of the green that gave me the best putt.”) Hogan once had a dream that he made 17 straight holes-in- one and lipped out another on 18. Golf Digest calculates the odds of an amateur like you or me making a hole-in-one at 12 500-to-1. The odds of a tour pro are 3 000-to-1. The PGA Tour has logged 1 263 holes-in-one by 653 different players in strokeplay events since it began keeping records in 1983. In tour competition, Hal Sutton and Robert Allenby hold the record with 10. (Mickelson has made five.) Hogan once had a dream that he made 17 straight holes-in-one and lipped another one out on the 18th hole. In 1994, North Korea’s Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il, was reported in his first round of golf to have shot 38 under par, including 11 holes-in-one, and it was witnessed by his 17 bodyguards. The amateur career record used to be 59, held by Norman Manley, but there was an uncertainty about his num- ber because he lacked witnesses. The current “king of aces” is recognised as Texas pro Mancil Davis with 51. Arnold Palmer’s amanuensis, Doc Giffin, says the real king had about 20. Tiger Woods says he has also made 20. Jack Nicklaus has made 21 – “ three shy of the number of my grandkids,” he says. The greatest shotmaker I ever saw was Lee Trevino, and he didn’t have an answer when the question was put
ous sentence, he might have made a few more. It reminded me of a story in the 1980s when a woman in the Mid- west started making holes-in-one at an incredible clip. Since our founding in 1950, Golf Digest has been the offi- cial record keeper of the game, so she reported the aces to our senior editor John P May, who believed in taking people at their word. She made four or five in January and February. The local newspaper took notice when she rolled in Nos 6, 7 and 8 in March and April. By the time I was dispatched to interview her in June, she had pushed through 9, 10, 11 and 12. This was now a record for most holes-in-one in a year. I couldn’t get down to see her fast enough before she recorded a 13th and 14th. The trouble with aces is that they are difficult to verify. Like Mr May, we are inclined to believe you, but records, especially all-time records, require a witness. Ideally, the acer’s playing com- panions see the ball struck, fly through the air, land on the green and go into the hole. Often, though, blind greens, failing eyesight or a dearth of witnesses make verification hard to corroborate. There’s the legendary story about a club pro’s daughter who made a hole-in-one while playing early one morning. When she told her father, he naturally asked who she was play- ing with. When her reply was that she had played alone, he said a hole-in-one required a witness to be official, much to her disappointment. Shortly after, a letter came to the club written by a passenger who had been onboard a train that runs alongside the course. The gentleman wrote that he had wit- nessed a girl hole her tee shot on a par 3 from the window of his train passing by, and he wanted to congratulate her. The old pro immediately phoned his daugh- ter. “Congratulations,” he said, “you’ve now made your hole-in-one.” I’m not going to ask our fact-checker to verify Mickelson’s 47 or the club pro’s tale, but for all-time records we did at- tempt to find witnesses for the woman who was dunking them by the dozen. It seemed that her attestors, one by one, recounted not exactly seeing the ball go in, but it went in the direction of the flag, or maybe the green, and when they looked for it, lo and behold, the woman found her ball in the bottom of the hole.
Jerry Tarde has made four holes-in-one with witnesses, but un- like Hogan, he always shoots at the flag.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 15
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
MIND / RULES M
There Really Is a Leaf Rule You know your ball is in there somewhere – and you’ve got options By Drew Powell
E ACH WINTER, GOLFERS invoke the “leaf rule” to lobby for a free drop when they can’t find their ball under a pile of foliage. Some use it as a concession to appease a frustrated opponent. Others claim it as justification for avoiding their own lost-ball penalty, emphatically asserting the Rules of Golf supports it. Is it an official rule? Yes, in some instances. It takes some explaining. Irrespective of the official rules, the act of taking a free drop after losing a ball in a spot where it should be found seems logical. Why should you receive the same penalty as someone who just sliced one out-of-bounds? Unfortunately, in many cases the rules are not so lenient. Rule 18.2 states that “your ball is lost if not found in three minutes after you or your caddie begin to search for it.” When a ball is lost, you must take a stroke-and-distance penalty
(and a penalty stroke) and play from the spot of your previous shot. Proponents of the leaf rule, however, often cite Rule 16.1, which allows a player to take free relief from a ball not found when it is “known or virtually certain” it came to rest in or on an “abnormal course condition.” This is where things get a little grey. Leaves are considered an abnormal course condition only when they are intentionally piled for removal outside a penalty area. If that’s the case, and you either saw the ball enter the leaves or are virtually certain it did (maybe someone else saw it), then you are entitled to a free drop by finding the nearest point of complete relief and dropping within one club-length, no closer to the hole. A more common scenario is when leaves are scattered or pile up naturally. They are not considered an abnormal course condition. They are simply loose impediments, so you are not entitled to
free relief if you’re sure your ball is lost under them. Hope is not lost, though, as you may be entitled to free relief under Model Local Rule F-14, which a tournament committee or course staff implements. “Piles of loose impediments such as leaves, seeds or acorns might make it difficult for a player to find or play his or her ball,” the rule states. “A Committee can choose to treat such piles in the general area or in a bunker as ground under repair from which free relief is allowed under Rule 16.1.” Be sure to check with the course about this local rule before heading out. Are piles of leaves loose impediments or an abnormal course condition?
RUSSELL ILLIG
16 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
GREG NORMAN COLLECTION
PERFORM, LOOK AND LIVE LIKE A CHAMPION.
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MIND / ON TOUR
Undercover Caddie Ranking members of a player’s entourage by importance
ILLUSTRATION BY R KIKUO JOHNSON
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P rofessional golf is no longer an individual sport. Go to the practice range at a PGA Tour event, and you’ll see players surrounded by their own pit crews. Often, the younger or more suc- cessful the player, the bigger the entou- rage. I’m pretty sure some guys can host their own five-on-five pick-up game. How important are all these peo- ple to a player’s performance? Some of those “team duties” range from redundant to irrelevant to odd, and the bigger the team, the more likely there are hangers-on who are trying to get a taste of tour life. At a dinner, I ranked the individuals in a player’s circle from least important to most important. As you will see, “important” has different connotations. Statisticians As caddies, the more information we have, the better informed our advice will be, but golf numbers don’t reveal the same hard truths as they do in other sports. Our playing fields are drastically different week to week, with the conditions changing daily or hourly. One good or bad round can alter a stat for months. Some infor- mation on overall strategy is useful, like how a field or player is attacking a certain hole, but that data is readily available and doesn’t need to be con- textualised by a stats guru. There are broad takeaways from a year’s worth of output, but it is a waste of resources for guys to devote time and money outside of a yearly check-in. Equipment reps This isn’t a criticism of what this group does. It’s just that, for tour pros, it’s often hard to notice whether an equipment change or an adjustment is helping or hurting. Caddies This one stings. There’s no doubt we can help players in preparation and putting them in the right mind-set. But when I see players bring a friend, girlfriend or wife on the bag and do just as well, I wonder, Hmm, maybe we aren’t that valuable. We don’t do much damage, but sometimes I wonder if we truly raise a player’s ceiling. Let’s move on before I get depressed.
includes weightlifting, but it’s more about flexibility, durability, injury prevention or alleviating pain. It’s about still feeling fresh when you’re playing with the lead on Saturday afternoon in the heat or playing for the fifth time in six weeks. If a player doesn’t have a trainer, I know he’s not getting all he can out of his game. Sports psychologists I go back and forth on how important mental coaches are. I’ve seen really good players turn into killers after working on their mental games. I’ve also seen killers turn into average players after working on their mental games. This is not a knock on psychologists; it’s just that the spectrum of results is the widest of any group on the list. In fact, there’s one name in the golf world struggling right now, and his caddie told me a lot of the issues began when he started going to therapy. Go figure. Short-game coaches Some of the short-term dividends could be rough, especially when going through a grip or philosophy change. But, man, short-game coaches always deliver, and rarely do they backfire. The best way to get better is to work with a short-game coach. Friends I can’t tell you how many careers went sideways, were delayed or didn’t go where they should have because of a player’s non-golfer friends. In other sports, athletes have their teammates, coaches and front offices that hold them accountable, so bad influence can usually be checked. But if a golfer is hanging out with the wrong crowd, there’s no onus for anyone to speak up, and that can be corrosive. So much has to go right outside the ropes for a player to have success inside them, and the wrong type of friends will lead to poor play. – WITH JOEL BEALL
Spouses I’ve caddied for roughly 15 seasons and been blessed to work with players who I’ve become close with. There are two opposite examples where a wife had a direct impact on what happened inside the ropes. In the first instance, my guy was in a major slump. Forget losing his tour card, he wanted to give up the game. His wife was such a force of positive affirmation that her belief in him helped him get through, and the guy went on to win many more times on tour. Conversely, another player was going through a bitter divorce, and when he was struggling, he pointed out that the drop in earnings meant she wouldn’t get as much when they split. There’s no way that situation would not affect you. Swing coaches You know who swing coaches are perfect for? You, the amateur, not PGA Tour players. Swing coaches are mechanics: If you need to get your oil changed or tyres rotated, you’re fine. If you start talking about fixing the engine, we ain’t coming out of the garage for a while. I’ve seen more players hurt by swing coaches than those who have been helped, and that includes a multi-major winner who fell apart after trying to add distance. The recurring issue is attempting a systematic overhaul to the very thing that got you this far. If it goes wrong, swing coaches can tank everything. Agents If you poll my fellow caddies, they would likely say agents and managers aren’t important because a lot of us view many of them like bar bouncers, wielding more power than they really have. But a good agent helps declutter a player’s life to let him focus on what’s important. A bad one focuses on the money without realising that could come at the expense of what’s getting the player that money. An agent matters. Trainers Don’t think of trainers as the meatheads in tight shirts yelling at you in the gym. Out on tour, trainers are optimising the golfer’s body for his specific needs. Yes, some of that
Undercover Caddie says the worst team member he ever saw was a personal shoe concierge.
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MIND / BEST OVERALL BALLER M
case with his luggage and tennis bags in airports. He loves Indian Wells the first week of March in Palm Springs, Califor- nia, but really looks forward to the US Open in New York in early September. “Guys ask why I play this boring, slow thing. Golf is a game you either feel nothing for or you just love it.” Ruud says the best golfer in pro ten- nis is undoubtedly his doubles partner, William Blumberg, but others mention Sebastian Korda, brother to two famous golfing sisters. A slew of household names is also getting better at an in- furiating pace. Two-time Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz is already a sin- gle-figure handicap after taking up golf during the pandemic. Taylor Fritz, per- haps America’s best hope for a Grand Slam singles title, carries his driver 290 yards at cruising speed. “Both sports are about transferring weight, so I natural- ly had some power in my stroke,” Fritz says. “The constant between the two is that if I’m overthinking, the result will not be as good.” Could a future BOB come from golf? Christo Lamprecht, 23, the former World No 1 amateur who just turned pro, won a national junior doubles title in South Africa at age 13. At 6-foot-8 (2.03m), his serve and net coverage are weapons, but he says his first love was always golf, even when he was enjoying more suc- cess on the court. “The drama of teen- age boys calling balls in and out wasn’t so much for me, but I do miss being so fit. Sometimes I get too steep in my golf swing, and I’ll think of the figure-eight shape of a forehand to shallow it out.” The challenge is a proper format to determine the BOB. The golf half would be straightforward, but even a good tennis player like Lamprecht would lose to Nadal if spotted a 6-0, 6-0, 5-0 lead. How to weigh that result should Lamprecht beat Nadal, 6 and 5, in golf? Nadal versus Fish has the potential to be a closer split result, but there’s no obvious way to measure shots against sets. Back when people hunted their own food, the important biathlete was a swift cross-country skier who could shoot a rifle. We still pay homage during the winter Olympics, but those are bygone days. The time is now to figure out the question above.
TWO-WAY THREAT Lefty Rafael Nadal plays golf righty and could be the BOB.
Who Is the Greatest Golfer-Tennis Player? By Max Adler
B EFORE WE TRY TO ANSWER the question, one thing to set straight: Any cultural rivalry between golf and tennis is like Australia versus New Zealand. Their proximity amid sequestration intensi- fies some ill feelings – I play golf where the tennis courts sit exposed to power hooks off the first tee, which draws disdainful comments from both sides of the fence – but to the rest of the world, the two seem essentially the same. They are the country club sports, the lifetime sports, their addicts un- able to quit the high of making a ball fly just as intended, over and over. Collars preferred but not required. As for Best Overall Baller, or BOB, it’s hard not to start with Rafael Nadal. Tennis fans once panicked when a race- horse of the same name retired, but the human with the second most Grand Slam singles titles (22) is still going at 38. In a style popular among tennis pros, the lefty golfs righty, so his golf swing feels nearly as automatic as a two-hand- ed backhand. On the links, Rafa’s not a talker, nor is he afraid of a tiny pencil.
While rehabbing an injury, he won the 2024 Balearic Mid-Amateur in Mallorca, carding plus-three for 36 holes. Retired Mardy Fish, also mirror meth- od, is likely the better golfer. He has won five “celebrity majors” with two Ameri- can Century Championships and three Hilton Grand Vacations TOCs. Firmly a plus-handicap, it’s merely attaining a rank of seventh in the world that hurts his case more than the notion the BOB should be active in his primary sport. Nine-time winner Matt Kuchar might be the best tennis player on the PGA Tour. When in contention with a late afternoon tee time, he will play tennis “to get loose and kill time,” says Kuchar, who likes “side-on rotational sports” and equates the timing and feel of vol- leying to chipping. It’s not that Kuch’s deep runs with his wife and brother- in-law in national amateur champion- ships aren’t big deals; it’s just that the answer probably isn’t a 46-year-old. Casper Ruud, the 25-year-old Nor- wegian tennis star who reached No 2 in 2022, cards rounds at or near par. He can be seen schlepping his golf-travel
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influencer A true
Credit Johann Rupert for helping bring PGA Tour and PIF leaders together BY JOHN HUGGAN
took on a unique significance this year. He is one of the few men in the world who could have convinced PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and the man in charge of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, to play golf together at a time when the state of the professional game is at a crossroads. “Johann is so well-connected,” said DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings. “This is a man who speaks regularly to presidents. He and Nelson Mandela were close. He was a great friend of (the late former R&A secretary) Sir Michael Bonallack. He was close to the founder of IMG, Mark McCormack and (Australian entrepreneur) Kerry Packer. Yet he is loved by the caddies on tour. He knows people at every level of the game. He understands business
briefest of introductions to a man who has made an almost incalculable contribution to the DP World Tour (he is an honorary vice president), his homeland (where he is chairman of the Sunshine Tour), and golf, in general. Developer of Leopard Creek Country Club, which will again be hosting the Alfred Dunhill Championship from December 12-15, Rupert is reportedly worth around $12 billion. The 74-year- old is also the ultimate golf nut, one whose beneficence commendably knows few bounds. He is not to be messed with either. In 2005, when a magazine described Afrikaans as an “ugly language,” Rupert withdrew all advertising for his various company brands, including Alfred Dunhill. Rupert’s role as tournament host in St Andrews of the Links Championship
AT EVERY EDITION of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, biographies of the star-studded amateur lineup are distributed. Most of the summaries are but a paragraph in length, briefly highlighting the various achievements of those prominent in the worlds of sport and business. Johann Rupert’s is the shortest of all, though. The driving force behind this 23-year-old event, the South African is identified only as “Chairman of Richemont, the Swiss luxury goods group.” That, of course, only serves as the
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He doesn’t have a foot in any camp. And he has a great record of bringing people together.” Indeed, Rupert has many admirers beyond those running tours. Sky Sports commentator and former European Tour player Ewen Murray is another long-term admirer. “Johann is not the sort of guy who tells you what he has done behind the scenes, he just does it,” says the Scot. “The kids in South Africa have a winter tour and summer tour. So many are good players who have a chance to develop because of Johann. It’s all very well him saying to youngsters he can get them starts in pro events. That’s the easy part. For him anyway. But developing them properly is difficult. He looks at the talent. He looks at the character of the person. And he is colour-blind in that respect. “He keeps an eye on them all until he thinks they are ready to get a chance. And he’s been doing that for 30 years. Ernie Els’ development tour and the foundations of just about every SA player – Johann is involved in them all. He’s one of the most exceptional men I’ve met in golf. When you see so many players at the Dunhill every year, you know it is part of their way of saying ‘thank you’ to him. They know how much he has done. Yet he never talks about his achievements.” Still, amidst the sea of players Rupert has helped over the years, perhaps no one is as much in his debt as Rory McIlroy. Back in 2007 as a newly turned pro, the teenage Northern Irishman received an invitation to the Dunhill Links. By finishing third, he won €211 321, avoided the roulette table that was the upcoming qualifying school and immediately earned his card for 2008 on what was then the European Tour. “The tournaments Johann has put on in St Andrews are one thing,” said the four-time major champion. “He has been a great advocate for the game. The support he has given to South Africans is another thing, of course. So many great players owe a lot to him. I do too. He gave me an invite 17 years ago when he didn’t have to. That week changed my life. I’ll always be grateful.” And so say so many.
He clearly wants to see a global result.” Lawrence, as you might expect, wasn’t the only one who picked up on Rupert’s hardly covert strategy. “Look at the field,” continued Kinnings. “A mixture of DP World Tour players, PGA Tour members and those from LIV and an example of the sort of thing we could have going forward. You can see what Johann is doing. And at the Home of Golf. He is bringing everyone together. He wants to help the process and take the game global. He can see the opportunities we have right now, but he can also see the threats. He wants us to take advantage of the opportunities and leave golf in a better place.” Noble stuff. And Kinnings is not above bragging about how great things have been on the DP World circuit in recent months. But he is justified in doing so. Events like the Alfred Dunhill Links and others have provided a glimpse into an exciting future that could and should encompass the very best from all the current tours. “This is a reminder of what the fans want to see,” Kinnings says. “Johann knows that and sees that. He has great insight. In fact, I’d want Johann in the chair during the current negotiations. He has the stature and commands the respect of everyone. And he’s neutral.
as well as anyone. He understands politics. And, while he is a proud South African, he is a citizen of the globe. He knows people the world over.” To that end and perhaps most importantly, Rupert is known to be in favour of a coming together for the PGA Tour, the PIF and LIV Golf League and, more peripherally, the DP World Tour. Not for him the notion of conflicting and competing major tours playing alongside each other, parallel but never intersecting. “Since I grew up near Leopard Creek, I have long been aware of just how much Johann does for SA golf and the game in general,” said Thriston Lawrence, South Africa’s leading performer on the DP World Tour in 2024. “After I turned pro, I met him through his involvement with Golf RSA. He’s everywhere. He creates so many opportunities for young up- and-coming kids. Kids of colour. Kids who struggle. He helps everyone and tries to give them the chance to pursue their dreams. I appreciate enormously all that he does. “He had a plan in St Andrews to bring everyone together. I smiled when I saw who he had playing together. I have to think he has a finger in the bigger pie too. He has a plan for all the tours to get together and sort out their problems.
2024 ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP Johann Rupert hits a shot (previous page), and shakes hands with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
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12 Shots That’ll Make You Scream In honour of the spookiest month of the year, we count down golf’s knee-knockers.
By Coleman Bentley
1 Bunker shot out of a buried lie in clear view of the clubhouse patio at lunch hour. 2 Tee shot in front of the fourball that your partner just convinced you to play through. 3 Punch-out from the wrong fairway while the group on that hole waits for you to clear. 4 Shot 15 centimetres from the cart path with a new set of irons.
5 First shot of a playoff after drinking at the 19th hole waiting for the other scores to come in. 6 Chip from a downhill lie with the car park 15 metres behind the green. 7 The provisional after you just shanked one dead right into what looks like poison ivy. 8 Approach shot on 18 when you’re pacing for a career round.
9 Opening drive at a bucket-list course on a dream trip that cost more than your kid’s school fees. 10 Recovery shot from the edge of a swampy water hazard at Skukuza. 11 A three-foot tester to win your fourball match while playing with your father-in-law. 12 Tee shot over a forced carry with no more balls in your bag.
ILLUSTRATION BY BEN KIRCHNER
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