Mondays...

Hello Golfers, Tell me why I don't like Mondays? Out of the seven days of the week, why do we look forward to this day the least. Well the good news for majority of you is that next Monday you don't have to go into the office, instead you can look forward to a 3 day weekend instead. Bring on the labor day holiday. Congratulations to Daivd Howell on winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. At one stage in his career he fell out of the top 200 in the world, due to bad form and injury. He began the week ranked the 176th player in the world. Under New Management World number 6 Rory Mcllroy has severed ties with his Dublin-based management company and has set up his own company to run his affairs, according to online reports. Mcllroy announced on Friday that he will no longer be part of the Horizon Sports Management stable. The dispute comes on the back of a highly frustrating season for the superstar from Northern Ireland, he's struggled to regain his form after switching to clubs manufactured by Nike. His new management company will be known as Rory Mcllroy Incorporated and will be run by Donal Casey, one of his advisors. His father, Gerry, will also serve on its board of directors as will businessmen and family friend Barry Funston. With several years remaining on the contract they originally signed, no details or reasons were given for the split. The company said in a statement. "Under Horizon's management, Rory has signed some of the most lucrative endorsements in sports history." Is there more to the story, Im sure there is but only Rory and his closest allies will ever know the true reason(s). Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth After a magical debut season Jordan Spieth is the 2013 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. We featured him earlier on this year as a potential stand out and it's nice to say that we called it right. In July, Spieth became the first teenager to win a PGA TOUR event since 1931. Spieth had an impressive rookie campaign which featured nine top 10 finishes, a win at the John Deere Classic, $3.8 million in earnings and a berth on the U.S. President’s Cup team. Jordan earned his PGA TOUR card at 19, using a series of sponsor’s exemptions to vault his way into a year-long exemption. Congratulations Jordan, all the best for the future. What's in the bag Name: Guan Tianlang Age: 14 - Amateur: Clubs: Various Driver: Taylor Made R1 3 Wood: Callaway XHot Hybrid: Callaway XHot Guan Tianlang made a huge splash in April when he not only qualified for the Masters, but the 14-year-old golfer made the cut and finished in 58th place with a 12-over-par total of 300 in the classic tournament. Tianlang is still learning the game but he is quite accomplished. As he gets older and stronger, he should be able to add distance to his repertoire. There's little doubt that he has the tools to become one of the best golfers of the next generation. The Almost Open Championship Royal Aberdeen (left) has existed on the edge of the city of Aberdeen, on the edge of the North Sea, and on the edge of hosting an Open Championship for the past 150 years. The sixth oldest golf club in the world hosted the 2005 Senior Open Championship in 2005 and last year, the Walker Cup. There is no doubt that the silky swells of Aberdeen’s front nine are among the very best links holes in existence. But with painstaking husbandry and several hole redesigns, the back nine lengthens and balances the course to make it the consummate golfing experience. As an Open Championship venue it would be a great choice in our opinion. Old clubs? We'll buy them from you... Golf Traders offer our customers a fantastic service whereby we can purchase, part exchange or swap your equipment. With the golf season in full swing, we all have clubs lying around that are basically redundant. Instead of letting them collect dust in the garage, turn them into cash... or at least let them go some way to buying the new clubs you so desperately want. View all of our stock here or come into our store and have a hit in our brand new practice facility and try before you buy! Golf Traders 02 9517 3471 33 Nelson Street Annandale, NSW 2038 Australia Golf Traders PRO TIP: Driver off the Deck How to hit a driver off the deck, firstly set up to the ball with the ball forward in your stance. Play the ball slightly more forward than you would for a teed-up driver. Secondly, align yourself a little bit left of the target (for a right-handed golfer); the ball position and driver loft will work to create a fade ball flight, so allow for that. (If you are someone whose normal shot is a draw or - gasp! - a hook, set up with an open stance.) Choke down a little on the driver, this will help add a little more control and make a smooth swing, don't try to kill it. Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders

Pay Day...

Hello Golfers, Congratulations to Sweden's Henrik Stenson who became the first European to win both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup titles. Henrik shot a final round 68 to claim a three shot victory at East Lake Golf Club, pocketing a mere $US1.44 million first place cheque, but the win also secured his place at the top of the season's FedEx standing's to collect the $US10 million bonus. Not a bad days work! Back on home soil most of the country experienced a great weekend of almost perfect weather for golf and the footy season is drawing to a close with some great, entertaining games being played. (This week the refs were not such a talking point!) Unique golf Courses Who said that all golf courses had to be carved into the side of a mountain, or meander around scenic hills and lakes, no, this week we have some very unusual golf courses, in some very unusual places! Here are 5 examples of some of the most unique golf courses in the world. 1. Prison View Golf Course, Angola, Louisiana. The nine-hole course was built and is maintained by prisoners, who aren't allowed to play on it. It was designed by the prison dentist and appears to be much like any other golf course"¦ except for some of the rules. Anyone wanting to play must apply 48 hours in advance so they can be screened, and play may be suspended at any time "due to institutional need or at the Warden's discretion." 2. Kabul Golf Club, Kabul, Afghanistan. Originally opened in 1967, the Kabul Golf Club has had a patchy history. It closed in 1978 because it was considered a symbol of Western capitalism, but reopened in 2004. During those non-golfing decades, it had to be swept for landmines before anyone could play on it again. I'd still be a little wary about playing on it, personally! 3. Mosul, Iraq. It may not be there anymore, but in 2004, some homesick soldiers made a makeshift hole using an antenna and an oil rag as a flag. It was so popular that five more holes were added and the impromptu Mosul golf course was born. 4. Golf Merapi, Mount Merapi, Indonesia. When the construction started on this course, Mount Merapi volcano erupted. It's a mere 8 kilometres away! though the locals saw it as a blessing from the Gods. The Sultan calls it his home course, and it is said that it never rains when he plays. Another eruption did occur in 2006, big enough to send golfers scurrying for home. "That is the risk of putting a club here," the owner casually said. 5. Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California. The lowest golf course in the world at 39 metres below sea level, and you're definitely going to want to bring something to keep yourself cool: summer temperatures can exceed 54 degrees celsius. It's available year-round in case you really feel like breaking a good sweat. Oh, and you have to watch out for the coyotes that are prone to wandering onto the course. Fast Riser Patrick Cantlay Patrick Cantlay is splitting his time between the Web.com and the PGA tours this year. The 21-year-old golfer came into the picture while playing at UCLA, and it was clear that he had star potential from the moment he competed in the 2011 U.S. Open and shot an even-par 284. That allowed him to tie for 21st in a field that included the best golfers in the world. Cantlay won the Colombia Championship, a Web.com Tour event, earlier this year. He also tied for ninth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA Tour. Cantlay has been slowed by a back problem this summer, but the injury is not expected to have long-term consequences. Watch out because he means business. What's in the bag Name: Harris English Age: 23 Professional Wins: 2 Clubs: Ping Driver: Ping G15 3 Wood: Ping G5 Wedge: Ping Tour Gorge After playing in the Walker Cup in 2011 in Scotland, English turned professional in September that year. His debut was at the Nationwide Tour's Soboba Golf Classic and he nearly won his second event at the WNB Golf Classic, but lost in a playoff to Danny Lee. The runner-up finish moved him to 75th on the Nationwide Tour's money list. In December that year English earned his PGA Tour card for 2012 by finishing in a tie for 13th at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. Ruffling Feathers A $20 fake owl called Ollie has bluffed corellas into staying off the putting greens, when other measures proved ineffective. WEMBLEY Golf Course has been saved from spending thousands of dollars on measures to deter destructive white Corellas by a $20 fake owl scarecrow. Ollie the owl, as he is affectionately known by staff, was installed by course superintendent Darren Wilson after he became frustrated with the damage caused to the putting greens by flocks of up to 200 Corellas. “_We were spending all day fixing the holes so the players had a good putting surface,_” Mr Wilson said. “_I was at a loose end with all the damage and I just saw the owl in Bunnings and thought ‘why not’.”_ The course now has three more Ollies stationed at other greens to deter the cockatoos, but Mr Wilson said they had to occasionally replace them because they were being stolen! Old clubs? We'll buy them from you... Golf Traders offer our customers a fantastic service whereby we can purchase, part exchange or swap your equipment. With the golf season in full swing, we all have clubs lying around that are basically redundant. Instead of letting them collect dust in the garage, turn them into cash... or at least let them go some way to buying the new clubs you so desperately want. View all of our stock here or come into our store and have a hit in our brand new practice facility and try before you buy! Golf Traders 02 9517 3471 33 Nelson Street Annandale, NSW 2038 Australia Golf Traders PRO TIP: Stop and Smell the Roses Too often we get caught up in our own little world out on the course, working on the rhythm, the target and just about anything else we can think of. Seldom do we take a moment to stand back and really appreciate what a great game we are enjoying. Take the time next time you are out on the course and smell the roses, look at the view, manicured fairways and just being outside and away from phones, photocopiers and emails. A bad day at golf is better than a good day at the office! Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders

Sixes and Sevens...

Hello Golfers, We all just had a huge weekend of Footy, no matter who you support I'm sure there was a good game to watch on T.V. across three codes of Footy, played over 3 days. The Cowboys will feel hard done by, given that terrible decision, but it goes to show with all the technology we have at our fingertips there is always room for error, this time human error! Referees are clearly under pressure to perform as well. Last not least, be careful of what you wish for. We had a huge deluge of rain today, given the state of some local courses, it was very well received indeed. The Nearly Open Championship Courses to Never Host an Open Championship Muirfield is one of the nine golf courses that presently host the Open Championship. But there are more than 2,500 courses in Great Britain and surely some of the others are good enough to host the event? Cruden Bay (above) is not merely a gorgeous golf course, albeit relatively unknown in the British Isles, but is it capable of hosting an Open Championship? Cruden Bay is arguably the most magical golf course in the world that somehow remains almost totally unfamiliar to even the most ardent golfer. It's anonymity results not from its newness, as golf was played in the village of the same name as early as 1791, and the links was originally designed by Old Tom Morris and opened in 1899. Instead, part of Cruden Bay’s charm comes from its secluded locale 37 twisting kilometres from Aberdeen near a sleepy town called Aberdeenshire that is nearly as challenging to reach as it is to say aloud. Those who make the homage discover a masterpiece that quietly meanders in a figure eight along the North Sea through massive sand dunes veiling one brilliant hole from the next. Only there can one really appreciate how the distant outline of Slains Castle provided Bram Stoker’s inspiration for “Dracula;” and why Pete Dye calls Cruden Bay, along with Prestwick, his favorite in Scotland. We will feature more great courses from this neck of the woods in the coming weeks ahead. Blazing a Trail Luke Guthrie Luke Guthrie blazed a trail as soon as he joined the Web.com Tour in 2012 when he finished in the Top 10 in four of the 10 events he entered. Guthrie graduated to the PGA tour this year and he has won more than $973,000. His best performance was a third-place finish in the Honda Classic that earned him$408,000. Guthrie is not a big hitter, he is averaging 284.7 yards per drive, but has an excellent short game. Guthrie is hitting the green on 93.39 percent of his wedge shots from 75 yards or less, a figure that ranks 15th on the tour. Guthrie also ranks 15th in total birdies on the tour. Luke is proof to all youngsters out there that a good short game is paramount in elite golf! What's in the bag Name: Henrik Stenson Age: 37 Professional Wins: 14 Clubs: Taylor Made, Callaway Driver: Taylor Made R1 3 Wood: Callaway Diablo Octane Wedge: 51-Degree Cleveland 588 RTX In the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield, Stenson finished as the runner-up, three strokes behind Phil Mickelson, with a total of 284(Level) for the tournament. He shot a final round of 70 and held the lead for brief moments during the round, but was beaten by Mickelson's four birdie finish. In the year's next major championship, the 2013 PGA Championship, Stenson contended again on Sunday, teeing off in the penultimate group two strokes behind the leader Jim Furyk. Despite an eagleon the par-5 fourth hole, that moved him to within one stroke of the leaders, Stenson was never quite able to build any momentum in an even-par round that included four bogeys. He finished alone in third place. Stenson's good form continued into the 2013 FedEx Cup Playoffs, when he won the Deutsche Bank Championship by two strokes over runner-up, Steve Stricker. Flying Dutchman Congratulations to Joost Luiten on winning his native Dutch Open Championship with a hard fought victory over Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez in a play-off. The 27-year-old Luiten grabbed his second win of the season and third European Tour title in all, and is the first home winner for a decade. Luiten began the day with a one-shot lead over Jimenez but the Spaniard, who broke his leg in a skiing accident this winter, made four birdies in his first six holes to edge in front. Jimenez led by two after 13 but a Luiten birdie at the 14th to Jimenez's dropped shot at 15 brought them level before both bogeyed the 17th and parred the last to force the play-off. "I don't know what it means for Dutch golf but I think it's pretty big," Luiten said. "Maarten Lafeber won it in 2003 and that was huge, and to have another Dutch winner now I think it will help the game here and hopefully we can create more Dutch winners for this tournament". "I can't believe it yet, it's unbelievable. I think tonight it will hit me." Old clubs? We'll buy them from you... Golf Traders offer our customers a fantastic service whereby we can purchase, part exchange or swap your equipment. With the golf season in full swing, we all have clubs lying around that are basically redundant. Instead of letting them collect dust in the garage, turn them into cash... or at least let them go some way to buying the new clubs you so desperately want. View all of our stock here or come into our store and have a hit in our brand new practice facility and try before you buy! Golf Traders 02 9517 3471 33 Nelson Street Annandale, NSW 2038 Australia Golf Traders PRO TIP: Target Golf We have more than likely mentioned this topic before but it holds true for every golfer at all levels. Whenever you are addressing the ballthink about nothing else but your target. It could be a window in the far distance, a tree near the green or a blade of grass right in front of your feet. Thinking about nothing else but the intended target focuses the mind and body in unison to create a better outcome with no distractions holding you back (i.e. negative thoughts). Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders

Bjorn Again...

Hello Golfers, It's been a big weekend indeed. We have new management for the country again, some unbelievable weather and another golfing champion over the age of 40. Congratulations to Thomas Bjorn, another winner over the age of 40, we always give plenty of air time to the youngsters, but sometimes it needs an experienced head to get you over the line. Now I know I have mentioned the weather on more than a few occasions of late, but in the past week we have experienced, Winter, Spring and Summer in a matter of days! On Saturday here at GT HQ and along the eastern seaboard I could have sworn we bypassed Spring and jumped straight into Summer. No sooner had the winter doona come off on Saturday, it was hastily put back the next day! Augusta, The Stuff You May Not Know Every year in April, golf fans from around the world congregate at the legendary Augusta National for The Masters. The club is strictly members-only, but each year in April professional golfers dream of becoming the newest member of Augusta National. The history of Augusta National is varied and interesting, but to sum up some interesting facts and trivia, we have listed 5 items for you to enjoy. No. 1 In 1958, Herbert Warren Wind, a writer for Sports Illustrated, nicknamed the 11th, 12th, and 13th holes"Amen Corner" in his description of play on that Sunday afternoon. Arnold Palmer had played through the 12th hole in the midst of a rules controversy to eagle on the 13th hole and win the first of four Masters. The term "Amen Corner" stuck and has lasted for over five decades. No.2 Augusta's front nine were originally its back nine. Before the Masters in 1935, the decision was made to switch the nines. Only one tournament was played with the original course setup—the 1934 Masters, won by Horton Smith who also won the 1936 Masters, making him the only person to have won with both course layouts. No.3 The Crow's Nest sits above the Champions Locker Room in the clubhouse. This is where the five amateurs who make the cut stay during the tournament. The room is sparse and small, 9m x 12m divided into four cubicles, but for an amateur golfer it is a dream come true. No.4 Created in 1978, the Champions Locker Room, or Masters Club Room, is located in the clubhouse and is for Masters winners only. The centrepiece of the room is a display containing a green jacket, sterling replica of the Masters Trophy, and other awards won by competitors during the tournament. No.5 Augusta National is a seasonal club. It is closed in May and remains closed until October. This is the time when maintenance is done to the course and grounds to keep them looking as beautiful as people have come to expect when the see Augusta National. In the Express Lane Russell Henley Henley made his professional debut at the Nationwide Tour's Soboba Golf Classic in September 2011. In September 2012, he won the Chiquita Classic, defeating Patrick Cantlay and Morgan Hoffmann in a playoff. In October 2012, he won his second title of the year at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open. Russell Henley began the 2013 season determined to establish himself on the PGA Tour. It didn't take long for Henley, 24, to make that happen. He won the Sony Open in January, firing a remarkable 24-under par 256, a victory that earned him$1,008,000. Henley has three other top-10 finishes and he has has also been in the top 25 five times. Henley has earned more than $1.9 million this season. He hits the ball for distance and accuracy, but it is his putting that makes the difference. He ranks 10th in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour this year. Henley became the first PGA Tour rookie to win on his debut in 12 years with a record-setting performance at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii. What's in the bag Name: Jordan Spieth Age: 20 Professional Wins: 1 Clubs: Titleist 3 Wood: Taylor Made RBZ Stage 2 Irons: AP2 Wedge: Vokey SM4 Jordan Spieth won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2009 and 2011, joining the likes of Tiger Woods as its only multiple winners. Before turning 18 in July 2011, Spieth was number one in the Polo Golf Rankings, which determines the best junior golfers in the United States. On July 14, Spieth won the John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the fifth playoff hole against defending champion Zach Johnson and David Hearn. He became the fourth youngest PGA Tour winner and the first teenager in 82 years. World's Most Spectacular Golf Hole We can't take credit for this photo, but it looks like an astonishing view from the tee, have you played on any courses with a view like this? If so we would love to hear your experience, email us a short story and photo and we will publish the most spectacular entry we receive. Email: david@golftraders.com.au Old clubs? We'll buy them from you... Golf Traders offer our customers a fantastic service whereby we can purchase, part exchange or swap your equipment. With the golf season in full swing, we all have clubs lying around that are basically redundant. Instead of letting them collect dust in the garage, turn them into cash... or at least let them go some way to buying the new clubs you so desperately want. View all of our stock here or come in store and have a hit in our brand new practice net and try before you buy! Golf Traders 02 9517 3471 33 Nelson Street Annandale, NSW 2038 Australia Golf Traders PRO TIP: Where is the Pin? Following on from last weeks tip, make sure you know where the pin is located before you play the hole, how? By observing as many flags as you can whilst walking between your shots and from tee to green. As you walk from tee to green, lean over and take a look at the pins on the other side of the course, take a mental note and remember the pin locations. Knowing the pin location will help you select the correct club and strategy for later on in the round, especially on blind approach shots! Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders