Lion at Heart...

Hello Golfers, The weather has been awesome of late, has spring already sprung? Im sure we will have some more cool weather at some stage. Did you see that news article last week about a Chinese zoo parading a dressed up dog as an African Lion, apparently it gave itself away when it stared barking... This leads me onto the subject of forged golf clubs, at Golf Traders we have seen the odd fake over the years and we don't like them. Therefore we only sell genuine products, we value our name and more importantly our customers too much to let that happen. Back in Oz Rory McIlroy will end his season contesting the Australian Open in Sydney. McIlroy confirmed his appearance Down Under after finishing in a share of eighth place in the defence of his PGA Championship title at Oak Hill. The Australian Open* will be staged at the Royal Sydney course from November 28 to December 1.* "It is pretty much locked in place I will be playing the Australian Open in Sydney," he said. "It's been a couple of years since I last competed in an Australian Open. I competed in 2006 when I was still an amateur and then a year later after just turning pro. "Both were in Sydney and I've always enjoyed myself in Sydney so I am very much looking forward to returning to Royal Sydney." On his last Australian Open appearance in 2007 McIlroy finished well down the field in a share of 59th with scores of 74, 74, 76 and 77. McIlroy is no stranger to Sydney as earlier this year his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki contested the APIA International and the pair were photographed atop Sydney Tower. There had been suggestions McIlroy was all set to compete in last year's Australian Open for a reported$1 million appearance fee. However, both Golf Australia and his Dublin-based Horizon Sports manager, Conor Ridge, denied the rumour. McIlroy said he has also accepted an invitation a week later to play in the Tiger Woods hosted World Challenge from December 5-8 at the Sherwood Country Club course in suburban Los Angeles. "It will be a great two weeks to finish up my year so I'm looking forward to competing in both events," he said. Organisers in Australia are really working hard to get the big names out here, we look forward to seeing Rory play later on this year. Dufnering! Jason Dufner claimed the PGA Championship, transforming the 36-year-old cult figure into a major winner. Dufner, who is not prone to displays of emotion, allowed himself a sheepish smile and a hesitant double fist bump following a two-shot victory over Jim Furyk. But he left the real celebrations to the galleries packed around Oak Hill Country Club's 18th green that watched him clinch the season's final major two days after he shot a 63, matching the lowest round in any major. Until Dufner planted a shy kiss on the shiny Wanamaker trophy in the fading sunlight, he was best known as a social media sensation - the inspiration behind the 'Dufnering' craze which went viral. Despite being a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, it was not until last April when golf fans began to take notice of Dufner when he was photographed apparently nodding off as he lay with his back to a wall, arms by his sides and legs stretched out in front of him while visiting grade schoolers to help promote a tournament in Dallas. Since then, multiple versions of 'Dufnering' have been posted by golfers, golf fans and the general public on social media. "Got some notoriety for maybe something that was probably trying to hurt me a little bit and ran with it and it helped me a lot," said Dufner. "I got a lot of fans because of it and people identified me through it and that was good." "I come across as a pretty cool customer I guess, but there are definitely some nerves out there, especially when you're trying to win a major championship." What's in the bag Name: Matteo Manassero Age: 20 Professional Wins: 4 Clubs: Titleist Driver: 913D2 Fairway Wood: 913F Wedge: Vokey Design SM4 Putter: Scotty Cameron GoLo Matteo Manassero won the BMW PGA Championship in England earlier this year, becoming the youngest champion of that event as a 20-year-old. Manassero has aspirations beyond winning individual tournaments. He has only won $50,000 on the PGA Tour this year, but it is clear he has the ability to compete consistently. Hear no Evil! AN old man was about to tee off on the golf course when he felt a tap on his shoulder. A young man handed him a card that read: I am mute. I am not able to speak. May I play through, please? The old man angrily pulled out his pen and wrote on the card. No, you may not play through and your handicap does not give you such a right. The old man gave the card back to the young man and prepared to tee off. After he whacked the ball on to the green up ahead, he marched off to finish the hole. Just as the old man was about to putt the ball into the hole, he was hit on the head with a golf ball, laying him out cold. When he came to a few minutes later, he looked around and saw the young man sternly looking at him,holding up four fingers. We just had to share this one with you. 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: How well am I Playing? There is one sure-fire way to find out how well you are swinging the golf club, pay attention to your divots. From the image opposite your divot(s) should look like the picture on the right, nice and square to the target line with a nice even slice taken out of the ground. The picture on the left represents a poor swing, get into the habit of checking your divots as they are great indicators to how well you are playing. Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders

The Duffmeister...

Hello Golfers, Congratulations to Jason Dufner on winning the 2013 USPGA Championship at the Oak Hill Country Club, his maiden major victory. He had to fight off one the most fierce competitors in the game, his fellow countryman Jim Furyk. Masters champion Adam Scott finished as the highest Australian, five shots behind Dufner in a tie for fifth after he shot a 70 containing five birdies and five bogeys. It has been a great year for Adam and we get to see him play in Australia later this year. Back in Vietnam The Asian Tour recently announced that Vietnam would again host a tournament in September this year with a $500,000 prize fund. The event and the country's top golfer expect it to boost Southeast Asia's hopes of competing when golf makes its *Olympic return in 2016.* Announcing details of the September 19-22 event, Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han hoped the Vietnam Masters would inspire many more golfers to follow in the footsteps of Michael Tran, the only Vietnamese player on the Tour. "The Asian Tour is celebrating our 10th season in 2013 and in our vision for the next 10 years, we hope to be well represented by players and host nations from all the major markets from across Asia, including Vietnam," Han said in a statement. The event will be played at the Sky Lake Resort and Golf Club, around 40 kilometres from Hanoi. With golf set for its Olympic return in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Tran felt the timing was perfect. Imagine a whole new generation of Vietnamese golfers out there on tour competing against the world's best. They need tournaments like this one to inspire new blood to take up the game. "The Vietnam Masters will provide the impetus for Asian and Vietnamese golfers to raise the level of their games and improve their positions on the Official World Golf Rankings, which will be used to determine the field for the Olympics," said the golfer still looking for his first win on the tour. Last week, the Asian Tour confirmed the $1.3 million Hong Kong Open, co-sanctioned by European Tour, would take place from Dec 5 at 8 at the Hong Kong Golf Club. Golf Traders 800+ Items on eBay Just a quick message to announce that the staff at Golf Traders HQ have been very busy behind the scenes lately, listing more quality new and used equipment onto our eBay store. We now have over 800 items listed on our eBay store. What's in the bag Name: Ken Duke Age: 44 Professional Wins: 5 Clubs: Taylor Made Driver: RBZ Stage 2 Fairway Wood: RBZ Stage 2 Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 On June 23, 2013, in his 187th start and after three runner-up finishes in his career, Duke broke through to win his maiden event on the PGA Tour at the Travelers Championship. He beat Chris Stroud with a birdie on the second extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. When Duke was younger he was diagnosed with scoliosis and wore a back brace 23 hours a day. He had surgery two years later and had a 16-inch metal rod attached to his spine that still remains! Photo: Luke Birch. Hooked on golf Story by John Anderson: If any golfer knows her way around a golf course, it is Mildura’s Mabel Crouch. In her 39 years of playing the game, she has travelled to more than 170 different golf courses around Australia. Mabel started playing golf when she was 30 and was instantly challenged by the game she has come to love. “If you have a good round of golf, you think the course is beautiful; if you have a bad round, you think it’s lousy,” the 69-year-old quipped. “It’s hard to say really, you could go back the next day and have a good round." “I was working full-time and still couldn’t afford to buy golf clubs, join up and play – everything was so expensive back in the days when I started playing.­" “I nursed for 37 years and when I semi-retired, I had the time and resources to learn to play golf.” Mabel’s fascinating golf journey started in her home city of Adelaide in 1974 when she was invited to play a social round at Westward Ho Golf Club at Glenelg with four of her friends. “After six months of casual weekend golf, we all joined the club and played in the C-grade championship,” “I was happy with my game and decided to keep doing what I was doing without bothering about taking lessons.“We started travelling around South Australia for the next 10 years playing competition golf on over 40 different golf courses. “I returned to a lot of them over that period and to this day I travel back to South Australia as one of my many Australian destinations.” “I’ve been lucky enough to score a hole-in-one on three occasions, on three different golf courses,” she said. “I like seeing the country, so distance is no problem and I enjoy driving and meeting other people on and off the golf courses.” Good on ya Mabel. 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: Get a Grip A customer of mine came in the other week and complained that his game was not quite right, more than anything he was not happy with his clubs. I picked one up and almost dropped it cold, the grips were as hard as nails and you could see your own reflection on them, as they were so shiny. Long story short, we changed his grips (Avon Pro D2 - almost identical to Golf pride's multi-compound and almost half the price at $10 fitted per club). He came back the following week and said that he felt as though he had new clubs again and for a relatively small fee he was back enjoying the his golf. (Don't leave it too long to change your grips). Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders

Warmest July on Record...

Hello Golfers, It's official, Eastern Australia experienced it's warmest July on record, according to the experts. Some of the numbers are unbelievable. Sydney in July is normally 12.2 degrees at any given moment (calculating average day and night temperatures together). Last month it was 14.6, 2.4 degrees above the norm. Melbourne is usually 9.8 in July, last month it was 12.2, and it continues for all the other major capitals along the eastern edges. What does this mean for golfers? Well it means we are able to play pretty much all year round. No Joke Aussie champion golfer and good bloke Steve Elkington has become the latest Australian sports figure to be at the centre of a racism row for alleged offensive Twitter messages. The 1995 US PGA champion was referring to a situation involving two tournament caddies and some local residents whilst competing at the Senior British Open at the Royal Birkdale course in Southport, a coastal town near Liverpool in north-west England. “Couple caddies got rolled by some Pakkis (Pakistanis), bad night for them”, Elkington posted. This followed a Twitter post on Friday in which Elkington said: “Things about Southport - fat tattooed guy, fat tattooed girl, trash, Pakistani robber guy, shit food.” Steve said he had no idea 'Pakki', more commonly spelt as 'Paki' and long regarded in Britain as a highly offensive term, was an objectionable word. “In my tweet I was referring to an unfortunate incident involving a caddie earlier in the week. Being Australian, I was unaware that my use of language in relation to the Pakistani people would cause offence, but having been made aware I now deeply regret the use of that terminology." “Southport is a beautiful place and I have enjoyed playing at Royal Birkdale, as my positive content on Twitter has shown. My comments were born out of frustration over what had happened to a colleague.” Racism has long been a thorny topic in golf, with clubs such as Augusta National, the home of the US Masters, once having a policy of banning non-whites from becoming members. And further to that we can track back to Fuzzy Zoellers comment made at the 1997 Masters, Fuzzy found himself having to apologise for remarks he made about Tiger Woods ordering fried chicken for the champions' dinner. Sort it out boys! One to Watch Branden Grace (25) South African golfer Grace had already announced his presence when he shot an even-par 288 at the Masters this year and that allowed him to tie for 18th in the first major championship of the year. It also earned him $116,000. Grace is capable of some very low scores, including a 69 in the final round at this years Scottish Open, where he lost out to the one and only Phil Mickelson, watch out for him on your screens. What's in the bag Name: Ángel Cabrera Age: 43 Professional Wins: 50 Clubs: Ping Driver: G25 Irons: i20 Wedge: Tour SS When Cabrera was 10, he became a caddy at the Córdoba Country Club, which he says almost became his home. He learned golf playing against other caddies for money. With his stocky figure and habit of smoking at every hole, Cabrera cut a distinctive figure on the course. He is also acknowledged as having one of the biggest swings in the game. Golfing Facts We have compiled some fun and interesting facts about our great game, some facts really took us by surprise, whilst others we smugly knew about! Golf was invented in Scotland over 500 years ago, however the Chinese claim to have developed a similar game as far back as 943 A.D. Golf was banned by the Scots Parliament of James II. Golf was prohibited on Sundays because it interfered with military training for the wars against the English. Golf-great Billy Casper turned pro in 1954 during the Korean War. While serving in the Navy, Casper was assigned to a special athletic unit in the San Diego area. This allowed him to keep his golf game sharp. Golf is the only sport played on the moon. On February 6, 1971, Alan Shepard hit two golf balls while on the lunar surface. Five-time World Long Drive Champion Jason Zuback (Canada) can drive a golf ball an incredible 468 yards. He also holds the record for the fastest ever golf drive at 204 miles per hour. Up until the mid 19th century, golf balls were typically made of feathers that were boiled and then stuffed into a leather pouch, which was subsequently sewn up into a ball shape. The first golf balls used in the 16th century are believed to have been made of wood. Not all golf balls have the same number of dimples. Golf balls have anywhere from 330 to 500 dimples depending on which company designs the ball. The ideal ball will usually have between 380 and 432 dimples. Americans spend $600 million on golf balls every year. Apparently many Japanese golfers carry “hole-in-one” insurance. In Japan if you hit a hole-in-one it is customary to share your good luck by throwing a party complete with gifts for all your friends. And my favourite fun fact, the word caddy comes from the French word for student, cadet, which is pronounced cad-DAY. 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: Read the Signs Every golf course you play will almost without doubt have distances marked out on the fairway, tee boxes or sprinkler heads. Pay attention to these distances, as they are usually correct. Clubs spend time and money getting these facts correct for you, all the hard work has been done, so take advantage of this and read the markers. Knowing the exact distance is one of the key fundamentals of good golf shot. Happy golfing David Fearns (PGA) Golf Traders