Hello Golfers
I hope you had a good week and managed to get some golf time into your schedule. There seems to be plenty of news happening in golfing circles recently, especially from China where they seem to be amassing a new generation of elite golfers, who are capable of winning tournaments before they can buy their first beer.
It is truly amazing that a twelve year (Ye Wocheng) old boy has competed in a full European Tour event, when I was 12 I was still out on the course looking for golf balls!!
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Changing TIMES2013 British Open, Muirfield
For the first time this year, spectators will see LED scoreboards on four holes on the back nine at the Muirfield, near Edinburgh. Enhanced wifi will also be available in grandstands to allow fans to follow the tournament on smartphones.
Organisers are also vowing to clamp down on slow play, they will keep a lid on prize money and on a broader issue the introduction of blood testing to golf's doping programme is not being ruled out.
While the use of mobile phones will be carefully controlled the devices are by no means out of bounds at this year's Open. "Our championship committee is very engaged in trying to enhance the spectator experience," said R&A chief executive Peter Dawson.
“We are trying to give fans access to what's going on all around the golf course. If we can get to that then I think golf spectating will take a huge leap forward”
Peter Dawson R&A Chief Executive
"We hear many people say golf is easier to watch on television, but you don't get the atmosphere quite as much as if you are present. When you come to the event, in general, you can only watch what is in front of you".
"We are trying to give fans access to what's going on all around the golf course. If we can get to that then I think golf spectating will take a huge leap forward."
LED scoreboards are common at big PGA Tour events providing additional information in addition to the state of play. Statistical analysis is provided on passing groups and Dawson believes this development will ultimately allow for video footage from other parts of the course.
It will be carefully controlled by monitors out on the course to try to ensure players are not disturbed by reaction to developments elsewhere. The added wifi capability should allow fans to use smartphone technology in grandstands.
The new LED scoreboards will be used on the 7th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes but won't replace the traditional yellow scoreboards that overlook the closing green.
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What's in the bag
May 2012
Name: Peter Hanson Age: 35 Professional Wins: 13 Clubs: Taylor Made
Fairway Wood: SuperFast 2.0
Hybrid: Taylor Made Rescue 2011 Putter: TaylorMade Ghost
Peter Hanson is a Swedish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour and PGA Tour.
He turned professional in 1998 and has played on the Challenge Tour and the European Tour. His professional wins include the 1998 Gunther Hamburg Classics on the Challenge Tour and the 2005 Open de España on the European Tour. He has since won four more titles on the European Tour.
He was a member of the Continental Europe team at the 2005 and 2007 Seve Trophy. He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking and has consistently finished in the top twenty of the European Tour Order of Merit since 2007. His best position on the Order of Merit occurred in 2012 when he placed 4th.
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DA (Name of the game) Points
Probably one of the most unusual names in golf or any sport really. We featured DA Points this week because we love the name, because it speaks volumes about his character.
Points played on the Buy.com (later Nationwide) Tour from 2001 to 2004 and won three events: the 2001 BUY.COM Inland Empire Open, the 2004 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic and the 2004 Pete Dye West Virginia Classic. He earned his PGA Tour card by finishing second on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2004. He played on the PGA Tour in 2005 and 2006, but dropped back to the Nationwide Tour for 2007 and 2008.
Points had his first successful year on the PGA Tour in 2009. He recorded four top-10 finishes, including a third place finish at the HP Byron Nelson Championship en route to a 66th place finish on the money list.
In February 2011, Points won his first PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He finished two strokes ahead of American Hunter Mahan, aided by a brilliant approach shot on the par-five 14th, which he holed for an eagle. He also won the pro-am portion with amateur partner Bill Murray. The victory helped him finish 37th on the money list, his best career finish to date. Points led the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship by one stroke over Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler going into the final hole of the tournament. He bogeyed the hole and they went to a sudden death playoff. Fowler won the playoff on the first extra hole with a birdie.
He won his second title on the PGA Tour in 2013 at the Shell Houston Open, sinking a 13-foot (4 m) putt on the 72nd hole to save par and win by a stroke.
Points has been featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
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Sports CONNECT
Sports CONNECT, an initiative to help ensure the game is inclusive of people with a disability. CONNECT stands for Creating Opportunities Nationally through Networks in Education, Classification and Training and the scheme is governed by the Australian Sports Commission in partnership with various national sporting organisations.
Golf Australia is dedicated to making the game, in its many forms, accessible to everyone across the country. This can be achieved by creating an environment for participation which is inclusive of anyone wishing to experience golf, including people with a disability.
Golf Australia plans to work closely with State Golf Associations throughout the country to implement the initiative. The Golf Australia Disability Action Plan includes activities such as coach and administrator training, policy development, research, and resource production with the aim of creating an inclusive environment for all people to participate in.
These guys do a great job and we fully support them in their tireless work for bringing the game to everybody to enjoy.
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Boys against men
Ye Wocheng a Twelve-year-old amateur has become the youngest player ever to compete in a European Tour event, shooting a 7-over 79 on Thursday and Friday of the China Open. Unfortunately he missed the cut.
Ye, who set the European Tour mark for youngest player at 12 years, 242 days, is following in the footsteps of Guan Tianlang, who made history last month when he became the youngest to compete in the Masters at 14. Guan made the cut at the Masters despite a one-stroke penalty for slow play in the second round.
The Dongguan schoolboy was 287 days younger than compatriot Guan Tian-lang, who was 13 years, 177 days when he competed in last year's China Open.
Ye was merely the latest young Chinese talent making his way to the world stage at Binhai Lake club, 130 kilometres (65 miles) south east of Beijing.
Also in the field were Andy Zhang, 14, who was the youngest ever to play in the United States Open last year, Bai Zheng-kai, 15, last year's winner of the China Junior Matchplay Championship, Dou Ze-cheng, 16, and Jim Liu, the youngest ever winner of the US Junior Amateur in 2010 at 14.
Ye qualified for the China Open with his father on the bag, fighting back from a late double bogey to secure the last of four qualifying places.
"Ye's ability to listen and respond is way above the norm," said his coach, Englishman David Watson.
"At the moment, I don't believe that Ye has too many rivals of the same age. He often wins in higher age groups, but at the same time, I know it is dangerous to speculate and we must realize he is just a 12-year-old boy."
Watson was the former amateur coach to Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Justin Rose, and works with the Chinese youth golf program.
Despite his age, Ye has already enjoyed impressive international victories, including success in the 2010 and 2011 US Kids World Championship. Last year, he was runner-up, and proudly boasts the tournament record of 12-under par, lowering the previous record by Tiger Woods. This year, Ye captured the Guangdong Junior Championship by a record 18 strokes.
Unbelievable!
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Hot Picks |
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Old clubs?We'll buy them from you...
Golf Traders and The Custom Golf Shop have joined forces to offer customers another fantastic service.
With the golf season in full swing and Christmas just passed, we all have clubs that are being made redundant every day. 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 need.
View all of our stock here or come in store and have a shot on our Triple Surround Simulator to try before you buy!
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PRO TIP:Practice Perfect
Play the golf course more than you practice on the driving range
Practice makes perfect? Or does perfect practice make perfect! If you do not like going to the driving range then, play more golf. You can and will have so much more opportunity to improve your game and learn so much more on the golf course.
On the practice range you rarely get a sidehill lie or a downhill lie or an uphill lie or a ball buried in the rough or have to hit a low shot under the trees. Plus the practice range is so wide open, there is nothing there to guide you. On the golf course there are fairways that are lined with trees to guide you and most fairways offer a variety of lies to challenge you.
Because you're actually playing the golf course, it is much easier to apply all of the necessary skills. You have the opportunity to sharpen your visualization skills. You can and will manage your game better. And let us not forget the incredible opportunity we have to let our competitive nature get a taste of the action!!
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David Fearns (PGA)
Golf Traders |
