by Josh Cassap, Golf Manager

Over the next few posts I will be sharing some golf drills (that helped me) for your short game that will help lower your handicap and make your mates jealous!

Try these drills (used by Tour players) to start honing your short game and making more up and downs in 2016.

1. One club, two distances

In order to become a golf genius from 90 metres and in (the scoring zone), you need to develop your feel.

A great way to practice feel is to hit the same golf club several distances (you can try this with your long game too). With this drill the aim is to make it instinctive how far the pin is away from you (from within 90 metres), something you’ll need to do to get to low single figures.

1. Start at 110 meters and hit one ball to the target
2. Move to 100 and use the same club to hit to that same target
3. Move to 90 and change to whatever club you hit from this distance
4. Move to 80 and hit the same club as you did from 90
5. Move to 70 and hit whatever club you would from this distance
6. Finish by hitting your 70 metre club from the 60 metre position.

So, you’ll have played from 6 distances and used your 3 wedges twice each, to 2 different distances.

Some players choke down on the club and change their ball position for distance control, and others use swing length and tempo. Experiment with both and see what works for you. You can also repeat this golf drill and create more distances by using 3-metre increments.

Coming up next: Part 2 (Real Short Game Practice)

 

by Josh Cassap, Golf Manager

WHERE

Huntingdale Golf Club, Melbourne — Par 71.

The Australian Masters returns to Huntingdale for the first time since 2008, with a fresh layout and a refurbished clubhouse after $15 million in renovations.

It’s not a very long golf course but the greens will be lightning quick, which will make it tough for players who don’t strategically put their ball in the right spots.

WHEN

Thursday 19 — Sunday 22 November 2015

PRIZE MONEY

A$750,000

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR

Nick Cullen was the surprise victor of the Australian Masters in 2014. He held his nerve and made a sand save par on the last to stay at nine-under and seal the win. Unfortunately due to schedule issues Cullen is unable to defend his title at Huntingdale this weekend. Instead he continues his quest to earn a European Tour card in six qualifying school events.

TOP CONTENDERS THIS YEAR

ADAM SCOTT

Scott won the event in 2012 and 2013 but missed out on back-to-back-to-back yellow jackets by a single stroke last year, as Nick Cullen took the spoils. But this year Scott is the face of the tournament in Cullen’s absence and he’s also the hot favourite to take it out.

No doubt the only thing that will stand in the way of an Adam Scott victory will be how he adapts to the slick Huntingdale Golf Club greens and using the short putter.

STEVEN BOWDITCH

The Queenslander was among the contenders last year, taking the clubhouse lead after day one before falling to 17th place. This year at Huntingdale, Bowditch is flaunting a fitter version of himself. Having lost 16 kilograms, he’s now in the best shape of his professional golfing career and it’s paying dividends.

NICOLAS COLSAERTS

A member of the Ryder Cup European team that beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in the thrilling ‘Miracle at Medinah’, Colsaerts is a big-time player, and a major addition to the Australian Masters line-up. He’s finished in the top 10 in majors (US Open, British Open) and won events on the European tour. His experience will serve him well on Australian soil where he is set to stay to contest the Open too.

JOHN SENDEN

A familiar face when the triple-crown rolls around, expect to see Senden in the mix at the Australian Masters on Sunday, as he has in years past. A two-time winner on the PGA Tour and winner of the Australian Open (2006), you can count on Senden thrilling home crowds during the summer of golf. Despite a hectic schedule in the last few months, the Queenslander should be ready to go, alongside new bag-carrier and Karrie Webb’s ex-caddie, Mike Patterson.

CAMERON SMITH

He’s only been a professional for two years, but Smith is an exciting emerging talent worth keeping an eye on. A huge year saw him finish fourth at the US Open and 25th at the PGA Championship, securing him a berth at the US Masters in April, and a chance to play on the tour for the rest of the year. With some good form last year on the Australasian PGA Tour, don’t be surprised if the 22-year-old’s name pops up on the leaderboard at Huntingdale.

by Golf Manager, Josh Cassap

Two-time champion Adam Scott is heading to Huntingdale as the headline act at this year’s Australian Masters.

Scott, who fell short of a three-peat at last year’s event at Metropolitan, has been lured back to the sandbelt through his sponsor, Uniqlo, who will be the Masters major event partner.

Two-time winner on the PGA tour John Senden will also play at Huntingdale with South African great Ernie Els and President’s Cup team member Steven Bowditch for this year’s gold jacket.

The Masters is returning to Huntingdale for the first time since 2008, having toured the sandbelt since leaving its home of nearly 30 years.

Scott won back-to-back Masters in 2012-13 at Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne before finishing second, just a single shot back, from winner Nick Cullen last year.

The tournament returns to Huntingdale, which has undergone a major transformation since the last event there, including the construction of a brand new $15 million clubhouse.

The Huntingdale layout has also had work done to restore it to the glory days which saw Aussie legend Greg Norman win six Masters titles.

A host of former champions including Rod Pampling and Stuart Appleby along with defending champ Nick Cullen are all set to play the Masters, which runs 19-22 November.

Aussie golf fans are in for a treat at this year’s Australian Open, with a huge number of PGA tour pros committing to the event.

Former winners Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden and Greg Chalmers have all committed to their national Open to join the likes of world No. 2 Jordan Spieth, Australia’s US Masters champion Adam Scott, Englishman Lee Westwood and Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke in the field for the November championship.
American Spieth, the hottest player in the world for most of 2015, is defending the title he won at The Australian Golf Club with a magnificent, closing 63 last year.

Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Craig Parry, Peter Senior, Peter Fowler, Peter Lonard will all be teeing it up this year as well as Presidents Cup players Steven Bowditch and Marc Leishman, along with US Tour regular Matt Jones, giving the Open one of the deepest fields in many years.

The 2015 Australian Open, the 100^th staging of the national championship, will be played at The Australian Golf Club from November 26-29.

The Australian Open is a flagship tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The winner will receive a minimum of 32 Official World Golf Ranking points.

JASON DAY WINS DON AWARD

Golf star Jason Day has won The Don award for the most inspiring Australian sporting performance of the past 12 months.

Day overcame a battle with vertigo, even collapsing in the second round of the US Open before finishing in the top 10, and produced one of the greatest seasons in Australian golf history.

He won five times on the US PGA Tour, including a maiden major title in the US PGA Championship at a record 20-under-par and claimed the world number one ranking.

Awesome achievement Jason!

The 11th Presidents Cup begins today in South Korea, as the US team attempts to extend its winning streak to six.

The Americans have dominated this event since its inception in 1994, winning eight of 10 contests and tying the International team in 2003. The only time the Internationals defeated the US was a 20½ to 11½ thrashing in 1998.

This year’s edition features the top two players in the world: Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. They are playing on opposite squads, which could lead to a mouth-watering singles matchup between the two stars.

The two sides for 2015 are:

United States:

Jordan Spieth — Spieth is playing in his second Presidents Cup, after going 2-2 in 2013, he enters as golf’s best player and the favourite in every match he plays.

Bubba Watson — Watson, like Spieth, is playing in just his second Presidents Cup, after going 3-2 in 2011.

Jimmy Walker — The world’s 16th-ranked golfer is making his Presidents Cup debut at 36.

Zach Johnson — This year’s British Open champion is 7-6 in three previous Presidents Cup appearances.

Dustin Johnson — He went 1-3-1 in his lone Presidents Cup appearance in 2011. The Power Hitter could demolish someone in Match Play but his accuracy will be the key.

Patrick Reed — Reed, 25, is making his Presidents Cup debut. He won the Tournament of Champions in January but has failed to display much consistency throughout the season.

Rickie Fowler — Fowler is also making his Presidents Cup debut. He has impressed with three come-from-behind wins this year to climb into the top five in the world rankings.

Matt Kuchar — Kuchar is making his third Presidents Cup appearance and is 4-5-1 record. He has had five top 10s in his last nine starts.

Chris Kirk — Kirk is making his Presidents Cup debut.

Bill Haas — The captain’s son is 3-5-2 in his two previous Presidents Cup appearances. He made the team as a captain’s pick.

Phil Mickelson — Mickelson will be the only player to compete in all 11 Presidents Cup competitions when he tees it up Thursday.

J.B. Holmes — Holmes will make his Presidents Cup debut in relief of Furyk.

 

Internationals:

Jason Day — Day enters his third Presidents Cup among the world’s hottest golfers. He owns a pedestrian 4-4-2 record in the competition, but the world’s second-ranked player has won four of his last seven starts. The week off should have helped rejuvenate him, and the Internationals will need him to dominate if they have any chance of pulling off an upset.

Louis Oosthuizen — The 32-year-old South African has a 1-3-1 record and this is his second Presidents Cup appearance.

Adam Scott — Scott, 35, is coming off one of his most disappointing seasons to date. The Internationals need him to perform like the 2011-14 version of himself. Scott’s 12-15-3 in six Presidents Cup appearances.

Hideki Matsuyama — Matsuyama is making his second Presidents Cup appearance. He went 1-3-1 as a 21-year-old in 2013, but has since become one of the most consistent players on tour.

Branden Grace — Grace went 0-4-0 in his first Presidents Cup appearance, but he’s a more seasoned player this time around.

Marc Leishman — The 29-year-old Aussie is making his second Presidents Cup appearance after going 2-2-0 in 2013.

Anirban Lahiri — Lahiri is the first Indian-born player to compete in the Presidents Cup. The 28-year-old has seven worldwide wins.

Charl Schwartzel — Schwartzel enters his third Presidents Cup appearance with a 5-4-1 record.

Thongchai Jaidee — Jaidee, 45, is the oldest International to make his debut in the Presidents Cup.

Danny Lee — Lee, 25, will make his Presidents Cup debut after finally enjoying breakout season. The former no1 amateur in the world will be a hard match up.

Steven Bowditch — Captains Pick. This is Bowditch’s first Presidents Cup.

Sangmoon Bae — Captains Pick. This is Bae’s first Presidents Cup.

Hello all golf fans!

I am the new manager of the golf department at Sportsmart.

I’ve been involved in golf for the past 15 years, having started my golfing life at age 12 as a member of Long Island Golf Club in Frankston. I quickly became obsessed with the game and, getting better, spent all my free time playing and practicing. This eventually got me a plus figure handicap that I have kept for the past 10 years (and hopefully continue to keep!)

I have worked in many aspects of golf from a Club/Member environment to Greenkeeping and, more recently, at Drummond Golf, which allowed me to specialise in Club fitting and Club repairs as well as gain comprehensive product knowledge.

I am excited to be part of the team at Sportsmart Moorabbin, and am available from Tuesday to Saturday to offer advice on all your golfing requirements.

Golf Manager, Josh Cassap