THE LOST ART OF PLAYING GOLF: PART III
Are you focussing on form at the expense of function?
Gary Nicol and Karl Morris explore which component creates the other, the swing or the shot?
We are led to believe that if we make a good swing, we’ll hit a good shot. Sound familiar? The golf coaching industry and the culture it has created has led us all down that path for decades, largely without foundation or success.
Our belief is this concept is fundamentally flawed.
Over the years we have seen far too many extremely talented players lose their way and ultimately their game as a direct result of their pursuit of the perfect swing, whatever that looks like.
Rather than asking “what is wrong with my golf swing?” would it not make more sense to ask “what is wrong with my shots?”
Trying to figure out what is wrong with your swing will have you questioning 101 di erent ‘moves’ and there will be no shortage of opinions on what you are doing wrong, most of which will be clichés at best and simply incorrect at worst.
By contrast, if you reflect on what happened with your shot, you will come up with facts, not opinions. If your tee shot finished in the left rough, or your approach shot finished short and right of the green, these are facts and not opinions.
The journeys from the left rough back to the fairway or the front right bunker to the green are a whole lot shorter and easier to correct and improve upon than the eternal, fruitless search for technical perfection. The golf course demands you create shots, not make pretty golf swings.
Our desire is to help you find your way of playing better golf and having more fun, rather than the other way. Think about some of the most exciting and entertaining players over the years. Seve, of course, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and the King, Arnold Palmer, to name but a few. All great to watch. All artists who had us on the edge of our seats at one time or another. All golfers who found their way of playing this great game.
Palmer famously said: “Swing your swing. Not some idea of a swing. Not a swing you saw on TV. Not that swing you wish you had. No, swing your swing. Capable of greatness. Prized only by you. Perfect in its imperfection. Swing your swing. I know I did.”
When you think about it logically, it seems unrealistic and almost nonsensical to expect the same swing to produce two very di erent shots. Yet when you go for a golf lesson or go to the range you will almost always do so in order to work on your swing. Would it not make more sense to work on creating shots rather than trying to create or recreate a consistent swing?
If you visit the driving range at any professional Tour event around the world, pay attention to the ball flight of the shots they hit. You will see the players hitting fairly similar shots, whether they be soft fades, gentle draws, or straight bullets.
Now take a look at the swings that create these shots. The shots may be similar but the swings or styles that create them are very, very di erent. The players’ focused attention is very much on what the ball has to do to reach its intended target.
Think about all other ball sports. Tennis, football, soccer, rugby, squash, cricket – the list goes on. Where would your attention be, playing any of these sports? Correct, the ball. So why would golf be any di erent?
Neglect the ball, and its importance, at your peril.
SWING YOUR SWING. NOT SOME IDEA OF A SWING. NOT A SWING YOU SAW ON TV. NOT THAT SWING YOU WISH YOU HAD. NO, SWING YOUR SWING. – ARNOLD PALMER
EMBRACE YOUR INNER MAVRIK
Callaway has embraced the maverick spirit with its new range of clubs. The MAVRIK family of drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons designed to push performance through a rebellious and disruptive attitude.
Further expanding on the company’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning through the employment of a supercomputer that debuted in last year’s Epic Flash drivers, the entire range is powered by AI.
Marking the first time AI has been used by Callaway to create the faces of its fairways, hybrids and irons, the technology has also been refined in the Flash Face SS20 made from the stronger FS2S titanium of the MAVRIK, MAVRIK Sub Zero and MAVRIK MAX drivers, delivering what the company calls “the finest combination of distance, forgiveness, consistency and feel we’ve ever built in a driver”.
Also featuring proven ‘Jailbreak’ and a ‘T2C Triaxial Carbon Crown’ technologies, a new and more powerful computer worked for weeks through thousands of face iterations before creating the new driver face architecture that is thinner and features a more expansive area delivering increased ball speeds. RRP: $829.99 (driver); $499.99 (fairway); $419.99 (hybrid); $179.99 per iron (steel); $199.99 per iron (graphite & pro Steel). Contact: For more information on the entire MAVRIK line, visit www.callawaygolf.com.au or phone 1800 217 777.
PUTTING ON TRACK
Not satisfified satisfied as the No.1 putter in golf, Odyssey has drawn inspiration from Callaway golf balls for its latest line of putters, Odyssey Triple Track.
The new range utilises the popular ‘Triple Track Technology’ from the ERC Soft and Chrome Soft golf ball models to assist with alignment. The three coloured lines on the top of each putter utilising ‘Vernier Hyper Acuity’, a technology that is used to land planes on aircraft carriers and has been adopted by some of the best players in the game, including Phil Mickelson.
Beyond the addition of the Triple Track alignment, the models also feature Odyssey’s ‘Stroke Lab’ shafts combining graphite and steel for improved tempo and consistency that have already claimed major victory, as well as a ‘Microhinge Star Insert’ that provides a fifirmer firmer feel and improved forward roll. RRP: $399.99. Contact: To see the entire Odyssey putter range, go to www.callawaygolf.com.au or call 1800 217 777.
CHROME SOFT REIMAGINED
The already popular Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X golf balls have been completely redesigned for 2020. The new versions of Callaway’s Tour ball set to deliver increased distance throughout the bag partnered with incredible spin.
Chrome Soft’s newly designed graphene-infused ‘Dual SoftFast Core’ features a significantly larger inner core that delivers higher launch and lower spin, while a new Ionomer material used in the mantle layer creates more efficient energy transfer for consistent ball speeds and a penetrating ball flight.
A new thinner urethane cover provides improved feel, lower spin in the longer clubs and increased control around the greens, while also being extremely durable.
The new standard Chrome Soft labelled the “most advanced, longest Tour ball” in company history, with the X version incorporating a new ‘Dual Mantle System’ featuring a ‘Soft Inner Mantle’ and a highly resilient ‘Firm Outer Mantle’ for increased total distance. RRP: $74.99 (dozen). Contact: To learn more about the new Chrome Soft range of golf balls, visit www.callawaygolf.com.au or phone 1800 217 777.
SHAPE SHIFTING
TaylorMade Golf has employed new shaping and unconventional geometry in its SIM Metalwoods to achieve increased speed and forgiveness, without sacrificing other key performance characteristics.
Including three driver and fairway wood models complemented by a rescue, the SIM range is named for shape in motion and has already found its way into the bag of Dustin Johnson.
Highlighting the launch are the SIM, SIM Max and Sim Max•D drivers, that buck the trend of engineers prioritising one area of performance at the expense of others.
“The history of driver design has been about prioritising trade-offs ... But through the use of multi-material technology, we’ve developed a new shape that optimizes performance in all three areas. It’s forgiving, fast and promotes the ideal launch conditions,” TaylorMade Senior Director of Product Creation Tomo Bystedt said.
The new shape includes a raised crown and sole, that reduce drag and optimise aerodynamics particularly in the final stages of the downswing when maximum power is generated, and an ‘Inertia Generator’ that offsets the raising of the centre of gravity (CG) caused by this new design to maintain forgiveness and optimal ball flflight flight characteristics.
Engineered for varied control and forgiveness, the three driver models will suit a wide variety of players and also feature a ‘Speed Injected Twist Face’, while the matching fairway woods and hybrids bring back the company’s popular ‘V Steel’ sole technology for improved turf interaction. RRP: $899 (SIM driver); $829 (SIM Max and SIM Max•D drivers); $659 (SIM fairway); $489 (SIM Max and SIM Max•D fairways); $389 (SIM Max rescues). Contact: For more detail on the new SIM Metalwoods, go to www.taylormadegolf.com.au
TRAVEL IN STYLE
First seen at the 2019 Hero World Challenge with a second release debuted by Rickie Fowler at the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, Puma has unveiled a new ‘Game that travels’ collection.
The range, with three more releases set for 2020 around major tournaments and significant events, is inspired by the exotic and picturesque locations the company’s ambassadors Fowler, Gary Woodland and Bryson DeChambeau visit to play golf.
Designed to combine the performance requirements of playing the game at the highest level with style, the most recent launch channelled the laid back, tropical vibes of Hawaii, including Fowler’s Pineapple print shirt and shorts worn during the pro-am. Contact: To find your nearest stockists, visit au.puma.com or phone 1800 053 164
IRON OUT MORE SPEED
Part of Cobra’s latest release, the company’s KING SPEEDZONE irons, offered in both progressive and one length, focus on five specific zones for improvements and feature a first for the company.
Like the woods of the same name, the two new iron models take their lead from the world of race cars to produce a blend of distance, consistency and forgiveness.
Part of what the company calls the “Light Zone”, two strips of carbon fibre have replaced the steel on the topline and underneath for the first time, the design saving weight that is then redistributed low in the heads of the 4-iron to 7-iron for improved ball flight and distance performance.
Further refinements to the Stability, Power, Feel and Spin zones utilising both existing and new technologies enhance distance, forgiveness and control, while each club is fitted with an electronically enabled grip featuring ‘COBRA CONNECT Powered by Arccos’. RRP: $199 per iron (steel). Contact: For more information, visit www.cobragolf.com.au or call 1800 053 164