Today's Golfer Issue 343

TODAY’S GOLFER FEBRUARY 2016 (DECEMBER 29-JANUARY 20) 343
GREG NORMAN BITES BACK
WWW.TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK
124 WAYS TO
SAVE SHOTS!
Any one of them could change YOUR game in 2016
’The one
best tip I
ever had’
Tiger, Rory, Jordan
and 43 more stars
share theirs
We’ll kill
slow play!
Inside the R&A’s
secret task force
Knock your
irons stiff
FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE 343 DECEMBER 29-JANUARY 20 £4.50
RORY’S NEW DRIVER IS HERE
PLUS: New kit from Wilson, Benross, adidas
10 rules
everyone
must know
They’ll get you
out of trouble
Fix your
putting
for good
The new way
to hole more

SHARK

GREG NORMAN
BITES
He may have hung up his clubs, but Greg Norman is
still a giant in the game. We spent a day with him in
the Bahamas, talking about the Tour, technology,
the Olympics, growing golf... He didn’t hold back
WORDS ROB Mc GARR PICTURES ANGUS MURRAY, GETTY IMAGES
reat white sharks are hugely misunderstood. Ever
G since Steven Spielberg’s ’70s classic, they have
been perceived as merciless, bloodthirsty killers.
And while it’s true you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong
side of one, you are statistically more likely to die as a
result of falling out of bed than from a shark attack.
Sharks play a pivotal role in maintaining the oceanic food
chain. Without them, the whole ecosystem would
collapse.
The world’s second most famous great white,
Greg Norman, gets an equally unfair rap.
Search any mean-spirited list of golf’s ‘top
10 chokers’ and you will find Norman at
the top. He is widely regarded as the
greatest golfer to win only two Majors,
having passed up chances to win four or
five times as many. It’s undeniable that
Norman should have finished off some of those
opportunities – he surrendered Sunday leads, shared
or outright, in 12 other Majors – but events conspired
against him.
He was the victim of miracle shots and record-breaking
scores from opponents, suffered gravity-defying lip-outs at
crucial moments, and even lost the first ever four-hole
Open play-off. Norman birdied the first play-off hole at
Royal Troon in 1989, which would have secured the Claret
Jug in any previous year, but just happened to coincide with
the first time the R&A changed the format. “Sometimes,
other players did things to win,” says Norman, now 60 and
retired from competitive golf. “Other times, I screwed up.
But that’s golf. These things happen.”
All too often forgotten is Norman’s ‘go-for-broke’
mentality, which made him a spectator’s dream but a
caddie’s nightmare. Greg was never shy to roll the dice with
everything on the line. He was a breath of fresh, Australian
air in a sport where we’re taught to ‘play the percentages’.
Shortly after, winning his first tournament as a pro,
Norman found himself leading another with just a few holes
to go. He dumped four balls in a row into the water, trying to
carry a lake to a green 220 yards away. His caddie told him
the next ball was their last, and firmly suggested he lay up.
“I said, ‘I can carry this son of a bitch,’” says Norman. And
he did. Norman maintained that outlook through his entire
career, and it still drives him today, with a business empire
posting revenues of over £200 million a year.
As you’d expect, Norman didn’t win the tournament in
which he had his Tin Cup moment, but he won 91 others,
including two Open Championships. He spent 331 weeks as
the world’s number one golfer, a mark eclipsed only by
Tiger Woods. No one else has managed 100.
The Shark may have underachieved, but he did it his way:
going for everything and to hell with the consequences. ➔
TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 343 43

MY #
Some of the best golfers ever to pick up a club
62 ISSUE 343 TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK

WORDS KEVIN BROWN PICTURES GETTY IMAGES
1 TIP
reveal the best bit of advice they’ve ever had
TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 343
63

NIKE
Lighter, faster... and
New Vapor drivers
have the tech to
back up the looks...
and have already
won big on tour
ike’s new Vapor Fly and Fly Pro
N drivers have been born out of
challenges made from their tour
players to improve performance through
equipment. When Rory says he wants to
max out his ball speed, you listen.
You don’t need to be Sherlock to spot
both heads are painted what Nike call
“photo blue” with a “volt” swoosh. But
Nike insist the changes run much deeper
than just the colour, and that’s backed up
by the fact that Rory, Charl Schwartzel and
Paul Casey have all put one in the bag.
So what’s new? Both 460cc Fly and
460cc Pro models benefit from a 30%
lighter crown. This weight saving has
allowed engineers to create internal fins
which strengthen the clubhead, directing
more energy into the ball.
These fins are positioned low and deep
True blue
The colour is
described as
“photo blue”. It’s
bright, but we think
it looks good behind
the ball.
Power-packed
A redesigned
compression
channel behind the
face works with
a stiffer frame to
boost ball speed.
More rigid
Nike drivers have
had a cavity back
design since 2013,
but this one has
internal fins to
make it stiffer.
76 ISSUE 343 TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK

New
Gear
bluer
so a side effect of their location lowers the
centre of gravity, increasing forgiveness.
Nike has also paid close attention to
how the face and compression channel
work together at impact. Tuning the
channel allows the face to compress and
rebound more efficiently, meaning this and
the extra body stiffness deliver more
power to the ball at impact.
The Fly Pro, which Rory used to win the
Dubai World Championship, has a
new head shape which Nike says is
more tour accepted and its deeper face
means less spin and added ball speed
for the stronger hitter.
● Details: Expect to see both drivers in
shops from February with prices from
£249-£299. Watch our exclusive first hit
videos at www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/nikevapor
Which one?
The Fly version
(left) has a more
forgiving head
shape than the Pro
version (far left).
Nike flexes
its muscle
Titanium changed the way drivers
were made, because it was lighter
and stronger than the steel it
replaced. Now Nike believes its RZN
material makes a similar leap
forward for driver design.
It is a blended thermo plastic
that’s lighter than titanium, yet just
as strong – and Nike has made 60%
of the new Vapor Flex 440 out of the
stuff. That’s 40% more RZN than the
current model. Engineers have also
made the face nearly 3mm deeper
and stretched the head by over
4mm by using the RZN material.
A Flex Flight Pod in the sole can
be flipped over to increase or reduce
spin (by about 300rpm), launch and
forgiveness.
● Details: Available March, with a
£379 price tag and a limited edition
Diamana Blue Board shaft which
boasts lightweight kevlar under the
grip to increase stability.
TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 343 77

Lamkin UTx £8 per grip I www.lamkin.co.uk I Three colour options.
14
NEW GRIPS
THAT WILL
HELP YOUR
GAME
Lamkin Wrap-Tech £5 per grip I www.lamkin.co.uk I Three colour options.
Winn DriTac Standard £10 per grip I www.winngrips.com I Three colour options.
Iomic Sticky 2.3 £12 per grip I www.iomicgrips.co.uk I Nine colour options.
Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 £9.99 per grip I www.golfpride.com I Three colour options.
Golf Pride CP2 Pro £6 per grip I www.golfpride.com I One colour.
Super Stroke TX1 £14.99 per grip I www.brandfusion.co.uk I Five colour options.
Gripping
There's never been more choice – or technology– when it comes to
96

G-Rip A-Tac £6 per grip I www.lamkin.co.uk I Six colour options.
Golf Pride CP2 Wrap £6 per grip I www.golfpride.com I One colour.
Iguana Golf Hex Tex Elastomer £7.49 per grip I www.iguana-golf.com I Eight colours.
Winn Dri-Tac Wrap Standard £9.95 per grip I www.winngrips.com I One colour.
Winn DuraTech £12.99 per grip I www.winngrips.com I Three colour options.
New
Gear
Lamkin UTx Wrap £8 per grip I www.lamkin.co.uk I Three colour options.
Iomic Sticky Opus 2.3 £11.95 per grip I www.iomicgrips.co.uk I Seven colour options.
stuff
keeping a firm hold on your clubs
ew grips can save you three or
N
four shots a round. Fact. And if
your current grips are particularly
old and worn, you’d save even more. Pros
recommend you should regrip your set at
least once a year. Heat, dirt and oils erode
the traction of your grips every time you
play, causing your hands to slip or your
grip to tighten. New grips will make an old
set of clubs feel brand new, too, boosting
your confidence as you stand over the ball.
We’ve selected 14 new-for-2016 grips that
are well worth a look.
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