Today’s Golfer Magazine Issue 293

FREE 64-page 2-Fore!-1 Courses Guide.

This year’s 2-FORE!-1 course guide is completely different to last year’s version, which focused on the scheme’s Top 100 courses – look for this biennial treat next time round. This time, it is jam packed with masses of interesting and fascinating stats, fact, stories and features.

PLAY TG’S FREE FANTASY GOLF GAME!

After the huge success of the summer game last year, the Today’s Golfer Fantasy League, in association with Your Golf Travel, is back in 2012 with a full eight-month schedule that incorporates 33 tournaments on the European Tour and PGA Tour. It’s absolutely FREE to play and there will be more than 90 prizes up for grabs in various competitions throughout the season, including a special stand-alone Ryder Cup game (see information right). It will be the same format as previous TG Fantasy League games, but here’s a reminder of how it works…!

MOT YOUR GAME

The golf swing is a lot like a car. It possesses a collection of complex parts that work together to allow it to function correctly. And just like a car, these parts go wrong all too often! As a result, you need to service these parts to get it working again. The good news is that once you’ve found the fault and fixed it, it could work better than before. Now is the ideal time to take your golf game in for a muchneeded service and use these tips and drills from Gareth Johnston to improve from the tee to the hole…

TG20: JOHNNY HERBERT

The former Formula 1 ace may have claimed three Grand Prix wins and the Le Mans 24-hour title, but could the gritty racer speed off with the TG20?

FIT FOR GOLF?

The latest research proves that golf is good for your health and also highlights how fitness impacts on performance.

How many times have we heard golf isn’t a sport because you don’t need to be very fit or athletic to play it? It’s a myth, but sadly one that still finds favour due to the apparent lack of evidence to dispel it.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH £250?

Golf is an expensive hobby and those of us who play the game often feel constrained when contemplating a purchase. Can we really justify spending the money on a new luxury when we can’t afford to heat the house, our children are under-nourished and we still owe a bookie a considerable sum because we keep backing Westwood to win his first Major? Supposing you were freed of the guilt and were given £250 in crisp notes that you HAD to spend on golf, what would you do with it?

16 YEARS AND COUNTING…

The world number one, five players in the top 20 at the turn of the year, 14 European Tour victories in 2011 and a third of the victorious 2010 Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor; it’s fair to say that English golf is in good health, but there is one glaring omission. Despite the huge success of recent years, the fact remains that Nick Faldo was England’s last Major winner when claiming his third green jacket and sixth Major at the 1996 Masters. A total of 63 tournaments have passed since then, and while Englishmen have come close on a number of occasions no one has quite been able to get over the finish line and bring England what many consider to be the true measure of golfing success, Major victories.

FIVE-STAR SCORING

Every Masters, Augusta’s par 5s break hearts, underpin victories and create legends. Here, we examine their bewitching challenge…

“It was one of our guiding principles in building the Augusta National that even our par 5s should be reachable by two excellent shots,” wrote Bobby Jones in his 1959 book Golf Is My Game.

THE ORIGINAL MASTER

Back in 1934, Adolf Hitler was the Chancellor of Germany, India was still 13 years from independence, Arnold Palmer was four years old and Errie Ball was one of 72 golfers playing in the very first Augusta National Invitational. The 23-year-old got his chance at an infantile Augusta National courtesy of his victory at the 1931 Southeastern PGA Championship and his friendship with club co-founder Bobby Jones. Ball first met Jones at the 1930 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, and it was Jones who urged the young Welshman to move to America.

LEARN HOW TO LAG WITH GARETH MAYBIN

Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin has won nearly £1.4 million and notched 13 top 10s, including a trio of runner-up finishes, in his three full seasons on the European Tour. He made the cut in his first Major start in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, thanks in large part to his skill on the greens.

READER FAULT FIXER!

These three readers were desperate to sort their swings out in time for the new season. TG Elite Pro Gareth Johnston was on hand to help them fix their faults…

FRIGHTENINGLY GOOD!

Latest in Gear News: New Manta and Tour ranges still offer loads of forgiveness… but look great too.

EUROPE’S SPORTS STAR

The La Manga Club in Murcia heads into its 40th year in 2012 still arguably rated as Europe’s leading golf destination. The resort, which remarkably is three times the size of Monaco, is home to three outstanding championship golf courses. Down the years, La Manga has been the venue for many major professional tournaments such as the Spanish Open and the European Tour Qualifying School. It is also strongly fancied to host the 2015 Solheim Cup contested by Europe and America’s top lady golfers.