GOLFING IN PARADISE

By JOSE CALLEJA

General Manager,
Natadola Bay
Championship
Golf Course

 
THE TOUGH YEARS CONTINUE.

Byron and Louise

In 1935 Byron and Louise moved to New Jersey where he took a club professional’s job at the Ridgewood Country Club. Byron continued working hard on his game. Byron is also regarded as the “Father of the Modern Swing”. He introduced swing changes to the golf swing due to the birth of the Industrial Revolution, which saw hickory give way to steel shafts in the early 1930’s.
Nelson led the first of a new generation of players who developed a full swing with increased leg drive leading the downswing. The style and fundamentals of modern golf techniques he developed and which were practiced by top players during his time are still implemented in today’s teachings.
He refined the changes for a couple of years and then took his game to the highest level of competition, the PGA Tour. Nelson’s first victory was in 1935 at the New Jersey State Open and he followed this up with a win at the Metropolitan Open the following year. It’s reported that when he won this event he only had $5 in his pocket.
The couple moved to Reading Country Club in Reading Pennsylvania in 1937 where he was hired as the Head Professional. In 1940 the couple moved again to Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio also as the Head Professional.

Achievements & Major Championships

Byron Nelson

Byron Nelson’s career achievements is a total of 52 professional events and the  Vardon Trophy in 1939.
He represented the U.S. as a player in the Ryder Cup teams in 1937 and 1947. He was also a non-playing captain of the team in 1965. After 1946, Nelson reduced his schedule on the US PGA Tour. However, he continued to make regular appearances at The Masters as a competitor. He also reduced his overseas travel and appeared in only a few overseas tournaments. In tradition with the Masters he was a ceremonial starter for many years. In 1937 Nelson won his first major event, The Masters. He won by two shots over Ralph Guldahl. Byron’s first-round score of 66 at The Masters is a record which stood until 1976 when Raymond Floyd shot a 65 on his first round and was the eventual winner. Nelson would go on to win four more major tournaments. The U.S. Open in 1939, the PGA Championship in 1940, 1945 and a second Masters in 1942. Byron was able to play in the 1942 Masters tournament because he was exempted from military services during World War II. Byron suffered from a blood disorder that caused his blood to clot and circulation to slow down four times slower than normal. During World War II Byron dedicated his time to golf exhibitions to raise money for charitable causes.

EQUIPMENT REVIEW AND TOUR UPDATES

By RAJNESH GOUNDON
DIRECTOR OF GOLF
NATADOLA BAY GOLF CLUB

This week we provide a review on the Callaway X Hot Pro driver.

The X Hot Pro driver

The X Hot Pro driver features a smaller head (435cc), with a deeper face that helps better golfers reduce the spin on their tee shots. Unlike the X Hot, the X Hot Pro driver does not have any alignment markings on the crown, providing a clean look at Callaway’s new dark grey matte finish. The X Hot Pro also is available in an extra stiff shaft for higher swing speed players to juice the ball down fairways. For more control and ability to shape shots off the tee, Callaway’s X Hot Pro driver gets the job done.
If you are looking for a Driver with the above features then please contact the Natadola Bay Golf shop on 6733500 and we will order one for you.

PGA TOUR UPDATES  

Last week’s Sony Open played on the par 70, 7068 yards Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii was won by Rookie Russell Henley. Henley set a third best scoring record in Tour history by shooting scores of 63,63,67,63 and a total score of 24 under par 256. Tim Clark finished runner-up on a score of 21 under par, 259.

Next Week’s Event
Next week, we have the Humana Challenge scheduled to be played from the 17th to the 20th of January. The event will be played on the Par 72, 6950 yards PGA West   (Palmer Course), La Quinta, California. The total prize purse of the event is $5,600,000 with the winner earning $1,008,000 and 500 FedEx cup points. The defending champion is Mr. Mark Wilson.

NATADOLA BAY COMPETITION RESULTS:

Last week’s competition results are as follows:

Event:  Saturday Open Competition – 2BBB

Date:  12th January, 2013

Winner:  Mr. Neil Stokes and John Kemp – 50Points

Runner-up: Mr. Natwar Patel and Grant Alchin – 49 Points

NTP: 13th: Mr. Grant Alchin

NEXT WEEKS COMPETITIONS AT NATADOLA BAY GOLF COURSE

• Wednesday 23rd January –
Stableford Competition
• Friday 25th January  –
Stroke Competition
• Sunday 27th January –
Stroke Competition