To celebrate the launch of this year’s Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Golf Skills Challenge, we’ve assembled the top golfers in the world to show you how it’s done.
Today sees the launch of the annual Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Golf Skills Challenge, a competition to find the most skilled amateur golfers in Ireland. Entrants will be tested on Driving, Target Golf, Pitching – Up and Down, and Putting, so it’s a complete test of all the abilities needed to succeed on the course.
The competition is open to all golfers aged 16 or over, who have an official GUI or ILGU handicap. Those who take part will have their scores registered on a national score board with the top 60 qualifiers progressing to a national final at the GUI National Golf Academy in September. To enter or to find out more please visit www.bettergolf.ie.
So to show you how it should be done, here’s a look at the best in the business doing their thing.
Driving:
The most consistently long driver in the game is the one and only Bubba Watson. However, his let’s just say unorthodox style may not work for everyone. Or anyone else on the planet.
With accuracy as well as distance being the skill tested in the challenge then a better guide is the man they call Big Easy, Ernie Els. If only it was this easy for the rest of us.
Fairway irons:
Being able to hit the green with regularity from distance is simply essential to golfing success. And no matter how far you bomb it off the tee, you’re going to need to have mastery of all your irons.
The skills test requires the participants to land the ball at least 10 metres from the hole from a distance of up to 135 metres.
US Open winner Justin Rose is just about the best iron player in the world, and it is all down to his swing. Watch the way his balance is flawless here as he takes this shot. He isn’t near the top of stats every year for iron play by accident.
Our own Rory McIlroy is not too bad at it either.
Chipping:
Hitting a six metre circle arund the pin from 35 feet sounds easy but we all know it isn’t. While the pros try to avoid this type of shot, most of will end up having to play this type of short-range chip far too often.
The master of masters in the pros is Phil Mickelson. ‘Lefty’ is simply a genius with a wedge in his hands and here he explains how he does it. Makes it sound so simple, doesn’t he.
