Golfers Dream Newsletter July 2009

Dates have been announced for the 2010 New Zealand Open. It will be held 28 - 31 January 2010 at jeweller Michael Hill's private golf course, The Hills in Central Otago near Queenstown. The event is co-sanctioned with the Australasian Tour and the Nationwide Tour and carries a US$600,000 purse. The Hills, opened in 2007, is set over 101 hectares (250 acres) of former deer farm on the outskirts of Arrowtown and is a great setting for this premium New Zealand tournament. Native and exotic trees are a feature of the course and wetland areas have been expanded and planted with varieties of NZ flax, toetoe, cabbage trees and wetland grasses and reeds. More than 50,000 red and silver tussock grasses create a spectacular visual statement on the course.b_top.gif

• Whether you're looking for extreme adventure or relaxation, you'll discover a wide variety of options and amazing settings. For adventure activities you'll want to head to Queenstown, Taupo and Rotorua. These popular holiday destinations provide stunning scenic backdrops for bungy jumping, sky diving, white-water rafting, jet-boating and heli adventures.
• Not far from Taupo is the Waitomo District, famous for the Waitomo Caves, where you can experience a genuine caving adventure black-water rafting under a galaxy of glow-worms. The more adventurous will also want to try rock climbing and abseiling.
• On the South Island's West Coast are the magnificent Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Take a guided glacier trek or view the majestic glaciers from a scenic flight. Kaikoura, on the east coast of the South Island, is home to a pod of giant sperm whales and a successful whale-watching industry.
• Other activity and adventure options offered throughout the country include horse riding, safaris, 4WD tours, quad bikes, hot-air balloons and kayaking. Wherever you travel in New Zealand, you'll discover adventure activities where the emphasis is on your safety and giving you an experience you'll never forget.

Thirty-Something golfer Scott Johnson will make his international debut in the senior men’s New Zealand team to contest the Four Nations Cup in Canada in August. The North Harbour policeman is joined by Auckland’s Ben Wallace as the newcomers in the team to compete against Australia, Canada and Japan in Quebec from 5-7 August. They will join Wellington twins Peter and Thomas Spearman-Burn, Auckland’s Ryan Fox and Hawkes Bay’s Daniel Pearce in the team for the biennial contest to be played at Le Club Laval-sur-le-lac. Johnson, 32, goes against the trend of teenage golfi ng talent, making his breakthrough after strong domestic form over the last two years. The team is: Ryan Fox (Auckland), Scott Johnson (North Harbour), Daniel Pearce (Hawkes Bay), Peter Spearman-Burn (Wellington), Thomas Spearman- Burn (Wellington), Ben Wallace (Auckland). Coach: Gregg Thorpe, Manager: Dave Howie.

• You shouldn't discount the importance of good footwork for solid iron play. All great ball-strikers have that trait in common. If you want to improve your iron play, begin with your feet, especially because a proper swing starts from the ground up.
• Here's the correct sequence of lower-body motion essential to trapping the ball: (1) On the downswing, your lower body should shift forward a little as your weight transfers from your right heel to your left big toe. (2) That little bit of lateral movement helps you set your swing to the inside. (3) As your hips continue to turn, your weight transfers as well, shifting across the outside of your left foot and into your left heel. That's where you want it at impact, so you hit down and through the shot.
• Most high-handicappers struggle with their footwork. Some get up on their toes on the downswing, which most often causes a wicked slice or a pull hook. Others fall back on their heels, which causes similar problems.
• My footwork has improved significantly since my knee surgery last year, and likewise, my iron play is really starting to come around.