Latest Issue: July 2025 Edition

There’s something romantic about the Open Championship – perhaps even more so when it ventures to Northern Ireland. In the July issue of Australian Golf Digest, golf’s oldest championship takes centre stage as we unlock the chemistry of the Royal Portrush course, profile Aussie debutant Ryan Peake, match Open rota courses with look-alike Aussie links, re-live Rory McIlroy’s Grand Slam-clinching Masters win and more. Elsewhere, we catch up with LPGA rookie Cassie Porter, showcase the best golf balls on the market and take tips from McIlroy, Butch Harmon, Patrick Cantlay and Denny McCarthy.

The golf ball, without question the most used and least considered piece of equipment in your bag, might just be the missing piece that could complete your game – even if you’re Rory McIlroy. The future Hall of Famer switched balls at the beginning of this year almost by chance, realising after some idle chip shots that the softer TaylorMade TP5 might enhance more of his game than the firmer TP5x he had been playing for years. While many elements can be credited for his hot first half of this season, the only one that impacted every shot was the golf ball. 

McIlroy found his way to the right ball somewhat accidentally, but we think our golf ball Hot List lends a measure of intentionality to your search for a game-changing sphere. You’ll see how our players and robot testing broke down each ball’s performance across the short game and full swing, as well as a feel assessment and the launch and spin characteristics on half-wedge shots. We divide the universe of golf balls here into multilayer urethane models and non-urethane models. Multilayer urethane balls offer a full suite of performance functionality, while the best non-urethane balls generally focus on a softer feel with more chance for distance. However, they lack the high spin found in urethane-cover balls for finesse shots around the green.

In the end, McIlroy’s decision to make a ball change provides a lesson for golfers of every level: don’t assume you’re playing the right model. We’re not saying a change is going to net you nearly $US9 million in less than two months, like it did McIlroy, but it could get you the same sense of satisfaction. Which is, of course, priceless, even if it doesn’t spend as well as cold, hard cash. – Mike Stachura &  E. Michael Johnson 

The Last Shot

June 24th, 2025

The 3 skills needed to win The Open

Past issues