Exclusive Golf & Travel Issue 15 by Exclusive Golf and Travel

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ISSUE 15

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Editor’s comment

t’s a happy coincidence Exclusive Golf & Travel magazine has come back online following Covid-19 just a few days before the clubs re-open on December 2. So here’s the latest news first. For everything you need to buy as your big tee-time approaches, check out today’s special Black Friday offers with one of our new partners, Clubhouse Golf. Meanwhile, none of us can as yet be certain whether it’s cheers or tiers long term for golfers – and everybody else. So we have exactly the right stories to help us all battle through these dark days and reach the light waiting at the end of the tunnel. You could not fail to be uplifted by our incredible story about a 42-year ex-army veteran, Mike Browne. Mike rose from the depths of severe depression following the amputation of a leg by taking up golf and within two and a half years has become good enough to become a touring pro. Exclusive Golf & Travel is here to excite, inform, engage and entertain. Every month we shall feature the latest products, up to date news, features, interviews and competitions. We have returned bigger and better than ever before with a sparkling new design thanks to a partnership with Your Team Digital, whose expertise in the golf industry is second to none. Also, Your Team Digital’s contacts are so far-flung they know people in places where some of us don’t know there are places! We are working with other experienced and knowledgeable experts at major brands such as Bushnell, Brittany Ferries, J Lindeberg, Mashie Golf, Skechers, Srixon and Stewart Golf to name a few. The Mashie club, incidentally, is putting

finishing touches to arrangements for a record number of venues in 2021 which is a triumph not only over Covid-19 but also, bizarrely, partly because of it. To help you chose where to travel with your clubs, we have premium destination partners across the UK, Europe and the globe. If you fancy golf tuition, Simon Dyson is one of the best coaches in the business and he will be making the knowledge gained from six European Tour wins available here to the everyday golfer. Our story on Simon introduces him and his elite academy at Mottram Hall to our readers. It reveals what he and his mentor Pete Cowen have in common with the family coaching dynasty who guided Tiger Woods and Masters champion Dustin Johnson to the top of the world stage. It’s what motivates the motivators. If you enter this month’s readers competitions, you can win, a Cobra Limited Edition Masters tour golf bag put up by Simon or a year’s supply of golf balls from Srixon, plus an Odessey putter and a Bushnell Wingman. If you like your competitive golf laced with fun, we have the rising golf stars of YouTube on board in Dan Hendriksen and his team. Dan is the only club pro on YouTube who combines his day job with travelling the UK and Brittany alongside a production team to film material for golf trip reviews to help you choose where to go. Above all, thanks for joining us. We’re delighted you’re on board and hope you will agree that, when it comes to golf, Exclusive Golf & Travel is all you need to know . . . Enjoy the read! Mike Stafford

Superb competitions inside . . . 7 St Georges Yard, Castle Street, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7LW Editor : Mike Staff ord +44 (0) 7846 147228 info@exclusivegolfandtravel.co.uk Travel & Commercial: Maddy Pearce +44 (0) 07877 066387

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Content

CLOTHING EQUIPMENT

Quick Links

TRAVEL

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CLICKTOVIEW

TimTaylor finds out why this six-times European Tour winner knows the right way to pass on his knowledge to players of any ability

SIMON DYSON

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MIKE BROWNE GOLFSAVED MYLIFE

AGOLF MEMBERSHIP FORTHE21ST CENTURY

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Content

Quick Links

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TRAVEL

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CLICKTOVIEW

View all these fantastic deals from page 37

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RIGHT BALL? PAGE61

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

THESTRANGESTSEASON

OFMAJORS Dustin Johnson’s commanding victory in the Masters brought the curtain down on the most unusual season of men’s major championships. We look back at the winners and losers and what is next for the game’s best players.

So w hat change d in t he major s in 2020? For a start there were only three rather than the usual four, with the Open Championship opting to postpone the event for a year rather than try to stage it later in 2020. Having a “communicable disease” insurance policy certainly played a part in that decision, although the R&A also rightly pointed to the problems with infrastructure, a lack of daylight and the support required from the emergency services, who had rather more pressing issues to deal with. In the United States, the Masters was able to move from April to November, the US PGA Championship from May to August and the US Open from June to September.

We r e t he t hr e e w hich we nt ahead a s ucces s? The short answer would be yes. The absence of any spectators was an obvious downside, but the action on the course did not appear to suffer. Collin Morikawa produced a brilliant final round of 64 to win the US PGA, Bryson DeChambeau overpowered Winged Foot to claim the US Open and Dustin Johnson set a new tournament scoring

record in a commanding victory in the first November Masters. An absence of cries of “mashed potato” or “get in the hole” was also a blessed relief to many, while the lack of noise also allowed television viewers to pick up on the conversations between player and caddie.

Collin Morikawa celebrates winning the US PGA

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FEATURE

So w ho we r e t he bigges t w inne r s? The theory that a lack of spectators would benefit less experienced players proved correct, with Morikawa winning the US PGA on just his second major start and DeChambeau claiming his maiden major title in the US Open. Johnson was the only experienced winner, but rookies Abraham Ancer and Sungjae Im shared second place with Cameron Smith after 54 holes and Smith and Im went on to finish runners-up with record totals of 15 under par.

And w hat about t he los e r s? Describing Tiger Woods as a loser is obviously stretching it a bit, but there is no denying that the 15-time major winner has had a poor season by his incredibly high standards. Woods started the year with a top-10 finish, but following the coronavirus shutdown the 44-year-old’s best finish in seven events was a tie for 37th in the US PGA. Woods missed the cut in the US Open and was 38th in the Masters, where he struggled with a sore back after having to play 26 holes on Saturday and then took 10 – the highest single-hole score of his entire career – on the par-three 12th in the final round.

What about cor onav ir us? Almost inevitably there were a number of cases of players testing positive for Covid-19, the most high-profile being former champion Sergio Garcia just days before the start of the Masters.

The good news is . . . It ’s onl y s i x mont hs t ill t he s t ar t of t he 2021 Mas te r s . 10

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COMPETITION

WINANODYSSEY STROKELABPUTTER Win this fantastic Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track Ten

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SIMPLY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER ON OUR WEBSITE

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CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

ONTHE1STTEE

THE ELS CLUB

DUBAI

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enowned as one of the finest golfing destinations in the Middle East, the unique experience of The Els Club is one that creates everlasting memories and should be on every golfers must-play list. Those who appreciate life’s finest pleasures will embrace this true sporting gem which has been sensationally designed by Ernie Els, former US Open and Open Championship winner. Ernie has a passion for the great links courses of the UK, where he has won two of

his 4 major championships, and in creating The Els Club he set about recreating some of these design features in a desert landscape. Thus a ‘desert links’ was born, one that was quickly named ‘best new international course’ by the prestigious US magazine, Links. Add into the mix the Claude Harmon Performance Academy, The Els Club really is an immaculate championship course offering golf connoisseurs one of the best in desert golf!

FIND OUT MORE VISIT THE ELS CLUB WEBSITE HERE

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COMPETITION

WINA BUSHNELL WINGMAN The all-in-one device gives golfers access to their favorite music, while still providing audible distances on the course.

HOW TO ENTER:

SIMPLY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER ON OUR WEBSITE

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CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE I S SU E 1 5

PORTUGAL

SPRINGGOLFONTHEHORIZON

with new Orizonte 2021 packages W orld-class golf, free golf buggies and accommodation at one of Lisbon’s most chic new hotels all feature in the new 2021 spring breaks unveiled by ORIZONTE – Portugal’s largest golf management company.

Golfers can put the misery of this year behind them and enjoy an array of outstanding facilities on and off the course when they stay at the Aroeira Golf Resort – recently named as one of Continental Europe’s top 50 golf resorts – with four-night, three-round packages available for €397 per person. Dubbed the ‘ Wentworth of Lisbon’ by many observers, Aroeira – 25km south of Lisbon – is one of Portugal’s most iconic golfing venues and is a two-time host of the Portuguese Open. Bookable from March 1 until May 31, 2021, the stay-and-play breaks feature rounds of golf on Aroeira’s two 18-hole championship courses – Aroeira I and Aroeira II – and bed-and-breakfast accommodation at the recently-opened Aroeira Lisbon Hotel. Located on the stunning Aroeira estate, the Aroeira Lisbon Hotel provides the ultimate in chic modern design, including 68 bedrooms I S SU E 1 5

and suites, an outdoor pool, a spa and a choice of five bars and restaurants, and offers easy access to the many golden sandy beaches in the Costa Azul region.

Golf-buggy hire, one clubhouse lunch and a welcome bottle of wine are also included, while golfers can upgrade to a package featuring free drinks from 5.30pm-11.00pm for an extra €26 per day. Orizonte provides golfers with the opportunity to play five of the leading courses in close proximity to Lisbon in the stunning Costa Azul, together with exceptional value for money on a wide range of accommodation options. In addition to Aroeira, golfers can also experience the acclaimed layout at Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club and the two courses at Ribagolfe – regarded as some of the finest in the Lisbon region and previously described as the ‘ Valderrama of Portugal’. For more details about Orizonte – Lisbon Golf and to book any of its golf packages, please email booking@orizontegolf.com or visit www.orizontegolf.com E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

GOLFEVENTS&CHARITYDAYS

CREATING A

FAIRWAY

TOONSUCCESS & OFF THE COURSE

European Golf Challenge specialise in bringing a unique, modern and fun approach to golf events. From event management and celebrity appearances to off-the-wall challenges, they create events that live long in clients memories. We caught up with owner LAURA MCDONALDto discuss changes in the industry due to Covid and her plans for the year ahead.

hen it comes to dream jobs, Laura McDonald has got it just about perfect. As managing director of EGC she manages and helps to host golf events around the UK , across Europe and around the globe with her experienced team. An avid golfer as a teenager, her background in marketing and events in the hospitality industry and her love of golf combined when she started her business in 2009 and it’s been a great journey so far. Through Laura’s experience and a huge contacts book, European Golf Challenge

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has continued to grow each year. They have provided corporate and charity golf events to well known brands such as Nedbank, Adidas, ASOS as-well as celebrities and even royalty. One of their unique selling points is their reputable ‘Beat the Female Pro Challenge’ which sees guests take on a well known LET or PGA female golf professional. But as Laura says, “this is not just any challenge, but a new twist on conventional golf events and a fantastic service to add to your day”.

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“We want your day to be exclusive and be remembered. Our attention to detail and our forward thinking and fun approach, creates a modern vibrant delivery to your day. EGC will work with you from start to finish, covering pre-event planning, event management, and hosting

First of all, how has the pandemic aff ected your business and the events industry? It has been a very strange year to say the least. At the start of the year it was all very uncertain and if or when we would be able to host our clients event. As a result, we did have to cancel and rearrange 90% of all our events. We managed to host a small few throughout September with social distancing measures in place, which was a breath of fresh air finally being back out on the course and working with our clients How has Covid and the eff ect on business changed the way you work at EGC? There have been positives, and this has been a great time to stop and evaluate the business, makes changes that we would of not had the time normally to do. This also gave me personally more time to engage and speak to clients, talk through their requirements and ideas for the events and hosting clients. One of the main positives is seeing the increase the golf industry has had, the industry is booming, seeing so many beginners take up the sport as well as people dust of the clubs and regain their love for the sport. I know I have got the serious golf bug at the moment! What is it that brings your clients back time and again? We understand each and every clients requirements are individual, that is why we also offer a bespoke tailored planning service to meet all of our clients needs.

What will be the main changes in the golf events industry after Covid? The last nine months have brought significant changes to all industries from how we plan our working schedules to how we forward plan. We have seen an increase in smaller event bookings for 2021 as well as UK playy and stay trips. Since all events had to seriously reduce the numbers of attendees this year, our clients saw the benefit of hosting a smaller event and being able to spend more quality and one to one time with their clients. What ’s your message to companies thinking about a golf event? Aside from treating guests to some of the best golf venues across the UK or worldwide, they also create a valuable opportunity to make connections, build networks and do business. What makes a successfull golf day? It is all down to experience, detailed planning, having a suitable venue and professional delivery. What are your plans for EGC in 2021? We do have exciting projects in the pipeline for 2021. We have a major rebrand and new website launching in December. I am very excited for what next year holds and hopefully slowly but surely getting back to normality.

BRINGING A MODERN & UNIQUE APPROACH TO GOLF EVENTS MAKE YOUR EVENT STAND OUT FROM THE REST

Go go on tell us more? Well I won’t reveal the name yet but it is built upon our expert knowledge of our destinations and outstanding service, we always like to go that extra mile for clients. So watch this space!

VISIT WEBSITE I S SU E 1 5

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INTERVIEW

TimTaylor finds out why this six-times European Tour winner knows the right way to pass on his knowledge to players of any ability

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INTERVIEW

It’s no coincidence that Pete Cowen and Butch Harmon are the most famous coaches in the world. They may be based on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but they think alike in inspiring the raw material they are presented with rather than churning out robots forged in the same mould. Cowen guided SIMONDYSON to six victories on the European Tour and we are delighted to announce that Simon, now a coach himself at his own elite academy, is offering his extensive knowledge and advice to our readers.

he way Simon speaks about Pete’s coaching methods brings to mind some of the words Butch used following Dustin Johnson’s victory at Augusta, where he became to the first player in the 86-year-history of the Masters to sign for a tournament total of 20 under par. It is two years since Simon retired prematurely following wrist surgery, having banked prize money not far short of £10m and he has spent the time investing thousands of hours into perfecting his academy and coaching methods. He enjoyed a couple of top ten finishes in majors, twice made the cut at Augusta and has something in common with major winners Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Danny Willett, Sergio García, Darren Clarke and Henrik Stenson in that he has been coached by Pete, a fellow Yorkshireman. Said Simon: “I started going to golf lessons with him when I was 16 and his vast knowledge of how to show somebody how to play any golf shot is something I have learned from, especially the way he keeps things simple. “In the 24 years I was with him, Pete hardly ever changed my swing and that’s the

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• Dyson stormed his way to victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, firing a near-flawless 66 on the famous Old Course at St Andrews.

approach I try to take as much as possible when my students come to see me, in that there is nearly always something natural you can work with. It’s more about a golfer’s performance than banging on about technique. “I like pointing out things you do well and things you need to do a bit better, the way Pete did with me. He was a good mentor and had a great way with words. The best thing Pete ever did for me was to calm me down. I was quite fiery as a young golfer player and it was when he managed to change my temperament that I started playing really well.” Much of that resonates with a part of what Butch Harmon said during his post Masters verdict on Sky Sports. Dustin Johnson is coached by Butch’s son, Claude Harmon. Butch, now 77, made his name globally by guiding Tiger Woods through the early part of his career

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and preceded Claude as Dustin’s coach. On Sky, Butch recalled the first time he first met Dustin. The player was concerned the coach would want to change the bowed wrist position at the top of his swing. Butch recalled three major winners when he replied: “ Why should I? My dad played that way. David Duval played that way. Lee Trevino played that way.” Students of the golf swing will be interested to note that Butch added: “Dustin releases his head as he goes through the ball because he has to from that bowed left wrist position.” Lovers of golf history will be aware Butch Harmon’s father, another member of his family named Claude, won the Masters in 1948. Like Dustin, this particular Claude Harmon triumphed five shots clear of the field at Augusta although he received a first prize of $2,500 as against Dustin’s winnings of

“Whatever a student of mine has experienced on a golf course, I will have experienced and I know howto help themdeal with it.” PLAYINGCAREER Simon was runner-up in the English Amateur Championship, won the Finnish Amateur and was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland side which won the Walker Cup at Nairn. He won the Asian PGATour Order of Merit, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2000, clinching three titles along the way. His breakthrough on the European Tour came in 2006, with victories at the Enjoy Jakarta HSBCIndonesia Open and the KLMOpen.

TOUR WINS 2006 2006 2009 2009 2011 2011

HSBCINDONESIAOPEN THE KLMOPEN KLMOPEN ALFREDDUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP KLMOPEN IRISHOPEN

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INTERVIEW

THE FRONT NINE

“ I am doing something across all aspects of the game including f itness , cour se management , psychology and simpl y getting to k now your game better – ever y single par t of the spor t a player needs to improve .”

Chandler, one of the world’s leading sports agents who has handled Simon’s affairs for over 20 years. Chubby suggested Mottram Hall as the venue and set up the initial meeting for Simon with the director of golf, Jason Davies. “I spoke with Chubby about what I wanted to do after it became clear I could not carry on as a tour player,” said Simon, 42. “I needed top-notch facilities within easy reach of where I live in Hale, Cheshire, and he said there was only one place I could go. “Chubby pointed out that Mottram Hall boasted a championship golf course and had everything I needed in terms of a gym, driving range, short game area and putting green and that it was the only place within a range of 20 miles which ticked all those boxes. “Also, this was around the time Champneys the health spa people became the owners of Mottram Hall and as soon as their name went up on the door, they were never going to settle for anything other than the best of everything.”

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The only qualification you need to enter Simon’s academy is a burning desire to improve. All comers are welcome . . . from wannabe tour stars to regular club comp players to friends who simply enjoy playing the sport together when and where they choose. Said Simon: “I am doing something across all aspects of the game including fitness, course management, psychology and simply getting to know your game better – every single part of the sport a player needs to improve.” Among his students are eight professionals from the LET Access Series, the development circuit for the Ladies European Tour, and the men’s Europro Tour. In the Spring of 2021, Simon will oversee two-week-long coaching tours in Turkey. His professional students will travel in March and what he calls “ The Joe Public Tour” sets off a month later for 12 players, with only a few spots vacant. “All players get the same TLC from me,” says Simon. “I love giving playing lessons on the

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course, looking at things like the best way to play a certain hole, and there is no better way to do that than on tour with the sun on your back.” Sporting excellence runs through three Yorkshire generations of Simon’s own family. His grandfather Ginger Dyson was a leading Flat jockey and his uncle Terry Dyson a freescoring left winger with the Spurs football team who pulled off the first Cup and League double of the 20th century in 1961. In sport, as in life, nothing lasts forever and Simon says: “Since stepping away from playing I have put a lot of thought into advising future generations of golfers on how to practice in a way that would get results. “Instead of trying to replicate what you are going to do on the course, so many golfers just bash balls endlessly on the driving range without putting real thought into what they are doing. “I think of practice and preparation purely as something it is essential to divide between the gym, the driving range, the short game area and the putting green. This is the only path to progress. It takes a bit longer but it stands the test of time. “Most people in golf want a quick fix, but that is like putting a band aid over a problem. It might be good for a day or two but then the wound will soon open up again.”

• Simon played in The Masters in 2010. • Bringing his experience to the game of the BBC’s Dan Walker.

• Winning the KLMOpen for the thrid time (left) and the Irish Open (right) in 2011.

Having made a study of psychology, Simon points out negative thoughts are five times more powerful than positive thoughts. “It only takes a split second for a negative thought to get into your head, but once it does it is very hard to get it out. “ You need to train your mind to only see the positive in that you need a clear intention in your mind of what you want to do and certainly not what you do not want to do. “A classic example is water on the course. Thinking about the water increases the chance of dropping into it. Focus on your target area, then at the very least, that is a big step in the right direction. “ Whatever any student of mine has experienced on a golf course I will have experienced and I know how to help them deal with it.” If you can spare 76 seconds and would like to see a snapshot of what went into Simon becoming a Tour star, go to elitegolfperformance.co.uk, click on “play video” and take in what Mottram and the new coach on their block has to offer. It’s impressive viewing.

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“ Most people in golf want a quick f i x , but that is like putting a band aid over a problem. It might be good f or a day or t wo but then the wound will soon open up again.”

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COMPETITION

FROMCOBRAPUMAGOLFWORTH£599 Here’s your chance to own this eyecatching Limited Edition tour spec bag worth £599.00. The bag was designed to celebrate The Masters at Augusta National with a design inspired by the three florals found at Amen Corner - white dogwoods, golden bells and azaleas. This tour spec golf bag has all of the outstanding functionality that you would expect from a Vessel Staff bag and we simply love the design which features a mixture of three brightly coloured floral print patterns - perfectly offsetting the white base colour. A multitude of intuitive design features help to make this one of the best made golf bags in the game, designed by the highly reputable brand VESSEL Golf. KEY FEATURES INCLUDE: - Limited Edition - Tournament Collection - Vessel Design - 6 Way Top &Club Dividers - Dual Oversized Apparel Pockets - Fleece Lined Valuables Pocket - Customizable Belly Pocket - Seven Pockets - Cobra Branding on Base - Weight Approx. 8lbs

CLICK HERE TO ENTER This link will direct you to Simon Dyson’s YouTube Channel. Simply follow the instructions on his video titled ‘ BAG COMPETITION’ 24

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THEBUCKETLIST

THE

TIGER EFFECT AT BIG CEDAR LODGE, MISSOURI

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The spectacular 19th at Payne’s Valley

aying tribute to Ozarks-native and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Payne Stewart, Payne’s Valley is first public-access golf course designed by 82time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods. Payne's Valley stands out with its inviting layout, pristine water features, large fairways and greens, and spectacular 19th hole - the Big Rock at Payne’s Valley. Through the creation of Payne’s Valley Golf Course, Tiger Woods and Big Cedar Lodge offers a course where players of all skill levels are able to enjoy the game with each other in the beautiful Ozark Mountain landscape. The Payne’s Valley Cup, a televised exhibition match featuring Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas against Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose took place in Setptember, and revealed the stunning 19th hole of the new Woods design at Big Cedar Lodge in the Ozark Mountains. The extra 136-yard par 3 provides the visual exclamation point on an already memorable layout, ending at an island green guarded by a front bunker in Lunker Lake. Don’t be distracted by the waterfall spilling off of 250-foot rock cliffs that frame the hole like an amphitheater. The concept of the 19th hole – an extra or “bye” hole to be played after a normal round – was originally made to settle bets. In the modern age of architecture and social media, it has become so much more. It’s a marketing tool, an Instagram darling, used to lure golfers who want to experience something beyond just a simple round of golf.

www.bigcedar.com I S SU E 1 5

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CORPORATEGOLF

CREATINGGLOBALGOLFEXPERIENCES with quality, tailored event and hospitality solutions

PORTINGCLASS is a leading corporate sports events, consultancy and hospitality company which offers memorable worldwide experiences across a variety of sports. Now we can announce they are business pals with Exclusive Golf & Travel in an association which coincides with their launching of The Sportingclass Golf Club. The events which Sportingclass have long been handling includes the Sportingclass Industry Invitational. This is their signature golf networking event designed for business professionals to meet and entertain clients. It has been running since 2010 and each year they host over 1,000 golfers through the tournament at venues such as The Grove, St George’s Hill, Bearwood Lakes and Centurion and has featured famous faces such as Kevin Pieterson, Darren Gough and Jason Leonard. The tournament final is hosted overseas. Notable venues include TPC Kuala Lumpur, Pebble Beach, TPC Louisiana and Dove Mountain.

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Tournament partners include Jonnie Walker, Moet Chandon, Hop House, British Airways, Avis, M restaurant, Gaucho, The Telegraph, Mizuno, Galvin Green, Your Golf Travel, Dress2Kill and Purity Hemp Company. It follows naturally that The Sportingclass Golf Club is a private members club offering exclusive access to the world’s finest golf courses and unique experiences. Designed for senior executives and business owners, it offers exclusive access to a wide range of premier golf courses at preferential rates. Andy Lee, Managing Director of Sportingclass commented: ‘we are excited to launch the Sportingclass Golf Club offering members access to some great courses in the UK & abroad. The club is ideal for busy people with demanding work lives and travel schedules who are unable to commit to a traditional club membership and want the flexibility of playing different courses’. Following a year of restricted events, we feel the club provides a great solution to corporate golf allowing our members to entertain clients from the safety of a golf course.’

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• The Teeth of the Dog ranked No.1 course in the Caribbean and host for the Industry Invitational Final in 2021.

Join the Club and get three months free Sportingclass Golf Club offers you a solution for client entertainment, networking, face to face meetings & colleague engagement in a safe, naturally self-distanced environment out on some of the finest golf courses. HOW THE MEMBERSHIP WORKS Sportingclass Golf Club gives members access to a wide range of first class golf courses at preferential rates. Using our network of partner clubs we offer you the flexibility to play when and where you want.

Members also benefit from a concierge booking service for international golf travel and discounts to other Sportingclass Golf Days.

WHO IS IT FOR? Our membership plan was originally designed for our busy clients who love their golf but travel or work too much to warrant a one club membership; it was also designed for those who are keen, adventurous golfers and love travelling the World to play on top courses such as Pebble Beach & Whistling Straits.

Sportingclass also provides golf management services to a variety of charities such as the PCA, Make a Difference and Fredericks Foundation and have worked with the Staysure Tour (now Legends tour) running the Sinclair Invitational at Hanbury Manor. They have an extensive network of sports personalities they can draw upon to enrich any of their events or hospitality plus exclusive admission to certain sports events that ensures the entertainment always far surpassing any expectations. Sportingclass have worked with other worldclass brands such as: Greene King, Autotrader, Your Golf Travel, Galvin Green, Mizuno, Homna, Peter Millar, Srixon, British Airways, Avis, Guiness, Heineken, American Express, Salesforce, Gaucho, M Restaurant, Ritz Carlton, Beachcomber and many more.

• The Drinks and Hospitality Golf Day – one of SportingClass’s most popular events held at The Grove. The winning team competes for the Final in Domincan Republic next year

To discuss ideas or request more information, please contact a member of the SportingClass team. Click below to visit their website

However in our current climate it's an ideal opportunity for businesses & employees to keep circulating, meeting and 'do business' in a safe and relaxed environment. MEMBERSHIP All new memberships signed before December 18th will receive 3 months FREE membership, a luxury welcome pack worth over £200 plus a bonus early bird gift! VIEWTHESPORTINGCLASS GOLF CLUBWEBSITE

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MIKE BROWNE

INTERVIEW

Mike Browne worships his new job as a tour pro so much, he says he would not change a thing, not even having his leg amputated. TIMTAYLOR tells the uplifting and inspirational story of a 42-year-old army veteran who as recently as 2014 had never hit a golf ball in his life.

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INTERVIEW

As mad as it sounds , golf has gi ven me such a wonder ful new lif e that I would go through it all again, even having my leg amputated.â&#x20AC;? 32

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INTERVIEW

ike Browne took up golf by chance after his leg was amputated. Having lost his job in the Royal Artillery he was desperately in search of anything to find a social life, having attempted to kill himself, which failed in comic circumstances. In two and a half years, he progressed from a novice going round the course in 148 strokes to turning professional. He has since competed on seven pro tours, become a serial winner on the European Disabled Golf Association circuit and has six sponsors. Mike says: “As mad as it sounds, golf has given me such a wonderful new life that I would go through it all again, even having my leg amputated.” In 2014 he was trapped in the depths of a severe depression caused by the aftermath of the amputation. This followed a series of 22 failed operations after he smashed his left leg in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Now he’s on a mission to convert as many people as possible to take up golf and insists: “ This sport is a life-changer. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a disability or not. Taking up golf changes you and brings out the true person you really are. At one stage, when things were really bad before I took up golf, I sat at home crying for three days in a row.” It is six years since Mike, now 42 and with a playing professional’s attachment to the Long Sutton club in south Somerset, first gripped a club. Last year he claimed the national disabled championships of France and Czechoslovakia and retained the South African title, which in 2018 he captured 12 shots clear of the field. Who is to say he would not have added to his haul in 2020 if Covid-19 had not been inflicted upon us all? He has walked the same fairways at the same time as major champions Tiger Woods and Ian Woosnam and on regular tours, his record includes two top-six finishes on the Clutch Pro Tour, based in the south of England. The motorbike accident ended his first job as an army corporal which saw him travelling the world for a different purpose, active service on numerous tours in war zones. That involved going behind enemy lines to direct artillery fire and ground attacks. “Following the amputation I was out of the military, stuck at home, doing nothing. I was going down a slippery slope. Who knows where I’d have

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been if it wasn’t for golf. This will seem weird . . . but now, even though I have lost a leg and went through a nightmare time before that, I feel as if I would not change anything the way it has all has turned out. “Golf not only got me back into having a social life but also it changed my life, without a doubt. It might even have saved my life. Before I found golf, I had nothing. I didn’t know where I was going.” Students of the mechanics of Mike’s fulfilling second career will be aware many PGA pros advise golfers to keep the front foot still on the tee and end the swing getting right up on your back toe, nicely balanced. When Mike drives the ball, he uses the same unusual foot action as the U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Unlike the Californian big hitter, Mike needs to because his prosthetic left leg is amputated above the knee. He uses the ankle at the bottom of his prosthetic leg to make a rotation at impact which points his left toe forwards and flat. Mike points out this is the same method used by golfers who enter long drive competitions. His has been a painstaking process. It is only in the past year Mike has trained his muscles enough to enable him to get fully up on his back toe and says he was relatively flat-footed before that. “ This is how I have had to adapt my body swing to generate more power. If it was not for my left foot coming out you would not know I have half a left leg and no knee. The rotation in the front ankle initiates the momentum which carries me around. “It all enables me to get through the ball, rotate and get my left hip cleared. I have achieved a lot more balance over the past 12 months which has changed my swing massively.” Golf has taken Mike to America, Australia, Dubai and Jordan and he admits to having fallen deeply in love with the sport: “I am living the dream. I have met so many amazing people and had so many fantastic experiences which I would not have enjoyed if I still had two legs.” Now living in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Mike was brought up in the Somerset village of Street, near Glastonbury, and it was his family there who provided the emotional support he has needed more than anything else during his journey – father David, mother Wendy and sister Nicola. “ They did everything for me from my mum cooking my meals to them all just being there,

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INTERVIEW

I just sort of turned it into my job straight away. I would go to the range at eight in the morning until half-four in the afternoon and treat it as a working day because that’s what I was used to doing in the military. doing the normal things in life that we all take for granted. I still have bad days but the bad days are getting better. I have been in really dark and deep places and at one stage I was on 52 tablets a day. I just didn’t want to be here. “It’s a funny story, or well perhaps not, but I tried jumping out of the window and I could not get out because the brace on my leg caught round my neck, so my leg also saved my life. I had hit rock bottom but from then on it has just got better. “All through my highs and lows and when I felt I had nowhere to go, my family were always there for me, as were close friends and many others who made my new life possible for me. I cannot thank everybody enough.”

• The x-ray of Mike’s leg and below, the brace he had to wear before the amputation.

As a youngster, Mike loved sport. While a pupil at Crispin School in Street, he was a flying left winger for the Somerset boys’ football team and during the 1990s won what was then called the British Schoolboys Motocross Association Championship three times in various age groups He had reached European standard at motocross before joining the army at 19 and was on a training ride at Longmoor Military Camp in Hampshire in October 2011 when he smashed his leg and was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Portsmouth. Mike and other riders were doing repetitive laps on sand in preparation for the surface at a forthcoming event in Holland. As the track wore down, he did

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not notice a rock which had previously been buried. His ankle smacked into the rock at 30 mph, stopping him dead in his tracks. “If you could imagine a bamboo stick when you crush it from the bottom up, well that was the state of my leg after I landed. Even so, I just thought that was it. I’ll be back in six weeks. Not a drama. I’ll go back to the job I was doing.” In any list of the world’s most unfulfilled predictions, this outstrips even “ Trump could never become president” as emanating from the cloudiest crystal ball imaginable. Mike spent five months in hospital during which time he endured 16 operations, followed by a further six operations after he had been discharged. The intention had been to stretch his shinbone seven centimetres by means of daily onemillimetre adjustments. His leg was wrapped in that fame of a ring-like brace connected to 52 tensioned wires running through the unbroken part of the bone. So much for theory. In practice, he contracted a rare infection in the hospital which ate away all the muscle in his leg and he spent 19 months in pain. In May 2013 Mike decided the drastic solution was the only way forward. “I sat down with my surgeon on the first day of that month and said that I was having trouble living like I was. Because I had a straight leg, I couldn’t drive a car, couldn’t go on a plane, and couldn’t walk up and down steps. I made the decision there and then and it was an easy decision: ‘Right, let’s get rid of it’. “On May 7, my leg was amputated. I woke up and after all that time the pain had gone. It was amazing. I know it sounds like a hard decision, having your leg amputated, but I’d been through absolute hell.” After the successful amputation, he spent a year in Surrey at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court. But even the peril of working in war zones had not prepared Mike to cope with the psychological trauma he was about to endure.

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INTERVIEW “ The fact something was missing from me was hard to deal with. I didn’t really leave the house for about six months. I didn’t see anyone outside of the rehab I was doing There was a lot of stuff going on in my head. “ The physical side of what happened had not been as much of a big deal as the mental side. I lost my job as a soldier and I lost my partner – she could not handle it – but golf means I have gone from losing anything which meant anything to me to having an amazing existence of playing golf around the world.” The possibility of playing the sport first crossed Mike’s mind after a rehabilitation session run by Help For Heroes at Tedworth House in Wiltshire. He spotted a poster advertising the On Course Foundation.

• Mike playing a practice round against Matt Kucher in the 2019 Scottish Open.

• With Justin Rose at the Rolex DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

This is a charity which helps sick and injured service personnel to get their lives back on track through playing golf. The first step was a one-day taster beginners’ session and initially, the then disconsolate Mike set out looking for no more than friendship. Crucial to the sport rapidly meaning a lot more than that to him was the input from the foundation’s PGA professionals, Alastair Barr and David “Dai” Llewellyn. Alastair has coached a world No 1 in Luke Donald. Dai is the son of a Royal Marine and a European Tour winner who won the World Cup of Golf for Wales in 1987 in partnership with Ian Woosnam, four years before Woosie won the Masters. Mike said: “Alastair and Dai taught me from ‘basic basic’, to where I am now. They give you the positives about your swing. They have also

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taught me everything I have learned so far about being a professional golfer as well. “I just sort of turned it into my job straight away. I would go to the range at eight in the morning until half-four in the afternoon and treat it as a working day because that’s what I was used to doing in the military. “I say I treated it like a job, but it never felt like work, because I loved it. It was either that or sit at home and feel sorry for myself and I certainly didn’t want to do that.” Mike turned pro in September 2016. “I had been invited to play as an amateur in the Willow Classic on the European Senior Tour. I shot five-under for my three rounds and finished ahead of a lot of the blokes – including Ian

• Apractice session with Mike’s current coach Ben Emerson at Celtic Manor.

Woosnam, which was a really proud moment. It planted a seed in my head about turning pro and I thought, ‘ Yeah, why not? Let’s do it.’ “ Last year Mike met the biggest name in the game playing the ISPS Handa Disabled World Cup at Royal Melbourne. This was an event in which the disabled golfers got to share the course with main tour pros competing in the Presidents Cup, the America v Asias version of the Ryder Cup. Players from both events mixed at the pretournament dinner and Mike got to meet Tiger Woods who said hello and told him: “Have a good week and enjoy yourself.” The following day Mike was in the group following the 15 times major winner and his playing partners round the course. Mike made his professional debut in Spain on The Gecko Tour in October 2016. As well as the

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INTERVIEW Clutch Pro Tour he has played the TP Tour in the UK, the Middle East and North Africa Tour, the Europro Tour, the Florida Pro Elite Tour and the Moonlight Tour, based around the Daytona, Tampa and Miami areas. Between 2014 and 2018, Mike played in five successive Simpson Cups, the equivalent of the Ryder Cup for wounded and sick veterans contested between Great Britain and America. He captained the GB side on Long Island in New York in 2018 and played in a winning team once, in 2015 at Royal St George’s, venue for the 2021 Open Championship. If you google Mike, you might spot a fanciful suggestion he could become the first amputee to play the European Tour. Sensibly, he has both feet on the ground even if one of them is part of a prosthetic leg. In the real world, his No 1 ambition is to influence others, saying: “I can’t overemphasise how important it is to try golf, whether you have anything physically or mentally wrong with you or not. Golf has got everything you need.” If you have read this far down Mike’s story, you will have gathered he is as eloquent as he is

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resilient. So it’s no surprise he has sponsors in JT Lifestyle Homes of Luton, Bushnell, Mizuno, Skechers, Max Golf Protein and DogLeg Reaper Belts. How he came to be sponsored by JT lends credibility to the old adage that, however cruelly fate can sometimes turn against you, there are other occasions on which you might make your own luck. In 2018, Mike signed for the lowest score of his career, a nine-under 63 in the pouring rain at the Ashridge club in Berkhamsted. He played in the same charity Pro-Am team as JT’s owner, Jan Telenski, an unassuming if pioneering environmental industrialist. Among Jan’s many successful businesses is AquaCity, a luxury health spa which uses heat from the sub-surface of the earth, in this instance a vast underground lake at Poprad, Slovakia. It’s safe to say the man who carved his initials on the JT business and warmed up the tourist trade in Poprad knows a man with cahones when he sees one.

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FEATURE

he Mashie club is putting finishing touches to arrangements for a record number of venues in 2021 which is a triumph not only over Covid-19 but also, bizarrely, partly because of it. For anybody unaware of the club’s existence, the most important of several factors contributing to its success is Mashie’s status as the UK’s ultimate high end and multi choice golf society. They make it easy for their members to cherry pick outings to clubs such as Bearwood Lakes, Celtic Manor, Gleneagles, JCB Golf & Country Club, London Golf Club, Stoke Park, Swinley Forest, The K Club, The Grove and Woburn.

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Mashie was a firmly established brand of golf clothing when managing director Nick Hovey added on the club with 20 founder members late in 2017. There are now over 950 members, massive progress for a club which never advertises. Not all of them compete in events. Other services are on offer from the Mashie concierge team, and we’ll get back to that later on. But those who do now have more than 100 of the classic venues Mashie work with to choose from and on average each golfer will play in six or seven tournaments during the year in fields of around 40. I S SU E 1 5

• Arecent Mashie event at Stoke Park

Said managing director Nick Hovey: “Most players will tell you they feel more comfortable in a golf society than a corporate day, they tend to know more of the other players. Of course you can’t force people to like each other or get on, but the big secret is we have grown organically, through word of mouth, referrals and introductions. “ This is the only way you can expand a club of like minded people and our members feel comfortable inviting friends. We regard our events as a catalyst for that. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of pleasure everybody at Mashie has felt in making our club work as well as it has for our members. “Belonging to Mashie enables them to play courses they might not ordinarily have access to, plus these events are managed highly professionally in a social yet competitive atmosphere. “ What keeps people coming back is the social side of it and we try to make our events relaxed and fun. In the past I have been to a lot of corporate days with, say, 80 players and you tend to stay in your own fourball and generally not mix that much with other groups. “ We actively encourage all our players to socialise and interact with each other as much as possible. That creates more of a society feel if you like.” I S SU E 1 5

A non-golfer casually glancing in at the sport from outside would be excused for guessing 2020 has been a financial nightmare. In bare round figures, Mashie put on 60 events in 2019, dropping to 40 this year. So why the vast increase to three figures in 2021?

Belonging to Mashie enables them to play cour ses they might not ordinaril y have access to, plus these events are managed highl y prof essionall y in a social yet competiti ve atmosphere .” Nick Hovey

“Most golf clubs experienced a rush at the end of the first lockdown,” says Nick. “It is good our fields are smaller than corporate days which helps with coping with the demands and restrictions of Covid-19. It is all manageable. Less is more. “ The demand on golf clubs has been crazy at times and we have been working very hard in recent months to get everything organised in time for 2021. The appetite to play nice courses has become bigger than ever. “Our concierge service has come into its own because of our arrangement with the clubs we work with. Mashie members, whether playing in events or not, can access some clubs when others may not be able to and enjoy preferential green fees. “ The events are the focal point of what we do because they are played in amazing locations and this is where is where our golfers socialise and network.” A member of the Lilley Brook club in E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

FEATURE

• Above, Nick Hovey, Managing Director

• The superb Monte Rei course in Portugal, a Mashie partner

Cheltenham, Nick points out: “Around 80% of our members belong to golf clubs as well as Mashie and we do not see ourselves in any way as an alternative to traditional golf club membership. Mashie is far more often than not an addition for our members.” Mashie use Golf Genius Software for their event management system, which is an example of their professionalism and credibility. GGS are the software supplier for England Golf ’s calendar of championship events and worked closely with the United States Golf Association in their implementation of the World Handicap System. The GGS link to the new system means that a member of any golf club who plays a Mashie event has their handicap updated automatically, immediately and accurately. Nick added: “Being able to manage handicaps at our events is a big bonus. For the Mashie members who are not members of clubs there is the benefit of playing regularly in a competitive environment and establishing a handicap for our events. “ This is a true measure of their playing ability on a variety of excellent courses, which is very much in keeping with the ethos of the World Handicap System.

“It is highly likely our members who do not belong to clubs will have an accurate handicap. Mashie only golfers are always playing on different courses.” As mentioned earlier Nick and his team do more for members than run events: “ The key to our success is not only the high standard of courses we play also but the variety of ways you can choose to play them, for example whether in a competition or by us arranging a preferential rate for a member and some friends. “If there is anything in golf you would like to have organised for you, then that is what we at Mashie do, whether you want to play the very best courses at home or abroad, whether that is in a competition, or just having a bit of fun (or both) . . . or a memorable corporate day for the movers and shakers of your business. “ We are filling a niche market by becoming popular with busy and successful people looking to relax and unwind by means of totally stress free R&R. “If you just want a game of golf and you do not want to be part of a bigger event, then through our concierge service we have organised access and preferential green fee rates for you and your guests with over 100 quality clubs in the UK plus more than 50 world wide “ We set ourselves apart from an online booking company by giving our members the personal touch. You can speak to a member of our experienced golf team who will fully understand what your requirements are.”

To keep up to date with Mashie news and events via their free email newsletter, visit www.mashieclub.co.uk scroll to the bottom of any page and click on the subscription box.

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FEATURE

â&#x20AC;¢ The teamon a recent filming shoot with Pete Finch

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FEATURE

Name the best things Devon has given the world and you could choose creamteas, Jack Russell terriers and gin. In which case you may never have heard of golf’s latest YouTube sensation, DANHENDRIKSEN.

e’s the only club pro on YouTube who combines his day job with travelling the UK and Brittany alongside a production team to film material for golf trip reviews which give you all you need to know about choosing where to go. That’s not just the course, but everything surrounding it including the clubhouse, the countryside, the bars, the nightlife, the restaurants, its history and, well, anything which involves enjoying yourself. Here at Exclusive Golf & Travel, we’re delighted a man whose videos can attract as many as 50,000 plus viewers has agreed to join our own happy band of experts and writers. Starting now, each issue will feature some of Dan’s latest videos. Our partnership comes at a time when he is adding to plans for an expansion put on hold by the arrival of Covid-19. Dan will eventually take his venture worldwide, starting with Spain, Greece, Turkey and America. Alongside a colleague at Torquay Golf Club, Lester Barnes, he also fronts a Sunday morning golf show on YouTube and there’s a reason he has 27,600 subscribers. As Dan puts it: “Most people go on YouTube to be either entertained or informed. I would like to think my team deliver both.

“I want to give golfers, some of who will never have done it, a flavour of what it is like to go on holiday with friends or family and not only play golf but also take in the genuine flavour of where you go. Being a club pro I am able to create content around coaching as well as reviews.” Dan set off down this road four years ago after being approached by an established YouTuber. At first, he treated it as a means of communicating to his own golf club members by giving a few coaching tips, promoting himself as a coach. Around this time last year, the concept had grown in his mind to the extent he wanted to do his own thing. He got together a group of golf industry friends to film themselves playing competitive yet light hearted rounds of golf on both sides of the English Channel, with the accent on banter, jokes and glorious surroundings. Thanks to the very best face of modern technology, Dan has brought up to date the old fashioned approach of last century, when printed magazines were king, often crammed with painstakingly comprehensive descriptions of what sometimes seemed to be every nook and cranny of famous courses, sometimes daunting, plus pious edicts on etiquette.

th in k S o m e p e o p le t to y o u h a v e to g e d dar a c e r ta in s ta n e f or a s a g o lf e r b e th e y o u c a n e n jo y t is s p o r t , b u t th a m is g u id e d . it Yo u c a n e n jo y dar d w h a te v e r s ta n you are .

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FEATURE

I want to gi ve golf er s , some of who will never have done it , a f lavour of what it is like to go on holiday with f riends or famil y and not onl y play golf but also take in the genuine f lavour of where you go. Being a club pro I am able to create content around coaching as well as reviews .”

“ The quality of a course is important, as long as it is a pleasure to play,” said Dan. “Some people think you have to get to a certain standard as a golfer before you can enjoy the sport, but that is misguided. You can enjoy it whatever standard you are. “Every golf trip is a wonderful adventure to those who are on it. On our YouTube channel, we offer descriptions of our own real life experiences in the knowledge it will help and inspire others. Thankfully, that has proved to be a winning formula.” Dan is a former South West Boys champion who is the head professional at the Torquay club and has a business degree from his U.S. college golf days at Webber University in Central Florida. Joining him on the three-man team are the club’s retail manager, Lester, and Lee Whittaker owner of Lee Whittaker Golf in Plymouth, a store offering a simulator and custom club fitting. “Lee does the filming and editing and he’s our computer geek,” said Dan. “Every team needs one! Lester and myself do the Sunday morning video show on YouTube, from our studio at our golf club. “We do 15 or 20 minutes where we talk about golf and our experiences that week and answer questions from the audience. Again it’s a simple formula. But again our viewers love it.” Invariably Dan plays on the course reviews – with either Lester or Lee or both joining him – and there are frequent appearances from Dan’s brother Paul,

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• Dan and brother Paul during filming

a former winner of both the British and English PGA Club Pro championships. A teaching professional at Plymouth Golf Centre, Paul was the star turn last year when Dan’s review of St Mellion in Cornwall attracted his most hits yet on YouTube, almost 54,000, as result of incorporating a report on Paul getting a start on the European Tour. That review prompted a thank-you phone call from St Mellion’s director of golf, David Moon, who was new to YouTube and had not expected to be as impressed as he was at what was put out. Dan’s favourite review so far was filmed in his home county at Thurlestone, near Kingsbridge, a course reminiscent of Pebble Beach in that the first 12 holes run spectacularly along a headland overlooking the sea. “We were just so lucky, it was a glorious day and our match was decided by the last putt on the 18th”, said Dan. “ The way we do these reviews is to

• The Sunday Morning Show with Dan and Lester has been a huge success.

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MEETTHETEAM. . .

Dan Hendriksen

Lee Whittaker

Lester ‘Bernie’ Barnes

YEARS PLAYING: 30

YEARS PLAYINGGOLF: 5

YEARS PLAYINGGOLF: 24

THE DAY JOB: Torquay’s Head Professional, Creating Videos for my YouTube Channel &trying to raise two kids.

THE DAY JOB: Youtuber &CustomClub Fitter at The Manor House &Ashbury Golf Resort.

THE DAY JOB: Golf Shop manager.

FAVOURITE DESTINATION: For golf Belek in Turkey but for Holidays its got to be France.

FAVOURITE DESTINATION: Dubai.

BEST COURSE PLAYED: Turnberry and Pebble Beach.

BEST COURSE PLAYED: Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

DREAMFOURBALL: Greg Norman, Bobby Jones &Dad.

DREAMFOURBALL: Rory Mcilroy, Lewis Hamilton, Eric Cantona.

FAVOURITE CLUB: 5 Wood.

FAVOURITE CLUB: 3 Wood.

THE SHOT I DREAD: To putting to win the hole.

THE SHOT I DREAD: Bunker shot.

THE RULE I ‘DCHANGE: Ball in a divot in the fairway. TOP THREE COURSES ONMY BUCKETLIST: St. Andrews, Augusta National &Valderrama.

THE RULE I ‘DCHANGE: Playing froma divot on the fairway. TOP THREE COURSES ONMY BUCKETLIST: Augusta, Pebble Beach and Turnberry .

create six videos each of three holes and finish off with what I call ‘the seventh video’. “ This is something any of the clubs we visit can use as a showcase. It provides a history of the course and the club and introduces the club manager, the pro, and perhaps some members. Anybody who visits a club we review has the opportunity to put a name to the faces.” Dan has strong feelings about the way ahead for his sport, adding: “I love the best traditions and history of golf which are part of its charm. I grew up loving the game and still do but clubs can sometimes get far too serious. “As a kid I always felt I was being told what I could not do rather than what I could do. To me that is not the future for golf. Golf has to be fun for kids and everybody else. If we want the sport to have I S SU E 1 5

FAVOURITE DESTINATION: France so far! BEST COURSE PLAYED: Saunton East. DREAMFOURBALL: Me and Dan against Tiger and Jack Nicklaus in their primes. FAVOURITE CLUB: The trusty Ping Zing 2 iron. THE SHOT I DREAD: Any shot within 50 yards of the green. THE RULE I ‘DCHANGE: No internal out of bounds. TOP THREE COURSES ONMY BUCKETLIST: The Old Course, Augusta, Pebble Beach.

Paul Hendriksen (Dan’s Brother)

YEARS PLAYINGGOLF: 30 THE DAY JOB: Golf Professional. FAVOURITE DESTINATION: California. BEST COURSE PLAYED: Birkdale. DREAMFOURBALL: Me, my father, Tiger &Rory. FAVOURITE CLUB: Driver. THE SHOT I DREAD: 50 yard bunker shot. THE RULE I ‘DCHANGE: Place on the fairways (should always have a perfect lie). TOP THREE COURSES ONMY BUCKETLIST: Augusta, Pebble Beach, and Turnberry.

a future, everybody has to realise It is nothing more than just a game. It’s leisure and you are not enjoying it, you should not be in it. “ That’s why we do things the way we do on YouTube. We’re just here to entertain people.” Dan’s wife Laura, who also coaches at the Torquay club, is a former English Amateur champion, turned professional with a handicap of plus three and is a three-time winner of the Women’s PGA Order of Merit. Even a YouTube star is not guaranteed being the head of golf in his own home!

VIEW A SELECTION OF DAN’ S VIDEOS E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

COMPETITION

Here is your chance to win a day playing and filming with Dan Hendriksen and his team. Tap into Dan’s tuition experience and enjoy a relaxed round with him, Lester, Lee and Dan’s Brother Paul at one of their destination locations in the UK. You will feature in the location videos produced and hosted on Dan Hendriksen’s YouTube channel and also on our website www.exclusivegolfandtravel.co.uk

HOW TO ENTER

SIMPLY VISIT OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE

exgolfandtravel and FOLLOW US EVERY PERSON WHO FOLLOWS OUR PAGE BETWEEN NOV 27TH AND DEC 27TH WILL BE ENTERED INTO THIS PRIZE DRAW 52

E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

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PACKABLE HYBRID JACKET

With a striking stripe detail in a contrast color with a JL logo at left chest. Features durable Ripstop® at front, padded with Primaloft® for protection where you need it the most. The sleeves and the back are crafted from Light Mid™ with excellent stretch and moisture transportation. - Taped hem and sleeve ends - Primaloft® Gold 60g padding - Microfiber lining - Two-way center front zipper - Stretch - Fast dry - Moisture wicking - Printed JL logo at chest

BEAT THE COLD

IN STYLE ON & OFF THE COURSE

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LOGO HOOD MIDLAYER SWEATER Experience the comfort of Tech Sweat™ a spacer fabric construction that provides insulating technology for warmth and softness. The insulating fabric provides warmth with full breathability. The sweater features taping inside sleeve end and hem, for a technical look and improved comfort. - Printed J.Lindeberg logo on front zipper - JL logo at hood front - Rubber film print around zippers and at sleeve - Branded elastic edge tape at cuffs, at hood hem and bottom hem - Side and shoulder seam placed to increase freedom of movement

• AELLO COMPRESSION

• BRAN MIDLAYER

• ELLOT BONDED FLEECE TROUSERS

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• KVREGFIT POLOSHIRT

• PACKLIGHT PADDEDGILET

Features the iconic JLbridge across the back, and an embroidered JL logo at collar.

Crafted with Ripstop Light fabrication that is lightweight and can be packed and stored without compromising warmth.

• SHIELDJACKET Reversible lightweight stretch jacket with a soft, comfortable interior, two-way zip at front, and two zip side pockets. Woven channels with Primaloft padding for improved warmth without the bulk.

J.LINDEBERG – NO COMPROMISE ON FASHION OR FUNCTION Their winter collection combines their fashion DNA - contemporary colours, patterns, and a clean-cut design - with carefully chosen performance fabrics. They curate the very best from golf, fashion and active collections to offer you year-round styles for on the course, in the clubhouse and beyond.

• KIANZIPPEDSWEATER

VIEW AND THE FULL WINTER RANGE HERE

• STRIPEBALLBEANIEHAT

• LUNAKNITTED HYBRID SWEATER

• JANICE MIDLAYER JACKET

• LOPADDED GOLF SKIRT

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THE ALL NEW DREAM MACHINE

We test the new tech-packed Stewart Golf Q Follow electric golf trolley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the most compact cart of its kind. I S SU E 1 5

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STEWARTGOLFQFOLLOW

THE BEST JUST GOT

BETTER Building on two decades of engineering the world's finest electric golf trolleys, Stewart Golf have created their best ever machine to provide you with your best ever golfing experience.

THE MOST COMPACT FOLLOW TROLLEY EVER The ‘Q’ is Stewart Golf’s all-new flagship model and takes their Golf heritage of award-wining innovation and elevates it again with a nextgeneration compact Follow and Remote golf trolley. Designed, engineered and handbuilt at their base in Gloucestershire, the Q Follow uses a pioneering microcellular composite chassis folds in a few simple steps to fit in almost any car, and will take up next to no room in your garage or home.

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INDUSTRY FIRSTS The Q Follow is unlike any other golf trolley you have ever used. Its lightweight but incredibly strong monocoque chassis, main support, and handle are all industry firsts. The microcellular composite material used to make all three also has a high density skin that makes them stiffer and stronger than traditional mouldings

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SIZE MATTERS

EXPERIENCE FOLLOW Experience the golf course in the purest way with Follow technology. Walk hassle-free down the fairway with Q following like your own caddy and get the pro-like experience of being able to focus completely on your golf. Using Stewart’s latest seventh generation Follow technology engineered to allow you to walk the fairway with zero distractions this clever cutting edge tech has never been so simple to use . . . Follow mode is activated at the touch of a button. The Q Follow tracks the movement of the handset: as it moves from the Neutral to the Active zone, the system independently alters the speed of the dual EcoDrive motors to maintain speed and direction.

3 MODES OF OPERATION The Q Follow can be used in three different ways: in tight areas; steer it manually from the handle; use the remote control to send your it to the next tee; engage Follow when you’re on the open fairway. FOLLOW: Simply press the ‘Follow’ button, place the handset on your belt or back pocket and walk.

Whether it’s transporting your machine to and from the course or storing it at home, folded size is a big factor for all golfers. The all-new Q Follow has been engineered to be the most compact design ever for a Follow machine. The Q Series can even be carried one-handed thanks to a subtle yet comfortable integrated handle.

REMOTE: In situations where you can’t use Follow mode, you have full remote capability. BY HAND: When required, simply guide the trolley using the soft touch handle. ULTIMATE CONTROL With a rechargeable lithium battery and secure Bluetooth connectivity, the compact handset gives you complete and consistent control throughout your round. With up to a 50m range, you have total flexibility to walk independently of your trolley.

EACH Q FOLLOW IS UNIQUE. No two surface finishes are the same, which means your trolley will truly stand out as one of a

COMPLETE ON-COURSE CONFIDENCE The Q Follow features a retractable stabiliser which automatically deploys as the trolley is unfolded. Equipped with two dual-bearing, free rolling wheels and with supreme natural balance, this is a machine you can have total confidence in when tackling a hilly course. SMARTPOWER BATTERY The next generation of lithium battery that you can connect to your smart phone.

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DAN’S VERDICT WATCH DAN’ S REVIEW OF THE Q FOLLOW E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

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EQUIPMENT- BALLS

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EQUIPMENT- BALLS

ARE YOU PLAYING THE

RIGHT BALL? Every golfer knows buying a new set of irons, a driver or fairway wood is a huge task - it’s like buying a new car, so many options, brands and setups and the golf ball is just as complex. We have teamed up with Srixon to bring you this guide to making sure you get the right ball in your bag. It’s a painstaking process which involves hours of research, browsing websites, testing and multiple visits to your pro shop or golf superstore. That’s before we get anywhere near the subject of custom fitting (we will save that for another time).

What a lot of golfers, especially those of the higher handicap variety don’t realise is that that same level of attention should be given to the ball you play. All those colourful boxes, all those different brands and models, then opening the box to always find three dimpled orbs in a sleeve, which are always 1.68 inches in diameter and must not weigh more than 1.62 ounces. Why are there so many versions of the same thing? The balls might look the same, but they each do different things for different types of players and have different effects on your bank balance. It’s enough to send you into a spin and that could be a good or a bad thing for your game. Take your performance further with a Srixon golf ball which is ‘Engineered for Your Game’. Srixon golf balls are technology-packed, highperformance pieces of golf equipment, they optimize each of its golf ball offerings for the swing characteristics of specific golfer types which gives you a head start with your choices. Choose between the Z-STAR, Z-STAR XV, Q-STAR Tour, AD333, Soft Feel, and Soft Feel Lady to find the Srixon golf ball developed especially for your golf game. Played by acclaimed PGA Tour professionals Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Graeme McDowell, J.B. Holmes, and Russell Knox, Srixon golf balls offer category-leading performance for golfers at every level. At Srixon, your best performance starts with the right golf ball. Whether you’re searching for a tour-level golf ball played on the PGA Tour or a two-piece distance golf ball with great all-around feel, Srixon has the best golf balls for you at great prices. If you need help selecting the best golf ball for your game, then read on and learn which ball will provide you with the right combination of distance, spin, feel, and performance then feel confident every time you tee it up.

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EQUIPMENT- BALLS

With Srixon, I know that I amplaying the most consistent and reliable ball in the world, a critical factor in achieving my first major win at the Open Championship. SHANELOWRY

TECHTALK Understanding Srixon’s key technology across their ball range.

SPIN REVOLUTIONIZED

If you really want to score low, you need spin. A lot of spin. So Srixon added SeRM (Slide Ring Material). This extremely resilient urethane cover uses Moveable Polymer Cross-Linking to greatly enhance spin. With molecular bonds that stretch but don’t break, SeRM gives you a softer cover that actually digs into your club grooves at impact. That extra bite means more friction, which leads to dramatically more spin, and ultimately, unmatched stopping power around the green. This unique SeRM blends into a Spin Skin coating to improve not only driver distance but also feel and spin.

Soft golf balls feel great. Hard golf balls go far. But you’ve never played a ball that’s both soft and hard. Until now. Srixon started with the core of the core. Then, they add the layers. Thousands of them. Until they’ve built a core that’s firm enough to deliver the explosive distance you expect, yet soft enough for the feel you’ve always wanted in a tour ball. With its gradual transition from soft inner core to firm outer edge, FastLayer behaves like a core with thousands of layers, giving you distance and soft feel without compromise.

NOWFINDYOURBALL I S SU E 1 5

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TOUR PERFORMANCE BEST TOUR DISTANCE GOLF BALL

TOUR PERFORMANCE BEST TOUR SPIN GOLF BALL

FOR MODERATE SWING SPEEDS LOWER COMPRESSION, TOUR SPIN

Z-STAR XV golf balls provide maximum greenside spin for unmatched control and stopping power, while also being longer than other mid-compression tour balls. These golf balls have a premium four-piece construction, providing skilled players complete tour performance, from tee to green.

Engineered for golfers who demand maximum spin, Srixon Z-STAR golf balls deliver ultimate maximum greenside spin for unrivalled stopping power. These Z STAR golf balls feature FastLayer Core and 4th Generation SpinSkin with SeRM to generate unmatched control around the greens.

Now in its third generation, the new Q-STAR TOUR is Srixonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s softest golf ball with tourlevel performance. Get tour-calibre spin and distance from its three-piece construction and urethane cover, along with exceptionally softer feel than traditional tour balls.

FastLayer Core

4th Generation Spin Skin with SeRM

338 Speed Dimple Pattern

Less drag and more lift, the 338 Speed Dimple Pattern boosts distance and straighter flight.

HIGHLIGHTS

UNMATCHED DISTANCE WITH HIGHER TRAJECTORY

LOW DRIVER SPIN FOR LONG, STRAIGHT DRIVES

EXCEPTIONAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE IN WINDY CONDITIONS

INCREDIBLE IRON DISTANCE

OUTSTANDING GREENSIDE SPIN CONTROL

COLOURS: WHITE/YELLOW

COLOURS: WHITE & YELLOW

COMPRESSION 102

COMPRESSION 90

COMPRESSION 72

COVER MATERIAL URETHANE W/SERM

CONSTRUCTION 4-PIECE

CONSTRUCTION 3-PIECE

FEEL

SOFT

VERY SOFT

TRAJECTORY MID-HIGH

TRAJECTORY MID

GREENSIDE CTRL VERY HIGH

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

TOUR-CALIBER GREENSIDE SPIN CONTROL

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CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

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ULTISOFT ® 2 PIECE PERFORMANCE LOW COMPRESSION, DISTANCE & SPIN

2-PIECE PERFORMANCE SUPER-LOW COMPRESSION 2-PIECE PERFORMANCE LOW COMPRESSION, DISTANCE & FEEL

The AD333 is a premium, lower-compression golf ball that delivers superior, balanced performance for golfers who demand exceptional distance, feel and greenside control.

Whether off the tee or around the greens, the new SOFT FEEL lives up to its namesake. Experience a solid yet comfortable impact on every swing, giving you more confidence as you address each shot.

UltiSoft is true to its name as the ultimate golf ball for softness and feel. It’s the lowest compression ball in our lineup, delivering unmatched performance on every strike.

FastLayer Core

NEW Spin Skin with SeRM

Soft, thin cover To get more distance overall and better performance in the wind.

338 Speed Dimple Pattern Less drag and more lift, the 338 Speed Dimple Pattern boosts distance and straighter flight.

338 Speed Dimple Pattern Less drag and more lift, the 338 Speed Dimple Pattern boosts distance and straighter flight. HIGHLIGHTS

HIGHLIGHTS

TOUR BALL TECHNOLOGY IN A 2-PIECE DESIGN

OUTSTANDING, SOFT FEEL ON ALL SHOTS

2-PIECE BALL WITH SOFT, SUPER-LOW COMPRESSION

EXCEPTIONAL COMBINATION OF DISTANCE, FEEL AND GREENSIDE CONTROL

LONGEST DRIVER DISTANCE IN CATEGORY

ENERGETIC GRADIENT GROWTH CORE

TOTAL PERFORMANCE WITH EXCELLENT DURABILITY

SOFT, THIN COVER FOR MORE GREENSIDE SPIN CONTROL

COLOURS: WHITE & YELLOW

COMPRESSION 75

COMPRESSION 60

COMPRESSION 38

COVER MATERIAL IONOMER

CONSTRUCTION 2-PIECE

FEEL

SOFT

SOFTEST

TRAJECTORY MID-HIGH

TRAJECTORY HIGH

GREENSIDE CTRL HIGH

GREENSIDE CTRL MEDIUM

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

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CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

COMPETITION

WINAYEAR’S SUPPLYOFSRIXON GOLFBALLS

Get the power of a true tour ball, but play with a softer feel at impact. It’s all the performance you want, plus all the feel you never knew you could have.

HOW TO ENTER

SIMPLY VISIT OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE

exgolfandtravel and FOLLOW US EVERY PERSON WHO FOLLOWS OUR PAGE BETWEEN NOV 27TH AND DEC 27TH WILL BE ENTERED INTO THIS PRIZE DRAW 66

E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

I S SU E 1 5

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DISTANCEMEASURING

THEBEST

PRESEN T UNDERTHE CHISTMAS TREE All-in-one device gives golfers access to their favorite music, while still providing audible distances on the course.

he new Bushnell Wingman GPS Speaker could just be the best present under the tree this Christmas.

Totally unique in the golf market players can now listen to music whilst having distances on the course at their finger tips courtesy of some clever GPS and Bluetooth tech. With its ability to play music and provide the accurate GPS data golfers rely on the Wingman GPS Speaker is unlike any other product in the golf market. With a combination of GPS and Bluetooth technologies, the Wingman provides players with audible front, center and back distances, all while listening to the music of their choice through mobile applications. With premium sound quality paired with front, center, and back distances and customizable settings for game play, the Wingman is the perfect all-in-one accessory for the golf course. Additionally, the speaker comes standard with Bushnellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Magnetic BITE technology which allows the speaker to be secured to any golf cart without the need for an aftermarket accessory. Also for those who carry, the Wingman easily clips to the outside of your golf bag.

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WINGMAN FEATURES: • Audible GPS distances and music through mobile applications

• Premium audio quality • Front center and back distances – with customizable settings for your game play • Integrated BITE magnetic cart mount • Auto hole advance • 10+ hour battery life • USB charge port

“ For golf er s that like to have fun out on the cour se during social rounds with their f riends or at home just listening to your favpurite track s , it is an ideal piece of k it to have . The qualit y of the audio is exceptional, you just have to make sure you have a k iller playlist read y ’.

How it works:

• For those who carry, or when buggys are not in play, your new Wingman easily clips to your golf bag. • The Wingman is not just for golf. It can also be used around the home or in the off ice as a portable speaker.

1. Pair the Wingman with your music source (e.g. mobile phone) and Bushnell Golf App 2. Press remote button to get audible GPS distances from your Bushnell Golf App 3. Music softens whilst yardages are spoken and then returns to previous setting

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For more information visit the Bushnell website here

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DISTANCEMEASURING

YOUCANRELYON A

s golfers, we understand that we play a sport that can be won or lost in the mind, and that having confidence in our golf equipment goes a long way to achieving a successful round.

No one understands this better than a tour pro, so it’s no surprise that players around the world entrust their distance measurement to Bushnell Golf. With its history of ground-breaking technology and innovation, Bushnell laser rangefinders have been the preferred distance measuring device on tour for well over a decade. Tour pros around the globe have come to rely on the speed and accuracy of the Pro XE laser rangefinder. Featuring PinSeeker with visual JOLT technology, 7x magnification, incredible 500+ yard range the addition of Magnetic BITE enables it to be safely attached to a buggy or trolley. The Pro XE also comes with Elements, patented technology that accounts for the effect of temperature and barometric pressure to give the most precise compensated distances ever. 2020 has seen the release of Bushnell’s latest additions to the rangefinder line up – the Tour V5 and Tour V5 Shift.

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Both models continue Bushnell’s tradition of setting new standards in the industry through constant innovation and the incorporation of leading technologies. Moulded with the perfect combination of size, speed, accuracy and Visual JOLT, the Tour V5 rangefinders are designed to create confidence for every shot needed on the course.

Bushnell Wingman GPS Speaker With a combination of GPS and Bluetooth technologies, the Wingman provides golfers with audible front, centre and back distances, all while listening to the music of their choice through mobile devices. With premium sound quality paired with front, centre, and back distances and customizable settings for gameplay, the Wingman is the perfect all-in-one accessory for the golf course. The speaker comes standard with Bushnell’s Magnetic BITE technology enabling it to be secured to any golf cart without the need for an aftermarket accessory.

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TOUR PRO’S VIEW

SIMONDYSON There is a reason 99.3% of players on the PGA European Tour and the PGA Tour in America use a Bushnell rangefinder. Tour pros trust Bushnell in the same way we trust a Trackman launch monitor because they have both gained a reputation for being the best.

FREE Bushnell GPS App FREE to download for all Bushnell Golf product owners and suitable for Apple and Android phone users, the App provides access to a selection of features designed to further enhance a golfer’s experience on the course. The key features include: Play Golf Access to over 36,000+ golf courses worldwide, F/C/B measurements, custom points and 3D graphic layouts of each hole and fly-throughs on every hole. Scoring Live scoring and enabling easy analysis of total scores and putts. Performance - track fairways and greens hit in regulation, putts taken plus shot distance measurement. Seamless Course Updates via mobile Bluetooth connection. The App can be used with or without a Bushnell device, enabling golfers to benefit from its many features even if they aren’t using their laser or GPS.

“ When I play golf I use a Bushnell f or ever y thing I need to k now because it has such accurate f eedback ” If I get a course I don’t know very well and it came to a dogleg, I would laser the trees at the end of the fairway. Then I would deduct the appropriate amount of yardage necessary to hit the fairway. On tour, most of the time you have got a book of yardages but you still use a Bushnell to double check your numbers. You might stand next to a disc that says 155 yards to the front of a green. In practice, you will get your caddy to stand at the front of the green and zap him to double check.

I can remember another company trying to tread on Bushnell’s toes giving us Tour pros rangefinders to use but nobody was interested in anything other than a Bushnell. When I get a student working with me at Mottram Hall, I always ask: How far do you hit an eight iron? As often as not, the first word I hear in reply is “about . . .” Whoa! Hold it! I always stop them in their tracks right away and point out they need to know exactly how far and also how far a three quarter eight iron goes and how far a half eight iron goes. This is something you need to be precise about with the clubs in your bag. We do this on a Trackman and when we go out on the course for a playing lesson we will zap a number. Then I get the student to hit the shot and then they start seeing the distances more regularly. When the student knows how far they the ball is going you can see confidence improving. A Bushnell may be no more than a tool for a player to improve accuracy. But it’s by far the best tool for the job.

Sometimes the numbers are not always accurate because even on tour human error comes into it and there can be little mistakes. The last thing you want coming down the stretch is to play to the wrong yardage. It could cost you, so you do that double check on everything to make sure.

FIND OUT MORE: www.bushnellgolf.com I S SU E 1 5

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MENSFOOTWEAR

GETREADYFORWINTERGOLF INCOMFORTWITHSKECHERS O

nly the most determined and hardy golfer plays in winter, those dedicated to the sport, unafraid of the cold, the wet, damp, high winds and of course the large number of fallen leaves that conspire to hide the golf ball at every opportunity. And yet it’s those golfers who understand the value of being ‘geared’ up, who understand the benefit of the technologies that manufacturers develop for their comfort and well being and it’s probably for those reasons that they are prepared to play in the harsh winter climate that and the dogged determination not to be influenced by the weather and an old fashioned love of the game. Shoes, as we know can make or break a round at any time of year but it’s in the mud and damp that they can really come into their own. Skechers GoGolf are renowned for the comfort that they bring golfers and increasing numbers are realising just what that means to their game – one less thing to think about in a game already plagued by the mind.

Here is a selection of Skechers shoes ideally suited to winter golf :

PRO V4 Worn on tour by Matt Kuchar, the top of the range GO GOLF PRO 4 boasts a full-grain leather upper, sleek, low profile sole with dynamic diamond traction patterned sole plate and replaceable Softspikes® for total grip and stability out on the course. Inside the shoe the comfort factor is ramped up by the extremely lightweight ULTRA FLIGHT cushioning and Resamax cushioned insoles. Skechers heel-lock feature prevents the rear portion of the foot from moving during the phases of the swing and creating that secure feeling golfers can rely on. Waterproof protection is provided by Skechers H2GO Shield technology.

Available colours: white, black or grey. RRP: £149

A word on Gripflex: This winter golfers can rely on the

Skechers Gripflex™ sole to provide them with superior traction and stability in the most extreme of conditions.

The sole’s low-profile design ensures

more of the shoe is in contact with the ground for longer resulting in more

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natural ground feel and improved balance whilst steadfastly refusing to clog up with grass and mud. The flexible nubs on the sole offer uncompromising grip on the turf without penetrating the ground or damaging the root zone, meaning that Skechers shoes are not only great for the golfer, but great for golf course too! I S SU E 1 5

MENSFOOTWEAR TORQUE-TWIST The all-new Go Golf Torque-Twist is a sporty, lightweight designed shoe that has a new twist-dial closure system that provides a precise adjustable front closure for a closer snugger fit. The smooth uppers feature a synthetic rain jacket construction for complete waterproof protection whilst inside the shoe Skechers responsive ULTRA GO™ cushioning and super comfortable GOGA Max® highrebound insoles are responsible for their industry-renowned in shoe comfort. Max grip comes from the replaceable Softspikes.

Available colours: white, black, grey. RRP: £99

SKECH AIR TWIST The new Skech Air Twist shoe has a lightweight breathable synthetic upper mesh fabric with Skechers Waterproof Membrane for complete protection in adverse conditions. Skechers Air-Cooled Memory Foam provides instant comfort and breathability inside the shoe and the traditional lace-up arrangement is replaced with Skechers Twist Fit alternative dial closure system. Turn the dial to the right to close the shoe and a quarter turn to the left to release – as easy as 1..2..3. Skechers comfort is further enhanced with visible Skech-Air cushioning in the heel section of the shoe and a Relaxed Fit caters for those golfers with the slightly broader foot.

ELITE 4 New this year the spikeless Elite 4 is a sporty, low profile designed shoe with luxury leather uppers that carry Skechers H2GO Shield to keep the water out. The lowdrop design keeps the feet low to the ground and combines with Skechers’ GRIPFLEX spikeless TPU outsole in providing the optimum blend of stability, walking comfort and excellent grip. Comfort levels are off the chart courtesy of Skechers ULTRA GO and GOGA Max cushioning, meaning you’ll have a spring in your step all the way to the 18th green. They’re also lightweight and easy to keep clean with dirt wiping off easily. I S SU E 1 5

Available colours: navy/lime, charcoal/red, black/white, grey/lime, white/navy. RRP: £99

TRIED&TESTED BY EDITOR, MIKE STAFFORD

“ I’ve been luck enough to wear the Elite 4’s for around

five months now and unlike alot of top branded golf shoes before them, these Skechers feel just as good now as the day i slipped them on for the first time. Exceptional grip, very waterproof and they clean up so easily after playing winter fairways.” E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

WOMENSFOOTWEAR

PRO 2 The Pro 2 boasts a low-profile, full contact outsole, with replaceable Softspikes for unparalleled traction in all conditions. They are waterproof with synthetic leather uppers, lightweight and have Skechers comfort locked in through Skechers ULTRA GO and GOGA Max in shoe tech. Available colours: navy, white and black. RRP: £99

ELITE 3 DELUXE Headlining the spikeless range, the low-profile Elite is fully waterproof with full-grain leather uppers and Skechers lightweight ULTRA GO and GOGA Max cushioning for unrivalled in-shoe comfort. Available with traditional lace closure and a durable TPU outsole, the Elite 3 Deluxe is available in two colours - black and white. RRP: £99

VIEW THE RANGE HERE 74

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NEWTECHNOLOGY

MEETTHEWORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SFIRST

3DPRINTED

PUTTER T

he KING Supersport-35 is the first 3D Printed golf club to be commercialized by a major OEM (COBRA). A 3D printed body and lattice design optimizes weighting to deliver the highest MOI in a blade shape. Combined with SIK Face Technology, the Supersport-35 putter produces the most consistent and accurate roll for every putting stroke. Cobra partnered with HP to launch the first commercialized putter created using HP Metal Jet Technology. The putter is available in limited quanities andCobra say this technology will deliver the next level in putter performance. Metal Jet 3D printing is a revolutionary advancement in manufacturing and introduces new and innovative possibilities for golf club design and performance.

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TECHTALK. . . ULTIMATE DESIGN FREEDOM HP’s Metal Jet technology provides greater adaptability in design than traditional manufacturing methods, and allows us to prototype, test and bring products to market much faster. A SUPERIOR FINAL PRODUCT HP Metal Jet 3D Printing provides quicker production speed with superior part quality and precision. Its rapid prototyping process allows us to test and implement design changes quicker to create the perfect design. 3D PRINTED STEEL BODY The entire putter body and hosel is 3D printed using 316 stainless steel. Once printed, the head part is sintered at a high temperature to form the final product. Due to the precision of Metal Jet Printing, minimal post-process finishing is required.

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PRICE: $399.00

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 3D PRINTED LATTICE DESIGN Utilizing 3D printing enables our engineers to integrate a complex lattice structure into the design that can’t be produced using casting or forging. The lattice optimizes weight distribution to create the highest MOI in blade shape while fine-tuning feel. CNC MILLED FOR PRECISION During the final step in the process, the surfaces of the 3D printed head are CNC machined to apply the final cosmetic finishing, and ensure the most precise final product. SIK FACE TECHNOLOGY COBRA has partnered with SIK Golf to utilize their patented Descending Loft Technology (DLT) to deliver the most consistent and accurate roll.

SIK DESCENDING LOFT TECHNOLOGY The face design features SIK Golf’s patented Descending Loft Technology (DLT), which utilizes four descending lofts (4°, 3°, 2°, 1°) that ensures the most consistent roll for a variety of putting strokes. Whether you forward press, or hit the ball high or low on the face, the technology maintains a proper launch angle on every putt. ALUMINUM FACE INSERT A soft aluminum face insert produces better sound and feel while providing excellent feedback and distance control for improved putting accuracy.

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NEWCLUBS

TITLEISTTSi DRIVERS Titleist’s approach to innovation is cumulative, always seeking to find shifts that produce lasting superiority. Titlesist say material advances, like the unique ATI 425 Aerospace Titanium in the TSi face, help make it the longest, straightest, best looking and best sounding driver they’ve ever made.

DYNAMIC DISTANCE. For players who create more consistent contact and require more precise control over CG placement. With a new Adjustable CG Track Design for advanced speed-tuned performance. 78

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NEW FACE. NEW POSSIBILITIES. Working with something as tough as ATI 425 Aerospace Titanium isn’t easy. But this unique alloy, is the key to creating a driver face that delivers increased ball speed at every point of contact.

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Now available in Titleist authorised retailers, the new TSi2 and TSi3 models transcend the advancements of the original Titleist Speed Project, accelerating the performance that has made Titleist the most played driver on the PGA Tour for two seasons running. From the top of the swing, TSi’s player-tuned aerodynamics propel the clubhead faster toward the golf ball. At impact, the extremely powerful ATI 425 face launches the ball with added speed. High inertia properties produce an extremely stable clubhead, providing players with more consistent speed and spin across the face for longer, straighter drives.

TSi2 is designed to deliver incredible speed and accuracy across the entire surface of the face, with a deeper, lower CG to maximise distance.

TSi3 is for players capable of creating more consistent contact or requiring more precise control over CG placement, featuring a new SureFit CG Track Design for advanced speed-tuned performance.

TSi Driver £519/€625 TSi Premium Driver £689/€825.

DAN’S VERDICT WATCH DAN’ S REVIEW

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

FASTER IN THE AIR AND AT IMPACT.

PERFORMANCE-TUNED ADJUSTABILIT Y

Improved aerodynamics lead to added speed that you can turn loose on the course with confidence. TSi is tuned to feel fast in your hands and look square at address, with a shape as satisfying as the sound.

TSi3 Drivers feature a new SureFit CG track technology, offering five unique positions to adjust club head CG to fine-tune ball flight with neutral, heel or toe settings. We continue to refine the ways in which a fitter can fine-tune performance to ensure you get the most out of every swing.

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PRODUCTS

CamelBak -keepingyou hydratedandeco-friendly

Studies show 75% of golf er s on the cour se in summer are dehydrated

Most golfers don’t realise that keeping hydrated on the golf course is vital to maintaining performance. It’s not just something that affects the pro out there on tour playing in all sorts of heat and humidities – its effect on the humble club golfer and social player is every bit as destructive as the effect on a tour pro.

t the 2013 US Senior open, Peter Jacobsen was forced to withdraw from the tournament after only 9 holes due to severe dehydration. “I will never put myself in that position again,” said Jacobsen, reflecting on the episode. “It was really scary, and I think there is a lesson here for all golfers: Every one of us needs to be conscious of drinking lots of water. There are no special exemptions.” And that’s why we see pro golfers continually ‘nipping’ at the water bottle throughout the round no matter what tournament they are playing or where. What golfers don’t realise are the sheer number of factors that determine how well we remain hydrated during a round – age, fitness, body type (or fat levels), how much effort is needed on playing a course (hilly ones) and of course the outside temperature and humidity levels on the course. Any and all of these come in to play on any given day and on any given course and their

effect on our game can be catastrophic. As a little as a 2% reduction in fluid levels can have an affect on muscle speed, strength, our co-ordination and our ability to think properly – or caddie for ourselves. Let’s do the bad news first. Drinks that cause dehydration include: • Beer • Coffee • Most Tea Drinks • Soft or sugary Drinks The good news is that the humble water remains the best source of hydration, the challenge is how we carry enough water to keep us hydrated. We can go for the plastic bottle from the pro shop – single use, usually tossed during or after the round and environmentally damaging or we can look for something that we can use time and time again and is friendly to Mother Earth. Increasingly sports and golf clubs are moving away from single use plastic water bottles in favour of re-usable options, providing players with watering points pre-round and on the golf course itself.

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PRODUCTS

Welcome Camelbak . . . Pioneers of hands-free hydration Camelbak are the world’s leading hydration specialist supplying top sportspeople and athletes around the world. If you’re a runner, cyclist or keen outdoors sportsperson, the likelihood is that you are well aware of the Camelbak hydration ‘bladders’ and the benefits they bring in keeping athletes supplied with water throughout their chosen activity. Camelbak have an enviromentally friendly range of reuseable water bottles that are free from the harmful BPA chemicals, have a lifetime guarantee, are dish washer safe, come with non-spill caps and are a stylish addition to any golf bag. CamelBak specialise in hydration products, they haven’t jumped on the eco band wagon producing a range to fit in with the latest trend, their business is hydration and they take it seriously on every level

CHUTE MAG TRITAN A versatile and well-loved bottle that has a magnetic top and angled spout for easy non-drip drinking. BPA, BPS and BPS free, it has a useful .75 l capacity and a leak proof magnetic non leak. It’s dishwasher proof, comes with a lifetime guarantee and is available in Charcoal, Oxford Blum Hunter green and Cardinal Red.

RRP - £17.99

CHUTE MAG VACUUM This vacuum-insulated bottle keeps liquids cold for up to 24 hours and hot for six, because nobody likes a lukewarm drink. The sturdy, double-walled steel design keeps condensation from collecting on the sides of the bottle, and the powder-coat paint job adds some extra colour. The narrow-mouthed opening also makes it easy to drink and pour without spilling and the new magnetic top keeps the cap out of the way while you drink. Available in Black, Navy.

HOT VACUUM CAP Whatever hot drink you prefer keep it nice and toasty with Hot Cap. A leak-proof rotating valve twists to open or close the cap allowing drinking from any side and it comes apart for easy cleaning. Recommended for hot beverages up to 195°F, 90°C. Available in Navy, Black.

RRP - £29.99

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TRAVEL

PENHALONGA RETREAT TO THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF

SEE PAGE 90

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FRANCE&SPAIN

DRIVINGYOURGAMETO

FRANCE&SPAIN With Brittany Ferries, your golf holiday starts when you check-in. Just drive aboard and relax whilst enjoying a wide range of quality facilities. By taking your own car you’ll be free to try an assortment of superb courses on offer. Tim Taylor caught up with GRAHAM RUTH, Brittany Ferries Golf Director, to chat all about golf in France and Northern Spain, the Covid effect and what golfers can experience in 2021 with their golf packages.

he legacies of the late and charismatic Seve Ballesteros are numerous, not least the dramatic contribution his flamboyant style of play made to transforming the Ryder Cup into a spectacle with a massive global TV audience which these days some figures put in the region of 50 million. The Tiger Woods effect has had an influence on that of course but when brain cancer sadly took Seve from us at the young age of 54 in 2011, the five times major winner with the film star looks was much mourned by the world of golf. When it came to promoting the sport – especially in his home region of Northern Spain – no superstar put more into it and was more of a natural PR guy than Seve. His bounding enthusiasm was something I experienced first hand in 2005 when I was the golf correspondent of The Journal newspaper in

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the Seve Trophy was played in the North East at the Wynyard club. He was all over it. Two years before that Graham Ruth, who has been in charge of the Brittany Ferries Golf Desk since it was created in 1998, was equally bowled over after Seve agreed to be involved in the promotion when the ferry company decided to broaden their horizon and introduce British golfers to Northern Spain. All this is relevant because the big news at Brittany Ferries now is that they have just taken delivery of Galicia the first of three brand new luxury vessels. Galicia will operate on their Spanish routes, part of a near £500m fleet renewal programme under way at the French owned company. But more of Spain and the Seve X-factor later. Expansion on the current scale has been made possible by the company’s all-round growth and appeal. I S SU E 1 5

• Galicia will operate on their Spanish routes, part of a near £500mfleet renewal programme under way at the French owned company.

Arelaxing way to travel There’s nothing better than arriving at your destination fully refreshed for the journey ahead.

More than 90% of the business the golf desk generates emanates from between the western side of the English Channel and Brittany, Normandy and the Loire. Graham’s fledgling golf desk moved 1,200 golfers in 12 months for Brittany Ferries when it started 22 years ago. The most recent Pre Covid-19 total was 6,000 and the sales figure has multiplied five times, rising from £300,000 to £1.5m. If you have not been on a ferry for a long while, you might be surprised to find these days they can come complete with bars, a top flight restaurant, restaurant, cinemas, shops and luxury accommodation. Graham says: “ The appeal of Brittany is the region, it has an awful lot of great golf courses which hardly anybody has ever heard about and many are so close to port it is even possible to be playing them at 9am after a good night’s sleep on the ferry. “France is refreshing for golfers, the clubs there are so relaxed and sociable and they entice you in. If you are a busy person, there is a holy trinity of the three main aspects you need to get spot-on when booking a golf trip . . . the travel, the hotel and the golf course. “Pre booked tee times and hassle free travel with your clubs going for free. That’s what we do. Everything I S SU E 1 5

Restaurants & Dining Choose fromfine dining in our à la carte restaurants, or a superb choice of international food in our other restaurants.

is done for the client. When people try to do it all themselves usually they might get one or two of those elements but after that it all becomes so time consuming that they often walk away from what would have been a great trip. “ We deal with all the elements on a day to day basis, we take all the hassle and aggravation out of the organisation and offer a bespoke focus on individual itineraries, all of them ABTA bonded. Plus we offer a guarantee nobody can beat our price.

“ The appeal of Brittany is the region, it has an awful lot of great golf cour ses which hardl y anybod y has ever heard about and many are so close to por t it is even possible to be playing them at 9am af ter a good night ’ s sleep on the f err y.” “ We do not concentrate necessarily on resorts and part and parcel of our service is flexibility. We hand make

Great value onboard shopping Ahuge range of products on offer including a large selection of wine, perfumes and cosmetics, fashion and accessories.

each package with the organiser of each group and discuss where the group want to stay and what they are looking for in the evenings and the courses in that area and pull it altogether. “All our clients receive a travel pack containing tickets, vouchers etc and we keep up to date with any maintenance, so, for example, we do not allow you to turn up at a course and find the green has just been hollow-tined. “ The bottom line is that our clients are going on holiday and it’s our job to use our in-depth knowledge to ensure they enjoy the whole experience from start to finish. We care passionately about our customers. “Incidentally the Channel crossings work both ways and we derive equal pleasure from French golfers experiencing what England and Ireland have to offer. There are very few links courses in Brittany and the inbound part of the business has grown enormously in recent years.” Battling the effects of Covid-19 has occupied much of Graham’s time as Director of Golf this year and he is thankful to have an experienced and long serving team to call on led by the golf desk manager, Kerry Baker, like Graham a golfer herself. He said: “Invariably a client will E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

FRANCE&SPAIN

ring up and will want to speak to Kerry, Karen or Emma and ask for them by name which I know is old fashioned in this day and age but it works for us. There is a warmth and friendliness to what we do.

“It’s been a torrid time and it’s not perfect now by any stretch of the imagination but we’re ready to go as soon as something starts to happen and we’re looking forward to 2021. We’re ready to rock and roll!”

“ That has been a vitally helpful factor in 2021. We have built-in goodwill and 80% of our clients who booked have re-booked. There is a loyalty factor there because the vast majority of our customers are regular repeat clients who have travelled three or four times and in some cases upwards of 20 times with us and have recommended us to other golfers.

To return to the subject of Seve in 2003, he was at the centre of a two-day public relations exercise in Northern Spain for the media staged on courses he had designed. This enabled the Brittany Ferries golf programme to establish a foothold in his home region.

“ The reaction of the customers has been terrific. They totally understand the difficulties in the current circumstances and to start with Kerry rebooked everybody who was due to travel in March April and May into June. Then June did not happen. “So she then rebooked virtually every group for September. As we came into August it looked as if that would go ahead because the governments had agreed there would be no quarantine and all our groups would travel. “But then the situation changed, the quarantine was upheld and nobody travelled when at one stage it looked as if France in September was going to be choc a block with English golfers. It’s been a real emotional roller coaster of hope turning into despair. We’ve got some groups who have been rebooked four times! “It’s been a traumatic experience, especially for Kerry and her team who have dealt with the brunt of it and have done an amazing job. But the customer service they provide has been second to none. 86

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The first day was at Santa Marina. He played a few holes with all of the media and did a golf clinic. The second day was at Pedrena where he grew up learning the game and where he practised as a boy on the beach. He did a press conference, went through his practice session and had his picture taken with everybody in the group. Said Graham: “Seve made a big impact not only because of who he was but how he was. He was highly personable – brilliant, outstanding – and gelled well with the media. It made an impact on the launch of our golf programme in the region and remains one of the favourite memories of my career.” The story behind the creation of the Brittany Ferries Golf Desk is equally appealing. It dates back to 1996, when Graham was running a small company in the south west organising around 40 corporate golf days a year.

Brittany Ferries were among the sponsors of a golf trip Graham organised from Portsmouth to Caen which raised £48,000 for the charity from generous corporate golfers throwing themselves into what Graham describes a “riotous” 48 hours of enthusiastic R&R involving 12 courses with 100 players on each course. The backing of the sponsors kept prices down to £99 a head (1996 prices!) playing in teams of four and Graham says: “ The goody bags were worth more than that. We could have sold out twice over. It was a fantastic result for the Lord’s Taverners as well as a light bulb moment for everybody else. “ They had never seen anything quite like the amount consumed of food, champagne and fine wine. On the strength of that success I was asked if we could put together a dedicated golf programme and after two years of planning that is how the Brittany Ferries Golf Desk came into existence. “One thing all the golfers said all those years ago sums up what we do in one phrase . . . we make it so easy to go abroad to play golf. That is us in a nutshell.” • GrahamRuth with Seve in Northern Spain

He was asked by a local solicitor to do some voluntary work by helping to raise funds for the Lord’s Taverners, a charity which supports youth sports. I S SU E 1 5

A selection of Brittany Ferries 2021 pack ages — Call the Golf Desk f or a quote SOUTHERN BRIT TANY

Benodet

NORMANDY

f rom onl y £286pp

Lucien Barrière f rom onl y £419pp

Sail overnight from Plymouth-Roscoff with a cabin

Sail overnight from Portsmouth-Caen with a cabin

2 nights B&B in Hotel Armoric, Benodet

3 nights B&B in Hotel du Golf Barrière,

1 round at l’Odet

1 round at Deauville

1 round at Cornouaille

1 round at Champ de Bataille

1 round at Ploemeur Océan

1 round at St Julien

Return day sailing from Roscoff

Return day sailing from Caen

LOIRE VALLEY

NORTHERN SPAIN

St Jean de Monts

La Rioja

f rom onl y £404pp

2 nights B&B in Hotel Atlantic Thalasso, 1 round at St Jean de Monts 1 round at Pornic 1 round at Fontenelles Return overnight sailing from Caen with a cabin

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We love playing golf in France and Northern Spain and want to share our knowledge and passion to help you plan your next trip.

Pack your car - t he clubs go f r e e By taking your own car you’ll be free to try a range of courses. You’ll also be free from airport parking, long check-ins and excess baggage charges. Simply pack all the gear you need safely in the boot with no extras to pay!

Apr ès gol f Both in the clubhouse and beyond, you’ll find many take their food and drink more seriously than their golf! Then of course, there’s the beauty and heritage of France and Spain to add to your golfing experience.

Excelle nce and value

f rom onl y £329pp

Sail overnight from Plymouth-Roscoff, Portsmouth-St Malo or Portsmouth-Caen with a cabin

Why choos e Br itt any Fe r r ies?

Cruise overnight from Portsmouth-Bilbao (Depart Mon/Arrive Tues) with cabin

Our specially negotiated prices include sailings, hotel and golf. We believe you’ll find them great value and if you can find an identical holiday at a lower price within 28 days of booking with Brittany Ferries Golf, we guarantee to match it.

4 nights B&B in Hotel Villa de Laguardia 1 round at Rioja Alta

Full y bonde d holiday s

1 round at Logroño

Book with reassurance that your holiday is secure and you'll receive helpful information from the Golf Desk team.

1 round at Izki Urturi Return overnight cruise from Santander-Portsmouth (depart Saturday/arrive Sunday) with a cabin

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IRELAND

TAKE ON ARNIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MASTERPIECES AT

THEKCLUB T

he 5 Star K Club Hotel & Golf Resort in Kildare is one of the best golf hotels in Ireland. The countries first ever AA 5 Red Star Hotel is located only 30 minutes from Dublin in the beautiful Kildare countryside where the River Liffey meanders through the soft green idyllic surroundings. The K Club has pioneered 5 star service in Ireland from the very moment they opened our hotel doors in 1991. Steeped in history, the resort combines old world elegance with indulgent luxury so our guests are treated to luxurious rooms and incredible dining experiences. Guests at the 5 star hotel resort can also opt to unwind in an oasis of calm at the internationally acclaimed K Spa or experience playing golf on the famous Palmer North golf course. When you visit The K Club, you are treated to an incredible golfing experience. The home of the 2006 Ryder Cup, 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and 13 European Opens.

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With two magnificent golf courses The Palmer North and The Palmer South, visitng golfers really are spoilt for choice. The best way to describe the Palmer South Course at The K Club is that of an inland links course. However, its true attributes do not stop there. The course has many dramatic landscapes with dune style mounding throughout. The Palmer North is described as one of Europe’s most spectacular courses. It charms, it entices and invariably, brings out the very best in your game. It is unlikely that you will be asked to tackle the parkland Ryder Cup course from the championship tees, but this should in no way diminish the excitement of pitting your wits against Arnold Palmer, for, in a sense, this is precisely what you would be about to do. Ranked regularly in the top 3 parkland

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golf courses in Ireland, this Arnold Palmer designed golf haven is a must play ‘badge of honour’ that has hosted the top golf players in the world. The Ryder Cup in 2006, the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and 11 European Opens testify the importance of Palmer North Course to European Golf.

FIND OUT MORE VISIT THE K CLUB’S WEBSITE HERE

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PORTUGAL

PENHALONGA RETREAT TO THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF

ocated in a protected Natural Park just minutes from trendy Cascais, romantic Sintra and historic Lisbon, Penha Longa Resort Is a rare blend of authentic European charm and modern accessibility. Penha Longa, which means “Long Rock” has a long history and natural beauty. Its tranquillity, natural beauty and plethora of outdoor activities make this Resort one of Europe’s most attractive and exclusive retreats. Golf at Penha Longa offers two different circuits: The Atlantic Championship course, which is ranked in the Top 30 Courses in Continental Europe and the 9-hole Monastery course, both designed by the fames Robert Trent Jr. Jones Jr. designed these courses, to best take account of the steeply sloping terrain and excellent views across the Sintra mountains to the sea beyond. The Atlantic Championship course, with its bold drives, courageous approaches and artful greens, it is both an adrenalin rush and a soothing journey through one of

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Portugal’s most inspiring landscapes. It has interesting water hazards with some elevated greens, but added to these factors is the challenge of strong winds that sometimes may occur. It is a golf course that requires skill even from the most experienced golfers.

The award-winning Spa offers a true escape, with exclusive facilities, signature treatments and experiences aimed at providing relaxation and well-being.

Pe nha Longa at a glance :

The Monastery course, is the perfect complement to its big sister.

• 194 Guest Rooms with incredible resort, golf course and Sintra mountains views

The 9-holer is less undulated and offers moderated challenges which suit all levels of players.

• Eight innovative restaurants off ering a variety of cuisine

Characterized by fast greens and narrow fairways amongst stunning landscapes of the surrounding National Park you will still need to bring your best game to the first tee. The hotel is haven of comfort and tranquillity consisting in 194 luxury rooms and suites. Luxurious bedding and generously sized bathrooms are topped by the spectacular views of the mountain and golf course.

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• Fine Dining at LAB by Sergi Arola and Midori – Michelin- Star restaurants • 27 World Class golf holes designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr • Numerous indoor and outdoor activities

FIND OUT MORE

• A Thai-inspired Spa with over 1, 500 sqm and a Wellness Club with Techogym

VISIT PENHA LONGA’S WEBSITE HERE

• Indoor and outdoor swimming pools

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SCOTLAND

TRUMP EXPERIENCE PREMIER LUXURY GOLF AT

INTERNATIONAL

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et amidst The Great Dunes of Scotland, Trump International embraces mile after mile of spectacular Aberdeenshire coastline and guarantees the golf experience of a lifetime.

Packages for 2021:

Against a dramatic North Sea backdrop, the multi awardwinning championship course offers breath-taking scenery and an unparalleled test of golf. Nestled in the heart of magnificent and ancient estate, the five-star, Scottish baronial mansion, Trump MacLeod House & Lodge provides unsurpassed luxury accommodation, comfort and service and is the perfect base to enjoy the amazing golf across Aberdeenshire or to explore the castles, coastline and distilleries.

NORTH EAST LINKS EXPERIENCE: This popular package offers an unparalleled test of golf, created to showcase the best links challenges in North East Scotland. Steeped in history, golfers are spoiled for panoramic sea views, undulating dunes, dramatic coastline and are treated to an unforgettable golf experience. Coupled with unrivalled five-star hospitality at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge, this luxury golfing experience is one for the bucket list. PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Three nights bed & breakfast at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge • 18 holes on the championship golf course, Trump International Golf Links, Scotland • 18 holes at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club • 18 holes at Cruden Bay Golf Club *Bookable May 1 - September 31, 2021

From £1,325 per person

STAY, PLAY & DINE: Enjoy two rounds of golf on our awardwinning, championship links course and experience the luxury and splendour of Trump MacLeod House and the culinary delights of The Dunes Restaurant & Bar. PACKAGE INCLUDES: • Two nights bed & breakfast at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge • 36 holes on Trump International Golf Links, Scotland • One x two-course meal at The Dunes Restaurant & Bar * Bookable April 1 - October 31, 2021

From £455 per person

FIND OUT MORE VISIT TUMP INTERNATIONAL’S WEBSITE HERE

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SPAIN

PGACATALUN

WHERE EXCLUSIVE RESORT MEETS SPAIN’S NO.1 GOLF

ith two world-class golf courses consistently ranked among the best in Europe, PGA Catalunya Resort has everything the discerning golfer could wish for. Home to the Spanish Open on three occasions and to the #1 ranked golf course in Spain, the resort is a regular venue for European Tour tournaments. With its well-equipped, hi-tech practice facilities and superb natural setting—the resort is the perfect golf getaway in Spain. PGA Catalunya resort hosts one of the TOP 4 golf courses in Europe and the #1 golf course in Spain. Located in the province of Catalonia (Spain) and a short drive from the amazing beaches of the Costa Brava, it is considered the best Golf Resort in Spain.

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Would you wish to play golf at one of the best golf courses in Europe in perfect weather, surrounded by amazing nature? And what about staying at a luxury resort and enjoy some of the best cuisines in the world at the same time? Look no further, PGA Catalunya Resort is your ideal destination. Home to the Spanish Open on three occasions, PGA Catalunya Resort offers its guests two premier-class golf courses and a number of facilities like no other golf resort in Spain. PGA Catalunya Resort is the culmination of more than 20 years’ work that continues to deliver on - and goes beyond - the vision of its founders. The resort is owned by Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien who also owns Quinta do Lago in Portugal.

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NYA

F COURSE

It incorporates two established championship-standard golf courses located near the picturesque town of Girona, The imposing Stadium Course, the kinder Tour Course as well as a state-of-the-art Golf Hub.

many ups and downs, tees are elevated and very few fairways are uphill. The stunning dogleg of hole 6 is one of them and it demands nothing less than a driver and total commitment.

The beauty of the Stadium Course can distract from the many dangers waiting to do serious damage to your scorecard.

For a slightly less stern challenge, turn to the equally beautiful but kinder Tour Course.

It makes no concessions with its trees pressing onto fairways, strategically placed bunkers and lakes that come into play on no fewer than seven of the toughest holes.

Dominated by pine trees and lakes, the course is shorter and a little less difficult to play than the Stadium Course, yet the Ángel Gallardo and Neil Coles design ensures that it remains a challenge for every level of player.

This is a quality that keeps players returning time and again to test themselves at the PGA Catalunya Stadium Course. It is rare to find so many memorable holes on one course and despite the

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With its well-equipped, hi-tech practice facilities and superb natural setting — PGA Catalunya Resort it’s the perfect golf getaway in Spain.

FIND OUT MORE VISIT PGA CATALUNYA’S WEBSITE HERE

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NORTHERNIRELAND

G A L G O RM SPA&GOLFRESORT R

est your head close to home with a staycation in Northern Ireland’s premier luxury Spa & Golf Resort.

Relaxation comes as standard at Galgorm, beginning in The Spa and concluding with a sound night’s sleep in the blissful comfort of one of their luxurious hotel guest rooms. Boasting 124 bedrooms including suites, deluxe, and superior rooms, each room exudes its individual charm furnished at every turn. Beautifully proportioned with inspiring views overlooking either the Thermal Spa Village or country views of the Resorts 163-acre estate, thier range of Deluxe guest rooms are inspired by the riverside location with warm tones, rich Rolf Benz furniture and marble bathrooms. Go all-in and up the luxury with a Suite Getaway and treat yourself to a little

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extra room to stretch out in with an exceptionally spacious range of suites to suit everyone. With all the romance you’d expect from French brocade furniture, freestanding bath and Juliet balcony, Suite 1857 is a truly elegant space. Additionally, two decadent Suites complete with window viewing boxes overlooking the stunning River Maine. Luxury exudes from every corner of the aptly named Signature Suite, Galgorm’s show-stopping Resort guest room. Contemporary in appearance, amenities and sheer size, with a distinct nod to the parkland location, the Signature Suite complete with private hot tub located on the terrace makes for the ultimate stay. Galgorm Castle’s Championship Parkland and 6-hole pitch & putt makes Galgorm I S SU E 1 5

Spa & Golf Resort a perfect golfing getaway. Ideally located close to both Belfast airports and the stunning North Antrim coast means Royal Portrush, venue for the 148th Open Championship is only a short drive away. Other Links courses nearby include the spectacular Portstewart, Castlerock and the world’s number one ranked course, Royal County Down. Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort is the destination for those wishing to enjoy a golf break or simply couples keen to demonstrate some friendly competitiveness during their stay. No matter what the occasion, Galgorm offers golfers an unparalleled experience suited to both seasoned golfers and amateurs alike. Consistently ranked among the top three parklands in I S SU E 1 5

Northern Ireland and home to the European Tour Group’s NI Open, the Championship Parkland is nestled in the heart of Galgorm Castle’s historic estate. The Championship layout provides a relaxing yet entirely pleasurable round of golf for players of all levels.

FIND OUT MORE VISIT GALGORM’S WEBSITE HERE

Enhance your stay with a round at time of booking or during your stay; an unmistakably warm welcome awaits you, paired with opulent surroundings, four on-site restaurants and guest rooms that epitomise comfort. A collection of 17 Golf Cottages located on the serene grounds of the Resort offer unparalleled accommodation suitable for groups to unwind after a day on the course. Often considered the playground of champions; Northern Ireland was made for golf. E XC LUS I V E G OL FA N DT R AV E L .C O.U K

PORTUGAL

BOMSUCESSO A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AWAITS AT

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om Sucesso Resort represents the most ambitious ever envisaged among the reference tourist groups in Europe.

Developed on a concept of excellence, it uses contemporary architecture integrated in vegetation, which sweetens and enhances it, both constituting central aspects of the design strategy. 23 Masters in Contemporary Architecture joined with landscape designers, to create the Bom Sucesso in the same territory, while meeting the specificities of each area involved. This recognition of Bom Sucesso as a 5 Star Resort confirms the leading position of this development. The Guardian Bom Sucesso Golf was designed by Donald Steel, one of the most prestigious golf architects in the world. Located in an area of natural and singular beauty, in Óbidos, and just an hour from Lisbon, the fantastic 18-hole championship course extends along the Bom Sucesso Resort, on a rugged slope and surrounded by the Óbidos Lagoon, offering fantastic and unique views of the Atlantic Ocean. Built over an area covering 1 576 210 sqm, the resort will contain 601 houses – both villas and townhouses – a hotel with a Spa, an 18-hole Championship golf course, an unparalleled range of facilities and a large ecological reserve. This resort is tailored for the consumer who appreciates a contemporary lifestyle, with good weather all year round and locals famous for their hospitality. The outcome is a Stimulating, Pioneering and Innovative project.

FIND OUT MORE VISIT BOM SUCESSO’S WEBSITE HERE

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The Guardian Bom Sucesso course occupies an area of over 60 hectares and is surrounded by a stunning landscape endowed with Mediterranean vegetation, some exotic species and where hundreds of secular olive trees have been planted, together with azaleas and magnolias, bring a unique setting to this golf course!

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FRANCE

EVIANRESORT A VENUE READY-MADE FOR CHAMPIONS

n 148 acres of wooded parkland, over the years the Evian Resort Golf Club has become a challenging course that has asserted its personality by offering the quality of a legendary championship course combined with the beauty of its exceptional setting. The incomparable viewpoints of Lake Geneva and the Alpine summits make this place one that is legendary and unforgettable. Located at the heart of the Evian Resort Golf Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy in 37 acres of wooded parkland overlooking Lake Geneva, with its 7 cosy rooms the Manoir (far right), welcomes golf enthusiasts who can stay here and indulge in their passion to their heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content.

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THE CHAMPIONS COURSE

THE LAKE COURSE

The Champions Course is an 18-hole course (6,120 metres – 6, 693 yards, par 72), at the Evian Resort Golf Club, located in Evian-les-Bains, France.

The Lake Course is the Evian Resort Golf Club’s all-new second course located at the Academy, in Evian-lesBains, France.

Its location on the shores of Lake Geneva, at the foot of the Alps, offers stunning views all the way round the course. It is one of the most beautiful golf courses in France.

With 6 par-3s and a total length of 885 metres (968 yards), it offers a real alternative to the 18-hole course which each year hosts The Evian Championship.

Evian Resort Golf Club offers a venue fitting for the status of the Evian Championship and the talent of its champions, while also offering amateur players a course on which they can fully express their golf all year round.

Nestling in outstanding surroundings with breathtaking views of Lake Geneva, both beginners and experienced golfers can indulge in their passion in under 90 mins.

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FIND OUT MORE VISIT EVIAN’S WEBSITE HERE

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Exclusive Golf & Travel Issue 15

Articles inside

THE STRANGEST SEASON OF MAJORS