Golf News March 2014 by Golf News

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Issue 231 | March 2014

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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Issue 231 | March 2014

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Golf News, The Studio, 14 Deanway, Hove, East Sussex BN3 6DG. Tel: 01273 556377. email: info@golfnews.co.uk. Website: www.golfnews.co.uk Managing Director Matt Nicholson matt@golfnews.co.uk

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Editor’sview email: editor@golfnews.co.uk

Where the grass is always greener

ourse managers must dread the Masters. While for golfers the year’s first major signals the awakening of a new season, and the prospect of warm spring days and longer evenings enticing us out onto the course, for the world-weary greenkeeper it spells nothing but trouble from golfers with unrealistic expectations. It’s as predictable as a Chelsea home win that golfers tuning into the coverage from Augusta will return to their clubs and question why their course isn’t quite so picture perfect. With the stimp running at 12, and fairways

smoother than a baby’s bottom, comparing conditions at the Masters’ venue with almost any other course in the UK at this time of the year is not a fair fight. It’s long been known that at Augusta they dye the water blue to hide the algae, and spray the grass green, but these are not steps that most course managers can take to smarten up their courses – especially after the winter we’ve just had. So please don’t give your hard-working greenkeepers any lip about why your course isn’t up to Tour-standard in April. By all means have a go if there are molehills on the 12th green, or if there’s a fallen

tree on the fairway between your ball and the flag, but the quality, or otherwise, of the sward is usually down to Mother Nature at this time of year, not human intervention. On the flip side, I would encourage course managers to open up better lines of communication with both members and visiting golfers, posting regular updates about course conditions on club websites and social media channels, explaining why things are the way they are, and what members can expect in the future. Knowledge is power, and ignorance is not always bliss.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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BURGLARS JAILED FOR £750K CLUB SPREE Two men from South East London who went on a three-year burgling spree that involved 60 golf clubs around the UK have been sent to prison following the conclusion of their trial at Birmingham Crown Court on March 6. Daniel Lloyd, (pictured far right), and Joe McCaughey were handed custodial sentences of five and three years respectively after being found guilty of conspiracy to burgle. The men were caught on CCTV posing as golfers and raiding clubhouse locker rooms at 17 counties up and down the country, stealing an estimated £750,00 of golf equipment, which was later sold to overseas buyers. The pair enjoyed a luxury lifestyle on the proceeds of their thefts, with Lloyd driving a Bentley and living in an £800,000 house. The court heard that the pair was responsible for at least 36 separate burglaries in 2009 – four of which were carried out at Lancashire clubs in just one day. They also targeted clubs in Devon, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, North Yorkshire, Cheshire,

Derbyshire, Wiltshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Northumbria, Cleveland, Durham, Cumbria, Merseyside, Kent and Suffolk. Steve Baldwin, NCA’s head of regional investigations, said: “These men were professional burglars who tried to mask their identities by avoiding CCTV cameras. They changed their clothes to enter the same clubs over and over again, and used false number plates on their vehicles. “We proved they had stolen equipment from hundreds of golfers, which they disposed of here and overseas. Our focus is now the financial side of the investigation and stripping them of their assets.”

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England international Annabel Dimmock underlined her fine form of 2014 by reaching the final of the Spanish women’s amateur championship at El Saler. The 17-year-old from Wentworth has already won this year on Florida’s Orange Blossom Tour – and, despite a battling performance, she just failed to secure her second victory of the new season, losing the Spanish title by 2&1 to Sweden’s Linnea Strom. The Swedish player was never behind during the match, but Dimmock hung on tenaciously, despite twice trailing by three holes. Her fighting play reduced the deficit to just one hole after the 14th, but a birdie on the 15th was bettered by an eagle from Strom, who again took a two-up lead. It proved decisive when the 16th was halved in birdie threes and the short 17th in par.   Dimmock had made her way into the final with victories over players from Spain, the Netherlands and two French opponents.

Clubs dig deep for good causes British golf clubs collectively gave more than £18 million to charities in 2013, with the average club donating more than £7,000 last year, according to a recently published survey. A survey of 26 random golf clubs in the UK, representing about one per cent of all the venues in the UK, reported a total of £182,120 given to charities in 2013, at an average donation of just over £7,000 per club. With over 2,500 clubs in the UK, this equates to just over £18 million being donated to good causes. Beneficiaries included a broad range of charities, from local hospices to national projects that help injured soldiers. Of the 26 golf clubs looked at in the survey conducted by Golf Club Management, Gog Magog in Cambridge was the most generous, donating £25,066 to two charities. A total of £16,460 was given to Lady Taverners, a charity that enhances the prospects of disadvantaged and disabled

young people using sport and recreation, which was the ladies’ captain’s nominated charity, while £8,606 was given to the National Autistic Society, the men’s captain’s nominated charity. The biggest single donation from the clubs surveyed was to military charity Help for Heroes, which was given £17,798 by Redditch Golf Club. A spokesman for Help for Heroes said golf clubs across the UK raised more than £237,000 for the charity during 2013. Help For Heroes was a major beneficiary of golf club charitable donations last year

March 2014/ Issue 231

Flood waters leave Mid Surrey all at sea! The flooding of the Thames during last month’s storms caused extensive flooding to many golf clubs in the region. Among those worst affected was Royal Mid Surrey , as much of the course lies below the floodplain. Despite recent renovation works to alleviate the problem, huge areas of the course were under several feet of water during the worst of the weather. The club had recently completed the reconstruction of the front nine holes of its Outer course, and new wetland areas which were part of that project turned into just that when the water burst the river’s banks and

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flooded large swathes of the course. In addition to the flooding, high winds resulted in fallen trees causing extensive damage to workshop buildings, while a 500-year-old oak tree on the right-hand side of the 13th fairway was also uprooted, and had to be removed. With so many holes out of action, members had to make do with playing a composite course, with trolley bans put in place to protect the course. Thankfully, the recent spell of dry weather has allowed play to be resumed, but it will be several weeks before normality returns.

Pepperell seeks strength to boost his Tour ranking Despite his busy tour schedule, last month saw Oxfordshire Tour pro Eddie Pepperell return to his home club, Frilford Heath, to give a talk to over 150 members about his first year on the European Tour. The club put on a similar evening 12 months ago, which raised money to assist the fledgling professional. This time more than £800 was raised from the raffle, which was donated to Witney-based Young Dementia, the chosen charity of Frilford captains Gordon Neilson and Maureen Seward. Jimmy James, general manager at the club, said: “It was Eddie’s idea to support a local charity, as he wants to give something back. As a club we are absolutely delighted with how he’s doing. He’s an absolute credit to the club.” After finishing 76th on the European Tour’s rankings last year – including a top 10 finish in the tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, Pepperell’s best finish so far this season has been a share of 45th in Abu Dhabi last month. Two missed cuts in his

most recent events have seen him slip to 157th in Race to Dubai, but at this stage in the season he isn’t panicking. The main area of improvement is on strength and conditioning work, which he is doing with the help of fitness coach Justin Buckthorp. Pepperell said: “It’s a lot of mobility and stability work, with a few strength exercises to focus on where I’m lacking in my swing. Every day I’m getting better, and it’s easier to get more power..” Last year saw the 23-year-old from Abingdon shake up his support staff, bringing in two new coaches. “My two biggest success stories of last year, in my opinion, were changing coach and going to see a new putting coach. I got better from those two decisions,” said Pepperell.

Europro Tour launches ‘best ever schedule’ The schedule for the PGA EuroPro Tour’s 2014 season is the biggest line-up in the tour’s history, with 15 events spread out over a six-month period. European golf’s third-tier tour will visit some of the best courses across England, Scotland and Ireland in 2014, and in a Ryder Cup year starts in style at a former Ryder Cup host venue – the Brabazon at The Belfry, from April 15-17. Among the southern venues to stage events this season includes Burhill in Surrey (May

29-31), while Frilford Heath’s Blue Course in Oxfordshire takes centre stage from June 25-27. Last year’s Tour Championship host, Prince’s Golf Club, hosts event number 13 from August 19-21 on its Shores and Dunes course, before the tour heads to The Oxfordshire from August 27-29. The regular season concludes in Scotland, where Mar Hall will host the tour for a third successive year, following which the top 60 on the Order of Merit will be invited to play the Tour Championship. Burhill will host the EuroPro Tour in May

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Kingswood opens rooms with a view

Cup call-up for Southern stars Two top amateurs from Hampshire and Sussex have been selected to play in the inaugural Concession Cup, which takes place in Florida at the end of April. Brokenhurst Manor’s Martin Young and Rye’s Ed Richardson will be part of two eight-man Mid Amateur teams to represent Great Britain and Ireland in a threeday match against the USA, which includes foursomes, four-ball and singles. The 44-year-old Young has played at the top level of the amateur game for more than 20 years, and has represented England many times, . Richardson, 46, is a past winner of the West of England Championship and the Hong Kong Amateur in 2012. Former Walker Cup captain Garth McGimpsey will lead the GB&I team in the matches, which take place at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. The matches will be attended by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, after whom the Concession Cup is named.

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Sussex amateur Toby Tree underlined his credentials as one of England’s most promising prospects when he claimed victory in the second International Golf Tournament Series title at Ruimsig Golf Club in South Africa. The Chichester golfer carded a final round 68 for a winning total of 13-under-par and a two-stroke victory over Northern Ireland’s John McClean. The talented teenager fired six birdies during his final round to add to his tally of South African titles. Tree decided to play the first two IGT Series events to prepare for the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship in Hermanus. He led the IGT Series Randpark through the first two rounds, but was upstaged by top South African amateur Louis Taylor over the final 18 holes. “I tied for sixth at the SA Stroke Play and I wasn’t hitting the ball badly, but the game just felt a little disjointed,” Tree explained. “I decided to play the two IGT Series events, because I really needed to get some form going into Hermanus. The last two weeks have definitely added to my confidence. It is great to get off to a flying start so early in the season – my game is in good shape.” Tree has been a regular visitor to South Africa for the last four years, making the annual trip to compete in several leading events on the amateur circuit, including the SA Amateur Championship. Sadly, he was knocked out in the first round of the match play stages of that tournament last month, after coming through 36 holes of stroke play.

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Tree captures African title

An artist’s impression of the new rooms at Kingswood

Competitors taking part in the PGA Surrey Open being held at Kingswood Golf Club in July should consider booking a room in the on-site accommodation that is set to open at the Surreybased club this summer. The new building, although not officially described as a hotel, will offer 18 well-appointed guest rooms, which will be ideal for members, visiting groups and societies, as well as golfers travelling to take part in the numerous high profile events that the club stages on a regular basis. These includes the Surrey Amateur Championship, which take place in May, and the two amateur qualifiers for the Surrey Open that are to be held on June 17 and July 17. For more details on these events, and for enquiries about accommodation, visit the club’s website at www.kingswood-golf.co.uk or call 01737 832 188.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Croham Hurst raises the roof to reveal new-look clubhouse

Greens so good, they deserve their own green jacket.

Visitors to Croham Hurst Golf Club in Surrey can look forward to availing themselves of a host of brand new facilities in the club’s stylish clubhouse. Last year saw the completion of a £400,000 refurbishment of the historic building, which involved the entire roof – which was over 100 years old – being replaced, while the main lounge and function room was renovated to expose the wonderful oak beams that were part of the original construction. The exterior of the building was also totally renovated and repainted. Club manager Steve Mackinson said: “We had to improve the presentation of the clubhouse, as it was looking extremely tired. The roof had to be totally replaced, as it was beyond the point of repair. Now the clubhouse looks like new from the outside, which gives a fantastic impression to anyone who visits. The internal improvement to the main function room has generated a lot more business for us already this year.” He added: “Croham Hurst celebrated its centenary in 2011, and these kind of projects have to be done to keep us moving forward for the next 100 years-plus. The next stage is to refurbish the men’s changing rooms.” Situated in gently-rolling countryside on the outskirts of Croydon, Croham Hurst offers a challenging parkland course with densely wooded areas, while being built on chalk ensures the course drains well, offering the opportunity of all-year-round golf. From the southfacing clubhouse terrace, the course extends up the valley in a series of ndulating loops, with lush fairways fringed by silver birch, beech and ancient oak.

Mid Amateur Tour tees off at Littlestone

The schedule for the 2014 Mid Amateur Golf Tour starts with a 36-hole event at Open qualifying venue at Littlestone in Kent on April 2, which is already a sell-out. The schedule for the season also includes events at Ganton, Royal Blackheath, Machynys Peninsula, Sunningdale, Hankley Common, Liphook, Porters Park, Berkhamsted, Hollinwell and Old Fold Manor, with the event at Machynys forming part of the R&A & USGA World Amateur Ranking. The tour is open to any male golfer aged 35 years or over with an active CONGU handicap. Players do not need to be a member of the tour, but only tour members can win the order or merit and qualify for the finals at Moortown. Jason Morris, Director of Golf at Mid Amateur Golf, said: “Last year was a great year for us, with more and more people joining the tour, and this year promises to be even better, with a revised format for the Order of Merit and some great prizes. For 2014, players will be able to compete in a year-long series of events at some of the best courses in the UK, and will be trying to qualify for the complimentary finals day at Moortown on the October 8, where six winners will be whisked off to an overseas venue for an all-expensespaid grand final.” There is also a new team event being held at The Wildernesse Club in Kent on July 8, which has a limited field and is already half full. Players can register at www.midamgolf.co.uk.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

HMRC withdraws VAT ruling appeal Experience Golf ’s Heritage, since 1889 OPEN WEEKEND - 12TH & 13TH APRIL 2014

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Plans to contest the European Union’s Court of Justice ruling that private members’ golf clubs can claim back VAT on green fee revenue have been shelved by the HMRC. The decision not to fight the ruling means that the government is liable to face claims amounting to several hundred million pounds in VAT rebate to more than a thousand golf clubs in the UK. The figure comes a month after the court ruled that green fees paid by visitors at private members’ clubs must, like membership subscriptions, be exempt from VAT. The rebate can be backdated by four years, and in some circumstances, back to 1990.

Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, which won the Court of Justice’s test case, is reportedly seeking a £140,000 rebate, while other clubs with much higher visitor numbers could be seeking far larger sums. Gemma Gower, VAT manager at accountant Mitchell Charlesworth, said clubs should waste no time in lodging their claims. “Golf clubs should not delay starting the process of claiming back what is rightfully theirs, as the longer they delay, the more VAT they stand to lose. Getting a claim moving now could bring real financial benefits, particularly to small clubs and those which are struggling with a downturn in usage or membership.”

Chipstead proves up to the mark EPSOM GOLF CLUB Longdown Lane South, Epsom Downs, Surrey KT17 4JR t: 01372 741867 / e: stuartwalker@epsomgolfclub.co.uk / www.epsomgolfclub.co.uk

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Chipstead Golf Club in Surrey has recently received the Golf Mark award and Sport England’s Clubmark accreditation, after meeting the high standards set in coaching, playing, club environment, child protection and duty of care. Gary Torbett, Director of Golf at Chipstead, said: “We work extremely hard to provide the right opportunities for juniors and beginners to develop their skills. Over the last ten years we have seen four of our juniors play for Surrey at both junior and senior level, one of whom went onto become an England International. All of these boys have since progressed to the professional ranks. This is an achievement that we are all very proud of, but this would not have been achieved without the support of the membership.” The awards were presented to Chipstead’s club captain Steve O’Brien by Caroline Hardy

from England Golf. O’Brien said: “I was very pleased to accept this award on behalf of the club, as it was another proud moment in my year as captain. I must congratulate Gary and Emma Andersen, one of our junior organisers who, over the past two years, have worked extremely hard to ensure that our club met all the criteria required to achieve this prestigious award.”

Raitt has a whale of a time in Hawaii St Georges Hill professional excursion obviously proved to Andy Raitt took his mind off be great preparation for the the pressures of competing final round, as Raitt, who took in The American Golf an early lead over fellow South Holiday’s Maui Pro-Am by Region professional Craig indulging in a spot of whale Cowper in the professional watching in between rounds event, powered around on the Hawaiian island. Waliea’s Gold course in just 63 More used to grinding out shots, including an ace at the eagles and birdies on the golf 11th hole. The nine-under par course, than he is round was more than to watching marine enough to secure Andy Raitt enjoyed some fun in the Maui sun mammals rising victory in the pro from the deep, Raitt event over nearest swapped his laser rival Cowper, as well range finder for a as take the spoils in pair of binoculars the team event. to catch the annual Victory was all migration of the more poignant large numbers of for Raitt, as it was humpback whales the 100th Pro-Am to the coastal waters event organised by of Maui. The American Golf The unscheduled Holiday,

March 2014/ Issue 231

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Hillson and Ford share Swinley spoils In spite of a day of incessant wind and rain, Matt Ford and Mark Hillson tied with level-par rounds to win the latest Winter Series event at Swinley Forest Golf Club in Berkshire. Hillson now has three of these events to his credit, having won previously at Hankley and Prince’s, and is way out in front in the 20132014 Titleist & FootJoy Winter Series Order of Merit. Having both reached the 18th tee at Swinley in one-over-par, both players made terrific birdies to push the pack into second place. A beneficiary of Hillson’s last-hole charge was runner-up Matthew Rice (Purley Downs), who won the leading assistant’s prize of the valuable Titleist & FootJoy ball, glove and shoe contract. He was joined in third place by Craig

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Pyecombe praised for environment projects Pyecombe Golf Club came within a whisker of winning a highly-coveted Sports Turf Research Institute’s Environment Award, after its head greenkeeper, Simon Wells, reached the final in the Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year category. Despite missing out on the top award, the club won glowing comments from the panel of SRTI judges, who were impressed with the efforts that Wells and his team have made to ensure the course lives in harmony with its Pyecombe Golf Club enjoys an idyllic spot surroundings, which have resulted in the course on the South Downs being the habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna. Among the environmental projects carried out at Pyecombe include the installation of a ground source heat pump; the siting of numerous bird boxes around the course; the planting of silver birth and hawthorn; the creation of wood piles for animal habitats, and the formation of a beetle ‘hotel’ which encourages various species of beetle to thrive; and the introduction of bees to aid pollination. Speaking about the award, club secretary Alan Davey said: “Simon plays a full and leading role in motivating his team, and we are delighted to have a head greenkeeper of his calibre. It is his knowledge, commitment and management of a downland course that has enabled the club to present the course as it is and receive the recent accolades.” He added: “During this, the most extraordinary of winters, the course has remained open, for the most part, with main greens still running well. In the summer the course was acknowledged by the members and visitors to be probably in its best condition ever, with fantastic greens, beautifully shaped and presented fairaways, and an abundance of wild flowers in the rough.”

Top swing coach offers lessons at Redlibbets Golfers in the Kent region looking to sharpen up their games this summer should drop into Redlibbets Golf Club near Sevenoaks, where PGA Advanced Professional Matt Holman is hosting a series one-on-one sessions with players of all skills levels. Originally from Kent, Holman (pictured in the red shirt) has been working in the UK and abroad as a coach for the last few years, including spells at the Swing Factory in Canary Wharf, Sorfors Golf Club in Sweden, and most recently in South Korea, where he worked as a tutor for an LPGA education programme in Seoul. A former pupil of Claude Harmon III, and Kevin Smeltz, head of instruction for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Holman’s latest venture brings him to Redlibbets, where he plans to spend two weekends a month, offering one-to-one instruction and playing lessons. Speaking about the sessions, Holman said: “I will have access to the excellent coaching facilities at Redlibbets, which include a 10-bay

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March 2014/ Issue 231

News in Brief

Sherfield Oaks Golf Club

EPSOM LAUNCHES PATHWAY MEMBERSHIP Epsom Golf Club has launched a new membership category aimed at offering an insight into the benefits of full membership. The Pathway membership costs £200 and offers a three-month trial giving full access to the course, club facilities and social events. It also includes the opportunity to gain a handicap, enjoy a free lesson, and play in club competitions. A three-month trial membership with access to the course during weekdays only is available for £150. For more details visit www. epsomgolfclub.co.uk.

LAMBERHURST HITS THE MARK Lamberhurst Golf Club has been awarded Golf Mark accreditation by England Golf. The national scheme identifies and recognises junior and beginner-friendly golf facilities, and is assessed across coaching and playing, the club environment and the club’s duty of care.

Crown ‘Swings Into Spring’ with tempting offers Leading golf course operator Crown Golf has launched a series of offers at nine of its venues in the South East aimed at tempting golfers out of winter hibernation. ‘Swing Into Spring’ is the name of the campaign which is being rolled out at the nine venues, with over 100 different special offers available, including daily green fee deals, month-long incentives, groups discounts, golf and food deals, and a wide variety of other money-saving options. “Everybody loves a bargain, and that’s what Swing Into Spring is all about,” said Richard Woolley, general manager at Sherfield Oaks near Basingstoke, which is one of the clubs involved. “For example, we all get the Monday blues, so each Monday in March it’s just £18 for 18 holes, and we’ll throw in a free coffee too. With the mild weather, golfers are coming back to the sport early this year, so we’re running a different green fee offer every day in March. Many of them include

some form of free food or drink, but at various times we’re also doing half-price golf carts, 40% off your first golf lesson of the year, and special ladies’ and seniors’ clinics.” Other offers include free tea and cake with reduced green fees on Tuesdays at South Essex; £25 for golf, beer and a burger on Mondays at Pine Ridge; and zero green fees for guests when they play with a member on Thursdays at Blue Mountain. “We asked our clubs to come up with lots of creative ideas for Swing Into Spring,” said Rob Climas, Crown Golf’s operations director. “And as usual they have delivered the goods. Swing Into Spring was very popular in 2013, and it is great to be able to bring it back this year.” The clubs taking part are Addington Court, Blue Mountain, Oak Park, Paultons Golf Centre, Pine Ridge, Sherfield Oaks, South Essex Golf Centre, Sunbury, and Traditions. For more details visit crown-golf.co.uk.

Ainsley cooks up winning score at Stoke Park Wexham Park professional Craig Ainsley and his amateur partner Kieran Hudson shot the winning score of 43 points at the latest BBO Winter Series events at Stoke Park, supported by Galvin Green. Despite weeks of dire weather, Stoke Park was in great condition for the BB&O PGA professionals and amateurs to test their shot-making skills, and Ainsley and Hudson’s score was just enough to pip the team of Paul Simpson (West Berks) and his partner Tony Coventry by one point, with the team of Lee Jackson and Mark Whates pushing hard in third place with 41 points. The final event of the 2013/14 Winter Series, hosted again at Stoke Park, takes place on March 27.

9 months free golf membership (or 10 months on our Joining – Golf Day)

Join Shirley Park Golf Club now and pay our Joining Fee (£960) and we’ll give you 9 months golf membership absolutely free. Or, apply to come along to the Club on Sunday 27th April from midday and you can play a few holes of golf, have a look around the clubhouse, have a glass of wine, a bite to eat and talk to some members. Pay our Joining Fee on that day to get 10 months golf membership free.

Centenary

Joining - Golf Day

Sunday 27th April

You’ll immediately become a member during our Centenary year and participate in over 50 Club competitions, golf events, monthly and midweek medals, matches, league golf and (unlike other clubs) as a member you don’t need to book your tee time (except Sunday mornings). You just turn up and play whenever you like. We have a reciprocal arrangement with eight other golf clubs to play three free (or subsidised) games of golf at their clubs every year which is 24 more games. We hold regular social events with a meal or buffet and live entertainment. We have quiz and race nights, parties, 2 snooker tables, a giant screen in our lounge and large TV in our Players Bar for golf, football, cricket, tennis, World Cup etc. Call us or apply online now for 9 months free membership or your invitation to attend our Joining – Golf Day for 10 months membership absolutely free.

Call 020 8654 1143 for an invitation or visit www.shirleyparkgolfclub.co.uk WE ARE LOOKING FOR 20 NEW LADY MEMBERS, 10 NEW MALE MEMBERS AND 5 NEW COUPLES

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March 2014/ Issue 231

England Golf picks stars of the future

Reading raises a toast to ‘Old King’ Geoff! Reading Golf Club celebrated a rare golfing milestone last month when they presented past captain Geoff King with a special decanter to mark the 60th anniversary since he was honoured with the post of captain in 1954. A member at the Berkshire-based club for well over 70 years, the 93-year-old

Charlie Strickland

Almost 150 talented teenagers have been selected for England Golf’s U16 regional boys’ and girls’ coaching squads. The squads, which cover 10 regions, are the first rung on the ladder of England Golf’s national coaching structure. The players will train over the winter months with a mix of group coaching, matches and one-to-one sessions with their coaches. “We aim to give our talented young players the best golf development experience available,” commented Nigel Edwards, England Golf’s performance director. In return, we expect the players to commit themselves to a programme of golf coaching and physical training that will set them up for life.” The South East squad comprises 10 girls and 10 boys. The girls’ squad includes Nicole Amos (Faversham), Penelope Brown (Worthing), Sharna Dutrieux (Wrotham Heath), Cloe Frankish (Chart Hills)  Mollie Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham), Aimee O’Connor (Sundridge Park)  Nicola Smith (Sittingbourne) and  Nicole Stewart (Chart Hills). The boys, coached by Steve Orr, comprise Joshua Barley (Chart Hills), Tom Harrison (Nevill), Charlie Hilton (Ifield), Max Jordan (Langley Park), Tom Jordan (Langley Park),  Nathan Longley (Worthing), Tom O’Reilly (Sidcup), Samuel Stedman (Chart Hills), Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor), and Thomas Thurloway (Mannings Heath).

PAST PLAYERS MAKE HAY AT HAYLING Experience won the day at Hampshire Golf Union’s Past, Present & Future Match at Hayling Golf Club on February 23. On a very windy day, the team of past county players used all their foursomes’ experience to emerge victorious in the annual fixture. The past team comprised Steve Richardson, Alan Mew, Mark Thistleton, Jamie Pinchon, Steve Clapp, Andy Bow, Toby Burden and team captain Richard Elmes won five of their six matches. The Present team won four matches, while the Future squad bagged three.

FREE COUNTY CARDS FOR MIDDLESEX MEMBERS

Reading past captains gather to celebrate Geoff King’s 60 anniversary as past captain

– who is the father of former Ryder Cup player Michael King – attended a special lunch to celebrating Reading’s new club captain Colin Tungate’s term in office. The day saw many past captains gather for the drive in, which ended with a lunch at which King received a speciallyengraved decanter.

News in Brief

All members of Middlesex golf clubs are to receive a free County Card for 2014. The card, which offers reduced green fees at clubs around the county, will be delivered to clubs on March 24. Members should then register their cards via the new Middlesex website, middlesexgolf.co.uk.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

BENSON’S BACK IN THE BIG TIME! After battling a crippling back injury, Surrey’s Seve Benson is ready to resume the promising career that so many predicted for him. Words by Alistair Tait

“I have learned so much about myself in the last few years, perhaps even more so during the time I was off injured. I still know that I’m a winner, and that is a big thing for any player”

Anyone called Seve should be playing on the world’s biggest golfing stage,so it was no surprise to see Phil Mickelson and Seve paired together in the third round of the $2.5 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Surrey’s Seve Benson, that is. Benson always seemed destined to play with golf’s greats after his parents christened him after the late Severiano Ballesteros, his dad’s favourite golfer. It’s taken Benson a few years, and a few setbacks, to make it to the top flight of European golf, but he’s finally there. And he intends to stay. The 27-year-old Guildford-born golfer didn’t quite match Mickelson in Abu Dhabi, but he wasn’t intimidated. The reigning Open Champion got himself into contention with a 9-under-par 63, while Benson compiled a respectable level-par 72. The Surrey man eventually finished joint 49th, earning €8,877. It was his third made cut out of his first four starts to the 2014 campaign, and a week later he recorded a joint 13th finish in the Qatar Masters. He earned €28,142 for that effort to take his season’s earnings to €57,718. Only a few weeks into the 2014 season, he’s already given himself a great chance of keeping his European Tour card for another season. “I’ve played with a few big names now – Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie – and it’s all part of the learning experience,” Benson says. “I’m learning all the time, and I learned loads from Phil. Just the way he conducted himself on the course was a lesson in itself. The most impressive thing was his putting. He didn’t really hit it close to the flags, but he holed a lot of footage – 20, 30 footers. “I wasn’t too nervous to be honest. It wasn’t too daunting. I think because he’s such a nice guy he makes it easy and he talked to me a lot. I want to play with players like that. It proves I’m on the right track.” Mickelson, Westwood and Montgomerie are the only real ‘names’ Benson has had the pleasure

Dream team: Benson was paired with Phil Mickelson in Abu Dhabi

teeing it up alongside during his short professional career. He should include a few more, and might already have done so if not for a near-crippling injury that held him back. The Guildford-born professional joined the paid ranks in 2007 after a glittering amateur career. He was a member of the English Golf Union’s elite squad, and back in 2004 he played on the same Surrey team as fellow Wentworth member Ross Fisher, in winning the English County Golf Championships at Worksop. In 2006 he won the Russian Amateur and the Tailhade Cup in Argentina, and a year later he won the Qatar Amateur Championship. Benson began life in the professional game in 2008 with big expectations, and he wasted no time in living up to them, winning twice in 16 events on the Challenge Tour, and going on to finish sixth on the order of merit to earn a card for the 2009 European Tour. He managed to hang onto his card after his first season by the skin of his teeth, finishing 120th on the money list – and it should have provided him with platform on which to build for 2010, but injury cruelly hampered his progress. He was diagnosed with a slipped disc in his back and sat out most of that year and the following. It meant a season back on the Challenge Tour in 2012. Winning the Barclays Kenya Open proved crucial to his season, and turned around his career fortunes. The €30,400 first prize helped him to 20th on the money list, and with it the vital last card on the 2013 European Tour. Such a lowly spot doesn’t usually guarantee too many main tour starts; however, Benson made the most of the 22 tournaments he played, posting four top-10s to place

97th on last year’s money list and keep his card. Benson’s talent was obvious from an early age. He came through the amateur ranks with many plaudits, always marked out by aficionados as one for the future. He has Wentworth to thank for his development, as he was blessed with good opposition against which to measure himself, coming through the Wentworth ranks with Ryder Cup player Fisher and Sam Osborne, now playing in the United States. “I played a lot of golf with Ross and Sam and it was good opposition. I think we kind of pushed each other on. I’m still friends with Ross, but Sam is in America and we’ve kind of lost touch. Wentworth was great for me growing up. Having three great courses really helped me develop my game, and I get back there as much as I can when I’m home.” Benson’s injuries are well behind him now, and he’s looking forward to living up to his namesake. “Everything feels great with my back. I feel 100% fit and healthy after a few dodgy years. The slipped disc in my back finally cleared up in 2012, and I’ve been injury-free for the last year or so. It’s just a case of getting better and fine-tuning everything really. I had a good season last year and I just need to build on it this year and keep moving forward. “I have learned so much about myself in the last few years, perhaps even more so during the time I was off injured. I still know that I’m a winner, and that is a big thing for any player. You can have good days and bad days, but if you keep picking up wins, then you still have it. I definitely think I am a better player now that I was in previous years, especially mentally, and hopefully that should stand me in good stead.”

March 2014/ Issue 231

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Stoke Park selects TP Tour visits South’s new scholars finest tracks

Last year’s Stoke Park scholars

The next cohort of young golfers have been selected for Stoke Park Golf Club’s Junior Scholarship scheme following an extensive search for talented youngsters aged between 9 and 16. A ‘Try-Out-Day’ was staged last October, where 50 talented juniors from the region pitted their skills against each other in an X-Factor style audition. From the audition, the best were then interviewed and a final cast of 15 chosen (six girls and nine boys between the ages of 11 and 16), to embark on a unique pathway of development. The successful candidates, whose handicaps range from one to 16, are: John Gough, Elliott Wills, Sam Bower, Connor Gough, James Gregory, Taylor

Paul, Tom Gregory, Josh Roche, Carl Banner, Beth Scott, Julia Warke, Nathalie Warke, Thalia Kirby, Izzy Holmes and Daisy Kennedy. The scholars began their year-long programme in January, led by head of instruction Stuart Rank and supported by fellow PGA professional James Jewell. This includes one group class and one individual lesson every month, along with physical screenings delivered in the gym through Titleist Performance Institute and golf-specific fitness programmes tailored to each junior. Each junior is given a scholars’ golf bag and uniform to wear whenever they are representing the club or playing in club events.

The Addington

The TP Tour Series kicked off its fourth season with tournaments at Moor Park, Sandy Lodge and Camberley Heath this month, and the promise of an impressive list of other venues for the season ahead. Lindrick’s Ben Smith drew first blood, shooting 67 over Moor Park’s High Course to beat Tom Cutting (Berkhamsted) and David Griffiths (West Herts) by a single stroke in the 28-strong field. The TP Tour visits a wide selection of the South’s finest courses, including Walton Heath, The Berkshire, Woburn, and St George’s. The next event takes place at Denham on March 20, before moving on to The Addington (April 7), and The Oxfordshire (April 14-15). As part of an increased schedule, the TP Tour will be hosting a qualifier for the British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall. The qualifying tournament will take place at Nailcote on July 4, with the top players earning a place in the main event in August. For details, visit www.tptourseries.com.

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The coffers at Camberley Heath are set to be swelled in the near future following the successful application for planning permission to build four new homes on the site of the Surrey club’s greenkeeping compound. Building firm CALA Homes has been given the go-ahead to build four five-bedroom detached family properties and relocate the greenkeeping buildings. The homes will be located on a private area of the club’s course and will be accessed from a separate entrance. While the properties will front onto the golf course, the new compound will be located in the club’s current buggy store.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

THE FLEXIBLE FUTURE OF GOLF Unless you’ve been living in a cave in Outer Mongolia for the last five years, you can’t fail to have noticed how many clubs are offering flexible memberships these days. From just a handful three or four years ago, the latest figures show that nearly 30 per cent of all clubs in England have adopted some sort of pay-as-you-go option for players who might otherwise have given up on the whole idea of joining a club or remaining a member of one. Faced with dwindling renewals and empty waiting lists, clubs have had to take proactive steps to claw back lost revenues, and although flexible membership hasn’t been the only measure taken by clubs to balance the books, it has certainly had the most dramatic effect on the golfing landscape. With almost two-thirds of all clubs no longer charging a joining fee, subscription fees remaining static, and new golfers hard to find, it’s clearly a tough time to be a golf club owner or operator. Golfers are far more savvy consumers than they were a generation ago, with all of us shopping around for value in almost every element of our expenditure. We’re all looking for better deals, increased incentives, and fringe benefits. Although seven-day membership remains by far the most popular category, there is a growing portion of the population that still wants the benefit of membership – handicaps, competitions, social events – but can’t commit to the 50-plus rounds a year that are required to make full membership a viable option. And that is where flexible membership comes in. You don’t need to look very hard to find examples of clubs that have successfully implemented a flexible membership category. Haywards Heath in West Sussex is an example of a traditional members’ club that has embraced the concept and made it work for both golfers and the venue. The club, which currently charges £1,300 for annual membership, launched a £390 flexible option last year. This translates into 365 credits, which are deducted according to the days/times the rounds are used, equating to 12 rounds at weekends or 18 midweek games. If all the credits were used on weekdays, it would work out at £21 per round,

“Five per cent of our membership said that without a flexible membership option they were considering leaving the club completely” Graham White, Haywards Heath

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Golf News editor Nick Bayly investigates the impact of flexible membership packages on golfers and golf clubs, and finds a sport at the point of no return

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Golf At Goodwood was among the first clubs to launch a credt-based membership

while a weekend round rises to £32.50, measured against a flat rate seven-day visitor’s green fee of £35. Graham White, Haywards Heath’s club secretary, did plenty of research before venturing down the flexible path and, eight months on, is delighted with the response from local golfers and existing members alike. “One of the key reasons we introduced a flexible scheme was to stop the club haemorrhaging members,” he said. “We conducted a survey before we introduced the category, which indicated that ten per cent of our full and fiveday members would transfer down to flexible. However, half of these said that without a flexible membership option they were considering leaving the club completely.” The club went live with the scheme in June last year, with a target of recruiting 50 members by the year-end. By September, it had signed up 39 new members, over half of whom were aged under 50. “The new membership category is achieving one of our stated aims – the recruitment of younger golfers who are working full-time and/or have young families,” says White. “These time-poor golfers cannot justify full subs for the few times they can afford to play. The flexible category has also attracted back some former members who gave up when they reached 30 and the discounted subs stopped, and has also gained recruits from our social members – previously active golfers who paid a green fee on the odd occasion they played.” Another golf operator to have gone down the flexible route is the Altonwood Group, which owns five clubs in Surrey. Last year, the company launched the Altonwood Season Ticket, an Oyster card-type membership that provides access to all five clubs in the group – The Addington, Surrey National, Westerham, Woldingham and Godstone – for £299. The ticket also provides a handicap certificate, up to 50% off green fees, a free lesson, early booking rights, entry into a number of club competitions, and discounts on range balls, buggy hire, food and drinks. As with Haywards Heath, once the credit – or in this case, cash – has been used up, tickets holders can top up the card accordingly. Simon Hodson, Altonwood’s managing director, has been delighted with the response from local golfers, and believes that it will help bring back a lost generation of golfers, many of whom found traditional membership categories too unwieldy. “The season ticket had been part of our plans for quite a while, but we felt last summer the time was right to invite those hard working, time poor occasional golfers back into the fold,” he says. “We can’t ignore the austere times we are living in, and we like providing golfers with the opportunity to enjoy our clubs without asking them to commit to a seven-day membership, or without alienating our core full members. With our season ticket we are now able to offer this new breed of golfer an option that suits both their lifestyle and budget.” Golf groups with multiple venues are clearly well placed to take advantage of flexible schemes.

“We’ve just launched flexible membership at all three sites. The minimum package is just £275, which is a £100 annual fee, plus £175 of credits. I think it will be very popular, as it allows members to effectively ‘pay as they go’ while buying just the amount of golf they want.” Richard Haygarth, Mapleleaf Golf Group, owners of Chichester, Hill Barn and Horton Park Crown Golf, the UK’s largest golf club owner/ operator, has launched a new scheme designed to encourage more golfers to take up club membership. Its new Freedom Play package costs £295 for 250 credits, which be exchanged for rounds of golf at eight venues, including Blue Mountain, The Hertfordshire, South Essex, Stapleford Abbotts, Oak Park and Merrist Wood. Crown Golf CEO Stephen Lewis, says: “You can play in club competitions, get a golf handicap, and you belong to the club, just like a full member. It’s ideal if you’re one of the thousands of golfers in the UK who feels that they don’t play quite enough golf

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to justify a full annual membership.” Three years ago De Vere launched the De Vere Club, which allows members to play at any of its 12 venues for £295 per year. For that price, members receive 100 points, which can be redeemed against green fees at clubs including The Belfry, Carden Park, Slaley Hall, and The Carrick at Loch Lomond. With such a wide range of venues, the credits could be used with just four weekday rounds at The Belfry or stretched out to 20 rounds at Oulton Hall in Yorkshire. Since launching in 2010, the scheme has attracted over 13,000 members. Credit schemes have also been successful at high-end venues, where the seven-day membership is out of reach of all but the most wealthy. The Oxfordshire, which charges £2,600 for an annual subscription, plus a £1,000 joining fee, introduced five new categories of ‘Flexi Membership’ last autumn. Here, 50 credits cost £495 and secure 13 off-peak rounds and or seven peak rounds, while 310 credits (£1,795) translate into 78 off-peak rounds or 44 peak games. David Colyer, director of the Leaderboard Group, is convinced that the time is right for flexible membership, and has just launched a similar category at the company’s three other clubs, Chart Hills, Dale Hill and Sandford Springs. “All golf clubs need to be more forward thinking if they are to thrive and survive,” he says. “It isn’t just about the current economic climate, but about the change in attitudes of golfers toward a membership commitment. “The Leaderboard Group recognises that, like the whole industry, there is a severe deficit in certain sectors of membership, particularly those men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 whose work and family commitments prevent them from having the time to warrant a full membership fee. Providing a Flexi-Membership allows our current and new members to have the flexibility they want, while providing value for money. At The Oxfordshire, we have found that many past members have come back to the club as flexible members, and a number of our current members have swapped

Haywards Heath’s flexible scheme has been a big success

Pyrford Golf Club is part of Crown Golf’s new Freedom Play scheme

March 2014/ Issue 231

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CLUB VIEW STEPHEN LEWIS, chief operating officer of Crown Golf, explains why he launched the group’s ‘Freedom Play’ membership, and assesses its impact on the golfing landscape How long has Crown Golf been considering flexible membership, and how long did it take you to work out the details of Freedom Play? We began to plan for its introduction a couple of years ago, and spent the first six months of 2013 fine-tuning the details before we initially made it available at just three of our golf clubs last summer. That proved very popular with golfers, so we introduced it at eight more clubs in the

latter part of last year, and at another seven earlier this year. What convinced you that this was the right time to commit to Freedom Play? By having a constant dialogue with our customers and our staff. If you truly listen to, and care about, what your customers are saying, decision-making is a lot easier. 2013-14 has proved a very good time to launch Freedom Play, as there is a clear demand for it among certain types of golfer who were previously unsure as to whether to take out full membership, or remain paying green fees. The final part of the decision was when we identified a common want from lapsed members, who cited that greater flexibility would help

onto it because it meets their requirements at their particular time in life and circumstances.” He adds: “It is important to recognise is that these individuals are full members of our clubs and that Flexi Membership is a full seven-day membership with all of the rights therein. It isn’t an alternative description for pay-and-play, and we believe it will grow the memberships at all of our clubs. The Oxfordshire has been running Flexi Membership for well over a year now, and we have seen a 25% increase in membership. Chart Hills, Dale Hill and Sandford all go live this month, and all three have started waiting lists.” Of course, all this talk of credits can sometimes mask the fact that real money is driving these offers forward, so as a golfer it is essential to work out just how many rounds a year you are likely to play before you enter into an flexible scheme, as well as your ability to play in competitions, access to tee times, food and beverage discounts, and other factors that full members take for granted. And while some club committees and treasurers fear flexible schemes, for some full-time members the arrival of this new breed of membership has its benefits. For example, Crowborough Beacon in East Sussex has recently announced a reduction in the price of its seven-day membership in direct response to the income it has received from the flexible membership scheme it launched in 2011. The club’s general manager, John Holmes, said: “Over 150 local golfers now enjoy the opportunity to play, even if only occasionally, as flexible members, and compete alongside full members at a fraction of the cost of full membership. Full membership fees have fallen, not out of desperation, but because we believed it was the right thing to do. We don’t believe that subscriptions can continue to just rise annually, which has become something of the norm, while membership nationally continues to fall. Ultimately, this could drive everybody away.” Although few private clubs expect flexible membership to become the biggest section of the membership, at Golf At Goodwood in West Sussex it is the virtually the only form of membership. As pioneers of the credit-based scheme in 2006, Goodwood did away with annual subs, and introduced a flat annual membership levy, which is currently set at £395 and provides 25 credits to play on its Downs and Park courses (with rounds costing between two and four credits). The club has flourished under the flexible format, with close to 2,000 members, a healthy competition scene, and well-attended social events. The club has since launched a seven-day membership to allow unlimited access for £2,000, but currently over 95%

them re-join. Is ‘flexible’ the best word to describe the Freedom Play membership? It’s certainly a very good word! Some golfers love the flexibility of Freedom Play, which gives them most of the benefits of club membership, including a handicap, competitions and, of course, the great social life. But many others still prefer to have a more traditional, full-time membership, with no limit on the amount of golf they can play.

Freedom Play members tend to be newcomers to membership at our clubs, in many cases taking the step up from being a habitual green fee payer. Our 5-day and 7-day members tend to play golf more often, and find full membership offers them better value. We’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the number of spouses joining Freedom Play, and the number of golfers who have upgraded from par 3 memberships and our green fee discount card scheme, Just Play.

Where it has already been introduced, what effect is it having on your 5-day and 7-day members? Very little. There has been a nice harmony at the clubs where it has been introduced.

Does every golf club in the Crown Golf portfolio fit the Freedom Play model? It is not yet available at all of our golf clubs – we leave it to the individual general managers as to whether

“The Oxfordshire has been running flexible membership for well over a year now, and we have seen a 25% increase in membership.” – David Colyer, managing director, Leaderboard Group

Freedom Play is right for their customers. What else should golf clubs be doing to retain existing members and attract new ones? At the root of everything is great customer service and well-kept facilities and, of course, a lovingly-tended golf course. But as regards getting your message across to people, you’ve got to be more creative than ever before these days. Never rest on your laurels, and always try to come up with new ideas to delight people, and let them know what you are offering them. If you live anywhere near a Crown Golf club, you can be sure that we’re trying to make it the best possible golf club for miles around.

De Vere has atracted over 13,000 members to its De Vere Club, which costs £325 per year

WHAT THE GOLFERS SAY: “I think it’s a good way to get more involved at the club where you regularly play. A figure of £295 is a more reasonable price for someone like me, who only plays around three or four times a month. If I could play more often than that, then it would make sense to take up a full membership, but Freedom Play gives me the flexibility to play when I want, without the feeling that I am spending more than I need to on my golf. It’s a good balance, and fits the way my life is at the moment.” Geoff Husband, Surrey golfer

of the members opt for the credit-based scheme. Stuart Gillett, Goodwood’s director of golf, says: “Credit membership has gone from strength to strength. It offers great choice and, most importantly, great value for money. Service remains high on our agenda, and it makes no difference if you visit us once a year or once a week – you have the same privileges and receive the same service levels, and this is what our members like. There is no categorisation in our membership, which is important, as everyone has the same rights.” Faced with all the evidence, it’s clear that flexible membership isn’t about offering cheap golf – it is, in fact, a far more expensive way of playing in poundsper-rounds terms – it is about allowing golfers to maintain a relationship with a club without having to commit to a big financial outlay for those that wouldn’t be able to make maximum use of a full membership. A high number of golfers will always enjoy the pleasures of being a full member, and many make financial sacrifices elsewhere in their budget in order to ensure they can, but for those that can’t, flexible schemes are proving a welcome way to stay in touch with the game they love.

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The Leaderboard Group has launched a new ‘Flexi Membership’ at all four of its golf clubs, including The Oxfordshire

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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Members vote to relocate Royal Norwich Members of one of the oldest and most established clubs in the country have agreed to close their course down so that it can be converted into a housing estate. Royal Norwich Golf Club is to be moved seven miles, and its existing course converted into a housing estate, if planning permission is granted. The club, which is one of only 16 in England to have been granted its royal title by Queen Victoria, and which had the future George V as its patron in 1893, is set to merge with Weston Park Golf Club, based seven miles away, following an historic vote. More than 80 per cent of the club’s members voted to move out of the city and turn the club into a housing estate featuring 1,000 homes. The money from the sale of the land will then be used to buy Weston Park, redevelop its 18hole course, and build a nine-hole course and a clubhouse to accommodate the new members. The move, scheduled for 2017, is subject to

On the move: Royal Norwich is to relocate

planning permission being granted for both clubs. Club manager Phil Grice said: “The funds available will hopefully secure the next 120 years for the club. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up. The site we’re talking about is a beautiful 300 acres of parkland which, if we can redevelop, will be fantastic.” The club has been looking to relocate since the late 1980s, partly because golfers have to cross a busy road during their rounds, risking accidents. It is thought the merged club will be allowed to retain its ‘royal’ status.

Trump has ‘big plans’ for Doonbeg American property tycoon Donald Trump has last month. He first visited the site two years ago, said he has plans to spend a significant part when he was looking at other clubs in Ireland of his $3.5 billionaire fortune in developing to add to his portfolio of resorts, which also the golf resort at Doonbeg in County Clare, includes Trump Links in Aberdeen. which he bought last month for a reported Donald Trump jnr, who is executive vice€15 million. president of the Trump Organisation said: “Of the The 67-year-old billionaire, who has wasted no two dozen golf resorts we saw, this was the only time in renaming the resort Trump International one that resonated with us as being incredible. Golf Links, Ireland, said: “We’re bringing the After seeing Doonbeg I recall calling my father Trump factor to Ireland. It’s a very special piece saying something along the lines of ‘this is really of land on the Atlantic. A lot of people wanted a Trump-type development.’” it, but we got it, and we will do a better job. The announcement of the purchase of All of my clubs are Doonbeg came on highly successful and the day that Trump Doonbeg will be too.” lost his legal action Trump said he against Scottish plans to spend a authorities to prevent lot more money a major offshore wind developing the 400farm within view of acre property than his golf resort near he did on purchasing Aberdeenshire. “It it. He acquired the was only a skirmish, resort after it was we haven’t lost the Doonbeg has been renamed Trump Golf Links, Ireland put into receivership battle,” he said.

Braid courses join forces to add fringe benefits Golfers whose home courses were designed by legendary golfer and course architect James Braid are enjoying the benefits of a growing association of clubs that are offering reduced green fees at fellow Braid venues. The Association of James Braid Courses was launched just four years ago as part of a drive to recognise his contribution to golf, and has so far succeeded in attracting over 230 member clubs from all over the United Kingdom, as well as one in New York.

Among Braid’s most famous designs are Gleneagles (King’s and Queen’s), Carnoustie, St Enodoc and Dalmahoy, while closer to the his home in the South East, he was responsible for numerous layouts, including North Hants, Verulam, Littlestone, Goodwood, Haywards Heath, Bognor Regis, Royal Blackheath, Mid Herts and Walmer & Kingsdown. “The advantages of being a member club is that the members of those listed can play at all the other clubs for a reduced green fee,

thereby hopefully increasing the awareness of Braid’s work,” said Michael Herriot, a member at Henley Golf Club in Oxfordshire who runs the association. “I am delighted so many clubs have joined, as now 100,000-plus golfers have access to many excellent Braid courses, which will help increase clubs’ revenues, and their members’ knowledge of Braid and his course designs.” To see a full list of the Association of James Braid Courses member clubs, visit www.sites.google.com/site/ajbmap.

Sundridge Park is a classic James Braid design

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March 2014/ Issue 231

News in Brief

Jamie Cook

Former Oxford United and Crawley Town winger Jamie Cook has set his sights on becoming a professional golfer when he hangs up his boots at the end of this season. The 34-year-old, who currently plays for Oxford City in the Skrill North League, had previously announced his intention to try professional golf following his release from Stevenage Borough in 2005, but his football career was resurrected in 2007, with moves to Rushden & Diamonds and Crawley leaving his golfing ambitions on hold. However, the attraction of golf can wait no longer, and Cook is calling time on his days as a professional footballer when the season finishes in May, when he will concentrate on hitting a smaller ball.

CRONDON HOSTS FALDO WEDGE This year’s Faldo Wedge, an U18 team stableford event open to Essex clubs, takes place at Crondon Park on May 30. The prize for the tournament is a wedge that was used by Nick Faldo during his victory at the 1990 Open. The Essex Golf Union purchased the club when the then 37-year-old star donated some of his equipment in aid of junior golf back in 1994. It has been a much-coveted trophy since then, and the event often attracts over 40 teams. The defending team is from Channels, which won last year with a combined 120 points.

CROWBOROUGH CHARITY BOOST

Crowborough Beacon Golf Club in East Sussex raised more than £16,000 for good causes last year. At the club’s AGM last month, two cheques, each for £8,063, were presented to Angie Wellman, head of Grove Park School, the club captain’s charity, and Raymond Craig, representing Sussex Air Ambulance, which was supported by Linda Brand, the ladies’ captain.

Cook all set to switch sports

Hoebridge scoops industry gong Hoebridge Golf Centre has capped off a bumper 12 months by winning the Charity Club of the Year category of the annual industry-renowned Club Mirror awards. In March last year, the Wokingbased public pay-and-play centre was rewarded for its sustainable business operations, while in June, Hoebridge’s senior general manager, Mike O’Connell, earned the Certified Club Manager qualification – a global industry benchmark in golf club management. The most recent accolade recognises extraordinary contribution to the community and to charity. Hoebridge supports a variety of local charities, such as

the Elmbridge Community Link and the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance, as well as hosting fundraising days for well-known national causes, including Jeans for Genes Day and the Wear it Pink for Breast Cancer Campaign, for the latter of which more than £1,000 was raised at Hoebridge in 2013. Speaking about this latest award, O’Connell said: “Our success is a byproduct of fantastic customers, who support our initiatives with enthusiasm, and the staff here, who happily go the extra mile, whether it is to help fundraise for charitable causes, assist the smooth running of events, or keep the golf facilities up to scratch to keep people coming Mike O’Connell back for more.”

“I’m turning pro this year, so that’s something I’m looking forward to,” said Cook, who is a member at Heythrop Park Golf Club in Oxfordshire. “For seven or eight years it’s been in the back of my mind, but I’ve not really given it a proper go. This is the year that I’m going to do it, and maybe get on the PGA qualifying course. We’ll have to see what happens.” Football remains his priority until the end of this season, and he is confident he can help City retain their place in Skrill North. “It’s been a tough season,” he said. “I’ve been in and out of the team, which is a bit frustrating. But we’ve started playing better recently, and we can move up the table. We’re currently second from bottom, but we’ve got a few games in hand over some our rivals, so it’s not all doom and gloom.”

Top coach joins Horne Park  Top European coach Stuart Cartwright has joined the Mike Yorke Golf Academy at Horne Park Golf Club in Surrey. Cartwright boasts a wealth of experience as a coach and player, having spent over ten years competing on various tours around the world. The last six years have seen him working with a number of rising young stars on the European and Challenge Tour.  He currently divides his time between three venues in the South East, World of Golf in New Malden, Hampton Court, and now Horne Park in South Godstone. Mike Yorke, who appointed Cartwright, said: “Stuart’s holistic approach to golf improvement is a skill rarely seen in golf instruction. He’s a qualified strength and conditioning coach, and is a qualified instructor in the HeartMath system, which uses some of the very latest in bio-feedback technology.” To book a lesson with Stuart, call 07958 553642  or email stuart@elitegolftraining.co.uk.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

News in Brief

Entries open for Lucas Spoon The 26th renewal of the Laddie Lucas Spoon is being held at Prince’s Golf Club on April 16. The tournament, which is sponsored by The Golfing Society of Great Britain, is held in honour of the late ‘Laddie’ Lucas, who was cofounder of the Sandwichbased club. The Spoon is a scratch

competition open to juniors aged between eight and 13 years old. No handicaps are required, but there are also various handicap competitions and prizes awarded for age categories. The scratch winner will be presented with the Spoon, which is held permanently on display in the clubhouse.

This year’s event is also being sponsored by Ian Poulter Design, with the winner eligible to play in the Ian Poulter Invitational, which is held at Woburn Golf Club every year. Entry forms may be downloaded from www. princesgolfclub.co.uk or by emailing proshop@ princesgolfclub.co.uk.

The Laddie Lucas Spoon enjoys a rich history at Prince’s Golf Club

BICESTER’S BOSHER BEATEN The Bicester pairing of Carly Bosher and Laura Watkins just missed out winning the pairs title at the HowDidiDo-National Matchplay Championship in Portugal. Bosher, a 13-handicapper, and Watkins, who plays off one, completed five rounds to finish adrift of winners Tom Muldoon and Kevin Commins, from Newry, Northern Ireland. The Oxfordshire pair had to battle their way through local rounds and a regional final to qualify for the tournament, which was held at the Quinta do Lago resort in Portugal.

Free membership up for grabs at Chipstead open weekend! Golfers looking to get an insight into what it would like to be a member at Chipstead Golf Club in Surrey are invited to attend an Open Weekend being held on April 12-13. For just £10, guests will be able to play the challenging 18-hole parkland course, have a free drink at the bar, make use of all the club’s facilities, talk to club pros and members, and have their name entered into a prize draw to win a free year’s membership. Chipstead’s Director of Golf, Gary Torbett, said: “We are always looking to encourage new golfers to our club with new initiatives. We know that today’s golfers have an opportunity to experience quality golf at affordable prices and here at Chipstead we provide both. We have affordable membership rates, including our new £400 flexible membership, competitive green fees, and society and corporate packages to suit all budgets. “As an added incentive to attend our open weekend, we will be giving away one year’s free membership to one lucky customer,” added Torbett. To book a place on the Open Weekend, call 01737 555781 or email office@chipsteadgolf.co.uk.

SLAMMIN’ SAM BAGS SIXTH ACE Devon teenager Sam Williams is proving deadly with an iron in his hand after bagging four hole-in-ones during the 2013 season, taking his career tally to six. A student at the South Devon College golf academy, Sam, who has represents Devon at U18 level, bagged two aces in the space of 24 hours last August, both in county events. The two-handicapper hopes to become a PGA assistant after finishing college.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Continuing its strategy of seeking ‘obsessive perfection’, Windlesham is a working blueprint for the future of the successful modern golf club

The approach to the first green

STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME You stand still at your peril when visiting Windlesham Golf Club for any length of time. The Surrey venue has been such a hive of activity in recent years that anyone sitting in the clubhouse or playing out on the course was liable to get swept up in the maelstrom of improvements and renovations that have been taking place at the popular members club over the last few seasons. Celebrating its 20th year in operation, Windlesham was conceived and constructed during the height of the golf boom that swept the nation in the mid1990s. And while those days are a dim and distant memory, Windlesham has not only survived, but has positively thrived over the intervening two decades, and now takes pride in being one of the most successful – and accessible – golf clubs in an area of

Surrey that is more generally known for its ‘keep out’ signs. Ever since it first opened, the proprietary-owned Windlesham has always sought to go the extra mile to make playing the course or visiting the clubhouse something of ‘an experience’, rather than just a runof-the-mill outing. It is an attitude that has served the Bagshot-based club well over the last 20 years, and explains why it continues to retain a large and loyal membership, as well as attract a steady flow of new members, visiting golfers and societies. The owner’s and management’s commitment to continued investment in the facilities has most recently seen the opening of a major redevelopment of the already-spacious clubhouse. The £1.5 million project, which was completed at the start of last summer, saw the whole building extended some 20 feet outwards in the direction of the golf course,

New bunker on the par 3 4th hole

providing for a sizeable increase in the internal space. This has allowed the popular Nineteen Restaurant to increase its capacity to up to 120 diners, while the main bar and lounge area has been transformed into a light and airy space, with huge sliding windows and skylights making the transition from course to dining room almost seamless. Additionally, the pro shop, which has always been one of Windlesham’s unique selling points, has a new and larger home at the front of the building overlooking the golf course, with plenty of space for all the latest equipment and clothing ranges, and a new Custom Fit Studio. As well as offering members and guests a bigger and better place to relax and be entertained, the new-look clubhouse has also helped to show off the club’s star attraction, the 6,650-yard championship golf course, to better effect via a new first floor balcony that extends from the Lutine Suite. Other areas lined up for future investment include the club’s practice facilities and golf academy, where PGA Head Professional Lee Mucklow and his team currently offer a wide range of lesson and tuition packages, from weekend roll-ups to one-on-one sessions using state-of-the-art swing analysis technology. Also the subject of considerable investment in recent years is the Tommy-Horton-designed parkland layout, which has seen ongoing improvements since the appointment of renowned architects Hawtree Ltd in 2008. There is now a clear rolling 10-year course management plan in place. This has included a total bunker renovation programme, which has resulted in these hazards being more visible from the tees and from the fairway; the construction of new tees, the

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Bunkers guarding the 13th green

“Windlesham has always sought to go the extra mile to make playing the course or visiting the clubhouse something of ‘an experience’, rather than just a run-of-themill outing” introduction of run-offs around several greens, and the re-shaping of a number of fairways – all of which has served to place more of an emphasis on accuracy and good course management, as well as improving traffic management around the greens. The course is always presented in tip-top condition, with hand-cut greens, tees and approaches, and neatly-striped fairways giving the impression of an extremely well cared-for layout, where attention to detail is paramount. Horton’s approach when designing Windlesham was to develop a course that ‘excites and tests all standards of golfer’, with gentle slopes and streams forming the main difficulties for players. That very much remains true today, and it’s definitely a challenging course to play, with the two loops of nine testing all the shot-making skills in the bag, as well as forcing golfers to engage their golfing brains off virtually every tee. Length has never been the course’s main defense – although it is plenty long enough – because it requires skillful shot placement to score well here. The first, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 13th, 16th and 17th all require a ditch and/or water to be negotiated at some point, with lay ups off the tee, or daring shots to the greens, required to go for birdies. The size of the USGA-specification greens makes them slightly easier to hit, but can also leave massive putts across undulating slopes. All in all, it’s an entertaining course to play, getting better the more you play it, and represents excellent value at £60 a round for visitors on weekdays and £65 at weekends after midday. Societies are equally well catered for here, with bespoke summer packages available from just £70 per head for groups of 12 or more. The new facilities have attracted plenty of interest among the local golfing community, with a healthy number of new members joining the club since the clubhouse project was completed, while member retention has been equally impressive, providing further evidence that the club has got its product right both on and off the golf course. There is currently a waiting list for five-day

A view of the clubhouse from the 12th fairway

memberships, while seven-day membership costs £2,070 (including a £175 loyalty card credit). As an added incentive to remain with the club, a members’ loyalty discount scheme sees members receive a 1% reduction in the cost of renewal for each year that they have been at the club, up to a maximum discount of 15%. Members enjoy priority use on the course at all times, with mornings exclusively blocked out for members’ tee times (up to 11am weekdays and noon at weekends). In addition, the club has an online booking facility, with bookings available up to 14 days in advance for members, and visitors able to secure tees times outside peak hours. Windlesham has always enjoyed a well-balanced blend of genders and age groups at the club, and boasts a growing family membership category, but like most venues, it is keen to see more young girls take up the game – and stay with it. To that end, it has recently launched a club-funded scholarship

programme which offer two years’ free membership and tuition for girls. There are currently three girls with scholarship status, and the aim is to take that number up to eight this year – all funded by the club and members. The club is also taking its team of PGA-trained coaching staff into local schools to persuade more girls and boys to take up the game, ensuring that Windlesham plays its part in keeping golf on the sporting radar for youngsters. As you’d expect from a forward-thinking enterprise, the club uses all forms of communication, and operates a regularly-updated website, a Facebook page and a highly-active Twitter feed, while a tablet and mobile app offers a more interactive experience for golfers, including fly-by videos of holes, GPS measuring, digital scoring, tee time bookings, and live weather links. These are just some of the reasons why Windlesham remains ahead of the game – and will continue to do so for many years to come.

CONTACT DETAILS WINDLESHAM GOLF CLUB

If you’re interested in joining Windlesham, or would like to come and look at the facilities, then visit www.joinwgc.com or call 01276 452220. Windlesham Golf Club Grove End, Bagshot Surrey, GU19 5HY. Tel: 01276 451122 (Golf Operations) www.windleshamgolf.com

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Barnet is one of just five clubs in the UK scheduled to host qualifying tournaments for the 2014 Faldo Series. The Hertfordshire-based club will play host to up to 93 young players aged between 14 and 18 on June 16-18. This year’s series has a new format that will see each tournament increased to 54-holes and count towards the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The maximum field at each event will also be increased from 75 to 93, but the number of tournaments has been reduced to five. The entry fee will remain the same, despite the additional tournament round.

The entry for the first two events on the schedule – Moortown (April 7-9) and Pyle & Kenfig (April 22-24) – has already closed, but the later three events – Old Fold Manor (June 16-18), Panmure (June 24-26) in Scotland and Hollinwell in Nottinghamshire (August 18-20) – remain open for entry until May 9. “Young golfers in the UK have benefitted from the experience of playing in the Faldo Series since its launch in 1996”, said Sir Nick Faldo. “With the new format featuring 54-hole championships, players will gain even more tournament experience, and have the opportunity to compete for World Amateur Golf Ranking points.”

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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Swingers’ Season 11 got underway earlier this month with the announcement that this year’s final will be taking place on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Speculation amongst the 5,500 members of the golf programme has been growing since last year’s memorable final at Gleneagles in Scotland, and when the news was finally announced on the day of the launch, Swingers across the globe could begin their season knowing they were competing for a place in the final 24 to head to the sun this November. In many ways, Barbados is the perfect way to follow the splendour and prestige of playing Gleneagles. One thing that can be guaranteed is that it will definitely be warmer! Both the hotel and golf courses which will host the final are due to be announced in the coming weeks, but with arguably the best selection of golf courses available in the Caribbean, you can be sure that every competitive Swinger will be doing their upmost to make that plane. But Flying Club Swingers is not just about the final. There is a whole host of prizes to be won every month from the likes of SkyCaddie, Stewart Golf, SunDog Eyewear and Avis Prestige. What’s more, Cleveland Golf and Srixon have just launched their Swingers ambassador competition, where Swingers are chosen monthly to test out the latest product, which they then review through various social media channels. It’s a brilliant way to get your hands on some great gear. And if that’s not enough, there’s a superb goody bag for the first 200 members who submit six scores, containing an exclusive Swingers JLindeberg shirt, courtesy of Trendy Golf. Register now at www.flyingclubgolfleague.com to begin your road to Barbados.

As you tee off and your ball travels through the crisp air, you’ll remember how good it feels to be back out there. At Sweetwoods Park this spring you can enjoy a serene course at a competitive price. Plus Visitors receive a complimentary round for every 5 they play (when registered with our loyalty card programme). We maintain an exceptionally high standard of course year round and temporary greens are never used.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

La Manga’s creator leaves lasting legacy Woburn wins eco award Woburn Golf Club has been awarded GEO Certified, the international mark of sustainability in golf, in recognition of the way in which it manages its golfing landscape. The accolade was awarded to the club having demonstrated that it had met or exceeded environmental and social standards set for golf, in the areas of nature, water, energy, supply chain, pollution prevention and community. A key highlight cited in the report included Woburn’s new 110,000m³ reservoir and its impact on water consumption for irrigation. The reservoir, which was completed in 2013 on an area of unused agricultural land within the

estate, will allow the club to be self-sufficient through the use of direct rainfall, or from drainage that is in place on the course. Using the spoil from the construction of the reservoir, a four-hectare wildflower meadow has been created to provide habitat for insects and encourage small mammals and birds. The club’s general manager, Jason O’Malley, said: “We are extremely proud to have been awarded this accolade. Our sustainability working group has worked tirelessly to protect our environment and reduce our resource footprint, and ultimately to preserve the enjoyment of the game of golf for future generations – and should be congratulated for their dedication.”

La Manga Club has led the tributes to former owner Gregory Peters, the driving force behind the creation of Spain’s flagship resort, following his death at the age of 86. Peters opened La Manga in 1972, two years after he first began work on the ground-breaking project in Murcia, south-east Spain, and laid the foundations for the venue to be at the forefront of sports and leisure destinations across Europe. Under the inspirational leadership of the American entrepreneur, renowned golf course architect Robert Putman was recruited to design two 18-hole championship courses – the North and South – and a five-star tennis centre was opened. With South African star Gary Player as the resort’s first director of golf, La Manga Club hosted the Spanish Open from 1973-77. Seve Ballesteros was the resort’s touring pro from 1980-84, while top Spanish player Manolo Santana was the first director of its tennis centre. A third course, the West, opened in 1986, and La Manga also boasted a fourstar hotel and many properties when Peters sold the resort in the mid-1980s. In his later years, he returned to America, where he died at his home in Las Vegas. Jose Asenjo, general manager at La Manga Club, said: “Gregory Peters was a true visionary and he will never

News in Brief TRIBUTE TO VIVIAN BARTON Former Kent County stalwart Vivian Barton has died at the age of 77. A member at Prince’s during the early part of his career, he represented Kent for two decades, playing over 100 times for the county and maintaining a scratch handicap for 12 years. He was county captain and later served as later a vice president of the county, and was largely responsible for establishing the Winter Trials with Alf Hinge (now the Hinge Trophy).

Gregory Peters (centre) at La Manga

be forgotten at La Manga. The role he played in establishing the resort as a household name across Europe was essential to the success that it enjoys today. He provided the blueprint for modern-day resorts and he will be sadly missed.” Now in its fifth decade, the awardwinning resort, which is three times the size of Monaco, continues to be one of the most popular golf holiday destinations in Europe. In addition to the golf courses, it offers a 28-court tennis academy, eight full-size football pitches, a 2,000 sqm2 spa and fitness centre, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

ASHFORD SIGNS NEW HEAD PRO

Ashford Golf Club in Kent has appointed PGA professional Mark Lawrie as its new head professional. Lawrie has previously held assistant professional positions at Wimbledon and Roehampton. “This is a terrific opportunity for me and I am very excited about making Ashford the best it can possibly be,” he said. “One of my main focuses will be building up the junior academy by trying to get Golf Mark accredited. A refit to the pro shop has also already made a big impact.”

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to 14 Days in advance • Play at 35 other courses free of charge, Weekdays, and Discounted Green Fees at Weekends for both 5 and 7 day Members • Social golf, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and at Weekends, just turn up and play with other Members, no need to book in advance. • Members can join our internal golf societies, Sunday Early Birds, The Wednesday Chiner, The Monday Members, just take your pick

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Bacon Roll & Coffee, 18 or 36 holes, 2 Course Lunch & High Tea - £59.50 Bacon Roll & Coffee, 36 holes, Light Lunch & 3 Course Meal - £69.50

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March 2014/ Issue 231

SILVER SERVICE With its stunning 18-hole golf course and superb hospitality at the iconic Inn on the Lake, Silvermere Golf & Leisure is the perfect venue for a memorable society or group golf day As you sit on the spacious terrace at Silvermere’s Inn on the Lake, sipping a beer, and watching a procession of golfers attempting to hit the semi-island green that provides such a thrilling finale, it’s easy to forget you’re in Surrey at all. With the sun beating down, you could be in Florida. Occupying a leafy spot half way between Cobham and Byfleet – and 5,000 miles from Miami – Silvermere has been part of the golfing landscape in this corner of the country for almost three decades. Regardless of where you’re from, and what level of golfer you are, the club prides itself on living up to the words written on its entrance sign, and being a place ‘where everyone is welcome’. Offering a superb 18-hole course set among mature woodland and parkland, Silvermere is one of the best-maintained and most challenging public courses in the country. In addition to the quality of the layout, the superb practice facilities, the renowned Doug McClelland Golf Superstore, and the wonderful hospitality on offer at the famous Inn on the Lake, it is the personal service and attention to detail that makes Silvermere such an attractive destination for golf societies and golfers of all skill levels, from beginners to tour professionals. If it’s been a while since you’ve played here, you’ll be surprised at how much the challenging layout has matured since Neil Coles and Brian Hugget first designed it over 30 years ago. The trees that were little more than a nuisance back then are now extremely mature, and make for a testing challenge. High handicappers often find

The new-look interior at the Inn on the Lake

the first six holes quite tough, as distance and accuracy off the tee are crucial, and although the fairways are quite generous, the rough and the rhododendrons are not so forgiving. The opening half dozen holes have also recently benefitted from a bunker remodelling programme, which not only makes them more visually appealing, but also makes them more visible from the tees. As you cross the road, the holes open out a bit, but you still require a good long game to score well here, especially on the par fours, such as the 8th and the 10th, both of which are over 440 yards off the back tees. The two finishing holes at Silvermere are legendary. Both feature water, and both have the potential to make or break a round. The par-three 17th, at 175 yards off the whites, looks further that it is, while the notorious 18th requires little more than a mid to long iron for placement, but your approach shot has to carry the water to the famous island green. Once the lake has been safely negotiated, you can breathe a sigh of relief and hope to two-putt for a

well-deserved drink and a bite to eat in the legendary Inn on the Lake, Silvermere’s pub-cum-clubhouse, which has recently undergone a comprehensive renovation that has transformed it into a contemporary venue ideal for any occasion. Offering the quality of food and service that you’d expect from a gastro pub or restaurant, and with a variety of private function rooms – including the recentlyrenovated ground floor Waterside Suite – the Inn on the Lake provides the perfect setting to relax, unwind and celebrate, whether it be with golfing partners, family or business colleagues. And with a number of meeting rooms and conference facilities, it also makes an ideal venue for a business meeting or company away day. And it’s not just the interiors that have changed – the Inn on the Lake features new all-day menus, freshly ground coffee, and an extensive wine and beer selection. A revised lunch menu and a fantastic new evening menu offer all of the traditional golfer’s favourites, such as homemade burgers and chunky chips, toasties, and steak sandwiches

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The terrace at the Inn on the Lake

alongside some new and exciting dishes including lamb shanks, sea bass fillet, and crayfish cocktails. The five-course Sunday carvery remains a popular fixture in Silvermere’s social calendar, while special events are a regular feature in the Inn on the Lake’s function diary, from Mother’s Day lunches (March 30), and one-off comedy nights – the next one is April 4 – to musical soirées and other live entertainment. So whether you sit outside on the heated terrace watching the excitement unfold out on the golf course, or enjoy the atmosphere to be found inside, Silvermere’s Inn on the Lake has all the ingredients to complete a truly memorable day.

March 2014/ Issue 231

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COMPETITION BAG YOURSELF ONE OF CALLAWAY GOLF’S NEW BIG BERTHA DRIVERS! To celebrate the launch of the new range of Big Bertha drivers, Golf News has teamed up with Callaway Golf to offer FOUR lucky readers the ultimate custom-fitting experience for the most exciting and performance-enhancing drivers currently available on the market today.

THE PRIZE This fabulous prize consists of an exclusive invitation to visit Callaway Golf’s state-ofthe-art Performance Centre at its European headquarters in Chessington, Surrey, where the four winners will be custom fitted by one of Callaway’s experts for either the BIG BERTHA DRIVER or the BIG BERTHA ALPHA DRIVER. The fitting session is designed to ensure that the winners come away with a driver model that is correctly dialled in to offer optimum performance gains for each individual player’s swing. The winners will also be given TWO DOZEN of Callaway Golf’s new SPEED REGIME golf balls, which are available in three different models to suit different swing speeds. The winners will also be custom-fitted for the balls as part of their fitting session. TWO GREAT DRIVERS, ONE GREAT BRAND Callaway Golf’s Big Bertha driver is one of the most iconic driver brands in the history of the game, with the original model single-handedly changing the face of driver performance and design. Now, after extensive research and testing, Callaway Golf has re-launched the brand with its most performance-enhancing design ever, in the shape of the Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha drivers. Offering two distinct models, each is geared to provide total performance for different types of player. The standard Big Bertha driver provides a balance of distance and control for the broadest segment of the players – those golfers seeking forgiveness and yardage on well-struck shots, as well as those slightly less than perfect hits, while the Big Bertha Alpha is best suited to players with above-average

swing speeds who prefer low-spinning trajectory to produce flatter drives that typically result in more roll. Both drivers offer game-changing technology, with the Big Bertha featuring a sliding weight rail which, when combined with a fully adjustable hosel, creates a driver which hits the ball more accurately, as well as farther, than ever before. The Big Bertha Alpha is the first driver to allow independent adjustment of loft, lie, shot bias and centre of gravity height to optimise trajectory, control and distance. This is achieved through the unique Gravity Core, which allows golfers to raise or lower the centre of gravity and thereby alter spin rates. TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning this superb prize, simply answer the question below correctly and email your answer, together with your name, address, daytime telephone number, and golf handicap, to: info@golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Callaway Big Bertha competition’ in the subject line. QUESTION The Big Bertha name is derived from a piece of weaponry used in World War I – but what was it? a) Gun b) Tank c) Bomb For details on Callaway Golf’s range of equipment visit www.callawaygolf.com

TERMS & CONDITIONS As part of the prize, the winners will appear in a special feature in a future issue of Golf News, and therefore must be available to attend the custom-fitting session at a mutually convenient date in order to receive the prize. The closing date for entries is April 15, 2014. The winners will be contacted immediately after that date. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is available. Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.

Open Weekend 12th & 13th April The only place to play your golf over the weekend of 12th and 13th April is at Chipstead Golf Club. For only £10.00 you will receive a round of golf, a FREE drink at the bar and a chance to win a FREE annual membership. Membership offers at Chipstead for this weekend. Partners’ Membership 50% off the second full or 5 day membership with fees set for the next two years.

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February 2014/ Issue 230

NickBayly Is it time for clubs to ring the changes over mobile use? Such is golf’s desire to prove more attractive to the Angry Birds generation that I hear there are moves afoot to encourage clubs to relax their stony-faced attitude towards that can’t-live-without tool of the modern age – the mobile phone. With so many kids – and adults – operating their daily lives with the things welded to their personage like a third limb, it seems almost pointless to hold out against the tyranny of the mobile. And with a generation of employees required to ‘always be available’, it’s hard for many of us to feel like we are Bacon roll ever truly at leisure. and hold the When mobiles first appeared, ketchup :) clubs moved instantly to ban them, fearing endless loud one-way conversations upsetting the members in the bar. But recent years have seen those rules slowly chipped away, to the extent that it is more often the norm for me to have a game interrupted by someone receiving or making an ‘important call’. During the course of my job I am often required to play with

people who are ‘still working’ while they are on the golf course, especially during midweek businessrelated rounds – but it’s an entirely different situation on a weekend game when your mate starts calling a friend to arrange to meet for drinks. And with mobile phones being so much more than devices on which to make phone calls these days, it’s almost denying someone their basic human rights not to allow them not to be used for GPS purposes – or, far more importantly, to phone ahead to the halfway hut to order that much-needed bacon baguette. But rather than see golf clubs put up yet more pointless notices – or indeed allow free rein for their use – I’d much rather see the laws of social etiquette and, dare I say it, common sense, applied, so we can all decide when and where it is most appropriate for us to use our mobiles. Those that insist on texting their mates or checking the football scores every two minutes will soon find out that playing golf on your own is the loneliest game of all.

GNeditor reveals what has caught his eye in the golfing headlines in recent weeks

Putting in the president’s own backyard The extraordinary pictures that emerged from the storming of the former president of Ukraine’s palace lifted the lid on a life of extreme luxury and over-the-top opulence that reminded me of the scenes when Saddam Hussein fell in Iraq, and Gaddafi in Libya. Amid the marble floors, crystal chandeliers and golden orbs, was a liberal mix of billionaire’s boys’ toys, including a replica of a Spanish galleon that had been turned into a floating restaurant, a miniature hovercraft, and, of course, the obligatory 18-hole golf course. I’m not sure whether Viktor Yanukovych played much golf – he owned a set of goldplated, monogrammed clubs, so there is a strong chance that he did – but it seems that one of the ultimate outward signs that a man has made it in life is that he has the room to build a golf course in his own back garden. And when you’ve got 350 acres to play with, it seems kind of churlish not to want to put a few holes in, if only to add some definition to the landscape. Amid the chaotic scenes, I admired the fact that the anti-government protesters who surged into the palace to take a peek at the

lifestyle of a man who had destroyed so many lives were restrained enough not to smash the whole place up, and loot everything they could lay their hands on. Instead, they brought along their own golf clubs and balls, and did the most brazen thing any golfer can do – play a round on someone else’s golf course without paying…. and wearing jeans! While I cannot condone such conduct at our own golf clubs, I bet that for the handful of Ukrainians who managed to play a few holes on Yanukovych’s course, it will have been the most memorable round of their lives. Let’s just hope that come the revolution we all get the same chance to have a bash around the Royal Household’s course at Windsor Castle, as I’ve heard it’s rather good.

Ukrainian protesters try their hand at golf

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March 2014/ Issue 231

FIGHTING TALK Despite saying that he wasn’t good enough to win a major, an in-form Sergio Garcia remains one of Europe’s best hopes of bringing back a green jacket for the first time in 15 years – providing he lets his clubs do the talking Words by Nick Bayly

March 2014/ Issue 231

While Sergio Garcia has shown a liking for putting his foot in his mouth throughout his career, even he must surely have regretted inserting his size nines into his gob in 2012, when he said that he didn’t think he was good enough to win a major following his capitulation during the third round of the US Masters. On the one hand, some found it refreshing to hear a golfer talking objectively and honestly about the limits of his powers, while on the other, critics thought his white flag-waving, woeis-me mentality smacked of childishness, and certainly needed to be taken with a large pinch of salt. It’s hard to shed too many tears for a man as inordinately talented as Garcia, who was won more than 20 times and amassed earnings of over $28 million during his 15-year career, but even the hardest of hearts must feel a trace of sympathy at his failure to come out in front in at least one of the 60 majors he has played in during that time. And despite all of his success, in both individual and team elements of the game, the topic of conversation whenever he enters media centres around the world remains his record in the majors. Of course, those records show that he has come closer than most, with 18 top-10s, including three seconds. Within that trio was his famous shot from against a tree root at the 1999 USPGA Championship, when he finished behind Tiger Woods. Eight years later, he missed a 10-foot par putt on the 72nd green to win the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, and then lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington. He also might have won the 2008 US PGA Championship, if not for stuttering down the home straight to let Harrington win the third of his three major titles. After winning the Tour Championship in 2008, and rising to No.2 in the world rankings, Garcia seemed to have got the game sussed. But just when it looked like he was ready to take it to the next level, it all seemed to unravel. Anyone wanting to trace his fall might do well to start with the ending of his relationship with Greg Norman’s daughter, Morgan, early in 2009. A sensitive man, who always wears his heart on his sleeve, Garcia was crushed by the break-up, and went into a personal meltdown that had an instant and lasting impact on his performances on the golf course. “It definitely didn’t help my game, because I felt my head wasn’t where it needed to be,” Garcia said of the time. “I really didn’t feel much like playing golf. I was thinking about other things when I was on the course, instead of thinking about playing golf.” The Spaniard probably didn’t think it would take too long to get over the heartache, yet he went nearly three years without a victory. He was pretty much a complete nonentity during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, which resulted in him missing out on his beloved Ryder Cup, this time at Celtic Manor, where he had to be content with a bit-part role as one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice captains – a position he is not hoping to repeat in 2014. “It was great to be a part of the team in the way that I was, but at the same time, I would not like to do that again because I felt totally helpless,” he recalls. “You can’t do anything except be there, so it feels like you kind of have your hands tied behind your back.” Having played a pivotal role in Europe’s stunning victory in 2012 – where he won two points from four, including a vital singles win over Jim Furyk – Garcia is more motivated than ever to be a part of Paul McGinley’s team in September. “I’m really excited at the prospect of

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Up for the Cup: Garcia is desperate to keep his place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team Garcia’s confidence took a heavy knock last season

Garcia had some awkward questions to answer at Wentworth following ‘Chickengate’

Garcia raises his hand in triumph following his win at the Qatar Masters

making the team for Scotland,” he says. “There’s a lot of golf to be played before then, but it’s certainly part of my plans, and I hope I can keep things going, and everything will hopefully look after itself.” Missing out on the Ryder Cup in 2010, and some time spent away from the game, seemed to shake him out of his torpor, and he started showing signs of a revival in 2011 when he posted three consecutive top-12 finishes in the last three majors. He then returned home to Spain, and reeled off back-to-back victories in the Castello Masters and Andalucía Masters, to take his European win tally to 10. But just as things looked like getting back on track, Garcia suffered another setback early last year following the infamous ‘chickengate’ comment made at a dinner on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Suffering from one of his famous foot-in-mouth moments, Garcia said – in front of a room that contained a number of journalists – that he would cook fried chicken for Tiger Woods if he ever came around to his house for dinner. It was a throwaway comment that was taken out of context, but the ensuing backlash in the media, and from the public, knocked Garcia’s frail confidence for six, and he fell off the radar for what seemed like months. Speaking about the incident 10 months later, Garcia is clearly still bruised from the experience, which resulted in boos and jeering from the galleries at several PGA Tour events in the weeks after. “It was a rough time, and a huge learning experience, shall we say,” he says. “The majority of people who knew me, and knew what happened, accepted my apologies. They could see that I meant it and how much it upset me. But I guess that the minority are always the loudest, and they made themselves heard. It’s never nice to be reminded of something that you don’t like and you don’t enjoy, and it probably took me at least three months to recover from it. But I learned a lot from it, and I think that it made me even stronger as a player and a person.” Garcia has had to grow up in the full glare of publicity throughout his life, but this latest chapter looks like it has made him finally face up to his responsibilities as a sporting ambassador for the people and brands that put faith in him, and golf fans can expect to find a much more contrite Garcia this year, than the one they saw a few seasons ago. Thankfully, the 34-year-old Spaniard is in a much happier place in 2014. With his love life sorted out, and two wins under his belt in the last three months – including his first on the European Tour in three years at January’s Qatar Masters – Garcia is finally growing comfortable in his skin as one of professional golf’s most experienced campaigners. Back in the top-10 in the world rankings, he comes into next month’s Masters Tournament as a serious contender for the green jacket. Speaking about his welcome return to form, and the winner’s circle, Garcia says: “If you take away the three months in the middle of the season, my form last year was very solid. I had three or four chances to win tournaments, in addition to my win in Thailand. I think it was just a combination of confidence, feeling good about myself, and feeling good on the golf course. I’m just letting things happen a little bit, rather than trying to force things.” Feeling good about yourself is one thing, but putting four good rounds together in a major tournament is another, and the major question will continue to dominate Garcia’s life until he joins golf’s most sought after club. Many people say that he is too good a player not to carry off one of the titles that really matter, and at 36, he still has time on his side, but it’s slowly, and surely, running out.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Storybehindthepic Masters Tournament, Augusta National April 10, 1994

There was a time, not long ago, when European golfers won the Masters for fun. By fun, I mean they won it a lot – although they also probably had a lot of fun doing it, too. Beating the Americans in their own backyard has always added an extra frisson to any Major win, and it became even more fun during a period when Europe was also dominating the Ryder Cup. Twenty years ago – yes, two zero – José Maria Olazabal’s two-shot victory at Augusta followed an incredible run of wins for European golfers that stretched back to Sandy Lyle in ‘88, Nick Faldo in ‘89 and ‘90, Ian Woosnam in ’91, and Bernhard Langer – seen here handing over the green jacket – in ‘93. Only Fred Couples’ popular win in ‘92 spoiled the Euro party that went on for

much of the decade. Ollie was known throughout his career as a great scrambler, much like his fellow Spaniard and friend Seve Ballesteros, and in 1994, the 28-year-old joined his compadre as a Masters’ champion by giving a master class in scrambling ability – along with some of the hottest putting in Masters’ history. During the 72 holes, he had 30 one-putts, chipped in twice, and got up and down from every single one of the six greenside bunkers he happened to find himself in. They are extraordinary stats by any standards, and gave him the platform for a two-shot win over Tom Lehman, after he fired a final round 69 to come from one shot back after 54 holes. An eagle at the 15th clinched the deal, and he closed it out with three pars to claim the first of his two Masters’ victories.

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“Beating the Americans in their own back yard has always added an extra frisson to any Major win”

The second green jacket came in 1999, when he went head-to-head with Greg Norman over Augusta’s fabled back nine and came out on top by three shots, after ‘The Shark’ once again folded under the white heat of competition – as he did so spectacularly against Faldo in 1996. But that was then, and this is now, and as the players from both sides of the Atlantic – and indeed, the rest of the world – gather at Augusta to compete for the 75th Masters Tournament, Olazabal’s victory in 1999 remains the last by a European golfer for 15 years. There are any number of European players capable of doing it, from Rory McIlroy to Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood to Justin Rose, but they will need the touch and flair of a true Spanish maestro to get the job done.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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MEET THE PRO How long have you been a PGA professional? Over 30 years. What is your day-to-day role at the club? Coaching; retailing; playing; and looking after the driving range.

Mike Henning, who has recently taken over as Head PGA Professional at Worthing Golf Club in West Sussex, reveals the ins and outs, and the up and downs, of his working life

What’s the best thing about your job? Running my own business and dealing with nice people. And the worst? The dreaded internet. What can you tell us about the facilities and the playing experience at Worthing? Worthing has two 18-hole courses. Despite the wettest winter on record, we have not been shut once, and power trolleys have been in use throughout. It is a vibrant private club with around 1,000 members. In a tough economic climate what have you done to keep existing customers and attract new ones? We offer a very well stocked pro shop and have five PGA Professionals available to give the very best service.

What is the club doing to attract junior golfers? We have Junior Passport to Golf, Select Six, junior boot camps and rollup classes.

Worthing’s Lower Course

Do you think it is important that the club professional should still be playing competitively? No, I think the pro should be at the club working hard to look after members, teach, retail and play internally. What’s your best score at the club? I only started last October and have only played the Lower course once. I played well, so probably don’t want to risk it again! Golfers love a well-stocked pro shop. What’s selling well at the moment? Ladies’ clothing and Callaway equipment.

If there was one rule in golf you could change, which one would it be? I think the rules of golf are fair and are mainly self-policing.

How have you reacted to the growth of online retailers in the equipment market? By offering face-to-face service with highly qualified PGA staff. What facilities do you have for custom fitting? We have a state-of-the-art custom

fit bay with Flightscope 2 capability, and demo carts from Callaway, Ping, Yonex, Mizuno and Benross.

Which is your favourite golf course in the UK, and your favourite in the world? St Enodoc for both – my idea of heaven on earth. Who inspired you to take up golf? No one – I started at a pitch & putt course in Falmouth and took it from there.

What’s the best swing tip you’ve ever received? Don’t fragment the swing, but make rapid changes with Instinctive Learning. Which three other people would make up your dream fourball? Ben Hogan (best ever ball striker); Charles Dickens (best ever author), and Audrey Hepburn (nicest ever human being – other than my wife!).

For more details about Worthing Golf Club, including visitor rates and membership enquiries, visit www.worthinggolf.co.uk or call 01903 260801.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Watch out Tiger, here comes Robin! 03 - Classic Ad (132 x 167):Layout 1 04/02/2014 15:26 Page 1

Robin Tiger Williams has more than just his middle name in common with the world’s most famous golfer. Just like his illustrious namesake, the 12-yearold schoolboy from Peterborough is a natural when it comes to hitting a golf ball and he’s piling up the results to prove it. As a nine year old he qualified for the final of the 2011 US Kids World Championships, which took place at Pinehurst, this year’s venue for the US Open, and then followed that up the same year by playing in the Wee Wonders final in St Andrews. Now 12, Robin maintained his upward curve by winning the 2013 Future Championship Golf World Championship event for 11-12 year-olds, which was held at the La Quinta in California. Returning to his home course, Peterborough Milton, he also won the club’s junior championship last year, shooting a final round 74 to win the Wilson-Cannon Trophy. Later in the year he shot a gross 62 over a par-54 course at Broughton Heath during the

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cliﬀs across the river Dee to Wales; Heswall was the venue for The r&a’s Junior Championships in 2006 and stages the North of england Under-16 Championships each year; Wallasey, home of stableford, is a former Open Qualifying venue enjoying beautiful views across the Mersey to liverpool. The format will be an aggregate stableford competition with prizes for the top 20 players. and with prizes worth over £4,000 there is plenty to play for. entry is just £249 per person. for further details, call 0151 625 9994.

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Midlands Golf Union’s U14 championship. In December, Williams was chosen as one of 150 talented under 16s to receive squad training from England Golf’s team of coaches. He is part of the East Midlands section. Speaking about his hopes for the future, Robin said: “Since I have been playing golf, I get up at six every day to hit balls into the net in our back garden, and I play at the course as often as I can to try and improve. My plan is to be playing off scratch in two year’s time, then to win my first Open title at St Andrews in 2020. It is a very big target, but I really love golf, and don’t mind putting in a lot of work.” But while Robin would love to follow in those footsteps of his namesake, surprisingly given his famous moniker, his favourite player isn’t Tiger Woods. “My dad got me into golf and he gave me the name Tiger, but my favourite player is Jack Nicklaus,” he added. “I like Tiger though, and it would be brilliant to be able to achieve just a small amount of the things he has done.”

Juniors on ‘right track’ with Mike Yorke Golf Academy A sponsorship deal between a Sussex-based recruitment firm and the Mike Yorke Golf Academy has ignited the growth of junior golf across Surrey and Sussex. Funding from Horsham-based company Right Track Recruitment, which started in the spring of last year, has helped the coaching outfit to teach over 1,600 school children in the two counties, as well as attend a series of community events. Mike Yorke, Director of the MYGA, said: “The support from Right Track Recruitment has made an amazing difference, and the response to the work we are doing has been overwhelming. The funded sessions allow us to work with a school for at least four weeks in curriculum time and in many cases we get to access the entire school. For many children this is often their first introduction to golf, so it’s vital we make a positive impact with a fun and engaging session.” He added: “Every child we meet receives a voucher which offers free coaching back at their local MYGA centre and the uptake has been tremendous. This year we are aiming to grow the project even further.” The sessions have been particularly effective at Muntham House School in Barns Green,

which supports the needs of boys who have learning difficulties associated with behavioural and social problems. Paul Martin, learning support assistant, said: “The sessions have worked wonders. Not only do the pupils really enjoy golf, but it’s a game that requires a lot of concentration and focus, and we’ve seen a big boost to their confidence and self-esteem since the sessions started.” Ashley Alinia, Group Director of Right Track Recruitment, said: “I am thrilled to be able to support Mike and his team, and when you hear about the impact our golf project is having, it makes it all worthwhile. I am pleased to announce that we have pledged even further funds so the project can reach even more children in 2014.”

Shoot and score with top soccer stars in Turkey Golfers with a passion for football should waste no time in signing up for a brand new Celebrity-Am tournament that is being hosted in Turkey this winter. The Signature Tournament, which is being run by former Arsenal and England midfielder David Platt’s own Alan Shearer company, Major Golf Events, will see teams of amateur golfers rub shoulders with a host of former footballing greats, including Alan Shearer, Andriy Shevchenko, David Seaman, Peter Schmeichel, Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Robbie Savage, Les Ferdinand, John Jensen, and Platt himself. The 72-hole tournament takes place on four of Belek’s finest championship layouts,

including Gloria Old, Gloria New, Lykia Links and The National. The package includes all airport and golf transfers, and also comprises seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation in a twin room at the Gloria Serenity Resort. Guests will also be able to watch the last round of the European Tour’s Final Series Turkish Open, which takes place at the Maxx Royal resort, as part of the package. The price for an amateur team of four players is £4,760, while teams of three with a celebrity guest playing alongside cost £6,600 per team. For bookings call Major Golf Events on 01625 598084 or email contact@majorgolfevents. co.uk.

March 2014/ Issue 231

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Clubs urged to relax rules to reverse membership decline England Golf is calling on golf clubs to relax their dress codes, remove restrictions on mobile phone use, offer alternatives to traditional membership and make golf affordable, as part of a concerted bid to address the problems the sport has faced in the last decade. English golf clubs have been badly hit by falling memberships since 2004, losing 169,000 members – more than 13 per cent of the country’s total 10 years ago. England Golf wants to stop the decline by 2017, and then reverse it so that English golf clubs have approximately 750,000 members by 2020 – about the same amount they have now. To bring that about, England Golf officials interviewed 55 golf clubs, representing private members’, proprietary and pay-and-play, which have all increased memberships in the last two years, to see if there are any strategies that are successful across the board. It found that many of the clubs reporting membership rises had relaxed dress codes and allowed mobile phones to be used. In contrast, several struggling clubs had restrictions on the use of mobile phones in both the clubhouse and out on the course, and did not allow jeans or trainers to be worn at their venues. “There are three key principles which our interviewees have applied that could

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easily be deployed across the country and could potentially reap rich rewards without profoundly changing the way the clubs operate,” stated the England Golf report entitled Membership Recruitment and Retention, Key Themes For Implementation. “The three were friendliness, flexible membership packages and low-cost ways to get into golf. A friendly, convivial environment, where it is easy to socialise and find people to have a round of golf with, was found to be hugely important in attracting new members. Some relaxing of the rules, for example concerning jeans, trainers and mobile phones, was common,” said the report. The report also highlighted the benefits of introducing flexible memberships, trial memberships, and hosting ‘try out’ days, as alternative ways of retaining existing members and recruiting new ones.

Make your mother’s day at Goodwood

Entries are being invited for the Golf Escapes Andalucia Overseas PGA Pro-Am in association with The PGA in England (South). The popular annual sell-out event, which is being held from November 10-14, takes in rounds at Valderrama, venue for the 1997 Ryder Cup, as well as Finca Cortesin, former home of the World Match Play, and the Cabell Robinson-designed La Reserva. The professional prize fund is £5,500, and the closing date for entries is March 31. The cost for amateurs is £989 plus flights, while PGA Professionals pay just £150 plus flights. The package comprises four nights’ B&B in a twin room at the five-star Gran Hotel Elba Estepona; car hire per team from Malaga airport; welcome drinks reception; three tournament rounds at Valderrama, Finca Cortesin and La Reserva (buggies included); plus prizes and a prize presentation dinner. For details visit www.pgagbi.bluegolf.com.

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Golf At Goodwood is hosting a special mother’s day golf training session on March 30, as part of its ‘Get Into Golf’ campaign to introduce more women and young people to the game. The two-hour golf session kicks off at 10am at Goodwood’s academy under the guidance of a team of PGA professionals, and the fun begins with the junior golfers having a go at Tri-Golf, a cool version of the game with plastic clubs and giant foam golf balls. For the complete beginner there will be an introduction to the basics, including grip, stance and swing, while for the more experienced there will be pitching, putting and long game challenges using the latest golf technology. To add a touch of competitive spirit there will also be plenty of prizes on offer. All equipment will be provided and the cost for the day is £7.50 per adult with children taking part for free . The golf session will be followed by a roast lamb carvery in the Goodwood Bar & Grill at £15 per head. To book a place, contact craig.gardner@goodwood.com or call 01243 755168.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

US MASTERS PREVIEW THE MASTERS ON TV The US Masters will be shown live on Sky Sports from April 10-13, with coverage beginning at 7pm for the first three rounds, and 6pm for the final round. The BBC will have live coverage for the final two rounds.

The 78th US Masters promises a changing of the guard, as a new generation bids to put its stamp on the season’s opening major, but defending champion Adam Scott may have something to say about that… Words by Nick Bayly

It’s rare for a professional golfer to talk up or down the chances of a fellow player, even one as great as Tiger Woods. So when defending Masters’ champion Adam Scott says that now is the time for other players to make their move while the world number one goes through a ‘dry spell’, you have to sit up and take notice. Speaking in the build up to the season’s first major, which gets under way at Augusta on April 10, the 33-year-old Australian says that he and his contemporaries have to make the most of their chance to win major championships while Woods continues to struggle through his winless streak. Woods has not won a major since claiming his 14th in the 2008 US Open, with the likes of Scott, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell among those taking advantage to secure a maiden victory. But asked if Woods was now less of a factor in golf’s four biggest events, Scott says: “I don’t think he’s become less of a factor, he is still obviously a favourite in everyone’s mind, including the players, that he’s going to be around the mix. I just feel the way it has been shared around a little bit lately you have seen my generation of player have got to that level where they put the 10 or 12 years’ experience in the bank. They have raised the level of their own game over the last couple of years, and believe it’s their time to do it. They are not worried about Tiger or Phil Mickelson, or young guys like Rory McIlroy – they are into their own thing.” Keen not to stir the hornet’s nest too much – or rather stumble into Tiger’s territory – the always affable Aussie adds: “I don’t necessarily think that Tiger is not a factor – he certainly is. He’s the number one player in the world and he is always there or thereabouts. He is on a dry spell at the moment, and that’s what happens in a career. Jack Nicklaus had a run like that, and he is still the greatest player of all time. It wouldn’t surprise me if Tiger comes and wins again this year, but there is my generation of player that is feeling like their time is now, so they have to take advantage of it.”

STRAIGHT JACKET Scott certainly did just that 12 months ago, when he took advantage of Woods’s brush with the rules – and a very hot broomhandle putter – to capture his first Major championship. Bouncing back from the massive disappointment of his collapse at Royal Lytham in 2012, Scott overcame Argentina’s Angel Cabrera in a play-off that was concluded in virtual darkness. With just weeks to go before Scott returns to the scene of his greatest triumph, the most important matter in hand is his choice of menu for the traditional champions’ dinner. “It’s definitely going to have an Australian theme,” says Scott, somewhat coyly. “I want to serve something everyone will enjoy, but nothing too crazy. Whether that means we are eating kangaroo, I’m not sure yet. We will just have to see.” One tradition which will be absent from Augusta National this year will be the Eisenhower Tree on the 17th hole, which was removed last month after suffering storm damage. Eike’s tree apart, armchair fans will notice little difference to the layout that faced the players in 2013. Last

MASTERS’ TOP TIPS PHIL MICKELSON 16/1 MASTERS FORM: 54/3/27/1/5 (last five appearances) At 43, Mickelson is no spring chicken, but like a fine wine, he seems to be getting better with age – at least when it comes to the big occasions. His record at the Masters is extraordinary, with three wins and six other top-10s in the last decade. He saves his best for the majors these days, so expect him to bring his ‘A’ game to Augusta.

year, the Augusta National committee stuck with tradition and tweaked the course in ways not immediately obvious to even experienced Masters’ campaigners, widening the odd fairway here, tightening the odd approach there, but generally letting nature take its course. This year promises more of the same, with no ‘official’ changes to the layout having taken place over the last 12 months. Of interest to the betting fraternity will be the size of the field, which looks like being one of the largest in modern times. A total of 14 players were added when the final world ranking of 2013 was published in December, taking the field up to 90. With other winners on tour this season guaranteed a start, and others who move into the world’s top 50 by March 30 also qualifying, there is a likelihood that the field could exceed 100 players for the first time since 1966. As is the trend at Augusta, the winner will almost certainly come from the final one or two groups out on Sunday, with the toughened up course produce the charge-from-the-pack

JUSTIN ROSE 25/1 MASTERS FORM: 25/8/11/20/36 It’s amazing to think that despite turning pro 16 years ago, this will only be Rose’s ninth appearance at Augusta. On the plus side, the 33-year-old has made the cut in all his previous starts here, with his best showing being a tied fifth in 2007, when only a poor drive on the 71st hole cost him a chance of a play-off against Zach Johnson. Buoyed by his superb US Open victory last year, and hopefully recovered from a shoulder injury that has bugged him this season, he has the pedigree to become a dual major winner.

performances that were possible in times gone by. With Woods injured, and seemingly out of form, Mickelson not firing on all cylinders and McIlroy yet to get his head in front this year, the Masters looks like being one of the most open contests in years. Will we witness the first back-to-back wins since Woods (2001-02) and see Scott put the jacket on his own back? Or are we, dare we mention it, on the cusp of seeing the first British winner since Nick Faldo in 1996? Justin Rose will hold high hopes, and many supporters, following his US Open win, but Mssrs Donald, Poulter, Westwood, McDowell will also be popular bets for UK golf fans, but none are showing jacketwinning form this season. So fasten your seat belts folks, and prepare to once again join the rollercoaster ride that is the Masters. There will be thrills, spills and plenty of skills on show, and at the end of four days, someone will be wearing a rather ill-fitting green jacket that wouldn’t look out of place on a charity shop clothes rail.

JASON DAY 16/1 MASTERS FORM: 3/WD/2 One should always be slghtly wary of translating match play form into stroke play events, but I can make an exception for the ultratalented Day, who showed his battling qualities when winning last month’s WGC World Match Play Championship in Arizona. Runner-up in three majors already, including the Masters in 2011, the 26-year-old Australian finished third behind Adam Scott in 2013, and is primed to make a big run at the green jacket with that experience under his belt.

March 2014/ Issue 231

BEING BUBBA

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Bubba Watson talks about winning his first tournament since his triumph at Augusta in 2012, and how life has been transformed

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How have you found coping with the expectations that come with being a Masters’ champion? You never know when your last win is going to be, so if my last win was going to be the Masters, then it would have been a great way to go out. But I knew that I had so much more to give, and I knew that I would have other opportunities to win down the line. I just had to be patient, and let it happen, rather than trying to force it. I never let myself get down about it. I just kept plugging away. And lo and behold, I went and won the Northern Trust [Open]. Does it feel like two years since you won the Masters? It doesn’t feel like two years, no. A lot has happened in the intervening time. I now have a son who’s just about to turn two, so that’s taken up a lot of my time. It just seems like yesterday that he couldn’t walk, and now he’s running around and talking non-stop. So it doesn’t feel like two years, and it’s crazy that it’s been that long. How hard has it been adjusting to being a major champion? If you look at my career – from junior golf to college golf, from mini tours to the Web.Com Tour, and now the PGA Tour – I got to a level and then I got out of my comfort zone. I get comfortable, and then I step up a new level, and I get nervous all over again. So, you know, for five years I played on tour without winning. Then I won real fast. It’s different. The media actually wants to hear what I have to say. Then winning the Masters – hitting the hook – it changed everything. Then having a son at the same time I won the Masters, you’re figuring out life, and then at the same time you’re trying to figure out the golf course with all the attention after having that green jacket on you. Now if I win a few more, I might get nervous again, but right now I’m in a good spot. Are nerves something you have to battle with all the time? If anybody tells you they’re not nervous, they’re lying. It’s one of those things you have to practice dealing with. I started playing golf when I was six, and I’m 35 now, and although I’ve got better at handling it, it’s still something I have to cope with. Do you ever have swing thoughts? No, I have never once thought about my swing. I’d be a head case by now if I did. In fact, I’m a head case now. My whole game is built on me just playing golf, manufacturing something. If you watch, sometimes you’ll see me slice my driver 50 yards just to get it in play. Sometimes you’ll see me bomb it away and put it in the rough to have an easier shot into the green. It’s all about scoring. I don’t care how it looks. There are no pictures on the scorecard. You’re still rocking the pink Ping driver. What’s the story behind that? A few months after I won the Masters, I went to John Solheim at Ping and asked if we could do a pink driver head for charity. I’ve played around with coloured shafts before, but not the head itself. I think we ended up raising over $350,000 for a children’s hospital in Phoenix. We built a laboratory called the Ping and Bubba Watson Gate Lab, and it should be finished in a few months. Kids will start going in there and they will be able to see how they walk, why their hips move a certain way when they are born with certain illnesses. So the pink driver really means something, and hopefully we’re going to do it again. You’ve often spoken out about slow play on tour. How does it affect your own game? Well, I just lose focus. I think this is my ninth year on tour, and I have always had a problem with slow play. But I’m going to have to get better at dealing with it, as it’s not going away anytime soon.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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SPIN DOCTOR Nick Bayly catches up with legendary clubmaker Bob Vokey, the mastermind behind Titleist’s wedge range for the past 19 years, including the fifth generation of the new Spin Milled wedges

Can you highlight the major points of difference between the design of the SM4 wedge range and the new SM5 line up? It’s a totally different wedge. I always start with the shape. We felt the toe peak on SM4 had gotten a bit long, so I pulled it back and increased the par (heel) height. So overall it’s more compact and balanced. The groove was a big change. We now have Spin Milled TX3 grooves in SM5. There is a different groove in the lower lofts (46-54) than the higher lofts (56-62). In the lower lofts, the groove is narrower and deeper for distance and trajectory control. In the higher lofts it’s wider and deeper for more spin around the greens. Overall, there was a 7% increase in volume in both the lower loft TX3 groove and the higher-lofted groove. We added the new K grind. It’s been a hit on Tour, with Jason Dufner and Adam Scott among the many that are playing it. We now have six grinds in the lineup. And, of course, the new finishes. We have a new Tour Chrome, the Raw Black and the Gold Nickel.. What performance differences will players notice with the SM5s? The feedback from the PGA Tour players is that they don’t want fliers. Maybe in your Sunday foursome you want a pitching wedge that flies 10 extra yards, but not Tour players. They want the wedge to fly the exact distance. That is why the TX3 groove is narrower and deeper. It pushes the grass into the groove, which allows better edge radius contact with the ball. It pretty much eliminates the flier. We are seeing about 400-600 rpm increase out of the rough, which is significant. And it’s improving the trajectory control as well. Can you explain how a club’s grind affects performance with relation to bounce and loft? Yes, it’s pretty interesting, as we are putting the grind designation on the SM5 wedges for the first time. I’ve always said that loft was ‘Wedge 101’ and bounce was ‘Wedge 201’, and now grind is ‘Wedge 301’. It’s a pretty advanced topic, but it all comes down to effective bounce, which is how the wedge will move through the turf. Effective bounce is a combination of the bounce angle, sole width, camber and the grind. The grind is the area on the back of the wedge that I’ve relieved. It allows players to hit different shots in different conditions. There is no one grind that works for everyone – that’s why we have so many options. How much harder are tour players finding it to control spin, following the introduction of the new groove rules? It depends on the player. I have what I call the ‘spin-biased player’ and the ‘trajectory-biased player’. For the trajectory-biased player, a lot of

Master craftsman Bob Vokey

my old-school guys, it wasn’t that big a deal. They just changed the shot. For a spin-biased player it was harder. But the players have adapted. Look at the scoring on the PGA Tour and European Tour – it’s the same as before. Since the new rules were introduced, have players been coming to you with requests for different wedge set-ups? Early on, a lot of guys asked for higher-lofted wedges, some 62s and 64s. But most went back to their 60s. The main trend on Tour is higher bounce. It used to be people thought if you used a high bounce wedge, you were a hacker. Not the case. Many of the Tour players use high bounce. Look at Adam Scott – he won the Masters with a high bounce, wide sole, K grind. How much weight do you put on tour player feedback when it comes to designing clubs that will be used by less skilled players? I use the feedback from the Tour to determine which grinds are popular. We test them on WedgeWorks to see the consumer demand as well. If they make the cut we put them in the line. That’s the way we’ve always done it, and it’s been successful. How have technological advancements impacted on your job as a club designer? It’s come a long way. It used to be everything

had to be done by hand, with glue, clay, that kind of thing. Now we can use CAD. It allows us to be more precise with the shapes and the grinds. We get 3D printouts of all of the new models so we can look at them right away. That’s amazing to me. Also the Spin Milled process has evolved. It is so precise now with the milling and the tooling. We are talking aircraft industry tolerances.

have to hit the shots. The game isn’t easy. Believe me, I know!

Whose wedge game do you most admire among the current crop of players on tour? There’s a lot of really good ones out there. Steve Stricker is so good with his wedges. He really uses the bounce, and his distance control is superb. Zach Johnson is totally dialled in with his wedges. He holed out with his 60-V to get in playoff at Tiger’s tournament, which was very cool. For the young guys, Victor Dubuisson is a magician around the greens. Did you see the shots he hit at the Match Play out of the cactus? Amazing. We made him a wedge with a cactus on it. He loved it.

Do you have a personal stamp on the back of your own wedges? I’m always trying new wedges, so a lot of time I don’t even stamp them. But I’ve got several that say ‘DA VOKE’ in freestyle letters. The guys made one for my wife Gail with snow dots that says ‘MRS VOKE’. So now we’re matching.

Do you think your clubs have taken away some of the raw skill required to execute shots around the green? I don’t think so. We don’t make game improvement wedges. They are scoring tools. We are giving you a bunch of options so you can hit shots around the greens. But you still

Do you still get as excited about creating wedges as you did 20 years ago? I have a passion for it. People ask me every day why I’m still doing it aged 74. I love it, it’s what I do. I’m a wedge guy. I’m jazzed up to come to work everyday. If that ever changes, I’ll retire.

Any advice for the amateur when it comes to wedge set-up? Get custom fitted. It will make a huge difference. Also, learn how far you hit each wedge. Most players don’t know. It’s one of the easiest ways to lower your scores. I suggest a 12-15 yard gap between wedges. Titleist’s new range of SM5 wedges is now on sale in pro shops priced at £103 per club, with a choice of Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black finishes. For more details, please visit www.titleist.co.uk.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

TOUR NEWS

Jason has his day over doughty Dubuisson Australian Jason Day continued his inexorable rise up the world rankings after beating Frenchman Victor Dubuisson at the fifth extra hole in the Accenture World Match Play final at Dove Mountain in Arizona. Dubuisson, the world number 30, making his maiden appearance in the event, was seeking to become the first Frenchborn player to win on the PGA Tour. He won the last two holes to extend the match, but after two incredible escapes he lost to Day’s birdie on the 23rd. Day, who beat Rickie Fowler 3&2 to reach the final, was three holes clear of 23-year-old Dubuisson after the halfway stage of the 18-hole final, but was reeled in over the closing holes thanks to some mercurial chipping by the unheralded Frenchman, who won last year’s Turkish Open. Dubuisson kept the match alive with a downhill birdie putt from 10 feet at the 17th, and got up and down from a greenside bunker on the final hole to take the game into sudden death. It took a further five holes to separate the duo, with Day birdieing the 15th hole with a three-foot putt to take the title.

HENLEY SINKS RORY’S HONDA HOPES American Russell Henley came out on top in a four-way play-off to deprive Rory McIlroy of victory as the Honda Classic lived up to its name. The pair, playing in the final group, both finished eight under par alongside Ryan Palmer and Scotland’s Russell Knox after a remarkable last hour at the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. McIlroy began the final day on 12 under par, two clear of his playing partner, but both his birdies on the front nine were immediately cancelled out by bogeys. He then dropped a shot at the ninth, another at the 12th, and followed a doublebogey at 16 – where he hit out of a bunker into the water – with another bogey to fall out of the lead altogether. At the 18th, though, McIlroy produced a moment of magic to set up the chance of a fairytale winning eagle. The 24-year-old’s second shot carried the water and bunker in front of the green and stopped almost dead, 20 feet from the pin. However, the eagle putt trickled just by on the right, and after he tapped in, Henley also holed out to make the play-off and kept his nerve to make birdie while his rivals fell away. Earlier in the day Tiger Woods withdrew after 12 holes of his final round due to back pain. The world no.1 shot a third-round 65 to move into contention, but was five over par for his final round when he came off the course.

MORE SPIN. MORE TYPES OF SHOTS. MORE WAYS TO SHOOT LOWER SCORES.

Torrance and Smyth receive Ryder Cup call up Paul McGinley has unveiled Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as two of his vice-captains for this year’s Ryder Cup. The European captain is counting on the experienced duo to provide valuable advice and insight as he attempts to retain the trophy against Tom Watson’s American team at Gleneagles in the autumn. Torrance played in eight consecutive Ryder Cups following his debut in 1981, holing the memorable winning putt at the Belfry in 1985 to seal Europe’s first victory in 28 years. The 60-year-old Scot then proved an inspirational captain at the Belfry in 2002, where McGinley rattled in the decisive 10-foot putt at the 18th to reclaim the trophy three years after the disastrous final-day meltdown at Brookline. Torrance will be joined on McGinley’s backroom team by fellow veteran Smyth, who featured in two Ryder Cups as a player in 1979 and 1981.The 61-year-old had previously served as an assistant Ryder Cup captain to Ian Woosnam in 2006 at the K Club. Smyth, who has collected 25 victories worldwide, mentored fellow Irishman McGinley during his early years on the European Tour. McGinley is expected to add further assistants ahead of the contest in September, with Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez believed to be among the front-runners. Watson, who was the American captain when they last won on European soil in 1993, has already announced Raymond Floyd and Andy North as two of his vice-captains. GolfNews_TitleistVokey2014_DPS.indd 1

04/03/2014 11:38

March 2014/ Issue 231

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TOUR NEWS

EurAsia Cup launch leaves Royal Trophy in the lurch The European Tour is staging a tournament in Malaysia this month, the EurAsia Cup, which runs in direct competition to another event featuring players from the European and Asian Tours – the Royal Trophy.

Adam Scott

Steve Stricker

The latter was launched with the backing of Seve Ballesteros in 2006, and has been played every year since then, with the most recent renewal having taken place in China in December. However, the European Tour has now launched a rival event – EurAsia Cup – a move that has left many players scratching their heads, including José Maria Olazabal, who captained the Royal Trophy’s European team last year. He said: “We’ve already got one match featuring Europe versus Asia – we certainly don’t need another.” However, Thomas Bjorn, chairman of the Players’ Committee, said: “The last thing anyone wants is to be seen trampling on Seve’s legacy, but just because he said something doesn’t mean it’s right.” The eighth edition of the Royal Trophy will be held in December at Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou, China. The inaugural EurAsia Cup takes place at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Malaysia from March 27-29, with Thongchai Jaidee captaining the Asian side, and Miguel Angel Jimenez leading the European team. The latter comprises Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Stephen Gallacher, Pablo Larrazabal, Joost Luiten, Graeme McDowell, and Thorbjorn Olesen.

Jason Dufner

Victor Dubuisson

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With fewer than 1,000 days to go before golf’s Olympic tournament is due to get under way at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the state of the course chosen to host the event is giving organisers an Olympic-sized headache. Ownership squabbles, financing questions, lawyers, logistics, and cultural differences have been cited among the many reasons for the delay to the course, which is being designed by architect Gil Hanse. “We’re excited about what’s already in the ground, but just need to get it finished,” Hanse said after a recent trip to the site. “It was not represented to any of the architects who bid on this how involved the landowners would be. It’s turned out that the landowners are dictating the pace, process and everything with the project, and it’s why we’re at where we are now.” The slow progress of the project has given Hanse the opportunity to visit the course in person on more than 150 days in 2013, an almost unprecedented amount of architect site time. Now that all 18 of the holes have been rough-shaped, Hanse needs water from an irrigation system to begin the vital phase of fine-tuning. What was thought to be a nice site has, after the removal of shrubbery and the creation of two lakes, turned out to have world-class potential, thanks to both big and subtle ground features. Ty Votaw, executive vice president of the PGA Tour and VP of the International Golf Federation, has seen the layout before and after vegetation was removed. “I was struck by all of the elevation changes hidden by the ground cover, and to see how the holes are configured with the prevailing winds,” Votaw said. “It has the potential to be something special.”

Harrington reveals cancer treatment

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Slow progress at Olympic course

04/03/2014 11:39

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington has revealed that he has undergone treatment for skin cancer. Harrington, whose father Patrick died from cancer, underwent surgery for sun spots on his face in January and decided to speak out in a bid to raise awareness. “I’ve had a number of skin cancers removed off my face,” the 42-year-old Dubliner said. “When you get a symptom, don’t ignore it. Do something about it. My father had symptoms, but didn’t do anything about it. It’s the nature of men, and certainly older men. Dealing with cancer is not what it was 10 years ago. It is easier to clear these things up at the start, rather than waiting until there is a problem. You can get treated and go on to live a much longer life.” Harrington won three majors in the space of 13 months between July 2007 and August 2008, achieving consecutive Open triumphs and also clinching the USPGA title. However, he has struggled in recent years, and has failed to achieve a win on either the European or PGA Tours since his USPGA triumph in 2008. He was a career-high third in the world rankings in 2008, but has since dropped steadily down the world rankings and is currently in 137th place.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

EQUIPMENT NEWS

Spring into action with FootJoy apparel FootJoy’s Spring/Summer apparel collection is packed full of stylish performance pieces designed to help golfers play to their full potential, as well as look sharp on the course. With a variety of new patterns and designs that feature influences from street fashion, the new range of polos, pullovers, shorts and slipovers are infused with comfort attributes, superb fit and clever styling detailing. FJ’s ‘Mark of a Player’ logo features prominently on all garments, combining a contemporary look with innovative performance fabrics in two fit options. The range features four distinct colour palettes, from the pastel shades of Serenity (lavender, mist, stone and white); the more classic tones of Vantage (white, yellow, navy and khaki); the authentic appeal of Reef (white, marine, seafoam and black); and the fresh look of Aura (hot pink, white, charcoal and grey). This season also sees the launch of FootJoy’s first ever junior clothing collection, as well as an enhanced women’s range in a selection of solid and pastel tones, including lavender, mist, white and hot pink.

Mizuno offers new custom finishes on MP iron range Golfers plating in mirror, have the satin, and bright opportunity finishes, as well as to personalise black oxide plating their Mizuno and two non-plated MP irons, options with gloss following the and non-gloss launch of a finishes. There are special customalso 13 different paint finishing fill colours that can be programme applied to the head to by the popular Japanese choice before shipping to further personalise clubs. brand. Mizuno’s club assembly The custom-finished Created by Mizuno’s own Thefinish applied at clubs can be ordered from Make your Mizunoplant MP iron setin oneScotland. of a kind with a special Mizuno’s renowned YORO Japan custom workshop. clubmakers at its worldirons in the range are the any Mizuno Swing DNA Created for you by our own craftsmen, your heads will be pre adjusted for renowned manufacturing MP-4, MP-59, MP-64 and assembly fitting centre nationwide at loft / lie, then plated or finished before shipping to our European line at the home of golf – Scotland. plant in Japan, iron heads MP-54. a cost of £200 per club. can be adjusted for loft The eight new finish To find your nearest and lie, then plated or options include nickel fitting centre visit finished to the customer’s chrome and double nickel golf.mizunoeurope.com.

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Bubba backs Ping glove promotion Ping staff player Bubba Watson is wearing one of the company’s three new premium gloves under a unique agreement in which the brand will make an annual donation to the Bubba Watson Foundation based on the number of gloves sold. “Instead of a traditional endorsement agreement, we’ll contribute to Bubba’s foundation annually,” said Ping chairman John Solheim. “It was Bubba’s idea, and it fits his desire to use his status in the game to assist charities that are doing good work in their communities. At the same time Bubba will be out on tour representing what we feel is the best line of golf gloves in the industry.” The three new gloves – Sensor Tour (£18), Sensor Sport (£16), and Sensor Tech (£12) – all feature Sensor Cool, a Ping-created technology that wicks moisture away to keep the golfer cooler, drier and more comfortable. The Sensor Sport and Sensor Tour gloves offer a special combination of breathable Sensor Cool technology and Solite cabretta leather. “Sensor Cool is a cutting-edge innovation that keeps the golfer more comfortable and provides long-lasting performance,” added Solheim. “In our Sensor Tech model, we use a high-quality synthetic leather to offer extreme durability in all weather conditions, more Lycra, and a reinforced palm for a secure grip.”

Golftrolleyshop launches Motocaddy scrappage scheme The UK’s leading trolley tradein website, golftrolleyshop.com, has launched a new scrappage scheme in partnership with Motocaddy. The scheme will allow customers to obtain a cash discount against the purchase of a Motocaddy S1 Pro trolley with either a lead acid or lithium battery. The trolley can be exchanged for any brand of old trolley, which does not need to be working in order to qualify. Since launching in 2009, golftrolleyshop.com has run a trade-in scheme that has enabled thousands of golfers to upgrade to a new trolley, while receiving cash for their old model. Sales Director Steve Harden told Golf News: “Trade-in has provided real cost reduction to our customers, and we wanted to expand the scheme to cover a wider range of trolley brands or trolleys with broken parts. We are delighted to be able to team up with Motocaddy to enable these customers to scrap their old trolley to receive a discount against the purchase of a fantastic S1Pro.” For further details visit www.golftolleyshop.com.

THE GEAR EFFECT WINNERS’ BAGS ON TOUR BUBBA WATSON NORTHERN TRUST OPEN DRIVER: Ping G25 (8.5) FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G25 (16.5) IRONS: Ping S55 (3-9) WEDGES: Ping S55 (48), Ping Tour Gorge (52, 56, 64) PUTTER: Ping Anser Milled Anser 1 BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

KARRIE WEBB WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN DRIVER: TaylorMade R11 (8) FAIRWAY WOODS: Cleveland Launcher (15), TaylorMade R9 (19) HYBRID: TaylorMade Rescue TP FCT (22) IRONS: Ping S56 (4-9) WEDGES: Ping S56 (48), Ping Tour Gorge (52, 58) PUTTER: Ping Scottsdale TR Grayhawk BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330-RX

THOMAS AIKEN AFRICA OPEN DRIVER: Cleveland Classic 290 (7.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike SQ (15) IRONS: Callaway X Forged (2), Nike VR (3-9) WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (48, 54), SM5 (60) PUTTER: Titleist Scotty Cameron Select Newport BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

JASON DAY  ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY DRIVER: TaylorMade SLDR (10.5) FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade RBZ (17.5) IRONS: TaylorMade (2-PW) WEDGES: TaylorMade ATV (52, 60) PUTTER: TaylorMade Ghost Tour Monte Carlo BALL: TaylorMade Tour Preferred X

RUSSELL HENLEY HONDA CLASSIC DRIVER: Nike VRS STR8-FIT (9.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 3-wood (15, 19) IRONS: Nike VR Pro Cavity (3-6); Nike VR Pro Combo (7-9) WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (48, 53), Nike VR Forged (59) PUTTER: Nike Method 006 BALL: Nike RZN Black

ROSS FISHER TSHWANE OPEN DRIVER: Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 Tour (9.5) FAIRWAY WOOD: Nike VR_S Covert 2.0 (15) IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blades (3-PW) WEDGES: Nike VR Forged (47, 54, 60) PUTTER: Nike Method 001 prototype BALL: Nike RZN Black

PAULA CREAMER   HSBC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS DRIVER: TaylorMade JetSpeed (10.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 (15, 19)  HYBRID: Adams (21) IRONS: TaylorMade RocketBladez Tour (5-PW) WEDGES: TaylorMade TP xFT (50, 54) PUTTER: TaylorMade Ghost Daytona 12 BALL: Bridgestone Tour B330 RX

46 /

February 2014/ Issue 230

EwenMurray

Sky Sport’s voice of golf speaks out on issues of the month

LET THE COUNTDOWN TO AUGUSTA BEGIN We are now just a few days ahead of the year’s first major – The Masters Tournament. It’s a time where our own season starts to show some blossom, as we take to the fairways with renewed hope that this is the year the handicap will tumble and our hidden talent will finally burst into life. That, of course, may not happen, but we live in hope. What will occur among the blooms of Georgia will be another great spectacular on the hallowed turf of Augusta National. With so much young talent making waves on the PGA Tour this year – and one or two household names struggling to find their form – this should be the most open Masters in many a year. Jimmy Walker, Jason Day, Harris English, Patrick Reed and Russell Henley have all emerged into the winner’s circle in recent weeks. Bubba Watson has secured his first win since his dramatic triumph at Augusta two years ago, while Dustin Johnson won impressively at the HSBC in Shanghai and followed that with a run of high finishes. His namesake and former Masters champion, Zach Johnson, has two titles already in the Tour’s wraparound season. All are playing high on confidence, and there is every reason to think they will contend. Some big names have some worries ahead of the second week in April. Phil Mickelson has yet to get into a rhythm after his stop-start to 2014, but Augusta always seem to inspire ‘Lefty’ to great things, and I have a sneaking feeling that he will turn things around once he drives up Magnolia Lane. Tiger Woods is another past master of Augusta who has failed to reach the high standards he set at the very beginning of a career that began 18 years ago. Maybe those 18 years, many of them spent at the head of

the sport, are beginning to take their toll. His list of ailments and injuries is certainly a cause for concern. Since 2008, he has withdrawn four times with four different physical breakdowns. I believe it was a big mistake for Tiger to part with his longtime coach Butch Harmon, yet he enjoyed great success with Hank Haney. Many will point out that he won five tournaments last year under the tutorship of Sean Folley, but that is only paper over the cracks. His long game is ragged and it’s only his heart, mind and short game that are keeping him at the top of the rankings. He has always wanted to be judged on majors and its close on six years since his 14th and last major win at La Jolla. Augusta is a huge week for him and he will be well aware of that. To pass Nicklaus’s record, he requires a Mickelson or Ballesteros career of majors – a massive task. Should Tiger not win a major this year, I believe Jack’s record is safe. At the revamped Trump National at Doral, a superb third round 66 had many, including

me, saying there were positive signs. But the ‘Tiger’s back’ comments had a double meaning, following the pain and the swing flaws that were exposed as the heat of the final round increased. A closing 78 was the best he could manage. However, Butch Harmon’s words from many years ago still stick in my mind: “If you ever want Tiger to do something, tell him you don’t think he can do it.” So what are the chances of a green jacket being placed on the back of a European player? Justin Rose is struggling to get over his shoulder injury, but that may well work in his favour as he will arrive at Augusta fresh, and he has the patience and history to add to his US Open victory at Merion last year. Rory McIlroy has played some great golf in the early part of the year, and if he can erase the careless mistakes, we all know he is capable of destroying quality fields. Jamie Donaldson is one of the game’s most improved players, and his rise up the world

rankings has been impressive. His runner’s up spot at Doral has him inside the top 25. It’s an added bonus that he and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson have all but secured their Ryder Cup berths in September, and with that behind them, they can fully focus on the year ahead. Former world number ones Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald are in free fall, and although you always feel they have the quality to come back, they are slipping quickly and quietly back into the pack. Over the last 15 years, another former world number one, Lee Westwood, has gone into the Masters with huge expectations. With only one top-ten finish since last year’s Open, this year will be different. Perhaps that will be a good thing, and a final round of 70 at Doral shows there isn’t a whole lot to be concerned about. Sergio Garcia has been in excellent form since last autumn, with wins in Thailand and Qatar. Yet in the big events, it seems he lacks belief. Why? I have no explanation. If he can transform negative thoughts into positive ones, he has all the other attributes necessary to contend. There is a changing of the guard Stateside. Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker are heading into the autumn of their careers, while on the rise are the likes of Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Patrick Reed and Chesson Hadley. The latter secured his maiden victory in his 13th PGA Tour start in Puerto Rico earlier this month, while Reed was the last man standing at Doral. With three wins inside seven months, Reed may ruffle a few feathers with his unswerving self-belief, but he will have a chance to prove himself at Augusta, which will be his first major tournament. It all adds up to one of the most exciting and open Masters in many a year, and I, for one, can’t wait for the action to start.

Fisher shows fighting spirit

Whatever happened to shouting ‘Fore’? It’s time for the various tours across the world to address the problem of players not shouting ‘Fore!’ when it is obvious their errant shots are heading towards the fans. During the final round of the Cadillac, Tiger Woods hit three tee shots towards the galleries in the first seven holes, but not once was there a warning to those standing in the line of fire. At the 72nd hole, the fans in the grandstand were peering into the setting sun as Bubba Watson tried a recovery from the palm trees.

They couldn’t see Bubba, never mind the ball. The resulting shot landed in the middle of the stand, somehow managing to miss several unsighted spectators. This golfing form of Russian roulette must be addressed. The PGA Tour is the place to start. So what about it? Ditch the ‘you’re the man’ and ‘get in the hole’ and replace it with ‘fore’. It would be sad, and somewhat stupid, to wait until someone is badly injured, or worse, before any action is taken. Do it now.

I was delighted to see former world top-20 player Ross Fisher back in the winner’s circle earlier this month. Ross came through the Wentworth junior foundation and went on to challenge for major honours, only to slip down the list as far as 140th. In my opinion, too many players think the golden secret of the game is just around the corner, when just a continuation and belief in what they are doing is all that is necessary for them to progress. Ross has never lost faith in his coaches, Denis Pugh and short game coach Mark Roe. Through troubled times, he has pressed on regardless, and his win in the Tshwane Open in South Africa was reward for his faith and perseverance. He is one of the best drivers of a golf ball in the game today, which is a huge advantage when most of the courses measure 7,300-plus yards. He also has trust in his short

game, so that is a strong combination. It’s hard battling your way into the top 50 of the world ranking. Once you’ve slipped out, it’s even harder to find your way back. Ross is headed that way, without change, but rest assured, he is wiser for the fall – and being young enough, his best days may well be in front of him.

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SKECHERS

March 2014/ Issue 231

Olympic runner Meb Keflezighi puts Skechers GORUN shoes through their paces

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING Renowned for its comfortable and stylish street footwear, SKECHERS is about to take the UK’s pro shops by storm following the launch of its new GO GOLF range Skechers Performance Division will enter the UK market for the first time in its history this year, after developing Skechers GO GOLF, the US-based brand’s debut range of performance footwear for golf. The launch of Skechers GO GOLF range follows hot on the heels of the incredible worldwide success achieved by the Skechers Performance Division with the Skechers GO RUN platformfootwear range. The GO GOLF range will offer golfers in the UK three distinct models, in a number of different styles – bringing lightweight comfort, style and durability to the golf course through its world-renowned R&D in footwear technology. GO GOLF BIONIC: INSPIRED BY NATURE The GO GOLF Bionic shoe (RRP £109) offers the perfect combination of advanced technologies and progressive styling to elevate a golfer’s game. GO Bionic Engineering utilises a nature-inspired organic design, allowing feet to move more naturally, with incredible comfort throughout an 18-hole round. A 4mm heel drop design keeps the feet in a near neutral position to provide a solid foundation on every

swing and support for the feet. GO GOLF: PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY The GO GOLF shoe (RRP £99) blends a classically-inspired look with modern innovations and high-quality materials for superior performance on the course. Unique to the GO GOLF shoe is its zero drop design and Go Impulse Sensors, which improve stability by enabling the foot to stay lower to the ground for a solid foundation at address and gives increased traction control and responsive feedback to the wearer. GO GOLF DRIVE: STYLE AND SUBSTANCE Completing the range is the GO GOLF Drive (RRP £89), which is specifically designed for summer golf. This trainer-style golf shoe is sure to be a popular choice for golfers who demand on-course performance blended with a fashionable, street-wear look. The GO GOLF Drive is available in three different styles, utilising different fabrics and colour schemes in each to suit any golfer’s tastes. DRIVEN BY PERFORMANCE Three key technological advancements produced by Skechers Performance Division R&D team make the GO GOLF range lightweight and enable it to

Top to bottom: GO GOLF, GO GOLF Drive and GO GOLF Bionic

stand out from the competition. To increase durability, flexibility and stability, Skechers has developed its own patented technology in the shape of the Resagrip outsole. Made from EVA and rubber in varying combinations of density, the outsole gives golfers the maximum grip in the wettest conditions, while seamless waterseal technology gives advanced waterproofing to both the GO GOLF and GO GOLF Bionic models. Try a pair on and you will instantly notice the incredible level of comfort the GO GOLF range offers. This is down to another of Skechers’ own advancements in the field of performance footwear – the

Resamax cushion Insole. This insole has been developed to offer both comfort and support on the golf course. A wider toe box design also allows the toes the necessary freedom to increase grip through the sole of the shoe, optimizing stability through the golf swing. SKECHERS’ RUNNING HERITAGE Skechers R&D in performance footwear has been proven through the GORUN platform over the last three years, and has picked up some of the most-prized awards and accolades available in the performance footwear arena. Skechers Performance Division footwear has proved an incredible success story largely due to the signing of top US marathon runner,

and former Olympic medalist, Meb Keflezighi. The task for the Skechers Performance R&D team was to build a running shoe to help Meb perform at his best. He has since set three new personal best running times, winning the US Olympic marathon trials, and knocking another five seconds off his personal best. Meb went on to finish fourth at London 2012, and most recently won the Houston half-marathon in January this year. Having revolutionised the modern running shoe, Skechers Performance Division is now looking to take golf footwear to new levels with the Skechers GO GOLF range.

For more details on the SKECHERS GO GOLF range visit www.skechers.co.uk

March 2014/ Issue 231

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PERFECT PETE

Why do top players need coaches? I have a very simple answer to that. I am like an engineer. If I have built that engine, I really am the best person to service it and keep it running efficiently.

Golf News talks to legendary Tour coach Pete Cowen about the pros and cons of being one of golf’s most sought-after swing gurus and the impact of modern technology on instruction

Do you also have to play the role of a psychologist as well? It’s a little bit of both. What you’ve got to do is instill a work ethic, and that is what helps them become better and better. My real role is to give them a process to get better, and the end result takes care of itself. Once they know the process, they have a better understanding of their game and swing. You’ve worked with many top players over the years – who do you consider to be your greatest success? Ian Garbutt became the youngest English Amateur champion at 17 – he was the first player I coached to national success. As far as I was concerned, he was just like Ben Hogan. He used to hit everything dead straight. If he could have putted, he’d still be out on tour now, there’s no doubt about that. Nicola Buxton won the English Amateur twice in a row during our time together, and I suppose it was as a result of the success of these and other amateur players that the pros started to get interested. It was around 1995 that I began working seriously with Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. In the latter part of the 1990s, the players I coached became the backbone of the Ryder Cup team – Clarkey, Westwood, Paul McGinley and David Howell. Who is the best iron player you have coached? It has to be Westwood. And the best putter? I think Howeller [David Howell] in his prime was probably the finest putter I’ve seen on tour. You played a big part in Henrik Stenson’s return to form. What did you do to turn around his game? I think what happened with Henrik is pretty well documented. He got to No.4 in the world in 2009, and then he had quite a dip. A lot of people think it was because he lost a lot of money in the Alan Stanford scandal. But more than that, he actually had a parasite in his blood at the end of 2009, and it affected him for almost 18 months. The virus took all the strength out of his body. He lost his muscle structure – in the upper body and glutes, which are so important in a golf swing. And then he also had knee surgery. It was only after he had got rid of

Lee Westwood is one of many tour pros who have worked with Pete Cowen

the parasite that he regained his strength and could resume his training properly. If you watch him now, he is a physical specimen. He had to work extremely hard to regain his strength. Also, he is much calmer mentally, although you will still see Henrik breaking a few clubs every now and then. But that’s because he cares so much about his game. If you had to rate him from one to 10, where is Stenson’s game right now? I’d struggle to give him more than seven. Henrik’s game is 70 per cent of where he’d like it to be. Whether he’d get that remaining 30 per cent remains to be seen, but he definitely has more to offer. If you look at all the stats, if he hits 70 per cent greens in regulation, if he hits 70 per cent fairways, he’d be up there with the very best. So, even if he gets it to 75 or 80 per cent, he’d be hard to beat. Going through your stable, what did you make of Graeme McDowell’s season last year? He won three titles last year, but also missed quite a few cuts. But I absolutely see that as a positive rather than negative. It’s always better to say that you won three tournaments in a season than say that you’ve had 16 top-20 finishes. It’s only the wins that count when you end your career. Lee Westwood parted company with you because he wasn’t getting enough time with you. Have you become a victim of your own success? It’s understandable. Just to give you an idea, we now have the world No1 amateur Matthew Fitzpatrick with us, and I don’t even work with him. My colleague Mike Walker is his fulltime coach. But then how much can I do? I am 62 now, and I do 30 weeks of travel every year. People ask me

how do I do it? WelI, I have never done anything else for the past 18 years. If I stopped now, I would find it really difficult, because I wouldn’t know what to do. I have got nothing else. Perhaps that is the reason why I have been successful. I don’t even have a hobby. Football was my other interest, but that was when we had a decent football team in Sheffield. Now even that is gone. I watch my son’s football matches, otherwise it is just golf for me. He’s not a client of yours, but what did you make of Rory McIlroy’s struggles last year? Rory is a wonderful talent and a great player. I actually coached him when he was about 13. I was the Irish coach then. The thing that Rory was brilliant at then, was taking the information away, then working on it, and coming back and saying: ‘You know what you said…I have done that and what do you think now?’ His coach, Mike Bannon, has done a great job with him. It’s more about what’s happening around him. But he is such a phenomenal player, he’ll be back soon and he will come back as a stronger player. I think he is like a horse that is seeing and thinking about many things at the moment because he does not have his blinkers on. All he needs to do is focus on his golf, and I won’t be surprised if he starts winning again soon. How important is technology in your coaching sessions? I am a bit of a

technophobe myself, but I do use all the new stuff for golf like the TrackMan, video analysis, internet. I embrace technology, but I’d rather depend upon my eyes. Most players really prefer me being there with them in person. Which is the reason why I travel so much. Are you happy with the state of coaching in golf generally? Oh yeah. The reason being that people understand the physical part of the equation – the body, the biomechanics, how the physical part works. The 3-D stuff. I have been saying that the golf swing is a three dimensional movement for 20 years – that’s key to my teaching. Now it is proven with all the incredible technology that we have available today. Nothing is

a guess anymore. Great cameras, great equipment, and the players themselves are athletes.

What’s the most common fault you see among amateur golfers? Not getting the basics right. They start trying to hit the ball without putting any foundations down. It’s like building a house without putting down any foundations. That’s why people find golf such a difficult game. They don’t learn how to synchronize the arms and the body. Get those fundamentals right and you can build from there. That’s why I call my coaching system ‘The Pyramid of Learning’ – you build from the ground up. The Peter Cowen Golf Academy is based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. For more information, visit www.petecowen.com or call 01709 555 999. The Pete Cowen Pyramid of Learning Golf DVD is available from www. dizzyheights.com priced £19.99.

ADVERTISING PROMOTION

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March 2014/ Issue 231

ADD TO CLEVELAND’S WEDGE MOUNTAIN FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T PLAY ON TOUR

AND BAG YOURSELF A BARGAIN!

Cleveland Golf continues its unbeatable wedge trade-in deal for a summer of guaranteed spin

THE NEW SRIXON AD333 TOUR FEATURES A SUPERSOFT URETHANE COVER FOR TOUR-LEVEL PRECISION COMBINING SUPERIOR DISTANCE, CONTROL AND FEEL; SPIN SKIN ™ TECHNOLOGY FOR UP TO 20% INCREASED FRICTION WITH THE CLUB FACE FOR MORE SPIN ON APPROACH SHOTS AND SHORT GAME CONTROL; HIGHLY RESILIENT IONOMER MID-LAYER FOR REDUCED DRIVER SPIN, GREATER DISTANCE AND IMPROVED FEEL.

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ADVERTISING PROMOTION

March 2014/ Issue 231

Cleveland Golf has launched a trade-in offer on its new range of 588 wedges, which will save consumers up to £75 if they trade in a set of three wedges. The wedge trade-in promotion returns to the UK and Ireland this month, following incredible success in 2013 that saw over 20,000 wedges traded in across the UK and Europe. The trade-in offer runs from March 15 until July 31, and applies to all purchases of Cleveland’s new range of 588 wedges. Golfers will receive £25 off up to three new 588 RTX wedges. Traded-in wedges can be in any condition, and of any brand. Cleveland’s 588 family of 588 RTX wedges proved so popular in 2013 that the brand picked up a number of awards and accolades. The first milestone in the success of the 588 RTX was when it moved to become the number one

wedge in the UK back in May*. Most recently the 588 RTX was awarded the ‘Wedge of the Year’ at the annual Foremost Golf Industry awards, voted for by suppliers and consumers from across the UK. All new wedges can be custom-fitted at any of Cleveland’s centres of excellence, ensuring that you get the best possible performance from your game. Leslie Hepsworth, President of Srixon Sports UK and Ireland, said: “The wedge promotion proved incredibly popular with golfers in 2013, with over 20,000 wedges traded in across Europe, so we want to give golfers who missed out last year the chance to get involved this season and reward those who traded in during 2013 with the opportunity to add more 588 wedges to their bags.” Cleveland Golf’s range of 588 RTX wedges revolutionised the wedge market last season, thanks to their new Rotex Face technology, which has saw it dubbed as ‘the new face of spin’. The Rotex face has a directionally-milled pattern that adds roughness and imparts maximum spin on open-face

wedge shots where the impact tends to be closer to the toe. With a more durable and advanced form of laser milling, the Rotex face now creates more friction at impact, helping golfers to generate even more spin on chips, pitches and partial shots from any lie. The 588 RTX wedges also feature 16% larger U-Grooves, developed with the input of Cleveland Golf’s tour players, to maximise spin on critical scoring shots – especially out of the rough, sand, and in wet conditions. When trading in, you have a number of different options to choose from within the Cleveland Golf 588 range, in the shape of 588 RTX CB and 588 RTX. Available in both Satin Chrome and Black Pearl finishes, these two wedges combine a number of different performance benefits to improve your short game. With Cleveland Golf offering the widest range in the market of loft and bounce options, any golfer will be able to find the perfect combination to suit their game and start lowering scores.

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So far, more than

20,000 WEDGES have been traded in!

To find out more about Cleveland Golf 588 RTX wedges and the trade in promotion for 2014, visit clevelandgolf588.co.uk

*Source Golf Datatech Retail Audit May- August 2013

Our superb original Cleveland Golf trade-in offer has now been extended to July 31st 2014. So there’s still time for you to upgrade to your choice of Rotex face pattern 588 RTX wedges. Trade in any old wedge for any brand new 588 wedge and get

£25 off

or trade in up to 3 old wedges and get £75 OFF any 3 new 588 wedges, giving you the perfect loft for every wedge shot Offer closes 31/07/14 – for terms and conditions, go to www.clevelandgolf588.co.uk Cleveland Golf Europe @ClevelandGolfEU

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Ping Ketsch putter RRP: £175-£224 Contact: ping.com The Ketsch is the latest Ping putter to benefit from having variable-depth grooves milled into the face. This design feature ensures consistent speeds off the face, whether the ball is struck in the centre, towards the heel or toe, or high or low. The grooves are deepest in the centre and shallower towards the perimeter. Reasearch carried out by Ping has shown an increase in ball-speed consistency of nearly 50%, compared to a non-grooved face when measured at nine points across the face. Another key design feature is a stainless steel weight in the sole, which creates a high MOI and makes the mallet-style head extremely forgiving. Golfers can choose a 35-inch fixed-length shaft (£175), or upgrade to an adjustable-length version (£224), which can be set between 31 and 38 inches. The Ketsch is available in three shaft bends to fit any stroke type – straight, slight arc, or strong arc – while a midsize black rubber grip is designed to reduce wrist action for improved stroke repeatability.

Ping Rapture 3-Wood RRP: £395 Contact: ping.com Players looking for a driver alternative or a hotter-faced fairway metal should test out Ping’s new Rapture 3-wood. Available with 13 degrees of loft – which can be adjusted +/half-a-degree via an adjustable hosel – the versatile club combines a titanium body with a beta-titanium face and a tungsten sole plate, to offer increased ball speed and lowered spin, leading to more distance and accuracy from off the tee. With a taller face and deeper profile than a traditional 3-wood, the matte black head measures 219cc, which is still less than half the volume of most drivers. It comes with a 43.5-inch TFC 949 graphite shaft as standard, which has a high balance point to deliver more power with less effort.

SHOP

Ecco Tour Hybrid shoes RRP: £165 Contact: ecco.com/golf Created specifically to offer a seamless transition from office boardroom to golf course bunker, the new brogue-style Tour Hybrid is the spikeless golf shoe for those that don’t want to look like they’re wearing a spikeless golf shoe. Packed with technology, each pair features HydroMax leather uppers for complete water resistance, while a second skin lining helps wick moisture from the foot, giving added breathability for extra comfort. Traction comes via Ecco’s patented Street outsole, which features 100 moulded traction bars with more than 800 angles for excellent grip in all conditions. The bars feature a clog-free design and are durable enough to be as effective on office carpets and tarmac car parks as they are on wet grass. They are available in black, white, whiskey (tan) and, new for 2014, mocha brown and an eye-catching metallic grey.

Golfbuddy WT4 RRP: £179 Contact: gpsgolfbuddy.eu Bucking the trend for bulky sports style GPS watches, the new GolfBuddy WT4 offers premium golf GPS functionality, but on a slimmer, stylish and more comfortable device. Without a raised bezel, the brushed metal face of the WT4 sits flush to the strap, making it just 12.5mm thick. Full target and hazard information is on offer, alongside dynamic green view and moveable pin placement, while the scorecard can be used on any of the 37,000 pre-loaded worldwide courses. Time, date and stopwatch functions mean WT4 can be worn every day, and the clock display can be shown digitally or as an analogue face with hands. The WT4 is water resistant and comes with a rechargeable battery that lasts for nine hours in GPS mode and 50 days in watch mode.

Bushnell Z6 Jolt RRP: £349 Contact: bushnellgolf.com Locking on to a flag with a laser rangefinder has always been something of a challenge for those with less than rock steady hands, but Bushnell has overcome that problem with the introduction of JOLT technology, whichfirst featured in last year’s Tour V3 rangefinder. The result is a simple vibrating pulse, much like that from a mobile phone, that lets you know you’re locked on to your target. Bushnell has now added this useful bit of tech to its latest launch, the Tour Z6, which is the smallest, yet most technologically-advanced rangefinder it has ever produced. In addition to JOLT, the Z6 offers an improved version of its ESP (Extreme Speed Precision) technology, which provides yardages five times faster and more accurately than its previous incarnation. Not only has the acquisition speed been increased, but it also provides half-yard accuracy from five to 125 yards – although it can measure a flag from 450 yards – with the distance displayed to 1/10th of a yard. The Tour Z6 is legal for tournament play, is fully waterproof, and comes with its own carry case.

Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter RRP: £149 Contact: odysseygolf.com The Versa has been one of Odyssey’s most successful putter models in recent times, with its strong visual alignment graphics proving popular with tour players and high handicappers alike. The new Jailbird model, whose name needs no explanation, takes the Versa concept to the next level, with a fourth stripe added to the design in order to accommodate an extra weight bar, which results in much higher MOI – resistance to twisting – than was available in previous designs. In tests, this new ‘Double Versa Technology’ resulted in over 50% of golfers aligning better and nearly 70% aligning more consistently. It also produced an impact angle improvement for nearly 50% of testers, with almost three-quarters also seeing their consistency improve. Another innovation is an improved laser-milled version of the White Hot insert, which is engineered for a more consistent sound, better feel and improved performance across the surface.

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Sun Mountain H2NO Staff carry bag

Taylormade TP irons

RRP: £229 Contact: sunmountaingolf.co.uk

RRP: £899 (3-PW) Contact: taylormadegolf.eu TaylorMade has launched three new irons in its Tour Preferred range that will appeal to a wide spectrum of handicaps. The TP MB is an authentic muscleback blade forged from soft carbon steel, which features the classic compact head, thin top-line and minimal offset that top players like. The TP MC offers a blended set of players’ irons featuring a muscleback design in the 8, 9 and PW, and a pocket-cavity design in 3-7. The short irons are forged from carbon steel, while the long irons are cast from stainless steel and feature a cut-through slot in the sole. The Speed Pocket slot is designed to allow the lower portion of the face to flex more at impact to deliver extra ball speed and a higher launch angle. The TP CB is a full-fledged cavity back that maintains the shape of a player’s iron, yet has the look of a blade at address. The Speed Pocket in the 3- to 7-iron features micro-slots to promote faster ball speed across the face and higher launch, which promote more distance. Short-iron heads are compact with minimal offset, while the long and middle iron heads are slightly larger with progressive offset. All three feature a satin nickel-chrome finish and come with KBS Tour steel shafts as standard.

While every golf club manufacturer has its own range of bags these days, there’s still something to be said for sticking with a brand that makes nothing else. Sun Mountain has been doing it for 30 years, so it knows a thing or two about what makes a good bag. Its latest range is the second generation H2NO, which, as the name suggests, says no to water – which would have come in handy this winter. This is achieved with a waterproof coating that covers the entire outer layer of the bag, while taped seams and watertight YKK zippers keeps all your gear protected from the elements. As well as offering cart and trolley options, there are three carry bags in the H2NO range: the Ultra Lite, Lite, and the Staff Carry, which, unusually for a shoulder bag, features a 14-way top divider. Normally this would make it too heavy to carry, but the use of lightweight nylon fabric and other stripped down materials ensures it feels light, while the E-Z Fit dual strap system keeps it well balanced. There are seven pockets for all your clobber and the stand mechanism folds away neatly if you should need to load it onto a buggy.

TRIED &

TESTED Callaway Big Bertha Driver Rating: RRP: £349 Contact: callawaygolf.com

Titleist Velocity ball RRP: £25 for 12 Contact: titleist.co.uk The revamped Velocity ball features a new LSX core that produces higher initial ball speed for added distance, and a new 328 tetrahedral dimple design for more penetrating trajectory and a shallower angle of descent. The twopiece design boasts the most energetic core in Titleist’s range, while an ionomer-blended cover improves feel around the greens. For those that like to play with specific numbered balls, the Velocity is available with 1, 2, 3, 4 and 00, 11, 22, 33 side stamps.

Callaway is calling its new Big Bertha driver a ‘total performance’ club that will provide a balance of distance and control for the broadest segment of the player population – those golfers seeking forgiveness and yardage on well-struck shots, as well as those slightly less than perfect hits. Whereas its Big Bertha Alpha driver is aimed at fast-swinging golfers who are looking to mess around with spin rates, the standard BB is an everyman kind of big stick that will suit 95% of club golfers out there. Featuring a forged composite crown attached to a Hyper Speed Face, the game changer on the technological front is an 8g sliding weight which is placed on a 5-inch rail at the rear of the clubhead, which, when combined with a fully adjustable hosel, creates a driver which hits the ball more accurately, as well as farther, than ever before. Golfers can choose from three different lofted heads (9°, 10.5° and 12°), which in turn can be adjusted by -1° to +2°, giving loft options from 8° to 14°. The lie angle can also be independently altered to draw and neutral settings to adjust directional bias. It comes with a Fubuki Z graphite shaft as standard. From a performance and cosmetic point of view there’s a lot to like about the Big Bertha. At address, the crown is uncluttered and not overwhelmingly large – despite its 460cc volume - while Callaway’s trademark chevron offers a useful sightline. At impact, it not only sounds powerful, but it delivers a high, soaring flight, and the ball jumps off the face in a way that you will instantly notice. Funnily enough, for a driver packed with adjustability features, once you’ve dialled in your specs – and I strongly urge you to do this via a fitting at the point of purchase – you won’t want to mess around with it. Instead, just find a repeatable swing, and enjoy the extremely pleasant experience of when you really nut one out of the middle. Some naysayers will niggle at the high price point, but market forces will no doubt come into play sooner or later, which will ensure that the Big Bertha truly becomes a driver for everyone.

Skechers Go Golf shoes RRP: £89-£109 Contact: skechers.co.uk Skechers is the latest high street shoe brand to enter the golf market with a range of trainer-style golf shoes. Its new Go Golf range offers three distinctive designs: Bionic, Go Golf and Drive, all of which focus on offering comfort and durability in a spikeless design. The Bionic (£109) offers a combination of advanced technologies and progressive styling to elevate a golfers game. Go Bionic engineering utilises a nature-inspired organic design, allowing the feet to move more naturally, while a 4mm heel drop keeps the feet in a near neutral position to provide a solid foundation on every swing. Go Golf (£99) blends a classically-inspired look with modern innovations and high quality materials for superior performance. A zero heel drop improves stability by enabling the foot to stay lower to the ground for a solid foundation at address and gives increased grip and responsive feedback to the wearer. Completing the range is the Drive (£89), which is specifically designed for summer golf and is available in three different styles, featuring a range of different fabrics and colour schemes.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

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E R I P S N I O T S N O IR 4

Take aim and shoot with the latest iron launches

7.Callaway X2 Hot

4. Lynx Boom Boom 3

RRP: £599/£549 (4-PW) Contact: lynxgolf.co.uk

1.Cleveland 588 CB RRP: £599 (5-PW) Contact: clevelandgolf.com Aimed at skilled iron players looking for a little for more forgiveness in their long irons, the 588 Cavity Backs are precision forged from carbon steel for a soft, yet solid feel. The compact head shape, which comes with a high gloss finish, includes a progressive cavity back, as well as a thicker topline and longer blade length than the 588 MB irons. These elements combine to inspire more confidence and generate better distance on off-centre hits. Tour Zip Grooves are laser milled to maximise spin and ensure control around the greens.

2.Cobra Bio Cell RRP: £649 (3-PW) Contact: cobragolf.co.uk The Bio Cell irons are designed to offer distance and control without sacrificing forgiveness. The long and mid irons (3-7) feature a heavy tungsten weight placed in the heel and toe areas to promote forgiveness, while the short irons (8-PW) see the weight moved directly behind the sweetspot for added distance and control. The back portion of the head features a perimeter undercut, which creates more face flex at impact for increased ball speed. As with the earlier AMP Cell range, the cavity infill features a choice of four different colours (silver, blue, red and orange).

3.Titleist 714 AP2 RRP: £130/£114 per club Contact: titleist.co.uk Titleist says that the forged AP2 irons are as forgiving as the original AP1 irons, which represents a huge step forward for a club that is commonly used by Tour pros. This has been achieved by placing 43g of tungsten in the toe section and in the bottom of the hosel, which gives the irons a higher MOI without having to increase its overall size, and results in less twisting on miss-hits. The lofts of the 6-iron through to the gap wedge have been strengthened by one degree to make them fly a little lower and go a bit longer.

Lynx has launched the first iron under its flagship Boom Boom range, aiming to redefine the levels of power, distance and feel achievable from a cast head. The one-piece steel casting features two cavities - the first, a muscle-back cutout design which distributes weight effectively around the clubhead for forgiveness; the second is a narrower deep ‘power channel’ immediately behind the clubface. This feature, when combined with variable face thickness, creates distance and feel. The head features a combination of three finishes - black satin, gloss and matt PVD – with white sightlines on the black face helping to square the club at address.

5.Ping i25 RRP: £110/£90 per club Contact: ping.com Featuring a progressive set design, the i25 long irons boast head sizes and sole widths that deliver high trajectory and extreme forgiveness, while the more compact mid and short irons have narrow soles and less offset for enhanced accuracy and scoring. Narrow face-stabilising bars in the long irons increase ball velocity for added distance and height, while wider bars in the short irons produce a controlled, lower ball flight with softer feel. Tungsten weighting in the low toe increases forgiveness, while a machined face and grooves deliver control and consistency.

RRP: £80 per club Contact: mizuno.eu

The X2 Hot irons are the X Hot irons on steroids, offering more in all areas: forgiveness, ball speed and distance. A massive undercut channel increases the rate at which the face flexes and rebounds, making these new irons 3‐5 yards longer than X Hot. A stabilising arch reinforces the face, creating solid sound and feel at high ball speeds. Maximum perimeter weighting increases the sweet spot, making the X2 Hot irons easy to hit, producing higher launch angles for more distance and extra stopping power on the greens.

8.Nike VRS Covert 2.0 RRP: £449.99 (4-PW) Contact: nikegolfeurope.com Special high-strength steels, variable face thickness, and a repositioned centre of gravity are the key changes golfers can expect to find in Nike’s Covert 2.0 irons. The forged clubhead features a steel variable thickness face welded to a carbon steel body, while a redesigned cavity positions extra weight in the toe to shift the centre of gravity more in line with the centre of the face compared to its predecessor, the VRS Forged. This results in increased ball speed and closer dispersion in shots hit off the toe. Another innovation is the X3X 27 groove, which increases the volume of each individual groove for improved consistency from light rough and wet fairways.

9.Adams XTD RRP: £599/£499 (4-PW) Contact: adamsgolf.eu

6.Mizuno JPX-EZ With bold orange graphics and a black nickel finish, the JPXEZ looks unlike any previous Mizuno iron. Performance-wise, the thin, carbon steel forged face yields a spring-like effect of 0.800, the highest ever for a one-piece forged Mizuno iron, which translates to up to 3% higher ball speeds, and half to one club longer distance. A deep, progressive undercut cavity is visible in the mid to long irons for a lower centre of gravity, and a frame around the perimeter of the cavity has been selectively thickened to control vibrations and enhance feel. The short irons dispense with the cavity to offer better control, with solidfeeling, penetrating shots.

RRP: £699/£549 (gr/st) Contact: callawaygolf.com

The XTD irons feature the industry’s first ever cross-cavity design, combined with Cut-Thru velocity slots, to create distance through technology instead of strengthened lofts. The XTD houses Adams’s thinnest cast-iron face, promoting maximum deflection and ball speed. The centre of gravity has been moved off the centre of the face to generate gear effect similar to that of a hybrid. The result is corrective spin to straighten off-centre hits. Framed scorelines with a polished finish set the club on its correct line at address, while after contact, a pressure piston dramatically decreases vibration.

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CLUED UP ON CLEATS

Matt Nicholson talks to Softspike’s vice president of marketing, John Hohman, about the brand’s 20-year success story and its battle against the arrival of cleatless shoes It’s a sure sign when your brand name starts being used generically to describe a product or service, that you’re well on the way to cracking the market. As with Hoover, PortaKabin and Google, so it is with Softspikes, which has found its way into golfing parlance whenever the subject of plastic cleats is discussed. After launching the first plastic cleat in 1993, the brand, which is owned by PrideSports, has gone on to dominate the market for ‘alternative spikes’, as they were first known. Their arrival on the scene signalled the deathknell for the metal spike, and over the last 20 years Softspikes has gone on to command an 80% share of the plastic cleat business. From the all-conquering Black Widow to the new adjustable Black Widow Tour, Softspikes has been the pioneering brand in traction and comfort-oriented golf cleats, with its R&D department constantly looking to find new ways of designing cleats that offer the holy grail of grip and cushioning, while also being kind to putting surfaces. Trusted by the game’s elite players – over 75% of tour pros use shoes with soft spikes in – it is also the most popular brand among amateur golfers, with market-leading shoe companies like FootJoy using Softspikes cleats in many of its most

high-tech designs, including the XPS1 and the recently-launched M:Project and DNA shoes. Far from being a ‘one style suits all’ design, plastic cleats come in many shapes and sizes, running the whole spectrum from the spidery-style cleats which literally grab the surface, to the more cushioned variety which offer a much lower profile, and those which feature a combination of the two. All of them aim to offer slightly different performance benefits for different types of golfer, different types of surfaces, and, of course, different types of shoe. Softspikes’ current range features no fewer than eight different designs of cleat – from the aggressive-looking Black Widow to the much shallower Stealth and Shadow models, which feature multi-material construction to create spikes that not only perform well, but are more durable – and also more popular with greenkeepers. But it has not all been plain sailing for Softspikes in recent years. Four years ago saw the launch of a range of shoes that eschewed cleats in favour of rubber nubs, which were aimed at golfers who wanted a shoe that could be worn on and off the golf course. These non-cleated shoes, which every brand now produces, have stolen a small, but significant market share away from cleated models, especially in countries with drier climates where grip is not such an issue.

With competition from plasticnubbed shoes, Independent research company SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. carried out some detailed market research to find out the current state of the shoe market in the UK and other European markets. The research data, which centred on the four key European golf markets of the UK, Germany, Sweden and France, showed that golfers in each market overwhelmingly preferred cleated shoes to cleatless models. John Hohman, Softspikes’ vice president of marketing feels it goes a long way to dispelling the myth that cleats have had their day. “Despite the apparent rise of spikeless golf shoes over the past two years, the majority of golfers still chose to buy cleated models,” says Hohman. “The fact that 367,700 of the 467,000 shoes sold last year in the UK were cleated proves that the vast majority of golfers still prefer to play in cleats. Although there has been a noticeable growth in sales of cleatless shoes, research tells us that a significant percentage of these sales are to non-golfers, wearing them as casual shoes due to their aesthetic value.” Figures in the UK are largely echoed in the other markets, with cleated shoe sales making up 78% of the market in France, 74% in Germany and 76% in Sweden. Also noteworthy in the research

findings was that growth of cleatless shoe sales is slowing. Figures in the UK display a sales growth of 203% from 20112012, while this number shrank to 125% from 2012-2013. Hohman adds: “The figures affirm the confidence the consumer has in cleated golf shoes, which is mirrored on all major golf tours globally. To this day, the vast majority of tour players, and indeed Tour winners, use cleats.” While claims over the relative traction offered by each design are hard to quantify, research carried out by Softspikes has identified that new, out-of-the-box cleated shoes provide up to 70% more traction than cleatless shoes in wet conditions, and up to 51% when the ground is dry. “The tests carried out at our Advanced Research Centre found that new cleated shoes provided more traction in both wet and dry conditions,” says Hohman. “We believe it’s important to inform golfers of the benefits of cleated shoes, which is why we conducted this test.” Despite FootJoy’s launch into the spikeless market in recent years, even it concedes that its

spiked shoes offer better traction than its non-spiked shoes. “Shoes like the Contour Casual are fine for the practice ground – or in the summer during recreational rounds – but they will not reliably give you the grip you need when playing on wet ground or off sloping lies,” says Russell Lawes, FootJoy’s marketing manager, stressing the relationship between support, stability and consistent ball striking. “We will always recommend a spiked shoe over a spikeless shoe in terms of traction and stability. There’s also a world of difference between top players with fantastic balance from their core strength and perfect footwork, and the average amateur who can benefit greatly from cleated soles and stable hitting platforms.” So while it may become increasingly be the norm for golfers to have two, if not three pairs of golf shoes, some with spikes, some without, it looks as if the cleated shoe has a lot of mileage left in it yet.

For more information on Softspikes products visit softspikeseurope.com

SOFTSPIKES RANGE FOR 2014 1. BLACK WIDOW TOUR Black Widow Tour cleats feature two comfort settings – Tour-Comfort and Tour-Firm, allowing golfers to select the comfort setting that best fits their game. They combine flexible legs with secondary traction elements, which allow the cleat to self-adjust to every situation, terrain and golfer.

2. STEALTH

3. CYCLONE

4. CYCLONE ICE

5. PULSAR

6. TOUR FLEX

8. SHADOW

Featured in FootJoy’s new M:PROJECT, Adizero One and DNA shoes, Stealth cleats are engineered to work with low-profile shoe designs to allow golfers to benefit from superior traction, stability and overall performance. Softspikes’ Performance INsert System (PINS) was developed to get players closer to the ground, which has been proven to improve ball-striking significantly and provide greater feedback.

Cyclone is a multimaterial cleat with an advanced rotational design to counteract forces during impact. It also features Softspikes Dynamic Cleat Technology to provide the ultimate in traction and durability.

First seen in FootJoy’s XPS-1 shoe, the Cyclone Ice features multimaterial components with an ultra-advanced rotational design, which counteracts undesirable forces at work during impact. This cleat utilises the Fast Twist thread, which is the market leader in fixing systems.

The Pulsar features Softspikes’ Energised Traction Technology, a 16-component design that reacts to every single movement the golfer makes. Flexor knuckles built into each of the eight legs bend on contact with the ground, offering enhanced strength, responsiveness and flexibility.

Tour Flex combines three sets of flexible legs with three support pads for the ultimate in traction and comfort.

Featuring a flat design and tapered traction points, the Shadow has raised the bar for non-dynamic cleats. A new space-age polymer material and wider reinforced legs provide golfers with great traction and durability.

7. BLACK WIDOW Launched over 15 years ago, the Black Widow introduced Dynamic Cleat Technology to the golf industry. DCT allows the cleat to flex on putting surfaces, while also providing traction on tees and fairways.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

MAKE A PASS FOR SCOTLAND’S

SOUTHERN STARS

Occupying the most south-westerly part of Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway is bursting with a spectacular array of links courses and inland gems that make for a great golf break at any time of year Gatehouse of Fleet

While followers of fashion will always associate the letters ‘D&G’ with the Italian clothing brand Dolce & Gabbana, golfers with a passion for quality golf will more readily link those two initials to another stylish label – Dumfries & Galloway. While it doesn’t have the glittering cache of courses that Fife or East Lothian can lay claim to – or even a major championship venue within its borders – D&G has more than its fair share of stunning, yet affordable courses that don’t often get the credit they deserve. With an absence of crowds, great value green fees, and access to a stunning coastline, the area is ripe for re-emergence as a golfing destination, with a variety of golfing trails to be enjoyed that take in a mixture of the region’s top tracks and undiscovered gems. And with Scotland rolling out the red carpet in readiness for the staging of The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September, and a warm welcome guaranteed, there really has never been a better time to visit this stunning part of the world. The jewel in Dumfries & Galloway’s crown is, without question, Southerness, which lies a few miles south of Dumfries. Routinely recognised as one of the top 100 courses in the UK, the majestic links is set hard on the Solway coast and offers amazing views of the Solway Firth, the Galloway Hills and the Lake District. A regular venue for leading amateur tournaments, Southerness is links golf at its best. Measuring only 6,500 yards off the championship tees, it’s short by modern standards, but the par of 69, and no fewer than eight par fours longer than 400 yards, ensure that it’s never easy to break par here. Up next is nearby Powfoot, a mixed course of parkland and links, which

Newton Stewart

provides a fine example of the work of world-renowned player-turnedarchitect James Braid. With the wind blowing off the Solway Firth, Powfoot is proper bump-and-run territory, and provides a real challenge to most golfers. More of Braid’s handiwork can be found at Stranraer on the southwest tip of the county, which has the honour of being the final course that the prolific architect designed. An undulating parkland layout on the shores of Loch Ryan, boasting breathtaking views of the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig, Stranraer is certainly worth a few hours of your time. More great links golf is to be discovered at Wigtownshire County beside the lovely Luce Bay, with its subtle sloping greens and the changing sea breezes creating a stiff challenge, while moving inland to join the Challenge Trail, Newton Stewart is a parkland gem in the heart of the Galloway Hills, which provides a memorable game and will suit the majority of players. At Moffat Golf Club, the moorland course has some testing holes full of natural undulations and hazards. To uncover the best of Dumfries & Galloway’s nine-hole courses, experience the Little Gems Trail and

Southerness

discover some splendid layouts, including New Galloway and Gatehouse of Fleet, to keep you on your toes. Also worth a look is Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club. A club with a rich history, it was here that the great Willie Fernie – a former Open champion – played around the turn of the 20th century. Today, the course is every bit as enjoyable as it has always been, offering a great challenge from start to finish. At Thornhill, follow in the footsteps of one of Scotland’s finest players of the modern era, former Ryder Cup star Andrew Coltart. Its course is a fine

GATEWAY TO GOLF PASS The best way to enjoy a selection of the stunning courses Dumfries & Galloway has to offer is to purchase a Gateway to Golf Pass. Allowing play from a choice of 26 courses across the region between April 1 and October 30, the passes can either cover three rounds (from £80) or six rounds (from £120). Both are valid for five consecutive days and provide a great way of exploring the golf that the region has to offer over a week-long stay. For more information, and to buy your pass, call 01387 245566 or order online at www.visitscotland. com/dumfriesgalloway-golfpass.

mixture of park and heathland. Two more excellent courses can be found at Portpatrick on the far south-western tip of Scotland. The 18-hole Dunskey offers a firm but fair challenge, whilst the 9-hole, par-3 Dinvin can be enjoyed by families, as well as experienced golfers who are keen to perfect their short game. Best of all, each course provides fantastic views over the North Channel to Ireland from its seaside location, whilst Portpatrick’s mild microclimate makes play possible virtually all year round. For something totally different, Solway Links, lying close to Southerness, is well worth a visit. A friendly ‘pay and play’ facility, it is also home to Scotland’s first and only ‘Golf Cross’ course, where oval balls and goalposts take over from round balls and holes. Whichever shape of ball you prefer, Dumfries & Galloway has got all the angles covered, so book your break soon, before the rest of the golfing world finds out what they’re missing!

March 2014/ Issue 231

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Royal Liverpool

TAKE ON THE WIRRAL’S TOP TRACKS

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Four of the Wirral’s stunnings links courses are once again set to host an amateur tournament open to adult male and female golfers. The Wirral Golf Classic, a 72hole stableford competition, is open to golfers of all abilities, and will be played at Hoylake and three other top links courses from September 15-19. Started only fours years ago, the tournament is already well established on amateur golf’s competitive calendar. Offering great value, as well as the chance to play the 2014 Open

Championship venue, the event attracted a record entry last year and is set to do the same this year. The other links are Caldy, former venue of the Seniors’ Championship, boasts stunning views from its cliffs across the River Dee to Wales; slightly further down the river, Heswall, which was the venue for The R&A’s Junior Championships in 2006 and stages the North of England U16 Championships each year; Wallasey, home of Stableford, and a former Open Qualifying venue, which enjoys beautiful views across the Mersey to Liverpool; and Royal Liverpool, or Hoylake as it is known

to golfers throughout the world, staged the Amateur Championship, Walker Cup, and 11 Open Championships, which returns to the venue this July. The entry fee is £239 per person, which represents just over half the green fees for the clubs, and includes the opportunity to win prizes

from equipment sponsor Titleist, as well as enjoy lots of social events. Golfers can play together in pairs and can also select their rest day. The event is also supported by Wirral Council, Holiday Inn Express, Thornton Hall Hotel, Budget Gas and The 15th Club. For bookings and details visit wirralgolfclassic.co.uk.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

BREAKS

Head for the Highlands for golfing highlights Golfers are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding which golf courses to play on any trip to the Scottish Highlands, which has enjoyed a boom in golf visitors in recent seasons. The upsurge in interest in playing in this part of Scotland has been in no small part down to the opening of Castle Stuart Golf Links in 2009, which has served as host for the Scottish Open for the last three years – including last year, when it was won by Phil Mickelson en route to his Open triumph at Muirfield the following week. The packages are provided by Highland Golf Links, which brings together Castle Stuart, Nairn and Royal Dornoch (pictured), as well as the Kingsmills Hotel and Culloden House Hotel, Inverness; the Royal Golf Hotel at Royal

Dornoch; and the Golf View Hotel and Spa in Nairn to promote destination breaks. The packages, featuring two nights’ accommodation and three rounds of golf, start at £315 per person. Details are available at bookings@ castlestuartgolf.com or call 01463 79611.

Count on classy Cottesmore for a relaxing rural break

Dorset hits the gold standard again! The Dorset Golf & Country Club has achieved its fifth consecutive five-star Gold Award from Visit Britain in recognition of the high quality of facilities and services it provides to guests. The popular Bere Regis-based resort, which offers 27 holes of golf, 12 luxury lodges, a hotel, and a wide range of leisure facilities, scooped the industry gong once again after being assessed for the quality of its accommodation, catering and customer service. The five-star award is only given to a handful of venues in the UK each year, and Dorset Golf & Country Club is the only five-star resort in the county. Speaking about the award, PGA Head Professional Scott Porter, said: “To be acknowledged as a five-star holiday destination is a massive honour, but to achieve the highest marks possible and receive the Gold Award is very special. We all feel so proud here as so much hard work goes into running the resort and we are all very dedicated to continuing to achieve high standards.” In addition to the fantastic sport and leisure facilities on offer, the stars of the show are the 12 Scandinavian-style houses that are located in a wooded glade opposite the clubhouse. Available to rent from two days to four weeks, the lodges are made entirely from trees grown in the forests of Finland, making them not only unique, but also extremely environmentally-friendly. Capable of sleeping up to eight people, each lodge boasts a fully-fitted kitchen, a large lounge with a wood burning stove, a sauna, and veranda. The latest

addition to the accommodation offering is the Woodland Cottage, a £500,000 property which has become the most rented house at the resort, thanks to its ability to comfortably sleep 10 people, making it ideal for large families and groups of friends. The club also offers two excellent golf courses, with The Lakeland and the Woodland. The former was designed by renowned architect Martin Hawtree, and is on record as being the longest in Dorset. It measures over 7,000 yards off the back tees, but that is reduced to a more manageable 6,580 yards off the whites. The nine hole, par-66 Woodland Course is shorter – being just 5,032 yards long – but is equally demanding. Both layouts have benefitted from significant investment, with a lot of work having taken place over the winter, which has resulted in improved irrigation, the construction of new pathways, and numerous cosmetic enhancements that have taken the courses to a new level and ensured they stayed open for play during the recent wet spells. This season has also seen the creation of a new buggy park and a brand new fleet of electric buggies. After golf, guests can enjoy the superb clubhouse, which has a restaurant that offers lovely views over the Purbeck Hills and a large. Stay-and-Play packages start from £61.95 pp/ pn, based on four people sharing a house, with dinner, breakfast and all golf included. Three-night packages, with three rounds of golf, cost from £175 per person. For bookings call 01929 472244 or visit www.dorsetgolfresort.com.

With two beautiful golf courses, a hotel, and a thriving health club, Cottesmore Hotel, Golf & Country Club has something for everyone Located just outside the village of Pease Pottage, close to the M23 and handy for Gatwick, Cottesmore has been part of the golfing furniture in this leafy corner of Sussex since opening in 1975. Built by a local farming family, which has recently taken back ownership, the parkland setting is simply stunning, and the club rightly wins plaudits for its beautiful and tranquil surroundings, which were originally designed by the famous landscape architect Capability Brown. Facilties include a 21-bedroom hotel and a modern health club (including a large swimming pool, a gym and two tennis courts), as well as 36 holes of golf – the Griffin and the Phoenix courses Landscaped around two lakes, the Griffin requires shots over water on four of its holes, which only serve to add to the excitement of a round. The 2nd and 17th

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A GOLF BREAK IN DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY & 2 TICKETS TO THE RYDER CUP

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holes are both standout par threes, which will have the knees trembling as you stand on the tee, while the par-five 14th and 15th holes are equally challenging and hard to par. With several elevated tees, forced carries and enticing doglegs, it’s a course that requires you to think off every tee. Cottesmore’s second course, the Phoenix, lacks the length of the Griffin, but is nevertheless an ideal course for those looking for a confidence booster, and appeals to a wide range of players. Laid out in the same mature parkland, its tree-lined fairways call for straight-hitting and accurate approach play, and at just 5,550 yards, with fewer bunkers, it is very manageable for shorter hitters. With a reputation for good food, the club is the perfect venue for golf breaks thanks to its on-site accommodation, with a variety of stayand-play packages starting from £110pp for one night dinner, B&B and two rounds (one on each course). For more golf break package, call 01293 528256 or visit cottesmoregolf.co.uk.

The moment has come. In 2014, The Ryder Cup will return to Scotland, the Home of Golf, for the first time in over four decades. Amongst Scotland’s golfing regions, Dumfries & Galloway is famed for its selection of courses on the great value Gateway to Golf Pass and three golf trails for visitors looking to find Scotland’s best kept golfing secrets. So whether you’re relaxing in the clubhouse at Thornhill or even exploring the 200 mile long coastline, you’ll find plenty of moments to treasure forever.

To find out more, go to visitscotland.com/dumfriesgalloway-golf Aston Hotel, Dumfries

Lochmaben, Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway. A place of brilliant moments.

visitscotland.com/brilliant #brilliantmoments

March 2014/ Issue 231

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SarahStirk It seemed a little unfair that I jetted off to Morocco just as summer decided to descend earlier than expected on the UK. I love exploring new corners of the globe, especially where golf is concerned, and as I was heading to Agadir for the Hassan Trophy, it was the perfect opportunity to sample the magic of Marrakech. Marrakech is everything you expect it to be – a vibrant, a bustling cultural hub, but in some ways it’s also a contradiction in terms. You have the real city, the authentic, distinctive sights and sounds of the labyrinth that is the Medina, juxtaposed with an upmarket, sophisticated, almost underground ‘elite’ second city. It’s an intoxicating mix. Known as the ‘Red City’, with the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains as a backdrop and framed by the red desert, Marrakech offers a rare blend of history, culture, architecture, gastronomy, shopping, nightlife and golf. It is traditional and totally authentic, yet dynamic and contemporary. It is also a city of diversity and tolerance, from the ancient walled Medina, traditional riads, the souks and the amazing Jemaa El Fna, to the new modern areas such as Gueliz, with its hip hotel brands, shopping, casinos, restaurants and nightlife. It’s a pity European golfers have been slow to

Sky Sports presenter Sarah Stirk souks up the holiday magic of Marrakech, before getting back down to work at the King Hassan Trophy

MAKING A DATE WITH MARRAKECH

Samanah Country Club

“It’s a pity European golfers have been slow to recognise such an accessible, affordable, year-round destination right on their doorstep” recognise such an accessible, affordable, year-round destination right on their doorstep, because Morocco has much to offer by way of top quality courses. You may be familiar with the Nicklaus-designed Samanah, Amelkis, Palmeraie (now called PalmGolf Club). or even the Kyle Philips-designed Al Maaden, but the latest layout to join the ranks is The Royal Palm Golf and Country Club. The new luxury resort lies at the heart of an olive grove in the Haouz Plain, just 12km from the centre of Marrakech. The region was specifically chosen to house Mauritian hotel group Beachcomber’s first foray into Morocco. The company’s flagship property is The Royal Palm in Mauritius, so trying to replicate its success in another country demands perfection. It really is the ideal retreat for sporting enthusiasts. I was certainly in my element, with tennis, squash, table tennis, spa treatments and a great golf course, keeping me fully entertained! While several of the European tour pros were practising at Samanah ahead of the Hassan Trophy, Royal Palm is the perfect resort course. The Cabell B. Robinson design is very playable and that is a big plus. Visually it’s beautiful, with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the distance and lush vegetation lining the fairways, but it’s a course which makes you feel good about your game. The charming project director at Royal Palm, the former pro Michel Besanceney, was delighted with my reaction. “That’s great, we don’t want it to be too difficult, we want people coming back time and time again and not being put off because they’ve lost their patience and too many balls!” he told me. There are also five different tee boxes, so for the lower handicappers the back pegs will definitely provide a challenge, while the more forward tees offer a slightly gentler route to the green. The first few holes ease you nicely into the round.

PalmGolf Club – formerly known as Palmeraie

Marrakech’s bustling Jemaa El Fna market is not to be missed

Shopping in the souk

I was one under par playing the sixth when I hoiked my tee shot left into the water. It’s a dog-leg left, so hitting three off the tee, I bailed out right with my second ball! That left me with a long second shot in, but as it’s a par five I took my medicine and walked off with a double bogey. The par-three 7th runs back along the other side of the water, with the green jutting out into the lake. Aesthetically, it’s a beautiful-looking hole with great views of the hotel and suites in the background – the rooms at Royal Palm are to die for, by the way – but the tee shot is daunting, especially with the breeze off the left. It demands a soft cut over the water, allowing the wind to bring it back towards the pin. The 14th is also a great hole – a drivable par four with a blind tee shot – while the 16th is a dog-leg par five which is reachable in two, providing you are able to hit a Tiger-style strong power fade off the tee! Marrakech attracts the bulk of the tourists, and Fez is also a major cultural and religious focal point, but the coastal cities of Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier are where many of the top Moroccan courses are located, with a strong golfing tradition dating back almost a century.

Royal Palm Golf Club with the Altas Mountains behind

I’m not overstating this when I say the Royal Palace course in Agadir is one of the most exclusive in the world. It sits inside the terracotta walls of King Mohammed VI’s palace and is used solely for the European Tour pros every March – and the occasional groop of the King’s friends. In fact, I’ve covered this tournament for the past three years, and in between the annual editions there have probably been a maximum of 20 rounds of golf played! Needless to say, the course is always in fantastic shape, partly due to the lack of use, but also because the King isn’t short on staff. A full compliment of greenkeepers works year-round to make sure that when the King does fancy a knock, he won’t find any unwanted divots. Even if you did fancy a round on the Augusta of Morocco, I’m afraid, unless you befriend his majesty, you have about as much chance of getting on as Manchester United winning this year’s title race. Head to Marrakech instead. Daily flights with British Airways take just over three hours, the sun always shines – well, nearly – the golf is excellent, and a stay at Royal Palm will leave you fully invigorated. It’s a treat in itself.

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March 2014/ Issue 231

TRAVEL

YAS ADDS TO ABU DHABI ATTRACTIONS In addition to building world-class hotels and a Formula 1 track, Abu Dhabi is fast becoming known as a must-visit destination for golfers looking to sample a Yas Links with Ferrari World in the background selection of world-class courses. A firm fixture on the European The 646-yard 18th is a superb finishing hole, Tour’s ‘desert swing’ since 2006, Abu Dhabi is reminiscent of the last at Pebble Beach. With the now beginning to attract a wider audience than lagoon threatening all the way up the left side tour players, with a growing number of tourists and bunkers and tall rough stalling the progress travelling to sample the trio of championship of those bailing out right, it’s a proper threelayouts on offer at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat shotter to a narrow green that’s angled towards Beach and Yas Links. the sea. Yas Links, which opened in 2010, sums up The characterful clubhouse is an impressive what is possible when you mix the imagination three-storey structure built in the style of a of a designer of Kyle Phillips’s pedigree with the Spanish hacienda. The facilities are second deep pockets of an ambitious owner. Built on to none, while the view from the lofty bell Yas Island, which is also home to the F1 Grand tower provides a perspective of what has been Prix circuit and the Ferrari World theme park, achieved during the three years it took to Yas Links offers a rollercoaster ride of its own, construct this stunning course. with eight of its 18 holes clinging to the edge There is an embarrassment of hotels to of a two-mile stretch of man-made coastline, choose from to suit all budgets, from twin which lends itself perfectly to hole after hole of rooms in budget hotels, to luxury suites at the heart-in-mouth golf. With tall grasses framing the Yas Viceroy. Commanding a stunning view over fairways and providing all manner of trouble for the Yas Marina and the F1 circuit that winds those who fail to keep it straight, it’s exhilarating its way around the island, the Viceroy is hard at every turn, with players required to be at their to miss, with its iconic steel canopy wrapping creative best to score well. itself over the building like a metallic veil. The Although it measures 7,414 yards off the back roof top bar, which is open to the elements, is tees, four other tees ensure that it is playable for a great place for sundowners and chilling out, all handicaps. Highlights include the three par while there are six superb restaurants to choose threes that are played along the coast – the 8th, from, each showcasing cuisines from all over the 13th and 17th – while the par-four 9th, which world. requires a carry over water to leave a pitch into a For more information visit www.yaslinks.com devilish green, is also up among the best holes. or email info@golfinabudhabi.com

Enjoy Malaga’s top tracks with Kempinski beach break

Finca Cortesin is one of dozens of top courses to play in the Malaga area

For golfers looking to play a collection of southern Spain’s finest courses while staying in one of the best hotels in the region, the launch of a range of luxury golf breaks by the Kempinski Hotel Bahia should have you reaching for your holiday diary. Located on its own stretch of beach, 2km from Estepona and 10 miles south of Marbella, the Kempinski is situated within a short drive of more than 50 courses, including Valderrama, host of the 1997 Ryder Cup, and the highly-rated Finca Cortesin, setting for the Volvo Match Play Championship from 2009-2012. Throw in San Roque, Sotogrande and La Quinta, as well as newer venues such as La Reserva and Almenara, and you have a tempting choice of some of the best tracks in Europe right on your doorstep. Only a 45-minute drive from Malaga airport and 30 minutes from Gibraltar, the Kempinski Hotel is also the ideal base for visitors to discover many of the cultural delights away from the fairways, with the cities of Ronda, Granada, Cordoba and Seville all within striking distance for day trips, while the north coast of Africa is only a 45-minute speedboat ride away. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World group, the Kempinski offers 128 bedrooms and 17 luxury suites – all of which offer partial or full sea views. The Moorish-style, beachfront property boasts acres of beautiful gardens in which to while away the day, three swimming pools, a recently renovated spa, as well as leisure facilities for children big and small, including a kids’ club. For high rollers, the hotel also offers a roof-top suite laid out over two floors, which features three bedrooms, a stunning observation deckstyle lounge, and even its own Astroturf putting green. Former world no.1 Martin Kaymer stayed in this suite during his defence of the Andalucian Masters at Valderamma in 2011 – so you could be sleeping where a Major champion has slept before! On the dining and drinking front, there is

Kempinski Bahia Hotel

a choice of four restaurants and three bars, including a relaxed beach club, an Italian pizza joint, and the fine dining Alminar. Much of the produce served is organically sourced from local producers, while the seafood options are particularly noteworthy. For hungry golfers, the hotel’s legendary breakfast buffet will set you up perfectly for a game, with churros and hot chocolate coming highly recommended as a sugar rush to kick-start your day! Working closely with local golf course owners, the hotel has put together a range of exclusive golf break packages. Three-day breaks, including rounds at Valderrama, La Reserva and San Roque’s New Course – all with buggies – and two nights’ B&B accommodation in a deluxe room are available from €710pp. A four-night stay, featuring golf at Valderrama, San Roque (Old Course), Finca Cortesin, Sotogrande, and La Reserve start from €1,232pp. With a dedicated golf desk, and course transfers on request, hotel guests also benefit from reduced green fees at more than 20 other golf clubs in the region, including Guadalmina, La Quinta, Los Arqueros, Los Flamingos, Los Naranjos and Marbella Golf & Country Club to name but a few. For more details or to book a break, email golf.estepona@kempinski.com, call 00 34 952809500, or visit kempinski.com/en/marbella. Monarch airlines operates flights to Malaga from Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester airports with fares, including taxes, starting from £70 return. For bookings visit monarch.co.uk.

Book your next break with Golfboo If you’re fed up of spending countless hours trawling the internet searching for your next golf holiday, then golfboo.com, the internet’s first all-in-one golf-specific search engine and interactive community, could be the answer to your prayers.

First launched in 2013, Golfboo.com now offers users even quicker access to the best value golf experiences, following recent upgrades designed to deliver a seamless booking process. With over 6,500 golf packages available from 65 different tour operators across Europe, Golfboo has quickly become a trusted source for researching and booking golf breaks, be it the trip of lifetime to an iconic destination, a lads’ weekend break, or a last-minute round at a local course. One of its handiest new features is its tee-time booking and real-time price comparison function, which gives users a live view of the best times to play golf at more than 7,000 courses throughout the UK and continental Europe. The site also encompasses upwards of 125,000 detailed course reviews and over 200,000 hotel options, catering for a wide range of budgets.

March 2014/ Issue 231

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TRAVEL

Discover the delights of the Dordogne

The pristine fairways at Souillac Golf & Country Club

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living in paradise

The most iconic golf destination in Italy Enjoy your “Golf Full immersion” in Lake Garda! It is the virtuous combination of antique and modern that makes the Chervò Golf Hotel Restaurant Spa & Resort San Vigilio so unique. Our efficient services and features work in partnership with nature, comfort and enhancement of your body and spirit on your quest for wellness and relaxation. Our resort is in Pozzolengo, just south of Lake Garda, between Sirmione and Desenzano, in the center of the most important cities in northern Italy. Discover & Check availability offers on the web site.

The south west of France has long been an attractive destination for UK holidaymakers, with the second home market and the rise of gite-based breaks ensuring a steady stream of visitors to the Dordogne and Bordeaux regions for decades. However, few golfers manage to venture much further south than Brittany, which is a shame, as there are some stunning courses to be found if you’re prepared to venture just that little bit further down the coast. Among the many clubs clamouring for UK golfers is Souillac Golf & Country Club, which is located in the heart of the Dordogne Valley. It has recently launched a range of two- and three-bedroom selfcatering luxury holiday lodges, which are ideal for families and small groups of friends to rent out for a week or more. Open from April through to November, Souillac comprises a range of 70 detached lodges divided into small hamlets in a 60-hectare park. Each lodge benefits from a terrace and private garden, and all enjoy fine views into the wooded surroundings or over the golf course. For those that don’t want to self-cater 24/7, there is an on-site restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, while other facilities include no fewer than nine swimming pools, two tennis courts, a recreation area and a children’s playground – not forgetting the challenging and scenic 18-hole golf course. Designed by English architect Jeremy Pern, it features narrow fairways, and heavilycontoured greens that will provide an interesting test for all of golfers. Beyond the club, the Dordogne river is only a 10-minute drive away, where you will discover many stunning chateaux, including Beynac with its riverside village, voted one of the prettiest in France. Nearby are many of southwest France’s most renowned tourist attractions, including the pilgrimage site of the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rocamadour, the famous caves of Gouffre de Padirac and Lascaux – known for its Paleolithic cave paintings – the medieval town of Sarlat and many other heritage sites of the Lot and Périgord Noir. The resort is located 20 minutes from the Brive Vallée de la Dordogne Airport, with flights from London City Airport operated by CityJet. A seven-night stay in a twobedroom lodge with unlimited golf costs from €783, based on a group of four. For bookings, call 00 33 565275600 or visit souillaccountryclub.co.uk.

At its heart is the ancient Benedictine abbey of San Vigilio built in 1104. New buildings and historic residences have been constructed around the abbey in a harmonious fusion of line and form, providing facilities for the hotel, restaurant, spa, resort and the 36-holes golf course. AIRPORT CONNECTION: VERONA 18 KM - BERGAMO 58 KM - MILANO/VENEZIA 120 KM. Transfer from/to airports - On request.

GOLF SPECIAL OFFERS “Invitation to Golf in Lake Garda”

from € 125*

Enjoy time with family and friends in sunny Italy with these golf packages and special offers from Chervò Golf Hotel Spa & Resort San Vigilio. * Rate for day, 1 person in double room and includes: continental buffet breakfast, 1 dinner with half board treatment, unlimited green fees, complete wellness pathway, 10% discount on wellness treatments and 20% discount on spa products, free Wi-fi, free parking place or garage. Minimum Length of stay is 3 nights.

Subscribe to Special Offers Contact + 39 030 91 801

info@chervogolfsanvigilio.it visit www.chervogolfsanvigilio.it Chervò Golf Hotel Spa & Resort San Vigilio

N. 1 ITALY GOLF DESTINATION

TOP 20 GOLF & HOTEL RESORT IN THE WORLD

Loc. San Vigilio, 1 - 25010 Pozzolengo (Bs) N. 1 ITALY GOLF DESTINATION Lago di Garda - Italy TOP 20 GOLF & HOTEL RESORT Tel +39 030 91 801 - Fax +39 030 91 80 999 IN THE WORLD

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March 2014/ Issue 231

Home&Away Golfbreaks.com has selected two great venues for you to consider when thinking about your next golf break. Whether staying at home or heading further afield, there is a stunning range of destinations to choose from...

Golfbreaks.com provides a one-stop service that makes booking golf breaks as simple as possible. ABTA and ATOL-bonded, it is the only golf travel company to reward customers for their loyalty through its Breakpoints rewards programme, which earns money off all future bookings made with Golfbreaks.com and sister companies Teeofftimes.co.uk and BookaSpa.com. THOUSANDS OF BREAKS FROM AVAILABLE ONLINE

£59

THE BELFRY KEEPS ON GETTING BETTER! Following a £26 million refurbishment, the UK’s most popular and iconic golf resort has taken its golf break offering to the next level The spiritual home of the Ryder Cup, and a venue steeped in golfing history, The Belfry is an iconic resort that continues to attract golfers from across the world. With its central location, excellent facilities, and renowned golf courses, there are few better places for a golf break than this customer favourite. The legendary Brabazon course is obviously the big draw, having hosted the biennial tussle between Europe and the United States on no fewer than four occasions. The Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss design has also witnessed some of the greatest moments in the event’s long history, from Seve Ballesteros driving the par-four 10th and Christy O’Connor’s 2-iron on 18, to the winning putts by Sam Torrance and Paul McGinley from virtually the same spot 17 years apart.

The course is always in pristine condition, with lightning-fast greens, treacherous bunkers, and hazards galore producing the sort of risk-reward holes that challenge the competitor in you. Little wonder it’s one of our most popular venues. Most people try to drive the 10th… there was even a hole-inone there in 2012! In addition to the world-famous Brabazon, there are two other courses and a brilliant academy at this 54-hole venue. The PGA

National is a very strategic inland links that has already hosted the European Tour on two occasions. The shorter Derby course, meanwhile, is a pleasant alternative to the two championship courses yet still provides a challenge for players of all abilities. Whether you play all three or just one, you won’t be disappointed with the standard of golf at The Belfry. The same could be said of the non-golf areas. After a £26 million renovation, this Midlands resort

The Brabazon’s driveable par-four 10th

The Brabazon’s iconic closing hole

has been transformed in the last 12 months, with the refurbished facilities perfectly complementing the three immaculate golf courses. Sam’s Clubhouse has received great feedback from guests. With stunning views and stylish dining options, it’s the ideal spot for relaxing after a round of golf and catching the latest sporting action. Alternatively, the Ryder Grill provides a relaxed setting for an evening meal, with its centrepiece kitchen and views of the golf course. In addition, guests can unwind in the Brabazon Bar with a cocktail, or grab a snack in the Leisure Café, which offers a healthy alternative for those hitting the gym and spa. If you are looking to extend your golf break late into the night, the

on-site Bel Air nightclub, which is open from Thursday to Saturday, is the perfect place to enjoy yourself after a long day on the course. With great golf, a brilliant spa and leisure area, and a range of eating and drinking options, the Belfry is the perfect venue for that weekend break. Golfbreaks.com Belfry Offers: · One night’s B&B and two rounds on PGA National and Derby Courses, costs from £99 (1 in 8 free). · One night’s B&B and two rounds on Brabazon and Derby courses from £159 (1 in 16 free). For bookings or for more information, visit golfbreaks.com or call 0845 543 6673.

THE ALGARVE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS With year-round sunshine, stunning hotels, and a range of Europe’s finest championship tracks within easy reach, the Algarve has all the ingredients for a perfect golf holiday One of Europe’s true golfing superpowers, the Algarve is as popular as ever with travelling golfers from across the Continent. And it’s not hard to see why. With a glorious year-round climate and a wide range of championship golf courses – not to mention accommodation and packages to suit all budgets – the Algarve can always be relied upon for a cracking golf break. Plenty has changed since Sir Henry Cotton kickstarted things at Penina in the 1960s. Where once there were just a few courses, the southern area of Portugal now contains a swathe of magnificent layouts running from the western tip of the Algarve right the way across to the Spanish border. One of the leading courses – and a firm favourite with Golfbreaks.com customers – is the glorious San Lorenzo that was once ranked as

Europe’s No.2 course. The competition for that accolade is pretty fierce now, but San Lorenzo remains an amazing place to play, with holes running alongside the freshwater lagoons and saltwater marshes of the Ria Formosa. Stay at the magnificent Dona Filipa hotel nearby and you’re onto a winner. But it’s just one of the many great courses in the region, with those in the Oceanico portfolio being some of the very best. There are seven in all, including the newest additions at Amendoeira – slightly to the west – where Sir Nick Faldo and Christy O’Connor Jr have produced a brilliant 36-hole venue close to the ancient city of Silves. With superb value apartments on-site, it’s ideal for a short break. The jewels in Oceanico’s crown are undoubtedly the Old Course and the Victoria Course, both of which are centrally located in Vilamoura, which also happens to be the heartbeat of

Dona Filipa

the area’s nightlife. The Old remains a strong challenge, but it is the Victoria course – designed by Arnold Palmer – that regularly tests the stars of the European Tour at the Portugal Masters. With big carries and plenty of water, it certainly gives every aspect of your game a workout. There are a number of superb hotels close by, including the excellent value Olympus Vilamoura Suites. Vale de Lobo – with its rather photogenic Royal Course – is another glorious place to stay and play, as is the famous 54-hole venue of Quinta do Lago. Heading east, towards Spain, lies

one of hottest new courses in Europe – Monte Rei. Set in gloriously remote surroundings near the small village of Tavira, this Jack Nicklaus Signature course is a real golfing treat and an absolute must-play. To the west, stay at the all-inclusive Delfim hotel and take your pick from the marvellous collection of five Pestana courses, including the highlyregarded Vila Sol. And don’t miss the outstanding Onyria Palmares near Lagos – a modern great of European golf. With so much choice for groups and couples alike, world-class courses and a gorgeous coastline – all just a few

Qunita do Lago

hours’ flight away – it’s no surprise that Algarve golf remains among Europe’s best. Golfbreaks.com Algarve offers: • Three nights’ B&B at Dona Filipa Hotel, including two rounds of golf at San Lorenzo, from £219pp (discounts available for groups of 8+). • Three nights’ B&B at Vila Gale Ampalius, including two rounds of golf at Pinhal & Laguna, from £235pp. For bookings or for more information, visit ww.golfbreaks. com or call 0845 543 6673.

March 2014/ Issue 231

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Me&MyTravels with David Platt - The former England and Arsenal midfielder likes to mix his golfing business with pleasure, playing golf all over the world, from Dubai to Sardinia via Pebble Beach My first holiday was… to Ibiza when I was six years old. I can still remember complaining about not being able to walk in flip-flops and jumping in the deep end of the pool while my father was taking his t-shirt off.

Culture, gastronomy, nightlife, shopping. Everything is available in a beautiful city. I’m planning a trip to… South Africa to go on a safari. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I hear the golf courses are pretty special too.

I always travel with… my computer. I’m constantly working on my company, Major Golf, so I need to have access to everything that is on it at all times.

Belek, Turkey

My ideal holiday fourball would include… a member of Augusta, Tiger Woods and my son, Charlie!

My most recent holiday was to… Dubai. It’s easy to get to, has good weather, a wonderful choice of restaurants, and great golf courses in close proximity.

Cala Di Volpe Hotel in Sardinia

great golf courses to wherever you are staying is second to none. I like it so much I’ve arranged an event there.

Florence

My most memorable ever round was at… Pevero in Sardinia. Luke Donald was on honeymoon and we managed to persuade him to come and play with us. He’s a great guy, and it was an unbelievable experience.

No matter where I am… I like to enjoy the local cuisine. My favourite golf course in the world is… Pebble Beach. I’m lucky, I get to play the best courses all over the world, but Pebble simply blew me away. Beautiful scenery and a real test of golf.

The best hotel I’ve ever stayed at was… Cala Di Volpe in Sardinia. I go to Sardinia every year. The service is amazing.

My favourite golf resort is… Belek, Turkey. The proximity of so many

Pevero Golf Club, Sardinia

Call us on

0208 663 9464 Putting you on the right course!

Penina Hotel & Golf Resort

175 399

The best 36 hole doorstep golf in the Algarve

dona filipa & san lorenzo Portugal, Algarve

12 nights half board & £250 resort credit pp unlimited golf on 2 courses Incl. flights & transfers

SOUTH AFRICA

from £1,895 PP 2 weeks Garden Route & Cape Town 12 nights b&b 6 rounds of golf on 6 courses Incl. flights & car hire from £1,325 PP ABU DHABI 4* Crowne Plaza Yas Island 7 nights b&b 4 rounds of golf on 3 courses Incl. flights, airport & golf transfers

HHHHH Newly Renovated

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3 Nights & 2 Rounds from £ 7 Nights & 4 Rounds from £

Stay in heart of the luxurious Vale do Lobo resort

My top travel tip would be… to choose somewhere with a golf course close by! David Platt runs golf events company Major Golf Events. For details call 01625 598084 or email contact@majorgolfevents.co.uk.

MEXICO

from £1,725 PP

5* Belle Mare Plage

3 Nights & 3 Rounds from £ 7 Nights & 7 Rounds from £

The worst holiday I’ve ever had was… can’t remember really. I’ve generally chosen well and been very lucky with the weather.

We’re the golfing holiday experts.

MAURITIUS

HHHHH

Portugal, Algarve

sales@amgolfholidays.co.uk amgolfholidays.co.uk

My favourite city in the world is… Florence.

The thing I hate about travel is... flying. I find the whole experience extremely boring, especially longhaul flights or having to transfer at airports.

www.chakatravel.com enquiries@chakatravel.com

from £1,825 PP

5* Moon Palace Resort 2 weeks all inclusive

unlimited golf on 2 courses Incl. flights & transfers

THAILAND

from £2,395 PP

5* Cape Nidhra, Hua Hin 12 nights b&b 6 rounds of golf on 6 courses Incl. flights & transfers

TENERIFE

from £595 PP 5* Las Madrigueras 5 nights b&b 2 evening meals and unlimited golf Excl. transfers & flights

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