GOLF NEWS SUMMER 2023

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Blink and you missed it. No, I’m not talking about the Ashes series, which seemed to fly by in a flurry of sixes, wickets and questionable stumpings – I’m talking about golf’s Major season. It seems like only yesterday that we were getting excited about the Masters, the blooming azaleas and marvelling at how cheap Pimento cheese sandwiches are at Augusta, yet here we are, 108 days later, and the Major season is done and dusted following Brian Harman’s relentless trudge to victory in the pouring rain at Royal Liverpool..

In between, LIV golfer Brooks Koepka took delivery of the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill in mid-May, sticking two fingers up to the PGA Tour at the same time; while a chap called Wyndham Clark – who sounds like an upmarket London car dealership – stole the US Open from under Rory’s nose in the Hollywood hills halfway through June. Hey ho. It’s only 260 days until we can do it all again, when the Masters Tournament rolls around again on April 11, 2024.

The Major schedule, as it currently stands, was probably designed to create an intense narrative that would capture the public imagination in the same way that the producers of hit drama Succession achieved by dropping episodes on a weekly basis. Only professional golf isn’t like TV drama, and we don’t buy into the characters or the plot lines in quite the same way. Will Rory manage to overcome his demons or once again fall flat on his face at the final hurdle? Will Jon Rahm punch the spectator who shouts ‘Mashed potatoes!’ when he misses the green by six inches? Will Scottie Scheffler develop a personality beyond his Buzz Lightyear impression? None of these questions demand answers.

At face value, nothing links the 2023 majors at all besides some deranged desire to get them out of the way as quickly as possible – and certainly avoid the possibility of a clash between the final round of The Open and Luton v Aston Villa’s 2pm Sunday kick-off, or the last knockings of the US PGA being overshadowed by the Orlando Rattlesnakes taking on the San Francisco Pumpernickles in the NFLNBAQVC play-offs.

The indecently short period of time between the final putt dropping at Royal Liverpool and the opening drive being struck at Augusta is great for the Masters, which benefits from fevered anticipation, bit it’s no use to anybody else. The public’s attention has been drawn to golf due to the machinations of LIV and its associated chaos, yet the Open clearly demonstrated the ongoing challenges this sport has, despite hugely

positive participation figures, in capturing hearts and minds beyond its loyal fanbase. With the run up to the championship being dominated by Wimbledon and, this year, a key Ashes Test and the beginning of the Women’s World Cup, the Open will always be up against it when it comes to competing for eyeballs, but the paywall that prevents it from getting the kind of viewing figures that it did when it was on free-to-air channels means that it is forever doomed to be nothing more than a footnote at the end of the weekend sports news unless a Brit, or heaven forbid, an Englishman, were ever to win the Claret Jug again.

The R&A, who sold the TV rights to Sky, will rightly hail an Open attendance in excess of 260,000 as proof of the championship’s enduring popularity, but these are dyed-in-the-wool golf fans, and sometimes you need more than that to get noticed on the global stage.

Thank the Lord that we still have the Ryder Cup – and the Solheim Cup – to look forward to this autumn, while those of us who live close to west London also have the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth circled in the diary, although that too was probably a more relevant event when it was in May, when the season was just moving into full swing. Still, with Ryder Cup points up for grabs, this September’s renewal promises to have one of its strongest fields for many a year.

At a time when professional golf’s very firmament is being ripped up and a new entity is shortly to emerge, now seems like the perfect moment for golf’s professional bodies to come together a create a schedule that not only works for the interested parties, but also works for the greater good of golf. And they can start by creating a timetable that stretches out the major season beyond its current 16 weeks.

Whether that be acheived by moving the US PGA back to late August, when the PGA Tour moves it season back to January-October, or whether it be by adding a fifth major that could be held outside of America – how about Australia folks? – it seems like the right moment in history to be making some bold decisions about the future of our game that will make the Majors ‘muchwatch’ events for generations to come, rather than blinkand-you-miss them sideshows that pass by unnoticed.

InBrief

LAHINCH TO HOST 2026 WALKER CUP

★ Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland has been chosen to hosted the Walker Cup in September 2026. The club has previously hosted the Irish Open in 2019, while it is a regular venue of the South of Ireland Amateur Championship. The scheduling of the Walker Cup in 2026 ensures it will not clash the World Amateur Team Championships, and it will continue to be held biennially thereafter.

DOUBLE ACE DELIGHT FOR DERBYSHIRE!

★ Sussex golfer Philip Derbyshire defied odds of 67 million-to-one when bagging two aces in the same round at Worthing Golf Club last month. The 69-year-old aced the second hole on the club’s Upper Course and then followeed that up with another on the 14th hole. Neither Derbyshire nor his playing partner saw either ball go in the hole, resulting in time-consuming searches before looking in the cup. Derbyshire now has four aces to his name, with the other two coming on Worthing’s Lower Course over the last decade.

CORBEN CLAIMS MID AMATEUR TITLE

★ Surrey’s David Corben won the Logan Trophy for the English Mid-Amateur Championship following a thrilling final day of action at Enville Golf Club in Somerset. The Hindhead man held his nerve over the final holes to see off Shifnal’s Craig Simmons and Martin Young from Brokenhurst Manor, who both finished on four-under.

SUSSEX SECURE WOMEN’S COUNTY FINALS SPOT

★ Sussex will represent the South region in the Women’s County finals for the first time in eight years after a dramatic finish to the qualifier held at Sundridge Park. Three counties –Sussex, Hampshire and reigning champions Kent – went into the final round of matches in with a chance of winning, and it went down to the wire, with Kent edging out Hampshire 3-2, while Chartham Park’s Sasha Gardiner halved her match on the last against Enfield’s Isabella Brunskill to secure a 3.5-1.5 victory for Sussex over Middlesex. With Kent and Sussex both gaining six points, the overall result was decided on individual match points, with Sussex having won 11.5 across their four matches, while Kent managed 11.

Forster first at Peter Allliss Memorial event

A record-equalling 63 on the JH Taylor course was among the highlights of two prestigious tournaments for elite amateur men and women golfers staged over a four-day period last month at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club.

Caversham opens new clubhouse to complete Reading assimilation

The Caversham – home of Reading Golf Club – formally reopened its clubhouse last month to mark the end of a long and eventful journey that has seen the two golf clubs become one. Back in 2018, Reading Golf Club, faced with a declining membership, took a bold step to merge with nearby Caversham Heath, which was also facing similar problems. The unification plan involved part of the land from the old Reading club being sold for housing to finance an ambitious reworking of the expansive Mapledurham-based Caversham Heath course, while also adding a new driving range and sixhole practice facility. The clubhouse, which as originally built in 2000, was also earmarked for a major redevelopment.

About 10% of the old Reading GC was designated for housing – a 223-home development has recently been given the go ahead by Reading Borough Council – with the rest remaining as a green space. A big chunk of that has been taken up with Fairways Family Golf, which has a 9-hole course, 18-hole disc golf course and 9-hole Footgolf course.

In the spring of 2019 Canadian golf course architect Tom McBroom was brought in to transform the Caversham Heath layout, which now offers eight different yardages, ranging from 5,519 to 7,265. McBroom focused on reducing the walks between tees and making the course more interesting. The opening holes in particular were given a radical new look, while the old 13th was taken out of the layout and a driveable par four put in its place. The 15th was turned into a par three and the 18th got a new green, situated on a hillside by the clubhouse. The old 13th has been turned into a specialist short game area with a variety of bunkering and options to practice. While the changes were being made, clever logistical planning meant the Caversham Heath members were able to keep playing ‘the old course’ while Reading members also stayed at their original home until

the big switch on April 1, 2021.

The clubhouse, which forms the last part of the jigsaw, was officially re-opened by former Masters champion Ian Woosnam on July 8, with the former world no.1 joined by former world snooker champion Dennis Taylor, both of whom took part in an 18-hole competition among the members, which was followed by a dinner and dance.

In addition to the traditional facilities, the new-look clubhouse also houses a fitness suite, treatment rooms, an open-plan golf simulator. The function room is able to accommodate up to 140 people, while a new balcony, which runs along the side of the first floor, has space for up to 80.

Gary Stangoe, general manager at The Caversham, said: “Before Covid, golf and golf memberships in particular had been in a steady decline and clubs like Reading with limited opportunities to expand and add much-needed additional revenue streams were suffering more than most. Some of our land had already been identified for housing and late in 2016 we started investigations to try and secure the future of Reading Golf Club. No-one could have envisaged the rollercoaster ride we were about to embark upon, but we can stand out on the balcony of the new-look clubhouse and look around with a sense of real pride.”

And for Stangoe and his team it will mark the end of one chapter and start of a very exciting new one. He said: “After a few years of uncertainty and upheaval, the members are now able to enjoy all of our new facilities. Although the new layout opened in 2021, the disruption to ‘normal club life’ continued and it will be great to get back to regular club social activities.”

Firstly, a strong field of 60 players competed in the 72-hole Peter Alliss Memorial event over July 5-6, with a handicap range of 0.0 to +5.6. The winner was Charlie Forster from Basingstoke Golf Club with a combined score of 270.

Recording an impressive final round of 65 on the 6,360yard par 69 course, his 6-under par total bettered second place Jackson Garnett from Five Lakes Golf Club in Essex by two shots. Garnett himself shot an outstanding 63 in the second round, equalling the course record previously held by former Ryder Cup Captain Bernard Gallacher, to finish one place higher than Charlotte Brook of Parkstone Golf Club in Dorset, leaving just three shots between first and third place.

The World Amateur Ranking event named after the legendary commentator and former member of Royal MidSurrey provided Forster with a prize of £700 and prizes were awarded down to sixth place.

Two days later, over the same course renowned for its humps and hollows, the historic 36-hole foursomes tournament known as The Antlers – held exclusively at Royal Mid-Surrey over a span of 90 years – featured 40 pairs of accomplished players from around the UK competing for the trophy unique to the club. Open to mixed pairs for the first time and golfers of all ages with a handicap of 8, the winning pairing with the lowest scratch score was Rocky Chapman and Reggie Fear from the Wentworth Club. Coming to terms with the fast USGAstandard greens, they combined for an excellent score of 144 in the alternate shot format to win by three shots.

■ IAN WOOSNAM AND DENNIS TAYLOR WERE ON HAND TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE NEW CLUBHOUSE

■ CHARLIE FORSTER WAS PRESENTED WITH HIS TROPHY BY JACKIE ALLISS

■ THE STYLISH INTERIOR OF THE NEW CLUBHOUSE AT THE CAVERSHAM

Winter Specials at Prince’s!

Golf Break

Available from 1 Nov 2023 to 29 Feb 2024

December Golf Day

Available from 1 to 22 Dec 2023

£185.00pp Sun-Thur / £215.00pp Fri-Sat

1 night, 2 rounds of golf, 2 course meal & breakfast

Based on twin sharing rooms

Extra £45.00 per person for single rooms

£85.00pp

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- Groups of 12+

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27 holes of reimagined Championship links golf

Royal Birkdale to host Open in 2026

The Open Championship will be returning to the Lancashire golf coast in just three years time after the R&A announced that the 2026 renewal of golf’s oldest major is to be played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

The iconic Southport links has hosted The Open on ten previous occasions, the last of which was in 2017 when Jordan Spieth came out on top following a final round duel with Matt Kuchar. The American joined a celebrated roll of Champion Golfers at Birkdale, including Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O’Meara and Padraig Harrington.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A, said: “Royal Birkdale is a world class championship venue and its outstanding links will once again provide the world’s best men’s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug.”

Andrew Maxwell, Captain of Royal Birkdale, said, “We are thrilled and honoured to have been chosen as the host venue for The Open in 2026. We look forward to welcoming the world’s best golfers to our magnificent course and providing them with a true test of links golf.”

Cam’s in charge at LIV Golf London

Cameron Smith secured his second win on UK soil in the space of 12 months when winning the London leg of the LIV Golf League held at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire.

The 2022 Open Champion went into the final day of the 54-hole event with a three-shot lead.

He fired a three-under 68 to finish on 15 under and win by a single shot from Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman, who shot 65 and 66 respectively to cut the gap, but Smith survived a finalhole bogey to keep his head in front and claim the $4m individual first prize.

Smith and Leishman were both part of the four-man Ripper team, which were leading the team event after two days, but they were overtaken by 4Aces for the $3m team prize thanks to late surges up the leaderboard from Reed, Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez. That meant a combined score of -34, one clear of Ripper’s -33.

“I’m obviously thrilled about the individual win, but it would have been nice to get up there with the boys and take the team title too,” said Smith, who missed a six-foot putt for par that would’ve forced the first team playoff since LIV Golf was launched last year.

Teammate Leishman said: “I really wanted Cam to make the one on the last there. He played great and putted great all week. To win the tournament and still walk off the green disappointed, I guess that’s what this team format is all about.”

The placings for individual honours saw Louis

Hall to open new academy at Paultons

Georgia Hall, England’s highest ranked female golfer, has launched her own golf academy at Paultons Golf Centre in Hampshire.

She kicked off the new partnership last month with a masterclass at the centre where the 2018 Women’s Open champion offered tips to a group of local children, including junior members at nearby Bramshaw Golf Club, on the Paultons driving range and putting green.

This session follows a month-long training programme led by Paultons’ experienced team of PGA Professionals. Over 750 children have received coaching sessions so far, helping to kickstart their passion for golf.

Earlier this year, the Hampshire golf course announced it was partnering with Bournemouth-born Hall to launch a new academy that will offer tailored programmes for young people and encourage disabled golfers to take up the game.

Paultons is currently developing proposals to upgrade and redesign its existing practice facilities, including a 6-hole academy course, improved short game facilities and upgraded driving range. This next phase of improvements will build on the extensive upgrades which have already been made to the golf centre in recent years. The existing 18-hole championship course has already been renovated and the driving range has installed Toptracer technology and heated bays.

Hall’s experience and knowledge will help shape the final vision for the new facilities at Paultons and the academy. Her ambition is to deliver a golf experience that appeals to the widest possible audience. She will be involved throughout the whole process, engaging directly with the Paultons project team.

Hall commented: “Through my academy, I want to inspire more young people and in particular more girls to

take up golf. Paultons Golf Centre is very close to where I was brought up and where I still live when I’m in the UK. When I was younger, I didn’t have the best facilities to practice on and even today I still have to leave the local area to practice when I’m at home. Having a better range and short game area is really important for future development of golf on the south coast.”

Ben Blackburn at Paultons Golf Centre, added: “The partnership with Georgia is really exciting as we’re bringing

Oosthuizen take fourth place on his own, largely on the back of his second round 63, while Dustin Johnson finished fifth. There was a five-way tie for sixth, with England’s Richard Bland enjoying a $648,000 pay day after a closing 66 saw him finish level with Cameron Tringale, Henrik Stenson, Pat Perez and Thomas Pieters.

In the team event the 4Aces certainly seem to have the formula for success. Sunday’s win was their sixth team title since the league launched, and their second this season, having also won in Adelaide. Victory at Centurion saw them increase their lead in the team standings to 39

Reed provided the Aces with their lowest score of the final day, a 6-under 65 that moved him to 14 under. The other two contributing scores belonged to Pat Perez, who shot a bogey-free 66, and captain Dustin Johnson with a 67, with Peter Uihlein’s 68 not counting.

The tournament, which was the first event in LIV Golf’s inaugural season last year, attracted much bigger crowds than 12 months ago, with all three days sold out across the board, with fans flocking to the venue to catch some of the game’s biggest stars in action before they took part in the following week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

together her passion for making golf more accessible with our plans to create an attractive golf destination for visitors from across the country that delivers the best facilities for the whole community, as well as keen amateurs and even professionals like Georgia herself.

“Our joint vision with Georgia is to help nurture future talent, producing the next Georgia Halls who can compete at the very highest level and become the best in the country if not the world. As we develop our plans, Georgia will be involved throughout the whole process with the wider project team.”

A full public consultation will take place before an application to expand the practice facilities is submitted to the New Forest National Park Authority later this year.

WHO WILL BE CROWNED QUEEN OF WALTON HEATH?

THE AIG WOMEN’S OPEN OFFERS THE LAST CHANCE FOR MAJOR GLORY IN 2023 FOR THE WORLD’S BEST WOMEN’S GOLFERS. BUT WHO WILL EMERGE TRIUMPHANT AT WALTON HEATH?

The AIG Women’s Open makes its muchanticipated debut at Walton Heath Golf Club this week, with the historic Surrey venue set to host the fifth and final major of the 2023 season from August 10-13.

Walton Heath is renowned for its two stunning heathland layouts, the Old and the New, although the tournament will be staged over a composite course the that combines holes from both courses.

The club is no stranger to staging top class events, with the Old Course have hosted five European Opens, 23 World Matchplay Championships, the 1981 Ryder Cup, and the DP World Tour’s British Masters in 2018. And it now proudly welcomes the best female golfers from around the globe to take on its pristine fairways, heathery rough and undulating greens.

STAR-STUDDED FIELD

The high-class field of 144 players competing at the AIG Women’s Open represents the cream of the world of professional women golfers, with the international challenge featuring the top-50 players in the Women’s World Rankings, including the top three women in the world rankings, Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko and Lydia Ko, alongside the likes of rising star Rose Zhang, the former world no.1 amateur who won a LPGA Tour on her debut as a professional earlier this summer.

AIG Women’s Open defending champion Ashleigh Buhai from South Africa will be looking to retain the title she won so impressively at Muirfield last year. An elite band of just five women have claimed victory in the championship more than once –with Karrie Webb and Sherri Steinhauer having

completed the treble, while Debbie Massey, Jiyai Shin and Yani Tseng have each won it twice, the latter having achieved the double most recently in 2011, so Buhai will have to be on top of her game if she is to repeat the feat of 12 months ago. Among her other rivals include Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, who captured the hearts of golf enthusiasts worldwide when she clinched the 2019 Women’s Open at Woburn, while the UK’s hopes rest of the shoulders of 2018 champion Georgia Hall, currently ranked 15 in the world, sixtime tour winner Charley Hull, who sits two places below her in 17th, and any number of rising stars of the game, including Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh, who are currently ranked 52nd and 50th in the world respectively.

THE FAN EXPERIENCE

While appealing to golf purists who want to see the world’s best golfers in action, this year’s AIG Women’s Open is also looking to appeal to a wider audience, and is pushing the boat out in terms of trying to attract first-time spectators with a range of live entertainment and activities that are designed to draw in newcomers. This includes the introduction of a festival fan village, street food vendors, roof top bars and live entertainment, with global superstar Ellie Goulding set to thrill fans as the headline music act in a concert performance being staged on Saturday night.

In addition to the headline music act, the new festival Fan Village will deliver an engaging live programming schedule throughout the week that

includes player appearances and interviews, live Q&As with inspiring women, documentary screenings, live podcast recordings and more live music.

Elsewhere, there will Golf It! Zone which will feature fun golf activities to introduce fans to the sport; interactive golf experiences, including VR and e-sports; big screens to watch golf and other sport, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup; and a new food and beverage offering which will feature a diverse range of street food traders. Free water refilling stations will be available across the site with reusable stainless steel water bottles available for purchase. Alternatively, please bring your own from home. The tournament will be operated as a cashless site and only credit or debit cards can be used to buy food and drink.

The AIG Women’s Open Shop will feature a range of functional and progressive adidas golf apparel and popular souvenirs. Our official merchandise includes event logo products along with merchandise of the host venue, Walton Heath.

TICKETS

Tickets to the AIG Women’s Open are now on sale via www,aigwomensopen.com. Adult tickets are available from £20, with Saturday tickets including full day of golf action and entry to Ellie Goulding concert priced at £55. A number of offers are also available, including a £10 discount when booking a weekend bundle and a saving of £40 when booking the new

five-day ticket offering. Mastercard holders are also eligible to receive £5 off their transaction when booking with a valid Mastercard on checkout.

To encourage children and young people to attend the AIG Women’s Open, The R&A will continue the successful ‘Kids go Free’ programme on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, which provides children under-16-years-old free entry to the Championship when accompanied by a paying adult. Half- price youth tickets are also available on those days for 16-24-year-olds. Junior and youth tickets for Saturday’s golf action and Ellie Goulding concert are £20 and £40 respectively.

AIG WOMEN’S OPEN APP

The AIG Women’s Open app has a live leaderboard, with up-to-date, hole-by-hole scoring from each round. You can customise how your leaderboard looks and receive notifications based on your preferences and by bookmarking your favourite players.

GATE OPENING TIMES

Weds, 9 August - 7am; Thurs, 10 August - 6am; Friday 11 August - 6am; Saturday 12 August - 8am; Sunday 13 August - 8am.

GETTING THERE

BY CAR: There will be no public car parking at Walton Heath or in the immediate surrounding area. All public parking is provided free of charge at the AIG Women’s Open Park & Ride facility (follow the yellow signs on main roads), with the exception of prebooked Blue Badge parking that is located on-site. The bus transfer to the club takes 10-15 minutes. BY TRAIN: Southern Railway provides direct train services to Redhill from Victoria, London Bridge, Gatwick, Tonbridge and Guildford. A free shuttle bus service will run between August 9-13 from Redhill Station. The journey time to Walton Heath is approximately 20 minutes. The first shuttle will start 20 minutes before gate opening times and run until after play has finished each day, with an extended service on August 12 after the Ellie Goulding concert. The pick-up point is located in the station car park immediately outside the main entrance.

CARD OF THE COURSE

THE HIGHCLASS FIELD OF 144 PLAYERS COMPETING AT THE AIG WOMEN’S OPEN REPRESENTS THE CREAM OF PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S GOLF

Royal Mid-Surrey gifted historic JH Taylor putter

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club has been gifted the putter used by its first-ever club professional, JH Taylor, to win his fifth and final Major at Royal Liverpool in 1913 by the former staff and pupils of an Essex school at which his son was once headmaster.

The Richmond-based club plans to display the prized putter in the clubhouse in a special cabinet that draws attention to JH Taylor’s playing achievements more than a century ago and his unrivalled golfing legacy.

The putter was made by renowned St Andrews club maker and R&A professional Willie Auchterlonie, who crafted golf clubs most of his adult life and was Open champion himself in 1893, winning at the age of 21 at Prestwick with seven clubs he made for himself.

Fast forward two decades and the putter was reportedly given to Taylor on the eve of the 1913 tournament by Andrew Kirkaldy, the club professional at St Andrews at the time.

JH Taylor won the 1913 Open Championship by an incredible eight shots after high winds and rain affected the scoring at Hoylake with players struggling to break 80 on the final day. He shot rounds of 73, 75, 77 and 79 for a 304 total to collect the Claret Jug and the £50 winner’s prize.

In 1982, Taylor’s son Jack presented the putter to the Old Buckwellians Association, a network of former pupils and staff from Buckhurst Hill County High School in Essex, where he was the school’s first headmaster until his retirement in 1966. The school closed in 1989, but the Association used the putter as the prize for its annual golf competition.

As the school has been closed for more than 30 years and there will be an everdecreasing number of OBA members, it was deemed fitting to find a suitable home for a permanent display of the putter in memory of both Senior and Junior Taylors.

So it was recently gifted to Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, where JH Taylor became head professional in 1899 and designed both 18-hole courses, one of which bears his name today.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been gifted the putter that we can showcase to our members and guests from around the world, especially on the eve of The Open Championship heading back to the place where the putter was used to win the famous Claret Jug trophy 110 years ago,” said Royal Mid-Surrey General Manager, Mark Gailey. “We pass our heartfelt thanks to the Old Buckwellians Association, as Royal Mid-Surrey is a fitting place for the putter to call home just as John Henry did for 47 years as our first-ever club professional.”

Founded in 1892, Royal Mid-Surrey counts a total of nine Open Championship titles among its club professionals – JH Taylor (1894,1895, 1900, 1909 & 1913), Henry Cotton (1934, 1937 & 1948) and Max Faulkner (1951) – which is believed to be more than any club in the world.

Kim captures McGregor Trophy after play-off

Surrey’s Kris Kim held his nerve to win the McGregor Trophy – the English Boys U16 Amateur Stroke Play Championship – following a nail-biting victory over Cameron Mukherjee on the second play-off hole at Hunstanton Golf Club.

The 15-year-old from Walton Heath produced a performance of a lifetime to claim one of the biggest wins of his career to date.

A bogey-free final round of 67 which included an impressive chip-in for birdie on 11, was added to his previous scores of 64, 76 and 69 to give Kim a final total of 276 (-12). Playing in one of the earlier groups, it meant that Kim faced an anxious wait in the clubhouse to see if his score would be beaten by the remaining players out on the course. In the end, M Mukherjeecould only match his score and Kim took the title after winning the second play off hole with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Speaking after the presentation, Kim said: “It means everything. It’s my last time playing in this event, so it’s really special to have won it. Every shot went where I wanted it to go, so it couldn’t have been a better day for me!”

Singing Hills raises its game with Toptracer

The driving range experience at Singing Hills Golf Club in West Sussex has been enhanced following the installation of Toptracer Range at the Albournebased club.

The technology has been fitted to all 15 covered bays, while the upgraded facility is also floodlit so that members and visitors can practice at all times of the day throughout the year. A special opening day was held on August 6, where guests were treated to a free bucket of balls to try out the new technology and compete for prizes.

Toptracer uses proprietary radar technology to capture ball flight information in real-time to show users the flight path of their ball and provide valuable data about the shot to help them improve their game. Perfect for all levels of golf, the range includes 14 interactive bays with touchscreen displays where visitors compete in a variety of games or improve their skills. Game modes include Closest to the Pin, Approach Shot Challenge, Long Drive, and Go Fish, as well as virtual golf courses through simulator play modes.

Visitors will also have the option of linking their personal profile to the Toptracer Range App and

gaining access to their entire history of shot data, including specific club performance details, and how they rank against other players on leader boards.

In addition to the excellent practice facilities, Singing Hills boasts 27 holes of superb parkland golf in the foothills of the beautiful South Downs, with golfers able to play the 9, 18 or 27-hole loops that are provides by the River, Valley and Lake courses. The latter nine features one of the layout’s signature holes, with the par-3 second hole modelled on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass, famous for its iconic island green.

Buggy vandals cause £15,000 damage at Lottbridge

Vandals caused over £15,000 worth of damage at Lottbridge Golf Club in Eastbourne last month after a group of young man broke into the club and damaged its entire fleet of buggies, including driving one of them into a lake.

Flags marking the holes were also snapped in two and tyre marks were left all over the course. Sussex Police have said that the incident, which took place on the night of Saturday, July 15, was caused by a group of young men, whose identity has yet to be established. Anyone with any information about the incident can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting case number 602.

PLAY SMART

FULL-ON FALDO

Forty-one years after winning the final of his three Open Championships, 66-year-old Sir Nick Faldo looks back on his humble beginnings in the game, his playing career, his ‘after-life’ as a course designer, commentator and junior golf supporter, and gives his thoughts on the current state of the professional game

ON BEING A LATE STARTER IN THE GAME…

I didn’t play my first full round of golf until I was 14. I remember watching the Masters in 1971 and saying to my parents that I would like to give golf a go. Mum and Dad bought me a half set of clubs for my birthday, they were called St Andrews, which is quite apposite, and I was instantly hooked. By the time I was 16 I knew that I wanted to be a pro and I left school.

I went with my dad to the Open in 1974 at Lytham and I remember watching players like Jack, Arnie and Lee [Trevino]. I had kind of photographic memory and I watched their swings and went back to the driving range, or the local field as it was, and tried to mimic their swings and all their idiosyncrasies. I would play matches in my head – me versus Jack or Arnie. When I would go out and hit balls, it was like they really were there. They were my imaginary friends.

I was just a working-class kid from Welwyn Garden City. It was the old-fashioned way, you know – the answer is in the dirt, as Ben Hogan once said. I beat golf balls and then went out and competed, learned from successes and failures, and kept bashing away. And that’s how I entertained myself on my own. And that’s why practising was so easy for me. I’ve never been bored with practice, which is pretty amazing given that I’ve probably hit millions of golf balls.

ON WINNING THE OPEN AT ST ANDREWS IN 1990

It was a great week. I’d won the Masters that year, and I arrived at St Andrews on a mission to win. I was tied for the lead with Greg Norman on 12 under after two rounds. On Saturday I kept the hammer down and shot a 67 and before I knew it i had a five-shot lead. It’s weird feeling dealing with a big lead – just as Brian Harman probably felt last week – because you want to be aggressive, but you don’t want to doing anything stupid, so it’s a difficult balancing act. I think I was level or 1-under for the final round and won by five, but it probably wasn’t until the 15th hole on Sunday that I thought I had it in the bag. It was the greatest feeling.

ON BEING THE LAST ENGLISH WINNER OF THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP…

It is surprising that no-one has come along and managed to breakthrough again since 1992, as we’ve certainly had players that were and are more than capable of doing it, but it’s not that easy to put the whole thing together physically and mentally. You’ve just got to have the bottle, and I don’t know how I had it, but I’m delighted I that I did. I saw every shot as a problem-solving challenge, and you have to have the mental strength to keep dealing with it time after time after time, so that you are able to give every shot 100%. Some guys just can’t do that.

ON REBUILDING HIS SWING WHILE AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWERS…

I rst met David Ledbetter down in South Africa at the end of 1984, and by the summer of ‘85 I’m in America and I couldn’t hit my hat. David was there and I said to him, ‘Alright, let’s get started’. It was a ludicrous decision to make mid-season and I took an awful lot of stick for that, but I beat a lot of golf balls for two years before something ipped and I got the trust back in my swing. So many players have had success and lots of wins and then lost it, but it’s such a di cult thing to get back – we’re walking a knife edge almost every day – so I was very luck in that respect that I got it back.

ON BEING SO SINGLE-MINDED

ON THE GOLF COURSE…

It’s not so much that I had to be that way, but it was the only way I knew. I guess I was inspired a little bit by my rst sports hero, Bjorn Borg, and it seemed the best way to play this game was to be completely focused and have the same intensity through the week. I wish I was a better entertainer, but I thought the entertainment was the way I played golf. They want us to do a little bit of everything, to play like Arnie, have the diplomacy of Jack, the charisma of Seve and the jokes of Trevino. But it wasn’t going to happen –that wasn’t me.

ON THE PAIN OF LOSING THE 2008 RYDER CUP AS CAPTAIN…

Of course it hurt, it absolutely did. You do your best. You can’t do anything about it from outside the ropes. As a captain you have to deal with things you shouldn’t have to deal with. You have to call four players who aren’t receiving wildcards] It’s ridiculous isn’t it, that’s your opening job. Then you get criticised for that, right o the bat. Every day you have to rest four players and you get criticised for that; well, that’s the rules. You get slated without anyone knowing what’s going on inside the four walls of the team room.

ON THE IMPACT OF MODERN EQUIPMENT ON THE PROFESSIONAL GAME….

Modern equipment makes the game too darn easy for tour pros. The sweet spot on a driver in

STRIKERS

my day was the size of a pea, not far o . If you hit it with the heel or the toe of a persimmon driver it would go absolutely nowhere.

There was a time when only a dozen of us on tour who were great ball strikers. Now there’s only a dozen who aren’t. We got excited when Seve had a go at the 10th green at the Belfry, which. back in the day. was a 240-yard carry. Now we have guys having a go at the green on 400-yard holes. The excitement is still there in the game, but it’s just a di erent animal.

ON THE PGA TOUR’S DEAL WITH THE SAUDI PIF AND THE IMPACT OF LIV GOLF….

I think when the dust settles, whether it takes six months, a year, or whatever, my goodness, professional golf is going to be in an overall better position nancially than we were back in the day, but no-one knows what the overall picture will look like yet.

I would love for the world of golf to come together, but there was some kind of route around the world. South Africa, Australia and Japan all have great tours and they will need to be included in the bigger picture, it can’t just be all about America.

From a purely playing perspective, I feel that they LIV Golf events are meaningless and are not growing the game of golf in quite the way that they say it is. Only half-a-dozen players are really relevant in terms of their status within the game – half of the eld I don’t really know, and the rest are there for the very nice money that you still get if you shoot whatever-over-par.

Secondly, nobody’s really interested in the team aspect of it because it doesn’t feel like a team event. They call it a team event, but it’s not because it’s stroke play. You see your mates on the putting green and say, ‘Play well’ and you see them in the scorer’s tent and say, ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping each other, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team. They’re not playing with anywhere close to the same passion and atmosphere that you see at the Ryder Cup.

ON HIS MOTIVATION FOR SETTING UP THE FALDO SERIES…

I was playing in America with Ray Floyd’s son back in the late 1990s and asked where he was playing next. He reeled o all these tournaments and I thought, ‘Wow, we need to create more opportunities for young players back in the UK.’ I thought a cool prize was to get the kids out of the dreaded British winter so we took the winners to Orlando in Florida. Originally it was: ‘Where is the next Nick Faldo coming from?’ The kids love it and I get a real kick out of that. I go to all the nals. I was with them at Brocket Hall in July when they were all telling me how much they wanted to win to get to the UAE, again to get out of the winter. We have had very young kids travelling the world, providing great experiences for them and I’m very proud of what we have achieved over the last 27 years and looking back at the number of players we’ve brought on. A skinny lad called Rory something being one of them…

ON HANGING UP HIS COMMENTATOR’S MICROPHONE ON THE PGA TOUR…

I just got tired of all the travel. I was on the road for six months of the year. It was a great job, but 40 years of travelling suddenly hits you. I’ve not totally given up commentary work, as I did some work at the Masters, and the Open and I’ll be doing some more at the Ryder Cup. I de nitely enjoy those big events, and it helps me stay in touch with the game.

ON HIS WANING POWERS AS A GOLFER…

I was a really good golfer half my lifetime ago. I would love to be able to play how I used to, but it doesn’t last more than three shots. That hurts me, even now, aged 66. I played the other day and was three under after nine. Next time, I was seven over after nine. I’m not interested when I’m clanking shots. You can’t just dust the clubs o and have half a dozen stretches. We travelled hard, played hard. The old gol ng batteries are just worn out.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN ONLY A DOZEN OF US ON TOUR WERE GREAT BALL

■ FALDO WITH PROUD PARENTS GEORGE AND JOYCE

■ GROWING THE GAME: SIR NICK GIVES A CLINIC TO LOCAL CHILDREN AT A RECENT FALDO SERIES ASIA FINAL IN VIETNAM

■ TALENT SPOTTED: RORY MCILROY WON THE FALDD SERIES U15 FINAL IN 2004

Aces high at Meyrick Park!

The Club at Meyrick Park in Bournemouth celebrated one of the most remarkable Seniors Club Championships in its history last month, when three golfers made a combined four holes-in-one in the same competition – and two of those coming from the same person – on the same hole.

Austin Okoye, Matt Dooley and Clive Wingfield bagged the coveted aces, two of them for the first time ever, during the first round of the event which took place at the Dorsetbased club on July 17.

With only 40 players competing, the first hole-in-one of the tournament came on the very first hole on the first day, from Austin, with the former professional boxer achieving the remarkable feat with his driver. With club records dating back to 2006, not a single hole-in-one had been registered on the 220-yard first hole until now.

Considered to be one of the hardest par-3s in the county, the 65-year-old said: “It’s just the most impossible hole, it’s just remarkable. It’s one of those holes I always dreamed of acing, but never thought it was possible. When it happened, it was a bit of shock.”

Just minutes later, Clive, 60, landed an ace on the 152-yard, 12th hole with his 5-iron. That was closely followed by retired plumber Matt, 75, on the 162-yard 10th hole, who holed one with his rescue club and admitted: “You get a buzz when you actually walk up to the hole and see the ball in there. It was quite an incredible feeling.”

That was all on day one, and things were to get even more remarkable for property dealer Clive on the second day, July 19. He managed to repeat his feat by picking up his second hole-in-one of the tournament, again on the 12th, and again with his fiveiron. Despite a nine on his card in the first round, his two aces helped him to win the tournament by six shots.

After his remarkable achievement, Clive admitted: “Two in one competition is just unbelievable, but also for there to be four across the competition is amazing.”

The odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are estimated at 12,500-1, while over 90% of all golfers will never make one in their lifetime. Meyrick Park’s Golf Operations Manager, Greg Asher, revealed: “When news travelled back to the clubhouse, the members were shocked and questioning what the odds were of this happening, because the club normally only averages around three holes-in-one each year, let alone the same competition. It’s a memory that the players and our club will remember for years to come.”

Korda calls the shots at Centurion

Nelly Korda secured her first victory of 2023 with a four-stroke success in the Aramco Team Series at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire.

It was the American’s second Aramco Team Series title following her win at Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande last year. The 24-year-old underlined her liking for the innovative format that combines team and individual play by leading from start to finish at Centurion Club.

Korda was tied at the top with Charley Hull after the first round, and then on the second day, she played brilliantly in stormy conditions to open up a five-shot lead.

Hull gave chase on the final day, a week on from her tied-second display in the US Women’s Open. The English ace fired a sizzling 68 but was forced to settle for second best again, thanks to Korda’s consistency and class.

Korda shot a final-day 71 to close out at 11-under-par to triumph for the first time since the Pelican Women’s Championship last November.

Korda said: “I’ve really put a lot of work in recently and it’s nice that it’s paid off. I knew Charley was going to make a run for it; I think everyone was trying to. It’s tough to be the one out front and who everyone is trying to get. I just stuck to my game and took it one shot at a time. As boring as it sounds, it worked.”

Korda dealt supremely with the heavy rain on the first day and the sustained high winds on day two – the latter she described as “probably, top-three toughest conditions I’ve ever played in.” She also added that her second-round 69 rated in the “top-three best rounds in my life”.

Hull’s chance took a major blow with her second round 76 as the exhaustion of recent weeks caught up with her. But she responded well to end the tournament on a high. She said: “It was good fun out there. It was nice to be playing in front of the home crowds. I felt like I crashed a bit in the second round, but I felt a lot better today. I feel like my game is in good shape – second last week, second this week. Hopefully, a win is round the corner.”

Georgia Hall led the successful quartet to victory in the 36-hole team event. The English golfer combined with Kylie Henry, Lea Anne Bramwell and amateur Michael Austick to finish at 24-under-par – one clear of team Hull.

Hall said: “When one of us was out of a hole, another player came in and managed to save that par or get that birdie. And our amateur helped two or three times in the round, which was also handy.”

Henry paid tribute to team captain Hall, who chipped in for birdie on the 35th hole and then eagled the last. She said: “Amazing – what a great finish from Georgia. Chipping in and then the eagle, she just hit such a great 3-wood in, and the putt was never in doubt. So it was brilliant for the team – we were certainly delighted.”

■ MATT DOOLEY, SENIORS CAPTAIN RICHARD OLIVER, CLIVE WINGFIELD AND AUSTIN OKOYE

Rising stars set to light up the fairways as the Rose Ladies Open returns to Brocket Hall

Following on from the success of the inaugural tournament last year, Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire will once again host one of the foremost events on the Ladies European Tour Access Series, the Rose Ladies Open, from September 7-9.

The 54-hole stroke play competition, supported by Kate and Justin Rose, will be played over the par-72 Melbourne Course, one of two championship courses at Brocket Hall, and will boast an increased prize fund of €70,000; the largest prize fund this season on the LET Access Series.

Kate Rose said: “It is important for us to continue to provide these opportunities for the female professionals to play competitively; creating more opportunities for everyone to see, experience and support ladies professional golf here in the UK.

“In everything we do within ladies professional golf, we are working towards change, pushing for equality; and with this tournament, providing the players on the Access Series with a pathway through to the Ladies European Tour.”

The field of 108 players will include defending champion My Leander, as well as Tour rookie Emily Price from England and Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard Nielsen.

Kibsgaard is currently leading both the LETAS Order of Merit and the Rookie of the Year rankings and got her first pro win this year in Montauban. Price is third on the current Order of Merit and second in the Rookie of the Year ranking. Local focus will be on Brocket Hall member and Herts local amateur and junior Sophia Fullbrook, who received a personal invite from Justin Rose to play thanks to her 2022

Junior Golf Champion title.

The event is not only being promoted to golfers but to families and newcomers to the game inviting them to come along and enjoy a family day out, watch some action and engage with the game of golf in stunning surroundings. Tickets are free, with attendees only required to register for them online beforehand.

In addition to watching some of the future stars of the women’s professional game in action, a Celebrity Pro-Am on September 6 will give everyone a chance to spot a few celebrities, as well as the pros themselves. Meanwhile on tournament days, there will be the opportunity to try out golf thanks to The Golf Foundation who will be on hand for everyone to have a go at putting and hitting some balls.

Throughout the week, Brocket Hall will be providing a range of F&B options from full hospitality to food stands. The venue is easily accessible – just 22 miles from the centre of London – and will provide on-site free parking. For registration for free tickets, visit roseladiesopen.co.uk and for hospitality options, go to brocket-hall.co.uk.

Gough banks on sponsorship deal as pro career looms

John Gough is looking every inch a tour player in waiting after the 24-year-old Berkshire-based amateur signed a sponsorship deal with a US bank ahead of his appearance in last month’s British Masters at The Belfry.

Gough, who is currently 12th in the World Amateur Rankings, attracted the attentions of the management of First Citizens Bank after notching seven elite-level victories in the last three seasons, making him among the most titled amateurs to emerge in Britain and Ireland since Rory McIlroy.

The 24-year-old became acquainted with the North Carolina-headquartered bank after he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with victories in 2021 Linger Longer Invitational and the Palmetto Amateur Championship. Later that summer he added the English Men’s Amateur Championship, while victories in the Spanish Amateur Championship and Lytham Trophy followed in 2022, and in 2023 he has triumphed in the Australian Masters of the Amateurs and the Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship.

It’s a golfing CV that not only highlights the Berkshire golfer’s ability to win at the highest level, but also his capacity to maintain those standards anywhere around the world – a quality that will hold him in good stead when he eventually makes the journey into the paid ranks.

Win a VIP hospitality package to the Rose Ladies Open!

Golf News has teamed up with the Ladies European Tour Access Series and Brocket Hall to offer a full hospitality package for two people to attend the 2023 Rose Ladies Open, which is being held at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire from September 7-9.

This superb prize will get you into the heart of the action at this showpiece event to watch the rising stars of the women’s professional game taking on the challenge of Brocket Hall’s stunning Melbourne Course in all its late summer glory.

The tournament is being attended by former European no.1 and major champion Justin Rose, who will be hosting a junior coaching clinic on Saturday, September 9 and presenting the trophy, with his wife Kate, to the tournament winner later that afternoon.

The prize includes the following package for any single day of the tournament: • Entrance ticket to the Rose Ladies Open • A pin flag signed by 2022 Rose Ladies Open champion My Leander • Access to the private hospitality space with terrace offering views across course • Melbourne Club/Rose Open

Gift • Welcome drink • Full English buffet breakfast with unlimited tea & coffee

• 3-course gala lunch • All-inclusive beer, wine & non-alcoholic beverages.

• Live music.

TO ENTER

To win this great prize, answer the question below and email info@golfnews.co.uk with the subject line ‘Rose Ladies Open Competition’. The winner will be selected at random and have the option to choose one day to attend between September 7-9. The closing date for entries is August 28, 2023.

Question: Brocket Hall boasts two championship golf courses, the Melbourne and the Palmerston, but which one will be hosting the 2023 Rose Ladies Open?

“I was so grateful for the opportunity to tee it up with the pros and showcase why I received the invitation,” Gough said ahead of the first round at the British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, where he ultimately finished in a tie for 39th after rounds of 68, 71, 76 and 73.

Gough himself said: “Having an invite was an honour in itself and so was representing First Citizens Bank and proudly wearing the logo on the course.”

The British Masters was Gough’s fourth start at a professional level. He said: “It’s quite surreal because you get the buzz and the butterflies in the stomach on arrival, but then I was also thinking that if I played my normal game I could make something happen. The crowds were bigger than anything I’ve ever played in front of before and I really enjoyed the experience, but it was a shame I couldn’t build on my good start.”

Gough revealed that his prowess for claiming wins has been a work in progress. “In my college years I was always a steady golfer, but my first two victories made a huge impact on my selfconfidence and self-belief. Knowing that I had won and that every shot doesn’t need to be perfect has been a big help. It should bode well for me heading into the pro ranks.”

■ RISING STARS OF EUROPEAN LADIES PROFESSIONAL GOLF WILL BE COMPETING AT THE ROSE LADIES OPEN AT BROCKET HALL

■ JUSTIN AND KATE ROSE WITH 2022 WINNER MY LEANDER

Dale Hill captain pulls an all-nighter for charity!

Dale Hill’s Club Captain Richard Hannam has shown incredible dedication to raising funds for cancer research. During his captains Year, his brother sadly passed away from Cancer.

This sad family event meant that he wanted to challenge himself both physically and mentally by taking on the challenge of not only playing golf for 24 hours but also walking the whole event in memory of his brother and raising fund for Cancer Research UK.

He embarked on his firsst round on Dale Hill’s Old Course at 8.30am on July 4 in the weekly seniors competition. Following this round he completed another two rounds during the afternoon and evening on the Ian Woosnam Course. The late

Aces at the double for Chipstead hotshots

Chipstead Golf Club members Peter Griggs and James Selby etched their name into the Surrey club’s history books last month after becoming the first members to make a hole-in one on the same day and at the same hole.

The pair were taking part in the club’s mid-week stableford event when they both aced the 131-yard 3rd hole. It was Peter’s first ever hole-in-one, but for James it was his third – and his second in the space of just three months!

A solid 8-iron got the job for Peter in the morning, then James made it a double celebration in the evening with another one of his famous soft 9-irons - the very same club that he used to hole out on the 13th hole at the Carya Golf Club in Turkey back in May.

Foxhills unveils Foundation class of ‘23

Six talented young golfers have become the latest scholars to be handed a potentially life-changing opportunity through the Foxhills Foundation.

A selection of Surrey’s brightest up-and-coming stars have claimed a coveted place on the esteemed scholarship programme that supports the next generation of junior golfers.

Matilde Santilli (16), Johnny Summerfield (15), James Parsons (17), Guy Allen (17), Josh Ditton (15) and Frankie Ashdown (13) are the newest recruits and will follow in the footsteps of PGA Tour and European Tour stars Paul Casey and Anthony Wall, who both graduated from the scheme on their way to their stellar careers.

The Foxhills Foundation has established itself as one of the country’s top youth development programmes since it started in 1986, helping develop more than 300 golfers through expert coaching and support. Youngsters aged 13 to 18 from the local community, who may not previously have had the opportunity, are picked through a careful selection progress and given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make the most of their golfing potential with everything they need to gain a deep understanding of the game, both on and off the course.

Delivered by Foxhills’ PGA Professionals, the scholars will benefit from an honorary membership at the PGA Cup host venue, in addition to mentoring, specialist tuition and equipment support. Not only will they have access to weekly group and private lessons, but also range balls, clothing and the opportunity to represent the prestigious club in competitions.

Sean Graham, Director of Golf, said: “We’re excited to announce our six newest scholars. There is some real potential and it’s genuinely exciting to think we could have seen a few future champions taking their first steps towards an elite career.

“The Foxhills Foundation is all about inclusivity and accessibility. We are lucky to be able to play an important

role in our local community to help youngsters achieve their dreams. We want to give them, regardless of their background and circumstances, the tools they need to learn, develop, progress and excel in golf.

“A lot of hard work has gone into the youth development programme at Foxhills. We have children as young as three years old taking their first steps in the sport right through to those young adults who are actively pursuing a future career in the professional ranks. We are just enabling them to be the best golfers they can possibly be by making sure everything is in place to give them the best possible chance to succeed. It’s up to individual to grab it with both hands and make the most out of it.”

evening brought some unfortunate weather, but undeterred by the rain and complete darkness due to the cloud cover, he took on the night golf course setup around the Old Course, before switching back onto the Woosnam Course, where completed an astounding 24 hours of continuous play at 8.30am on July 5.

Richard played an impressive total of six rounds, covering a staggering 108 holes. What makes this achievement even more extraordinary is that he completed the entire course on foot, totalling over 80,000 steps in the process.

Richard showcased his golfing and endurance skills, and managed to raise over £2.500 for cancer research.

Matilde Santilli, who has a handicap of +2 and has already represented England at U-16s level five times, has ambitions to play collegiate golf in the USA and then turn professional and play on the LET or LPGA Tour. James Parsons, who plays off scratch, also has ambitions to head over to the States on a college scholarship with dreams of making it on the PGA Tour while Frankie Ashdown, who currently plays off 25.8, is looking to get his handicap down to single figures in two years’ time and scratch in four years.

Paul Casey, who joined the Foundation at the age of 11 and has since gone on to make five appearances in the Ryder Cup and claim 21 professional victories, said: “Foxhills is where it started for me. I successfully tried for the Foxhills Foundation as a young man and the rest is history. I learnt so much in those early years playing the two great courses and receiving tuition from the excellent teaching staff.”

HARMAN REIGNS SUPREME AT HOYLAKE

Brian Harman, a little-fancied left-hander from Georgia, upstaged his rivals and upset the local fans when storming to a wide-margin win at the season’s final major

Words by Nick Bayly

American left-hander Brian Harman surprised many of the 250,000 fans that attended the 151st Open Championship in person, and millions of those who tuned in on TV, when winning the Claret Jug – and the title of Champion Golfer of the Year – after finishing six shots clear of the field at a wet and windy Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

The 36-year-old from Georgia, who was ranked 26th in the world when he arrived on the Wirral, started the final round with a five-shot lead, after compiling rounds of 67, 65 and 69, and, although the gap was briefly closed to three mid-way through Sunday afternoon, Harman barely had to get out of third gear to win his first major title by the widest margin the Open has seen since Louis Oosthuizen’s victory at St Andrews in 2010.

Harman hit the front at Royal Liverpool on Friday morning and never let anyone else back in on the way to claiming his first major title and his first win of any kind in six years. A 65 in the second round put Harman into a five-shot lead at halfway, while equalling the Royal Liverpool record at an Open. From there, he had to deal with early bogeys on Saturday and Sunday, major champions making their move, deteriorating weather, and above all, time.

Harman openly admitted before the weekend that he had an active mind and struggled when he is given too much time to think about things, but he looked like to be running on autopilot for the last 36 holes, hitting fairways and greens with incredible consistency, making bounceback birdies whenever he dropped a shot, and barely missing a putt that mattered. After dropping a shot on the second hole on Sunday, and another at the fifth after finding gorse off the tee, Harman briefly gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope that the magnitude of what he might be able to achieve had finally got to him, but back-to-back birdies on 6 and 7 seemed to settle any doubts that his rivals may have harboured that a collapse was on the cards.

When Harman bogeyed 13 after missing a sixfoot putt for par, there seemed just enough time for the nerves to kick back in, but once again, the response was immediate – a birdie from 40 feet on 14 putting to bed any fears of a sting in the tail. He backed that up with another birdie on 15 – holing out from 8 feet – to push his lead back to five.

That margin ended at half-a-dozen and that ability to bounce back from adversity appeared to play on the chasing pack. Birdie opportunities slipped by and the lead just would not close.

Those who were playing good enough golf to put pressure on Harman were too far back. Tom

Kim, somehow hobbling around despite suffering a grade one tear in his ankle after a slip on Thursday night, was the pick of them. The South Korean birdied 4 and then eagled 5, adding three more birdies for a brilliant 67 to finish seven-under and tied for second. But starting the day three-under, before bogeys on 1 and 2, effectively put him out of contention without a Harman collapse.

Austrian Sepp Straka was another to bogey the first, responding well for a 69 to join Kim in second, pushing his Ryder Cup cause despite a bogey on the last. Jason Day, a former world number one, was the third member of the quartet in tied second, struggling to deal with the damp greens as birdie chances turned into pars, with the exception of a magnificent chip-in on 9. Jon Rahm got as close as anyone and will look back with regret on a 30-footer on 6 that just missed as the chance to cut the lead to just two slipped away. More than that, the four putts inside four feet that were missed on the first two days will really sting. He birdied the last at least, to secure his best finish at The Open.

Rory McIlroy’s three straight birdies from 3 to 5 had the crowd in raptures, but as ever this week, he

FINAL SCORES

Pos Player total

1 Brian Harman -13

T2 Sebb Straka -7

Jason Day -7

Tom Kim -7

Jon Rahm -7

T6 Emiliano Grillo -6

Rory McIlroy -6

T8 Cameron Young -5

Shubhankar Sharma -5

T10 Matthew Jordan -4

Tommy Fleetwood - 4

Max Homa -4

■ BRIAN HARMAN WAS ALL SMILES WHEN HE GOT HIS HANDS ON THE CLARET JUG

■ LEFT: RORY MCILROY’S HOPES OF RETURNING TO MAJOR-WINNING FORM AT HOYLAKE FELL SHORT, WITH THE 2014 CHAMPION FINISHING TIED

HARMAN’S ABILITY TO BOUNCE BACK FROM ADVERSITY APPEARED TO UNSETTLE THE CHASING PACK

was never able to build on that momentum and some errant approaches and a cold putter saw him finish with a 68 for six-under-par, the same score as Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.

The English challenge for a first Open Champion in 31 years never quite materialised. Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan finished with a birdie to secure a magical top-10 finish, ending level with the other local hero, Tommy Fleetwood, whose race was run long before he triple-bogeyed the par-3 17th to drop back to a share of tenth – leaving the local fans to trek home sodden and a more than a little sad that ‘Tommy Lad’ was unable to live up to their lofty expectations.

Royal Liverpool’s reputation as one of the toughest courses on the Open rota remained intact after found challenging days of links golf, with only 22 players of the 156 that started out finishing under par. The course’s controversial internal out of bounds, especially that which features on the righthand side of the 18th hole, drew plenty of criticism, and ended the hopes of many players, including Tyrrell Hatton and Rickie Fowler, who racked up a 9 and an 8 respectively, while the club’s greenkeepers were hurriedly sent out to rake all of the bunkers on Thursday night after the flat bottoms of the hazards were deemed to be unfair. With such steep faces, the lack of gradients at the edges of the bunkers meant that balls were gathering in rightangled corners, making the only possibly escape being sideways or backwards. It was clearly an issue that should have been spotted before the championship and it is unlikely that we shall see a repeat of that at future Opens.

The equally controversial par-3 17th hole, ‘Little Eye’, is also likely to be redesigned before the Open returns to Hoylake. Although the 130-yard hole produced an ace and healthy number of birdies, there were also quite a few double and triple bogeys, with many players and observers questioning the size of the safe landing areas on the green and penal nature of the sandy waste area to the left. The members are also understood to want it changed. So it will most likely happen.

The behaviour of the spectators – or rather, the reaction of a very small minority of fans to the widemargin lead that Harman had – led to the occasional ‘boo’ sounding out across the fairways on Saturday and Sunday, but again, it seemed like a one-off, rather than a widespread fear that football crowds are turning up to watch a different game.

What is in no doubt is that England’s 31-year search for someone to follow in the footsteps of Nick Faldo and claim the Claret Jug for King and Country goes on. Roll on Royal Portrush. Then again, that’s one for the Irish. Rory will be hoping so.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SITTING ON MY NEW TRACTOR AND MOWING MY GRASS”

Brian Harman says he is excited about the imminent delivery of his new tractor following his Open Championship triumph, but what else was going through the mind of the Champion Golfer of the Year as he spreadeagled the field at Royal Liverpool?

What was it like to go to bed on Saturday night with a five-shot lead? Did you sleep much?

I slept pretty well, to be honest. I finished my third round about 7.45pm, and then went and hit balls for about 25 minutes, then did about 10 minutes of putting. I then had dinner, and after that I had a session with my physical therapist and then had a 5-minute ice bath. I probably got to sleep at around 11.30pm.

You had a little bit of a wobble over the opening holes, dropping shots at one and five. Was there a particular shot that got your ship back on course?

Yeah, I hit a really good 5-iron into the par-3 6th, made birdie there after bogeying a pretty easy hole at five, and that seemed to settle me.

At point did you think the championship was in the bag?

I don’t think this a course where you can be comfortable with any kind of lead, especially with those last three or four holes. To be honest, I don’t think I registered that I had it won until I hit the green on 18. There were fleeting thoughts [about winning] throughout the day, but I told myself I wasn’t going to let any of that come into my brain. So, any time it came, I just thought of something else.

Your putting was in a different league to most players this week. What was the secret to your red-hot form with the flatstick?

Yeah, I found this silly looking training aid a few months ago, which has really improved my putting. It’s got a mirror which helps with my release pattern. I was cutting across my putts too much, so I spent a lot of time just feeling the ball, almost trying to hit a baby draw. I picked it up on the putting green at a tournament a few years ago and it had been sitting in my barn for ages. I hadn’t been putting very well this year, so I got it out and I started putting well with it.

The local fans were clearly rooting for a home winner, and there’s no doubt that you had to deal with some negative comments from the galleries over the weekend. Did that affect you in anyway?

Everyone has the team or the guy their rooting for, and Rory and Tommy were out there making a run, so I expected that. After I made my second bogey on Saturday, a guy, when I was passing him, said to me, “Harman, you don’t have the stones for this.” That

helped a lot. It helped snap me back into thinking that I was good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I shouldn’t really give him the credit, but it made me want to dig a bit deeper and the way I responded would determine whether I’d be sitting here as the champion or not. I should probably thank the guy. If he had said something nicer I might not be sitting here with the trophy.

The weather conditions out there were atrocious. Would you describe yourself as a good bad weather player?

Historically I haven’t played very well in the rain. It’s just always bugged me. So, I was really proud of the way that I struck the ball in the rain today. Saturday’s forecast was terrible, but when we got out there it was fine, all things considered, and I was like ‘what the hell do they know’?. But today really was terrible. It was Armageddon. Just really tough playing conditions. After not winning on tour since 2017, had you ever given up hope that you still had a big performance like this in you?

I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t wondered if I would get another chance to win again, but I’ve always had that inner belief that I could do something like this. It’s just when it takes so long, it’s hard not to let your mind falter. I’m 36 years old. The game is getting younger. All these young guys coming out hit it a mile, and they’re all ready to win. It’s been hard to deal with.

I think someone mentioned that I’ve had more top 10s than anyone since 2017, so it’s not like I’ve not given myself chances, but for whatever reason it just hadn’t happened. So, to come out and put it altogether this week has been amazing. I just seemed to have control of the ball this week, I don’t know why, but I’m very thankful that it was this week.

Have you any thoughts about what you are going to treat yourself to with some of the £2.3m prize money?

Not really. I bought a new tractor for my farm a few weeks ago, so I’m excited about getting home and my mowing the grass with it. I’ll put the phone away and get on that tractor. We’ve got about 40 acres of grassland that needs mowing and 25 acres of farmland, so I’ll be busy. It’s a 105hp Kubota in bright orange – in case you’re wondering.

The win takes you straight into the automatic qualifying spots for the US Ryder Cup team. Have you had any thoughts on how your game will be suited to team match play golf?

I haven’t really had tome to process this win yet, and the next thing for me will be the FedExCup Playoffs, but I do enjoy match play. I’ve done well in all the match play tournaments I’ve played in. I had a really good junior record and amateur record in match play. I enjoy the head-to-head competition. So, yeah, I think it suits my game ok.

How do you think life is going to change for you as Open champion?

I don’t see how it’s going to – I’ll get some better tee times and I’ll have to do a few more interviews at tournaments, but I’ve got a great family. I’ve got hobbies that I really enjoy. I have a very comfortable life. I wouldn’t want my life to change in any way.

“I’M

■ LOCAL HERO TOMMY FLEETWOOD FAILED TO BUILD ON HIS STRONG START

■ JON RAHM SHOT A THIRD ROUND 63, BUT THE SPANIARD WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN HIS CHALLENGE ON SUNDAY

■ DEAD AIM: HARMAN BARELY MISSED A PUTT THAT MATTERED ALL WEEK

Abbey Hill completes first phase of clubhouse refurb

Abbey Hill Golf Centre in Buckinghamshire is to invest more than £850,000 in its clubhouse and golf course, reflecting the centre’s commitment to continuously improving the facilities and overall golfing experience for members and visitors.

The improvements, which include the first phase of a two-phase clubhouse investment project, and extensive golf course renovations, culminate in the second phase of the planned clubhouse refurbishments, which are slated to start in January 2024.

The first of the two-phase clubhouse investment saw £350,000 spent on the refurbishment of two main function rooms; the Fairway Suite and the Atrium Suite, with new carpets, bars, lighting, and furniture – a refurbished entrance foyer, the creation of new staff offices, and a rejuvenated coffee bar.

Russell Heady, General Manager at Abbey Hill, said, “We are thrilled to have completed phase one of our clubhouse renovation project for our members and visitors to enjoy. The refurbished Fairway and Atrium Suites are now stunning spaces, perfect for hosting a variety of functions. We’re already looking ahead to the second phase of this project in early 2024, which will further enhance our facilities.”

The golf course has also undergone significant improvements in recent months. Abbey Hill is now in the second year of a five-year bunker renovation plan, which will total another £500,000 investment. This includes the refurbishment of every bunker on the property with the latest drainage technology. Additionally, new tees and pathways have been added on two locations around the course.

Guy Riggott, Head of Operations for BGL Golf, which owns the club, said: “We are committed to continually investing in our golf venues, to provide both members and visitors with the best possible golf experience. We are always looking for ways in which to provide exceptional value to members at Abbey Hill, but also to local golfers and people in the community – this significant investment is yet another step towards achieving that goal.”

Phase two of the clubhouse renovation project will begin in January, bringing the total investment in the clubhouse to £500,000 – also taking total investment in the past 12 months to £1 million. The project will involve the installation of new changing rooms and toilets for both men and women, and the installation of a new kitchen.

Ruth retains English PGA title at Bowood

Devon’s James Ruth made defending his English PGA Championship title this week look easy after leading from start to finish to claim back-to-back victories at Bowood.

The Wiltshire venue is proving to be a firm favourite for Ruth after an utterly dominant week, which saw the Plymouth-born pro break the course record.

A magnificent 61 (-11) was followed up with a 71, giving 38-yearold Ruth a healthy five-shot lead over his nearest rival, 2018 winner Matthew Cort, heading into the final round.

Any signs Ruth may have been feeling the pressure were put to bed early on when he recorded back-to-back birdies on holes three and four to go two-under-par.

His nearest opponent Dave Coupland was determined to close the gap and raced to through the first six holes. Cort, however, struggled to make up ground and had to wait until the ninth hole to pick up his birdie of the day. Ruth also birdied nine but his lead was cut to four, the shortest it’s been all week, when Coupland birdied hole 10. Both players bogeyed 12 and with Coupland breathing down his neck waiting to pounce on any more errors, Ruth kept his cool to win by four shots with a final score of 14-under-par.

“It’s always tricky when you come back to defend your title,” said Ruth. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but with my round on Tuesday, people say you can’t win a tournament in the first round, well I definitely think I did this week. That was the best round of my life and the last few days I was hanging on a bit.

“I was really struggling with my driver today so I hit a lot of irons and managed the game really well. I’m really proud to shoot two-under-par. I was almost more proud of today’s round than I was Tuesday’s because it’s easy to shoot a good score when you’re playing well, but to shoot two-under-par playing as I was, I was really pleased with that.”

Asked if at any point he felt under pressure from a determined Coupland in second place, Ruth continued: “Today I was two-underpar after four and from there it was just a case of keeping it solid. I kept the ball in play and just managed my game – I didn’t really feel under pressure at all out there.

“Winning this tournament means a lot. It’s one of the biggest events we play as PGA Professionals so I’m really proud to win it and hopefully they keep it here at Bowood every year because it seems to be a course I really like.

“It’s not a course I’ve played that much apart from the English PGA Championship. It’s a really good layout, there’s some great holes and it tests your game quote a lot. It’s probably one of the toughest courses in the South West region. It’s a great venue.”

Coupland put up a valiant effort in his pursuit to catch Ruth, shooting four-under-par to finish as runner-up on -10, while Cort was made to settle for third position two shots back on -8. Ashton Turner shot the round of the day to secure a fourth-place finish on five under par.

Foster claims Women’s Senior crown

A wonderfully composed effort from Hertfordshire’s Jackie Foster secured her the biggest win of her life in the Women’s Senior Amateur at Woodhall Spa.

The 2021 English Senior Champion of Champions winner started the final day with a two-shot lead and in the final shakeup maintained that gap over former Curtis Cup player Emma Brown and Australia’s Nadene Gole, the world’s top-ranked senior women’s player.

Eight successive pars around the turn broke the resolve of Foster’s nearest challengers and the Bishop Stortford player could afford to bogey three of the last four and still take the title.

“It’s amazing,” the 59-year-old said. “My aim really for the week was to make the first cut, and then to do well enough to make the second cut. I’m thrilled. I can’t believe it. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.

“At the start of the day, I thought to myself ‘I’ve had three good rounds so far, am I going to be able to keep it going for another round?’” retired policewoman Foster said. “I was steady over the front nine, going out in level par.

“I knew where I was against Nadene, but at halfway my husband Ian, who caddied for me, said there was quite a gap between us and the rest of the field. So it was just a case of keep trying to make pars. I got really edgy at the end, but it’s hard to win. Four rounds over two tough golf courses is hard, so to win is almost unbelievable. And to do it at Woodhall Spa is extra special.”

Berkhamsted members go ‘bunkers’ for new short game practice area

Berkhamsted Golf Club has opened a new short game practice area that boasts a variety of bunkers – a feature of golf course design that its famously absent from the golf course that it sits next to.

Located in secluded woodlands beside the Hertfordshire club’s 18th hole, the short game area, which was designed by golf architect James Edwards of Edwards Design International, includes a large, curved double-green surrounded by fescue-topped mounds and a variety of chipping and pitching areas. There are also two new bunkers – the first at Berkhamsted for over 100 years.

Club manager Howard Craft said: “We asked our members what they most wanted, and overwhelmingly they requested an upgrade to our practice facilities. We are very happy with the result! We did wrestle with the bunker decision, given that we are known as one of the UK’s few great bunker-free veneues, but our members aren’t hermits – they travel all over the world to play golf, so the new bunkers give them a very welcome chance to work on their sand play.”

Unusually, there are no cups on the double green as they are not designed for putting on, so the pins are on spikes which can be moved to offer a variety of challenges.

Craft added: “We have three pins, and golfers can easily move them to create virtually limitless practice options. Whether you’re playing bunker shots, hitting chip-andruns, or playing from the swales and hollows, out here you’ll find more or less every short game challenge from the main course – apart from the bunkers.“

Ladies European Tour star Alice Hewson, a former junior member at Berkhamsted, formally opened the area in a ceremony at the start of the season, and the club’s members are now enjoying immaculate playing conditions. Berkhamsted’s Head Professional Joe Biggs said: “It’s a phenomenal addition to the golf club, and an amazing place not only to enjoy practice, but also as a place to teach the short game. There are so many shots to hit there. We want to be the very best we can be here at Berkhamsted, and I believe that the new short game area has elevated the club’s reputation still further.”

STORY BEHIND THE PIC

SEVE BALLESTEROS • SUN ALLIANCE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP • ROYAL ST GEORGE’S GOLF CLUB, KENT • MAY 30, 1983

While the British PGA Championship has been staged at Wentworth in an unbroken stretch that goes back to 1984, before it found a permanent home at the European Tour Group’s headquarters the tournament used to flit around the UK, with its inaugural event being held at Pannal Golf Club in Yorkshire in 1955.

The tournament has visited numerous links venues in its time, including Saunton (’66), Prince’s (’65) and Hunstanton ‘(67), while inland courses such as Royal Mid-Surrey (‘61 and ‘68) and Little Aston (’62), also got a look in. Royal St George’s has hosted it no fewer than five times, and in 1983, 40 years ago, became the last venue to stage the championship before it found its final resting place at Wentworth.

That 1983 PGA Championship, which was sponsored by Sun Alliance, saw 26-year-old Seve Ballesteros bag the first of his two successes in the tour’s flagship event (the other came in 1991). The swashbuckling Spaniard shots rounds of 69, 71, 67 and 71 to finish on 10 under par, and put nearest challengers Sandy Lyle, Ken Brown and Ian Woosnam to the sword in typically stylish fashion, wowing the sun-blessed crowds at Sandwich with a succession of outrageous shots from all over the property.

Seve picked up the princely sum of €21,000 for his efforts, or whatever the going rate was in sterling at the time, which is somewhat dwarfed by the €1.5m on offer to the champion at this year’s BMW-sponsored event which is being held from September 14-17.

Given the paucity of top-flight Tour events in the British Isles outside of the national opens, there are justifiable reasons for spreading the geographical reach of this popular tournament, but for reasons based on economics, practicality, and a fair bit of politics, Wentworth has been nominated as the PGA Championship’s permanent home. Give or take a few disgruntled pros who haven’t managed to work out the subtleties of Harry Colt’s masterpiece, Wentworth and the PGA Championship has been a fine piece of matchmaking and helped cement the club’s reputation at the pinnacle of the professional game.

Despite its move in the schedule from spring to the early autumn to avoid a clash with the US PGA Championship, the BMW PGA Championship remains one of European golf’s most coveted titles, bringing with it a buzz of excitement and the presence of many the Europe’s top players.

In Ryder Cup years, as is the case this year, the tournament’s location in the schedule brings added drama, taking place as it does just two weeks before the biennial matches, and providing one last chance for hopefuls to break into the team or cement their position in the points lists, or capture the eye of the captain for a wildcard pick.

Aside from Seve, former winners include a roll call of major champions, including Tony Jacklin, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, José Maria Olazabal and, most recently, Shane Lowry, last year’s champion. Luke Donald achieved a rare double with back-to-back wins in 2011, while Colin Montgomerie virtually owned the West Course at the end of the last century when capturing three successive PGA titles from 1998-2000.

ROYAL ST GEORGE’S HAS HOSTED THE BRITISH PGA CHAMPIONSHIP FIVE TIMES, AND IN 1983 BECAME THE LAST VENUE TO STAGE THE TOURNAMENT BEFORE IT FOUND ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE AT WENTWORTH

It obviously wasn’t the end to the major season you were looking for with a missed cut at The Open, but you had decent finishes in the other three – tied 16th in the Masters, tied 12th at the PGA and tied 20th at the US Open. How would you assess your major season?

Yeah, it was disappointing at Hoylake, being a past champion, and being where I’m from, people always expect you to perform well on these types of courses. Living over in the States now, and the courses I play in week in week out, it even takes like me a while to get back to feeling comfortable playing on links golf. I felt a bit rusty with it all on at the Scottish Open, but I got back into it and shot a couple of low rounds, but I also hit some really weird shots that I would never normally hit on a links.

I felt like there was decent stuff in there at Hoylake but I also made a few silly mistakes and they cost you round a course like that. It wasn’t easy, as some of the scores showed. It was hard to settle – you stand on every tee and almost every bunker is in play, and you’re kind of trying to figure out what to do because if you lay back, long way in, it’s quite tricky, and you’re just playing for pars. If take it on and hit a bad shot and end up in a bunker, it’s a dropped shot at best. It asks a lot of questions, and it’s the most well-bunkered course that we play. They’re everywhere, and they’re very penal.

As for the other tournaments, yeah top-20 finishes make for ok reading, but I wasn’t really in a position to win any of them going into the final round, and that’s what you want in a major, to go out on Sunday knowing you’re really in the mix, so while it looks ok on paper, I know that I need to put myself in a better position on Saturdays. It is what it is. You can’t really look at the majors in their own right, yes, they are the big ones, but you also have to look at where you’re game is trending and hope that you can peak at the right time, while not being

“I WANT TO BE ON THAT PLANE TO ROME”

Reigning BMW PGA champion Shane Lowry talks about the excitement and added pressure that comes with defending his title at Wentworth, reflects on his major season, and discusses his hopes for earning a place in the European team for next month’s Ryder Cup in Italy

in a trough in between. I’ve been fairly consistent this year, but not nearly enough top 10s or top 5s.

Let’s take you back to your last win, the 2022 BWM PGA Championship at Wentworth. How much are you looking forward to defending the title and what did it mean for you to win what is one of the DP World Tour’s biggest events in front of a big crowd?

Well, first and foremost, Wentworth is a place that I’ve always loved playing ever since I first went there in 2010. I’ve always played quite well there and even from my early days it was always a tournament I felt like I could win some day. It’s obviously our biggest event on the calendar on the DP World Tour, and it’s an event that you definitely want to add your name to if you can. It’s got a great history to it, a great list of winners, and I was over the moon to get over the line last year. Beating Rory and Jon Rahm down the stretch is pretty nice to do, and it was a huge moment in my career.

You birdied the last for a 65 to win. Jon Rahm shot a 62 that day, and Rory had that putt to tie and you were sat in the scorer’s hut. What are your abiding memories of what it took to play like you did on Sunday, what it meant when Rory’s eagle putt slid by and it meant you were the champion.

Yeah, I’ve had a few chances to win around Wentworth over the years. I remember in 2014 I had a two-shot lead with about six holes to go and I doubled 13, and Rory ended up beating me. I finished second that year. And then there was another year where I was in the lead and Alex Noren shot 62 on Sunday to beat me. When I saw that Rahmbo shot 62, I was like, oh, here we go again. I mean, you never doubt Rory, but I was playing of the last hole thinking, there’s no way he can beat me here, there’s no way he can make eagle here and he almost, did, but thankfully he

didn’t, and I got my hands on the trophy. As I said, it’s a course that I love playing, and I like the way it sets up for my game.

What is it about the West Course that seems to suit your eye so well?

The thing with the West is that it’s not a golf course that you can overpower. I feel like you need to be very strategic to score well and that’s when I am at my best – when I need to move the ball both ways and position my tee shots. You also need to be a pretty good iron player to compete around Wentworth, and your mid-iron play needs to be really on point, because there’s a lot of long par fours. There are chances out there, but there’s also a lot of holes that play very difficult. For those reasons it’s one of the best golf courses that we play all year, and that’s why it always produces decent winners – present company excepted!

■ LOWRY IS HOPING TO SUCCESFULLY DEFEND HIS BMW PGA TITLE AT WENTWORTH IN SEPTEMBER

You’ve won some big tournaments in your career – The Open, national championships, Rolex events and a WGC. What is it about the big events that brings out the best in you? Yeah, I always feel like I perform better in the bigger tournaments. You get certain places where the bigger crowds, the stronger fields, and the whole set up feels like a big tournament. I’ve always felt like the way the BMW is presented is the closest you get to the feeling of a major, outside of the majors, if you know what I mean.

This year’s BMW PGA falls just two weeks before the Ryder Cup and is the last chance to move up the points list or to attract the captain’s eye for a wildcard. How do you rate your chances on being on that plane to Rome at the end of September?

I feel like I can still make the team. I want to make the team. I’m just outside the FedExCup Playoffs at the minute, so I need a decent week next week at the Wyndham, but if I do that and kick on from there, my goal is till to get to the Tour Championship and come back and play the Irish Open and Wentworth. I think if I do that, I’ll ask Luke a lot of questions about why he should pick me if I’m not on the team automatically. I feel like I can add a lot to the team and I feel like my game has been pretty solid all year. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing and yeah, hopefully if I need one, I’ll get a pick.

After you played in the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits you said it was really hard to go back to playing ‘normal golf’ after that because of what it meant to you. How hard is it to put that out of your mind when you’re trying to play normal golf to get on the team? Yeah, look, sometimes getting on the team does weigh on your mind a little too much. I should have made the team in 2016, but the desire to get on the team kind of got in the way of me playing good golf to get there. But I feel like I’ve got better at taking each tournament as it comes and trying to play as good of golf as I can so that everything else will take care of itself. It’s certainly something that I’ll need to do over the next few weeks and focus on the job in hand. And hopefully when it comes to it, if I’m there, I’ll be in a position to contribute and help win the trophy, and that’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about being there, it’s about contributing.

What is your abiding memory of your experience at Whistling Straits and what do you think you could add to the team in Rome?

Although we got beaten quite badly, I still have great memories from there, some of the best moments of my career. I think before I played at Whistling Straits, I obviously thought I knew what the Ryder Cup meant, but after you play in it, you realise what it actually means to the players, to the Tour, to all the staff that are there all week. You know, it’s not just the 12 players. There’s a couple of hundred people there on the European side that work so hard in the build up to it and the week of it that it means so much for everyone.

I feel like if I get to Rome, I can add a lot to the team. I feel like I’m a good team player and I feel like I can play with anybody. Who would I like to play with? I’m not sure, and I don’t really care. If Luke tells me to play with someone, I’ll play with someone. That’s the way it is. I think I’d be good for maybe a couple of rookies that would be on the team. I like to think that I would be able to take one or two guys under my wing and help them enjoy the week as much as they can leading up to it and when you get into it, make people understand how much the Ryder Cup means.

You played in an away leg, where there was quite a bit of hostility from the US fans. You

seemed to thrive on that, but it will hopefully be a different experience in Rome, with more home support. How will you feed off that?

I’ve never played in a home Ryder Cup, so I don’t really know. There were literally no European fans at Whistling Straits. It did make a difference. It was very hard to get any momentum going. No matter what we did, you couldn’t really hear any fans cheering, whereas I’d imagine when there’s home support and you hear your team holing putts and the crowd’s reaction, it can give you a big boost if you’re down in your match or if you’re struggling with something.

Home advantage is huge in the Ryder Cup, as the results in recent years have shown, and hopefully that will be the case again this year. I’m sure there will be a lot of people travelling from all over Europe, and there will be a lot of Italians there and it will be a great Ryder Cup. We will be underdogs, as ever, but I would argue that we have some of the best players in the world on our team. We’ll just have to see what happens when it comes to the third week in September. Hopefully, I’ll be there.

You switched caddies in March. What brought that about and how hard was it to go out and find somebody that you feel fits your game?

Yeah, it kind of came out of nowhere. I started this year in the Middle East, and I had a bad couple of weeks, and Bo [Martin] and I had a chat I said that things weren’t going as well as I probably hoped, and I thought that I just needed to freshen things up.

Brian had been on the bag for almost five years, and I’ve only had two caddies in my entire 14-year career on tour, so I’m not a habitual caddy firer or anything like that – I had Dermot [Byrne] on the bag for nine years before that – but I just needed to change things up.

I didn’t have a replacement in mind, so it was a bit mad, but I’ve known Darren [Reynolds] for years. He had just started working with Alex Levy on the DP World Tour. I almost didn’t want to ask him, because I knew he just got a new job, and I didn’t want to take him away and then it not work out for

us, but, frankly, he was one of the few options I had, so we just had a chat. He caddied for me during COVID for a few weeks when Bo couldn’t, and it’s been going pretty well. It’s never easy making changes to any part of your game or your set up, but there are always tough decisions to make.

WHAT’S IN SHANE’S BAG?

DRIVER: Srixon ZX5 (9.5°)

FAIRWAY WOODS: Titanium (15°), TaylorMade M5 (19°)

UTILITY:

IRONS: ZX7 (4-PW)

WEDGES: (50°, 58°)

PUTTER: Lab Exo 2-Ball

BALL:

I’VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THE WAY THE BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IS PRESENTED IS THE CLOSEST YOU GET TO THE FEELING OF A MAJOR, OUTSIDE OF THE MAJORS

■ IRON MAN: LOWRY HAS ENJOYED STRONG PERFORMANCES AT THE BMW IN RECENT YEARS, CULMINATING IN A WIN 12 MONTHS AGO

Wells wins English U18 Amateur title at fastrunning Effingham

Surrey’s Alex Wells used his local knowledge to perfection as he claimed victory in the English U18 Amateur Championship held at Effingham Golf Club.

The St George’s Hill golfer fired consecutive rounds of 68 on the first two days of the championship before carding back-to-back rounds of 70 for a 12-under-par winning total. He finished two shots clear of runners up Daniel Hayes and Oliver Toyer.

Wells was overjoyed with emotion and struggled to comprehend the magnitude of his achievement when being presented with the trophy. He said: “It means a lot. To win an event like this is truly incredible. This is my biggest achievement in my golfing career so far. I knew that it was going to be playing firm, much like a lot of the courses around here. It’s quite similar to St George’s Hill. I knew I had to keep it in play and the fringes were firm, so I could run a few shots up and that’s what I did well.

“I think I was two-under on the front-nine and then I tried to keep it together and hit the fairways and keep it as solid as possible. I knew my game was in a good place, but to keep mentally strong and play one shot at a time was key to my success.”

Eaton’s Nellie Ong was the leading girl in eighth, whilst England girls’ squad player Sophia Fullbrook (Brocket Hall) finished tenth.

Thornbury invests over £1m in course and range revamp

Thornbury Golf Centre near Bristol has completed a major redevelopment of its driving range facility, becoming the first in the region to install TrackMan Range technology.

The new state-of-the-art driving range boasts 23 bays with TrackMan touchscreens on the original driving range site. The outfield has also been totally remodelled to create a more immersive experience for visitors.

Adding to the experience, guests can be served with food and drinks from the club bar, all from the comfort of their hitting bay. Range hosts will be on hand to take orders or golfers can order food and drinks from the menu via the QR code found in their bay.

In addition to the driving range improvements, which cost around £400,000, Thornbury has been making further improvements throughout the club, in particular the new

Skylark Golf & Country Club put up for sale

Skylark Golf & Country club in Hampshire entered into administration last month and has been put for sale by its owners, Just Develop It Group.

The club says it will continue to operate on a ‘business as usual’ basis, and honour all future events bookings, including weddings and golf days, while a buyer is found.

In a statement released via its social media pages, the club said: “The joint administrators intend to continue to trade the business as normal whilst a purchaser is sought. As such, members and guests will continue to enjoy the use of the clubhouse, golf course and facilities as usual.”

Derek McNeill, the club’s general manager, said: “Whilst administration is never something to be welcomed, in

■ A NEW OWNER IS BEING SOUGHT FOR SKYLARK GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

this instance it affords the club an opportunity to exit the process with a new owner, investment in facilities, and a bright future all built on the excellent foundations that are in place. Throughout the administration process, Skylark will continue to operate on a fully business as usual basis under the supervision of the administrators, with the support of Skylark’s lender. I’m pleased to report that there has been interest from multiple groups and individuals regarding the sale of the club. This indicates a genuine potential for finding a new buyer.”

As well as an 18-hole golf course, Skylark’s facilities include a Grade II listed 18th century barn, a restaurant, bar, spa and gym facilities.

Archway Room. This old storage facility has been turned into a pool, darts and sports bar room, offering the perfect space for hosting events and golf packages.

The club’s lodge facilities have also been given a £50,000 renovation, while the club is almost halfway through a £750,000 irrigation project that has been split into three phases. The first two phases were completed in the spring, while phase three will take place in the autumn and be completed by spring next year.

Tim Good, General Manager of Thornbury Golf Centre, said: “We’re really excited to be able to offer one of the most advanced driving ranges in the UK to people in our region. Also, by continuing to make developments throughout the entire centre, we can deliver the best possible experience for members and visitors who come to Thornbury, from start to finish.”

Weaver wins Carrris Trophy

Suffolk’s Tyler Weaver won the Carris Trophy after putting on a masterful display of stroke play golf at Moor Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire.

The Bury St Edmunds player closed with a superb final round 68 to add to previous scores of 68, 69 and 67 to finish on -16 for the championship and win by five shots from Italy’s Giorgio Celani.

Celani’s runner-up finish came courtesy of a stunning final round 63, which included nine birdies and an eagle. The Netherlands’ Loran Appel finished third on -9, while Goodwood’s Drew Sykes secured fourth spot on -8.

It is another addition to Weaver’s trophy cabinet following his win in the 2022 English U18 Amateur Championship at Woodhall Spa and a richly deserved success for the Suffolk golfer having led since the end of the first round.

Weaver was also part of the England team that won the Nations Cup at the championship. He teamed up with Sam Easterbrook and Harry Malin to claim that prize ahead of The Netherlands.

The Hazards Salver for the top U16 boy from GB&I was won by Colne Valley’s Charlie Rusbridge on -1.

■

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

DIAL IN YOUR PERFECT EQUIPMENT SET UP WITH FITTING EXPERTS CLUB CHAMPION

TRIED & TESTED

MOTOCADDY M7 GPS TROLLEY GARMIN MARQ 2 WATCH

PRO SHOP YOUR GUIDE TO ALL THE LATEST GEAR LAUNCHES

SPIN MACHINES

HIT IT CLOSER WITH THE LATEST HIGH PERFORMANCE WEDGES

THE GEAR EFFECT

INSIDE THE BAG OF THE LATEST WINNERS ON TOUR

DANIEL HILLIER

BETFRED BRITISH MASTERS

DRIVER: Titleist TSR3 (9°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°)

IRONS: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620CB (46), Titleist 620MB (7-9)

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46°, 50°, 54°, 58°)

PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Phantom X T-5

Prototype.

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

RASMUS HØJGAARD

MADE IN HIMMERLAND

DRIVER: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (10.5°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Paradym HL (16.5°)

IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Pro (30; Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (4-10)

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS Raw (52°); Callaway JAWS Raw Full Toe (56°, 60°)

PUTTER: Odyssey Toulon Le Mans Tour

BALL: Callaway Chrome Soft X

VINCENT NORMAN

BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP

DRIVER: Titleist TSR3 (10°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade SIM 3 (15°), 5 (19°)

IRONS: Titleist 620CB (Read the Review) &

Titleist 620MB

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54°, 60°)

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider X

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

ALLISEN CORPUZ

US WOMEN’S OPEN

DRIVER: Ping G430 LST (10.5°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G430 Max (15°, 18°)

HYBRID: Ping G410 (22°)

IRONS: Ping i230 (5-PW)

WEDGES: Ping Glide 4.0 (50°, 54°, 58°)

PUTTER: Ping 2021 DS72

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

SEPP STRAKA

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (9°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°), TaylorMade Stealth 2 (21°)

IRONS: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-9)

WEDGES: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore (46°, 52°, 56°, 60°)

PUTTER: Odyssey Stroke Lab Tuttle

BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV

RORY MCILROY

SCOTTISH OPEN

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (9°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (13°)

IRONS: TaylorMade P760 (2, 4), TaylorMade

Rors Proto (5-9)

WEDGES: TaylorMade MG3 (46°), TaylorMade MG4 (50°, 54°, 60°)

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider X

BALL: TaylorMade TP5x

BRIAN HARMAN

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

DRIVER: Titleist TSi2 (9°), with Graphite

Design Tour AD IZ 5 S shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TS2 (13.5°), with Fujikura Speeder 661 Evolution 2 S shaft

IRONS: Titleist U•500 (3-5), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 90HY 6.0 shafts, Titleist 620 CB (6-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50°, 54°, 60°)

PUTTER: TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

EQUIPMENT NEWS

MOTOCADDY M7 GPS TROLLEY TRIED & TESTED

Electric trolleys have improved significantly in recent years. Lithium batteries saw a huge jump in performance, as well as saving a bunch of weight, while more compact designs have helped people save space in their cars and homes, and enabled some golfers to have a trolley when it may just not have been previously practical.

This year feels like the year that remotecontrolled models have hit the mainstream.

While they’ve been around for quite a long time, some strong new models from PowaKaddy, Stewart Golf and Motocaddy have all hit the market this season, and it seems like a turning point in their retail story, so I was excited to give the latter’s new M7 GPS a run out.

Out of the box, the M7 GPS looks the business, with its stylish design and quality materials giving it a very modern aesthetic. It requires minimal setup – with just the

stabilizer bar, main wheel and battery to be attached, and you’re good to go. Folding and unfolding is also a breeze, with two user-friendly levers, while the handle is easily adjustable to accommodate different heights.

At just 14.9kg, the M7 GPS is on par with its competitors. When folded, it becomes nicely compact, and you can even invert the wheels to make it more storage-friendly. You can start the trolley with the silver

MIX AND MATCH WITH TITLEIST’S NEW T-SERIES

Titleist has introduced a new line up of irons - T100, T150, T200, and T350 – which are designed for player seeking the perfect balance of distance control, tighter dispersion, and improved descent angles.

For 18 out of the last 19 seasons, Titleist has held the distinction of being the most played iron on the PGA TOUR, with the T100 reigning as the favoured iron model since its debut in 2019. Approximately 80 per cent of Titleist’s tour player sprefer blended sets, showcasing the significance of custom fitting and optimization throughout their bags. With this in mind Titleist are encouraging what they call a ‘3D’ fit, where Distance control, Dispersion control, and Descent Angle are analysed to create the perfect blended set of irons.

All four models feature tungsten weighting, resulting in higher launching long irons and more controlled short irons. The new T100 boasts a refined, forged dual-cavity construction, delivering a solid feel upon impact. The CNC face milling process

ensures consistent contact and control, enhancing overall performance.

T150 represents a significant change in the line-up, featuring a muscle channel for improved launch and ball speed. With feedback on the T100S size being a little intimidating, the T150 offers a slightly larger topline, appealing to former AP2 players. Maintaining the same offset and blade length as the T100 and T150, the T200 is a player’s distance model with a re-designed internal structure for increased stability and refined Max Impact Technology for tour-level feel and speed. Many players didn’t enjoy the sound of the previous version which is said to be massively improved in the new T200.

The T350 is a game improvement model that takes the best of the T200 models and amplifies it, retains Titleist’s signature looks and feel, but offers enhanced forgiveness as well as increased bag appeal. RRPs are £178 per club.

button on the handle or by using the remote control. Choose from nine speeds, ranging from a leisurely stroll to a brisk jog, and make smooth turns with the left and right buttons or pivot turns by holding them down.

Safety is a top priority for the M7 Remote, featuring Automatic Downhill Control to maintain speed on slopes, an anti-tip wheel for added stability, and auto-shutoff and auto-stop features for extra peace of mind.

Motocaddy’s EASILOCK system avoids the need for cumbersome lower straps, while also serving to lock the golf bag securely into the base of the cart – providing you own a Motocaddy bag, which most Motocaddy trolley users seem to have for that reason.

Getting started with the GPS is easy. After a quick search, the GPS accurately lists nearby golf courses. The M7 GPS’s smartphone notifications allow you to stay on top of important texts, missed calls, and other app updates while you focus on your game. The 3.5-inch M7 GPS LCD screen presents a crystal-clear depiction of the course, offering front, middle, and back yardages, along with a round timer and trolley speed display. And if you want more detailed information, simply tap ‘Green’

to access the Green Map, where you can adjust the pin’s location with a quick tap. For strategic shot planning, the dynamic element on the hole screen updates distances instantly with your preferred location.

The M7 GPS comes with a 12-month subscription to the Motocaddy Performance Plan, which unleashes a host of advanced features, such as hole mapping, detailed green views, and comprehensive statistic tracking. Those features cost £49.99 per year after the initial trial, so you’ll have to figure out if it’s something you will use or not.

The M7 GPS isn’t cheap, but if you’re playing regularly, it’s a real investment in your game. Switching to an electric trolley was a game changer for me – I feel like I have so much more energy left in the tank at the end of a round. Moving to a remote made my round even more relaxed, especially when you realised you’ve left your bag on the wrong side of the green. While the price jump from the standard M7 Remote is punchy, for some golfers not having to faff with a separate device is going to be more than worth it.

RRP: £1,499. motocaddy.com

BEAT HAYFEVER WITH HAYMAX

Hayfever is a blight on many golfers’ lives, causing itchy eyes, runny noses and general discomfort for long periods of the summer, just when the golf season is at its peak.

Anti-histamine pills, injections and nasal sprays all have their benefits, but providing an effective barrier to pollen is one of the most successful ways of fighting its harmful effects, which is where HayMax comes to the rescue.

Applied like a lip balm, but to the base of the nose, its combination of beeswax and sunflower oil prevents pollen from entering the respiratory system and stops it reaching levels that trigger an allergic reaction.

Available in four fragrances (Pure, Aloe Vera, Frankincense and Lavender), plus a new Kids version, HayMax is organic and drug-free, and is available from most high street chemists and health stores. £8.95 for 5ml tub, haymax.biz

TOUR EDGE RANGE HITS

AMERICAN GOLF

STORES

American Golf has become the official UK stockist for the new Tour Edge E723 range of clubs and they are available now for custom fitting at 20 American Golf retail stores across the country.

Offering incredible value for the level of technology on offer, the E723 range includes the Exotics E723 driver, fairway woods, hybrids and irons.

The driver is engineered with a flight tuning system which produces a 5,600 g/cm2 MOI, making it the highest MOI driver Tour Edge has ever produced. This leads to increased stability at impact and tighter dispersion for players. Likewise, the Exotics E723 Fairway includes RyzerSole Technology which produces a super-low centre of gravity for high-launching shots with optimised spin rates, decreased turf interaction and maximum ball speed off the face.

To book a custom fitting session at your nearest participating American Golf store, including Cardiff, New Malden, Trafford and Crown Point Leeds, visit americangolf.co.uk.

LALLANA KICKS OFF GOLF SEASON WITH ELLESSE APPAREL

Sports lifestyle brand ellesse has unveiled a new summer golf apparel range fronted by professional footballer Adam Lallana.

The new range combines classic golf styles in a monochrome colour palette with neon blue details. Hero pieces include the Fallerone polo shirt, Picena half zip top and Davino waterproof jacket in black with neon blue chevrons across the chest. The collection has a number of apparel options including polo shirts, hoodies and shorts, as well as accessories such as caps, visors and bags.

Best known for his skills on the football pitch, the Brighton & Hove FC mid elder is new to the golf course, having taken up the sport as a hobby during lockdown

in 2020. In the summer, between football seasons, he plays at least once a week, currently playing to a handicap of 11.

Commenting on the new collection, Lallana said; “It’s great to be working with ellesse on its latest o ering for golf. As someone who’s fairly new to the sport I have been looking for stylish pieces I can feel comfortable in around the course, and ellesse has created a collection that ts exactly that. The range encompasses classic style and comfort, which I recommend for both experienced players and those, like me, who are just starting out.”

The collection is available now at The Golf Shop, Golf Online and Golf Support and ellesse.com

■ ADAM WEARS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BLACK FALLERONE POLO, NEON BLUE TOMMIO POLO, AND A BLACK MANDRIO POLO

TRIED & TESTED

ADIDAS REBOOTS

STREET-INSPIRED RETRO RANGE

Adidas is bringing its lifestyle footwear fashion to the fairways with the launch of a new limited-edition collection of streetinspired models in the form of the Superstar Golf, Stan Smith Golf and Samba Golf shoes..

All three models have been previously launched over the last three years but are now being offered in a new cool grey and off-white colourway.

Previously released in 2020, the Superstar Golf (£90) makes its return to the course featuring adidas’s iconic 3-stripes in the midfoot and distinctive white rubber shell toe.

The marbled multi-colour outsole combines grey, sliver green, burgundy and orange colourways, and includes six replaceable black cleats with secondary lugs to provide traction.

Superstar branding is subtly debossed in the midfoot.

First launched in 2022, the SAMBA Golf (£80) is a soccerturned-street shoe fitted with a EVA-cushioned midsole to provide golf-specific support and stability, while an adiwear spikeless outsole includes three lugs in the same multi-coloured marbled colourway to provide additional traction, located in place of the suction cups commonly found in adidas in-line Samba model. An all-grey upper with the Samba logo discreetly debossed on the midsole with a dark brown heel tab completes the look.

With an upper made in part with recycled materials, the new version of the Stan Smith Golf shoe (£85) combines the classic and clean look with the adiwear rubber spikeless outsole, which still features traction inspired by the shoe’s original sole design. Additional cushioning in the midsole provides golfers with added support throughout the swing. The sleek all-grey upper is contrasted by the same multi-coloured marbled outsole with a debossed Trefoil and Stan Smith logo on the heel. They are all available to buy on adidas.com, the adidas app and at select retailers worldwide.

GARMIN MARQ GOLFER GEN2

Garmin has been steadily broadening its golf GPS smart watch range in recent years, launching numerous styles and finishes at varying price points that compete with some of the best on the market. Right at the top of those price points is the second-generation Garmin Marq, which features all the data monitoring tech that you’d expect from a high-end Garmin housed inside a super-premium case and design.

When you’re charging big money for a GPS watch –and with a price tag of £2,000 the Marq II is definitely big money – there’s an expectation that you deliver a finely crafted object made with high-grade materials. Garmin has delivered here, offering a design reminiscent of some of the best-looking mechanical watches, with no expense spared on build quality. The 46mm titanium case is also 15mm deep, giving it

quite a heft on your wrist, without feeling too heavy to swing with, while the bezel around the display features a custom-etched ceramic index, finished with a dark green hue and white markings.

It comes with two straps: a premium nylon weave strap in a Masters-style green, plus a thick silicone strap in the same colour. There are plenty of holes in the strap to find a comfortable fit. Like many of Garmin’s other watches, the Marq is designed for outdoor use in all conditions. All told it certainly wouldn’t look at all out of place being worn in formal settings, which is good news for those that like to wear a watch pretty much all the time.

Otherwise, it’s build is based on the same principles as a lot of other Garmin models and features a five-button control system and a touchscreen display, so you can control functionality

PowaKaddy celebrates 40 years of trolley innovation

PowaKaddy, the electric golf trolley pioneer, proudly celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Since 1983, PowaKaddy has achieved remarkable success in the golf industry, continuously advancing golf trolley technology.

It all began in the late 1970s when Joe Catford, a Kent-based watchmaker and avid golfer, designed his electric trolley with a helical reduction gearbox, replacing inefficient chain and belt-drives. The trolley’s popularity grew rapidly, leading Joe to establish PowaKaddy’s first headquarters in Sittingbourne, where he refined the design further.

In 1983, PowaKaddy officially took shape after a successful showcase at The Open Championship, resulting in over 500 orders. The brand’s journey had begun, and since then, it has solidified its position as the world’s leading trolley brand.

Over the next few years, the business grew steadily. Later in that decade, in 1988, PowaKaddy launched the Rio, which initially was released as a

power-assisted pull trolley – the brand accompanied the release with a targeted ad campaign that resulted in a transformative 10,000 orders for the new trolley model.

The very same year, Catford and Martin sold the business to Sunleigh plc, and subsequently exited the business in 1989 and 1990, respectively. In 1991, Sunleigh installed John deGraft-Johnson as Managing Director, while Catford’s’s son, David, remained at the business as the brand’s leading technical and operational head.

Throughout the decades, PowaKaddy has continued to innovate, more recently launching the FX and CT ranges, followed by the flagship CT8 GPS and the groundbreaking RX1 GPS, the world’s first touchscreen remote-controlled GPS trolley.

While the brand has had a number of owners over the years, in 2012, David Catford, son of founder Joe, and John deGraft-Johnson bought the PowaKaddy brand back into family ownership.

Golf News Editor Nick Bayly puts Garmin’s premium Golf GPS watch through its paces, and finds it hard to hand back...

SPACE FOR STORY

with physical buttons or with a swipe of a finger. The display is clear and bright and certainly made it easy to read out on the golf course, whether that be yardages or aerial hole imagery. I had it set in a mode which required a simple lift of the wrist for the screen to light up, although it can be set to a ‘permanently on’ mode, which will obviously drain the battery more quickly. Swiping down or up on the screen takes you to your list of data tools, whether that be heart rate, weather, sunrise/sunset time, compass, steps etc.

Featuring more than 42,000 preloaded golf courses, the watch quickly locates which course and hole your on and offers yardages to the front, back and middle on all greens. You can move the pin around for more precise yardages, and it will even offer you club selection advice once it has had time to build up a picture of how far you hit each club based on past tracked performance. Standing on the tee, the screen presents a full-colour image of the hole and as you get closer to the green it displays an accurate shape of the green and distances to hazards, bunkers and other notable course features. It also offers lay-up distances and factors in the elevation between you and the hole, and the strength and the direction of the wind, into club selection and ‘plays like’ yardages.

With score tracking offered, the watch automatically connects to the Garmin app on your smart phone and provides a breakdown of your round, giving stats on your fairways hit, greens in reg etc, while also providing a handy overlay map of where your shots went on every hole, which was exceptionally accurate, although you have to mark up your own putts. Importantly, the battery life is exceptional, requiring charging only once every two weeks in watch-only mode, while it promises 42 hours in GPS mode, and only drained 10% of the battery for 18 holes.

All told, yes, the Marq2 is a five or six times the cost of many of the leading golfspecific GPS watches, but if you want something that you’d be as proud to wear in the office boardroom as you would in the clubhouse, then it certainly punches its weight and some.

RRP: £1,999 garmin.co.uk.

CALLAWAY UNVEILS NEW APEX PRO SERIES

Callaway’s new Apex Pro series - Apex Pro, Apex CB and Apex MB – sees the brand refocuses its efforts on the distinct demands of elite players. Specifically, that sees a heavy emphasis on improving sole designs for more effective turf interaction, tweaking the centre of gravity to dial in those specifically for each model and each iron within each model, and getting the shape, sound and feel that better players need and prefer.

All three models were designed with direct input from Callaway tour staff, including Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele.

The Apex Pro irons (£219 per club) are a hollow body design in a compact players shape that features two different faces, a more flexible high-strength alloy that forms a wraparound cupface design in the long irons and a consistent forged carbon steel face plate in the middle and short irons. Callaway’s Urethane Microspheres enhance the feel and the progressive face design ensures exceptional distance with tour-level precision.

The Apex CB and MB irons (£219 per club) are each single-piece forged models made of carbon steel, with the CB incorporating tungsten toe weighting to better balance the weighting in the centre of the face.

The range also includes two utility clubs - Apex UT (£259) and Apex UW (£319). The Forged 455 face cup of the Apex UT provides exceptional distance, making it an incredibly

powerful and workable option o the tee, while a revolutionary multi-material forged construction paired with patented urethane microspheres delivers unmatched feel. It also offer a more compact shape than its predecessor with a slightly shallower face to promote a higher launch.

Th Apex UW combines the launch and distance benefits of higher-lofted woods with the versatility of hybrids. The AI-designed Batwing head structure stiffens the body, allowing the high-strength maraging steel face cup to flex for maximum ball speeds, while a streamlined sole ensures perfect turf interaction and enhanced ball striking.

The Apex Pro Series is available for custom orders from September 9. For more details, visit eu.callawaygolf.com.

Now CEO, David expressed pride and gratitude, saying, “Everyone at PowaKaddy is delighted to be celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2023. To still be at the forefront of the golf trolley industry after four decades is a tremendous achievement, and is testament to the hard work and dedication of our fantastic staff over the years.

“Additionally, we could not have achieved the successes of the last 40

years without the unwavering support of our partners, customers, and of course every single consumer that has bought a PowaKaddy trolley.”

Today, PowaKaddy remains a symbol of innovation, reliability, and quality in the golf trolley industry, with over 1,000,000 trolleys sold to-date. As the brand looks back on four decades of success, it continues to push boundaries and redefine the future of electric golf trolleys.

HARRIS TWEED

FOOTJOY JOINS FORCES WITH HARRIS TWEED FOR NEW PREMIERE SERIES

FootJoy has renewed its partnership with Harris Tweed to introduce a limited-edition golf shoe range celebrating hand craftsmanship, heritage and tradition.

Crafted exclusively in the Outer Hebrides using traditional methods, pure wool is handwoven to create unique designs featuring a distinct tweed character, while each pair of Premiere Series Hoylake Wilcox and Hoylake Field comes with a shoe bag made from the same cloth as

featured on the shoes.

The Wilcox (£239) and the Field (£229) both integrate Harris Tweed fabric into their design with the former featuring the material on the saddle, while the Field features the tweed on the heel section. Both models are to buy via footjoy.co.uk and from select retailers from August 3.

CHAMPION’S CHOICE

Equipment Editor Dan Owen visits Club Champion’s new store in Crawley and observes the process for custom fitting a new set of irons

Most golfers understand that having the right club set up is vital if they are to get the best out of their game. But ‘custom fitting’ is a very broad church, with many levels of service offered within this catch-all term. Club Champion, as the world’s foremost specialist in custom fitting, has set out to elevate the club fitting experience, with a choice of products and a level of service that few other independent outfits can even get close to.

Stepping through the entrance of their new Crawley store can be a little overwhelming for the first-time visitor. With every major club, shaft and grip brand accounted for, Club Champion is able to offer over 55,000 unique combinations of head and shaft in its UK stores. And with no loyalty to any specific brand, their approach is to get the best 14 clubs in your bag, whatever that brand may be.

Club Champion prides itself on having the best club fitters in golf. From ex-tour fitters such as Jason MacNiven at Basingstoke, and Joe Hughes in the Glasgow Branch, to Mike Wynn at Crawley,

who headed up custom fitting at Silvermere, Europe’s busiest golf facility. The fitters understand the finer details of every product that they offer.

FITTING PROCESS

I went to the Crawley store with Matt Nicholson, Golf News’s publisher, who was in the market for a new set of irons, with his current set being five or six years old and no longer fully meeting his performance needs.

Master club fitter Mike Wynn, formerly the Custom Club Manager and Head of Custom Fit Training at Silvermere, didn’t want Matt to hit balls, at least straight away. Instead, he took time to find out what he wanted from the session beyond a new set of clubs. “How’s your game? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you want more help?” were among some of multitude of questions that Mike fired Matt’s way.

WHAT IS SHAFT PURING?

Like snowflakes and fingerprints, no two golf shafts are exactly the same. Every shaft contains irregularities in straightness, roundness and stiffness that are inherent to the manufacturing process. These structural inconsistencies can negatively or positively affect a shaft’s performance depending on how the shaft is aligned in the clubhead. SST PURE locates the most stable orientation in any shaft and it is then installed accordingly in the club.

Players including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose all have their golf clubs built with pured shafts.

Independent testing on players of all skill levels has established that SST PURE improves impact repeatability on the centre of the clubface by up to 51 percent. Club Champion believe in the process so much that it comes included with all iron sets as part of the build process.

Matt, as a five-handicap golfer, knows his game pretty well. “I hit my irons well, but struggle with the 4-iron and have stopped carrying one. And they’re a bit heavy too.”

Matt gets asked more questions. “Where do you play your golf? How firm is the turf? What’s your bad shot? The answers to all of these questions help the fitter get an understanding of the golfer’s needs. Mike then took a note of the lofts, lie and swingweight of Matt’s clubs while Matt started warming up in a hitting bay.

Matt currently plays Ping i210 irons with Project X shafts. After a warm-up with his clubs, the fitter puts him into Ping’s latest i series irons, the i230, which are the updated model of what he uses. It’s also a good base model to test shafts with. While a clubhead is what generates much of the performance of a club, a shaft is the timing mechanism that helps create consistency. Matt’s current clubs have Project X 6.0 shafts, which, while not too stiff for him, are on the heavy side, and as a round goes on, he finds himself tiring and his swing speed dropping.

Mike puts Matt through his paces with a selection of shafts around 10g lighter than his Project X. Project X LZ, Nippon Modus 120, Accra

■ GOLFERS CAN CONFIGURE THEIR CLUBS FROM A CHOICE OF MORE THAN 55,000 HEAD AND SHAFT COMBINATIONS

■ CLUB CHAMPION CUSTOMERS HAVE A DETAILED DISCUSSION ABOUT THEIR GAME AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS AS PART OF THE FITTING PROCESS

iSeries 115, and LA Golf A Series120 graphite. There were good shots hit with all the shafts. It takes a combination of asking the player what he is feeling and analysis of the data on the Foresight GC Quad launch monitor to see that the Accra iSeries was the best shaft for him. All four shafts performed well, but his dispersion was tighter with the Accra.

FINE-TUNING PERFORMANCE

While the Ping i230 irons were performing well, there wasn’t a huge improvement over Matt’s current irons, so Mike decided to widen the search. “Let’s give the Ping i525 a go, it’s a similar look behind the ball, but they are designed to give you a little extra ball speed. I think it’ll be especially useful in the wind at your home course; plus, as you don’t like your 4-iron, it’ll help with gapping at the longer end of your bag,” advised Mike. It was fair to say it was a good suggestion. Matt’s spin rates remained similar with the i525 when compared to the i230, but distance went up 10 yards on average. “They’re giving you more distance but with no drop off in consistency, but I want you to try something else,” explained Mike.

CLUB CHAMPION FACTS

• The largest club fitting experts in the world, with over 120 stores globally.

• International stores in Australia and Canada.

• Three stores in the UK – Basingstoke, Crawley and Glasgow.

• UK stores have over 55,000 club and shaft combinations

• Clubhead brands stocked include Bettinardi, Callaway, Cobra, Miura, Mizuno, Odyssey, PING, Srixon, TaylorMade, Titleist.

• Shafts brands include Accra, Aerotech, Aldila, Fujikura, Graphite Design, KBS, LA GOLF, Mitsubishi, Nippon, Project X, True Temper, VA Composites.

Handing him the Callaway Paradym, Mike again asked Matt about how it looked. “So different from what I’m used to. It looks nice, but just so different with that shiny finish,” said Matt. Plugging the same Accra shaft in, Matt started hitting balls with the Paradym. “Look how much further it’s going,” Matt spotted immediately. “It is,” agreed Mike, but there was a hint of scepticism in his voice. After a few more balls, Mike explained what he was seeing. “It’s really fast for ball speed, but you aren’t exactly a short hitter. But the spin and descent angles are too low. My fear is that out on the course, you just won’t hold the green. I also don’t think it’s as good for you from a dispersion point of view. Let’s go back to the Ping i525 and hit some confirmation shots.”

THE BUILD

A properly fitted golf club is only half the battle. “It’s great getting custom fitted. But when those clubs get built on a production line, there will be acceptable tolerances for a club build,” explained Mike. “They may

BOOK YOUR CLUB CHAMPION FITTING

To book a fitting session at your nearest Club Champion store, visit clubchampion golf.co.uk or call 01256 359865.

not be able to hit requested swing weights. Lie angles can be out of spec. And they won’t be able to offer the same number of shaft options.

“At Club Champion, we have a dedicated build shop. The build is of equal importance to the fit, because if they aren’t built to the specs that your clubs were fitted to, then the whole process is pointless.”

After returning to the i525 Accra combo, it was clear to see Matt’s improvements over the clubs he walked in with. It was time to make the final choices.

THE FINISHING TOUCH

The grip is the only part of the club that you’re in contact with. It’s vital you make the right choice. Club Champion has an impressive selection on display from Golf Pride, Lamkin and Super Stroke. “Have you tried a grip with less taper in the right hand?” asked Mike. “You sometimes have a little bit of a left miss, and your right hand looks like the fingers come around a touch too much. A Plus 4 grip will help even out your grip pressure. It’s been a common trick on tour for a long time to put more tape in the right hand, but the Plus 4 grips make it much easier to get the same effect more consistently.”

With a lovely set of Golf Pride MCCPlus4 Teams grips in black and gold selected, Matt’s new irons were complete.

THE RESULTS

Mike summed up the fit. “I’ve not tried to change your swing, but we’ve found you an extra ten yards per iron, with a tighter dispersion. Other than getting used to the new yardages, you should be able to go out on the course and start seeing improvements pretty quickly. We have a 90-day ‘Perfect Fit’ guarantee from when you collect the clubs, and if you don’t see an improvement we will work with you to make sure results match up with your fitting. We want everyone to be happy with their new equipment.”

■ AFTER CHOOSING THE HEAD, MATT LOOKS AT THE SHAFT OPTIONS

■ MATT’S PERFORMANCE WITH EACH CLUB IS TRACKED IN AN INDOOR SWING STUDIO USING A GC QUAD LAUNCH MONITOR

■ CUSTOM FITTING EXPERT MIKE WYNN TALKS MATT THROUGH HIS STRIKE PATTERNS BEFORE DECIDING ON THE FINAL CHOICE OF CLUB AND SHAFT SET UP

VEGA MIZAR IRONS

£1,494, VEGA-GOLF.COM

Boutique manufacturer Vega only releases new equipment when it represents an significant and measurable improvement on previous models. The updated Mizar irons features a one-piece forged S25C body with a powerful 3.5mm maraging steel face. The major material enhancement is found within the weight pad on the lower part of the head, which features a mix of tungsten, titanium, and aluminium weights throughout the set to optimize launch and spin, as well as adding forgiveness.

LA GOLF BEL-AIR PUTTER

£499, LAGOLFGLOBAL.CO.UK

By making the body of this putter from super lightweight carbon, LA Golf has been able to put huge amounts of weight in the heel and toe to create a blade putter with a massively high MOI – which makes it extremely stable. A milled stainless steel DLT face creates a more consistent roll, while the graphite P-Series shaft creates even more stability. It is currently available in the Bel-Air Blade and Malibu Mallet, as well as with a matte carbon head, while a Forged Carbon X option is coming later this year.

STROMBERG THE OPEN NEIL STRIPE POLO

££39.99, AMERICANGOLF.CO.UK

Part of American Golf’s officially licenced apparel range celebrating The Open Championship, the Stromberg polo shirt features a moisture-wicking stretch fabric and 50+ SPF protection to keep you comfortable and protected during your round. Eyecatching while being classically styled, it is designed with a traditional buttoned placket and collar, and highlighted with sublimation stripes, as well as The Open, Claret Jug and Stromberg branding. Available in sizes S, M, L, XL and XXL.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LATEST GEAR PRO SHOP

Golf News Equipment Editor Dan Owen offers the inside track on the latest golf gear

BUSHNELL WINGMAN GPS SPEAKERS

£219, BUSHNELLGOLFGLOBAL.COM

While it is a bigger trend in the US, some golfers love playing music on the course. The Wingman View combines GPS and Bluetooth technologies to give players audible and visual front, centre, and back distances, and up to six visual hazards per hole, as well as a speaker to pump beats out on. A removable magnetic BITE remote seamlessly secures the remote atop the Wingman View unit and provides GPS Distances, full music control adjusts and plays first tee introductions and custom messages at a touch of a button. There is also a smaller version, the Wingman Mini (£99), that can be clipped onto your golf bag and provides audible yardages and plays tunes in a more compact design.

PXG BATTLE READY PUTTERS

£349, PXG.COM

PXG has taken inspiration from the design of its irons – which feature a combination of a super-thin-faced hollow body supported by a polymer core – into the construction of its Battle Ready II line of putters. A hollow body construction repositions weight to the perimeter. The thinnest putter face on the market allows more weight to be positioned further back, and on average they have a 10% higher MOI than the models they replace. That hollow body is filled with S COR polymer, which reduces vibrations and provides great sound and feel. The nine different models also feature a Pyramid face design and four different hosel designs for custom fitting.

G/FORE G.112

£180, GFORE.CO.UK

Merging stability, comfort and a progressive look, the G.112 is a spikeless golf shoe that can be worn all day, on and off the course. The EVA midsole offers stability and cushioning that is backed up by the distinctive and now obligatory G/FORE massaging footbed. G/FORE being G/FORE, there aren’t only one or two colour options – there are 24 men’s colours (four are unisex), while the women’s model is available in six colours with a removable kiltie..

PING G LE3 RANGE

EU.PING.COM

The next generation of PING’s women’s specific club range continues the brand’s commitment to bringing women golfers lightweight technology engineered exclusively for their games.

Boasting a new colour combination featuring navy, gold and silver accents the range feature a driver (£499), fairway woods (£299), hybrids (£250), irons (£160 per club), wedges and a choice of four putters. The woods and irons feature lightweight shafts and grips to help slower-swing speed golfers (70-80mph) produce faster swing speeds and longer distance. The driver boasts a 460cc titanium head with a forged face, while a high-density fixed weight in the back optimises centre of gravity and moment of inertia to create tighter dispersion and higher launch. The Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel allows the 11.5⁰ loft to be adjusted plus or minus 1.5⁰ and up to 3⁰ flatter to dial in the player’s ideal ball flight. The irons are available in 6-9 iron with three wedge options (PW, UW, SW), all of which benefit from a metal-wood style face structure and a PurFlex cavity badge, contributing to more consistent face flexing along with a soft, pleasing feel and sound. For added control, the pitching and U wedges also feature fully machined grooves for great spin on all shots.

The putters are offered in Anser, Louise, Fetch (£275) and Ketsch (£375) designs and all feature a white, two-piece elastomer insert consisting of a soft front with PLD-inspired shallow grooves and a firmer back to ensure the optimal combination of feel, forgiveness and distance control.

KBS PGH HYBRID SHAFT

£105, KBSGOLFSHAFTS.COM

KBS has added a new Players Graphite Hybrid shaft to its award-winning range. Designed to be a user-friendly option, it is easier to launch and generates more spin than the original Tour Prototype Hybrid shaft. New Graphite Wrap technology makes it more consistent, while a lower centre of gravity creates a swing weight that produces an easier, more consistent strike with a hybrid.

CADDY TALK CUBE LASER RANGEFINDER

£350,

CADDYTALK.CO.UK

The coolest looking rangefinder I’ve seen for a while, the Caddy Talk Cube not only has a retro-futuristic vibe, but it also has a killer feature called Caddy mode which lets you measure your shot’s distance even when you aren’t standing next to your ball. Simply zap the ball from wherever you are, then zap the pin, and the CUBE will give you your shot’s distance. It’s a brilliant feature that really comes into play when you’re sharing a buggy. Additionally, M Slope technology calculates slope off both the launch angle and the height of a shot, while E Slope takes into account altitude, humidity and temperature.

SHOT SCOPE G5 GPS WATCH

£150, SHOTSCOPE.COM

If you’re a fan of a GPS watch, the new G5 from Shot Scope might be the best-looking on the market. Available with a black or grey watch case, each watch comes with two coloured strap options for customisation. I particularly like the mint green and orange options, but there are also white, red, pink, grey, navy, sky blue, army green and black straps to choose from. Ready to play out of the box, it comes preloaded with over 36,000 courses, offering front/middle/back yardages, as well as hazards, the G5 also has a useful dogleg feature that helps you find the perfect lay-up position.

TITLEIST VOKEY DESIGN SM9

£159, TITLEIST.CO.UK

Vokey wedges have become ubiquitous, dominating usage on tour and at retail. New for 2023 is the T Grind lob wedge. One of the most popular options on tour, Bob Vokey describes it as the wedge for the artist, the player who manipulates the clubface. When the face is open, the leading edge stays close to the ground which helps you get underneath the ball in delicate situations.

CLEVELAND RTX 6

£169, EU.DUNLOPSPORTS.COM

One of the historic go-to wedge brands, Cleveland is great at producing classic wedge shapes while incorporating modern technologies. Brand new for Cleveland is HydraZip technology. The face is blasted and has laser lines applied to maximise friction. This produces 43% more spin with a wet clubface than previous Cleveland wedges. Combined with UltiZip groove technology these are super spin machines.

CALLAWAY JAWS RAW FULL TOE

£179, CALLAWAYGOLF.COM

Callaway has added a Full Toe wedge to the Jaws Raw line up. These are designed for the short-game artist who can take advantage of the its full-face grooves. The J grind was developed for the full toe shape with more camber front to back, and toe to heel, to expose the generous bounce. With even more relief on the heel, it allows players to open the face for extra versatility around

PXG SUGAR DADDY II

£299,

PXG.CO.UK

These wedges are 100% milled from a block of soft carbon steel. It’s practically the most expensive way you can make a golf clubhead, but it means they are all incredibly consistent from club to club. High toe weighting positions the centre of gravity perfectly for open-face touch shots, plus the precision weighting means the club can be finetuned for a perfect swingweight.

EDEL SMS PRO

£225, THEGOLFTAILOR.COM

Forged from Japanese steel, Edel wedges feature a selection of five sole grinds, each precision milled for consistency. But it’s the SMS weighting that really stands out. By placing the weight behind where the golfer impacts the ball, according to Edel’s research improves dispersion by 44%, while 80% of golfers find the best results with the heaviest weight not in the centre.

FLOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

Equipment Editor Dan Owen previews eight of the finest short game weapons to help you hit it close

PING GLIDE 4.0

£160, EU.PING.COM

The wedges in my bag, I really appreciate the Glide 4.0’s combination of feel and forgiveness. Featuring a classic shape at address, the 8620 carbon steel head with its elastomer insert helps these feel soft at impact while making them significantly more forgiving by moving weight to the perimeter. The Hydropearl finish looks great, but more importantly, helps increase spin in wet conditions.

VEGA ALCOR TOUR

£269, VEGA-GOLF.COM

Adjustable wedges aren’t overly common anyway, but there’s no other wedge on the market that offers adjustable sole grinds! Three interchangeable titanium plates feature different amounts of bounce which can be swapped to fine-tune the wedge for the course conditions. It’s a really elegant solution for the player who plays a lot of different golf courses.

COBRA KING SNAKE BITE

£129, COBRAGOLF.CO.UK

The Snake Bite is one of Cobra’s best wedge designs yet thanks to a new face milled blast that increases spin by 50% over the previous model. At address, the club sits very square and invitingly behind the ball, while a notch on the back of the club, which varies in location according to loft, is designed to allow the sole to glide quicker through impact increasing launch and improving spin.

TERRAS DA COMPORTA

EUROPE’S NEW NO.1 LINKS

DESTINATION

DUBAI HOW TO BOOK YOUR DREAM GOLF BREAK TO THE UAE

ME & MY TRAVELS WITH MARK FOSTER

THE REAL DEAL

While Portugal’s Algarve coast has been a perennial favourite with golf-loving Brits since the 1960s, it is the area around Lisbon that has seen the biggest growth in visitor numbers in recent years, with over 100,000 of us flocking each year to play its 20-plus courses, all of which are located within a short drive from Europe’s westernmost capital.

While the Lisbon area might not quite be able to match the Algarve in terms of quantity, there is unquestionably plenty of quality on offer. The region can be divided into three distinct areas. The Silver Coast, to the northwest of Lisbon, is where you’ll find the likes of Bom Successo, Royal Obidos, West Cliffs and Praia d’El Rey. The central area, around Cascais and Sintra, is home to favourites such as Quinta da Marinha, Estoril, Pestana, Penha Longa and Oitavos Dunes, while to south of the River Tagus you’ll find the Blue Coast, where the courses at Aroeira, Quinta do Peru, Troia and Ribagolfe await. And now, if you’re prepared to drive just that little bit further south, you’ll stumble upon the region’s most exciting new golf development in the shape of Terras da Comporta.

Situated in a secluded setting on the edge of the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, half-a-mile from the Atlantic, the Dunas occupies 250 acres of a vast 2,500-acre estate that, when complete, will comprise several luxury hotels, numerous private residential developments, along with a host of leisure facilities, shops, restaurants, and even a school. The intention of the resort’s developers is to be as sustainable as possible, with the houses and hotels all set to made from wood and will feature solar panels which will feed energy back into the rest of the site. The yet-to-be-built clubhouse will also be a wooden affair.

The Dunas course is the creation of the much-in-demand architect David McLay Kidd, a Scotsman whose previous designs include The Castle Course at St Andrews, the exclusive layouts at Queenwood and Beaverbrook in Surrey, and the highly rated Bandon Dunes in Oregon, to name but a few.

The journey to getting the course open has been a stop-start affair. Initial work started back in 2008 when McLay Kidd put together a plan to bring a links course to this part of Europe. The project was developing well when it suffered a major setback as the finance went awry in 2014 with the collapse of Banco

Matt Nicholson visits Terras da Comporta , south of Lisbon, whose recently opened Dunas course is set to raise the bar still further with Portugal potentially having a new No1 golf course

■ THE PAR-4 13TH HOLE

Images by James Hogg

Espirito Santo. Work stopped immediately and the project stood still for five years, with only daily watering of the fairways and greens taking place. In 2019 the Vanguard property group took over the development and approached McLay Kidd to return to Portugal and bring the project back to life. Work recommenced quickly, initially taking out the growth that had developed and then revisiting the original plans. Work continued during the pandemic with the course finally opening for play earlier this summer.

The area in which the golf course is located is heavily wooded and punctured by vast dunes, and although the Dunas has a seaside feel, there are no sea views to be had from ground level. Instead, the holes rise and fall across enormous valleys, with the narrow ribbons of fairway bordered by sandy waste areas before giving way to dense swathes of pines trees. With enormous greens, undulating fairways, and the occasional blind shot, the Dunas looks, feels and plays like a links course.

It’s hard to underestimate how much sand there is. On the upside, you won’t lose too many balls if you miss the fairway, but the punishment is a long bunker shot to get yourself back in play. With plenty of changes in elevation, the course is always asking questions.

The par threes are excellent, with the sixth, a 168-yard hole played to a green tucked between two dunes, the 175-yard 14th, surrounded by sand on all sides, and the 150-yard 17th, the shortest on the course, likely to be ones that most players get their camera phones out for. My favourite stretch of holes were 13, 14 and 15, where you had to remind yourself that you were in Portugal and not walking the fairways of Pinehurst in North Carolina.

The longer holes are no less memorable, with the par-5 12th, being a particular highlight, while the par-4 10th and 11th, both of which offer a view of the flag from the tee, which is not always the case for a course that has more twists and turns than a Midsomer Murders plot.

The layout can be stretched to as long as 7,200 yards off the back tees, and to as short as 4,200 yards off the front, but numbered tees rather than

traditional coloured boxes leave you to choose the tees that will suit your game best and how much you want to test yourself. Above all, the Dunas is fun. It gives you options and, providing you play off the right tees, won’t unnecessarily or unduly beat you up.

Unlike most links, the Dunas isn’t really designed to be walked, with sizeable distances between some of the greens and tees meaning that riding a buggy will be the only way to play

the course. The green fee, when it opens fully in October, will be priced at €175, including a buggy and range balls, which represents something of a bargain for a course which looks destined to be rated among Europe’s finest when word properly gets out.

The practice area is as good as anything you will find on the continent, with the range having the same look and feel as the course, while the massive practice green provides a good introduction to the pace of the putting surfaces on the course. A golf academy and the clubhouse were still to be completed on our visit but are sure to match up to the quality of the course in the fullness of time.

OFF-COURSE ACTIVITIES

Looking at the wider destination, Comporta is not a place to come for wild nights and a party atmosphere. It’s a remote spot where well-heeled families come to relax, unwind and unplug from the stresses of daily life. Beyond golf, outdoor

pursuits will very much be the order of the day here, with surfers, horse riders, hikers, mountain bikers and ‘wellness’ seekers set to be in their element once the facilities are complete. With the resort still in the early stages of its development, the choice of on-site accommodation remains limited, but the AlmaLusa Comporta, a boutique hotel in the nearby seaside community of Praia da Comporta – which sits at the base of the Troia peninsula – boasts 53 stylish rooms and is well placed for golfers. The hotel is a short walk from several excellent restaurants, including Comporta Flavours, where locally caught fish, including sea bass, sole, cod, grouper and dorada, are grilled to perfection, while dishes involving clams, sardines and prawns will also have seafood fans salivating. Another popular eatery is the Comporta Café, which enjoys a stunning beachside location and features a menu that also looks to the nearby sea for its ingredients, with mussels, oysters, lobsters and swordfish among the highlights of its extensive menu.

For now, the Dunas course is very much the dish of the day for golfers, and with a second 18hole course – a co-design by José Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia – already in the planning stages, it’s just a matter of time before Terras da Comporta becomes a name that sits alongside the greats of European golf.

To book a round on The Dunas Course, email golf@comporta.com and for more information, visit www.comporta.com.

■ AN ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF HOW THE NEW ECO-FRIENDLY CLUBHOUSE WILL LOOK

■ THE PAR-4 10TH AND 18TH BOOKEND A STRONG BACK NINE ON THE DUNAS COURSE

■ THE PAR-3 14TH IS SURROUNDED BY A SEA OF SAND

VIYA GOLF LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

Dubai Golf has officially rolled out VIYA to international audiences. VIYA allows customers, both in the UAE and around the world, to book world-class golf, dining, experiences, spas, and more at venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

VIYA is a one-stop-shop for those in, and visiting, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The platform o ers golf bookings and seasonal promotions at Dubai Golf’s world-class golf venues: Emirates Golf Club, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Yas Links, Yas Acres, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, and Topgolf Dubai – in addition to numerous other venues in the region.

In addition, the platform contains a variety of dining o erings at a plethora of restaurants and all the pro shops located at each of the Dubai Golf clubs. It can also be used to book spa days and treatments, as well as individual or recurring tness experiences.

VIYA has been designed to reward customer loyalty, by o ering 1 UAE Dirham (local currency) back for every 10 UAE Dirhams spent at a Dubai Golf venue and every other venue on the app –a 10% rewards programme. Whether it be in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, rewards earned on the platform can be redeemed at any other VIYA venue – this includes all restaurants, golf courses, pro shops, spas, gyms, beaches, and at Topgolf.

Christopher May, CEO of Dubai Golf (operator of VIYA), said: “VIYA really is the go-to platform for booking golf, leisure activities, and dining in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It contains the very best of

what the area has to o er and features a number of fantastic promotions every week. We also created VIYA with the goal of rewarding our users. We’re delighted that with every purchase, users earn rewards in UAE Dirhams that can then be redeemed at other VIYA venues, no matter which they choose to visit.”

He added: “While VIYA is a brilliant platform for residents to enjoy, it is now very much a tool that visitors and holidaymakers can utilise during their stay. It’s the easiest way to book tee times, dinners, and leisure experiences, and the rewards can be redeemed instantly, allowing visitors to bene t from them during their visit.”

VIYA has evolved from its original form as a golf bookings app for members of Dubai Golf clubs, to a fully servicing booking portal for activities and experiences throughout the region. It also now includes a variety of partners from outside the Dubai Golf business, to further enhance the user experience and create a broader o ering for customers.

VIYA has already acquired more than 120,000 users in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and visitors from around the world can now utilise the platform.

VIYA is free to download, and you can do so by heading to any mobile app store. To explore VIYA, head to: www.viya.ae

TOPGOLF DUBAI

Take your Dubai gol ng holiday to the next level by enjoying the awesome Topgolf Dubai.

Not only can you kick back and enjoy a round of Topgolf with your friends, but make the most of the Food & Beverage facilities on site to make the most of your Topgolf experience.

Topgolf Dubai is located on the world renowned Emirates Golf Club, home to the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour. After a game at Topgolf, take your game to the course on either the Majlis Course or the Faldo Course at day or night.

■ DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB

THE COURSES

YAS LINKS – ABU DHABI

COURSE DESIGNER: KYLE PHILLIPS

Set on the water’s edge with dramatic views of the Arabian Gulf, Yas Links Abu Dhabi is the first true links golf course in the Middle East and the new home of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour. The 18-hole championship course, designed by top golf course designer Kyle Phillips, attracts experienced golfers from all over the world, while the 9-hole par 3 course and practice facilities are ideal for all abilities.

YAS ACRES GOLF & CC

– ABU DHABI

COURSE DESIGNER: FRY/STRAKA

A spectacular addition to the Abu Dhabi golf scene, situated within the heart of Yas Acres, is open to the public. The world class 9-hole golf course serves up both a challenging round of golf and a breath-taking backdrop for the community. The floodlit par-36 course will test golfers with its compelling contours spanning 130 acres adjacent to the Yas Acres residential community. A major design element of the golf course is a low, meandering ridgeline that runs through the centre. The course also features a lake and stream system that flows throughout the entire course, supporting native desert plants and vegetation.

SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB – ABU DHABI

COURSE DESIGNER: GARY PLAYER

The breath-taking 18 hole Championship Course at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club was the Arabian Gulf’s first beachfront course, creating an unparalleled golfing experience with views of the Gulf’s glittering ocean. The Club is also committed to protecting the surroundings, with being a certified Audubon Sanctuary. Wild gazelles roam the fairways as you enjoy the trials and tribulations of one of the regions toughest lay-outs. Host venue of the first Ladies European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, and voted ‘Best Course in the UAE’ in 2015 and ‘Best Course in Abu Dhabi’ in 2019, World Golf Awards, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is recognised globally as a world class golfing destination.

DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB – DUBAI

COURSE DESIGNER: KARL LITTEN & THOMAS BJORN

The Championship course at Dubai Creek is a memorable journey from the first tee to the 18th green. The superbly manicured fairways are undulating, demarcated by mounds, date and palm trees, and most other times by water. Apart from the Creek, which comes into play on at least four holes, several artificial lakes add to the beauty and difficulty of various other holes. The Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club course sets up for a thrilling finale to a round with its two par 4 closing holes. The 17th and 18th have the Creek guarding the entire left side of the fairway. While the 17th can still be conquered with some smart play, the 18th requires mandatory cerebral involvement on every shot.

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB (MAJLIS COURSE) –DUBAI

COURSE DESIGNER: KARL LITTEN

The flagship course at Emirates Golf Club. The original 18 holes were built in and around the dunes of a beautiful site on the edge of the city of Dubai, donated by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on whose instructions the desert flora was maintained in its natural state. The Majlis course has developed a worthy reputation worldwide as a testing layout for even the best golfers, and is a regular host to the European Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The course features hundreds of indigenous species of flora and fauna, beautifully complemented by meandering fairways and seven fresh and saltwater lakes.

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB (FALDO COURSE) – DUBAI

COURSE DESIGNER: THOMAS BJORN & SIR NICK FALDO

Open day and night, Emirates Golf Club’s second championship golf course, which opened in 1996, was named ‘The Wadi’, taken from the Arabic word for ‘valley’. Redesigned in 2005 by golf legend and six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo, the course now combines a stunning visual design with the nuances and challenges of any championship course in just the right measure, providing visitors an exceptionally enjoyable golfing experience. The new course was re-named ‘The Faldo’ when it re-opened in October 2006. A par-72, the course has proved to be as popular as its predecessor and lures players to the challenge of its intelligent design day or night thanks to incorporated LED floodlights throughout the course.

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES (EARTH COURSE) – DUBAI

COURSE DESIGNER: GREG NORMAN

A proud host of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai - the culmination of The Race to Dubai and European Tour season. This sharply defined, sculptured course inspired by the great parklands of Europe and North America, paints a magnificent pastiche of aura, rolling terrain and rushing water. These natural components also provide differing angles and changing perspectives from each tee. A classic Greg Norman design with perfectly placed bunkers ad protection for its wide fairways.

Bunkers placed in the centre of fairways in key landing zones makes decision making off the tee much more difficult.

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES (FIRE COURSE) – DUBAI

COURSE DESIGNER: GREG NORMAN

Designed by Greg Norman to exist in harmony with the natural desert landscape, Fire is a tough and, needless to say, a fiery challenge for golfers of all abilities. While the Earth course uses bold colours to provide its contrasts, Fire’s are more refined. The native grasses display a golden glint in the sunlight, and away from the immaculate playing surfaces, large terracotta bunkers punctuate the rolling terrain. Framed by a wide variety of captivating flora, carefully selected to reflect the overall theme and to enhance its natural setting, Fire is incomplete harmony with its surroundings.

6 OF THE BEST

KING’S LYNN GOLF CLUB moved to its present idyllic location in 1975, with the course being the first to be designed by the acclaimed Peter Alliss/ Dave Thomas partnership. It has matured into the magnificent challenge now considered by golfers and golf writers alike, to be one of the finest and most scenic inland courses in East Anglia. With a hint of Woburn, Woking and Wentworth, there is a great deal of challenge with course management being crucial to scoring well.

£100 Weekdays, £110 Weekends secretary@kingslynngc.co.uk | 01553 631654

SWAFFHAM GOLF CLUB was established in 1922 on a Norfolk Breckland Heath, the club expanded from nine to 18 holes in 2001. This transformed the course into an attractive and demanding experience, enjoyable by all standards of player. Swaffham’s traditional heathland course, set in the heart of Breckland, is a fair test of golf for all abilities. Less than an hour away from the fine coastal courses, so why not combine a trip and visit our hidden gem?

Cley Road, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 8AE manager@swaffhamgc.co.uk | www.swaffhamgc.co.uk

ELY CITY GOLF COURSE is a Henry Cotton designed parkland course located on the outskirts of the historic cathedral city of Ely. A traditional members’ club, it was founded in the early 1960s by five local businessmen who were keen to see a golf club in the city. The course provides a true test for golfers of all abilities, while the club prides itself on being one of the friendliest and most welcoming in the region. Green fees are available all year round.

107 Cambridge Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 4HX info@elycitygolf.co.uk | elygolf.co.uk | 01353 662751

FRINTON GOLF CLUB provides a true seaside challenge to golfers of all standards. Founded in 1895, with the original course layout being designed by Willie Park Jnr. The current Havers Course was upgraded by the legendary golf course architect Harry Colt. Although only 6,249 yards in length, Colt created a classic golfingchallenge for all abilities. Situated on the picturesque north Essex coast, Frinton Golf Club is home to a jewel of a course and is an ideal venue for golf societies at any time of the year.

1 The Esplanade, Frinton On Sea, Essex CO13 9EP secretary@frintongolfclub.com | frintongolfclub.com

GREAT YARMOUTH & CAISTER GOLF CLUB is regarded by most members and visitors as one of the friendliest clubs in Norfolk All are made welcome who come to the club. The club caters for all ages and gender with full programmes, both golfing and social, available to members and guests. You are welcome to use the practice facilities and the pro shop carries a wide range of equipment and clothing. Please report to the professional’s shop when you arrive.

Yarmouth Road, Caister-On- Sea, Norfolk NR30 5TD office@caistergolf.co.uk | caistergolf.co.uk | 01493 728699

WOODBRIDGE GOLF CLUB boasts 27 fantastic holes of golf to challenge players of all levels and has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty on Suffolk’s coastal heathland and with the driest climate in England allows almost uninterrupted golf all year round. The Heath Course was designed in 1893 by the famous Scottish professional Davie Grant and subsequently updated by James Braid. The Forest Course opened in 1972 and was extended in 1988.

Bromeswell Heath, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2PF woodbridgegolfclub.co.uk | 01394 382038

My first ever golf holiday was to… La Cala in Spain. Eight of us go away every year and we do a North v South Ryder Cup competition, although most of them are from the North, so I’m not sure how that works out! But we have a lot of fun and play some competitive, if not always great, golf. We went to La Quinta last year, and La Cala before that. I’m not sure where we’re going this year – we might try Portugal.

My most recent golf holiday was to… Almenara in southern Spain. We played Finca Cortesin, Valderrama and a few others. It was a really top

Mark Foster

My ideal holiday fourball would include... Martin O’Neill, Bradley Walsh and Brendan O’Carroll, from Mrs Brown’s Boys. That was the funniest four-ball I’ve ever played in. I’ve also got three good mates who I enjoy playing with, but that’s more of a grudge match.

I always travel with... my golf clubs! Back when I was swimming competitively I’d always take my own my pillow. I needed to have a good night’s sleep the night before a race and some hotels have terribly uncomfortable pillows.

The best hotel I’ve ever stayed in was... Hope Springs Resort in Palm Springs, California. It’s a minimalist motel in the San Jacinto mountains that has its own spring-fed geo-thermal pools. It’s the perfect retreat from the stresses of the world.

notch, although the courses were extremely tough.

My favourite golf course abroad is... Finca Cortesin. There’s not a weak hole, and the views are spectacular, as is the service off the golf course.

The favourite course in the UK is… The Grove in Hertfordshire. It’s a championship course which can be set up to let amateurs get around without embarrassing themselves too much, and the condition of the whole course is tour standard.

My best ever golf trip was to… Pebble Beach in California. Myself and seven friends went there for my 50th birthday in 2020. We stayed there for a week and played the Golf Links, Spanish Bay, Cypress Point, Poppy Hills and Spyglass Hill. It was amazing.

My favourite holiday destination is... Santa Monica, California. I also love a city break and am a big fan of Barcelona and Rome, because there is so much to see, so much history, and great food to eat.

My most memorable holiday meal was at… The Good Earth, a Chinese restaurant in Chelsea which serves the best crispy duck pancakes.

My worst holiday experience was... at a hotel that will remain nameless in Lanzarote, where my room was full of cockroaches.

My top travel tip is... if you are going somewhere hot, make sure you take a sunblock with a high factor.

Mark Foster is an ambassador for the Legends Tour’s wapp Celebrity Pro-Am Series, with the next event taking place ahead of the Staysure Senior PGA Championship at Trump Links in Scotland from August 23-27. To find out more, visit www.legendstour.com/celebrity-pro-am.

‘The Magnificent Seven’ James Braid Highland Golf Trail

The James Braid Highland Golf Trail has been initiated to enhance the experience of golfers wishing to visit a wonderfully picturesque part of Scotland whilst benefitting from the enjoyment and challenge of playing over our Braid designed golf courses.

20% off Full Green Fees when quoting JBHGT if you book at any of these seven courses via telephone. More information may be found online via the web addresses shown below.

Boat of Garten Golf Club 18 completely individual holes, cleverly and sensitively shaped fairways lined by birch trees, heather and broom producing one of Scotland’s finest tests of golf. Ranked 28th course in Scotland by NCG 2019.

Inverness Golf Club

Located in the heart of the Highland Capital, Inverness Golf Club has a splendid parkland course with tree lined fairways and generous well manicured greens. An enjoyable and challenging test for any golfer.

Muir of Ord Golf Club

An award winning golf club, set in an area of outstanding scenery with the hills of the Great Glen to the south and Ben Wyvis to the north. The course features tight fairways and one of the finest par 3’s in Scotland.

Golspie Golf Club

A true Scottish links golf course and national championship venue. Voted Scotland’s Best Golfing Experience (Value for Money) at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards 2017 & 18, it is ranked in top 50 courses in Scotland (Golf World)

Situated an hour’s drive north from Inverness, the small Highland village of Golspie hosts one of the hidden gems of Highland golf. The Par 70 course offers an excellent golfing experience whether you are an advanced golfer or beginner.

Recognised as one of James Braid’s finest pieces of work, the green staff work tirelessly to preserve its original beauty This course reflects the perfect balance between challenge and fun in a truly breathtaking setting.

A traditional links course on the scenic north coast of Scotland. It nestles in Sandside Bay with the North Atlantic Ocean visible from every hole. Reay is far north, but certainly worth the distance.

The former Olympic 50m swimmer, who plays off a 10 handicap, never leaves home without his clubs in tow

■ THE GROVE

Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club

Brora Golf Club

Reay Golf Club

■ FINCA CORTESIN

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