GOLF NEWS WINTER 2023

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Bayly

As a fan of most sports – I take exception to F1, which is just an exercise in engineering (sorry Max, apologies Lewis) – I will happily plonk myself on the sofa at all times of the day to watch endless hours of people of varying skill levels kick, punch, bowl, smash, roll, throw, jump and run at/with/through various objects all in the name of competition.

Besides providing a great distraction from a multitude of various tasks and duties I am trying to avoid – work, dog walking, cooking, cleaning and thinking about the impending destruction of the universe – there is something endlessly fascinating about not knowing the outcome of an event. For that reason, I nd it hard to watch Match of the Day or other sporting highlights programmes when I already know the result. Who ever ‘leaves the room’ or ‘looks away now’ when the scores are about to be read out on the main news channels? Not me.

But, as with everything in life, too much of a good thing, or even an average thing, isn’t good for the soul or the stomach, so I like it when a sport or anything else that I quite like – wife/kids/dog included – goes away for a bit. For that reason, I relish the changing of the seasons, and the switch from my go-to shorts/tshirt combo from April to October, into the shorts/ eece/waterproof jacket triumvirate that make up my wardrobe for the rest of the year. Thus, I am genuinely relieved when the football season drags itself to its often all too predictable conclusion in May, and when the sound of leather on willow can only be heard during overseas tour matches – of which there are still too many – when September draws to a close. While my multi-channel universe allows me to watch sport in all its glorious forms 24-7, 365 days a year, it is its absence, however brief, that gives me a chance to recharge, assess and recollect before the unrelenting juggernaut rolls into action once more.

Professional golf, while once only played between April and September during the European Tour’s early days, is now a 50-week a year occupation, with only a brief lull over Christmas and the New Year providing just enough time to digest the turkey and After Eight mints before the endless cycle of tournaments crank back into action.

While there is no turning back the tide on this score, the PGA Tour’s decision – in the face of competition from LIV Golf – to create a series of ‘elevated’ events next season that are designed to encourage the world’s top 50 players to compete against each other more often will at least ensure that we should get a better-quality product on a more consistent basis. The new schedule will ensure that the best golfers will be in action from March to September, as they used to be, and everyone else will get a chance to shine in the events in between.

Rory McIlroy, who hasn’t been short on opinions this year, has said that he wants golf fans to ‘miss it a little bit’, and by that he means miss seeing him and the other top players (well, those not playing on the LIV Tour), but given that he’ll still be required to play in 20 events, including the Majors, that’s still at least 80 days a year, providing he doesn’t miss a cut, plus half-adozen DP World Tour events, and the occasional Ryder Cup, where we will be able to see our Rors in action.

The di erence is that these elevated events will be concentrated into an eight-month window and then the top players will have a break. The only problem is that the 24-7 rumble of events will go on without them, creating a new tier of events almost totally robbed of star quality. It’s a ne balancing act, which I’m not sure anyone currently knows the answer to, but such are the unyielding demands of modern professional sport in the modern era. The show, as they say must go on, and on and on…

Nick

■ RORY MCILROY WILL BE AMONG THE TOP PLAYERS WHO WILL BE REQUIRED TO PLAY MORE EVENTS ON THE PGA TOUR IN 2023

InBrief

FORMER PGA CHIEF EXECUTIVE SANDY JONES DIES

★ Sandy Jones, the former chief executive of the PGA, and one of the driving forces behind the growth of the Ryder Cup, died on November 27 following a short illness, aged 75. Born in Scotland, he joined the PGA in 1980 and went on to become one of the golf’s most influential and respected administrators in a career that spanned almost 40 years. He retired in 2017, and latterly served as president of the Golf Foundation, from which he stepped down earlier this year. He was a member of Little Aston Golf Club in Birmingham.

HANKLEY TO HOST FINAL QUALIFIER FOR 2023 AIG WOMEN’S OPEN

★ The Buckinghamshire and Hankley Common golf clubs have been chosen to host qualifying events for the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, which is being held at Walton Heath from August 10-13. PreQualifying will be played at The Buckinghamshire on July 17, while Final Qualifying will take place at Hankley Common on August 7, where three golfers will earn a place in the AIG Women’s Open.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES FOR LUCKY JIM!

★ Jim Donn, a member of Bearsted Golf Club in Kent has achieved the remarkable feat of bagging not just one, but three aces in club competitions this year. He aced the 143-yard 1st, the 211-yard 8th, and the 174-yard 18th hole, but fell just short of the full house by failing to ace the 179yard 16th.

BENNETT TEES UP COACHING ROLE AT LEXDEN WOOD

★ Outgoing PGA Captain Sarah Bennett has started a new coaching role at Lexden Wood Golf Club in Essex. The former Ladies European Tour player has enjoyed a stellar career as a PGA-trained coach, having worked with county and national squads at all levels. She will be coaching all skill levels, from newcomers to club and county-level players at the Colchester-based club.

Oxford golfer beats his age

The drinks were on Oxford amateur golfer Graham Hoult last month when overcame odds of nine-million-to-1 when beating his age following a round at Oxford Golf Club.

Mr Hoult, aged 72, knocked it around the Harry Coltdesigned course in a one-over-par 71 to beat his age by one.

“It’s better than a hole-in-one!” said the retired hairdresser from Oxford, who plays o a handicap of 6.6 and has been a member at the club for over 45 years. “I was excited, as it’s a hard thing to achieve in golf and you have to be a certain age to do it. Amazingly, I almost did it the day before, but I dropped a shot on the last, so get so close and then do it on my very next round in bad weather was brilliant.”

He added: “It’s a special score and things like this don’t come around often in golf. It was a day I won’t forget – everything just clicked. My handicap index when I played the round was 6.6, which means my course handicap was 7. My car number plate is ‘G5 HCP’ I thought the ‘G’ stood for Graham, but everyone at the club said it was ‘golf’ and 5 was my handicap at the time, so it stuck. So when my handicap got worse everyone joked that I’d need a new number plate. Finally, I’ve got it back to a ve.”

Hoult who bought drinks from everyone in the clubhouse following his record round, said:

“Oxford has always had good greens. I love the course and I love golf – it’s great for exercise and my mental health.”

Steve Greenwood, Oxford Golf Club’s general manager, said: “This is one of the nest achievements in golf and Graham has rightly been the talk of the club. It’s something golfers dream of, and we’re all thrilled for him.”

Doughe y appointed Golf Foundation president

The Golf Foundation has announced the appointment of former Tour player turned TV golf commentator Nick Dougherty as its new president.

The Golf Foundation is a national charity which works in partnership with The R&A and other leading golf organisations to help introduce golf to children from all backgrounds and create golfers for life.

Dougherty, who was supported by the Foundation through coaching programmes in the late 1990s, when he met the charity’s former president Bernard Gallacher, said: “I am so grateful for the role that golf has played in my life. From the joy that the game brings to the life lessons that it teaches, I have seen through the experiences of both myself and so many others, the positive impact it can play in people’s lives.

“Introducing it to children when they are young, impressionable and ‘learning the ropes’ of life with its ups and downs, just like the game itself, usually has a profoundly positive e ect for them and their futures. Because of this, it is an incredible honour to accept the role of President of the Golf Foundation, an organisation that has been sharing these wonderful gol ng gifts for 70 years.”

Dougherty, who is the youngest President in the Golf Foundation’s history, added: “The Golf Foundation played a hugely important role in my development as a youngster, and the chance to work with them to support today’s children is immensely rewarding and important to me. I am extremely excited to play my part in helping to reach more children with our sport, to make it more inclusive and, with this shared passion of the Golf Foundation, push to make golf a part of the curriculum in schools so that the bene ts of this amazing game are available to all.”

Dougherty’s vision now is to help make a signi cant impact at a junior level, with a particular focus on schools. Earlier this year, he helped the Golf Foundation to create and launch its ‘Golf Is Ours’ school campaign, aimed at getting golf into as many schools as possible.

His rst o cial engagement as president came at London Golf Club in October, where the Golf Foundation was celebrating its 70th anniversary by presenting awards to those who have made a major di erence in growing junior golf across the UK.

Heythrop Park reopens following £40m renovation

Heythrop Park, the hotel and golf resort located near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, o cially reopened last month following the completion of a £40m renovation by owner Warner Hotels, which bought the property in 2018.

The 440-acre estate has undergone a complete transformation over the last four years, with the 300-year-old Grade II-listed baroque manor’s historic features having been fully restored, while the new-look venue now o ers 337 bedrooms, six lounges, three restaurants, numerous bars, two theatres, and a spa and wellness centre. It is understood that the opening of the resort has created 300 jobs.

As part of the o cial reopening ceremony, Heythrop Park general manager Dean

Saunders welcomed a group of invited local business owners, media and council dignitaries to view the newly refurbished resort and o ered an insight into its facilities, which now encompasses live entertainment, afternoon tea in the manor house, and activities such as archery and laser clay shooting.

Saunders said: “It was truly special to welcome our neighbours to join us in celebrating Heythrop Park’s grand reopening. We’re so excited to welcome guests through the doors to experience our long-awaited biggest and boldest hotel yet.”

Heythrop Park, which was originally built as a private home for the 1st Duke of Shrewsbury in the early 18th

century, rst opened as a hotel and golf resort in 2010, following a 10-year, £50m development by local businessman Firoz Kassam. The 18-hole championship golf course was designed by Tom Mackenzie and has hosted several professional tour events over the last decade.

Like the other 14 hotels in the Warners Leisure portfolio, Heythrop Park is an adultsonly venue, so family breaks will not be part of the packages on o er to guests. Operated as a members’ club and accepting visitor greens fees, golf breaks will be part of the new o ering. Among the current range of breaks is a two-night stay with breakfast, a three-course dinner, free use of the spa and leisure facilities, from £189pp.

■ GRAHAM HOULT MAY HAVE HIS HANDICAP CUT AFTER BEATING HIS AGE DURING A ROUND AT OXFORD GOLF CLUB

■ NICK DOUGHERTY WITH GOLF FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN STEPHEN LEWIS

■ HEYTHROP PARK’S CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

■ HEYTHROP PARK IS NOW AN ADULTS-ONLY VENUE

Play the International Course

It is undoubtedly one of the finest downland courses in Europe with fast, undulating fairways that allow you to chase the ball into position. The course is punctuated with exciting risk and reward tee shots over water that really get the heart pumping.

InBrief

WATTS STEPS UP TO HEAD COACH ROLE AT ENGLAND GOLF

★ BB&O lead coach Rob Watts has been appointed to the role of national men’s lead coach at England Golf after enjoying six years of outstanding success with the boys’ squad. Watts has taken over from Graham Walker following the Yorkshireman’s decision to step down from the role after 11 years. On accepting the role, Watts said: “I’m a proud Englishman and nothing gives me greater pleasure than playing a part in helping our best young golfers achieve their potential and represent their country with distinction.”

PLAYER LIVES UP TO HIS NAME

★ Gary Player and Paul Marples won Surrey Golfs’ Kelso Hamilton Knockout title after beating Stewart Clements and Gavin Russell 4&3 in the final played at Bletchingley Golf Club.

KENT TO LAUNCH INVICTA 12S TOUR

★ Kent Golf is planning to expand its competitive junior golf programme next year with the launch of the Invicta 12s Tour. The new tour follows on from the success of the Invicta 10s Tour, which was open to children aged 6-10, while the Invicta 12s will cater for those aged 10-12. Sponsors are being sought to help fund the programme, with interested parties asked to send an email to secretary@kentgolf. co.uk.

BB&O PAST PRESIDENT PASSES AWAY

★ Duncan Forbes, the former BB&O President and 2003 Seniors County Champion, has died following a short illness aged 81. Duncan, who was a member at Sonning Golf Club in Berkshire, worked tirelessly for the BB&O during his time in office.

DOWNS ON THE UP

★ A team from Surrey Downs has won Surrey Golf’s John Ling Trophy after beating Hersham Golf Club in a closely fought final held at Foxhills. With the score tied at 2-2, the match came down to the last pairing, with a 3&2 victory sealing Surrey Down’s success.

Golf reso developer Peter de Savary dies

Essex-born businessman and hotelier Peter de Savary, who was responsible for creating of many of the UK and the world’s leading golf hotels, has died aged 78.

De Savary who died unexpectedly in London on October 30, was expelled from school aged 16, but became a millionaire by the time he was 30 after founding an import-export business with dealings in Africa. He was best known for his work in hospitality through which he developed over 60 hotels and resorts, including The Abaco Club in the Bahamas, Bovey Castle in England (pictured above) and Scotland’s Carnegie Links at Skibo Castle, Royal Dornoch Golf Hotel and Machrie

Golf Hotel.

Latterly, working with his third wife, Lana, de Savary developed a string of boutique hotels in England, including the Cary Arms & Spa in South Devon, The Eastbury in North Dorset and The Beachcroft in West Sussex.

Talking several years ago about his drive to develop hotels and resorts, he said: “I don’t need to be doing anything for the money, but I do it for the same reason that actors keep on making lms. It’s that challenge to do something creative, to get that applause from the audience. I am fortunate to have it as good as it gets, but it’s still an overwhelming x. I shall keep going until it isn’t working.”

As well as his business interests, De Savary was a keen yachtsman, which lead him to funding two failed attempts to win the America’s Cup in the 1980s. He was also chairman of Millwall Football Club in 2005-6. A passionate philanthropist, particularly over initiatives supporting animals and disadvantaged children, he was also a patron of the British Teenage Cancer Trust.

Paying tribute to her husband, Lana De Savary, who remains chairman of the business, said: “Peter was extraordinary, not just as a businessman, but as a wonderful mentor, loving husband and devoted father of his ve daughters. He was a remarkable man and an enormous gap will be left in our lives without him.”

Fulbrook grabs the headlines at Telegraph Junior finals

Some of the UK’s most prodigious young talents showcased their skills at the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship at Quinta do Lago in Portugal last month.

The competition, which was sponsored for the third time by Justin Rose, a former winner of the title, saw 24 boys and girls compete across 54 holes for a trophy that has also been lifted by gol ng greats such as Alice Hewson and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Despite threats of a late comeback from a number of high-quality opponents, 17-yearolds Sophia Fullbrook and Dylan Shaw-Radford – who had led their respective tables heading into the nal round – managed to hold on for victory. Fullbrook, a member of the Melbourne Club at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, had established a strong lead after two rounds and held her nerve to win by two strokes. Shaw-Radford, from Hudders eld Golf Club, also won by two, demonstrating remarkable consistency with

The Grove gears up for 20th anniversary with off-course investment programme

The Grove has announced a host of investments in its o -course golf facilities ahead of its 20th anniversary celebrations next year.

Work is already under way at ve-star Hertfordshire-based resort to extend the Stables Bar and enhance the outdoor terrace and courtyard areas to further elevate the food and beverage o ering. The locker rooms, toilets and halfway house are also undergoing signi cant renovations.

Earlier this year The Grove unveiled one of the rst grass tee TrackMan Range installations in Europe, and soon it will also become the rst venue in Europe to o er golf cars with music when a new eet of highspec Club Car vehicles, complete with Bluetooth speakers, is delivered.

Anna Darnell, Resort Director at The Grove, said: “We are taking our guest experience to another level with these important enhancements. We pride ourselves on having a world-class golf o ering and our aim is to lead the industry in o ering customers personalisation and standout levels of service. The grand unveiling in April 2023, along with our beautiful Mansion rooms and suites being refurbished, will be perfectly timed for the celebrations we’re planning for The Grove’s 20th anniversary.”

The current bar in The Stables – where most golfers head for refreshments after their round – will be extended, creating a private area for small golf groups when required and also allowing for 32

scores of 69, 69 and 70.

Seventeen-year-old Jack Lee, of Rochester & Cobham Park, came closest to knocking Shaw-Radford from his perch with an exceptional round of 68 on the second day. Meanwhile, the nest individual performance of the tournament came from 15-year-old Amelia Wan from Nottinghamshire. Her stunning opening round of 65 – seven-under-par on the par-72 layout – made her the early favourite to top the girls’ division. However, the class of Fullbrook and second-placed Rebekah Gardner, of Clandeboye, eventually told and saw Wan slip to third.

Fullbrook said: “I guess we both held commanding leads and only made sure of it on the 18th, but that is testament to the strength of the elds. I am very pleased, as well as being relieved, and I am sure Dylan is too.”

Shaw-Radford added: “This means a great deal. Just look down the names who have won it – Justin Rose himself, Andrew Coltart and a fellow Yorkshireman in Matt Fitzpatrick, ten years ago. What a way to nish 2022!”

additional seats for our leisure golfers. The Stables courtyard, which is mainly used for private golf functions, will have a new bar, pergola and furniture throughout. Both that area and The Stables terrace will bene t from stylish new furnishings, parasols and garden features. A revamped Halfway House will have a walk-in fridge, draught beer on tap, a wider choice of food and renovated toilets.

Commenting on the new eet of Club Car golf carts and additions to the practice range, Director of Golf Brad Gould said: “We strive to be innovative and set ourselves apart, so we are proud to be the rst venue in the UK to o er Club Car golf cars with speakers. Players will be able to connect and play their choice of music on the course, and the cars have in-built USB charging to keep phones fully charged. We now also have speakers on the practice range as well as TrackMan technology, adding further enjoyment and entertainment to our customers’ warm-up and practice.”

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BOOM TIME

With the return of waiting lists and joining fees, and club membership levels up to figures not seen since the early 1980s, all the signs point to golf enjoying something of a boom over the last two years. But is it here to stay and how long can the momentum be maintained? Golf News Editor Nick Bayly looks at some of the wider issues driving golf’s upward curve and finds out what golf clubs and the game’s governing bodies are doing to maintain the positive vibes currently flowing through the game.

Pull into the car park at your typical UK golf club on a Wednesday morning or a Friday afternoon over the last few years and you’ll have been hard pushed to nd an empty space to pull into anywhere near the clubhouse. In fact, you may have had to venture as far as the over ow car park or to a space normally only open for high days and holidays or the captain’s annual charity event.

In short, golf clubs have been busy places to be in 2022. The number of rounds played was up 40% this summer compared to the same period in 2019 – and have been for most of the time since mid-2020, when normal golf club operations resumed following the hiatus caused by the pandemic. I say ‘hiatus’ because although golf clubs were one of the few places that were able to reopen soon after the rst Covid-enforced lockdown, the closure of clubhouse operations and the absence of any income from social events and hospitality meant that although courses were busy throughout the pandemic, income streams were still heavily restricted.

There’s no doubt that the demand for golf during the spring and summer of 2020, and the following year, were driven by a short-term demand to do something outdoors during those lockdown periods, but golf’s continued growth during the last year seems to point to a surge in popularity that the golf industry is making every attempt to maintain.

There’s also no doubt that membership levels have increased over the last two years as a direct consequence of many clubs not accepting visitors during the pandemic, but also due to changing work patterns – also caused, in part, by the virus – which no longer require the workforce to be chained to their desks from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. Golfers of a working age being able to get out onto the golf course on weekdays has been transformational for many golf clubs which have traditionally had to rely on their senior members to ll those early morning weekday tee times. Now, you’re just as likely to nd a group of 40-somethings teeing it up on a Tuesday morning as you are a retinue of retirees.

One 35-year-old golfer I spoke to, who had joined a club for the rst time during the pandemic, told me: “I only got into golf during lockdown and wanted to continue playing regularly, so it was more cost-e ective to get a membership. It was becoming increasingly di cult and more expensive to book visitor tee times and a nearby club had a very good membership o er. I did wonder whether I’d

get fed up playing the same course most of the time, but far from it. There’s always something di erent: weather, wind, pin placements, ground conditions, and on top of that, I’ve met lots of new people and am really enjoying the social side of things.”

Another I spoke to had come back to golf after a period away from the game. “I was a member and it lapsed as I couldn’t nd time to play when I was working up in London, but now that I’m working from home I have been able to nd time to play more golf, so I decided to renew my membership and I fully expect to keep it going.”

The pandemic has also resulted in a signi cant number of older workers – those aged 55-65 taking early retirement, while the percentage of people who class themselves as self-employed has also gone up in the last few years, all leading to more people being able to work their own – often longer – hours – but at times which suit them, opening up to the ability to pursue hobbies and other leisure activities during what were once regarded as traditional ‘o ce hours’.

Despite numerous national pushes to increase female participation, all the evidence is that it is the arrival of men in their 30s, 40s and 50s that has caused the uplift in golf club membership numbers and participation rates across the country. According to the latest data, over 24% of those new club members that have joined since the pandemic are under the age of 55. It goes without saying that this is a trend that needs to continue, and to reach down to those below 30, if golf is to keep the numbers up over the next 20-30 years. And that means the golf industry cannot a ord to rest on its laurels when it comes to selling this great game to the next generation and beyond.

It is all a far cry from the pre-pandemic days when course closures and plummeting memberships dominated the headlines. Many courses that once appeared to have been doomed are now enjoying a new lease of life, while those that have managed to resist the economic pressures to be converted into private housing developments are also nding that running a golf club can also be a pro table business if managed e ectively.

And while mums and dads encouraging their kids to look up from their mobiles for a second and consider engaging with the great outdoors has its part to play, much of the responsibility for the continued growth of the game is being laid at the door or golf clubs and golf’s governing bodies to build on the momentum

that the pandemic has unwittingly created.

Earlier this year saw England Golf launch an initiative entitled ‘Give It A Shot’, a programme designed to support golf club membership. Its aim is to improve the image of clubs and club membership, celebrate the joy that club membership can add to people’s lives, break down perceived barriers and misconceptions about club membership, and provide expert support to help clubs in growing and maintaining sustainable membership levels. If all that sounds like a lot to take on, it is, but golf clubs know that is much more cost e ective to retain an existing member than it is to win over a new one.

England Golf also launched iGolf in July 2021, a scheme which costs £40 to join and enables golfers who are not members of clubs to maintain a recognised handicap and enter open competitions. Initially seen in some quarters as potentially providing a reason not to join a club, England Golf has found that iGolf has created a clearer pathway for people to give golf a go before committing to a speci c club. Taken up by over 25,000 golfers since it was set up, iGolf has reported over 1,200 golfers having gone on to join clubs after starting out with iGolf, while a recent survey conducted with iGolfers reported that 57% have played more golf since subscribing, with 60% said they were considering joining a club in the future.

Jeremy Tomlinson, England Golf’s CEO, is delighted with the impact iGolf has had in its short life. “This rst year has been a fantastic success for the iGolf platform. Hitting our ambitious target of 25,000 subscribers in 12 months con rms our belief in engaging with the independent golfer community. We’re really pleased to be providing an excellent service that is clearly in demand. The data we have gathered shows that iGolfers have been encouraged to play more golf since subscribing, which is the primary aim of the initiative, and something that we feel will have a positive impact on the entire golf community. Couple this with the fact that we have already seen subscribers move into club membership, it’s clear that iGolf has had a very successful inaugural year.”

Operating at the chalk face, golf clubs are the best placed to help keep the golf boom going and many are succeeding not by slashing prices and cutting deals, but by creating an experience that golfers don’t want to give up. That is the ‘secret sauce’ that buys loyalty over membership discounts and free lessons with the pro – although that all helps – the thing that keeps golfers coming back is the golf, the camaraderie, the banter and the bits that don’t tend to show up on a pro t and loss account. The positive e ect on mental health that a regular dose of Vitamin D and a bit of outdoor exercise and social interaction has on the grey matter. That has no price, of it it does, it’s a price, as things stand, that many golfers feel is well worth paying.

A friend who started working from home during the pandemic told me he joined his local club as much for the social side as he did for the golf. “I joined to be able to play golf more regularly and to get to know other local golfers. I have been a nomadic golfer for a few years, so a group of us wanted to get more structured play in. For me, it was about enjoying my golf, getting a handicap and making new friends.”

While all looks rosy in golf’s garden right now, the sport’s mid-to-long-term future is less certain. The cost-of-living crisis is still in its infancy, and the impact of interest rate hikes and winter fuel bills have yet to be factored into many family nances, so golf club managers will be nervously awaiting to nd out the renewal rates come spring next year when the recession truly begins to bite.

O ering monthly payments options, as opposed to demanding a 12-month lump sum upfront, is one way to soften the blow, and will play a major role in keeping many new golfers on side, but only 63% of clubs are now o ering this option, down from a whopping 90% pre-pandemic. Having to stump up for an annual membership in one lump sum could be a deal-breaker for many households struggling with increased mortgage costs and spiralling in ation. Survey evidence this year has revealed that just over half of golf club members feel like they are happy with the amount their have to pay for their memberships, although there is a big chunk – 45% in one survey that I saw –that believe they are too expensive, and it is this sizeable percentage that will need the most convincing when it comes around to renewal time.

The switch towards putting the needs of members ahead of visitors has been long overdue at many golf clubs and this is certainly helping to provide a feeling that of being a valued customer. But just how valued they feel, and how

THE GOLF INDUSTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO REST ON

much value they feel they are getting, is something that remains to be seen over the coming months. What is inevitable in the face of rising food, fuel and sta bills is that golf is going to get more expensive in the very near future, with membership fees set to rise by 5-10% at many clubs next year as they inevitably and unavoidably have to pass on their increased costs. It is then, and only then, that we will truly nd out whether the golf boom is sustainable in the longer term. Fortunately, many clubs are in a much stronger position to weather the nancial storm than they were in 2019, and for that we, somewhat perversely, have a global pandemic to thank.

LONDON’S HIDDEN GEM

Once described by a visiting American golfer as ‘London’s hidden gem’, Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is tucked away discretely o the Twickenham Road less than 10 miles from Big Ben and a short walk from Richmond train station. It also shares a bend in the River Thames and a boundary on several holes with the Royal Botanic Gardens.

As well as the prime location, it couldn’t be better placed or equipped to host company events or society days requiring facilities to test golfers of all standards, a modern clubhouse with plenty of capacity for functions and meetings, plus a reputation for outstanding catering and hospitality. Among the regular large receptions it caters for are weddings and commemorations.

“Given the close proximity to central London, the quality of the two 18-hole championship courses and our clubhouse and halfway house facilities, we believe Royal Mid-Surrey ticks all the boxes for hosting successful corporate events and society days,” said Membership & Marketing Manager Simon Fowler. “While the name refers to the club straddling the Middlesex/Surrey county border, Royal Mid-Surrey is very much a London golf club and a large proportion of our membership live and work in the city, while we also attract many overseas visitors.”

Built on a picturesque part of Old Deer Park in Richmond 130 years ago, the club with a rich history welcomes members and visitors alike to play 36 challenging holes designed by legendary ve-time Open champion and the club’s rst Head Professional JH Taylor and now laid with USGA-standard greens. The outer parkland layout bearing his name covers 6,360 yards o the black tees, while the elegant shorter Pam Barton course takes its name from the former club member

For details regarding bookings for corporate events, society days or winter green fees, contact asec@rmsgc.co.uk, call 0208 9401894, or visit www.rmsgc.co.uk.

who captured both the U.S. and British Women’s Amateur Championship titles in 1936. Both courses boast stunning views of the 253-year-old King’s Observatory and the nearby Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens restored in 2018.

A THRIVING CLUB

The impressively inclusive private members club enjoyed a special year in 2022. It reached a thriving and diverse membership level of more than 1,300 members, including a large women’s section of 234 and a capacity of 80 juniors.

A popular Academy o ers a pathway for newcomers, plus extensive coaching facilities involving six PGA professionals, with a resident female coach among them. There is currently a waiting list for full membership in most categories, while the club has signed up to the R&A Women’s Charter as a commitment to attract and retain even more female players. Recently appointed Honorary Members include LET star Madelene Stavner and former Tour player and Sky Golf presenter Rob Lee.

The club’s full xture list included hosting several historic events, such as The Antlers 36-hole Scratch Medal Foursomes competition for elite male and female amateur players that dates back 89 years; the annual Mothers & Daughters Open 27-hole foursomes event rst played in 1932; and the Artisans centenary celebration in August. Teams and talented individuals also competed in the Ladies’ Pearson Trophy team event, The Surrey Cup and a series of Junior and Seniors’ matches.

Long-standing blue chip corpootate golf days also formed part of the club’s busy calendar, with Deloitte

and

of

Royal Mid-Surrey is twinned with 29 other ‘Royal’ clubs in 13 countries around the world, including reciprocal playing arrangements with Royal Melbourne, Royal Wellington, Royal Cape, Royal Dublin and Royal North Devon. It also o ers members a non-gol ng arrangement with London’s Oriental Club. In the summer of 2023, the club will play host for the rst time to the prestigious Peter Alliss Memorial Trophy 72-hole tournament for leading

the South-east.

FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Last summer, the club was awarded GEO Certi cation for its many sustainable golf initiatives – joining 75 clubs around the world with the greenest credentials.

Measures included conserving energy and water; consulting a weather station to base irrigation on moisture and temperature levels; appointing a dedicated irrigation technician to target supplies to maintain optimum playing conditions; replacing sprinkler heads to eradicate leaks; creating wildlife corridors on both courses and increasing areas of eco rough for biodiversity; forming log piles from fallen trees for invertebrates to inhabit; turning recycled pallets into bird boxes for 80+ species of birds observed on the courses; and appointing a Sustainability Lead to drive the green agenda.

The well-stocked pro shop supports the club’s e ort with water only available in cartons, recycled wooden tees and many other eco-friendly products.

Located less than 10 miles from the centre of London and boasting two 18-hole championship golf courses, Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club provides the perfect venue for corporate and society golf days, as well as green fee golfers

the Canadian Chamber

Commerce among them, while the R&A and IMG have held seminars and events at the club to advance the causes of club development and women golfers.

amateurs across

Royal Mid-Surrey offers two 18-hole parkland courses, making it ideal for an all-day society or corporate event

New book celebrates the life and times of Peter Alliss

The life and work of legendary golfer and commentator Peter Alliss has been celebrated in a new book written by respected golf writer Bill Elliott.

‘Peter Alliss - Re ections on a Life Well Lived’ was o cially launched at Coombe Hill Golf Club in Surrey on November 3, with copies now on sale on Amazon.

Although the rst draft of the book was completed in 2019, the publication of was delayed due to a number of factors, including the pandemic, but not least being Peter’s death early in December 2020, at the age of 89.

The delay enabled Alliss’s wife, Jackie, to dig deeper into family photo albums to supply more photos for the book, as well as writing a nal chapter which, while being both moving and amusing, provides a revealing snapshot of her husband’s qualities and their relationship. It also enabled many other of Peter’s friends and colleagues t supply their own personal re ections on their friendship with the man they called ‘The Voice of Golf’.

One such, Bruce Critchley, a fellow broadcaster and friend, wrote: “With a microphone, Peter was rst and foremost an entertainer – a sporting Terry Wogan with golf as his canvas. Each day’s play was an opportunity to amuse, educate and wander mentally and verbally wherever his thoughts took him.”

The book also records Alliss’s vivid recollections of a life well lived, looking back on his career in golf as a player and then as a much-loved broadcaster, writer and commentator. Subjects covered include Jean Van de Velde’s meltdown at Carnoustie, an illuminating insight into Augusta and the Masters, the Ryder Cup, fraternising and friendships with the stars, plus thoughts on Brexit, the BBC and Love Island.

Elliott said: “If you liked Peter’s rambling, witty commentary, then you will enjoy this book.

It’s not just ‘golf’, it’s about life, his life, and the people he met and what he thought of themand I mean really thought of them. We’ll never hear his like again.”

snapshot of her husband’s qualities and their relationship. It also enabled many other and is available in hardback from www.amazon.co.uk,

‘Peter Alliss - Re ections on a Life Well Lived’ is available in hardback from www.amazon.co.uk, priced at £17.39.

To read an extract from the book turn to page 28.

Local prope y development puts Surbiton GC’s future ‘under threat’

Surbiton Golf Club in Surrey has said that the building of commercial properties on nearby greenbelt land is a threat to its future.

The club, which was founded in 1895 and currently has 700 members, had opposed a planning application to build 11 studios for business start-ups and three new homes which will be accessed through its course. The club said this would a ect play on its rst, fth and eighth holes, but the application was approved.

O cers at the planning meeting said the bar was very high for assessing ‘harm’ in greenbelt land that was previously developed, as had been the case here as the land had been used as stables and a shop.

Keith Blake, chairman of Surbiton Golf Club, spoke at the meeting to object to the plans, which he called the “biggest threat to the future of the club and course”.

Blake said the club did not object to some development of homes on the site, but saw the commercial element as ‘perhaps a step too far’ and that tra c needed to be reduced or limited. He added: “Otherwise, I see the members leaving and joining other clubs. If we lose 20 percent of our membership, the club cannot carry on.”

An o cer’s report into the application said the plans were not “considered to adversely impact upon Surbiton Golf Club to warrant a refusal reason”. Conditions had been put on tra c entering the site both during the construction phases and once in use.

■ AUTHOR BILL ELLIOTT WITH JACKIE ALLISS

WIN A CHERVÒ GOLF JACKET

Nobody knows fashion quite like the Italians. The country’s brands have become synonymous with high-end products. In the golf clothing business it is no different with Chervò leading the way.

First launched in 1982 by brothers Manfred and Peter Erlacher as an innovative, fashionable and durable skiwear company, Chervò entered the golf market a decade later, continuing the ethos of developing garments designed to enhance performance with a refined fashionable appearance.

Fast forward to today, and the luxury brand has become an apparel company that doesn’t cut corners. Chervò typifies Italy’s fashion reputation with an endless range of products that ooze style and class while being at the forefront of technical development. Creating clothes that are as fashionable on the course as they are off it, the company is looking to change the face of golf clothing through an exploration of colours, textures and innovative technology.

The company’s latest range of clothing does just that, and to celebrate, Chervò is giving Golf News readers the chance to win a new jacket from the collection worth more than £450.

The eagerly awaited Autumn/Winter 22/23 collection combines the latest in aqua-block, stretch, wind-lock and pro-therm fabric technology. The three new lines are inspired by nature’s diverse elements - Snow Leopard, Marmorized Saxum and Golf Vibes – and see a range of products released that every golfer needs for the upcoming months including warm sweaters, waterproof jackets and stylish gilets.

One of the most popular jackets in the new collection is the Maiocchi 599, a pro-therm men’s jacket featuring windproof nylon fabric, technical happy-goose padding to keep you warm, and aqua-drop technology that protects against showers without sacrificing breathability. A great addition to any golfer’s wardrobe this winter, you could win this jacket, worth in excess of £450, by entering the competition below.

For more details about the entire Chervò range and to shop online, visit www.chervo.com.

TO ITS VERY BEST BROCKET’S BACK

Home to two of England’s most picturesque parkland courses, and set against the backdrop of a grand stately home, the Brocket Hall Estate remains one of England’s finest golfing venues, whether you enjoy it as a member, a green fee visitor or a golf break guest

Like many golf clubs in post-Covid UK, Brocket Hall has enjoyed something of a boom over the last three years. While for some venues the surge in golf participation has served to add the icing to the top of an already well-baked cake, for Brocket Hall the renewed interest in golf club membership has provided something of a lifeline following a period of uncertainty and instability.

Since emerging from the pandemic, the last 18 months has seen The Melbourne Club – as Brocket Hall Estate’s golf club element has been known since 2019 – enjoy significant growth, with the membership ranks rising from 400 to a new high of 950, and that comes in the face of the introduction of a £6,200 joining fee. Bookings for society and corporate days have also improved dramatically, with many of the golf events that were hosted in 2022 having already rebooked for 2023. And with the golf breaks and wedding and events market having also rebounded in spectacular fashion, the future is looking busier and brighter than it has in a long time at the Welwyn-based venue, which is located on a stunning 500-acre estate some five miles from St Albans and 20 miles from the centre of London.

Having played Brocket’s two courses – The Melbourne and The Palmerston – several times each over a decade ago, I was interested to come back and see how they had matured in that time. The former, which was designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark, is the older of the two, having first opened in 1992, and enjoys frontal views of the magnificent hall and features a course which criss-crosses over the River Lea no less than four times. Measuring 6,616 yards from the back tees, the par-72 Melbourne represents an enjoyable but thoroughly challenging test.

The aforementioned river is in play right from the off, waiting to catch anything struck too far to the right at the short par-4 first, while the par-3 second

requires a full 170-yard carry directly across the water to a green which is protected by two giant willows on both sides. The wet stuff is back in action at the par-4 fourth, which requires a long drive to open up sight of the green, this time the other side of the river. The view from here, with the old bridge and weir in full flow, is a sight to behold.

The course then moves away from the water. A short par-5 and mid-length par-3 follow before a fine short par-4 with small raised green at the 7th, which features treacherous bunkering. The 8th is a 90-degree dogleg with a fabulous approach over a valley before the front nine ends with a short downhill par-3 that sits right by the hall.

After a quick stop at the halfway house, you get eased into the back nine with a gentle downhill par 5. But don’t get your hopes up as what follows is a brutal uphill par four, that, at 475 yards, only the biggest hitters will find in two.

The course then heads back into the woods with a pair of cracking par fours followed by a 200-yard plus par-3. The 15th is another dogleg with the approach shot down the hill to the green on the waterside, while 16th, Waterfall, is another breathtaking holes, which is in effect a reverse of the fourth, requiring a 170-yard second shot over the water, again in sight of the bridge and weir.

A short uphill par 4, the 17th, with its green

surrounded by a sand-filled moat gives little warning as to what’s to follow for the final hole. Standing on top of the hill you look straight down at the mighty Brocket Hall, the green in the distance on the far side of the imposing waterway. Follow the winding fairway or boom a drive over the scrub - if you find the short stuff the ball will run down leaving you to decide if to lay up or go for it in two. Most –including me – chicken out, but that still leaves a 140-yard carry over the water to a green that slopes from back to front. Find the putting surface and then enjoy the ride on the quirky, rope-drawn ferry that transports you effortlessly across the water to the safety of dry land on the other side.

All in all, it’s a memorable round – indeed, better than I remembered ¬– with an intriguing mix of

■ THE 1ST ON THE MELBOURNE COURSE

THE VIEW FROM HERE, WITH THE OLD BRIDGE AND WEIR IN FULL FLOW, IS A SIGHT TO BEHOLD

holes that demand your respect and attention at every turn. What was just as impressive was the conditioning, with the greens running as smoothly as the billiard table that no doubt adorns the hall’s games room, while the fairways were also in tremendous shape, without a puddle or damp patch in sight, despite a month’s worth of rain falling in the days leading up to my round. A bunker renovation programme is next on the agenda, and that will only serve to further elevate what is already an elevated experience.

With another course still to play, it seemed only sensible to make a two-day trip of it and stay at Brocket Hall’s excellent Melbourne Lodge, a converted Georgian coach house which o ers 16 luxury en-suite rooms within a pitching wedge of the rst tee on both layouts. Generously proportioned and grandly decorated, the rooms are both comfortable and suitably over the top, with ornate furnishings and vast oil paintings adding to the feeling that you’re a guest at an Edwardian shooting party.

Guests can take their meals in the clubhouse’s excellent Watershyppes brasserie, while from the end of March next year they will also be able to indulge their tastebuds in the estate’s high-end restaurant, Auberge du Lac, which, as its name suggests, enjoys a stunning waterside location and is reopening to members and guests next Spring. Judging by the menu I was served at one of the pop-up nights in the run up to reopening, members and local diners are in for a treat, with a sevencourse tasting menu curated by head chef John Barber easily up to Michelin standards, and certainly providing a suitably elevated dining experience that sits alongside Brocket’s other ve-star facilities.

After a restful night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast

I was ready to tackle Brocket’s second course, the par-73 Palmerston. Unlike the Melbourne, the River Lea doesn’t come into play on this ne course. Instead, there’s bold bunkering to contend with and avenues of trees. Course architects Donald Steel and Martin Ebert have created a strategic course where the golfer is presented with options. Central bunkers divide the third fairway, while the fourth tempts big hitters to drive left, over a small hollow and across the corner of the dogleg. The short par-5 9th is also tempting to attack in two shots, but cleverly positioned greenside bunkers await anything but the best struck approach shot. Your approach shot on the par-4 12th must negotiate a chalk face which lies some 100 yards from the green. This really is a delightful hole, which requires pinpoint accuracy from the tee. The mid-part of the round is laid out on more open country, before returning to more treelined part for the closing stretch, where the 15th and 16th rival any on the course. All in all, the Palmerston o ers a well-balanced design that provides a perfect foil to the drama of the Melbourne, and combined are certainly among the best 36 holes of parkland golf to be enjoyed anywhere the country.

A review of the golf facilities is incomplete without a mention of Brocket’s tour-standard practice facilities, which include a full-length driving range, chipping and bunker area, a practice putting green and a six-hole par-3 academy course. And with an indoor studio and a team of highly quali ed PGA Professionals on hand, there really is no excuse not to up your game here.

So, whether you’re looking for a new gol ng home from home, or simply somewhere to enjoy a slice of gol ng heaven for a day or two in one of England’s most beautiful spots, Brocket Hall is ready and waiting.

STAY & PLAY AT BROCKET HALL

Golf break packages, including a round on the Melbourne and Palmerston course, overnight accommodation in the Melbourne Lodge and a full English breakfast, start from £282pp, with one-round packages available from £190pp. For details of the latest golf breaks, membership enquiries and tee time bookings, please visit www.brocket-hall.co.uk, email membership@ brocket-hall.co.uk, or call 01707 368700.

■ LEFT: THE 18TH HOLE ON THE PALMERSTON COURSE, WHOSE 18 HOLES OFFER A SUPERBLY CONTRASTING CHALLENGE TO THAT PRESENTED BY THE MELBOURNE COURSE

There has been wind of change running through the corridors and fairways at Chipstead Golf Club during the last few years, where a change of ownership and the fresh impetus that it has provided, has created a tangible air of positivity that often comes with new beginnings.

The new owners, Raman and Suba Sandhu, saved the Surrey club from almost certain closure in 2018, and since that time have committed time and resources to enhance the value of their investment and improve the gol ng experience for members and visitors alike.

The greenkeeping team have bene tted from the arrival of a new eet of course machinery to help them continue with the great work they do out on the club’s historic parkland course, while new course furniture has also served to elevate the playing experience. Golfers can also now take advantage of a new eet of buggies to transport them around what must be one of the county’s more hilly courses, while investment in the practice ground facilities have also been welcomed by the membership and visitors.

The clubhouse has also received signi cant investment, with a complete internal refurbishment programme carried out in recent months, while the men’s locker rooms have also bene tted from a total overall.

With the course and clubhouse now in tremendous shape it is not surprising that the club has seen a signi cant increase in membership numbers this year, which has also served to inject new life into a club which celebrated its 115th anniversary in 2021. Part of that drive has seen the creation of a new Academy membership and a new membership category for families, while the setting up of junior academy has enabled younger members to begin their journey with the club in a more structured yet fun environment. Nic Torbett, the club’s Head PGA Professional, started out his gol ng life as junior member at Chipstead, and is now passing on his wisdom to the next generation and beyond through regular group and individual coaching sessions, holiday camps and golf schools.

The jewel in Chipstead’s crown has always been its parkland course, on which golfers of all ages and skill levels have been playing since 1908. Located in the Surrey Hills, but just 10 minutes from junction 8 of the M25, the 18-hole’s elevated position commands stunning views over the surrounding countryside, and enjoys a reputation as being a challenging, but fair course, with an interesting mix of hole designs.

Although likely to be judged as being short by modern standards, the 5,504yard, par-68 course will prove plenty long enough for most amateurs given the

undulations of the land and the fact that there are six par-threes on the scorecard. Among the half-dozen short holes, there are few better than the third, which is one of those holes that looks a cinch on the card, but is not so easy in practice, with menacing bunkers and a sloping, narrow green ensuring that anything struck less than perfectly will make recording par a challenge. After a couple of longish par fours, the front nine ends with another reachable two-shotter, with the 267-yard hole well within range for the bigger hitter. However, clever bunkering and a sloping green turn what should be an eagle or birdie opportunity into one where bogey is all too often the end result.

The 11th hole begins a trio of consecutive par threes that is rare to nd on an 18hole layout. All three hover around the 190-210-yard mark, with the 11th featuring a slight left-to-right sloping fairway which makes life di cult for those that fail to carry the ball all the way to the green, while two bunkers make the entrance to putting surface very tight. Surrounded by bunkers and hedgerows, the 13th is widely regarded as the hardest of the short holes, with many players relying on an up-and-down from o the green to save par. The nal hole, on paper, looks a fairly straightforward par ve, measuring as it does, just 440 yards, but with trouble both left and right o the tee, and a hard sloping fairway, it’s anything but.

All told, Chipstead o ers a nice mix of holes that will suit those for whom shot placement and strategy are more part of their skill set than brute force and power, and it’s certainly an adventure that is well worth repeating to appreciate the subtlety of its challenge.

The club o ers a range of competitive membership options, with full adult fees graduated in ve categories according to age, while there is also a exible scheme which o ers 25 rounds a year for just £485, plus a new Academy membership. Visitor green fees are currently set at £35/£45 for midweek/weekend rounds, while a prepaid book of 10 green fees can be had for £250, which represents excellent value for money for those that are perhaps thinking of joining of the club in the future.

After a round, the clubhouse provides superb hospitality, with the upstairs bar and restaurant o ering a daily menu of club classics, including an all-day full English breakfast, a wide range of fresh sandwiches and wraps, burgers, scampi and a selection of daily specials, while there are three well-equipped function rooms available to hire for weddings, parties, business meetings and members’ social events.

■ TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: CHIPSTEAD COURSE MANAGER JACK PERCIVAL, OWNER RAMAN SANDHU AND DIRECTOR OF GOLF GARY TORBETT

Eastbourne Downs trials synthetic green to combat vandalism

Eastbourne

before.

running for a year.

world

two of

At the start of this year, vandals rode quad bikes over the club’s second and 15th greens, completely destroying the putting surfaces. The club was approached by the grounds manager at nearby Devonshire Park, Danny Negus, who convinced it to try hybrid grass on the second green and use a traditional reseeding repair on the 15th.

The hybrid grass is a mix of synthetic bres stitched into the ground alongside real grass, with the bres cut slightly shorter than the real grass so that the ball rolls on the real grass while the bres add stability to the structure.

The technology is already used in other sports such as football and cricket, but has never been used on a golf green

Negus said: “It’s never been done before in the world of golf and, as such, had an element of risk. We had no idea if it would work to play golf on – you can make educated predictions, but you can’t guarantee it, you need someone to have a go through live trials, which is what we are doing at Eastbourne.”

The project would have cost around £56,000, but Negus found turf companies that o ered their services for free in return for all data gained from the experiment being released to the industry for free.

Since the hybrid work was done in May, ProPitch – a company that tests sports surfaces all over the world – has been carrying out regular checks on the second and 15th greens to compare how they perform. The club has also been collecting data on the surfaces and all data will be presented to the industry once the greens have been up and

The e ectiveness of the hybrid grass got an early test when the second and third greens were subject to further criminal damage in October. This time the second green was back in playing again the following morning, while the third green was out of action for a much longer period.

Negus is delighted with the performance of the green. He said: “So far, the results are very promising. I’m not saying this should be used for Major championship venues, but hybrid greens could be the way forward for a lot of golf clubs that get a lot of tra c and in the light of future concerns over the environment and restrictions on water usage. It’s already used in other many other sports, so it’s likely that golf will eventually follow suit. We’re on the brink of an exciting revelation, and I think this is a brilliant coup for Eastbourne.”

Club vice-captain Pete O’Neill said:

“Playing-wise I was very surprised with the performance of the new green. I must admit I’m very impressed. Members have generally taken to it quite well.”

The Trilby Tour, which was first set up by Savile Row tailor William Hunt in 2007, made a welcome return to the amateur competition circuit this year, with the comeback season culminating in a dramatic finale at Dundonald Links in Scotland.

In its first season under the new ownership of Darwin Escapes, the 2022 edition of the Trilby Tour saw both men and women compete together in the grand final held at the prestigious Ayrshire venue. Competitors from across the country battled it out in tough conditions on the par72 course, with TV cameras on hand to cover the action for broadcast on Sky Sports Golf, hosted by presenter Sarah Stirk.

Andrew Corssen, from North Shore Golf Club in Blaclpool, battled tough conditions to take the overall title with 39 points, while Wendy Allen earned the highest ladies’ score of the final with a 31-point total.

Serving as the climax of an action-packed tour

schedule,

Ashley Pheasant, Head of Golf for Darwin Escapes, said: “We’ve worked hard to bring this much-loved competition back and make it better than ever, so we’re thrilled with how the Trilby Tour’s first revitalised season has unfolded. The weather was challenging on Monday, but Dundonald Links plays perfectly in any conditions and the quality of golf was excellent too. It’s also great to see male and female golfers competing together in the Trilby Tour for the first time.”

The Trilby Tour will return in 2023, with an extended schedule. For entry forms and more details, visit www. trilbytour.co.uk.

the final featured amateur golfers from all four qualifying events held over the summer at Darwin Escapes venues – The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire, Dundonald Links in Scotland, Kilnwick Percy Resort & Golf Club in Yorkshire and Carus Green Golf Club in Cumbria.

Downs Golf Club in Sussex has become the rst club in the

to try a new hybrid grass after

its greens were severely damaged by vandals – and so far it appears to be a success.

WHERE’S THE BEEF?

ABSENT FROM THE PROFESSIONAL TOURS SINCE LAST NOVEMBER DUE TO INJURY, ANDREW ‘ BEEF ’ JOHNSTON HAS BEEN SITTING AT HOME FRUSTRATINGLY TWIDDLING

THE MAN

ROSE TO FAME AT THE

Like many professional golfers of a certain age – in his case, still a relativelyyouthful 33 – and with certain nancial pressures, Andrew Johnson has been weighing up in his mind whether he would accept an invitation to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour, should they ever come knocking.

In Johnson’s case, the issue has been rendered somewhat gurative due to a niggling thumb injury that has prevented him from playing competitive golf since the nal round of the Portugal Masters some 13 months ago. However, while he has been sitting safely on the side lines observing the carnage, it’s a dilemma that has crossed his mind on more than one occasion.

‘Beef’, a nickname he earned as a kid, is one of the most recognisable and popular gures on the professional golf circuits in Europe and America and would surely be on Greg Norman’s target list as a future LIV Golf recruit. It is rare for English golfers to win over American fans, but Johnson’s man-of-thepeople demeanour and his willingness to respond to the galleries has made him a crowd favourite whenever he tees it up – and an obvious recruit to join the new breakaway tour which currently seems to be somewhat thin on the ground when it comes to likeable faces.

It would be easy to understand why a man who hasn’t earned a penny in prize money in over a year would be interested in hearing Norman’s pitch, but then again, with so many career goals still to achieve – most notably a Ryder Cup appearance – it is also

easy to understand why a player of Johnston’s calibre wouldn’t want to burn too many bridges at this point in his career – especially at a time when those who have joined LIV Golf don’t fully understand how badly they’ve burned their particularly bridges.

“From my perspective, I’ve currently got an injury and I’ve been out for a year, so it [LIV Golf] is not something that I’ve had to consider properly,” says Johnson, who has recently taken his rst tentative steps back into practicing with wedges and halfshots. “To be honest, it’s been quite nice staying out the way of it, but if you get o ered £10m, how do you turn that down? I would have to seriously think about it because that changes my life and sets me up for the future. Having said that, it comes down to your values and why you’re playing golf. You’d have to seriously consider it, but I’m not saying I would go.”

What Johnson does nd odd, and it clearly doesn’t sit well with him or many other DP World Tour players, is the decision for some European-based LIV Golf members to carry on playing in DP World Tour events while still being in the pay of LIV Golf. While the rules currently allow it, like many, Johnson feels that it’s a bit like having your own cake while still wanting to eat someone else’s.

“Wanting to carry on playing PGA Tour and European [DP World] Tour events after you’ve made the decision to join LIV Golf is something I can’t get my head around,” he says. “If you’ve made the decision to go and get paid that sum of the money, then just go and play and enjoy your life - I don’t see the point in coming back. If someone o ered me £20

or £30 million and said we’re going to play a dozen or so events during the year, then I’d decide whether to make that decision to jump ship and go, but I don’t think you can be in both camps. It shouldn’t be fought out in the courts. There’s no doubt that the players who move over [to LIV Golf] will miss playing some of the biggest tournaments, maybe even the majors, but that’s the decision they’ve made. Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy the atmosphere and history that surround those big tournaments. That’s what they’ll miss the most.”

He adds: “I don’t blame players that have gone to LIV. OK, the very top players are making stacks

IT IS RARE FOR ENGLISH GOLFERS TO WIN OVER AMERICAN FANS, BUT JOHNSON’S MAN-OF-THEPEOPLE DEMEANOUR AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO RESPOND TO THE GALLERIES HAS MADE HIM A CROWD FAVOURITE WHENEVER HE TEES IT UP

A RATHER PAINFUL THUMB, BUT

WHO

2016 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IS RARING TO GET BACK INTO ACTION AND RESUME HIS ALREADY SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS SOON AS HE’S DECLARED MATCH FIT

already, but if you’re going to o er a player £200 million, it’s very hard to turn down, however well they are doing. And if you’re o ering players who have played maybe 15-plus years on the PGA and European Tour, or you’re one of the guys nearing 50, well there’s not going to be that money on o er with on the senior tours. So, if you’re on the decline, then it’s going to be very di cult to turn it down.”

Warming to his theme, Johnston continues: “In other worlds, how would you feel if someone came along and o ered you X amount to do your job? You’d have to consider it, right? Financially it’s great, but that’s the only reason you’re going. When it comes down to your values and why you play golf, that’s where it gets very di cult for someone like me, because you go, ‘Hang on, I’ll never play another major again’. If you can’t play the majors and the big tournaments with all the history, people are going to miss that. That’s another question that goes through your head.

“The experiences that I’ve had at some of the majors have been amazing. When you go and tee up at The Open or in the US, they are incredible and are memories that last forever. If I’m t and healthy for the next 10 years, I’d be playing in the majors and Ryder Cups – you cannot buy that experience.”

Currently on a medical exemption from the tour, Johnston hasn’t played a competitive event since last November, which has seen his world ranking drop to 434th from a career high of 74 in 2016, the year he won the Spanish Open at Valderrama. He is itching to get back out on tour, but mindful that he has to be patient if to not cause himself lasting damage for the sake of short-term gains.

Expanding on his left thumb injury, Johnston says: “I’ve seen two specialists. No one seems to know exactly what it is, which is probably the worst thing about it. I’m basically trying to nd a diagnosis to get back on the course. It’s frustrating because I was really looking forward to this season, so to nd out I’m probably not going to play this year has been pretty insane. It did put me in quite a dark place for a bit.

“I started to play some really good golf at the end of last year. I felt that it was the time to make my move again and get back up the world rankings and into the majors and stu like that. Then, all of a sudden, I haven’t competed in over a year. Having to deal with that has been di cult at times. Not

knowing what to do, where it’s going, am I ever going to get it xed? Hopefully we’ll get it xed and I can get back out there.

“In the last couple of weeks I’ve started hitting shots again, only wedges, and probably at no more than 60-70%, but it feels good to be back swinging the club again. It’s only baby steps, and I’m trying not to get ahead of myself, but I’m hopeful that I’ll be ready to play next season.”

Johnston has used his time away from the game to keep t, as well as explore other avenues, including launching his own channel on YouTube called BBQ Better with Beef, where he investigates the dark arts of barbecue, born out of his love of meat and his commercial tie-in with American beefburger restaurant chain d’Arbys.

“I always want to follow my passions and my loves. I love my sport and I love my food,” he said. “I’ve made a series to share with people all the little tips and tricks. If I don’t make any money I don’t really care, if it does really well and it turns out to be a TV series, whatever, great. I just want to share it with as many people as I possibly can.”

Johnston has also used his time to away from the game to launch a podcast with comedian John Robins called Beef’s Golf Club. Robins – who has his

own YouTube golf channel called BadGolf, where he post videos of rounds of golf he plays with Taskmaster co-host Alex Horne – and Beef discuss all topics around amateur and professional golf, while also coming up with ideas for their dream golf club, covering everything from the layout of their imaginary course, to the type beers in the imaginary clubhouse, dress etiquette and the type of members they would want to join their imaginary club.

Although it’s not his natural habitat, Johnson has enjoyed his breakthrough into the media world. His warmth and humour has made him an instantly relatable gure, although he still nds that putting himself out there can a little stressful at times. “It’s no di erent to standing there going ‘ah, I need this putt to either make the cut, or I need to hole it to win a tournament.’ Obviously there’s no parallel with the nerves, but it’s the same feeling in that you don’t want to f**k it up!”

Regardless of how he performs over the airwaves, fans can expect the likeable Johnston to put his heart and soul into his new o -course adventures, but all those same fans would much prefer to see him back out on the golf course as soon as possible and doing what he does best, putting a smile on people’s faces while also being a world-class golfer.

■ JOHNSTON WILL BE HOPING TO BE BACK OUT ON TOUR IN 2023 AFTER MISSING MOST OF 2022 WITH A THUMB INJURY

Over a decade since it first opened, Centurion Club has developed into the epitome of a modern golf club, where its members enjoy first-class service and stunning clubhouse facilities to match the quality of its championship course

Located a few miles west of St Albans, and just a few minutes from junction 8 of the M1, Centurion Club has shaken up the traditional private golf club model by o ering a genuinely ve-star members-only experience, while remaining both a ordable, yet refreshingly unencumbered by the stu y attitudes that many high-end private clubs insist on adhering to.

Representing a blueprint for how a golf club for the 21st century should be operated, Centurion has been open for 12 years now, and in that time has built up a 800-strong membership that is enjoying a well-matured golf course and the kind of facilities that you’d expect from a ve-star hotel.

With that ethos front and centre, it will come as no surprise that you’ll nd no club captains or green committees here, and you’ll certainly nd no posters explaining the dress code (there isn’t one), and there is a refreshing absence of noticeboards inside the impressive clubhouse, a two-storey structure that spans the entire length of the large pond that guards the approach to the course’s closing hole. The building has grown along with the club, and the recent opening of an outdoor kitchen and dining area – which came into its own when Covid-19 restrictions were in place – has shown that this is club that is constantly moving forward with the times.

It’s a clever part of the clubhouse’s design that it disguises its true purpose with such skill. All the gol ng elements – the locker rooms and the golfer’s bar and lounge – are located upstairs, while the ground oor boasts the vibe of a classy hotel. Walk into the side entrance, and past the pro shop – again, more boutique emporium than purveyor or tees and soft drinks – and you’d be hard-pressed to know you’re in a golf club at all. It’s a light and airy space that moves seamlessly from one area to the next, feeling intimate, yet spacious, and above all, relaxed.

The ground- oor restaurant, overseen by head chef Calvin Hill, has become a destination in its own right, with the 80-seater dining room proving very popular with members, especially for Sunday lunches and evening meals at weekends. Golfers

can still enjoy ne bacon sandwich – on a toasted brioche bun, of course – in the relaxed surroundings of the upstairs sports bar before a round. Elsewhere within the building there are separate rooms for private dining, conference spaces, although only members and companies with connections to the club are allowed to host corporate golf days here. While the clubhouse is impressive, the reputation of any golf club still hangs on the quality of its course, and here is where the Centurion more than lives up to the hype. While many courses state their claim to fame on a handful of good holes, it’s as hard as it is unfair to single out any one hole at Centurion, given the quality and variety of the challenges on o er. Measuring 7,195 yards from the back tees, which plays to a par of 72, the middle and forward men’s tees take it down to 6,850 and 6,555 yards respectively, while ladies play o 5,507 yards.

The layout begins in an attractive area of pine woodland on the western edge of the 250-acre site, where the opening ve holes cut a green swathe through the tree line. A sweeping downhill rightto-left par ve opens up proceedings nicely, before switching into a stunning par-three, where a raised green provides a tempting, if often elusive, target. This is followed by a superb 405-yard par four, which swings right to left, with a greedy bunker guarding the corner of the dog-leg.

After the par-three fth – a 160-yard downhiller to a at green with little margin for error on all sides – the course opens out over more rolling terrain, although thanks to sizeable mounds between the fairways, a sense of individuality is maintained for almost every hole. The 190-yard 14th is as testing a par three as you’ll nd, playing uphill all the way to a raised green that has trees back, right and left, and bunkers at the front, while the 150-yard 17th is another stunning short hole, with two trees standing like sentries behind the green, while water lurks to catch anything hit long and left.

The holes have all been given Latin names, such as Alma Mater, Pro Forma and Hydro, to re ect the Roman history of the local area, and the course

closes with the aptly-named Ad In nitum, a 545yard par ve whose green is protected by a large lake bounded by a stone wall to the right, it’s a tting nale to a entertaining round that will test all parts of your game.

As well as providing a solid test for amateurs, Centurion has also proved a decent examination for pros from both the men’s and women’s game, with the club having successfully hosted several tour events, including the European Tour’s Golf Sixes in 2017 and 2018, the Aramco Ladies Team Series for the past two seasons, and the inaugural event on the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which will return again in 2023 and 2024.

For those that would like to enjoy their own piece of the action at Centurion, seven-day, corporate, business, and international memberships are o ered, all of which are tailored to provide the most exible options to suit the needs of the golfer, whether that be one who plays two or three times a week, or just once a month. Either way, being a member, or knowing one, will be the only way to access the course, as visitors can only play as a member’s guest. The club has plans to add a further nine holes to the layout on land to the west of the existing course, which will only serve to add to the add to its attractiveness as a members’ club.

“The di erent membership categories o er greater exibility to suit each member’s lifestyle,” says Scott.Evans, the club’s founder and managing director. “We want people to feel that it is their club, and they can come and go as they please. There are no tee times, no visitors, and the course will never be bunged up with endless inter-club matches or societies. We have created a club that is already renowned for its friendly atmosphere and outstanding standard of service. We want to create a distinct ‘wow’ factor which ensures that once you’ve visited the club you’ll never forget it.”

Manor House unveils plans for winter course renovations

Members and guests can look forward to an enhanced golfing experience at The Manor House Golf Club in 2023 with the Wiltshire venue set to carry out a number of upgrades to its championship course this winter.

Already renowned for its quality and outstanding year-round condition thanks to the exceptional drainage of the par-72 layout, officials at the club have announced a further period of course investment, with a major sustainable bunker renovation project among the improvements being made.

The Manor House is introducing BunkerMat technology on the majority of its 80 bunkers to improve sand retention on the steep slopes. The open structure of the BunkerMat fibres allows the sand to be held, and the technique has been introduced on several championship courses worldwide.

Work has already begun on holes on the front nine of the course – which was designed by Peter Alliss and Clive Clark – with plans to continue the work on the back nine at the 6,500-yard parkland course heading into the new year.

The course The Manor House’s greenkeeping team has also recently completed a project to help prevent

erosion on the bank of the greenside lake of the second hole. Repurposing rock originally removed from the ground to create an irrigation lake, the bank has been reinforced and given a stunning finish to ensure the part of the course is in play for years to come.

improvement plan continues a year of investment at the venue and a continued push towards being as carbon friendly as possible, including the installation of 160 solar panels on the greenkeepers’ equipment store and clubhouse to help power a new fleet of 50 buggies.

Golf club manager Andrew Ryan said: “It’s an exciting time here at The Manor House as we head into the winter. Following investment in the new buggies and the solar panels, we are turning our attention to ensuring the course is in great shape for the coming months. Our parkland course already offers a brilliant challenge for golfers of all abilities and the work we are doing will only make the course better to play and experience.”

Croydon Council takes Coulsdon off the market

Croydon Council’s attempt to reduce its mounting debts by selling off Coulsdon Manor Hotel and Golf Club has failed to produce the required result after the venue failed to attract any buyers after 16 months on the market and has now been withdrawn from sale.

The Surrey property, which boasts a 42-bedroom hotel and an 18-hole golf course set in 140 acres of parkland, was put on the market in July last year after Croydon Councill, which has owned the freehold for the site since the 1930s, attempted to reduce its financial deficit. The business was put on market with offers invited for £750,000, but there have been no

New year, new rules

Golfers will have to get to grips with a number of new rules in the New Year following the issuing of an update to the laws of the game for the first time since 2019.

The latest changes are part of the R&A’s on-going attempt to try to make the rules of golf easier to understand and apply.

The new rules, which come into effect on January 1, place an emphasis on both inclusion and sustainability, with for the first time, the modified rules for players with disabilities have been fully incorporated into the rules without the need to adopt a local rule. Other changes include players no longer being penalised for failing to write their handicap on their scorecard in stroke play competitions. With so many scores being calculated online, the need to include your handicap is no longer deemed essential, although many players will continue to do so.

Another change will see players being able to replace a club that has been accidently damaged during the course of a round. This won’t apply to clubs wilfully damaged, but

serious offers made, with current leaseholder Bespoke Hotels withdrawing its initial bid after difficulties over access roads and the restricted options for development arose.

The golf course, which was opened as a private club in 1926, has been a pay-and-play public course for the last 85 years. Bespoke Hotels have operated the hotel and the golf club under long-term leases from Croydon Council for more than 20 years. According to official council reports last year, Bespoke took on the golf club in 1999 by paying an initial premium of £150,000 and it has since paid an annual rent of around £19,000, based on a percentage of the turnover income.

The council report said that the hotel is let on a separate lease of a similar length with 103 years remaining, but is on a peppercorn rent. An initial premium of £600,000 was paid in 1999 for the lease.

Coulsdon Manor is located on the Local List of Historic

those that have been damaged through no fault of the player (i.e. a shaft breaks or a clubhead falls off or is damaged through the normal course of play).

Other changes allow a ball to be replaced if it moves after being dropped, placed or replaced, while a new line of relief procedure has been simplified so that if a player drops their ball on the line, the ball must come to rest within one clublength of where it is dropped.

Grant Moir, Director of Rules at the R&A, said: “We are continuing to improve and adapt the Rules of Golf to ensure they are in line with the way the modern game is played. That means making the rules easier to understand and access for all golfers and making the sport more inclusive and welcoming for all golfers.

Golfers can find out more about the major changes and review the official 2023 Rules of Golf by visiting www.randa.org.

Moor Hall the merrier after England Champion Club success

Moor Hall trio Daniel Bardsley, Rob Bardsley and John Paul Banbury came storming back to win the English Champion Club title at Lilley Brook Golf Club in Gloucestershire.

The Warwickshire representatives began the second round of the 36-hole event a shot behind Henbury who had hoped to win on home soil after making the finals from the Gloucestershire round of qualifying.

However, Moor Hall proved unstoppable in the final charge for the line with all three players shooting par or better to seal the victory ahead of 30 of their rivals.

In the end, the Moor Hall men

ended with a combined three-man team score over 36 holes of 411 (-3). That tally allowed them to win the event by six shots from a Henbury side featuring Nick Day, Michael Day and Calum Mortimore.

Hexham and Yorkshire qualifiers Hallowes ended the event tied on a total of +12 with the Northumberland side edging third spot on countback.

Parks and Gardens, which restricts how the building and the site can be used for development. The adjoining Coulsdon Court Woods form part of a Site of Nature Conservation Importance, and the entire site is in the Metropolitan Green Belt. The council has not yet commented publicly on what its future plans are for the venue.

■ COULSDON MANOR’S FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN

■ THE MANOR HOUSE IS RENOVATING ITS BUNKERS THIS WINTER

STORY BEHIND THE PIC

DOUGLAS BADER • ROEHAMPTON GOLF CLUB, SURREY, 1961

Golf is a hard enough game to play with all your physical and mental faculties intact, but imagine trying to hit a tee shot without the use of your legs – well, not your real ones at any rate.

This is the challenge that legendary WW2 fighter pilot Douglas Bader set himself after losing both his legs following a crash in 1931 while attempting a lowlevel aerobatic manoeuvre over Reading airfield.

Like many disabled-bodied people, the 21-year-old Bader refused to let his injuries prevent him leading the life he had enjoyed before. And despite being discharged from the RAF in 1933, seven years later he found himself back in the seat of a Spitfire fighting in the Battle of Britain, where history records that he shot down 22 German aircraft during an 18-month period. He was shot down in late 1941 and imprisoned in Colditz for the rest of the war.

Bader loved golf more than he did flying, and after losing his legs he threw himself into the game in order to keep himself active. He quickly got down to an impressive four handicap, and after the war became a fixture on the celebrity golf circuit, appearing alongside Peter Alliss in the Pro-Celebrity series on BBC2 in 1972. Bader was a forthright and outspoken character, Alliss himself recalled that he only saw him upstaged once and that was by Henry Cotton during the Bowmaker Tournament played at The Berkshire during the ‘50s. “It was a terribly wet day and everyone came in off the course absolutely sodden. Douglas was sitting in the locker room removing his legs, the stumps wrapped in a soft, white blanket, but they looked red and sore. Cotton came in complaining about the weather, he went on and on. Douglas looked up and said: “Good god old man, I don’t know what you are complaining about. Moan, moan,

moan, are you afraid of a bit of rain?” To which Cotton uttered the immortal line “It’s alright for you Douglas, your feet don’t get wet.”

Bader’s competitive streak saw him throw himself into his golf to such an extent that he even had an inch shaved off one of his legs in a bid to improve his swing. And on those rare occasions when he found himself in danger of defeat, it was not unknown for him to squeakily adjust one of his legs just as his opponent got to the top of his backswing.

Bader died from a heart attack in 1982, aged 72, but his love of golf is recognised to this day through The Bader Cup, an annual mixed greensomes event which was set up by in 1986 by the Douglas Bader Foundation, which was founded to continue the inspirational work that Bader himself started to support the disabled community. The picture left shows Bader cutting a familiar figure playing in a mixed foursomes event at Roehampton Golf Club in Surrey, decked out in plus fours and airtex shirt with his trademark pipe on the go. In the 40th year since his death, Bader would have been particularly heartened to see the increasing number of opportunities for disabled golfers to take part in the game, most notably in the launch of the European Disabled Golf Association in 2000, which now has membership of 34 National Golf Federations and offers playing opportunities at all levels of the game, including a year-long series that runs alongside a selection of high-profile DP World Tour events.

THE 40TH YEAR SINCE HIS DEATH, BADER WOULD

IN

HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY HEARTENED TO SEE THE INCREASING NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE ARE FOR GOLFERS WITH A DSIABILITY TO TAKE PART IN THE GAME

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

While a professional golfer of the very highest quality and a golf commentator without equal, Peter Alliss was also a natural born wit who was as comfortable in the company of presidents, film stars and sporting celebrities as he was with members at his local club. Here, in a brief extract from a new book that celebrates his life and times, Peter Alliss - Reflections on a Life Well Lived’, the late, great man describes on his most memorable encounters while filming the much-loved TV Series Pro-Celebrity Golf, which he hosted for 140 episodes between 1974-88.

rst warning sign manifested itself. It was his grip, which could only be described as unorthodox. Still, he gamely swung and gamely missed the ball by at least a foot. He swung again, and again, and maybe even again – all with the same result. Growing some ve yards in front of the tee was some tall grass, and on his fourth or fth try he eventually clipped the ball with just enough power to send it rolling o the tee and into that grass. I can remember, very clearly, the producer’s voice in my ear.

“O

ne of my abiding behind-thescenes memories of Pro-Celebrity Golf – although it didn’t seem too great at the time – centred on the Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen, then one of the most recognisable and funniest faces in the world of cinema. Picture the scene: it was 7.42am, and I was nishing breakfast when one of our stage managers, a man named Harry Coventry, rushed over. He was obviously disturbed by something or another.

‘It’s Leslie Nielsen,’ Harry said. ‘He can’t play.’

‘What’s the matter with him?’ I asked.

Harry took a deep breath. ‘I mean he can’t play.’

‘Well, what’s happened, for goodness sake? Does he have a cold? Has he fallen down the stairs?’

‘Nothing’s the matter with him, but I’m telling you – he can’t play! I’ve just been watching him on the practice ground, and I think that’s the rst time he’s ever held a golf club.’

‘You must be mistaken,’ I said. ‘We’ll be able to fudge it, anyway. We’ll make it work.’

O we all went that same morning to the short 8th hole on the Kings Course. It was Leslie Nielsen and Charlie Drake with Peter Oosterhuis and Fuzzy Zoeller. The professionals drove rst and found the green. Next up was wee Charlie Drake, out with his 4-wood. He gave it a whack and found the front of the green; cue loud cheering from the 150-odd spectators, who were made to look and sound like thousands when the programme came out. Up stepped Leslie. Now for the moment of truth.

As Leslie positioned himself for his tee shot, the

Extract from Peter Alliss– Re ections on a Life Well Lived (Lennard Publishing). Golf News readers can buy a copy at the discounted price of £17 (RRP £25) post free in UK, by emailing orders@lennardqap. co.uk quoting ‘Golf News’ o er. It is also available to buy from Amazon and all good bookshops.

‘Let’s move on. Peter, you’ll have to tell the viewers Leslie had a couple more shots and took no further interest in the hole.’

The hole played out and we moved across to the 11th, a long par 3. The pros played beautifully onto the green, while Charlie Drake, again, unleashed his trusty 4-wood, knocking his ball up to the front of the green. Leslie, too, was given a 4-wood by his caddie. He looked almost dangerous, holding it more like an axe than a golf club. What followed was a suitably vicious swing. This time, he caught the ball, and although his shot rose barely eight feet o the ground, it sailed forward on a low and at trajectory right into the front bunker. A sigh of relief could be heard from miles around, and it seemed we were o .

Only, we weren’t.

Cut to Leslie, feet rooted in the sand, swinging at least six or seven times and missing every time. Then, as if by a miracle, he at last caught the ball. It went ying out of the bunker, over the heads of the spectators at the back of the green… and into the forest behind the 12th tee.

Again, a voice in my ear advised me to wrap it up and move on. I did as I was told and we soon advanced to the 12th. Three drives sailed away, and then, amid much anticipation, it was Leslie’s turn. I can see it all now as if I’m looking back down that fairway: a man leaning forward with his hands clasped atop his umbrella, trying to get a better view amid a throng of spectators all craning to see the action, or the lack thereof. Leslie, meanwhile, swung wildly. He connected with the ball, which ew o at around ninety miles per hour, low and hard to the right. There was a loud crack and a yelp from the unfortunate gentleman who had been hit and whose thumb had grown to four times its normal size in a matter of seconds.

Pandemonium reigned. Once again, the producer’s voice came through, informing me the match was o . ‘Tell ’em what you like. You’ll think of something,’ he said. There we were a mile from the hotel: all those spectators plus two professionals, one 15-handicapper and a total novice. How to tactfully call o our match and get them all back to the clubhouse? That was the question.

Well, I thought up a wonderful excuse for calling it a day. The large transformer supplying all the power had broken down, and they’d had to send for a replacement from Glasgow. It would take a few hours to come, so there was no chance of nishing

our match. Job done.

I walked back with Jimmy Tarbuck. We had one of those colourful conversations, lamenting the day’s events. We made our point with every swear word known to man. Tarbuck even came out with a couple I had never heard before (I won’t repeat them here, but rest assured, they were very descriptive). When we got back to the foyer, Jimmy and I were met with a wall of frosty stares – and for good reason.

Unbeknown to me, my microphone had never been switched o . This meant our entire conversation had been picked up and piped through the various television sets in the hotel, the public rooms, the Pro Shop and the café. Some charming blue-rinsed ladies had heard it all, but they didn’t understand at least seventy- ve per cent of the swearing, thank God, so all was not completely lost.

That evening I approached Leslie Nielsen, the man of the moment. I asked, with all the tact I could muster, how he had ended up here at the Gleneagles Hotel. He told me he had been having a very pleasant lunch at the Bel Air Country Club when he was approached by a gentleman who asked if he liked golf.

‘I certainly do,’ Leslie replied. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘We’re making a golf programme for British television,’ said the stranger, evidently a booker or producer or some other BBC bod. ‘If you agree to take part, we can put you on a plane with your wife or companion, y you rst class to New York, send you by Concorde to London and transfer you to a BA ight to Glasgow, where a limousine will pick you up from the airport and sweep you to the hotel. There you can stay for a week, and all expenses – and I mean all expenses – will be paid.’ Naturally, Leslie was interested. ‘That’s for me!’ he replied.

Having heard his side of the story, I said to Leslie, as gently as I could, ‘But Leslie, you can’t play!’

He smiled and said, ‘Nobody asked me if I could play.’ End of story. Although, in this case, there is a happy postscript. Some years later, Leslie released a video called Bad Golf Made Easier, which did very well. I wasn’t surprised, given he was such an expert at bad golf.

HAVING HEARD HIS SIDE OF THE STORY, I SAID TO LESLIE, AS GENTLY AS I COULD, ‘BUT LESLIE, YOU CAN’T PLAY!’

■ ALL-STAR CAST: PETER ALLISS PICTURED FILMING PRO-CELEBRITY GOLF AT WALTON HEATH IN 1972 WITH JACKIE STEWART, LEE TREVINO, SEAN CONNERY AND MAX FAULKNER

■ BELOW: ALLISS WITH GARETH EDWARDS AND TERRY WOGAN

USA claim 30th PGA Cup win at Foxhills

The United States recorded back-to-back PGA Cup victories over the Great Britain & Ireland following a pulsating clash between the two nations at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey.

Led by PGA of America Honorary President Suzy Whaley, the United States overcame a brave ghtback from David Russell’s GB & I team to capture the Llandudno International Trophy and claim their rst away win since 2009.

Russell’s side knew they had it all to do heading into the Sunday singles. A weekend full of twists and turns saw them trailing by three points – 9.5-6.5 – knowing seven wins were needed to regain the Llandudno International Trophy.

But after Ashley Mansell lost to Michael Block in the opening match, despite being four up with six holes to play, the signs did not look good for the home side. Next out, Matthew Cort trailed Ben Polland for much of the match, but a double bogey on the 15th allowed the Beedles Lake pro to cut the de cit to just one with three to play. Another bogey by Polland at the 17th set up a tense nale, but both players made par and the match was halved. James Ruth (China Fleet) was down to Larkin Gross heading into the back nine, but the Devon man showed his quality to ght back and earn the GB&I another half-point.

The Americans added to their tally after Simon Thornton (Tulfarris) fell to a 4&3 defeat to Ryan Vermeer, but GB&I got some blue back on the board with Adam Keogh (Woodhall Spa) coming from behind to beat Frank Bensel Jr. It was a bittersweet victory for Keogh, who ended up on the losing team, but remained undefeated on is PGA Cup debut, claiming 3.5 points from four. Daniel Whitby-Smith (Drayton Park) picked up his rst full point of the weekend after beating Wyatt Worthington II 3&2 and Greig Hutcheon (Torphins GC) followed that up with another GB&I victory.

At this point in the match GB&I had important points on the board, but the scoreboard was not looking in their favour. Defeats for Simon Lilly (Wellingborough), Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) and David Higgins (Waterville) followed, which led to joyous celebrations from the visiting team.

“We let ourselves down in the foursomes which made it di cult to come back in the singles,” said Russell. “The singles could have gone one way or the other really, at times we were on top, but they’re quite a strong team.”

Despite the defeat, Russell feels his team, which contained no fewer than seven debutants, were able to leave Foxhills with their heads held high having given everything for the cause. Russell continued: “The team have been absolutely amazing.The ten of them have all got together and been brilliant. It really has been a wonderful experience. “I can’t believe how much I have enjoyed it. It’s been an absolute privilege and an honour to get the opportunity to do it.”

Woodham Mo imer driving range set to make way for housing

The oldest driving range in Essex is set to close after planning permission was given by the local council to convert the site into private housing.

Woodham Mortimer Golf Range rst opened in 1967 and is believed to the oldest standalone practice facility in the county. The site boasts a 9-hole pitch-and-putt course and a oodlit range boasting 23 hitting bays, 15 of which are covered.

Other golf facilities include a practice bunker and an allweather putting green. The closure comes following the owner’s decision to retire, as well as a consequence of dwindling income. A previous application to demolish the range and replace it with 25 properties was refused by the district council in 2020, but Maldon District Council has given ahead with the scheme on appeal, even though

the council’s chief planning o cer had recommended refusal on the grounds of a loss of a community facility and the encroachment of urban sprawl on the surrounding countryside. The new plans are for up to 18 new houses with part of the site retained as a public open space.

Planning agent Antony O’Toole told Maldon planning committee o cers that the viability of the business was dwindling amid rising costs and that its current use was detrimental for its neighbours, while councillor Mark Durham, who also supported the housing project, said: “This is a very old driving range and it fundamentally is just too short, so that is why golf balls are going over the existing fence. I’m afraid the times have caught up with this as a viable driving range.”

The Dalai Lama, Novak Djokovic, former US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis and Bryson DeChambeau are among nearly 100 recipients of letters owing from the acerbic pen of an extremely disgruntled high-handicapper called Mortimer Merriweather.

The letters, all of which are connected with golf, have been published in a hysterically funny book, ‘A Partridge on a Par Three’, penned by golf writer and polemicist Clive Agran.

The title comes from one written to the British Ornithological Trust in which Mortimer seeks support for changing the nomenclature for scores over par from bogey, double bogey, triple bogey and quadruple bogey to ‘partridge’, ‘great tit’, ‘ruddy duck’ and ‘shag’, respectively.

Among the ideas contained in the letters is a putter that simply can’t miss, inviting Bomber Command to help create features on a golf course to be built on otherwise at terrain, an explosive driver that can hit the ball over 500 yards and twinning Mortimer’s home club with Augusta National.

‘A Partridge on a Par Three’ is available on Amazon priced at £6.99.

Collected le ers of Mo imer Merriweather set to fill every golfer’s Christmas stocking

■ DJ RUSSELL

■ WOODHAM MORTIMER DRIVING RANGE

End of an era at Wimbledon Park as academy faces closure

BY APRIL TOD

Wimbledon Junior Golf Academy, one of the most popular training venues for youngsters in the south-east, is set to close at the end of the month despite plans for the construction of 38 tennis courts on the site of Wimbledon Park Golf Club’s 18-hole course still awaiting nal approval from the local council.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which has owned the freehold for the golf club since 1993, bought the remaining 25-year lease on the club in 2018 for £64 million, with each of the current golf club members receiving a payout of £84,000 as compensation for the loss of their club.

The AELTC has submitted plans to use the 73-acre site of the golf club to build 38 new grass tennis courts, a new 8,000-seater stadium, so that qualifying events for its main championships can be held on site rather than at nearby

Roehampton Tennis Club. The golf club’s tenancy is set to end on December 31, but with plans for the site, which were submitted in July 2021, still to be approved by Merton Borough Council, the golf club, which is also home to the Wimbledon Junior Golf Academy, feels that it is premature to shut down a public leisure facility that is still being used by local children.

The academy, which was set up in 2014 by Wimbledon Park’s PGA Professional Dean Jeeves, has introduced well over 500 local youngsters to the game in the last eight years, some of which have gone on to attain handicaps that allowed them to become junior members. But the academy, along with the club, is set to close at the end of the year, despite the precise nature and timing of the proposed expansion of the AELTC’s facilities still being up in the air.

Jeeves said: “The AELTC has refused to provide access to a small amount of land to enable the Junior Golf Academy to continue operating. As a result, it has been left with nowhere for its members to learn and play golf in Wimbledon and Merton from January next year.

“Over the past year I have contacted the All England Club several times outlining reasons how and why the junior academy should remain open – pointing out that it would cause absolutely no interference with their proposed work schedule to build 38 grass courts – but all pleas so far have fallen on deaf ears.

“The academy has been one of Wimbledon Park Golf Club’s great successes. Since 2015 we have been involved with Merton Sports partnership, o ering free tuition in primary state schools. Over 1,000 children per year get some insight into golf and some of these are part of our junior academy to this day. Even as we speak, I am teaching around 180 children on di erent days of the week, most of whom have signed up for 12-week sessions and all of whom, including parents, are hoping for the academy to stay open. Some the youngsters I have coached have since 2014 are now junior members of the club.”

Those against the AELTC’s development plans have cited that the land in question is part of Grade II Registered Park and Garden and is designated as Metropolitan Open Land which a ords the same protections as the Metropolitan Green Belt. Although the proposed development includes ‘open access’ to a 23-acre public park, this would be denied during the tennis championships and at other times of the year. There are also planning restrictions on much of the new land, especially at its southern end, with many of the trees, which date back to the original work done by landscape architect Capability Brown, being protected.

Fleur Anderson MP for Putney, Roehampton and South elds, said: “This is just the wrong development on our precious green spaces. We are in a climate emergency so in this context what we should be doing is opening up and returning our green spaces to public use. Instead, this plan is allowing them to be built on.”

A nal decision on the development is expected to be announced by Merton Borough Council in the next few weeks.

London Club launches campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer

London Golf Club in Kent is playing a leading role in golf’s drive to beat cancer after forming a new charity partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, to help beat a disease a ecting one-in-eight men in the UK.

The Ash-based club has announced a calendar of events over the next 12 months to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and raise funds for groundbreaking research to deliver a national prostate cancer screening programme and save men’s lives.

In addition to hosting a series of fund-raising events between now and next September including a charity golf day and Prostate Cancer UK’s 36-hole Big Golf Race, London Golf Club will promote the charity to members and guests in a number of other ways across its facilities – including donation tins in the golf shop, reception and spike bar, sta wearing Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic ‘Man of Men’ badges as part of their uniform and a special charity dish on the menu.

London Golf Club’s chief executive, Stephen Follett, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have formed this new partnership and to be working with Prostate Cancer UK over the next 12 months. Prostate cancer a ects the lives of so many men and their families, and I would encourage all our members and visitors to support the charity in any way they can so that we can help to beat this dreadful disease.”

It’s trench wa are at Canterbury!

While most members of Canterbury Golf Club are used to hitting a few ‘bombs’ during the course of a round – in form of lengthy drives – only a few are aware of the historic role that the club played in preparing the British army for war almost 100 years ago.

But all that changed earlier this year, when aerial photographs of the club’s 18-hole course taken during the summer drought revealed previously hidden trenches that were dug to train soldiers ahead of their mobilisation to the battle elds of northern France during the First World War.

The meandering ditches at the Kent club became more visible during the hot summer weather, when the scorched ground made the in lls on a number of fairways more prominent. The third, fourth, fth, seventh and ninth fairways all feature clear evidence of the zigzagging trenches.

A spokesperson for Kent County Council,

whose archive portal details the history of the trenches, said: “These have been interpreted as practice trenches from the early part of the 20th century due to their similarity to trench systems employed in the First World War. It is likely they were used in training exercises for soldiers based at the Royal East Kent Regiment barracks on the nearby eastern edge of the city. The golf course itself was established in 1927, and the condition of the trenches may imply that the area was under cultivation for some time prior to this date. It is likely that similar traces of military activity extend across the entire site and may be better preserved in the wooded areas.”

The golf course also su ers the scares of later war-related action, with a bomb crater, which is now surrounded by willow trees, located to the right of the sixth green, while there is another crater in the woods between the seventh and ninth fairways, which was also caused by a bomb dropped during World War II.

[PIC CREDIT TOM BANBURY]

■ WIMBLEDON PARK PGA COACH DAN JEEVES IS BIDDING TO KEEP THE JUNIOR ACADEMY OPEN DESPITE THE IMMENENT CLOSURE OF THE CLUB

■ THE PRACTICE TRENCHES WERE CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THE FAIRWAYS DURING THE DRY SUMMER

Zach’s on course for world domination!

A talented young golfer from Essex is set to test his impressive talents on the world stage next year after qualifying for the IMG World Championship in San Diego and the US Kids World Championship in Pinehurst.

Seven-year-old Zachary Blayney secured his place in the US Kids World Championship after winning the US Kids Golf British Championship held at Woodhall Spa in August, and then nishing second in the US Kids Golf Scottish Championship.

Earlier this year he competed in the Champion of Champions World Championship in Ireland, where among a eld a 250 junior champions from 24 countries, he took the runner-up after a three-way play-o .

Zachary is one of just four boys in his age division to represent the UK at the IMG World Championship in the US next July. He will also be travelling out to the States again in August to compete in the US Kids World Championship

event in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Currently playing on the British Junior Golf Tour, Zachary travels all over the UK most weekends to play in competitions and won almost 20 trophies this season alone. His talents have not gone unnoticed, and he has already been signed up by American Golf as a junior golf ambassador and recently featured in their Father’s Day campaign.

“He started playing as soon as he was able to walk and pick up a golf club,” said proud father Scott, who travels with him to all his events. “He used to come and watch me at the driving range when he was very young. Although he de nitely hasn’t got his swing from me, because his is much better than mine, that’s for sure! He’s picked it up completely naturally. He’s had a few lessons here and there over the years, but for the most part it’s just been playing with me.”

Zachary and his dad practice two or three times a week at Langdon Hills Golf Club and Rochford Hundred. Scott added: “I’m hugely proud of him. He amazes me every time he tees it up. He’s so consistent, doesn’t make any mistakes and just gets better and better every day. Myself, my wife Sarah, and all of the family are very proud of him.”

Kipp keeps his cool to reign in Spain

Kent’s Kipp Popert claimed a fourth G4D Tour title in dominant fashion, winning by ve shots from Chris Biggins at the G4D event held at Valderrama alongside the Andalucia Masters.

The world No.2 golfer with a disability got to ve under par after rounds of 68 and 69 - including the rst hole-in-one in G4D Tour history in the penultimate event of the season.

American Biggins nished on level par, ghting back from a four over par opening round, with Spain’s Juan Postigo Arce one shot further back in third.

The win is Popert’s fourth in the space of six months, adding to his successes at G4D events held at the British Masters, the European Open and the BMW PGA Championship.

Popert said: “I’ve been telling all the members at my home course all year that I was looking forward to this one the most because the Tour pros say that Valderrama is the toughest test they have. Coming in here I had no idea what to expect, I just told myself not to lose my cool at any point – and if I was in trouble, just to get it back in play. The course suited me as my wedge play is very strong. I had a lot of looks at birdie, so it was really nice to be under par.”

Golf to make Commonwealth Games debut in 2026

Golf is among several sports to have been added to the sports represented in the next Commonwealth Games, which takes place in Victoria, Australia in March 2026.

Games organisers are also exploring the prospect of adding a para-golf competition and have pledged to work with the Commonwealth Games Federation and relevant golf organisations to determine if this will be possible.

“This is a great win for golf,” said Golf Australia chief James Sutherland. “This announcement validates golf’s increasing popularity and the enormous growth that the sport has enjoyed over the last three years.”

Gavin Kirkman, the chief executive of the PGA of Australia, added: “This is a terri c result for our sport. It’s going to provide playing opportunities for our young stars from around the Commonwealth. We absolutely love golf in the Olympic Games and we’re sure that the sport being in the Commonwealth Games will be important for golf going forward as well. It’s a big stage, the Commonwealth Games, and we’re privileged to be nally on it.”

A venue and format for the Commonwealth Games golf men’s and women’s competitions have yet to be revealed, with a qualifying structure to be determined in due course.

Golf has been part of the last two Olympic Games, but unlike the Olympics the home nations of the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – compete as individual countries in the Commonwealth Games rather than under the banner of Team GB, enabling more players to take part.

■ ZACH IS LOOKING TO SHOW HIS SKILLS ON THE WORLD STAGE AFTER WINNING MANY UK EVENTS

■ ZACH WITH HIS COACH, CADDY AND DAD, SCOTT

LOOKING AFTER NO.1

It’s been quite a year for Rory McIlroy. Three wins, another FedEx Cup title, a return to world and European no.1, and a major role as an outspoken critic of LIV Golf, have thrust the 33-year-old from Northern Ireland into the global spotlight like never before. But what does the man in question think of his status as pro golf’s senior statesman as we head into 2023 and his 16th season on tour?

When you rst set out on your professional career back in 2007, what ambitions or expectations did you place on yourself, and how do look back on what you have achieved so far?

It may sound a bit clichéd, but I think I just took it one step at a time. I wanted to get my European Tour card and once I did that, I wanted to play in the majors and the World Golf Championships. I didn’t start o with grand ambitions. I just wanted to become the best golfer that I could, and whether that meant I was at a certain level or the levels I have reached, I’ve just always tried to get the best out of myself.

When I look back over the last 15 or so years, I know that I have had a pretty amazing career and it has provided me with an amazing life and has enabled me to do some amazing things, but you still have to remember where you came from. I have to pinch myself sometimes and try to put a little perspective on things, as I know that I am incredibly privileged to be in the position I am today. I’m getting to live out my childhood dreams, and not everybody gets to do that, so it’s an unbelievable position to be in.

You’ve been in great form this year and had a great run of results over the last few months. What are your main takeaways from 2022?

Yeah, it’s been great. I feel like almost every time I’ve teed it up this year, I’ve been in contention on a Sunday. You’re obviously not going to win every week, but if you give yourself a chance at least every week, that’s a really good start. As long as I keep putting myself in good positions, keep giving myself chances to win, that’s what I’m really happy with.

Getting back to world no.1, given where I was a year ago, also makes me feel proud. I’ve worked so hard over the last 12 months to get myself back to this place. I feel like I’m enjoying the game as much as I ever have. I absolutely love the game of golf. When I go out there and I play with that joy, the results have been good and long may that continue.

Another thing that I’m really proud of is that I don’t feel I have to rely on one aspect of my game to get me into contention. If my driving isn’t quite there, then my putter bails me out. If my putter isn’t there, my iron play bails me out. I feel like when you get to this level, it’s like, okay, how can you make those incremental improvements to get better, and I think my goal has been to just become a more complete golfer and I feel like I’m on the journey to doing that. I’m as complete a golfer as I feel like I’ve ever been, and hopefully I can continue on that path.

What speci cally brings you joy out on the golf course? Just the journey of trying to get the best out of myself, I think that’s the satisfying thing. I never feel like I’ve gured this game out – I don’t think I ever will gure it out – but every day I wake up trying to get closer. That’s the beauty of this game and why we all keep coming back for more.

It’s obviously been a year of great highs, but how long did it take you to get over the disappointment of not winning The Open Championship this year, especially after getting into such a strong position?

Once The Open was done, I just reset my goals on what I thought a successful season would look like, and that’s

what I went o and did and that’s what I was able to achieve. Of course I was disappointed not to win at St Andrews, but you lose more often than you win in this game, so I couldn’t a ord to sit around moping in the middle of the season, I had to look forward and see how I could make the best of the rest of the year, which I think I have been able to do.

I feel like any time I’ve had a setback in my career, whether it be missing a cut, missing a chance to win a tournament, trying to get my rst win on the European Tour or win my rst major championship, I feel like I’ve been able to bounce back from some adversity. It’s been a learning curve, but I think my resilience, and my ability to respond to setbacks, is one of the things that I’ll look back on my career in 20 years’ time and be most proud of.

With the commitment to play 20 events on the PGA Tour next season, it’s hard to see how you’re going to nd so much time to play in Europe. What is your schedule going to look like on the DP World Tour next season?

Pretty much the same as it has been the last few seasons to be honest. I’ve set my life up in the States, and that’s where my family is now, so the PGA Tour is where I will continue to play the majority of my golf, but I will continue to play in DP World Tour events where it ts my schedule and where I feel like I can and should play.

I’m an ambitious person. I want to play where the best players are playing and for the last decade or more, the best players have predominately played in the United States. There are a lot of changes going on right now in the schedules, but that probably won’t fully roll out until 2024, when the PGA Tour starts its calendar year season, rather than the wrap-around season which it currently operates.

I think that’s when will properly start to see the bene ts of the strategic partnership between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. It will unlock more of a global schedule with some of the bigger European events incorporated into that January to August time frame. The two tours are going to run side-by-side and while that means I’m probably not going to play in the Dutch Open anytime soon, or some of the smaller events, more co-sanctioned events are going to attract stronger elds and that can only be good for sponsors and for fans going forward.

Do you see a time when the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LIV Golf will sit down and sort it out, or have we reached an impasse and golf will be forever split?

I’ve always said I think there is a time and a place where everyone that’s involved should sit down and try to work together. It’s very hard for that to happen right now when there are all these lawsuits going on. There’s obviously this court case that’s going to happen in February with the DP World Tour and then the one in the States later next year, so that makes it very di cult to know what’s going to happen. There’s a natural timeline to let temperatures just sort of settle down a little bit and people can maybe go into those mediations with cooler heads and not be so emotional about it all.

But look, I don’t want a fractured game. I never have. The game of golf – at the professional level – is ripping itself apart right now and that’s not good for anyone. It’s not good for the players on whichever tour their on. In an ideal world, you want the best players competing against each other all of the time, or at least for more of the time, and currently that isn’t happening. So, I’m all for everyone sitting around the table and trying to gure something out.

Do you feel that LIV Golf events should be ascribed world ranking points?

I would certainly want the best players in the world ranked accordingly. I think Dustin Johnson is somewhere around 100th, so it’s not an accurate re ection of where he is in the game. But at the same time, you can’t make up your own rules. There are criteria to be met and everyone knows what they are. I have no problem with LIV players getting world

ranking points, but the events have to meet the criteria laid down by the OWGR, and if you don’t meet the criteria, it’s going to be hard to justify why you should have them.

Are you surprised by how much you’ve come to be seen as an uno cial spokesperson for the established tours? How comfortable do you feel in that role?

I don’t know. I’m speaking up for what I believe in.

I guess that’s the only thing I can say. Again, I’m speaking up because I believe in the game of golf, and look, the other side will say the exact same thing. But I don’t see how having 48 hand-picked players is growing the game in any way. There have to be pathways. There has to be a meritocracy. You need to give someone the ambition or opportunity to know that if they are playing on the Challenge Tour that in one, two or however many years’ time, that they can be challenging for major championships, which are the pinnacle of our sport. There is this pyramid and this funnel that has been so good for golf for so many years, and I don’t think it’s a broken system. So, whenever something like this comes along that is incredibly disruptive and they are saying things about how golf needs to change, it doesn’t need to change. Golf is the most wonderful game in the world. It doesn’t.

Could there be things that we could do to make it more entertaining from a TV perspective?

Of course. That’s something that I think we can do from inside the walls. I don’t think we need to go outside of what we have already to gure that out. But the game of golf post-COVID has been thriving, and I just want to make sure that it continues to thrive. It’s incredibly divisive, and does LIV Golf bring more eyeballs on to golf? Probably, at the moment, yes, because people are interested in the soap opera of it all, but that’s not golf. The most interesting thing about LIV over the last six months or so have been the rumours about who is going and who is not going. It’s not about the golf. It might be at some stage, but right now it’s the rumour mill that’s fuelling it. So when you you’re watching the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, you’re watching because of the golf and you’re watching to see who is going to win tournaments that have context and mean something. That’s why I’m speaking up.

Finally, the European Ryder Cup team is most likely going to have a very di erent look to it next year, with a new generation of players coming through and some of the older players having moved over to LIV Golf or fallen out of form. How do you rate Europe’s chances against what, on paper, always looks like a strong US team?

As you say, our Ryder Cup team is going to look very di erent next year, and so will the American team to a certain extent. There’s going to be quite a few rookies on both teams, I would imagine. Europe’s had an unbelievable run in the Ryder Cup for the past couple of decades, and we haven’t lost a home leg in 30 years. The US team is very, very strong and doesn’t

have lot of scar tissue compared to some of the past teams. They have a lot of their pairings locked down and because of the Presidents Cup, they get a chance to do it every year, which I think bene ts them hugely. I think the Hero Cup, which replaces what was once the Seve Trophy, will be very useful for us next year and help us all to get a feel for the team and for Luke [Donald] and the guys to help formulate a plan.

As I said a few weeks ago, when I was playing in the Italian Open, it is time for a rejuvenation of the European Ryder Cup team. We need to blood some new guys, and a home Ryder Cup is the best way to do that. You’ve got the crowd acting as the 13th player on your side, and if you can introduce some of these new guys to the team then it’s the best way to go about it. But, of course, we’ll be the under cogs going into Italy and with how young this American team is, it looks like they will be very strong for a very long time. Either way, I’m excited. It’s a new challenge, a fresh challenge, they’ll be a lot of new faces and I’m excited to be a part of it.

I’M AS COMPLETE A GOLFER AS I FEEL LIKE I’VE EVER BEEN, AND HOPEFULLY I CAN CONTINUE ON THAT PATH

BRAID’S LASTING LEGACY

While James Braid’s talents as a professional golfer were undeniably impressive, his most enduring legacy to the golfing world is to be found in the fairways and greens of the more than 250 golf courses that the great man designed and renovated during first half of the 20th century

■ THE KINGS COURSE AT GLENEAGLES

■ JAMES BRAID AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF HENLEY GOLF CLUB IN 1908

If you were to draw up a list of people who have had the most impact on the game of golf, you would expect to nd the likes of Old Tom Morris, Frank Stapleford, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Karsten Solheim, Ely Callaway and, of course, Tiger Woods, well inside the top ten. But also near the top of that list of greats, you would also nd James Braid.

Braid, who was born in Scotland in 1870, not far from St Andrews, shaped the modern gol ng landscape of the United Kingdom like no other. Not content with having won ve Open Championships during a ten-year period between 1901-1910, and being one of the founding fathers of the Professional Golfer’s Association, Braid used his knowledge of course strategy as a player to design and renovate over 200 courses during a 40-year period between 1910 and 1950.

After moving to London in his early 20s, during the height of his playing powers, Braid landed his rst club professional’s job at Romford Golf Club in Essex. Two years later he moved south of the river, to Walton Heath, a new course in Surrey designed by Herbert Fowler. He remained with the club for a further 45 years until his death in 1950.

In the midst of his ve Open Championship successes – during which time he dominated the game with JH Taylor and Harry Vardon to form the ‘Great Triumvirate’ – Braid found time to put pen to paper in explore his thoughts on the game, its playing, and most interestingly, its design. Advanced Golf, rst published in 1902, is a book any golf course architect or serious student of the game should not fail to have on the shelves of their library. Braid dedicated two chapters of the book to course design – ‘The Planning of Course’, and ‘The Character and Placing of Teeing Grounds, Bunkers and Putting Greens’ – and fascinating reading they make for those who think about of the strategy of what makes a good golf hole.

He wrote: “It is both necessary and desirable that the holes should be laid out as suggested by the lie of the land, every natural obstacle being taken care of. There should be a complete variety of holes – not just in length, but in their character – the

‘The

Magnificent

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.

Seven’ James Braid Highland Golf Trail

Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club

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

Muir of Ord Golf Club

An

Golspie Golf Club

Brora Golf Club

Reay 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.

■ JAMES BRAID HAD A HAND IN OVER 250 GOLF COURSE DESIGN AND RENOVATION PROJECTS

BRAID REQUIRED ONLY A BRIEF LOOK AT A RELIEF MAP TO KNOW WHAT WAS NEEDED TO CREATE A GOOD HOLE

■ BERKHAMSTED GOLF CLUB

BOASTS A BRAID COURSE THAT FEATURES NO BUNKERS

■ BOAT OF GARTEN IS PART OF THE JAMES BRAID HIGHLAND GOLF TRAIL

ALLOA GOLF CLUB

This 6200 yard par 71 championship length course, set amongst 150 acres of rolling parkland beneath the Ochil hills, will challenge the best golfers whilst o ering great enjoyment to the average player. Book now and look forward to playing the challenging nishing holes 15 to 18 by calling our professionals on 01259 724476.

Tel: 01259 722745 Web: alloagolfclub.co.uk

ALYTH GOLF CLUB

An 18 hole (6,259 yd) heathland layout, it is one of Perthshire`s hidden gems and a Scottish Golf Championship venue. Alyth also has a challenging (3078 yd) 9 hole, par 35 course, (Glenisla), along with a visitors locker room, welcoming bar, extensive lounge and restauraunt with a friendly atmosphere.

Tel: 01828 632268 Web: alythgolfclub.co.uk Email: info@alythgolfclub.co.uk

BUDOCK VEAN HOTEL & GOLF CLUB

Originally designed in the 1920’s, our challenging 9 hole/ 18 tee golf course is set in mature parkland and use is inclusive for guests staying at our hotel and self-catering cottages. Located by the Helford River, with extensive gardens, spa, ne dining, watersports and tennis on site. Located 6 miles from Falmouth.

Tel: 01326 252100 Web: budockvean.co.uk/golf

BUNGAY & WAVENEY VALLEY GC

Located on the Norfolk/Su olk Boarder and founded in 1889, it is a classic James Braid design. An 18-hole heathland course, with greens set in fascinating positions adding to the di culty. It is very well drained, playing well all year, making it a popular destination for visitors during wet winter months.

Tel: 01986 892337 Web: bungaygc.co.uk Email: secretary@bungaygc.co.uk

FILEY GOLF CLUB

The beautiful golf course in North Yorkshire was established in 1897. The course, having been modi ed over the years to take into account technology, still retains the James Braid layout. The outward and inward holes overlook Filey Bay, with the remainder of the course landscaped with mature trees.

Tel: 01723 513293 Web: leygolfclub.com Email: secretary@ leygolfclub.com

GOSWICK GOLF LINKS

Escape to this James Braid masterpiece nestled amid windswept dunes along a vast expanse of stunning coastline midway between Edinburgh and Newcastle. It’s ranked among the top 50 courses in England and was selected by the R&A to serve as a regional qualifying venue for The Open Championship.

Web: goswickgolfclub.com Email: rory@goswickgolfclub.com

Braid club guide

Play some of James Braid’s finest courses

The Championship course has undergone a £1m renovation including replacement of irrigation systems, remodelling and movement of nearly 50 bunkers and new Tees and waste areas have been reintroduced that would have been present in the earlier days of the club.

Tel: 01797 363355 Web: littlestonegolfclub.org.uk Email: info@littlestonegolfclub.org.uk

Established in 1909 and

Rochford

on

and 9 hole links, this 6,108 yard course challenges golfer of all levels. The clubhouse has a well-stocked shop, restaurant and two large bars, one of which has a wraparound bar with stunning views of Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia.

Tel: 01758 701644 Web: clwbgol pwllheli.com

in 1893 and resides in the magni cent surroundings of Rochford

The parkland course was redesigned by James Braid in 1923, consisting of 6,355 yards from the white tees. The course is Par 72. Rochford Hundred GC o ers visitors a warm welcome, promising an outstanding golf day with excellent facilities and surroundings. Email: tracey@rhgc.co.uk Web: rochfordhundredgolfclub.co.uk

STOVER GOLF CLUB

Located

Tel: 01623 626689 Web: sherwoodforestgolfclub.co.uk Email: info@sherwoodforestgolfclub.co.uk

ROCHFORD HUNDRED GOLF CLUB

Hundred formed

Hall.

PWLLHEI GOLF CLUB

located

the South facing coastline of Cardigan Bay with its unique feature of 9 hole parkland

on the edge of Newton Abbot, the beautiful parkland golf course features a wide variety of holes, elevation change, mature trees, streams and picturesque ponds. The 5,982 yards, par 69 course from the white tees features a wide variety of holes, elevation change, trees, streams and ponds. Web: stovergolfclub.co.uk Email: secretary@stovergolfclub.co.uk

ST ENDOC GOLF CLUB

St Enodoc Golf Club on the North Cornwall coast is currently ranked in the top 100 Golf Courses of the World. A fantastic location for the Church Course, one of James Braid’s masterpieces, with amazing vistas of the Atlantic Ocean and Camel Estuary from every hole. Seaside gol ng memories galore! Web: st-enodoc.co.uk Email: reservations@st-enodoc.co.uk

SHERWOOD FOREST

Sherwood Forest are very proud of their reputation as one of the oldest and nest heathland golf courses in Great Britain and are currently rated 84th best in the British Isles and 35th in England. The course was intially designed by Harry Colt and subsequently enhanced by James Braid.

TENBY GOLF CLUB

Tenby’s 6,613 yards Classic Links Course beguiles visitors with its mellow undulating greens and awesome sea views, taking in uence from James Braid to shape the route into its current character. You’re never far away from the sea, especially at the high point of the course on the 17th hole.

Tel: 01834 842978 Email: salestenby@gmail.com Web: tenbygolf.co.uk

TORWOODLEE GOLF CLUB

The 18-hole course is a stunning picturesque rolling parkland paradise just outside Galashiels in the beautiful Scottish Borders countryside. The course is set in a valley amongst mature trees, anked by the River Gala and divided by the Borders Railway line. Green Fees start from just £40 a round, with golf and food packages available and EZ-GO electric buggies. Tel: 01896 752260 Web: torwoodleegolfclub.co.uk

way in which they are bunkered, and the kind of approach shot that is required. The greens should be well guarded. The shorter the hole, the smaller the green, the more closely guarded. The bunkering and general planning should be carried out with the speci c object of making it necessary not only to get a certain length, but more particularly to gain a desired position…and the player who does not gain his position should have his next shot made more di cult.”

Braid, who is widely credited with the invention of the dogleg, rmly believed that longer holes should present safe and brave options o the tee. “There should as frequently as possible be at least two possible alternative methods of playing the hole – an easy one, and a di cult one – and there should be a chance of gaining a stroke when the latter is chosen.”

Braid was also a fan of a grandstand nish, with the closing holes placing increasing demands on the player as the round reaches its end. “The last two or three holes should be of good length in order to induce a good nish,” he wrote. “At the long holes, the bunkering should not be too severe. In the case of the shortest of the short holes, I would have no cross bunkering, but bunkers all around it.”

impressive when you considered that he was operating in a time when there were no planes or helicopters, a sparse rail network and poor roads. It didn’t stop him from completing projects all over the British Isles, however, from St Enodoc, Royal Porthcawl and Aberdovey in the west, to Berkhamsted, North Hants, Littlestone and Goodwood in the south, to Walmer & Kingsdown and Rochford Hundred in the east, and to his beloved Gleneagles in the north, where his magni cent Kings and Queens courses are among the nest inland courses anywhere in the world, to the classic links at Carnoustie, one of the Open Championship’s toughest layouts.

Of course, Braid can’t have been a constant presence at many of these constructions, and most of his restoration projects probably required no more than a eeting visit to assess the lie of the land, but such was his expertise that he only needed a brief look at detailed relief maps to know what was required to create a decent golf hole.

WALMER AND KINGSDOWN GOLF CLUB

This beautiful course, uniquely located on the world-famous White Cli s of Dover delivers a memorable experience with stunning panoramic views across the English Channel, and inland views of the picturesque countryside. Sparkling seas provide the perfect setting on sunny Spring or Summer days and the chalk base provides excellent drainage all year-round. Tel: 01304 373256 web: kingsdowngolf.co.uk

Some contend Braid was guilty of over-penal bunkering, and being too tough on the player, but others argue that was, at heart, a strategist. “Long bunkers right in front of a green are not a good form of hazard,” he propounded. “Bunkers are not placed on a course haphazard, but they are made in particular places to catch defective shots. Whilst every assistance should be given to the bunker to enable it to catch its own kind of shot, and the player punished by having to play out of it, generally there should be a fair chance of playing forward.”

Braid’s proli c architectural work is all the more

Braid was often called upon to o cially unveil the courses he worked on, with one of the more notable occasions coming at the opening of Henley Golf Club in 1908. Braid, who was paid the handsome sum of £15 6s 6d for his design e orts, took on Rowland Jones, the head professional at Wimbledon Park Golf Club, who was a late replacement for Harry Vardon – who reportedly cried o with the u. Refereed by Harold Hilton, twice Open Champion as an amateur, records show that Braid won the 36-hole match with scores of 77 and 74, with both rounds taking just two hours to play.

Like many Braid courses, the layout at Henley has changed somewhat over time, mainly due to advancements in equipment technology, but Braid’s legacy very much lives on, with all subsequent course renovations carried out in the trademark Braid style. It is somewhat apposite that one of Henley’s members, Michael Herriot, should run The Association of James Braid Courses, and together with the other 300 clubs, and the good work of the James Braid Gol ng Society, is playing an important role in ensuring that the skills of this most multi-talented of men should be cherished for years to come.

WEST LINTON GOLF CLUB

West Linton is an outstanding 18 hole championship, moorland course, boasting wonderful views of the Scottish Borders countryside and is situated only 15 minutes from the Edinburgh city bypass and features fabulous hospitality in the newly refurbished clubhouse.

Tel: 01968 660970 Web: wlgc.co.uk Email: secretarywlgc@outlook.com

Today there are many Braid-based golf tours that fans of his work can undertake, with none more popular than the Highland Golf Trail, which takes in the seven wonderful Scottish courses to be found at Boat of Garten, Inverness, Muir of Ord, Fortrose and Rosemarkie, Golspie, Brora and Reay.

To see a full list of the Association of James Braid Courses member clubs, or to download the new mobile Android app for free, visit www.sites.google.com/site/ajbmap. To nd out about James Braid Highland Golf Trail, visit www.jamesbraidhighland.golf. www.thebraidsociety.com

■ THE BRAID-DESIGNED DOWNS COURSE AT GOLF AT GOODWOOD FIRST OPENED IN 1914

THERE SHOULD AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE BE AT LEAST TWO POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PLAYING THE HOLE

InBrief

LAWRENCE WINS DP WORLD TOUR’S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD

★ Thriston Lawrence has become the first South African to be crowned Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, after a breakthrough season on the DP World Tour that included two wins, six further top-10s and a Major debut. The 25-year-old made the perfect start to the season with victory in the opening tournament, the Joburg Open, and followed that up with a win at the Omega European Masters title following a play-off with Matt Wallace. He racked up six further top-10 finishes, including a tied second finish at the Kenya Open and a third at the Irish Open, on the way to finishing 14th in the season-long rankings.

DUTCH CLUB TO HOST 2026

SOLHEIM CUP

★ The Netherlands is to host the Solheim Cup for the first time in 2026, with Bernardus Golf named as the venue for the biennial contest. Located close to Eindhoven, the club opened in 2018 and has hosted the DP World Tour’s Dutch Open twice and will do so again in 2023. The course, which was designed Kyle Phillips, is a heathland design featuring numerous water hazards.

TIGER TOPS PGA TOUR’S PLAYER IMPACT PROGRAMME

★ Tiger Woods has won the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Programme (PIP) for 2022 despite having played just three events during the season. Woods won $15m for topping the list, which is designed to reward players who boosted engagement and publicity for the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy, who won the FedExCup, took second place, which came with a $12m pay out, while Jordan Spieth took third to earn a $9m bonus. Victor Hovland finished in 20th spot and bag himself an extra $2m on top of the $4.68m he earned in prize money for the 2021-22 season.

FORSSTRÖM’S

TOP CLASS AT QUALIFYING SCOOL

★ Simon Forsström secured a two-stroke victory at the Final Stage of Qualifying School to become one of 28 players to earn their DP World Tour cards at INFINITUM in Spain. The Swede posted a closing 69 to finish on 29 under par, two shots ahead of Frenchman David Ravetto, who carded a 64 to climb into second place. The other players to qualify for Europe’s top tier tour were Daniel Brown, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Alejandro Del Rey, Nick Bachem, Pedro Figueiredo, Christoffer Bring, John Axelsen, Ryo Hisatsune, Tobias Edén, Joël Stalter, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Marcel Siem, Joshua Lee, Gary Hurley, Gunner Wiebe, Sam Hutsby, Gary Stal, Gudmundur Kristjansson, David Horsey, Jens Fahrbring, Niklas Lemke, Andrew Wilson, Ricardo Santos, Garrick Porteous, John Murphy and Adrien Saddier.

TOURNEWS

DP WORLD TOUR UPS PRIZE FUNDS AND PLAYER BONUSES IN BID TO AVOID MORE PLAYERS LEAVING FOR LIV GOLF

The DP World Tour tournament schedule for the 2023 season, which got under way in South Africa last month, will feature a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 countries and offer an overall prize fund of $144.2m.

In a move which will be seen as a direct response to some of its top players joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the DP World Tour has announced a significant number of changes to the way it rewards players, with an increased bonus pool of $6m being shared among the top eight players on its end-of-season ranking.

The 2023 season will also see the introduction of a new ‘Earnings Assurance Programme’, which will guarantee a minimum income of $150,000 to players who compete in 15 or more events. The money will not come on top of earnings but be paid out to players in in categories 1-17 who fail to reach that level. Thus, a player who earns $125,000 in prize money in a season, will be awarded a further $25,000 to take their overall income to $150,000. Players who fall outside of these categories (18-20) will be awarded $1,500 if they miss the cut at event, ensuring that some of the cost of entry fees,

travel and accommodation are met if they fail to earn any prize money at a tournament.

Those playing their first season on the DP World Tour, as well as Challenge Tour graduates and Qualifying School graduates, will be able to take an advance of $20,000 to fund early season travel costs. This will be payable back if they exceed earnings of over $150,000 during the season.

Four new tournaments in Asia are also included in 2023, with the Singapore Classic (February 9-12) and Thailand Classic (February 16-19) taking place in consecutive weeks, followed by the Tour’s first trip to Japan for the ISPS Handa Championship (April 20-23) and a return to Korea for the first time since 2013 (April 27-30).

In Europe, there are dates changes for several tournaments, including the Horizon Irish Open moving to September 7-10, while the Italian Open will take place from May 4-7 ahead of venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club hosting the 2023 Ryder Cup from September 29 – October 1. There is also a new three-week summer break in the schedule following the 151st Open Championship (July 20-23) which has been introduced following player feedback.

JOY FOR JODI FOLLOWING FIRST LPGA TOUR WIN

England’s Jodi Ewart Shado secured a long-awaited maiden LPGA Tour title after hanging on for a one-shot victory at the Mediheal Championship.

Ewart Shado began the nal round with a four-shot lead after earlier rounds of 65, 69 and 69 at The Saticoy Club in California, but two nervy bogeys over the front nine, o set by a solitary birdie, saw her lead completely eroded by the time she reached the turn. However, the 34-year-old from Yorkshire soon steadied the ship with birdies at 12 and 14, and solid pars over the four closing holes saw her card a oneunder 71 and a one-shot victory.

Ewart Shado , who struggled with injury last year, said: “It’s a little bit surreal. I didn’t know if this moment would ever come. I’m just really grateful for everybody who’s on my team. I’m standing here with the trophy because of them.

“I’ve been through a lot in the past couple of years with injuries, and I found it a pretty signi cant mental challenge to get through that. There were times when I didn’t think I would be playing this year, but I didn’t give up on myself. I’ve learned that I can ght through adversity and I can play under the nerves. The last putt was only a foot, but it felt like 20!”

Ewart Shado ’s victory earned her $270,000 and a move up to 61st in the world ranking from her previous position in 92nd.

Hull now joins Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas on the list of English women to have won multiple LPGA Tour titles.

RAHM REIGNS SUPREME IN DUBAI FINALE

The DP World Tour’s 2022 season drew to a close in dramatic fashion as Jon Rahm, the third round leader of the seasonending Tour Championship, held off Ryder Cup team-mates Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren and Rory McIlroy to win by two shots.

The Spaniard went into the final round with a narrow one-stroke lead, but reeled off three opening birdies to stretch that advantage before bouncing back from a bogey on the fourth with three more gains to sign for a closing 67 and finish the tournament on 20 under par.

Rahm’s victory continues his love affair with Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course, where he now has three wins and another top-five finish in four visits. He also adds a fifth Rolex Series title to his collection, becoming the first person to achieve the feat.

Rahm never relinquished the lead on day four, but did not look totally comfortable at times, as a series of missed fairways gave hope to his challengers who were queuing up behind him. He took a two-shot lead to the last but an errant tee-shot landed him in tree trouble and he only just cleared the penalty area with his second shot. But his gamble paid off as he two-putted for par on the 18th green to storm to victory.

Hatton and Noren finished in a tie for second on 18 under, with McIlroy two shots further back in fourth, which was good enough for the Northern Irishman to seal the top spot in the season-long rankings for the fourth time in his career. Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick were in a share of fifth place on 13 under, with the latter shooting a disappointing closing 73 to end his chances of finishing no.1 in Europe.

HULL HOLDS ALL THE ACES IN TEXAS

The win marks a remarkable turnaround for Hull, who has endured a few tough years after bursting onto the scene as a teenager. She said: “I have come close a few times since last winning a title, but I have put in some good work this year. I think I know my game is there, it was just a question of having the confidence. I feel really good, I felt in control of my game all week, and I feel very proud of myself to have got back in the winner’s circle.” Hull now joins Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas on the list of English women to have won multiple LPGA Tour titles.

as

Charley Hull won her first LPGA Tour event in almost six years when capturing the Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America title.

The 26-year-old from Kettering fired rounds of 67, 64, 71 and 64 at Old American Golf Club in Texas to finish on -18 for a one-shot win over China’s Xiyu Lina, with Lydia Ko a further shot back in third.

Nicholas on the list of English women to have won

THE

EFFECT

JON RAHM

DP

WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

DRIVER: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS (10.5°)

FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST

Triple Diamond T HL (16°, 18°)

Utility Callaway X Forged UT (22°)

IRONS: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW,)

WEDGES: Callaway Jaws Forged (52°, 56°, 60°)

PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S

BALL: Callaway Chrome Soft X

TOMMY FLEETWOOD

NEDBANK GOLF

EQUIPMENT NEWS

STAY THE COURSE THIS WINTER WITH POWAKADDY

TRIED & TESTED

CHALLENGE

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9°)

Fairway woods: TaylorMade Stealth Plus 3 (15°), TaylorMade Stealth Plus 5 (18.5°)

UTILITY: TaylorMade Stealth UDI (3)

IRONS: TaylorMade P7TW (4-PW)

WEDGES: TaylorMade Hi Toe Raw (52°), Titleist Vokey Prototype (60°)

PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot OG #1 BALL: TaylorMade TP5x #19

JORDAN SMITH

PORTUGAL MASTERS

DRIVER: Titleist TSi3 (8°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15°)

DRIVING IRON: Titleist T200 (2)

IRONS: Titleist T100 (4), Titleist 620 MB (5-9)

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (46°), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (54°)

PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot OG #1 BALL: Titleist Pro V1

TONY FINAU

HOUSTON OPEN

DRIVER: Ping G425 LST (7°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond (14°)

IRONS: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3), Ping Blueprint (4-PW)

WEDGES: Ping Glide 4.0 (50°, 56°), Titleist Vokey Design Proto (60°)

PUTTER: Ping PLD Prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

PAUL YANNICK

MALLORCA OPEN

DRIVER: Titleist TSR2 (8°)

FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TSR3 (13.5°)

HYBRID: Titleist 818 H2 (19°)

IRONS: Titleist T100 2021 (4-9)

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (56°), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50°, 60°)

PUTTER: Kramski HPP 326

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

RORY MCILROY

CJ CUP

DRIVER: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (9°)

FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade SIM2 Titanium 3 (15°), TaylorMade Stealth Plus 5 (19°)

IRONS: TaylorMade Rors Proto (3-9)

WEDGES: TaylorMade MG3 Raw (46°, 54°, 58°)

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Hydro Blast

BALL: TaylorMade TP5x

ADRIAN OTAEGI

ANDALUCIA MASTERS

DRIVER: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (8.5°)

FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (15°, 18°)

IRONS: Callaway Apex Pro 19 (3-6), Callaway Apex MB (7-PW)

WEDGES: Callaway Jaws MD5 (50°, 58°)

PUTTER: Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Ten

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

PowaKaddy has brought out a range of accessories designed to make winter golf more bearable. The highlight of the collection are the electronically-heated ThermaMitts (£79.99). Heated by microwire technology, they warm up quickly and offer the ideal combination of comfort and warmth for those chilly winter rounds. The microwire heating layer is evenly spread throughout the mitts to distribute warmth into those all-important fingers, while control button offers three different heating levels, allowing the user to choose a temperature that suits. They are designed to be attached to a wide range of PK trolleys, including FX, CT, Freeway and CT models. If that is more heat than you can handle, the standard Winter Mitts (£19.99) will keep your hands warm in all weathers, while the Rain Cover (£39.99) is designed to keep your whole bag dry in the worst of conditions, while still offering access to your clubs. And if the course is soft, you’ll need PowaKaddy’s patented Winter Wheels (£84.99). Developed in association with greenkeepers, course managers and the British International Golf Greenkeepers Association, the Winter Wheels will help keep trolleyowning golfers playing throughout winter without ruining the golf course. To check out the entire range, visit powakaddy.com.

TAYLORMADE EXTENDS P SERIES IRON RANGE

TaylorMade has unveiled three new irons to cater for single figure and elite level golfers that will be available in early 2023.

With a mix of classic lines and modern design, the P•7MB is a gorgeous take on the traditional blade. Featuring a more compact blade length and a narrower sole, the irons have been designed to appeal to the eyes of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa in particular, and due to less restrictions, the tour staff were able to get more involved in the testing and validation process.

The P•7MC is the most popular iron on TaylorMade’s tour staff, and they feature a slightly narrower sole and topline, and a slightly longer blade length than the P•7MB.

Both irons are made from 5X forged 1025 carbon steel, with a 2,000-tonne press used to provide a tighter, more compact grain structure within the iron. This creates an incredibly solid feel, as well as more consistency.

The most popular of the new models,

though, will be the new P•770. The foamfilled iron has been a tremendous success for the brand, but the new version looks even better. With such a classic, simple look, most of the technology is hidden within the head. One obvious change though is at address, where there is less offset, something that was engineered in the club following Tiger being a fan of his P•770 long irons.

The body is a soft carbon steel, with a fast, forged steel face, while the Thru Slot Speed Pocket continues for help with shots hit low on the face. The irons feature the Speedfoam Air that carries over from the P•790, it’s 69% less dense, saving weight and improving sound and feel.

FLTD CG design places tungsten where it’s needed in the clubhead, with up to 46g per iron placed low in the long irons for improved launch and higher in the short irons for more control and spin.

The new P Series irons will be available at retail from January 20, and for pre-order now, priced at £165 per iron.

Titleist has released three new models, the more forgiving TSR2, the low-spin TSR4, and the ultra-adjustable TSR3, which i was fitted for. While the TSR2 looks much better than the TSi2, and the TSR4 is gorgeous, neither model gave me as a good numbers as I was with the TSR3. While we went through a selection of shafts, including the Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black and Premium Graphite Design Tour AD UB, I got my most consistent numbers and fastest ball speeds with the Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 flex.

Titleist knows how to pack a driver with tech, while keeping it looking classic at address, and I’ve actually struggled to look at other drivers behind the ball. While being fit for a driver is essential, you need to get a driver on to the course to really test it. And five rounds in I can safely say that this is a great driver. My first round saw me consistently missing the ball left, but it felt very solid. The face features Speed Ring VFT Technology and is designed to make the sweet spot feel even sweeter at impact and really maximise centre contact ball speed.

I was fit for the driver in a B2 SureFit hosel setting (0.75 degrees upright), with the SureFit Adjustable CG Track weight one click towards the heel to match up with where I was striking the face. After my first round, I was slightly wary about the shaft fit, however having hit the club during multiple rounds now, I may fine tune the SureFit settings to counteract that left miss, starting with flattening the lie angle. But following that first round, the driver has been a fairway-finding machine. Titleist drivers previously tended to be high spin, especially on miss-hits, but that is not the case with the TSR3. The ball flight is penetrating, the feel is solid, and I’ve been genuinely shocked by the forgiveness, especially on toe strikes.

To find your nearest Titleist retailer and fitter, or to book a fitting at the new tour facility at Woburn, visit titleist.co.uk.

button offers three different heating levels, allowing the user to

Equipment Editor Dan Owen put’s the new Titleist TSR3 driver through its paces

GOLFBUDDY POWERS UP POCKET-SIZED RANGEFINDERS

GolfBuddy has added two new compact models to its laser rangefinder line-up with the launch of the Aim Quantum (£299.99) and the Laser Atom (£279.99).

These credit card-sized rangefinders offer the ultimate in useability and practicality while possessing all the bells and whistles offered by larger units, including new ‘Zero-Second Technology’, which allows you to lock onto your target within 0.15 seconds. The Quantum has x7 magnification and features a modern design, while the Atom offers a more traditional laser aesthetic and features x6 magnification.

Other features include slope on/off functionality, re-chargeable battery via USB-C charging, and IPX4 water-resistance.

To find your nearest stockist or to purchase online, visit golfbuddy.co.uk

BETTINARDI ROLLS OUT QUEEN B PUTTER RANGE

Having recently achieved their 100th professional tour win, Bettinardi has unveiled a new range of Queen B putters. Comprising four models, the Queen B 6 and 11 feature updated designs, while the Queen B 14 and 15 are all-new models. The entire series is crafted using 303 stainless steel, which is the preferred metal of Bettinardi Tour players due to its durable nature and solid feel. The Queen B line, which come with RRPs of £359, features an all-new Caramel Copper PVD finish and a new Mini Honeycomb face milling. “By utilizing an even smaller machining tool during the milling process, we were able to remove more material from the face of the putter, creating a softer feel at impact,” said Bob Bettinardi, CEO of Bettinardi Golf. “Since 1998, Bettinardi putters have been world-renowned for our honeycomb face milling. Twenty-five years later, my patented face continues to evolve and produces one of the most recognisable looks and feels in golf.”

For more details, visit bettinardi.com.

WIN AN ABACUS WATERPROOF RAIN SUIT!

The Abacus Pitch 37.5 rain jacket and matching trousers set a new standard in performance and design thanks to the introduction of a ground-breaking technology that promises to keep golfers fully protected from the elements yet remain comfortable in all climates.

37.5 Technology, which is unique to Abacus in the golf apparel market, is a highly innovative breakthrough in material science that helps keep the body at the ideal core temperature – 37.5 degrees Celsius – so that wearers can perform at their best in all conditions. 37.5 Technology permanently embeds active particles made from volcanic sand into the material of a product – whether it be a rain jacket, windproof top or pair of

trousers – which use your body’s energy to remove moisture. The sand particles contain billions of micropores which absorb infrared light in the spectrum that the human body emits it, and this light becomes the energy that powers the particle. If no moisture (i.e. sweat) is present – meaning you are cool – the particles retain this energy to help keep you warm. If moisture is present – meaning you are hot – the particles use this energy to remove moisture. In practical terms, this helps keep the microclimate next to your skin at a constant – and comfortable – relative humidity of 37.5% and at the ideal core temperature of 37.5° Celsius.

37.5 Technology will carry on working for the lifetime of the garment and creates conditions that mean that you sweat less and, when you do

sweat, it removes it entirely from the clothing rather than simply moving it to the surface.

ABACUS PITCH 37.5

COLLECTION

Abacus has embedded 37.5 Technology into many of its key products for its current Autumn/Winter apparel range, including a new collection of rain jackets and trousers, enabling golfers to benefit from this ground-breaking technology in a range of stylish garments.

Made from lightweight and highly breathable polyester, the Pitch 37.5 Rain Jacket features 37.5 Technology to ensure the wearer remains warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot, while a water-repellent treatment on the outside of the fabric that enables rain to roll off the surface to keep the wearer dry.

Four-way stretch delivers an unrestricted swing, while the jacket’s lower sleeve features extra elastic to keep it from flapping and a drawstring at the back of the neck allows for easy adjustment for a perfect fit. A rubber anti-slip print on the shoulders helps keep your golf bag strap in place when carrying.

TRAVEL IN STYLE WITH OGIO BAGS

We recently got a sneak peek at next year’s OGIO range, and it’s fair to say we were massively impressed. The first product we can show you is the Mexican Day of the Dead festival inspired Sugar Skulls collection. While not everyone is going to go for the vibrant orange and red design, it makes it very easy to spot in sea of black luggage at the airport.

Priced at £140, the Alpha Travel Cover is OGIO’s smallest model, but remains generously sized to fit both cart and stand bags and comes with extra room to fit your golf shoes and some extra clothes. If you’re looking for matching luggage, then the Rig 9800 (£270) is the bag to take everything and the kitchen sink away with you, as the bag has a huge 123-litre capacity. Alongside that is what OGIO calls the ‘ultimate everyday companion’, the Alpha 20L backpack. Durable, and full of organisation and pockets, the bag will set you back £80.

To check out the entire range of OGIO bags and luggage, visit eu.ogio.com.

Offered in grey, sky blue, black and midnight navy, in sizes S-XXXL for men and women, the Pitch 37.5 Rain Jacket has an RRP of £249.

Made from the same material as the jacket, and featuring the same performance features, the Pitch 37.5 waterproof trousers are lightweight and high breathable, ensuring the lower half of your body remains dry and at the perfect temperature in all weathers.

Four-way stretch offers complete freedom of movement, while the lower legs feature side zippers for easy removal. Offered in midnight navy or black, they have an RRP of £199.

To view the entire Abacus Sportswear range, visit www. abacussportswear.com.

TO ENTER

To be in with a chance of winning Abacus Sportwear’s Pitch 37.5 rain suit, simply answer the question below and email it info@golfnews. co.uk, with ‘Abacus Competition’ in the subject line. Please include your name, email address, contact telephone number, and where you picked up your copy of Golf News, or if you read it online. The closing date for entries is January 31, 2023.

PING i230 MAKING BEST BETTER

PING doesn�t ever release new equipment simply for the sake of it. And in the case of it finding a replacement for the i210 irons, it has taken

MULTIMATERIAL

While I love the feel of a traditional one-piece forged iron, they don’t o er the help most golfers need.

PING’s engineers have used multiple materials to improve the performance and feel of the i230 while giving them a simple, classic look behind the ball.

The body of the iron is made from 431 stainless steel, a soft stainless steel that can be adjusted for lie angle easily. An Activated Elastomer Insert saves weight which is redistributed to lower the centre of gravity. It also reinforces the face for more consistency in and an improved feel and helps produce three more yards of distance on average.

steel that can be adjusted for lie angle easily. An Activated Elastomer weights

Tungsten toe and tip weights at the extreme heel and toe of the club help raise the MOI to make it the most forgiving PING i series iron over.

The 304 stainless steel/injection moulded thermoplastic polyurethane cavity insert has been designed to work with the elastomer to ne-tune feel.

TRIED & TESTED

- “Bags of forgiveness and bags of consistency”

With most modern irons designed for out and out distance, it was a real change of pace testing a set of irons designed for consistency, writes Dan Owen.

IMPROVED FEEL

PING club designers isolated undesirable frequencies within the clubhead and precisely positioned cavity badge to improve the feel and sound. The four-piece badge combines a thin 304 stainless steel cap with an injection-moulded thermoplastic that is secured to the cavity with high-strength adhesive. The activated elastomer supports the face and sits in a toasterstyle pocket, which is concealed behind the multi-material badge, creating a clean look.

“Feel is one of the most important attributes in a players’ iron,” says John K Solheim, CEO and President at PING Golf. “Golfers who rely on precise iron play require exceptional feel to control their ball ight. The i230 iron is engineered to provide consistent feel from every club in the set. The soft elastomer and the cavity badge work in concert to ensure they not only feel great, but they sound even better.

requires us to balance a variety of performance attributes,” adds

“The i230 iron sits in the middle of our iron o erings, so it requires us to balance a variety of performance attributes,” adds Solheim. “It needs the precision and solid feel of a players’ iron while o ering the forgiveness a lot of golfers expect from a PING iron. We also want to provide more distance in a way that is predictable and repeatable to ensure it meets the precise gapping needs of the best players in the world. I’m excited to report our research and tour feedback con rms we’ve achieved all that and more. It has a little bit of everything to deliver a lot of performance.”

ENHANCED SHAPING

not in the bag, as the i230 irons. Outside of the tiny Blueprint irons, I think these are the most appealing irons PING GOLFNEWS.CO.UK FEATURE | WINTER 2023 [43]

Following feedback from PING’s tour sta , the i230 long irons (3-5) are slightly more compact than the i210 equivalents. The sole design is also similar, with a more rounded lead edge and ample bounce to promote smooth turf interaction for clean solid strikes. The precisionmilled MicroMax grooves deliver consistent launch and spin results for more accuracy in the long irons and greater control in the short irons and wedges, especially in wet or grassy conditions where the grooves and hydropearl 2.0 chrome nish help ensure lower launch angles with high spin rates.

chrome nish help ensure lower

WILSON STAFF MODEL 8802 PUTTER

£370, WILSON.COM

Wilson has brought back the classic 8802 as part of its new collection of fully-milled stainless steel putters, A true design icon of the short game, the style was first made famous by Arnold Palmer and then revisited by Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson. Featuring no alignment aids or much in the way of built-in forgiveness, this true blade will have your rivals rattled when you pull out the flattest of flatsticks on the first green.

PING ICROSSOVER

£249, PING.COM

If you don’t like hybrids and need more help with your long irons, the iCrossover is the club for you. Designed with a more compact head than the previous Crossover, the new model has been designed to fit in with Ping’s new i230 irons while offering a little more firepower from the maraging steel face. Available in 18°, 20° and 22.5° lofts – equivalent to a 4-, 7- and 9-wood – each club features an adjustable hosel to allow for loft and lie adjustments.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LATEST GEAR PRO SHOP

Golf News Equipment Editor Dan Owen casts his expert eye over the latest launches

SUN MOUNTAIN KUBE TRAVEL COVER

£199, SUNMOUNTAINGOLF.CO.UK

If you love to chase the sun with your golf clubs in tow, you’ll need a travel cover. But have you ever tried storing one? Mine have always ended up in the attic, taking up far too much space. The Kube is the solution, compressing down to a small hard-shell case when not in use, but opening up to a full-size travel bag whenever needed. Brilliant.

G/FORE MGX2 GOLF CROSS TRAINER

£190, GFORE.CO.UK

Many golf-only footwear brands have attempted shoes that can be worn on and off the course, but few have properly hit the mark in quite the way that sportswear brands like Nike and adidas have managed to. But I think G/Fore has cracked it, as I’d definitely wear the MGX2s out and about. They are insanely comfortable thanks to a heavily cushioned midsole, while the feel of the massaging foam footbed is hard to beat.

BIG MAX DRI LITE 7 STAND BAG

£110, UK.BIGMAXGOLF.COM

Although trolley bans are becoming rarer in winter months, it will still pay trolley users to have a lightweight standbag as a back-up to keep them on the fairways. The Dri Lite 7 is a small, compact water-resistant stand bag which is just a smidge larger than a typical pencil bag. Boasting a fourway top, it can still comfortably hold a full set of clubs, while the stand will keep the bag off those wet fairways.

BANDO CHRISTMAS TOWEL

£30, BANDOTOWELS.COM

If you need a last-minute present for a golfing family member or pal, you can do far worse than this seasonal towel by Bando. Produced from recycled plastics, for every towel sold Bando fund the collection of 1kg of ocean plastic. Presented in a beautiful valuables pouch, many other designs are available, while they also offer a custom design programme.

STROMBERG SADDLE GOLF SLIPPERS

£12.99 PER PAIR, AMERICANGOLF.CO.UK

Another ideal Christmas gift for the golfer in your life – or even for yourself – these slippers come in two classic brogue golf shoeinspired prints and feature a soft, plush lining to keep feet nice and warm, while a textured grip sole will hopefully stop the wearer from slipping while taking out the bins. Available in sizes 6-11.

GOLFSTREAM BLUE ELECTRIC TROLLEY

£469, GOLFSTREAM.CO.UK

Golf trolleys have become complicated beasts, with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos being added over the years. But at its most basic, a golf trolley is just there to carry your bag and help you get around the course with less effort. Enter the Golfstream Blue. Stripped of most of the usual bells and whistles, a one-click open and fold mechanism makes it simple to use and quick to deploy. Less can sometimes mean more.

MIZUNO JPX 923 HOT METAL PRO IRONS

£150 PER IRON, MIZUNOGOLF.COM

Cast from Nickel Chromoly, Mizuno engineers were able to make the face of the 923 Hot Metal Pro irons 8% thinner than the brand’s 921 HMP. This adds distance while also giving discretionary weight to improve feel and forgiveness. More importantly, behind the ball, these look great at address, giving them an appeal to golfers searching for distance who have always used more traditional irons.

RAM FX77 IRONS

£299, RAMGOLF.CO.UK

As golf clubs get ever more expensive, these new irons from Ram buck the trend. Offering distance without the sky-high cost, they boast a hollow two-piece design that features a stainless body with a hot stainless steel face, and are fitted with high quality KBS Tour 90 shafts and ever-popular Lamkin Crossline grips.

OCEANTEE BELUGA

£149.99, OCEANTEEGOLF.COM

As the leaders in sustainability, Oceantee’s fully waterproof Beluga jacket is made from a blend of GRS-certified recycled polyester, nylon and elastane. The colour comes from the OEKO-TEX certified dyes, so no harsh chemicals are involved, enabling you to swing with a free conscience.

ABACUS SPORTSWEAR BOUNCE £199, ABACUSSPORTSWEAR.COM

Fully waterproof and windproof, the Bounce jacket boasts StretchDry Technology, a breathable membrane which allows moisture to escape while retaining heat. Boasting four-way stretch, tapered wrists and a stand-up collar, its a winter winner.

OSCAR JACOBSON EASTWOOD £149, OSCARJACOBSONGOLF.CO.UK

The Eastwood is a lightweight, waterproof, breathable quarter-zip jacket that delivers superb weather protection. With adjustable Velcro at the cuffs, collar and waistline, the wearer can adjust it to fit to reduce fabric interference in the swing.

SUNDERLAND VALBERG

£150, GLENMUIR.COM/SUNDERLAND

Featuring four-way stretch panels, the stylish Valberg jacket offers plenty of movement in the shoulder and arm areas to help you swing with complete freedom, while fleecelined hand warmer pockets are a nice touch to keep your mitts toasty on the links this winter.

CALLAWAY STORMLITE

£100, CALLAWAYEUROPEAPPAREL.COM

Modern waterproofs offer far more flexibility than traditional designs, and the Stormlite is no different, with the fully seam-sealed jacket featuring Callaway’s SwingTech technology in the back panels for complete freedom of movement and unrestricted swinging.

RAIN JACKET REQUIRED!

Equipment

GALVIN GREEN ALBERT

£359, GALVINGREEN.COM

Galvin Green continues to use market-leading GORE-TEX technology in its waterproof jackets for the ultimate in wet weather performance. The Albert jacket is manufactured using Bluesign-approved sustainable fabrics, while the pyramid pattern on the chest makes gives it a distinctive and stylish look.

PING SENSORDRY 2.5 GRAPHENE

£225, PINGEUROPE.COM

The SensorDry 2.5 Graphene is a fully waterproof jacket, engineered with graphene. Why you ask?

Because graphene is the lightest, strongest, most conductive material ever discovered and helps absorb and retain warmth, without having to resort to bulky lining layers.

FOOTJOY HYDROTOUR

£225, FOOTJOY.CO.UK

Designed to keep you dry and warm, the HydroTour features a Dryseal collar that prevents water getting in around the neck. A DWR finish helps bead water away, which really helps at the end of the round when drying and packing away the jacket. The red option is a standout colour that will look good during those winter rounds.

PROVENCE & COTE D’AZUR GOLFING IN PARADISE

The south eastern regions of France have enjoyed a longstanding love affair with British travelers going back to the Victorian age, when London’s wealthy elite would head for the glamourous coastal resorts to be found on the Riviera – including Nice, Cannes and St Tropez – to take in the azure waters, enjoy the year-round sunshine and promenade along the waterfronts in their finery. Little has changed in that respect over the last 150

A REGION OF CONTRASTS

If you’re looking for two adjacent but heavily contrasting landscapes, then you need look no further than Provence and Côte d’Azur, which rub alongside each other in a harmony that gives visitors the chance to experience two of France’s most renowned destinations in the same trip.

Provence evokes images of fields of lavender and sunflowers, olive orchards and vineyards, all of which inspired artists like Van Gogh and Cezanne with the backdrop of sunlight and clear blue skies.

Provence has a history dating back before the Romans, who colonised the region and left an amazing legacy of architecture captured by the coliseum at Arles and the theatre at Orange, which are still in use today. The Camargue on the Mediterranean coast Is home to an amazing fauna and flora, as it is a stopover for hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, while white horses and black bulls roam free – nearly- next to pink flamingo colonies, and inland you have the rugged Luberon and The Alpilles dotted with stunning hilltop villages.

Meanwhile, the Cote d’Azur – also known as the French Riviera – boasts a coastline that has captured the hearts and souls of travellers from the beginning of time. The seashore that extends

years, although the arrival of far quicker modes of transport – namely cheap short-haul air travel – has ensured that a holiday to the region is within reach of a much wider demographic.

France’s south east corner, taking in the regions of Provence and the Côte d’Azur, certainly has plenty going for it was a year-round holiday destination, with long, hot summers giving way to cooler winters and warm springs, while its stunning range of hilltop villages and

culture-laden cities, such as Arles, Aix and Avignon, combined with its chic coastal resorts, have provided an irresistible attraction for generations of travelers looking to experience its uniquely relaxed Mediterranean vibe. Provence and Cote d’Azur makes for a wonderful destination for golf too, with year-round playability and an amazing choice of over 60 courses spread throughout the region making it more than a match for better known golfing destinations in southern Europe.

bars, belle époque villas, coastal trails, red-rock headlands and offshore islands. From Monte Carlo’s casino and Nice’s Promenade des Anglais to the Cannes film festival and St Tropez’s yacht harbour, the Côte d’Azur is home to some of the most iconic spots in Europe’s collective consciousness.

Beyond the coast, the region is also home to some spectacular hilltop villages and mountain scenery, along with vineyards, flower farms that feed the French perfume industry and more than its fair share of great art museums.

feed the French perfume industry and more than two Thomas-designed to and which

from St Tropez to the Italian border is one of

the world’s great seaside destinations, packed with gorgeous beaches, luxury hotels, designer

With such heavily contrasting landscapes, it is not surprising that the golf courses in Provence and Côte d’Azur are similarly unique in their challenges. From the fiddly fairways to be found at the ultra-exclusive Royal Mougins in Cannes, to the two finely-sculpted Dave Thomas-designed layouts at Terre Blanche; from the exclusive retreat that is Pont Royal, home to the only Seve Ballesteros-designed course in France, and the stunning, but slightly more roughly-hewn course to be found at Domaine de Manville – which winds its way around an olive farm – Provence and the Côte d’Azur is a true golfer’s paradise. Here’s our guide to some of the region’s golfing highlights to help you plan your holiday itinerary…

With stunning hilltop towns, cultural cities, stylish beachside resorts, gastronomic delights, wonderful wines, and a fi ne collection of golf courses, the close-knit southern French regions of

Provence evokes images of fields of lavender

Pont Royal

One of the most revered golf clubs in the region, Pont Royal, which opened for play in 1992, enjoys the elevated status of being the only course in France designed by the late, great Seve Ballesteros. Located in the pretty town of Mallemort, in the foothills of the Alps, Pont Royal was built on 75 hectares of ‘garrigue’, ancient hunting ground through pine woods and hills covered in wild herbs, with a superb backdrop of the Alpilles, the Luberon, the Durance Valley, and the Massif of the Trevaresse.

The host of an Alps Tour event for a decade after it first opened, Pont Royal’s 6,327m course is a tight, demanding layout that requires plenty of imagination and the kind of shot-making skills for which Seve was famous. With holes that regularly plunge and soar across a forested landscape, Pont Royal is what they call a ‘thinking man's course’.

A classic example of the challenge on offer comes at the 462·yard 7th, a dramatic par four which sweeps down from the tee and then up to the left on a thrilling rollercoaster fairway; or the par-three 11th, a 200-yarder that requires an all-or-nothing shot from an elevated tee across a wooded gorge to a distant green perched on top of a rocky outcrop.

Closing out the back nine lies Pont Royal’s version of ‘Amen Corner’, with holes 15 to 18 all presenting different challenges, with the last hole providing a dramatic finish, climbing up and over a hill before the fairway sweeps left down to a sloping green next to a large lake.

With the often-present Mistral winds, some severe inclines, numerous large water hazards, and notoriously quick greens, Pont Royal is not for the faint-hearted, but it rewards players with stunning views, and with no two holes alike, you’ll be kept interested until you’ve holed the final putt.

The relaxed and stylish Provençal clubhouse offers an excellent choice of home-cooked Provencal dishes, while a glass of chilled rosé, grown from vines just miles from the clubhouse, always go down well after a round here.

For those looking to polish up their skills, the club also boasts a David Leadbetter Golf Academy, with practice facilities include a two-tier driving range, three greens for chipping and bunker practice and putting. There is also a six-hole academy course, which is ideal for beginners, as well as for better players looking to sharpen up their short game.

Although the club has no accommodation of its own, there are numerous villas and apartments available for rent nearby, while the five-star Moulin de Vernegues Hotel & Spa is situated just a lob wedge from the third tee and is naturally a popular destination for golfers.

A member of the Relais & Chateaux collection, it’s both traditional yet modern, boasting 100 well-appointed rooms spread out between a traditional old Provençal building and a more modern extension.

Many rooms feature private patios looking out over the golf course, while a fine dining restaurant, a fabulous I’Occitane spa, and a large outdoor swimming pool, add to its many attractions.

Visitor Green fee: €134 (April-Oct) Golf Pass Fee: €114. golf-pontroyal.com

OFF-COURSE ACTIVITIES

GORGES DU VERDON, MOUSTIERS-SAINTE-MARIE

One of the largest canyons in Europe, the Verdon Gorge was carved by the Verdon River, which ows for 15 miles and empties into the man-made lake Lac de Sainte-Croix. The limestone cli s range in height throughout the canyon but soar, at times, to over 700 metres, o ering spectacular views from the cli tops to the shimmering turquoise waters of the river below. Activities in and around the gorge including hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and canoeing, while true adrnalin junkies will be tempted by bungee jumping and whitewater rafting.

THEATRE

ANTIQUE, ORANGE

Orange’s monumental, UNESCO-protected theatre is unquestionably one of France’s most impressive Roman sights. It’s one of only three intact Roman theatres left in the world and its sheer size is awe-inspiring: designed to seat 10,000 spectators, its stage wall reaches 37m high, 103m wide and 1.8m thick. Little wonder that Louis XIV called it ‘the nest wall in my kingdom’. In its heyday the theatre would truly have been a sight to behold – covered in statues and carvings, and richly decorated in mosaics and marble slabs. Experiments have shown the wall was specially designed to focus and project sound. The site is currently undergoing renovation to protect it from the ravages of time, which means some part will be undergoing repair until 2024, but the theatre remains completely open to visitors, and still hosts its annual opera festival, Chorégies d’Orange.

PALAIS DES PAPES, AVIGNON

Inscribed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1995, the Palais des Papes is largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. served as the seat of papal power and the Roman Catholic church between 1309 and 1377 and hosted the inauguration of six popes. Ringed by 3m-thick walls, its cavernous halls, chapels and antechambers are largely bare today – but visitors can still see how they would have looked thanks to virtual-reality representations that form part of a tour. Highlights include 14th-century chapel frescos by Matteo Giovannetti, and the Chambre du Cerf with its medieval hunting scenes. The palace stages numerous special events during the Festival d’Avignon, including ‘Son et Lumiere’ shows from mid-August to September.

ART-LOVERS PARADISE

France’s leading region for culture in terms of number and variety of museums, Provence and the Côte d’Azur has seduced artists since the 19th century. Even today, some of the biggest names on the contemporary scene have set up home and created foundations here. With over 60 major collections and art venues to visit, the region is an art-lovers heaven, with landscape paintings, sculpture, photography and design: you’ll nd every imaginable artistic discipline on display from Arles to Menton.

WINE TOURS

Although renowned the world over for its light and perfumed rosé, Provence and the Cote d’Azur spans several very di erent winemaking regions. In addition to the beloved pink stu , the area also produces some exciting red and white wines, with the southern stretches of the Rhone Valley also being home to appelations such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Whereas by the coastline, bold and characterful red wine of Bandol stand alongside the fruitful and mineral white wine of Cassis.

From the gates of Nice to the Camargue region, the Provence wine route takes you from the seaside to mountains and scenic villages perched up high. It combines 430 vineyards and cooperative wine cellars, all of which are committed to quality. Virtually all vineyard owners, some that cultivate only a few hectares, will o er pre-booked tours, with many of them including lunch with a tutored tasting as part of the package, while some of the larger estates also o er B&B accommodation.

GASTRONOMY

While wine is on most people’s mind when they think of Provence, the region is also home to some of France’s nest restaurants, with the Michelin Guide’s inspectors having dished out many of its highest accolades to chefs with establishments in the area. These include L’Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, where head chef Jean-André Charial is cooking up a storm with his modern take on the rich avours of classic French cuisine; while over in Moustiers Ste-Marie, La Bastide de Moustiers, which was founded by chef supremo Alain Ducasse, diners can gorge themselves on playful amuse bouche, sauce-heavy main courses and indulgent desserts, with much of the produce grown from the restaurant’s own kitchen garden. For those that over-indulge, there are rooms to stay in following a blow-out meal.

TRUFFLE HUNTING

Over half of the prestigious black tru es harvested in France come from the South-East, mainly the Var, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and especially Vaucluse, which is home to the country’s two largest professional tru e markets in Carpentras and Richerenches. Fresh tru es are widely available to buy in town markers from December to March, but don’t confuse black winter tru es with white summer tru es, as the former commands ten times the price.

From Roman amphitheatres to vast gorges, from sandy beaches to hilltop towns, and from leafy vineyards to gourmet restaurants, there’s plenty to occupy body and soul in between rounds of golf in Provence and the Cote d’Azur

■ TERRE BLANCHE BOASTS TWO CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSES

■ THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ALPS PROVIDE A STUNNING BACKDROP TO A ROUND OF GOLF AT PONT ROYAL

TERRE BLANCHE

Located just 30 minutes from Cannes and 45 minutes from Nice, Terre Blanche Resort is home to a five-star hotel and spa and two 18-hole championship courses spread over 750 acres of stunning Provençal countryside.

Once owned by Sean Connery, the resort still enjoys a strong celebrity connection given its proximity to Monaco and there’s every chance that you might bump into a film star or two, while former F1 drivers Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard are often to be found revving up their golf games here.

The resort also been a popular stop for tour professionals, having hosted the European Senior Tour and the Ladies European Tour in recent years, with the two world-class courses – Le Château and Le Riou – both designed by Dave Thomas and designed to test every element of your game.

Le Château stretches out to a whopping 7,235 yards off the back tees and is renowned for its large, undulating greens and sculptured tree-lined fairways. Elevated tees on many holes add to the drama, as do two large lakes, which although man-made, look entirely natural. At 6,400 yards, the accompanying Riou course is shorter, but no less challenging, although it is only open for members and residents to enjoy its numerous tricky doglegs and splendid views. Those looking to improve their golf should take time out to make use of the Albatros Golf Performance Centre, the only European Tour Performance Institute certified in Europe, which offers the latest biomechanical technology and provides personalised programmes based on kinetic analysis of the body and a precise assessment of a player’s balance to enable them to shoot lower scores.

Away from the impressive golf facilities, the resort offers five-star accommodation in a range of 115 villa-style suites and private villas, while guests can enjoy a host of luxurious experiences, including Michelin-starred dining at restaurant Le Faventia, the award-winning spa and an infinity swimming pool offering panoramic views over the surrounding landscape. There is a myriad of other activities on offer within and around the resort, including horse riding, mountain biking, tutored wine tastings, cooking lessons, pottery, hiking and visits to local medieval villages.

Visitor Green Fee: €180 (Le Châteaux Course),

including buggy with GPS (peak season) and unlimited practice balls. Golf Pass rate: €153 terre-blanche.com

ROYAL MOUGINS

Located just 15 minutes from the bustling resort of Cannes and the picture-perfect Cote d’Azur, Royal Mougins is ranked inside France’s top five courses, and after playing Robert Von Hagge’s superb design, you won’t find it hard to see why.

Shoe-horned into the tiny estate, between hundreds of luxury properties, the course occupies a secluded valley, rising and falling at often alarming rates, including the par-three 4th, which plummets to a green some 120-feet below the tee.

With five tees on each hole, the course can play as hard or as less hard as you like, but with eight lakes to contend with, vast bunkers, and pockets of trees, only the most accurate shots will avoid heavy punishment on this classic risk/reward layout.

Accommodation is offered in 29 spacious suites behind the clubhouse, each of which features a kitchenette and a private balcony or terrace, and although there is a lovely restaurant, superb spa, and excellent service, Royal Mougins is best described as a golf club with rooms, rather than a full-on resort hotel, and is all the more charming for it.

Visitor Green Fee: €200 (summer). Golf Pass rate: €150 royalmougins.fr

DOMAINE DE MANVILLE, PROVENCE

Located in the heart of Provence, a short drive from Avignon, Domaine de Manville is the idyllic setting for a delightful 18-hole course that has been carved out of the natural terrain.

The course is part of a family-owned luxury resort that opened two years ago, which features a country hotel that offers 30 rooms and suites, a fine dining restaurant, spa, two swimming pools, and nine private villas.

Designed by French architect Thierry Sprecher, the course winds its way through olive groves, vineyards, streams and rocky terrain that are typical of the region, and features unusual angular tees and greens designed to resemble Provençal fields.

In a break from tradition, the condition of the fairways is governed by the seasons, so don’t expect to finely-tended carpets during the height of summer, as the greenkeepers let nature take its course – although the tees and greens, as you’d expect, are kept short.

Insist on the eco-responsible approach and the first French golf course to be awarded the Ecocert Label.

After a round, guests can relax in the exquisite spa, which features treatments involving locally sourced pine, olive oil, verbena, jasmine and

For golfers looking to play a variety of different courses in the region, the Provence Côte d Azur Golf Pass is the only way to go. It allows you to enjoy savings of up to 40% on green fees, depending on the venue and the season, at 31 golf courses in the region.

The Golf Pass enables you to select two, three or four 18or 9-hole layouts or to create your own pass to focus on the courses you most want to play. The website gives details of all the clubs taking part in the scheme and from there you can book tee times in advance to suit your itinerary and guarantee you get to play when you want at a price that is well below the walk-on green fee. Once you’ve booked,

you’ll receive a voucher via email to hand over to the club on arrival.

You’ll find the full list of Golf Pass courses at provencecotedazurgolf. com, but they include some of Europe’s most highly rated venues, including Pont Royal, Terre Blanche, Domaine de Manville, Golf Grand Avignon, Royal Mougins and more.

For more details, visit www.provencecotedazurgolf.com.

THE PROVENCE COTE D’AZUR GOLF PASS – YOUR PASSPORT TO GREAT GOLF AT A GREAT PRICE!

SHOE-HORNED INTO THE TINY ESTATE, BETWEEN HUNDREDS OF LUXURY PROPERTIES, THE GOLF COURSE AT ROYAL MOUGINS OCCUPIES A SECLUDED VALLEY WHERE THE HOLES RISE AND FALL AT ALARMING RATES

■ THE OODLAND COURSE AT SAINT ENDREOL ALSO FEATURES PLENTY OF WATER

■ GOLF DU LUBERON HAS A DISTINCTLY SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS FEEL TO IT

■ ROYAL MOUGINS OFFERS DRAMATIC RISES AND FALLS IN ELEVATION

Visitor Green Fee: €65/€103 (low/high) Golf Pass rate: €52/€82 domainedemanville.fr

Sainte-Maxime

Located just half-an-hour from Saint Tropez, this friendly and relaxed club boasts a wonderful 18-hole woodland/parkland course that offer fabulous views of the Provençale countryside on one side and the Côte d'Azur and the sparkling waters of Mediterranean on the other. Designed by Donald Harradine, and first opened just over 30 years ago, the course is a demanding walk, with its undulating fairways weaving in and out of the oak forests of the Var, with the front nine featuring elevated tees, steep gullies and water hazards, while the back nine drops down towards the village of Sainte-Maxime where a plateau provides magnificent panoramic views of the Maures and Esterel massifs, before climbing up again to the clubhouse and the on-site Amarante Golf Plaza Hotel.

Visitor Green Fee (high/low): €72/€81 Golf Pass rate: €54/€62 bluegreen.fr/sainte-maxime

DATES FOR THE DIARY

RUGBY WORLD CUP

SEPT-OCT 2023

While all eyes will be on Paris for the Olympic Games in 2024, those interested in rugby will be focusing their attentions on Provence and the Côte d’Azur for next year’s 2023 Rugby World Cup. The region is hosting ten of the scheduled matches during September and October, including six in Marseille and four in Nice, with highlights including England taking on Argentina in a pool match in Marseille on Sept 9, and South Africa playing against Scotland in Marseille on Sept 10. England will be in action against Japan in Nice on Sept 17, while Wales will also play in Nice on Sept 16. The French team will be playing in Marseille against a pool quali er on Sept 21. Other matches are being held in Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Toulouse and venues around Paris, with the nal taking place at Stade de France in Paris on October 28. The inventor of modern rugby, Englishman William Webb Ellis, who died 150 years ago in 1872, is buried in Menton, a few miles up the coast from Nice, near the border with Italy. For details on tickets, visit rugbyworldcup.com/2023.

NICE CARNIVAL

FEBRUARY 10-26, 2023

Saint Donat

Located close to Cannes and Nice, St Donat offer a fun, varied and very playable course that represents ideal holiday golf. Not too long – at just over 6,000 metres, the par-71 parkland layout was designed by Robert Trent Jones II and boasts bags of charm. Hilly in places, especially over the front nine, and with a river coming into play on six holes, highlights include the par-3 10th, which plays over water with a church providing a stunning backdrop, while the par-5 15th is another stunner, with the elevated tee dropping down to the fairway below before rising back up to a raised green.

Visitor Green Fee: €90 Golf Pass rate: €70 golfsaintdonat.com

Saint Endréol

Set in dense woodland in the heart of Provence, around 10 miles inland from Cannes and St Tropez, Saint-Endreol Golf & Spa Resort boasts one of the region’s top tracks, with its tree-lined fairways occupying a wonderful spot north of the Rocher de Roqubrune mountain and meandering around the River Endre. It’s quite hilly in places, with significant changes in elevation on asome holes, most notably the par-3 13th which plummets dramatically downhill to a peninsula green. The course, which is always presented in excellent condition, concludes with a strong run of par fours, so make sure you get your scoring in early and try and hold on.

Visitor Green Fee: €82 Golf Pass rate: €70 st-endreol.com

Golf du Luberon

Offering the feel of a Scottish Highlands course but with much better weather, Luberon is a delightful family-run club with a welcoming atmosphere and an excellent golf course. Like many in the area, it is hilly in places, especially on the back nine, so a buggy is advised for all but the fittest.

Visitor Green Fee: €72 Golaf Pass rate: €54 golfduluberon.com

With a history dating back to 1873, the Nice Carnival is one of the biggest in France with the two-week event attracting over a million visitors. A special theme is chosen each year, with local artists creating 18 oats and other gurines in traditional papiermâché, sometimes depicting animals or owers, which parade the streets in a series of colourful parades which take place day and night. The theme for 2023 will be ‘Treasures of the World’.

EASTER MUSIC FESTIVAL, AIX-ENPROVENCE, MARCH 31-APRIL 16

Celebrating its 10th year in 2023, the Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence has quickly established itself as one the classical music scene’s most popular festivals, attracting leading orchestras, renowned virtuosos, famous conductors and composers from all over the world. With some of the town’s most famous venues, including the imposing Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, providing a backdrop to concerts and recitals, its presents a feast for all the senses. For more details, visit festivalpaques.com.

FLY: British Airways operates regular services to Nice and Marseille. Easyjtet ies to Nice, Toulon and Marseille and Ryanair from several cities in the UK to Marseille.

DRIVE: The south of France is a 10hour drive from the Eurotunnel or ferry ports, taking the motorway all the way via Reims, Dijon, Beaune and Lyon. For further information on holiday itineraries, hotels, things to do and places to see in the Provence and the Côte d’Azur region, visit www.provence-alpes-cotedazur.com.

honey, while food lovers will delight in the fresh Provençal produce served up in talented chef Steve Deconinck’s courtyard restaurant, l’Aupiho.

■ THE WONDERFUL PARKLAND COURSE AT SAINT DONAT WAS DESIGNED BY ROBERT TRENT JONES II

■ THE CHATEAU COURSE AT TERRE BLANCHE HAS HOSTED NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENTS

MAGICAL MICHIGAN

Like many kids who went to school in England in the 1970s, I grew up with the vague knowledge that Michigan was the name of one of America’s Great Lakes. I have Mr Wray, my school geography teacher, to thank for making me remember that vital nugget of information – along with the names of the other Great Lakes – Superior, Huron and Erie. Beyond that, and the fact that I later came to discover that the rapper Eminem came from Eight Mile in Detroit, my knowledge of the state that is bordered by Canada to the east, Ohio and Indiana to the south, and Wisconsin to the west, was somewhat limited.

So when the invitation to y 3,800 miles across the Atlantic – and a fair chunk of America’s eastern seaboard – to experience what local number plates variously call the ‘Great Lake State’, ‘Water-Winter Wonderland’ and the ‘World’s Motor Capital’ has to o er the visiting traveller on and o the golf course, I was more than a little intrigued.

Eight-and-a-half hours after boarding my Delta Airlines ight from Heathrow, I touched down in Detroit with a full week’s itinerary ahead of me, taking in halfa-dozen rounds golf and topped o with a visit to Detroit Golf Club to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a relatively new tournament that has been part of the PGA Tour’s mid-summer schedule since 2019.

After picking up my bags, golf clubs and a somewhat oversized rental car, I soon found myself cruising down the freeway to downtown Plymouth for my rst stop, Saint John’s Resort, a well-established golf destination that is only 20 minutes outside the centre of Detroit. After checking in, I went to explore

Plymouth, which, to my 1980s cinematic eye, resembled the lm set from the town that features in Back to the Future. With a picture postcard town square featuring a beautiful fountain and an abundance of neatly planted trees, surrounded by rows of co ee shops, home-style restaurants and independent boutiques, it looked almost too perfect, and it was hard to believe that the people going about their business weren’t extras from a movie.

After enjoying a massive bowl of spaghetti bolognese and a glass of locally brewed beer in one of the several restaurants located near the town square, I headed back to Saint John’s to enjoy a great night’s sleep in my luxurious suite, which, truth be told, was big enough to comfortably house a family of four with room to spare.

Somewhat oddly, my rst experience of golf in Michigan was to walk around a course that has yet to open. Saint John’s Resort’s new Cardinal Course won’t be welcoming its rst visitors until next autumn, so I had slightly jumped the gun, but it was a real privilege to get a sneak preview of what lies in store for golfers who come to this area in late 2023 and beyond. Formerly known as the Inn at St John’s, the resort changed hands in 2021 and is currently undergoing a $40m transformation into luxury destination. It already boasted a 27-hole layout, but that has been ripped up and recon gured into what will be an all-new 18-hole championship course and an adjoining seven-hole par-3 course.

With ve sets of tees stretching the 18-hole layout from 4,835 yards to 7,007 yards, the course will be able to accommodate all skill levels, although the new owners harbour ambitions to host local and national tournaments, and who knows, maybe even higher up the tournament ladder, in the years ahead. Either way, the Cardinal will be the rst new 18-hole layout built in the Detroit area in

Matt Nicholson travels to Michigan to sample the great selection of golf courses and resorts on offer in the Great Lake State, before finding out how the game is supposed to be played at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit

■ DRIVING FOR SHOW: MATT PICKED UP HIS JEEP CHEROKEE IN DETROIT, THE MOTOR CITY

JOHN’S RESORT’S

more than two decades when it opens next year, so it will be a welcome addition to the gol ng scene for locals and visitors alike and a must stop over venue.

Next up on my action-packed itinerary was a three-hour drive north on i75 to the Treetops Resort in Gaylord. Treetops is home to no fewer than ve courses – four 18-holers and one superb 9-hole, par-3 course – with one designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, one by Tom Fazio, and the other three by Rick Smith. Smith is one of the US’s leading golf coaches, and has taught many of the world’s top players, but he’s also an award-winning course architect, so has several impressive strings to his bow. I played his most highly rated creation at Treetops, the Signature, which won the ‘Best Course in Michigan’ award not long after it opened in 1993.

Travelling on my own, I was grateful to be joined for my round by Tim Matty, Treetop’s course manager, or head superintendent, as they call them over there. Tim knows all there is to know about all ve courses and is a decent golfer to boot, so he was great company and a fountain of knowledge. Inspired by Smith’s travels in Scotland and Ireland, the 6,660-yard, par-70 Signature course is characterised by narrow fairways, large sloping greens, gentle mounds and some severe run-o s. With fairways like carpets and the greens running fast and true, it was a delight to play, especially in the company of someone who could not only o er clear instructions on where to go, but also on where not to go. It also provided a brilliant introduction to the quality of golf and the standard of service that you can expect to nd at golf courses in the Michigan area. I vow to play the Fazio course on my return, as his layouts never fail to challenge and entertain in equal measure.

While Treetops has enough golf to ll a working week, nearby courses at Forest Dunes Golf Club, where the late Tom Weiskopf worked his magic, and Tom Doak’s new reversible course, The Loop, make this area of Michigan a mustvisit for lovers of great course design.

My overnight accommodation was at the Treetops Lodge, a cosy hotel next to the golf courses which doubles up as a ski lodge in winter, where I enjoyed an excellent dinner and a relaxing night’s sleep in preparation for my short journey west to Traverse City for the following day’s game at the Grand Traverse Resort.

Located an hour’s drive from Gaylord, the Grand Traverse boasts two signature courses, the Bear Course designed by, you guessed it, Jack Nicklaus, and the Wolverine Course, which was designed by Gary Player, which you probably didn’t guess. There is also a third course, the Spruce Run, which is a parkland course primarily designed for the higher handicapper.

My appointment was with the Bear Course, and, having played quite a few of Jack’s tracks in the UK, including St Mellion and the London Golf Club’s Heritage course, as well as Monte Rei in Portugal, I was keen to see how one of his domestic layouts would compare. I was joined on my round by three of Grand Traverse’s management team – Matthew Bryant, the resort’s general manager; Tom McGee, Director of Golf Operations; and Paul Galligan, the Director of Grounds – so I was in elevated company and was keen to show that I could not only talk a good game.

Needless to say, the course didn’t disappoint, and thankfully my golf wasn’t too bad either, although with a slope rating of 76 o the back tees, the 7,078-yard course is a true test of championship golf. We played o the more accommodating middle tees, which took the length down to 6,660 yards, but with some tight, tree-lined fairways, a number of forced carries over swampland, and some well-protected greens – most of which seemed to be either narrow and long, or wide and shallow – pars weren’t easy to come by.

With no holes remotely the same, it makes for a hugely interesting challenge, while the 430-yard nishing hole maybe one of the toughest I played all week, with a huge pond protecting the largest green on the course on what was a longish approach. The Bear Course is also a haven for wildlife, and it’s not unusual to spot deer, ducks, geese and blue herons during a round, while racoons, foxes and muskrats are also a common sight and all add to what is already a memorable experience.

After golf I enjoyed a fabulous steak dinner in the resort’s Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, which enjoys a lofty location on the 16th oor of the hotel looking out over the Wolverine Course and the eastern edge of Traverse Bay, which is an inlet of Lake Michigan. It was a great spot to end what had been a great day.

The following morning, I drove an hour or so north along the picturesque 31, which hugs the shores of Lakes Michigan, to my next destination, The Highlands at Harbor Springs, while stopping on the way to sample of some of the Michigan’s famous cherries. The drive takes you through the charming towns of Charlevioux, Bay Shore, Petoskey before

I arrived at Harbor Springs for the next tee time on my whistlestop tour.

LAKE MICHIGAN

■ THE STUNNING ARTHUR HILLS COURSE AT THE HIGHLANDS IS A MUST-PLAY ON ANY MICHIGAN ITINERARY

The Highlands has recently undergone some substantial renovations to many of it’s rooms, which o er premium amenities, with rooms being expanded to more spacious layouts, whilst drawing on inspiration from the hotel’s orginal English Tudor-style.

Harbor Springs is a family-owned resort that markets itself as a year-round attraction, with golf o ered in the summer and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. It forms part of what is known locally as ‘Michigan’s Magni cent 10’ – a group of ten courses all located in the northern part of the state which are owned and run by Boyne Golf, which could arguably form the basis for a single golf trip, or part of an itinerary around the whole state. I played the Arthur Hills course and Bay Harbor Links, and visted all of the others, and was hugely impressed with the impeccable quality and conditioning of all ten courses.

The Arthur Hills course was a truly memorable experience, with huge elevation and awesome views, the course is challenging but fair, it’s a brilliantly designed course and a must course to play when in the area.

The Links at Bay Harbor (27 holes) was the most expensive 9 hole course ever built back in 1996 and o ers incredible views of Lake Michigan nishing o at a clubhouse which has to be in one of the best settings I’ve ever come across.

Make sure you allow a few days to stay in and around Petoskey, this truly is a golfers paradise. I remember asking my host Ken Gri n of Boyne Golf why are they all smiling around here and his reply was “It’s because we all can’t believe what we have ”

That evening I spent at the Palette Bistro overlooking Lake Michigan followed by a must visit to Ernesto’s Cigar Lounge in Petoskey.

The golf season closes in mid-October around these parts, but during my visit in late July the temperature was a steady 75°-80°f, making it perfect for golf.

MICHIGAN’S MAGNIFICENT TEN

THE HEATHER AT THE HIGHLANDS

The Heather was the rst Boyne Golf course and widely credited as the spark that launched the golf boom in northern Michigan. The Heather has cemented the region as America’s ‘Summer Golf Capital’, and tested some of the nest names in the game since its opening. The Heather was an instant winner. Its wide tree lined fairways maneuver around sculpted bunkers and daunting water hazards, all with spectacular views.

THE ALPINE AT BOYNE MOUNTAIN

With its spectacular mountain setting and panoramic views towards Deer Lake, its surroundings are every bit as breathtaking as its noteworthy design. It shares a 1.2 miles drive with it sister course, The Monument, to the top of the mountain and the rst tees. Known for its open, playable layout that trends down the mountain, solid drives are rewarded and its forgiving greens can bolster con dence in your short game.

THE MOOR AT THE HIGHLANDS

The Moor represents a fair but true test of game. The di erence lies in the doglegs. Designed with numerous twists and turns, the front nine of The Moor favours right-handed power fade hitters - with holes 1, 2, 7 and 9 showing their curves immediately o the tee. Its reputation as a player’s golf course is so widely known that The Moor has been designated as an AJGA Championship course.

THE MONUMENT AT BOYNE MOUNTAIN

Borrowing traits from designers like Donald Ross, Dr. Alister Mackenzie, Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Pete Dye, The Monument lives up to its name as it pays homage to the game’s most important in uences - with holes dedicated to noteworthy players and key contributors. The course requires a complete game, with demanding fairways, and undulating greens that reward careful putting.

THE DONALD ROSS MEMORIAL AT THE HIGHLANDS

The Donald Ross Memorial is, in essence, a ‘greatest hits’ compilation, selecting from some of the designer’s best-known holes from the most renowned courses in his portfolio to create an unforgettable golf course. In 2021/22, changes were made rst and 15th holes, which are tributes to the sixth hole at Seminole in Florida and 11th hole at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.

CROOKED TREE GOLF CLUB

The nest golf courses don’t claim their environment: they embrace it. Crooked Tree Golf Club clearly re ects that mandate. Carved through stands of centuries-old hardwood, and perched on blu s high above Little Traverse Bay, the fairways of the rst nine holes are lined by oldgrowth trees - creating stunning sightlines from one hole to the next.

THE ARTHUR HILLS AT THE HIGHLANDS

A signature course that lives up to the legendary reputation of its namesake, the Arthur Hills course is widely recognised as one of the nest in Michigan - and a bucket list essential for avid golfers, both regionally and throughout the US. With its wide, bunker-dotted fairways, narrowing approaches and fascinating greens, this scenic course provides excellent playability for golfers of all abilities.

LINKS AT BAY HARBOR

Taking its lead from the dramatic courses that hug Ireland’s North Atlantic coastline, The Links is situated on the beautiful Lake Michigan shore, with miles of uninterrupted views up and down the lakefront. Accented by towering blu s and windblown dunes, The Links 9 demonstrates Arthur Hills design at its nest, combining the course’s unique topography with the native environment to achieve golf’s greatest promise as both a sport - and a lifestyle.

PRESERVE AT BAY HARBOR

Nestled into the hardwood forest that hugs the Lake Michigan shore, The Preserve is a members’ favorite that’s nothing short of a sanctuary. Designed by Arthur Hills, the course winds its way through a classic northern Michigan landscape, taking players through wild owers, lush grass, and native wetlands lled with an abundance of wildlife.

QUARRY AT BAY HARBOR

The Quarry epitomizes Arthur Hills’ unique ability to leverage existing terrain in the creation of something distinctive - and spectacular. Located in and around the remains of a massive shale quarry, this one-of-a-kind course claims some of the gol ng world’s most dramatic features, from 40-foot gorges and stone cli s to natural ponds and a gentle waterfall. But beyond the scenery, The Quarry is golf at its nest.

■ ABOVE: TEEING OFF AT THE RICK SMITH SIGNATURE COURSE AT TREETOPS RESORT, WHICH FEATURES FOUR 18-HOLE LAYOUTS AND AMERICA’S TOPRATED PAR 3 COURSE ■ THE BAY HARBOR GOLF CLUB IS HOME TO THREE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSES - LINKS, PRESERVE AND QUARRY

■ TTHE JACK NICKLAUS-DESIGNEED BEAR COURSE AT GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT

■ THE LINKS AT BAY HARBOR

BOYNE GOLF

With my trip nearing its end, I drove the four hours back south to Detroit and checked into the city’s, very hip downtown hotel, Element Detroit at the Metropolitan.

The hotel overlooks Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. Timing your trip with a visit to catch one of their home games seems like a good plan if you like that sort of thing, while Detroit’s NFL team, the Lions, plays their home games at the next door Ford Field from mid-September, just as the golf season is beginning to wind down.

My next tee time was a real box ticker – a round at Oakland Hills Country Club, the scene of Europe’s historic 18½-9½ win in the 2004 Ryder Cup, and host of many a major championships, including six US Opens and most recently, the 2008 PGA Championship, which resulted in the third of Padraig Harrington’s major wins.

The course, which has recently been awarded the US Open in 2034 and 2051, and the US Women’s Open in 2031 and 2042, has undergone many changes since Harrington’s heroics, with Gil Hanse being brought on board in 2019 to carry out some major renovations to the South Course to make it play easier for the membership, while making it more of a challenge to the game’s leading professionals. Those changes, which included removing trees, increasing the size of greens, removing some bunkers while increasing the size of those remaining, have certainly done the trick, although it still very much lives up to the nickname given to it by Ben Hogan as ‘the monster’.

Meticulously maintained – I’m sure I didn’t see a blade of grass out of place – the South Course is a majestic, yet brutal layout. The holes play long and the approach shots to the greens are some of the toughest I’ve ever played. Sadly, the club’s iconic clubhouse burned down earlier this year, but it was great to see that work has already started on its reconstruction, and while all that history has been lost, it will arise from out of the ashes into something equally iconic for future generations of golfers to enjoy.

For my nal day in the great state of Michigan I went to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Like all PGA Tour events, it attracted a huge local crowd, and had a great atmosphere, more like a garden party than a

1. First played in 2019, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is staged at Detroit Golf Club, which was rst opened in 1906 as a six-hole course. It now boasts two championship courses, the North and the South, both of which were designed by Donald Ross in 1913.

2. The tournament layout is comprised of 17 holes from the North and one from the South, starting with holes 8 and 9 serving as No.1 and 2, followed by hole 1 from the South Course serving as No.3. The course then plays holes 2-7 of the North Course as 4-9 before the standard North Course back nine makes up the nal nine for the championship.

for the hospitality and a good day out rubbing shoulders

golf tournament, with lots of people who were clearly there for the hospitality and a good day out rubbing shoulders those who had come to watch the likes of Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young and Tony Finau in action. Finau, one of the stars the 2021 Ryder Cup team, went on to win the tournament, chalking up the fourth PGA Tour win of his already impressive career. It was my rst experience of a tournament outside of Europe, and it’s easy to understand why so many European players have chosen to base themselves in the States, given the excitement and razzamatazz that seems to surround the PGA Tour at each and every venue. And, yes, there are other factors, like the weather and the prize money.

the was tournament Europe, excitement to yes, other the

For my nal night in Detroit I ate at the Highlands Restaurant on the 71st oor of the GM Renaissance Center, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. Specialising in Wagyu beef, with an interesting mix of chops, cuts and rib racks and an impressive wine list, we ate a superb meal while enjoying the backdrop of the city skyscape from huge oor-to-ceiling windows. It was certainly a suitably dramatic end to what had been a hugely memorable and wonderful surprisingly trip, and I came away not only having been impressed by the quality of the golf courses, the resorts and of the hospitality, but also by the

warmth of the welcome that you receive as a traveller wherever you’re from. If you, like me, judge a place by its people, then Michigan should de nitely be on your list of destinations to visit, preferably with your golf clubs in tow.

For further information on this incredible state, visit www.michigan.org

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT... THE ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC

3. The four stagings of the tournament have all been won by American golfers – Nate Lashley in 2019, Bryson DeChambeau in 2020, Cameron Davis in 2021 and Tony Finau in 2022.

4. The tournament typically produces low scoring, with the cut often coming at several shots under par, while the winning total currently averages 23 under for 72 holes. Tony Finau red rounds of 64, 66, 65 and 67 on his way to a 26-under total and a ve-shot win in 2022.

5. Built on largely at, tree-linked parkland, with little in the way of undulations, the di erence between the highest and lowest points on the two courses is just 43 feet.

Restaurant on the 71st oor of the GM Renaissance

WHERE I STAYED

SAINT JOHN’S

RESORT

Detroit’s destination resort is a iconic landmark surrounded by natural beauty in 200 acres, Saint John’s o ers an idyllic setting and is the perfect stop over when ying into Detroit. www.saintjohnsresort.com

THE TREETOPS LODGE

Treetops has a few accommodation options, I stayed in the The Treetops Lodge, but would recommend all of their lodging. www.treetops.com

GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA

The ultimate Michigan resort and spa experience. If you want to escape the rigors of everyday life and fancy some championship golf, then Grand Traverse Resort is for you. www.grandtraverseresort.com

THE HIGHLANDS AT HARBOR SPRINGS

The Highlands o ers an idyllic setting in charming Harbor Springs, Michigan. A family-owned destination, it provides the ultimate northern Michigan experience served with heartfelt hospitality. www.highlandsharborsprings.com

ELEMENT DETROIT AT THE METROPOLITAN

Within easy walking distance from top attractions like Ford Field, Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena and thriving destinations in the Theatre District of downtown Detroit.

www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dtwel-element-detroit-at-the-metropolitan/

DETROIT GOLF

The Southeast region of Michigan has become a hot bed for great golf courses in recent years which will provide some great options for visiting golfers. It all began with Pine Trace Golf Club and The Orchards Golf Club in the early ‘90s. Pine Trace is a watery and woody track in Rochester, while The Orchards, a 7,100-yard layout designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, features 93 bunkers, plenty of trees and wetlands.

Shepherd’s Hollow, a 27-hole Arthur Hills design located on dramatically rolling and wooded land 40 miles north of Detroit, instantly became one of the area’s top public golf facilities when it rst opened, but it has since been joined by Westwynd Golf Course, a new green fee course which opened next to the ultra-exclusive Wyndgate Golf Club in Rochester Hills, with its 18 holes owing serenely across a broad tract of hills, tall fescue plots and wetlands.

Variety of golf in one location is rare, but Fox Hills Golf & Banquet Center in Plymouth has managed it with aplomb. A 63-hole public golf complex that caters all levels of golfer, visitors can take their pick from the Classic Fox, Golden Fox and Strategic Fox courses, each of which boasts its own clubhouse. Strategic Fox was developed primarily as a way to grow the game and make it fun for beginners, while Classic and Golden are for more experienced players.

Other green fee courses in the area well worth a visit include Cherry Creek, Blackheath, Fieldstone, Northville Hills, Twin Lakes, Moose Ridge and Boulder Pointe.

For more details on where to play in the Detroit area visit: visitdetroit.com/golf-courses-detroit/

DOWNTOWN DETROIT

Detroit may not seem like obvious mini break destination, but as a starting and nishing point for a golf trip to Michigan, ‘Motor Town’ has got so much to o er for the travelling visitor.

Subject to huge investment in recent years, the compact and very walkable downtown area is packed with museums, theatres, art exhibitions, food halls, market, restaurants, bars and, of course, the iconic stadiums that are home to city’s two main sports teams, the NFL’s Detroit Lions and the NBA’s Detroit Tigers.

Car fans, and even those who aren’t, will enjoy a visit to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which serves as a vast repository for some of the country’s most innovative inventions and cultural touchstones of the past century, including those iconic Model-T Fords, racing cars from Indy, stock and drag racing history, cars from US Presidential motorcades, the actual bus Rosa Parks made Civil Rights history on in 1955, and numerous other pop-culture artifacts. With loads of simulators, hands-on activities and immersive experiences, it’s a great way to spend a few hours before or after hitting the links.

Music fans will not want to miss out on the Motown Museum, which gives visitors the opportunity to walk in the musical footsteps of a glittering roster of artists that include the likes of the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and the Temptations; while art lovers should make time to soak up some culture within the open spaces and quiet corridors of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where a vast 65,000-piece collection that encompasses American, European, African, Asian, Native American, Islamic, Modern and contemporary works can be viewed in sublime surroundings.

Noisy and fun nights out can be enjoyed in any number of restaurants, bars and clubs in the downtown area, while there are concerts and shows by big-name music acts, comedians and live theatre to be enjoyed at the city’s historic 5,000-seater Fox Theatre.

For details of things to see and do in Detroit, plus the latest events, check out www.visitdetroit.com

GETTING THERE: Delta Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic all o er direct ights to Detroit, either from London (Gatwick or Heathrow) or Manchester, with an average ight time of 8 hours 45 minutes. Return ights cost around £400, depending on date of travel.

For details, visit delta.com, ba.com or virginatlantic.com

■ MATT (THIRD RIGHT) ENJOYS A TEE TIME AT 2004 RYDER CUP VENUE OAKLAND HILLS

SPRINGS

GOLFING PARADISE AT KORINEUM ENJOY A SLICE OF

North Cyprus truly is a golfer's paradise and is growing with popularity due to its 200 miles of enchanted coastline, over 300 days of sunshine and 9,000 years of history and culture. And there is no better place to experience what this breathtaking island has to offer that at the Korineum Golf and Beach Resort.

Located in a lush green oasis on the way to Esentepe, Korineum is tucked away in the foothills of the Beşparmak Mountain Range and enjoys the prestige of being the north Cyprus’s first championship-standard golf course, which is ranked 51st in the latest edition of Golf World’s Top 100 European Golf Resorts.

Five tees give players of all abilities the opportunity to play to their handicap on the resort’s superbly entertaining 6,232-metre championship layout, which weaves its way through stunning natural landscapes, while offering majestic sea views from every angle. The first hole, Mountain Rise, is as testing an opener as you’ll find, with the 379-metre par-four climbing

steeply up the hillside to an elevated green. Precision iron-play is required to find the putting surface on the third, a testing uphill par-three which measures anything from 220 yards to 140 yards depending on which tee you play from. With out-of-bounds left, right-handers will need to draw one in over the bunkers to find the long, but narrow green.

The signature 5th is a dramatic uphill par-five with a 90-degree dogleg at its elbow and the Besparmak mountain range providing a dramatic backdrop. The bold can try and cut off some of the leg by playing over the out-ofbounds on the left to leave a shorter shot into the green, but most will choose to play safely up the middle and then hope to chip on with their third and attempt a single-putt birdie.

The 7th, the appositely named ‘Sandy Island’, is another tough par three, with the green on this 158-metre hole almost entirely surrounded by bunkers, with no fewer than five traps protecting the putting surface. Water comes into play on one hole at Korineum, but what a hole, with the 350-metre 16th featuring a lake short right of the green that serves to focus the mind on this excellent par four. The course has been laid with a special type of grass called Seashore Paspalum, which is designed to withstand the warm Cyprus climate and ensures perfect year-round playing conditions.

Korineum Golf & Beach resort also offers extensive golf practice facilities, including a 34-bay driving range, two putting greens, a short game area, and a three-hole Academy course which features full-length holes and provides players with taste of what they will encounter during their round on the main course.

The high standards found on the golf course are mirrored throughout this elegant and lavish resort, which offers 86 luxury rooms, including four junior suites, tucked away within the pine forest. The rooms, which are spacious and tastefully decorated, feature a well-stocked minibar, LED televisions with a wide range of international

channels and free WiFi. The rooms at the heart of the resort offer ultimate privacy yet are only a short walk from the hotel’s superb facilities, which include a choice of bars, three restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool, live evening entertainment, and a spa and fitness centre, which allows guests to experience peace and tranquillity with treatments performed by the resort's expert team of therapists.

Guests also have access to a private beach, which is 1.5km from the resort, but is free to use with free and regular shuttle access provided. Whether it's sipping on a cocktail, enjoying a tasty lunch from Korineum Beach Snack Bar, reading a book in the shade or swimming in the glistening waters, the beach is a sanctuary.

A golf break at Korineum will also allow you to discover the Mediterranean’s best kept secret –North Cyprus. The award-winning Cyprus Paradise has offered expertly tailored holidays to the region for over 30 years. And for an extra peace of mind, it offers exclusive golf- holidays at Korineum and facilitates guests at every step during their golf break.

Prices start from £599pp for 7 nights, 4 rounds of golf and flights.

For more information on Korineum Golf & Beach Resort, visit CyprusParadise.com/ golfnews or call 020 3150 1017.

■ GUESTS HAVE FREE ACCESS TO A PRIVATE BEACH

Clubs to Hire opens Dubai outlet

Leading golf equipment rental company Clubs to Hire has opened a new store in Dubai, enabling travellers to this golf-rich destination to save themselves the hassle and expense of taking their clubs abroad.

Clubs to Hire has agreed a partnership with South African equipment retailer Global Golf to open the outlet in the United Arab Emirates, which has long been a popular winter destination for travelling golfers.

Clients will be able to book premium sets of from the likes of TaylorMade and Honma, and either collect them from Global Golf’s shop located in Production City or have them delivered directly to their hotel for a small fee. Pricing will be from £80 to £90 per set per week.

Clubs to Hire founder Tony Judge said: “Dubai is a busy gol ng location, and it has been on our radar for many years. The golf product in Dubai and nearby Abu Dhabi is second to none and sure to prove popular with our extensive base of customers.”

Outside of its outlets in Spain and Portugal, Clubs to Hire also services various other airports through a network of agents, with golfers travelling to Turkey, Ireland, Cyprus, South Africa, Bali and Thailand able to rent sets at their destination.

For more details, visit clubstohire.com.

Say hello to Bonjour Golf!

Golfers looking to book a golf break to France or Spain next year should check out the deals on o er with Bonjour Golf, a new tour operator founded by Graham Ruth, one of the golf travel industry’s most experienced professionals.

Ruth said: “Over the years running the Brittany Ferries Golf Desk, we’ve developed a reputation for expertise and service in providing golf breaks in Western France and Northern Spain, and we’re really excited to be taking this forward under the new Bonjour Golf name. Early demand has been encouraging as overseas breaks are now back on many golfers’ agenda.”

Bonjour Golf’s programme o ers self-drive breaks to the nest courses in Brittany, Normandy, Loire and beyond, with hand-picked hotels and return ferry travel, departing from the UK’s south coast ports.

Whether it’s enjoying seaside golf and Celtic culture in Brittany, combining stunning courses with WW2 history in Normandy or maybe a round at a top course in Pays de la Loire with visits to nearby wineries, Bonjour Golf’s expert team can help plan all aspects of a gol ng trip to the continent.

For more information, visit www.bonjourgolf.com or call 01822 618181.

WIN A 2-NIGHT GOLF BREAK TO THE BEACHCROFT HOTEL!

Golf News has teamed up with The Beachcroft Hotel in West Sussex to o er one lucky reader the chance to win a fabulous two-night stay in one of its luxury Beach Hut Suites with dinner, breakfast, and a round of golf for two people at nearby Chichester Golf Club.

Located in the delightful coastal village of Felpham, yet within a couple of decent pitching wedges of the bright lights of Bognor Regis, The Beachcroft Hotel o ers an oasis of calm and a beguiling mix of warm hospitality coupled with majestic views of the sea and sky.

The main body of the hotel o ers 40 spacious, wellappointed rooms, including dog-friendly ground oor rooms, family sea view rooms with a private terrace and a luxury penthouse suite with balcony. There are also a wide range of family-friendly facilities, including a spa, swimming pool and gym, and a choice of excellent eating options, including the Tamarisk Restaurant and Monty’s Bistro, which serves freshly caught seafood dishes and traditional British fare.

For couples, families and small groups looking for a little more privacy or an extra touch of luxury, the Beachcroft Hotel also o ers a range of four Beach Hut Suites. Opened in 2019, and located just a few yards from the hotel, these stunning split-level apartments o er two bedrooms (mezzanine double bed and a bunk bed), bathroom, and a double height sitting room leading out to a private deck directly overlooking the sea.

Kitted out with comfy sofas, Smeg fridges, co ee and tea-making facilities and big atscreen TVs with Net ix, the Beach Hut Suites o er a stylish beachside bolthole. Breakfast is included as part of a stay in the huts, which is delivered fresh every morning as part of a breakfast hamper, while

meals, including a fabulous sh and chip supper in a basket can also be delivered to beach hut guests. Catering for up to four guests, stays in the huts start from £275 per night.

For golfers, the hotel and beach huts are situated just a few miles from the always enjoyable layout at Bognor Regis Golf Club, while there are two 18-hole courses on o er at Chichester Golf Club 15 minutes further inland, and Littlehampton’s links/parkland style layout is just a few miles along the coast to the east.

For more information, visit www.beachcroft-hotel.com or call 01243 827142

How to Enter

To be in with a chance of winning a 2-night stay in the Beach Hut Suites and a round of golf for two at Chichester Golf Centre, simply scan the QR code on this page with your mobile device’s QR reader and follow the link to the exclusive Golf News competition page on the Beachcroft Hotel’s website.

Prize details in full

• 2 nights in a Beach Hut Suite with Breakfast

• 1 round of golf for 2 people at Chichester Golf Club

• 1 dinner for 2 people with a bottle of house wine

T&Cs: Bookings are subject to availability, valid for 12 months, excluding school holidays, bank holidays and special events. The competition is only open to UK residents aged 18 and over. There is no cash alternative, and the prize is non-transferable

■ DINARD GOLF CLUB

■ CHICHESTER GOLF CLUB’S CATHEDRAL COURSE

DELIGHTFUL DONEGAL

Golf News editor Nick Bayly enjoys a whistlestop tour of some of finest links in County Donegal , including the recently opened St Patricks Links at Rosapena, which is set to raise the bar still further in a part of NorthWest Ireland which is already blessed with more than its fair share of golfing riches

Just an hour after leaving Stansted the Loganair 48-seater jet I was travelling in touched down at Northern Ireland’s Derry airport, with the plane coming to something abrupt halt just seconds after we’d hit the tarmac after coming in low over the icy waters of the North Atlantic. My time spent in Northern Ireland was as long as it took to drive through the western suburbs of Derry, and as the road signs on the A2 turned from delineating miles to kilometres, it didn’t take a rocket scientist or a geography teacher to realise that I was now in the Republic.

Just over 45 minutes after leaving Derry I was driving through the gates at Ballyli n Golf Club for the rst appointment on my threecourse itinerary, the 18 championship holes o ered on the Glashedy Links. Ballyli n’s other course, the Old, as its name suggests, predates Glashedy Links by some 22 years, but it is the newcomer that is rated slightly higher in the rankings due to the vision and skill of Pat Ruddy., whose handiwork it is. The course takes its name from the huge Glashedy Rock that can be seen from all angles and gives rise to comparisons with Turnberry.

Measuring 7,200 yards o the backs, and with nine par fours over 400 yards, the Glashedy represents a serious test, and although I played o the more forward tees (6,385 yards), gusting winds of 30mph ensured that it proved more than a match for my limited skillset. With narrow fairways, deep and plentiful bunkering, and even deeper and more penal rough, straight hitting is essential if you’re to have a sni of par and not losing a bucket load of balls. The outward nine is 400-500 yards shorter than the front,

although that is o set by two of course’s three par-3s coming at 5 and 7. The round gets o to a tough start, with three consecutive par 4s of over 400 yards providing an early examination. The par-5 fourth presented my rst sight of a birdie, with the green being reachable with two wind-assisted blows. With towering dunes either side of the narrow fairway, it’s a perfectly framed hole that delights the eye. The sixth, a 370-yard dogleg par-4, is another personal highlight of the outward nine, with a well-placed drive to the ‘knee’ leaving a shortish shot into an angled green.

The 160-yard 7th feels somewhat at odds with the rest of the course, with the tee towering 100 yards above a green which is protected by a large pond on the right-hand side. The run of ve par fours from the 8th to the 12th seems a little repetitive when looking at the scorecard, but the reality presents distinctly di erent challenges, and the 11th and 12th are excellent examples of their type. Things hot up at the 13th, a magni cent par-5 which ducks back in among the dunes, while the par-3 14th is a downhill hole which plays as short as 120 yards to a green which is protected by a deep front bunker and steep-run o s.

Holes 15, 16 and 17 are often played into the teeth of the prevailing wind, with the 544-yard 17th feeling like one of those holes that never ends – yes, I took a seven and wasn’t too unhappy – while the round ends with a somewhat understated left-to-right 390-yard dogleg par-4 played to an angled green. All told, the Glashedy is one tough cookie, made even tougher on my visit by the wind and rain, although I imagine it would beat

you up somewhat less on a calm, sunny summer’s day.

After golf, my two fellow travellers and I holed up at the nearby Ballyli n Hotel for some much-needed R&R, and where a steak pie and a few pints of the black stu , followed by a restful night’s sleep, restored the batteries ahead of the following day’s visit to Rosapena, an hour or so drive away.

As the world’s coastal regions become a battleground between the economic demands of tourism and the desire to protect the natural environment, it is increasingly rare – and justi ably so – for pieces of land to be found that all parties agree are acceptable to develop a new golf course on. The developers behind St Patricks Links, the third 18-hole course at Rosapena Resort, located hard on the shores of Sheephaven Bay, were fortunate to have no such troubles when it came to adding another course to the two that it already had on o er.

That was mainly down to the fact the venue for the new course was already the site for two pre-existing, and, so I’m told, rather humdrum layouts that the renowned golf course architect Tom Doak was tasked with transforming into one absolute belter to join the highly rated Old Tom Morris and Sandy Hills courses that have been attracting golfers from all over the world to Rosapena for decades. The initial project to carry out the transformation was halted by the economic crisis that unfolded back in 2008, and it was only after a change of Rosapena’s ownership in 2012, and the investment from the Casey family that followed, that plans to develop the 300-acre site into a new world-class links were

reignited. Construction of St Patricks Links began in 2018 and, give or take a few ill winds caused by the pandemic, the course opened for play in the summer of 2021.

Armed with a course planner, a laser range nder and a dozen or so balls, I was later glad I had loaded up on the latter, as playing a new course on your own makes keeping your head down while watching where your ball went a tricky task at the best of times.

The course gets o to a cracking start with the opening par-4 played from a raised tee to a fairway boarded by towering dunes on either side, with the green tucked around the corner of a rightto-left dogleg. Thankfully, the fairways are more generous than they were at Ballyli n, and its noticeably more friendly to a wider range of players, with the men’s tees stretching the par-71 course to 6,930 yards from the backs, 6,490 from the middle, and 5,919 o the front, and 5,136 o the ladies and a par of 72.

Playing from the middle tees, and after making pars at four of the rst six holes, I quickly came to the conclusion that this was my kind of links. It allowed a margin for error o the tee, but rewarded accurate iron play, and placed an emphasis on imagination over brute strength.

It is not until you reach the raised tee on fourth, a majestic par 5, that the sheer scale of the course reveals itself. With the opening three holes played amid the dunes, the fourth opens up a view over the beach and Sheep Haven Bay, with the dunes and ribbons of fairway stretching out beneath you. The land and the golf course seem to merge as one, creating a very natural and

uncontrived feel, and delivering a links experience that is unlike many other I’ve had before. The fourth and the fth are the only two holes running in the same direction, so the only two holes with the wind in the same direction. There is good variety in the par 3s too. None of them plays over 180 yards, but they play in three di erent directions, with both uphill and downhill settings.

If variety is the spice of life, St Patricks Links ticks plenty of boxes on that score, with no hole remotely resembling another.

The highlight on the back nine is undoubtedly the 14th, a sweeping dogleg par 4 that demands that you hit your drive directly towards the sea, before turning right to hit an a longiron approach to a well-guarded green that is perched just yards from the beach. The round, to my mind, nishes with a whimper than bang, with the 170-yard 17th and the 350-yard 18th neither setting the pulses racing or feeling like the round was reaching a crescendo.

Wearing my most balanced of hats, St Patricks Links has some truly stunning holes and is located on a dramatic piece of land, but there are some forgettable holes, and the course conditioning means that it will be some time before a proper assessment of its merits as a gol ng experience, can be made, but there’s no doubting that this course will be a must-play on any itinerary to this part of the world in the years to come.

The following morning, refuelled by a full Irish breakfast and a good night’s sleep at the Rosapenna Hotel, we set o in search of Portsalon Golf Club, the nal stop on my itinerary. The 15-mile drive took us through some spectacular scenery, with the narrow roads twisting and turning around the shores of Mulroy Bay and Kincrum Lough, before emerging at Portsalon Beach and its eponymous golf club. With the tide out on Ballymastoker Bay, the sun shining through wispy clouds, and the wind a mere zephyr, conditions were just about perfect for my nal outing of the trip.

One of the nine founding clubs of the Golf Union of Ireland, golf has been played at Portsalon since 1891, and although the course was signi cantly remodelled in 2000, it has been providing a ne test of golf for local golfers and a steady stream of visitors for over 130 years. At 6,193 yards o the back tees, Portsalon is a refreshingly short course, where the challenge is not in the length o the tee, but in nding the right part of the fairway from which to attack the well-guarded greens. Among half a dozen standout holes, the second, a 390-yard par four, is an early highlight with the raised tee providing a stunning view out over the bay, while the fairway below curves gently around the beach. The challenge is to judge just how much of the beach you want – or are able – to carry – with the braver shot leaving a much shorter shot to the green. I baled out right, waaaaay right, and had to lay up with my second in front of a tidal inlet that fronts the green and was happy to walk o with a ve and my ball still intact. The next ve holes run alongside the sea, with the 4th – ‘Valley’ presenting a gun barrel straight par-5 with towering dunes on either side, and the 5th, a long par-three, being personal favourites. The 3rd shares a green with the 9th, as does the 4th with the 8th, giving the course even more of a St Andrews vibe, while also serving to create a modicum of confusion for rst-time visitors.

All told, Portsalon is an absolute joy to play from start to nish. It’s a proper links, but its length makes it playable for all levels of golfer, while there are plenty of strategic options to allow for aggressive plays which carry their own risk and reward.

Of course, there are many more courses along the Wild Atlantic Way that I didn’t get to play – Ballyli n’s Old Course, the Sandy Hills and Old Tom Morris courses at Rosapenna, and Narin & Portnoo being four o the bat - but the three I played have certainly whetted my appetite to come back for more of what delightful Donegal has to o er.

WHERE TO PLAY

Ballyli n GC - Old Course €160; Glashedy Links €200. ballyli ngolfclub.com.

Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort – Old Tom Morris €150, Sandy Hills €150, St Patricks Links €200 (Apr 14-Oct 22). rosapenna.ie Portsalon GC – €120, portsalongolfclub.ie

WHERE TO STAY

Ballyli n Hotel - This 3-star hotel is just 5 minutes from Ballyli n Golf Club and o ers double and twin rooms with satellite TV, power shower, two restaurants and a bar. Prices from €260 per room for 2-night stays. ballyli nhotel.com

Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort – The four-star hotel boasts a wide array of accommodation options, from classic doubles to opulent suites with balconies. It also o ers an indoor pool, gym and spa and has two restaurants. Two-night B&B packages, including two rounds of golf, start from £405pp. rosapenna.ie

Professionals and amateurs from around the gol ng world joined José María Olazábal, the two-time Masters champion, in the inaugural Olazábal and Friends Charity Pro-Am that took place from November 24-27 at Costa Navarino.

The pro-am brought the destination’s gol ng season to a tting nale of an exciting year, during which it was named as the ‘World’s Best Emerging Golf Destination’ at the 2022 World Golf Awards.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the winner of 34 titles worldwide and who has appeared in four Ryder Cups, was among the players who joined the three days of the premium gol ng event at the Mediterranean’s prime sustainable destination.

Amateurs had the exclusive opportunity to join Olazábal and his professional friends in an up-close and intimate experience, playing at Costa Navarino’s two new courses at Navarino Hills, which were designed by him and Cascais, home to several of Portugal’s nest golf courses, has launched a new digital Golf Passport that will simplify the process of multi-round tee-time bookings, as well as save golfers money.

opened last February.

Featuring 14 teams, with each team comprising one professional and three amateurs, the pro-am included a practice round and two separate 18-hole competitions on the world’s rst International Olympic Academy Golf Course – voted the ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’ at the 2022 World Golf Awards – and The Hills Course.

The impressive line-up of professionals featured the winners of a combined total of 68 European Tour titles including Spain’s Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, Santiago Luna and José Manuel Lara; Emanuele Canonica from Italy; France’s Christian Cevaer; 2021 Senior Open champion Stephen Dodd and Welsh compatriot Phillip Price, a member of Europe’s victorious 2002 Ryder Cup side.

Olazábal took the top spot in a head-to-head team competition with Jiménez with a winning score of -59,

while Lara claimed the top honours in the individual professional competition ahead of Portugal’s Ricardo Santos and Lorenzo Gagli from Italy with a 36-hole total of four-under-par.

Olazábal said: “Our goal was to raise money for children in need and at the same time o er our guests a great time. I am so happy we achieved that and I would like to thank the Costa Navarino team and also my dear friend Miguel Ángel Jiménez and our fellow pros for helping us deliver a successful premiere. We can’t wait to return again in 2023. Thank you all for your generosity.”

Social events including two dinners, a prize-giving lunch and post-event party and a golf clinic with Jiménez were also part of the event, with all proceeds being donated to Sport Mundi, the Spanish non-pro t organisation chaired by Olazábal, which supports children in need.

Look out for great Lisbon deals with new Cascais Golf Passpo

The Cascais golf portfolio represents a collection of unique and varied golf courses, including Portugal’s top-ranked layout, Oitavos Dunes, as well as other championship venues such as Penha Longa, Estoril, Quinta da Marinha, Belas, Pestana and Lisbon Sports Club.

All seven golf venues in Cascais are owned and managed independently of one another, but with Golf Passport three, four or ve rounds can be booked within a two-week period, with the added bene t guaranteeing the lowest xed prices available.

To nd out more, visit bookings.visitcascais.com.

■ OLAZABAL WAS JOINED BY MANY OF HIS FRIENDS AND FORMER TOUR COLLEAGUES AT COSTA NAVARINO, INCLUDING MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ

■ COSTA NAVARINO’S OLYMPIC ACADEMY COURSE

Sir Ian Botham

My rst holiday… was in 1966, and my family was planning to drive from Yeovil down to a place in Devon called Sandy Bay. Anyway, the World Cup nal between England and Germany was on that day and my dad and I couldn’t be dragged away from the television. In the end we le rather late and my mum and sisters weren’t at all pleased.

My best ever holiday… was in South Africa about 15 years ago. My wife and I were both celebrating our 50th birthdays, so we took family and friends on a trip. We had four nights in Cape Town, followed by a couple of nights in Sun City. Then we went up to Leopard Hills Safari Lodge, which is a game reserve in the Kruger National Park. I’ve been going there for many years and will no doubt return again some day.

My ideal travelling companions are… my family and my grandchildren, because I hardly saw them for 20 years when I was away playing cricket.

My dream holiday fourball would be… a ve-ball – my son Liam, Ian Woosnam, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. It’s very hard just to choose that few, as there will be 40-odd others wondering they haven’t been picked!

My favourite holiday golf course is… Desert Springs in Almeria, Spain. We have a house out there and I play every day when we stay there. It’s unique, as it’s the only one in Europe that’s located in a desert. Back in England, you can’t beat the Old and the New Courses at Sunningdale Golf Club, where I am lucky enough to be a member. I also love the Old Course at St Andrews and playing

in the Dunhill Links Championship is always the highlight of my gol ng year. We live in Yorkshire and a local course I play a lot is Darlington, which is a lovely parkland track. It was designed by Alistair Mackenzie, who designed Augusta.

The best hotel I’ve stayed in is… the Taj Mahal in Mumbai – the one that was tragically bombed in 2008. I was there just a few days before the attack. It was always my home when I was in Mumbai. It reopened in 2010, with the owners rebuilding it to how it was before, which is simply wonderful. There’s also a boutique hotel in Queenstown in New Zealand called Eichardt’s, which also stands out. It sits at the end of a lake surrounded by magni cent scenery.

My favourite city is… Dublin - a fantastic place with everything I like: golf, shing and good Guinness.

My favourite holiday meal…. must involve seafood. It doesn’t matter where I am . I’ve had a few bad experiences with oysters over the years, but it never stops me from eating them!

My top travel tip is… to make the most of the journey – don’t be negative if you’ve got a long ight. I’ve met some of the most interesting people in the world on planes – although I’ve met some complete idiots, too. Also, make sure you pre-download a few books, lms or TV series on a tablet or a phone, because you’ll always face delays wherever you go and might have seven or eight hours to kill without access to Wi-Fi. Better to be prepared!

Travel with

Cricketing knight Sir Ian Botham has travelled the world with a bat, a set of golf clubs and a shing rod at the ready, but is just as happy teeing o at his home track in Yorkshire

■ DESERT SPRINGS RESORT, SPAIN

■ LEOPARD HILLS, SOUTH AFRICA

■ THE TAJ MAHAL HOTEL, MUMBAI

“Graphene helps conduct and retain more body heat, to aid comfort during play”