GolfNews Dec/Jan 2016

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y C O P Y Twitter @golfnewsmag Web golfnews.co.uk

THE UK’S NO1 GOLF NEWSPAPER

Issue 250 | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016

Est 1994

THE

RORY MCILROY NICK FALDO LEE WESTWOOD SHANE LOWRY

SHARK SPEAKS GREG NORMAN EXCLUSIVE: “MOST TOUR PROS DON’T WANT TO REACH THE TOP”

& MUCH MORE

THE NEW

IRON

LONGER AT ITS

COR.

INTRODUCING COR-Eye TECHNOLOGY TM

In the new PING GMax iron, we’ve created our longest iron ever through COR-Eye Technology, a revolutionary design that increases ball speed across the entire face. Consistent with PING’s commitment to engineer without sacrifice, the GMax iron provides everything you need to hit more greens and, just as importantly, hold more greens. Get fit today or visit ping.com. You’ll be better for it.

HIT THE GREEN. HOLD THE GREEN. The simultaneous activation of the sole, face and top rail creates a diving board-like effect that springs the ball off the face up to three miles per hour faster than previous PING models.

©2015 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071

MAXIMUM DISTANCE MAXIMUM FORGIVENESS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y C O P Y Twitter @golfnewsmag Web golfnews.co.uk

Editor’sComment

Est 1994

BY NICK BAYLY

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL – PART 1 As we enter another calendar year – it can’t be called a golf season, as they never seem to end, at least in professional terms – I can’t help having a quiet, but definite sense of optimism about where golf, as a leisure pursuit, is heading.

After being fed a diet of bad news stories about courses closing to make way for housing, a decline in rounds played, and why kids prefer playing on XBoxes to tee boxes, I feel like we’re moving into 2016 with a better understanding of which direction golf should be taking in the years ahead.

When something hits rock bottom, as many observers have commented that golf has done – or may yet still do for the pessimists among you – there is only one way to go, and that is up.

Many of the initiatives that some of the more progressive and pro-active clubs have put in place, such as free taster sessions, community outreach projects, nine-hole green fees, flexible membership schemes, more relaxed dress codes, and many other long overdue measures, are finally beginning to bear fruit, with increased interest reported from previously-ignored

Free taster sessions have introduced a new generation to the joys of golf

sections of society, while those that have fallen by the wayside are gradually being tempted back into clubs with a range of more affordable, time-sensitive ways of playing the game.

I’m also buoyed by the investment that clubs are putting into their facilities, on and off the course, after what seems like decades of stagnation.

We could fill these pages, and often do, with stories of course renovations, new bunkering projects, drainage systems, fancy locker rooms and indoor simulator installations – all of which cost a great deal of money.

But, as Lord Sugar keeps telling his apprentices, you have to speculate to accumulate, and

clubs that stand still risk falling behind as the competition for golfers becomes increasingly fierce.

The concept of free, as we’ve experienced with this magazine over the years, has been an alien idea in golf for far too long, and while it’s obviously not a sustainable business model for golf clubs, there are a lot of ways of making things look and feel free, even where there is cost benefit further down the line. So three cheers to free range balls; hip, hip, hooray for 54 handicaps for beginners; and high fives for free junior memberships with a full-paying adult!

But let’s not kid ourselves that all is rosy in the garden of

THE UK’S NO1 GOLF NEWSPAPER

Issue 250 | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016

[3]

golf. Most clubs will be happy to see their membership numbers remain static come renewals time, while the curse of slow play, as we discuss in this issue, still dominates discussions on tour and in clubhouses up and down the country.

So much more needs to done to make it easier for non-golf club members to nip out for four, six or nine holes without being whacked for an 18-hole green fee and five hours of your life that you’ll never get back, while clubs need to make themselves feel more like the centre of their communities, rather than gated retreats for the high and mighty.

And, as Greg Norman points out in an exclusive interview in this issue, dress codes and rules need to be slackened still further if kids are to be encouraged to come out and play with their friends and parents.

Golf needs to get with the times, and in so many ways it is getting there, but it’s been a slow and teeth-pullingly painful process that needs to be sped up now, if it is to save itself from itself.

Enjoy the issue, and here’s to a happy new year, on and off the golf course!

RORY MCILROY NICK FALDO LEE WESTWOOD SHANE LOWRY

THE

SHARK SPEAKS

& MUCH MORE

GREG NORMAN EXCLUSIVE: “MOST TOUR PROS DON’T WANT TO REACH THE TOP”

Golf News, Maple House, The Spinney, Hove, BN3 6QT Tel: 01273 381794 Email: info@golfnews.co.uk Website: www.golfnews.co.uk Follow us on: Twitter@golfnewsmag Managing Director Matt Nicholson matt@golfnews.co.uk Editor Nick Bayly editor@golfnews.co.uk Associate Publisher Richard Maunder richard@golfnews.co.uk Production Kath Perry ads@golfnews.co.uk For advertising enquiries please contact Matt Nicholson matt@golfnews.co.uk Design www.yotedesign.com www.scratchdesign.biz Photography Getty Images Published by BlueGreen Media Regular contributors Jeremy Ellwood, Sarah Stirk, Paul Mahoney, Clive Agran, Tom Lewis, Alistair Tait. © Copyright Golf News 2015. No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in anyway or means, either by recording or otherwise, without permission of the publishers in writing.

Summer Golf Breaks in 2016 STAY | PLAY | DINE

from £129.00pp Prices from 1 May to 31 October 2016

Overnight accommodation for 2 people sharing a standard twin or double room Includes breakfast, 2 rounds of golf and 2 course bar menu dinner

Contact Mark on:

T: 01304 611118 | E: office@princesgolfclub.co.uk | W: www.princesgolfclub.co.uk Prince’s Golf Club, Sandwich Bay, Sandwich, Kent CT13 9QB

/princesgolfclub

@Princesgolfclub

NEWS IN BRIEF

[4]

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Shinkwin secures European Tour card

WOODMAN SHARES THREEWAY TIE AT WENTWORTH Guy Woodman, Joseph Queen and Lea Cooper all fired a level-par 68s over Wentworth’s East Course to share the top prize in the second of the PGA South’s Titleist & FootJoy Winter Series. Queen is a first year assistant from West Sussex Golf Club, and his consistent performance earned him the Leading Assistants and Trainees’ prize of the Titleist & FootJoy ball, glove and shoe contract. Cooper (Tilgate Forest) was two-under at the turn, but bogeys on the 15th and the 16th saw him fall back to level par. A birdie at the 17th put him into the outright lead, which he forfeited with a bogey at the last, so the £1,000 first prize was shared three ways.

HEVER VETS’ CUP TRIUMPH Hever Castle Golf Club’s veteran’s team won the KGVL Group 7 Challenge Cup for the third year in a row, after racking up 231 points in the final held at Broke Hill Golf Club. The club finished third in the Group 7 of the Kent Golf Veterans League, finishing seven points behind winners Nizels.

TAYLOR JOINS EPSOM PRO TEAM Epsom Golf Club has appointed Adam Taylor as the newest member of its coaching staff. Taylor joins the Surrey-based club after spending the summer organising and running golf events with ex-England football captain David Platt.

With previous experience at West Surrey, St Georges Hill and The Wisley, Taylor says he is looking to build up Epsom’s junior section, as well as improving players of all ages and ability.

CALCOT CLAIMS UZIELLI TROPHY The Calcot Park pairing of Chris Green and Carole Ford captured the 2015 Angela Uzielli Memorial Trophy held at Winter Hill Golf Club in Berkshire. The duo combined to score 34 points to finish four points clear of the second-placed team of Sarla Read and Kathy North from Caversham Heath, with Karen Cowell and Sue Hunt from Sand Martins taking third on countback.

Calum Shinkwin is looking forward to a full season on the European Tour

Buckinghamshire begins £2m course renovation The owner of Buckinghamshire Golf Club is to invest £2 million to develop and improve the championship course at the Denham-based venue.

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd has agreed to finance the improvements following a major survey conducted by course architects Thomson Perret and Lobb, whose chairman is five-time Open champion Peter Thomson.

The project will include building a reservoir, adding buggy paths, and installing a new irrigation system. The lakes on the seventh and eighth holes are also to be redesigned, with a large number of bunkers relocated and lined.

The course improvement work will be spread over the next two winters to minimise disruption to play, with an anticipated project completion date of March 2017.

“We are delighted to announce that the Asahi Group has agreed a major sevenfigure investment in the club, which can do nothing but enhance our reputation as one of the finest inland venues in the south east of England,” said Buckinghamshire’s course and grounds manager Andy Ewence.

“These are exciting times for all of

us here. Building a large reservoir will help us to save money, and improve our sustainability, and means we won’t be reliant on using mains water,” continued Ewence. “Installing a new irrigation system will help us to produce tournament standard conditions throughout the year, while an advanced new sprinkler system will also reduce wastage. We will be able to target only the greens, surrounds, approaches, fairways and tees where water is required.”

Thomson Perret and Lobb have been responsible for course improvements at Burhill, The Berkshire, St George’s Hill, Woking, and numerous other prestigious clubs around the world.

“We have been working with the Buckinghamshire to develop a plan which will refresh its impressive lay-out by implementing a strategic review of the bunker positioning and style among other planned upgrades,” confirmed the company’s principal course architect, Tim Lobb. “At the forefront of all our design proposals is to create a strategic, interesting and fair golfing challenge for club members, visitors and tournament golfers alike.”

Hertfordshire professional Callum Shinkwin secured his European Tour card for next season after finishing joint third in the Challenge Tour’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final held in Oman last month.

Although the weather was not ideal, with strong gusts of wind throughout the final round, the 22 year old from Moor Park’s 11-under-par total was good enough to take third place, two shots behind the tournament winner, Portugal’s Richard Gouveia – who also won the order of merit.

Shinkwin has enjoyed three top finishes on the Challenge Tour this season, and finished in 13th place in the final standings to automatically secure his European Tour card, and avoid the dreaded trip to the European Tour’s qualifying school in Spain.

Having finished seventh in this year’s Madeira Islands Open, he can look forward to a good number of starts on the European Tour for the 2016 season.

Moor Park’s general manager said: “All of us at Moor Park would like to say a huge congratulations to Callum – we are so proud to see him on the European Tour.”

Marco Penge is targeting all the top amateur events in 2016

Magnolia Park will be home to a Williams Golf fitting centre

High-flying Penge targets top amateur prizes

Magnolia revs up Williams test centre Magnolia Park Golf & Country Club in Buckinghamshire has signed an exclusive partnership with Formula 1 team Williams Racing to become a fitting centre for its new range of golf equipment.

The partnership was officially announced at last month’s London Golf Show at Bluewater in Kent, at a signing involving Magnolia Park’s director of golf Paul Bird and Williams Racing’s golf director James Wilson.

The partnership will see Magnolia Park’s pro shop stock all of Williams Racing’s golf clubs and accessories, along with developing the Williams Racing Golf Centre of Excellence in conjunction with 3D Gears Motion Golf System.

The Williams F1 team, which first launched in 1977, is based in Wantage in Oxfordshire, and employs over 600 staff.The

first Williams Golf range includes drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters, as well as selection of trolley and stand bags.

Speaking at the launch, Williams’s James Wilson said: “Williams’ engineers push the limits of performance, and we want to bring their expertise to create the most highly advanced golf equipment, while testing all critical design aspects to ensure the product is the best the industry has to offer.”

Sussex and England player Marco Penge is planning a full-scale attack on all of amateur golf’s top events next season, after enjoying another successful year in the boys’ division.

Although just 17, Penge has long been touted as a rising star of the game, but this year he confirmed his credentials after being crowned England’s top junior golfer having won the Boys’ Order of Merit, and ranked as the top under-18 amateur in Europe.

Penge, who is attached to Golf At Goodwood, won three national tournaments in 2015, and eased to the order of merit title despite playing very few events on the boys’ tour due to his senior commitments.

Commenting on his performances this season, Penge said: “The year has given me a lot of confidence. Winning the Scottish Amateur was the big one. I played with some class players that week, which really helped improve my game.”

Penge has plans to turn pro before he turns 20, but not until he feels his game is ready. “My good golf is good enough for the top amateur game, but my bad golf needs improving,” he admitted.

NEWS IN BRIEF RUEBOTHAM WINS AT THE WARREN Welwyn’s James Ruebotham won the Essex PGA Pro-Am held at the Warren Golf and Country Club on November 26 after shooting a four-under-par 66. The tournament was held in honour of the late George Swan, a brother of one of the founders of The Warren, who died shortly before the tournament.

Ruebotham finished one shot in front of Chris Cutchie (Colchester), with third place shared by 68s from Mark Bishop (Toot Hill) and Mark Talbott (Thorpe Hall). The betterball competition was won by Bishop and amateur partner Will Kirtley with 43 Stableford points.

HEVER TO HOST HOSPICE DAY Hever Castle Golf Club is on the hunt for golfers to take part in the 2016 St Catherine’s Hospice Golf Day, which is being hosted at the historic Kent club on April 21. The day will raise vital funds for the hospice, which costs £9 million a year to run, and provides care and comfort for people at the latter stages of their lives. The golf day costs £68pp, to include coffee and bacon rolls, 18 holes of golf, three-course dinner and prizes.

For entries call 01732 701003 or email golfdays@hever.co.uk.

[6]

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Club handicaps to rise to 54 following rules revision Golf club members will have to quickly get up to speed with some new rules governing handicaps, after the Council of National Golf Unions issued a number of key changes to the handicapping system that come into effect on January 1 next year.

The changes are the result of a fouryear review which aims to ensure club members have handicaps that truly reflect their playing abilities.

Among the key changes is the introduction of new ‘club handicap’ of up to 54 strokes for adults and juniors.

This new allowance will only be valid for club-run events and cannot be used in open competitions.

Allowances have also been changed for four ball better ball games, with the highest handicapper now able to concede just 9/10th the difference to the other three players, rather than the previous three-quarters.

In a bid to help those who sometimes only play nine holes, rather than the

Club handicaps are being raised to a new maximum of 54 for internal competitions

full 18, it will be possible to put in supplementary scores over nine holes for handicaps. These scores will also be taken into account for an Exceptional Scoring Reduction.

And in a bid to encourage more lapsed golfers to regain their handicaps, CONGU has changed the reinstatement of a competition status so that players can submit just three qualifying scores, which can be 18-hole competitions, 9-hole competitions, or supplementary scores both at home and away.

The handicap year will now follow the calendar year of January 1 to December 31, and a player’s handicap will be based on scores returned within that period.

Jim McArthur, CONGU chairman, said: “The Unified Handicapping System does not stand still and, as a result, we again have a number of further refinements to the system reflecting both experience and new evidence. We continually review the system to encourage participation in both competitive golf and social golf, whilst at the same time trying to ensure that the system is fair for players of all abilities.”

England Golf will host a series of handicap roadshows in January and February to help clubs understand and implement the changes. The two-hour sessions will be led by Gemma Hunter, England Golf’s Handicap and Course Rating Manager, and are free to attend for up to three delegates.

The new CONGU manual is in the process of being published, although a pre-publication version can be viewed at www.congu.com.

The London Golf Club is hosting the 2016 Brabazon Trophy

England Golf has issued an invitation for clubs to put themselves forward to host national championships and tournaments over the next three years.

England Golf runs almost 50 events in England each year, ranging from competitions for handicap golfers to prestigious championships that attract international fields.

While all of the tournament venues for 2016 are already filled, there are unallocated slots for numerous top amateur events in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

“We’d be delighted to hear from any club that is interested in hosting an event,” said James Crampton, England Golf’s championship director.

“It’s a great way for clubs to mark a special anniversary, or to show off their courses and become better known.”

Among the clubs hosting events in 2015 was Robin Hood Golf Club in Warwickshire, which held its first national championship when it staged the English Senior Men’s County Championship.

“We felt the club was probably one of the best in the Midlands, but we wanted to raise its

Gu a Fu rant ll E eed n 1 F glis no t RE h B em E O rea po N A kfa rary LL st U gr e PA CK pgra ens AG de* ES

Society, Corporate & Charity Golf Days GOLD PACKAGE

£44

per person*

SILVER PACKAGE

£36

per person*

Full English Breakfast Unlimited Golf Two course Winter Warmer Meal

Coffee & Bacon Roll Unlimited Golf One course Winter Warmer Meal

Complimentary 2 ball voucher included on 17+ players

Complimentary 2 ball voucher included on 17+ players

*Book the Bronze or Silver Package and take a free full English Breakfast upgrade. Quote ‘Golf News’ Groups 12+ for Silver and Gold.Valid Monday to Friday.

2nd November 2015 - 31st March 2016

BRONZE PACKAGE

£29

per person*

Coffee & Bacon Roll Unlimited Golf

Contact us: Hever Castle Golf Club Hever Road, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NP Call Claire: 01732 701003 Email: golfdays@hever.co.uk www.hever.co.uk

NEWS | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

[7]

Clubs invited CAVERSHAM HEATH TO to host England HOST EUROPRO TOUR championships

profile amongst the wider golf community,” said general manager Martin Ward. “We had spent an enormous amount of money on the course, and the greens and fairways had come on in leaps and bounds. All of our staff and a lot of the members were very pleased and proud that the event took place – and the participants were very complimentary in their praise of the course. The word has spread very well.”

Next year will see a number of clubs in the south east playing host to top amateur events, including The London Golf Club, which is staging the Brabazon Trophy in June, while the English Senior Women’s Stroke Play Championship is being held at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire during the same month.

July will see Royal Ashdown Forest host the McGregor Trophy, while Porters Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire is staging the Reid Trophy. Frilford Heath will once again host England Golf’s festival week in August, while Stoke by Nayland in Essex is the venue for the English Champion Club in September.

    



Caversham Heath Golf Club in Berkshire has been chosen to host two events on next year’s PGA EuroPro Tour schedule.

The main competition will take place from August 10-12, with a Pro-Am event on August 9, while the club has also been chosen to host final qualifying for the tour in March.

Caversham Heath has previously hosted Jamega Tour and Trilby Tour events, however the staging of an event affiliated to the European Tour marks a big step up the club, with television coverage broadcast by Sky Sports providing an opportunity to showcase the club and its 15-year-old heathland course to a wider golfing audience.

General manager Matt Ackerman said: “To attract a PGA EuroPro Tour event to Caversham Heath is reward and recognition of the quality of the course and hard work that all the team have put in to ensure we try and improve year on year.

“Staging the tournament not only gives Caversham Heath excellent exposure to a

global audience, but it raises the profile of the club while being associated with the governing bodies of European Golf.”

He added: “Daniel Godding, the EuroPro Tour Director of Operations, who came to assess the course was so impressed that he asked us to host a Qualifying School event in March, as well as the main event, which we were delighted to do. We hope the tournament shows viewers and golfers in the area what they could enjoy on a daily basis if they were a member with us.

Some of our current members are already planning their 2016 holidays around the event!”

Daniel Godding, said: “I absolutely love the golf course at Caversham, and feel it is a real test for our players. Not only it is long, but it is excellently designed and will be a challenge to the very best of Europe’s top young professional golfers. Positioned just outside of Reading and close to the M25, the club works very well for us logistically, and I am really looking forward to the event.”

The EuroPro Tour will making two visits to Caversham Heath in 2016

NEWS IN BRIEF SCADE CLAIMS ROYAL LINKS Ingrebourne Links professional James Scade won the PGA East Region’s Royal Event after firing rounds of 71 and 72 at Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St Georges respectively.

His one-under par total saw him finish two shots clear of James Jankowski, Darren Parker and Luke Eggleston. Stapleford Abbotts’ professional Marc Dodd combined with amateurs Ross Lyons, James Wheatland and Rob Baker to win the team event.

SURREY JUNIORS WIN FRIENDSHIP TROPHY A team of juniors representing Surrey defeated teams from Germany, France and Spain to win the Friendship Trophy for the third consecutive year.

The six-strong squad, which comprised Martha Lewis (St Georges Hill), Lauren Horsford (Wimbledon Park), Cameron Bell (Woodcote Park), Max O’Hagan (West Hill), Harvey Byers (Walton Heath), and Alfie Fox (Roehampton), prevailed by seven shots in the 36-hole stroke play tournament held at Toulouse Sielh Golf Club in the South of France.

NEWS IN BRIEF SURREY GOLF TO RESTRUCTURE SQUAD COACHING Surrey Golf’s junior coaching programme is to be revised so that individual squads at U17, U16 and U15 levels will be amalgamated into one overall training squad of 20 players lead by four coaches.

A separate U18 tournament squad of between 10 and 12 players will form the basis of the U18 Inter County League team and South East Region qualifier teams.

MID SUSSEX TO HOST VERA LYNN GOLF DAY Mid Sussex Golf Club in Ditchling is to host the annual Dame Vera Lynn charity golf day on April 20.

The day, which costs £200 for a team of four, comprises 18 holes, followed by dinner and prizes. All proceeds from the day will be donated to the Dame Vera Lynn Periwinkle Appeal for the special care baby unit at Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. To enter a team, email Michael Stratford at stratford.m@ hotmail.co.uk, or call 01444 884204.

[8]

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Wentworth members fight back over plans to make it ‘billionaires-only’ club Some of Wentworth Club’s beleaguered membership have joined forces with residents of the Wentworth Estate to fight the club’s new Chinese owner over its plans for the famous Surrey venue.

Hundreds of Wentworth residents voted on November 21 to engage the new management team of Chinese conglomerate Reignwood, by ‘taking any appropriate action with public relations consultants and lawyers’ over planned changes at the club.

They have voted to create a special committee to bring together club members and local residents to investigate legal action unless Reignwood backtracks on new fees and rules.

It is expected residents will seek legal advice on complex covenants attached to Wentworth properties, some of which give automatic membership rights, and challenge management on the legality of asking existing members — who will have paid fees when they joined — to pay again.

It is thought the new management might be contractually bound to act in the best interests of existing members.

Last month saw Reignwood announce it would cut the number of members of the club from 4,000 to around 800,

charge a one-off debenture fee of £100,000, and raise annual membership rates to £16,000.

Members have complained of a lack of transparency in the selection process for the 800 invitation places.

The statement sparked an impassioned general meeting where an elderly resident, Sir Stanley Simmons, won a concession for certain older members after arguing for the protection of members’ rights.

Residents argue Reignwood has broken its promise of ‘preserving [Wentworth’s] unique culture’ by introducing costs that the majority of current members cannot afford.

“This issue for us is primarily driven by the absolute destruction of the community that will take place as a result of the change of fee structure,” said Justin Bowman, captain of tennis and health at the club.

“It’ll be a graveyard,” said another member, Robert White-Cooper, who has lived in Wentworth for

almost 20 years.

Reignwood bought the club last year for £135m from restaurateur Richard Caring who, at the time, said he would look for an owner that recognised ‘the iconic nature of Wentworth’.

According to members, there was consternation among staff when a Chinese flag was erected alongside the club flag and St George’s Cross. Anger intensified, they said, when only the St George’s Cross was lowered to half mast after the Paris attacks.

Reignwood was not represented at the residents association meeting after Wentworth’s chief executive, Stephen Gibson, pulled out at the last minute. Some members

said they were planning to disrupt the BMW Championship at Wentworth next year.

Others remain focused on the value of property at Wentworth — which is currently priced at a premium because of the club.

“I fear that this is a property development grab,” said Nigel Moss, who started a group called Wet Feet to campaign against the changes. “Why else would they cut the membership down like this?”

A further extraordinary general meeting was held

by Wentworth members on December 6, although the outcome of this meeting was unclear as GolfNews went to press.

Homeowners on the Wentworth Estate have joined forces with club members to fight the new owner’s plans to restructure the membership

Chipstead Golf Club

invite you to take advantage of a one off Membership Offer!!

EPSOM GOLF CLUB ENJOY PLAYING EPSOM’S PANORAMIC DOWNLAND COURSE. GREAT FOR CHALLENGING WINTER GOLF, EXCELLENT DRAINAGE AND NO TROLLEY BANS.

WINTER WARMER SPECIAL

BACON ROLL & COFFEE, 18 HOLES & HOT MEAL MON (AFTER 11AM) £30 TUES-THURS £40 FRI-SUN £45

SPECIAL GREEN FEES

MON (AFTER 11AM) £15 WED (OVER 60’S, AFTER 9.30AM) £17.50 WEEKDAYS (AFTER 1PM) £17.50 WEEKENDS (AFTER 1PM) £22.50

To book please contact the Professional Shop on 01372 741867 or email stuartwalker@epsomgolfclub.co.uk More Society & Group packages available. Group bookings are for 8 or more players.

EPSOM GOLF CLUB Longdown Lane South, Epsom, Surrey KT17 4JR www.epsomgolfclub.co.uk

3O0F% F

For the FIRST 30 new members

For the NEXT 30 new members

(other than Flexi) joining between December 1st and 31st Jan 2016.

Terms and Conditions Apply.

(other than Flexi) joining between December 1st and 31st Jan 2016.

Terms and Conditions Apply.

on all playing membership categories

on all playing membership categories

JUNIO MEMBER R OFFE S R

P HI S

ALL GOLF DAYS INCLUDE A FREE PAR 3 EVENT ON OUR INDOOR GC2 GOLF SIMULATOR

5O0F% F

FREE MEMBERSHIP

for the FIRST 15 Juniors and half price for the NEXT 15 Juniors.

Must be over the age of 12, have full golf equipment and the required playing standard to take up this offer which will run until 31st Jan 2016!!!

DON’T MISS OUT ON THESE UNBEATABLE OFFERS!!!

For more information on our one off membership offer’s call Gary or Sue on 01737-555781 or email directorofgolf@chipsteadgolf.co.uk

NEWS | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Over 100 rooms were destroyed by the fire at Wokefield Park

Wokefield Park open for business after fire Wokefield Park Hotel & Golf Club is open for business again, but operating at a reduced capacity, after a fire destroyed over 100 rooms at the three-star Basingstoke-based hotel on November 12.

Over 230 guests staying at the 375-room venue were forced to evacuate their rooms after a section of the building went up in flames in the early evening.

Guests and conference delegates were taken by coaches to nearby alternative accommodation, while 13 fire engines and over 50 firefighters tackled the blaze, which fortunately resulted in no casualties.

A subsequent investigation discovered that the fire had started in a linen area on the ground floor of the building, before spreading to the roof, although what caused the room to ignite is still be announced.

Repairing the damage – which was to one of Wokefield’s newer blocks, and not the 18th century mansion house – is expected to run into millions of pounds. The hotel is trying to honour bookings made during what is one of the busiest periods of the year, and those guests that are unable to stay are being offered alternative accommodation arrangements at nearby hotels.

A spokesman for Wokefield Park said: “Whilst there has been damage to some of the bedrooms in one of the buildings, a large proportion of the venue is unaffected and was immediately back in operation.

We are in communication with all guests and any clients that may be affected.”

[9]

NEWS IN BRIEF

Developer to appeal over planners’ no vote for Dye London course Plans to build Britain’s first council’s own planning officer Dye-designed golf course at had recommended acceptance, Bury Farm in Edgware, north and the Greater London London, have received a setback Authority had also expressed after being rejected by Barnet support.

Council’s planning committee, Councillors, the local GLA despite planning officers member, and the local MP all recommending they should be expressed opposition to the golf approved. course plan, pointing out that the Developer Bridgedown Ltd, Green Belt site had been farmed owned by Tony Menai Davis – for hundreds of years, that it Tony Menai Davies who also owns The Shire, which served as an important open is also in Barnet – first launched space in the borough, and that its plan for the course two years ago. The the surrounding area was amply supplied project is to be designed by Perry Dye, but with golf courses. The land is owned by All the planning application has previously been Souls College, Oxford, which has agreed to withdrawn and resubmitted with additional lease the site to Bridgedown. information.

But the developers believe this is not the Plans for The Dye London, as the end of the story. Landscape architect Philip venue is to be known, include a 18-hole Russell-Vick, who represented Menai Davis championship course, whose layout will at the meeting, said: “We were pleased include an island green, similar to the famous to have recommendations for approval 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. Like The Shire, from the Greater London Authority and the course will offer seven-day access to the the London Borough of Barnet planning public, and operate a small membership. officer, and were naturally surprised and Last month, Barnet Council’s planning disappointed that the council members committee finally got to consider the decided not to take these recommendations application at a meeting in Hendon Town on board. We are seeking legal advice, and Hall, and committee members voted against will be appealing against the decision.” the proposal, despite the fact that the Sources close to the project say they believe the council will struggle The proposed site of the new to find planning grounds for the Dye London course in Edgware rejection, and that it is likely to be approved on appeal.

Two years ago, the Menai Davis family opened the West London Golf Centre, a driving range and 9-hole course, near Northolt, while an 18-hole championship-style West London Links course is currently due to open nearby in 2017.

FINLAY FLIES IN AT SHIRES FINAL Bedford & County junior Finlay Cummings was crowned 2015 Shires Junior Golf Tour Grand Final winner after posting 39 points on his home. In a field of 75, the 13-year-old pocketed the top prize of a family holiday to Gran Canaria after finishing one point clear of his rivals.

Kettering’s Ashley Critchley won the Silver Division on countback, while Natasha Ainsley-Thomas carded 38 points to clinch the Gold Division.

FOOTGOLF ON THE UP FootGolf, the fast-growing game that requires a football to be kicked into oversized holes, is now offered at over 150 golf clubs in the UK. The sport, which first launched in the UK three years ago, is expected to be available at over 200 venues by the end of 2016, according to the UK FootGolf Association.

A team from England won the 2015 European FootGolf Championship, and UK FootGolf is sending a 16-strong squad to compete at the FootGolf World Cup in Buenos Aires in January.

20 1 6 GOLF DAYS

CA M B ER L E Y HEATH CAMBERLEY HEATH

2016 S OCIET Y PACKAGES NOW RANKED AS THE 88TH BEST COURSE IN ENGLAND. The available packages for the 2016 season are listed below.

W I N TE R G O L F DAY DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY For just £45 per person enjoy 18 holes of golf with a Full English Breakfast with Tea and Coffee before your round or a 1 course lunch after the round.

(Terms and Conditions apply).

TO BOOK YOUR GOLF DAY CALL 01276 23258 OR EMAIL DUNCAN@CAMBERLEYHEATHGOLFCLUB.CO.UK WEB: CAMBERLEYHEATHGOLFCLUB.CO.UK

PACKAGES

WHAT’S INCLUDED

HEATHER

SUMMER WINTER Apr-Sep

Oct-Mar

Coffee & Bacon Roll 18 Holes

£63

£53

PINE

Coffee & Bacon Roll 18 Holes 1 Course Meal

£73

£63

FAIRWAY

Coffee & Bacon Roll 18 Holes 2 Course Meal

£79

£69

HARRY COLT

Coffee & Bacon Roll 18 Holes 3 Course Meal

£84

£74

[10] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

I

BETTER BY

DESIGN Home Golf Design’s artificial putting and chipping greens are an affordable addition to every serious golfer’s back garden.

Just don’t tell the neighbours, otherwise they’ll all want a go.

WORDS BY NICK BAYLY

A challenging green can fit into the smallest of back gardens. This one cost £8,000 to install.

f you’re one of those nosey types who likes to look on Google Earth to see what celebrities’ back gardens look like, you’ll more often than not discover that part of the vast acreage has been astro-turfed over for a helicopter landing pad, kids’ play area, five-aside football pitch or, as is often the case these days, a combination of all three, plus a nine-hole putting course.

While a high percentage of Tour players have converted their enormous estates into full-scale replicas of the greens at Augusta, there are also plenty of regular golfers out there that are choosing to dig up their somewhat smaller domestic lawns and replace them with something altogether more interesting to look at and fun to play on.

Thanks to the UK’s rain-soaked winters and football-ridden summers, keeping a lawn looking tidy at any time of the year is a tough job, but even when it does resemble the Centre Court at Wimbledon, grass is just, well, grass at the end of the day, and good for very little except looking at, interspersed with the tedious jobs

of weeding and cutting.

Which is another reason why more of us are choosing to give up our obsession with firing up the Flymo every Sunday afternoon in favour of pulling out the putter for a spot of practice on the latest generation of artificial greens.

Thanks to massive leaps in technology, the current ‘crop’ of artificial golf greens is far removed from the stuff you used to see behind the apples and pears in your local greengrocers, and more akin to the finely-chiselled swards you’ll find on a championship golf course.

While a tour-standard surface boasting seven different lengths of fake Bermuda, a water feature, and a replica of the Road Hole bunker, can set you back the prize money earned from a top-five place in a World Golf Championship event, a more simple design, featuring a few carefully-constructed holes next to the barbeque area, can be a much more affordable, yet equally effective option, for the amateur golfer.

This is the type of customer that Home Golf Designs is currently working with to fulfill domestic dream layouts. Set up 10 years ago

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

by experienced greenkeeper Andy Brown, who enjoyed spells at Nizels and Croham Hurst, Kent-based Home Golf Greens aims to meet the needs of the keen golfer looking to sharpen up their short game skills in the comfort of their own home.

Rather than trudging off to their local club every time they want to put in a bit of work on their lag putting or greenside chipping, owners of a Home Golf Design green can simply open the back door and, hey presto, they’re on the first hole and sinking putts for fun.

One of Home Golf Design’s earliest customers was threetime European Tour winner Andy Sullivan, who had a five-hole course built in his back garden in the Midlands. While the company can’t take full responsibility for Sullivan’s impressive performances on tour this season, having somewhere to practise his putting stroke at home can’t have harmed his chances of glory.

And while HGD recently installed a nine-hole putting course at a private house on the exclusive Wentworth Estate in Surrey, the company’s traditional customer base is generally on a much tighter

Home Golf Designs prides itself on its attention to fine detail

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS….

How much space do I need to put in a four- or fivehole putting course?

There is no minimum space, as it depends on how far apart or how long the client wants the holes to be. Generally speaking, a comfortable five-hole course could fit into around 100 square metres.

Can artificial greens have contours like a real putting green?

Absolutely. We can build in very subtle slopes that are barely noticeable to the eye, or more severe contours, depending on what the customer wants.

Most clients like one or two completely flat putts mixed in with an uphill and downhill one, which helps with practising pace, and maybe one with a side slope.

Can you alter the speed of an artificial green?

The speed can be adjusted by brushing or rolling them.

“I LOVE PRACTICING ON MY HOME GOLF DESIGN GREEN, THANKS SO MUCH” ANDY SULLIVAN EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER

budget, where a few interesting, well-designed holes on a small plot are all that is required.

“While it’s nice to work with tour players, and those with sizeable budgets, most of our projects are on a much smaller scale, where customers are looking for a few straightforward holes to practice on,” says Andy Brown. “But no matter how big or small the project is, our attention to detail is exactly the same. We work closely with the client through every step of the process to make sure they get exactly what they want, and work within their budgets to achieve their ambitions.”

The son of a golf professional,

and with experience as a greenkeeper, Brown prides himself on knowing the demands golfers have when it comes to replicating greens, as well as what is required to landscape holes into a domestic setting, where greens are often competing with other requirements of a traditional garden.

“Home owners don’t want a green just to be simply plonked down in the back garden,” says Andy. “So we work closely with the client to make sure it blends in with that is already there, and, if required, carry out sympathetic landscaping to ensure that it doesn’t dominate the setting.”

Requiring next to no

maintenance, other than brushing off the leaves in autumn, and capable of withstanding the heaviest of downpours, a Home Golf Design green is a great addition to any golfer’s garden. And with chipping-length surfaces and custom-designed bunkers available to surround your putting green, as well as full-size practice driving nets, golfers can work on all aspects of their game at any time of year, and any time of the day.

So whether you’re looking to win next year’s club championship, set your children on the road to Open glory, or simply want to have somewhere to challenge your mates to a few holes over a drink, a Home Golf Design putting green holds all the answers. Prices range from £1000 upwards.

For more details on Home Golf Designs range of artificial putting and chipping greens, or to book a site visit, call freephone 0800 7837188 or email info@homegolfdesigns.co.uk or visit homegolfdesigns.co.uk

How long will it take to install?

Most domestic greens can be installed in about a week, depending on the amount of site preparation and clean up required. A client might be putting and chipping the weekend after we start, but it obviously depends on the overall size and scope of the project.

This putting green, with practice hitting net, cost £8,500 to install

How much does it cost?

It depends on lots of factors, including how much groundwork, landscaping and drainage needs doing, and other factors such as edging and the level of finish around the green that is required, but we generally suggest a figure of £80 per square metre.

How long will my green last?

The turf used in our putting greens features fibres that are designed to resist the harmful effects of rain, snow, ice, and sun. Depending on how much your use it, an artificial green can last 15 years or more.

HOME GOLF DESIGN CLIENT TESTIMONIALS “Clean and professional. Not only can I hone my game at home, but it’s great fun when we have friends around.”

Mr L.Scott, Bexley “Polite, friendly, professional. My son is out there all hours practicing and playing with his friends.”

Mr N.Bulgin, Chiddingstone, Kent

Up and down: This client opted for a bunker installation

[11]

“The work was carried out according to plan, and the site was left clean and tidy when the job was finished.”

Iain Nicholson, PGA Head Professional

[12] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Private clubs set for VAT claim windfall HM Revenue & Customs has agreed to pay private members’ golf clubs VAT claims over their green fees that could amount to millions of pounds.

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in December 2013 that, green fees at private members’ clubs should have been exempt from VAT. HMRC subsequently announced that it would invoke a defence of ‘unjust enrichment’, amounting to 50 or 67 per cent of the VAT overpaid on green fees. Earlier this month, HMRC said that it has decided to pay 50 or 33 per cent of the value of valid claims ahead of any court decision.

Tax adviser KPMG, which is representing a significant number of

Club are being asked to hold fire on seeking VAT payouts until the final court decision is made

KPMG tax adviser Paul Stewart

private clubs in this case, has advised its clients that it does not propose to adjust claims until the tribunal decisions are released.

“HMRC have confirmed that the reason for the timing of the publication

of the brief is that they have finally made a decision on how clubs should be allocated to the 50 and 67 percent unjust enrichment categories. This is based on whether green fees are less than, or more than, £100 per person per round,” said

Paul Stewart, a VAT director at KPMG. “HMRC’s position is that even where a corporate body simply pays for the green fees only, then the income is to be treated as a corporate day. KPMG argued that VAT should only be accounted for on corporate day packages.

“Our view is that the vast majority of clubs will not be able to file a claim without considerable time investment which, if the First Tier Tribunal finds in the clubs’ favour, will have been unnecessary. We anticipate a judgment on these issues before Christmas, and on that basis recommend that we await that judgment before seeking to adjust any claims.”

Elson bags Bahrain booty Jamie Elson put the disappointment of suffering an early exit from last month’s European Tour Qualifying School behind him when winning the King Hamad Trophy in Bahrain.

Surrey-based Elson, who lost his European Tour card at the end of the 2012 season, and has been playing on the Challenge Tour for the last three years, fired rounds of 69, 69 and 72 at The Royal Golf Club to beat defending champion Andrew Marshall.

Marshall had been instrumental in getting the winner an invitation to play in the event, so it perhaps wasn’t quite the payback that he was expecting, with Elson capturing the trophy and the £5,000 first prize. Victory also earned the 34 year old from Bearwood Lakes an invitation to play in next season’s Trophée Hassan II on the European Tour.

Since the beginning of August, Elson has recorded four top-10 finishes and two wins from 10 starts.

Fairmont St Andrews begins £10m renovation Fairmont St Andrews, the five-star hotel at the Home of Golf, is to undertake a multi-million pound refurbishment programme over the next 18 months.

The investment will be spent on new interiors for all of the public areas in inside the hotel, as well as new bathrooms and suites.

The result will see the existing atrium area transformed with new features, including the installation of a bespoke lighting sculpture by renowned designer George Singer, while the Kittocks Den Bar is also been given a makeover.

Beginning in January, the refurbishment programme has been planned to maximise the experience for leisure, corporate and event guests at one of Scotland’s leading hotels, and will be carried out in phases so as not to interrupt normal business at the hotel.

John Keating, Fairmont St Andrews’ general manager, said: “We are committed to ensuring the hotel remains one of the most prestigious resort properties in Europe, and therefore

New man in charge at The Wisley are continuing to invest to ensure our bedrooms and facilities exceed guest expectations.”

The 520-acre estate has commanding views over the Tay Estuary, the North Sea and the St Andrews skyline. as well as boasting two championship golf courses and conference and event facilities.

Opened in 2001, the hotel is owned by Kennedy Wilson Europe and operated by FRHI Hotels & Resorts, a leading global hotel company, with properties around the world including The Savoy in London, The Plaza in New York, and Raffles in Singapore.

The Wisley Golf Club in successor, said: “John is the Surrey has announced perfect fit, for the high-quality, the appointment of yet relaxed atmosphere that John Glendinning as its new is The Wisley’s approach to general manager. everything. He’s a great fit Formerly managing director for the team already in place, at Close House Hotel and and I know that he will do a Golf Club in Northumberland, great job for the club and its John Glendinning Glendinning will start his new members.” role on January 1.

The Wisley first opened He replaces The Wisley’s former general in 1991, and its 27-hole parkland layout manager, Wayne Sheffield, who left the was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr. private Ripley-based club last month after A major renovation of the nine holes of eight years to take up the role of general the Church course was unveiled in 2011, manager at the exclusive Isleworth while its impressive practice facilities ha Golf & Country Club in Florida, where attracted a significant number European Tiger Woods is one of many Tour player Tour pros, including former Ryder Cup members. players Ross Fisher and Francesco Sheffield, who helped choose his Molinari, to join the membership.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

Plant picked for South Africa tour

Kent star Alfie Plant is looking forward to playing under warm African skies this winter, after being picked for the four-man team representing England Golf in six tournaments in South Africa in the New Year.

Plant, who is a member at Rochester & Cobham and Sundridge Park, will be joined by Jamie Bower, Paul Kinnear and Sean Towndrow on the six-week trip, which starts off with the Gauteng North Stroke Play on January 28, and then takes in the South African Stroke Play, African Open, Southern Cape Open, Cape Province Open, before concluding at the South African Amateur at George Golf Club on March 4.

Plant finished the 2015 season ranked 13th in the men’s order of merit, with his best finishes being runner-up spots in the English Amateur and the Grand Prix de Chiberta in France, where he was picked as captain.

[13]

Route 66: Chris Gane maintained his winning form with victory at Hankley Common

Gane hits Hankley rivals with 66 Silvermere’s talented left-hander Chris Gane set a hot pace for the new Titleist & FootJoy PGA South Winter Series, shooting a five-under-par 66 around Hankley Common to win the first event by three shots.

Picking up the first prize of £500, Gane outclassed his nearest rivals Rob Humphrey (Tyrrell’s Wood), Scott Stevens (Staplehurst) and Ben Flint (Broke Hill), who each shot 69.

With six birdies, Flint came closest to challenging Gane, and although four dropped shots took the shine off

things, his promising performance was rewarded with the leading assistant’s prize – a ball, glove and shoe contract from the sponsors.

Starting at the 10th, Gane charged through the 13th, 14th and 15th with birdies, and made one more at the 17th to be four-under at the turn. He made three more birdies at the first, third and fifth to reach seven-under, and even though he dropped two shots on the way home, his lead was still big enough for him to coast home by three.

A new twilight ticket will allow latecomers to watch The Open at a reduced price

Order your 2016 Society Guide now!

The Ultimate Guide to Society & Company Golf has been must-have publication for every golf society organisers for many a year.

Featuring many of the UK’s finest clubs and courses, predominantly located in the South East, this indispensible handy full-colour publication provides all the information you’ll ever need to make your golf day a success.

Among details included are up-to-date prices and packages for societies and visitors, information on tee time restrictions, comprehensive directions and local accommodation tips, as well as detailed descriptions of all the courses, with full colour photographs.

As well as being available in print format, the 2016 guide will also be available to view and download from the Golf News website – www.golfnews.co.uk – or from golfdayguide.com, making it even more user-friendly.

To pre-order your copy of The Guide to Society & Company Golf, email your name, name of group, number of group and address to: info@golfnews. co.uk, with ‘Society Guide’ in the subject line.

R&A lowers Open ticket prices Ticket prices for next year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon have been lowered for spectators who buy their tickets in advance.

Day tickets for the championship, which takes place at the historic Ayrshire links from July 14-17, are now on sale for £60 if bought before May 31, which is £10 less than in 2015. Tickets bought after that date will cost the gate price of £80.

In addition to the cheaper advance ticket, the R&A has launched a new twilight ticket, which offers entry to the course from 4pm onwards on Thursday and Friday for £25. These tickets are also available in advance, although their number will be limited. Play on the first two days often goes on until 9pm, giving fans up to five hours of action to watch.

Weekly tickets, valid from July 10th-

17th, are available for £230 before May 31, representing a saving of £95 on the daily ticket prices for the full week, and £260 thereafter.

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the R&A, said: “We recognise that many people have work commitments during the week and the new twilight ticket will give them an attractive option to attend The Open. We have also made some changes this year to encourage spectators to purchase tickets early, which helps us with planning the services and facilities we offer at the championship.”

Children under 16 accompanied by an adult are once again offered free entry. For youths aged 16-21, a day ticket costs £25 before May 31 and £30 thereafter. To buy tickets visit www. theopen.com.

NEWS IN BRIEF MEHMET AND HEWSON IN CURTIS CUP SQUAD Surrey’s Inci Mehmet and Hertfordshire’s Alice Hewson have been have been invited to take part in a Curtis Cup familiarization visit to Dun Laoghaire GC, near Dublin on December 18-19. The two players are part of an eightstrong squad that will travel to the Irish venue ahead of the matches against USA, which take place next June. The final team will be announced on April 28.

WRIGHT RESULT IN PGA PLAY-OFF Welsh Professional Gareth Wright secured an invitation to next year’s BMW PGA Championship after winning the PGA Play-Offs in Turkey. The West Linton man holed a 15foot birdie putt on the final hole at Antalya Golf Club to secure his status as the PGA number one. His nine-under par total of 275 saw him finish one stroke ahead of longtime leader Matt Cort, whose approach to the 18th hole found an impossible lie on the lip of a bunker, which cost him a shot. PGA South region champion James Ablett finished tenth, which also earned him trip to Wentworth in May.

[14] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

MIKE AND THE MECHANICS TUNE UP FOR BMW English supergroup Mike and the Mechanics will add a splash of stardust to proceedings at next season’s BMW PGA Championship, when the band fronted by Genesis founding member Mike Rutherford make a rare appearance in their 2015 schedule at Wentworth.

The ‘quiet please’ signs will be cast aside following play in the third round of the 2016 event on Saturday, May 28, and the amplifiers cranked up as the multi-millionselling band performs on the new, expanded stage in the championship village.

Golf and rock fans can marvel at the world’s leading players in action over the famous West Course, before settling down to listen to Mike and the Mechanics belt out a set featuring hit singles such as Silent Running, All I Need Is a Miracle, Word of Mouth, Over My Shoulder and the popular Living Years.

Mike Rutherford will also be among the many celebrities taking part in the Pro-Am tournament at the BMW PGA Championship

Mike and the Mechanics will be entertaining the Wentworth crowds in May

Following their hugely successful 25th anniversary ‘Hits’ tour earlier this year, their Wentworth gig will be one of a select few appearances in 2016, so tickets are expected to be snapped up by fans ahead of the festive season.

Rutherford, who will be playing the West Course in the Pro-Am tournament earlier in the week, said: “It promises to be a great experience playing at such an iconic venue as Wentworth. At least I will be back in my comfort zone with a guitar, rather than a golf club, in my hands! I can’t wait to play golf on Wednesday and then get back on stage with my band to entertain the fans on Saturday.”

Adult tickets for the public to access both the day’s golf and the concert at the close of play are available at a special preChristmas price of £35. The price rises to £45 after Christmas and will cost £50 on the gate.

To buy tickets for the championship and/or the concert, visit www.europeantour.com/ tickets or call 01344 840550.

Cash injection: Broome Manor is set for major investment

Broome Manor to receive £3m makeover Broome Manor Golf Complex is set to benefit from a massive investment programme following its recent purchase by a private company.

The complex was sold by Swindon Borough Council last year, and its new owner, golf club operator Twigmarket, has outlined plans to spend over £3m developing the venue.

The company, which also runs Trent Park Golf Club in north London, is planning to build a 50-bedroom hotel and a new 18-hole adventure golf course at Broome Manor within the next 12 months.

An extension to the existing pro shop, and a larger car park, are also part of the investment plans at the venue, which is famous for being where former European No.1 David Howell first started out in the game.

“These plans are essential to Twigmarket’s strategy of diversifying the revenue streams from the site to subsidise golf revenues,” said Jeremy Sturgess, director of Twigmarket. “Green fee revenues are in decline throughout the UK, so building the hotel will secure the long-term financial viability of the complex, which had been under threat of closure as council losses mounted. These golf courses were losing money and something needs to change to make them financially viable.”

Twigmarket has invested over £200,000 since it took over Broome Manor last year, with money spent restructuring the layout of the clubhouse to provide a new reception area, café and gym.

Get back on course!

Selsdon Park Hotel & Golf Club Sanderstead, Surrey

Winter Special Package

Have you tried shockwave therapy? Highly effective treatment of tendon related pain.

Including: tennis elbow, shoulder tendonitis, heel, achilles and knee trauma, chronic neck, back and hip pain

We are offering some fantastic promotions for Winter 2015 Winter Package is only £19 pp and includes:Breakfast on arrival 18 Holes of Golf Monday - Friday.

Subject to availability groups of 12 or more.

Shockwave therapy is a modern and highly effective treatment option in orthopaedic and rehabilitation medicine. The term shockwave refers to mechanical pressure pulses that expand as a wave in the body. In modern pain therapy, shockwave energy is conducted from the point of origin to the painful body regions, where it applies its healing capacities. Used by the renown clinic within AC Milan and most leading Sports Medicine Clinics around the world.

Book your appointment today with: Paul Morrisey The Osteopathic Clinic of Physical Medicine Clinics in Croydon and Warlingham in Surrey Clinic times: Mon-Fri: 9am - 6.00pm and later times by appointment

For more information please call Caroline Screene, Golf Manager on 0208 768 3113 www.principal-payley.com • Addington Road, Sanderstead, Surrey, CR2 8YA

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT Tel: 020 8662 1155 Email: contact@osteopathclinic.co.uk Web: shockwave-therapy.co.uk

WATCH OUR VIDEO https://youtu.be/ Y47jy8-irFo

NEWS | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

[15]

Stevens masters gale- Swingers club prepares to pop up in the City lashed Littlestone Staplehurst’s Scott Stevens mastered near impossible conditions at Littlestone to win the third event in the Titleist & FootJoy PGA South Winter Series.

His heroic performance of two-over-par 73 was five shots clear of Leeds Castle’s Steve Purves.

With wind speeds reaching well over 30mph, and gusting up to 50mph, Littlestone’s links was exposed to the full force of the gale.

Stevens soon proved the point with a triple bogey seven on the second hole, but a brilliant birdie, eagle, birdie charge through the fourth, fifth and sixth catapulted him into pole position.

The real problems were on the back nine, where Stevens dropped shots at the 10th and the 12th, before a birdie at the short 14th got him back on even par. The last two holes were into the teeth of the gale and bogeys ensued, but on a day when simply completing the round was an achievement, Stevens’ 73 was outstanding.

“It was all about keeping your head, as shots were inevitably going to be dropped,” said Stevens, who picked up £333 for his efforts. “The wind’s force made it difficult to address the ball, let alone play the type of shots that were required, but the course itself was in great condition. The triple bogey on the second was a big blow, but the birdie, eagle, birdie run restored my confidence and determination to make the best of the situation. It was only when we got back inside, and I was able to compare notes, that I began to appreciate how good my 73 actually was!”

A pop-up crazy golf course in East London that was visited by over 90,000 people this year is relocating to new venue in the City next year.

The Shoreditch-based Swingers – which was open for six months from September last year until to February of this year – will make a return next year, in a former World War II bunker beneath London’s financial centre.

Founders Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds started looking for a permanent home before the pop-up finished its run, and have now secured a 16,000 sq ft subterranean site in the Brown’s Building at the foot of the Gherkin. Due to open in early April, it will incorporate two ninehole crazy golf courses, four bars, and three street food stalls.

A focal point of the space will be a two-storey 1920s-themed clubhouse, complete with trophies on the walls and a gin terrace that overlooks the golfing action. There will also be a private dining room run in association

A gin bar overlooked the crazy golf course at Swingers in Shoreditch

with Cava brand Freixenet, which is a sponsor of the new site.

The venue will open daily from midday until late and will be free to enter, although tickets for golf will cost £13 in advance or £15 on the door.

Speaking about the new venture, Mr Grech-Smith said: “Crazy golf is part of British culture – there’s a lot of nostalgia attached to it, because everyone remembers playing it as a child.

More than anything, though, I think people are craving different experiences from their nights out; especially if they can do those experiences with a drink in hand.”

NEWS IN BRIEF FRILFORD CAPTURE 4SOMES LEAGUE Frilford Heath sealed a Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League double, as they added the Knock Out Cup to their Section 2 title. The 2014 champions defended the trophy in style, running out 3-0 winners against Hadden Hill, who had won Section 3.

Delayed by a week due to bad weather, Frilford took charge of the final, which was hosted

by Burford. Gary Hamilton and Frilford captain Peter Clements played superb golf in the first match to beat Sam Boffin and Martin Dowzall 4&3. Ashley Walton and Dean Newbold edged a tight second match by one hole against Mark Grootz and Lee Fuller, while Tim Smith and Lee White were four-under par for their 5&4 win over Mike Partridge and Dom O’Rourke.

HORSFORD EARNS Q SCHOOL GRADES Surrey County champion Lauren Horsford finished second in a pre-qualifier for the 2016 Ladies European Tour School held in Colombia.

The Wimbledon Park player shot rounds of 70, 69, 73 and 72 to progresses to final qualifying in Morocco later this month.

The new Swingers venue will occupy a 16,000 sq ft building in London’s Square Mile

GREEN FEE OFFER HARLEYFORD GOLF CLUB Jewel on the Thames

SOCIETY PACKAGES THIS WINTER Harleyford Golf Club is set in truly magnificent surroundings, nestled by the River Thames at Marlow. Discovering Harleyford for the first time is like uncovering a hidden treasure.

Beautifully crafted in a natural downland setting, the 6,714 yard par 72 course is both challenging and rewarding to players of all levels. The history of the estate dates back to the 12th century and is designated as “an area of outstanding beauty”.

Harleyford Golf Club Marlow Ltd Harleyford Estate, Henley Road Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2SP Telephone: 01628 816177 Web: harleyfordgolf.co.uk Email: kate@harleyfordgolf.co.uk

THE FOLLEY PACKAGE

Coffee, tea & pastries in the Marlow Room on arrival followed by 18 holes of golf. £37.50pp

THE THAMES PACKAGE

Coffee, tea & pastries in the Marlow Room on arrival followed by 18 holes of golf then return to the Clubhouse for a light lunch. £42.00pp

Get together with friends this winter to play one of the most glorious golf courses in Sussex… £99 per four ball: coffee on arrival, 18 holes of golf followed by sizzling sausage and mash and our magical onion gravy!

Valid Monday to Friday from 1st November 2015 to 31st March 2016 for a minimum of 4 players and a maximum of two tee times, subject to availability.

THE MARLOW PACKAGE

Coffee, tea & pastries in the Marlow Room on arrival followed by 18 holes of golf then return to the Clubhouse for a two course meal. £48.00pp

THE CLAYTON PACKAGE

Coffee, tea & pastries in the Marlow Room on arrival followed by 18 holes of golf then return to the Clubhouse for a three course meal. £52.00pp

CALL US

01403 210228

EMAIL US enquiries@manningsheath.com FIND OUT MORE manningsheath.com/sizzler Mannings Heath, an Exclusive Golf Club, Hammerpond Road, Mannings Heath, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 6PG

[16] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

VINTAGE FALDO

Nick Bayly caught up with Sir Nick Faldo at the launch of his new range of wines, and found out what the six-time major champion makes of the so-called ‘Big Three’; his role in Germany’s bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup; his take on Tiger’s future; golf at the Olympics; and why he loves easy-drinking reds

Y

ou’ve launched six wines to represent your six major wins. Which is your most cherished victory, and which is your favourite wine in the collection?

The badge on the label on the bottles features six stripes, each of which represents a major. The claret stripe represents the claret jug, and the green stripe represents the Masters’ jacket, and that’s the order I won them in: Open, Masters, Masters, Open, Open, Masters.

Each holds a special place in my memory and in my personal history. The first is life changing and the last is life affirming. The two in the middle came in the same year, a rare defense of the Masters and an Open win at St Andrews.

I wouldn’t give one up. They each mean something very special to me and today those six define my career. As that relates to wine and these wines, I do believe that each was selected because it really struck a chord with me; a taste or a feel. Each will match with its selected meal or occasion or company. One is perfect for one celebration and one is perfect for the next. In all honesty, it’s been a fun project to be involved with. I think we’ve done it well, and I’ll be happy if golfers around the world come up to me and say: ‘Hey Faldo, I’ve tasted your wine, and it’s all right’.

If you were describe your character when you were winning all your majors as you would a wine, what would you write on the label?

I was a detail-oriented player and a difficult taskmaster. I sought perfection. I put an incredible amount of time and practice into it all. I believed in that and still do. There was no science in those days. There was simply the feel and the muscle memory of a well-executed shot. Fortunately it was in my DNA, and I enjoyed the process of doing the same thing over and over again, day after day, year after year.

Thousands of balls struck until I achieved the goal and the shot I was aiming to achieve under pressure; without question every single time.

And what would it say now, with a few decades of maturity?

I am still fully committed to the best. The DNA part, the part which drives me to reach for the best, is still very much part of me. That fits well with great wine making. I appreciate the process, the detail, and therefore the best end result.

Did you drink much during your playing days, or is wine something you’ve discovered in later life?

I remember when I won the Spanish Open in Las Brisas in 1987, I had a lot of friends down there and we had a dinner that night and one of my friends said, ‘You have to try this Marqués de Riscal’. That kind of stuck with me and had a bit of extra meaning. Fortunately all the expensive wines I’ve had since, I haven’t bought – my rich friends have. I’ve been a very moderate, very disciplined drinker all my life. I’m no connoisseur or anything, but I enjoy it, and probably drink it more for medicinal purposes, because it’s got antioxidants and all that sort of thing. So I think it’s better to drink red wine rather than beer as I get older.

Might you add any more wines to the collection in the future?

I’m under pressure from my connections in Germany to put a German wine in there, so who knows, we may do others.

On the subject of Germany, as the original designer of Sporting Club Berlin, Germany’s preferred venue for its bid to host the 2022 Ryder Cup, what do you think of their chances of getting the nod?

I’ve not got any inside information from the tour, but I think

Rory McIlroy poses with Sir Nick after winning the Under 17 Division of the 2006 Faldo Junior Series

“HIS RHYTHM HAS GONE ON TO BECOME HIS HALLMARK. PHYSICALLY, HE CAN SPIN HIS HIPS FASTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. SO WHEN HE IS ON, HE CAN GENERATE A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF POWER.” it’s got a good chance. German sponsors have poured a lot of money into golf, and in Bernhard Langer and Martin Kaymer, they’ve got a strong Ryder Cup pedigree. Bad Saarow, as it is now known, is ideally set up to host the Ryder Cup – they’re talking about getting in 60,000 fans a day – and the layout is very open, with lots of good viewing points. The plan is to take seven holes from my existing course, and take 11 others from the adjacent courses to create an 18-hole composite. It will have lots of risk/reward holes – perfect for a Ryder Cup. Could be good for your design business if that goes ahead.

Yeah, it certainly won’t do us any harm. We’re pretty busy, but we’re always on the look out for more! We’re currently building two courses in Cambodia, and looking at another potential course in Vietnam, so there’s lots bubbling over.

What do you make of the concept of ‘the Big Three’, [Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day]? Is it too early to be talking about these players in those terms?

With Tiger having dominated the game for much of the past 10-15 years, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a bit of competition at the top end of the rankings, so it’s not surprising that the media is looking to stir up some sort of rivalry story. We had the big three moons ago, with Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, now it looks like we’re approaching having another one. Of course, it’s very early days for all three players – they’re all still in their 20s – but it would be great for golf if these guys were able to go head-to-head down the stretch in the majors and other big events in the years ahead.

How hungry do you think Rory will be to regain the top spot after seeing the other two surge past him this season?

It will really motivate Rory. Rory loves the limelight, and he wants to be world number one again. He doesn’t like the fact that these two other guys went ‘whoosh’ past him because of his injury, so he’ll be gearing up big time for next season.

Most golfers suffer injuries at some point. How did you approach them during your career?

You’ve got to look after yourself. You’re an athlete, and you have a window of opportunity. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to wrap yourself up in cotton wool, but some things you’ve just got to think twice about. Your priority is to do everything right to be a golfer for the time you are out there. Once it’s over, hopefully you’ve got 50 more years of the rest of your life to enjoy what you achieved as an athlete for 20 years.

Some observers have said that Spieth has to find some more distance off the tee if he is to stay at the top. Do you think that’s the case?

He doesn’t need to change a thing. I’ve been there, and when you’re playing well you’re always looking for more, but all you really need to do is just maintain things. If you’re playing well enough to beat the best in the world, I wouldn’t go and look to tinker too much with it. That’s what so many players have done before, thinking ‘I’ve got this good, I want to keep going’, but maintaining it is a tough enough game. There’s a knife edge between playing so well that it makes you feel so darn good that you feel 100 per cent confident, to then, very simply, hitting a few bad shots. That whacks your confidence.

What’s your view on golf’s return to the Olympics, and would you have liked to have won a gold medal?

I’m happy to see golf in the Olympics, but I don’t think they’ve got the format right. It should be a proper team event, not just another individual stroke play event. Teams of three, with the best two scores counting would have been my ideal. I would have loved to have had a chance to win a gold medal. Of course, it’s not the same as a major, but it’s a huge global event, so who wouldn’t want to win that?

Talking of global events, you must be thrilled with how the Faldo Series has grown into what it is today. How many countries are involved now?

I don’t know, over 30. Next year is our 20th anniversary, so it’s been quite a journey. We’ve produced some great champions over the years, many of whom are now household names, like Rory [McIlroy], Yani Tseng, and Ollie Fisher. It’s been great to take it to new countries – last year we went to Colombia for the first time – and see how inspiring it can be for youngsters.

You first saw Rory play when he joined the Faldo Series aged 12. Was he special then?

I could see his rhythm and tempo were very impressive from the off. My clearest memories of the young Rory are playing an exhibition match with him when he was 16. What was impressive about him in those days was that even when he was wearing waterproofs his swing didn’t change. Of course, his rhythm has gone on to become his hallmark. Physically, he can spin his hips faster than anyone else. So when he is on, he can generate a ridiculous amount of power.

Many people thought that this year’s Open at St Andrews was going to be your last, but I gather you’re playing at Troon next year, before bowing out at Birkdale. Why did you change your mind?

The first Open I ever attended as a spectator was at Troon in 1973, so that has special significance to me, while Birkdale was my first Open as a player in 1976. St Andrews has a special place in my heart, so it was always going to be special to play that one last time, while I still had some level of ability left in me. I’m hoping to stay fit for the next two years, but time will tell.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

[17]

FALDO’S WINE COLLECTION

THE WHITES ■ FALDO SAUVIGNON DE TOURAINE, DOMAINE RENAUDIE, LOIRE, FRANCE £10.99 Less tropical than a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but packed with powerful fruit. Lean acidities perfectly balance with grassy notes and elderflower.

■ FALDO CHABLIS, DOMAINE BROCARD, BURGUNDY, FRANCE £15.50 Elegant aromas, with some richness of fruit, and a piercing, edgy finish.

THE REDS ■ FALDO CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE, DOMAINE BERTHET-RAYNE, RHONE, FRANCE £22.50 Full ruby with fresh boysenberry and cassis. Concentrated with ripe dark fruits and floral pastilles.

■ FALDO VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO, LE TOBELE, ITALY £13.50 Chocolate and black cherry fruit with hints of raisins on the nose. Medium-full bodied and offering dried fruit, spice and a sweet core. Dry and fruity on the finish.

■ FALDO RIOJA, BODEGAS BAIGORRI, SPAIN £15.50 Deep cherry-red, with plenty of depth and aromas of black fruit compote with notes of spice. Smooth and silky in the mouth, with a long, warm finish.

■ FALDO BAROLO BUSSIA MONTI, PIEDMONT, ITALY £44.99 Autumnal fruits, underlying leather and richness of fruit. Not overly tannic, but with wonderful balance.

To place an order for wines from the Nick Faldo European Collection, visit www.winecellarclub.co.uk.

NEWS IN BRIEF KENT PROS CLEAN UP AT GOLF ESCAPES PRO-AMS Kent PGA captain David Green (Wildernesse) and Peter Appleyard (Redlibbets) took turns in sharing the spoils in the two PGA South Golf Escapes Andalucia Overseas Pro-Ams. Played over three rounds at La Reserva, Finca Cortesin and Valderrama, Appleyard’s three-round total of 219 won the first event, while Callaway shot the same total in the second week to take the top prize by six strokes.

MINTY CLINCHES CLUB MANAGERS’ TOP AWARD

Andrew Minty, the director of golf at Langland Bay Golf Club, has been named the Golf Club Managers’ Association’s Club Manager of the Year. The 34 year old is the youngest ever winner of the award.

The GCMA received over 140 nominations for the award, and Minty was selected as one of four finalists, along with Phil Bonsall from Piltdown Golf Club in Sussex, Tracy Rawlinson from Warrington Golf Club and Allison Malham from Seaton Carew.

[18] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Boyce Hill boss scoops new manager’s award The secretary manager of Boyce Hill Golf Club in Essex, Alex Woodward, has been named the Golf Club Managers’ Association’s Newcomer Manager of the Year.

Woodward, 38, is the first winner of the newly-formed category, which was set up to give recognition to outstanding managers who have made a significant contribution to their clubs in a short timeframe. He was only named manager of Boyce Hill in 2014.

Since then he has transformed the communications of the facility, revamped noticeboards, erected a digital screen Alex Woodward recieved his award from last year’s inside the main entrance that promotes winner, Emma Clifford from West Essex events, created social media accounts, sent out regular newsletters, overseen the performance around – and did it in just a few refurbishment of the tee areas, installed months. This is exceptional leadership.” a commemorative plaque to highlight the GCMA CEO Bob Williams said: “Newcomer fact that the course was designed by James of the Year was a new category this year, so Braid, introduced uniform and sponsored we weren’t sure what kind of nominations tee signs, bins and ball washers to every we’d receive, but the standard was incredibly hole, transformed the practice areas, high, with many nominees also being secured a grant to plant more than 100 nominated for outright Manager of the Year. trees, upgraded patio furniture, carried out We knew there was a pool of new talent in decorative improvements to both changing rooms, installed a new front door, introduced the industry that should be recognised, and Alex is a fitting winner of the first trophy, so a range of new beers and acquired funding I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the from the Golf Foundation. shortlist for the top prize in coming years.”

This has led to more than 100 people joining the club – a third former members – in 20 months, and a significant increase in bar profits.

Woodward’s prize included a trip to Rioja in Spain. The competition was sponsored by HowDidiDo and Fairstone.

HowDidiDo Media’s managing director Barry Dyett said: “To have achieved what Alex has achieved in less than two years is nothing short of sensational. Boyce Hill have Boyce Hill has attracted over 100 new members since hit the jackpot with him as their manager.

DOWNSHIRE Woodward took over as manager in 2014 GOLF COMPLEX He turned both income generation and staff

Pair of aces: David Mitchell and Simon Bishop

Double delight on Frilford’s fourth There were double celebrations in order at Frilford Heath Golf Club last month, after two of its members each achieved an ace on the fourth hole on the same day.

David Mitchell, 65, who lives in Abingdon, and 56-year-old Simon Bishop, from Faringdon, amazed their fellow members when they each scored a holein-one on the 187-yard, par-three during the club’s Fourway International competition.

Despite being stung for a hefty bar bill, the pair came away happy, after they discovered that they had each won a specially-commissioned, commemorative BOSS watch for their shots.

Mitchell, who plays off 18, said: “This was my first hole-in-one, and what a great day to achieve the feat, playing in an official club competition.

I was even more amazed when I later learned another player had also shot a hole-in-one on the same hole.”

Nine-handicapper Bishop added: “I was walking down the 17th hole and one of my friends came over and said ‘David’s got a hole-in-one on the fourth’. We said, ‘Fantastic’, shook his hand, and off we went. I hadn’t yet played the fourth, so when I came to the fourth and also got a hole-in-one, I was absolutely gobsmacked and couldn’t believe it.”

Hugo Boss has given away more than £1.5m-worth of limited-edition watches since it launched the hole-in-one promotion in 2013.

Downshire Golf Complex

Winter Golf Days

November to March, for groups of 8 people or more

Be Driven...

From just...

£17.50 per person (senior, 60 years and over)

and £21.00 per person (adults) for Coffee and Full English Breakfast and 18 holes.

Downshire Golf Complex Easthampstead Park, Wokingham RG40 3DH Tel: 01344 302030 Fax: 01344 301020 Email: downshiregc@bracknell-forest.gov.uk Web: www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/downshiregolf www.facebook.com/downshiregolf

DOWNSHIRE GOLF COMPLEX

Winter Packages 2015/2016 Package prices from

£28.50pp

Bespoke packages on request. Ideal for corporate & large society/charity days.

To book please call Lizzie or Debbie on:

01959 522944

www.darenthvalleygolfcourse.co.uk

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

[19]

The par-three 17th hole

CLASSY CENTURION

With its superb championship golf course, and its exclusive, yet friendly five-star hospitality, Centurion Club has already built a reputation as one of England’s finest private clubs

L

ocated a few miles west of St Albans, and just a short drive from central London, Centurion Club offers a complete, members-only fivestar golfing experience, while remaining refreshingly convivial and relaxed.

Centurion has established a golf club for the 21st century, one that understands today’s fast-paced lifestyle, and has adapted its product offering to attract a membership that is looking for a club that rivals and goes beyond the very best in its quality and ambience.

The 18-hole championship course is fun for golfers of all abilities, with its forward tees offering a playable 6,555 yards, while the championship yardage of 7,195 yards ensures the par-72 layout offers a serious test for top players. Prepared to tournament specifications, it offers all-year-round playability, with arguably some of the best putting surfaces to be found anywhere in the country. Built on sand, the bent grass surfaces are like carpets – fast, true and firm, yet receptive to the right kind of shot.

GREEN FEE OFFER

As well as being enjoyed by players of all standards, Centurion has won plaudits from the golf industry for creating a course that lives up to expectation, plays beautifully, and guarantees a thoroughly entertaining round that will test all parts of your game.

A spectacular, state of the art clubhouse is set to Jeff Galvin will be open in May, the overseeing Galvin at Centurion centre piece of which will be a restaurant overseen by Michelinstarred chef Jeff Galvin, whose award winning restaurant portfolio includes two London based venues, Galvin at Windows and Galvin La Chapelle.

Centurion Club has raised the bar for golfing hospitality in England, and with its fast-maturing course and growing membership, its future has never The approach to the green at the third looked brighter.

JOIN THE CENTURION FAMILY Five membership categories are available, including a limited number of Senate share and lifetime memberships; a seven-day Centurion membership; midweek corporate and business packages; and an international members offering.

These memberships are the only way to access the course, as visitors can only play as a member’s guest.

Membership of Centurion Club also offers playing privileges at some of the world’s best courses.

For membership enquiries, or to arrange a tour, call 01442 510 520, email hello@centurionclub.co.uk, or visit www.centurionclub.co.uk.

WINTER SPECIAL Enjoy a round of golf on the Faldo course with our Winter Special Package from £45 per person.

£45

1st Nov - 31st Mar Includes 18 holes, Coffee and a Full English Breakfast

Chart Hills the spectacular Nick Faldo-designed golf course in 1993, situated on the northern boundary of the Weald of Kent with over 200 acres of gently undulating hills.

Come and play one of the south west’s finest golf courses this winter…

Enjoy coffee on arrival, 18 holes of glorious golf and two buggies then unwind in The Clubhouse with a hearty dish of sizzling sausage and mash and our magical onion gravy!

Recognised as one of the top courses in Europe by the prestigious Peugeot Golf Guide 2008- 2009 and ranked in the Top 100 by Top 100 Golf, awarded a place in the Rolex Top 1000 Courses in the World. Sir Nick himself said that he would “Never tire of playing Chart Hills”.

£35 per person: December 2015, January and February 2016 £42.50 per person: November 2015 and March 2016 Valid for a minimum of 4 players, subject to availability.

CALL US

01249 782206

EMAIL US enquiries@manorhousegolf.co.uk FIND OUT MORE manorhousegolf.co.uk/sizzler The Manor House, an Exclusive Hotel & Golf Club, Castle Combe, Nr. Bath, Wiltshire SN14 7HR

Contact Pro Shop on 01580 292222 or proshop@charthills.co.uk Chart Hills Golf Club, Weeks Lane, Biddenden, TN27 8JX

WINTER GOLF PACKAGE

£80

per person

Sunday* - Thursday

• Sausage and Bacon Muffin with Tea or Coffee • LGC Welcome Gift • Inclusive of Range Balls and use of Practice Facilities • 18 Holes on the International Course • 2 Course Meal after Golf Available Sunday – Thursday (*Sunday limited tee-times only), from 1st November to 31st March, subject to availability. Must be booked in advance. Driving range closed on Mondays from 10am for maintenance.

To book, please contact the Club on 01474 879 899.

www.londongolf.co.uk London Golf Club, Stansted Lane, Ash, Kent TN15 7EH

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Golf Escapes partners with Mike Yorke Golf Academy Sussex-based golf travel company Golf Escapes has become the exclusive travel partner of MY Golf Academy, which operates at five golf clubs across the South East.

The three-year partnership will see both companies collaborate on a number of joint projects, including a range of tuition golf breaks abroad, as well as a series of exclusive events much closer to home, which will start in April next year.

Mike Yorke, founder of MY Golf Academy, which has 10 coaches operating out of venues including Horsham Golf & Fitness, Foxbridge, Horne Park and Slinfold, said: “As an academy we run many UK and overseas trips each year for our clients. This made Golf Escapes the natural choice for organising these on our behalf. Its personal service and commitment to outstanding customer satisfaction is in tune with MY Golf Academy, and the fact they are local means we can forge a close working relationship.”

Jon Ruben, managing director of Golf Escapes, added: “Mike Yorke and the MY Golf Academy team have an incredible reputation across the region, and this is something we at Golf Escapes also pride ourselves on. We will be supporting their innovative approach to growing their business and are delighted to promote and deliver the products and offers we have become renowned for to their clients.”

Joining forces: Golf Escapes MD Jon Ruben with MY Golf Academy’s founder Mike Yorke

[21]

Some of Royal Lythams 206 bunkers are to be turned into run-off areas to speed up play

Royal Lytham to remove 40 bunkers Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club is to have 40 bunkers removed from its 7,118-yard course in a bid to make it more playable for the club golfer.

The famous Lancashire links, host venue for 10 Open Championships during its 118-year history, is to take out almost 20 per cent of its 205 bunkers, as pressure builds on clubs to speed up the pace of play.

Royal Lytham’s currently tally of bunkers is 30 per cent more than any other Open venue, although it is the location of the hazards, as much as the total number, that causes players most problems.

The club has commissioned architect firm Ebert and McKenzie, which is currently involved in the renovation of Turnberry, to undertake the project.

A timetable for the work, as well as details of which bunkers are to be removed, has yet to be released.

It is understood that some fairway bunkers will simply be filled in and flattened, while others, especially those located close to greens, will effectively be turned into grass bunkers – closely-mown swales which golfers will be able to chip or putt from. This will help speed up play around the greens, while still presenting a challenge for those that miss the target with their approach.

WIN

A TOMTOM GOLFER GPS WATCH! Golf News has teamed up with TomTom to give away one of its top-selling GPS Golfer watches.

Priced at £149, the TomTom Golfer Watch has access to over 40,000 courses and provides distances to the front, centre and back of the green, hazards and layups.

It also offers score, distance and time functions, while course updates are delivered wirelessly via a smartphone app.

Users navigate the controls via a four-way button bolted onto the bottom of the watch body, which does away with the need for buttons on the side.

It is available in white/green or dark grey/green.

Winter Golf, Spa and Relaxation Breaks at Patshull Park

TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning this superb prize, simply answer the following question, and email your answer to info@golfnews.co.uk, with ‘TOMTOM COMPETITION’ in the subject line.

The closing date for entries is February 1, 2016.

Normal competition rules apply.

QUESTION How many golf courses does the TomTom Golfer watch have automatic access to?

20th December 2015 until 1st March 2016 Room only £45 per night Room and breakfast £60 per night Room, dinner and breakfast just £95 per night Stay two consecutive nights and your golf will be complimentary, plus receive 20% discount on the first beauty treatment of your stay.

Rates are for twin or double en suite accommodation (excluding Christmas and New Year) and are subject to availability.

Great facilities on your doorstep, close to Jct 3 M54, and only 60 minutes from the East Midlands.

Look us up on Trip Advisor

Patshull Park Golf and Resort Hotel Pattingham, Nr Wolverhampton WV6 7HR T: 01902 700100 E: sales@patshull-park.co.uk

w w w. p a t s h u l l - p a r k . c o. u k

NEWS IN BRIEF

[22] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | NEWS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Golf-obsessed Bale to build back garden course

AMERICAN GOLF LAUNCHES NEW GOLF SHOW Equipment retailer American Golf is staging at first ever consumer golf show in Manchester over the weekend of February 27-28.

American Golf The two-day show at Event City at the Trafford Centre, will feature demonstrations, competitions, expert tuition and showcase all the latest equipment from the major brands.

Entry will be free for anyone who pre-registers at www. americangolf.co.uk/events.

ROYAL ASHDOWN STEWARD MAKES AWARDS SHORTLIST

Matt Palmer, the clubhouse manager at Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex, is among 12 regional finalists shortlisted for the title of the 2015 Fuller’s London Pride Steward of the Year. The shortlisted stewards will all be visited personally before four regional winners are selected, who then go forward to a celebration lunch early next year, when the overall winner will be announced.

Joining Palmer in the shortlist are Michael Clark (Hankley Common); Simon and Karen Ward (Wilmslow) Steve Warren (Eaton); Kevin and Emma Brown (Sherborne); Will Gill (Otley); Kirsty Glaister (Stamford); Phil and Louise Maxwell (Radcliffe-on-Trent); Sam Read (Nuneaton); Stephen Riley (The Leicestershire); Amanda Goodyear (Looe); and Fiona Snook (Wareham).

On tee: Ivor Robson served as the European Tour’s official starter for 41 years

ROBSON CALLS TIME ON CALLING THE SHOTS Arguably the second most famous voice in golf called time on his 40-year career last month, when Ivor Robson, the European Tour and Open Championship’s official starter, hung up his microphone for the final time.

The last round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship provided a fitting stage for one of the game’s best-loved figures to take his final bow in a career that began at Carnoustie in 1975, and saw the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods welcomed onto the first tee in inimitable fashion, and ended when Rory McIlroy took his tee shot in the final group in Dubai.

“It’s just been wonderful, you don’t realise that the years go by so quickly,” said Robson, who was presented with an oil painting by European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley, and was joined on the frist tee by a large group of players who had gathered to witness the historic farewell of a true icon of the game.

“These guys are just super, they’re a credit to the game, and you mustn’t forget the caddies either, because they’re so unique – they could all have their own TV programmes, they’re just naturally funny, but professional with it,” added Robson, who played on the professional circuit in

Scotland during the 1960s and early ‘70s.

“I’ve been out on the tee all this time, and the banter we’ve had is just unbelievable – they’re a great bunch of guys out there. I’m going to miss it, everything about it. Just being part of a team – a very successful team to help keep the events running smoothly.”

After a career that saw Robson take up his familiar position on the opening tee of some of the finest courses in the world, the 75 year old felt that Dubai, and the DP World Tour Championship, was a fitting place to call it a day.

“If I had to choose an event to end with it would be this one,” he said. “It’s the end of the year, so the players are in a relaxed frame of mind. I’ve been made to feel so welcome; it means a lot.”

And what does he plan to do now that he’ll have a good deal more free time in his life? “I’m going to have a gap year!” he declared.

One of the great questions in life was how Robson managed to stand on the first tee at The Open for nine hours without ever leaving his post for a comfort break.

The answer was: ‘Not drinking a drop of liquid or anything to eat after 7pm the previous night’. No wonder he ended up losing a stone after every Open.

Welsh international Gareth Bale has commissioned a three-hole golf course to be built in the back garden of his home in Wales.

The 26-year-old Real Madrid star, who took part in this year’s Celebrity Cup at Celtic Manor, plays off a handicap of six and describes himself as ‘obsessed’ with the game.

The course at his home in the Vale of Glamorgan will feature full-size holes modelled on three of the most iconic par-three holes in the world – the Postage Stamp par-three eighth at Royal Troon, the 12th at Augusta, and the island green 17th at TPC Sawgrass.

Bale, who played an instrumental role in Wales’s qualification for next year’s European Championships, is understood to be considering hiring a full-time greenkeeper to keep the course in pristine condition.

“I try to play as much golf as possible,” Bale said.

“In fact, I’m obsessed with it. I’ve not really thought about what I’ll be doing in 20 years when I’m retired from football, but, hopefully, I will be playing a lot more golf.”

Society days in style... by the sea!

Hot shot: Gareth Bale is so obsessed with golf that he is building a three-hole course in his back garden

BOO

K NO W FO AT 2 R 015 PRIC 2016 ES!

To celebrate the opening of our new £1.7m clubhouse we are offering some great Society and Golf Day packages.

WINT WARMEERR

PAR ■ Full English Breakfast + Coffee ■ 18 holes £24.00 pp (Midweek) £27.00 pp (Weekend & Bank Hols)

BIRDIE

■ Coffee & Bacon Roll ■ 18 Holes ■ Selection from Society lunch menu £28.00 pp (Midweek) £31.00 pp (Weekend & Bank Hols)

EAGLE

ALBATROSS

■ Full English Breakfast + Coffee ■ 18 Holes ■ Selection from Society lunch menu £31.00 pp (Midweek) £34.00 pp (Weekend & Bank Hols)

■ Coffee & Bacon Roll ■ 9/18 holes ■ Selection from Society lunch menu ■ 18 holes ■ Selection from Society dinner menu £44.50. pp (Midweek) £47.50 pp (Weekend & Bank Hols)

All society packages can be tailored to meet your own specifications. Minimum 12 people.

Please call the Pro Shop on 01323 890139.

Breakfast or lunch + 18 holes £20.00 pp (Midweek)

£24.00 pp (Weekend & Bank Hols)

Minimum 4 people. Must be booked in advance.

Available from 1 Nov- 29 Feb 2016

Seaford Head Golf Club Southdown Road, Seaford, BN25 4JS Tel: 01323 890139 www.seafordheadgolfclub.co.uk

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

NEWS | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [23]

Lydd offers 100 free Ham Manor talent brings junior memberships home the bacon Lydd Golf Club in Kent has taken the extraordinary step of offering up to 100 free junior memberships in a bid to play its part in halting the decline in junior participation.

The Ashford-based club, which boasts an 18-hole course, a six-hole par-three course, and an 18-bay floodlit driving range, is hoping that the offer will prove a big hit with local youngsters, many of whom may have been put off from joining golf clubs due to outdated rules and the high cost of equipment and membership fees.

Explaining the thinking behind the bold initiative, Lydd head professional John Denham, said: “We are giving away these junior memberships to play golf at Lydd for two reasons. Firstly, we are trying to attract more youngsters to take up the sport. To some people, golf may seem like an old man’s game, but that is very wide of the mark. If kids are given the chance to play golf they will usually enjoy it, and will even discover that it’s a ‘cool’ sport.

“Secondly, we want to help youngsters stay fit and active. A lot has been written about childhood obesity, and if we can do our bit to get kids to put down their computer games and get out in the fresh air to hit a ball around a golf course, then we’re happy with that. Golf is not only great exercise, but it develops concentration and self-discipline, as well as generating new friends, and improving social skills.”

Denham already runs a successful junior clinic from 10am11am on Saturday mornings, and is inviting all new potential junior members to come along to see the facilities for themselves. The sessions cost £5 and include instruction, unlimited range balls and equipment if required.

The 100 free junior memberships are available on a first-come, firstserved basis, and anyone interested should call 01797 320808 or visit www. lyddgolfclub.co.uk.

Ham Manor is no stranger to hosting stars James Lynch of the game, with its inaugural exhibition match in 1937 having been played between Henry Cotton, Jimmy Adams, Alf Padgham and Reg Witcombe. While none of that famous quartet boasted any affiliation to the Angmering-based club, today Ham Manor is in the enviable position of producing its own homegrown stars, some of whom may go on to follow in the footsteps of the men who first helped put the club on the map.

Thanks to its innovative academy scheme, Ham Manor’s head pro, Jon Nicholas, is overseeing a steady stream of talent emerge from the junior ranks, many of whom are challenging for county and national honours.

Among the most recent success stories is James Lynch, who turned professional earlier this year, and joined the PGA EuroPro Tour, while 16-year-old Charlie Strickland played in the winning England team for the Nations Cup, and reached the finals of the McGregor Cup in Cheshire.

Other young stars include 10-year-old Joe Sykes, who qualified for the Kids World Golf Championship at Pinehurst this summer, while n the girls’ section, Ellen Nicholas, who started as a beginner in the Academy Scheme, has already worked her way up to play in the Sussex County Junior Girls team and finished tied sixth in the 2015 Order of Merit.

Luke raises his game at Lullingstone Lullingstone Golf Course in Kent has long been a champion of junior golf, with its team of professionals helping to produce and nurture a notable string of successes in recent years.

None has been more impressive than 15-year-old Luke Welham, who has progressed rapidly through the county ranks since joining the club eight years ago.

Playing off a handicap of two, he has won a number of major club and county competitions, and

has unsurprisingly attracted the attention of England Golf scouts as he seeks to take his career to the next level.

Last month saw him finish eighth in the Hinge Trophy at Prince’s Golf Club, where he shot an impressive one-over-par 73 to finish just two shots behind the winner, Andrew Francis, while earlier in the season he finished eighth in the Kent Junior Championship at Walmer & Kingsdown.

Society Golf at The Weald

Book your 2016 Society at The Weald From £20per person Includes Coffee and Bacon Baps on arrival Maidstone Road, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9PT Tel: 01622 891671

NEWS IN BRIEF HOWELL ENDS 2015 ON A HIGH Swindon-born Tour pro David Howell ended his season on a high after winning the Beko Classic Pro-Am at the Maxx Royal Resort in Turkey. The 40-year-old former European No.1 shot a final round 67 over the same course that was used for last month’s Turkish Airlines Open to win by five shots from Surrey-based Jamie Elson and Pontus Widegren from Sweden. Howell ended the season ranked 26th in the Race to Dubai, after playing in 29 events.

SNOOKER STARS HIT THE BAIZE AT EPSOM

Balls were being potted rather than putted at Epsom Golf Club last month, when snooker stars John Virgo and Jimmy White hosted an exhibition evening at the Surrey club, which boasts its own wood-panelled Victorian snooker room. Both players entertained the audience with their cueng skills as they showed off some of their favourite trick shots. All the money raised from the evening is being put towards the cost of refurbishing the snooker room.

Golf B Availa reaks ble F rom

£59 pppn B&B

No Winter Mats No Temporary Greens Mature Parkland Course Corporate & Charity Days Available

www.weald-of-kent.co.uk

[24] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

D

id turning 60 bother you at all?

It’s a cliché, but age is just a number to me. I feel fitter than I did when I was 40, and I’m not just saying that, the cardio figures tell me that I am. So turning 60 was not something I dwelt on. I’m in a happier place than I’ve ever been, the businesses are doing well, and I’m feeling great.

Are you glad you played in the era when you did, or would you like to be mixing it on tour with Jordan and Rory et al?

A lot of the fun comes from being around other players, which has gone now, because they all go off in their own planes once the tournament is over. We didn’t have private aircraft back then. We got together, three or four or five guys, we’d play backgammon on the train or in the airport, drinking a couple of beers waiting for the next flight. Or you’d rent a car and drive somewhere. When I was fortunate enough to get a plane, I gave guys a lift. That’s what I really loved about the behind-the-scenes part of our sport. Now a lot of the top guys call up NetJets and it’s ‘See you next Tuesday on the practice range’.

If you’d had today’s technology in your heyday would it have changed the way you played?

If I was 25, and playing with today’s equipment, I’d still be long and be hitting driver all the time, too. When I was in my heyday, being one of the longest, straightest drivers allowed me to be aggressive on every course. And I had a good short game, so those two things together meant that my iron play didn’t really matter. I attacked every pin, because 90% of the time I knew that if I missed the flag on the short side, I could get up and down. Today, the courses are set up differently and the length of these guys means they can hit it 350 yards, be in the rough, and come out with a wedge rather than a 5-iron, which makes it a bit different.

Just how much has equipment changed the game?

They did a TV series called Big Break a while ago here at Emerald Bay, and I did a test while I was there. I brought my old persimmon MacGregor driver, which I used on tour for 15 years, and hit a balata ball and one of the current balls, because they wanted to see the difference in performance. I hit both with my old MacGregor and the difference was something like 50 yards – so there’s your answer, and that doesn’t even take into consideration using a modern driver.

Were you really into equipment when you played?

I made all my own clubs. I would do all of my own whipping and shafting. For me to play professional golf, I had to pass the club pros’ exams and that involved making clubs. I ground my own hosels, and got the heel how I liked it. I still have a couple of clubs from my original Spalding days, when I’d actually go into the factory to grind them. I used to love it. I still have my old two-inch belt grinder at home and the big metal-wheel grinder. You’ve got to keep those!

What was it like playing with Seve in both your primes?

Seve had to work extremely hard on his driving. When you start dropping down here [demonstrates Seve’s swing], all of a sudden you’re dropping further and further and the club is getting way in behind you. That’s when you get that big snap hook. It was truly ugly to watch. He, and maybe Ian Baker-Finch, were two of the worst drivers I’ve ever seen! You’d get off the course and think he’d shot 80, but he’d actually shot 68 or 69, and you’d think, ‘How the hell did you do that?’ Seve would be all over the place, but would average two chip-ins a round.

SHARK ON THE ATTACK

He may be entering his seventh decade, but Greg Norman is still a force to be reckoned within the global golf business, as Jeremy Ellwood discovered when he met the formidable dual Open champion at one of his favourite design projects, Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [25]

The one that got away: Norman had a chance to win The Open at Birkdale in 2008, but a last round 77 saw him finish third behind Padraig Harrington

Jason Day is on record as saying he wants to be the best in the world. Is that an Aussie trait or just part of his character?

To say that you want to be the best in the world is a big statement to make to yourself, let alone to say it publicly. But if by saying it out loud provides the motivation for him to go out and do that, then fair play to him. He’s certainly got the talent to do so.

Do you have high hopes for golf’s Olympic return in 2016?

My hope is that it’s successful in the eyes of the IOC, so they vote it back in again. What I’m afraid of is that they’ve chosen the wrong country to bring golf back into. I wish it could have been in Australia or England or the US. The format’s the right format – 72-hole stroke play - but it’s spread out over two weeks, which is going to be hard. The cost of televising it is way more than any other sport in the Olympics, because you need to televise 18 holes, so NBC is going to have to have more cameras there. You’ve got to have the broadcasting team there for two weeks, plus the production team, so the cost to the IOC of putting on golf for two weeks is going to be very expensive.

Was it frustrating getting beaten by him?

Yeah, it was, but it also taught you to play your own game, and not watch what other players are doing!

When you entered the back nine at Birkdale in 2008 still in the lead, did you think you could win The Open again?

Absolutely. You know what killed me there? I had to sit down and wait 15 minutes for my tee-shot at 10. We had nowhere to go, so we sat down on one of those huts, and it was so exposed. I think that killed my concentration more than anything else, even though you should get used to it. But I hadn’t been playing a lot of golf.

How much of a surprise was that week?

You have to remember I wasn’t going over there and saddling up thinking I could win. As a matter of fact, the week before I was up at Skibo Castle – I always went there to practise - but it was rainy and cold and I actually said, ‘I think I’m going to withdraw next week.’ I hadn’t had time to practise and wasn’t in the mood for it. But when I got there on Monday, I actually thought I was going to have a good chance, because the weather was going to be horrendous. So I just stuck with my game plan, and putted well too for some crazy reason, having not practised.

Is it only a matter of time before a 50-something wins The Open?

Yeah, technology is on their side now. An over-50 could never win Augusta, because they play that thing too long, and the greens get way too fast. At The Open, 11.5 on the Stimpmeter is still quick, but when it gets up to 14, the 50-plus guys have a hard time with that. But yes, I can see it happening on a hard, fast golf course.

“CERTAIN PLAYERS ARE HAPPY JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. THEY DON’T WANT TO BE THE LEADER – THEY WOULD RATHER BE SHEEP. THEY ENJOY GRAZING IN THE FIELD AND GETTING FAT”

Earlier this year you accused some tour pros of not being ambitious enough. Do you stand by that comment?

I do. Most Tour pros don’t really want to reach the top, not down deep, not in a sport where 20th place can pay six figures. Certain players are happy just going through the motions. They don’t want to be the leader – they would rather be sheep. They enjoy grazing in the field and getting fat. In 1986, I became the first player to win $1 million in a season. Some of the guys thought it was crazy money, but now you get $1 million for winning a run-of-the-mill tour event. ‘Crazy’ is relative, but the Tour’s prize money structure is set up to let even halfway decent players make a comfortable living. That was never my style. I saw endorsements, branding and business opportunities as the real trophies, not titles and prize money – and you can only get them when you’re at the very top.

“MANY CLUBS NEED TO SHIFT THEIR WHOLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS KIDS. THEY NEED TO SHAKE UP THEIR DRESS CODES AND THEIR WHOLE ATTITUDES TO HOW TODAY’S KIDS BEHAVE AND INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER”

What’s your best advice to amateurs trying to improve?

Stay within your limitations.

I think amateurs try to get 100% out of every shot. Quite honestly, the best players in the world, we never get 100% out of every shot. We probably play within 75-80% of our capabilities. We’re always playing for our misses – so we’re always saying, ‘Now, if I’m going to mishit this shot…’

Amateurs don’t think like that, but that’s how you should play – you have to map it out. I’d rather be 30ft below the hole here, for example, than 10ft above the hole over there.

What do you think of the anchored putting ban?

I think it’s great news. I always hated it when I first saw players doing it back in the late 1980s. The golf swing is not a hinged swing – the golf swing is a swing. So I think it’s a very positive move.

What do you think golf clubs should be doing to attract youngsters to the game?

Many clubs need to shift their whole attitude towards kids. They need to shake up their dress codes and their whole attitudes to how today’s kids behave and interact with each other. If a kid wants to get in a golf cart and play music on their phone while they’re playing, let them do it, absolutely. The traditionalists will say you can’t do that. But if you want your club to survive, if you don’t want the burden of maintaining it out of your own pocket, you have to bring in youth. If someone wants to play nine holes, fine – but let the son play with his father with his headphones on.

Let them dress a little bit differently. Where’s the harm in that?

You’ve built up a successful course design and clothing business, are there any other areas of business you’d like to move into?

Last year I launched the Great White Shark Opportunity Fund, an asset-based financing company that helps small businesses.

I never imagined doing such a thing, but with some of the things going on economically throughout the world, we saw an opportunity. I could have left it alone, but opportunity may not always be there. You have to at least consider ideas when they come across your desk.

My goal is to grow my brand on a global basis. I’m a fan of what Ralph Lauren has done with Polo and the horse logo. He built a brand, and then pushed it in every direction. Lauren thinks vertically, and that’s what I’m trying to do. My course design business holds the key. When someone comes to me with millions of dollars to design a course as part of a property development or resort, I know I can leverage it by, say, stocking the cellars with my wine, the pro shop with Greg Norman Collection clothing, the kitchen with my Greg Norman Australian Prime steaks. They’re already investing in the value of my brand, so why not add some scale to it? I think it’s a great model, and with 70 designs under my belt, so far so good.

Jeremy Ellwood was a guest at Emerald’s Bay Resort in Grand Exuma, Bahamas, a 500-acre luxury ocean-front resort that boasts an 18-hole Greg Norman designed course, 250 rooms and suites, a spa, seven restaurants and six bars. For the latest packages and more details visit www.sandals.co.uk.

[26] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

STORY BEHIND THE PIC NICK FALDO AND DAVID CARTER | WORLD CUP OF GOLF, GULF HARBOUR, NEW ZEALAND | NOVEMBER 22, 1998

W

ith excitement building around next year’s return of golf to the Olympic fold, it may have slipped many golf fans’ attention that there is another global golf tournament taking place in 2016 which looks increasingly like a pointless replica.

Yes, we’re talking about the good old World Cup of Golf, a tournament that just doesn’t seem to want to die.

Founded in 1957 by Canadian Instrustrialist John Hopkins (not the renowned golf journalist – he’s not quite that old), the Canada Cup, as it was first known, was a somewhat naïve attempt to promote international goodwill through golf. After wisely changing its name to the World Cup in 1967, it attracted some stellar pairings in the early renewals, with Sam Snead and Ben Hogan winning the 1956 event held at Wentworth, while Jack Nicklaus and Arnie Palmer joined forces

to win four times for Team USA in the 1960s, while Tiger Woods and David Duval bagged another of America’s 24 victories in 2000.

Sadly, interest in the twoman team event waned in the 1980s, to the extent that planned stagings in ’81 and ‘86 were cancelled, and while it has been an almost constant presence ever since, no-one seems to know quite what to do with it. It’s been a World Golf Championship event (20002006); it’s been annual, biennial and triennial; it’s been in China (2007-11), and now it has moved to Australia.

With an already overcongested schedule, and golf’s inclusion in the Olympics, the World Cup of Golf has descended into the realms of irrelevance. The organisers have long since known this to be the case, and in 2013, in a vain attempt to attract more of the game’s top players, turned it into yet another straight strokeplay event, removing the team element and allowing up to four

players from the same country to take part. The only difference from the Olympic format is that players from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales remain separate nations for the World Cup, but have to compete under the same GB banner at the Olympics.

You’d think the switch to a strokeplay event would have been akin to signing its own death warrant, but no, like a punchdrunk boxer who keeps getting up off the canvas, the World Cup of Golf refuses to accept defeat. Thus it will return to Melbourne next November, where Adam Scott and Jason Day will – hopefully – be defending the title they won, with a universal lack of fanfare, in 2013.

I can only hope that in the intervening 12 months until the next renewal, the tournament’s organisers sees sense, and put it, and all of us, out of misery.

To borrow the words of Mr Burt Bacharach, ‘What the world needs now, is not another World Cup’.

OPEN TO ALL

£39

m fro

pp

Coffee on arrival 9 Holes on the Water Garden Course Or free range balls 18 Holes on the Codrington Course 1 Course Lunch or Dinner

GOLF ACADEMY

FLOODLIT DRIVING RANGE FOR YEAR ROUND PRACTICE

Based on 4 or more players

www.theplayersgolfclub.com

£83

m fro

pp Summer Midweek Stay Overs One night & Two rounds of Golf Stay @ Canons Court mews 1 round on The Codrington course 1 round on The Stranahan course includes coffee and breakfast includes range balls both days £83 each based on 12 or more £99 each based for a 4 ball

enquiries@theplayersgolfclub.com

£149

pp

2 nights & 3 Rounds Stay @ Canons Court Mews Play @ The Players Club Cumberwell Park The Kendleshire

Based on 2 sharing.

Full details on The Players Club website.

Pay and Play Great Golf

Weekday from £8pp Weekend from £10pp

DRIVING RANGE OPEN TILL LATE Weekdays until 8pm Weekends until 6pm

50 RANGE BALLS - JUST £3

9 hole course | 15 bay floodlit driving range | Academy membership PGA qualified teaching professional | Comprehensive tuition programmes

www.thesouthbuckinghamshire.co.uk 01753 554840 GolfEnquiries@southbucks.gov.uk The South Buckinghamshire Golf Academy, Stoke Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, SL2 4LN

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [27]

MEET THE PRO ANDREW SIMMONDS

ANDREW SIMMONDS LIFTS THE LID ON HIS BUSY LIFE AS HEAD PROFESSIONAL AT THE SOUTH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GOLF CLUB AND THE SOUTH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GOLF ACADEMY

How much time do you spend teaching? A couple of years ago it was six days a week, but now that we have a team of coaches, it’s down to four.

How long have you been a PGA professional? Nine years.

When did you join your current club and how long have you been there?

I joined South Buckinghamshire in March 2012 – so nearly four years.

What are the most significant changes you have seen in that time? There have been dramatic improvements, with a new clubhouse, new management, and exciting plans for further improvements.

What is your day-to-day role? I run the coaching programmes at the golf club and academy, offering coaching to current members, as well as increasing participation through our schools/junior and adult development programmes.

What’s the best thing about your job? The variety of people I get to work with and help to learn and improve their golf.

And the worst? The unpredictable British weather!

Tell us something about the facilities… We have two sites – The South Buckinghamshire Golf Club, and around the corner, The South Buckinghamshire Golf Academy.

At the club we have a par-70, 18-hole course, a practice putting green and short game area. While at the academy we have a 15-bay floodlit driving range, a short game area; two practice bunkers, and a putting green. There’s also a 9-hole academy course, which is perfect for beginners, juniors and adults who prefer a quick nine holes.

DEAL EVER GREENHILL GT ELECTRIC TROLLEY

at the academy, with schools programmes feeding into the programmes we run at the facility.

The juniors are then encouraged to play as much as possible, and once they are ready, to join the main club. We are also actively recruiting female golfers through our group and individual coaching. The club organises roll-ups for the ladies we recruit, and there is a growing ladies section at the club.

What do you think would stimulate more people to take up golf? I think that people have to be made aware that golf can be played in a shorter amount of time, and you don’t have to have mastered the game before you start playing.

We take all our beginners out onto the course as soon as possible to get them playing the game and learn as they play.

What is the club doing to attract junior and female golfers? We have a very active junior programme

OUR BEST

GREENHILL TOUR BAG

PROJECT X LZ

What’s the most common swing fault you have to correct? With the beginners I teach, it tends to be a thin or topped shot. Giving the player an understanding of what the club needs to do to hit the ball in the air – brushing the ground where the ball is – often fixes this. Too many attribute ‘lifting their head’ or ‘not keeping their eye on the ball’ to poor contact.

What’s the best swing tip you’ve ever received? The best tip I’ve received was actually about how to make an improvement stick. In a lot of lessons I give, players are able to make an improvement, but when practicing on their own, they slip back into old habits. The best way to counter this is to deliberately make the old movement to feel the difference between the improved movement and the old. This helps the player to differentiate between the two, and make sure the improvement happens!

What has been your career highlight as a player? My day job means that competing has taken a back seat, but I’ve previously qualified for the National PGA Assistants Championships, and had a

JUST £349 CADDYCELL18 HOLE LITHIUM BATTERY

Strike it Rite! ®

IN STOCK & DEMO`S

number of top-three finishes in PGA South Region Pro-Ams. If you could change one rule in golf what would it be? I believe the rules should be introduced at different levels of ability. Beginners hardly need to know any rules to start playing. I would introduce basic rules at club level and then enforce at county level. Nothing makes me cringe more than a club member berating a new golfer because of they didn’t adhere to the rules.

Who or what first got you interested in golf? Playing pitch and putt on holiday with my family. I got hooked and dragged my dad to the local course at Rickmansworth. I got a second-hand junior set for my 12th birthday, joined the club, and that was that.

Which three other people would be in your dream fourball? The new ‘Big Three’ – Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Tiger can caddy, as he’s not fit to play.

What would you have done if you hadn’t have been a pro? I would have worked in the golf industry in some respect. Before I turned pro, I had a place at university to study golf management.

To book a tee time or for further details, visit thesouthbuckinghamshire. co.uk or call 01753 643332.

DEM PING O CE G30 in N stock TRE NEW i & dem in sto EI & G M o’s ck & d A emo’sX

HAND CRAFTED

BRIDGESTONE BALLS IN STOCK

INCLUDING FITTING & GRIP

G25 now available on special offer

£199 per shaft

COMPONENT CLUB MAKING AT REALISTIC PRICES !

ALL FOR JUST £349 Wheels Clutches Straps Motors

Switches Control Units Drive Shafts Chargers

Mens, ladies and juniors left and right handed made to measure or ex stock

(P+P FREE) Wheel Housing Batteries Power Leads Brushes

www.golfworkshop.co.uk

Tel: 07533 247909 Email: support@golfworkshop.co.uk

RE-GRIPPING WHILE-U-WAIT!

PING, CALLAWAY, WINN, GOLFPRIDE, LAMKIN, AVON, TOUR MATCH – STOCKED – FROM £3.00 NEW SHAFTS FITTED IN 24 HOURS ! FROM £12

Honest and unbiased expert advice call now on:

01689 890077

C.T. Golf, 1 Stanley Way, St. Mary’s Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 2HE website: www.ctgolf.co.uk email: enquiries@ctgolf.co.uk

[28] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

HAPPY AS LOWRY

With a World Golf Championship added to his already impressive CV, and a place in next year’s Ryder Cup looking likely, Ireland’s Shane Lowry has reason to smile as he eyes up the game’s biggest prizes next season WORDS BY NICK BAYLY

W

Ireland playing several games, including the hile the European Tour is heart-breaking quarter-final defeat against trying its hardest to stem France. the flow of Europe’s top He didn’t put away his clubs completely players heading across the though, and in between corporate Atlantic, one man that looks to have slipped commitments he took time to play some through its increasingly gaping net is Shane of his favourite courses in Ireland, including Lowry.

Portmarnock, Luttrellstown Castle, Killeen After six seasons competing on the Castle and Galway Bay. Royal Portrush European circuit, the talented Irishman, wasn’t on the play list this time, but like like many players before him, has decided all the other Irish players on tour, he’s that his immediate future lies in America, delighted that the Open will be returning to where bloated prize funds, strong fields, and his homeland in 2019, by which time he’ll consistent playing conditions are a huge draw. have just turned 32.

Having earned his full PGA Tour card “I love Portrush,” he says. “I won the on the back on his stunning victory at the North of Ireland Championship there in WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron in 2008, so I’ve had a bit of success there August, the 28 year old from County Offally already. I’m sure GMac [Graeme McDowell] is now in a position to plan a schedule that is very excited about the prospect of playing suits him best. That he has chosen his future an Open in his hometown. It’s something in America will, of course, rankle with the he probably thought would never happen.

European Tour, which sees yet another of its It’ll be an exciting build-up, that’s for sure, talented progeny flying the nest – but Lowry and it’s going to massive for Irish golf, and has reached a point in his career where he Ireland as a whole.” wants to do what’s right for him and no-one While the 2019 Open Championship else. is on the distant horizon, Lowry’s more With guaranteed slots in all the majors immediate plans include a final outing and WGC events, he will only have to play in of the year at the Nedbank Challenge five other events in Europe in order to meet in South Africa, before putting his clubs the qualification criteria for membership away for another month or so, before he of the European Tour, and perhaps more starts preparing for next year’s Stateside pertinently, to be considered for inclusion in campaign. next year’s Ryder Cup team.

“I’m starting my 2016 season at the “The Ryder Cup is a massive goal for me Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines next year,” he says. “Depending on how I’m in late January, and then I’ll be playing in doing, I would hope to make the team from America until the end of April,” he says. the world’s points list – but if I’m close to “My first tournament back in Europe will it on the European list, I might change my WINS: 3 (IRISH OPEN (2009), be the Irish Open at the K Club in May, schedule a little bit to try and make it on PORTUGAL MASTERS (2012), WGC and then I’ll play in some of the bigger that, but I’ll just have to see. I’m playing in BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL (2015) AGE: 28 European events.” enough big tournaments to know that if I PRIZE MONEY: €7.7M LIVES: CLARA, IRELAND While 2009, when he won the Irish keep doing what I’m doing, I can definitely STROKE AVERAGE: 70.58 TURNED PRO: 2009 Open as an amateur, must be regarded as make the team, and hopefully kick on up the DRIVING DISTANCE: 291 YARDS WORLD RANKING: 21 his breakthrough year, 2015 has seen Lowry world rankings.”

DRIVING ACCURACY: 65% RACE TO DUBAI RANKING (2015): 5 transformed into a truly world-class player And kicking on is what Lowry has certainly AVERAGE PUTTS PER ROUND: 30.3 TOURNAMENTS PLAYED: 169 – and one who looks comfortable on any been doing this season. He reached the end stage alongside any player. of 2014 ranked just inside the top 50, but “I feel like I’ve been playing good golf only 12 months later finds himself on the for the last couple of years,” he says without any trace of fringes of the top 20. He also finished fifth in the Race to arrogance. “I’ve been in and around the top 50 and trying Dubai rankings, with over €2.7m in prize money, and can put to get into the big events and compete, but just not quite his feet up at Christmas and look back on a solid year’s work. pushing through. So winning the Bridgestone against a “This year has been a great year, no question,” he says. world-class field has given me a huge confidence boost, and “I won a WGC event and I finished fifth on the European will hopefully open the floodgates for more wins. It feels like money list. It will be hard to top next year, but to hopefully I’ve finally kick-started the next stage of my career, and I’m have the opportunity to play in the Ryder Cup, as well as really excited about the future.” competing in all the majors, is going to be a huge step up While a serious competitor out on the golf course, Lowry for me. I’m not necessarily building my schedule around the is keen to let off steam when he’s away form the pressures majors, but when I do get to play in them, I know I’ll be there but the whole week of the British Masters was the best I’ve of the game, and is widely known for his liking for a glass to really compete for them, rather than simply making up the ever felt at a tournament,” he reveals. “I would have won or two of Ireland’s most popular export when it comes to numbers.” if I’d holed a few more putts, but it was great to come back celebrating a good week’s work.

Like many of the world’s top players, Lowry took some after all that time off and finish runner-up.”

“Good days are pretty rare in this game for most of us, so time off after this year’s US PGA Championship to recharge Taking mid-season breaks is almost essential for the when you have those good days you’ve got to enjoy them,” his batteries before the final push in the Race to Dubai. In game’s top players, now that the PGA Tour season runs from he admits. “I count myself lucky as a golfer, in that most of his case, he took six weeks off, and only returned to play in October to September, while the European Tour operates the time I can get straight back on the horse, so to speak, the Dunhill Links and the following week’s British Masters at virtually non-stop from December through to November, after a bad tournament. I won the Bridgestone straight after Woburn, where he gave himself every chance of winning, so Lowry was pleased to have taken a breather after the the disappointment of missing the cut at The Open. But I before a cold putter on the final day saw him finish second final major of the season. A keen sports fan, especially of very much take the view that if you fall off the horse, you behind rising star Matt Fitzpatrick.

Gaelic football and rugby, he spent much of his six-week get up, dust yourself off, and get going again. That’s the way “It was a bit of a risky move taking those six weeks off lay off following the World Cup, going to watch his beloved I roll.” after the PGA, and I definitely felt a bit rusty at the Dunhill,

SHANE’S STATS

“I FEEL LIKE I’VE FINALLY KICK-STARTED THE NEXT STAGE OF MY CAREER, AND I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE”

Way(ANDabove par PROUD OF IT) ly fr f s b u

Cl

ee

Clubs Clubs free Clubs fly fly free

F LIHGITH G HT T

YU O NYOOU

O ONNY

fly free ON YOUR VIRGIN ATLANTIC FLIGHT

*

LFILG

RORUVRV F IIVRRIGRGGIINN A TTLLLAAANNTNTI CTI CI C A

FOLLOW IN THE SPIKE MARKS OF THE PROS AT SOME OF AMERICA’S BEST COURSES Plus, count on having as much fun off the course as you do on it.

Discover the new range of golf breaks from Virgin Holidays. *Take your golf bag, 14 clubs, 12 balls and a pair of golf shoes - weighing up to 23 kg.

IN STORE

0344 557 3942

VIRGINHOLIDAYS.CO.UK/GOLF

TOUR NEWS BROBERG BAGS BMW MASTERS Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg secured his first European Tour title after defeating American Ryder Cup player Patrick Reed in a play-off for the BMW Masters in Shanghai. Broberg birdied the first extra hole at Lake Malaren after he and Reed had tied on 17-under par. The American had held a one-shot lead with two holes to go, after making an eagle at the 15th and a birdie at the 16th, but a bogey at the 17th and a misjudged 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th saw him fall back into a tie with Broberg.

LET BREAKS GROUND IN SOUTH AMERICA The Ladies European Tour made its first foray into South America following the Lalla Aicha Tour School Pre-Qualifier held in Colombia last month. A total of 26 players from 14 different countries teed up at La Padera de Potosi Golf Club in La Calera, seeking to advance to the final stage of qualifying in Morocco from December 18-22, and ultimately earn their place on the Ladies European Tour in 2016.

LEISHMAN WINS NEDBANK BY SIX Australian Marc Leishman won the Nedbank Golf Challenge by six shots after finishing on 19 under par at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. The 32 year old fired a final round 67 to finish clear of runner up Henrik Stenson and third-placed Chris Wood.

[30] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | TOUR NEWS

RORY WRAPS UP DUBAI DOUBLE SALE Rory McIlroy completed a wonderful Dubai double for the second time in his career, after winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and with it the 2015 Race to Dubai title.

The Northern Irishman produced a magnificent final round 66 over the Earth Course to come out on top after an epic duel with Andy Sullivan, Danny Willett, the only player who could have prevented McIlroy winning the money list for the third time in four years, finished eight shots behind in tied fourth after a 70.

McIlroy and Sullivan traded four birdies and a bogey apiece on the front nine, before McIlroy moved up a gear on the back nine as his rival began to run out of steam. He left the door ajar when he hit his tee shot in the water on the par-three 17th, but made arguably the best bogey of his life, holing a putt from 35 feet to retain the lead, before sealing victory with a par at the last.

The 26 year old came into the week with a 1,614-point lead over Willett in the Race to Dubai and needed to match whatever his rival did, but sealed his position emphatically in a repeat of 2012, the year he first won the season-long money list.

“I’m really happy to have ended the season on a high,” said McIlroy. “I’ve played really good golf this week – 13 under par over the weekend – and I couldn’t think of a better way to finish the season. I feel like my game has been gradually progressing throughout these last few weeks, and it was nice to hole some putts over the weekend.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Andy played phenomenal golf over the first three days. and from what little I saw on TV, it didn’t look like he was missing many putts. Then the birdie on 12 was huge to

WATSON RISES TO HERO CHALLENGE Bubba Watson won the Hero Challenge after shooting a final round 66 at the Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. The dual Masters champion finished on 25 under par at the tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, three shots ahead of Patrick Reed, with Rickie Fowler shooting a 64 to finish third. Victory ensured that Watson finished fourth in the world rankings for 2015.

Three share Q School glory in Girona

tie the lead, and then the two birdies on 14 and 15, when he didn’t make them, that gave me a nice little cushion going into the last three holes. Thankfully I rolled that putt in on 17. I guess if I had been tied playing the last, I would have backed myself with my length, but giving myself that one-shot cushion made a huge difference.”

Sullivan, who shot a final round 68 for the biggest payday of his career, said: “I gave it everything on the front nine, but just couldn’t quite get the putts to drop on the back nine. To go head to head with Rory was absolutely awesome, and something that will stick with me for a long time. Every time he holed a putt, I holed one straight after. On 17 I thought, ‘I’m back in this, I’ve got a chance again’. But I gave him a great read on my putt and I fully expected him to hole his putt. That’s just the world-class performer he is. I can take so much from this week, the way I’ve played and the way I’ve handled it, and in a world-class field.”

Tour cuts minimum events criteria for world’s elite

KING CHARL BAGS FOURTH DUNHILL Charl Schwartzel secured a fourth Alfred Dunhill Championship title in 11 years after shooting a final round 70 at Leopard Creek Country Club to win by four shots from France’s Gregory Bourdy.

Victory moved the 2011 Masters’ champion up to 35th in the world rankings.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Woods offered Ryder Cup vice-captain role US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III has handed Tiger Woods his only realistic chance of attending next year’s Ryder Cup, after announcing the former world No.1 as one of his five vice-captains for the matches at Hazeltine.

Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker were also named alongside Woods, and together with earlier appointment Tom Lehman, and a further appointment to be announced later, will assist Love with Team USA’s attempt to wrestle the Ryder Cup from Europe. Woods’s appointment is effectively ends his hopes of being named as one of Love’s wildcards. Currently out of action following a second back operation, he is languishing at 380th in the world rankings.

The European Tour is reducing the number of tournaments needed for players to maintain their membership from 13 to five, in a move designed to help those playing a full season on the PGA Tour.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the DP World Championship in Dubai, European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said the move follows ‘significant dialogue with all of our players’ and that the five tournaments will exclude the four majors and the four World Golf Championships.

The mandatory 13 starts was becoming difficult to achieve for players who had fallen outside the top 50 of the world ranking, thus making them ineligible for some of the majors and WGC events.

Explaining the move, Pelley said: “One of the reasons is to help some of the players that have been entrenched in the US. This, I believe, will allow our players to schedule more efficiently, schedule at the beginning of the year, so they know exactly how they are going to maintain their membership.”

The final stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School went to a three-way tie between Ulrich van den Berg of South Africa, Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and the USA’s Daniel Im – with the first, second and third European Tour cards going in that order.

The six-round marathon at the PGA Catalunya Resort in Spain provided plenty of drama, much of it further down the field, where the cut fell at seven under par, with four players climbing inside the crucial top 25, and eight falling the other way during the final round. Among the 27 to claim their cards were former Ryder Cup hero Edoardo Molinari, who had to endure a tense wait before finishing right on the mark, as well as Swedish teenage sensation Marcus Kinhult and Irishman Paul Dunne – who led the Open Championship as an amateur after the third round earlier this year.

The biggest movers on the final day were Welshman Stuart Manley, whose last round 66 earned the 13th card, while South African Justin Walters climbed from outside the cut line to claim the ninth card courtesy of a five-under 67. Fifth round leader Ross McGowan carded a final round 74, but it was good enough to see him to tie for fourth place, while fellow Englishman Matthew Southgate closed with a 70 to finish sixth.

European Tour revamps Final Series The European Tour’s Final Series is to receive a shake up next year, with the number of events in the climax to the season being cut from four to three.

From next year, the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China will no longer be included, while the BMW Masters will be replaced with the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.

That move means the 2016 Final Series will begin with the $7 million Turkish Airlines Open from November 3-6, followed by the $7 million Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City, from November 10-13, before The Race to Dubai once again concludes with the $8 million DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, from November 17-20.

Next year’s European Tour schedule will comprise 45 tournaments in 26 different countries. The Australian PGA Championship, which took place from December 3-6, and the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia (February 18-21), both feature on the Race to Dubai for the first time, while the Perth International (February 25-28) returns to the calendar.

The 2016 Race to Dubai began on November 26, with the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which is one of six events in South Africa, with the Nedbank Golf Challenge featuring twice, first as part of the initial sector in early December this year, and again as part of the Final Series for the first time next December.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

WESTY EQUIPMENT NEWS | FEBRUARY 2016 2015 DECEMBER-JANUARY

WELCOME BACK,

Fans of Lee Westwood are hoping that a return to the familiarity of the European Tour will reinvigorate the former world No.1 in time to make a run at a tenth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance

[31]

S

wimming against the tide is never ideal, but Lee Westwood will be hoping that his decision to wave goodbye to the Florida sunshine and return to his old stomping grounds in Nottinghamshire, and a return to the European Tour, will provide him with an opportunity to have one last crack at bagging a coveted place in Darren Clarke’s team at Hazeltine next September.

Time is not on the side of the 42 year old from Worksop, who will be desperate to earn an automatic place in the team, or failing that, a captain’s pick, rather than the vice-captain’s role that surely awaits should he fall short.

The personal circumstances surrounding Westwood’s return from America, and his withdrawal from the PGA Tour, have been well documented – suffice to say that the father of two made the move in order to be nearer to his children, who are now living in Scotland following the break up of his marriage.

As 2015 draws to a close, Westwood finds himself perilously placed at 56th in the world rankings, just outside the magic top 50 that secures entry to next season’s majors and the lucrative World Golf Championship events. A win at the Indonesian Masters in April – the 24th of his career – showed that he still knows how to keep his head in front – against admittedly inferior competition – but major results of 46th (Masters), 50th (US Open), 49th (Open), and 43rd (US PGA) tell the story of man who is struggling to rediscover his very best form. Two top-10 finishes from 19 events on the European Tour also underlines the steep decline of a man who won the money list as recently as 2009 (and in 2000), and toppled Tiger Woods from top of the world rankings in 2010.

“I’ve dropped a lot in the world rankings this year, so I need to address that and get myself back into the top 50,” says Westwood, who finished the 2015 season ranked 38th in the Race to Dubai. “I’ll still get into most of the big events over in the States, but I’ll play predominately on the European Tour, so I can be where I need to be for personal reasons.”

Like many European players before him, the move to America, while attractive for the weather and access to the PGA Tour, proved something of a disappointment on and off the golf course. He left England in the winter of 2012 ranked sixth in the world, in search of better practicing conditions and a new life for his young family, and he came back three years later with his world ranking on the slide, and without his family by his side.

“Living in the States, my game didn’t really sort of move in the direction I wanted it to, but obviously that’s not the reason I’m returning to Europe. I’ve always had priorities in life. I’ve always said that golf is not my main priority, but obviously my kids are.”

“THERE’S NO MAGIC WAND YOU CAN WAVE. YOU JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO BASICS, DO THE DRILLS, AND PUT IN THE HARD WORK ON THE RANGE THAT MAKES YOU HIT IT STRAIGHT AND CLOSE” Although Westwood admits golf does not mean as much to him as it did five or 10 years ago, he insists he can get back to the upper echelons of the game.

“I don’t see any reason why not,” he says. “Once I can focus on golf again, I’m confident that I’ll be back competing for titles. Unfortunately, there’s no sort of magic wand you can wave. You just have to go back to basics, do the drills and put in the hard work on the range that makes you hit it straight and close.

“I’m prepared to work hard. I’m in pretty good shape. I’ve got 42-yearold niggles, but the back is still in good shape, and my knees and hips and shoulders are all good. It’s just down to hard work, really.”

“Unfortunately this year I’ve not really had time to put into it, so it’s no surprise that my game has suffered a little bit. We know how mental the game of golf is, as well, so mentally a lot has been going on which has affected me in the head. There’s different things going on, but gradually I’m trying to sort everything out.”

As for the Ryder Cup, Westwood would love to make it 10 in a row as a player at Hazeltine next year, but with good friend Darren Clarke the European captain, he is certain to be involved in some capacity. “I’ve played the last nine, so I obviously would like to keep going,” says Westwood. “I get more nerves and bigger thrill from the Ryder Cup than I do any other tournament. I always like to be involved as a player and coming back to Europe might give me a better chance of doing that. If I’m not involved as a player, I’d like be involved in the backroom at some level. I’d like to help Darren out with the other stuff.”

“I’d love to be the captain one day,” he adds. “Hopefully I’ll get the chance to do that, but I’d really love to have one or two more Ryder Cups to play in before I get to the captaincy stage.”

And hopefully he’ll get the chance to break Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup record points tally of 24 – he’s currently one behind – but if his clubs should fail him, Europe could have no finer ambassador than Lee John Westwood.

[32] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

“THERE’S NO LIGHT

AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL” As Tiger Woods’s ongoing back problems keep the former world No.1 off the golf course, perhaps for good, Nick Bayly charts the injuries and medical scares that have blighted the 14-time major champion’s career for the last decade

2010 : Inflamed facet joint in neck

2006 : I njured muscle in shoulder blade

2014-15 Surgery on pinched nerve in back

As 14-time major champion Tiger Woods faces up to the prospect of never being able to compete at the highest level again, after undergoing a third operation on his back in the last 18 months, the spotlight has fallen on golfing injuries and how they can blight the careers of players at all levels of the game, from top tour pros to regular club golfers.

Woods, who hasn’t played in a tournament since August, has suffered a litany of injuries to his knees, ankles, neck and back, stretching back over two decades, but the latest is by far the most serious, with perhaps a career-ending prognosis.

Many a golfing career has similarly been cut cruelly short by injury, with over 80% of all professionals reporting having suffered from physical pain as a direct consequence of golf at some point in their lives.

And with swings becoming ever more explosive, the likelihood of keeping 26 vertebrae in perfect alignment

“THERE’S NO MAGIC WAND YOU CAN WAVE. YOU JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO BASICS, DO THE DRILLS, AND PUT IN THE HARD WORK ON THE RANGE THAT MAKES YOU HIT IT STRAIGHT AND CLOSE”

seems increasingly challenging, never mind the pressures exerted on other parts of the body.

When asked recently about a timescale for a potential return to competition, Woods replied: “I have no answer for that. Neither does my surgeon or my physio. There is no timetable. That’s the hardest part for me. There is nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don’t know.”

Woods also admitted the extent to which he can 2008 : Stress fracture in tibia exercise, which hasn’t included any golf at all. “I can walk,” Woods said ahead of the Hero World Challenge tournament that he hosted at the beginning of December. “And I can walk and walk some more. I am 2009 : Tore Achilles tendon also really good at playing video games. That’s basically 2009 : Re-injured Achilles tendon how I pass a lot of my time. I have to reset the clock every day and say, ‘Here we go, this is a new day, I listen to my surgeon, I listen to my physio, and we just take it day by day.

Hopefully it will add up to something positive soon.”

2008 : Achilles strain 2012 : Re-injured Achilles Woods’s ailments have been well documented throughout his career, starting as early as his college days, where he was troubled by a cyst in his knee, and continuing throughout his nearly 20 years on Tour. His first serious injury came in 2007, when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while out jogging at home after the Open Championship.

1994 : Benign tumor removed 2002 : Cyst removed, fluid drained 2007 : Ruptured ACL 2008 : Arthroscopic knee surgery and ACl repair 2011 : MCL sprain

PAUL MORRISSEY, FOUNDER OF THE OSTEOPATHY CLINIC OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE, SAYS: “It’s a simple fact that the human body just isn’t made to hit a golf ball. Whenever you put a force on a disk or a joint that combines two or more motions, it may cause damage. More

than anything, it is the repetitive nature of the movement, and some golfers’ willingness to pound balls for hours on the driving range, that leads to wear and tear on muscles, tendons, discs and bones.

And while professional golfers do their best to create a repeatable, healthy swing they can perform

Unwilling to stop playing, he waited for nine months, until after the Masters in 2008, before he had surgery to repair the damage. He returned six weeks later and won the US Open, which, as the records show, was his last major triumph. Later that year, he had further surgery on the injured knee, and missed the rest of the 2008.

And so the downward spiral continued. During 2009 he tore his right Achilles tendon, yet continued to play through the pain, while in 2010 he pulled out of the Player’s Championship with a neck injury, that was later revealed to be caused by an inflamed facet joint. A year later, at the 2011 Masters, Woods sprained both his knee and his Achilles tendon when hitting a shot from under a tree during the third round. He managed to finish the tournament, but just two months later was forced withdraw from the Players Championship after just nine holes, citing pain in his left knee and calf. He didn’t resume playing until August that year.

The Achilles injury returned again in 2012, causing him to withdraw from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March.

Then, in 2013, an elbow injury flared up at the US Open, causing him to stop playing until The Open in July. Just a month later, a back spasm, which Woods blamed on a soft mattress, caused him to drop to his knees during the Barclays tournament.

In April 2014, Woods announced that he would miss the Masters after undergoing an operation on his back for a pinched nerve, only returning to tournament golf in June.

And earlier this year, an inability to activate the muscles in his lower back caused him to pull out of the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open in February. Six months later, after missing the cut in three of the four majors, Woods underwent microdiscectomy surgery on his lower back, and then returned to hospital at the end of October for a further minor operation in the same area.

Even Woods, who is normally given to a ‘glass is half full’ view of his wellbeing, is not sure how much more he can take. “I really don’t want to have another operation,’’ he said following his most recent procedure. “If I don’t play again, I still want to have quality of life with my kids, and I have started to lose that with the previous surgeries.”

Only time will tell whether Woods will be able to get up off the surgeon’s table once more and stride the fairways again, but anyone who saw the great man in action during his heyday knew that anyone with a swing as explosive as that would surely not be able to maintain it forever.

hundreds of times a day, it’s often only a matter of time before thing break down.

Almost two-thirds of the golfers we treat suffer from lower back pain, due to the flexion and rotation of the spine needed within the swing. Looking at Tiger’s swing over the years, a lot of his problems stem from the top of the backswing,

where he completely extended his left leg. This movement has led to a noticeable amount of hip joint injuries, and anterior cruciate ligament injuries, which Woods suffered in 2007.Most people can’t easily walk with this type of injury, but Woods played on, most likely against his surgeon’s blessing, when he

won the US Open in THE EXPERT’S VIEW 2008, despite playing what has happened to with what turned Tiger, and while surgery out to be a fractured tibia. can hopefully ease some In my experience, I see a substantial amount of lower of his pain, it is unlikely that he’ll ever be able to limb injuries that affect the play again with the kind stability of the pelvis and of power or freedom spine, and how ground of movement that he forces are then inhibited experienced earlier in and faulty techniques his career.” develop. This is clearly

EQUIPMENT NEWS | FEBRUARY 2015 [33]

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Under Armour storms ahead with winter clothing range Thanks to the exploits of dual major winner and world No.1 Jordan Spieth, and a well-designed range of golf-specific clothing, Under Armour has come from virtually nowhere to become the leading winter golf clothing brand in the UK for the past four years.

As part of its winter 2015 collection, the US-based brand has introduced a three-tiered index to its new Storm range, which helps golfers understand the differing levels of weather protection it offers against the elements. Storm 1 gives golfers water-resistant clothing through Under Armour’s DWR finish, which repels water, making it suitable for light rain or showers, where waterproofs aren’t necessary. Key Storm 1 products include the Elemental Golf Pant (£70), Tips Vest (£85), Jacket (£100), Flagstick Storm Fleece ¼ Zip (£50), and the Storm Links ¼ Zip (£55).

Storm 2 takes things up a level with highly water-resistant and windproof garments, featuring three-layer bonded fabrics and windproof materials to shield golfers from the elements. Key Storm 2 products include the Elemental ½ Zip (£75) and Elemental Jacket (£85). Storm 3 offers clothing that is both windproof and waterproof, and is suitable for the wettest conditions winter golf can produce. Under Armour uses Cocona fabrics, which disperse moisture and dry incredibly fast, and a 2.5 layer bonded fabric for a fully breathable construction. Storm 3 products include the Movement Jacket (£100), Movement Half-Zip Sleeve (£75) and Movement Pant (£70).

The Autumn/Winter 2015 range also sees the return of both ColdGear and ColdGear Infrared technologies. A collection of baselayers, polos, headwear and accessories completes the range.

For more details, and a list of stockists, visit www.underarmour.com.

TALON GETS TO GRIPS WITH YOUR SET UP

Ojee Golf’s revolutionary new digital golf training aid is proving a real boon to golfers thanks to its delivery of real-time visual feedback on a player’s stance, set-up and angles of address.

The brainchild of Teesside-based product designer Matt Hulbert and his father Paul, the Talon training aid enables golfers to view their stance and adjust to their best position, improving muscle memory, consistency and performance.

The Talon utilises a digital display unit that attaches to the top of any golf club, together with a separate wireless back unit, which uses patent-pending technology to remove guesswork by displaying four critical angles of address: spine angle, club shaft angle, club shaft to spine angle, and rotation angle of the club face.

The product was born from the informed words of golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, who described the importance of posture in his book ‘Golf My Way’. “If you set up correctly, there’s a good chance you’ll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing,” said Nicklaus.

“If you set up to the ball poorly, you’ll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world.”

To pre-order your Talon, which costs £149 (representing a £76 discount off the RRP), visit http://igg.me/at/ojee-golf-talon.

Ping in synch with Apple Watch Ping was one of the first golf brands to embrace the potential of software on mobile devices with its iPing putting app back in 2011, which served as a putting training aid.

Almost five years on, and following the launch of numerous wearable tech devices, Ping has updated the iPing app to incorporate watch-specific elements.

The data that the new Apple Watch records around movement has led Ping’s in-house app

development team to focus on bringing increased visibility to the exercise and health benefits of golf with a ‘golf workout’ function that records heart rate, step count and calories burned in either the Swing Practice or Play Golf modes.

In addition to the workouts, Ping has incorporated functionality to help golfers improve their game. In Swing Practice mode, players can time their backswing and downswing to measure tempo, while the Play Golf function allows key statistical data to be tracked, including fairways hit, greens in regulation, and putts per round, as well as recording your round on a digital scorecard.

The updated iPing app is downloadable for free from the App Store, while the full Golf Workout experience for owners of the Apple Watch is available as an in-app purchase for £3.99.

Callaway enjoys ‘best ever year’ on European Tour Callaway Golf enjoyed one of its most successful seasons ever on the European Tour, after players using its equipment bagged more wins than any other brand.

Figures released by Sports Marketing Surveys revealed that Callaway led the 2015 season with 13 staff professional victories, while also delivering more wins than any other brand in the following product categories: driver (17 wins), fairway wood (20), hybrid (9), utility iron (7), iron (14) and wedge (45).

Players using Odyssey putters also secured 50 per cent all of European Tour wins, 21 in total, reinforcing its position as the market leader in putters.

Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond and Odyssey’s Tank Cruiser putter were a popular choice with the winners, whose names include Race to Dubai runner-up Danny

Willett, dual tour winners Branden Grace, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thomas Pieters, and most recently, BMW Masters champion Kristoffer Broberg.

Neil Howie, Callaway’s managing director in Europe, said: “2015 was the most successful year in our history on the European Tour.

Our brands dominated the winner’s circle, underlining that product performance and innovation is always at the heart of what Callaway strives to achieve. And we have some incredible launches for 2016 that will push the bar even higher.”

THE GEAR EFFECT

WINNERS’ BAGS ON TOUR

KEVIN KISNER RSM Classic DRIVER: Callaway Great Big Bertha (8.5) FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway XR Pro (16) HYBRID: Callaway X2 Hot Pro (18) IRONS: Callaway Apex UT (3), Callaway Apex Pro (4-9) WEDGES: Callaway Mack Daddy 2 (47, 52, 58) PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot Pro #7 BALL: Titleist Pro V1x RORY MCILROY DP World Tour Championship DRIVER: Nike Vapor Fly (8.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike Vapor Speed (15, 19) IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blades (4-9) WEDGES: Nike VR Forged (46, 52, 56), Nike Engage (59) PUTTER: Nike Method Origin B201 BALL: Nike RZN GRAEME MCDOWELL OHL Classic DRIVER: Callaway OptiForce 440 (9.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: Srixon Z F45 (15, 17) IRONS: Srixon Z U35 (3), Srixon Z 745 (4-9) WEDGES: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 (48, 52), Cleveland 588 RTX MB (58) PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot #7 BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV KRISTOFFER BROBERG BMW Masters DRIVER: Callaway RAZR Hawk (8.5) FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Big Bertha V-Series (15.5) HYBRID: Callaway Apex (20) IRONS: Callaway Apex Pro (4-PW) WEDGES: Callaway Mack Daddy 3 (52, 56, 60) PUTTER: Odyssey White Ice 2-Ball BALL: Callaway Speed Regime 3+ INBEE PARK Lorena Ochoa Invitational DRIVER: XXIO 8 (8.5) FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade RBZ Tour (14.5, 18) HYBRID: TaylorMade SLDR (22, 25) IRONS: XXIO Forged (6-PW) PUTTER: Odyssey 2-Ball BALL: Srixon Z-Star RUSSELL KNOX WGC HSBC Champions DRIVER: Cleveland Classic XL Custom (9) FAIRWAY WOODS: Titleist 915F (15), Cleveland Launcher FL (19) HYBRIDS: Cleveland Launcher DST (20.5), Cleveland Mashie (23) IRONS: Srixon Z 545 (5), Srixon Z 745 (6-9), WEDGES: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 (46, 54, 60) PUTTER: Titleist Scotty Cameron R&D Concept 2 BALL: Srixon Z-Star

[34] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

A

fter all you’ve been through this year, how important was it for you to end the season with a win?

It’s a huge psychological boost to be able to put to the clubs away for the Christmas break knowing that I’ve won the final event of the year. It really sets me up for what’s in store for 2016.

To be European No.1 was a goal of mine at the start of the year, so to have pulled that off makes me really happy. I’m obviously grateful to the European Tour for letting me be a part of the Race to Dubai, and letting me play in the Final Series, even though I didn’t quite play the required minimum events. As I said, I’m looking forward to playing a full European Tour schedule next year with no hiccups.

That was a good deal of controversy over the Tour’s decision to let you play in the Final Series. What’s your take on that, and do you have any sympathy for Danny Willett?

No I don’t. If I can win more money in 12 events than someone can win in 23, I don’t see any reason why I should feel bad. I played half the number of events and won more money. That’s the decision that the European Tour came to, and I’m glad that they did.

How would you have felt if you had lost the DP World Championship, but still won the Race to Dubai? Would it have been any consolation?

Probably not right now, but going into Christmas, it might have been a little bit of a consolation. But no, If I hadn’t have won – especially in the position I found myself on the back nine – I wouldn’t have been too happy.

Andy Sullivan pushed you all the way. How proud are you that you seem to be able to find extra reserves when it matters most?

Yeah, I think the last time I had to dig that deep was probably at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play at Harding Park. I found myself two down with two to play against Billy Horschel, and I was two down with three to play against Jim Furyk, and I managed to turn around both of those matches. Being able to draw on experiences like that – and situations like the putt I holed on 17 in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles to keep the match alive – those sort of things, if they are in your memory bank, and you are draw on them, it makes it a little bit easier to do what I did out there.

How close do you think you are to being back to your best after the injury?

I think I’m right there. The only thing that had been holding me back over the last few weeks was my putting. My ball striking is right where I want it to be.

When I came back towards the end of the summer

“COMPETITION AND RIVALRY ARE VERY HEALTHY FOR ALL SPORT, AND I’M HAPPY THAT THE WORLD OF GOLF IS HOPING TO SEE THE THREE OF US AS A REPEAT OF THE THREE-WAY RIVALRY BETWEEN JACK NICKLAUS, ARNOLD PALMER AND GARY PLAYER” and into the autumn, the right and left ankles weren’t quite feeling the same, but it was still good enough to do what I needed to do. Now they feel exactly the same, which is great.

Right now, I just want to get as strong and as healthy as possible going into next year, and just keep on top of the things that I’m doing well, and keep trying to chip away at the things I want to do a little bit better.

But I think all aspects of my game are in good shape now, and I think if my game is in this shape going into next year, I’d be very happy and feel like I could do very well.

overall, I feel like my putting has been gradually progressing throughout these last few weeks, and I know if I putt like this regularly, this is what can happen, because all the other elements of my game are in good shape.

At the start of the year you wrote down your season’s goals on the back of your boarding pass to Abu Dhabi.

What haven’t you been able to tick off and how will that shape your thinking going forward into 2016?

I always put down a couple of goals that are not golf related – things in my life that I would like to do better. There’s a couple things I’ve been able to tick off that list, but on the golf side, the only thing I was able to tick off was winning the Race to Dubai.

Obviously, I wanted to win more majors, and I wanted to improve in certain areas of my game, and I didn’t quite do that, but these things happen. You have to set yourself lofty goals to try and get better.

Some commentators have referred to you as a streaky putter. How would you characterise yourself as a putter?

Putting is a very important part of the game – we often take more putts than we do full shots during a round. But I feel I’m a good putter. I feel like I hole out well. I definitely hole out much better than I used to. And when I get my eye in, I’m really good.

I do hole a lot of putts. But I don’t get my eye in as much as I’d like to. So I’ll always be something of a streaky putter. I feel like everyone has strengths of their game, and I know what my strengths are, and it’s just about trying to make your weaknesses that little bit better each year. If you’re hitting ten to 12 fairways a round, 14 to 16 greens a round, you’re always going to give yourself plenty of chances. If you have a couple of good days at a tournament where a few putts go in, that can suddenly be a couple of seven or eight under rounds, and that’s really all you need.

You seem to be have been frustrated with your putting for a large part of the season. Is that a fair assessment?

Yeah, I feel that I’ve come off the course frustrated a lot of times this year because I really feel like I could have putted better. But it seems like the more pressure I’m under, or the more it means, the better I putt, which is a nice thing to have. But

You look very happy when you talk about putting your clubs away for Christmas. But for how long will you really put them away?

My next tournament is eight or nine weeks away, so it’ll be the longest self-imposed break I’ve had away from the game. I want to use the time to try and get healthy and get stronger again, because I haven’t been able to do as much in the gym as I would have

ROARING

After a season interrupted by injury, Rory McIlroy is ready to resume his major-winning

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

liked over the past few months, so I really want to concentrate on that.

I’ve pretty much got a two-month period where I don’t have to play golf. I don’t have to worry about being sore, or going out and playing a round of golf. I might hit a few shots between now and the New Year, but I won’t get serious until I come back to Dubai in early January and start to practice again before the season.

I could have played in Tiger’s event in the Bahamas or in South Africa, but for good or bad, golf doesn’t really have an off-season these days, so you have to draw a line somewhere. I need that time away just to reflect on things, and re-evaluate how I want to go forward.

Looking forward, there’s obviously going to be a lot of focus on the Masters and your chance to achieve the career Grand Slam. How important is it for you to clear that hurdle next season?

I think every time you go to Augusta, there’s a lot of hype, whether it be around me, or any number of other players. Next year, the narrative might be around myself going for the Grand Slam, Jordan [Spieth] defending his title, or whatever.

There is always going to be pressure on me until I put a green jacket on my back. Obviously the first real goal of the year is to try and get ready for the Masters, and be in as good shape as possible going in there. I felt like I dealt with everything ok this year. I played well, and I finished fourth. Some years, 14 under par could have been good enough to win, but Jordan obviously just played much better than everyone else that week.

If someone said you could win the Masters next year, or the other three majors but not the Masters, which would you choose?

When history’s written, it’s all about how many majors you’ve won. While the Masters is the one I’ve yet to get my hands on, and an important one to me, it’s not worth more than the other three majors. Having said that, if you ask me that question in a few years’ time, I might have a different answer.

What do you make of the media’s obsession with the ‘Big Three’ – you, Jordan and Jason Day? And how important will it be for you to regain the world No.1 ranking next season?

Competition and rivalry are very healthy for all sport, and I’m happy that the world of golf is hoping to see the three of us as a repeat of the three-way rivalry between Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. We’re not quite there yet, but it’ll be a lot of fun and exciting golf if it happens.

As for the world rankings, the world No.1 is the guy playing the best golf, winning the most tournaments, with the highest world ranking points – it’s really that simple. Jordan’s doing all of that very successfully at the moment, but we know how quickly that can change and I see it as my responsibility to try and regain that top slot.

BACK

career after ending 2015 on a dual high note in Dubai

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [35]

[36] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | PROSHOP

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

TAYLORMADE KALEA LADIES’ SET RRP: FROM £109 CONTACT: TAYLORMADEGOLF.EU TaylorMade’s new Kalea range is the first women’s-only equipment line-up that the brand has launched in over a decade.

The range of woods, hybrids, irons, putters and balls offers features that are designed to improve performance for a wide range of slower-swinging female golfers, including optimised lofts, low/back centre of gravity locations, slot technology in the soles, and shafts with smaller tip diameters that help increase launch angle at impact.

The set is designed to produce a noticeably higher ball flight and offer a smooth transition between the different club types by managing lofts, lengths and head shapes to ensure that every club is as easy to hit as the next.

The Kalea range comprises 13 clubs: driver (£249); 3, 5 and 7 fairway woods (£179); 4 and 5 Rescues (£159); 6 and 7 transition irons, 8 and 9 irons, PW and SW (£549 for six irons); and a putter (£109). A two-piece Kalea ball, which features a soft cover and low compression, is also available (£19.99 for 12), while a cart bag with 14-way club dividers is also included in the Kalea collection.

TRIED + TESTED

PUMA GOLF TITANTOUR IGNITE SHOES RRP: £130 CONTACT: COBRAGOLF.COM/ PUMAGOLF Puma’s new TitanTour shoes, which go on sale in February, feature a blended foam insert that is injected into the midsole to make the shoe release energy more efficiently throughout the swing.

Sporting a new, sleeker shape, and new performance last, the Ignite features full-grain leather uppers, and a flexible outsole that allows the foot to move naturally while still providing support.

TitanTour’s signature technology, PWRCOOL powered by Outlast, regulates the temperature of the foot by using materials that absorb, store and release heat, while a dual-density sockliner provides a customised fit, along with a TPU outsole that encases the midsole. It is available in white/green, white/black, black/grey, and white/orange.

CALLAWAY APEX CF16 IRONS

The first ever forged irons to feature cup face technology, Callaway’s new Apex CF16s have a multipiece construction that, the brand says, allows players of ‘all abilities’ to enjoy the feeling of a forged iron, while still offering the control, distance and forgiveness associated with a cast club.

WILSON STAFF FG TOUR PMP WEDGES RRP: £79 CONTACT: WILSONSTAFF.COM Available in an eye-catching blue PVD finish or a more traditional frosted chrome, Wilson’s new Precision Milled Performance wedges feature a combination of maximum volume grooves that give spin control of full shots, and laser-etched micro spin lines for increased spin on half shots and chips. The milling process also has the effect of producing a perfectly flat face to give the clubs greater consistency.

The range offers three sole designs – Traditional, Tour Grind and Wide – which, in combination with numerous loft, lie and bounce options, add up to 95 different set-up options. They are fitted with a KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 wedge shaft that features an active tip section to give a higher ball flight, while Lamkin’s Performance Plus 3Gen grip guides players where to place their hands for different length shots.

RRP : £849 (ST), £1,099 (GR) CONTACT: CALLAWAYGOLF.COM

As with the first generation of Apex irons, the CF16s feature a head made up of six individual pieces, based around a forged carbon steel body and a stainless steel face that is supported by various TPU, TPE and aluminium parts, which improve sound and feel.

However, rather than use a rigid face plate, the CF16 borrows the cup face design of Callaway’s woods, which enables the face in the long and mid irons to flex more at impact and deliver increased ball speeds and distance.

Progressive offset, sole widths, centre of gravity height, and notch weighting, all ensure a smooth transition of ball flight, forgiveness and control through the set, while a classy matt satin finish completes the finish of what is a very tidy-looking club at address.

‘All abilities’ is a phrase often bandied about by golf equipment companies looking to broaden their appeal to a wider cross-section of the golfing spectrum, and only a fool would suggest that these irons would be beneficial to the game of a slow swinger who likes to sweep the ball off the turf – but anyone who hits down with a modicum of pace and a consistent strike will enjoy the soft, responsive feel and performance that this impressive second generation Apex iron offers.

TAYLORMADE PROJECT (A) BALL RRP: £34.99 FOR 12 CONTACT: TAYLORMADEGOLF.EU Designed to promote more spin on mid irons and shots around the green, the new Project (a) has an overall compression of 70 (versus 88 in the original model). This has been achieved by dropping the core compression by a third, from 60 to 40. It features many of the same technologies found in the previous design, including REACT core technology for more distance on long shots, and a Soft Tech cast urethane cover – also used in the brand’s premium TP range – which provides higher greenside spin, softer feel, and improved durability.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

PROSHOP | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [37]

PRO SHOP WILSON STAFF FG TOUR F5 IRONS RRP: £699/£599 (GR/ST) CONTACT: WILSON.COM

OSCAR JACOBSON MARCEL GILET RRP: £114.99 CONTACT: SPORT. OSCARJACOBSON.COM A gilet is the perfect choice of outerwear for those cold, crisp winter rounds, where you need to keep the upper body warm, but want to be able to swing freely without the restriction of sleeves. Oscar Jacobsen’s take on this winter wardrobe staple is the Marcel, which is part of the Swedish brand’s PrimaLoft range.

Made from 100% polyamide fabric, it provides insulated padding without the bulk of a traditional gilet, and features a dry touch coating on the inside and a water-resistant, rib-stop surface on the outside. It boasts a full front zip, two side pockets and an elasticated trim around the arms and waist for a secure fit. Available in sizes S-XXL in black, grey, sky blue and lime.

Wilson has taken the Speed Sole technology that featured in its popular D200 irons and put it into the new FG Tour Forged iron. The Speed Sole creates a thin face-to-sole transition that expands the sweetspot lower on the face to give faster ball speeds to strikes in this area.

Forged from carbon steel, and with a stabilising bar in the back of the club to support the thin face, the F5 irons provide the combination of feel, feedback and forgiveness that is central to Wilson’s Feel, Crossover and Distance (F-C-D) system.

They are available with either True Temper Gold XP steel shafts or MRC Kuro Kage LB 85 graphite shafts, and go on sale in January.

NIKE GOLF LUNAR CONTROL 4 SHOES RRP: £130 CONTACT: NIKEGOLFEUROPE.COM Weighing just 376g, the Lunar 4 uses a cabling system – ‘Flywire’ technology – in the body to increase control and lateral support. The upper is made from a lightweight microfibre that provides a soft, unrestricted feel, while the tongue has been designed to wrap around the ankle and provide a natural break when walking. The same outsole and midsole found in the Lunar Control 3 is retained to offer superior traction and cushioning, while the overall design has more than a hint of Nike’s Mecurial football boot about it, with a

COBRA KING F6 IRONS RRP: £599/£499 (GR/ST) CONTACT: COBRAGOLF.COM The F6 irons progressively blend four constructions into one set to deliver more distance, consistency and control. To provide more distance in the long irons, the 3, 4, and 5 irons are hollow. This allowed Cobra designers to lower the centre of gravity and pull it farther from the hitting surface. This creates a higher initial launch angle and steeper descent angle, helping shots to stop faster on the greens.

The mid irons (6 and 7) are half-hollow, featuring a dual-camber design, while the short irons (8-PW) have been made with a deep undercut cavity which allows the face to flex more effectively at impact. The gap wedge and sand wedge are muscleback designs, which feature a raised CG location to help produce a more controllable, piercing ball flight.

The long irons have V-shaped grooves, while the mid and short irons feature U-shaped grooves for more spin and control. The seven-piece set is fitted with FST steel shafts or Matrix Red Tie 65Q4 graphite shafts as standard, and goes on sale at the end of January.

PING ZERO GRAVITY JACKET TOMTOM GOLF WATCH RRP: £199 CONTACT: TOMTOM.COM TomTom has introduced a premium edition of its Golfer GPS watch that combines the cutting edge technology with a hand-crafted Italian leather strap, handy trolley mount, and a ball marker which attaches to the strap.

Easy-to-read graphics display accurate distances to hazards, layups, and the best approach to the green on more than 40,000 golf courses across the world, while regular updates to course information are available for free via TomTom’s MySports app.

The price of the standard TomTom watch, which features a plastic strap, has been reduced to £149.

RRP: £150 CONTACT: PINGCOLLECTION.CO.UK A key piece in Ping’s Sensor Dry range, ultra-lightweight Zero Gravity waterproof jacket is constructed from lightweight Pertex Shield+ 2.5 layer fabric, which offers exceptional levels of stretch and breathability, and is ideal for playing in showery conditions.

Fully seam-sealed throughout, and weighing just 258g, the jacket can also be folded up into the tightest of pockets, ensuring your golf bag remains light. It is available in Petrol or Deep Sea Blue, while a sleeveless vest option comes in black (£120). Both garments come with a three-year waterproof guarantee.

[38] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | SHOWCASE

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

BIG DOGS Unleash your inner animal with these ultimate driving machines

1

1. MIZUNO JPX850 RRP: £349 CONTACT: GOLF.MIZUNOEUROPE.COM

2

3

4

5

6

The JPX850 features a sliding weight system that allows golfers to set up for a high spin, mid spin or low spin ‘neutral’ flight and dial in their perfect launch and spin. Twin 8g weights that can be located either on the central sliding rail or the two lateral slots located on the heel or toe of the driver. Together with Mizuno’s Quick Shift shaft release system, that offers eight loft options, ranging from 7.5° to 11.5°, within the one head. The 440cc head incorporates a ‘rebound crown’ to maximise ball speeds by flexing at impact, while Mizuno’s Hot Metal face technology helps transfer clubhead speed to the ball across a large area of the face.

3. CALLAWAY GREAT BIG BERTHA RRP: £369 CONTACT: CALLAWAYGOLF.COM The next generation of the Great Big Bertha driver cranks out vital extra yards, control and forgiveness by introducing a number of new technologies. Most noticeable is the sliding 10g weight on the rear of the sole, which not only enhances stability, but also allows users to adjust draw and fade bias. R-Moto Face technology increases the trampoline effect for faster ball speeds across a wider area, while an aerodynamic head, which is 3g lighter than its predecessor, is available in a choice of weights, ranging from 295g and 325g, with base loft settings of 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees, although the Optifit hosel lets you choose from eight different configurations to tune loft, lie, and face angle.

2. TITLEIST 915 DRIVER RRP: £379 CONTACT: TITLEIST.CO.UK The 915 D2 and D3 drivers feature a deep channel across the front of the sole which creates a trampoline effect to increase ball speeds across a wide section of the face. The face itself is progressively thinner in the heel and toe areas, further enhancing the trampoline effect, while a low and back centre of gravity location ensures low spin and high MOI to deliver forgiveness. Titleist’s adjustable SureFit Tour hosel allows loft and lie to be adjusted independently. Golfers can choose from the 440cc head in the D3 or the more forgiving 460cc head in the D2, whose profile has been stretched to offer more stability and a slight draw bias.

4. SRIXON Z545 RRP: £249 CONTACT: SRIXON.CO.UK The Z 545 is a mid-high launch, low spinning, fully adjustable driver that is suitable for all abilities. Ball speeds have been maximised through advanced face construction, which features a booster cup-face and variable face thickness technology to enlarge the sweet spot by 35% – increasing both forgiveness and distance. Distance is increased further through Srixon’s Dual Speed Technology, which maximises a player’s rotation efficiency, while also delivering more kinetic energy at impact, resulting in more head speed, more ball speed, and more distance. A 12-way hosel tunes face angle and lie, along with loft, while the adjustable weight port comes with 3g, 7g and 11g weights to precisely tune the centre of gravity to provide optimal launch and spin.

5. COBRA KING F6+

6. PING G30

RRP: £299 CONTACT: COBRAGOLF.COM

RRP: £299 CONTACT: PING.COM

The King F6+ features a sliding weighting system encased in a carbon fibre shell that offers five different centre of gravity positions. Replacing the heavier titanium track used in the Fly-Z+ driver, additional discretionary weight created by the use of a carbon fibre crown, a new titanium body and a forged face, allows a 18g weight on the sole to deliver ultra-low centre of gravity and ball flights ranging from towering to penetrating. Other features include Speed Channel technology – an engineered trench around the perimeter of the face and toe area –delivers faster ball speeds. It is available in five lofts and three draw settings – 9.5°D, 10.5°D and 11.5°D – and three colour options (black, blue and white).

The seventh generation of Ping’s top-selling G range of drivers is arguably its most eye-catching yet. Six aeronauticallyinspired ridges –­ called Turbulators – are located on the crown, which smooth the airflow over the club during the swing, significantly reducing drag and increasing clubhead speed and distance. A new adjustable hosel doubles the number of lofts available, with a +/- 0.6° option allowing golfers to fine tune trajectory more precisely.

The sole weight is also larger than the G25, and this combines with changes in the internal weighting to move the centre of gravity lower and further back on the optimum axis. The G30 is also available in Low Spin and Straight Flight models to suit launch preferences.

7. WILSON STAFF FG TOUR F5 RRP: £279 CONTACT: WILSON.COM

7

Already in the bags of Wilson players Kevin Streelman and Brendan Steele, the F5 is part of an all-new range of clubs designed for players looking for workability, forgiveness and distance throughout the bag. The driver features Reactive Face technology that is Wilson’s take on the now familiar variable thickness faces that maximise ball speeds. It comes in lofts of 9° and 10.5° that are complemented by a six-way adjustable hosel covering loft settings from 8° to 12° in half degree increments and three adjustable sole weights to allow players to attain their ideal launch angle, ball speed and spin rate.

Wilson is also introducing what it calls Green Means Go! Fast Fit technology within the hosel, which effectively allows players to make quick adjustments to their set up without needing to remove the club head from the shaft.

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [39]

QUICK FIXES FOR

SLOW PLAY

F

or some, it’s the biggest issue facing the game; for others it’s been blown out of proportion by a minority harking back to the days when time taken was almost as important as score recorded.

Truth is, golf’s pace of play issue lies somewhere in between, with more viewing it as a problem than not, including the R&A whose global pace of play survey in early 2015 yielded some interesting results.

Some 60% of the 56,000 respondents felt they would enjoy the game more if it didn’t take so long, but 70% confessed to being pretty happy, with a mere 4% never satisfied. As to the extent to which pace of play might be affecting participation, it was seen as only the third biggest obstacle, well behind work and family commitments.

Interestingly, only 8.8% of rounds worldwide were reported to exceed 4½ hours, with GB&I respondents feeding back that mean round times were the same now as when they first started playing at threeand-a-quarter hours. But if 70% of golfers are largely happy, three out of 10 of us aren’t enjoying golf as much as we should, because it’s taking too long, and that warrants further investigation.

In late November, the R&A followed up its pace of play survey with the inaugural Time for Golf conference at St Andrews, with interested parties gathering to pool their thoughts. While many club golfers think the problem is simply down to player behaviour, others see it as a more complex equation in which course set-up and management practices also play a role. We all like to blame the fourball ahead dithering about on the green, but what if there are simply too many people on the course at any one time because

tee-time intervals are too short?

The R&A’s Dr Steve Otto kicked off with the tale of an informal experiment involving three R&A golfers of mixed ability tackling the Castle, Jubilee and Strathtyrum layouts in St Andrews – courses of differing lengths and difficulty.

Round duration differences between the two extremes – the Castle and Strathtyrum – were 75 minutes, highlighting that the design of the course has a major bearing on speed of play.

USGA agronomist Jim Moore talked about length of rough and density of trees impacting on round times, but maintaining them comes at a cost. He also said that too many courses spend more money maintaining their bunkers than their greens, a theme developed by Stuart McColm, general manager at Castle Stuart, who pointed out that in 2012, Scottish Open competitors faced a mere 36 bunkers, before tackling 206 the following week at The Open at Lytham. The latter club has recently announced a plan to remove 40 bunkers, which could be the beginning of a trend.

Eye-of-the-needle, precision golf may identify the best player, but the best players visit once in a blue moon, while most of us require more room to manoeuvre off the tee, and sensible green speeds.

McColm cited a Danish Golf Union study that showed anything over nine on the Stimpmeter increased average round times by 10 minutes.

Course architect Paul Jansen bemoaned worrying trends for ‘Hollywood designs’ crammed full of visually pleasing, yet largely unplayable holes, and ‘bunkeritis’.

He showed a photo of a hole with 32 bunkers – nearly as many as the total number at Castle Stuart.

Moving on to management practices, Hunki Yun and Matt Pringle of the USGA presented a case for inadequate tee-time intervals causing many on-course snarl-ups. When the LPGA

As the search goes on to find ways of speeding up play, Jeremy Ellwood reports from the Time for Golf conference at St Andrews, where industry experts gathered to discuss ways for the game to be less tortoise and more hare

‘Bunkeritis’ is destroying the pace of play at many courses

“SHORTER COURSES, WITH LESS ROUGH AND SLOWER GREENS, COULD BE THE ANSWER TO GOLF’S DECLINE” increased tee-time intervals, round times came down by 15-20 minutes. Bob Williams, chief executive of the Golf Club Managers Association, polled 30 club managers, with 66% citing the behaviour of tour professionals as a primary cause of slow play.

But while none said slow play was never a problem, 50% didn’t view it as a priority issue.

Representatives from the European Tour and Ladies’ European Tour were on hand to assure us that they did take the problem seriously, and had policies in place to act as deterrents, with fines, and ultimately penalty shots, for repeat offenders. However, Sally McPherson of the LET pointed out that players are playing for their salaries, world ranking points, playing rights, Solheim Cup places and so on, so play is never going to be as quick as at club level, where the stakes are not nearly as high.

Kevin Feeney of the European Tour added that the courses the tour visited were long and difficult, sometimes with

significant walks from green to tee, all of which mitigates against rapid play. The Tour has actively been involved in educating its players, though, and there have been no slow play penalties in either 2014 or 2015, indicating that the message is finally hitting home.

Ryder Cup player Stephen Gallacher, who was also present at the conference, said that fines were no deterrent once a golfer had hit one of the main tours, citing a PGA Tour player he knew who carried his cheque book around in his golf bag for just such eventualities.

David Rickman from the R&A’s rules

department assessed whether the rules might in any way be responsible for slow play. Topics discussed included alternatives to stroke and distance penalties, putting with the flagstick in and – perhaps the most likely candidate for future change – reducing the ball search time down from five minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one or two time-saving measures weren’t incorporated into the next rules revisions.

To round things off, Christophe Muniesa, of the French Golf Federation, spoke about a scheme in France to create 100 new ‘compact’ courses over 10 years, with 74 already complete.

The courses are all designed to be playable by all, and each has roughly 400 members, with over 50,000 people so far taking up golf as a result. Shorter, more manageable courses take less time to play, and the French scheme provides one possible solution to golf’s decline in participation.

So, is it more that we as golfers have ground to a halt, or that the environment in which we now play the game has slowed us down? The overall feeling was that it is a multifaceted issue that is now firmly on the agenda of those at the helm.

The golfing world waits eagerly to see what will happen next, although I would perhaps advise against holding your breath.

SLOW PLAY BY NUMBERS

8.8 70 3.5 11 206 32 40

Percentage of rounds worldwide taking longer than 4½ hours

Percentage of golfers ‘happy’ with the pace of play

The average number of hours for a round by the first group out

Tee-time interval that reduces playing time by 15 minutes

Bunkers at Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Bunkers at Castle Stuart, Scottish Open venue

Seconds that tour pros have to play a shot

[40] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | BREAKS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

A RIGHT ROYAL RETREAT

Matt Nicholson pays a visit to Hever Castle, where history, five hospitality and great golf make for a perfect golfing getaway.

My room was on the first floor of the Astor While I’ve had the pleasure of playing the Championship course at Hever Castle Golf Club many Wing, looking out through leaded windows over the private lawns. The room was as spacious as it times, and have taken my family to visit the historic Castle on more than one occasion, I’ve never had the was luxurious, offering a combination of old world charm and modern comforts, with plump sofas, a opportunity to enjoy extended hospitality at what is widely regarded as one of Kent’s most popular visitor huge bed, acres of cream carpet and a gleaming marble-tiled bathroom, complete with freeattractions. So, when the opportunity arose to bring standing bath, walk-in shower, and Molton Brown my overnight bag, I jumped at the chance to find out toiletries. what made Anne Boleyn and her family fell in love Elsewhere in the Astor Wing, I discovered a with this special place over 600 years ago. magnificent Billiard Room with a huge fireplace, Hever Castle itself offers visitors a rich and which after a few frames, had me feeling like fascinating past, with the oldest parts of the Castle dating back to the 13th century. It was Anne Boleyn’s the Lord of the Manor, or rather the King of the Castle – if only for a few hours. There is also a childhood home in the early 1500s, and it was lovely panelled lounge offering books magazine here that Henry VIII first met her, establishing the and newspapers to be enjoyed in front of the log property’s royal connection. Four hundred years burner. later, in 1903, it was bought by William Waldorf I headed out for dinner at the appropriatelyAstor, one of the richest men in America at the named King Henry VIII pub in the village, which is time, who invested millions into restoring the Castle also owned by Hever Castle and only a five minute and building the incredible Italian Garden and the ‘Tudor Village’, which is now referred to as the Astor Wing – which would be where my room for the night would be.

The Astor Wing offers 28 luxurious bedrooms, set within stunning private areas of the castle, while Medley Court, a luxurious fourbedroom property, boasts its own private entrance and fabulous views of Hever Castle, perfect for golf groups The bedrooms in Hever Castle’s Astor and couples celebrating Wing are fit for kings and queens 2015 12 Golf News - Golf Breaks_Layout 1 special occasions.

Hever Castle

09/12/2015 13:50 Page 1

golf_news.qxp_170x240mm 16/10/2015 16:49 Page 1

THE IDEAL CORPORATE

GOLF DAY

Winter Golf

at Ufford Park Woodbridge

Let us welcome you to our wonderful facilities, stunning views and superb greens in the heart of Suffolk.

NEW

An award winning course where visitors return time and time again.

CLUB HOUSE

NOW OPEN ENJOY EUROPE’S No.1 PAR 3 GOLF COURSE AT NAILCOTE HALL HOTEL

THE BRITISH PAR 3 CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE

18 Holes ‘Pay & Play’ £15.00 Per person Society Days from £19.50 Per person Corporate Golf Events from £32.50 Per person • Mark Mouland Golf Academy Golf Tuition & Group Clinics • Golf Buggies & Clubs Available for hire • Golf Membership Find out more online Pay & Play after 1pm - November 1st - March 31st, after 5pm - April 1st - August 31st and after 4pm September 1st October 31st and enjoy a free pint at the bar after play.

Stay and Play

the best par 3 in the UK

• No temporary tees • No temporary greens • No trolley bans • Excellent drainage means we are very rarely closed • Rarely any buggy bans • Voted in Todays Golfer’s top 20 winter courses • 2 storey heated driving range for practice all year round • 90 bedroom hotel with health club and spa so you can stay over & really relax

Bed & Breakfast

• Stay & Play including luxury accomodation • Full English breakfast in the Oak Room restaurant • 18 holes of golf

Only

£59pp per night*

1 night Golf and Spa Breaks

from £93.50* per person includes dinner, bed & breakfast, use of the Health Club and up to 2 rounds of golf.

* based on 2 people sharing a twin room Valid from 1st November to March 31st 2016

Nailcote Lane, Berkswell, Warwickshire CV7 7DE

Tel: 02476 466174 Fax: 02476 470720 info@nailcotehall.co.uk www.nailcotehall.co.uk

* Subject to availability. Terms & conditions apply.

t 0844 847 9408 w www.uffordpark.co.uk Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1QW (2 minutes from the A12)

BREAKS | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

[41]

Guests can test their potting skills on a fullsize snooker table in the Billiards Room

Hever Castle offers 27 holes of superb parkland golf

TheManor House

& Ashbury Hotels

- The Only Sport, Craft & Spa Hotels in the UK

Autumn to Spring Specials NOW - 27/04/16

walk from the accommodation. With oak-panelled walls and a roaring log fire, I enjoyed a superb meal of slow-roasted pork belly and mustard mash, washed down with a selection of local Kentish ales, before heading back to my room.

After a restful night’s sleep, and a superb full English breakfast in the Tudor Suite, I wandered around the gardens for a while, taking in the moated Castle, the boating lake, the maze and the croquet lawn, before heading over to the golf club for my allotted tee time.

With 27 holes of top quality parkland golf on offer, Hever Castle Golf Club it’s no wonder that it’s one of the most popular venues in the county for societies and visitors. A former host of the Kent PGA Championship and Kent Open on numerous occasions since opening in 1992, the Kings and Queens’ courses combine to produce a championship course of over 7,000 yards. With water hazards, numerous astutely-placed bunkers, small greens, and some narrow tree-lined fairways, its place an emphasis on accuracy, although there are plenty of opportunities to open the shoulders, especially on the front nine.

While much of the post-round chat will

be about how you negotiated the 644yard 17th, few courses can boast such an array of stunning holes, with the short third and sixth holes, both of which are played over water, being early personal highlights. Later on, it’s the trio of holes from the 11th to the 13th – Hever’s very own ‘Amen Corner’ – that stand out, not only for their beauty, but their difficulty, with carries over and beside water to small, well-protected targets.

Off the course, Hever boasts a superb Tudor-style clubhouse, part of which dates back to the 13th century, which provides the perfect place to relax after a day’s golf. With a spacious patio, informal spike bar, and a huge lounge and dining room, it is the ideal environment for entertaining, with a choice of dining facilities and meeting rooms.

There are a wide range of golf break packages on offer, starting from £93pp for one night in a deluxe room, including full English breakfast, nine holes on the Prince’s course, and entrance to the Castle and gardens. Upgrade packages to the Championship Course are available.

For more details and bookings, visit www.hever.co.uk/stay-at-hever-castle or call Claire on 01732 701003.

FREE GOLF at

“I’ve never played such fantastic courses”

The UK’s Largest Golf Resort

Stephen W - Trip Advisor

Set in the foothills of Dartmoor National Park, Devon.

The Ashbury Hotel is the ideal venue for your golf break.

At least 27 holes of FREE golf with each night of stay!

Pines 17th 442 yards, Par 4

Oakwood 16th 172 yards, Par 3

Beeches 5th 419 yards, Par 4

Kigbeare 15th 415 yards, Par 4

• FREE Golf • ½ Price Buggies • 10% OFF Health & Beauty

April / May Bargain Breaks: 4 Night Midweek Breaks from £279pp

PLUS unique Craft Centre featuring 17 tutored crafts, including Pottery, Woodwork, Glass Engraving & Hot Press Printing

0800 389 9892

Par 72 Par 72 Par 69 Par 68 Par 69 Par 71 Par 54

6528 6400 5803 5502 5775 6111 1939

ashburygolfhotel.com

• All prices per person • All rooms en-suite • Full board • Party discounts •

!

Sports Racket Sports Leisure Ranges Family Bowls Swimming Funhouse Tennis Archery Table Tennis Badminton Spa & Sauna Gamezone Air Pistols 5-A-Side Snooker Waterslides Air Rifles Squash Basketball Short Tennis Ten-Pin Lasers Play Area

Kigbeare Pines Beeches Oakwood Ashbury 9 + Pines Front 9 Ashbury 9 + Pines Back 9 Willows

a EE Sp FRro yd H

Additional Facilities FREE to residents of our hotels

[42] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | BREAKS

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

London Beach launches residential coaching academy

Mannings Heath dishes up golf breaks to savour

The Waterfall Course at Mannings Heath

Five-star golf and fine-dining are very much on the menu at Mannings Heath Golf Club in West Sussex, following the launch of its latest stay-and-play packages, which include a chance to sample food prepared

by Michelin-starred chef Matt Gillan, at the club’s sister property, South Lodge Hotel.

Gillan, who is head chef of The Pass at South Lodge, hit the headlines in the summer when he beat stiff competition from professional chefs from all over the UK in the BBC’s Great British Menu, and won the chance to serve one of his dishes at a banquet to celebrate 100 years of the Women’s institute.

Gillan’s mouthwatering five-course menu, including his famous ‘Teaching and Preaching’ goat main course, can be enjoyed for £75pp at dinner, or £59 for lunch.

Stephanie Hall, general manager at Mannings Heath Golf Club, said: “Everyone at Mannings Heath is very proud to be associated with South Lodge and the accolades it is collecting for its food, with a Michelin star in 2011, Steven Edwards’ fantastic win in Professional MasterChef in 2013, and now Matt’s amazing dishes at the Great British Menu this year. Anyone staying on a golf break with us with a love of fine-dining is certainly in for a treat with the mouth-watering combination of awardwinning golf and food to match.”

South Lodge Hotel is a magnificent Victorian country house, which boasts spectacular views over the South Downs, and has over 90 acres of woodland to explore. It offers 89 individually styled and designed rooms and suites, which are a fusion of past glories and modern-day comforts, with handmade mattresses, scented pillows, and walk-in wet rooms.

In addition to The Pass, diners can also enjoy the 6 AA Rosette Camillia Restaurant, where head chef Richard Mann’s menu offers a modern twist on locally-sourced classics.

Leisure activities at South Lodge include tennis, croquet, archery, and clay pigeon shooting, while golfers need only make a short drive to nearby Mannings Heath Golf Club to tee off on one of two 18-hole layouts – the Waterfall and Kingfisher courses.

The former hosted the 2013 English Women’s Amateur Strokeplay Championship, and flows gracefully through the Sussex countryside, testing the skills and nerve of the most seasoned player, and is rated by the ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in England’ as the best pay-and-play course in the county.

For full details and prices of stay-andplay packages at South Lodge Hotel and Mannings Heath Golf Club, visit www.manningsheath.com.

London Beach Hotel and Golf Club in Kent is launching a new range of residential golf tuition breaks in the New Year, which aim to offer golfers of all skill levels intensive instruction from its team of PGA professionals at a state-of-the-art academy.

Head Professional Ian Davison, who formerly worked at the highly-respected James Andrews Golf School in East Sussex, has set up the new programme at the Tenterden Golf School, which will offer golfers the very best coaching, aided by the latest swing analysis technology, including a high-definition SwingTrack golf simulator and a Trackman launch monitor.

The residential schools are divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, with half-day and full-day sessions for a

maximum of four players ensuring a truly personal experience.

Golfers can take advantage of the other facilities that the club has to offer, including the 9-hole golf course, swimming pool, gym and restaurant, while on-site overnight accommodation is offered in a choice of well-appointed 24 twin and double rooms, all of which overlook the golf course and surrounding countryside in the Weald of Kent.

For all enquiries and package rates, visit www.londonbeach.com or call 01580 766279.

Greece is the word for Irish ace!

A lucky, or rather extremely opportunities to try and repeat skillful, golfer form the feat.

Northern Ireland has won “I can’t believe it, I never win a golf holiday to Greece anything!” said Mr Hassard, after achieving a hole-inwho comes from Banbridge one on a simulator at a golf in Northern Ireland. “We had Hole-in-one winner Colin Hassard exhibition in Dublin. to review the footage several with Chaka Travel’s David McLaughlin and Gerard Watson Colin Hassard belied his times, and I really could not get 26 handicap by holing out over the shot!” with his tee shot on the iconic 137-yard 17th Chaka Travel’s marketing manager hole at Sawgrass, as part of a competition run Tim Ferris expressed his delight for the by specialist golf holiday company Chaka Travel winner,”‘Congratulations to Colin. It’s great over the two-day show in November. to see competitions like this actually being The winner, who had only taken up golf for won, and we’re delighted to offer Colin a stay the first time last year, won a five-night stay at Costa Navarino, including free golf. This for two at the luxury Costa Navarino resort in area of Greece is proving to be very popular, Greece. The resort boasts two championship with its mix of great hospitality, facilities and course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and championship golf courses – it’s an easy Bernard Langer, which will give him plenty of recommendation!”

CORNISH CREAM

exclusivegolfbreaks.com

2 NIGHTS B&B at St Mellion or Trevose 3 ROUNDS St Mellion, Perranporth & Trevose

ONLY £225 pp Dinner option: £20pp per night extra

ENGLISH RIVERA DEVON

HAMPSHIRE & SURREY CLASSICS

MID WALES

NORTH WALES

WOODHALL GOLF BREAKS

2 NIGHTS B&B at Toorak Hotel, Torquay 3 ROUNDS Churston, Torquay & Teignmouth

2 NIGHTS B&B at either: Marriott Portsmouth or Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa, Haslemere

2 NIGHTS B&B at The Metropole Hotel DAY 1 Cradoc G.C 18 holes DAY 2 Llandrindod Wells G.C 18 holes DAY 3 Builth Wells G.C 18 holes

2 NIGHTS B&B at The Royal Sportsman DAY 1 Porthmadog G.C 18 holes DAY 2 Nefyn & District G.C 18 holes DAY 3 Royal St Davids G.C 18 holes

2 NIGHTS B&B at Woodhall Spa Hotel 3 DAYS 1 x Hotchkin Course*

ONLY £199 pp

ONLY £225 pp

ONLY £249 pp

3 ROUNDS at any of these courses:

Hindhead, Stoneham, Hayling or Liphook

ONLY £199 pp

Dinner Option: £10pp per night extra

ONLY £249 pp

Weekend supplement: £10pp extra

Weekend supplement: £15pp extra

1 x Bracken Course* 1 x Seacroft GC

* Located at Woodhall

Weekend supplement: £17pp extra

To discuss your exclusive golf package call 01822 618181

We have over 15 years experience of organising golf breaks throughout the UK and Europe

TRAVEL | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [43]

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

SarahStirk

FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF A GROUP OF LUXURY RESORTS FEATURING COURSES DESIGNED BY SOME OF THE GAME’S MOST FAMOUS NAMES, VIETNAM IS WELL ON THE WAY TO PUTTING ITSELF ON THE GOLF HOLIDAY MAP, WRITES SARAH STIRK

GOOD GOLFING

VIETNAM!

The Bluffs at Ho Tram Strip Resort

‘B

uild it and they will come’. Well, that was Kevin Costner’s ghostly inspiration for carving out a baseball field in his backyard in the Oscar-nominated film Field of Dreams, but the same principle could apply to the thinking behind Vietnam’s golf development, which is dangling the carrot of a finely-chiseled collection of world class golf courses designed by some world class architects to attract a new and intrepid generation of long-haul travelling golfers to its shores.

Throw in an inviting climate, high-quality accommodation, stunning beaches, a safe environment, interesting local food, culture and history, friendly people, and sensibly-priced green fees, and the result is a country that has seen its golf visitor numbers rise from virtually zero five years ago, to more than 250,000 rounds to date, and counting.

Despite being slightly off the traditionally beaten track as far as golfers are concerned, Vietnam is making a strong case for being the Far East’s next hot golfing destination on the back of a trio of top tracks located on what is being called the ‘Golf Coast Vietnam’.

Leading the way among this all-star cast is Ho Tram Strip, Vietnam’s first integrated casino and golf resort, which is located 80 miles south east of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s centrepiece is the

Laguna Lang Co Golf Club

Greg Norman-designed Bluffs Course, which only opened in October 2014, but has already won a hatful of awards – including ‘Best New Golf Course in the World’ at the World Golf Awards – and earlier this month hosted the inaugural Ho Tram Open on the Asian Tour, which attracted a strong field and was won by Sergio Garcia.

With The Bluffs also scooping ‘Best Golf Course in Vietnam’ and the Grand Ho Tram Strip bagging ‘Best Golf Hotel in Vietnam’, it’s been quite a month for Vietnam’s most pre-eminent golf resort, with the triple success confirming both the resort, and the country, as one of golf’s most exciting up and coming destinations.

Norman, who has also built a championship course at Danang Golf Club, had always believed that The Bluffs had the potential to become one the world’s great courses. Speaking at its initial launch, The Shark said: “As a golf course designer, you only get the opportunity to work with sites as

good as this maybe a few times in your career. It took Mother Nature thousands of years to create these sand dunes, so we made every effort to preserve the natural character of the site. This is one of only two pieces of land of this quality and character that I have ever been given to work with, the other being Doonbeg in the Ireland. It’s a very special place.”

The course is framed by the white sandy shoreline of the Vietnamese sea, and the opulent 541-room hotel – the Grand Ho Tram. With a second tower under construction, which will increase resort capacity to 1,200 rooms, an award-winning casino, an appetite for the very best entertainment, and a host of amenities from beach games to luxury pools and spa, the Ho Tram Strip is gathering momentum as the major new force in golf and hospitality, and is well on its way to earning a reputation as the Las Vegas of Asia.

Having Garcia win the Ho Tram

Open certainly added to the hype around the $1.5 million tournament and its trail-blazing Bluffs Course, which is the second of Norman’s designs in Vietnam, following the opening of Danang Golf Club in 2010. The Bluffs Course itself lies on a coastal plateau, with holes routed around towering seaside sand dunes. The highest point of the windswept property is located 50m above sea level on the 15th green, but the most spectacular vantage point comes earlier in the round at the signature par-three fourth. Here golfers are treated to 360-degree views of the course, the coastline and the strip. The 7,000-yard layout features sensational rolling dunes and dramatic ocean vistas, and as with all modern designs, it’s about utilising the natural topography, while causing minimal disturbance to the environment. The huge greens also feature some extraordinary contours that are fast becoming Norman’s trademark.

With Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie already boasting courses in Ho Tram Strip, and with a fourth, Ba Na Hills, (a first design for Luke Donald), due to open next year, there’s no doubt that Ho Tram Strip is leading the way for Vietnam’s golfing growth.

And with 36 championship courses in play throughout the country, and another estimated 65 projects at various stages of planning and construction, it has the potential to become a major player as a golf destination.

While many golfers heading east might have previously opted for Thailand, those with a more adventurous side are certainly curious about what Vietnam has to offer. Culturally it’s more diverse, touristically less developed, and although at the higher end of the market, there are many reasons why Vietnam is making big waves in the world of golf, and the star names are lining up to carve their names into this most stunning of landscapes.

Grand Ho Tram Strip Hotel

[44] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | TRAVEL

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

A golf holiday in Dubai also offers the chance to watch the world’s best players in action at events like the Desert Classic

Brittany offers ferry good golf break deals!

The 2016 Brittany Ferries Golf Breaks brochure, with 84 great courses in Western France and nine in Northern Spain, is now out.

France is a world apart from the UK, and yet it is only a short hop across the channel. With its outstanding cuisine, wine, cheeses and unique ambience, the après-golf is part of what makes a golf break in France so memorable and so much fun.

Northern Spain remains largely undiscovered – and is very different from the busy costas – where a combination of the spectacular Picos de Europa mountains, lush countryside and colourful vineyards creates a breath-taking backdrop for some beautiful and challenging golf.

With Brittany Ferries, getting there is very much part of the holiday, and you can make the most of your precious time by crossing the channel overnight. With a fleet of luxury cruise-ferries, offering en-suite cabins, fine French restaurants and stylish bars, they provide a uniquely relaxing way of travelling.

But if long crossings are not for you, there is a high-speed service to whisk you from Portsmouth to France in just three hours.

Graham Ruth, Brittany Ferries’ Director of Golf, said: “Many of our customers come back again and again, and I think this is because once you have discovered how easy and delightful golfing in France is, you are hooked! And whether you are a couple or a group, the

Val André in Northern France

Brittany Ferries golf desk, staffed by keen golfers with a wealth of local knowledge, can advise not only on the courses, but on restaurants and the sights you shouldn’t miss. They can even book you a tailor-made package at no extra cost.”

Getting to the continent couldn’t be easier, with five routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to western France, as well as two to northern Spain, including a service to Bilbao, which makes a handy staging post for golfers travelling with their car to the Spain and SouthWest France.

Among the packages on offer in 2016, is a three-night, three-round break to Dinan and Dinard, which includes one night on board in a cabin; two nights’ B&B at the Hotel Mercure Dinan Port; and three rounds of golf (Dinard, Val André and St Cast), from only £240 per person.

Sailings are form Portsmouth to St Malo, with return trips from Caen or Cherbourg to Portsmouth or Poole.

For those golfers who enjoy their wine, there is also a package to the Spanish wine region of Rioja, where a fivenight break (two nights on board), three rounds of golf (Rioja Alta, Logroño and Izki Urturi), and return sailings from Portsmouth to Santander, costs from £332pp.

For more information, visit www.brittanyferries.com/golf, call 0330 159 5418 or email golfdesk@brittanyferries.com.

Golf Dubai Plus launches luxury tournament packages Golf Dubai Plus, the Middle East’s leading golf holiday specialist, has launched a range of new golf and leisure packages for 2016.

With a passion for the game, Golf Dubai Plus blends the finest golf and hospitality services with truly world-class sporting events, including the upcoming Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Packages can be tailor-made to suit all budgets, and can include return flights, private transport services, luxury accommodation, dining, entertainment and event tickets. Whether it’s scenic flights, yacht rental or enjoying a famous Dubai Friday brunch, Golf Dubai Plus will help you make memories that will last a lifetime.

The Dubai Desert Classic is one of the highlights of the 2016 golfing calendar, and offers a unique opportunity to watch some of the game’s top players in action Jumeirah Beach Hotel is one of over at Emirates Golf Club, while combining it with Dubai’s most exclusive resorts a luxury holiday.

Golf Dubai Plus has a range of great value packages for this event, including six nights’ five-star accommodation; two rounds of golf at Dubai’s top destination courses; two days’ entrance to the tournament, including private transfers throughout; and return economy flights from London Gatwick. Prices start from £1,595pp.

For bookings and details of other tournament packages and holidays, visit www.golfdubaiplus.com.

Oitavos tournament promises to be a classic The Oitavos Hotel and the award-winning Oitavos Dunes Golf Club are once again joining forces to host the fifth edition of The Oitavos Classic.

Located on Portugal’s Estoril Coast, just north of Lisbon, the two award-winning venues will host the popular amateur tournament from February 25-28.

The tournament package includes three night’s B&B at The Oitavos Hotel, three rounds of golf at Oitavos Dunes, welcome cocktail, awards dinner, and prizes. Prices start from €669pp for a single bedroom, rising to €924 for a double room.

The Oitavos Dunes, which is adjacent to the hotel, was designed by renowned American architect Arthur Hills, and was recently voted 58th in Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses in the World (and the top-ranked course in Portugal). A natural links, every hole on the course offers wonderful views of the Atlantic and the nearby Sintra mountains, and provides a challenging, but fair test of a golfer’s abilities.

The Oitavos Hotel is a Oitavos Hotel overlooks the Dunes course five-star luxury venue set within the Sintra Cascais National Park. Designed with sleek lines and elegantly simple interiors, the hotel offers numerous dining experiences, a full service spa, an equestrian centre, and a health and racket club.

For reservations for the 2016 Oitavos Classic, email reservations@theoitavos. com or call 00 351 21 486 06 00.

[46] DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 | TRAVEL

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Virgin launches first US golf brochure Eagle-eyed golfers swoop on the states A golf holiday to America rarely disappoints, but given the huge choice of destinations on offer, deciding where to have your fun in the sun is often the hardest call to make.

USA golf holiday specialists Eagle Golf Tours, which has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, has sent thousands of satisfied clients on golf holidays to the most well-known destinations in America, and is uniquely place to ensure your golf break is a memorable one.

One of the most popular destinations in America with British golfers at this moment in time is Myrtle Beach. Also known as the Grand Strand and, more recently, dubbed the ‘Golf Capital of the World’, Myrtle Beach boasts what may well be the greatest collection of public access courses anywhere.

With more than 100 stunning layouts in a 60-mile stretch of the South Carolina coastline, the best architects in the world

have played their part in Myrtle Beach’s legacy to the game. The types of courses are varied in design from open, windswept links, to traditional low country courses carved through the Carolina forests.

Add in a choice of over 1,000 restaurants offering cuisine from around the world, miles of sandy beach, hundreds of bars and nightclubs, and you have the perfect golf holiday destination.

Moving south, we come to the sunshine state of Florida, more specifically to the golfing Mecca that is Orlando, home to many of the world’s best golfers. With in excess of 200 golf courses to choose from, the Orlando area has long been a popular golf holiday destination with UK golfers, and not just families with young Disneyobsessed children. With daily Virgin Atlantic flights – where clubs go free – from Gatwick, Orlando has never a more

attractive proposition. Enjoying a year-round temperate climate, sensible green fees, and a huge choice of accommodation, from budget hotels to five-star resorts to private villas, Orlando really is worth consideration for your next golf holiday in the USA. For a change of scenery, why not head out west to the Valley of the Sun, and a taste of desert golf. With over 200 courses in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area alone to choose from, and comfortable in the knowledge that the sun shines on more than 300 days of the year, here is a great destination for the fair weather golfer. A great selection of hotels, golf resorts, shopping and nightlife combine to make this one of America’s most popular golfing holiday destinations.

For more information on these and other popular golf holiday destinations, call 01273 419111 or go to www.eaglegolftours.com.

Golf Holidays in the

USA

MYRTLE BEACH from £290pp!

ORLANDO from £275pp!

ARIZONA from £355pp!

PINEHURST from £395pp!

HILTON HEAD from £370pp!

Virgin Holidays has launched its first dedicated golf brochure, bringing together a wide range of America’s best courses, to suit all tastes, budgets and handicaps.

Showcasing the USA’s varied and vast collection of golfing resorts, the brochure ranges from luxury desert courses in Palm Springs and Las Vegas, to striking beach-side locations across Florida, California and the Carolinas.

There’s even a chance to tee off in the footsteps of a pro by playing on some of the country’s most prestigious courses. Choose from regular tour venues including TPC Sawgrass, PGA National, Trump National Doral and Harbour Town Golf Links.

In addition there are venues with a special place in golf history, including Kiawah Island Ocean Course, Pinehurst No2 and Pebble Beach, to name but a few venues to have hosted major championships.

Catering for couples and groups, the new collection offers flexibility for every kind of traveller, with both single and multi-centre trips, for travellers wanting to combine a golfing break with another Virgin Holidays destination.

Lee Haslett, director of sales at Virgin Holidays, commented: “As the UK’s favourite holiday company to the USA, the time felt right for us to showcase the variety of world class golf resorts the country has to offer. Although this is an entirely new collection for us, our customers can be assured in the knowledge they’ll still receive the same high standard Virgin Holidays are renowned for – and we’ll even fly your golf clubs free of charge!”

A sample package from the new brochure is a sevennight holiday to Mystic Dunes Resort in Orlando, departing on June 7, which starts from £849pp, including return Virgin Atlantic flights, seven days’ car hire and four rounds of golf.

For more details visit www.virgin-atlantic.com.

travel

MAURITIUS

we’re the golf holiday experts

www.chakatravel.com

MAURITIUS

from £1,695 PP

5* Heritage Le Telfair

5* Belle Mare Plage

10 nights Half Board

12 nights Half Board from £1,695 PP 12 nights All Inclusive Package from £2,235 PP Unlimited golf, incl. flights & transfers

Unlimited golf & FREE upgrade beach front Incl. flights, transfers

MEXICO 5* Le Blanc Resort

SOUTH AFRICA from £2,195 PP Cape Town & Fancourt

from £2,795 PP

10 nights b&b 6 rounds of golf on 6 courses

2 weeks All Inclusive - free room upgrade!

Prices include - 7 nights in 3* hotel or self-catering, 4 great rounds of golf including carts! and a 7 seat people carrier with inclusive car insurance based on 4 sharing.

(FLIGHTS NOT INCLUDED, PLEASE CALL FOR LATEST PRICES AND GROUP DISCOUNTS).

For the BEST PRICES in - MYRTLE BEACH - FLORIDA - LAS VEGAS CALIFORNIA - PEBBLE BEACH - SAWGRASS - CHARLESTON

Europe and South Africa please call:

EAGLE GOLF TOURS 01273 419111

or go to: www.eaglegolftours.com

from £1,999 PP

Unlimited golf & a complimentary spa treatment Incl. flights, transfers & unlimited golf

ABU DHABI

Incl. flights & car hire

from £1,295 PP

4* Crowne Plaza Yas Island

ESCORTED TOURS & TOURNAMENTS 2015 / 2016

Incl. flights & transfers

Join us on one of our popular escorted tours to South Africa, Mauritius, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco and beyond...

7 nights b&b 4 rounds of golf

MADEIRA

SEYCHELLES

DUBAI

SPAIN

www.chakatravel.com enquiries@chakatravel.com

ITALY

IRELAND

MOROCCO

CALL OUR SPECIALISTS

028 9023 2112

TURKEY

TRAVEL | DEC 2015 / JAN 2016 [47]

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Me&MyTravels My first holiday was… with my family to a resort in Pompano Beach, Florida. All I can remember is that I played tennis for most of the time.

time golf the way Bobby Jones would have known it. It’s a really outstanding course.

Nobu at Indian Wells

My ideal travelling golf partners are… people who can make me laugh. I don’t care about how good or bad they are at golf, they just have to be amusing.

I always travel with… a few pairs of fresh underpants.

My most recent holiday was to… Bermuda. What a beautiful place. The people are lovely, the restaurants are superb, and we had a lot of fun.

No matter where I am… I’m determined to appreciate the local culture.

My favourite golf course in the world is… Pine Valley. It’s so spectacular and it’s sort of old Mid Ocean Club, Bermuda

FOUR-TIME WIMBLEDON DOUBLES CHAMPION AND SKY SPORTS TENNIS COMMENTATOR PETER FLEMING IS MORE LIKELY TO BE FOUND ON A GOLF COURSE THAN A COURT THESE DAYS – ESPECIALLY IF IT’S AT A LUXURY ISLAND RESORT

Teeth of the Dog, Dominican Republic

My best ever round was at…

Richmond Golf Club in London.

I was level par after 17 holes.

I hit a decent drive on the last, and had a just six-iron to the green – but I shanked it! I salvaged a bogey, but finished on one-over par for the round – very annoying.

My favourite golf resort is… Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. Pete Dye’s ‘Teeth of the Dog’ is one heck of a course, and the holes hard by the ocean are simply jawdropping.

The best hotel I’ve ever stayed at was… Royal Lahaina in Maui.

Everything was absolutely perfect. I’ve stayed at some really good hotels during my time, but that tops the lot.

My favourite city in the world is… London. It’s a truly

cosmopolitan city that suits me perfectly. There’s a lot going on, but it’s not crazy like New York.

My most memorable meal abroad was… at Nobu at Indian Wells. It’s a Japanese restaurant that overlooks No.2 court. I went there with the billionaire entrepreneur Larry Ellison, and we pretty much ate everything on the menu!

I’m planning a trip to… nowhere. I’ve no trips planned at all. It’s rare for me not to having something in the diary, but no doubt something will come up at some point.

The thing I hate about travel is... lugging bags around. I try to travel light, but I always seem to take tons of extra stuff I really don’t need.

My top travel tip is… travel light. As I said, just take the bare necessities. You can always buy more stuff if you need to.

The worst holiday I’ve ever had was… I don’t like to dwell on bad holiday experiences, so I’ve erased them all from my memory – sorry!

NEW STEEL, SOLID FEEL. Softer-feeling 431 stainless steel head delivers workability and trajectory control with just the right amount of forgiveness.

THE NEW

SERIES IRON

A PLAYERS IRON ANYONE CAN PLAY.

The new i Series iron relies on the high strength-to-weight ratio and softer feel of 431 stainless steel to deliver players-style iron performance with wide-ranging appeal. The progressive set design is engineered for workability and trajectory control to give you the precision to play with confidence. A concealed Custom Tuning Port (CTP) creates a clean cavity design with expanded perimeter weighting for added forgiveness and consistency. Get fit today or visit ping.com. You’ll be better for it.

PROGRESSIVE SET DESIGN. Larger, forgiving long irons inspire confidence to attack greens from any distance. Smaller short irons and wedges provide precision and control.

Š2015 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071

CONFIDENCE & CONTROL