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Issue 234 | July 2014

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INSIDE: RORY MCILROY INTERVIEW LAURA DAVIES PETER ALLISS BRUCE FORSYTH PING G30 LAUNCH WIN A ROUND AT WOBURN

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Issue 234 | July 2014

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Golf News, The Studio, 14 Deanway, Hove, East Sussex BN3 6DG. Tel: 01273 556377. email: info@golfnews.co.uk. Website: www.golfnews.co.uk Advertising Production Kath Perry ads@golfnews.co.uk

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INSIDE: RORY MCILROY INTERVIEW LAURA DAVIES PETER ALLISS BRUCE FORSYTH PING G30 LAUNCH WIN A ROUND AT WOBURN

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Chart Hills Golf Club

Move over Tiger, there’s a new Ror in town

W

hile those who make a living from playing golf have been able to breathe a collective sigh in the five or six years since Tiger Woods became mortal, the rest of us have been slightly less willing to let one of the greatest talents of the modern era slip silently into the shadows.

In the absence of any serious replacement box office material during his latest injuryinduced layoff, the TV viewing figures for tournaments dropped off the cliff, while attendances events without his presence were also markedly down. You only needed to

witness the hype around his appearance at the Open to understand how badly golf needs Tiger – no matter how well he’s swinging the club, which, as it turned out, wasn’t that well.

Fortunately there’s a man 13 years his junior who looks to be getting somewhere close to filling his Nike shoes. Rory McIlroy might not have the film star looks or the showman’s strut that Woods possessed in his prime, but there’s no doubting that the kid from Northern Ireland can play. With three majors in the bag at 25, he’s already in rare company,

and half way to chasing down Nick Faldo’s record major haul for a British player.

Of course, McIlroy doesn’t win as often as he should, and is far from being the dominant figure that made Woods almost untouchable, but the lad from Holyrood has the time, and the talent, to add plenty more chapters to the record books before his time is up.

While Woods would never be so charitable as to seen to be handing over the baton to McIlroy, I think to most observers over the four days at Hoylake, that baton has now been well and truly passed on.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

The finest downland course in Sussex...

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Jacklin has designs on short course at Magnolia Park Dual major champion Tony Jacklin is to play a leading role in designing a new par-three course at Magnolia Park Golf Club in Buckinghamshire.

The former Ryder Cup captain has signed an agreement with the club to provide his services as a golf course architect to create a new par-three course, as well as a new driving range and academy facilities.

Magnolia Park’s owner, Alan Pither, said: “I am really excited about the opportunity to work with a golfing icon such as Tony Jacklin, who I think will be a great asset to Magnolia Park throughout the relationship.”

Jacklin, who has been involved with a number of golf course projects around the world, including Concession Golf Club in Florida, commented: “I have been a passionate advocate of par-three golf

Tony Jacklin with Magnolia Park owner Alan Pither (r) and general manager Paul Bird (c)

for many years, which is why I am the ambassador for the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championships. I believe it is the future of golf. Alan and the team at Magnolia Park have a great vision for the club going forward, and want to provide its members with the best golfing facilities, and for me to join that team is a privilege. I can’t wait to get started.”

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Woburn Golf Club has been selected to stage the Ricoh Women’s British Open in 2016.

The historic Buckinghamshire venue has hosted the championship on nine previous occasions, first in 1984, most recently in 1999, and for seven consecutive years from 1990 to 1996.

While previous championships have been held on the club’s Duke’s Course, it will be the Marquess Course, which opened in 2000, that will host the world’s best women golfers in two years’ time.

The parkland course, which was designed

by Clive Clark, Peter Alliss, Alex Hay and Ross McMurray, has hosted the European Tour’s British Masters on several occasions, but has never hosted a women’s major before.

The decision to return to Woburn in 2016 has special significance for both the club and the Women’s British Open, as both will be celebrating their 40th anniversaries that year.

The Duke of Bedford, on whose estate the golf club is located, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming the Ricoh Women’s British Open back to Woburn in 2016. It is a real honour for the Club to host this major championship again and we look forward to the ladies showing us just how the Marquess should be played.”

One player who was especially excited about the return of the Women’s Open to Woburn was club member – and Europe’s top-ranked player – Charley Hull (pictured left). “This is amazing news, and I am looking forward to the 2016 championship at Woburn already,” she said. “To be able to play a major at my home club, in front of all my family and friends, will be incredibly special. The Marquess Course is a great test of golf, and I know how excited all the members will be to have the championship return. I can’t wait for 2016 to come around.”

Ian Poulter, who is also affiliated to Woburn added: “This is fantastic news for Woburn, and I know how much all the members will enjoy getting behind the tournament. The Marquess Course will provide a wonderful stage for the world’s best women golfers.”

Shona Malcolm, the Ladies Golf Union’s chief executive, said: “We are all looking forward to returning to Woburn for the 10th time. With so much shared history, Woburn is a very fitting venue at which to celebrate the championship’s 40th anniversary. The Marquess Course will provide a fresh challenge for the players and fits perfectly with our commitment to ensuring the world’s best women players showcase their talents on the world’s best courses.”

July 2014 / Issue 234

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KIM CRUISES TO VICTORY AT EUROPEAN MASTERS Fans turned out in force to watch the top women professionals in action at The Buckinghamshire

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Golf fans from all over the South East flocked to Buckinghamshire Golf Club earlier this month to watch the cream of the Ladies European Tour contest the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters.

Although keen to see a home-grown favourite prevail, fans could only watch in admiration as South Korea’s IK Kim claimed a commanding five-stroke victory over her rivals, closing out the tournament with a 68 for a fourround total of 18-under par.

Four birdies on the front nine saw the 26-year-old hold off the challenge of Australian Nikki Campbell, who had two eagles and a birdie in a closing 67.

Rising star Stephanie Meadow from Northern Ireland, playing in her second event as a professional after finishing third at last month’s US Women’s Open, equalled the course record with nine birdies in a 63, and ended with a share of third place alongside South African Lee-Anne Pace and Germany’s Caroline Masson.

In bright and breezy conditions, Kim collected her fifth victory as a professional

and her first since the 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She said that her caddie, Gerald Adams, who recovered from prostate cancer last year, and whose nose was broken by a stray golf ball during the Pro-Am, had inspired her to win the event.

“It’s amazing that he was caddying for me on Thursday, because he got hit by a golf ball on Wednesday and was bleeding everywhere,” she said. “His attitude towards living and daily life is inspiring to me and many people on the tour,” The world No.24 added: “It’s great to win the tournament and this is my first time playing the course, so I’m really honoured to win the championship. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball really well and putting really well, so I just had to go out there and enjoy myself.”

Local player Annabel Dimmock also gave the galleries reason to cheer, as she eagled the ninth and holed her bunker shot on the last green for a 67 to end in a share of 27th place on her Ladies European Tour debut. The 17-yearold amateur from Wentworth has just joined the Ladies European Tour Access Series.

Alliss celebrates Canterbury anniversary

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GREAT SOCIETY GOLF PACKAGES THAT TAKE A LOT OF BEATING Peter Alliss with Canterbury Golf Club’s president Stewart White

Speaking to members after the lunch, Alliss reflected on how clubs had changed over recent years: “It is quite strange that clubs in Surrey have lost something like 10,000 members over the last five years, yet more and more people are said to be playing golf. But why? Well, youngish families between the ages of 25 and 50, who still have children going to school, have to make sacrifices and the first thing to go is the golf club membership. However, these people retain friendships with those who are still members, and a little bit wealthier than themselves, so they go along and they get a game of golf at the members’ green fee rate.

This means there are actually more people playing, but fewer people are members, which is a great problem for the clubs. I don’t know how it is in Kent, but it is certainly the way in Surrey, which has 120-odd courses.

But here at Canterbury, I have no doubts that you will go from strength to strength.”

See page 31 for our exclusive interview with Peter Alliss.

Willbphoto.com

Golf commentator and former Ryder Cup player Peter Alliss was in top form at Canterbury Golf Club last month, when he attended a lunch to commemorate the club’s purchase of its course from the Ministry of Defence.

The 83-year-old broadcaster has been forced into retirement from playing by painful arthritis, but fortunately the condition has not impaired his sense of humour. “I’m like a 1931 Bentley,” he told a captive audience, “not bad looking on the surface, but knackered and in need of attention underneath.”

Alliss said he had fond memories of visiting Canterbury, and recalled playing the course with Dai Rees and the then club professional Ken Redford. “I haven’t been here too often since,” he said, “but you have a wonderful course and it is looking delightful.”

The Kent-based member-owned club, which first opened in 1927, recently took up an option to purchase the freehold from the landowner, the Ministry of Defence, which is looking to close down the nearby army barracks. The club has appointed Pin High Golf Group, a golf and leisure management consultant and club operator, to advise on taking the club forward.

Along with planned improvements to the course and the clubhouse, Pin High has already introduced an associate membership, where golfers can join the club for just £350, get a handicap, play in competitions, book tee times, and have seven-day access to the course.

Free 12 months membership for second named new playing member.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

Southern stars share six-way pay out at West Hill Pro-Am

Guy Woodman was one of six winners at the West Hill Pro-Am

The West Hill Pro-Am provided that rarity, a six-way tie, when each of The PGA’s southern stars turned in cards of 68.

Guy Woodman, Gary Marks, Craig Cowper, Benn Barham, Andy Raitt and Paul Newman all kocked it round the Surrey track in one under par to each take

home a cheque for £900.

After the long spell of dry weather, conditions at West Hill were a little more challenging, but as Barham pointed out, “The course was in great condition, not too firey, but it was quite windy and with all the trees and swirling breezes, that made judging the distances and picking the right club that

much harder.”

He continued: “It was my first time round West Hill, and everything I’ve heard about it is true. Besides being very scenic, it’s a super test of golf.

It was a great day all round – especially for six of us! The hospitality was fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to playing there again in the future.”

Brucie opens new golf shop in Sunningdale

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Former Strictly Come Dancing host Sir Bruce Forsyth added a touch of showbiz style to the opening of a new golf retail outlet in Sunningdale last month.

The 86-year-old entertainer, who lives on the nearby Wentworth Estate, was the guest of honour at the official opening of the Wonderful World of Golf, a new golf shop located on Chobham Road in Sunningdale. Forsyth, who plays off 14, was presented with a limited edition Odyssey 2-Ball putter at the opening ceremony, which was attended by over 70 guests, including former Ryder Cup player Michael King, and European Tour chief executive George O’Grady.

The shop is owned by local businessman James Peters, who successfully ran golf concessions in both Harrods and Selfridges before deciding to open his own venture in his hometown of Sunningdale.

Speaking at the launch, Peters said: “I wanted to create an upmarket boutique golf shop, while maintaining competitive prices throughout the ranges on offer.

The concept of the store identity is built around the sporting heritage epitomised by Ben Hogan, one of the greatest players in the history of the game.”

The shop stocks a wide range of the leading brands for both men and women, including Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.

Speaking about his guest of honour, Peters added: “I was really honoured that Sir Bruce was able to take time to officially open Wonderful World of Golf. We had a great crowd to celebrate with. We all held our breath when Sir Bruce went to putt the opening ball, but thankfully it was a hole-in-one, which was a relief for everyone. He was a true professional.”

See p55 for Me & My Travels with Sir Bruce Forsyth.

T & C’s apply

w: farleighfox.co.uk @farleigh Good game: Sir Bruce chats with World of Golf owner James Peters

July 2014 / Issue 234

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COMPETITION WIN A ROUND AT WOBURN AND TICKETS TO THE 2014 TRAVIS PERKINS SENIOR MASTERS!

Links Championship

at Prince’s Golf Club Monday 29th September 2014 Prince’s championship Links has host the Open Championship in 1932, won by Gene Sarazen, here’s your chance to play one the country’s premier Links courses.

Your day includes the following: Coffee and Bacon Rolls on arrival Callaway Welcome Gift Pack Complimentary Range Balls 18 Holes over the Shore/ Dunes courses Putting competition Two course lunch Lots of prizes

The Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters returns to Woburn Golf Club for the 14th consecutive year from August 29 – August 31, and Golf News has teamed up with Woburn to offer you the chance to win a round on the Duke’s Course, with lunch, for you a three friends, plus four season tickets to see the stars of the European Senior Tour in action. A pair of season tickets is also being offered to eight runners up.

The Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters is one of the biggest tournaments on the European Senior Tour, with a prize fund of £300,000. Last year’s event attracted record crowds of nearly 23,000 to the Duke’s Course, as Colin Montgomerie captured his maiden Senior tour title in fine style, winning by six shots from Miguel Angel Martin and Paul Wesselingh. It was the former Ryder Cup star’s first victory for over six years, and came in only his third appearance on the over 50’s circuit.

Montgomerie, fresh from capturing his first major title at the US Senior PGA Championship, will be back to defend his title next month, as he bids to become only the second man in history, after Carl Mason, to retain the Travis Perkins Masters.

The eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner will be joined by an impressive field of former Ryder Cup players and European Tour winners for this year’s tournament, which has become one of

COMPETITION For a chance to win a midweek fourball on the Duke’s Course, plus a clubhouse lunch (excluding alcohol), or one of eight pairs of season tickets, please answer the question below, and email your answer to info@golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Woburn Competition’ in the subject line. Please include a contact telephone number and your address.

The closing date for entries is August 15, 2014.

TERMS & CONDITIONS Entrants must be 18 or over. The midweek fourball round must be taken before December 31, 2014, and all players must have official golf club handicaps.

the most popular on the Senior Tour with both players and spectators. Past winners in the starting line up will including dual champions Carl Mason and Des Smyth, Tony Johnstone, Gordon J Brand, and Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit, while legends such as Ian Woosnam, Mark James and Sam Torrance, and a number of recent arrivals on the senior circuit, including former Ryder Cup player Ronan Rafferty, will also be on show.

Daily tickets can be purchased via www. europeantourtickets.com for just £10 – a saving of £5 on the gate price – while season passes are available for £25, again saving £5 on the gate price. Spectators can also reserve onsite car parking for £10 per day. This can only be booked in advance and must be for a specific day. This offer ensures a parking space adjacent to the first fairway, within a 250-yard walk of the first tee and the tented village. Anyone using the car park will also receive a complimentary voucher for an event programme and daily drawsheet, worth £4. Spaces in this car park are limited, so it is advisable to book early to avoid missing out. There is also parking available in the main public car park, which is free.

For more details, please visit the tournament home page on www.europeantour.com.

QUESTION Who is the only player to have successfully defended the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters?

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10 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

News in Brief

HODGSON BAGS FIRST TOUR TITLE

HARRIS SCORES AT SAND MARTINS The Nevill’s Jamie Harris shot a four-under-par 66 to win the Sand Martins Pro-Am – his fifth victory of the season – and show yet again why he is one of the most consistent players in the South. On a course where course management and accurate tee shots are essential, Harris edged out the 67s of Nico Els (Clandon Regis) and Andy Raitt (St George’s Hill) to walk away with the winner’s cheque for £1,000.

NEIL CLAIMS AMATEUR TITLE Scotland’s Bradley Neil won the Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland after a closely fought final against South Africa’s Zander Lombard. The 18-year-old from Blairgowrie clinched the match with a half on the par-five 35th hole for a 2&1 victory in the 36-hole final. Neil’s victory earned him a place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay, and a traditional invitation to the Masters.

Surrey’s Stiggy Hodgson won his first professional title with a play-off victory at the PGA EuroPro Tour’s HotelPlanner.com Championship held at Cumberwell Park in Bradford-on-Avon.

The 23-year-old former Walker Cup player fired a final round eight-under par 63 to finish tied on 13 under par with the Scotland’s Elliot Saltman and Dorset’s Luke Joy and take the tournament into overtime.

Hodgson began the day six shots behind Joy, but carded eight birdies in an unblemished final round to

force the extra holes.

The play-off took place on the 18th, where Saltman found the trees lining the right side of the fairway and put himself out of the running. Joy’s tee shot landed left of the fairway and he was unlucky when his approach bounced off the green, leaving him two putts for par. Hodgson bravely took driver off the tee and cracked it straight down the middle. His wedge shot in landed just two feet from the pin, where he tapped it home for victory.

“I have worked so hard and been through a lot,” said Hodgson, who won the £10,000 top prize,

as well as a brand new Motocaddy trolley and Shotsaver range finder.

“It makes you want it that little bit more and when it pays off like that it means the world to you. I wasn’t going to give up; it didn’t matter how far behind I started off. I kept going and went for the jugular from the off, and luckily it paid off.”

Hodgson, who is a member at The Wisley in Surrey, added: “My best mate Paul Boardman usually caddies for me, but he couldn’t be here this week. I could hear his voice saying ‘keep going kid, keep going,’ and that is what I did.”

Join Hannah and her friends at Cowdray Cowdray Park’s Ladies European Tour Professional Hannah Ralph is hosting a ProAm next month, where she will be joined by several friends from the Ladies European Tour, including Becky Brewerton and Trish Johnson, to play in the 36-hole tournament being held jointly at Cowdray Park and Chiddingfold.

Ralph, who has just returned from her most successful week ever on the LET Allianz Slovak Open, where she finished third, is looking forward to returning to her home club and taking part in the two-day Pro-Am from August 3-4, which always attracts star names from the professional Tours. This year’s renewal will also see former Ryder Cup player Steve Richardson in attendance, alongside Senior Tour players Kevin Spurgeon and Gary Emerson, plus Rhys Davis and Ross McGowan from the European Tour.

The Pro-Am will be sponsored by the Estepona Golf Club in Southern Spain to mark the twinning of Chiddingfold and Estepona. General Manager Phil Stevens said: “This is the most eagerly awaited event of the year, and creates a massive buzz at both golf clubs.

To see and welcome such respected players is great for the clubs. To have Estepona as the main sponsor this year will add an element of sunshine whatever the weather.

Spectators are welcome to come and watch and enjoy what is a sold-out event.”

Part of the famous Cowdray Estate, Cowdray Park Golf Club offers a championship 18-hole course which is coming into its 110th year. Chiddingfold is managed under the Cowdray umbrella and also offers 18 holes in a beautiful parkland setting.

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20/05/2014 19:57

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July 2014 / Issue 234

Wisley Tour stars help raise funds for local charities

Spence gallops to Epsom glory

Some of the leading golfers from the European Tour and Ladies European Tour combined with Wisley Club members to raise over £43,000 for local charities and projects.

Ryder Cup stars such as Francesco Molinari, Niclas Fasth and Oliver Wilson competed against the likes of Charley Hull, Trish Johnson and Becky Brewerton in a Pro-am format with club members.

The team led by Solheim Cup star Hull were narrow winners of the Doublet, and she joins the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Paul Casey and Niclas Fasth as

Tim Spence shot a oneunder-par 69 to win the Epsom Pro-Am for the third time, notching up his third victory this year.

The Golf College professional put his win down to knowing the course and good planning, but was still surprised to find that he was at the top of the leaderboard at the end of the day.

Spence had good cause.

In second place on 70, Richard Hill (Top Pro Golf Inc) was four-under-par on the 16th tee and looking to get his hands on the top prize, but a double bogey on the 16th, followed by another on the last hole, undid all his good work and left him picking up second prize behind Spence.

As Spence explained: “It was a case of experience over youth! I’d won twice before at Epsom and know it quite well, so while all the others were over at West Hill, I thought I’d have a good chance at Epsom.

But finishing on one-under,

Charley Hull was among the stars on show at The Wisley

winners of this prestigious event.

The match was played on Wisley’s Church and Mill Nines, with the Mill Nine re-opening for the event following a 14-month refurbishment by renowned course architect Robert Trent Jones Jnr. Australian Tour Denis Pugh on caddie duties professional Brett Rumford, who also took part in the tournament, commented: “I love the way the new bunkers make the Mill Nine so visually attractive. The nine has a sense of space which allows you to

pick a line, and then offers the room in which to hit to.

There’s also a great risk and reward element to many of the holes.”

First opened in 1991 and located just across the River Wey from the famous Wisley gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, The Wisley was Robert Trent Jones Junior’s first golf course in the UK, and consistently appears inside Europe’s top 50.

The club’s tour-standard practice facilities are used by many top professionals, many of whom also benefit from the services of renowned tour coach Denis Pugh, who is The Wisley’s long-serving head professional.

I was pretty sure I’d got nowhere this time. So I was surprised to hand my card in and see my name at the top of the leaderboard. There was a tote running and three of the older hands, including myself, were the favourites, and while I was looking at the board, a lady came up, saw my name at the top and in a very excited voice told me she’d won the tote.

Turns out I made the Lady Captain’s day!”

Spence continued: “This Pro-Am is a great day and a very well organised thanks to Epsom’s Head Professional Stuart Walker, who puts in a lot of effort to

pull in sponsors and set things up for everyone.”

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News in Brief ACES HIGH AT FARLEIGH! A rare pair of aces was achieved on the same day at Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey last month when members David Middleton and John Shih both holed their tee shots on the ??? hole at the Croydon-based club during the first round of the club’s Seniors Championship on June 23. Both players were presented with bottles of wine after their impressive feat, and the fortunate duo also bagged a Hugo Boss watch as a prize currently being offered for aces by online scoring system HowDidIDo.

ROBINSON ON FIRE AT FRILFORD Southport’s James Robinson won his second PGA EuroPro Tour title after finishing on 12 under par in the Buildbase Open at Frilford Heath Golf Club. Robinson broke the course record with a nine-under 63 in his opening round, carded a 70 for the second, and then fended off the challenge of Jack Colegate with a 71 for his final round.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

News in Brief

Clubs must offer WiFi to attract youngsters A poll of thousands of people has found that not having WiFi capabilities on the course is the fourth biggest reason why people aged 15 to 25 are not playing golf.

The findings are part of a detailed research project into the golfing habits and opinions of 3,500 people carried out by Syngenta.

As part of the research, non-golfers and golfers in the 15 to 25-year-old age group were asked a series of questions.

Asked why they had never taken up golf, 42% of non-golfers said they did not know how to get

BRYDEN BAGS HANTS OPEN Philip Bryden won a three-way play-off with James Ablett and Nick Redfern to win the Hampshire Open at Hockley on July 9. All three finished on a three-over-par for the 36 holes, and Bryden holed a three-foot par putt at the first extra hole hole to win the title.

BEDFORD DUO REACH FOURBALL FINAL Bedford & County pro Steve Vinnicombe teamed up with colleague and first-year PGA assistant Nick Cunningham to card a six-under-par round of 64 and win the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship East qualifying event held at Bush Hill Park in north London. The pair tied at with five other teams, but won on countback after making seven birdies in the final six holes. They now join four other qualifiers at the £33,250 BMWsupported final at St Mellion on August 20-22.

started. When asked what would encourage them to give golf a try, the top four responses were: participation of friends and family (57%); Easy access to affordable golf lessons (52%); Relaxed rules (42%), and WiFi capabilities on the course (39%).

Among the young golfers questioned, 42% said their preferred time of day to play golf was mid-afternoon, while the amenities they wanted to see at their club or course, included a bar with a Sky Sports TV (37%) and an indoor golf simulator (34%).

Eric Brown, global turf business manager of Syngenta, said: “While some of the findings may not come as a surprise to clubs and courses, one of the key themes customers talked about was their desire for relaxed, family-friendly facilities.

The research underlined the huge opportunities around female and junior participation, and the importance of access to affordable coaching for new players.”

Weller flies high at Kingswood Haywards Heath amateur Mark Weller led from start to finish at the regional final in the Lombard Trophy to seal his place in the Trophy final at Gleneagles.

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Mark Weller and Rob Dickman are heading to Gleneagles

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under-par round of 65, only to see it matched

by Cherry Lodge’s Craig Sutherland and Dave Morgan. Sutherland was a former finalist, but the Kent club had to give way this time to Weller and Dickman, as the Sussex duo won on countback.

They will now play in the £43,000 final to be held over the King’s Course at Gleneagles between September 2-3 – just three weeks before the Ryder Cup is staged at the same venue.

Dickman will be making his return to the final after playing in the first ever events held in Portugal during the 1990s. “It’s a bit of a fairytale story in more ways than one,” he said. “Not only was I in the first ever final, but this is the first time I’ve tried to qualify again for about 11 or 12 years. I’ve been busy running the business side of things at the golf centre over the last few years, so I’ve never tried to qualify But this time I thought I’d go for it and here we are.

It’ll be fantastic to play at Gleneagles; I’ve only ever been there on holiday with the family before.”

July 2014 / Issue 234

/ 13

Effingham ace bags rare six-pointer!

Surrey club golfer Lee Humphreys achieved the ambition of a lifetime last month when he carded that rarest of birds – an albatross – on the 548-yard, par-five 17th at Effingham Golf Club.

The 45-year-old from Cobham, who is a member at Woking Golf Club, chalked up a massive six Stableford points for his three-under par effort, which was a nett hole-inone taking his 16 handicap into consideration. Even more importantly, his twoshot effort helped him win the match in the Parkside School Dads’ Golf Day. “The conditions were perfect, and I hit a driver about 315 yards downhill,” explained Humphreys. “And that wasn’t even enough to win the longest drive prize, as the marker was about

     

10 yards further up the fairway. I then pulled out my 19-degree rescue wood, which I rarely use, and as soon as I hit it I was pleased because it went straight and I saw it approach the apron of the green.

“My playing partner and I traced the ball and saw it roll towards the hole and disappear. As we got closer to the green, we couldn’t see the ball and thought it may have gone out the back, but it turned out to be in the hole. It was a nice little moment.”

But Humphreys quickly discovered golf’s infuriating knack of getting its own back, when he teed it up at the very next hole. “I got out my driver again on the 18th and hit it straight out of bounds – so that brought me down to earth with a bump,” he added.

TARCHETTI SAVOURS STOKE PARK VICTORY Prince’s PGA professional Anthony Tarchetti played some spectacular golf at Stoke Park to snatch victory by a shot in the JDRF Pro-Am Golf Tournament, bagging birdies at his last five holes to edge out Clandon Regis pro Nico Els. The JDRF event has a unique scoring format, which means that players only start earning money if they make birdies (£75) and eagles (£100), demanding a positive approach to every shot.

Proving the point, Tarchetti shot a seven-

under-par 64 to Els’s 65 around Stoke Park’s Colt/ Alison combination. He commented: “It’s nice to be at the top of the leaderboard again, especially in a terrific event like this one. I played nicely, but the last stretch with those five birdies was something else.”

As well as picking up £755 for his performance, Tarchetti also led home the winning team, each of whom earned a brand new TaylorMade driver for their efforts.

The annual JDRF Pro-Am Golf Tournament raises

Anthony Tarchetti was on target at Stoke Park

money for those suffering from type 1 diabetes, and with the golf fees, a silent and a live auction, over £117,500 was collected from the day.

Tarchetti was moved by the speech given by one of the families supporting JDRF, and spoke for many others present when he commented: “It’s worth being reminded how fortunate we are to be in a position to help the 400,000 people in the UK who suffer from type 1 diabetes, especially when there are so many children involved.”

News in Brief NICK IN THE RED AT ROCHESTER Nick Redfern (AIA Group) shot a three-under-par 68 to win the second Rochester & Cobham Park Pro-Am. Fresh from his recent victory in the Surbiton Pro-Am, where he pipped Chris Gane to the money, Redfern picked up the winner’s cheque for £1,000. One of only two players to break par, he finished two strokes ahead of his nearest rival for the title, Kyle Kelsall (Quin Direct) who shot a one-under-par 70.

ADDINGTON KICKSTARTS FOOTGOLF FRENZY Coinciding with the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Addington Court Golf Club in Surrey set up a FootGolf course. Open for the duration of the tournament, the Croydonbased venue set up an 18-hole, parthree course for people to come and try out this fast-developing variation of the game, which takes less than 90 minutes to play.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

News in Brief

Warren wins the day at Sand Martins

CHIPSTEAD HOSTS OPEN WEEKEND Chipstead Golf Club in Surrey is holding an open weekend in August, where visitors are invited to sample the club’s facilities at discounted prices. The members at Chipstead will be giving up their course over the weekend of August 9-10, so that those unfamiliar with what the club can play the course for just £10 and experience what it feels like to be a member for a day.

Start times must be pre-booked with the professional shop. All ages and skill levels are welcome, but players must bring their own clubs and golf shoes. To make a booking, call 01737 554939, or for more details visit chipsteadgolf.co.uk.

GODDARD WINS IRISH AMATEUR

Hanbury Manor’s Lucy Goddard picked up the biggest win of her amateur career after lifting the Irish Ladies Open Amateur Strokeplay Championships at Douglas Golf Club in Cork. The 23-year-old from Cheshunt led from the front following a first round 71, and added rounds of 74 and 72 to take the championship by a single stroke from Castletroy’s Chloe Ryan.

HALL DELAYS PRO CAREER

Georgia Hall, England’s top-ranked female amateur, has delayed plans to turn professional until later in the year due to a lack of funding.

The 18-year-old from Dorset had planned to join the professional ranks when she turned 18 in April, but a lack of financial backing has forced her to stall her decision.

Cherkley could become ‘jewel in the crown’ Cherkley Court, the controversial private golf resort in Leatherhead that has recently been given the go ahead, will become ‘the jewel in the Mole Valley crown’ according to developer Longshot.

The Court of Appeal recently overturned a High Court ruling which halted plans to turn the historic green belt estate into a golf course and hotel, but the now project is now back on, with Longshot keen to get back some of the time lost during the protracted legal wranglings.

Ian Todd, director of Longshot Cherkley Court Ltd, said: “We could be open by now, employing people, paying taxes, and creating wealth if the original judgment had been left to stand, but as a result of the Cherkley Campaign, we are not – in fact we’re at the same point we were two years

ago. The site is in an ugly condition, with chalk on the golf course, and it is horrible to look at. It is such a shame and seems a complete waste of time and resources that could have been put to better use.”

But Mr Todd hopes a line can be drawn under the saga and his organisation can work in a positive manner with the community. He said: “I hope the Cherkley Campaign draw a line under the whole affair and let us all move forward with the project, which will benefit everyone.”

He added: “Our opposition said we are only supplying a golf course for the super rich, this could not be further from the truth. The Cherkley Court building, the hotel and other facilities will be open to the public. We want to open Cherkley Court to the public, to give it back

Oxfordshire golfers dog deep for charity!

SWING 4 SAMMY RAISES £18K

Charities received an estimated £18,000 from the seventh annual Swing for Sammy golf day held at Muswell Hill Golf Club in north London on July 4, boosting the total raised by the event since it began in 2008 to around £111,000. The day is staged in memory and honour of Samantha Trow (neé St John), a teacher at Brooklands primary school in East Finchley, who died of bowel cancer in 2008 aged 26.

GANE ON HIS GAME AT DRIFT

Chris Gane continued his fine run of form with victory in the PGA Southern Open Championship held at the Drift Golf Club in Kent.

The Silvermere-based pro shot two rounds of 67 on the final day for a 13-under-par total of 206, and then birdied the first play-off hole to beat David Callaway and Benn Barham.

BBC journalist Naga Munchetty (pictured above) was among a host of members of The Oxfordshire Golf Club who took part in a charity golf day at the Thame-based venue to raise fund for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

A regular face on our TV screens as a presenter for BBC Breakfast and BBC World News, Munchetty is also a single figure handicapper, and as someone with a love of dogs and with both her parents using hearing aids, was one of the first to sign up for the day. Speaking at the tournament, she said: “I’m very conscious of hearing loss, since I spend so much time wearing an earpiece for my work. Hearing dogs are trained to respond to important sounds and danger signals, and each dog helps to alleviate some of the isolation and loneliness that deafness so often brings. I hope that this event will raise funds to help Hearing Dogs train more clever little puppies to change the lives of deaf people in the UK.” The day, which organised by The Oxfordshire’s vice-captain, Steve Smirthwaite, was very well supported by members, their friends and Hearing Dogs supporters, and raised over £24,000.

Thirteen-year-old Warren Clark took all the plaudits – and the top prize – at the disabled golf day held at Sand Martins Golf Club in Berkshire on June 26.

The teenager from Hampshire, who is autistic, scored an impressive 41 points around the testing course to win the Disabled Golf Association’s Vice Presidents Cup by five points from runner up Martyn Smith (36pts), with Keith Dolman (34pts) two shots back in third.

A total of 28 disabled and impaired golfers took part in the tournament, which attracted players from as far afield as Northants, Essex, East Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire and South Wales, as well as locals from around Berkshire. A wide range of disabilities were represented, including amputees, autism, MS, arthritis, stroke

survivors and Parkinson’s.

All were competing in what has become an annual event sponsored by local businessman Stan Bembenek, who is chief executive of the Disabled Golf Association and a member at Sand Martins.

Andrew Hall, managing director at Sand Martins, which hosted the day, said: “I feel passionate about giving disabled golfers the opportunity to simply enjoy playing golf and competing like everyone else. My team were delighted to organise the day and always feel proud with the effort we make to make golf available to everyone.”

The DGA is a pan-disability, not-forprofit organisation, for which membership is free. Visit www.disabledgolf.org.uk to find a schedule of competitions and useful advice on playing golf with a disability.

MT GOLF’S ON A MISSION TO IMPROVE YOUR SWING! How well do you think you the ball? Are you ever unsure why some shots are perfect and others disappear into the trees? Are you playing to the best of your ability? If you’re looking for these answers to some, if not all of these questions, then you might be interested in taking a course of lessons with MT Golf.

Providing tuition throughout Kent, Sussex and Surrey, PGA Professional Matt Tyler, who is based at Sweetwoods Park Golf Club, set up MT GOLF to offer bespoke coaching using one of the most accurate and complete golf analysis technologies available – the GC2 launch monitor – to dramatically improve the games of amateur golfers.

Endorsed by tour players and tour coaches alike, Tyler is bringing the revolutionary GC2 to club level. Equipped with technology to precisely capture club head data with an ease and accuracy never before seen, the GC2 is able to tell precisely where the club face meets the ball, on what part of the

ball, at what accuracy and speed, and provide detailed numbers and diagrams on angles, positioning, power and ball flight. This allows problems to be diagnosed accurately and quickly to improve your game.

Of course, technology is only as good as the person operating it, and Tyler will provide accurate explanations showing the golfer exactly what is happening at every point in the swing. Tyler is extremely excited about what this new technology will mean to club golfers. “My teaching technique delivers this information in an easy to understand manner, with videos, pictures and numbers backing up everything that we have gone through in the lesson. All of the information is available to share at the touch of a button, leading to a much-improved game!”

Golf News readers can book a special taster session with MT GOLF throughout July and August for just £20 for 45 minutes, reduced from the usual £30 rate. For bookings, call 07590 843 747.

Whitgift lift Shire Trophy The unstoppable trio of Joe Carmody-Firth, George Mullins and Harvey Byers helped Whitgift to its fourth Independent Schools Golf Association title of the year, when they combined to win the one-day event held at The Shire, London.

The Whitgift squad is enjoying a rich vein of form that has seen it win the ISGA National Finals at Carnoustie, The European Championships in Spain, and The Schools Cup, and in winning at The Shire they became the team to have won all the main ISGA competitions in the same year.

The individual title was won

by George Mullins, a previous U15 winner at The Shire, who carded a level par 72, scoring a par on every hole to take the trophy along with a Galvin Green top and a personalised Silver Belt buckle from Heraldic Gems. Earlier in the week, Windlesham’s Luis Montojo won the U12s with an 83, while his sister took the girls trophy also carding 83.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

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West London Golf Centre tees off in style Hundreds of golfers packed the West London Golf Centre on the weekend of July 5-6, as families attended the gala launch of the centre’s new full-length 9-hole course, and the Dino Escape Adventure Golf course.

Owner Tony Menai Davis and his family were joined by cartoon character Dr Dino and Eastenders actor Alex Ferns, as the longawaited additions to the popular Ruislip Road facility were finally opened.

Along with the new golf course and adventure golf challenge, the centre also opened its new puttting green, and unveiled an expanded new restaurant.

“We’ve had brilliant feedback on the new golf course – it’s being described as a great test of golf, with superb greens – and it is only going to get better,” said Menai Davis.

Green fees start at £12.50 for nine holes, with adult annual memberships starting at £395, and £95 for juniors. Tickets to play the Dinosaur Escape Adventure Golf range from £3 to £8.50, with family tickets starting at £24. For bookings call 020 8845 5350 or visit westlondongolf.com.

Dr Dino and the team involved with the new West London Golf Centre

Green fees on the new 9-hole course start from £12.50

Give Your Game a JoLT PinSeeker with JOLT Technology Now featured in the PRO X7, TOUR Z6 & TOUR v3

Glendale launches free junior membership offer Following the success of a recent drive to increase membership across its seven golf courses, golf club operator Glendale Golf is now offering free junior membership with any adult memberships bought in July and August.

The offer is valid for any junior under 18 years of age, and is available at all of Glendale’s golf centres, which include Richmond Park, Tilgate Forest, Beckenham Place Park, Portsmouth, Edwalton, Castle Point and Duxbury Park.

Tom Brooke, Glendale Golf’s operations director said: “The free junior membership offer is a great incentive for youngsters to take up golf. Our junior programme places an emphasis on having fun while learning the skills to play golf, and we’re expecting this move will encourage members to enrol their children for the first time.”

He added: “Glendale Golf operates an ‘open to all’ policy and it’s vital that clubs across the country are all doing their bit to safeguard the future of the game.

This family-friendly initiative underlines this policy, and we’re confident that it will help reach our target of doubling junior memberships in 2014. What’s more, the offer isn’t just open to family members, so it’s a great way of encouraging a friend or neighbour’s children to take up golf too.”

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July 2014 / Issue 234

Silvermere to partner London Golf Show

News in Brief

Silvermere Show, said: “We Golf Store, a are really excited popular to be working destination for with Silvermere golfers in the Golf Store. They South East looking know just how to to stock up on the help us put on a latest equipment, great show, and has been professionally announced as the deliver what the Damian Benstead from the London Golf Show, official retail public wants.

Barry Young and Terry Sims of Silvermere, and partner for this It’s great to Mark De’Ath of Glow autumn’s London have such early Golf Show, which Silvermere Golf Store support after takes place at Bluewater will offer expert buying moving the show to its Retail Park in Kent from advice and custom-fitting fantastic new location at November 14-16. from all the leading golf Glow, Bluewater.”

Silvermere Golf Complex brands, including Titleist, Silvermere has in Cobham is home to TaylorMade, Callaway, recently opened a new the Doug McClelland Mizuno, Yonex, Wilson, two-tier, 52-bay driving Golf Superstore, which is Nike and Cleveland. There range, and Terry Sims of widely recognised as the will be unique deals on Silvermere Golf Complex busiest retail outlet of any clubs, as well as clothing enthused: “We’ve been golf complex in Europe. and accessories from the so busy ourselves of The shop will set up for likes of Nike, Adidas, Puma, late, but snapped up the three days at The London Galvin Green and Under opportunity to be part Golf Show in Bluewater to Armour. A dedicated of the London Golf Show bring ‘the complete store ladies’ area will also be again as soon as it was for every golfer’ to the created, and expertise and announced that it was country’s largest golf show. equipment for lefties will moving to such a great Having built the largest be available from specialist location as Bluewater. It’s green grass golf retail retailer Left Handed Golf. a brilliant show, and we outlet in the industry over Damian Benstead, are proud to have all the 30 years, and established managing director of brand support, and to be close relationships The Golf Show Group, involved in its continued with all manufacturers, owners of the London Golf success.”

SIGN UP FOR BETCHWORTH CHARITY DAY A charity golf day in aid of The Children’s Trust is being held at Betchworth Park Golf Club in Dorking on September 5. The day will include an 18-hole team Stableford competition, with opportunities to win some exciting prizes. Team entry is £320 for a four-ball team, with refreshments throughout the day followed by a three-course dinner. Tickets are available to book at www. thechildrenstrust.org.uk/golfday or by calling 01737 364323.

EAST IS BEST AT BEECHES Sixteen-year-old Michael East retained Burnham Beeches Golf Club’s Men’s Championship after shooting rounds of 73 and 69, and then beating Dan Caton in a three-hole playoff. East first won the trophy in 2012, aged 14 and playing off three. He’s now off scratch and is part of the English Boys’ National squad.

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Benn Barham let his lead slip at the final hole

Spoils shared at testing Addington PGA South Order of Merit contenders Benn Barham and Richard Wallis shared the honours with Midlands raider Andrew Cheese at The Addington Pro-Am. All three players shot one-under-par 68s to tie for first place at the famous Surrey heathland venue. They were the only players to break par, as Abercrombie’s masterpiece showed its calibre once again, despite being 1,000 yards short of what is widely thought to be championship length.

Barham looked all over the winner as he stood on the 18th tee, but suffered a costly double bogey six to tie with Wallis and Cheese. Each player took home a cheque for £766, edging out Woldingham’s Daniel Young’s even par round into the runner up spot for £450.

Speaking after the event, Barham said: “The Addington once again proved a great venue for a Pro-Am and a challenge of a different kind for the region’s top players.

I would have loved to have parred the last hole and take the win for myself, but just as I thought I’d done all the hard work, the course showed it hadn’t finished with me!”

In the Pro-Am event, which was sponsored by Premier Sheds and Fencing , the winning team were George Thorley, James Selby and Tim Slattery, who linked up with pro James Harris from the Nevill to score 86 points.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

Matthews capture Chislehurst’s battle of the brothers

Ryder Cup visits newlook Leeds Castle

This year’s National Brothers’ Amateur Foursomes Open attracted a field of 23 siblings who enjoyed two days of fierce but friendly competition over the 6,000-yard course at Chislehurst Golf Club in Kent.

Playing in blistering heat Brothers in arms: Dave and Phil Matthews (r) took the title over the weekend of June 12-13, teams had travelled from as far afield as Glasgow the top 16 progressed to brothers Stephen and and the Isle of Wight to take the subsidiary Greensomes Robert Finlay and the part in the popular annual event on the Thursday heavyweight pairing of event, which pits pairs of afternoon, which was won Mark (Chislehurst) and brothers against each other.

by Darren (Chislehurst) and Terry (Badgemore Park) On the Thursday at 9am Danny Curtis (Knole Park) Killick, when perhaps the the bomb start rocket with 35 points. heat and amount of golf interrupted the peace and Friday morning saw played contributed to the quiet of Chislehurst to start Chislehurst well represented, final outcome, with the the qualifying round, which with three of the four semiFinlay brothers winning determined the seedings for finalists in the main event comfortably 5&4. the afternoon quarter-finals – Harry and Jack Matthews, The Friday subsidiary 27of both the main event and Ian and Alan Weddell, and hole competition was won the associated Plate event.

Phil and Dave Matthews,

by Clive (Sandy Lodge) and Harry and Jack Matthews the results of which saw the Paul (Eltham Warren) Seager carded an impressive 44 Phil and Dave Matthews with Peter (Chislehurst) and points to be seeded first, facing former Crystal Palace Tony (Bridlington) Stevenson with Ian and Alan Weddell and Millwall footballer Andy winning the afternoon 18second with 39 points. The and Dave Roberts (both hole competition with 39 cut-off point for the top from the London Club). The points. eight was 34 points, with Matthews’ prevailed in the Next year’s National scores of 33 and 32 points afternoon heat, winning a Brothers’ Amateur determining the Plate closely fought contest 3&2.

Foursomes Open will be quarter-finalists.

The Plate final was held at Chislehurst on Those finishing outside contested by Chislehurst 11-12.

SKYPRO_HALF-280wx200-HORIZ_AD-GN:Layout 1 27/5/14 June 10:01 Page 1

The Ryder Cup made a long overdue return to Leeds Castle Golf Club last month, when it was the centre of attention at the club’s first ever 9-hole PGA Pro-Am. The iconic trophy was brought to the historic Kent venue by PGA chief executive Sandy Jones, who was the guest of honour for the day, and took part in the competition, which attracted 20 pairs of teams, comprising one PGA professional and one amateur.

The gold-plated trophy was on display in the castle’s dining room for visitors to view during the Pro-Am, which was held to celebrate the ongoing redesign and relaunch of the golf course. The club’s links to the Ryder Cup stretch back over 80 years, as the castle was a temporary home to the visiting US Ryder Cup team en route to playing in 1937 matches held at Southport & Ainsdale in Lancashire.

PGA Professional Alan Walker, a PGA past captain and golf consultant, who has been overseeing the renovation programme at Leeds Castle, said: “Sir Guy Campbell did a terrific job with the original design, but like many courses, new equipment and new technology meant that it became necessary to look at how the course can be updated successfully, retaining all the best things about it, while enhancing the challenge for the modern golfer. I think the Pro-Am was a terrific way to prove that we’re achieving all that and more.”

Leeds Castle’s 9-hole course is being renovated

Four fit golfers from Farleigh Golf Club in Surrey completed a 72-hole challenge to raise funds for Macmillan nurses on June 5.

Darrell Jones, Tracy Marks, George Hair and George Steel completed rounds over the club’s Orange course in just 14 hours. The quartet raised over £1,800 for the charity through their efforts.

SALVER SUCCESS FOR SOPHIE England girl international Sophie Keech won the Astor Salver at The Berkshire with a four-under par total for the 36 holes.

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Keech follows in the footsteps of a fellow Dorset player and England international Hayley Davis, who won the same trophy two years ago. Keech, the English girls’ champion from Parkstone, who also won the Roehampton Gold Cup earlier this year.

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20 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

Chislehurst Golf Club’s compact 18-hole course and stunning Georgian clubhouse provides the perfect recipe for a great day’s golf.

CHISLEHURST OFFERS

COMPLETE PACKAGE

The course is always presented in superb condition

If being a member of a golf club is about experiencing ‘the whole package’, then Chislehurst ticks all the boxes. Many clubs are let down by having an imbalance in the quality of their facilities, be it a dull course or a poor excuse for a clubhouse, but Chislehurst can rightly lay claim to offering the complete package, where the enjoyment to be had on the excellent par-66 layout is perfectly matched by the magnificence of the clubhouse, which provides a true ‘home from home’ for its loyal membership.

There can be few more impressive frontages to a golf club in England than that which greets the visitor to Chislehurst. The imposing proportions of the building are rarely found in a world where prefabricated bungalows dominate the golfing landscape. Camden Place, to give the clubhouse its official title, was built in 1717, and is a site of such cultural significance that some first-time visitors might think that they have been misdirected to a National Trust property, until they catch sight of the golf course beyond the imposing entrance.

Suffice to say, that the magnificent building makes for a refreshing change, with stately-proportioned rooms, 30-foot high ceilings, vast oak panels and the recently-refurbished hallway and stairwell making for a memorable beginning or end to any round.

Not surprisingly, the club attracts non-golfers and golfers in equal measure, with weddings, private functions and business seminars finding the historic backdrop an attractive alternative to modern hotels.

In fact, ever since the club was first established in 1894, little distinction has been made between playing and non-playing members, with many local residents joining for the social side alone.

Such a memorable clubhouse could be in danger of overshadowing its golf course, but that’s far from being the case at Chislehurst, where both James Braid and Harry Colt are believed to have had a

VISITOR & SOCIETY PACKAGES Memberships in all categories, including the newly introduced Under 40 Intermediate category, are available on application to the General Manager.

Visitors and societies are welcome on weekdays by prior arrangement.

Green fees are £35 for 18 holes or £25 after 4pm.

An exclusive Golf News fourball offer of £80 is available until the end of October.

Society rates start from £30 for 18 holes, with tailor-made packages available.

For all enquiries call 020 8467 2782 or email thesecretary@ chislehurstgolfclub.co.uk.

The par-five 14th hole

hand in creating one of the most compact 18-hole layouts in the country.

Set in just 65 acres of prime suburban land, at the point where Kent meets London, the pair clearly used all of their artistry to fashion a course that although not long – it measures just 5,119 yards – is thrilling and challenging in equal measure.

A quick glance at the scorecard explains the reason for the difficulty: a standard scratch score of 65, and the fact that eight of the 18 holes are par threes – the hardest holes to par for most club golfers. That the course record is only six-under speaks volumes for the test, while the severity of the par fours, and the finesse required to score well on the threes, make it hard for any golfer to bully their way around the course with a driver.

Despite its small acreage, there are opportunities to open the shoulders, although a precisely struck hybrid will often leave you with the best shot into some of the longer holes, many of which have sloping fairways or are protected by well-placed bunkers and some devilishly-sculpted greens that are characteristic of Colt courses. Although some of the tees and greens are fairly adjacent, most of the holes enjoy a degree of seclusion, with definition provided by tree-lined fairways.

There are plenty of highlights, with the approach to the downhill opening par five placing an immediate requirement for precise shot execution.

The par threes each offer a different challenge, with sizeable changes in length – from 106 to 237 yards – and elevation, testing every element of your game. It’s no wonder that league matches are often won by the home side, with correct club selection being the key to good scoring.

The most memorable short hole is the 141-yard seventh which requires an uphill carry over a thickly grassed incline to a raised green. Anything short of the green will be swallowed up in this grassy ‘mogul’ field, and some big numbers have been

The par-three 13th

recorded trying to get onto and then negotiate the brutal sloping putting surface.

Another refreshing element of a round at Chislehurst is that four-balls can whizz around in just over three hours, while pairs have been known to manage it in under two-and-a-half, which makes it ideal for a quick round after work in the summer, as well as ensuring that anyone can enjoy a game without it taking up the whole day.

The course, which is always kept in tip-top condition by the experienced team of greenkeepers, is not surprisingly popular with seniors and ladies alike, with the emphasis on short game skills much more to their liking, while the course has proved a fitting venue for Kent Junior and Senior championships and County matches in recent as well as bygone years, in addition to the popular annual Brothers’ Open which takes place in June.

With the club located just 11 miles from the centre of London and 10 minutes from the M25, it’s well placed for visitors from all over the South East, so if you fancy a great day out – or are looking for somewhere fun and friendly to join – then Chislehurst is just the ticket.

Chislehurst Golf Club, Camden Park Road, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5HJ Tel: 020 8467 2782 Website: www.chislehurstgolfclub.co.uk

July 2014 / Issue 234

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Horsford KO’s Cooper Junior Masters’ rivals Sussex Golf College student Lauren Horshford showed a clean pair of heels to her rivals when winning the 2014 Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters by three shots at Nizels Golf & Country Club in Kent.

The prestigious tournament, which is open to amateurs aged 18 and under, only launched a girls’ section last year, but the second renewal attracted a strong field of 23 players.

Following opening rounds of 68, 69 and 70, Horsford was able to coast home with a three-over par 75 to finish on nine-under par and win by three clear shots from last year’s English Junior Open Amateur champion Sophie Keech.

Horsford joined the Lindfield-based Golf College in 2013, where she has enjoyed extensive coaching, as well as benefitting from a three-month training trip to Spain over the winter.

Paul Lyons, the Golf College head coach, said: “It is no surprise that Lauren

was going to win something big this year. After returning from Spain, she has already finished third in the Surrey Ladies Golf Championships qualifier at Royal Wimbledon, played for Surrey County Girls, and has also bagged her first hole-in-one!”

Conceived in 1998 by Alan Cheeseman, the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters provides tournamentstandard conditions for up and coming amateurs snd offers points towards the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Past winners include Zane Scotland, who won the event in 1999.

From glorious Goodwood to magnificent Manhattan with Flying Club Swingers The first spot in the European team for the Season 11 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Swingers final was decided at Goodwood in West Sussex, when 70 golfers took on the Chichester-based club’s testing Downs Course in the airline’s exclusive Gold members day.

Guests were treated to a fantastic goody bag from the sponsors and massages by Virgin Atlantic’s beauty therapists. Aside from the serious business of trying to qualify for the S11 Final in Barbados, there was some fun to be had, with trick shot competitions on the range, the Avis hole-in-one competition, and the James Braid Challenge played with hickory clubs.

The winner was former two-time Swingers finalist Peter Parker, who shot a superb 39 points. Peter’s two previous final appearances were in Orlando and Miami, and he makes it a hat-trick of sunshine finals with a trip to Barbados. But there were plenty of Gold members who also walked away with a superb range of prizes from the likes of Cleveland Golf, Srixon, Trendy Golf, SkyCaddie, Stewart Golf, SunDog and SuperStroke Flying Club Swingers then followed that day up by returning to the stunning Manhattan Woods Golf Club in New York for this year’s US East Coast day, and yet again it provided a spectacular setting for another memorable golf day.

On a glorious summer’s morning, enthusiastic Flying Club members from both sides of the pond

competed for a range of super prizes, including the amazing Gleneagles trip for the top Virgin Atlantic flyer of the day – a four-night stay with flights and golf at the world’s no.1 golf resort. The main prize was won

by Englishman Mark Doocey, who now resides in New York, shooting a superb 40 points.

With both the UK and US society days now complete for another year – another golf day took place at Bearwood Lakes earlier this month – Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Swingers can announce that it will be involved in this year’s Golf News Links Championship at Princes Golf Club in Kent on September 29. This will be an opportunity for Golf News readers and Flying Club Swingers alike to play one of the finest links courses in the South East.

For just £85pp, players will receive breakfast, lunch and a competitive 18 holes, with the winner receiving free entry to a UK Swingers society day of their choice in 2015. All registered Swingers will have their scores from the day automatically entered into Swingers Season 12, making sure they are one step ahead of the rest of the pack in the race for a place in the Season 12 Final.

To sign up for the Princes golf day, visit www.flyingclubgolfleague. com/societydays_princes.asp

Ashford Manor awards Brain-injured honorary membership golfer on course to US Amateur winner for Namibia The winner of last year’s US Amateur Championship has been given an honorary membership at Ashford Manor Golf Club.

Matthew Fitzpatrick – who played alongside Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose at last month’s US Open – travelled down from his home in Sheffield to the Middlesex club to attend the members’ annual meeting.

The 19-year-old, who turned pro following his appearance at Pinehurst, was awarded the honour in recognition of his achievement for equalling the US feat recorded

by Ashford Manor’s former life member and secretary Harold Hilton some 102 years previously in 1911.

Fitzpatrick and Hilton are the only two Englishmen to win the

trophy – Hilton also winning two Open Championships (1892 Muirfield and 1897 Royal Liverpool), as well as four British Amateur titles.

Fitzpatrick entertained the members with a 10-hole exhibition match, partnering good friend Edward Brady against club pro Rob Walton and ex-Walker Cup player Graham Homewood.

“Ashford Manor would like to wish Matt every success in the future and look forward to continuing their newlyformed relationship,” said club spokesman Andrew Giles.

After promising junior golfer Graeme Mazur was injured in a road accident while on his newspaper delivery round, he feared anything approaching normal life would be over. But Graeme, now aged 29, never abandoned hope of putting aside his wheelchair, getting back on his feet and returning to the golf course. He is not only playing golf using one arm, but is organising a golf event which he expects will raise £5,000 to cover his costs to join a group travelling to Namibia in November to help with a school development project. The trip is being organised by The Silverlining, a charity that helps braininjured individuals gain fulfilment through assisting others.

The fund-raising event is being held at The Oxfordshire Golf Club on July 23, where those taking part will include medical specialists and lawyers who have helped Graeme since his accident in 2000.

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22 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

4.30am The 12 teams in the Sparks Golf Challenge gather for a group hug

4.55am 3/4s of Team Azalea prepare to tee off

AND I WOULD WALK

50,000 STEPS… Monday, June 23 was a day of many firsts for me. It was the first day I had started a round of golf clean-shaven and ended it with a beard. It was the first time I’d played more than 27 holes in a day for 20 years, and it was the first time I’d tasted a Jägerbomb. It was also the first time the bedroom alarm clock had gone off intentionally before 4am.

The reason for the above being that I was attempting to play 72 holes in one day. Of course, it’s a challenge that countless golfers had done before me, and do on almost a weekly basis these days, as it remains one of the most popular ways for golfers to raise funds for worthy causes. And up in Scotland, where the daylight hours are somewhat longer, it’s not uncommon for 108-hole challenges, so 72 holes would be a doddle, or so I thought…

JUNE 22 11pm Go to bed, looking forward to three hours’ kip.

JUNE 23 3.07am Alarm goes off. Stumble around bedroom trying to find tartan-styled Royal & Awesome shorts, shirt and cap, and then slip on sandals – vital for journey back – and

pack a bag filled with suncream, plasters, sunglasses, mosquito repellant and hayfever tablets, spare socks, pants, three shirts and trousers.

4.25am Arrive at Fulwell Golf Club in Middlesex to be greeted by 47 other golfers wearing the same Royal & Awesome outfits of varying shades and patterns, most of which are too bright for the time of the morning.

Meet my playing partners, Richard Copeman (Daily Mail), Dan Chidley (Azalea PR), and Frazer Smeaton (Royal & Awesome director).

4.30am Coffee and banana, followed by preevent chat about the format and the need to keep things moving, not look for balls etc.

4.45am Walk up the 18th fairway to the 18th tee for the shotgun start.

4.55am Tee off.

5.03am Finish 18th hole with a bogey. “Right lads, it’s been great. Let’s do this again next year,” I say, ignoring the fact there are still 71 holes to play.

6.30am Bag first par of the day with a twoputt par on the 397-yard 7th. Followed by another on the stunning par-three 9th, which comes within six inches of claiming the nearest-the-pin prize for the front 36.

8.10am Bacon roll arrives just seconds after I finish a Mars Bar, but I bravely take down the foot-long pig-bread combo as a chaser.

8.40am Lose first ball of the day on the 13th with a nasty slice off the tee, but scramble a bogey with majestic recovery from the drop zone.

9.10am Finish first round with a run of five straight bogeys for 28 points. “Right lads, it’s been a blast. I’d better get off to work now,” I jest. Oh bugger, we’re going to do that three more times. “It’s going to be a long day if the jokes don’t get any better,” laments Dan.

9.15am Second round confusingly starts again on the 18th. Find out we’re in 11th place with 77 points. The leaders have 98 – so the game looks over as a competition before it has begun. Still, we have bigger goals in mind – survival.

10.10am Notch up my first birdie of the day on the 290-yard, par-four 4th, which is quickly followed in by playing partner Frazer for a tidy six-pointer (no shots, typical).

10.50am Get caught up by the three-ball group behind on the 7th, and let them through. “They’re going to finish before us – the bastards,” I say kindly.

1.45pm Finally finish second round after what seems like an age with 28 points to show for my efforts. Clock is ticking and genuine concerns are expressed about whether we’ll finish if the pace carries on like this. Sensing the urgency, we take lunch sitting down in the clubhouse, catching up on the test score from Headingly, and generally not hurrying. Frazer, as pre-arranged, bows out at the half-way stage to be replaced by fresh-faced Charlie Collier, a sprightly sort who is just a week into his new job as assistant brand manager for Royal & Awesome. We welcome him to the team, begrudging his cheerful demeanour and easy gait. I change my shoes for a slightly lighter pair, and change my shirt from cotton to polyester to increase moisture wicking – whatever that is – as the day warms up.

2.25pm Head out to begin our 38th hole – we played the 37th (18th) before lunch –only to find two groups waiting on the first tee. Not a good start in our bid to finish before Tuesday.

One of the groups in front has switched to a buggy, which surely goes against the spirit of the event. I’d kill for a buggy.

8.10pm Another sweetly-struck iron find the green at the par-3 9th

3.00pm Bubblegumflavoured lolly hits the spot

1.15pm With 54 holes to go Team Azalea still look fresh(ish)

2.35pm The remaining 17 holes of our third round gets under way. I par the difficult first – slight dogleg right – for the first time for three points – things are looking up.

2.43pm Hook ball into the trees off the second tee – things not looking quite so up.

3.00pm Nice man comes out with a box of lollies. I choose a bright blue one that tastes of bubblegum. Horrific, but needed, as temperature hits 27 degrees.

3.10pm Lithium battery on my trusty Motocaddy goes from full power to no power in the space of three holes. I limp as far as the 41st hole and switch to a lead battery.

3.30pm Lead battery dies after three holes. I had forgotten to recharge it. Limp into pro shop, where assistant takes pity on me and offers free loan of pull trolley for remaining 30 holes. Bag feels bloody heavy under human power.

4.50pm Limbs are beginning to ache, and picking the ball out of the hole or bending down to tee it up becomes painful, yet tiresomely necessary.

6.10pm Finish round three on the 570-yard 17th, a brutal par-five that looks longer than the landing strip at nearby Heathrow. Lip out for 27 points, sadly interrupting my run of 28s.

Surprised by speediness of the round, but less time spent looking for balls, and the field seems to have been stretched out.

6.15pm Without even stopping for a drink, we crack on with round four, fearing that any slowing down of the momentum could prove fatal. We are stopped and asked to tot up our scores and hand them into the official scorer.

I sit down on the bench on the first tee to add up the damage. “Noooooooo! Don’t sit down, Nick, you’ll never get up,” says Richard. I must sit down. My back is killing me, my calves are

2.35pm Team Azalea Mark 2 prepare for the final 36 holes

9.15pm I’m ready for bed after 16 hours continuous play

July 2014 / Issue 234

/ 23

5.55am A towering iron finds sand at the par-3 sixth

8.20am Taking the weight off......almost

After 23 miles, 368 shots, and over 16 hours continuous play, Nick Bayly completed the 72-hole Sparks Charity Challenge in a world of pain, but he wasn’t complaining – much

burning, the mosquito bites are itching like buggery, and my hands are beginning to blister. Medic!

6.25pm I birdie the first with a ripped 7-wood and a 20-foot putt. The Golfing Gods are smiling on us once again, and I find a renewed burst of energy.

6.30pm Renewed burst of energy has gone. I am officially knackered.

7.00pm Buggy comes out with sandwiches, fruit, Oreo cookies and Mini Cheddars. I love mini cheddars.

8.00pm Take part in Jägerbomb challenge on par-3 9th. Hit the green and you nominate someone else to down the bomb, miss the green and you down it yourself. Three miss, one hits. We all down the bomb, mainly to help numb the senses.

8.20pm Lose sensation in right thumb.

Medical term is white finger, although mine looks black after rubbing off half the grip on my driver.

8.50pm I par the 14th with a 20-foot putt for a much-needed psychological lift. The end is within touching distance, but sadly my feet aren’t, as my back is now completely shot.

9.35pm Needing a nett par on the bastard 17th to match my handicap, I take six to reach the green and two-putt for a snowman – my first of the day – and miss out. I don’t care – it’s over. We contemplate playing the 18th, but after all of two seconds we agree to walk it.

10.15pm BBQ and prize-giving ceremony.

I can’t face a burger and we don’t win any prizes. Our prize is life itself. Shake hands with partners. “Mustn’t do this again”, I say as I hobble to the car.

11.30pm Arrive home.

11.50pm Sleep. It’s over.

NICK BAYLY’S 72-HOLE SPARKS GOLF CHALLENGE FACT FILE

Patshull Park Golf and Resort Hotel Pattingham, Nr Wolverhampton WV6 7HR

Holes played: 72 Distance walked: 23.67 miles (49,299 steps) Total time: 16 hrs 40 minutes (1,000 minutes) Total shots: 368 Shots per minute: 0.368 (one every 2 mins 43 secs) 1st round: 4.55am-9.10am (4hrs 15mins) 93 shots, 28 points 2nd round: 9.15am-1.45pm (4hrs 30mins) 93 shots, 28 points 3rd round: 2.35pm-6.05pm (3hrs 30mins) 95 shots, 27 points 4th round: 6.10pm-9.35pm (3hrs 25mins) 87 shots, 34 points Birdies: 2 Pars: 15 Bogeys: 31 Double Bogeys: 17: Triple Bogeys: 7 Total putts: 32, 35, 29, 33 = 129 Fairways/greens in regulation: 34/72 = 47% Balls Lost: 4 Balls found: 7 Drinks: Water (3 litres), Monster (2 cans), Coke (1 can), Jägerbomb (1 measure), Coffee (1 cup), Lager (1 can).

Food: Banana, bacon baguette, Mars Bar, Snickers, potato salad, coleslaw, tomatoes, bread roll, ice lolly, 2 ham mini rolls, Mini Cheddars.

7pm With just 13 holes to go, I ease the pain with a packet of Mini Cheddars

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9.35pm Amid the gathering gloom Team Azalea finish the 72nd hole

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July 2014 / Issue 234

THE HIDDEN COSTS OF GOLF Protect yourself from whatever life throws at you with specialist golf insurer Golf Care – and bag yourself an exclusive GolfNews reader offer The cost of injury, damage and theft are the last things golfers want to worry about when they step onto the course, so Golf News has teamed up with the UK’s number one golf insurance provider, Golf Care, to offer every reader peace of mind with a massive 30% off any annual policy.

The financial implications of a hook or slice have never been greater. In 2011 a golfer and the club were found liable for nearly £400,000, following a terrible accident that resulted in a fellow golfer losing the sight in one eye – a serious warning to all uninsured golfers.

Given that every year

12,000 golf injuries require hospital treatment, it’s incredible that an estimated nine out of ten golfers still don’t have specialist golf insurance.

More recently, this year two men were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for stealing a huge amount of golfing equipment from right across the UK. Disguised as genuine golfers, the pair mixed with other players and course staff, before making their move. Their total haul was a staggering £750,000 worth of gear.

Many golfers assume they are covered by their household policies, but household insurance is just that and not a specialist golf policy. Some household policies will allow the policy holder to specify golf

equipment as an add-on to the policy, but an extra premium often needs to be paid. This is inevitably at a higher rate than a specialist

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Mishaps and accidents can happen to anyone, and it’s quite frightening to imagine that your next shot could literally cost you a fortune.

I remember being struck on the knee in the Benson & Hedges at the Belfry in

the early ‘90’s. It took me out of the tournament and I was unable to play for a few weeks. It just goes to show that no matter how good a golfer you are, the golf course can be a very dangerous place.”

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Visit: www.golfcare.co.uk/gna to buy online or call Freephone 0800 158 5515 for instant cover.

July 2014 / Issue 234

/ 25

NickBayly

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

Millard’s loss is golf’s gain Go-slow on Swilcan Bridge After watching Luis Suarez sending a month filled himself off after with diving, his open-mouthed shirt pulling, face happened to punching, elbowing, accidentally fall on gobbing, cynical the shoulder of an fouling, and the odd opponent? Of course bout of biting at not, but that’s precisely various stadiums what golfers are Playing by the rules: Jason Millard around Brazil, it’s required to do every quite refreshing time they step onto the return to watching a sport where the most golf course. aggressive thing you’re likely to hear is a A case in point was 25-year-old American spectator shouting ‘Get in the hole!’ at a Jason Millard, who qualified for last month’s US par-five on Sky’s coverage of the PGA Tour.

Open at a local US sectional event, and in doing Although contact sports will always incite a so fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition of playing in his greater degree of aggression and testosteronenational open. Only Millard had a inkling that fuelled behaviour, professional sport involves a he might have grounded his club in a bunker win-at-all costs mentality across a wide range – an infringement that comes with a two-shot of events, from cycling to tennis, from yachting penalty – and after several days of wracking to rugby, where competitors will use every his conscience, he decided to come clean and tactic, ploy and rule-bending effort to gain an alert the authorities, which had been spotted advantage over their opponents. by no-else but himself. He was immediately While golf tournaments have referees, disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard they cannot be everywhere, and the majority and his dreams of playing at Pinehurst turned of events require players to self-police their to dust. play – which is almost unthinkable in the I’m not sure what the moral of the story is, money-driven modern era of sport. Can you but at least Jason will be able to sleep at night, imagine footballers at the World Cup having to knowing that he did the right thing. One day, award themselves yellow and red cards after a Luis Suarez might wake up and do the same particularly unpleasant tackle? Can you imagine thing – or then again, he might not.

If you want to know why a round at the Old with their wives and husbands, some without.

Course at St Andrews takes six hours, you only It all takes an age, as the cameras get switched need to check out the new live video streaming about and the right facial expressions adopted. service that the St Andrews Links Trust has It’s small wonder that rounds at the hugelylaunched. popular course are so painfully slow.

The system has high definition x30 Other venues with iconic holes and bits of magnification zoom cameras hooked up on famous course architecture suffer similar hold ups the roof of the R&A’s to play, but it’s the price clubhouse that focus you pay to grab a slice on nine key points of golfing history. If you around the Home of want to avoid the playing Golf. These include the and paying bit, just nip on nerve-jangling first tee, in the morning dressed the treacherous Road in full golfing gear before Hole bunker on the 17th the early starters have green, the infamous 18th come through – or dash green, and the must-visit on in between groups Tom Morris Golf Shop.

– strike the pose and The Swilcan Bridge has long been a tourist It also has one trained pretend you’ve played attraction for golfers and heathens alike on the iconic Swilcan the previous 17 holes. It Bridge that golfers have may not offer quite the to cross to reach the same experience, but 18th fairway. A cursory viewers of your pictures glance at this particular on Facebook will be none camera angle shows a the wiser. succession of players To watch St Andrews’s posing for pictures on the live streaming service, famous landmark, some and see the comedy with their caddies, some poses for yourself, visit without, some with their www.standrews.com/ Jack Nicklaus on the Bridge playing partners, some links-webcam.

Summer Sizzler Available from the 1st April to 30th September 2014

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Harleyford under new ownership

Harleyford Golf Club members will not have to pay annual subscription fees for a second time this year, which was a possibility after the club was bought by new owners after falling into administration.

Harleyford Golf Club Ltd went into administration earlier this summer but has now been bought from the administrators by Harleyford Golf Club Marlow Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Harleyford Group Ltd, who are the landlords of the golf course. The transition to new ownership will happen immediately and the club’s day-to-day activities and calendar of events will continue uninterrupted.

The new owners have placed the club on a firm financial footing and plan to move ahead with new capital expenditure projects. However, annual subscriptions were lost when the club went into administration, but the new owners have pledged to honour existing subscriptions.

Rob Marsh of The Harleyford Group Ltd said: “We are delighted that we’ve been able to bring the club back on a freehold basis. This acquisition will sit well within our existing leisure group and we very much wish to preserve the reputation and goodwill built up over many years. We believe Harleyford can be one of the premier clubs in the area and we’re looking forward to working with the members on this exciting new chapter in the club’s history.”

The club, near Marlow, was originally formed in 1996 and has since gained an excellent reputation as an outstanding private members club with a wonderful course and an active membership.

July 2014 / Issue 234

London Beach teams up with PGolf Coaching Tenterden’s London Beach Hotel, Spa and Country Club has teamed up with Benn Barham’s PGolf Coaching to deliver a range of professional golf coaching services to both new and existing members and visitors.

Barham, PGolf’s Director of Golf Development, has a long and successful career in the game, winning the Kent Amateur and Junior Championships in 1994, and the Kent Amateur Championship again in 1996, before turning professional in 2000. Since then, the Tenterden resident has played in more than 300 European and Challenge Tour tournaments across the world, winning the NCC Open 2001 and Open Mahou de Madrid in 2005, while playing alongside many of the great names in world golf.

Heading up the PGolf coaching at London Beach will be Bruce McDonald, who has been a well respected member of the PGolf coaching staff at Boughton, as well as being very popular among members and visitors.

Having played full time for the past two years, McDonald is now looking to focus on delivering world class coaching and developing the golf operation at London Beach.

Speaking about the new partnership, Pierre Edmonds, managing director at London Beach, said: “I’m delighted to be working with the new golf team at PGolf Coaching, which has many years’ experience of improving the golf experience for everyone.”

As well as a 9-hole golf course, a 9-hole short course and a driving range, London Beach also offer a 24-bedroom hotel, a spa and a restaurant.

Richardson unbeatable at Bognor Kent star Ed Richardson won the 44th Purley Trophy after a final round 63 saw him race past his rivals at Bognor Regis Golf Club in West Sussex on June 28.

Despite never having played the parkland course before, Rye-based Richardson, who plays off plus three, finished on six under par in the 36-hole tournament which is open to single figure golfers, but attracted nine players with handicaps of scratch or better.

The morning round saw several players

make hay of the good conditions and smoothrunning greens, with Bognor’s own Jordon Vincent’s two-under par 68 only bettered by Wayne Hawes’s 67, who again showed his liking for course as a past winner.

The afternoon saw the wind increase and the rough coming into play more, but Richardson made light work of the course, shooting a seven-under par 63 to add to his morning 71 to take the title by two shots from Hawes, with Ali Dalgliesh in third following a second round 69.

COMPETITION FIVE VOICE CADDIE VC300S

TO BE WON!

Golf News has teamed up with Voice Caddie, manufacturer of an awardwinning range of golf GPS watches, wearable technology and portable swing monitors, to win one of five of its ground-breaking VC300s.

Weighing just one ounce, the sleek and stylish VC300 is the world’s first voiceguided GPS range finder, which provides spoken yardages to the centre, front, and back of the green for over 30,000 pre-loaded and automatically recognised courses straight from the box.

A single click prompts the yardage to the centre of the green, while a simple swipe forward or backward prompts the yardage to the front or back. Other useful features include shot distance and a swing tempo function, both of which are handy training tools for golfers of all skill levels.

The VC300 speaks eight languages with an adjustable volume and has a rechargeable battery which will last for up to eight hours’ continuous play.

Available in black and white, the VC300 can be clipped on to a belt, cap or golf bag and comes with a USB cable, adapter, user manual and ball marker. Additional courses and course updates can be added through a free PC programme which is available from the Voice Caddie website.

For more details and to check out the entire range of Voice Caddie products, visit www.voicecaddie.com.

HOW TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning one of the five VC300 GPS units on offer, simply answer the question below correctly, and email your answer, together with your name, address and contact details, to: info@ golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Voice Caddie Competition’ in the subject line.

The closing date for entries is August 30, 2014. Usual competition rules apply.

QUESTION How many languages does the VC300 speak?

A) 6 B) 8 C) 10

July 2014 / Issue 234

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, 1 2 L E E F L L I “IASLTT G N I K L A W ’M I H HOUG ” D L O R A E Y 0 6 A LIKE

Dame Laura Davies reveals why she feels that there’s more to come from her 30-year career, and why she fears for the longevity of the current crop of stars

Your passport says you’re 51, but how old do you feel?

About 21. I still feel the same as I did when I first started out. I mean, I have a bad heel at the moment, so I’m walking like a 50-year-old, probably even a 60-year-old – but mentally the enthusiasm is still there. In my mind I’m good enough. I’m sure a lot of people don’t think I’m good enough, but as long as you still believe in yourself, you can still win. If I can hole some putts, and sort out some other aspects of the game, who knows. I’ve not given up the on the idea of winning another tournament, or even another major. You’re as young as you want to feel.

think they will be fed up with it, because when you spend every week practising, even when you have a week off, eventually it becomes a job. It’s never been a job for me. It’s always been great fun, and I’m really one of the luckiest people in the world to play a game that I love, and to play it reasonably well. It’s never been, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go and practise now, I have to go and do this’. It’s always been, ‘I want to go and practise’, ‘I want to go and do this’. I think possibly that’s why the careers are going to become a bit shorter. But if you’re achieving those heights so young and early, why not go for it? Hopefully Michelle Wie will be playing when she’s 50, and that will be great for the game.

Would you like to be 20, and do it all over again?

Absolutely, and I’d do it exactly the same way I did it 30 years ago. I understand the pressure on these girls to get out here and practise 14 hours a day, but the longevity is never going to be there. I think that’s why Juli Inkster, Lorie Kane and a few of the older players have lasted as long as they have. I think you can still do it the old way if you want to be successful.

Is it down to peer pressure that most of them feel they ought to be practising all the time?

I don’t know. It just feels like they are practising because they think they should practise, and maybe that’s the way it is. Of course you need to practise, but you also need to have fun. It’s striking the balance.

What’s the most practise you do during a tournament week?

I never did. It either works or it doesn’t work, and that’s just my personality. When I’m playing badly you’ll see me on the driving range. So the less you see me on the driving range, the better you know I’m playing. And at the moment, you’ll often find me on the putting green, because that’s the part of the game that’s the struggle. You have to find your own formula. At the moment, I think because of Tiger, everybody who comes out has nutritionists, coaches and psychologists, and that’s just modern golf and that’s just the way it is for these girls. I seriously doubt whether they will be playing into their 40s and 50s.

Do you think the younger generation will burn out early?

I don’t really know what burnout means, but I just

What do you think about the 11 year-old, Lucy Li, playing in the US Open, and generally about how young players are starting out in women’s golf?

My philosophy is if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, so I don’t have an issue with anyone having a go, providing they meet the required standard. Lexi Thompson played the US Open as a 12 year old, and Morgan Pressel played it as a really young girl, and they’ve both gone on to win majors. I don’t think anything bad can come out of it, because these kids are too young to worry about the pressure.

How much has the women’s game changed during your career?

Oh, there’s no comparison really. All the best players in those days were in their 30s and 40s.

The Pat Bradleys, Beth Daniels. Now the best players are in their 20s, and often younger.

The new generation is very athletic, and they

generate tremendous power. I played with Minjee Lee recently and her clubhead speed is amazing. There’s nothing of her, but she really hits it. I think that’s the biggest difference, and that’s why people want to watch women play now, because it’s more dynamic.

anymore’. I shot 84 in the second round, missed the cut by a mile, and flew home not very happy – so that was probably the worst I ever felt.

What’s your view on caddies lining up putts?

It shouldn’t be allowed. Alignment is a basic part of the game. You’re not allowed to get a grip that’s perfectly set for you and just wedge your hands into a molded grip, so why should you have someone allowed to stand behind you and tell you where to aim? I don’t understand why the USGA and the R&A haven’t sussed that one out yet, because it just seems obvious. And, just as importantly, it really slows the game down.

What other rules do you not approve of?

Making me hole out when I’ve made a bad putt – there should be a two-putt maximum.

What part of putting are you finding difficult?

It’s been mainly to do with my alignment, which I’ve only just discovered was a bit off. We did some tests and it worked out that I thought I was aiming it straight, it turned out to be four degrees off. I just made a little adjustment in my grip and I managed to get that average a lot less than I was, so hopefully the putts that I’ve been missing just on the edges have been because my alignment’s been wrong. My putting pace is also a problem. I don’t know if you lose your feel as you get older, but that’s something we are working on and hopefully we will start seeing results, because it really is holding me back. It’s so frustrating. I had 37 and 38 putts over the the last two rounds at the Ladies Masters at The Buckinghamshire, which is giving 15 shots away on the weekend, which is ludicrous.

What’s been the lowest point in your career?

The lowest point probably was about seven or eight years ago at the Nabisco, when I was playing so badly I actually thought ‘I can’t do it

What’s life like been like as a dame?

It’s just a great honour. I got the MBE in 1987 after I won the US Open, and the CBE in 1996, and I thought that would be it. To be honest, when the letter came through from the Palace, I thought it was tickets for the royal box at Wimbledon, as they often hand them out to sportsmen and women. So it was a real surprise when I opened it. Some people reject these things, but I’d signed and it put it in the post box within three minutes! I don’t think there’s any tournament I could win now that can beat this honour, because its something that’s given to you over a career.

Nick Faldo got a knighthood for all he’s done, so now I’m the first woman to get a Damehood. So, yeah, it’s nice.

If it came down to a choice of winning the British Open again or Liverpool winning the Premier League, which would it be?

That’s the toughest question I’ve ever had. I would have to say at the moment to win the Women’s Open, but ask me that question next May and I’ll say Liverpool to win the title.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

BIGGER+ BETTER Golf News took three competition winners to Callaway Golf’s National Performance Centre in Chessington to receive a custom fitting for the all new BIG BERTHA driver. Here’s how they got on…

THE FITTER Jason Skea, Callaway Golf custom fitting expert, with over 10 years’ experience working with Callaway’s tour staff, as well as thousands of amateurs.

THE FITTING Each player warmed up with an iron for 5-10 minutes before hitting a dozen drives with their current driver, and then switching to a Big Bertha or Big Bertha Alpha driver, and dialing in their specifications through Jason’s expert analysis and the data from Callaway’s OptiFit technology.

THE CLUB The Big Bertha is a fully adjustable forged composite driver that features an 8g sliding weight on a 5-inch rail at the rear of the clubhead. Golfers can choose from three different lofts (9°, 10.5° and 12°), which can be adjusted by -1° to +2°, giving loft options from 8° to 14°. The lie angle can also be independently altered to draw and neutral settings to adjust directional bias.

Matt unleashes the Big Betha during his custom fitting

NAME: MATTHEW WRIGHT AGE: 47 HANDICAP: 21 CURRENT DRIVER SET UP: King Cobra S9-1 Offset, 10.5° with Aldila DVS 50g shaft (R flex).

SWING SPEED: 88mph BALL SPEED: 127mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 9.6° ANGLE OF ATTACK: -1.7° SPIN RATE: 4,354rpm CARRY: 188 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 217 yards JASON’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Matthew’s current driver is an off-the-shelf purchase made eight or nine years ago. His swing is what I would describe as a ‘picker’, and I doubt he makes too many divots with his irons. His general shot shape is a high fade, which is costing him 10-15 yards off the tee. His spin rate of 4,000-plus, and his steep angle of attack, is causing the ball to launch high and drop out of the sky, robbing him of distance and control.

JASON’S FITTING GOALS: The aim with Matthew’s fitting is to build some flight consistency into his long game and introduce a flatter, more boring trajectory, which will help the ball to roll out more on landing, rather than simply stopping in its own divot. He also needs something to reduce the effects of his fade, which can be achieved, to a certain extent, with the Big Bertha’s adjustable qualities.

FITTING PROCESS: Given his modest swing speed, the standard Big Bertha was the clear choice from the two models available, with the larger and more forgiving 460cc head, coupled with the moveable weight technology, offering the most benefit to his performance and overall confidence. The standard shaft was switched out for a shorter 45-inch Fubuki Zeta with a regular flex, to offer better control, while the cog on the hosel was switched to ‘draw’ to combat Matt’s fade. The sliding weight on the head was also moved into the draw setting, to help the clubface close at impact. One degree of loft was added, taking it up to 11.5 degrees, which helped bring down his spin rate. Matt was immediately launching the ball on a more penetrating flight path, and the reduction in back spin was helping the ball to roll out. There was still a fade to his shot shape, but it was far less pronounced than with his own driver.

BIG BERTHA DRIVER SET UP: 11.5°, draw setting on hosel and MWT rail, with 45-inch Fubuki Zeta 50g shaft (regular flex).

NEW DRIVING STATS SWING SPEED: 90mph BALL SPEED: 135mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 11.5° ATTACK ANGLE: 0.2° SPIN RATE: 2,732rpm CARRY: 202 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 230 yards GENERAL COMMENTS: The Big Bertha had a significant impact on all elements of Matthew’s performance with the driver, reducing spin rates by almost 2,000rpm, shallowing out his angle of attack, and producing a more powerful trajectory that added an extra 15 yards carry and overall distance. Most high handicap golfers benefit from adding loft to their driver, as it reduces the impact of sidespin, and help improve accuracy, and this was certainly the case with Matthew. Although the adjustable weighting reduced the effects of his fade, he still has to work on rolling his wrists through the impact area to get the desired shot shape.

BALL FITTING: Matthew would be an ideal candidate for Callaway’s Speed Regime 1 ball, which is designed for slower swing speeds and offers controlled flight and increased distance, while retaining feel around the green, thanks to the soft urethane cover.

MATT SAYS: That was an amazing experience, and one that I’d recommend to all golfers, regardless of their handicap. The level of customisation that is available is staggering, and I was delighted to see what technology can now do to help overcome deficiencies in your swing. That said, I still want to sort out my swing, so that I can get even more benefit from the Big Bertha.

Jason explains the technology behind the Big Bertha

BOOK YOUR CUSTOM FITTING WITH CALLAWAY GOLF To book your own fitting at Callaway Golf National Performance Centre in Chessington, go through your local retailer for a free fitting, or book direct via email at ukfittingcentre@ callawaygolf.com, where a 90-minute session will cost £75, which is refundable on purchases of equipment valued at £200 or more made within three months of your appointment.

July 2014 / Issue 234

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THE NEED FOR SPEED Callaway Golf’s Speed Regime range of balls comes in three models – SR1, SR2 and SR3 – each designed to match driver swing speeds.

SR1 - A four-piece ball that is designed for swing speeds of 90mpg or below, it offers increased lift towards the end of the shot, which extends hang time and generates more distance.

A urethane cover enhances feel and offers a softer sound at impact.

SR2 - The four-piece SR2 is designed for swing speeds between 90-105mph and combines the technologies for reducing drag and increasing lift found in the other models, creating a ball that feels a little firmer off the tee than the SR1, while still providing the shot-stopping control around the greens that is a key attribute of the SR3. It also features a urethane cover.

impact, so that energy can efficiently transfer from the swing to the shot for maximum distance. Players in this swingspeed range need to avoid creating too much spin, so the SR3 has a lower, more boring trajectory.

SR3 - The five-piece SR3 is designed for swing speeds in excess of 105mph, and offers minimal drag immediately after

NAME: DANNY RAY AGE: 33 HANDICAP: 10

NAME: TIM PLUMTREE AGE: 45 HANDICAP: 12 CURRENT DRIVER SET UP: PING G25 (10.5) with 45.5-inch TFC 189 shaft (stiff flex) SWING SPEED: 92mph BALL SPEED: 133mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 17° ANGLE OF ATTACK: -5.3° SPIN RATE: 3,770rpm CARRY: 205 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 228 yards

Tim puts the Big Bertha through its paces

JASON’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Tim’s driving is inconsistent, and he loses shots to the left and right. He also launches the ball too high – 17° – with a steep angle of attack, which leads to a ballooning, rainbow-shaped ball flight, resulting in loss of distance and very little roll out.

JASON’S FITTING GOALS: As with Matthew, this fitting is all about finding consistency, through lowering Tim’s launch angle, lowering spin rates slightly, and upping his ball speed to get back the extra distance that a player of his ability should be capable of.

FITTING PROCESS: With Tim’s swing speed (low 90s) and general shot shape, the standard Big Bertha was always going to be the natural choice over the Big Bertha Alpha, as it offers a more forgiving, confidence-inspiring package that will help improve both accuracy and distance. Tim puts enough torque on the shaft in the downswing to benefit from a stiff shaft, but we put in a slightly livelier model to provide him with a little bit more help through impact, and took half-an-inch off the length to give back an element of control and tighten dispersion rates. We also lowered the loft to 10°, which also helped get his spin rate down. The results were immediate, with spin rate dropping to 2,900, average carry up to 213 yards, and total distance up to 237 yards, from 205 and 228 and respectively. The launch angle also dropped from 17° to 13°, resulting in a much more powerful trajectory that held its line better and didn’t fall out of the sky as was the case with his previous driver set up.

BIG BERTHA DRIVER SET UP: Big Bertha (10.0) with stiff BB shaft, set with draw bias on the hosel and draw bias 3 on the MWT rail.

£39.99 for 12, callawaygolf.com

NEW DRIVING STATS SWING SPEED: 90mph BALL SPEED: 135mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 13° ATTACK ANGLE: 0.2° SPIN RATE: 3,100rpm CARRY: 213 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 237 yards GENERAL COMMENTS: Once again, the Big Bertha driver gave an improvement in virtually all of the driving stats. Accuracy and distance improved significantly, and Tim’s overall shot shape was much more consistent, with a lower, more powerful trajectory. He still needs to iron out a few technical issues to get the most out of this driver, most notably moving his weight through the ball at impact,, and also eliminating that over-the-top move that causes the ball to leak left.

BALL FITTING: Tim would benefit from the Speed Regime 2, as it offers the ideal combination of low-spinning distance and short game control for medium speed swingers.

TIM SAYS: I really enjoyed the whole fitting process, and came away wanting to be a better golfer to try and get the most out of my new driver. I know that I’ve been losing distance because of my ball flight, so it was great to be able to lower the launch angle so that I can get some more roll on the fairways. I can’t wait to put it into play and drive it past my partners!

CURRENT DRIVER: TaylorMade R1 (10.5) with 45.5-inch stiff Aldila Phenom 55g shaft SWING SPEED: 101mph BALL SPEED: 150mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 9.6° ATTACK ANGLE: -4.9° SPIN RATE: 3,100rpm CARRY: 235 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 260 yards JASON’S FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Danny hits a low draw that can often turn into a hook when his hands turn over too quickly before impact.

He admits to regularly using a two-iron off the tee to avoid his most destructive shots with the driver. Blessed with a powerful swing, this can be an option when conditions are dry and the fairways are running fast, but in the winter it will cost him a lot of distance.

JASON’S FITTING GOALS: The aim of Danny’s fitting is not about distance, but about improving accuracy and consistency. He already hits a long ball when he gets it right, but his launch angle is too low, and his misses left will leave him in some difficult spots with his second shots. So we’re looking to raise his launch angle, while reducing his spin rate, which will help him get both carry and roll, and launch the ball on a more powerful trajectory.

FITTING PROCESS: With his swing speed, Danny could have been a candidate for the Big Bertha Alpha, which has the ability to independently alter the centre of gravity through the gravity core, but after a few hits with it, it quickly became apparent that the smaller head – 440c v 460 cc – didn’t offer him the confidence and forgiveness that he needed from his driver. Switching to the standard Big Bertha, we altered the loft to 11.5° to try and raise Danny’s launch angle, and switched in a shorter, but slightly firmer and heavier 45-inch Pro Launch Red 68g shaft to help improve control and accuracy. Keeping the face square and the weighting bias neutral, this resulted in an instant improvement in launch angle – up from 9° to 13° – and a much more consistent shot shape and dispersion rate. However, some shots were going a little too high, and losing distance on the roll out, so after trying several

other shaft and loft options, Danny settled on a 10.5° loft – the same as his current driver – but with a heavier 70g shaft, which gave him control and ideal launch parameters without robbing him of any yardage.

BIG BERTHA DRIVER SET UP: Big Bertha 10.5°, square face with neutral MWT setting, with 45inch Aldila RIP 70g stiff shaft.

NEW DRIVING STATS SWING SPEED: 103mph BALL SPEED: 148mph LAUNCH ANGLE: 14.1° ATTACK ANGLE: -2.8° SPIN RATE: 2,897rpm CARRY: 246 yards TOTAL DISTANCE: 264 yards GENERAL COMMENTS: Although Danny didn’t appear entirely comfortable with a driver in his hand, he came away with a renewed sense of confidence after we dialled in the best parameters for his swing. It took some time to narrow down the exact specification, but we managed to ensure he didn’t lose any distance off the tee, but upped his ball flight, reduced spin rates, and improved his overall consistency.

He just needs to work on not closing the face at impact.

BALL FITTING: Callaway’s Speed Regime 2 is the ideal fit for Danny, as it offers low spin off the driver, with great feel and control on iron and wedge shots.

DANNY SAYS: I haven’t used my current driver as often as I should because it doesn’t always go where I want it to, so it’s great to get some confidence back with the Big Bertha. While long, it has also given me back my control, which is far more important when it comes to keeping a score going. I still need to work on a few elements of my swing – holding the clubface more open at impact, and not flipping my hands too early – but I’m confident that once I’ve ironed that out I’ll be looking to get my handicap down!

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July 2014 / Issue 234

Storybehindthepic Lorena Ochoa, Women’s British Open Old Course, St Andrews, August 5, 2007

A

lthough ladies have always enjoyed the same rights as men to play at the St Andrews Links Trust’s many courses, it was something of an anachronism – and a source of shame to the wider golfing world – that just seven years ago no competitive professional women’s event had ever been held at the Old Course.

That record was put straight when the Ricoh Ladies British Open was held there in 2007 – in no small part helped by Ricoh’s commercial clout ¬– which saw Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa win her first major title by four shots. It was a milestone in more ways than one, and the tournament returned to the Old Course again in 2013.

Prior to 2007, the last women’s tournament to be held at St Andrews was the

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1929 Ladies’ British Open, which was in those days an amateur event.

The tournament is now etched in golfing folklore, as it saw the return of the legendary Surrey champion Joyce Wethered, who beat long-standing rival Glenna Collett in what is widely regarded as the greatest ladies’ match ever played. It was Miss Wethered’s fourth British Ladies’ title, with victory at St Andrews coming four years after she had supposedly retired from the game. Amazingly, her career only spanned nine years, in which she also picked up five English Amateur titles.

After her famous triumph at the Old Course, Wethered retired from competitive golf and became golf manager at Fortnum & Mason’s in London.

Earning a living from golf brought her amateur status into question with the R&A,

however Wethered settled the issue when she played a series of paid-for exhibition matches in the US in 1935, where she took on, and beat, numerous male professionals.

Wethered aside, the modern-day R&A – if that doesn’t sound like a tautology – will be hoping that a new era for the women’s game will begin at the Home of Golf on September 18, when its 2,400-strong all-male membership takes a vote to decide whether or not to allow women to join its ranks for the first time in its 260-year history.

Anything less than a resounding ‘yes’ vote will be a hugely retrograde step for the game, although the ballot is as secret as the club itself, so we will probably never know the balance of the votes, or who voted for what, when the result is announced to the waiting world.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

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Peter Alliss has been conveying the highs and lows of professional golf to the nation since 1978, and thankfully, at 83 years of age, shows no signs of wanting to hang up the microphone just yet Interview by Neil Webber

THE VOICE GOES ON You’ve commentated on golf for the BBC for over 40 years. Have you already sorted out your digs for St Andrews next year?

I’ve been told by the BBC that they would like me to be there next year, although I don’t know whether there will be a next year. They keep telling me that they want me to keep going on as long as I want to, which is a nonsense really, because as soon as you become a bit doddery you’re gone.

One thing I do hold on to, which spurs me on, is Dan Maskell, who was given a new contract to do Wimbledon when he was 86, so I’ve got three years to go. But then again, he died before Wimbledon arrived. I am hopeful. I still enjoy it. I enjoy the game, I enjoy the people who play it, and I can see the joy and the sadness, the futility and the rubbish, and the wonderful stamina and skill. I enjoy it all.

Along with Colin Montgomerie, you and your father, Percy, were acknowledged as being among the best British golfers never to have won a major. Does that give you a sense of regret when you look back?

Oh, a great sense of regret. When I look at the people who have won, I think our names would not have looked out of place. But we didn’t win for various reasons, and that’s why I think there’s so much talked about not being a complete golfer unless you win a major. But I could give you a list of a dozen people who have won majors who you’ve never heard of, so it’s nonsense really. I think you can only be considered great when you have won, say, three majors. Yes, it would have been nice to win one. My father had several opportunities.

He finished a couple of shots behind on two or three occasions. The nearest I ever got was finishing four shots behind Peter Thomson at Birkdale in 1945 – but it wasn’t to be. The fact remains that I came into the game to make a living. I wasn’t any good at anything else, so I am very happy with the way things have worked out.

As a proflific winner on tour, which individual victory gave you the most pleasure?

I have been lucky to gain much pleasure from several moments in my playing career, but the

one that really gave me the greatest pleasure was the Esso Tournament at Moor Park in 1966. There were 18 players in the field – the top players in Europe that year – and it was a round-robin in which everybody played everybody else. By the time the final round came, I was so far ahead that nobody could beat me. The first prize was £750, and I think of all the last rounds that I played, it didn’t matter if I took 96 shots. I played with my dear friend Christy O’Connor, and we came down the last hole and I was one-up playing this short hole, and I put my approach about 10 feet away, and he put his about six inches away, so we finished all square. That was the most joyous round I can remember.

We recently saw the third anniversary of the passing of Seve. Will we ever see the likes of him again?

I suppose we will because, looking back, Walter Hagen, who was a great friend of my father’s, was a great star of the 1920s and 30s, but he has been followed by other stars.

Someone like Seve will come along again, but you may have to wait a year or two before you can find someone who can express themselves as he did. It will be difficult to find that type of light that burns so brightly, but I hope we do, because he did brighten up the golfing scene.

Who was the best player you ever saw?

The first really exciting player I ever saw was a man called Lawson Little, who won the US Open as an amateur. He came over here in 1947, and was in one of the first tournaments I ever played in, and boy did he hit the ball. I suppose he wasn’t much more than 5ft 10in, but he looked a huge man, and when he hit the ball it made a strange sound like you never heard before.

After him, we had Arnold Palmer. He was the first one that came over and he smoked cigarettes when it was fashionable to do so.

In those days, the stars in every film you ever saw, and every beautiful woman was smoking cigarettes. Palmer would casually throw away his cigarette, hitch up his trousers, and smash the ball to all corners of the earth.

So, I suppose Walter Hagen first for

times in September when you get early morning fog, and the occasional frost. It could be another Celtic Manor, which wasn’t great because it poured with rain, and it would have been a disaster if we hadn’t won. But we did win, and I think the same will apply at Gleneagles. I think it will be very close, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we lost. I’m not being unpatriotic, but we will have to battle very hard.

“I came into the game to make a living, as I wasn’t any good at anything else, so I am very happy with the way things have worked out” my father, then Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in a different way. Gary Player never excited me, although I admired him hugely because of his tenacity and the way he got things done. Then I suppose you’ve got the moment when Johnny Miller was absolutely electrifying for about four years. Trevino was wonderful in his own way, and then you get up to Tom Watson and then Tiger Woods. Tiger is something special, a bit like watching Roger Federer in his prime playing tennis and Phil Taylor playing darts – it’s been a privilege to be around and watch them play.

How do you fancy Europe’s chances in the Ryder Cup? I think it’s going to be a close run thing. It is early, and we still have several months to go, so there could be lots of new talent on show from either side, and it depends how they settle down and how they control their nerves. I’ve played at Gleneagles enough

What was it like to be on the losing side so many times for GB&I? Well, I played on eight teams and we won a couple and we halved one. We should have won in 1949 and in 1953, when I took four from the edge of the last green and Bernard Hunt three-putted and we lost. But the Americans were so much better than us. We were overwhelmed by their equipment. It all looked better than ours. We were really second-rate citizens or were made to feel that way through no fault of our own, or theirs, but that was just the culture of the time.

Where would you play your last game of golf and who would make up the fourball?

I was bought up on heather, pine and silver birch – that’s Ferndown, Parkstone, Swinley Forest, Blairgorie, Formby, and others like that.

Who would I play with? I’ve always fancied playing a round with Halle Berry, though I’m not sure what her handicap would be. I never really played any golf with my father when he was in his prime, and I’d like him to see Tiger Woods play, and I would have liked to have seen Walter Hagen play. So, Tiger, perhaps Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen – with Halle Berry pulling my trolley. That would make Tiger jealous!

When club golfers are out there on the course and it;s all going horribly wrong, what’s the one thing that they should be concentrating on?

Well, perhaps think of all the people who would love to be there with you. Stop and have a few deep breaths and have a look around you and remember the old cliché, it’s only a game. But don’t hold up the people behind you!

July 2014 / Issue 234

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MEET THE PRO

The Downs Course at Goodwood

Ryan Fenwick lifts the lid on life as a PGA Professional at Golf at Goodwood in West Sussex How long have you been a PGA professional?

Since 2005 – so almost 10 years.

What is your day-to-day role at the club?

My title is golf academy development manager.

I develop the teaching programmes, mentor the other coaches, and I also coach full-time.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I am doing something that I love doing, and I get a real buzz from seeing people improve their game.

And the worst?

The hours. I spend around 70 hours per week at work, which is hard, as I have a young family.

Tell us something about the facilities and the playing experience…

We have a unique facility at Goodwood, set within Lord March’s 17,000-acre estate, with world-renowned horse racing, motor sport, airfield, hotel, two golf courses, and a golf academy. The Downs Course is a stunning downland layout, with views over the Solent across to the Isle of Wight. The golf academy has four full-time PGA golf coaches, a golfspecific gym, an indoor putting studio with SAM LAB system and covered bays, and we are currently developing a short game and par-three area.

In a tough economic climate what have you done to keep existing members and attract new ones?

We operate a credit system that offers an affordable entry into golf membership. We currently have over 2,000 members, and that figure is growing by the week. We have also launched a ‘Get into Golf’ membership for £350. Double Olympic sailing gold Medalist Sarah Ayton has become an ambassador for the club by going into schools and local groups to speak and then give a golf session with our coaching team.

What is the club doing to attract junior golfers?

We currently coach in seven local schools, and our junior pups membership starts at £40 per year, with full junior membership costing £122.50.

We have nine regular junior groups sessions per week and provide camp days in the school holidays. We have also

Speed-loving Laura laps her young rivals

Champagne moment: Davies topped the podium at the Bentley Challenge

Dame Laura Davies showed that she still has plenty of miles left on the clock – and retains her love of driving – and not just golf balls – following a textbook display behind the wheel of a Bentley in a special track day organised for some of the top stars of the women’s game.

Dame Laura, fresh from her ninth-placed finish in the Ricoh Women’s Open at Royal Birkdale – where she was the highest-placed British player – thrashed a V8 Bentley Continental around the track at Thruxton Race Circuit in Hampshire, and then showed her dynamic driving skills around a special skills course to take the chequered flag from her rivals, who included Scotland’s Carly Booth, LPGA Tour player Cheyenne Woods – cousin of Tiger – and Wiltshire’s Hennie Zuel.

But it was 22-year-old Booth who clocked the fastest lap time in the supercharged Bentley, which is capable of reaching 60mph in just 4.3 seconds. The young Scot went round in just 1.44.8 seconds to pip the racing Dame by just half

a second, with Woods in third and Zeul in third over four seconds behind the winner.

“Everyone knows I love driving fast cars, so this was pretty much my dream day,” said Davies. “This has been a brilliant experience on the quickest track in the UK. And it was nice to finish on top of the podium ahead of the youngsters!”

The event was organised by Xclusive Golf, which specialises in putting on out of the special events as part of golf packages. Sarah Stirk, director of Xclusive Golf and Sky Sports’ golf presenter, said: “Bentley wanted to put on a track experience featuring some top female golfers and through Xclusive Golf we delivered a unique concept. The profile of the women’s game is growing all the time and in Laura, Carly, Hennie and Cheyenne you have four of the game’s most engaging personalities. The girls were in their element and Sky Sports are certainly keen on profiling more female athletes and showing them in a different light outside their comfort zones.

The plan is to build on this success in 2015.”

held two open days this year and hosted a schools’ festival.

How much time do you spend teaching?

Lots – it’s non-stop. Even when I am at home, players are phoning or sending videos to me if they are away at tournaments – just ask my wife!

What’s selling well in the pro shop at the moment?

Our retail is very different to most clubs, in that we don’t sell much in the way of hardwear; however Callaway’s new Big Bertha driver is selling extremely well.

What facilities do you have for custom fitting?

We have a Callaway fitting cart and a Sam Lab putting system. We recently had the Callaway tour truck at the academy providing our members with the tour fitting experience.

Sunningdale and the Lost City course at Sun City.

What’s the best swing tip you’ve ever received?

There are so many to choose from. Anything that John Jacobs says I would respect!

Who inspired you to take up golf?

My dad.

What has been your career highlight as a player?

Winning on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

What’s your favourite course in the UK and the world?

Who is your golfing hero?

Seve Ballesteros – a total legend of the game, who was unique in every way.

Which three people would be in your dream fourball?

Tom Watson, Peter Kay and Kelly Brook.

What would you have done if you hadn’t have been a pro?

I have no idea, as golf is the only thing I ever wanted to do at school.

Clubhouse takes shape at Seaford

Galway claims third Sussex title

Seaford Head Golf Course, one of the oldest publicly-funded golf clubs in the South East, is close to bringing itself firmly into the 21st century, as work on its impressive new clubhouse continue apace.

Founded in 1887, Seaford Head is steeped in history, and is one of the most picturesque in the country, with panoramic views over the English Channel and the South Downs. The club has been ‘making do’ with a temporary clubhouse since 1963, but over half a century of wear and tear has made it ‘unfit for purpose’, according to its management team.

Seaford Town Council has had plans to rebuild the clubhouse for many years, but only last year was it finally given the go ahead to construct a new clubhouse on the site of the existing building.

Construction on the £1.7m project is due for completion by the end of the summer. The finished clubhouse will have a green roof to blend in with the surrounding downland, while the upper floor will feature untreated horizontal timber boarding and a cladding of limestone on the lower ground floor. Facilities will include a full catering kitchen and bar with an outside balcony, where visitors will be able to take advantage of the views of Seaford Bay.

Martin Galway completed an unprecedented hat-trick of Sussex county titles after shooting rounds of 69 and 75 at Cooden Beach to win the Sussex Senior Championship.

The 56-year-old form Hove, who has also won the Sussex Amateur Championship three times and Sussex Mid-Age Championship twice, collected his third Sussex title by single stroke from Paul Plant.

Galway, who was seventh at the Welsh Seniors Championship last month, said: “I missed the event last year due to work, but I really wanted to play this time as I’d won the Sussex Amateur and wanted to do the double. I had forgotten I’d also won the Mid-Age Championship, so to complete a hat-trick is even better. It was a bit messy in the afternoon, but I managed to get it round and luckily it was good enough to beat Paul, who is playing really well at the moment.”

Galway’s aggregate score of 144 was also the lowest total in the competition’s history since it became a 36-hole event in 1985.

Peter Lenihan (East Brighton) was third on 149, while Kevin Knight (Hollingbury Park) took the handicap prize with a nett 140.

34 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

RAFFERTY’S RETURN After a decade away from tour golf, former European No.1 Ronan Rafferty is relishing his upcoming debut on the senior circuit Ever the perfectionist, Ronan Rafferty has been planning his return to competitive golf like a military campaign.

The genial Irishman, who retired from the European Tour almost a decade ago, has been sharpening his skills ever since his 50th birthday drew ever closer on the calendar. Having passed that milestone on January 13 this year, the Ulsterman has been counting down the days to his debut on the Senior Tour at the Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl on July 24.

A seven-time champion on the European Tour, Rafferty is relishing the opportunity to return to the limelight as an excited rookie. And for a self-confessed lover of seaside golf – he has played over 190 links venues around the world during his career – he can think of few better places to re-start his professional career than at Porthcawl.

“I am really looking forward to going back to Royal Porthcawl,” says Rafferty, whose last tournament win came in 1993. “I played in the 1980 Amateur Championship there, and also the Coral Welsh Classic and amateur Home Internationals. It’s stunning to look at, and equally great to play. I know there have been some changes since my last visit, and we are playing it slightly differently to the usual layout, but it will be a fantastic test of links golf for the only senior major to be played in Wales.

He adds: “Porthcawl is one of 156 links courses I’ve played among 200-odd in the UK and Ireland.

I played some when I was still competing on Tour, and most of them since I retired from competition. I love the challenge and I love links golf. I played out of Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland when I was growing up, and won the Irish Amateur at Royal County Down, where I’m lucky enough to be an honorary member.”

In preparation for his reappearance, Rafferty has conducted a series of ‘reconnaissance’ visits to several venues on the Senior Tour schedule ahead of the tournaments in order to familiarise himself with the courses. “This will be like starting all over again – travel, hotels, pro-ams, practice and tournament golf,” he says. “It’s important that I slot back into that old routine, and I can’t wait to get started. I travelled to Portugal the day after my 50th birthday to play in a couple of small events to try to get my sharpness back, and now I just can’t wait to get stuck in.”

With his meticulous preparations, and his experience of playing on several mini tours, including the TP Tour, of which he is ambassador, Rafferty is hopefully that he’ll still be able to cut the competitive mustard now that he’s back among his peer group.

“I am aware that I will be facing people who are still extremely competitive at the highest level and am under no illusions about how difficult it’s going to be”

“Although I retired from the Tour in 2003, I’ve never actually stopped playing the game,” he says. “In recent years I’ve done a lot of corporate days and kept my hand in by playing on mini-tours in various places. However, I am aware that I will be facing people who are still extremely competitive at the highest level and am under no illusions about how difficult it’s going to be.”

There is more than a hint of the kid in the sweet shop in Rafferty’s tone, as he thinks about the prospects that lie ahead. “It’s all new and exciting again. Year one on the Senior Tour is very much about learning the ropes, getting used to the routine, and getting to know the courses, many of which are new to me. I am keen to get started here in Europe, and hopefully I will get some starts in the US-based majors.”

One of the inspirations behind Rafferty’s return has been the performance of one of his former European Tour colleagues, Roger Chapman, who came from virtually nowhere to bag back-to-back senior majors in 2012.

“Funnily enough, we have a regular boys’ fishing trip to Wales, with Roger being part of the group,” says Rafferty. “Just a couple of seasons ago, Roger joined us for the trip as the US Senior PGA champion and the US Senior Open champion. That was brilliant – two major victories in the States in just over a month.

It made me realise that if Roger can do it, then there’s no reason why I can’t, if I can get everything together.”

Something of a teenage prodigy, winning the British Boys’ title at 15 and playing in the Walker Cup aged 17, Rafferty’s professional career reached its peak in 1989, when he won the European Tour’s Order of Merit – as it was then – with his third victory of the season at the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. That same year he was part of the European team that tied the matches at The Belfry to retain the Ryder Cup. He came close to breaking the then record for consecutive cuts made on the European Tour in the early 1990s, before struggling for form amid injuries later in the decade, which forced him to have an operation on his hand.

After being away from competition, he never quite got his game back again and retired in 2004 with seven European Tour titles and over $3 million in prize money to his name.

Thankfully, with the growth of the senior tour, professional golfers get a second bite of the cherry, and Rafferty, back to full fitness, is going to be a force to be reckoned with now that he’s back among his own age group. And judging by the appetite he still has for the game, there’s a sense that Ronan P Rafferty isn’t quite finished yet. In fact, it might just be the second coming.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

RORY, RORY HALLELUJAH! Rory McIlroy took a giant step towards achieving a career grand slam with a majestic triumph in the Open Championship at Hoylake Words by Nick Bayly

Golf fans that bet on a man dressed head to toe in Nike lifting the Claret Jug at the end of this year’s Open Championship got it partially right, only this time it was the young pretender to Tiger Woods’s crown, Rory McIlroy, who walked away as what the R&A so quaintly calls the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’.

While all the pre-tournament speculation had been about which Woods would turn up at Hoylake – the hero of 2006, or the rather lame figure that has been seen of late, the man who has been annointed as his natural successor went quietly about the business of writing his own name in the records books.

And while McIlroy still has a long way to go before he can be talked of in the same breath as his Nike stablemate, at least as far as majors in the bank is concerned, there’s no denying that at 25, the youngster from Northern Ireland certainly has both the time and the talent to carve out a name for himself in golfing folklore – if that hasn’t already been achieved following his stunning wire-to-wire win on the Wirral.

The bare facts of the 143rd Open Championship have been written at great length elsewhere, but it bears repeating that in winning by two shots from Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler, MclIroy moved one step closer to becoming only the fourth player in history to complete a career grand slam; he became

Splendid Isolation: McIlroy closes out his third major win in front of a full house at Hoylake

only the fifth European-born player to win three majors of more; he became the third player to win three majors by the age of 25, and was only the 10th player to lead during ever round of the Open.

McIlroy picked up just shy of £1 million in prize money for his four magical days’ work – and also earned his dad a nice £50,000 pay out, after he and three of his friends placed a £400 bet at 500-1 that the then 15-year-old Rory would win the Open by 2015.

With McIlroy leading the field by six shots going into the fourth and final round, following imperious scores of 66, 66 and 68, the thousands of fans who lined the fairways at Hoylake had expected to witness a Sunday procession – and perhaps a record-breaking Open total – but the final day’s play over the famous Wirral links was more like a game of ‘catch me if you can’, as the young Irishman first taunted his rivals with a few early dropped shots at holes five and six, then pulled away when it mattered over the closing stretch. Every time Garcia or Fowler looked like applying something close to resembling pressure, along came a par five on which the big-hitting McIlroy was able to batter it up to the green in two and find the necessary birdie to give himself daylight.

While his two previous major wins were achieved by eight-shot margins, the size of the victory will not bother Mcllroy one bit. His name is on the Claret Jug. End of. While his final round one-under par 71 was the highest score among the top 20 finishers barring Dustin Johnson’s 72, the truth of the matter was that all

the hard work had been done over the three previous days, when golf fans were treated to a masterclass in controlled aggression. He revved up his driver when he needed a bit of yardage; he pulled out the 2-iron when he needed to find the fairway; and he pitched and putted like his very life depended on it. He purred along in sixth gear, while others struggled to get out of fourth.

Fears over his flakey second round form were blown away in a flurry of Friday birdies, while two eagles over the closing par fives on Saturday turned a good round into a superb one, and gave him the necessary cushion to change his game plan to a more conservative approach for Sunday.

While all around him were having to shoot the lights out – which, to be fair, most of them did – to mount any sort of challenge, McIlroy just had to keep finding fairways and greens to get the job done, which he did without too much trouble.

For Garcia to shoot a final round 66 and still come out on the losing team will be hard for the Spaniard to bear, and his search for a longed-for major must continue. For Fowler, who bagged his third top-five finish in the big ones this season, his time will surely come, but for now the golfing world must stand back and admire one of the most dominant performances of the modern major era. Rory McIlroy, we salute you.

Next stop Augusta for the Green Jacket – and yet more chapters in the record books for this most talented of home-grown talents.

HOW THEY FINISHED AT HOYLAKE 1

Rory McIlroy

-17

T2 Sergio Garcia

Rickie Fowler

-15

4

Jim Furyk

-13

T5 Adam Scott

Marc Leishman

-12

T7 Edoardo Molinari

Charl Schwartzel

-11

T9 Graeme McDowell

Victor Dubuisson

Shane Lowery

-10

July 2014 / Issue 234

How does it feel to lift the Claret Jug and join Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to win three majors by the age of 25?

Just to be sitting here and looking at this trophy and seeing my name on it already feels absolutely incredible. It’s been an incredible week.

/ 37

“I’M ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT APRIL AND TRYING TO COMPLETE THE CAREER GRAND SLAM”

Do you have the same drive and ambition as those players did to dominate the sport?

I definitely hope so. I’ve really found my passion again for golf. Not that it ever dwindled, but it’s what I think about when I get up in the morning and it’s what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability. I’d love to win a lot more and I’m really looking forward to have a go. Even though there’s still one major left this year that I want to desperately try and win, I’m already looking forward to next April and trying to complete the career Grand Slam.

You said that you had two trigger words that you used this week to help keep you focused that you would reveal if you won – what were they?

It’s going to be a big letdown for everyone. It was ‘process’ and ‘spot’. That was it. With my long shots I just wanted to stick to my process and stick to making good decisions, making good swings. The process of making a good swing, rather than thinking about the end result. And then “spot” was for my putting. I was just picking a spot on the green and trying to roll it over that spot every time. I wasn’t thinking about holing it. I wasn’t thinking about what it would mean or how many further clear it would get me.

I just wanted to roll that ball over that spot. If that went in, then great. If it didn’t, then I’d try it the next hole. So ‘process’

Rory McIlroy reveals the two words that helped him win his first Claret Jug and explains why missing the cut at Muirfield last year spurred him on to victory

and ‘spot’, that’s all I kept telling myself all week.

How proud of yourself are you for what you’ve achieved so far?

I’m immensely proud of myself. To sit here at 25 years of age and win my third Major Championship, and be three-quarters of the way to the career Grand Slam, is something I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly. Being from around here, the Open Championship was the one you really wanted to win when I was growing up, and the one you holed so many putts on the putting green to win, to beat Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, whatever. The more I keep

looking at this trophy and seeing my name on it, the more it will starting sinking in.

Around the 5th and 6th hole, when you went bogey, bogey, what was your mindset at that point?

Five was a bad bogey, and then to follow that up with another bogey, it was a bad mistake. It made that stretch of holes from 7, 8, 9, 10, really big stretch for me. Getting up and down on 7. I played really good shots into the 8th hole and made a par. The birdie on 9 and 10 were huge, especially with Sergio pushing there, and making eagle on 10, for example. It kept me a couple of shots to the good, and I could feel a little more comfortable on the back nine.

What sort of figure did you set yourself for today?

I had a number of 20-under par in my mind, so I was try to shoot four-under. I didn’t quite get to that, but I didn’t quite need to, thankfully. I knew if I got that, then no one was going to catch me. I think it’s always good to set a target for yourself, so you don’t think about what other guys are doing as much, and just try and focus on that number.

After missing the cut at Muirfield last year, did you put in any extra work in to get ready for links golf this year?

Yeah, I put in a lot of extra work in. I practiced a lot of different shots that I might need. And for

the most part this week I didn’t really need them that much.

The weather was quite benign, and the wind wasn’t too strong.

But I prepared much better this year. I went and played four competitive rounds at the Scottish Open, which really helped. I came here early, got a few practice rounds in and felt very comfortable with the golf course. So I felt like my preparation was really good.

It obviously worked out pretty well, so I’ll be doing it again in the future.

How important was it for you to have your mother here to see you win?

My mum hasn’t been at my previous two major wins, so it was just great to see her on

the back of the 18th there and see how much it meant to her.

I was trying not to cry at the time, because she was bawling her eyes out. The support from my parents has been incredible.

Growing up, they made huge sacrifices for me, and to this day they’re the two people in this world that I can talk to anything about. They’re there for me at the worst of times and the best of times. I can’t speak highly enough of my parents.

Looking forward to the Masters next year, how comfortable do you feel about your game and the way it sets up for Augusta?

I’m getting more comfortable.

I’ve always been comfortable from tee to green at Augusta, it’s just taken me a few years to figure out the greens and figure out where you need to miss it.

I’ll be going into Augusta next year pretty confident. What really helped me last year was playing with Jeff Knox in the third round. He’s my amateur marker and he’s the best I’ve ever seen on Augusta’s greens.

I might have to take a couple of trips up before it next year and have a couple of practice rounds with him.

When you were going through your lean spell, did you have doubts that you would get back to this kind of form?

I never had any doubts. All I had to do was look back at some of the great tournaments that I played. The ability was still there and it was just a case of trying to find a way to make it come out again. Missing the cut at Muirfield last year was a very low point, and I said to myself that I’d try to make sure that never happened again. It’s been huge what a difference a year makes, but it’s turned into a great year.

The win at Wentworth was very important, and obviously getting my third major is a huge step in the right direction.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

TOM LEWIS TIPS FROM THE TOUR

HOW I SHAPE THE BALL

In the fourth instalment of his exclusive instruction series, European Tour professional Tom Lewis reveals how he shapes the ball off the tee to find those hard to reach pins The ability to shape the ball is an essential tool in every golfer’s arsenal. It not only allows you to hold the ball against crosswinds and get yourself out of trouble when you’re out of position, but also helps you find the best line into greens, in order to get close to pins set behind bunkers and other hazards.

Shot-shaping is not just reserved for single-figure handicappers and professionals. Higher handicappers can hit consistent, controllable draw and fade shots by making some simple adjustments to their set up and swingpath. Here’s how to do it:

1 HITTING IT STRAIGHT

2 HITTING A FADE

3 HITTING A DRAW

Before you think about hitting a draw or a fade, you need to understand the fundamentals of the straight shot. In this first picture, I am set up so that my feet, hips, shoulders and clubface are all pointing directly parallel to the target. This is the set up I use when I want to hit the ball straight, and it is something you should try to copy if you are not as accurate as you would like to be.

There are a number of ways to hit a fade, but the simplest way is to alter your set up to hit the shot you want.

1. The first step is to walk into the ball and aim your clubhead at the point where you want your ball to finish.

2. Once your clubhead is aiming at this point, you need to address the ball so that your feet, hips and shoulders are all open or, in other words, aiming left of your target. If you want to hit a slight fade, you only need to open up your body a little bit. However, if you want to move the ball further from left to right, your stance has to be more open, or pointing further left of your target.

3. From that position, all you need to do is to concentrate on swinging along the line you are aiming, which will create a little side spin and help you to move the ball from left to right in the air.

When it comes to hitting a draw, what you need to do is the exact opposite to what you would do when hitting a fade.

1. The first step is to walk into the ball and aim your clubhead at your target.

2. Once you are happy that your clubhead is aiming at the point where you want your ball to finish, you need to address the ball so that your feet, hips and shoulders are all closed, or aiming right of your target. Aim well to the right if you want to hit a big draw and less if you only want to move the ball a little from right to left in the air.

4. Once you are set up correctly, simply concentrate on swinging down that line. With a bit of practise, you should soon be able to hit a draw whenever you want to.

5. Hitting this kind of shot will naturally de-loft the clubface.

This will send the ball on a lower trajectory and also reduce backspin, so you should factor this in when making your club selection.

Tom Lewis is a brand ambassador for Marriott. The photographs were shot at Marriott Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire. For details visit www.marriott.co.uk or download the Marriott app from iTunes.

July 2014 / Issue 234

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G30

TURBULATOR TECHNOLOGY TAKES PING TO NEW HEIGHTS

Nick Bayly reports of the launch of PING’S new G30 range, which combines visible technology and new materials to bring about distance gains without sacrificing the key elements of control or forgiveness

PING G30 DRIVER: TALKING TURBULATORS Ping has been guilty of hiding its light under a bushel when it comes to visible technology over the years, preferring instead to have the bells and whistles tucked away discreetly on the inside. However, in the face of some extremely in-your-face competition from some of its brasher rivals, Ping has defied its own conservative conventions by offering up a new range of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids that feature some hard to ignore performance attributes.

Step forward the G30, a comprehensive overhaul of the popular game improvement G Series that sees some, if not all, of its performance-enhancing technology on the outside. In the case of the woods and hybrids, this takes the form of Turbulator Technology, which offers a series of six aeronautically-inspired ridges bonded to the crown, which have been proved to significantly reduce drag and consequently increase clubhead speed and distance.

Bubba Watson – no slouch when it comes to clubhead speed – was able to crank out an extra 2mph with the G30 over his current G25, which added 10 more yards to his already mind-blowing yardage, while golfers of all swing speeds have experienced improved numbers courtesy of the Turbulator design.

While speed is clearly of the essence with the G30, Ping is at pains to highlight that this has not been achieved by sacrificing consistency or accuracy. In fact the G30 is the most controllable 460cc driver it has ever produced, thanks to the introduction of two head designs, Standard (9, 10.5) and draw (Straight Flight Technology 10, 12), and a wider choice of loft options in the adjustable hosel. While the G25 offered a more limited +/- 1 0.5-degree adjustment, the G30 can be adjusted by 6/10ths or one degree in either direction, resulting in five different loft settings for each head.

The G30 SF Tec driver is designed for those whose shots typically end up right of the intended target. In player testing, the G30 SF Tec, which features weight closer to the heel and lighter swingweights, improved shot bend by 12 yards when compared to the G30 standard driver.

The entire series also benefits from new face technologies and materials, including the introduction of T9S titanium in the drivers, which results in thinner faces and weight savings that help position the centre of gravity low and back to produce the high, yet low spinning launch conditions that we see on tour these days. The rear weighting also increases MOI, which means that off-centre hits won’t lose as much ball speed, and it also encourages the face to close more at impact, which helps golfers minimise their slice or fade.

A high-balance-point 45.75-inch TFC 419D shaft (Soft R, R, S, X) has a centre of gravity closer to the grip end, promoting an increase in energy, momentum and inertia. A custom tuning port in the rear of the sole can accommodate a range of fitting weights and allows the desired swing weight to be achieved with a variety of aftermarket shafts.

Price: £299 GOLF NEWS SAYS: The Turbulator ridges on the crown are a break from previous Ping designs, but are subtle enough to not be too distracting at address, while still offering genuine performance benefits. The adjustment element has been cranked up to plus or minus one-degree, up from the rather limited 0.5, which now gives five different loft options per head.

The sound off the face at impact is in line with most modern drivers without being offensive, while the blue colour accents are understated and only visible when the club’s in the bag.

Given the right shaft, flex and loft options during an extensive fitting session, I was able to crank an extra seven yards total distance over my G25 driver, and was impressed with the ability to increase loft yet still keep spin rates down, which lead to tighter shot dispersion.

To summarise, Ping has built upon everything that was good about the G25 – forgiveness and playability – and added a bit of bite to its bark – distance and added shot-shaping control – to give us a driver that players all of abilities will be able to experience significant performance gains.

G30 FAIRWAY WOODS: HOTTER & ADJUSTABLE Like the G30 drivers, the G30 fairway woods have turbulators on their crown to help boost clubhead speeds through improved aerodynamics. That will lead to some distance gains, but won’t have nearly the impact on their performance as their new carpenter 475 steel faces, which are 44% stronger than the 17-4 steel faces used on the G25 fairway woods.

The thinner, stronger faces give the G30 approximately 1.5-to-2 mph more ball speed than the G25, which along with other changes make the G30’s much more distance-orientated than their predecessors.

The new faces and improved manufacturing techniques also free up more discretionary weight to move the centre of gravity of the 3-wood (167cc) lower and further back to raise its launch angle, lower its spin and increase forgiveness. The 5- and 7-wood

see the centre of gravity moved slightly forward to help lower spin, which creates a more penetrating trajectory that’s less likely to balloon.

For the first time in a G-Series fairway, Ping has also made them adjustable, using the same adjustable hosel as the driver, giving them a 2-degree range of movement.

The woods are available in 3 (14.5), 5 (18), and 7 (21), with Ping’s TFC 419F shaft in Soft R (63g), R (64g), S (68g) and X (69g) flexes.

Price: £210

G30 HYBRID: PING’S HOTTEST EVER HYBRID Like the rest of the range, the theme running through the G30 Hybrid technology is hotter launch coupled with increased control. The hybrids do not feature the Turbulator fins found on the woods, as the heads are too small to suffer from speed loss through the air.

With the G30 irons starting with a 4-iron, the G30 hybrids are ideal for filling in the gaps to help players attack the pins from longer distances, yet still be able to hold the greens. The hot face has been constructed from heat treated 17-4 stainless steel, which not only makes the faces strong, but more importantly, thin, which maximises face deflection to increase ball speed.

To inspire confidence at address, the top rail is flatter and the heel section higher than

the G25, which gives a very square face at address to help with alignment. Inside the heads, weight pads have been placed in the heel and toe areas to increase MOI and offer more forgiveness on off-centre hits.

Furthermore, additional weight in the sole creates a low-back centre of gravity that helps launch the ball high and in line with the target. The centre of gravity is placed even further back in the lower-lofted hybrids to give players even more height on longer shots. This progressive approach to centre of gravity location throughout the hybrid range ensures consistent gapping and trajectory to maximise distance.

The G30 Hybrid is available in 17, 19, 22, 26 and 30-degree lofts and is offered with a high-balance point TFC 419H shaft in Soft R, R, S and X flexes Price: £175

G30 IRONS: A GAME IMPROVEMENT IRON FOR EVERYONE In both looks and performance, G30 irons share similarities to two of Ping’s current irons, the i25 and the Karsten. While the Karsten is towards the forgiveness end of the spectrum, and the i25 is more geared to better players, each has attributes that appear in the G30’s head. So what you end up with is a slightly oversized head that delivers on forgiveness, distance and height that is the Karsten trademark, combined with the sole contours and bounce profiles of the i25, which offers the ability to keep the clubhead moving forward as you strike the ball regardless of the angle of attack, reducing the digging that you might get with more of a players’ type club.

Ball speeds are enhanced by the introduction of a thinner face on the longer irons (4-7), which also feature a slightly longer blade length to increase stability on off-centre hits, while Ping’s trademark custom-tuning port in the back cavity is positioned lower to help increase launch angle, as well as improve feel.

The 4-GW set, which is cast from stainless steel, is progressively offset from 0.29 inches in the 4-iron to 0.08 inches in the LW, and features loft gaps to offer ideal distance increments, with the 4-, 5- and 6-irons being two degrees stronger than the G25, the 7-iron 1.5 degrees stronger, the 8-iron a degree stronger, and 9 and PW matching the G25.

Price: £86/£100 per club (steel/graphite)

40 /

News in Brief

July 2014 / Issue 234

TOUR NEWS

Open to return to Portrush

MCDOWELL DOUBLES UP IN PARIS Graeme McDowell successfully defended a title for the first time in his career after a remarkable final day at the Alstom Open de France.

The Northern Irishman produced a stunning final round 67 in persistent rain at Le Golf National in Paris to finish on five under par and overturn an eight-shot deficit.

But the former US Open Champion was reliant on overnight leader Kevin Stadler missing from two feet for par on the 18th hole, which would have forced a sudden death play-off. The American’s disappointing closing round of 76 left him in a tie for second place alongside Thongchai Jaidee.

OPEN DATES FOR BIRKDALE AND CARNOUSTIE The R&A has announced that Royal Birkdale and Carnoustie are to host The Open Championship in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Both are tried and tested venues for the blue riband event, boasting nine and seven previous stagings. The Open will be played at Birkdale from July 20-23, 2017 and at Carnoustie from July 19-22, 2018.

GIBSON COMES GOOD AT BAD RAGAZ Canadian Rick Gibson bagged his first win on the over-50s circuit with a fine front-running display at the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in Switzerland. The 53-year-old took a four-shot lead over Ross Drummond into the final round and closed with a four-under par 66 for a six-shot victory from his nearest challenger, Denis O’Sullivan.

GULLANE TO HOST SCOTTISH OPEN IN 2015 East Lothian’s Gullane Golf Club is to host next year’s Scottish Open.

Of the club’s three courses, holes from Gullane No.1 and Gullane No. 2, which have previously been used as Open Championship qualifying venues, will form a composite course measuring over 7,000 yards. Gullane will become the tournament’s ninth venue, while Castle Stuart, which hosted the event between 2011 and 2013, has been chosen to host the tournament again in 2016. Both events will retain their traditional place in the schedule, which is the week before the Open Championship.

Monty bags second senior major Colin Montgomerie secured his second senior major title in the space of less than two months, after winning the US Senior Open following a play-off at Oak Tree National in Oklahoma.

The 51-year-old Scot came from four shots behind overnight leader Gene Sauers to force extra holes, emerging triumphant at the second of them.

Montgomerie shot a final round of 69, as he and Sauers finished on five under par, four strokes clear of the nearest challengers.

The title came just seven weeks after he won the Senior PGA Championship.

“You talk about the Ryder Cup and one-onone – I’m usually quite good. A play-off in a golf tournament is like a penalty shoot-out in the World Cup. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Montgomerie.

The former Ryder Cup star sank a 13-foot par putt at the 17th for victory in the three-hole play-off, after he and Sauers had both dropped a shot at the 16th.

Among the rewards for Montgomerie was a spot in next year’s US Open, a tournament in which he has been a runner-up on three occasions.

“My play-off record is pretty weak, to be honest.

I think I’ve been in 10 worldwide and won one of them before now,” Montgomerie said. “I lost in a play-off in 1994, and have been one shot behind a couple of times, and you have to wait to 50 to finally win one.”

Sauers, who has won three times on the PGA Tour, struggled during the final round, shooting a two-over par 74, but came close to winning at the final hole of regulation play, having hit a four-iron to six feet, only to lip out with his putt.

Watson receives Open invitation Tom Watson is to receive a special exemption to play in The Open at St Andrews next year, where he will be looking to win the Claret Jug for a sixth time.

The 64-year-old American finished second at Turnberry in 2009, which secured his spot in the third major of the year for the next five years, but the R&A has extended the courtesy until 2015 – 40 years since Watson’s first Open win.

“I appreciate this more than you know. This is something very special for me,” said USA Ryder Cup captain Watson. “I have not lost the feeling of going down to the first tee at the start of a competition. When I lose that feeling it is over. I’m losing some of the distance off my shots, but I can still hit the ball well.”

Of the event next year, staged at St Andrews, Watson said: “I will be there, even if I have to drag myself there. Some of my finest memories in golf have come from playing in the Open Championship. I am very proud and honoured to be given this opportunity to play once again in St Andrews next year. It is a special place for everyone in golf.”

The Open Championship is set to return to Northern Ireland for the first time in over 60 years after the R&A announced that it has invited Royal Portrush Golf Club to prepare a proposal for hosting the world’s oldest major.

This could mean that the tournament could be staged as early as 2019, although a definite date has yet to be set. The Open was last held at Royal Portrush in 1951, when Max Faulkner lifted the famous Claret Jug on the only occasion it has been played outside Scotland and England.

Portrush successfully hosted the Irish Open in 2012, with more than 130,000 people attending throughout the week, and it has held the Senior Open six times. The Amateur Championship was also played at the Dunluce links for the third time last month.

It is understood that the 17th and 18th

holes on the course may be moved in order to fulfill infrastructure requirements, while other changes to the routing and design of some other holes may be required.

Former Open champion Darren Clarke, who has been lobbying on behalf of Portush, is delighted that his home club will stage the tournament. “It is wonderful for the area, for Northern Ireland, and the whole of Ireland that one of the biggest sporting events in the world is coming here,” he said.

Open champion Rory McIlroy said winning the Open at Portrush would be the pinnacle of his career. “Irish golf has been on a great run and the ultimate is getting a major back here,” he said. “It’s going to be incredible and I’m already looking forward to it. Everyone says winning the Open at St Andrews is a golfer’s dream, but to win the event at home would probably be even bigger for me.”

Rose reveals assets in Aberdeen Justin Rose won his first professional event north of the border after carding a flawless final round 65 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club to capture the Aberdeen Asset Management

Scottish Open.

The world number three’s faultless final 18 holes included six birdies, which took him two shots clear of Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg, and three clear of home favourite Marc Warren, who had shared the third round lead with Rose, but faded with a 70.

Stephen Gallacher carded a course recordequalling 63 to finish tied for fourth, alongside Matteo Manassero, Shane Lowry and Tyrell Hatton,

while defending champion Phil Mickelson shot a final round 65 to finish 11th, while Rory McIlroy – who lead the tournament in the early stages after an opening round 64 – was a shot further back on seven under par after a closing 67.

“It’s a privilege to win this great championship,” said Rose, who also won on his previous start in America. “It’s unbelievable to be back in the winner’s circle so quickly, and to so in Scotland, where I’ve never won before. I don’t feel the two wins have taken a lot out of me – I feel that I’ve taken it in my stride.”

Martin springs Birkdale surprise Unheralded American Mo Martin was the surprise winner of the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.

On a high-scoring final day over the famous Lancashire links, the 31-year-old hit an eagle on the 18th hole to finish one shot clear of China’s Shanshan Feng and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, with third round leader Inbee Park finishing fourth.

Martin, who was ranked 99th in the world, produced the shot of the final round with a sensational three-wood at the 472yard 18th that hit the flag and settled six feet away.

“The 18th was the greatest shot of my life,” said Martin, whose previous best finish in a major was tied 29th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship earlier this year. “I fell in love with Royal Birkdale from the first time I saw it.”

In breezy conditions, Martin’s level-par 72 was the joint best score of the final round, as she clawed back a three-shot deficit on four-time major winner Park. Park remained in contention despite a double bogey on the tenth, but the South Korean’s challenge fell away when she hit the bunker on the final hole, and finished with a five-over par 77.

Feng, who won the LPGA Championship in 2012, bogeyed the 16th and then missed a long birdie chance on the 18th to record a three-over-par 76. Martin then looked on as her final challenger, Pettersen, hit the bunker on the 18th, and then failed to chip in for the eagle she needed to force a play-off.

Britain’s Charley Hull started the day just three shots off the lead, but the 18-year-old could only manage a 78 to finish on five over par, six shots adrift, while Laura Davies was the leading British player, with the 51-year-old’s four-over par total seeing her tied for ninth.

July 2014 / Issue 234

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IF YOU TRY THEM, YOU’LL WANT TO BUY THEM!

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Golfers in search of a risk-free deal when it comes to purchasing a new set of clubs should check out the new ‘try before you buy’ initiative launched by equipment brand Heavenly Hybrids Golf is a game governed by statistics, percentages and figures.

From driving distances and putts per hole, to swing speeds and launch angles. It’s all about the numbers.

Here’s another number to throw into the mix – 67.

That’s the precise percentage of golfers who end up buying a set of Heavenly Hybrid irons after they’ve tested out a free trial set.

Not too many of the other equipment manufacturers will personally send out a set of trial clubs to your door – but the man behind Heavenly Hybrids does just that. Why? Because he has total faith in the clubs being able to help golfers to play better golf.

PGA professional Stuart Smith, who came with the design of the Heavenly Hybrid range of clubs, says: “The percentage of golfers that have decided to buy after trying our clubs is incredible – it just goes to show that the game of golf is changing and that hybrids in all their varying shapes and sizes are finding their way into the bags of a complete cross-section of golfers, from complete beginners to highly-skilled tour professionals.”

Golfers can test out a set of the game-changing clubs completely free of charge – with the obvious guarantees – and with absolutely no obligation to buy them. If you find they are not to your liking, then simply send them back – no questions asked.

However, the maker of Heavenly Hybrids is confident that you won’t just like them, you’ll love them – as many golfers up and down the country have already discovered.

Heavenly Hybrid’s give golfers of all abilities greater distance, improved ball flight, great accuracy, and better control. Tests have shown that the clubs hit the ball nine per cent further than equivalent irons, and are 10 per cent more accurate from inside 20 yards. They are also ideal for escaping from bunkers, with 65% of first efforts from the sand ending on the green during

tests with a complete range of golfers. And their rounded soles and straight leading edges, makes the clubs equally adept at finding the putting surface from the rough, with tests resulting in 70% of shots ending on the green when pitching from the rough near to the green.

Short-sided yourself in front of a trap? Don’t worry – tests showed that 77% of first shots using a lofted Heavenly Hybrid iron finished on the green when chipping over a bunker.

Another fantastic benefit of using the Heavenly Hybrid irons is that you will never shank them – yes, that’s correct, shanking will disappear from your game!

With stats like the above, can you afford to not try the Heavenly Hybrid irons? In golf, you can play badly, yet have a good short game and score well. It is very hard to play well, struggle around the green, and achieve a good score.

The unique design of the Heavenly Hybrid pitching wedge, make those scorecard-wrecking shots from around the edge of the green as simple as putting, while the sand wedge makes escaping from bunkers similarly easy. Quite simply, the Hybrids are guaranteed to make your off-centre shots go straighter than an equivalent iron.

Available in sets for men and women, the ninepiece Heavenly Hybrid range comprises 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 irons, plus a hybrid pitching wedge and sand wedge. The 3-PW set costs £375, although clubs can also be bought individually for £49 each. There is also a handy 15-degree driving iron (£49), which will help you find more fairways.

But before you dip your hand into your pocket, take advantage of this exclusive Golf News offer, log on to www.heavenlyhybrid.com and ask to be sent a trial set of Heavenly Hybrids, so you can try before you buy. This offer is strictly subject to availability and limited to a first come, first serve basis.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

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July 2014 / Issue 234

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Darren Bragg

FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T PLAY ON TOUR

Bag yourself a free custom fitting for Cleveland Golf and Srixon equipment at the North London Golf Academy Cleveland Golf and Srixon has teamed up with the North London Golf Academy, one of the capital’s leading indoor golf facilities, to offer golfers the perfect opportunity to take their game to the next level with free custom fittings, as well as free lessons this summer.

Golfers wishing to get custom fit will be able to do so free of charge, with the first 15 bookings also receiving a dozen free Srixon Z-Star golf balls up until August 30, meaning there’s never been a better time to give your bag a much-needed MOT. On top of this, Cleveland Golf and Srixon and the NLGA are also offering anyone who books a one-hour lesson before the end of September at a hugely discounted price of just £10, will also receive a free dozen Srixon Z-STAR balls. With lessons normally starting at around £50 per hour, any serious golfer would be mad to miss out on an opportunity to get tuition from some of the best professionals in the country.

The North London Golf Academy, which is located in Sudbury, offers golfers the perfect environment to improve their game, with state-of-the-art practice facilities. Players can

hone their short game skills at the academy’s short game area, while those looking to elevate their games can do so using the facility’s three indoor simulators, complete with built-in cSwing video analysis and launch monitoring data. cSwing technology allows the expert team at the NLGA to easily analyse your swing in the same way as the pros on TV. Video analysis is an incredibly powerful tool, as it provides immediate visual feedback that, with a bit of tweaking, can result in lower scores. What’s more, you’ll receive the video analysis with some helpful lesson notes on a memory stick to take away and digest in your own time.

The team of qualified PGA professionals is run by Class AA PGA professional Darren Bragg, who is also a Cleveland Golf and Srixon playing ambassador and has competed on a number of pro tours around the world for over 15 years.

To find out more, please visit www. northlondongolfacademy.com. If you would like to book a lesson or custom fitting at the NLGA, please call 020 8427 2590 or email info@nlgaltd.com.

The Srixon Z-STAR is a premium three-piece golf ball used by some of Srixon’s leading tour players. To date in 2014, Srixon staff players have amassed 26 international victories, with the latest being Graeme McDowell’s successful defense of his French Open title.

Now in its third generation, the Z-STAR features Spin Skin technology to give golfers as much as 20% more friction at impact with the clubface to increase spin and control on crucial scoring shots. The ball, which is powered by a Neo Energetic Gradient Growth Core, also features a new 344 speed dimple pattern, resulting in unwavering performance in the wind and a penetrating ball flight with great distance.

To find out more, please visit www.srixon.co.uk.

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

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July 2014 / Issue 234

M Project Shoes

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ProQuip UltraLite Ryder Cup Jacket

Lynx Golf RG Boom Boom Irons

RRP: £100 Contact: proquipgolf.com

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

ProQuip, the official supplier of weatherwear to this year’s European Ryder Cup team, has launched an exclusive Ryder Cup Collection ahead of the matches at Gleneagles in September. The Scottish golf clothing manufacturer has supplied outerwear to Ryder Cup Teams for 31 years, starting with Jack Nicklaus’s US Team in 1983, making it the most played brand in Ryder Cup history.

The new Ryder Cup Collection features a range of high performance waterproof jackets, gilets, wind tops, knitwear and trousers, and a limited edition Ryder Cup replica suit, all of which feature the official Ryder Cup logo. Available in a wide choice of colours, the range also boasts a number of logoed accessories, including beanies, mittens and bucket hats. The range can be purchased online at euroshop.rydercup.com.

Lynx has launched a special limited edition version of its Boom Boom irons that comes with a unique rose goldcoloured finish and features Lynx’s patented double-cavity design. The first distributes weight effectively around the clubhead for forgiveness, while the second, a narrower, deep slotted channel immediately behind the clubface, delivers power. A high-specification steel or graphite shaft with a black Lynx 360 grip completes the look.

SHOP

OGIO Gotham Golf Bag RRP: £249 Contact: ogio-golf.co.uk

If Batman were a golfer – and who’s to say he isn’t, especially with Robin as his faithful caddy – OGIO’s new Gotham golf bag would definitely be in his locker at Gotham City Golf & Country Club.

Offering a new take on waterproof bag design, it features a minimal number of zips – an area prone to water entry – with increased internal storage capacity. Designed like Batman’s cape, the two main zips allow the larger pockets to expand once opened, exposing a generous and easy-to-access space and further internal pockets. Weighing less than 5lbs, it comes with OGIO’s proprietary four-point strap system and seven-way holster top, with side putter pit and integrated grab handle. Utilising a blend of water and stain-repellent fabrics and evolutionary construction techniques, the Gotham comes in matt black – as you’d expect for an accessory for the Dark Knight.

Holy Golf Bags!

FootJoy SuperLites CT RRP: £67.50 Contact: footjoy.co.uk Ideal for summer golf, and tipping the scales at just 9.5 ounces, the SuperLites CTs are the lightest shoes in FootJoy’s men’s range. This has been achieved by using an EVA midsole featuring Fine Tune Foam, which is incredibly lightweight, but also provides excellent shock-absorption.

Additional touch and feel comfort, as well as enhanced cushioning, comes courtesy of athletic mesh linings and the EVA Fit-Bed, while the Austin Last – representing the shape of the foot – provides superior fit across the forefoot, toe, inset and heel. They are available in white/grey/blue and dark grey/black/red in a wide range of sizes.

July 2014 / Issue 234

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TaylorMade SLDR S Driver RRP: £279 Contact: taylormade.eu The new SLDR S driver – which is part of a range that also features fairway woods and hybrids – is designed to provide distance for all swing speeds through the use of high loft. The SLDR S range features TaylorMade’s low and forward centre of gravity placement – wherein weight is re-located to the front of the head to promote faster ball speed, a higher launch angle and a lower spin-rate. The brand’s campaign to get golfers to ‘loft up’ sees the creation of its first ever 16-degree driver in a range that also includes 10°, 12° and 14° models. Featuring a 460cc head, which boasts a silver crown, the SLDR S dispenses with the adjustable hosel found in the SLDR, although it retains the sliding weight rail which can help influence shot shape. The fairway woods (£189, 15°,17°, 19°, 21°, 23°) and Rescues (£159, 19°, 22°, 25°, 28°) don’t offer the sliding rail, but feature a larger footprint and shallower face compared to the SLDR range, and are shaped to be more playable for higher handicaps.

Garmin Approach S6 RRP: £349.99 Contact: garmin.com Garmin’s new Approach S6 takes golf GPS watch technology to the next level with a host of game-changing features, including SwingTempo, TempoTrainer and SwingStrength. A built-in accelerometer measures swing consistency and synchronisation giving golfers an accurate insight into their game and the ability to improve their technique.

A dedicated CourseView button allows users to preview hole details like doglegs, bunkers and water hazards on its full colour, high-resolution touchscreen, while a wide range of scoring options and statistical analysis tools allows golfers to keep track of their game via Garmin’s Connect app for smartphones. Paired with the S6, Garmin Connect allows golfers to download and compare their rounds and track improvements to their game on every course they play.

Loaded with over 30,000 international courses, the S6 also has Garmin’s GreenView technology, which shows golfers the exact layout of the green, and PinPointer, a new feature that offers blind shot assistance, allowing golfers to line up a shot, even if they are in the woods or deep in the rough.

Despite being Garmin’s slimmest and lightest golf watch to date, the Approach S6 has a 10-hour battery life in full GPS mode. It can also be paired with the iPhone 4S model or later, allowing golfers to receive texts, emails and call alerts to their watch.

Tour Edge HT Bazooka Chipper RRP: £50 Contact: touredgeuk.co.uk Hitting lofted wedges clearly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so we must be thankful for the invention of the chipper, which has saved the red faces of millions of golfers the world over since its invention. Tour Edge’s version is a particularly user-friendly reworking of the design, featuring a radius sole that would be wide enough to cook your breakfast on, while all but guaranteeing a clean contact from a variety of greenside and fairway lies. With heel and toe weighting to help keep the clubhead moving squarely through impact, the 37-degree loft – equivalent to an 8-iron – helps lift the ball off the grass with ease. An extended Winn grip allows for choking up and down for greater control – although golfers of a fragile disposition will never like to hear the word ‘choking’ used in connection with their short game.

TRIED &

TESTED Swing Caddie SC100 Launch Monitor

Vice Golf Balls RRP: From £14.28 for 12 Contact: vicegolf.com

Rating: RRP: £220 Contact: voice-caddie.com Most golfers with more than a passing interest in equipment will have experienced a launch monitor like Trackman or Flightscope during a custom fitting or golf lesson, but few could ever dream of owning one, as these hi-tech devices can cost upwards of £20,000, putting them out of reach of all but driving ranges, leading coaches, and top tour pros.

While a number of the latest GPS watches have builtin swing tempo measuring devices, they are a pale shadow compared to the power of a launch monitor, which offers a myriad of swing stats. So to find a device, such as Swing Caddie’s new SC100, which offers some of these stats in a portable device that costs a little over £200, is quite impressive.

Designed as a training aid to help golfers get a more accurate picture of their swing dynamics, the SC100 is a mobile phone-sized handset that sits a metre or so behind the player on the driving range.

With easy to understand instructions, and a remote control handset so that you don’t have to keep fiddling around with the unit once it’s set up in the correction position, the SC100 uses a Doppler radar sensor to measure clubhead speed, ball speed and smash factor (which is the energy transfer from club to ball) in order to make a projection for carry distance.

Unlike more sophisticated devices, the Swing Caddie does not measure spin or angle of the club path, which is not surprising given its cost, making it more of a tool for measuring carry, as well as comparing two different drivers or two irons with different shaft flexes to see which offers the better distance, rather than fixing any imperfections in your technique.

The SC100 comes into its own as a practise tool. Target Mode allows you to set a distance where have 10 attempts to see how many times you can reach your target for your chosen club, while Random Mode ramps up the challenge by providing random distances to hit for 10 shots requiring you choose the right club to hit the distance shown on the screen. Both of these modes add an element of fun to any practise session, and will soon have a crowd gathering around your practise bay, trying to beat your score.

Germany-based golf brand Vice Golf has launched a range of balls that bypasses the traditional distribution channels and allows them to be purchased online directly from the manufacturer.

Well packaged and pre-marked with putting alignment aids, the Vice range comes in three models – Drive, Tour and Pro. The Drive is a low compression ball designed for optimum distance with minimal spin and is perfect for anyone with low clubhead speed. The Tour is a three-piece ball that promises distance off the tee and decent spin and feel off the clubface. The Pro is also a threepiece design, that offers the high levels of spin on short iron shots, and low spin off the driver.

Game Golf RRP: £199.95 Contact: gamegolf.com Game Golf is lightweight device worn on the belt that analyses data sent back from sensors attached to the butt end of each club. The sensors record every shot played during a round using GPS and motion sensing technology. By simply tapping the sensor to the device on your belt, data on course, hole location, club used and club distances are recorded, which can then be uploaded onto a computer for detailed post-round analysis, which can also be viewed via a mobile app or web platform.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

1.Ping Tour

2.Nike VR X3X

3.Mizuno MP-T4

RRP: £113 Contact: pinggolf.com

RRP: £89.99 Contact: nike.com/golf

Ping’s Tour wedges feature Gorge Groove Technology, which is designed to maximise spin and control. The grooves are milled to tight tolerances to top-edge radius, width, depth, spacing and wall angles, resulting in a groove size and shape that provides maximum spin. The stainless steel heads are available in three sole widths: thin (TS), for tight lies, firm conditions, and shallower swings; wide (WS), for soft conditions, from bunkers, and steeper angle of attack, and the standard (SS), for most turf conditions. There are seven SS lofts, four WS lofts (54, 56, 58, 60) and two TS lofts (58, 60).

The head comes with a dark nickel finish and features a tuning port in the cavity that increases MOI and contributes to a solid feel across the clubface.

Nike’s 2014 wedge range includes two different models – VR X3X Toe Sweep and Dual Wide Sole. The former features a large amount of heel relief, which lets you really open clubface at address, and is ideal for hitting out of bunkers or tangly grass. It also has a much wider toe area. The Dual Wide model has relief towards the heel and toe, which helps launch the ball higher with more spin. Both are made of carbon steel and have a satin-chrome finish. They also feature an updated X3X 27 groove, which has wider spacing – resulting in a 15% increase in the volume of each groove – and more aggressive edges for enhanced spin.

4

3

RRP: £99 Contact: golf.mizunoeurope.com Made from carbon steel for feel and distance control, the T4 features a teardrop profile which was modified to be more rounded and offer better turf interaction. A full-length slot behind the face allows weight to be moved into the sole and upper portion of the blade, creating a head that pinches the ball from the turf, without ballooning in flight. Spin is enhanced by Quad Cut grooves, which use different profiles on different lofts. A wider, shallower groove is used on 56°-60°models to assist spin on the shorter shots; while for lofts of 50°-54°, there is a narrower, deeper groove suitable for fuller shots, where the ball has a chance to more fully compress. It is available in black nickel or white satin chrome.

5

2

1

Take control of your approach play with the latest tour wedges

6

MASTERS OF SPIN

4.Callaway Mack Daddy 2

RRP: £99 Contact: callawaygolf.com Designed by Roger Cleveland, with a name originally inspired by Phil Mickelson, second generation Mack Daddy wedges feature larger, wider grooves than the previous model, as well as a steeper wall angle – 5° steeper in the higher lofts – to improve spin on shots played from the rough. The space between grooves feature lasered micro-grooves that further enhance friction.

According to testing, the new grooves produce 25% more spin for full shots out of the rough. The range offers three different sole grinds in the higher lofts, while a new Tour Grind option, featuring more heel and toe relief, is also available.

5.Cleveland 588 RTX

6.Titleist Vokey SM5

RRP: £109 Contact: clevelandgolf.com

RRP: £103 Contact: titleist.co.uk

The 588 RTX benefits from Cleveland’s Rotex pattern on the face, which features grooves that are 16% larger than the 2010 model, and offer a rougher, more durable laser milling for greater friction and spin. The U-groove design also improves control in wet conditions and from sand. A cavity back version features a structural cavity that adds forgiveness, while the RTX has been engineered from soft carbon steel for greater feel off the face. An S-shaped sole, which is wider near the heel and narrower at the toe end, also improves performance from bunkers. Available in eight lofts from 46° to 60°.

Offering a slightly more compact profile that the SM4 range, the SM5 has a series of circular micro-edges milled into the face to increase friction and spin consistency on partial shots. Seventeen grooves are then individually machine-milled into the face. The TX3 grooves are 7% larger than those found in the SM4, with a deeper, narrower profile for improved contact. They are available in lofts of 46° to 62° and six sole grinds (L, T, S, M, F and K), with each model sorted into low, mid and high bounce categories. The result is 21 different loft/bounce/grind combinations to satisfy all swing types and turf conditions.

They are available in three finishes – Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black, the latter of which is designed to rust over time.

7

7.Cobra Tour Trusty wedge RRP: £100 Contact: cobragolf.co.uk The Trusty offers tour-level performance courtesy of a notch K-Grind, a Tourpreferred shape that provides heel and toe relief versatility around the greens. The compact head and straight leading edge makes for easy alignment, while the groove edges and volume have been maximised to the allowable limit. The cast carbon steel faces have been milled with two depths of cut to improve spin on all shots, and offer double the amount of surface roughness than the Trusty Rusty, and wider grooves.

It is available in matt satin and matt black PVD finishes, in nine lofts ranging from 48° to 64°, and multiple bounce options.

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July 2014 / Issue 234

EQUIPMENT NEWS

European Tour revamps retail offering

The European Tour has launched an improved online shop, focusing on its golf merchandise and quality sportswear.

Golf fans can now choose from an enhanced offering of European Tour branded items online and also have the option to personalise certain European Tour own label golf accessories.

The Tour has also redeveloped the official merchandise unit seen at many of its events to enhance the visitor experience, as well as

showcase merchandise in a completely new way, offering a selection of products available to purchase online in addition to items exclusive to each event.

Both shops feature a range of European Tour accessories, including luggage and headwear, and stock high quality golf apparel brands such as Lyle & Scott, Nike, Footjoy, Peter Millar and abacus, the official clothing supplier to the European Tour.

To visit the European Tour online shop, log on at shop.europeantour.com.

Pros prove that you can’t beat a Bushnell Handheld distancemeasuring devices are all the rage on tour these days, with players and caddies using them during practise rounds to get their yardages spot on. And the latest results of brand usage shows that an overwhelming majority rely on the expertise of Bushnell’s range of DMDs to get the job done.

The most recent Darrell Survey Report, which focuses on equipment usage across all the product categories, showed that 97% of the field at the Players Championship put their trust in a Bushnell laser rangefinder, while 90% of all Tour caddies on the PGA Tour use a Bushnell to obtain accurate yardages for their players.

“The best players in golf want the most trusted equipment to help them prepare for tournament week, and Bushnell laser rangefinders’ no.1 position in the Darrell Survey again validates the brand’s significance to world-class players,” said Phil Gyori, vice president of product development at Bushnell. “Bushnell has long been committed to delivering golfers - not just at the professional level - with the highest-quality rangefinders, and we will continue to strive for excellence and continue to innovate in the golf distance-measuring device category.”

Bushnell’s latest model is the recently-introduced Pro X7 Jolt, which features ranging capabilities of up to one mile and provides half-yard accuracy up 125 yards. Jolt Technology shows that the laser has locked onto the target by providing short vibrating bursts; while the Vivid Display Technology provides users with the optimum digital readout information in all lighting conditions.

Direct Golf joins forces with Tesco Direct Golf, Europe’s leading multi-channel golf retailer, has joined Tesco direct as part of the leading retailer’s online marketplace.

Direct Golf will sell a number of major golf brands, including Mizuno, Wilson, Bridgestone, Stuburt, John Letters, Progen, Golf Locker, Hotblade and Jaxx, alongside a wide range Direct Golf customers will be able to pick up their of products from other golf purchases at Tesco’s click-and-collect points as well as have them delivered to their homes manufacturers on the Tesco direct website.

Golf apparel, footwear, bags, clubs, balls and accessories will all be available on Tesco direct, letting customers buy all their golf equipment in one place, while also allowing them to collect Clubcard points. When a customer places an order through Tesco direct, the order will be fulfilled by Direct Golf, which will ship the goods straight to the customer.

Direct Golf products will also be available for collection in-store through the Tesco ‘Click+Collect’ service, as well as from a range of other delivery options.

Direct Golf owner John Andrew said: “We see this is a great opportunity to make the best quality golf equipment available to Tesco customers, in a convenient and cost-effective way.

We’re thrilled to be partnered with one of the world’s leading retailers, and we think this could be the start of something hugely mutually beneficial for Direct Golf UK, Tesco and, of course, all golfers.”

SKECHERS SIGN UP KUCHAR World No.5 Matt Kuchar has become an ambassador for new-to-golf shoe brand Skechers, whose first range of golf shoes, GOGolf, was launched earlier this year.

The multi-year partnership will feature the 28-yearold Ryder Cup player in a global advertising campaign and he will also collaborate with the company on creating a signature shoe collection.

“Whether competing or practising, I’m on my feet for hours, so the comfort and performance of my shoes is a critical factor in my success,” Kuchar said. “In trying out the GOgolf line, I was really pleased both with the shoe and with the Skechers Performance Division team. Their attention to detail and expertise in performance footwear is impressive.”

Skechers golf shoes are available at its own chain of retail stores, select shops, and online at SkechersGOgolf.co.uk.

Lewis puts Wolsey back on the map Wolsey, one of the oldest existing clothing companies in the world, has signed three British players to represent the brand on the European Tour.

Robert Rock, Tom Lewis (pictured) and James Heath have all signed multi-year agreements to wear Wolsey’s recently-launched Sportsman Collection. All three players will work closely with the design and product development team to offer their input and will be wearing key pieces from the collection throughout the season.

Wolsey, which was once worn by US Open and Open Champion Tony Jacklin, as well as other leading stars of the 60s and 70s, including Peter Alliss, David Feherty, Fuzzy Zoeller and Rodger Davis, made a return to the Major stage last month when Tom Lewis sported the company’s iconic Fox logo on his apparel during his appearance at the US Open at Pinehurst. The 23-year-old qualified via the international sectional qualifier at Walton Heath, sinking a 50-foot birdie putt on the second play-off hole to claim his spot in the championship field.

“We’re excited to see Wolsey back at the Majors’,” said Louis Wolcott, Wolsey brand director. “Having Tom represent us on the world’s stage is another milestone to add to our extraordinary heritage.”

Wolsey’s Sportsman Autumn Winter 14 collection features a range of high-performance tailored sportswear, with a strong focus on breathable, waterproof and multi-layered outerwear and performance polos, base layers and knitwear. It is available to buy online now at wolsey.com and trendygolf.com leading golf resorts, and specialist retail outlets.

THE GEAR EFFECT WINNERS’ BAGS ON TOUR KEVIN STREELMAN Travelers Championship DRIVER: Ping G20 (9.5°) FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade RBZ Tour (14.5°) HYBRID: Adams Idea Super 9031 (20°) IRONS: Wilson FG Tour V2 (3-9) WEDGES: Wilson FG Tour (48°, 54°, 60°) PUTTER: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2 BALL: Titleist Pro V1x MICHELLE WIE US Women’s Open DRIVER: Nike Covert 2.0 (9.5°) FAIRWAY WOOD: Nike Covert 2.0 Tour (13°) HYBRIDS: Nike VR_S Covert (17°, 23°) IRONS: Nike VR Pro Combo Split Cavity (5-6), Nike VR Pro Blade (7-PW) WEDGES: Nike VR X3X Dual Wide (52), Nike VR X3X Toe Sweep (56°, 60°) PUTTER: Nike Method 006 BALL: Nike RZN Black MIKKO ILONEN Irish Open DRIVER: TaylorMade SLDR (10.5°) FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway X Hot (15°) HYBRID: Callaway X Hot Pro (18°) IRONS: Titleist 712U (3-4), Titleist AP2 714 (5-PW) WEDGES: Cleveland 588 RTX (56°, 60°) PUTTER: Odyssey Versa #1 BALL: Titleist Pro V1x JUSTIN ROSE Quicken Loans National DRIVER: TaylorMade SLDR 430 (10.5°) FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade JetSpeed (14.5°) IRONS: TaylorMade Ultimate Driving Iron (20°), TaylorMade TP MB (4-PW) WEDGES: TaylorMade ATV (53°, 58°, 60°) PUTTER: TaylorMade White Smoke DA-62 BALL: TaylorMade TP FABRIZIO ZANOTTI BMW International Open DRIVER: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha (9°) FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Big Bertha Pro (16°, 18°) IRONS: Callaway X Utility (21°), Callaway X Forged (4-PW) WEDGES: Callaway Mack Daddy 2 (52°, 60°) PUTTER: Odyssey Versa V-Line BALL: Titleist Pro V1 ANGEL CABRERA Greenbrier Classic DRIVER: Ping G30 (8.5°) FAIRWAY WOOD: Ping G30 (13.5°) IRONS: Ping i25 (2), Ping S55 (3-PW) WEDGES: Ping Anser (54) Ping Tour (60°) PUTTER: Ping Scottsdale Anser TR 2B BALL: Titleist Pro V1x GRAEME MCDOWELL Alstom French Open DRIVER: Callaway FT OptiForce 440 (9.5°) FAIRWAY WOODS: Cleveland Launcher FL (15°), Nike VR Pro (19°) HYBRID: Adams Idea a7 (22°) IRONS: Cleveland 588 TT (4), Srixon ZTX (5-9) WEDGES: Cleveland 588 RTX (48°, 52°, 58°) Putter: Odyssey White Hot #7 Ball: Srixon Z Star XV RORY MCILROY Open Championship DRIVER: Nike Covert 2.0 Tour (8.5°) FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR-S Covert (15°), IRONS: Nike MM Proto (2), Nike VR Pro (3-9) WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (46°, 54°), VR X3X (60°) PUTTER: Nike Method 006 BALL: Nike RZN Black

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July 2014 / Issue 234

BREAKS

Brocket launches exclusive breaks for groups Golfers are being given a rare opportunity to experience an exclusive overnight stay at Brocket Hall, following the launch of a range of new residential packages at the prestigious Hertfordshire golf club.

The new packages are available for £415 per person, and include a bacon roll breakfast on arrival, 18 holes of golf, an evening dinner, an overnight stay in the hall, breakfast the following morning, and a further 18 holes, based on a minimum booking of 20 people.

Brocket Hall’s glamorous mansion has hosted an extensive list of royalty, celebrities and well-known dignitaries over the years, and each guestroom bears the name of a notable figure who has either lived at Brocket

or who has been closely associated with the house. Lord Melbourne, a close friend of Queen Victoria who often stayed at Brocket Hall during her reign, and Lord Palmerston both resided at the famous venue in the 19th century while looking after the affairs of the nation.

David Griffin, director of golf operations, said: “These stay-and-play packages offer a truly unique experience. They are perfect for anyone looking to entertain business partners as well as those looking to host a truly memorable social golf event.”

Set within 543 acres of 18th century parkland, the par-72 Melbourne Course crosses the River Lea several times before a memorable finish in front of the hall after a

short ferry ride to the 18th green. By contrast, the Palmerston Course is a par-73 woodland layout, with pines and 300-year-old oak trees creating a memorable test for pros and amateurs alike.

For more details call 01707 368700 or visit www.brocket-hall.co.uk.

Barnham offers blissful breaks

NORTH WALES 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 at St. Davids G.C // 18 holes

FROM ONLY

£225

PER PERSON

ENGLISH RIVERA DEVON

HAMPSHIRE & SURREY CLASSICS

WOODHALL GOLF BREAKS

2 NIGHTS / 3 ROUNDS

2 NIGHTS / 3 ROUNDS

2 NIGHTS / 3 ROUNDS

ONLY £249 pp

ONLY £249 pp

ONLY £199 pp Dinner Option: £10pp per night extra

Situated in beautiful Norfolk countryside, Barnham Broom Hotel & Golf Club makes for an ideal golfing retreat at any time of the year.

The popular venue, which is a member of the prestigious Distinguished Hotels International Group, offers two 18-hole courses and a lovely hotel consisting of 52 bedrooms and suites. Other facilities include a state-of-the-art gym, heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, and a luxurious spa that offers a variety of treatments, from special golfers’ massages to pedicures, facials and body scrubs. There are also squash and tennis courts.

Not only are the golf courses challenging and picturesque to play but, following a £2m refurbishment of Barnham Broom’s bedrooms, brasserie, sports bar and lounge areas, it offers golfers a stylish and contemporary place to stay.

The Hill and The Valley courses provide golfers of all abilities with an exciting challenge. The par 72 Valley Course, designed

by Frank Pennink, has an abundance of water features, blending into the delightful natural landscape. And the par 71 Hill Course, designed by Donald Steele, offers a real links flavour. The courses are complemented by excellent practice facilities, including three fulllength academy holes, a dedicated short game area and an open air grass range.

Diners have a choice of eateries – the brand new brasserie and the more informal sports bar. Packages including B&B, a threecourse dinner, a round of golf and use of the leisure facilities, cost from £91pp based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

To book, call 01603 759393, email enquiry@ barnham-broom.co.uk or visit www.barnhambroom.co.uk.

Weekend Supplement: £10pp extra

Just call 01822 618181

www.exclusivegolfbreaks.com

WIN

The moment you find yourself standing in Robert the Bruce’s back yard.

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

VISITSCOTLAND.COM/GOLFNEWSDUMFRIES

The moment has come. In 2014, The Ryder Cup will return to Scotland, the Home of Golf, for the first time in over four decades. Amongst Scotland’s golfing regions, Dumfries & Galloway is famed for its selection of courses on the great value Gateway to Golf Pass and three golf trails for visitors looking to find Scotland’s best kept golfing secrets.

So whether you’re relaxing in the clubhouse at Thornhill or even exploring the 200 mile long coastline, you’ll find plenty of moments to treasure forever.

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

Lochmaben, Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway. A place of brilliant moments.

visitscotland.com/brilliant #brilliantmoments

July 2014 / Issue 234

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BREAKS

Awarded 5 Star Gold Award by British Tourist Board

Visit Our Website

27 holes of fantastic golf

www.dorsetgolfresort.com THE DORSET GOLF HOTEL AND LUXURY LOG HOMES FOR RENT

Relive the Ryder Cup at glorious Gleneagles

FREE GOLF Air-conditioned clubhouse facilities l Restaurant offering an extensive menu l On site accommodation in the Dorset Golf Hotel 16 twin rooms l From £67.95 pppn including Dinner, B&B and FREE GOLF l l

restaurants and bars provide awardwinning menus and a choice of over one hundred malt whiskies. The estate offers a wealth of outdoor pursuits including horse riding, shooting, fly-fishing, falconry, mountain biking, tennis, squash and off-road driving.

Indoors at ‘The Club’ there is state of the art fitness equipment, swimming pools, spa and turkish baths and a sauna as well as health and beauty treatments.

Yourgolftravel.com has a range of offers to Gleneagles, including a one-night stay, with dinner, bed and breakfast and two rounds of golf (on any of the thee courses) and full use of the leisure facilities, for £262pp during November and December, and from £400 during October.

For bookings, call 0800 043 6644 or visit www.yourgolftravel.com.

Slaley receives TripAdvisor award De Vere Slaley Hall has earned one of highest accolades from leading travel review website TripAdvisor in receiving the ‘2014 Four Star Certificate of Excellence Award’.

The award is based on the quality and quantity of reviews over the past 12 months, in which the Northumberland resort’s championshipstandard golf courses have consistently received an average rating of four out of five or better. This positions Slaley Hall within the upper echelons of golf courses and resorts across the world, with only the top 10 per cent receiving this mark of honour on the website.

De Vere’s group

director of golf Keith Pickard has been involved with Slaley Hall for many years and is delighted that the resort has been recognised by those that have visited it. He said: “It is very pleasing to see Slaley receive such a prestigious award, and underlines the resort’s position amongst the world’s leading golfing venues. Some people don’t realise quite how impressive the courses are before they visit, but I would encourage everyone to come along and make the most of the stunning conditioning.”

Golf breaks to Slaley Hall start from £89 per person. For details and bookings, visit www.

DeVereGolf.co.uk or call 01434 676525.

TheManor House

&

Ashbury Hotels

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

JULY “OPEN” SOCIETY OFFER:

(Valid 6th - 22nd July 2014) Coffee & Bacon Baguette on arrival l 18 Holes of Championship Golf l Lunch from the Society Menu l

Only £32.50pp (min 4)

Free piece of Dorset Crystal Glassware for every group. Bring 8 or more players and receive your very own Dorset Claret Jug! Bring 12 or more and the ORGANISER GOES FREE!

DORSET’S PREMIER GOLFING VENUE NOT TO BE MISSED!

TELEPHONE NO: 01929 472244

FREE GOLF At The UK’s Largest Golf Resort Set in the foothills of Dartmoor National Park, Devon.

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

Oakwood 16th 172 yards, Par 3

Ashbury 6th 410 yards, Par 4

Kigbeare Pines Beeches 9/10/14 - 29/4/15 Oakwood • FREE GOLF Ashbury 9 + Pines Front 9 • £5 BUGGIES Ashbury 9 + Pines Back 9 • 20% OFF HEALTH & BEAUTY Willows

Autumn to Spring Specials

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

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

6528 6400 5765 5502 5804 6140 1939

Pines 17th 442 yards, Par 4

“I’ve never played such fantastic courses.” Stephen W - Trip Advisor

October Midweeks - 4nts from £224pp Full Board!

Additional Facilities FREE to residents of our hotels Family Racket Sports Leisure Bowls Funhouse Swimming Tennis Table Tennis Badminton Spa & Sauna Gamezone 5-A-Side Waterslides Snooker Squash Basketball Short Tennis Play Area Ten-Pin Sports

Ranges Archery Air Pistols Air Rifles Lasers

yd FR ro EE Sp a!

of the world’s most famous golfers: James Braid, five times winner of the Open, designed the King’s and Queen’s and Jack Nicklaus created The PGA Centenary Course, on which the Ryder Cup is being staged.

The Centenary Course plays between 5,065 and 7,081 yards, due to five optional tees at each hole, and from the back tees is the longest inland course in Scotland. Nicklaus combined the best of the earlier designs to create a modern classic that offers a challenge to all abilities of golfer.

The 6,741-yard King’s Course was a regular host of the Scottish Open, while the 5,965 yard Queen’s threads through high ridges on the north and west sides of the estate, offering woodland settings, as well as many moorland characteristics.

Away from the courses, three

H

If you fancy following in the footsteps of your Ryder Cup heroes, then now is the time to book up a winter break to the fabulous Gleneagles Resort in Scotland, venue for September’s Ryder Cup. Set in 850 acres at the foot of the Scottish highlands, Gleneagles is a world-class resort offering guests an unrivalled choice of sports and leisure facilities. When opened in 1924 it was described as ‘a Riviera in the highlands’ and ‘the eighth wonder of the world’.

Today the Five Red Star resort retains that ambience, while a ratio of more than one staff member to every guest ensures an unprecedented level of service.

Gleneagles is host to three championship courses, as well as the delightful nine-hole ‘Wee Course’. The courses were the inspiration of two

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

“The food in the restaurant was good quality with a great choice.” ARH0lland -Trip Advisor

0800 389 9892

ashburygolfhotel.com

All rooms en-suite • Full board • Child rates • Party discounts

50 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF GOLFERS! Take a break to Germany’s Bavarian Alps, where the Alpenclub Hotel in Lake Schliersee provides the perfect base to discover new golfing challenges and explore this stunning region Golfers looking for elegantly designed yet challenging courses in a bucolic highland setting close to the UK will find the Bavarian Alps hard to beat.

The epic film The Sound of Music was shot in these mountains, and the fairways of the Schloss Maxlrain and Mangfalltal golf courses might well have you breaking into songs of your own.

Occupying the sprawling 19th century grounds of a Renaissance castle, the Schloss Maxlrain course is very reminiscent of the English countryside, with gnarled oaks fringing fairways and a medley of ponds, woods and watercourses

that perfectly fit the landscape, while offering a sporty challenge to players of all skill levels.

Meanwhile, the golf club at Mangfalltal is ensconced in the picturesque Mangfall Valley south of Munich. Built around a 19th century farmhouse, the expansive, rolling grounds offer a relatively gentle first nine out in the open, before posing some tactical challenges with a more intricate back nine. Wrap things up at the 18th and hit the restaurant for some well earned Bavarian beer, quite possibly accompanied by Mangfall’s much-loved zither-player Vastl.

The award-winning Alpenclub Hotel is within easy reaching distance of both these courses, offering the perfect base for your Bavarian golfing holiday. It’s also breathtakingly beautiful, set on the shores of Lake Schliersee at the foot of the Wendelstein mountains.

With a great choice of comfortable rooms and self-contained apartments, AlpenClub provides a wonderfully informal home-from-home. The hotel offers single and double rooms in classic, comfort, or deluxe categories, suitable for anyone from solo travelers and couples to small-sized families, while three spacious apartments can cater from two to six guests – making them

AlpenClub Hotel

ideal for groups of friends and small families. All the apartments are kitted out for self-catering, with kitchenettes and dining rooms. For groceries and other provisions, several supermarkets are conveniently located nearby in Schliersee, while all the apartments and most of the rooms provide a private balcony or terrace to enjoy the glorious mountain vistas.

Aprés-golf activities range from indulgent spa treatments to a choice of restaurants serving a variety of contemporary German cuisine built around Bavarian flavours like venison, rabbit and trout, as well as locally grown produce.

Away from the golf courses there is much to see and do, from exploring the markets and beer gardens of Munich - home to the ‘Big Six’ breweries – to visiting baroque churches, parks and platzes. Through the summer, the Alpine valleys are blanketed in flowers and there are some great walks to be had beyond the fairways.

A variety of golf break packages are available from as a little as £219pp, for two nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast at AlpenClub Schliersee, and two rounds of golf, rising to £299 for three nights

Lake Schliersee

Schloss Maxlrain Golf Club

and two rounds, with an organised day trip to Munich included in the packages. The prices also include a €20 drinks voucher per person, which is welcome when the beer and wine tastes this good.

For details on all golfing packages to the AlpenClub, visit www.alpenclub.de, call 00 80 26 6080 or email info@alpenclub.de.

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Tel: 01207 562322 or Mob: 07889 943753 Email: brian@golfnorthumbria.com www.golfnorthumbria.com Northumbria Golf Breaks, The Office, Ravenside Farm, Hedley, Stocksfield NE43 7SX Your holiday package is protected through our ATOL Licence

Available from 25 Sep - 2 Oct 2014

£520 pp per week + flights to Faro

£325

pp per week + flights (based on 2 sharing)

Airport transfers: £30pp based on 4 sharing, £60pp based on 2 sharing.

July 2014 / Issue 234

/ 51

SarahStirk Last month, the golfing eyes of the world were firmly focussed on Pinehurst, America’s first resort. It made history by hosting back-to-back men’s and women’s US Opens for the first time.

It was an incredible couple of weeks, and fitting to have two great winners in Martin Kaymer and Michelle Wie. I felt very privileged to cover both tournaments, the first on site, and the second in the air-conditioned surroundings of our London studio!

Since it opened in 1897, every great golfer from Bobby Jones to Tiger Woods has walked the hallowed fairways. With the exception of the Old Course at St Andrews, the birthplace of golf, no venue has held as many professional, amateur and international tournaments as Pinehurst’s No.2 – the premier layout among the eight courses on site, which also makes it America’s largest resort.

Its place in history was already secured long before June, as it’s the world’s only public course to have hosted two different majors - the PGA Championship and US Open – plus, of course, it’s staged the Ryder Cup, making up an unrivalled trio.

The man who designed No.2 was a young greenkeeper from Royal Dornoch, Donald Ross.

Ross became the most famous designer in the history of American golf, and he is the brains behind more than 400 layouts in North America.

With Pinehurst No.2, Ross did something that had never been done before or since – he built a home along the fairways and devoted the rest of his life to perfecting his masterpiece.

Pinehurst played host to the US Open in 1999, when the late Payne Stewart prevailed, and in 2005, when Michael Campbell produced a fairytale finish, but there was so much hype prior to this year’s edition edition due to the modifications to the original layout.

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were hired to restore the course to its original look and feel, as first presented by Ross in 1935, but which had been gradually transformed during the modern era. For an inland site, No.2 is very similar to the sandy coastal links terrain found in Scotland, and during the renovation Coore and Crenshaw removed more than 35 acres of rough, leaving the fairways flanked by sandy waste areas, just as

Michelle Wie broke her major duck in the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst

Sarah Stirk pays homage to the vision of Donald Ross and the brave decision by the USGA to bringing back Pinehurst No.2 to its challenging, yet original state

PERFECTING PINEHURST

“Golf is definitely more exciting when the recovery shot is part of the game” Sizeable waste areas adjoin many of the fairways

Ross originally had.

It was unique to see a US Open venue with no rough and relatively wide fairways. The bunkers were also radically reshaped, reverting to the original rustic style, thanks to a series of 1940s’ aerial images. Of course, the scorching heat meant the course played firm and fast, and Pinehurst’s real defense was the infamous turtleback greens.

All in all, it was a makeover of epic proportions, and one which ensured that the players had to out-think, rather than out-hit, their way to success.

No surprises that the strategic golfing brain of Martin Kaymer came out on top. Every hole offered unique challenges – like the monstrous 530-yard par-four fourth and the par-four seventh, where the restored sandy area stretched down the entire right side of the vicious dogleg.

The redesign signaled a throwback in time, but the results were a work of art and extremely popular with the players. Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy summed it up eloquently.

“Golf is much more interesting to play and watch when we’re making decisions,” he said. “There is a reason why Augusta is so interesting to watch, because it’s in guys’ heads the whole time.

Pinehurst creates the same sort of mental test.

Martin Kaymer escapes from the rough en route to his eight-shot US Open victory

It’s interesting watching guys make decisions – sometimes really poor ones, and sometimes really great ones. Golf is definitely more exciting when the recovery shot is part of the game.”

For me the USGA got it spot on with the changes and set up. The 114th US Open delivered a worthy winner, who provided a master class in excellence. But perhaps the more significant story was Michelle Wie finally delivering on the major stage, with the world’s golfing media watching.

Well done to the USGA for having the bravery to host back-to-back Opens, and well done Pinehurst, a quaint village in North Carolina and home to eight brilliant courses, for once again hosting the best in the game in such fine style.

52 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

TRAVEL Mallorca’s top two golf courses have teamed up with one of the island’s best hotels to offer some great value packages this autumn.

Golfers can take advantage of a great deal to play both Son Gual – host to the 2009 Mallorca Senior Open and regularly ranked one of Spain’s top courses – and Alcanada, one of Europe’s

Sample the magic of Mallorca

most highly decorated tracks, after they partnered with the four-star Lindner Golf & Wellness Resort Portals Nous, close to the luxury yacht harbour of Puerto Portals.

A three-night, bed-andbreakfast break stay at the Lindner Golf & Wellness Resort Portals Nous, in September and October, including two green fees at each of Alcanada and Son

Gual, costs from just €471 per person, based on two people sharing a double room.

Meanwhile, a five-night, bed-and-breakfast stay, again including two rounds of golf at each prestigious course, starts from only €623 per person, based on two people sharing a double room.

The Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed Alcanada is situated in the north region

of Mallorca, in a breathtaking location overlooking the Bay of Alcudia, and offers mountain and sea views, while Son Gual, which hosted the Mallorca Senior Open in 2009, flows in two loops, with seven large providing plenty of thrills and spills.

For more details, visit mallorcateetime.com, call 0034 971 775 491 or email info@mallorcateetime.com.

Investment opportunity Direct Sale The AlpenClub Hotel

Head for the Austrian Alps for gourmet golf

Golf

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enjoy your game

discover the italian lifestyle

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living in paradise

The most iconic golf destination in Italy Enjoy your “Golf Full immersion” in Lake Garda!

Discover & Check availability offers on the web site.

It is the virtuous combination of antique and modern that makes the Chervò Golf Hotel Restaurant Spa & Resort San Vigilio so unique. Our efficient services and features work in partnership with nature, comfort and enhancement of your body and spirit on your quest for wellness and relaxation. Our resort is in Pozzolengo, just south of Lake Garda, between Sirmione and Desenzano, in the center of the most important cities in northern Italy.

At its heart is the ancient Benedictine abbey of San Vigilio built in 1104. New buildings and historic residences have been constructed around the abbey in a harmonious fusion of line and form, providing facilities for the hotel, restaurant, spa, resort and the 36-holes golf course.

AIRPORT CONNECTION: VERONA 18 KM - BERGAMO 58 KM - MILANO/VENEZIA 120 KM. Transfer from/to airports - On request.

GOLF SPECIAL OFFERS “Invitation to Golf in Lake Garda”

from € 125*

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

Subscribe to Special Offers Contact + 39 030 91 801

Golfers looking for a bit of Alpine golf combined with traditional Austrian hospitality should consider entering The Rosengarten International Golf Open, a three-day event being held this autumn.

The tournament, which is sponsored by Glenmorangie, takes place from September 4-7, with golfers staying at the Relais & Châteaux Rosengarten in Kirchberg for three nights, and playing two rounds of golf. The first round can be played at one of three courses – Westendorf, Eichenheim or Mittersill-Stuhlfelden – with the 18-hole tournament being held the following day at Westendorf, which is the region’s newest course, having only opened earlier this year.

Priced from €598 per golfer (non-golfing partners €502pp) and based on two sharing, the package includes three nights’ superior accommodation, two rounds of golf, gourmet food at the halfway house and refreshments at the clubhouse. Guests will also enjoy three dinners and a Glenmorangie whisky tasting. Non-golfers will be offered a golf taster session on the tournament day and transfers to and from Kitzbühel on the other.

To enter the tournament, or for other golfing packages staying at the Rosengarten Hotel, visit www. rosengarten-taxacher.com.

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

N. 1 ITALY GOLF DESTINATION

N. 1 ITALY GOLF DESTINATION

TOP 20 GOLF & HOTEL RESORT IN THE WORLD

TOP 20 GOLF & HOTEL RESORT IN THE WORLD

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

July 2014 / Issue 234

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TRAVEL

Pamper yourself at Take it to the Maxx!

Pirita private villa

Golfers looking for a bit of off-course pampering during their next golfing break to Spain should consider booking up the Pirita Spa Villa, a fabulous private property located on the exclusive El Valle Resort in Murcia.

The stunning five-bedroom villa, which sleeps up to 12 people, comes complete with its own live-in staff, so that your every need is catered for, including cooking, cleaning and laundry services, while the package also includes a daily choice of private spa treatments, including massages, pedicures, manicures and facials.

The property boasts an outdoor swimming pool and an outdoor hot tub, while the airconditioned bedrooms include big screen

The Turkish Airlines Open makes its return to the year. In addition to the stylish rooms, suites the European Tour’s Final Series schedule this and villas, the resort offers five restaurants, 14 November, after a successful inaugural staging bars, a spa and 300 metres of private beach. in 2013 – and the pre-tournament buzz is For information and package details visit www. already resonating with visiting golfers who maxroyal.com. are flocking to the breath-taking Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Course to experience the tournament-standard condition and first-class amenities.

The Turkish Airlines Open was hailed as one of the most successful first time tournaments ever on the European Tour, and now the Colin Montgomerie-designed layout presents the opportunity for golfers to walk in the footsteps of some of golf’s biggest names in a sublime setting on the Belek coastline.

As rising French star Victor Dubuisson was being applauded as champion, the five-star Maxx Royal Belek Golf & Spa resort was itself being commended as golf’s hottest new tour venue. And with the critically-acclaimed par-72 layout continually improving, and fine-tuning already underway in preparation for the return of the Turkish Airlines Open, there has never been a better time to visit and be treated just like the pros.

Set in over 250 acres of mature YOUR SOURCE OF pine forest, the 7,000-yard course meanders through the woods and has a total of eight OFFERING VACATION PLANNING AND CONCIERGE SERVICES lakes to negotiate. Alongside the course is a five-star resort, The For great value golf breaks and holidays to the south of France, Maxx Royal Hotel & Spa, which as well as corporate golf events, society golf days and will prove a welcome retreat for tour excursions contact us today. the professionals in November, as well as for less accomplished WWW.FRENCHRIVIERAGOLFING.COM INFO@FRENCHRIVIERAGOLFING.COM +33 (0)6 17 54 69 22 golfers throughout the rest of

TVs and Wi-Fi. Guests at the villa will also have access to all the facilities at the El Valle resort, including the Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf course. Located 20 minutes from the centre of Murcia and the airport at San Javier, the resort also features a five-star Intercontinental hotel and spa, restaurants, bars, boutiques and leisure facilities.

The villa is well placed to follow Murcia’s Nicklaus Golf Trail, which, in addition to El Valle, includes stunning layouts at Mar Menor, La Torre, Saurines, Riquelme, El Valle and Alhama.

The villa is available for £99 per person per night, for a minimum of four adults, with children under 14 going free. For bookings call 0777 9000 900 or email pirita@iqden.com.

GOLF INFORMATION ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA,

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Vale do Lobo Ocean 11th hole

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9464

54 /

July 2014 / Issue 234

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

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

THOUSANDS OF BREAKS FROM AVAILABLE ONLINE

ENJOY A TASTE OF NORMANDY’S RICH GOLFING TAPESTRY Renowned for its many attractions, including the D-Day landing beaches, the Bayeaux Tapestry, numerous pretty seaside resorts, and the production of Calvados, Normandy is also a superb golfing destination. And with its close proximity to the UK and numerous ferry options, it’s also a lot easier to get there than you might think.

The region is brimming with culture, golf courses and dining options, and offers a number of different locations in which golfers might wish to base themselves. One of the most popular is the pretty town of Deauville, with its beach promenades and wide choice of restaurants.

If you want to be close to both town and golf, you can’t go wrong with the recently-renovated Hotel du Golf Barriere, which offers panoramic

One of the benefits of staying in one of Scotland’s luxury resorts is that you don’t even have to leave the property to play some of the country’s finest courses. You can walk straight from your bedroom to the first tee in a matter of minutes, allowing maximum relaxation before and after your round.

The two obvious places to start are Turnberry and Gleneagles – and you might be surprised at how affordable these iconic venues can be.

The former hosted The Open as recently as 2009, when Tom Watson’s fairytale sixth Claret Jug slipped agonisingly away, but it is the legendary Duel in the Sun – where Watson and Nicklaus went toe-totoe over the Ailsa in 1977 – that

£59

Golf de St Julien

Golf Barriere de Deauville

Within a short ferry ride from the UK, the French region of Normandy ticks all the right boxes for those looking for a relaxing golf break in unspoilt surroundings views across the English Channel.

Elsewhere, you might consider such coastal resorts as Dieppe and Etretat, or further inland at Evreux.

The choice of golf is brilliant, with a number of venues vying for top billing. Golf Barrière de Deauville and its more undulating sister course, Golf Barrière de Saint-Julien, are superb, while for a beautiful woodland layout, look no further than the stunning Golf Club de Champ de Bataille, near Le Neubourg.

A real standout venue in the region is the Golf d’Omaha-Beach, with its four loops of nine, the most recent of which was added in 2010.

The combination of La Mer and Le Manoir is considered the best 36, offering clifftop views and some glorious tree-lined holes.

Normandy has courses with magnificent views like Etretat and Dieppe; courses with an abundance of water, like Golf de l’Amirauté; and other up-and-coming tracks at Golf du Vaudreuil near Rouen, and the

lovely Golf de Saint-Saëns. With its 19th century chateau and secluded course, the latter is perfect for those in search of an authentic French golf experience.

Further towards Saint Malo lies the magnificent Golf de Granville, which is one of Europe’s few authentic links courses. With 27 holes, this superb venue – located on the bay of the famous Mont St Michel – is well worth making the effort to visit.

Wherever you choose to stay and

play, Normandy has so much to offer travelling golfers.

NORMANDY PACKAGES • Three nights’ B&B at Hotel du Golf Barriere and two rounds of golf (from a choice of nine courses) from £265.

• Two nights’ half-board at SaintSaens Golf Hotel, plus two days of unlimited golf, from £155.

For bookings, call 0800 279 7988 or visit www.golfbreaks.com.

STAY IN STYLE AT SCOTLAND’S FINEST SPORTING ESTATES Despite their rich golfing pedigrees, you’d be surprised at the affordability of a break to Scotland’s classiest resorts put this magnificent links firmly on the golfing map. With Donald Trump having bought Turnberry earlier this year, we can expect the hotel – and certain areas of the golf courses – to undergo something of a transformation. And given Mr Trump’s track record at resorts of a similar stature, few would doubt that Turnberry’s legendary golf and hotel Gleneagles

offerings will be further improved by his influence.

Whether you opt for the famous clay-tiled hotel or the new apartments opposite the clubhouse, you will be staying in real style.

Enjoy a drink in the Ailsa Bar before experiencing fine dining in the 1906 Restaurant, from where you can watch the sun set over Ailsa Craig and the island of Arran.

At Gleneagles, September’s Ryder Cup venue, there are three world-class courses: the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA Centenary, over which the Ryder Cup will be played, and the legendary King’s and Queen’s. All three layouts are highly rated, with Nicklaus himself having returned in recent times to tweak the Centenary course ahead of the biennial battle between America and Europe. With the par-five 18th

St Andrews Bay

having been completely renovated, expect the sort of stirring finishes the Ryder Cup is famous for. Off the course, Gleneagles enjoys a global reputation for opulence and Scottish elegance. With a spa, shops and every conceivable leisure facility, you simply will not want to leave.

There are many more resorts to choose from elsewhere. Near the Auld Grey Toun is Fairmont St Andrews, equipped with two fine courses, while outside Glasgow is Mar Hall, and in Peebles, Macdonald Cardrona. Or for something slightly different, head for the remote Kintyre

Peninsula and Machrihanish Dunes’ award-winning Ugadale Hotel. Take our word for it – it’s worth every mile of the trip... as are all of Scotland’s finest resorts.

SCOTTISH RESORT PACKAGES • Turnberry from £180: 1 night’s B&B, 2 rounds (Ailsa & Kintyre).

• Gleneagles from £152: 1 night’s B&B, 1 round (Kings or Queens).

• Fairmont St Andrews from £165: 1 night’s B&B, 2 rounds.

For bookings, call 0800 279 7988 or visit www.golfbreaks.com.

July 2014 / Issue 234

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Me&MyTravels Comedy legend Sir Bruce Forysth is reluctant to leave his Wentworth home unless it’s for the sunshine and golf courses of Puerto Rico My most memorable holiday… was spent at the Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli in Lake Garda. It is very expensive, but you do get very special treatment. The day we arrived, we felt a bit tired and planned a lie-in the next day, so I asked the headwaiter: “What time do you serve breakfast?”

He replied: “Whatever time you want. If you want breakfast at four o’clock, then you will have breakfast at 4’o’clock.” The atmosphere is lovely as nobody bothers anyone.

The best hotel I’ve stayed in is… the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, which is luxury personified. They have a huge, circular dining room and right in the middle is an aquarium containing beautiful tropical fish, both in front of you and swimming around you. They even have a heliport on the roof. Their suites were absolutely incredible, where everything had been thought of.

My idea of a perfect holiday is…

The Burj Al Arab

can I do for you, Sir?” I replied: “Have you got any slippers?” From that moment, all I did was watch people skiing, but it was my worst holiday, because I didn’t do what I set out to do.

Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico

staying near a golf course. My wife’s from Puerto Rico and she has lots of family there she loves to see. We have a second home at Dorado Beach, on a fantastic golf course, so I only have to walk 30 or 40 yards and I’m on the sixth fairway. Golf is hugely important, as it keeps me fit.

I always take… lots of books. I read a lot when I’m away and I love courtroom dramas and I’m always looking for new authors.

Rico, where we stay until the end of March to avoid the British winter. My wife, Wilnelia, is a bit of a celebrity there, but the locals accept me as an ordinary person, which leaves me to get on with things without being disturbed!

My next holiday will be… probably back to Puerto Rico. We usually spend Christmas in the UK, before flying off to Puerto

My worst holiday was… a skiing trip to St Moritz over 50 years ago.

When I finally started earning some real money for the first

time in my life, I always wanted to go skiing. I booked everything first-class at the Palace Hotel in St Moritz, and arrived at night.

First thing next morning, I set off to the nearest shop to buy some ski boots, and everyone waiting to be served had a neck brace, an arm brace or a leg in plaster.

It frightened the life out of me because my legs were my life.

When the assistant asked: “What

When on holiday, I always avoid… drinking too much. I don’t like to be with people who have to drink a lot to enjoy themselves.

I never mind meeting fans, but it can be a bit embarrassing if young lads shout out my catchphrases.

Most people are very nice and it’s all part of my job. If they want to say something, that’s fine, and if I come back with a funny reply, even better!

My best piece of travel advice is… to always get a second opinion. In the same way that you get a second opinion when consulting a doctor, do the same with friends and travel agents for holidays. Double-check, or even get a third opinion, and it can save you a lot of heartache.

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