Today's Golfer Issue 313

THE PERFECT SET-UP FOR MORE DISTANCE

TODAY’S GOLFER OCTOBER 2013 (SEPTEMBER 5 – OCTOBER 2)

Golfer Today’s

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BRITAIN’S BIGGEST-SELLING GOLF MAGAZINE

GET UP & DOWN ALL DAY!

SHORT GAME SPECIAL

HOT NEW CLUBS ADJUSTABLE WILSON DRIVER MIZUNO’S JPX EZ WOODS FOUR TITLEIST IRONS

DUFF ✓ NEVER A CHIP AGAIN OUT OF THE ✓ GET SAND EVERY TIME THE HIGH ✓ MASTER FLOP AND STOP

THE SMART WAY TO GET OUT OF ROUGH

37 pages of tips, drills and advice

WESTWOOD EXCLUSIVE ‘I will never give up on a Major’

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ER BETs T PLAYm the pro on TV...

Learn fro Your putting problems fixed

TER SE BrseET O TER O H C BUYputBterET s rated... First 40 former tour cou s you must 57 new hit of new SLDR driver

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WIN! GOLFBUDDY RANGEFINDERS AND TWO GOLF HOLIDAYS

FIRST TEE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN GOLF THIS MONTH

Edited by Graeme Hamlett

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PITCHMARK Made by a boulder that tumbled off a mountain onto a green When the first group of the day out at Matterhorn Golf Club in Taesch, Switzerland, reached the 8th hole, they could barely believe their eyes. A new hazard had been created overnight – by this enormous boulder that had fallen 1,000 feet from a nearby mountain slope, and slammed into the green.

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The two-metre-tall rock tumbled onto the course during a heavy storm. It was one of several that slipped from the mountain, but this was by far the biggest.

The club is deciding what to do with their new hazard – some members have suggested turning the crater into a new bunker.

Fortunately no-one was playing when this hit the ground.

Lee Westwood, photographed exclusively for TG at Close House, Northumberland, July 2013.

LEE WESTWOOD

NEVER. GIVE. UP. Lee Westwood has a record eight top-three Major finishes without winning one… Is he downhearted? Not a bit, as he told TG just 24 hours after Muirfield WORDS GR AEME HAMLE T T PICTURES HOWARD BOYL AN, GE T T Y IMAGES

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s he walks through the doors into the bar, dressed in shorts, looking relaxed if a little weary, Lee Westwood glances around the room, his eyes keenly taking in who is around and the possible reactions to his entry.

It’s Monday afternoon. Just 24 hours earlier he was at Muirfield, leading The Open through 61 holes. We all know what happened. An inspired Phil Mickelson surged through the back nine in 32 strokes in his thrilling final round 65 to win the Claret Jug. Muirfield discriminates? Yes, it only lets great players win there.

And as much as Lefty drew deserved plaudits, how the snipers came out in force again, having got a fresh round of ammo, to fire at Westy. He’s a nearly-man. Choker.

The next Monty. Bookies were gleefully setting up odds he’ll never win a big one.

Westy’s been here before. Turnberry in 2009 was the one that hurt most, but if the mark of a man is his response and reaction to adversity, then Lee John Westwood is already a classy Major winner.

He just needs the official confirmation – and Muirfield has convinced him even further it will happen...

How are you feeling after the weekend?

Good. Positive, after the way I coped with

it all mentally and how calm I felt. I am a determined character. I’m not one to give up or be bothered about what negative people say. I have a lot of support in Britain I know. That’s nice to have.

spectacular last round – to birdie four of the last six is great in any round, but to do it when you’re trying to win a Major championship is really special.

But you must be disappointed?

Did you really mean what you said at Muirfield that you don’t really worry about golf any more?

Yes. I don’t. Some people might be surprised about that, but I don’t worry about much to be honest. Golf is not on the list. It’s only a sport!

What did you take away from Muirfield?

I played well; I didn’t play as well as I’d have liked on Sunday – hit too many bad shots – and obviously didn’t win, so that

Yes it hurts, but I can deal with that. I’m not going to walk around feeling sorry for myself, and I don’t want anyone else feeling sorry for me. I have to be strong enough to want to keep putting myself in this position, or I’ll never get the chance to finish one off.

Does it make you even hungrier having missed out on this Open?

No. I was hungry anyway. It just reaffirmed that I’ve got a good enough game; I just

‘YOU DO HAVE TO BE PHILOSOPHICAL, OTHERWISE YOU’D BECOME A BASKET CASE!’ was disappointing. But overall I was pleased with a third place. I didn’t feel I had my A game and I was still third in a Major. My short game was good during the week and my putting was good; I didn’t hit it as I’d have liked, so obviously that can improve, but I still only finished four shots behind the winner and held the lead going into the last day. Mentally I was good, nice and calm, and felt in control. Phil had a

need to improve my technique a little and work on my consistency in short game and putting. Mentally I felt good.

How do you deal with the aftermath and disappointments psychologically?

I take all the positives I can out of everything, because you get knocked a lot from outside agencies, people who want to run you down and stoke up the negatives TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 31 3

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2. CHIPPING Keep the clubhead behind your hands and allow the ball to release with minimal spin when it lands

MINIMISE YOUR WRIST HINGE Your wrists and hands should remain as passive as possible throughout the shot. Pre-set any slight hinge you may want in order to create a little extra loft in the backswing and keep the wrists rigid through impact.

READ YOUR CHIP LIKE IT’S A PUTT Don’t try and get the ball to check up like you see the Tour pros do – because this is a very risky shot. Instead, allow the ball to release when it lands and read how it will roll across the green as if it’s a putt.

LOOK FOR A FLAT LANDING ZONE Plan the shot carefully and pick a specific landing zone that is as flat as possible.

How far you need to carry the ball to this spot and how much the ball can release to the flag will dictate the club you should use.

CLUB ALWAYS BEHIND THE HANDS The backswing and through swing should be similar lengths – doing this helps your tempo. Also, the clubhead should never overtake the hands. The left arm and shaft can finish in a straight line for longer chips.

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SHORT GAME SPECIAL

SET UP FOR A DOWNWARD BLOW

SHAFT UP AND GRIP DOWN

Your hands are in front of the clubhead and ball, which is in the centre of the stance. This creates shaft lean. The sternum is just in front of the ball and the weight is 75 per cent on the front foot while your shoulders are level.

The shaft is more upright than if you’re playing a full shot and you choke down the grip more as the club gets longer – so you’re always chipping with the same length of shaft no matter what club you use.

TRY THIS DRILL

CHIPPING FROM ROUGH

PASSIVE HANDS

If the ball is sat down, more wrist set in the backswing will create more clubhead speed and open the face to offset the extra energy in the hit. If it’s perched on the rough, simply hover the clubhead at the appropriate level.

Grip the club midway down the shaft and mimic your action. The top of the shaft should not hit your body in the follow-through. Poke a cane into the end of the club and grip it normally to check this while chipping balls. ➔

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FAKE CLUBS

T O P S U O CAN Y ?

E K A F E TH It’s the one on left. We know, because this man spots them for a living... and his advice will help you avoid buying counterfeits WORDS STUART HOOD PICTURES HOWARD BOYL AN

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avid Bevan was perplexed. He was at the driving range, hitting his new 7-iron; part of a set he’d bought off the internet for £200.

“They felt bizarre,” he tells TG. “One minute they were pinging about 30 or 40 yards further than I would usually hit that club and the next they would drop about 40 yards short. They were completely inconsistent.”

At a loss to explain the differences with the same swing, he took them to his local pro. “Within minutes, he revealed that the Project X shafts were fake, the grips were fake and the clubheads were poorly aligned, poorly weighted and fake. I’d been done.”

David isn’t a newcomer to golf; he’s a mid-handicapper who’s been playing for years. He thought he was a savvy buyer – but he’d been taken in, just like thousands of other golfers.

The problem of counterfeit clubs isn’t going away. If anything it’s getting worse, as the Far Eastern factories that churn out this fake gear get ever more sophisticated. As more of us hunt for deals online, the criminal gangs that exploit the web are getting ever-more savvy in their search for unsuspecting customers. TG has seen several counterfeit websites which look very professional, complete with manufacturers’ photos and IS SUE 31 3 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK

logos stolen straight off the web, PayPal accounts and co.uk addresses.

To get a gauge on the scale of the problem – and what you can do to avoid buying duff equipment – we spoke to GolfBidder’s Dave Prigg, whose day job it is to weed out fakes from the real thing.

“I’ve been spotting counterfeit clubs for over a decade,” said Dave. “The first copy I managed to stop getting into the Golf Bidder system was a crude fake of a Great Big Bertha 2, but the counterfeiters have improved immeasurably since then. For example, it used to take them around two

the shaft, a slightly crooked number on the sole plate, a slightly smelly grip or a slightly short sock on the headcover. Sound tends to be a giveaway, too. If a counterfeit driver bangs against another club it makes a very different ‘ping’ to an authentic driver. I use a driver as an example, because they are by far and away the most commonly counterfeited club.

“We get the odd set of fake irons or phoney putter, but drivers are the club people buy most often, so drivers are the club these factories fake most often.

“It is a simple case of supply and demand

‘IT IS ESTIMATED THAT UP TO SEVEN PER CENT OF OUR ANNUAL WORLD TRADE — $600 BILLION WORTH — IS COUNTERFEIT’ years to get a fake onto the market, but now it takes them less than two months. We know this, because earlier this year we spotted a fake TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 (left) when the original had only been on sale for six weeks. It was good, too. They all are now, which is why it takes a really keen eye to notice the warning signs.

“My red flags all tend to be small things, like a slightly darker red on

and it’s for this reason that most of the phoney clubs we spot tend to be ‘made’ by either TaylorMade or Callaway and tend to have a regular graphite shaft and a 10.5-degree face. It makes sense when you think about it. People who play 8.5-degree stiff shafts are probably better golfers, which probably makes them more likely to notice that a club doesn’t sit right at address or feel right at impact.

“The average golfer wouldn’t know, which is why they often end up using counterfeit clubs for years, blissfully unaware that their game is suffering because of poor materials. ➔

GolfBidder’s Dave Prigg with real and fake Mizuno irons; the tell-tale signs are explained over the page...

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FIRST LOOK

TWIST AND CLOUT

Mizuno’s JPX EZ range is headed by a new adjustable driver

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Mizuno has been busy – as well as two new sets of irons, the JPX EZ family includes an all-new adjustable driver, woods, utility clubs and wedges. All have been designed to combine playability, forgiveness and impressive ball speeds. They’re not available until February next year, but TG has been given this exclusive sneak preview.

Heading up the family is a new driver, the first adjustable big stick from Mizuno since the MP-630 “Fast Track” of 2010, which had a sliding weight on the sole.

This one features adjustability called QuickSwitch. It has eight different settings in the hosel where the clubface can be adjusted up to 1.75 degrees open or closed to create different trajectories.

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Weight is positioned low and deep in the clubhead to increase launch and reduce spin from whichever QuickSwitch setting you choose. It also comes with a “360° grip” to cater for the adjustability – so you don’t have to worry about the logo lining up in the centre of the grip.

All the woods in the range feature a softer-edged, 0.6mm thick “Rebound Crown”, where the head expands to produce more spring-like effect at impact, translating into increased ball speeds across the clubface.

“Most adjustable drivers start with the tour player as their base point,” says Chuck Couch, Director of Products for Mizuno.

“The JPX EZ puts the amateur firmly in the middle of its QuickSwitch settings. The EZ is a driver designed

SPECS AND PRICES

1 Hybrid

Available February 2014.

Comes in lofts of 16°, 19°, 22°, 25°, with an of RRP £129.

2 Fairway

Available February 2014.

The fairway woods come in 3, 5 and 7 versions. RRP £159.

3 Driver

Available February 2014.

Driver comes in 9.5°, 10.5° and 12° lofts.

RRP £249.

to launch the ball fast and high with very little spin. Take the adjustability away and you’ve got a colossal, highlaunching head.”

The non-adjustable fairway wood has a thin steel face for solid feel and explosive distance that is long from top to bottom and features the same “Harmonic Impact Technology” found in the irons for a powerful, solid feel.

And the hybrid promotes cleaner ball striking through a face-forward design that allows the leading edge to slide between the ball and turf. At 127cc, it has a larger clubhead than its predecessor with a deeper clubface for enhanced forgiveness.

On each, the colourscheme of the stock Fujikura Rocky Black Eye shaft matches the sole. golf.mizunoeurope.com

FLEXIBLE HEADS All three woods in Mizuno’s JPX range feature a 0.6mm thick “Rebound Crown”, where the head expands to produce more spring-like effect at impact.

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Swap your long irons With a hybrid profile, the JPX Fli-Hi is designed to cover the shortfalls of long irons and make high launch seem effortless.

Like the JPX EZ hybrid, it features a “face forward” profile, reducing offset, that should make them easier to hit. A thin sole portion eliminates the slower ball speeds normally produced from strikes low in the clubface.

These are designed to flow into a traditional iron set within a custom order at no extra cost with the loft and shaft lengths engineered to match a solid strike with the long iron it replaces. n Details: 3, 4 or 5 long iron replacements. £80 steel, £110 graphite.

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Forgiving wedges Designed to appeal to players of all abilities and flow from any iron in the JPX range, these wedges are traditional in shape and offer forgiveness in the cavity. They combine a generous face with a wide, smooth sole and subtle relief in the toe and heel.

The big difference from its predecessor, which has come about via feedback from Mizuno’s Performance Fitting System, is that there are more loft and bounce options available. They also offer loft-specific grooves to maximise spin characteristics with the types of shot you play with each wedge.

The grooves are narrower and deeper on the 50-54° wedges as players tend to hit more full shots, whereas the 56-60° wedges have grooves that are wider and shallower, providing extra spin on shorter shots. n Details: RRP £80 (s), £110 (g). Lofts: 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58° and 60°. The 56° and 58° wedges come in 10° or 14° of bounce, 60° come with 5° or 9° of bounce.

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AERO PACKAGE

EXTRA FACE AREA

HYBRID HAPPINESS

That low-profile head is said to be the most aerodynamic Mizuno has ever made. That should equate to more clubhead speed with the same swing.

Look how deep the 3-wood’s face is. Mis-strikes won’t be as penal as they might be with other woods – forgiveness that will suit high handicappers.

Like the previous JPX model, the white grooves frame the ball nicely and the finish on top oozes class. This will suit the eye of all abilities.

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NEW GEAR THE TEST

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PUTTERS RATED

We’ve tested and ranked the very latest models to help you choose W O R D S J O E L TA D M A N P I C T U R E S H O WA R D B OY L A N , J A C Q U E S P O R TA L

We used a TrueLine aid to gauge accuracy.

Joel and James crunch the numbers.

Our four testers discuss their findings at The Shire.

It’s one of the most important tests we do in the year – because it’s the most important club in the bag. Drivers might get all the headlines, but the club that has the biggest impact on your score is the putter.

Four golfers tested over 70 models – many of which haven’t been tested before – with 57 making the final cut.

We’ve broken them all down into three categories – blade, mid-mallet and mallet – and given Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each. There's a huge variety of head shapes, inserts and alignment aids in putters, so we’ve attempted to cut through all the marketing to reveal which models will help you hole more putts.

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HOW WE TESTED THEM Testers gave subjective marks out of 10 for Looks, Feel (both in their hands and off the clubface) and Sound.

We also used two skills tests to assess the performance of each putter and create a mark out of 10. These were then combined to form the overall mark out of 10. n The first test assessed each player’s ability to start the ball on line.

Their aim was controlled using a

training aid called TrueLine to ensure mis-aiming wasn’t to blame for failing the test. Testers putted five balls along a channel to a gate of two tees.

Any ball that struck either peg counted as a fail. n The second test assessed feel and touch with each putter. Testers putted five balls from 18 feet, attempting to get each ball to finish in an 18-inch target zone (front to back). This tested their ability to control distance.

All four testers had ample time to get used to the characteristics of each putter before completing the two tests. As usual, each score was averaged out to create an overall score out of 10. Our pro, James Ridyard, ensured each tester was using the most suitable model for their stroke in each category.

James has extensive knowledge of optics in putting performance and matches putters to stroke tendencies on a daily basis for players of all abilities, from beginners to pros. He was the only player to test all styles of putter as he was able to manipulate his stroke to suit them all.

THE CLUBS We asked manufacturers to provide

THE TESTERS James Ridyard

H’cp: Pro Has a tendency to aim right and pull putts on line. James tested all three categories of putter.

Joel Tadman

H’cp: 3 Right aimer who pulls the ball on target. Likes a small head and weight in the toe. Tested blades and mid-mallets.

Ben Martin

H’cp: 12 A left aimer who pushes the ball.

Tested mallets and mid-mallets, which help him as they straighten his aim.

David Bateman

H’cp: 20 Tends to roll the ball further right than where he is aiming.

Tested blades and mid-mallets.

us with up to three models for each category to provide a fair representation of their range. Some manufacturers have multiple models within one range – for example Odyssey has 13 within its Versa line alone. So testers rated the putter within that range that was recommended to them by James. That means that for each category, more than one putter may appear in the final ranking, the mallet gold award being a typical example of this.

THE RATINGS Unlike other titles, TG doesn’t shy away from ranking products. We gave a Bronze, Silver and Gold award in each of the blade, mid-mallet and mallet categories.

WHERE WE TESTED We tested at both Brocket Hall Golf Club and The Shire London, in Hertfordshire. Both have fantastic putting practice facilities, with big, well-maintained greens. For more information, visit www.brocket-hall. co.uk and www.theshirelondon.com For thousands more golf equipment reviews, visit www.todaysgolfer.co.uk

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NEW GEAR FIRST HITS

CALLAWAY FT OPTIFORCE DRIVER £329

Tested: 440cc, 9.5° stiff www.callawaygolf.com ➔

A streamlined design is aimed at increasing efficiency and distance.

TECHNOLOGY It certainly feels light in your hands. It took me a while to get my head around the adjustability.

There are two rings – one for loft and one for lie angle. The loft options are: N, +2, D and -1. The lie angle options are S, N, +1 and D. I can’t help but think amateurs buying this will struggle to understand it and reap the full benefits.

PERFORMANCE The 440cc head launched quite high and although the spin numbers were high, the flight wasn't overly 'balloony', carrying 271 yards on average. Ball speed was up at 161 mph, higher than what I got with the SLDR, but this didn’t translate into extra yards on centre hits.

LOOKS The finish is glossy black, which I like. On both versions there seems to be a lot of clubface above the grooves and towards the toe, which is a little odd. But overall, a classy-looking club.

FEEL

NOTE: The images feature a 460cc photography sample.

Off the face, it's got a hard, powerful feel. It’s very light, to help increase clubhead speed, but at first this came with a slight loss of control and awareness of the clubhead.

The revamped OptiFit hosel permits three extra loft settings.

PROS

CONS

The 440cc head is compact, and simple yet classic in design. The lighter weight instills a feeling of power and speed. There are no gimmicks here and the adjustability mechanism is simple to use.

I struggled to control what felt like a longer shaft as standard. While it’s simple to adjust, it took me a while to get my head around what the different settings were and how I wanted to combine them. Flight was high and for me, a little spinny.

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FLIGHT Generally quite high and a bit spinny at times.

Ones I really nutted launched high but then levelled out, staying in the air for forever.

SOUND It’s very high-pitched but sounds powerful, a little like TaylorMade’s R1. Not my cup of tea.

FORGIVENESS Pretty stable, with minimal twisting on off-centre strikes and mis-hits holding their line.

THE PRO’S VIEW “I enjoyed the classic shape and cosmetics. It sits nicely behind the ball and the Speedframe face aids aim. It suits higher swing speeds like the Razr model did and the distance and dispersion numbers were decent. Tweaking the loft helped me get my spin down.” James Ridyard

The Tight Lies comes in 14º, 16º, 19º and 22º loft options.

ADAMS TIGHT LIES FAIRWAY WOOD £149 Tested: 16°, stiff. www.adamsgolf.com Adams has relaunched the Tight Lies brand that put them on the map. With recent fairway wood offerings featuring deep faces and lower spin rates, the gap between woods and drivers has never been so small.

But the Tight Lies attempts to widen it again, with the focus on high launch and playability.

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TECHNOLOGY This is Adams’ first fairway wood to feature its Cut-Through Velocity Slot Technology, giving the Tight Lies twice the CT (spring-like effect) of the original. The “upside-down” head design makes the sole very rounded, with the middle section deeper than the edges.

the compact head and that large slot. Fairway woods average around the 175cc mark, but this is 133cc. The size won’t boost the confidence of higher handicappers – the 14° head will appeal to only the best of strikers.

FEEL Almost every shot felt like it came out of the heel, but when I looked up, they were all sailing down the fairway with a touch of draw.

FLIGHT Higher than my current fairway wood, but not by much, given the high-launch nature of the club and the 16° loft. Mis-strikes certainly held their line and I was able to hit the low stinger.

Adams’ Velocity Slot technology sets up a more springy clubface, and more distance.

PERFORMANCE I was able to alter the trajectory and got a decent flight out of the rough, too. Launch comes easily, though the flight isn’t so high that you’re losing out into the wind. I carried it 238 yards off a short tee; 228 yards off a mat, with a ball speed of 150/152mph.

LOOKS The first thing that strikes you at address is

PROS This club launches the ball high, but without sacrificing any distance. It’s certainly easy to hit it straight with well-struck shots and mis-hits not deviating too much in flight. It is also a reasonably flexible weapon while, true to its name, its compact head works very well from a cuppy lie.

SOUND It’s quite a hard, dull sound that lacks that explosive power.

FORGIVENESS Sky-high. It’s difficult to curve the ball, making it a great solution from the deck when spin levels are higher than from the tee. I had to grip down to nail it from the turf.

CONS Lacks feedback on wellstruck shots. The head size won’t please the eye of inconsistent ball strikers and the slot on top, while a distance aid, is large and might prove off-putting to some.

The head looks quite small behind the ball and the Velocity Slot very much in your face.

THE PRO’S VIEW “The ball came out of the rough really nicely, while with shots from the mat it was easy to get a penetrating flight. I remember the original Tight Lies and that almost went up your left nostril. You can hit this high if the lie is suitable, but you can drill it low off a bare lie – that’s versatility.” James Ridyard

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COURSES

THE INSIDE LINE ON WHERE TO PLAY, HOME AND ABROAD

Edited by Kevin Brown

PLAY A TOUR VENUE FOR LESS THAN £50 Walk in the footsteps of some of the game’s greats – without paying a fortune WORDS KEVIN BROWN PICTURES GETTY IMAGES

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ou can’t score a goal at Wembley, serve an ace on Wimbledon’s Centre Court or drive one through the covers at Lords. But the beauty of golf is that you can walk in the footsteps of the world’s greatest players.

Of course, some tour venues aren’t cheap; it’s £360 (plus caddie) to play this year’s host of the BMW PGA Championship. But there are

dozens of other courses that have hosted the likes of Faldo, Monty, Norman, Woosie, Lyle, Langer and Seve and won’t break the bank. In fact, some of them are astonishingly good value.

We’ve trawled the GB&I pro event annals to unearth 40 former Tour venues dotted across the UK you can tackle for less than £50 – cheaper than a ticket to the football, tennis or cricket... ➔

Notts GC hosted the Haig Whisky TPC back in 1982.

COURSES

Carden Park has proved a fine stage for several PGA Seniors Championships.

ENGLAND Abridge G&CC, Essex Staged: The 1972 Martini International won

by Brian Barnes. Play it: One of Essex’s finest, a Henry Cotton-designed mature parkland layout with two loops of nine which finish at the clubhouse. Green fees: Mon-Fri £40; Sat-Sun £50. Tel: 01708 688396.

Bingley St Ives, West Yorks Staged: The Lawrence Batley International for three years from 1981 with Sandy Lyle (twice) and then Nick Faldo triumphing.

Play it: One of Yorkshire’s unsung heroes, this woodland-heathland hybrid is chiefly the handiwork of Alister MacKenzie. Has offered glorious views of the Aire Valley since the 1930s. Green fees: Mon-Fri £32; Sat-Sun £40. 2-FORE!-1: Mon. Tel: 01274 562436.

Bognor Regis, West Sussex

resort is the Nicklaus course, the Bear’s fourth British design. It’s a fine parkland test, weaving its way through a wooded estate.

Green fees: Mon-Fri £50; Sat-Sun £60.

2-FORE!-1: All week. Tel: 01829 731635.

Collingtree Park, Northants Staged: Back-to-back British Masters in the 1990s (won by Torrance and Robert Allenby) before its greens suffered. Play it: Now, it’s always in excellent condition – including the greens – and offers great value for money, especially for 2-FORE!-1 voucher holders and societies. The Johnny Miller-designed course has a great mix of holes and finishes with a par 5 to a virtual island green. Green fees: Mon-Fri £32; Sat-Sun £40. 2-FORE!-1: MonThurs. Tel: 01604 700000.

Coventry, Warwickshire Staged: Four Piccadilly Medals from 1973 with Ryder Cup players Peter Oosterhuis and

Staged: European Tour’s 1972 John Player Trophy, won by Indonesian Charles Hautard – who pocketed a £1,900 winner’s cheque.

Play it: A members’ club that welcomes visitors for a modest fee. A quality, historic parkland layout jointly created by the legendary James Braid and Fred Hawtree.

Green fees: £30. Tel: 01243 821929.

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East Sussex National, Sussex Staged: Back-to-back European Opens in the mid-90s. Gordon Brand won the first, followed by David Gilford in 1994.

Play it: The Stadium-style East Course – built with tournament play in mind – sits alongside the more genteel West. Green fees: Twilight (after 3pm 'til Sept 30) £30 Sun-Thurs & £35 Fri-Sat. Tel: 01825 880088.

Forest of Arden, Warwickshire Staged: A handful of British Masters at the turn of the Millennium, plus three English Opens. Play it: The Donald Steel-designed Arden runs through Packington Estate with a terrific variety of holes and quick greens.

Green fees: Mon-Fri £100; Sat-Sun £110.

2-FORE!-1: Mon-Fri. Tel: 01676 526113.

Forest Pines, Lincolnshire

Carden Park, Cheshire Staged: PGA Seniors Championship between 2001-05, the last won by Sam Torrance.

Play it: Pride and joy of this popular De Vere

Maurice Bembridge the first two champions.

Play it: Also known as Finham Park, the par-73 layout is parkland heaven set in 120 acres of leafy countryside. Designed by Tom Vardon whose famous brother Harry marked out the bunkers. Green fees: Mon-Fri £50 a day. Tel: 02476 414152.

East Sussex National’s East Course was built for events like the European Open and has a stadium feel.

Staged: Super 60s Pairs, featuring several former Ryder Cup favourites, between 200911. Play it: Comprising three exquisite loops of nine, it is one of Britain’s best 27-hole resorts. You need to keep it straight off the tee as all 27 holes are densely tree-lined.

Green fees: Mon-Fri £60; Sat-Sun £80.

2-FORE!-1: Mon-Fri. Tel: 01652 650756.