Golf News May 2013

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Read the UK’s No.1 Golf Paper online at www.golfnews.co.uk

Issue 221 | May 2013

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INSIDE: CALLAWAY X HOT PULL-OUT WIN GLENMUIR GEAR GMAC INTERVIEW NEW EDDIE PEPPERELL COLUMN

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May 2013 / Issue 221

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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 Managing Director Matt Nicholson matt@golfnews.co.uk

For Advertising enquiries please call 01273 556377-07885 673258 or matt@golfnews.co.uk

Editor Nick Bayly editor@golfnews.co.uk

Design www.yotedesign.com

Advertising Production Kath Perry ads@golfnews.co.uk

Photography Kevin Murray (kevinmurraygolfphotography.com) Action Images, James Cheadle

Published by BlueGreen Media Contributors Paul Mahoney, Clive Agran, Ewen Murray, Denis Pugh, Alistair Tait

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Is your golf club just for golf?

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How many times have you been to your golf club for lunch in the last 12 months?

And I don’t mean for a sandwich and a pint after a round of golf. I mean having a proper three-course sit down lunch and nothing else.

Unless you’re only a social member, I’d hazard a guess that the answer would be not very often. In fact, when did you last make a special visit to your club to do anything other than play golf? When did you last have a lesson, attend a demo day, or go

to an evening function that wasn’t preceded by golf?

The reason I ask is that golf clubs are so much more than simply places to play golf, and as a member of a club, if that’s all you ever do, you’re not helping much to ensure the membership fees are kept down, or the club isn’t forced to rely on visitor green fees to balance the books.

Of course, it’s hard for many members to dig deeper into their pockets, but by attending your club for reasons other than playing you might encourage the management to lay on a

Call us on

more varied menu of offcourse entertainment, as well as raise its game on the food and beverage front.

With so many golf clubs diversifying into gyms, wedding venues, and spas, clubs that offer ‘just golf’ need to up their game in other areas in order to ensure that all elements of the membership is both entertained and retained.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

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Ernie joins Ryder Cup show at Wentworth Reigning Open champion Ernie Els is relishing his appearance in this month’s BMW PGA Championship and the chance to bring the Claret Jug ‘home’ to his beloved Wentworth Club.

The 43-year-old South African, who captured his fourth career Major at Royal Lytham last summer, has for many years owned a house on the Wentworth Estate and won an incredible seven World Match Play Championships on the West Course between 1994 and 2007.

Such is Els’s affinity with Wentworth that when the club took the decision to modernise Harry Colt’s original West Course layout there was really only one man for the job. The somewhat controversial changes to the West Course, which Els oversaw, have only strengthened the bond he has with the Surrey club.

“Everybody knows about my connections to Wentworth, so I am really looking forward to taking the Claret Jug back there for the BMW PGA Championship,” said Els. “I always love going back to Wentworth and seeing so many old friends and spending time catching up with the people there. As a family, we cherish our time at the house. I also had a fair bit of success in the World Match Play and if you add all of that to the

re-design work that we’ve done there in recent years, it means the West Course has a very special place in my heart.”

He added: “The one thing I still haven’t managed to do is win the PGA Championship, so obviously I would get a lot of satisfaction from being able to put that trophy next to the Claret Jug on the Sunday night of the tournament.”

Wentworth Club chairman, Richard Caring, said: “Ernie is a great friend and an extremely popular member of Wentworth Club, so of course we are all delighted to welcome him back to Wentworth as Open Champion. For me personally it was a privilege to have Ernie on board for the renovation of the West Course, and I believe he’s done a fantastic job, which becomes ever more apparent as the changes grow-in and the new greens continue to mature.”

He added: “We have another incredibly strong field for this year’s BMW PGA Championship and I’m sure there is much drama and high emotion on the cards. This flagship event has become a real feast for all golf fans.”

Els will be joined by an impressive cast list of Major champions on show at Wentworth, including fellow South Africans Louis

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The heroes from Medinah will all be on show at Wentworth

Players dig deep to support former Prince’s pro charity The PGA in England (South) summer schedule kicked off in style with the 2013 RIP It For Derek Pro-Am, which enjoyed yet another massive success in terms of money raised and winning scores.

Played in honour of the late Derek Barbour, the head professional at Prince’s from 1998 to 2006, the funds go to help his children’s education and to the British Heart Foundation.

Playing at his home course of Prince’s, Warren Bennett cruised to a four-stroke victory with a flawless five-under-par 67 to take the winner’s cheque for £500 and the Derek Barbour Memorial Trophy. The trophy itself was made by a Prince’s member using Derek’s old irons.

Former European Tour winner Bennett was a deserving winner, having been part of Barbour’s professional team at Prince’s. Out in two-underpar with no dropped shots, he made three Warren Bennett more birdies and kept a

bogey-free card, revealing his tour calibre once again.

Prince’s Director of Golf, Rob McGuirk, was delighted by the level of support shown for the event. “We originally planned on having fewer players, but 37 teams took part and to accommodate everyone we used all 27 holes and had a shotgun start,” he said. “There were three sets of prizes for the different combinations of nines, and we still had to turn away quite a few applications. This day has helped raise a lot of money, along with two very generous sponsors in Watchfinder and Strokesaver, who have been simply brilliant.”

He added: “Events like the RIP It For Derek Pro-Am just go to show the strength of the PGA community when it asks people to support one of its own, and the benevolence it can provide. On behalf of The PGA in England (South), I’d like to say a very big thank you to the players, our sponsors, to Prince’s itself, and to all those who have supported this great local cause and made it such a stunning success.”

May 2013 / Issue 221

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eal to Oosthuizen celebrateandthe new clubhouse Charl Schwartzel, while the entire 2012this Ryderwinter.

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accompanied by an adult ticket holder.

This year sees the introduction of a new alongside each other, although under very Park and Ride system to help facilitate the est Winter coursescircumstances, in the south. Very good natural different for the first time drainage. on flow of traffic. The system will operate from European soil since the historic victory at two locations – one near Sunningdale, Medinah last September. carrying traffic from the west (M3 and M4) In addition to the four-day tournament, and one at the Review Ground, Windsor which takes place on May 23-36, Wentworth Great Park, which is east of the tournament will play host to the celebrity-packed Provenue close to the M25.

Am on May 22, which offers the chance to Both parks will operate free shuttle see the stars of sport, stage and screen play bus service to Wentworth Club every five alongside top professionals on the West minutes, with the journey time taking Course. around ten minutes and allowing easy Advance tickets are selling fast, while access to a new welcome pavilion through reserved grandstand seating at the 18th to the tented village. green and limited on-site parking are already sold out. A limited number of Adult day tickets cost £35 for Thursday additional grandstand seats for Saturday and Friday, and £55 for Saturday or and Sunday are now on sale on a first come, Sunday, or £13 for the Pro-Am day. served basis. Children For more details and bookings, visit nce thefirst breathtaking views aged 16 and under will be admitted free of charge if www.europeantour.com/tickets .

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Sandford Springs on schedule to complete major redevelopment A £5 million construction programme at to incorporate environmentally responsible Sandford Springs Golf Club in Hampshire, which practices and have chosen an architectural will result in the creation of a new hotel and design in keeping with the landscape in this complete clubhouse refurbishment, is on track most beautiful part of England.” for completion in September.

The construction of the hotel follows hard The first stage of the clubhouse on the heels of the completion of a four-year redevelopment, which involved the programme of investments in the 27-hole refurbishment of the existing changing rooms, Watership Down course. Over £1.5 million has finished at the end of April, with the second been spent on improving drainage, while a phase currently under way. further £250,000 was invested in a new irrigation The new 40-bedroom hotel, which will system for watering tees, greens and approaches overlook the 11th green of the golf course and is – all of which is aimed at offering members and 200 yards from the clubhouse, will offer 40 twin visitors top-class playing conditions throughout bedrooms, including one suite and nine superior the year on its trio of challenging nine-hole rooms, when it opens this autumn. It will also loops: The Park, The Wood, and The Lakes. offer a breakfast buffet area and a lounge.

Andrew Wild, general manager of Sandford Springs, is delighted with the progress being made on the redevelopment of the Leaderboard Group-owned club. “We are excited and cannot wait for the work to be finished.

It will be a valuable addition to our club, as well as the local community,” he said. “Throughout The new hotel is under construction the building process we are striving

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May 2013 / Issue 221

News in Brief

Smith roasts Hampshire Hog rivals Roe opens historic Effingham’s new 18th England International Jordan Smith claimed the biggest title of his career by winning the Hampshire Hog at North Hants Golf Club on April 21.

Smith shot rounds of 69, 67 for a four under par total of 136 to deny England Amateur champion Harry Ellis by a shot.

It was sweet revenge for the Wiltshire amateur after losing out to Ellis in the semi-final of the English Amateur at the 19th hole last summer. Ellis went on to become the youngest English Amateur Champion in history at the age of 16, beating Nick Faldo’s record.

The 20-year-old Smith, who is based at Bowood in Wiltshire, had been struggling with a virus in recent weeks, but shrugged off any ill effects on a glorious day for the 57th staging of this prestigious amateur event over the famed Hampshire layout. Playing the Hog for the first time, Smith was one of only seven players to break par in the morning round, the highlight being his eagle on the 17th, after a towering drive left

ELLIS CLAIMS HANTS CHAMPS Marriott Meon Valley’s Harry Ellis consolidated his fast start to the 2013 season when he defeated fellow English international Jack Singh Brar in a play-off for the Hampshire Junior Championship at Corhampton Golf Club. The 16-year-old reigning English amateur champion carded rounds of 72 and 68 before beating Singh Brar on the third hole of the play-off.

RUSH OF BIRDIES Haverhill pro Ollie Rush produced a three-under-par 70 at Cambridge Meridian to lead the 31 qualifiers for the Virgin Atlantic Classic to be played at Stock Brook on August 7-8. Joint runners-up were Matt Spencer (Mill Green) and James Johnstone (Manor of Groves). Rush was three-over-par after just six holes, but then reeled off six birdies in his next nine holes to win the tournament.

Jordan Smith

him only 165 yards to the pin. An accurate 9-iron approach to 12 feet was duly converted. Continuing where he left off in the morning he took the title with a closing 67.

Smith said: “When you see the likes of Justin Rose and Sandy Lyle as previous winners, you aspire to what they have done. If you start by winning events they won, you know you are heading in the right direction. It’s great to have my name on the honours board. It’s a great start to

the season and now the goal is to try and get in the Walker Cup team later this year.”

Defending champion Callum Shinkwin (Moor Park) once again showed his liking for North Hants with a course record 65 in the afternoon to win the Hampshire Salver, claiming valuable World Amateur Ranking points with a combined aggregate of 273 from the Hampshire Hog and the previous day’s Selbourne Salver at Blackmoor.

Former European Tour player Mark Roe joined forces with Sir Paul Beresford, the Conservative MP for Mole Valley, to officially unveil the newlook 18th hole at Effingham Golf Club on May 6.

The new hole, plus a new green on the challenging fifth, have been designed by leading course architects Mackenzie & Ebert, and are the first major changes to be made to Harry Colt’s original 1927 creation.

After the official opening Roe, together with club captain Ken Massey, and two lucky members, were the first to play the completed hole.

Effingham, which was

founded in 1939, was an Open Regional Qualifying course from 2006 to 2010, and will be hosting a regional qualifier for the English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship in 2014.

The 6,700-yard course is set on 264 acres of rolling chalk downs, and at up to 500 feet above sea level, the two 9-hole loops have panoramic views from Windsor across the City of London to Canary Wharf. The listed Georgian clubhouse dates from 1770, with historic links to Lord Howard of Effingham, who was commander of the English forces that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Mark Roe lends a hand

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Darren Clarke and his agent Chubby Chandler

Amateur golfers looking to discover what it takes to win a Major, and gain an insight into the life of one of European golf’s most colourful characters, should consider booking tickets for an exclusive evening being hosted by former Open champion Darren Clarke later this month.

The hero of Royal St George’s will be on hand with his close friend and manager, Andrew Chandler, to give an exclusive insight into life as a global golfing superstar at a charity night at the May Fair Hotel in London on May 24.

One of the European Tour’s biggest stars over the last two decades, the 44-year-old Northern Irishman has enjoyed worldwide success since turning professional in 1990, including 22 wins worldwide and five successive Ryder Cup appearances from 1997-2006, while he finally ended his search for a Major by winning the Open Championship at Royal St George’s two years ago.

And joining him to swap stories about life on tour at the ‘Out of Bounds’ evening will be Chandler, the mastermind behind ISM – one of the world’s biggest sports agencies – which has played an integral role in the successful playing careers of the likes of Clarke, Lee Westwood and South African Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

Stoke Park to host CLARKE TO REVEAL James Bond Golf Day MAJOR SECRETS Tickets for the event, which will be hosted by talkSPORT’s Georgie Bingham, cost £125 per person, and also include a champagne drinks reception, canapés and entrance to the exclusive Mayfair Bar after the question-and-answer session.

For tickets for the ‘Out of Bounds evening with Darren Clarke and Chubby Chandler’, call 0207 336 5346 or visit www.yourgolftravel.com/darren-clarkeout-of-bounds.

Clarke became Your Golf Travel’s new global ambassador at the end of last year and has fronted a major four-month national advertising campaign for the company across the Sky TV network since January. YGT has also teamed up with Tourism Ireland to offer one lucky golfer and three of their friends an amazing trip to Royal Portrush to play golf with Clarke.

The lucky winners will enjoy return flights to Belfast over the weekend of June 24-25, with 18 holes of golf with Darren on the Dunluce Links, followed by dinner and drinks and overnight accommodation. The winner of the day’s tournament will also be invited to attend the 2014 Ryder Cup as Darren’s special guest.

To enter the prize draw, simply register at http://darrenclarke.yourgolftravel.com.

Entries close on May 31, 2013.

Fans of all things Bond are being invited to take part in the official James Bond Golf Day, which is being hosted at Stoke Park Golf Club in Buckinghamshire on June 28.

As the setting for arguably the most iconic golf match in cinematic history featuring Sean Connery’s Bond, and Gert Fröbe’s Auric Goldfinger, and not forgetting Oddjob’s flying hat, Stoke Park has partnered with EON Productions to host the Bond-themed golf day, with profits from the day donated to the charity Spinal Research.

Like Bond and Goldfinger, golfers will have the opportunity to compete on Stoke Park’s legendary 1908 Championship golf course, indulge in award-winning head chef Chris Wheeler’s exquisite cuisine, and dance into the night with live music in the ballroom.

Stuart Collier, Director of Golf at Stoke Park, said: “Next year will be 50 years since Goldfinger was released in the cinemas, and at Stoke Park we are very proud of our Bond heritage. We have had two Bond films shot here, and in 1997 scenes from Tomorrow Never Dies were also filmed in our ballroom. The idea behind the golf day was to celebrate that heritage, and to create something truly unique and authentic.”

Whilst the 25 teams compete on the golf course, noncompetitors will be able to enjoy Stoke Park’s spa, gym, tennis clinics, golf clinics, and rides in Aston Martins, before changing into black tie for the evening’s entertainment.

To enter a team call 01753 717171 or email events@ stokepark.com.

“No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!”

News in Brief HIDE WINS AT PRINCE’S Frinton assistant Tom Hide produced a level par 72 to win the Essex PGA Pro-Am at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent in chilly conditions. Hide, runnerup in the Essex Open in 2006, beat Steve Richardson (Garon Park) by one shot with Jason Levermore third at two over par.

FAREWELL PADDY Paddy McIlvenny, one of the stalwarts of Sussex golf, died last month aged 88. A member of The Dyke Golf Club in Brighton, he served as County Captain from 1972-74 and was vice-president of the Sussex Golf Union. Born in Belfast, Paddy was a gifted sportsman, and played football for Brighton & Hove Albion, among several other clubs, before his talents as a golfer came to the fore.

You don’t have to pay a king’s ransom... ...to be treated like royalty Special offers on society packages until the end of September start from £30 per person. All packages can be tailored to meet any requirements.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Tour stars on show at Dukes Meadow MID SUSSEX GOLF CLUB PRO SHOP EXCLUSIVE!

Poulter and Rose will be reunited at Dukes Meadow for Zone Golf shoot-out

• Spend over £300 on TaylorMade product and receive a TaylorMade Stratus golf bag FREE OF CHARGE (RRP £99) • Please redeem this voucher in store to receive this exclusive offer www.midsussexgolfclub.co.uk Tel: 01273 846567 Terms and Conditions apply, one bag per customer offer valid from 1st-31st May. Please ask in store for more details.

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Ryder Cup players Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Paul Lawrie will be joined by current Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, and a host of stars from the world of sport, for the launch of a new format of golf, which is being launched at Duke Meadows Golf Centre in Chiswick on May 27.

The trio of Tour stars, who are all competing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, will team up with tennis ace Tim Henman, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Rednapp and five-time Olympic rowing gold medalist Sir Steve Redgrave and former England cricket captain Andrew Straus, to take part in the Zone Golf Charity Shoot-Out. The teams will be playing for a prize fund of £250,00, with £100,000 going to the winning professionals nominated charity and £50,000 going to each of the losing professionals charities.

The tournament, which is being organised by entertainment events guru Harvey Goldsmith, will be hosted by TV presenters Vernon Kay and Charlotte Jackson.

Zone Golf is a Par 3 game with a twist, and is claimed by its inventors, former European Tour professionals Van Philips and Jeremy Kavanagh, to be golf’s version of 20/20 cricket. Philips, who is the academy director at Dukes Meadow, said: “It’s great that the first of many Zone Golf events will be held at my home club, which is not only one of the best par 3 courses in the world, but

also absolutely perfect for the Zone Golf format.

The Charity Shoot Out will give us a chance to show the golfing world how our concept brings fast-paced excitement to the traditionally reserved game of golf.” The game is played over nine holes, with each green divided into three coloured zones, with a hole and flag in each zone (green-easy, amber-medium, red-hard).

Each player/team must nominate a zone on the tee and subsequently hit that zone to acquire the relevant points (green 3, amber 6 and red 9).

Additional points are available for bogey (1), par (2), birdie (3), and hole-in-ones (4). The player/ team with the most points after nine holes wins.

Tickets for the Zone Golf Charity Shoot-Out, which will be televised on Sky Sports in June, are currently on sale to the public, costing between £10 and £35. For details visit www. zonegolfthegame.com.

Yule’s too cool for school rivals!

Eighteen-year-old Jack Yule, a student at the Lee Westwood Golf School in Essex, has won the Players Championship at the British Schools and Colleges National Finals.

The competition, which was played at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, had a field of 100 students from across the UK, who had qualified from regional qualifying events. Yule’s two-under par round of 69 was able to secure him victory by one shot from four rivals, which included fellow Lee Westwood Golf School student Ben Wall.

Simon Dainty, head coach at the school, said: “I’m so happy to see that Jack’s hard work has paid off. He promised he would deliver in the final and is a man of his word. We are all so proud of his success.”

In September, Yule will complete his two-year full time programme at the Lee Westwood Golf School, based at Stoke-byNayland Hotel, Golf & Spa, which includes completing a BTEC Extended National Diploma in Sport delivered by Leeds City College.

Another notable performance at Prince’s

came from Essex student Josh Robertson, who scored a hole-in-one on the 188yard seventh hole of the club’s Himalayas course. Sadly, it was a day too early for him to collect the £7,500 cash prize on offer in the hole-in-one competition.

Jack Yule was in fine form at Prince’s

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Burhill Golf Club will host the finals

Disabled golfers to battle it out in ‘Race to Burhill’ BGL Golf, the UK’s leading course owner and operator, has partnered with the Disabled Golf Association to launch a new tournament series, the Race to Burhill.

The competition will include six qualifying events, taking place throughout the year, at different BGL Golf facilities located across the UK, culminating in a grand final at Burhill Golf Club in Surrey.

The top three golfers from each preliminary stage will qualify for the final, to be played on October 9, on Burhill’s New Course, a regular venue for the EuroPro Tour.

Graeme Robertson, DGA national events co-ordinator, said: “BGL Golf understands what we’re all about and has been incredibly supportive of this new series. The BGL Golf facilities are disabled-friendly, but what has

impressed me most is the staff, who are knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to be of assistance.”

Colin Mayes, BGL chief executive, said: “We operate golf facilities that welcome golfers without discrimination of age, gender or ability. It is my hope that the Race to Burhill will not only provide a prominent fixture on the DGA’s calendar, but that it also serves to raise the profile of disabled golf in the wider golfing community.”

The first qualifier took place at Thornbury Golf Centre in Bristol on April 28, while the other venues are Abbey Hill GC, Bucks (July 25); Ramsdale Park, Notts (Aug 22); Birchwood Park, Kent (Aug 27); Hoebridge GC, Surrey (Sept 3), and Redbourn GC, Herts (Sept 17).

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Get ahead of the game at Seaford Seaford Head Golf Club’s new academy is proving the perfect training ground for golfers just starting out in the game as well as those looking to improve.

With an expert team of PGA-trained coaches, including head PGA coach Fraser Morley and Senior PGA coach Chris Kelley, the popular Sussex-based venue is well equipped to squeeze every ounce of ability out of players of all skill levels.

The academy offers all the latest swing analysis technology, including Gasp software and instant video feedback.Afterwards, the team provides detailed feedback, including emailing pupils with detailed swing assessments, together with still images of the golfer’s swing.

A wide range of lesson options are available, from £20 for 30-minute one-on-one lessons, and £25 for a four-week group session, up to £80 for an individual 18-hole playing lesson. The club is also running beginner group junior lessons from July for different age groups, from 5 to 18.

For more details, call the Seaford Head Golf Academy on 01323 890139 or email seafordheadproshop@hotmail.

Top coach Fraser Morley co.uk.

Euro Senior stars return to Woburn The ever-popular Travis Perkins Senior Masters returns to Woburn Golf Club later this summer, with a host of stars from yesteryear and the modern era sure to draw in a bumper crowd to the famous Buckinghamshire estate.

Last year’s tournament attracted a record gate of nearly 23,000 people to the 6,896yard Duke’s Course, as Irishman Des Smyth held off the challenge of Peter Fowler and 1999 Ryder Cup captain Mark James to win the title for a second time in three years.

This year’s renewal can expect a similarly exalted field, enhanced by a host of recentlyturned 50-year-olds, including former Ryder Cup player Paul Way, dual European Tour winner Jamie Spence, and 1990 Portguese Open champion Mike McLean.

The Senior Masters is one of the longest running tournaments on the Senior

Tour, with Woburn’s unbroken run of staging 12 2012 winner Des Smyth consecutive events second only to Bad Ragaz Golf Club in Switzerland, as the longest standing venue on the current Senior Tour schedule.

The prize fund for will be £300,000, with the champion receiving a first prize of £45,000, plus an additional £10,000 bonus contributed by the Duke of Bedford, the owner of Woburn.

Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from August 30-September 1, can be bought online for a 50% discount, costing just £10 for a season pass, or £5 for a day ticket. For bookings, visit www.europeantour. com/tickets.

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10 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

COMPETITION

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To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nicklaus Signature Course at St Mellion – which was Jack’s first design in the UK – we will be sending one GOLF NEWS reader and three friends for a £500 golf break at St Mellion International Resort in Cornwall, this summer.

THIS EXCLUSIVE PRIZE INCLUDES: One night’s dinner, bed & breakfast for four people (twin rooms, two sharing per room) A fourball on the 18-hole Nicklaus Signature Course A fourball on 18-hole Kernow Course Two complimentary golf buggies Complimentary use of the health club

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QUESTION Which Major-winner designed a golf course at St Mellion? a) Nick Faldo b) Tiger Woods c) Jack Nicklaus

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TO ENTER Please answer the question below, and email it info@golfnews.co.uk with ‘St Mellion Competition’ in the subject line.

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The prize must be taken between August 1 and November 30, 2013. Dates are subject to availability.

ST MELLION INTERNATIONAL: BUILT FOR ENJOYMENT Offering a new luxurious 80-bedroom, 4-star hotel and spa, and two 18-hole golf course, St Mellion International Resort is one of the UK’s most complete destinations for a golf or leisure break.

Situated near Plymouth, in a secluded Cornish valley, it offers total relaxation, along with a magnificent golfing challenge, in a stunning 450-acre estate.

It has two Championship courses, both of which have hosted European Tour events. The most famous, the Nicklaus Signature Course, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2013, and was the first UK course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Nicklaus is regularly rated in England’s Top 50, and within the UK’s Top 100.

The flagship venue of Crown Golf, the UK’s largest golf club owner and operator, St Mellion offers a fresh, unexpected alternative to the more traditional hotel and resort accommodation found elsewhere in the West Country. Alongside its luxurious room choices, St Mellion’s contemporary 4-star hotel offers guests three very different dining experiences, including fine dining, brasserie-style and

a comprehensive bar food menu. An indoor leisure club with three pools, and an Elemis spa health & fitness club, allows guests to be as active or as relaxed as they choose.

St Mellion is also one of the West Country’s leading venues for weddings, conferences, exhibitions and other functions including large gala dinners.

Its combination of a tranquil location, world-class golf, facilities unrivalled in the area, and wonderful hospitality, makes St Mellion perfect for golf breaks, leisure breaks and family holidays.

For the latest golf breaks offers, bookings and more information, visit www.st-mellion.co.uk, email stmellion@crown-golf.co.uk, or call 01579 351351.

May 2013 / Issue 221

British tourist drowns in Spanish golf course lake

Lullingstone undergoes rebrand Visitors to Lullingstone Park Golf Course in Kent will notice a small, but significant change to its corporate identity, following the completion of a recent rebranding initiative.

The attractive parkland course, which is located in the Darenth Valley, a few miles south east of London, opened 45 years ago, and the updated branding, which will appear on all the club’s literature, signs, and website, is designed to reflect Lullingstone’s close relationship with the history of the land and the natural environment.

The oak leaf used to adorn the ‘O’ of ‘Lullingstone’ is designed from the quercus petraea species or sessile oak, a large number of which stand proudly throughout the magnificent 500-acre parkland.

The new website represents the beauty of the course, with a hole-by-hole photo gallery, a brand new ‘pick and mix’ society package page, a testimonial page where golfers can read about other visitors’ experiences, we well as all the latest news and updates appearing on the Facebook and Twitter sites. To see what’s happening at the newlook Lullingstone Park, visit www. lullingstonegolfcourse.co.uk.

/ 11

Dunas de Donana

Most golfers would be happy to end their days playing the game they love the most, but for one unfortunate British golfer that dream turned into a nightmare last month, when his attempt to recover a ball from the edge of a lake ended in his death.

Scotsman Thomas Ross fell into a lake at Dunas de Donana golf course in Southern Spain, while trying to retrieve a ball that had rolled into the water by just a few feet.

However, the 73-year-old, who was reportedly unable to swim, slipped into the water and lost consciousness.

Reports said that he was pulled out of the lake alive, but died shortly afterwards. His body was taken to the Forensic Anatomical Institute in Huelva where an autopsy was carried out to find the cause of death, as locals reported that the lake was not very deep.

The 18-hole course is located near Matalascanas beach, and is popular with British tourists. Mr Ross, a retired electrician, had been travelling with a group of five friends from his home club in Nairn, and was staying at the nearby four-star Carabela Beach & Golf Hotel.

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12 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

Nick Bayly meets leading specialist sports osteopath Paul Morrissey, whose Surreybased practice is pioneering techniques to keep golfers of all ages and skill levels swinging without pain

ALL GAIN NO PAIN Touching all the wood I can find near my desk, I’ve been lucky enough to avoid serious injury during my 45 years on this planet. Aside from a broken collarbone playing rugby in my teens, I’ve never had cause to visit a doctor or hospital for anything more than hayfever injections and the birth of my two children.

I put my lack of serious injury down to my unwillingness to over exert myself, and, from a golfing standpoint, the complete lack of tension in my golf swing. My arms-led movement creates close to zero torque, and although I have felt the odd twinge when leaning over to pick my ball out of the hole, I am fortunate enough to have never been laid up with a bad back, or been unable to play for any medical reasons (unless you count temporary insanity).

But in my blissful pain-free state, I realise I am a member of small and very fortunate minority. As a nation of largely desk-bound workers, who throw themselves into their weekly games of golf without so much as a practice swing or a token stretch, the likelihood of causing serious and lasting damage to our backs, knees, arms and wrists has never been greater. Even top touring pros, with their fluid swings and armies of physios and strength coaches, are susceptible to injuries, while for the rest of us duffers – with our abnormal twisting, awkward balance and terrible spine angles – the prospect of a pain-free back and a regular golf habit is practically impossible.

Many a golfing career has been cut cruelly short by injury, with over 80% of all professionals reporting having suffered from physical pain as a direct consequence of golf at some point in their lives. And with the swings of pros becoming ever more explosive, the likelihood of keeping 29 vertebrae in perfect alignment seems increasingly challenging, never mind the pressures exerted on other parts of the body.

More than anything, it is the repetitive nature of the movement, and some golfers’ willingness to pound balls for hours and hours on the driving range, that leads to wear and tear on muscles, tendons, discs and bones. And while pro golfers do their best to create a repeatable, healthy swing they can perform hundreds of times a day, the untrained amateur stands to encounter even more problems, even if they’re not bashing quite so many balls.

“It’s a simple fact that the human body just isn’t made to hit a golf ball,” says Paul Morrissey, a passionate golfer and founder of the Surrey-based Osteopathy Clinic of Physical Medicine (OCPM), a private practice with offices based in Warlingham and Addiscombe. “Whenever you put a force on a

disk or a joint that combines two or more motions, it may cause damage.”

It’s a crushing thought, but Paul knows a thing or two about golf injuries. His clinical training as an osteopath and his lasting love of golf has led him to spend the best part of 20 years working with some of the game’s leading players and coaches.

He is personal osteopath to renowned swing guru David Leadbetter, and jets back and forth across the Atlantic several times a year to work with David, along with many other top coaches and tour players, including 2008 Masters’ champion Trevor Immelman and Ryder Cup player David Howell,

Kate Leadbetter and Paul Morrissey

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The pilates studio at the Warlingham-based clinic

both of whom have battled through injuries to reach the top of the game.

Recognised for his extensive expertise in clinical pilates and sports medicine, Paul set up OCPM in 2006, and has earned a reputation for working at the cutting edge of treatment for sports-related injuries. He also treats dancers and other athletes, as well as people with non-sporting injuries, and is now launching a golf-specific service, which will treat golfers of all ages and skill levels. “We are seeing an increasing number of people who play golf, from juniors through to seniors, men and women, and I wanted to create a facility that

Prevention is better than cure.

Discover the seven secrets of a pain free golf swing. This guide and the accompanying videos will show the simple exercises and stretches you can start today to keep your back in the best shape.

Get your free copy of the Pain Free Golf Guide by visiting www. painfreegolfing.co.uk To book an initial assessment at the Osteopathic Golf Clinic, please call 020 8662 1155.

The Golf Clinic, Osteopathic Clinic of Physical Medicine 20 Cheyne Walk, Addiscombe, Croydon CR0 7HJ.

catered for everyone, regardless of standard,” says Paul. “Golfers are no longer guys with big waists.

The game has changed over the years, and has become more powerful, and that brings with it a new dimension, including stress on our bodies, which can increase risk of injury. At the top of the sport, most pros have a team of physiologists, conditioning coaches and biomechanics experts, who all contribute to improving the golfer’s performance. Amateurs are left to fend for themselves, and that is where we come in.

Whatever their level, we can offer help, expertise and advice to repair an injury or take preventative measures to keep them on the right course.”

Paul has enlisted the assistance of experienced physiotherapist Kate Leadbetter – who is David’s niece – and together they offer a comprehensive programme of therapies and treatments to help golfers get the most out of their bodies, as well as putting them on the road to recovery following injuries or operations. “There are five common sites of injuries in golf,” says Kate. “Almost two-thirds are lower back pain, due to the flexion and rotation of the spine needed within a golf swing. The other four areas include the wrist, shoulder, elbow and hip. A lot of these injuries are a chain reaction from other parts of the body, so we always assess patients as a whole, rather than focusing on one particular area.”

She adds: “Our clinics are not just aimed at treating already apparent injuries. Our screening programmes also pinpoint where potential mobility and flexibility issues may be causing golfers not to play to their full potential.”

In addition to mobility and flexibility assessments, the clinic is able to carry out movement analysis to identify impairments; conduct orthopaedic examinations to clearly identify joint and muscular problems; and offer a co-ordinated corrective programme, including treatments such as osteopathy, pilates, and golfspecific physiotherapy.

The clinic in Warlingham is kitted out with a wide variety of state-of-the art medical equipment, including ultrasound, laser, and shockwave therapy machines, while a separate pilates studio features the very latest exercise and conditioning machines.

And while they may look like props from a medieval torture chamber, I’ve been assured that they provide the answers to improving flexibility and increasing core strength, balance and mobility – all of which will help to enhance your game.

So whether you’re a tour pro, an elite amateur or weekend hacker, the Osteopathy Clinic of Physical Medicine can not only help you recover from injuries and operations, but it can unlock your true physical potential, whatever your general health.

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14 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

PRINCE’S TO STAGE EUROPRO FINALE

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PLANNING A GOLF DAY?

The PGA EuroPro Tour will hold its 2013 Tour Championship at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent this autumn.

The biggest and final event of the Tour’s season will take place over 54 holes at the Sandwich-based club from October 15-17.

The top 60 players on the Tour’s Order of Merit after the final regular-season event at Moor Allerton in Leeds will be invited to play at the Tour Championship, where they will compete for a share of a £60,000 prize fund.

Providing the biggest payout of the season, the event will be decisive in completing the Order of Merit and determining the final top five, who will be rewarded with a category on the 2014 Challenge Tour.

Daniel Godding, Director of Operations on the PGA EuroPro Tour, said: “Prince’s is one of the country’s best Links courses and that is why we have decided to stage our Tour Championship there. The Shore and Dunes

courses make up a superb championship course, and are sure to provide our top 60 golfers with one of the toughest tests of the season.”

The 2013 EuroPro Tour began with the Motocaddy Masters at Wensum Valley in Norfolk on April 30, and will be visiting a number of clubs in the South East, including Burhill in Surrey (May 30-June 1), Frilford Heath in Oxfordshire (June 28-30), Dale Hill in East Sussex (August 21-23), and The Oxfordshire (August 28-30). The prize fund for each of the events is set at £39,185.

The EuroPro Tour has recently extended its agreement with broadcaster Sky Sports to show extended highlights of its events until 2017. Each tournament will be screened on Sky Sports HD in a two-hour programme, which will be shown four times. Coverage of The 2013 Tour Championship at Prince’s will be extended to three hours.

Sussex senior bags brace of aces!

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Wildwood Golf & Country Club Horsham Road, Alfold (Nr Cranleigh), Surrey GU6 8JE Tel. 01403 753255 e.mail louise@wildwoodgolf.co.uk www.wildwoodgolf.co.uk

The drinks were on Mid Sussex Golf Club member Alan Benfell last month, after he bagged two hole-in-ones during the same round at the Ditchling-based venue.

The 73-year-old defied odds of 67 millionto-one to ace not one, but two holes during the Monday morning senior’s stableford competition held at Mid Sussex on April 8.

The first of the stunning shots came at the 134-yard fifth hole, while the second was achieved at the 158-yard 15th. Despite their different yardages, Mr Benfell used the same 6-iron for both shots, and also used the same ball.

Speaking after the memorable event, Alan, who had never previously achieved an ace, said: “The second time it happened I was waiting for the alarm clock to go off, as I really though I was dreaming. It was a really surreal moment. Another reality check came when I got the bar bill afterwards. I’ve seen toilet rolls shorter than that! I thought they were going to charge me extra for the till roll, it was that long!”

Sadly, Alan’s two amazing aces were interspersed with some slightly less spectacular play, which resulted in him failing to win the competition, or even finish in the top three, although he did manage to offset the £200 drinks bill by picking up the two’s pot, which was swelled by a turnout of 81 players.

Aceman Alan Benfell with his huge bar bill

“I didn’t play that well between the 5th and the 15th, as I think I was in a bit of a daze,” he said. “In the end I had the two eagles, four three-pointers, five two- pointers, and the rest were singles and blobs.”

Alan, who is a retired mushroom farmer from Wivelsfield Green, only took up golfers in his fifties. “The nearest I’d ever got to a holein-one before was when they used to leave the previous day’s holes open and my ball disappeared down that on the fifth many years ago,” he explained. “It was like waiting for a bus and they all came at once.”

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 15

New dad Barham bags Pentland title Benn Barham fired off a six-under-par 66 to win the Pedham Place BetterBall Pro-Am, the first event to be supported by Pentland Golf.

Repeating his recent sub-par performance at Deal, Barham left the 69s of Chris Gane, Mark Hillson and Barham’s colleague at King’s Hill, Mark Trow, trailing in his wake.

As Barham explained, winning was the icing on the cake, as he’d just become a father for the second time with the birth of a baby daughter on April 6. “Not surprisingly, I hadn’t touched a club since she was born, but I felt great and in the right frame of mind for a good day’s golf.”

The former

European Tour pro admitted to not hitting the ball as well as he’d have liked, but drew on his experience of keeping a round going in order to post a decent score. “I’ve learned how to get round a course and make a decent score when things aren’t going the way you’d like,” he said.

“My short game was good, and I made some tricky up and downs, and holed putts under 10 foot. I want to thank Pedham’s PGA professional, Tim Milford, for making the event happen, and also Pentland Golf for sponsoring their first event. They’ve got a big presence in Kent golf, and this will help increase their profile.

Barham has recently turned his back on tour golf, and is now enjoying his new role as coach at Kings Hill. “Things are going really well for me at King’s Hill, and the coaching diary is filling up nicely. What’s particularly nice is that I’m teaching all categories of golfers – I remember what it’s like to be a junior off 36!”

Escape the Office...

Horton Big Weekend proves a big hit

Horton Park Golf Club in Surrey was a hive of activity last month, after it hosted its popular annual ‘Big Weekend’.

The two-day festival offers golfers of all ages and skill levels in the local area the chance to experience the facilities at the popular Epsombased venue.

Blessed with some much-needed spring sunshine, the weekend attracted plenty of public interest, with hundreds of golf fans enjoying a range of activities, which included a trick shot show from resident professional Craig Cowper, exhibition matches by the pro

staff, and skills competitions and challenges for amateurs, such as the chance to win a car for a hole-in-one of the club’s island green par three.

For £25, golfers were also able to play 18 holes on the main course, nine on the academy course, and take advantage of unlimited balls on the driving range.

The club also used the weekend to launch its brand new clubhouse menu, which featured the Monster Burger, a massive homemade beef burger, topped with onion rings, bacon, mushrooms, cheese, a fried egg and barbecue sauce. It proved a bite too far for most diners, but they all enjoyed the challenge.

One lucky golfer walked away with a new TaylorMade RocketBallz driver, after picking Adam Scott in the Masters’ sweepstake, while other generous prizes were given to winners of the putting and chipping competitions.

This summer will also see the opening of a brand new 18-hole jungle-themed Adventure Golf course at Horton Park. Featuring life-sized gorillas, a walk-through waterfall, and a water raft to go from one hole to the next, it promises fun for all the family when it opens in July.

Chislehurst calls for big brothers Bickering brothers who fancy laying down their weapons and picking up their golf clubs are being invited to take part in the Brothers Amateur Foursomes Open, which is once again being hosted at Chislehurst Golf Club in South East London from June 13-14.

The unique tournament, which is now in its 35th year, attracts pairs of brothers from all over the country, with many returning year after year.

The tournament is held over two days, beginning with an 18-hole qualifying foursomes Stableford played on the first morning. The top eight qualifying pairs then move into the quarter-finals of the matchplay knockout for the Brothers Open Trophies, with the next eight pairs qualifying for the Plate.

Non-qualifiers play in a Stableford greensomes event on the first afternoon, followed by a Stableford foursomes competition the following morning, while the semi-finals proceed around them ahead of both finals on the Friday afternoon.

The competition rules are simple in so far as all competitors must be members of a recognised golf club with a valid handicap.

Half brothers and stepbrothers are ineligible, and the maximum handicap permitted is 28.

The entry fee of £110 per pair includes all golf, coffee and bacon rolls on arrival and a buffet at prize-giving following the finals. One courtesy practice round is also available on either the preceding Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. For entries, call Mark Hickson on 0208 467 2782 or e-mail thesecretary@ chislehurstgolfclub.co.uk.

Book online at www.silvermere-golf.co.uk or call 01932 584 314

16 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

HOME IN ON HOEBRIDGE With 45 holes of ‘grownup’ golf, and a brand new 18-hole pirate-themed putting course, it is no wonder Hoebridge Golf Centre is one of the south’s most popular venues for all ages and levels of skill

I’d hazard a guess that there are a great many golfers in Surrey who owe their golfing lives to Hoebridge Golf Centre. In an area over-run with exclusive private members clubs, Hoebridge offers a much-needed lifeline to a sport which has become increasingly difficult for those whom a regular bash around a wellmaintained, but affordable course, is all that is required to meet their demands.

In that respect, Hoebridge is a veritable one-stop shop for all golfers, whatever their age, experience or level of expertise.

Whether it be a relaxing 18 holes around the impressive John- Jacobsdesigned Hoebridge Course, a quick dose of the 9-hole Shey Copse course, or a rapid injection of short game fun around the 18-hole Maybury course, Hoebridge has something to satisfy and test the mental and physical abilities of every level of golfer.

And if 45 holes fails to satisfy your needs, then there’s always the 18-hole

Pirate Island Adventure Golf Course on which to test your putting skills.

Opened just five months ago, it has proved an instant hit with players of all ages, with over 5,000 rounds already played on the action-packed layout, whose pirate-themed furnishings include an enormous shipwreck, cannons and treasure chests. Ideal for families and kids of all ages, it makes for a great afternoon’s entertainment, or even a venue for a children’s party.

If practising is also part of your game plan, then the centre’s 36-bay driving range, short game area, and teaching academy will also tick a few boxes, while the impressivelyproportioned pro shop, bar, restaurant, and conference facilities all add up to a complete entertainment package.

First opened in 1982, Hoebridge is part of BGL Golf (Burhill Golf & Leisure), which currently boasts a portfolio of 10 venues spread across the UK, including nearby Burhill, Birchwood Park in Kent and Wycombe Heights in Buckinghamshire. The

group as a whole is committed to raising the standards of its courses and the facilities in general, and has invested significant sums – over £2.5 million in Hoebridge alone – to achieve those goals in recent years.

The huge investment in the golf courses has not only been aimed at creating better playing conditions and course presentation, but raising the quality of the visitor experience at all levels. And while Hoebridge’s courses have always provided year-round playability, the recent improvements have elevated them to being among the best venues for golfers at any time of the year.

Hoebridge’s experienced course manager, Terry Edwards, ably supported by his team of greenstaff, has driven forward the programme of renovations, including the reconditioning of all bunkers, additional drainage to greens, fairways and tees, a full aeration programme, and an upgrade to the current irrigation system, which included the creation of a eight million gallon resevoir.

The Hoebridge Course is

undoubtedly the most popular of the three layouts, offering 18 cracking holes of parkland golf for just £28 on weekdays, and £37 at weekends.

With five par threes and the same number of par fives, the 6,536-yard course offers an agreeable mix of long and short holes, while numerous elevation changes, doglegs, and the occasional blind shot, ensure that it is a challenging test for all handicaps.

The par threes, of which there are two on the front and three on the back, present an excellent variety of holes, requiring anything from a wedge to a well-struck hybrid.

The second and 18th are relatively innocuous, straight away mid-length holes without much danger, but the sixth, the 16th and, to a lesser extent the 12th, all test different aspects of your game.

The par fours are perhaps the strongest feature of the layout because of the way they demand good course management, strategy and execution. The 360-yard fifth is a perfect example of this, with trouble lurking everywhere. The hole dips

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 17

The comfortable and spacious clubhouse caters for everyone

The range features a private custom-fitting bay

The main 18-hole course is always presented in great condition

The Maybury Course

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into a valley, before moving uphill and turning to the right around the 250-yard mark. The narrow entrance to the green is mostly blocked out by a huge tree, meaning drives must find the left portion of the fairway for an angle to the pin.

On the back nine, the 11th is another wonderful hole. It is flat for some 150 yards before turning steeply downhill and left to right, with drives only visible for the first part of their journey. A solid tee shot can trundle all the way down the hill, leaving no more than 80 yards to the green. However, most drives finish on the down slope, requiring a mid-toshort iron to a small green some 50 yards below the level of the fairway, with steep run off areas and bunkers front and back protecting the green.

The par fives, four of which are over 500 yards, present some of the best scoring opportunities, although there is still potential for a card-wrecker.

The 13th is a superb hole, where

psychological factors come into play. Out of bounds lines the right hand side of the hole, with trees, a large bunker, and long rough lining the left. If you find the fairway, you still have to avoid out of bounds and wispy rough with your lay-up, before playing an uphill third to a deceptively-large green with steep run-off areas both long and right.

All in all, it’s a fine example of how pay-and-play courses can be entertaining, challenging, yet eminently playable. While slow play on popular courses is always a factor, the staff at Hoebridge has worked proactively with golfers to ensure pace of play is adhered to, which improves the enjoyment of everyone’s round. And with well organised tee times, and plenty of marshalls on hand during peak periods, the pace of play is being constantly monitored to ensure freeflowing rounds.

If speed is of the essence, then Hoebridge’s 18-hole, par three

Green Fee Offer Book a weekday round (excluding Bank Holidays) on the Main Course from now until June 30, 2013 for just £14 per person, saving £14 on the normal price.

Book online at www.hoebridge.co.uk, quoting ‘GN’ in the promotional code box before making a payment.

Society Offer Book and confirm a society golf day for 2013, between May 14 and June 30, 2013 and each player can enjoy a free upgrade from one of the following options: free range balls; a full English breakfast; a complimentary round on the par 3 Maybury Course; a complimentary round on the Pirate Island Adventure Course, or a free sleeve of three golf balls. The organiser will also receive a £20 voucher to spend in the pro shop.

BGL Player Card To sign up for the free BGL Player card, which offers discounts off standard green fees, and savings at the driving range, visit www.hoebridgegc.co.uk/ play-card.asp.

Offers only available for online bookings.

For more details, bookings, and other general enquiries, call 01483 722 611.

Maybury course is a cracking example of how a well-maintained and expertly-designed layout can prove an attractive proposition to both beginners and experienced players alike. With holes ranging from just 72 yards up to 182 yards, running through woodland and at many different gradients, there is a good mixture of holes for everyone. Significantly, the Maybury is maintained to the same high standard as the main course, and as such offers excellent conditions from tee to green. The Shey Copse falls neatly between the two other courses, providing a quick fix of nine holes in a 2,294-yard layout that plays to a par of 33.

Although Hoebridge operates as a proprietary ‘pay and play’ facility, there are a limited number of seven and five-day memberships available which offer a host of benefits, such as discounted green fees, 11-day online advance booking, and access to recognised handicaps, club competitions, social events and regular discount offers and vouchers.

There is also the BGL Player Card, a free-to-join discounted green fee scheme which operates across all 10

BGL Golf venues. Card holders enjoy reduced green fee rates, nine-day advance tee bookings, access to seasonal offers and promotions, quarterly prize draws and a regular newsletter.

With summer packages starting from just £27, and rising to £47 for 27 holes with lunch and dinner included, it’s no surprise that Hoebridge is a popular venue with societies and corporate outings, with the three courses allowing for an entertaining mix of holes for a full day’s golf for groups from 12 to over 100.

Among the impressive practice facilities at Hoebridge is a 36-bay floodlit driving range, which offers an attractive outfield with splash nets and targets to give some focus to practice, while 21 bays are kitted out with Power Tees, which automatically tee up balls to a choice of heights.

With improvement always in mind, Hoebridge prides itself on offering the very best coaching facilities.

Whether you are a complete novice wanting to learn the basics, or an experienced player wishing to concentrate on a particular aspect of your game, the Academy offers tuition and coaching to suit all golfers. The recently-launched Learn Golf programme has been very well received, and has helped break down some of the many barriers golf has when attracting new people to the game. Hoebridge has a six-strong team of teaching professionals, lead by head professional Ian Hayward, while former English Long Drive champion Adam Stacey is also part of the coaching staff, so if you want to learn how to knock it over 400 yards, he’s your man!

In addition to offering a spacious golf shop selling all the top-named brands, Hoebridge boasts a free custom fitting service, combining Flightscope X2 technology with years of personal experience from its PGAtrained staff, to ensure golfers get the most out of their equipment and their game.

18 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

News in Brief

Barber cuts it at Surrey Downs

BROOM PRO CLEANS UP Barnham Broom PGA assistant professional Alex Beckett won the individual prize at the West Middlesex Golf Club pro-am with a round of one under par 68. He had five birdies, four of them on his last five holes, to beat Crue Elliott (Sandy Lodge), Neil Mitchell (Bury Golf Range) and Murray White (Penfold Park).

LINDFIELD TO HOST TIGER QUALIFIER The 2013 Tiger Cub Tour’s South East region qualifier is being held at Lindfield Golf Club, near Haywards Heath, on August 5-6.

The nationwide-tour provides boys and girls under the age of 12 with the opportunity to compete in a series of 36-hole strokeplay opens, played over two days. The leading 36 players from the Order of Merit will be invited to compete in the Tiger Cub Tour National Final, which will be held at the Newark Golf Club in Notts during the Autumn half-term holiday.

Derek Warwick and Damon Hill were on the winning team

Hill takes the chequered flag at Woodcote driver’s golf day High profile names from the world of motorsport turned out for the Royal Automobile Club’s second annual Charity Golf Cup competition at Woodcote Park.

Damon Hill, the former Formula 1 world champion, Derek Warwick, president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, TV presenters Steve Rider and Tiff Needell, plus many drivers from the world of motor sport including David Brabham, Jackie Oliver, Duncan Tappy, Nicky Grist, Will Stevens and Jason Plato, all competed.

For the second consecutive year, Warwick’s

BRDC President’s Team was triumphant, with Hill, former British Touring Car champion Jason Plato, and Formula Renault 3.5 champion Will Stevens completing Woodcote Park’s Old Course with a score of 92 points.

Following three points behind was the Monaco Scramblers Team, with Steve Rider competing alongside Barrie Baxter, Giles Harper and Darren Wood. In third place, with 88 points, was the Salon Privé Team, with Andrew Bagley, James Crickmay, Tony Willis and Cliff Powell. Bagley made competition history with a hole-in-one, which was

celebrated in customary fashion with drinks for all the players in the evening.

The Charity Cup’s guest of honour was John Surtees, who remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. Surtees delighted the teams by riding his 1960 MV Agusta up the captain’s drive at the Woodcote Park Estate, then returning down the drive in his immaculately-restored 1970 Surtees TS7 Formula 1 car.

The day concluded with an auction to raise money for the chosen charities, the Henry Surtees Foundation and BEN.

Surrey Downs Golf Club has been fitted out with a welcomed its new head large hitting net and Golf teaching professional, Matt Swing Systems’ cSwing Barber, to the club last coaching software. The month to help promote its room also has an area of new range and academy artificial greens turf to memberships. enable putting lessons to Barder arrived just as the take place indoors, and the re-build of the new teaching club plans to invest in the room was completed, along Zenio putting system to with the greenkeeping help make best use of this sheds, following the fire area. that destroyed the facility in Club Director Peter 2011.

He has come from Chelsfield Lakes, where he had been for nearly 14 years, and brings with him a wealth of coaching experience that he wants to build on in Matt Barber his new role. “The club has one of the best practice Townson is delighted with grounds around, with a big the appointment and grass tee for use throughout excited about the future the season”, commented prospects. “I believe that Barber. “It attracts a lot of we’ve found a professional local golfers, and has a who is a perfect fit for our growing membership from club and this facility. Matt whom I have had a warm has settled in very quickly. welcome. I’m really looking He is full of great ideas, and forward to the challenge is the ideal person to back ahead and excited at the up our new memberships, prospect of helping this club which are designed to get develop.” new golfers integrated into The new teaching room the club.”

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Recession fails to hold back high-end fees Although the economic recession has resulted in all sorts of discounts on green fees at venues throughout the land, there are still some golf clubs in the UK that have managed to maintain and, in many cases, increase their its fees significantly, without seeing any appreciable drop in income or visitor numbers.

While the most expensive green fees are generally charged by Open Championship venues or clubs with long-standing connections to professional tournaments, there are others that are able to justify their prices on the quality of

the visitor experience alone.

And while some clubs at the bottom end of the market are offering £10 green fees, the top 10 most expensive clubs in the country are able to charge that sum per hole – with golfers looking to play Wentworth’s West Course, venue for this month’s BMW PGA Championship, being asked to stump up a staggering £20 per hole in the summer months, for its peak rate green fee of £360. If you price it up per shot, however, you may end up with a different figure altogether, such is the

difficulty of the West Course.

And if you’re thinking about joining a club, how about £145,000 to become a member at the ultraexclusive Queenwood in Surrey, or £48,000 for its Club

Green Fees

Wentworth (West)

£360

Turnberry (Ailsa)

£210

know the right people.

Here is a list of some of the most expensive golf clubs in the UK, according to their weekday, high season, visitor green fee rate for 18 holes.

Trump International £195 Muirfield

£195

Sunningdale (Old)

£195

Royal Birkdale

£195

The Grove

£185

Royal County Down £180 Castle Stuart

£175

Royal St George’s

£170

Royal Lytham

£170

Woburn £169 (Duke’s, Duchess’ & Marquess’) The Belfry (Brabazon) £160 The Old Course (St Andrews)

£155

Celtic Manor 2010

£155

Royal Liverpool

£150

Carnoustie £147 (Championship)

Food for thought: Woburn charges £169 for a round on any of its three championship courses, although the fee also includes lunch

near neighbour, The Wisley?

And that’s just to join, not the annual subs.

Neither venue allows visitors, although you can play with a member, if you’re lucky enough to

Stoke Park

£145

St George’s Hill

£135

Walton Heath (Old & New)

£135

Royal Troon

£130

Rich pickings: Wentworth commands the highest green fee in the UK, with visitors asked to pay £360 per round – although you do get a caddy

Banks steals the show Kenneth Banks, of Topgolf in Chigwell, shot a two-under par 69 at North Weald Golf Club in Essex to lead home 27 qualifiers for the East Anglian Open, which will be played at The Rayleigh Club in September.

Banks fired four birdies on the back nine to beat Bruce Cuff (Duke’s Meadows) by two shots, with Mark Talbott (Thorpe Hall), Mark Alexander (MA Golf ) and Darren Turner (South Essex) finishing joint third.

The qualifiers all earned a place in the prestigious East Anglian Open, which has in the past been won by such illustrious names as Reg Knight, Eddie Whitcombe, Brian Huggett and Ian Poulter.

News in Brief ‘JUST PLAY’ BOOST FOR CROWN A initiative to promote its groupwide ‘Just Play’ card, giving discounted green fees at 25 of its clubs, proved a big success for Crown Golf last month, with over 600 new Just Play members gained during the weekend-long promotion. The promotion granted a free round to every golfer who took up Just Play membership during the period. Just Play costs £34.99 per year, and gives £6 off green fee rates at participating Crown Golf clubs, seven days a week.

DANNY DOES IT AGAIN Knole Park’s Danny Curtis retained the Kent Mid Age Championship in impressive fashion after shooting rounds of 68 and 69 at Kings Hill to beat his nearest challenger, Billy Diegan from Dartford, by nine shots. Third place went to Andrew James (Sundridge Park), who was four over par.

NEW FOR 2013

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Surrey Downs Golf Club Outwood Lane, Kingswood Surrey KT20 6JS T: 01737 839090 W: www.surreydownsgc.co.uk E: feedback@surreydownsgc.co.uk

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May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 21

COMPETITION CLASSIC COTTON KNITWEAR TO BE WON WITH GLENMUIR

Lightweight cotton knitwear is an essential part of any golfer’s wardrobe, so Glenmuir, one of Europe’s leading golf apparel brands and the preferred supplier to The European Ryder Cup team, has joined forces with Golf News to offer FIVE lucky readers the chance to win one of FIVE new pieces in the company’s 2013 Summer Knitwear Collection for men and women.

COOL COTTON COLLECTION When the weather requires a top layer, but wool would be too warm, the Scotland-based company’s new Ledmore, Kintyre, Olivia, Faye and Katie longsleeve and v-neck sweaters and gilets are perfect. All five garments – which are ideal for layering – are designed in breathable and machine washable 100% supersoft cotton and coordinate with shirts, trousers, shorts and waterproofs in Glenmuir’s Spring/Summer colour palettes.

For men, the lightweight Ledmore long-sleeve sweater features a classic diamond intarsia design on the front and is available in three cool and contemporary colour choices. Meanwhile, for golfers who prefer a classic sleeveless slipover, the Kintyre has a classic diamond i design in two contrasting colours on the front panel.

In the Glenmuir’s Ladies Collection, Olivia is a beautiful v-neck sweater with horizontal contrasting shoulder stripes and a gorgeous pocket detail.

Glenmuir’s zip-front cardigans are always popular with lady golfers, and Faye boasts long sleeves, a fulllength zip and a lovely

block design with contemporary contrast panel detailing on the shoulders, arms, cuffs and welt. The gilet option, Katie, also features a block design on the shoulders and welt and offers superb freedom of movement thanks to its sleeveless design.

Glenmuir’s cotton golfwear for men is available in sizes S-XXL, while the women’s range is available in sizes S-XL. All can be embroidered with any golf club crest.

TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning one of these fabulous prizes, simply answer the question below, and email your name, address and telephone number, to: info@golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Glenmuir Competition’ in the subject line. Please include your preferred choice of prize from the five products featured, and your size. The closing date for entries is June 15, 2013.

QUESTION Who holed the putt that gave Europe victory in the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah?

Was it a) Francesco Molinari b) Justin Rose c) Martin Kaymer

CALLING ALL ASPIRING YOUNG GOLFERS! Academic Provision For September 2013, Sherfield is offering an integrated programme designed to suit the needs of the dedicated and aspiring golfer. Students will benefit from small group tuition in GCSE and A Level by teachers who are leading professionals within their field. EAL support is available.

REGISTER NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2013 Entry at 9, 11, 13 and 16 years of age

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Included in the Sherfield Senior School fee: ~Weekly coaching from Head Coach, Richard Lewington (Head PGA Golf Professional, Junior Hampshire County Coach) ~Specialist coaching with upto-date modern technology ~Specialist training programme with individual goals regularly set for continued improvement ~Up-to-date handicap and monthly 1-2-1 individual performance reviews 7 day membership with access to club competitions and training facilities ~Unlimited range balls

To book a place on the next golf assessment: Telephone: 01256 884800 Email: hmpa@gss.gemsedu.co.uk www.sherfieldschool.co.uk Sherfield School Reading Road, Sherfield-on-Loddon, Hampshire, RG27 0HU

22 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

ON TOP OF THE WORLD Tiger Woods talks about his frustrating and controversial Masters, returning to No.1, and the quest for an elusive 15th Major title

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 23

What did you take away from your performance at the Masters?

That I played well, and that I had a chance to win. I was four back starting out the final day and I thought that if I could post a 65 I had a chance.

and how much is that translating into your golf?

Well, I think life is all about having a balance, and trying to find equilibrium and not getting things out of kilter one way or the other, and I feel very balanced right now.

During your first long reign at No.1, and when you won the 14 majors, you had the singular focus of not being a parent. Does the balance that you speak of work against having the focus that you need for another long reign at the top and winning more majors?

No, life is better. Life is better since I’ve had kids. It’s a beautiful juggling act. All parents will certainly attest to that, but that’s the joy in life and to be able to be a part of their life and watch them grow and help them grow. To me, that’s what it’s all about. That’s how I built such a great relationship with my father.

Did your two-shot paenalty affect your mental state for the final round?

No. Absolutely not. I was focused on what I needed to do, where I needed to place the golf ball, and how I was going to shoot the lowest score I possibly could.

Did you get mixed up with what you could do with the drop?

You know, I wasn’t even really thinking. I was still a little ticked at what happened, and I was just trying to figure, okay, I need to take some yardage off this shot, and that’s all I was thinking about. I was trying to make sure I took some yardage off of it, and evidently, it was pretty obvious, I didn’t drop in the right spot.

Is there any chance that you were mistaken when you said you were two yards back?

No, I saw the photos. The drop was one or two yards from the original spot. And it was certainly not as close as the rule says it should be.

How does it feel to be back at No.1 again, and was there ever a time when you wondered if you would be able to get back?

Well, it was nice to get back to being ranked No.1. There are a lot of players who try to get there and have never been able to do it, and I’ve been able to get there a few times throughout my career. And to battle the injuries that I’ve come through, and to win enough tournaments to that point is something I’m very proud of.

In answer to your second question, I didn’t worry about getting back to No.1 a few years back because I wasn’t physically capable of doing it. I wasn’t healthy enough. I couldn’t practice, I couldn’t play, and I sat out major championships. I just wasn’t able to do any of the practice that I needed to do to improve. And I was also making a swing change. So all that happened at the same time, but the number one concern was to get healthy so that I could practise. And once I started to be able to practise, things turned around, and they turned around very quickly. I now feel comfortable with every aspect of my game. I feel that I’ve improved and I’ve got more consistent, and I think the wins show that, and hopefully I can continue that improvement for the rest of the year.

Would you swap the No.1 ranking for another major?

Oh, absolutely. Are you kidding me?

Everybody is saying you’re much happier, and you seem more at ease with your life. Are you happier,

Could you foresee a time when you could be an honorary starter at the Masters?

What’s the minimum age? 70-plus? Who is the youngest? Jack? Yeah, that’s a long time. Let me just try to get to 40 first.

Could you ever imagine playing in the Masters at the age of 14, and how would a 14-year-old Tiger Woods have done against Guan Tianlang?

When I was 14, I was trying to play more golf tournaments, I was running track and field, and I was trying to get my homework done. I couldn’t even imagine playing in a Tour event, let alone the Masters. This kid can’t play high school golf yet, because he’s not in high school! It’s hard to believe.

What was your game like at 14 compared to Guan’s?

I think I was probably a bit longer off the tee at that age. Granted, Dustin [Johnson] and I were the longest players of our generation, so it’s a different game. But he’s so consistent. He was hitting a lot of hybrids into pins, hitting them spot on, right on the numbers. He knew what he was doing, he knew the spots he had to land the ball, and was able to pull it off. For a 14-year-old to be able to come out and handle himself the way he’s done is just unbelievable.

Did you ever consider withdrawing from the tournament?

Under the rules of golf as they stand I was able to play. Evidently this is the Harrington rule, I guess. If it was done a year or two ago, whatever, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play. But the rules have changed, and under the rules of golf I was able to play.

Was there perhaps a bigger sense of frustration compared to some of your other near misses at the Masters, because you were playing so well?

It’s just the way it goes. I had my opportunities to finish with some good numbers and I felt like I really played well, and that’s a good sign. But the course was playing a little bit tricky, as we had four different green speeds over the four days. I could not believe how slow they were for the first two days, and on Saturday I couldn’t believe how fast they were, and for the final round there was another different speed again.

in the Crow’s Nest, and accidentally run into the champion’s locker room and all those different things. I got to watch Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson tee off on the first hole with Sam Snead. It was just incredible. To be a part of that, and to see how it’s changed over the years, and to have won it... and I got lucky, I won my first professional event there. It was nice to be able to do that and know that I can come back and play Augusta for the rest of my life.

Do you feel like the pressure is mounting on you to get to 18, 19 or however many majors, as you get older?

No, it’s still the same. Of course, I would like to be able to get to that point, but it took Jack a while to get to 18 – all the way until he was 46 years old. So there are plenty of opportunities left for me.

“Golfers have very long careers, and I feel like I’m basically right in the middle of mine. I have a lot of good years ahead of me yet”

You’ve won six times in the last 12 months, but it is clearly the majors that you’re after. How much harder is it to win one the big ones than a regular Tour event?

Well, for starters, there are only four majors, and there are 30-plus Tour events. But the majors are always held at tough courses, in tough conditions, and against the best fields. The length of the courses, the cut of the rough, the speed of the greens – the majors test every facet of your game. That’s what major championships are supposed to do.

Tiger with Lindsey Vonn

Where do you feel like you are in your career path in terms of age?

You know, that’s one of the neat things about a pro golfer’s career – it’s so long. We have an opportunity to play 30 years solidly at a high level. Some of the guys have come out here at 20 and done well into their 50s. We have very expansive careers, and I feel like I’m basically right in the middle of mine. I have a lot of good years ahead of me yet.

So how does it feel to know that next year will be your 20th Masters?

It’s a little scary. I never would have foreseen that when I first came to Augusta aged 19. It was a bit overwhelming to be part of the Masters, to stay

On the subject of ageing, how are your strength and flexibility compared to what they were eight or ten years ago?

Well, at 37, I’m certainly not as flexible as I was when I was 19. However, I’m far stronger and far more explosive than I was then. I just don’t have the elasticity, and that’s a function of age. You have to adapt and you have to adjust. That’s what we do as players as we mature through the game.

Is the goal of your new swing to improve performance or to save your knee from getting hurt again?

A bit of both. Sean [Foley] and I had a number of discussions early on about how we need to protect this knee and keep it healthy. I am very happy with the changes he recommended, and the biomechanics of it. He looked at it and certainly had a lot of well-researched knowledge behind his theories. We started working on it, and here we are.

You’ve built up a record of achieving multiple wins at the same courses. Do you think you still have the game to win on courses that don’t necessarily suit your eye?

Well, over the course of my career there are courses where I haven’t really felt that comfortable on, but I’ve still won tournaments and major championships. They didn’t necessarily fit my eye, but you still have to play them. There are other courses where they really fit my eye and I’ve had a lot of success on them. A lot of times it’s major championships where the golf course doesn’t quite work, but you’ve got to figure it out. One of the courses was Southern Hills. That didn’t quite fit my eye, but I ended up winning. Hoylake was another, but I won there, as well.

24 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

Croucher in the clear at foggy Dyke

News in Brief FIRTH COMES FIRST

East Brighton Golf Club assistant professional Dan Croucher held on to win the PGA South region’s Sussex Spring Meeting with a one-under-par 71.

Play was delayed at The Dyke Golf Club by two hours as the competitors waited for the fog to lift, but the hiatus certainly didn’t affect Croucher, who started with an eagle at the first hole and then birdied the second and the fourth.

Reaching the turn in four-under-par, Croucher’s prospects for an impressive card looked good, but the back nine took its toll, with bogeys on the 13th, 15th and 16th taking the shine off his winning score. He pipped the par rounds of Ally Mellor (Willingdon) and Tony Hilton (Lewes) to take both the winner’s cheque for £400 and the leading assistant award.

Croucher was playing in only the third PGA event of his career, following his graduation from the Sussex Golf College in Lindfield last year. This year’s Sussex PGA Order of Merit is once again being sponsored by Coppard Plant Hire.

Joseph Carmody Firth from Purley Downs won the Surrey U18 championship after firing rounds of 72 and 74 at a rain-soaked Camberley Heath. Fourteen-yearold Alfredo Curbishley (Burhill) finished one shot back in second, following rounds of 73 and 74.

STOKE PARK SUCCESS Stoke Park won the BB&O Junior Champion Club event held at Harewood Downs. The team of John Gough, Aiden Osabase and Arron Millar finished one shot ahead of East Berkshire and Hadden Hill, and will now go on to represent the region in the national final held at Woodhall Spa in August.

Civvies beat Services at The Shire The first armed services versus civilians disabled golf match was held at The Shire Golf Club in North London last month.

The Golf Unity Trust Trophy was a team event drawn from the 700-strong membership of the Disabled Golf Association.

Team Civvy’s combined 115 Stableford points proved four too many for Team Services’ 111, leaving the losers hungry for a return match possibly later in the year.

Graeme Robertson, national events co-ordinator for DGA, said: “We were inspired by Help For Heroes to get some of our members who are ex-servicemen and women to

get out and play more golf.

The team event seemed to be a good format to be able to showcase disabled golf.”

One of DGA’s members, Scott Blaney from Nuneaton, was serving in Afghanistan in 2007 when he lost his leg and suffered a blast wound

to his arm. Now posted with the Grenadier Guards at Wellington Barracks in London, the 25-year-old is currently a member at The Shire, where he is able to take advantage of the special membership rates available for disabled golfers.

Harleyford launches ‘connect’ membership Golfers that aren’t in a position to know whether they can commit to a full club membership are being given the opportunity to become affiliate members at Harleyford Golf Club in Buckinghamshire.

The Marlow-based club has launched the Connect membership to provide a six-month introduction to the benefits of full membership.

The new category will allow golfers to ‘test drive’ the club for a limited period, with the fee of £675 providing up to 25 rounds of golf, including access to all medal, Stableford and club competitions.

Harleyford’s general manager, Johnathan Callister, said: “Many potential members have a fear of the unknown, and that and parting with a large initial

payment are the two biggest barriers to joining a golf club.

Connect deals with these issues, and is designed to allow time for these questions to be answered before becoming a full member.”

Open to golfers with no previous membership history at the club, the Connect membership also offers full EGU affiliation and access to a recognised handicap.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Ellis reaches gold standard

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Redhill & Reigate is to continue operating under proprietary ownership

Issue 217 | December 2012 - January 2013

Redhill and Reigate Golf Club, one of the world’s oldest private members’ golf clubs, is to be converted to proprietary ownership in order to secure its survival.

Members of the 126-year-old Surrey venue are selling the club, which was on the verge of folding, to a consortium led by a golf professional Tom O’Keefe.

Chairman of the club, Tony Hallett, said: “It was fairly clear we could not continue. We had no money, we had significant debts, and we had a VAT liability in excess of £20,000 we could not pay. As a result, we decided we would have to close. But before we did, we approached an industry professional with numerous links in the golfing world, and asked him to see if anyone was interested in taking the club over. We made the decision that the best chance of continuing golf was to sell him the clubhouse, and all the assets, and for him to run a proprietary-

owned golf club from this site.

Hallett added: “We are not going to be a club in decline any more, we are going to be a club on the way up. This club has been going for 125 years and we would like to think we can contribute to a golf club that is still going in 125 years – but to do that it has got to be run commercially.”

The club recently borrowed £120,000 from its members to keep it afloat, after what has been described as a ‘decade of financial woes’, the culmination of a 40-year period that has seen its membership drop by more than 50 per cent.

The new owners have vowed to transform the club into a community facility, and have cut membership fees from £935 to £849 per year, while fees for women golfers start from £100 per year. Juniors can get free membership on the condition they take part in six competitions in a year.

Issue 218 | Febuary 2013

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Redhill & Reigate saved from closure

Gloucestershire-based professional Charlotte Ellis put the disappointment of two previous runner-up finishes firmly behind to claim victory in the 86th Roehampton Ladies Open Gold Challenge Cup held on April 20.

With the greens running at 11 on the stimpmeter, scoring proved difficult on Roehampton’s notoriously quick putting surfaces, and Ellis’s two rounds of 75 proved good enough to take the title by three shots from runner-ups Hannah Ralph and Stacey Rodger from West Hove.

Victory in the prestigious event was especially sweet for Elliss after near misses in 2009 and 2011, when she lost to Georgia Hall.

Ellis, who is England International Harry Ellis’s sister, is a member at Minchinhampton Golf Club. As an amateur she was a regular member of the Gloucestershire County Team, twice a winner of the South West Championships, and the English Mid-Amateur Championships in 2006. She also played for England at the Home Internationals in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Flying the flag for the amateurs was Jerri Sewell from Shooter’s Hill in South East London, who fired rounds of 76 and 77 (153), while Hendon’s Jane Rees, an active member of the England seniors tour, was second on 156.

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26 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

KEEN MCLEAN

Over 30 years after he joined the professional ranks, Mike McLean is looking forward to relaunching his career on the European Senior’s Tour. Words by Alistair Tait

Now and then: McLean is ready for action on the Senior Tour and will be hoping to build on his Portuguese Open win back in 1990

McLean earned a reputation for getting the best possible score out of every round

Mike Mclean is one of life’s overachievers. The Kent man got the absolute most out of his European Tour career, and now he’s hoping to do the same on this year’s European Senior Tour.

Farnborough-born McLean, who turned 50 in March, is exempt on the Senior Tour as a former European Tour winner, and is looking forward to his first run out in a matter of weeks. Victory in the 1990 Portuguese Open was the highlight of a career that spanned 15 seasons on the regular tour, which was probably 14 seasons longer than anyone expected.

“All I’ve ever done is play golf, and I’ve got away with it all my life,” admits McLean, who now lives in Oxted, Surrey. “I gutted it out during my regular career.

I’ve had my good moments and my not so good moments. I’ve had the complete spectrum of what can happen to a professional golfer.”

Aside from that one European Tour win, McLean had three seconds, five third-place finishes, and another 20 top 10s. He earned over €1 million during his regular career. Which is not a bad haul for one of the shortest hitters to ever play the game professionally.

His worst moment came in the 1991 Fujitsu Mediterranean Open in France. In the final round, McLean moved a creeper lying near his ball that he thought was a loose impediment. It turned out it was fixed. The penalty he suffered saw him lose by a stroke to Ian Woosnam. Luckily McLean had already won in Portugal the year before.

“That was the desire I had in me, and I fulfilled that desire. I didn’t quite kick on from there, but it was always quite tough for me. But I was lucky to play the Tour when I did. As soon as the courses started getting longer than 7,000 yards, I was a dead duck really. I started arriving at tournaments and trying my hardest, but not realising that I had statistically no chance.

Today’s courses aren’t set up for shorter hitters. Guys like me have no chance.”

Many said he would have no chance on the main

tour, but McLean proved everyone wrong. He won when others fell by the wayside.

“I played with many great players over the years who never won on Tour. I played with guys locally in Kent that never even got on Tour. There were guys who hit it further and swung it better, and people looked at me and thought ‘`Why is he on tour when better players aren’t.’”

In McLean’s case it came down to the all-important intangibles. “I had a burning desire to win, so I dedicated myself to the game. I can only think that was the difference.”

Like any player who turns 50, McLean looks back and wonders about the things he could have done differently. He’d perhaps have not spent so much time on the technical side of the game.

“People looked at me and thought ‘why is he on tour when better players aren’t.’”

“We were guinea pigs around the Faldo/Leadbetter era and we got wrapped up in that, or at least I did,” he reveals. “It seemed the thing to do was to spend time on the range working on your swing. To try to better yourself is natural, but there is a limit to your ability. I think there comes a time when you’ve got to stick with what you’ve got.”

McLean hopes to be a bit more relaxed on the Senior tour than he was on the main tour. “I was a grinder. I had a lot of personal pride in maybe making sure I didn’t shoot a big number. I always wanted to make sure I shot 75, instead of 76, or 73 instead of 74, and maybe I should have had a bit more of a go and not worried about the occasional big number.

I’m going to try to take things a little easier this time around.”

His last full season on the regular tour was in 1996,

when he played 29 tournaments and finished 137th on the money list to lose his card. He had a couple of cracks at the Qualifying School in 1998 and 1999, and then hit the company day/corporate circuit. That’s how he’s managed to make out a living in the interim.

“I’ve been chasing my tail these last few years really, trying to pick up bits and pieces here and there. It has been hard in these financial times, because there isn’t a lot of money at the bottom. We had a good run of corporate days for a few years, but that’s dried up.”

He also plays in Pro-Ams and TP Tour events to keep his game sharp, and he’s held his own in the TP Tour events. This year he was 13th at both Walton Heath and Worplesdon, 15th at Moor Park, and 10th at Hanbury Manor. So it’s onto the European Senior Tour, and one of sport’s greatest mulligans. McLean’s knows everything is relative, but he’s looking forward to playing with guys his own age, rather than the kids on the TP Tour.

“I am really excited about this season,” says McLean.

“People have asked me if I had been thinking of the Senior Tour, and I’ve usually said ‘not really’, but it’s been in the back of my mind for the last few years, so I’ve been trying to find a game to help me compete this year. I know I’ll still be a fairly short hitter compared to my fellow senior pros, but I don’t think it will be the same as playing TP Tour events. I played with one guy recently who was 70 yards past me.

Then I played with Bill Longmuir. He’s 10 years older than me, but he still gets it out there. He was 20 yards past me. I can cope with 20 yards. I can’t cope with 70 yards.”

As for expectations, McLean is too old and too wise to be making any bold predictions. “I’m hoping that I’ll be competitive,” he admits. “I’m a bit worried that I might play a bit iffy and be at the bottom of the field all year. Mentally, I’m going to try and get myself fired up a little bit, because I don’t want to make up the numbers. I want to do the best I can do and see what happens. This will be a big jump for me.”

That’s what many said 20 years ago when he first arrived on Tour, and he proved everyone wrong.

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28 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

NickBayly For perhaps one of the few times in my career as a golf hack, I am beginning to feel a tinge of sympathy for the touring professional.

Let me rephrase that. I’m beginning to feel a tinge of sympathy for the touring professionals on the European Tour.

Looking down the list of recent venues for what, let’s be clear, are still very well renumerated events, it reads more like the schedule of a government leader doing a speed glad-handing trip around the countries belonging to the United Nations. Either that or Spandau Ballet’s recent comeback tour.

So far this season, in this order, the European Tour has been to the following countries: South Africa (x3), UAE (x2), South Africa (x2), USA, South Africa, USA, India, Malaysia, Morocco, USA, Spain, South Korea, China, Bulgaria, Portugal, and later this month, merry old England.

The modern tour pro not only needs to have a brilliant short game, and hit the ball further than he’s got Air Miles, but he’s also got to be great at sleeping at 40,000 feet at a slightly odd angle, and even better at coping with jet lag and the vagaries of in-flight cuisine. Thank the Lord that a burger and chips remains a mainstay on the room service menu of every hotel in the world, otherwise a lot of the lads on tour might starve.

And when did it seem sensible, or economical, for players to be travelling

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

Tour of nations leaves Monty’s hall misses a vital component me world-weary

thousands of miles every five days in order to chase a white ball around a field? To offset the carbon these boys are burning up would require half their prize money to be returned to Friends of the Earth.

If we turn back the clock to 1985 – and, let’s be honest, who doesn’t wish that they could – the golfing world looked so very different from a European perspective.

The 1985 schedule began with the US Masters on April 11 – what a brilliant way to start the season, instead of the Nelson Mandela Championship on December 9 – and then went as follows: Tunisia, Spain, Italy, England, France, England, England, England, Ireland, Monaco, France, England, England, Holland, Sweden, Scotland, England, Germany, England, Switzerland, Spain, England, France – anyway, I think you get the picture. It was pretty local. And it all ended on November

2 in Portugal. Thirty tournaments and a four-month off-season – bish, bash, bosh – job done. Fast-forward 28 years, and we have 47 events and a two-week offseason. Which is better for golfers, for golf fans, and for sponsors? You be the judge.

The fact that no-one is forcing them to do this means that you’ll rarely find players publicly criticising the crazy nature of the schedule. But it must be tough on those with young families, wives and girlfriends, elderly parents, in fact, anyone with any semblance of normal human relations.

Of course, it’s a global game now, the European economy isn’t in great shape, and it’s important to ‘grow the game’, but until they invent time travel, or bring back Concorde for the exclusive use of European Tour players, it’s going to be an endless slog that leaves everyone the poorer.

Colin Montgomerie’s long overdue induction into golf’s Hall of Fame – which is very similar to a Hall of Mirrors, only with pictures of men of vastly different sizes wearing polo shirts and comfortable slacks – led me to question to the nature of celebrity.

Is this rather bizarre enclave of golfers, which has its spiritual home in Florida, dedicated to golfers of notoriety, or is it a mark of greatness? If it’s the latter, then shouldn’t it be called the Hall of Champions? Or perhaps the Hall Of Really Good Golfers You’ve Definitely Heard Of, But Some Of Which Haven’t Won A Major.

Monty is no doubt delighted to be metaphorically rubbing shoulders with many of the true legends of the game. His unprecedented eight Order of Merit titles, umpteen tour victories, and stupendous Ryder Cup record, all make him a worthy addition to this curious rollcall of honour. But I bet if you asked him in an unguarded moment whether he’d give up half of his money list titles, or a couple of measly Ryder Cup points, in return for a green jacket or a claret jug, he’d bite your hand off faster than you could finish your sentence.

He came close. Oh boy, did he come close. Five runner-up finishes are testament to that.

But a major would have been the icing on top of a very tasty cake. As it stands, Monty’s career, and the careers of all great players who fail to win one of the Big Four, is a damn fine cake, but one that comes without a sparkling candle that Monty is now a Hall of Famer won’t ever blow out.

>> Special 8-page supplement

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Denis Pugh Assesses the new Callaway Golf X Hot family World Long Drive Champion Joe Miller on his new X Hot driveR Four Readers test the new X Hot Range WIN A CUSTOMFITTED X HOT DRIVER & 3-WOOD

CALLAWAY’S X HOT RANGE YOUR GUIDE TO

THE HOTTEST GEAR IN GOLF

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Callaway Golf has been at the forefront of club technology ever since it brought out the first Big Bertha driver in 1991 and the Big Bertha irons in 1994. Its latest innovation is X HOT Technology, a unique weighting system that revolutionises the way a clubhead can be designed in order to offer explosive distance, coupled with high levels of forgiveness and all-round playability.

For many golfers, finding a range of woods, hybrids and irons that not only fits their eye, but also their performance demands, is a hard thing to achieve, with many opting to mix and match their brands to suit their needs. But judging by the latest range of X Hot and X Hot Pro clubs that I’ve recently had the opportunity to test, all those worries are long forgotten, as this is without doubt the most complementary range of clubs that I believe Callaway Golf has ever produced since the days of the Big Bertha.

With two distinct offerings in the X Hot and Pro models, golfers can really fine-tune their equipment to suit the specific needs of their game. So whether you’re a tour player, elite club golfer, low handicapper, or simply one of life’s game improvers, like me, the X HOT family really has all the bases covered.

PREPARE FOR LIFT X HOT DRIVERS

X HOT FAIRWAY WOODS

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

The driving force behind the all-titanium adjustable X Hot driver is a new Speed Frame Face that combines Callaway’s Variable Face and Hyperbolic technologies to create a face that is thinner around the perimeter and thicker in the centre. This expands the sweet spot and helps the club maintain ball speed on off-centre hits more effectively. The regular 460cc model features a lightweight head, which, when combined with a sub-60g 46-inch Project X shaft, offers significant yardage gains for all levels of golfer – up to 13 yards in extreme cases. An adjustable OptiFit hostel offers three different face angles, which can be opened up by 2.5 degrees and closed by 1.5. There are four different head options – 9.5, 10.5,11.5,13.5 degrees – all of which offer different configurations to optimise performance. The crown is finished with matt silver and subtle graphics, including a chevron alignment aid, which instills confidence at address.

The X Hot Pro driver offers a slightly more compact 440cc head with a shorter, heavier shaft, while the deeper face, which helps players to lower spin rates for a more penetrating trajectory.

Available in three different adjustable heads, the Pro sits 0.5 degrees open at address in its neutral setting – the standard model is square – while three face angles are a half-degree more open than the X Hot, which will be attractive to better players who want to avoid excessive draws.

Callaway’s X Hot and X Hot Pro fairway woods borrow the forged cup face design from Callaway drivers, which moves the weld line away from the face to allow more control over face thickness and clubhead tolerances.

They also feature steel faces, which pave the way for faces to be constructed as thin as 0.047 inches in certain areas, 40% thinner than the previous RAZR X Black fairway woods. These changes give X Hot woods performance capabilities that are near the R&A’s limits without having to increase the size of the clubhead. Both fairway woods have dynamic weight projection – a structure with a weight that hangs over the cup face and moves the centre of gravity lower and further forward, optimising launch angle and spin.

The X Hot Pro has a more forward centre of gravity than the standard model, giving it a flatter trajectory with less spin. It also has more camber and less offset for more versatility. Both models feature a modern version of Callaway’s Warbird sole for enhanced turf interaction from a variety of lies. The standard X Hot woods have a square face angle at address, while the X Hot Pro models sit 1-degree open. The X Hot comes in 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23-degree lofts, while the Pro comes in 13.5, 15, 17 and 19.

DENIS SAYS: I’m really excited about the new X Hot drivers, as they offer golfers a clear choice in both looks and performance. The standard model is aimed at golfers looking for out-and-out distance, coupled with bags of forgiveness, while the X Hot Pro model is a more compact package that still packs a big punch.

In performance terms, the ball seems to briefly hug the face on both models, before exploding off as though it has been shot out of a cannon. There’s a real zip to shots off the centre, while those slightly off the sweet spot also fly long and straight. Looks-wise, the crown on the Pro model has no markings and will appeal to players who like a clinical look, although I like the alignment aid on the standard version, as it provides a visual focus on the clubhead.

DENIS SAYS: It’s impressive how the X Hot range flows really nicely from the driver into the fairway woods and the hybrids, and I really like the look of these two sets of more lofted woods. In many ways they remind me of how drivers used to look when metal woods first came into being, with that larger, low profile head.

Both models look like tools to do a job – that being sweeping the ball off a variety of lies, while also being powerful and precise clubs from the tee. That’s certainly the feel they gave me, and I can’t ever recall hitting such power-packed lofted woods before. I’ve always quite liked a big-headed fairway wood with a low profile face, so from a performance and a cosmetic viewpoint, both the X Hot and X Hot Pro Fairway Woods tick all the right boxes for me.

www.callawaygolf.com

T OFF!

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Tour coach Denis Pugh, head PGA professional at The Wisley Golf Club, casts his expert eye over Callaway Golf’s explosive new X HOT and X HOT PRO range of clubs, which promises performance gains for every standard of golfer

HOT X HYBRIDS

X HOT IRONS

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

Featuring the same Speed Frame Face technology found in the woods, the X Hot hybrids are built for distance, while their compact heads and Warbird-style soles ensure consistent performance from all lies.

To improve ball speed, the thickness of the stainless steel face on both models has been reduced by 15 per cent compared with the RAZR X hybrid. This enhances the trampoline effect, leading to faster ball speeds and improved distance.

The X Hot features longer face lengths and stronger lofts than the X Hot Pro, while both offer a compact head shape that improves versatility, while heel and toe relief on the sole help the club perform from all areas of the golf course.

The loft, length and centre of gravity allow for the distance and forgiveness of a fairway wood with the accuracy of an iron, to provide strong trajectories and dynamic shot shaping.

The standard X Hot hybrid is available in 3(19°), 4(22°), 5(25°) and 6(28°) lofts, while the Pro model is available in 16°, 18°, 20° and 23° lofts, which will deliver the more penetrating ball flight that better players prefer. Both models have been specifically designed to fill the yardage gaps between the X Hot irons and the X Hot fairway woods.

By varying the levels of stiffness across the face of the X Hot and X Hot Pro irons, Callaway has created an iron that wants to behave like a driver, offering flexibility that increases energy efficiency and ball speeds. The thinner, spring-like face acts as a trampoline to fire the ball out faster and further for explosive distance.

A unique undercut cavity lowers the area of the face that is most flexible, to put it in line with where most iron shot impacts occur, resulting in shots hit low on the face still firing the ball a long way, and making it easy to get the ball airborne.

The X Hot features a generous offset and a wide sole to inspire confidence at address and ensure playability for all levels of golfer, while the Pro version offers a slightly smaller profile, with a thinner topline and sole, lower blade height, and less offset.

The undercut cavity is also removed in the Pro model to create a lower sweet spot for more penetrating trajectories, while a slightly stiffer face makes it easier to shape shots and offers a more solid feel.

The face of the Pro model also features 20-degree Close Spaced V Grooves, which offer more backspin and control, especially from the rough.

DENIS SAYS: If you have any trouble getting your long irons airborne, and even if you don’t, a hybrid is going to get you out of a lot of trouble, and make shots all around the course a good deal easier. The nimble heads of the X Hot and X Hot Pro carve through rough, and get the ball up with ease, while they are equally at home off tight lies and from the tee. The shallow head has a friendly leading edge, which makes high shots feel easy, while a degree of offset in the standard model makes them play even easier. Even my occasional miss-hits with the Pro model carried fairly well for a club of this size, and good shots were rewarded with powerful trajectory, lots of carry and a solid sensation.

I’d use these on long par threes, shots from the semi-rough, and wherever else on the course I need a higher trajectory than might be offered by a fairway wood, or possible with a long iron.

DENIS SAYS: Like the other clubs in the X Hot range, golfers are offered a clear choice in the irons category. Higher handicappers will love the overall look of the X Hot, which offers all the elements that I look for in a game improvement club, with a large, but not oversized head, generous offset, and a weighting system that helps you get the ball up in the air with the minimum of effort.

I particularly like the way the ball feels off the face, which has a forged-like softness to it. The trajectory is also strong, with none of the ballooning you can often see from game improvement clubs, and the ball seems to go on forever. As someone who has always used players’ irons, I’m drawn to the classic looks of the Pro irons, but I’ve also reached a time in my life where I’ll benefit from the increased distance that the standard model generates without having to swing so hard.

4/

www.callawaygolf.com

HITTING THE

BIG TIME Golf News catches up with 2010 World Long Drive Champion and Callaway Golf ambassador Joe ‘The Total Package’ Miller, and finds out how Callaway Golf’s new X Hot driver helps him eat par fours for breakfast Where did you get the nickname ‘The Total Package’?

I was hitting with some guys on a range in 2007 and I was getting some good numbers on the launch monintor. Someone came out with “this kid is the total package” and it just stuck after that.

You’ve had your swing speed measured at over 225mph. What kind of club set up do you have to produce those numbers?

Swing speed can be a slightly misleading figure when it comes to long driving, as you can have all the speed in the world, but if it’s not applied correctly, it does not work. As far as equipment goes, I’ve started using Callaway’s X Hot driver for competitions. It has four degrees of loft. The shaft, which is a bit stiffer than those used on Tour, has a much higher kick point than on a standard driver, with lower torque, which keeps the ball lower and straighter. I’m really pleased with the way it’s performing.

Joe Miller’s Vital Statistics Age: 28 Weight: 19st Height: 6ft 4 inches Driver: Callaway Golf X Hot Loft: 3.5 degrees Shaft: 48-inch Fujikura graphite with XXX flex Clubhead Speed: 150mph Ball Speed: 225mph Smash Factor: 1.50 Launch Angle: 10.7 degrees Spin Rate: 2,111 rpm Longest drive: 474 yards

>>Joe Miller’s Power Moves 1

2

1. Like all big hitters, Joe’s stance is wider than his shoulders which in his case is wide – which creates a solid platform, while also preventing an early hip turn.

Do you cave the face in on drivers on a daily basis?

I’ve probably broken over 100 during my career. Early clubs tended to break at the point where the face is welded to the crown, rather than simply caving the face in, but that doesn’t happen very often any more.

What’s your longest ever competitive drive?

It was 474 yards at the Europeans in 2005. I won the world title in 2010 with 414 yards, but it all depends on the conditions on the day.

What do you do away from competition?

I spend alot of time at a gym in Barnet. I don’t do too much golf-specific training, I just focus on the major muscle groups.

I’m also an ambassador for Callaway Golf, and I’m a part of their events team,

You made some headlines after hitting balls from the roof of the hotel at Celtic Manor as part of the build up to Golf Live. How much fun was that?

Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I get asked to do some crazy stuff, and that was right up there. Fortunately the wind was behind me that day and although it’s hard to factor in the height element – we were 125 feet off the ground – I was hitting balls to a green over 375 yards away.

How much of a kick to do you get from performing in public?

It’s great doing demos with regular golfers and trying to get them to hit the ball a few yards farther, as well as showing off what I can do. It’s also great to meet up with tour pros and play alongside legends such as Gary Player and Colin Montgomerie.

Are you a bit of a showman?

Yes, long driving is not for shy types. It’s kind of like trick shot specialists. There’s an element of show business about it, and you need to make it entertaining, otherwise it’s just watching me hit balls into the distance. I like to pull out a putter and hit shots with it off a tee. I’ve hit it over 300 yards with an Odyssey 2-Ball, so my short game is in pretty good shape, too!

What’s next on your schedule?

I’ve just finished doing three days of demos at Golf Live, and took part in the Celebrity Cup, which was great fun, and now it’s on with more golf days, appearances and competitions. I had an operation on a torn shoulder muscle last year, which took a while to recover from, but the doctors have told me I’m in better shape than I was before the surgery, so hopefully I’ll stay fit and stay competitive.

Tour coach Denis Pugh looks at the key elements of Joe’s swing that helps him hit the ball such huge distances

3

2. Joe has a classic one-piece takeaway, ensuring he does not ‘snatch’ the club away. He has all the classic levers, with a straight left arm, to develop a wide arc.

What are the basic principles of long driving?

Wide stance, soft hands, big shoulder turn, even bigger wrist hinge, huge hip turn and a late snap. Simple. It’s all about understanding the correct delivery line and the angle of attack, keeping the left arm and clubhead aligned at impact, so that you don’t release too early and lose all that stored up power. I’m 6ft 4 inches tall and weigh over 19 stone, so I’ve got the physical make-up to hit it long, but it’s more about technique, and having the right equipment, than it is raw power and strength. Big muscles can only take you part of the way.

so I do a lot of demos at events such as Golf Live, the London Golf Show, European Tour venues, as well as big corporate events, and clubs. Callaway’s support has been fantastic. I really enjoy being part of the technical team.

It’s an exciting opportunity to work with golfers of all ages and skill levels, helping them to develop their game.

3. This is a power-packed position, with his swing fully coiled. Notice that the shaft is so stiff that it barely bends at the top of the swing.

4

4. Joe’s impact position is very similar to Lee Westwood’s at this point, with very little leg and hip movement, but huge amounts of upper body strength.

5

5. Joe’s left foot comes up through impact, and his hips twist around past the target line.

By jumping, he releases tension, which will save his knees.

6

6. Despite such a fast move through the ball, Joe is perfectly balanced in the follow through, which shows that technique is the key to hitting it long.

www.callawaygolf.com

/5

TESTING, TESTING!

X HOT TEST DAY

We asked four members of The Wisley Golf Club to put Callaway Golf’s range of X HOT and X HOT PRO drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons through their paces with the help of Callaway’s custom-fitting expert, Matt Judd. Here’s how they got on…

Photographs by Nick Bond.

Shot on location at The Wisley Golf Club, Surrey (www.thewisley.com).

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www.callawaygolf.com

Marcus Lovelock

John Langston

AGE: 39 HANDICAP: 4

Age: 63 Handicap: 15

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO DRIVER

CALLAWAY X HOT DRIVER

Marcus’s DRIVER STATS Although the overall size is smaller than my current driver – Swing Speed: 106mph 440cc instead of 460cc – I really liked the look of the head, which Ball Speed: 155mph has a traditional, unfussy look. The colour and finish are slightly Smash Factor: 1.46 retro looking, and reminded me of the original Big Bertha. You Launch angle: 13º know when you’ve not quite hit it, but the overall performance Carry: 240 yards isn’t punished too much, and it’s a very forgiving driver. It Distance: 273 yards delivered a strong ball flight, and produced unerringly straight, SPIN RATE: 2,557 RPM long shots. I played around with a few shaft options to find the right fit, and found that a stiffer tipped shaft gave the control I needed. I’ve tried out quite a few different drivers recently, but this is the first one I’d consider changing from my current model, so that tells its own story.

custom-fitTING TECHNICAN Matt Judd says: Marcus generates good clubhead speed with a fast tempo through the ball. He liked the smaller headed driver and the X Hot Pro suited his eye. One of the first comments from Marcus was that he felt he ‘ballooned’ the ball on occasions, and we discussed using a more tip stable shaft to help. Switching to the ProLaunch Speedcoat Red shaft in stiff helped us to control the spin rate and produced a lower more penetrating flight. Ball speed was high for Marcus, especially on the slightly off-centre strikes resulting in very little distance loss when miss hit. Overall this driver produced great launch and spin, which in turn resulted in distance gains.

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO FAIRWAY WOODS Again, I liked the unfussy look, which provide a seamless transition between the driver and the hybrids. Despite the compact heads, the 3 and 5-wood have a sizeable sweet spot and I found it almost impossible to miss-hit. I was really impressed with the yardages, which were a noticeable improvement on my current woods. The 3-wood performed especially well off the deck, and it was easy to make clean contact. If I was going to replace one club in my bag, the 3-wood would definitely be it.

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO HYBRIDS

This is a really good-looking driver, and I particularly liked the matt grey finish, which is obviously a big contrast to my current model! The head didn’t feel too big, and it was easy to line up. The shaft was a little longer than I’ve previously been used to, which took some getting used to, especially when it came to finding the centre of the clubface. However, once I’d adjusted my set up, I managed to get some really good results. We adjusted the clubface to a slightly closed face angle, and my customary fade turned into a consistent gentle draw, which was very pleasing. Even my less-than-perfect shots were going 240-yards plus, so it’s a very forgiving club and would definitely help me find more fairways.

john’s DRIVER STATS Swing Speed: 94mph Ball Speed: 135mph Smash Factor: 1.44 Launch Angle: 18º Carry: 222 yards Distance: 247 yards Spin Rate: 2,441 RPM

Matt Judd says: John had a slight out-to-in swing path, and had a tendency to keep the clubface open. We worked on reducing his swing to a more neutral path, however John still struggled with an open clubface. The OptiFit hosel on the X Hot driver allowed me to close the clubface at address. This reduced the amount the clubface was open on its return to the ball, allowing for more of John’s shots to start on target and draw back to the centre. John did struggle with the overall shaft length of the driver, so we shortened the shaft by an inch, which saw the impact position become more central, resulting in higher ball speeds and longer drives.

CALLAWAY X HOT FAIRWAY WOODS As with the driver, I was able to draw the ball with both the 3 and 5-woods, which was really pleasing, and helped to add some yardage to my shots, and will definitely help when shaping shots on certain holes. I tend to use my driver off the tee, so the fairway woods have to work from the fairway for me, which these certainly did, with the low profile head helping to sweep the ball with ease. I like the overall shape and size of the head and they sit well next to the driver as a complete range.

The hybrids flow nicely from the woods, and I especially liked the compact head, which features minimal offset and frames the ball perfectly. They made a really solid sound at impact, and were just so easy to hit, with a penetrating ball flight. They really moved the ball out there, and got it up in the air without any of the ballooning that you see with some hybrids I’ve tried. Although I still carry a 3-iron, I don’t have much confidence with it, and I’d definitely consider switching it out in favour of one of these.

CALLAWAY X HOT HYBRIDS

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO IRONS

CALLAWAY X HOT IRONS

I was really impressed with the looks, which have a reasonably thin topline for a club that offers a degree of peripheral weighting. They had a nice, balanced weight, and set up squarely and neatly behind the ball. Performance-wise they spared my blushes on the odd miss-hit, while they really flew off the centre of the clubface, offering a strong ball flight and plenty of distance.

I certainly feel that I’d benefit from the added forgiveness that these irons offer.

At first glance I liked the overall appearance of the head, which wasn’t too busy, especially when you laid it down behind the ball. They felt slightly heavier than my current irons, but once I’d got use to the weight I was pleasantly surprised with how they performed. It was easy to get the ball airborne, and the occasional miss-hit was treated kindly, which almost felt like cheating! I was also pleased with the distance consistency and the grouping. All in all, a very nice club – I might yet be a convert!

I’ve already got two hybrids and am a huge fan of this type of club. I liked the matt grey finish, which looks business-like, and the size of the head offered plenty of confidence. The offset is a little more obvious than in my current set, but I found it really helped to counter my tendency to fade the ball, and I was able to hit some nice, long shots with a slight draw, which was a bit of a revelation for me!

The ball got up really quickly, and the club felt very lively off the face, with a lively noise to match it.

www.callawaygolf.com

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Chris Crema

BRENDAN NELSON

Age: 18 Handicap: 10 CALLAWAY X HOT PRO DRIVER I loved the look of the Pro driver, which is cool, without being too flashy. I liked the silvery/grey finish, which wasn’t too glossy.

The slightly smaller head took a little bit of getting used to, but if anything it made it look more controllable. Performance-wise, the ball seemed to really fly off the face, and the trajectory was mid to high, without being ballooning, and the ball just seemed to go on forever. The sound off the face was solid, and once I’d dialed in the correct shaft and head set up, I noticed some serious improvements from my old driver. Now, I just need to save up some money over the holidays and I’m there!

AGE: 63 HANDICAP: 20 Chris’s DRIVER STATS Swing Speed: 108mph Ball Speed: 156mph Smash Factor: 1.44 Launch Angle: 14.5 Carry: 243 yards Distance: 270 yards Spin Rate: 2,920 RPM

Matt Judd says: Chris has a very fast clubhead speed with a quick tempo through the ball. Chris was using an 11.5-degree head and the initial results showed that he was launching the ball too high with too much back spin. This resulted in shots ballooning and struggling with distance.

The lower loft in the HOT Pro, and the centre of gravity position being a little closer to the face, saw both launch and spin drop considerably, giving Chis a more penetrating ball flight. With a clubhead speed of over 100 mph, the current regular flex shaft was not working for him, and resulting in a struggle to control the club face through impact.

We tested a number of shafts and settled for a stiffer, heavier shaft to work more effectively with his swing.

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO FAIRWAY WOODS Quite simply, these were the best fairway woods I have ever hit. After testing the 3-wood, all my statistics were far better than with my existing clubs. I had greater distance, more accuracy, and it was equally at home off the tee or the turf. I would definitely think about using this as a direct driver replacement when I need to focus on accuracy, without fear of losing too much yardage.

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO HYBRIDS There’s a straightforward transition through the woods and into the hybrids, which is great. I really liked the look of these, especially with the smaller head and the sightlines on the face, which were really striking. It felt soft off the face, which made me feel like I could control the shape of the shot, and the shape of the sole made it easy to hit off the deck. The sound was crisp and offered plenty of feedback, and although I got a bit slicey with it on occasions, when I swung a bit too quick, generally it was going high and long, with a slight fade.

CALLAWAY X HOT PRO IRONS Already having Callaway’s RAZR irons in my bag, it wasn’t a great leap of faith for me to get on with the X Hot Pro irons. I immediately felt comfortable over the ball, with the topline and sole width fitting my eye. The smaller head helped focused my mind on finding the centre of the clubface, which I was able to do with surprising regularity, and found it almost impossible to miss the sweet spot. The results were impressive, with my accuracy, distance and overall strike consistency showing noticeable improvement. I also loved the trajectory, which was more penetrating, and I felt that I could really shape the ball.

CALLAWAY X HOT DRIVER I instantly liked the look and feel of this driver, which had just about the right balance of weight in the head to give me a good feel, while still being light enough to swing fast (for me, that is!). The head looks neat at address, and its slightly toed-in look gave me some encouragement that it might help me overcome my customary fade. After making some adjustments to the face angle I managed to achieve a nice draw and was really pleased with the overall distance, which was 10-15 yards more than I normally get with my fade. Given the right set-up I think this club would give me a good boost off the tee.

BRENDAN’S DRIVER STATS SWING SPEED: 93mph BALL SPEED: 131mph SMASH FACTOR: 1.45 LAUNCH ANGLE: 15.5º CARRY: 196 yards DISTANCE: 235 yards SPIN RATE: 2,750 rpm

Matt Judd says: Like John, Brendan had an out-to-in swing path. The X Hot driver, with its internal draw bias design, helped to reduce the fade shot, however when coupled with the OptiFit hosel set to the closed position the shot shape became a more manageable draw. Other than that it was the perfect fit for Brendan, and he just needs to make the switch!

CALLAWAY X HOT FAIRWAY WOODS The woods sit nicely alongside the driver in terms of looks and performance. I tested both the 3and 5-wood, and although I got on best with the 5, I enjoyed both clubs. I use fairway woods a lot, and I had no problem getting the ball up in the air from a grassy lie or from the tee, and was able to get some good distance with both clubs.

CALLAWAY X HOT HYBRIDS I already have a hybrid in the bag, so I was very interested to compare the looks and performance with my current model. As with the driver and fairway woods, I liked the overall appearance of the X Hot hybrid, and the colour scheme and graphics were classy and not too over the top. There is a good weight to the head, which I like as it gives plenty of feedback on where the clubhead is throughout the swing. The head inspires confidence, and gives the feeling that you could hit it off any lie. It certainly delivers a solid blow, which sounds solid too, and I was more than happy with the distance, trajectory and overall flight of the ball, which was straight with a slight draw. Would be ideal for me on long par threes and when hitting from the semi-rough.

CALLAWAY X HOT IRONS Although I’ve never used Callaway irons before, I immediately felt completely comfortable with the look, feel and weight of these irons. They felt really well balanced and had a nice weight to them. The sound off the clubface was crisp and clean, and I managed to hit them consistently straight, with a nice, high ball flight and plenty of distance. The ball really leapt off the face, and I seemed to be able to get more distance than I can with my current irons, but with less effort – which is certainly a factor when your swing begins to slow down as you get older.

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www.callawaygolf.com

WIN

Competition a custom-fitted Callaway Golf X Hot Driver and X Hot 3-wood!

To celebrate the launch of the new X Hot family, Callaway Golf is giving Golf News readers the chance to win a set of customfitted X Hot woods.

T

he winner will be able to choose between the X Hot and the X Hot Pro family of woods, all of which offer outrageous balls speeds and explosive power, combined with fully adjustable launch conditions.

The lucky winner will be treated to the full VIP customfitting experience – with a visit to Callaway Golf’s European headquarters in Chessington, Surrey, where Callaway’s team of expert custom fitters will analyse your swing and your game using state-of-the-art technology to find your perfect driving and fairway partners from the X Hot range.

TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning this superb prize, all you need to do is answer the question below correctly, and email your answer to info@ golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Callaway X Hot Competition’ in the subject line, together with your name, address and contact telephone number.

QUESTION What is the head size of Callaway Golf’s X Hot Pro driver? a) 460cc b) 440cc c) 400cc TERMS & CONDITIONS The closing date for entries is 31st July 2013. The prize is nontransferable and no cash alternative is available.

T H E N E W S TA N D A R D I N D I S TA N C E .

YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT LONGER. YO U ’ R E W E LCO M E .

Introducing the XHot Family from Callaway. The new standard in distance from every club in the bag and from every lie on the course.

See how at callawaygolf.com/xhot

B R I N G . I T. O N .

DANNY WILLETT

2 0 1 2 B M W I N T E R N AT I O N A L O P E N C H A M P I O N

©2013 Callaway Golf Company. Callaway, the Chevron Device, OptiFit, X Hot, Hyperbolic Face and Speed Frame and VFT are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Callaway Golf Company.

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Storybehindthepic Seve Ballesteros Sun Alliance PGA Championship, Royal St George’s, May 30,1983

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mong the numerous milestones being celebrated at this month’s renewal of the PGA Championship is the 30th successive year that the tournament has been held at Wentworth.

The European Tour’s flagship event enjoyed a brief flirtation with the West Course back in the mid-70s, when it hosted the tournament from 1972-74, but it wasn’t until 1984 that the PGA returned to its permanent home at the Tour’s headquarters.

The year before, 1983, saw the tournament, which was sponsored at the time

by Sun Alliance, hosted on the links at Royal St George’s, where a 26-yearold Seve Ballesteros bagged the first of his two successes in the PGA Championship

(the other was to come in 1991). The swashbuckling Spaniard shots rounds of 69, 71, 67 and 71 to finish on 10 under par, and put nearest challengers Sandy Lyle, Ken Brown and Ian Woosnam to the sword in typically stylish fashion, wowing the sun-blessed crowds at Sandwich with a succession of outrageous shots from all over the property.

Seve picked up the princely sum of €21,000 for his efforts, or whatever the going rate was in sterling at the time, which is somewhat dwarfed by the €791,660 on offer to the champion at this month’s BMW-sponsored event.

Once upon a time, the PGA Championship rotated around several of Britain’s finest links courses, including Saunton (’66), Prince’s (’65) and

Sponsored by

Hunstanton ‘(67), while inland gems such as Royal Mid Surrey (‘61 and ‘68) and Little Aston (’62), also got a look in. St George’s hosted it no fewer than five times, but nowadays survives on a diet of Open Championships once every decade or so.

Given the lack of Tour events in the British Isles, there are justifiable reasons for spreading the geographical reach of this popular tournament, but for reasons based on economics and practicality, Wentworth has been nominated as the PGA Championship’s permanent home. Give or take a few disgruntled pros who haven’t managed to work out the subtleties of Harry Colt’s masterpiece, Wentworth and the PGA Championship has been a fine piece of matchmaking,

and helped cement the club’s reputation at the pinnacle of the pro game.

Every spring it becomes European golf’s main attraction, bringing with it a buzz of excitement and the presence of many of golf’s greatest players. Aside from Seve, former winners include a roll call of major champions, including Tony Jacklin, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and José Maria Olazabal. And while latterly the winners haven’t been quite of that calibre, Luke Donald, who sadly remains major-less, achieved a rare double with historic back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012, and this year will be hoping to go one better than Seve, as well as going for a record-equalling third successive title, which was last achieved by Colin Montgomerie in 1998-2000.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

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North Foreland Captain Mike Loveday hands over the trophy to the youthful champions

Two senior members at North Foreland Golf Club in Kent proved that age was no barrier to success when the pair, who have a combined age of 155, teamed up to win one of the club’s most keenly-contested annual tournaments last month.

Lennie Long, aged 78, and Howell Jones, a sprightly 77, put their years of experience to good use to capture the Maurice Breach & Les Goldfinch

Trophy, a betterball Stableford competition named in memory of two of the club’s former members. The pair notched up 42 points en route to victory.

Mr Long is no stranger to sporting success, as he was once a professional footballer, and played as goalkeeper for Ipswich Town when Sir Alf Ramsey was manager before his World Cup triumph.

Coffee-lovers chance to meet Ryder Cup captain Competitors in this year’s Nespresso Trophy UK Challenge are being offered the chance to meet the 2012 Ryder Cup captain and dual Masters champion José Maria Olazábal.

The 43-year-old Spaniard. who is an ambassador for the Nescafé-owned coffee brand, will be hosting the finals of the panEuropean tournament in the autumn, prior to which a series of national qualifiers are being staged.

The three UK qualifying tournaments are being held at Woburn on June 26, The Mere on July 2, and Foxhills Golf Club in Surrey on July 10. The format is better ball pairs. For further details visit www. nespresso.com.

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JOY FOR JODIE AT HEROES GOLF DAY Fashion model Jodie Kidd proved too handsets to provide a live leaderboard for strong for former Olympic rower Sir all the competitors throughout the day.

Matthew Pinsent in a gripping finish to A total of 20 teams took part in the day, the annual Heroes National Celebrity Golf with the ‘wooden spoon’ going to the All Day, which was held at Stoke Park Golf Celebrity 1 team comprising actor Warren Club on April 24.

Clarke, comedian Dom Joly, journalist Kidd led her ‘Team 7 Management’ Simon Kelner and Derek McDonald. They team to victory in the Celebrity-Am managed just 66 points, for a six over par event with 89 points, after fending off a total, not helped by Joly, who blobbed on determined challenge from her bighalf the holes. hitting rival, who led ‘Team Montreux’ The Heroes National Celebrity Golf with 87 points.

Day, which was held in association with Despite shooting a best-of-the-day YourGolfTravel.com, raises funds for Help gross 78 of an 11 handicap around the for Heroes, and yet again generated a stunning Stoke Park course, Pinsent phenomenal amount of money for this had to concede victory to Kidd and her fantastic cause. teammates – who included former world The day was hosted by sports long driving champion Joe Miller – after his group could only manage four points on the 17th hole, leaving them too much ground to make up on the 18th.

The tension was kept up thanks to VPAR scoring, which allowed each team to key in A group of Battle Back golfers took part in the day their scores to personal

broadcasters Dan Walker and Georgie Bingham, and was attended by a host of stars from the world of sport and entertainment, including Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole, Tim Lovejoy, Michael Vaughan, Brian McFadden, DJ Spoony, Chris Hollins, Mark Bright, Jason Leonard and John Conteh.

Guests were treated to a pre-match trick show by former world trick shot artist Paul Barrington, as well as a parade of military hardware in front of the iconic clubhouse. A contingent of Battle Back golfers, who all suffered serious injury while serving in the armed forces, took part in the day.

The day finished with a gala dinner and prize giving, followed by a charity silent and live auction hosted by Lord Jeffrey Archer, which saw some money-can’tbuy experiences raising further large sums for Help for Heroes.

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Oxfordshire launches flexible membership

The Oxfordshire has launched a credit-based membership option

The Oxfordshire Golf Club has launched a new flexible membership package in a bid to make the club more accessible to a wider range of golfers.

The club, which charges £2,600 for an annual subscription, plus a £1,000 joining fee, has introduced a new ‘Flexi-Membership’ scheme which will allow seven-day play on the club’s award-winning championship course, and access to all competitions, matches, and social activities.

“The Flexi-Membership is designed to allow golfers to join The Oxfordshire on a flexible

package, giving them the choice of when they wish to play, seven days a week,” said a club spokesman.

The Thame-based club is offering five levels of flexi-membership, from £495 for 50 credits to £1,795 for 310 credits. Green fees are then worth four to seven credits, depending on the time of day, day of the week and month that they are redeemed.

For example, 50 credits will offer a maximum of 13 off-peak rounds and or a maximum of seven peak rounds, while 310 credits translates to 78 off-peak rounds or 44 peak games.

Wonderful Worplesdon wows Swingers society Swingers old and new gathered at Worplesdon Golf Club in Surrey last month to take part in the first event of Flying Club Swingers’ 10th anniversary season. Taking part were no less than 10 previous finalists, from Woburn member Alastair Price, to young up-and-coming golfer Mark Crossan, who is about to embark on a life of university golf in the US. There were a fantastic number of first time players as well, including local couple Margaret and Alan Clifford, who have been two of the most loyal Swingers in the last two seasons, entering hundreds of scores apiece.

What brought them all together, however, was the chance to meet fellow Swingers in a fun and relaxed environment, with the opportunity to win some great prizes and play a fabulous hidden gem of a course.

In addition, everyone received a superb goody bag, with gifts from the likes of Srixon, Q’aja, Golfbidder and Avis, as well as a copy of Golf News.

Those who attended will be left with fond memories of this friendly club, which has one of the most picturesque courses in the South East. And with the sun shining for once, after the washouts of 2012, the first tee was full of high spirits.

Worplesdon’s championship course, despite its friendly length, is not to be underestimated, and so it proved, with only four players shooting 36 points or more.

Shot of the day went to Andy Gilbert on the par-three signature 10th, where an accurate iron hit the pin full on. It could quite easily have dropped in the cup, but instead landed 20 feet away. Andy regained his composure, however, to register a tidy three.

Former finalist Alastiar Price carded an impressive 36 points off his +1 handicap on his first ever round here, while best-named player of the day, Nimrod Schwarzmann,

Graham Smith bagged victory with 40 pts

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took third place from Alastair with 37 points. In second was Jonathan Shapiro with 38 points, but it was Graham Smith from Bramley Golf Club in Surrey who won the day, with a superb 40 points off his 11 handicap.

Graham now qualifies for the exclusive Flying Club Gold Members day at Golf at Goodwood in July, and also won a superb custom-fitted polo shirt from Q’aja and clubs from Cleveland.

The Swingers society road show now moves on to Copt Heath in Warwickshire, before crossing to the States for two days in New York and Southern California.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Signed and sealed: Pepperell completed his signing with new sponsor Dionach at Frilford Heath Golf Club

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Pepperell secures new sponsor Abingdon-born European Tour pro Eddie Pepperell has received the backing of an Oxfordshire-based internet security firm during his first full season on the European Tour.

The 22-year-old rookie, who has already made seven cuts on golf’s elite tour this season, is being sponsored by Dionach Ltd, a leading global cyber security company whose UK head office is in Wheatley, Oxfordshire.

Since turning professional in 2011, Pepperell has had a number of impressive results, including a maiden win on the Challenge Tour at last year’s Allianz Open Cote’s D’Armor. He finished 13th on the 2012 Challenge Tour’s order of merit to secure his European Tour card for 2013.

The agreement with Dionach will see Pepperell become an ambassador for the company, as well as displaying its corporate logo on his clothing. With its headquarters based in Oxfordshire, but with international offices in the Netherlands and the United

Arab Emirates, Dionach saw a mutual fit in partnering with Pepperell, who will be playing all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle and Far East this season.

Rob Embers, Dionach’s business development director, said: “We are very pleased to be sponsoring such a talented sportsman in Eddie, who has goals to really further himself in the world of golf. This fits very well with Dionach’s own ambitions to enter new global markets and continue to raise the awareness of cyber security and the impact that it is having on businesses and society.”

Pepperell, who finished eighth in last month’s Spanish Open, said: “I’m delighted to be involved with this partnership with Dionach, and I’m very grateful to have the backing of a local company here in Oxfordshire. It’s an exciting time for me in my first year on the European Tour, so I hope that I can provide them with some good exposure internationally when out on tour.”

Chipstead’s flexible approach pays off

Chipstead’s open day attracted plenty of interest in its new flexible membership package

An open day held at Chipstead Golf Club in Surrey last month proved a roaring success, with over 120 golfers from the local area visiting the popular South London club to play the course and experience the facilities first hand.

According to the club’s Director of Golf, Gary Torbett, one of the main attractions was the new £400 Flexi Membership package that the club has recently launched.

“Our new Flexi Membership proved to be a real winner, with golfers of all ages showing

interest and signing up on the day,” said Torbett. “It was great to see so many people taking advantage of our offer to play over the weekend, and I must congratulate all the members of the club who gave up their time to ensure that both days ran like clockwork. One visitor, a chap called Paul Flemming, had more reason than most to be happy that he came, as he achieved his first even hole-in-one on our third hole, so hopefully he came away with some good memories from his day!”

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Eastbourne amateur hits timely ace!

A senior golfer from East Sussex is celebrating hitting a timely hole-in-one at Royal Eastbourne Golf Club last month, which earned him the added bonus of a luxury watch.

Peter Pritchett, 67, scored his ace on the 165-yard, par-three 15th at his home club, and the 18-handicapper was rewarded with a specially-commissioned watch made by Hugo Boss.

The luxury German brand has pledged to reward club golfers with a watch for every

hole-in-one recorded in a club competition between April 15 and October 31. And with nearly 4,000 holes-in-one recorded annually, BOSS Watches could feasibly be giving away £1m-worth of watches over the next six months.

The scheme is open to any golfer whose club uses HowDidiDo – a free-to-use, web-based social network for golfers – and anybody playing in official club competitions will be eligible. Currently, more than 1,800 clubs use the website.

Raising the roof: Joe Miller unleashes another 400yard drive from the top of the Celtic Manor Resort

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MILLER ‘ROOFS’ HIS DRIVE AT THE MANOR! Former World Long Driving Champion Joe Miller blasted balls from the hotel roof at the Celtic Manor Resort as a spectacular appetiser for Golf Live and The Celebrity Cup, which took place at the 2010 Ryder Cup venue earlier this month.

From his makeshift tee some 110 feet above the ground, Miller was set the task of hitting the ball onto a par-three green on the golf course some 360 yards away. He completed that task with room to spare, managing to smash his longest drive from the top of the 400-bedroom hotel a scorching 402 yards.

Miller, who became the first European to win the RE/MAX World Long Driving Championship in 2010, was part of a star-

studded cast that took part at Golf Live and The Celebrity Cup event at Celtic Manor from May 10-12.

Miller said: “My longest drive in competition is 474 yards, but I don’t think I’ve ever hit drives from a more unusual location than up here on the roof of Celtic Manor. When I saw the hotel from the motorway, my first reaction was, ‘I’m not going up there, am I?’ It’s a good job I’m not afraid of heights! It was a lot of fun hitting balls from up here and I’m delighted I managed to really get hold of a few.”

Miller teed off using Callaway Golf’s new X-Hot driver with a customised 48-inch shaft and a loft of just 3.5 degrees, with his best effort landing some 25 feet behind the flag.

Works begins on new course in St Andrews Construction is finally under way at the new St Andrews International Golf Club, which is being built on the hillside at Feddinch, above the Home of Golf.

The course, which is designed by 1973 Open champion Tom Weiskopf, is intended to be the centrepiece of a high-end private members club, with memberships believed to be on offer for in excess of £50,000.

The start of the build at St Andrews International marks the culmination of a decade-long battle over planning consent. Permission for the 250-acre course to be built was granted by Fife Council several years ago, but the plans for the clubhouse were later amended to include a spa facility. This required a new planning application, which was submitted in 2011.

The course is part of a £20 million development that will also incorporate a restaurant, 41 bedrooms and a shop.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

EddiePepperell’s TOUR DIARY

Oxfordshire tour pro Eddie Pepperell, now in his first full season on the European Tour, kicks off his first exclusive column for Golf News with his early impressions of life in the paid ranks

Life on Tour isn’t what you think it is. Picture, for a moment, entering your 5-star luxury room, with its incredible furnishings, and a bathroom fit for a Roman emperor. It’s beautiful. What would be one of the first thought that enters your mind? For me, initially, it was wow! But what followed was the saddening reality that I’d got nobody there to share it with.

I can imagine a few sensitive, caring people – mum’s mainly – reading this that and thinking ‘Oh how sad’. The majority, however, and certainly the male population, will more likely be thinking ‘Get on with it you lucky git, you shouldn’t be complaining, you’re playing for loads of money’. After all, that’s what I used to think.

But it hasn’t taken me long to experience the true nature of what life is really like being a professional sportsman.

I have been amazed at the number of players who either have their wives, girlfriends, parents or friends here with them on Tour. At first I thought, ‘Seriously? Have they not got a life of their own?

However, I quickly recognised my ignorance, and reminded myself of the fact that nobody likes being alone.

When I look back, my first week as a professional golfer encapsulated many of the annoyances and difficulties faced by sportsmen and women. I was playing in Tuscany on the Challenge Tour. The previous week I had teed it up in the Lytham Trophy, and that whole experience had made me feel wonderful about my decision to turn pro, as the conditions were just brutal! Suffice to say, I was looking forward to getting started on my new adventure. On to Italy, and I was staying in a small, rural

hotel about 30 minutes from the course. Needless to say, I was on my own and without, unbeknown to me then, my future best friend, WiFi. That wonderful feeling I had experienced a few days before soon evaporated, as I arrived at my hotel from the airport via a taxi which set me back the foreigner’s fee of €215. That sum proceeded to escalate as the week progressed, as I amassed taxi costs of over €600 travelling back and forth from the golf club. No book, no WiFi, and no friends.

Dinner was an even sadder affair. I had to cross over a motorway to find a steakhouse – the type of restaurant usually packed with golfers. Not this one, however, as the one I chose was overflowing, almost literally, with overweight Italian lorry drivers. Fifty-plus Eddie Stobartios! Although the steak was sensational, the company was loud, hairy and sweaty, and six nights of this was enough for me, so I was very pleased to find myself on a Ryanair flight home.

That particular anecdote I now find pretty amusing, but the only reason the memories are so vivid is because of

“I chose a restaurant overflowing, almost literally, with overweight Italian lorry drivers. Fifty-plus Eddie Stobartios!”

Taxis: Every Tour pro’s most popular mode of transport

how lonely I was. It was pure torture. The only time I opened my mouth was to tell my mosquito friend to piss-off.

Twenty months later, I found myself in a plush hotel room in Abu Dhabi writing a blog undoubtedly inspired by boredom. The trivial differences this time were the lack of mosquitos, the lack of hairy fat men,

and the life-saving option of room service, which is surely an idea invented by loners for loners. There were still some hairy fat men, but they covered themselves in white cloths. However, the agonies of loneliness still existed. The painstaking hours spent reading books and watching foreign TV are really quite tough at times. I acknowledge that these moments of loneliness subside over time as you make friends, but at the beginning we are all new to things, therefore at some point everyone must have had similar experiences.

I used to look at a newcomer on tour struggling and think something like ‘He probably can’t putt’ or ‘His swing is the problem’. Now I can’t help but place a much bigger significance on the lonely aspects of his new

life, rather than his actual game. My early experiences confirm what I previously believed; that to succeed out here, it’s important to be good at golf, but it is infinitely more important to be mentally tough.

I’m not seeking any sympathy in writing these words, I’m merely trying to bring what is a very difficult part of professional sport to wider attention. The amount of time spent idle some weeks is mind destroying. A possibly pretentious and diverse thought just appeared in my mind which I have to divulge; just as the retired become grumpy and occasionally pedantic, the same applies to golfers. Idle time changes you.

Too much of it, and you soon start to see how films such as The Matrix were fabricated.

Indirectly then, we golfers retire parts of our minds so early that the grumpy habits we attain are inevitable, and therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise.

I want to assure you that I am not suffering from post– turned-golf-pro depression, and that I see these experiences as completely necessary in order to climb the ladder.

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Become a golf coach

an elated Robson who qualifies for the autumn’s Faldo Series Grand Final, a 54-hole event hosted by six-time Major Champion Sir Nick Faldo. “I’ve been working very hard with my coach Dan Frost all winter, and it’s great to see my efforts being rewarded.”

Cameron Long (Drayton Park), winner of the Boys’ U16 division at the Grand Final in 2011, booked his place in another final thanks to victory in a three-way play-off to capture the Boys’ U18s.

Two other age-group winners heading to finals are Amber Chana from Foxhills (Girls’ U16), who also came through a play-off, and Kyra Horlock from Broadstone, who won the Girls’ U21 section.

interesting challenges for members – with new bunkers, run-offs and hollows – while retaining the integrity of the course and keeping with James Braid’s original philosophy.

Club chairman Rob Bishop said: “The changes are planned over the next five years, and the first phase is scheduled to begin later this year. The 100-year-old James Braid course has seen changes throughout its history and we believe that these changes will further enhance its appearance and playability. The plans are further evidence of the club’s commitment to investing in the course, and sit alongside other programmes, such as the Graden greens treatment and tree planting.”

2013

WORLD BEATER

“It’s a unique tournament that welcomes players of all ability, and any event that encourages people to get out and play competitive golf can only be a good thing,” commented Gallacher. “I’ve had some of the most memorable moments of my career in match play competition, so I’m looking forward to watching the action unfold. It’s a phenomenal prize for just a £30 entry fee, regardless of what standard you play at.”

Entries are still open for the 2013/14 event, but will close on June 30. For more information or to enter, visit www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk.

Reading on course for big changes Reading Golf Club has unveiled a programme of investment in its 18-hole course that will result in significant improvement to the quality of the playing conditions, as well as the challenge of the layout.

In a recently published five-year plan for the course carried out by the club’s committee, a number of initiatives are being implemented at the 100-year-old club, which will enhance golfers’ experience of the James Braid-designed parkland course.

These include improvements to the drainage system, and the redesigning of some of the holes, including the fifth and 14th, which will create new and

/1

Read the UK’s No.1 Golf Paper online at www.golfnews.co.uk

Robson equals Ashdown record en route to Faldo Finals Dorset’s Thomas Robson won the third Faldo Series UK Championship of the 2013 season with a course recordequalling final-round 67 at Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex.

The 20-year-old from Weymouth Golf Club finished two shots clear of 2010 finalist Marco Penge (Worthing) who won the Boys’ U16 division.

“I was really nervous towards the end, but I kept going and I’m delighted to have won,” said

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©2013 PING 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071

The UK’s biggest amateur event, The Matchplay Championship, will be known as the Golf Care Matchplay Championship, after Golf Care, the UK’s leading specialist golf insurance brand, became its new title sponsor.

The event, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, welcomes thousands of competitors in hotly-contested men’s pairs, mixed pairs and men’s singles tournaments.

The inaugural Golf Care Matchplay Championship will culminate next month with a Dubai Grand Final, with competitors staying in the five-star JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel and competing over the championship course at The Els Club.

Golf Care is represented by three-time Ryder Cup Captain Bernard Gallacher and having also played in eight Ryder Cup matches, he is ideally positioned to offer advice on a match play tournament.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

EwenMurray

Sky Sport’s voice of golf speaks out on issues of the month

Wentworth showcase has Major appeal

Justin Rose will be among the leading contenders at the BMW

With the glorious first major of the year behind us, this month sees the European Tour’s major, the BMW PGA Championship, played over the iconic West Course at Wentworth.

Much is talked about the Players Championship being the fifth major, yet I think the Wentworth showcase has the stronger claim. In BMW, the tour has a platinum sponsor.

Its events are always classy, superbly organised, and cater for the most important element in the game in these difficult times: the fans.

Those who drive the sponsor’s vehicles have their own exclusive car park within

the Grounds, and those fans with children who attend the tournament have plenty to keep the youngsters occupied in the hugely impressive tented village. In short, it’s a great day out for everyone, whether a keen golfing fan or not.

The week gets underway with the Players’ awards, and for the first time since that unforgettable day at Medinah last autumn, all twelve of Europe’s heroes will be reunited. Thousands will descend on Virginia Water to pay their respects to all of those who put on a performance in Chicago that

will be remembered long into the future. It promises to be another outstanding week of golf in England, where sadly we are starved of top professional tournaments.

It is always a pleasure to visit Wentworth and last month I was fortunate to play there in a Sky/BBC television match versus the Tour. My work colleague Rob Lee and myself were drawn against threetime European Tour winner Jamie Spence and Neil Briggs.

We had a cracking match before congratulating them on the 17th hole. The Tour went on to win 6-4, despite strong performances from

Tim Henman and a few others.

The great thing about golf is the fact you can play well into your autumnal years and no matter how much your golfing expertise has dwindled, you never lose that competitive spirit.

Jamie turns 50 this month and has joined the European Seniors Tour. He will begin his second career in Wales and move onto the British Senior Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

He has a busy life with his involvement at the Tour, and his duties at Sky Sports, but he has a tidy game and still possess that edge required to win. I wish him well.

Putting fun first is the answer to youth golf At the end of last month I made my way back home to Edinburgh to open the new clubhouse at Baberton Golf Club, where I spent a very happy youth. My father was the professional there for 35 years, and my mother a member for 50. The club is 130 years old, but down the years very little has changed.

The club has a great history, with many characters and one of the founder members, Thomas Horsburgh, a local blacksmith, invented the first steel-shafted clubs in the world, taking out a UK patent in 1894. A copy of the patent and the clubs are on display in the clubhouse.

I was involved in two coaching clinics for juniors while I was up there, one group aged 7-10 and the other 11-13. The standard was excellent, the kids were talented, as well as humorous, and to see their enjoyment of their hobby was like a breathe of fresh air.

The club has always encouraged youngsters and has been keen to integrate them with full members in club competitions and matches against other clubs. The members and mums and dads who give up their time to encourage the next generation have my full respect and

I enjoyed watching the young kids practicing at Baberton, where it all began for me as a boy

admiration. The next 130 years should be as healthy as the last.

On the subject of the next generation, you can’t keep 14-year-old Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang out of the news. No sooner had he played all 72 holes of The Masters, he did the very same on a long and tough course in New Orleans.

As much as I admire this brilliant prospect, I wonder what is happening to his schooling?

I’m also concerned that I don’t see him smiling much. The Masters was fine, as he qualified for that, but I think its wrong for Tours to hand out invitations to compete against seasoned professionals to one so young. Youth is important, as it is short. There’s all the time in the world ahead to take up that challenge. Too much pressure too young is not ideal.

Guan’s record of being the youngest player to play on the European Tour was soon eclipsed by fellow countryman Ye Wo-Cheng (pictured right). The 12-year-old qualified for the Volvo China Open and handed in two creditable 79s.

Like Guan, he has the prospect of a great future in golf. Let’s hope those who guide them make the correct choices for them.

The Volvo China Open suffered from a weakened field following a clash of events

Players need to get priorities right These are not easy times for the European Tour. With so many of our home-grown stars having crossed the pond to make their fortune on the PGA Tour, the fields for European Tour events are often slim when it comes to top-ranked players.

As a consequence, the European Tour has had to branch out to the rest of the world, with a host of new events in China, Malaysia, India, South Africa and other far flung destinations. The travelling between events is, of course, more punishing for players, but had we not embraced these countries, the European Tour’s future would be bleak.

In that light, I was saddened to see several of our best players compete, no doubt for attractive appearance fees, in Indonesia this month, during the same week as the Volvo

China Open. I think it’s good that these players go to places like Indonesia to spread the golfing word, but not when a European Tour event is taking place. It’s not the first time it’s happened this year. Earlier this season, when the Avantha Masters was being played in India, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley were playing in Thailand. So was Chris Wood, but he was defending the title he had won the previous year, and I believe every player should do that.

For those who went to Indonesia and Thailand, I think they should take a step back and review the situation.

The Tour struggled over the first few years before Volvo came along and ploughed millions of pounds into golf, and in a very short space of time changed the face of the professional game in Europe.

Courtesy cars were introduced

and, along with that, proper driving ranges and player’s lounges. There were crèches for families and at the end of the year, The Volvo Masters at Valderrama boasted an extremely handsome bonus pool for the top 15 players, as well as a huge prize fund for the tournament itself. The company has continued its sponsorship across the world, and later this month will break new ground by taking its matchplay event to Bulgaria.

Those who competed in Indonesia need to question their decision. I have no problem with them playing globally, but did it occur to them to think of what Volvo has brought to golf, and while the company was putting together a fine event in China, they were playing elsewhere?

I maybe old-fashioned, but undoubtedly they should have been in China.

38 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

With a new house, a recently-launched restaurant, a bride-to-be on his arm, and a victory in the RBC Heritage Classic to add to his already impressive CV, Graeme McDowell is in a very good place

How does it feel to be back in the winner’s enclosure again?

Very exciting. Obviously any time you win is a great feeling, but the most recent win is always right up there. I won in December at The World Challenge, but that wasn’t a full field PGA Tour event, so to win the RBC Heritage is great, especially coming off a missed cut at Augusta. I wasn’t a member of the PGA Tour when I won the US Open in 2010, so this was my first win as fully-fledged member, which makes it a little more special.

You were four shots back with 18 holes to play at the RBC. Are you the kind of player who prefers to come from behind rather than leading from the front?

I’m happy either way. The weather certainly gave me a chance, as scoring conditions weren’t easy, and I needed the course to play difficult in order to have a chance of getting close to the leaders. I’m not saying that I didn’t have any God-given advantage in the wind, but if it had been benign it would have been a tall order to reel in those in front of me. I just managed to control my ball well, and keep it in play.

Sea Links is a Major-type golf course, and it explains why former US Open champions tend to play quite well around there. It’s got a huge amount to do with the way the course sets up – discipline, patience, all these words that are required to play well around there.

So you clearly suffered no ill-effects from missing the cut at the Masters?

Not really. After the intensity of the Masters and all the preparation that goes into a week like that, the RBC Heritage was always going to be low-key workweek for me. I took a pretty relaxed approach, and really tried to enjoy myself. My fiancée and I managed to rent a beautiful house in the Sea Pines resort, and we had loads of friends and family to stay. We had a glass of wine or two every evening, ate some great food, and just hung out. So that was really the MO, and it seemed to work out really well. It’s amazing kind of how things happen. I missed a cut by one shot and came away frustrated and disappointed.

But if I’d made the cut at Augusta and grinded out a 30th place, would I have won the following week? I wouldn’t swap this win for a top-10 in the Masters, that’s for sure. Of course, I’d swap it for a green jacket, but I wouldn’t swap it for anything less than the win. So in many ways the missed cut was a bit of a blessing.

You’ve not had a great deal of joy at the Masters so far.

Why is that, do you think?

You’ve just got take a long-term view of the golf course. It gives and it takes away, and you’ve just got to hope that it gives you more than it takes away, and you’re the last man standing come Sunday afternoon. There are times when you want to throw all the toys out of the pram, especially when you get heavily punished for shots that are only marginally less than perfect. Sometimes that’s hard to deal with. The missing dynamic in my golf game at Augusta is off the tee. I don’t have the 300-yard draw. If you have that, it is a big bonus.

For me to compete there without that shot, I have to putt very well. So I’ve really got to learn how to hit it a little further, or I’ve just got to have a great putting week.

BIG MAC

Did you have a game plan for trying to get round the course?

I stuck to my plan pretty much for the two days. I hit a couple of loose iron shots, and left myself in some difficult places, but I mostly positioned the ball where I should and putted decently at times, but it just didn’t add up to the score I was hoping for. Like I say, a couple of bad errors cost me a couple of shots and that, in the end, was the difference.

May 2013 / Issue 221

Can you tell us about your impending nuptials?

Yeah, I’m obviously pretty excited that I’ve reached that stage of my life. I’ve got a great girl [interior designer Kristin Stape] and it was about time to step up to the plate and be a real man. We got engaged at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai in November. I managed to get out on the helipad there to propose, and it was a pretty special place to do something very special in my life. We’re getting married after the Tour Championship at the end of September, and I’m looking forward to that chapter of my life for sure.

Why did you choose the helipad to propose?

I had been planning it for a little while, and wanted to do something a little different, and it just so happened I was on the road for five weeks in the Middle Eats. We managed to take five days’ holiday in the middle of that in Dubai. I just thought the helipad, which is 700 feet up, was a pretty iconic place to do it, and I managed to surprise her and, like I say, I guess there’s some romance in this body somewhere.

You’ve also got into the bar and restaurant business with the launch of Nona Blue in Orlando. How did that come about?

I’ve always liked a nice steak and a glass of wine, and I found myself having to drive 30 minutes to find a place that offered that, so I thought that the best way of making it easier was to open a restaurant that did just that. I’m in with two other investors, both of whom are very experienced in the restaurant business.

/ 39

put them in a very different league from any personal achievements.

Why do you feel you lost your form going into the Ryder Cup? I was burned out. I was tired. I was running on fumes. I had two weeks off between the FedEx Playoffs and the Ryder Cup, and it wasn’t enough. I needed to switch off completely. I took three weeks off after the Ryder Cup, and really two and a half of those were no golf; complete relaxation. So I came back a lot fresher, a little bit more up for it. It’s all down to energy levels. I made a mistake last summer. I played too much golf. In hindsight I shouldn’t have played the first FedEx Cup playoff event. And then the Ryder Cup, you go there and you’re not going to find any energy there. That’s a big week. It’s a draining week, and I didn’t have it in the tank.

There are some obvious parallels between what happened to you after winning the US Open and what Rory McIlroy has gone through recently. Would you agree with that?

I had a micro-version of what he’s going through. You know, coming from a small town in Northern Ireland, and then being in the media spotlight, where everything is increased. I’ve been shocked at how well he’s handled everything. Sure, he’s been bred for stardom since an early age and his upbringing was Tiger-esque, but he’s taken it in his stride. But in the end something had to give. The Nike contract, all the stardom, being the No.1 player in the world, all the pressure – it has taken its

McDowell says the Ryder Cup has been the three biggest highlights of his career

Did your fiancée have any involvement with the design of the restaurant?

We couldn’t have afforded her! I met her when I was building my house in Lake Nona and I hired her company to design my house. She’s got a great eye and expensive taste, so the guys probably kept her out of the loop intentionally because they probably knew she’d blow the budget!

It must be a welcome distraction from golf.

It’s kind of a hobby for me, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. Am I going to make a lot of money from it?

Probably not. Am I going to lose a lot of money? Probably not. It’s somewhere right in the middle. If we take this thing to five, six or seven restaurants, brilliant. That’s the plan. But I’m remaining light-hearted about it.

Can we expect to find Guinness and oysters on the menu?

I’d like to see a few more tastes of home on the menu, but the Guinness tastes like it does in Northern Ireland, and I’ve created a few specials, including the ‘GMac & Cheese’, which combines cold lobster, smoked bacon and a blend of three cheeses.

You were obviously part of the amazing Ryder Cup victory at Medinah last September. How did it rank alongside the win at Celtic Manor in 2010?

They were two very different experiences, I suppose. You know, to sort of have it in the bag in 2010, and then to nearly lose it. And then to have the unique experience of being the last man standing, and bring home the winning point was an amazing experience. And this time around, to have gone from ‘Massacre at Medinah’ to ‘Miracle at Medinah’, and to be part of that, was incredible. Personally speaking, it wasn’t my best Ryder Cup. I only won one from four points, and lost my singles to Zach Johnson. As I said, they were two completely different experience from 2010 to being the guy who kind of had it all on the shoulders and got the job done, to be able to kick back, and I guess watch my guys, my teammates do it for me and do it for the rest of it and to watch Martin Kaymer hole that putt on the last green, I certainly had a certain amount of empathy for him. I could understand what he was going through.

What was the atmosphere like in the locker room afterwards?

There’s nothing quite like the elation of a team room after something like that has just happened. There’s nothing quite like the Ryder Cup. I put the three Ryder Cups that I’ve been part of, even the loss in Valhalla, as the three biggest highlights of my career, and I certainly

Pulling pints: The former US Open champion has opened a bar near his home in Orlando

McDowell’s trademark fist pump is becoming a common sight on Tour McDowell admits to having felt ‘burnt out’ at the 2012 Ryder Cup

toll. There was a release valve that was going to blow at some point.

I suppose he felt the pressure at the start of this year to live up to expectations and to prove he’s worth every penny. It takes acclimatizing to.

Nothing’s changed, though. It’s still the same game; there’s no extra pressure.

It’s external pressure he’s feeling inside that’s not really there. In 2011, I signed with Srixon, was the reigning US Open champion, a top five player in the world. All these things took a toll on me too, and it’s taken 18 months or so to get things back on an even keel.

Have you spoken to Rory about it all?

We spoke via text after the Friday of the wisdom tooth incident, and he told me what he was feeling, and I told him I knew a little about what he was going through. I gave him a few words of advice and I told him I’m always here. We practiced at the Cadillac Championship and he seems like he’s in a much better place now.

You played in the final group in the Open at Lytham last year. How disappointed were you not to take advantage of it?

It was a mix of emotions. To be in the last group of consecutive majors was satisfying, but there was a sense of frustration that I didn’t do better. But winning is difficult. There are a lot of quality players out there. I guess if I could take 18 holes back last year, it would be the first nine holes of the US Open at Olympic on Sunday, and it would be the first nine holes at Lytham on Sunday. But it’s all a great experience, and I certainly learned a lot about myself last year. I feel like if I can continue to improve and continue to learn about myself, then I can certainly pour what I’ve learned back into my game going forward. I’ve certainly increased my belief that I can win some more big events, and hopefully win some more majors.

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News in Brief LYNN LOSES PLAY-OFF England’s David Lynn came within a whisker of winning his first PGA Tour title after losing to lowlyranked American Derek Ernst at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Ernst birdied the final hole to tie with Lynn, before the 22-year-old claimed victory at the first playoff hole. Wigan-born Lynn, 39, finished second in last year’s US PGA Championship, and made the cut in last month’s US Masters.

May 2013 / Issue 221

Tour drops its case against Singh ban The PGA Tour has dropped its doping case against Vijay Singh following new information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which said that using deer antler spray is no longer prohibited because it contains such small amounts of a growth hormone factor.

Singh’s appeal of the sanctions was almost over

MONTY DECKS THE HALL Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, Willie Park, Jr., former European Tour Executive Director Ken Schofield, and US Open champion and broadcast legend Ken Venturi were inducted into The World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida on May 7.

CHINESE BOY EARNS TOUR RECORD China’s Ye Wocheng has become the youngest player to tee it up in an European Tour event after he played in the Volvo China Open.

The 12-year-old schoolboy missed the cut after shooting two rounds of 79. The Dongguan schoolboy follows in the footsteps of teenagers Andy Zhang and Guan Tianlang, who are both also from China. Zhang played in the US Open aged 14 in 2012, while Guan, also 14, was the youngest ever player at this year’s Masters.

KERR-CHING! Solheim Cup star Cristie Kerr made a par putt on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with Norway’s Suzann Pettersen to win the LPGA Tour’s Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg for the third time. Kerr shot a twounder 69, and Pettersen had a 67 to finish at 12-under par.

Lee Westwood can officially be considered the best player to have never won a major. The 40-year-old, who is currently 12th in the world rankings, has now played 60 majors without winning, the most of anyone among active players.

He has recorded seven top-threes in the Majors, including runner-up finishes in the Masters and Open Championship. He also missed a play-off by one shot in the 2008 US Open

and 2009 Open Championship.

Close behind Westwood in this category is Sergio Garcia, who has played in 58 majors without getting his head in front, and who has the distinction of having the longest active streak of consecutive majors played at 55.

Garcia lost the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie in a play-off with Padraig Harrington, and has twice been runner-up in the US PGA Championship.

The 36-year-old Spaniard, who is 14th in the world rankings, tied for eighth

alongside Lee Westwood at Augusta last month, after enjoying the outright lead in the first round following a six-under par 66.

Both players are now closing in on Tom Kite, who played 63 majors as a professional before he won the 1992 US Open at Pebble Beach at the age of 42.

Changes on course at Muirfield

South African Women’s Open reduced to 18-hole shoot out Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord claimed the South African Women’s Open after playing just 18 holes of golf at Southbroom Golf Club.

The 27-year-old’s threeunder par 69 at was all that was required to win rain-drenched tournament, which had to be reduced from 54 holes to just one round after a run of bad

WOODS IN THE CLEAR Golf’s governing bodies have issued a statement saying that Masters officials were right not to disqualify Tiger Woods for his illegal drop at last month’s event.

Woods’s second-round drop at Augusta ‘s 15th was taken two yards from the original position.

This should have incurred a two-shot penalty and thus disqualification for signing an incorrect scorecard, but the disqualification was waived.

Augusta officials were said to have “reasonably exercised discretion”.

when WADA, which had warned about the spray in February, told the tour that it no longer considered the use of deer antler spray to be prohibited except for a positive test result.

“Based on this new information, and given WADA’s leading role in interpreting the prohibited list, the tour deemed it only fair to no longer treat Vijay Singh’s use of deer antler spray as a violation of the tour’s anti-doping program,” said Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour’s chief executive.

Even though Singh never tested positive for the banned substance, the tour’s policy says that admitting to use of such a substance is a violation, positive test or not.

Following the lifting of the ban, Singh subsequently filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour, suing it for ‘negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and intentional infliction of emotional distress’.

Westy is officially ‘best of the rest’

Marianne Skarpnord

weather on the Hibiscus Coast, including gale force winds.

There was a seven-way tie for second place, with England’s Charley Hull being among the runners up who all shot two-under par 70s.

Skarpnord, whose previous tour victories came in 2009, won €14,500 for her efforts, equating to €210 per shot.

When Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug at Muirfield in 2002, he was faced with a course that measured 7,034 yards. This year’s pretenders for the defending champion’s crown will be tackling a 7,192yard layout, following some minor tweaks to the layout, with the par remaining at 71.

New tees have been added on seven of the 18 holes to add 158 yards to the layout. The most significant change is on the ninth hole, where a land swap with the neighbouring Renaissance Club has enabled the tee to be moved back 50 yards – extending the par-five to 554 yards – with a new bunker added on the right of the fairway and bunkers moved closer to the green.

In other changes to the Open experience, the R&A will be using LED scoreboards for the first time, rather than relying on local schoolboys to change the scores by hand, while spectators will have access to wi-fi on their smartphones, which are to be allowed on the grounds.

“Our championship committee is very engaged in trying to enhance the spectator experience,” said R&A chief executive Peter Dawson. “We are trying to give fans access to what’s going on all around the golf course.

If we can get to that then I think spectating will take a huge leap forward. We hear many people say golf is easier to watch on television, but you don’t get the atmosphere quite as much as if you are there.”

Jacquelin reigns in Spain after marathon play-off Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin claimed his fourth European Tour victory at the Open de España, but only after a marathon, recordequalling play-off that lasted over two hours in Valencia.

Facing Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar in the suddendeath play-off, Jacquelin triumphed with birdie on the ninth additional hole to claim the €250,000 first prize at Parador de El Saler.

Only once before has a play-off of such length

been contested in European Tour history, at the 1989 Dutch Open, when José María Olazábal beat Roger Chapman and Ronan Rafferty.

After the threesome made the play-off on five under par – there were pars all round on the first two trips down the par four 18th hole, before the Frenchman and the German found birdies at the third time of asking – in contrasting fashion. With the Chilean missing the green to the right, Jacquelin fired in

a brilliant approach to two feet, while Kieffer’s effort came up just short – some 30 feet from the hole.

Extraordinary scenes followed, though, as the 22-year-old’s putt fell in, sparking great celebration in the Kieffer camp, meaning Jacquelin’s tap-in merely ensured further additional holes – albeit this time without Aguilar, after the South American failed to hole out from off the green.

Jacquelin and Kieffer shared pars over the next

five trips down the 466-yard closing hole, before the older of the pair finally holed out for birdie in his tenth playing of the 18th hole on Sunday.

“It would have been really disappointing if I had lost this tournament. It was a real fight, but I managed it in the end,” said Jacqelin. “I’m very happy to win again in Spain, especially at El Saler, because the last time I played here was with Seve as a captain for the Seve Trophy, and that means a lot to me.”

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News in Brief THE GEAR EFFECT What was in the bags of last month’s winners ADAM SCOTT Masters Tournament DRIVER: Titleist 913 D3 (9.5°) FAIRWAY: Titleist 910Fd (15°), Nike VR_S Covert 5 (19°) IRONS: Titleist 712U (2), Titleist 710 MB (3-9) WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (48°, 54°, 60°) PUTTER: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Futura X prototype long BALL: Titleist Pro V1 SUZANN PETTERSEN LPGA LOTTE Championship

May 2013 / Issue 221

NIKON OFFERS ‘PRICELESS’ MUIRFIELD PRIZE Nikon has teamed up with MasterCard to offer golfers a money-can’t-buy golfing experience of a lifetime.

Any MasterCard cardholder who buys a Nikon Coolshot Laser Rangefinder before May 30, has the chance to win two spots to play in an exclusive golf day at the 2013 Open Championship venue, Muirfield on June 20. Fifteen lucky winners will have the opportunity to take a friend and tackle the links at Muirfield, on the final day before it shuts to begin its

Open preparations. The winners will also play with a former Open Champion, receive two nights’ free accommodation at a five-star hotel and receive an invitation to the R&A Gala Dinner hosted by the former Open Champion to be held during their stay.

Nikon and MasterCard ambassador Ian Poulter said: “This is a once in a lifetime chance for every golfer out there to feel like a pro for the day and play on a course in full tournament conditions.”

To purchase a Coolshot, which retails at £299, visit www.nikongolf.co.uk. For a chance to win this prize, register your purchase before May 31 at www.nikongolf.co.uk/ mastercard.

DRIVER: Nike VR_S Covert Tour (9.5°) FAIRWAY: Nike VR Pro (13°), Nike VR_S Covert 5 (19°) HYBRID: Nike VR_S (18°) IRONS: Nike VR Pro Cavity (4-5), Nike VR Pro Combo (6-PW) WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (48°, 52°, 59°) PUTTER: Nike Method Core 3i BALL: Nike 20XI-X GRAEME MCDOWELL RBC Heritage DRIVER: Cleveland Classic 290 (9°) FAIRWAY: Cleveland Launcher FL 3-wood (14°), HYBRID: Adams Idea a7 (22°) IRONS: Cleveland 588 MT (3), Cleveland 588 TT (4), Srixon Z-TX II (5-9) WEDGES: Cleveland 588 Precision Forged 48°, 52°) Cleveland 588 RTX (58°) PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot #7 prototype mallet BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV Pure White BRETT RUMFORD Ballantine’s Championship & Volvo China Open DRIVER: Titleist 913 D2 (8.5°) FAIRWAY: Titleist 913Fd (15°), Nike VR_S Covert 5 (19°) IRONS: Titleist 712U (2-4), Titleist 712 CB (5-9) WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM4 (48°, 54°, 60°) PUTTER: Odyssey White Hot Pro CSM long BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Stuburt hits the streets with Urban style With conditions now slightly firmer under foot, now is the time to switch into a pair of softer summer golfing shoes.

Among the numerous brands offering a trainerstyle shoe is footwear specialist Stuburt, whose new Urban Series combines fashionable street style with practical benefits for

the regular golfer.

Grain-effect leather uppers are matched with an integrated saddle into the lacing system. The rubber spikeless outsole offers extreme comfort in the dry summer weather, with a removable insole, and a padded collar and tongue.

The Urban range features six colour options:

black, white/red, white, brown, black/lime and for for women a pair in white/ mulberry.

Each pair comes with a spare set of coloured laces, and are available in UK sizes 7-12 for men, including half sizes, and 4-8 for women, including 5½ and 6½. The retail price is £44.99.

BILLY HORSCHEL Zurich Classic DRIVER: Ping G25 (9.5°) FAIRWAY: Ping G25 (15°, 18°) IRONS: Ping S56 WEDGES: Ping Gorge (52°, 60°) PUTTER: Ping Redwood Piper S BALL: Titleist Pro V1x INBEE PARK Kraft Nabisco Championship DRIVER: Srixon XXI0 FAIRWAY: TaylorMade RBZ (14.5°) HYBRID: TaylorMade Rescue TP (16°, 22°) IRONS: Srixon XXI0 Forged (5-PW) WEDGES: Cleveland TA 588 TZG (47°, 51°, 57°), PUTTER: Odyssey Sabertooth BALL: Srixon Z-Star DEREK ERNST Wells Fargo Championship DRIVER: Ping i20 (9.5°) FAIRWAY: Ping i15 (14°) HYBRID: Ping Anser (17°) Irons: Ping S56 (3-PW) WEDGES: Ping Gorge (54°, 58°) PUTTER: Ping Scottsdale TR Grayhawk BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

Get fit for the summer!

Golfers of all standards who are looking to improve their game should make a beeline for three golf centres across the South East which are guaranteeing to help golfers get the most out of their golf through custom-fitting the right equipment.

Portsmouth Golf Centre in Hampshire, Westridge Golf Centre in the Isle of Wight, and Duncan Lambert Golf at

West Malling Golf Club in Kent, are all kitted out with the very latest fitting technology, and stock all of the game’s leading brands, including Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade, Titleist, Cobra, Mizuno and Yonex.

With both outdoor and indoor facilities, golfers can see the flight of a proper ball, rather than a practice ball, with their own eyes, as well as benefit

from the latest radar technology to analyse flight characteristics.

All fittings are carried out with a fully qualified PGA professional, all the custom fitted clubs will be delivered with in ten days or less, and prices are extremely competitive.

For more details visit portsmouthgolfcentre.co.uk, westridgegolfcentre.co.uk or duncanlambertgolf.com.

High demand for Heavenly Hybrids While most golfers have at least one or two hybrids in the bag these days, the Heavenly Hybrid set is entirely made up of them, on the basis that some players will benefit from their distance-enhancing and forgiveness qualities through the bag.

Designed by golf professional Stuart Smith, the all-new Heavenly Hybrid’s give golfers of all abilities greater distance, improved ball flight, 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. 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.

Smith, who has been a golf professional for 20 years, said: “I wanted to produce a complete set of hybrids which would enable golfers of all abilities to improve their game, and get more enjoyment from playing, without having to change their swing. The response from people who’ve tried or bought the Heavenly Hybrids has been fantastic – so much so that we have had to bring forward our next shipment to cope with demand.”

Available in sets for men and women, the 10-piece Heavenly Hybrid range comprises 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 irons, plus a hybrid pitching wedge, sand wedge and, new for this season, a gap wedge (pictured), which gives even more control for shots around the green.

“The gap wedge will fit nicely between the PW and SW, and is ideal for those tricky short pitch shots where the PW is a little strong and you need to big a swing with the SW,” says Smith. “We truly believe that hybrids are going play a bigger part in everyone’s game for the foreseeable future.”

The complete set costs £300, although clubs can also be bought individually for £40 (with clubhead covers included).

For more details visit www.heavenlyhybrid.com.

Upgrade your FootJoys for less FootJoy has launched a sales promotion that entitles golfers to a £20 discount when they trade in their old golf shoes for a new pair of its DryJoys Tour or FJ Sport shoes.

Available until June 2, the trade-in promotion, which applies to any brand of used shoe, includes men’s and women’s models from the 2013 FJ range, including DryJoys Tour, DryJoys Tour SL, FJ Sport, FJ Sport Spikeless, Women’s DryJoys and Women’s FJ Sport.

“We are continuously looking at innovative ways to encourage golfers, who haven’t previously experienced the comfort of FJ shoes to purchase products from our all-encompassing product line,” commented Russell Lawes, European Marketing Manager, FootJoy. “With the new season under way, now is the perfect time to follow in the footsteps of major champions such as Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.”

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May 2013 / Issue 221

t r a p g n i k a t e h t t o n s It’

g n i n n i w e h t It’s year after year after year after year

2007

2010

2008

2011

2009

2012

*SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC & GOLF DATATECH RETAIL AUDITS

At Srixon, we’re all about the winning. So much so that winning golfers have made us the UK’s top-selling 2-piece ball brand for the last six years in a row*. If the ball you’re currently using isn’t a Srixon, then quite simply you’ve yet to find the winning choice for you.

Go to www.srixon.co.uk today to find the right ball for your game!

_030NN_CRE00379 2 Piece Half Page Ad 128.5x360 AW.indd 1

1/4/13 4:27 PM

Golf balls are one of the few pieces of equipment that many golfers don’t give a great deal of thought to when they make a purchase.

Choosing the right ball is all about striking the perfect balance – a compromise if you like – between what you need around the greens and your requirements from the tee.

I fit hundreds of golfers each year at the Cleveland and Srixon Centre of Excellence in Maidenhead, using the latest in launch monitor technology. Many of those who visit us find that, after a ball fitting, the ball they were previously using was having a detrimental effect on their game. The hardest part of my job is explaining to golfers that not all golf balls are created equal. Since you can’t see the technology, it is often hard to explain the extensive R&D that goes into each of the balls in Srixon’s line-up.

There is always give and take when designing a golf ball. The core of the ball influences its speed off the driver, while the cover will dictate spin and feel for your short

game. The challenge is creating the optimal balance in performance.

Two-piece or not two-piece?

The most common misconception you see when conducting a ball fitting is that many golfers think they should be using a multi-layer Tour ball, such as the Srixon Z-STAR or the Z-STAR XV, which are used by low handicappers and Tour players such as Graeme McDowell and Keegan Bradley.

Premium balls, such as these, have more layers – sometimes as many as four – meaning the harder you hit them, the more the technology behind the ball will work. So for anyone with a mid-to-slow swing speed – less than 90mph – a Tour ball may, in fact, be hurting their long game, as it’s not getting the most out of those extra layers.

For slower swings, a two-piece ball like the Srixon Soft Feel might produce better results, certainly off the woods and irons. It still feels soft, as the cover is thin, but the core of the ball is bigger, so you don’t have to swing the club so hard to get the ball to perform to its optimum level.

May 2013 / Issue 221

ADVERTISING PROMOTION

FIT FOR

PURPOSE

THE NEW FACE OF SPIN • •

Cleveland/Srixon Golf customfitting expert Dean Cracknell explains why getting fitted for the right ball can save vital shots

Srixon is the No.1 two-piece ball brand in the UK, and offer a wide selection of twopiece balls for golfers of all levels. The AD333, which has been most popular two-piece ball since 2008, is joined in this category by the Srixon Soft Feel and Srixon Distance ball, both of which are a low-spin, game-improvementtype ball that place an performance emphasis on control and distance.

A few shots on our Trackman launch monitor with each different ball from the Srixon range will quickly reveal which model produces the best combination of distance, accuracy and spin for each of your clubs. From there it is simply a question of placing in order of preference which part of your game you’d like to see the most improvement; be it distance off the tee, control with your short irons and wedges, or even the sound of the ball off the putter face.

Ultimately, ball fitting is a science. The only way you really know if you are getting the most from your golf ball is to book a customball fitting. You wouldn’t use Irons or a driver that aren’t suited to your abilities and the golf ball is no different.

White or yellow?

Once you’ve narrowed down your selection to one ball, Srixon also gives you the choice to pick a preferred colour. Twenty years ago all tennis balls were white. However, as yellow is easier to see, tennis made the switch from white to yellow. Golf is now starting to go the same way, with tour players playing yellow balls at various events on the calendar.

Playing under gloomy English skies, the Z-STAR Tour yellow or the Soft Feel Yellow is certainly easier to see in flight and, perhaps even more importantly, to find in the rough.

So next time you lose sight of your ball or are looking for your white ball, why not try a yellow ball and see the difference it makes to your game.

BOOK YOUR BALL FITTING To find out more about the full range of Srixon balls and what ball is right for your game, visit www.srixon.co.uk, where you will find Srixon’s custom ball fitting guide, as well as information about where you can book yourself in for a ball fitting at a Srixon Centre of Excellence.

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•

Cleveland Golf, the leaders in wedge innovation, introduce the new 588 RTX Rotex Wedges: 16% larger grooves for increased contact and friction at impact Enhanced laser-milling for improved durability and surface roughness Unique directionally-optimized Rotex face pattern for maximum spin

588 RTX Blade

588 RTX CB Cavity Back

Trade in any old wedge for any brand new 588 Wedge and get

£25 off

*

A maximum of three wedges can be traded in saving you £75 off three new 588 Wedges

Offer closes 30/06/13 – for terms and conditions, go to www.clevelandgolf588.eu

*Available in participating stores only.

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May 2013 / Issue 221

In association with

FREE GIFT CARD

*

Register at: www.direct-golf.co.uk/gngift

* To redeem £50 minimum spend.

Not in conjunction with any other offers or promotions.

Kangol Golf Hats

Titleist 712U Utility Iron

RRP: £39.95 Contact: kangol.com

RRP: £160 Contact: titleist.co.uk Even though the demand for hybrids has never been greater, there are still a number of players who simply don’t get on with them, and prefer to use more lofted fairway woods or good old-fashioned long irons. However, the latter are still hard to hit consistently well, even by skilled players, which is where the utility iron comes into play.

Used by Adam Scott during his recent victory at Augusta,

the 712U comes in three different lofts – 18°, 21° and 24° – which are direct replacements for the 2-, 3and 4-iron. Designed with a deep centre of gravity, the head has a hollow construction, which is made from forged steel. A wide, cambered sole promotes clean turf interaction and is effective from a variety of attack angles, making it easier to hit high or low shots, while a tapered-tip iron shaft offers additional trajectory control.

It will be available for custom orders only, so don’t go looking for it in the pro shop.

Kangol’s links with golf go back much further in time than Samuel L Jackson’s now iconic bucket hat, with the company having collaborated with Arnold Palmer back in the 60s. However, to celebrate its 75th anniversary, Kangol has launched an entire range inspired by Mr Jackson. Take you pick from a range of brightly-coloured baseball caps, flat hats, fedoras, baggies and bucket hats, all of which feature P2i technology, which causes water to bead off the surface, making them Ideal for Sam to wear during the Dunhill Links.

SHOP

Ping Moon-Lite Carry Bag

Powakaddy Cart Bag

RRP: £99-£159 Contact: powakaddy.com

RRP: £70 Contact: ping.com Weighing little more than an umbrella, Ping’s new MoonLite bag can easily hold a full set of sticks, or just your favourite half dozen, and comes with a new double strap design that makes it even more comfortable to sling across your shoulder. Its clever flip-up primary strap makes it easy to pick up from the ground, while a variety of pockets are available to store balls, drinks and extra clothing. It comes in black/ charcoal/blue, black/charcoal/red, navy and black.

£10

Gift Card

Specially designed to fit snugly into any Powakaddy trolley – although they work with all models – the latest range of Powakaddy cart bags comes in three designs: Sport, Deluxe and Premium. The Premium (£159) features 14-way, full-length club dividers, four sidemounted storage pockets, an easy grab top handle, and a keylock base system. The Deluxe (£129) is made from nylon and also features 14-way dividers, while the Sport model (£99) is a more lightweight design, with 11 full-length dividers and nine pockets. Colour options include black, white/red and black/silver/white.

FootJoy Dry Joys Tour SL RRP: £120 Contact: FootJoy.co.uk FootJoy continues to develop the spikeless element of its range with the launch of the all-new DryJoys Tour SL model, which is a traditionally-styled shoe featuring rubbernubbed outsoles. Available in classic black or white colours, the SL features leather uppers and leather linings. It will be available in whole and half sizes in both medium and wide widths, with a one-year waterproof guarantee.

£

Gift

May 2013 / Issue 221

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Odyssey Tank RRP: £139 Contact: odysseygolf.com The Tank putter is the first ever counter-balanced model that Odyssey has ever produced, while also being the heaviest at 400g. The counter balance, which moves its location in relation to the length of the shaft, increases the putter’s resistance to twisting at impact – and during the stroke itself – by between 34% and 109%, depending on the length of shaft that you use (34, 36, 38 or 40 inches). The added weight encourages a pendulum stroke that keeps the wrists from breaking down. Only available in a No.7 set up, the Tank also features Odyssey’s new White Hot insert.

Bushnell Tour V3 rangefinder RRP: £279 Contact: bushnellgolf.co.uk Laser rangefinders are incredibly accurate, but if there’s one thing every model seems to struggle with, it’s locking onto the correct target every time. With trees and other objects in the background, there’s always a chance the rangefinder picks up an object other than the flagstick.

Bushnell is confident that its new Tour v3 laser rangefinder with JOLT technology eliminates any doubt.

According to Bushnell, when the golfer aims at the flag, the JOLT technology will provide short vibrating bursts to reinforce that the rangefinder’s PinSeeker technology has isolated the target and locked onto the flag.

Accurate to within one yard and boasting 5-1,000 yards ranging performance, including 300-plus yards to the flag, the V3 also features bright, crisp multi-coated optics and is 100% rainproof.

TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs RRP: £159 Contact: taylormadegolf.com An extension of TaylorMade’s Spider range of putters, the Daddy Long Legs follows the trend for extremeweighted models that are designed to offer greater stability. Claimed to offer the feel and performance of an anchored putter, but with a standard-length shaft, it features a 16-piece clubhead made from eight different materials, a Pure Roll face insert, and a 15-inch grip that weighs 130g, which is almost twice the weight of a standard grip. This weight distribution moves the balance point of the club closer to the player’s hands, which makes it easier to control the clubhead and square it at impact. The extra long grip, which is available in 35- to 38inch lengths, also allows players to choke down, and thus take full advantage of the counter-weighted design.

TRIED &

TESTED ADAMS GOLF SPEEDLINE SUPER LS DRIVER Rating: RRP: £299 Contact: adamsgolf.co.uk If you think that Adams’ new range of Speedline drivers shares more than a passing resemblance to TaylorMade’s R11 and R1 series, then you probably aren’t alone. Since the latter company bought the former last year, the two brands are now under the same ownership, so it should perhaps come as no surprise that some of the elements that made the R11 franchise (i.e. the colour of the crown) such a hit have been transferred to the new Adams line up.

The new Speedline Super and Speedline Super LS range is certainly Adams’ most coherent product line-up to date, with a comprehensive range of irons, hybrids, and metal woods for mid-to-high handicap players. The LS range is the more expensive of the two, with the driver retailing at close to £300.

On the tech side, this 460cc titanium club features a slot in the sole which expands the sweet spot across a wider part of face, making it a very forgiving club for those occasional off-centre strikes, as well as offering good distance.

A deep face design combines with a low centre of gravity to produce one of the lowest spinning drivers on the market, although the mid-level launch angle still ensures the ball gets out there, especially for strong ball strikers.

Users can adjust the face angle with a supplied wrench by plus or minus a degree from the standard 8.5°, 9.5° and 10.5° lofts, and there is also a setting for an upright lie angle, which helps to encourage a draw. As an added bonus, the shaft can also be lengthened by half-an-inch by adding a longer screw, while the swingweight can also be increased with a heavier weight in the head. I’d probably only attempt the alterations with a club fitter, but it can be fun to play around with on your own.

The aforementioned white crown is classy, especially against the black face, while subtle grey crown graphics are not much of a distraction on what is a pleasingly-shaped head. As you’d expect form a high performance driver, it comes with a high quality 45inch Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage shaft.

While I had no complaints about the distance, accuracy or the forgiveness elements of the LS, the sound off the face is quite loud, which is fine if you like to turn heads on the driving range, but not so much if you like to practice incognito. But then again, if you’re the kind of player who likes a white-headed driver, you probably won’t mind people looking at you.

Callaway Golf X Hot 3Deep RRP: £189 Contact: callwaygolf.com Although Phil Mickelson didn’t have much joy with his ‘Prankenwood’ at last month’s Masters, the concept of a lowerlofted fairway wood is still a very attractive one, as it offers a balance between distance and accuracy for golfers who prefer to keep the ball in the fairway, and want to put a little more shape on it than would normally be possible with a driver. Callaway’s new 3Deep wood is very different from the Phrankenwood – which has a loft of just 8.5° with a 250cc head – and features a face which is 10% taller than the standard X Hot 3-wood, to allow golfers to keep spin rates down, for a penetrating ball flight and longer distance, while still maintaining workability. Featuring the same forged Speed Frame Face as the X Hot, the 3Deep also offers a Warbird-style sole, which makes it ideal for using off the deck, as well as from the tee. It is available in 13° and 14.5° models, and comes with a lightweight 43.5-inch Project X Velocity shaft.

Power of Golf Putting Ball RRP: £14.99 Contact: www.powerofgolf.co.uk The key to a consistent putting stroke is having your hands, wrists, arms and upper body working in complete harmony.

If the wrists or arms take over the stroke, it can lead to a loss of rhythm and pace, and a loss of accuracy and distance control.

Which is where the Power of Golf’s Putting Ball comes in. This simple, yet effective inflatable device, rests between your forearms and acts as a fulcrum around which you can learn to keep your wrists and arms connected, and putt using a pendulum arc from the movement of the shoulders and torso. Maintaining a consistent pressure on the Putting Ball throughout the stroke, the ball stays in place and helps all the elements of your body stay connected. If any part of the swing breaks down, the Putting Ball will drop or come away from the arms, providing instant feedback on where you’re going wrong.

To see a video of the putting ball in action, or to order a Putting Ball online, visit www.powerofgolf.co.uk.

48 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

Lacoste Polo £75 www.highandmighty.co.uk

Puma Golf Barcode Stripe £45 www.trendygolf.com

Ralph Lauren Polo £85 www.highandmighty.co.uk

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FootJoy Discovery £40 ww.footjoy.co.uk

Galvin Green Murphy £79 www.galvingreen.com

Bold, bright polo shirts are looking solid this summer.

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Under Armour HeatGear £40 www.underarmour.com

Nike TW Trajectory £60 www.nikegolfeurope.com

Hugo Boss Paddy Pro £89 www.trendygolf.com

Adidas ClimaCool £40 www.adidas.co.uk

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May 2013 / Issue 221

Get into the festival spirit with Fairway to Furlong Golfers can enjoy the perfect start to one of the highlights of the summer sporting calendar by taking part in the Royal Ascot Golf Day. Hosted on June 17, the eve of the fiveday Royal Ascot Festival, which is the most prestigious fixture in the racing calendar, the day will provide racegoers with the opportunity to enjoy 18 holes on The Berkshire’s Red Course, one of the south east’s finest golf clubs, followed by a gala dinner and a tipping panel of racing experts.

Founded in 1928, The Berkshire is host to The Berkshire Trophy, one of the UK’s major amateur competitions. Past winners include Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ross Fisher. It has also hosted the English Amateur and the British Senior Amateur, and in 2009 it was the venue for final qualifying for the Senior British Open.

The Royal Ascot Golf day begins with breakfast in the clubhouse followed by 18 holes and a 3-course lunch. The day will

also provide guests with the opportunity to enjoy the final preview night before the 2013 Royal Ascot meeting. A panel consisting of famous faces from the racing world, hosted

by Mick Fitzgerald and Gina Bryce, will run through their views about the major races and supporting cards - and hopefully provide a few winners for the upcoming week.

There are few sporting venues that can match the rich heritage and history of Ascot Racecourse. For almost 250 years, Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the centrepiece of the British social calendar, as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. Tradition, pageantry, fashion and style all meet in a glorious setting at one of the most beautiful racecourses in the country. The quality of the horseracing at Royal Ascot is simply outstanding, with nearly £4 million in prize money on offer and a total of 18 Group races over the five days.

The Royal Ascot Golf Day package costs £800 for a team of four, with the price including all green fees, breakfast, a goody bag from sponsors Cleveland/Srixon, team prizes, and a gala dinner, followed by the racing panel. There will also be a charity auction to raise funds for Help For Heroes.

For bookings call Lee Barham on 0207 336 5346 or email lee.barham@ yourgolftravel.com.

The Berkshire’s Red Course

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We have over 15 years experience of organising golf breaks throughout the UK and Europe

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 51

Awarded 5 Star Gold Award by British Tourist Board

Please visit our new website

27 holes of fantastic golf

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

Enjoy five-star treatment at the Manor House Golfers can stay in the height of luxury when they visit The Manor House Hotel and Golf Club in Wiltshire this summer, with the Castle Combe-based venue offering a range of new five-star golfing breaks, with prices starting from £142 per person.

Already regarded as one of the top stay-and-play courses in England, guests are in for an added treat when they stay in the future, after The Manor House’s hotel was recently upgraded to a five black-star property by the official AA Hotel Services rating.

Stay-and-play packages include 36 holes on a course rated the best in Wiltshire in the ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in England’ poll, luxury bed and breakfast accommodation, and a three-course dinner in the clubhouse.

Use of the club’s driving range facilities are also included, which is based on two people sharing a room, with one golfer going free when staying in groups of eight or more – and

JUNE SOCIETY SPECIAL OFFER

visitors can upgrade to the hotel’s Michelin-starred Bybrook restaurant for just £30 per person.

Dating back to the 14th century, The Manor House nestles in 365 acres of stunning countryside in Castle Combe, near Bath – one of the most picturesque villages in England – and its five-star facilities include a collection of 48 bedrooms and suites.

Steve Slinger, Exclusive Golf’s manager, said: “We are very proud to be awarded a five-star rating, as it recognises the hard work, caring attitude and unrelenting dedication of all the staff It’s our aim at Exclusive Golf to provide the best possible experience for our guests at all our venues and this latest accolade means golfers can enjoy a luxury break at an eyecatching price.”

To make a booking call 01249 782206, email enquiries@ manorhousegolf.co.uk or go to www.manorhousegolf.co.uk.

Coffee & Bacon Baguettes on arrival 18 Holes of Championship Golf, l Lunch from the menu l l

ONLY £38.00pp! (min 8 players)

DORSET’S PREMIER GOLFING VENUE NOT TO BE MISSED!

TELEPHONE NO: 01929 472244

FREE GOLF At The Ashbury Golf Hotel The UK’s Largest Golf Resort

Set in the foothills of Dartmoor National Park, Devon.

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

Pack yourself off to Patshull!

With petrol prices and travel costs breaking all records, it is not surprising that many holidaying golfers are now looking closer to home for their breaks and away days.

Patshull Park Hotel, Golf & Country Club, which is set in glorious south Shropshire countryside, in the West Midlands, has long been a favourite for golf and leisure breaks, and its convenient location is just 10 minutes from Junction 3 of the M54, 20 minutes from Junction 10a of the M6, and only two hours from the M25, makes it easy to reach from all corners of the country.

The beautifully mature

par 72 parkland course is an enjoyable challenge that will test the best, as it winds it way through majestic old oaks, elms and Lebanese cedars. Designed by John Jacobs, the layout is not long, but it’s relatively tight, especially on the heavily treelined holes around the turn.

Elsewhere, elevation changes, and a few ponds, ditches and well-placed bunkers, ensure golfers have to keep their concentration at all times, while the true greens are a pleasure to putt on.

After a round, players can relax in clubhouse before retiring to one of the hotel’s 49 well-appointed

Patshull Park Hotel, Golf & Country Club,

bedrooms, all of which tastefully furnished, with many commanding stunning views over the golf course or the lake, which are well worth upgrading to when making a booking.

In addition to the golf course, there are numerous other health and fitness facilities, including a large indoor pool, Jacuzzi, steam rooms, saunas, solarium, beauty treatments and a wellequipped gym.

Diners are spoilt for choice, with the Lakeside Restaurant offering panoramic views over the trout lake and serving imaginative dishes made from fresh local produce with an excellent choice of wines. Less formal meals are available throughout the day in Earl’s Brasserie, where guests can choose from a range of tasty snacks and bar meals.

To book a golf break call 01902 700100 or visit www. patshull-park.co.uk.

Oakwood 16th 172 yards, Par 3

Ashbury 6th 410 yards, Par 4

7 x 18 hole course options all on one site!

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Forest 8th 442 yards, Par 4

Kigbeare 15th 382 yards, Par 4

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

Ranges Archery Air Pistols Air Rifles Laser Clays

PLUS unique Craft Centre featuring 17 tutored crafts, including Pottery & Woodwork

0800 389 9892 ashburygolfhotel.com All rooms en-suite • Full board • Child rates • Party discounts

52 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

Stay in style on the Silver Coast

MAKE YOUR WAY TO MAGICAL MAZAGAN

Bom Sucesso is just minutes away

xxx

Located 90km south of Casablanca, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, the Mazagan Hotel, Golf & Spa Resort features a 500-room hotel, 67 villas, six restaurants, spa, casino, nightclub, and an 18-hole championship golf course.

Opened in 2009, the resort was built by South African hotelier Sol Kerzner – who made his fortune at Sun City – at a cost of more than £250m.

Styled on traditional Moroccan architecture, the hotel features dark woods, mosaics, ochre walls and green-tiled roofs.

Mainly frequented by golfobsessed French couples and other well-healed Europeans looking for a bit of luxury under sunny skies, new low-cost flights from Gatwick have recently opened this corner of the country to the UK market.

The golf course is the highlight of the leisure facilities on offer here, with Gary Player having carved out a superb 18-hole links course that runs alongside a 3km stretch of beach. While only a handful of holes are hard by the sea, the 6,093-metre course follows the contours of the dunes and offers many natural links features, albeit it with very nonCeltic vegetation, including the dreaded ‘witches fingers’, a stubby shrub that seems to live on a diet of golf balls.

The first five holes wend their way around the luxury villas built beside the hotel, but the fun really starts once you

head down the sixth, with the crashing Atlantic waves directly ahead of you. The fairways are extremely generous, which helps given the omnipresent wind, although the challenge gets tougher as you get nearer the greens, with ragged-edged bunkers and heavily-contoured putting surfaces proving exceptionally testing.

Guests can choose from a variety of accommodation options, from private villas overlooking the course, to one of 468 deluxe en-suite rooms and 17 suites in the main hotel.

Sea views come at a premium, but are worth the extra cost.

Golfers and non-golfers alike will appreciate the separate spa, which offers 19 treatment rooms, including a romantic ‘his & her’ suite, with treatments having a mixture of traditional Moroccan and Western influences. A hamman and a Technogym fitness centre are also free to use.

There are six dining options, including Olives, a high quality all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurant for breakfast and lunch; Morjana, a Moroccanthemed eaterie specialising in tagines and meze; and Sel de Mer, a stylish seafood restaurant offering locally caught fish.

The hotel also boasts the largest casino in Morocco, with over 400 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. There is a selection of VIP rooms for high rollers to gamble in private. The adjacent Sanctuary nightclub

can accommodate up to 1,000 people, and offers regular themed nights, live bands and guest DJs. For those travelling with families, it’s kid heaven at Mazagan, with three different kids clubs designed to cope with tiny toddlers through to tear-away teens. There are three swimming pools, including a separate children’s pool, 7km of private sandy beach, and activities include pony trekking, quad-biking, cycling, tennis, football – it has its own FIFA football academy – computer games rooms and a cinema. There’s even a kids’ disco, complete with glitterball and a bar serving fruit-based cocktails.

Away from the resort, Casablanca is an hour’s drive

Life’s a beach at Four Seasons Anahita

Known for its year-round tropical climate and picturepostcard views of turquoise lagoons and white sandy beaches, it’s easy to see the appeal of Mauritius, especially with the newly launched Golf Package from Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita.

Combining unlimited golf on Four Seasons’ Ernie Els-designed championship course, with a round on the nearby Links Golf Course of

Constance Belle Mare Plage, the new package also allows guests to benefit from a one-hour private lesson with a professional coach at the Four Seasons Golf Academy, daily breakfasts and daily three-course dinners for two people in a choice of the resort’s restaurants, as well as complimentary return airport transfers.

Weaving through the rocky outcrops and trees of the

The resort is located on a stunning stretch of Atlantic coastline

There is a wide variety of five-star accommodation options

away, with the Old Medina and the Hassan II Mosque being popular attractions, while the World Heritage site of El Jadida is 20 minutes from the resort.

An ancient fortified seaport, it dates back to the 16th century, when Portugal ruled the region, and features a variety of ancient buildings and a daily market.

An unlimited golf package costs from £207 per room per night, based on two adults and two children sharing a double room, with breakfast and free access to all the leisure facilities.

Return flights to Casablanca from London Gatwick on Air Arabia (www.airarabia.com) cost from £200pp, with a free transfer to the hotel included.

For bookings visit www. mazaganbeachresort.com.

The Els course at Anahita

Portugal’s Silver Coast, located in the region north of Lisbon, has long been recognised as a golfing mecca for UK visitors, with such well-known layouts as Praia d’el Rey and the Seve Ballesteros-designed Royal Obidos being among the highlights of wide selection of championship courses to be enjoyed on this stunning stretch of Atlantic coastline.

With easy access to Lisbon on low-cost flights from the UK, the region is awash with as many top class courses as the Algarve, although in more sophisticated and culturally-rich surroundings.

There are plenty of options for bars, restaurants and nightlife, while the sandy beaches rate up alongside anything offered in the south of the country.

Among the must-plays in the region, and one of the newer arrivals, is the beautiful parkland course at Bom Sucesso, which traverses the hills between the ocean and Óbidos lagoon, while inland is the Golden Eagle Resort at Rio Maior, which hosted the 2009 Portugal Ladies Open. Its 6,608-metre Rocky Roquemoredesigned course is widely regarded as being one of the longest and most challenging in Portugal.

While many golfers choose to stay in resorts and hotels, families and small groups often prefer to stay in private rented accommodation, which offers much more flexibility and privacy.

One such property is being let out by a British family in the popular Pinhall Village, whose stunning three-bedroomed detached villa is ideally located near many of the aforementioned courses, with Bom Sucesso being just a five-minute drive away.

Finished to a high standard, with its own swimming pool, garage and landscaped private garden, the villa, which sleeps up to eight people, is set in beautiful surroundings of Pinhall Village, and is just a short walk from the beach and the Obidos Lagoon, and a 10-minute drive to the beautiful 14th century town of Obidos. Pinhal is just 45 minutes drive from Lisbon, and within easy reach of great amenities, atmospheric medieval towns, authentic fishing villages, stunning scenery and, of course, world class golf.

The villa, which sleeps up to eight people is available for short lets (four days) or longer stays, with prices varying from £400£800 a week, depending on the season. For more details and booking enquiries email nicola-home@hotmail.com or visit www. villa49pinhal.com.

The villa sleeps up to eight guests

tropical landscape, the Ernie Els designed course at Anahita is the only course in Mauritius built to USGA standards, and features five tees on every hole to accommodate players of all levels. At 7,580 yards off the very back tees, the 18-hole course embraces large, open fairways and offers spectacular views of the Mauritian scenery, including six ocean-front holes.

In contrast, the rolling

fairways of the Links Golf Course at Belle Mare Plage meanders scenically around volcanic rock formations and an inland lake. Designed by Rodney Wright and Peter Allis, the par 71 course is located just a 30-minute drive north along the east coast of Mauritius.

For more information on packages, which start from €465 per night for a private villa, email Reservations.Mas@ fourseasons.com.

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 53

Chaka teams up with Tour Master Classes to offer Tour-level coaching programmes Golf holiday specialist Chaka Travel has formed a unique partnership with Tour Master Classes to provide a totally different kind of golfing experience.

Founded by former Tour Player Chris Moody, who won the European Masters in 1988, Tour Master Classes offers amateur golfers the opportunity to be coached by top European Tour players, all of whom are proven winners around the world.

Moody said: “Tour Master Classes focus on teaching amateurs the secrets of winning the game. Where traditionally coaching has concentrated largely on technique, we’re more focused on the final score – on getting the ball around the course with the minimum number of shots. Guests will learn from some of the very best exponents of these skills – our Tour pros have an enormous depth of knowledge

that is not normally available to the handicap golfer.”

Tour players of the calibre of seven-time Ryder Cup player Mark James, five-time European Tour winner Costantino Rocca, and multiple winner Tony Johnstone, will host the Master Classes, where club golfers will also be taught about preparation, strategy, course management, short game skills, and learn how to take these lessons on to the course and lower their scores.

Chaka Travel is currently offering Master Classes at Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Italy, Turnberry in Scotland, and Heritage Le Telfair, Mauritius.

To join one of these unique classes, contact Chaka Travel on 02890 232112, email enquiries@ chakatravel.com, or visit www.chakatravel.com/ tour-master-classes.aspx.

We’re the golfing holiday experts.

MAURITIUS

from £1,595 PP

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from £1,695 PP 2 weeks Garden Route & Cape Town 12 nights b&b 6 rounds golf on 6 different courses incl. flights, golf & car hire

from £1,925 PP THAILAND 5* Cape Nidhra Hua Hin 12 nights b&b with skypool suite 6 rounds golf on 6 different courses incl. flights, transfers

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Algarve Sunshine Golf Challenge 2013

TOURNAMENT GOLF HOLIDAY 3rd to 10th November

The format is Individual Stableford Best 3 rounds from 4 to count.

7 DAY 4* GOLF BREAK FROM

£535

PER GOLFER

1 FREE IN GROUP OF 8 • 4* Tivoli Carvoeiro Hotel • Based on two sharing a twin room • Free upgrade to Group ‘D’ car hire (between two) • 4 rounds competition golf at: Morgado, Alamos, Palmares & Pinta

• Welcome drink, farewell dinner and prizes • Services of a Tournament Director • Single room supplement £140 • Sea view room supplement £105 (room)

£100 per person deposit to secure booking.

Balances due by 1st September 2013.

All payments by bank transfer.

Peter Goulding, Tournament Director pedrogoulding@gmail.com www.algarvesportandleisure.com

BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

54 /

May 2013 / Issue 221

HOTEL GUADALMINA SPA & GOLF RESORT COSTA DEL SOL, SPAIN

Located in the middle of the Paradise of Golf you’ll find Hotel Guadalmina Spa & Golf Resort in one of the most beautiful areas of Marbella. It is one of Andalucía’s most comprehensive quality golf resorts.

The rooms in the hotel have generous balconies looking over the sea, gardens or golf course specifically designed for guests rest and comfort. With direct access to San Pedro Beach, and only five

“The Guadalmina River meanders through the course collecting any stray balls that cross its path and providing scenic vistas”

minutes from Puerto Banus, Hotel Guadalmina makes a wonderful location for a golf break.

The Cocoa Restaurant is an exquisite restaurant overlooking Guadalmina’s South course, specialising in Mediterranean cuisine. For larger groups the Taray restaurant offers more room with a wide range of regional and international dishes. Alternatively, if you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, then the Acqua bar offers the opportunity

to enjoy a fresh cocktail or a light meal in a lively poolside terrace setting.

Adjacent to the hotel is the par 72, 6,682 yard Guadalmina South course, where guests start from the very scenic par 3 10th hole.

The course is the second oldest on the coast, and is a real test of accuracy. Many tees require precise placement on the fairway due to the private gardens surrounding the course. The 14th can challenge even the lowest of handicappers

as tall pines line the hole, with a strategically-placed bunker in the front of the green, waiting to swallow up anything short.

The par 72, 6,603 yard North Course is less of a test than the South Course but features more water hazards and trees, making for an entertaining round. The fairways are wide and undulating, so you can go with a driver off the tee.

The Guadalmina River meanders through the course collecting any stray balls that cross its path and

providing scenic vistas.

The 9-hole, Campo Corto is an ideal warm up before stepping onto the North or South course, and it’s a great place for a beginner to start.

Hotel Guadalmina Spa & Golf Resort is a fantastic hotel with a relaxing atmosphere and a great base for your next golf break.

For more on the latest golf holidays to Guadalmina, visit www.golfbreaks.com

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03/05/2013 13:42

May 2013 / Issue 221

/ 55

Me&MyTravels with Sir Matthew Pinsent - The former Olympic rowing champion is more likely to be found on the golf course than the water these days My best ever holiday was…my honeymoon. We went to New Zealand, hired a car and then just made it up as we went along. We stayed in B&Bs and swanky hotels that we got a good rate on. We swam with seals and took a small plane over to Milford Sound, which was great fun. We then went to Fiji for 10 days and stayed in a luxury beach villa and did some scuba diving. It was a good contrast.

President’s Bar at Stoke Park

go there. My wife is half Greek and speaks the language, which is handy.

My favourite golf course is…the Old Course at St Andrews, because I love its history and the challenge.

You would have to be made of Carlisle Bay in Antigua

Pinsent and Redgrave reunited The Old Course

Beach, a stunning location overlooking the bay and the ocean.

The best hotel I’ve stayed in is…

The Carlisle Bay in Antigua. They have villas right on the beach, nice places to eat in the hotel, with breakfast being a very civilised affair in the beachfront hall.

My idea of a perfect holiday is… contrast and variety. A week on a beach would drive me bananas. I need to be able to scuba dive, swim or go walking.

My favourite holiday destination is…Mainland Greece. It is very beautiful and not many tourists

stone not to get a thrill teeing off in front of the R&A clubhouse.

My favourite 19th hole is…the clubhouse at Harleyford Golf Club in Marlow. Steve and I call it ‘our course’ and it’s great to spend time there after a round. Then there’s

the President’s Bar at Stoke Park after the mid-week roll up and everyone’s around the table. It’s a great atmosphere, and a lot of fun.

I’d love to play…Augusta, for the history and tradition, and California’s legendary Pebble

My favourite holiday fourball would be…Steve Redgrave, Ernie Els – because I want his swing – and Jack Nicklaus.

A great mix of humour and skill....and Steve. I’d also have Steve Williams [Tiger’s former caddy] on the bag and try to get him to tell some stories!

The worst hotel I stayed at…was in the Sierra Nevada mountains in

Spain, where we would stay while we were training. The food was always greasy and cold, and half the guys would come down with food poisoning by the end of our stay.

I really hate…queue-bargers.

When you’re abroad you experience a lot of queue-barging from other cultures, which is annoying. Low cost flying is another pet hate.

I think it’s a false economy. You drive to some far-flung airport to join an unwieldy charge to the plane – because no one has a seat allocation – and then they fleece you on board for drinks and food.

It’s not for me.

I always pack…a pair of flip-flops.

I’m perennially in flip-flops from my rowing days. I even take them skiing to wear in the chalet.

My top travel tip would be…to look for that magic upgrade from economy. Be polite to check-in staff and arriving late for check-in sometimes helps.

A CLUB FOR EVERY SHOT IN YOUR BAG

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