GOLF NEWS 30th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

THE UK’S NO.1 GOLF NEWSPAPER

30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

ISSUE 309

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Nick Bayly

THE DANGERS OF RATTLING THE SHARK’S CAGE Call it happenstance or some worm hole-style time continuum, but it’s more than a little spooky that as Golf News went to press for its very first issue back in 1994 – the cover of which is printed on this page – the world of men’s professional golf was in the middle of trying to tear itself apart with the proposed launch of a new tour with limited-field, big-money events that would travel the globe.

A meeting, fronted by none other than Greg Norman, was held at Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles, venue for a silly season event called The Shark Shootout, where a brazen attempt to reinvent the game was put forward to a group of PGA Tour stalwarts.

According to Greg, the World Golf Tour would feature 40 of the game’s top players taking part in eight tournaments with massive prize funds which would be televised and underwritten by Fox Sports.

According to various accounts, Norman entered the meeting confident that he had enough top players on his side to launch the WGT, which planned to hold its events in the week prior to the PGA Tour’s flagship tournaments, including the major championships.

Unfortunately, Norman came up against two titans of the game in Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, both of whom profoundly disagreed with the Australian’s plans and shot it dead in the water before it had a chance to swim. With Arnie and Jack standing firm for the status quo, players who had given Norman’s concept serious consideration quickly crept back into the shadows, not wishing to rattle the cage of two of the game’s most iconic figures. Norman, chastened by the experience, got back in his box, and the PGA Tour was left to grow into the behemoth that it has become over the last 30 years.

But now Norman is back. And this time he’s brought the cavalry with him in the shape of the bottomless pockets of the Saudi Public Investment Fund. No doubt still seething over his humiliation those three decades ago, The Shark is more determined than ever that the PGA Tour’s stranglehold over where and when the world’s top players can ply their trade can finally be broken.

And despite being rejected to a greater or lesser degree by two modern-day Jack and Arnies in the shape of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, LIV Golf has succeeded where the World Golf Tour failed in that it has managed to attract more than a dozen of the world’s top players – and 40-odd others of varying ability – into playing a 14-event schedule of global events for huge sums of money. Yes, the TV audiences are not quite up to where the paymasters would like them to be, but there’s no question that the world of men’s professional golf has been disrupted in a such a way that even Norman might not have dreamt would happen all those years ago.

Quite what the landscape of professional golf will

look like in three months’ time, let alone 30 years from now, remains to be seen, but, as things stand, a coming together looks as far away now than it has ever done over the three years since LIV’s launch.

It’s all quite depressing from a golf fans point of view, with the weaker fields making for a less compelling spectacle, and it won’t be long before that spectacle is watered down still further when those LIV golfers with major wins start to lose their exemptions and their world rankings plummet still further. But that was the choice those players that joined LIV made in their desire to line their pockets and play less golf. Lolly or legacy? It’s the $500 million question – well, it is if you ask Jon Rahm.

GOLF NEWS – 30 YEARS YOUNG & COUNTING There’s not a lot of time in this crazy, fast-paced world that we live in to sit back and smell the roses, let alone pause for breath, but we hope you’ll agree that it’s worth taking a few moments to ponder the great questions in life, such as will Arsenal ever win the Premier League again? Can the UK hope to get more than ‘nul points’ in any future public Eurovision vote? And is 30 years of publishing a free golf magazine something worth celebrating? My answer to those three questions, being a Chelsea fan, is ‘never’, ‘probably not’, and ‘yes!’

Although the concept of free content is all the rage these days, back in 1994, before the invention of the smartphone, Internet Explorer and Windows ‘95 (the clue is in the name), producing a free monthly magazine was a very rare publishing model indeed. But Golf News broke the mould then, and has been breaking it ever since, in making its printed content freely available at the place where golf is played, namely golf clubs, driving ranges and resorts.

While the speed of the internet may have usurped many of the functions of print media as we once knew it, I’d like to believe that golfers of all ages will continue to enjoy browsing through the latest copy of Golf News, be it in the clubhouse or in the comfort of their favourite armchair at home, for many years to come.

So, thank you loyal readers, and thank you loyal golf industry supporters, for keeping the Golf News dream alive.

THE UK’S NO.1 GOLF NEWSPAPER

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30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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[4] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Goodwood opens stunning new par-3 course and sho game practice facility Golf at Goodwood unveiled the latest addition to its already impressive range of facilities following the official opening of its new Short Course and Short Game Area on May 16.

The first tee times on the 6-hole, par 3 course, which is called The Copse, took place on May 17, while Goodwood members were also able to reserve time slots on the short game area from the same date.

Currently available for the use of Goodwood members and their guests, both facilities can be pre-booked, with a green fee for the short course costing £6 (one credit), while an hour-long session on the academy also costs £6, with a clicker tube of Titleist ProV1 balls provided as part of the fee.

The Copse, which was designed by leading golf course architect James Edwards, features six par-three holes measuring between 70 and 90 yards, making it ideal for warming up your short game before a round on Goodwood’s Park Course, which is located just a few yards away, or for a fun game with friends after a round.

The short game area features six different zones around a central green where a wide range of different shots can be practised, including flop shots, downhill chips, bump-and-runs and bunker shots.

Each day certain zones may be closed to protect against wear and tear, while each of the grassed hitting areas also feature synthetic mats for use in wet weather and as an added precaution against wear.

Both facilities were officially opened by the Duke of Richmond, the owner of the Goodwood Estate, on May 16, where invited guests were treated to a short game masterclass from DP World Tour player Toby Tree, after which he was joined by England International and Goodwood junior member Drew Sykes and Team Goodwood and Ukrainian National Golf Team member Anna Freidinova for a six-hole challenge match on the short course.

■ THE PAR-3 SHORT COURSE BOASTS SIX HOLES MEASURING BETWEEN 70 AND 90 YARDS

■ THE COPSE’S SHORT GAME AREA INCLUDES TWO BUNKERS AND SIX DIFFERENT HITTING ZONES

Clutch Pro Tour to receive world ranking points The Official World Golf ranking has announced that it is to begin awarding ranking points to the Clutch Pro Tour, whose events, like LIV Golf, comprise just 54 holes.

The Clutch Pro Tour, which is an official feeder tour to the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, has been included into the OWGR system after a 17-month application process and will be able to start awarding points from April 28 onwards.

Each Clutch Pro Tour event comprises of 54 holes, with a 36-hole cut. Its 2024 qualifying series was staged in the United Arab Emirates and, for its 2025 season, there will be a new open qualifying school. Its events are largely held in the south and southeast of England, although there was one tournament staged in Northern Ireland and one in Wales last year.

Explaining its decision, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said: “The Clutch Pro Tour has played a pivotal role in the United Kingdom – particularly since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. Its organisation has provided the continuation of playing opportunities and pathways for players to progress to the European Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour. “It also provides local and regional players opportunities, culminating with a season-ending Championship. As such, the Clutch Pro Tour is in keeping with long-standing OWGR Eligibility and Format Criteria.”

He added: “This is a significant milestone for golf, and we look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region.”

Pa inson elected captain of The R&A Ian Pattinson, the chairman of England Golf and a former chairman of the R&A’s rules of golf committee, has accepted the nomination to serve as captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews for 2024/25.

A member of The R&A since 1989, Pattinson has served the club and The R&A in numerous roles over the past 30 years, including first ever Chairman of the World Handicap Board, Chairman of the General Committee, and Chairman of The R&A Group boards from 2018-22.

He is an Honorary Member of Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club, where he was captain in its centenary year in 1993 and has served as president since 2023. He is also a member of Royal West Norfolk Golf Club, the Oxford & Cambridge Golfing Society and the Senior Golfers’ Society.

His official driving-in ceremony will take place on the first tee of the Old Course at St Andrews in September.

■ IAN PATTINSON

[6] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

LIV Golf stars set to tee it up at Foxhills Former Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell will be among the players on show at the International Series England, an Asian Tour event that is being held at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey from August 8-11.

It is the second time that Poulter will play the Asian Tour’s enhanced event on British soil – he finished runner-up in last year’s edition held at Close House – and co-captain of Majesticks GC will be joined by a host of other LIV Golf players at the event which will be played over Foxhills’ championship Longcross course.

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, has also been confirmed in the line up at the Surrey venue, along with Harold Varner III, Anirban Lahiri, Branden Grace, Richard Bland and English compatriot Sam Horsfield.

Poulter said: “Playing in England has and always will be very special for me. Having home crowds and family

and friends supporting is always awesome.

I’m very much looking forward to playing the International Series event at Foxhills.

He added: “Despite it being only an hour or so from my home in the UK, I have never played at Foxhills before, so I am looking forward to getting there and playing a few practice rounds ■ FOXHILLS’ LONCROSS COURSE WILL HOST and getting a look at the venue, and then really THE ASIAN TOUR EVENT IN AUGUST giving it a good go.”

Poulter expects more LIV Golf at Foxhills, following back-to-back tournament wins, League stars to sign up in the coming clinching the Saudi Open following his play-off win over weeks. He said: “With the scheduling that David Puig at the International Series Macau. the Asian Tour has done, it enables a Pro golfers and elite amateurs with handicaps of five few of the LIV Golf players to compete ■ IAN POULTER or less who would like to tee it up alongside these stars on The International Series which WILL BE IN are being invited to enter a qualifying event being held is fantastic. I think you will see a lot ACTION AT at Foxhills on June 17, where a maximum field of 144 will of guys play events like this to get FOXHILLS battle it out over 18 holes of stroke play to win one of six that extra competition and also gain places available in the field for main event. To register, visit valuable world ranking points.” golfgenius.com/pages/4757422 and sign up by June 9.

A host of stars from the Asian Tour Tickets to watch the International Series England are now have also been confirmed as they seek on sale. Standard day passes start at £15 for Thursday, £20 points in the season-long race for The for Friday and £30 for Saturday or Sunday, with a four-day International Series Rankings title, with the pass priced at £75. Hospitality packages start at £185 for champion securing a place on the LIV Golf League Thursday or Friday, and £250 for Saturday or Sunday, with a and over 30 places available for the season-ending LIV Golf four-day pass also available for £620.

Promotions event.

For more details, visit www.tixr.com.

In-form American John Catlin will be one of the favourites

Leading Chinese a ist to exhibit golf course paintings at University of London Golfers with an appreciation of the fine arts should put a date in the diary to visit an exhibition of golf course landscape oil paintings being held in London in June.

Chinese artist Hudson Shaoxia Zhang has been a golf fan for over three decades, alongside his influential role as a professor of art history, and over the last six years has dedicated himself to capturing the landscapes of golf courses worldwide through drawing and painting, blending his twin passions of golf and art to create a distinctive and unparalleled body of work.

Through Zhang’s unique perspectives and techniques, visitors are transported to renowned golf courses worldwide, from China’s stunning Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club to California’s iconic Cypress Point Club, New Jersey’s exclusive Pine Valley Golf Club and the humbler surroundings the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire.

As a professor of art history, Zhang’s plein air scenes

evoke historical landscape paintings akin to the works of Jean-Baptiste Corot and David Hockney, who revisited similar subjects. Ultimately, Zhang’s golf course landscapes are dreamscapes – vibrant, diverse, and painted with unwavering passion.

The Hudson Shaoxia Zhang Solo Exhibition is being held at The Beveridge Hall, Senate House, University of London, with a press preview on June 13 and public viewing on June 14-15.

■ PELICAN HILL IN CALIFORNIA IS AMONG THE MANY STUNNING COURSES CAPTURED IN OILS BY CHINESE ARTIST HUDSON SHAOXIA ZHANG

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [7] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

■ JULIA REGIS AND SARAH STIRK

England Golf appoints new independent directors England Golf has appointed Sarah Stirk and Julia Regis to its Board of Directors as Independent Director and Senior Independent Director respectively.

The pair begin their respective roles immediately after they were announced at the England Golf AGM at the end of April. A respected TV presenter and journalist, Stirk is one of the main hosts of Sky Sports Golf coverage, working across the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, while having previously presented and reported for the BBC, Setanta and Sky News. The 7.3-handicap golfer and former Oxfordshire county golfer is passionate about equality and diversity and hosts the annual Women’s Leadership Summit for The R&A. She also acts as a corporate host and facilitator as well as working as a brand ambassador for several businesses.

She said: “To be part of the England Golf Board of Directors is a real honour and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help shape the future of our amazing sport. I have a real interest in ensuring golf is open and accessible to all and it’s a wonderful opportunity for me to give back to the game which has given me so much joy over the years.”

Regis is an award-winning consultant, specialising in helping organisations resolve complex people management issues. She is Chair of the Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust, a charity set up following the death of her pioneering football husband Cyrille Regis, which aims to continue the impact and legacy of his work in the community. Regis said: “I am very passionate about this game and I am delighted to be able to bring my professional expertise to a sport that I love and play a part in shaping the future of our game,” said Regis. “I look forward to working with the team at England Golf to see golf become more inclusive and accessible to all.”

Team Lukes triumph at British Speedgolf Pairs Championship The British Speedgolf Pairs Championship returned for the first time in five years earlier this month, with 14 pairs taking part in the tournament held at Sand Martins Golf Club in Berkshire on May 10.

The format for the event sees both players navigate the course with a single ball and just seven clubs, alternating shots between one another. The aim is to achieve the lowest possible sum of shots across 18 holes in the fastest time. This combined total gives creates a speedgolf score.

The winning pair were Luke Bone and reigning British Speedgolf individual champion Luke Willett, who clinched victory in just 37 minutes and 43 seconds with a score of 86 (+16), for a speedgolf score of 123.43, which is understood to be a new world record for a pairs event.

They finished over 13 minutes ahead of runners-up Adam Williams and Jack Malden, who completed the 6,017-yard, par-70 course in just over 50 minutes with a score of 87 (SG score 137.02) After crossing the finishing line, Willett said: “The best thing about this event is that it’s a team format, so we’re alternating shots. It’s a rare thing because in speedgolf, you

generally have to get up very early and you’re out there going hard at it every morning on your own, but today we had the Team Lukes!”

Fellow competitor Will Major, who finished fourth alongside his brother Jonny, said: “That was a tough workout, but was brilliant fun. The first few holes were disastrous, then we found our rhythm and started playing a bit better.”

Among the diverse field was women’s pairing Di Stewart and Emma Johnstone (63 minutes, 106 shot), mixed pairing Kathy Leppard and Ed Hoskins, while single leg amputee Scott Richardson played with his coach Daf Digby, and took just 68 minutes to knock it round in 95 shots.

This year’s individual British Open Speedgolf Championship is being held at Sunningdale Heath Golf Club on September 15. There will be five competition categories – Elite Open, Women, Senior, Junior, Adaptive – and for the first time, elite players will play two rounds of 18 holes on the same day for the main championship title.

Entry to the elite division is by application only.

For more details, visit www.britishspeedgolf.co.uk.

■ LUKE BONE AND LUKE WILLETT

■ THERE WAS A GOOD TURNOUT FOR THE RETURN OF THE SPEEDGOLF PAIRS EVENT AT SAND MARTINS

[8] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Landgraf lands Angela Uzielli Trophy Louise Landgraf held her nerve in a play-off to become the first French winner of the R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship at The Berkshire.

Landgraf needed a play-off to see off England’s Charlotte Naughton over the Red Course, taking the Angela Uzielli Trophy with a par at the second play-off hole, the par-5 opening hole, after they tied on eight-under-par 211.

The pair set a new 54-hole championship record, bettering the six-under-par mark Italy’s Francesca Fiorellini recorded to win the 2019 title.

The French player lived up to her billing as the top ranked player in the field at 134th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®). She joins the likes of Fiorellini and inaugural winner (2018) Hannah Darling as champions but it was anything but easy.

Holding a five-shot lead over Naughton and Ireland’s Olivia Costello heading into the final round, 15-year-old Landgraf added a closing one-over-par 74 to earlier rounds of 68 and 69. She becomes the sixth winner of the popular 54-hole stroke play championship, which was making its debut at The Berkshire.

Landgraf still had a three-shot lead over Naughton with four holes to play but bogeyed the 15th and 16th.

Naughton then birdied the 18th to shoot 69, three-under, to force the play-off. However, the English player threeputted the second extra hole while Landgraf twoputted. Costello finished third, three shots out of ■ LOUISE LANDGRAF the play-off.

Landgraf, who lives in Thailand but claims French citizenship from her father, added, “I’m just so proud of myself to win this great chammpionship. It feels great to be called the R&A Girls’ Under 16 Amateur Champion.

Landgraf excelled at The Berkshire with a record number of countries represented (22) in the 80-player field, including

players from Cyprus, Iceland, India, the UAE and Hong Kong, China. She succeeds Germany’s Antonia Steiner as champion, who also needed a play-off to take the title last year.

Credit for finishing the Championship went to The Berkshire Golf Club’s green staff. Heavy overnight rain saturated the golf course, flooding some greens and leaving multiple puddles on fairways. Course manager Ian Morrison and his greenkeeping team did an excellent job getting the course in shape.

Twelve-year-old Sabrina Wong won the Liz Pook Trophy which goes to the leading under-14 player. The Hong Kong native finished joint ninth on level par.

Landgraf, Naughton, Costello and French player Lea Giron gained exemptions into the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship at Alwoodley Golf Club in August as the Championship’s top four players.

Goodwin comes good at Guildford Alliance finale Rochester & Cobham professional Jordan Goodwin fired a stunning 65 to win The Guildford Alliance’s end-of-season championship held at Hankley Common.

The Kent player’s seven-under-par score was still only good enough for a one-stroke victory over Alasdair Hay (Royal Winchester).

In taking the title, Goodwin joins a long and exalted list of past winners including Open champions Max Faulkner, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Alf Perry, Alf Padgham and Richard Burton, as well as former Ryder Cup players George Duncan, George Will, Neil Coles, Ken Bousfield, Peter Alliss and Arthur Lacey.

The Amateur Scratch Trophy was won by Tom Hunter (London Golf Club) and the Amateur Handicap winner was Colin Linsley. The Professional Order of Merit was won by Craig Sutherland (Growing Golf ), while the Amateur OOM winner was Guildford Alliance captain Phil Barker.

Mill Green to host Get Golfing Festival of Golf The Club at Mill Green in Hertfordshire is hosting the Get Golfing Festival of Golf later this summer, which promises to offer a week-long celebration of unity and inclusivity within golf.

Supported by a number of partners across the golf industry, including England Golf, the LET Access Series, the Golf Foundation, the EDGA Tour, and the Annika Womens All Pro Tour, the festival is taking place at the popular Hatfield based-club between August 26-September 1.

The week will include a wide variety of competitions, including a Super Sixes tournament, Glow Golf, a Celebrity Pro-Am, the Get Golfing Junior Open, a Single Shot Challenge, The British Long Drive Championship qualifiers and final, a Women’s G4D Series event for golfers with a disability, and a FootGolf competition.

There will be prizes galore on offer and plenty of opportunities to show off your skills whatever your age or golf handicap.

The Club at Mill Green is located just 10 minutes from junction 23 (South Mimms) of the M25, between Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City, making it easy to reach from all over the south-east.

To find out more, and to register for specific events, visit www.getgolfing.org/festival-of-golf.

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [9] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Basingstoke prepares to open nine holes of new-look championship course Basingstoke Golf Club, one of the most established and long-standing member clubs in Hampshire, is to open the front nine of its newly established 18-hole course next month, ahead of its planned full opening in September 2025.

The venue, built on the former site of Dumner Golf Club, is in the early stages of a major £15 million development programme with the remodelling of its course and the building of new facilities after relocating to a new site in 2021.

A soft launch of the championship course – with the opening of nine holes – is scheduled for late June with 18 holes in play towards the end of 2024. A full launch of all facilities, including a new clubhouse, driving range and short game area, is planned for September next year.

David Green, general manager of Basingstoke Golf Club, said: “We are excited to see our club’s transformation and journey to a full reopening in 2025, on our new site after relocating almost three years ago. Work is already well underway with the construction of our clubhouse, the centrepiece of what we believe will be one of the best golf venues in the southeast of England. Meanwhile, our new 18-hole championship golf course is shaping up to be a magnificent layout that will rival the very best in the region.”

“It is important to note that while Basingstoke Golf Club may have moved, we are very sensitive to our loyal membership, so while we will have a new identity in terms of our location and facilities, along with a completely new golf course, we are dedicated to ensuring the proud story of Basingstoke continues from the roots of the club that were built over 100 years ago.”

■ NINE HOLES OF BASINGSTOKE’S NEW 18-HOLE COURSE WILL BE OPEN FOR PLAY THIS SUMMER

London Golf Club to host leading G4D tournament London Golf Club is home to the world’s best golfers with a disability for the inaugural London Golf Club G4D Shield later this year.

Taking place from August 6-8, up to 60 golfers will compete over 36 holes on the Kent venue’s International Course – the first EDGA event held at the venue since the USA’s Chris Biggins won the EDGA Cazoo Classic ahead of the DP World Tour’s Cazoo Classic in 2021.

As part of the build-up to the event, the club and EDGA – an organisation active in promoting and delivering opportunities to sample, participate and compete in golf – will seek to promote inclusivity and accessibility for golfers with a disability in the wider Kent region.

Coaching has been provided by the EDGA team to London Golf Club’s PGA professional Paul Stuart to ensure that the club is fully educated and skilled around providing lessons to golfers with disabilities, with free golf lessons now made available to local children and adults with a disability.

The free golf lessons are the latest in several initiatives

that the club has put in place to benefit the surrounding area. The club is hugely active in the community, and recently announced children’s hospice Demelza as an official charity for 2024, while it also regularly donates to the West Kingsdown Community Cupboard food bank.

Ben Stimson, director of golf at London Golf Club, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming EDGA back to London Golf Club for the London Golf Club G4D Shield event, held during an action-packed summer.

■ LONDON GOLF CLUB’S INTERNATIONAL COURSE

“We are grateful to the EDGA team for all the support and training they will be offering our staff as part of the event, ensuring not only that the event is a success, but also enabling us to run a series of free lessons for those in and around the Ash area with a disability who have an interest in giving golf a go.”

London Golf Club is keen to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer at the event. For more information,please contact Matt Ryan on matt@londongolf.co.uk.

[10] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Rock rolls back the years to earn US Open spot Robert Rock, at 47 years young, is to make his third US Open appearance – and his first since 2012 – after earning one of the nine spots that were on offer at the Final Qualifying tournament held at Walton Heath.

Rock, who stepped back from playing on the DP World Tour at the end of the 2022 season following a 25-year career, made a remarkable comeback as he carded rounds of 69 and 66 to finish on nine under par, just one shot behind the leaders.

After learning that he had qualified for this year’s US Open, which is being held at Pinehurst from June 13-16, Rock said: “It’s difficult to describe my emotions. I really didn’t have any thoughts of qualifying. I thought it was my last chance of playing in this event and a good opportunity to see where my game was at, having been out of it for a couple of years. I thought while I could still enter, I’d see where I’d fit.”

He added: “I wasn’t even sure I could play two rounds. I’ve been playing mostly nine holes because my back isn’t the best at the moment. I was struggling with on the back nine, but thankfully a mate came to push my trolley. I didn’t think I’d make 36, but it’s amazing what making a few putts can do for your score.”

■ ROBERT ROCK BOOKED HIS PLACE AT PINEHURST

One shot ahead of Rock was the trio of Grant Forrest, Richard Mansell and Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who shared the top the spot on 10 under after playing Walton Heath’s New and Old Courses.

Robinson-Thompson will make his US Open debut at Pinehurst less than a year after playing in his first Major championship at The Open at Hoylake. Born in the Isle of Wight, the 31-year-old, who is now based in the United States, followed up his first round 68 with a six-under-par

Stoke Park to re-open for ‘pay and play’ rounds Stoke Park, which has been largely closed for the last two years, has provided a major update on its future, with the parkland golf course welcoming back golfers to ‘pay and play’ its historic Harry Colt course from June 1.

The Buckinghamshire-based luxury hotel, golf and country club shut its doors to members in 2021 after it was bought by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, who has since invested heavily in the 300-acre estate.

As well as improvements to the golf course, and the opening of a new coaching swing studio in March, renovation plans for the site also include improvements to the Grade I listed historic mansion, the creation of ‘seven-star’ hotel villas, and the construction of a new clubhouse.

A spokesman for the club said: “While we work towards submitting their masterplan for the future of Stoke Park, which includes major upgrades to the existing course, the course has been opened up for golf coaching and special golf events, and the team are now really looking forward to welcoming back general play back on the existing course whilst the future planning process continues.”

Details on how to book a pay-and-play package are to be announced soon via the venue’s website, stokepark.com.

In other moves, Buckinghamshire Council, which owns the freehold of the Stoke Park estate, has granted retrospective planning permission for the conversion of the lower ground floor golf club changing rooms into a commercial kitchen. The basement

66. He was then joined by Mansell, who made his US Open debut in 2022, and Scotland’s Forrest, who will be playing in his first US Open.

Yorkshire’s Sam Bairstow holed a nervy seven-footer for par on the 36th hole to sign for rounds of 68 and 67 to match Rock’s score and book his ticket to Pinehurst.

“I started off a bit ropey, but from my ninth hole onwards it was good,” said the Sheffield-based player, who is currently enjoying his first season on the DP World Tour.

“I’m really pleased to get it done with that seven-footer at the last. I thought there would just be three or four people coming down from Sheffield to watch me, so to see a dozen or more of them was great. When you hole a birdie putt it does spur you on, so it was great for them to be out there.”

Also securing their spots for the US Open were the Italian pair of Matteo Manassero and Edoardo Molinari, Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Australian Jason Scrivener, who all faced a nervous wait after reaching eight under par with a number of groups still to finish.

A play-off was eventually required to decide the two alternate spots available. Five competitors finished on seven under par, with Casey Jarvis and Andrea Pavan earning the alternate spots after four extra holes.

Of the 102 players that took part in the tournament, 26 either withdrew or retired after the first round or during the early part of the second round once they knew their chance of qualifying had gone.

changing rooms were fitted out in 1995, however, the club, writing in its planning application, stated that the facilities became ‘too small and inappropriate for modern requirements’ and will be moved to a new location in order to free up space for the creation of a state-of the-art commercial kitchen.

Stoke Park, which will be hosting the annual Boodles tennis tournament from June 2529, is currently seeking retrospective permission for a new fishpond and pergola which has been built within the grounds for hosting social events.

■ STOKE PARK WILL RE-OPEN FOR GREEN FEE PLAY THIS SUMMER

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [11] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Faldo Junior series kicks off new season at Brocket The Faldo Series Junior Tour kicked off its 2024 season with a visit to Brocket Hall, where a field of 158 young players took on the challenge of 54 holes on the Hertfordshire club’s par73 Palmerston Course.

Samuel Epstein from Maylands impressed in the opening round, shooting a fantastic five-under par 68 to finish the first day as clubhouse leader. His score was all the impressive given that he was stung by a bee on the 7th hole and then went on to birdie three of the next four holes.

The second round proved to be the toughest test for the golfers as they looked to battle 35mph gusts of wind ahead of a 60% cut after the round. Wentworth’s Josh Thompson handled the weather best and returned a three-under 70 to take the clubhouse lead and put himself himself in the final group for the final round alongside Epstein and Bishops Stortford’s Ben Sessions.

On the third and final round it was Eloise Feely, Maia Hattrell and Jorja Newbold who were battling it out for the girls’ overall title and WAGR ranking points. Oakmere Admirals’ Jorja Newbold signed for a three-over 76 to win the Overall and U21 & Under division with a 54-hole total of 232 (+13).

Both the Boys’ divisions were close until the final few holes, as James Baxter closed out the 21 & Under division with a three-under 70 to take the spoils. However, it was Thompson who took the 16 & Under and overall title after coming in a 74 for a total score of 221 (+2) across the three rounds, narrowly beating Sessions by a single shot.

Thompson, Baxter, Newbold and Hattrell will all now go on to compete in Faldo Junior Tour European Grand Final at Al Ain in the UAE in November.

Hull and Hall set for Centurion showdown at Aramco Team Series The UK leg of the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series, which is being held at Centurion Club from July 3-5, is shaping up as a preview for the Paris Olympics, with Great Britain’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall set to tee it up in the high-class field.

The English duo are sure to be a hit with the home crowds, and with further announcements set to follow on a strong field, both are looking to build on fantastic 2023 outings at the tournament.

Last year, Hull came up just short to the all-conquering world no.1 Nelly Korda in the individual competition, while Hall was able to captain her team to victory in extremely difficult conditions, edging out Hull’s team by just one stroke.

Now England’s dynamic duo are aiming to secure their places representing Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics and become the first to win a medal for Team GB in a women’s golf event.

The golf at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Korda is set to defend her gold medal from Tokyo 2020, kicks off a little

■ JOSH THOMPSON WITH BROCKET HALL GENERAL MANAGER MICHAEL LONGSHAW

“Competing against Charley as a team captain again will over a month after the Aramco Team Series – London event, add an extra layer of excitement, especially with friends and and the ‘Major-like’ event at Centurion will provide the pair family cheering us on. I’ve played my fair share of Majors the perfect opportunity to prepare themselves in their and outside of those, the Aramco Team Series matches the quest for medals. energy and field the best. It’s always a great competition Hull has recently achieved a career-high world ranking with the top players out there.” of seventh following her impressive runner-up finish at the Joining Hull and Hall will be a field stacked with talent, Aramco Team Series in Tampa in March. including Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands, Singapore’s Reflecting on her preparations for the summer, Hull Shannon Tan, and India’s Diksha Dagar. commented: “At the start of the season I sat down and To purchase tickets for the event, visit www.tixr.com thought about how I wanted this year to pan out. I knew and search for Aramco Team Series – London. that there would be an important summer of golf ahead with the Olympic Games, Solheim Cup and chasing down my first Major title.

“I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my career, mentally and physically, so to have the Aramco Team Series at home is the best way to open the intense summer ahead. Playing in a field with some of the players I’ll face in Paris, and at a tournament like this that has that Major-like feel, will be a great dress rehearsal for me to aim for that gold medal.”

Excited about the prospect of returning to London, Hall said: “The Aramco Team Series ■ CHARLEY HULL in London will be my first appearance in the WILL BE IN ACTION event this year and I’m buzzing to get back AT CENTURION into playing with a team which will hopefully CLUB IN JULY be a great transition to the Solheim Cup in September.

■ THE WHISKY ROOM

■ (L-R) SANJAY ARORA, KP SINGH, SURINDER ARORA AT THE OPENNG OF THE NEW-LOOK CLUBHOUSE

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE UNVEILS STYLISH CLUBHOUSE R E N O VAT I O N The Buckinghamshire Golf Club has reopened its 17th century clubhouse following a £10 million renovation

T

he impressive transformation of the historic building is part of a major upgrade in the club’s facilities – the golf course is also to receive further investment next year – and forms part of a larger plans by owners the Arora Group, which also own Luton Hoo Hotel & Golf Resort, to develop a portfolio of world class golf venues.

Sanjay Arora, president of The Buckinghamshire and chief operating officer of the Arora Group, said: “This is a dream come true. We wanted to do something very special here, to bring this beautiful house back to its best and create one of the finest golf estates

■ THE CLUBHOUSE LOUNGE

and contemporary members’ clubs in the world.

And with the support of a wonderful team, we have realised that dream and begin an exciting journey here at The Buckinghamshire and beyond, as we seek to grow our golf portfolio.”

Alongside Sanjay Arora for the ribbon cutting at the official reopening was his father Surinder Arora, and KP Singh, chairman of the board who,

THE HOUSE HAS BEEN DESIGNED AS A HOMEFROM HOME IN A RELAXING ENVIRONMENT, SURROUNDED

BY NATURAL BEAUTY

■ THE ORANGERY RESTAURANT

for five decades led India’s largest real estate developer DLF and founded DLF Golf & Country Club in Delhi.

Members and guests at the launch were invited to wander through the renovated house and explore new amenities, including a stylish contemporary orangery restaurant, wine bar, whisky room, lounges and locker rooms, and seven new bedroom suites.

Following a golf course reconfiguration and the switching of front and back nine holes, the Heron’s Bar and patio offers over the 18th hole and River Colne, making it the perfect place for post-round drinks and long lunches.

Sanjay Arora gave special thanks for Kim Partridge, the acclaimed designer who has overseen the transformation of The Buckinghamshire’s interiors.

“Kim has perfectly realised our vision for ‘membership reimagined,’ celebrating the house’s finest classical features while creating relaxed, comfortable, contemporary spaces for our members to enjoy,” said Arora. “While the golf course is the centrepiece of the estate, the house is the heart of our club and whether members are golfing, spending time with family, lunching with friends and business contacts, or spending the day working. The house has been designed as a home-from-home in a relaxing environment, surrounded by natural beauty.”

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [15] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Bromley Golf Centre tees up dementiafriendly golf sessions Bromley-based charitable trust Mytime Active is reintroducing dementiafriendly golf sessions at its Bromley Golf Centre – one of many activities the social enterprise offers to support residents living with dementia, and their carers.

Mytime Active’s pay-asyou-go dementia-friendly golf sessions are led by Bromley Golf Centre coach Tristan Hodgkinson, who is trained as a dementia friend.

The hour-long coaching sessions take place on the driving range and are ideal for keen golfers now living with dementia, as well as people who are completely new to golf. The sessions are followed by a social meet-up at the clubhouse.

Ann Wilbourn, Mytime Active’s Primetime manager and trained dementia champion, said: “According to the Alzheimer’s Society, by 2025 more than one million people in the UK will have a diagnosis of dementia. It’s our responsibility to ensure our community are aware of and have an understanding of the condition and help those diagnosed to get more out of life through being active. Golf is a safe, gentle activity and, guided

by Tristan, participants get a golf experience without having to worry about losing their way on the course or getting confused.

“Research has shown golf is an activity that creates muscle memory, so even though the person may not remember their way around a golf course, they’ll remember how to play. It’s an open-air activity that’s great for mental wellbeing, and carers can join in for free.”

To find out more about Mytime Active’s dementiafriendly golf sessions, visit www.mytimeactive.co.uk.

Peter Jones Golf Day raises £100k Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones hosted his annual charity golf fundraiser at Foxhills Golf Club and Resort in Surrey on April 24, with the entrepreneur’s popular event helping to raise over £100,000 to support the Peter Jones Foundation, which nurtures the next generation of business leaders.

To date, through programmes such as the Tycoon Enterprise Competition and the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, the Foundation has helped launched over 3,000 student businesses.

The golf day saw an impressive turnout of supporters from the world of sport and TV, with Alan Shearer, John Terry, Denise van

Outen and Mark Foster among the celebrities in action over Foxhill’s Bernhard Hunt championship course.

Following the morning’s golf, guests were treated to a three-course lunch, where they heard from Jevean Barryclough, the Peter Jones Foundation’s National Entrepreneur of the Year winner, WHO shared her inspiring business journey, recounting her experience of securing a £5,000 investment in her fashion business, Da Goat Clothing.

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C A P I TA L C H O I C E London Golf Club celebrates its 30-year anniversary this summer having risen to prominence as one of the UK’s most prestigious venues

A

lot has changed since Wednesday July 10, 1994. Rewind the clock and Scottish soft rock band Wet Wet Wet’s cover of The Troggs’ hit Love Is All Around sat firmly atop the official UK singles chart for a ninth successive week; The Lion King and Forrest Gump were battling it out at the box office; and a fresh-faced, 24-year-old Ernie Els was celebrating having won the first of his four Major titles just a few weeks earlier at that year’s US Open, held at Oakmont Country Club.

the setting of the star-studded match between the legends of the game which was won by Spaniard Ballesteros – while the late Ron Kirby was tasked with designing The International.

What the duo managed to create was a pair of outstanding championship golf courses that would become respected DP World Tour hosts, woven beautifully into Kent’s rolling countryside.

Its setting makes it easy to forget upon entering the 700-acre grounds that the hustle and bustle of the capital lies just 20 miles away.

The Heritage course, exclusively for use by members and their guests, is dripping with drama. Over the years, the layout has welcomed

prestigious events such as the European Open in 2008 and 2009. In 2021, the Cazoo Classic – formerly known as the English Open – was won by Scotland’s Calum Hill.

Meanwhile, The International remains a fine layout in its own right. In 2014, it hosted the Volvo World Match Play Championship, where Finland’s Mikko Ilonen beat 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson in a tense finale. Riskreward holes offer great excitement, while the dogleg 13th hole was described by Kirby as “the best par five I have ever created”.

This summer, the course will welcome the world’s best golfers with a disability for the inaugural London Golf Club G4D Shield – underlining the club’s commitment to making golf accessible to players of all backgrounds. As part of the preparation for the event, head PGA professional Paul Stuart – who has been an everpresent at the club for the past 30 years – received

WHAT LONDON GOLF CLUB HAS ACHIEVED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS HAS BEEN TRULY REMARKABLE Head across the Atlantic some 3,700 miles due east from Pittsburgh, three more multiple Major winners – Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tony Jacklin – were gathering in the ‘Garden of England’ to play a special charity skins match to mark the official opening of an exciting 36-hole golf course development just outside the English capital.

The vision of Japanese businessman Masao Nagahara to create a first-class golf facility close to the city, London Golf Club in the secluded Kent countryside opened its doors 30 years ago this July.

Mr Nagahara, owner of London Golf Club until 2003, called upon the services of Nicklaus to orchestrate the design of both the club’s prospective courses under the Nicklaus Design banner.

The 18-time Major winner would himself design one of the game’s finest courses, The Heritage –

■ THE LONDON GOLF CLUB ENJOYS AN UNRIVALED STATUS AS BOTH A TOURNAMENT VENUE AND A POPULAR MEMBERS CLUB

FEATURE | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [17] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

■ THE 18TH GREEN ON THE HERITAGE COURSE HAS SEEN SOME TREMENDOUS FINISHES OVER THE YEARS

LONDON GOLF CLUB THROUGH THE YEARS 1990 Masao Nagahara – a Japanese businessman with a dream to create a first-class golf facility close to London – buys a 700-acre plot of land in the Kent countryside, near the village of Ash. Nicklaus Design is enlisted shortly after to design both championship courses at the soon to be 36-hole venue. Jack Nicklaus himself would design The Heritage while Ron Kirby would create The International.

■ JACK NICKLAUS OFFICALLY OPENS THE HERITAGE COURSE

JULY 1994 Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tony Jacklin compete in a special charity skins match on The Heritage to mark the official opening of London Golf Club.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE NEXT 30 YEARS ARE SET TO BE INCREDIBLY SPECIAL training from the EDGA team to enable him to offer locals with disabilities free golf lessons.

Having been at the club since the start, joining as a caddie and working several other roles including director of golf, nobody is better placed than Stuart to reflect on what has been an incredible three decades.

“Seeing the club evolve over the years has been wonderful,” Stuart said. “We always had aspirations to be recognised as one of England’s best golf venues, but I feel we have achieved that while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere that only comes through reputation and word of mouth. People love coming back here.”

It’s that welcoming atmosphere Stuart mentions that may surprise golf novices; there is not a hint of the straight-faced stuffiness with which so many associate the sport.

Everything is done with a smile, from your greeting at the gate to the team behind the bar, which counts a London Golf Club micro-brewed lager among its options.

The club has proudly maintained a familyfriendly ethos since opening in 1994, and this extends not only to guests, but to the staff and

local community. For three decades, the venue has built a reputation for its relationship with the loyal, largely local team it has built. They have taken this attitude even further with the recent addition of on-site staff accommodation, a refurbished cottage on the grounds.

London Golf Club is also hugely active in the community, with Kent-based children’s hospice Demelza the official charity for 2024, while it also regularly donates to the West Kingsdown Community Cupboard food bank.

Chief executive officer Stephen Follett has led the team at London Golf Club for the last eight years, placing an impetus on both staff wellbeing and community outreach.

Follett said: “What London Golf Club has achieved over the last 30 years has been truly remarkable. From creating a strong membership community, to regularly welcoming the world’s best players for fantastic events, there is little we haven’t achieved.

“The club will always be grateful to not only Mr Nagahara – who we sadly lost in the autumn – for his original vision and determination, but also to the incredible hard work of every staff member who has ensured all members and visitors to the club have received the best possible service and experience each and every day for three decades.

“While our first 30 years have witnessed a remarkable journey of growth and success, there is no doubt that the next 30 years are set to be incredibly special, thanks to continued investment and a drive to host golf’s biggest events once again. The future is looking extremely exciting for everyone here at the club.”

With a glowing reputation, strong membership numbers, and visitor bookings as high as ever, the future for London Golf Club certainly looks brighter than ever.

OCTOBER 1995 London Golf Club holds its first professional tournament as the now named Legends Tour (Europe’s premier senior tour for men) is held at the club. The inaugural London Seniors Masters was won by South African John Bland.

JULY 2008 The Heritage course becomes a DP World Tour venue, as the European Open is held at the Kent club for the first time. Ross Fisher would ease to victory, finishing seven strokes ahead of Sergio Garcia. The Englishman’s first-round 63 remains the course record.

■ MIKKO IILONEN EN ROUTE TO VICTORY AT THE 2014 VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY

MAY 2009 The European Open returns to The Heritage as France’s Christian Cévaër wins his second DP World Tour event.

OCTOBER 2014 The International course welcomes the world’s best male golfers as the DP World Tour’s 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship is held. Finland’s Mikko Ilonen went on to beat 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson in a tense finale.

AUGUST 2018 Philip Golding won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship as he equalled the course-record with a nine under par round of 63 on the International Course.

WIN A FOURBALL VOUCHER TO PLAY THE INTERNATIONAL Thanks to London Golf Club – and in celebration of its 30th anniversary – one Golf News reader and three friends have the chance to visit the venue and play one of England’s finest downland courses.

Designed by Ron Kirby as part of Nicklaus Design, The International course at London Golf Club has hosted many high-profile tournaments and events, including the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2014.

There are countless ways to play the course, with risk-reward holes offering excitement for brave golfers as well as more relaxed routes for those craving a casual game.

To be in with a chance of winning the fourball voucher simply answer the question below.

AUGUST 2019 Phillip Price won the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship on the International Course to claim his second Staysure Tour title in three years.

Q

Who opened the Heritage Course alongside Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros in July 1994?

Send your answers to matt@londongolf.co.uk Subject Line: ‘London Golf Club Competition’ stating where you picked up your copy of Golf News or if you read it online.

Competition closes July 10, 2024.

By entering this competition you agree to receiving future marketing email communications from London Golf Club.

■ PHIL GOLDING WON THE PGA SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2018

AUGUST 2021 ■ 2021 CAZOO CLASSIC WINNER CALUM HILL

The Heritage welcomes back the DP World Tour as some of the best players test themselves against the course at the 2021 Cazoo Classic. Scot Calum Hill would emerge victorious – and collect his first DP World Tour title.

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FEATURE | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [19] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

your golf schedule. Alternatively, you can join an existing group.

Discreet notifications keep everyone in the loop about the important details, rather than the irrelevant group chatter you get with WhatsApp.

FLEXIBLE & FUN

QUICK9

T H E S M A R T E R WAY T O O R GA N I S E YO U R G O L F G R O U P If you’re looking for a better way to arrange your regular golf outings with friends, manage your golf society’s schedule at home and abroad, or find new golfing partners at your home club or in the local area, then look no further than Quick9, a handy free app that takes the legwork out of coordinating and organising golf with playing partners both new and old

L

ike many people during the pandemic, with more time on their hands, no daily commute and needing a break from endless Zoom and Teams calls, Rob MacAdam found himself drawn back to golf.

Like many 40 somethings, Rob found the pressures of work and family too much to justify splashing out on an annual membership when he was stuck in his traditional work routine. But without the commute and inflexible office hours, the possibility of reconnecting with the game became a reality once more.

Luckily, Rob managed to join his local golf club in Hampshire long before the surge became a stampede, and it wasn’t long before he was playing a quick nine on his own after a day in the home office. However, Rob soon became a bit disillusioned when it came to coordinating golf and building his social network.

Rob says: “The mechanisms for new members to build social networks, like weekday rollups and competitions, are mainly geared towards retirees.

As a full-time working parent, I couldn’t easily participate, making it hard to find existing groups or meet like-minded golfers.”

“I managed to find my way into several club WhatsApp groups, but I soon realised they’re still quite siloed and limited to those who are already in the groups. Also, anyone who is part of golf WhatsApp groups knows that trying to coordinate group golf can get chaotic. If you were to design a golf organisation tool, you wouldn’t build WhatsApp!” Rob began thinking about the ways in which golfers coordinate with each other, and began talking to groups, societies and roll ups to get their perspectives as well.

Whilst there have been several golf match-up apps, Rob realised the bigger challenge was to facilitate a more inclusive way to connect, plan and organise games for different types of golf communities.

“It was clear that coordinating and organising golf was a challenge not only for golfers looking for a game, but also for

existing groups, whether a small collection of friends, a weekly rollup, a golf society or even a virtual community. I wanted to build a platform to help golfers and golf groups organise more effectively”.

And thus, Quick9 was born.

SIMPLE & INTUITIVE Quick9 is a free App that empowers golf groups and communities, be it club members, societies or a group of friends, to organise their golf events in a more streamlined way. With Quick9, your group can coordinate games, track who’s in and who’s out, and monitor group performance in leaderboards and leagues.

Available to download for both iOS and Android, Quick9 offers a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate, without any of the annoying ads or pop-ups that ruin the user experience for so many golf apps.

Once registered, there’s just a few simple steps to sign up your golf group, society, club or community, after which you can invite your friends and members, and begin organising

If you’re the administrator of a group, you can manage it directly in the app, adding or removing members, sharing event invites and details, and tracking participation.

If you’re eligible for a game, you can quickly see the date, time and location of the game, the format of the game, and who has already signed up to it, enabling you to make a quick and informed decision about whether you want to take part or not. You can then add a comment and chat to fellow group members in the lead up to the day.

If you’re not able to find a game that suits your schedule, you can always set up your own game and send out invitations to specific players to join you at a specific time or you can make it a public event which lets everyone know in your network.

Once a game is over, players can upload their final scores/points to Quick9 which creates a leaderboard for that event. Scores can also be added to a running table for season-long leagues and multi-round events, injecting a competitive edge to gamify your group’s golf schedule.

The app also works at the club level as well, allowing clubs to manage their own groups. For example, clubs can create groups for all members or just those who recently joined, where members can post and find games.

So, ditch the chaos of golf coordination in WhatsApp groups and join the Quick9 revolution.

Your golfing life is about to get a whole lot more organised and fun!

The Quick9 app can be downloaded for free from Google Play, Apple App Store or wherever you get your apps, or you can scan the QR codes on this page.

The Quick9 app can be downloaded for free from Google Play, Apple App Store or wherever you get your apps, or you can scan the QR code on this page. For more details on Quick9, visit https://quick9.app

QUICK9 TESTIMONIALS “Quick9 has really enhanced the North Hants community and has been positively received by our members. It has made it easier for new and returning players to form connections and friendships – which can only be a good thing for golfers and golf clubs. It’s also improved the organisation of existing groups and rollups, bringing a refreshing alternative to the usual WhatsApp approach. It’s exactly what the industry has needed.”

Rob Climas, General Manager of North Hants Golf Club “Quick9 is a great app that enables you to arrange and manage rounds of golf, be it with your friends, fellow members or just individuals seeking a round of golf with others. No more scrolling through endless chat messages to work out who is playing and when, instead I can see my individual rounds in a diary as well as message just those I am playing with on a specific day. My golfing friend group has grown through the use of this app and I have managed to play more by joining rounds where others have set up public rounds.”

Iain Parker, member at North Hants Golf Club “We recently made the switch from WhatsApp to Quick9 for organising our society’s league and monthly outings. From an admin standpoint it has been a really great switch for me. We usually keep our outings to a maximum of 24 players and with Quick9 I no longer need to keep a count on who is available or not in the WhatsApp group. We have a broad range of ages in the group, from 28-75, and the clean and simple design of the app means that everyone is able to navigate it easily. The feature which is most popular among the group’s members is the addition of the league table with current standings which has definitely boosted the competitive spirit of our members!”

David Dempsey, Wex Pats Golf Society, Wexford, Ireland

[20] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE

Nick Bayly looks back on the life of the legendary player and broadcaster Peter Oosterhuis, who sadly died last month following a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s

A TOWERING FIGURE

P

eter Oosterhuis was a giant of the game in every sense of the word. Measuring six foot five inches in his spikes, he towered over his rivals in both stature and talent during an 18-year pro career that yielded 20 tournament wins and six Ryder Cup caps.

At a time when the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Lee Trevino dominated the major championship scene, ‘Oosty’ ploughed a furrow in Europe, amassing a collection of national trophies (Italian, Spanish, French, Canadian) and winning four consecutive European Tour order of merit titles between 1971-74, a record that has only been eclipsed by Colin Montgomerie’s five in 1993-97.

Born in London in 1948, and educated at Dulwich College, the young Oosterhuis first came into contact with the game at Dulwich & Sydenham Golf Club where, despite his somewhat gangly frame, he quickly showed an aptitude for the sport. Aged 18, he won the 1966 Berkshire Trophy after shooting a final round 67 which included a run of seven 3s in succession. Later that same year he won the British Youths Open and made his senior debut for England in the 1966 Home Internationals while he was still at school. The following year he represented GB&I in the Walker Cup and also played in the 1968 Eisenhower Trophy.

ROOKIE HONOURS AND EARY SUCCESSS No doubt buoyed by those performance he turned professional in November 1968. He took to the professional game like the proverbial duck to water, and in the years before the formation of the European Tour, enjoyed successful forays on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, winning the order of merit titles there in 1970 and 1971. After winning rookie of the year in 1969, he pipped Neil Coles to the title of European No.1 in 1971, just two years into his professional career, following wins at the Agfa-Gevaert Tournament at Stoke Park, the Sunbeam Electric Tournament at Royal Mid-Surrey, and the Piccadilly Medal, the latter being a match play event held at Wentworth.

In 1972, the European Tour’s first year, Oosterhuis recorded one win, beating Christy O’Connor Jnr in a play-off at the PenfoldBournemouth Tournament, and three runner-up finishes as he won the Harry Vardon Trophy for a second consecutive season. The following season he won three times, claiming the Piccadilly Medal and the French Open before winning the PGA Championship at Wentworth.

MAJOR NEAR-MISSES AND PGA TOUR CAREER The following year, Oosterhuis’s international reputation took a major step forweard when coming close to winning the 1974 Masters,

■ PETER WAS MADE AN HONORARY LIFE MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN TOUR IN 2016

after he had led for the first three rounds of the competition but could not quite get across the line on the final day, tying in third place with Jack Nicklaus. It was the best Masters position by a British player up to that point and remained so until Sandy Lyle’s victory in 1988.

Oosterhuis’s good showing at Augusta gave him the confidence to move on to the US tour in 1975 and he remained in North America for almost 20 years, playing in 314 tournaments and winning the Canadian Open in 1981. These days, European golfers are a relatively common sight on the US circuit, but aside from Jacklin, who had been taking part in American competitions since the late 1960s, Oosterhuis was virtually on his own in the 70s and 80s. “After Tony I was really the only guy in Europe thinking globally,” he said. “I made the effort to go over, and I proved to myself that I could compete.”

In 1974 he finished a distant runner-up to

the eager kid. He was quietly not afraid of anyone, and that rubbed off. In our first match against Ray Floyd and Lou Graham, we were 3 down at the turn but won, 2 and 1. Afterward, Oosty asked me, ‘Were you afraid we were going to lose?’ I thought and said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Nor was I.’ The next day we beat Floyd and Jack Nicklaus. Peter had that calm, confident outlook that gave you the feeling that everything was possible.”

Oosty made his final Ryder Cup appearance in 1981, and although he never featured on a winning team during a period of American dominance, he finished with an individual record of 15.5 points from his 28 matches. In 1982, he endured another runner-up finish at the Open, this time losing out to Tom Watson at Royal Troon by a shot.

CLUB PRO & COMMENTATOR After calling time on his playing career after the 1986 season, he became the club professional at Forsgate Country Club, New Jersey. Six years later he became Director of Golf at Riviera Country Club in California, which has hosted the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational almost every year since 1973.

Back in Britain, in 1994 he agreed to help out with analysis on Sky’s coverage of the PGA Tour, and covered two Open Championships for the BBC. From 1995 to 1997 he was the lead analyst for the Golf Channel’s coverage of the European Tour, where he and Renton Laidlaw brought the European Tour to life through the newly established Golf Channel. In 1998 he was picked up by CBS, where his calm English voice, dry wit and authoritative delivery proved popular with American audiences for the best part of 20 years.

PETER WAS NOT ONLY A WONDERFUL GOLFER, BUT HE WAS ALSO GENTLEMAN, A GREAT COLLEAGUE AND, ABOVE ALL, A MAN I WAS PROUD TO CALL MY FRIEND.” EWEN MURRAY Gary Player at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and, like the previous season, he won three times on the European Tour, defending his French Open title and the finishing the season by winning in consecutive weeks in the Italian Open and the El Parasio Open in Spain. That took his total European Tour victories to seven and also ensure he finished top of the European money list again with his record of four consecutive Order of Merit victories.

RYDER CUP RECORD Perhaps it was his familiarity with golf in the US that helped Oosterhuis to such an impressive record in the Ryder Cup, in which he played six times on the bounce from 1971-81. Although he was on the losing side each time, his own performances were among the best in the history of the event. From 1977 onwards he created an especially productive pairing with Nick Faldo, and featured in famous wins over Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller. In all he won 14 of his 28 Ryder Cup matches and halved three.

At the 1977 matches, the then 29-year-old Oosterhuis partnered with Faldo, who, at 20, was the youngest player at the time to compete in the Ryder Cup. Although GB&I was trounced, both finished the matches 3-0, compiling six of their team’s 7½ points.

“We were the two tallest players, with sweaters that were too short, so they put us together,” Faldo recalls. “But we gelled so well. Peter was a seasoned campaigner, and a great putter. I was

ALZHEIMER’S DIAGNOSIS Having moved with his second wife Ruth Ann to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was a member at Quail Hollow Club, he retired from broadcasting following CBS’s coverage of the 2014 PGA Championship and later revealed he was battling with early-onset Alzheimer’s, a disease which caused him to slowly loose his memory.

Earlier in his life he had also been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which had compelled him to keep incredibly detailed logs of every shot he made at every tournament, not to mention every type of bird he saw while playing – roughly 500 over his career, all identified via a copy of National Geographic Complete Birds of the World, which he carried in his golf bag. “There was a time when I could recall every course I’d ever played in fine detail, not just pars for the holes but even yardages,” he said after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. “I wasn’t an encyclopaedia, but I was close. Now it just isn’t there.”

Peter Arthur Oosterhuis died on May 2, a day short of his 76th birthday, at his home in South Carolina.

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[22] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Mashie Golf launches Links Membership With over 9,000 members signed up since its launch in 2018, Mashie Golf is a fast-growing community of golfers that has developed from an underground secret to one of the most popular groups of like-minded golfers across the UK. Those members enjoy a myriad of benefits, including preferential rates at over 100 top-ranked golf clubs across the country – including The Grove, The Belfry and The Addington – and many overseas clubs too, including premium clubs in Ireland, Dubai and Portugal, as well exclusive member events at some of the UK’s top venues.

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Michael Rees earns Gerald Micklem Award Suffolk’s Michael Rees has been presented with England Golf’s Gerald Micklem Award in recognition of his exceptional commitment to golf in various roles across the sport.

Named in honour of the former English Amateur champion and Walker Cup player, the Gerald Micklem Award was set up in 1990 and annually recognises those unsung individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to further the interest of amateur golf in England.

Rees has made quite the impact in the world of golf in England, particularly at his local club where he has been club captain at Rookery Park in 1989 and 1994, before serving as president from 2001-2003. He has also been a trustee for over 20 years, and is an honorary life member, currently occupying the role of Competitions & Handicap Chairman.

At county level, Rees was President of Suffolk Golf Union in 2010/11 and First Team Captain in 2012 when Suffolk made it to the County Finals for the first time ever. He is also a Chief Referee and Rules Adviser and remains a Board Member, while he was President of the South East Group from 2017-2019 and currently occupies the role of Championships Chairman and Chief Referee.

Rees has also been a Tournament Panel referee for many years and has officiated at R&A, DP World Tour and Ladies European Tour events.

After receiving his award at the England Golf AGM, Rees said: “I can’t believe it. I thought I was getting asked to provide a rules evening!

There are so many great people doing so many great things for the game. For me, I’ve basically got an award for something I like doing.

“My roles have given me the chance to visit some lovely places around the country and meet some super people. The season never stops, I just love it. And while I’m fit enough, I hope I can keep doing what I love.”

[24] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

K I M LO O K S S E T F O R STELLAR CAREER Teenage amateur sensation Kris Kim already looks capable of cutting it in the pro ranks following a stunning PGA Tour debut

E

ngland and Surrey amateur Kris Kim etched his name into professional golf’s record books last month after becoming the youngest player to make the cut in a PGA Tour event.

Kris Kim, who is just 16 years old, fired rounds of 68 and 70 to make the cut by one shot at The CJ Cup in Dallas, and eclipse the achievement of dual major champion Jordan Spieth, who finished 16th in the CJ Cup back in 2010 when he was just a few months older than Kris.

The Epsom College student who plays out of Cuddington Golf Club added weekend rounds of 70 and 73 to finish on six-under-par for the week and 65th place. Although he finished second last of those that made the cut, and missed out on $20,000 in prize money due to his amateur status, the Walton Heath member returned to the UK all the richer for the experience of playing alongside some of the PGA Tour’s top performers.

Speaking after the second round, Kim said: “My goal was to make the cut and I’ve done that, but I just want to finish as high as I can. Golf is all about enjoyment to me and I’ve loved this experience.”

He added: “This week I’ve realised how good my short game is and how I can rely on it sometimes, especially days like today where my iron play wasn’t so good.”

More than a few eyebrows were raised when the CJ Group invited the teenager – who is ranked outside the top 400 in the world amateur rankings – although the Korean conglomerate knew all

about the talent they have sponsored for the last year and the reigning British Boys’ champion more than justified the faith with his impressive performance. Kim is the first amateur to be sponsored by the CJ Group, joining a world class stable of professional golfers that includes Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim, KH Lee and Byeong Hun An. Ethan Kim, Director of Sports Marketing at CJ Group, said: “When I first saw Kris, I was very impressed by his passion for golf and his challenge to become No.1 in the world. His first appearance in a PGA TOUR tournament was an amazing opportunity for him to achieve his big dream, and he more than justified his place in the field.”

Kim’s family is no stranger to success on the golf course as both is parents are former professionals, with his mother, Ji Hyun Suh, having played on the LPGA Tour in the 1990s, while his father, Yong Ki Kim, played on the Fiji Tour. Ji Hyun has been his coach since he first started playing as a fiveyear-old and is the driving force behind his rapid progress.

Last year he secured victories in the Boys’ Amateur Championship, the European Boys’ Individual Championship and the McGregor Trophy, while the highlight of the year was a stunning undefeated performance on his debut in the Junior Ryder Cup that saw him claim three wins and a half in Europe’s first victory in the match since 2006.

Kim’s progress has also been aided by the support of two sponsors, Under Armour, which provides his clothing and footwear, and

■ KRIS IN ACTION AT THE CJ CUP, WHERE HE BECAME THE YOUNGEST PLAYER EVER TO MAKE THE CUT AT A PGA TOUR EVENT

TaylorMade, which supplies his clubs and golf balls.

For now, Kim is having to put his clubs to one side as he faces the equally arduous challenge of taking his GCSEs, but later this summer he will get the chance to test his mettle against the top players in Europe after receiving a sponsor’s invatation to play in the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters, which is being held at The Belfry at the end of August.

“The British Masters is an event I have grown up watching and to have the chance to play is a dream come true,” Kim says. “The event celebrates the best of British golf and having Sir Nick Faldo as the host is really cool. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to spend some time with him and learn from his experience.”

“I feel like I learned so much from playing on the PGA TOUR earlier this month and spending some time around the DP World Tour players will be priceless for my future, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

COMPETITION | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [25] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

COMPETITION

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[26] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

those prizes have now been claimed, the Vale will also be offering monthly deals, such as afternoon tea, personal training sessions and twilight golf from £25 per person, 25% discounts across the spa and leisure club, as well as a two-course meal in the Vale Grill. There will also be a 25-year anniversary dinner held at the resort later in the year.

Stephen Leeke, The Vale’s Managing Director, commented: “When I started at the Vale Resort in 1994, we had a portacabin, driving range and 9-hole golf course. My father, Gerald, had a love for sport and had a vision for a sporting hotel.

“It’s been the proverbial extension on the extension since then, which has culminated in the world-class facilities which guests enjoy today. Not only do we house the training bases for both Wales’s national rugby and football teams, but we can compete with the very best with our golf, leisure and business offering.

“The opening of the Grade-I listed Hensol Castle as a venue tailored for exclusive wedding and events, incorporating a craft distillery in the cellars, was, in the words of my father, ‘the icing on the cake’, and the feedback from guests has been outstanding.”

He added: “It’s been very much a team effort along the way, and I’d like to thank our staff, members, guests, colleagues and our partners in the Welsh Rugby Union and Football Association of Wales for all they have done to contribute to our success.”

The Vale celebrates 25 years of offering top-class hospitality Having first opened its doors in 1999, the Vale Resort in South Wales is celebrating 25 years of providing first class golf and hospitality.

The independent 4-star resort was built by the Leeke family and is made up of the 143-bedroom Vale Hotel, two championship golf courses, extensive leisure and sports facilities, Wales’s largest spa, extensive conference and events facilities, restaurants, bars and Hensol Castle, an exclusive wedding and events venue which also incorporates a distillery.

Set in 650 acres of Welsh countryside, the 18-hole Lake Course was built on a site that previously housed nothing more than a small cabin and was the first part of the resort that opened to the public. The course itself was completed in 1994, and by 1997 it was staging the PGA Wales and the West Championship, The leisure club followed, opening in 1998, and the hotel itself opened in 1999.

Over the last 25 years, the resort has hosted over five million guests and cleared more than 35,000 barrels of alcohol. Additionally, the Wales National Golf Course was inaugurated by Sir Steve Redgrave in June 2003, and hosted the European Seniors in 2006.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Vale kicked off with 25 days of giveaways during April, with golf and spa breaks up for grabs, as well as free golf lessons, a gin-making experience at Hensol Castle Distillery, and tickets to various resort events. Although

Prolific Peaford claims Critchley Salver Fifteen-year-old Annabel Peaford broke the New Course record at Sunningdale Golf Club en route to winning the illustrious Critchley Salver.

The 36-hole scratch women’s open tests some of the country’s best amateurs as they take on both the Berkshire venue’s Old Course and New Course in the same day.

And Peaford had a day to remember, as she fired an astonishing 13-under-par across a 16-hole stretch to help her to an overall total of -8, finishing two clear of fellow England Golf team member Matilde Santilli from Foxhills.

Peaford, who is a member at Walton Heath, started her day with a bogey on the opening hole of the New Course, before she kicked into gear on the par-five 6th, which started a remarkable run of 11 birdies and an eagle. Her back-nine on the New Course was an astonishing -7, while her nine-under-par first round 66 set a new course record.

She took that form into the afternoon’s second round on the Old Course, starting with four birdies in the first six holes, and even though she dropped several shots on the back-nine to finish +1 for the 18 holes, she was able to run out a comfortable winner, adding to the Justin Rose Junior Golf Telegraph Championship title she won at the end of last year.

Peaford, who was one of the youngest in the 36-player field, said: “I’d never played in the Critchley Salver before, as I didn’t think I’d get in, so I’m really pleased to win. I was just trying to get it under-par and once I got it going, I just kept going deeper.

“I was hitting the fairways which gave me opportunities to go for pins, but I learned from my experience playing the Justin Rose Series that the greens are really tricky, so most of my focus went into reading putts. I didn’t hole anything outside of 15 feet, but I just kept hitting good shots into the greens and holing putts.”

She added: “I lost a bit of focus on the back-nine as I was a bit tired, as there was only 10 minutes or so between each round, but to have a course record at such an iconic golf course is amazing. It’s crazy to think that I was one-over after the first – so it just shows that all the best rounds start with a bogey!”

Congratulations to Golf News

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COMPETITION | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [27] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

COMPETITION

WIN A SPECIAL EDITION PAIR OF SKECHERS GO GOLF BLADE SE SHOES AS WORN

BY MATT FITZPATRICK We’ve teamed up with leading shoe brand Skechers to offer Golf News readers the chance to win the same model of golf shoe that is currently being worn on tour by 2022 US Open Champion and Skechers’ brand ambassador Matt Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick debuted his new Skechers GO GOLF BLADE SE Slip-Ins at the 2024 Masters tournament at Augusta.

The current world no.15 has worn a few special edition golf shoes from Skechers at previous Majors and some of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious tournaments, but this is the first time that his special edition footwear is available at retailers in the UK. The GO GOLF BLADE SE takes inspiration from the natural beauty of Rae’s Creek, the body of water that comes into play on a famous stretch of holes

QUESTION ■ THE SOLE BOASTS A TRACTION PLATE FEATURING A CUSTOM GRAPHIC MADE FROM A TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF RAE’S CREEK AND AUGUSTA NATIONAL

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[28] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | INTERVIEW GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

INTERVIEW | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [29] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

EUROPE EXPECTS European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald discusses his hopes of becomingthe first man since Tony Jacklin to lead home and away wins, while acknowledging that the team at his disposal in New York in 2025 might not be drawn from the same pool of talent that he enjoyed in Rome

You’re about to be the Ryder Cup captain for the second time. Do you feel like you have enough energy mentally, physically to play at an elite level where you can win golf tournaments, or do you feel like you’ve moved into a new chapter of the career?

I would say I’ve changed my expectation a little bit because I have this role that takes up a lot of time in the captaincy. I’ve thought as a competitor for so long, you still keep those expectations really high.

I’ve had to sort of rein those back a little bit, but in a way, sometimes lowering those helps you just kind of go and play and not have too much expectation and do fine.

I certainly have enough time to do both. I don’t think I’ll be playing quite as many tournaments this season as I did the last two seasons. I don’t think it’s necessary, plus my status on the PGA Tour would require some invites. I’d rather play a little bit more next year leading up to New York than kind of burn through some potential invites that I might be given this year.

I want to play enough in the US and enough on the DP World Tour to keep an eye on some of the potential players and keep the communication and relationships going, but again, if I play 15 events this year instead of 25, that would probably be more likely.

With Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton having joined LIV Golf now, what have the conversations been like with the rest of the European team? Do you see the those two players being a part of the team at Bethpage in 2025?

To be honest, I haven’t seen too many of the guys in person, although we still have a group WhatsApp chat, and we’re all participating in that chat that we created for Rome. There’s nothing adverse or anything within that chat. Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for themselves, and I don’t think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon’s decision.

Do I see them on the team? It’s really hard for me to answer that question right now. What I did so well in my captaincy last year was control what I could control. We’re seven months out probably since qualification starts. We have all this talk about there being potential deals with the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and with the Saudi PIF. I have no idea what’s going to happen, and for the next seven months I don’t really need to know what’s going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won’t start until then.

How did you feel about Rory McIlroy making it sound like it’s no big deal for those players to be on the team?

Well, again, Rory’s comment, he was a little inaccurate in terms of changing the rules for Jon, or any LIV Golf players to be a part of it because currently right now you have to be

European and be a member of the DP World Tour.

Jon, Tyrrell, as far as I know are still members of the European Tour and would be eligible. Nothing has changed there.

Even going back to last year, there was a couple of guys playing on LIV that maintained their membership, and I kept an eye on everyone that was eligible for me to be able to pick. The guys that decided to resign their membership, yeah, at that point I couldn’t pick them, but at this moment those are the rules, and so far as I know I’m sure Jon and Tyrrell want to be a part of it, and they will hopefully adhere to whatever the rules are that allows them to play in the Ryder Cup.

You’ve already brought 2023 vice-captain Edoardo Molinari back into the fold for next year. Do you envision a scenario where some of the LIV players could bepart of your backroom team?

It’s always a possibility. Again, I do think the vicecaptains that I had in place last year obviously were very much in touch with a lot of the players that were eligible. Again, Sergio [Garcia], Lee [Westwood] and Ian [Poulter], have a legacy and a history in the Ryder Cup. But again, it’s very hard to tell. A role of a vice-captain is being around the players and having those relationships.

We didn’t have anyone on LIV in the 2023 Ryder Cup, so we’ll have to see whether those relationships are good enough for 2025.

How surprised were you that players like Jon and Tyrrell, who were part of that incredible winning European team in Rome, would put at risk the chance of enjoying that privilege again by moving to LIV? Jon is someone who decided that was the best choice for him. A lot of guys have decided that going to LIV is the choice that they were

comfortable with, and they thought it was, again, the right decision for them. I’m not here to judge that.

Sometimes there are consequences to those decisions. There’s been a lot of talk about the world rankings and whether LIV guys should be able to earn ranking points through their events.

Again, I think sometimes there are consequences to certain decisions, and I think a lot of these guys knew that going into it.

I have a long way ot go before qualification begins, seven months or so, so a lot can happen with the game in that time. It’s continuing to change. We don’t know what’s going to happen over the next few months. Until I know, I’m not going to make any decisions about back-room staff or the potential make-up of the team.

When you look back at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, what do you think made that team European so special?

Well, I think if you think about José María Olazabal’s role as captain, he certainly talked a lot about Seve. Seve has always been kind of the legacy figure in the Ryder Cup that we look up to. What it meant to him, how much he tried to inspire his teammates, how much the history of the Ryder Cup was important.

Obviously, with the passing of Seve a few months or so earlier, I can’t remember the exact date, but a few months before that Ryder Cup, he was certainly a presence that we felt was guiding us a little bit.

It really helped, I think, on that Sunday. We didn’t have a lot of momentum from the first couple days. We got a little bit of it Saturday evening. Going into Sunday, we had a positive thought that something good could happen. I’m sure Seve’s spirit and some of the conversations and stories and inspiration that José María gave us inspired us to that incredible comeback.

A LOT CAN HAPPEN WITH THE GAME. IT’S CONTINUING TO CHANGE. IT’S CONTINUING TO EVOLVE. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS

You’ve played in majors in and around New York. What’s your own experience of playing in majors in The Big Apple?

All Ryder Cups are loud and boisterous, and New York won’t be any different and maybe even more so. But I played at Bethpage a few times and the New Yorkers love their sport and they love some jostling and all that kind of that goes with it.

Obviously, I have over a year to try and figure out how to get the guys in the right frame of mind to deal with that, and with the crowd.

This is your 19th season on Tour. How do you feel heading into this one?

19th on DP World Tour. I turned turned professional in 2002. I turned 46 in December, so I defintely feel like my body doesn’t work quite as well as it once did. But I still enjoy coming out and competing and trying my best against some of these great young players. It’s not easy, but I love competing, and I always will.

[30] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE

SHEFFIELD’S R I S I N G S TA R After graduating from the Challenge Tour at the end of last season, Yorkshire’s Sam Bairstow is looking to establish himself on Europe’s top tier tour while trying not to think too much about the opportunities that await on the other side of the Atlantic

A

lthough the spiritual home of snooker, Sheffield doesn’t seem to be short on golfing talent too, with 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, and his fast-improving brother Alex all helping to put the South Yorkshire city on the international sporting map.

And they have certainly played their part in providing inspiration for Sam Bairstow, another one of the brightest talents to emerge from the White Rose County, as he moves his way up serenely through the ranks.

It’s a measure of the quality of the competition that exists on the Challenge Tour these days that the 25-year-old from south Sheffield emerged from the white-hot heat of Europe’s second tier tour more than ready to hold his own against the bigger boys on the DP World Tour straight out of the gate. The big-hitting Yorkshireman, who only turned pro 18 months ago following an impressive amateur career whose highlights included winning the Brabazon Trophy in 2021, has quickly found his stride in the paid ranks.

A victory in the Challenge Tour’s Scottish Challenge last August and handful of other topfive finishes, including at the end-of-season Tour Championship, was good enough to see him earn his DP World Tour card for the 2023-24 season and avoid having to go through the stresses of Q School.

And Bairstow, who is attached to Hallowes Golf Club, seems to have acclimatised admirably to life on the top circuit judged on his early results, with no fewer than seven top-25 finishes in his last 10 DP World Tour events helping him climb inside the top 200 in the world and to 30th on the Race to Dubai order of merit. The impressive lefthander has already had a couple of opportunities to get an early ‘W’ on his CV, firstly at the Bahrain Championship in February, when he was sitting fourth going into the final round, only to throw in a closing 75, and slip down to 23rd. It was a disappointing finish for the rookie, but one that he felt he could take plenty of positives from.

“After coming off the 18th green in Bahrain I said to my caddie that it was good we got one of them out of the way early on,” Bairstow says.

“There was disappointment at the end, of course, but I wouldn’t really say it was because I was nervous – it was just I hit three or four bad shots.

After triple-bogeying the second, I probably tried to press too hard to try and get those shots back when I didn’t really need to, because if I’d have shot level-par that day I’d have finished sixth. But you can’t look at it like that, you’ve got to learn to stick to the game plan, do what you can and not try and push too hard.”

It was a lesson Bairstow certainly took on board at last month’s Singapore Classic, where he was just one shot off the lead going into the final

■ SAM BAIRSTOW IS ENJOYING A FINE START TO HIS PRO CAREER

round following three consecutive 68s. But in a low scoring week the rookie was just run out of it at the finish, closing with yet another 68 to finish one shot behind winner Jesper Svensson.

Both events have proved valuable leanring experiences and one that Bairstow feels sure will enable him cope better when he gets into contention in the future, which he looks certain to do. “Top-10s are great, but I’m trying to win,” he says. “You’ve just got to stick to your game plan and see where you end up – that’s the best way to approach it. If you start thinking about top-10s you’ll probably start playing too defensively or too aggressively.”

Despite his impressive results over the last 18 months, Bairstow admits that it hasn’t all been plain sailing, and he is not afraid to say that he found the adjusting to the life of a travelling tour pro quite a struggle in his early forays on the Challenge Tour.

“I was struggling with being away a lot, and I wasn’t playing well enough,” he says. “It left me wondering if I wanted to actually do it. But then I started seeing a psychologist and that put things into perspective. I’d been moaning quite a bit, probably getting too down on myself, but he gave me a reminder that I’m good at this game, and that I owed it to myself to make something of it. That helped a lot.

“I always felt my game was going to be good enough, so when I didn’t see any results, I got down on myself. It was hard doing all the travelling and not seeing any returns. But since that meeting last July, I’ve played some really good stuff, missed just two cuts and had three or four top-fives and a win. Now, looking back on it, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved since over the last 10 or so months.”

Bairstow’s impressive run of form on the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing tsaw him come agonisingly close to winning one of three invitations to compete in the US PGA Championship, but he slipped down to ninth

WHAT’S IN SAM’S BAG? Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fairway woods: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max 3 (15°), 5 (19°) Irons: Callaway Apex CB ’24 (4-6), Callaway Apex MB ’24 (7-9) Wedges: Callaway JAWS Raw (48°, 50°, 54°, 58°) Putter: Odyssey White Hot Versa One Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X

in the ranking after a poor showing over the weekend at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan. However, he can now look forward to competing in this month’s US Open after bagging one of the nine available spots at a international qualifer held at Walton Heath in May. While he would also love to qualify for a third Open Championship – he played in 2021 and 2022 – Bairstow is putting all his focus now on getting his ranking high enough to win a place in the Kentucky Championship and Barracuda Championship. Both are co-sanctioned events between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour that take place around Open week in the States and offer the chance to put himself of securing a coveted PGA Tour card for next season via the DP World Tour rankings.

“I’ve not decided on the Open yet because planning my schedule for the DP World Tour is more important than the Open,” says Bairstow. “If everything goes to plan, then hopefully I’ll play many more Opens over the next five or ten years.

Qualifying for the end-of-season event in Dubai is the main goal, which will give me good leverage to push on and get a PGA Tour card.”

Already one of the longest hitters on Tour – he currently averages 314 yards with the driver – Bairstow is looking to sharpen up his short game, and has been working hard on his putting with long-time coach Nick Huby at Pete Cowen’s Golf Academy in Rotherham.

“My putting has definitely got a lot better,” said Bairstow, who is ranked in the top 20 in several putting categories. I have putted pretty well every week and then in Singapore and India I hit the ball a lot better into the green, so was having more looks at birdie which showed with my results.”

And should it all fall into place, as it very much looks like doing, Sheffield will surely soon have another golfing star on its hands in the form of Sam Bairstow.

SAM BAIRSTOW FACTFILE Lives: Sheffield, Yorkshire Age: 25 Turned pro: 2022 World ranking: 194 DP World Tour ranking: 31 Tour appearances: 19 Cuts made: 13 Top 10s: 1 (3rd, 2024 Singapore Classic) Top 25s: 7 Prize money: €350,174

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[32] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE

108TH US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

SCHAUFFELE SECURES MA JOR BREAKTHROUGH

X

ander Schauffele finally added a major trophy to his Olympic gold medal after winning the 108th PGA Championship with a superb front-running performance, sealing the deal with a 72nd hole birdie.

A week after letting slip a two-shot lead in the final round at the Wells Fargo, the 30-year-old American took the same advantage onto the back nine at the Valhalla Golf Club, but this time he held his nerve, claiming his maiden major title with a pressure packed six-foot putt to deny the charging Bryson DeChambeau the chance of a play-off.

He finished on 21-under-par, a record low score to par in the history of the majors, and in a week where he started with a recordequalling low round of 62, and added rounds of 68 and 68, before signing off with a six-under-par 65 on Sunday.

“I was pretty nervous,” Schauffele later admitted about his final six-foot birdie putt. “I thought, oh my gosh, this is not what I want for a winning putt. I ended up playing it straight. I don’t really remember it lipping in, I just heard everyone roaring and I just looked up to the sky in relief.”

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD Pos 1 2 3 T4 T6 T8

Player Xander Schauffele Bryson DeChambeau Viktor Hovland Thomas Detry Collin Morikawa Justin Rose Shane Lowry Justin Thomas Robert MacIntyre Billy Horschel Scottie Scheffler

Total -21 -20 -18 -15 -15 -14 -14 -13 -13 -13 -13

Xander Schauffele shrugged off the title of golf’s nearly man when capturing the PGA Championship with a gutsy front-running display in Kentucky With that 2021 Olympic title, seven PGA Tour victories, and ranked number three in the world, Schauffele has long been rated among golf’s very best. But despite his immense talent the 30-year-old had, until Sunday, been unable to get over the line at the majors, posting 12 top-10 results, including runner-up finishes at The Open Championship in 2018 and the Masters in 2019.

“I’ve become very patient not knocking off any wins in the last couple years,” said Schauffele, whose last win came at the Scottish Open in June 2022. “The people closest to me know how stubborn I can be.

This is awesome. It’s super sweet. But when I break it down, I’m really proud of how I handled certain moments on the course today, different from the past.”

And as Schauffele reached the turn clinging to a two-shot lead that vanished by the time he walked off the 10th green, where his par putt lipped out shortly after Norway’s Viktor Hovland birdied the par-four 12th, there was a more than the faintest whiff of history being about to repeat itself as the chasing pack sensed blood.

Hovland then poured in another birdie putt at 13 to snatch the outright lead piling the pressure on Schauffele. But a determined Schauffele, unfazed by his bogey, refused to back down from the challenge and hit right back with birdies at 11 and 12 holes to restore a lead that he would never surrender.

DeChambeau profited with a birdie after his wild drive on 16 hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway, and he also birdied the last to card a 64 and draw level with Schauffele, sparking raucous celebrations on the 18th green.

Hovland then had a putt to also get to 20 under, but crumbled under the pressure, taking three shots from 10 feet as he finished on 18 under. However, Schauffele stood up to the onslaught, rolling in a birdie of his own to secure the title.

“All those close calls for me, even last week, that sort of feeling, it gets to you at some point,” said Schauffele. It’s just fuel to my fire. It always has been, and it certainly was leading up to this.”

With the win Schauffele will move up to number two in the world rankings but said

■ AT LAST! XANDER SCHAUFFELE CELEBRATES WINNNIG HIS FIRST MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER HOLING A SIX-FOOT PUTTT ON THE 18TH GREEN AT VALHALLA

I DON’T REALLY REMEMBER IT LIPPING IN. I JUST HEARD EVERYONE ROARING AND I LOOKED UP TO THE SKY IN RELIEF

the climb to the summit goes on.

“All of us are climbing this massive mountain,” said Schauffele. “At the top of the mountain is Scottie Scheffler. I won this today, but I’m still not that close to Scottie Scheffler in the big scheme of things.

“I got one good hook up there in the mountain up on that cliff, and I’m still climbing. I might have a beer up there on that side of the hill there and enjoy this, but it’s not that hard to chase when someone is so far ahead of you.”

BRITISH AND IRISH CHALLENGE FADES Justin Rose led the British challenge, finishing in a tie for sixth at 14 under par and with that becoming only the second player aged over 40, after the legendary Sam Snead, to make five consecutive top15 finishes at this tournament.

Playing alongside Rose, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre failed to fire, although he closed with a superb eagle to post a 70 and 13-under total to cap a great week.

Shane Lowry, who spectacularly equalled Schauffele’s 62 on Saturday – becoming the fourth player to do so – went cold with his putter on Sunday as he also carded a 70.

Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who led jointly with Schauffele after round three, opened with 14 straight pars before bogeying the 15th. His solitary birdie came at the last in an otherwise disappointing round as he finished five off the pace.

The world’s top two players, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, rounded off disappointing weekends at eight and nine shots back respectively, with the former having suffered a week of front page headlines that he will rather forget, and the latter having once again flattered to deceive when the pressure is really on.

Both will have their chances to re-write some wrongs when the Major train rolls into Pinehurst next month for the US Open, but for now the headlines belong to Xander Schauffele, the nearly man who finally arrived.

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Learn more about playing any of the 20 championship courses in the Charleston area, by visiting EnjoyCharlestonGolf.com.

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[34] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | TOUR NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

TOUR NEWS KORDA ADDS TO MAJOR TALLY AS HOT STREAK CONTINUES Nelly Korda equalled an LPGA Tour record by winning her fifth tournament in a row as she claimed the first women’s major of the year at the Chevron Championship in Texas.

The 25-year-old American closed out her second major victory over her career by shooting her third 69 of the tournament on a gusty final day at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands to finish on 13 under and winning by two shots from Sweden’s Maja Stark.

“It’s just been a crazy, crazy, crazy couple of weeks, with some really solid golf. I can finally breathe,” said a shivering

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Korda in her post-match press conference, still damp from her leap into the lake by 18. “I was really nervous on that back nine. I really wanted this win, and It feels amazing to get it.”

She added: “My first ever major was at the US Women’s Open in 2013, when I was 14, and that was when I dreamt of winning major championships, so to have two under my belt now is a dream come true.”

Korda joined Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam as the only other player since 1978 to win five consecutive titles. Her winning run came to an end at the Cognizant Classic, where she finished seventh behind Rose Zhang, but regained the winning thread when winning the following week at the Mizuho Amercas Open, where she beat Hannah Green by a shot to become first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win six times in a single season.

McIlroy and Lowry team up for New Orleans success Irish pair Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry joined forces to claim victory at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans after beating unheralded US pair Martin Trainer and Chad Ramey in a play-off at TPC Louisiana The American pair had been among the early starters, powering 26 places up the leaderboard with a final round of 63 that included seven birdies on the back nine, but the near three-hour wait to see if their score would hold up meant they came into the play-off looking rusty.

And after Ramey pulled his second shot left and on to a road, Trainer came up short in his effort to reach the green. That gave Ryder Cup teammates McIlroy and Lowry the advantage, despite the latter having found sand with his second shot, but after Lowry missed a putt for par, they needed Trainer to narrowly miss his own putt to confirm their win – McIlroy’s 25th career PGA Tour win.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” McIlroy said. “We’ve had an awesome week here in New Orleans. We’ve had so much fun while doing it and it’s just a bonus to win at the end. The reason that Shane and I both started to play golf is because we thought it was fun at some stage in our life. Reinjecting a little bit of that fun back into it in a week like this week, it can always help.”

Lowry added: “It’s great. It felt much needed. Coming into the week we felt we could do with a big jump for the FedEx Cup, let’s get 400 points each and that’s what we’ve done. I feel a little bit bad taking them because Rory carried me, but I’m taking them.”

Ryder Cup Legend

Monty to host Seniors PGA Championship

31 July — 4 August TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF LINKS , SCOTL AND

This year’s Staysure Seniors PGA Championship, the European Legends Tour’s flagship event, is to be hosted by Colin Montgomerie at Trump International Golf Links in Scotland later this summer.

The tournament, the only four-day event outside of the majors on the Legends Tour, will see Montgomerie host the tournament, joining the likes of Ian Woosnam, Paul Lawrie and Peter Baker in putting their names to events on the 2024 Legends Tour calendar.

Baker will be the defending champion after a six-shot victory last year in what was his third win of the 2023 season on the European Legends Tour.

The event will run from July 31 to August 4 on the Aberdeenshire links, with a whole host of stars expected to play in the tournament.

TOUR NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [35] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Baker dishes up winning start in Barbados

DP World Tour boss insists ‘no loophole’ needed for LIV stars to play Ryder Cup DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings insists Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will not be exploiting a ‘loophole’ to remain eligible for the Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy’s immediate reaction to Rahm joining LIV Golf in December was to call for the rules to be rewritten to ensure the two-time major champion could represent Europe at Bethpage in 2025.McIlroy later admitted the rules did not need to be changed as Rahm and Hatton were eligible as long as they maintained their DP World Tour memberships by playing four regular events per season.

The pair will also earn points towards qualification through major championships, but face fines and suspensions for playing in LIV tournaments without the required “conflicting event” releases.

However, it was not widely understood that suspensions are automatically applied to the next DP World Tour event for which the player is eligible and for which entries are still open, even if they had no intention of playing that event.

“It’s not a loophole because that’s the rules we’ve always had and those are the rules we are going to continue to apply,” Kinnings said. “All suspensions will count, and you have to serve them. And the guys who’ve analysed this in detail have said if they do it the right way, there is no reason why they can’t play in the Ryder Cup. “We’re not going to change anything on that basis. Rules are rules and they apply for every member. We’re not in a position to be changing rules that we’ve had to go to court to defend.”

In April 2023, an arbitration panel ruled that the Tour had the right to sanction players for “serious breaches” of its code of behaviour, a case sparked by 12 players appealing against fines of £100,000 and suspension from the Scottish Open for playing LIV’s inaugural event in June 2022.

Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood resigned their memberships in the wake of the arbitration panel’s decision, while Henrik Stenson was sacked as Ryder Cup captain after joining the Saudi-funded breakaway.

It is understood that the DP World Tour’s members handbook does not go into specifics of suspensions as they are assessed on a case by case basis, but that sanction letters sent to players do make it clear from which tournaments they will be suspended.

■ PE TER BAKER WI TH TOURNAMENT HOST IAN WOOSNAM

Peter Baker won the Legends Tour’s opening event of the new season after beating Scott Hend in a tense play-off at Apes Hill in in Barbados.

Both players ended the 54-hole Legends Barbados, hosted by Ian Woosnam, on 10-under-par, with both firing closing three-under 69s to force a play-off, which Baker won at the first extra hole when making a par to Hend’s bogey on the 9th hole.

Baker, who won four times last season and claimed the Legends Tour’s MCB Road to Mauritius title, was delighted to start the 2024 schedule with a victory.

“Absolutely brilliant!” he said. “It was a really tough day out there, and it went right down to the wire. If I’m honest, I didn’t really think I was going to win, as I didn’t have my best game with me, so I’m delighted to have come out on top.”

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Montgomerie said: “I am thrilled and honoured to have become a host on the Legends Tour. To be hosting the oldest Senior championship in Europe is a distinct privilege.

“The Staysure PGA Seniors Championship promises to be a fantastic event again this year, with it returning to Trump International Golf Links. The facilities are superb, and the course is incredible. It will provide a great test for the players, while displaying a stunning spectacle for those watching on.”

“I cannot wait for the tournament week, where I will be doing my best to be a good host, while also focussing on competing against a very strong field.”

PAUL LAWRIE

MATCH

PL AY

13TH – 16TH JUNE H A N B U RY M A N O R M A R R I O T T H O T E L & C O U N T RY C L U B |

H E RT F O R D S H I R E

SETTING THE GOLD S TA N D A R D ■ SCHAUFFELE LIFTS THE WANAMAKER TROPHY FOLLOWING HIS RECORD-BREAKING PGA CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY

Having to put up with all the critiscims over the last three or fours years for not closing out tournaments and your record of near-misses in the majors, how does it feel to get over the line and win the PGA Championship?

It feels amazing. I went through a whole range of emotions when I holed the winning putt, but satisfaction was the overiding one. I was also really proud of how I handled certain moments during the final round, where in the past I might have been rattled, but this time I rolled with the punches and kept on the front foot.

I’ve had to become very patient given all the nearmisses I’ve had over the years, but the people closest to me know how stubborn I can be.

I don’t look back on my major career as one of losses or defeats, or that I was in some way lacking. I looked at it as someone who was trying really hard and needed more experience.

All those close calls get to you at some point, but it makes the next win even sweeter. I know it was a major, but just winning in general is as sweet as it gets for me. I never felt that I wasn’t good enough to win a major, it was just a question of getting it done - and now I have.

Does it add any polish to your victory that you posted the lowest 72-hole score in the history of a major championship, or you wouldn’t care whatever the winning score was?

Having finally made his major breakthrough at the PGA Championship, world no.2 Xander Schauffele is eyeing up further glories, including chasing down Scottie Scheffler and retaining his Olympic title at this summer’s games in Paris

The conditions were very conducive to low scoring at Valhalla, with receptive greens and the ball was flying in the warmer air. If we hadn’t had the rain on Friday the greens and the fairways would have been firmer, and it would have been harder to hit them, as they would have been rolling off into the rough. Getting to 21 under had to done one day, and for me to be a part of history is obviously pretty cool.

As for the runner-up finishes, I guess it says that I’m putting myself in positions to win a lot, which isn’t a bad thing. A lot of good players have a lot of second place finishes, it’s the nature of the sport, but I don’t think I’m out of sync with most of the other top guys when it comes to win/ runner-up ratios. It’s hard to win out here.

You’ve made 47 cuts in a row across all tours, going back to 2022. And ten top-10s in your last 17 events. What do you put your incredible consistency down to?

I play to win, not to make cuts, so I think it makes it easier to make the cut when you have that kind of mindset. I think most of my big grinds on tour have been some epic cuts that I’ve made, just pulling something extra out of the hat when it counts. Whether it’s making a big putt or holing a shot from 175 yards or something of that nature.

I’m just trying my best every time I tee it up.

Even with a major win in bank, alot of people will look at your career, and the level of ability that you have, and say that you should have won more. Does it feel that way to you?

I’m pretty aware of the path that I’ve been on my entire career. It’s been a slower curve, I would say.

Sounds kind of weird to admit it, but I’ve always considered myself to be a slower learner. Nothing has happened overnight for me. Even when I was playing back in college, I wasn’t some sort of world-beater, shooting 60 and playing in Tour Are you finding that the PGA Tour’s elevated events when I was 17 or 18. events, with the bigger prize funds and deeper I guess that has made me want to grind and quality fields, have a bit more push even harder to achieve what I intensity about them than have. Yes, I’ve had success, but I feel the regular tournaments? like the best is still in front of me, Yeah, they do feel different. and the only way it’s not going to I know there are better be in front of me is if I let all players competing in these these things get to my head tournaments, and the courses and not play my own game.

■ SCHAUFFELE WILL BE DEFENDING HIS OLYMPIC TITLE IN PARIS THUS SUMMER

INTERVIEW | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [37] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

and the events hold a lot of history, so I feel like they’re signature events.

I try to get up for every tournament every week, but there’s definitely some more intent, I would say, to getting it done at the elevated tournaments. Having said that, as incredible as the prize funds are, it’s not what motivates to me to keep practicing and keep trying to get better. If money is your main motivating factor out here it would wear off pretty quickly as an incentive.

You’ve famously had your dad as your coach since your early amateur days, but you’ve just started working with another coach, Chris Como. Why the switch and what things have you been working on with him?

Yeah, I’ve sort of tapered off working with my dad a little bit. He’s still my eyes day-to-day, but I’m living on the east coast now, and he’s on the west coast, which makes it hard for him to watch me to hit a lot of shots.

I’ve been talking and working with Chris since December, and it’s been great. He has been helping me to get some of my swing patterns going back to how it was in 2017-2018, and adding a few things that he likes to see. Whether it’s something as simple as steepening my shoulder plane or things of that nature. It’s tough for me to do change my ways, but when I can grasp it, it seems to help.

Dad and I have always been honest about our relationship as far as coaching is concerned, and there are no issues with me talking to other coaches and getting other opinions. We’re both cool with that.

You’ve put some new clubs in the bag this season, including Callaway’s new Paradym Smoke Ai driver and fairway woods. How are they working for you?

Yeah, I’ve put a lot of new Smoke Ai range in my bag. I would call them siblings to the previous range of Paradym clubs, so it wasn’t a huge leap of faith to make the switch.

My irons are the Apex Pro TCBs and they feel like I’m looking down at the same iron, but the construction’s just a one-piece versus sort of a two-piece head, so they sound a little bit more pure and solid.

Overall, I’m really happy with the switch, which has been pretty seamless. I’m certainly cranking it out there a bit more with the driver than I have done, but I’m also a bit stronger physically than I was, and the combination has helped me get a few more yards, which I’m obviously very happy with.

As one of the leading players on the PGA Tour, how do you feel about the divisions that continue to exist within men’s professional golf?

Yeah, it’s been a tricky time, with a lot of distractions. There were clearly some faults in the set-up of the PGA Tour, many of which had been in place for decades, and I think some holes were poked into the system and now I think new things are trying to be set up again for the next 30, 40, 50 years.

I just want to be more a part of the solution than trying to create problems.

Whatever happens, I just need to be kept informed by our player representatives and get a clear picture how any decisions that are made will impact me going forward.

I can only speak for myself, but every day I get up and just try to focus on my own game and what I can do to get better at playing golf. I can’t control what’s out of my control. I just try to focus on my game and try and hopefully let my clubs do the talking. Everything else is just noise.

But would you like to see some sort of coming together between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, whether it be players coming back or some sort of global tour?

■ SCHAUFFELE HAS BEEN THE MOST CONSISTENTLY HIGH-PERFORMING PLAYER ON THE PGA TOUR OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS

I DON’T LOOK BACK ON MY MAJOR CAREER AS ONE OF LOSSES OR DEFEATS, OR THAT I WAS IN SOME WAY LACKING. I LOOKED AT IT AS SOMEONE WHO WAS TRYING REALLY HARD AND NEEDED MORE EXPERIENCE It’s hard for me to say, as nothing has really changed for me. I still play in all the regular PGA Tour events that I have done since I turned pro.

I’m in all the majors and I get to play in elevated events with big prize funds and earn world ranking points. That’s all that really matters to me.

Would I like to see the best players competing against each other more often? Of course, I would.

But that wasn’t my doing. I can only beat the players in front of me. I’m very content with where I sit right now, and I would have chosen otherwise if I wasn’t. I don’t have any regrets about what I’ve done or what I’m doing, so I’m sleeping just fine at night knowing where I stand.

The guys that moved to LIV kind of knew what the consequences of their actions would be. They weighed it up and on balance they felt like the rewards were enough to mean missing out on some things, but that’s the path they chose.

If someone asked you what you thought professional golf would look like in three years’ time what would be your answer?

My guess – and my hope – is that we would all be

WHAT’S IN XANDER’S BAG? Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5°) Fairway Wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 3-wood (16.5°) Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (23°) Irons: Callaway Apex TCB irons (4-PW) Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52°), Titleist Vokey SM6 (56°), Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks Proto (60°) Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

playing together again. I think that’s what fans would want, I think that’s what TV would want, and golf as a whole would probably be better off that way. Just like all sports when they have been fractured, they have always come back together.

So I’m just going to lean on the side of history.

Having won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, how much of a goal is it of yours to be one of the four players to represent the USA for Paris in August?

It was definitely right up there among my goals this season, as how often are you going to get the chance to become a double Olympic gold medallist? I guess I’ve pretty much sealed up my place in the team now so I’m really looking forward to going to Paris and givIng it a good go.

It’s the cherry on top.

Given our family connection with the Olympics [his great grandfather, Richard, and his father, Stefan, were both on course to represent Germany in the 1936 and 1988 Olympics respectively before they got injured], it would be really special for me to represent my country again. Any time you can put on the red, white and blue is an awesome experience – whether it’s for a Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup or the Olympics – they are special moments for me and my family.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE FACTFILE

Age: 30 Turned pro: 2015 PGA tour appearances: 175 Cuts made: 152 (86%) Wins: 2024 PGA Championship, +7 PGA Tour, 1 DP World Tour Top 10s: 59 (34%) Top 5s: 43 (24%) Runner-up finishes: 14 (8%) Prize money: $49.9m Team appearances: Ryder Cup ’21, ’23 Presidents Cup ’19, ‘22 PERFORMANCE STATS Driving distance: 303 yards (43rd) Driving accuracy: 68% (35th) Scoring average: 69.93 (4th) Putts per round: 28.34 (38th) 3-Putt avoidance: 0.95 (2nd) Sand saves: 56% (59th) Strokes gained total: 1.75 (3rd)

[38] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | OLD TOM MORRIS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

OLD TOM’S TRACKS S TA N D T H E T E S T O F T I M E ■ WEST HERTS GOLF CLUB

A four-time Champion Golfer and an innovator in modern greenkeeping methods, Old Tom Morris also left his mark on the golfing world with a long list of stunning links courses dotted around Great Britain and Ireland, from the iconic Old Course at St Andrews, and the challenging contours at Carnoustie and Muirfield, to the rumpled fairways of County Down, North Devon and Lahinch, and dozens more championship venues in between

I

f you’ve played much golf in Scotland there’s a strong chance you’ve trod the crumpled fairways and undulating greens originally designed by one of the game’s most iconic figures – Old Tom Morris.

Even if you can’t picture his likeness, the very name conjures up visions of a heavily bearded old man, flat cap in place, bent over a putt while dressed in a full tweed outfit, or sat on a bench with pipe in hand looking wistfully into the distance.

Despite possessing almost mythical status, Tom Morris – he only became ‘Old’ to distinguish himself from his son, also Tom, who became ‘Young’ – was a larger-than-life character who came to dominate the golfing scene as a player and latterly a golf

course architect in his native Scotland during the second half of the 19th century.

Born in St Andrews in 1821, Morris started out his golfing life as an apprentice to the legendary St Andrews professional and clubmaker Allan Robertson. Their partnership endured for over a decade, often playing together in foursomes matches, however their friendship came to a somewhat abrupt end in 1848 when Robertson fired Morris after he discovered that his protégé had had the temerity to use a new-fangled gutta percha ball in favour of the featherie ball used by Robertson, which he also used to sell in his shop.

Always a man to embrace progress while respecting the past, Morris moved to Prestwick in 1851 to serve as the club’s first professional and

greenkeeper – the roles were often doubled up in those days. With no more than two dozen golf clubs existing anywhere in the world at that time, Morris was given virtual carte blanche to design the 12-hole course at Prestwick that was to become the blueprint for so many of his future projects, including criss-crossing fairways, blind tee shots, big greens and short par 4s.

No slouch with a golf club in hand, Morris put his knowledge of Prestwick’s twists and turns to good effect when winning The Open Championship four times between 1861-67, while his son, Young Tom, who pre-deceased him by 30 years, went on to win the title at the same venue between 1868-72.

News of the success of his design work at Prestwick soon spread, and before long Morris was engaged in undertaking new designs and modifications to existing courses all over Scotland, and then further afield to Ireland, and, eventually, to England and Wales.

Morris didn’t spend much time south of the border, although he did make his way down to the West Country, where his handiwork in the creation of the magnificent links at Royal North Devon is still very much in evidence today, while his legacy is also to be seen at venues from Royal Cromer in

■ CLEEVE HILL IN GLOUCESTER

Arbroath Golf Links is a Traditional Links Course with a great pedigree.

“Built by Champions” Old Tom Morris, Willie Fernie and James Braid all played a part in the original design and layout which still resides today. In true links style we have undulating greens, protected by testing bunkers. Dunes run the length of the course on the seaward side which means the wind is always a factor. Besides the sea breeze there are over 70 bunkers precariously placed to contend with.

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GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

OLD TOM’S TOP TRACKS

■ KIRBY MUXLOE IN LEICESTERSHIRE BOASTS A CLASSIC OLD TOM MORRIS DESIGN

Norfolk to Wallasey in Liverpool, and the restored hill-top layout at Cleeve Hill in Gloucester, which is about as back-to-nature a golf course as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

MINIMAL INTERVENTION Given the lack of machinery available for major earthworks in the middle-half of the 19th century, Morris’s work is renowned for its use of the natural terrain, with little in the way of intervention to the lay of the land as he found it. And with land at a premium, he was also keenly aware of the need to make use of every acre at his disposal, with shared fairways and greens a common feature of his designs.

Elevated tees with views over broken ground, and greens located on raised plateaus or bowl-like hollows surrounded by pot bunkers, are a Morris signature, while an absence of trees or ponds is also a common thread to his courses, preferring instead to challenge a golfer’s strategy by incorporating burns, streams, hedges and walls, the latter of which is very much in evidence at courses like North Berwick, where low stone walls form an integral part of the course’s defences.

Morris was also the father of modern greenkeeping. He introduced the concept of top-dressing greens with sand, which significantly helped turf growth. He also introduced many new

Carnoustie (Championship), Crail, Cruden Bay, Dunbar, Kirby Muxloe, Ladybank, Lahinch, Leven Links, Lundin, Montrose, Muirfield, Nairn, Panmure, Prestwick, Royal Dornoch, Lindrick, Northampton, West Herts, Rosapenna, Royal North Devon, Royal Cromer, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush.

■ THE INFAMOUS SAHARA BUNKER ON THE 17TH HOLE AT PRESTWICK

ideas on course management, including actively managing hazards and introducing yardage markers. He was the first to use a hand mower to cut greens, and he improved the pace of play by widening fairways and establishing separate teeing areas on each hole – all of which led to better turf conditions.

In 1864, Old Tom returned to St Andrews at the beckoning of the R&A and made significant

changes to the Old Course, making it the course we know and love today. He officially retired in 1903, but the R&A offered him a consultancy position with a salary for the remainder of his life, which ended in 1908, aged 86, following a 70-year career devoted to the game he loved. That his affection for the game continues to be passed on to future generations through his course designs is a legacy which will never die.

■ LUNDIN LINKS IN SCOTLAND

PWLLHEI GOLF CLUB

ASKERNISH GOLF CLUB

TAIN GOLF CLUB

Established in 1909, and located on the south-facing coastline of Cardigan Bay, Pwllhei’s 18-hole, 6,108-yard layout features nine parkland holes and nine links-style holes. The clubhouse has a pro shop, restaurant and two large bars, one of which enjoys extensive views of Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia.

Tel: 01758 701644 Web: clwbgolffpwllheli.com

The Links course of Askernish was originally laid out by ‘Old’ Tom Morris in 1891. American golf writer John Garrity ranks this Old Tom Morris course top of his list of the worlds top 50 courses; described as “closer to a perfect 10 than any other course”.

Tel: 01878 700628 Web: askernishgolfcourse.com

is a classic Scottish Highland links course designed by Old Tom Morris. If you would like to play golf while in Scotland you are guaranteed a warm welcome at Tain and it will be a pleasure to play a great course which is suitable for all standards of golfer.

Tel: 01862 892314 Web: tain-golfclub.co.uk

THORNHILL GOLF CLUB

WALLASEY GOLF CLUB

Thornhill Golf Club in Dumfries & Galloway is a mixture of parkland and heathland. At 6,102 yards, over relatively level terrain, it provides a good test for all golfers and friendly to mature golfers. Golfing breaks in on-site accommodation for parties of 4-8 people from £135pp. thornhillgolfclub.co.uk

Since 1891 Wallasey Golf Club, the Home of Stableford, has been welcoming golfers to this classic English Links. As an England Golf Championship Venue, Our traditional classic links course with its undulating fairways and sand dunes is a testing 6,649 yards.

Tel: 0151 6911024 Web: wallaseygolfclub.com

WEST KILBRIDE GOLF CLUB With spectacular views across the Firth of Clyde to the beautiful island of Arran, West Kilbride provides a true Scottish links golf experience.

The Club is proud to have been selected as the host venue for both the 2023 R&A Seniors Home Internationals and the 2025 Scottish Boys Championship. Price – £100pp, May – September Tel: 01294 823911 Web: westkilbridegolfclub.com

[40] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | INTERVIEW GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

F A I R Y TA L E F I N I S H Georgia Hall is out to win her second major at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, in August. Here’s what she remembers playing a few holes with Tiger and Rory on the Old Course and why the Home of Golf is so special to her

How much are you looking forward to the AIG Women’s Open here in St Andrews this August?

I think it will be very special. Obviously being British, it’s the most important event of the year always for me, but it’s just extra special being at St Andrews, and I think it’s one that everyone wants to win a little bit more.

What is it about this place that really gets to you? Is it the town? Is it the course?

I think it’s both, the atmosphere and the town especially. Just that it’s just all

golfers. I just love coming here regardless of if there’s an event on or not.

I want to try and live in a place up here, that’s how much I enjoy it, and I just love being around the whole golf atmosphere of the town. There’s nothing else quite like it. I’ve never seen normal people just standing there watching people come in.

It’s just incredible.

As soon as I’m here I’m just happier. have you had any opportunities to play the old course recently?

I played my first Women’s Open here in 2013 when I was an amateur, so that’s

the last time I played a professional tournament here. I played the champions event held at the men’s Open Championship in 2020 with Tiger, for four holes, and I’ve played here in a couple of media days. But apart from that, it’s been 11 years since my last professional event at the Old Course.

Do you remember the first time you played it?

I remember playing it in 2013 with Laura Davies, so to me that was nerve-racking. I had my dad caddying again for that one, and my first Open.

You hadn’t played it previously?

No, but I played pretty well. I won the Silver Medal at the end of the week [low amateur] so it’s a course I like and feel comfortable on.

You went home, didn’t you?

I saw the video but that they said that it went on countback,, so they said it goes on count back, so I didn’t win. Then I obviously had my flight, and I was on my way to the airport like 20 minutes later, and, oh, sorry, we looked at the history and it’s not done on count back; you won, as well.

Obviously, Stacy Lewis won here in 2013, and I thought that would be such a good experience just to go up there, and just like Atthaya did for me when I won. I got the medal.

Can you talk about the time you played with Tiger?

It’s always been a dream to even meet him, let alone play golf with him. I remember I found out a couple months earlier that I was going to play with him, and I just thought it was so cool.

They had let me know about a week before who I was playing with, and then I got a call from my manager saying that I was paired with Tiger, and I just could not believe it. I was so nervous. I think it was the joint record number of spectators that I had on Sunday when I won, and this was on an early Monday evening.

But it was just such a great experience, and obviously I’m so grateful to the R&A for putting me in that group. It was just a dream of mine.

Do you remember some of the conversations you had with him?

I remember Rory knew a lot more about me than I thought he did. He obviously knew quite a lot about women’s sports, women’s golf really well anyway; and then Tiger commented on my swing a few times, saying I’ve got a lot of power, so that was nice.

But they put me on the same tees as the men, and obviously I had such a long way in, but I was happy that I just played well in front of all those crowds.

Just listening to them talk, talk about the type of shots that they hit and their thoughts over the ball and things like that, it was just really nice to hear that I’m not the only one that gets nervous.

You realise the young players in this field look at you the same way you looked at him and how does that make you feel?

Old! I don’t know, I still feel young, but obviously I’m not a rookie anymore.

This is going to be my 11th Open. It’s unbelievable to me. The time has gone very quickly.

I just hope that I can help other British players, help encourage the youngsters

INTERVIEW | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [41] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

coming through, because I know sometimes we don’t have a huge lot.

There’s only five or six of us on the LPGA now that are doing good.

I just want to see as many as possible coming through, because the amount of golf courses is so good and it’s harder here than it is in the U.S. to practice.

I just think us as golfers are meant to be a little bit tougher, and I would say the majority of other countries, just because we have it harder. So when there is wind or mist there is hard weather, I don’t think we’re affected as much. That’s why you see maybe some of us come through a little bit more when the conditions are like that.

■ GEORGIA HALL AND HER GOOD FRIEND CHARLEY HULL ARE FLYING THE FLAG FOR ENGLAND ON THE LPGA TOUR

How do you think doing well in the British Girls leads into all of this and helps with the progression of women?

Yeah, for sure. I think that being under those pressure situations I didn’t really have before, and when I had that, it was like four or five days, as well. That’s for the British Women and Girls, the same, it’s just a very long time.

I think coming up the last one or two holes and feeling that pressure, it kind of helped me when I was in the last nine holes of when I actually won.

And I think you need to – you can only

CHARLEY’S MY BEST FRIEND SO I THINK IT’S GREAT THAT WE HAVE EACH OTHER AND WE GET TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THIS JOURNEY learn from those experiences. You need to be in them and also learn to fail, because I’ve had situations where I’ve been in contention and I haven’t won, and we all have. But I think what you get from it means more, and then when the time comes, you just don’t want to let it slip. So that was kind of my thought when I was in contention.

But I was happy that I wasn’t leading going into Sunday. I thought I took that as very positive because I felt the pressure was on her, or I told myself that it was, even though I had home because she’s one shot ahead. So that was the way I kind of mentally changed it for me.

Why do you think we have so few British players out on the LPGA TOUR now?

Well, when I was in England there was a lot of good players, and they were like similar to me at the time. And now they just don’t play golf anymore – and there were some really good ones.

I think half of it is travel. They don’t want to live in America, they don’t want to travel over there. They get homesick a lot. They don’t want to live out of a suitcase. I think a lot of people don’t realise that that’s half the battle, not just playing golf. It’s actually getting there there on Sunday or Monday.

It’s quite a lonely life, and I think some players understandably don’t want to do that. They would rather be happier doing something else, which is fine, obviously, but I think that’s why we don’t have the numbers out on the LPGA Tour that we might.

The Americans just have it a lot easier on their tour. Everything is just one or two-hour flight away. They’re back home.

We have to either move there or do it in massive chunks, which means we’re away more.

In terms of you dealing with that, what good things have you done to combat that difficulty, and also what mistakes have you made and learned from?

For me it was quite apparent that I didn’t want to live in America. I never wanted to.

Obviously, people have asked me before, it’s my sixth, seventh year on the LPGA, so I’ve thought about it, but it’s just not even gone any further in my mind.

I love being home and love being in the UK, and that’s never going to change for me. I think preparing my schedule is very important, not playing too much, and doing it in like the West Coast Swing as a group and then come home and then the East Coast.

I think it’s very important to have someone, maybe a caddie, that’s very close to you that you know. There is only me and Charley [Hull] that really do this, but like we are doing it. Obviously, she’s my best friend and we think very similar, so I think it’s great that we have each other and we get to kind of go through this journey together like we have from like when we were 10 years old. I think it would be different if she wasn’t on Tour, and same the other way round.

So I think that’s very important just to have someone that is very close to you out there. And, like I said, it is a lot harder.

Even coping with the time differences. The amount of times I finish a round and it’s 4pm or 5pm in America and everyone is asleep at home in the UK, and you’re just sat there on your own and you can’t speak to anyone.

I think that’s half the battle of playing well out here, making sure you’re mentally happy and prepared to go out and play good golf.

Would that be the ultimate triumph, winning a Women’s Open at St Andrews?

If I won here, that’s the only thing that would beat my win at Lytham. Like if I won the US Open this year, it won’t beat my win at Lytham. A win at St Andrews would only beat it in my opinion.

So I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to play in another one at St Andrews after this. I don’t know when it would come around again. I’m not really going to put pressure our on myself. I’ll just try and play as well as I can and enjoy being here in general, which I will.

What do you think Nelly Korda’s run of success on the LPGA Tour has done for women’s golf?

I think it’s fantastic. I know her quite well, and she’s such a good player and great mentally, and I think it’s just fantastic for the women’s game, what she’s doing on and off the golf course, and providing way more audience and the media coverage it’s generating.

Colin Montgomerie said that when Tiger was in his pomp and winning Everything, the locker room chat was all ‘great, Tiger is not playing this week’. Is it getting to that stage with Nelly yet?

I played in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago and she pulled out, and I texted her and just said ‘thanks for giving us a chance!’

So yeah, I think so. I think people are already thinking that. But golf is a funny

game. I mean, players every year are just so up and down, and one week she’s like that – I don’t know what’s going to happen the next six months, but if you’re coming down the stretch with her, I think for me, it would be like, wow, even if I can come down the stretch against her, I’d just want to win even more. She’s playing so well.

Do you think we need to be doing more to get more people watching and playing women’s golf?

I think in this country in general, because there’s a few of us play on the LPGA Tour, it’s really hard for anyone to watch it, and I know because of the timings and the time difference, that I don’t have it on TV that much, either, so I think that’s one thing that can definitely improve, especially in this country or actually UK. Other than that, I think just more obviously the atmosphere of events, what’s happening at Augusta, when Lottie Woad won the Women’s Invtiational, I think that’s just incredible. I met her at Chevron a couple weeks ago, and just to see that and have an English winner is just fantastic for the game, and I just think if we can keep going on the path that we’re moving in the right direction.

I think it’s important not to compare ourselves to the men’s game, including the whole question of prize money that we often get asked about. They’re just two very different entities.

We play golf differently, and we don’t hit the ball as far, but I think a lot of people like to watch us because of that, because more people can relate to the the tempo and rhythm we have. It’s very different to the men, but we’re no less skillful.

[20] MAY 2024 | FEATURE GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

■ PAULTON GOLF CENTRE

■ THE BELL INN AT BRAMSHAW

J O I N T H E 3 0 T H A N N I V E R SA RY PA R T Y AT PA U LT O N S !

Golf News readers can claim a generous 30% discount on a golf break to Paultons Golf Centre and Bramshaw Golf Club

G

olf News and Paultons Golf Centre in Hampshire both celebrate their 30th anniversary this month, and to mark this major milestone, and our shared love of golf, Paulton’s is offering Golf News readers a 30% discount off the cost of an overnight stay at the award-winning AA 4-star Bell Inn when you play a round at Paultons and one of the courses at its sister venue, Bramshaw Golf Club.

The site of Paultons, which can be traced back to the Domesday survey, was in the same family for hundreds of years, and was landscaped by Capability Brown in the 1700s. It was the site of a mansion in the 19th century before finally being put up for sale in 1950s, selling over 10 years later. In

1979 the whole estate was divided into lots and auctioned successfully. In 1992 the land was subdivided again resulting in the build of two golf courses and a golf range.

The site has been redeveloped in recent years to include a TopTracer driving range and academy course, and the jewel in the crown - the stunning Championship course.

With USGA-standard greens and measuring 6,238 yards off the back tees, it is a beautiful track with sweeping, open fairways and woodland scenery. The perfect location for an away day or society outing.

Bramshaw Golf Club is just a 15-minute drive away and is home to the oldest golf course in Hampshire. It is nestled in the heart of the New Forest, with gorgeous views and two very different courses.

contemporary country interiors. Upstairs, the Set amidst a landscaped parkland and historic, welcoming inn has 26 comfortable 200-year-old hardwood plantation, The bedrooms, including family rooms, all with Manor Course features gently undulating plenty of creature comforts. Downstairs, the fairways and is one of the finest and cosy dining area has a welcoming fire, a wellmost testing courses in the south of stocked bar and serves an exceptional British England. With its open aspects and rolling seasonal menu. heathland, the Forest Course is the oldest The ‘30 at 30’ offer is exclusive to Golf in Hampshire. The ever-present New Forest News readers and can only be booked by deer, ponies and pigs roaming the fairways emailing reception@bramshaw.co.uk or will make your round one to remember! calling 02308 0812214 quoting ‘30 at 30’.

Just across the way you have the Bell Inn. Known for its cosy pub meals and beautiful New Forest surrounds, the Bell Inn near Lyndhurst is a characterful 18th century coaching inn.

Dog, family and generally very friendly indeed, The Bell Inn is full of character features like oak-beamed ceilings, inglenook fireplaces, flagstone ■ THE MANOR COURSE AT BRAMSHAW floors, all styled with

JOIN US FOR A ROUND TO REMEMBER IN THE NEW FOREST The Bramshaw Golf Club has 36 holes set against the stunning backdrop of the New Forest. The club has two restaurants, is within easy reach of the M27 (J 1) and has on site accommodation at The Bell Inn - a charming, dog-friendly, 26-bedroom Coaching Inn with a welcoming fire, a well-stocked bar and an exceptional British seasonal menu.

We cater for groups from 8-80 golfers. We are delighted to extend our ‘organiser goes free’ promotion in 2024 for groups of 12 +.

To book call 023 8081 3433 or email golf@bramshaw.co.uk – Bramshaw Golf Club, Brook, Lyndhurst SO43 7HE www.bramshawgolfclub.co.uk www.bellinn-newforest.co.uk

STORY BEHIND THE PIC | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [43]

STORY BEHIND THE PIC NICK PRICE • US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, SOUTHERN HILLS • AUGUST 14, 1994

A

ll those PGA Tour players who are feeling like they are playing for second place every time world no.1 Scottie Scheffler tees it up should spare a thought for the guys that were playing during Nick Price’s dominant period in the early 1990s.

During a glorious stretch between 1992-1994, the all-conquering Zimbabwean won 15 tournaments across the global tours, including three major championships (US PGA in ‘92 and ‘94, and the ‘94 Open Championship). His golden run of form propelled him to world no.1 in August 1994, a position he held for 44 weeks before he was usurped by Greg Norman in June the following year.

Price came into the 1994 PGA Championship at Southern Hills as the hot favourite off the back of his win at The Open Championship at Turnberry a month earlier, where he lifted his one and only Claret Jug after holing an incredible 50-foot eagle putt on the 17th green en route to beating Jesper Parnevik by a shot.

And while critics may argue that Scheffler is short of competition on a PGA Tour weakened by LIV Golf defectors, Price was up against some true powerhouses of the game during his time at the top, including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples and Ernie Els. But even this panoply of legends were unable to match Price in his prime, with the then 27-year-old taking a share of the lead at Southern Hills with an opening 67 – a score which was matched by Monty – before powering to a five-stroke lead at the half-way mark with an imperious second round 65.

It was left to Corey Pavin and Jay Haas to keep the pressure on Price, and after third round 70, which included no fewer than five ‘sandy’ par saves, the Zimbabwean’s lead was down to just three over Haas, who added a 68 to his second round 66, with Mickelson a shot further back after a 67.

On Sunday, Greg Norman birdied the first two holes to get within three, but Price released his own brand of shark repellent with birdies on 3 and 4 and turned the screw still further with a birdie on the difficult 215-yard, par-3 eighth.

Switching to cruise control on Southern Hill’s testing back nine, Price eased his way home, closing out the deal with a five-under 67 to win by six shots and become the first player to win the Open Championship and the PGA Championship in the same year since Walter Hagen in 1924.

It was also the biggest margin of victory in a major since Jack Nicklaus’s seven-stroke PGA Championship win in 1980, while his 11-under-par 269 total was also the lowest in the history of the PGA Championship – although that record only stood for a year.

“Basically, Nick beat the crud out of us,” runner-up Corey Pavin was to later remark when summing up the championship. “I felt like I won the B flight.”

It’s perhaps a sentiment felt all too keenly by Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg, along with all those PGA Tour players who have finished in Scheffler’s wake in recent

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months. However, they can take a crumb of comfort from the knowledge that unless your name is Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, runs of form rarely last for very long.

The South Buckinghamshire is one of the finest public golf facilities in the South of England and has everything you could want for great golf. The emphasis is on a value for money golfing experience that will exceed your expectations.

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The sixth, tenth, 11th, 13th and 16th - that would grace even the finest championship layout. There is a friendly ambience on and off the course, and the clubhouse is the ideal venue for your post round drink.

[44] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

RAISING THE BAR

CALLING ALL LADY GOLFERS! We are offering 50% off membership prices for the first 50 ladies to join!

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www.chipsteadgolf.co.uk Chipstead Golf Club, How Lane, Chipstead, Surrey CR5 3LN

AT C H I P S T E A D GOLF NEWS meets Geoff Beauchamp, the new course manager at Chipstead Golf Club, to talk about his plans to further elevate the playing conditions at this popular Surrey venue

Can you give a brief description of your background and how you came to work at Chipstead?

I have been greenkeeping my whole career. Starting at my local 9-hole club in Staplehurst in Kent. Soon realising I had a passion for Greenkeeping I started my qualifications through Hadlow College. In 2011, I spent a year in the United States working at private members’ clubs in New Jersey and the Florida Keys. Returning to the UK in 2012 I secured a job at London Golf Club, working my way up from assistant greenkeeper to head greenkeeper running one of the club’s two 18-hole championship courses. After six years as head greenkeeper, I felt I was ready for my next move and Chipstead was the perfect fit for my first course manager’s job.

What immediate steps are you and your greenkeeping team looking to take to enhance the playing conditions at the course, and what are the medium-tolong term projects that you are most keen to get on with?

time to get the bulk of our daily setup done in front of the day’s golf.

One of the main challenges is spreading the wear as best as possible. Chipstead is quite a tight site – the greens are 0.8Ha and tees 0.5Ha – so special attention is needed when moving tee markers and changing holes to make sure we are not causing undue stress on certain areas.

How resilient is the course in terms to being able to cope with prolonged wet or dry conditions?

Having started my role in November last year I have only experienced prolonged wet conditions so far! The course drains relatively well, with a couple of exceptions.

We have a handful of greens that we need to improve infiltration and firmness, which has already started.

■ GEOFF BEAUCHAMP (RIGHT) JOINS RAMAN SANDHU (DIRECTOR) AND GARY TORBETT (DIRECTOR OF GOLF) AT CHIPSTEAD GC

Grass coverage and consistency is the main focus on all surfaces. We had some greens that were wetter than others coming out of the winter, and these will need extra work to get them to the desired standard. We also have some fairways that need overseeding and extra nutrition to get them where we want them heading into a busy summer season. Some of our bunkers need sand replacing, as contaminated, holding water after heavy rain.

I am already identifying work that will need to be done in this autumn and winter.

Woodland and scrub clearance to improve light and air movement around sheltered greens will be the main priority.

What are the specific challenges of preparing a busy members’ course like Chipstead?

We start work at 6am and our first tee time is 7.45am, so we have a good amount of

Sustainability is obviously a key element of managing a golf course these days. How are you meeting those challenges of maintaining the course while also being as environmentally friendly?

Tailoring our cutting and nutritional schedules to make sure every input is justified. An example of this is not just cutting all fairways for the sake of it. If certain fairways grow less than others, then we won’t cut them as often. This logic applies to applying fertilisers and chemicals.

This can result in a more consistent playing surface and saves money and working time.

If you could ask golfers to do three things when it comes to helping you and your team do your job, what would they be?

I meet a lot of golfers who are very respectful and understanding of greenkeepers carrying out their work, but my three requests are to give greenkeepers time to see you and move out of the way before hitting your next shot; always repair your pitchmarks and divots, and leave a bunker how you found it.

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GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

124th US OPEN PREVIEW

W H O W I L L P R E VA I L AT P I N E H U R S T ?

The US Open returns to the No.2 Course at Pinehurst for the fourth time in its history from June 13-16, but who will rise to the occasion at the Cradle of American Golf to claim this year’s penultimate major championship?

W

hile it has been a decade since the US Open was last held at Pinehurst’s famous No.2 course – when Martin Kaymer laid waste to the field with an eight-shot win – golf fans should be prepared to get to know every blade of its 7,500-plus yards in the years to come following the USGA’s decision to host no fewer than five future US Opens at the North Carolina venue over the next 23 years.

One of the USGA’s new ‘anchor sites’, Pinehurst will be popping up on our screens every five or six years between now and 2047, giving Donald Ross’s masterpiece plenty of airtime and the new generation of golfers plenty of opportunities to get to grips the nuances of this sand-strewn course with its upturned saucers for greens.

The US Open is known for being the toughest test in golf, with long courses, narrow fairways and heavy rough, but the challenge posed to players at this year’s championship will be slightly different.

Originally designed by Ross in 1907, Pinehurst’s No.2 received a major overhaul in 2012, with Bill Coore and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw restoring many of Ross’s features by widening the fairways, removing 35 acres of maintained Bermuda grass rough, turning off peripheral irrigation that spilled out into the rough, and planting hundreds of thousands of wiregrass plants, while creating uneven native areas flanking the fairways.

The result is unevenness and unpredictability in these unmanaged areas, with the ball likely to come to rest in places that could be either quite easy or very hard to get back into play, as we witnessed when Kaymer et al were in action in 2014. With formal bunkers intertwined among wide area of broken sandy ground, each group of players will be accompanied by a rules official whose task it will be to declare the ball either in or out of the bunker – with the rules pertaining to each status made clear.

In some cases, that will not be a straightforward decision. USGA officials have made it clear that if there is any doubt, referees will tip the balance towards declaring the ball in a hazard, so that players can be careful not to ground their club. There will be a lot of tee shots that run off the fairway and into more tricky territory, which will require

■ A VIEW OF THE APPROACH TO THE GREEN ON THE PAR-4 12TH

WE WANT THAT WINNER TO GET EVERY CLUB IN HIS BAG DIRTY WHEN HE WINS A US OPEN, INCLUDING THE CLUB BETWEEN THE EARS players to show patience and accuracy in equal measure, so expect to see a few unhappy golfers, and a few big scores.

“With Pinehurst No.2 we feel that the golf course is always close to US Open ready,” said Tom Pashley, the President of Pinehurst Resort. “We don’t have to grow up the rough, we don’t have to narrow the fairways. We focus on firming up the conditions and making sure it’s fast. Now with Bermuda grass greens instead of Bent grass greens, we can’t wait to see how the greens perform under US Open conditions.”

Aside from the Bermuda grass, not much will be different from the 2014 US Open. The only other material change is at the par-4 13th hole, where the fairway has been narrowed by 12 yards. The landing area on the 381-yard hole will be around 28 yards wide. As a whole, No.2 will play to 7,540 yards from the back tees with a par of 70. The distance is flexible from 7,300-7,500 yards depending on the weather and the wind. The greens will be rolling 13-plus on the Stimpmeter and the course will be quick, firm and fast.

Speaking at the press launch ahead of the tournament, USGA president John Bodenhamer said: “We’re known for toughness, and you’ll see it right here on No.2, but a lot of people have a misconception about ‘tough but fair’. It does not mean that our goal is for the winner to shoot even par, but it does mean that we want that winner to get

CARD OF THE NO.2 COURSE HOLE

PAR

YARDS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

4 402 4 507 4 387 4 529 5 576 3 219 4 424 4 502 3 191 5 617 4 483 4 484 4 385 4 473 3 202 4 528 3 205 4 451 70 7,565

■ PINEHURST 13TH HOLE

every club in his bag dirty when he wins a US Open, including the club between the ears.”

“We want to test every part of their game. We want them to hit it high, low, left to right, right to left. We want them to think about their golf ball.

What happens to when it hits the ground, not just in the air,” he added. “We don’t come in and put a cookie-cutter USGA approach on these great golf courses. We stay true to what Donald Ross intended and the great architects of these great vigils intended. We want players to be able to control the golf ball on the ground, not just in the air.”

That being the case, those hoping to contend at this year’s US Open are going to have be far more creative than they were, say, at last month’s PGA Championship, which saw record low scores on a Valhalla course that allowed players to hit it and rip it without much thought to the consequence thanks to generous fairways and softened greens.

There won’t much of either of those two elements at Pinehurst, ensuring that the bombers and gougers won’t be able to overpower the course in quite the same way as they did at the PGA. So, while distance will, as ever, be a vital part of any likely winner’s armoury, especially given the style of the greens, which are not very receptive to low-trajectory second shots, those likely to prosper will be straight hitters who can control both their spin and ball flight.

With that in mind, it will be no surprise to find world no.1 Scottie Scheffler, a master at wedge distance control, at the head of the betting markets.

Following the unfortunate off-course incident at Valhalla, which must surely have put him off his stride, the Masters champion is a warm order at 7/2 to return to winning major ways at Pinehurst, although his lack of course form will give his rivals, among them Rory McIlroy (10-1) cause for hope, while newly crowned PGA champion Xander Schauffele (9/1) has the form and the patience to thrive in the testing conditions that the field look certain to face.

Sky Sports will be broadcasting live coverage of all four rounds of the 124th US Open from June 13-16.

30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | WWW.GOLFNEWS.CO.UK/EQUIPMENT

BLADES OF GLORY THE TECH STORY BEHIND ODYSSEY GOLF'S DOMINATION OF PUTTER USAGE ON TOUR

PICK UP A POLO

SHORT SLEEVE SHOWCASE

COMPETITION TIME

WIN A SRIXON US OPEN TOUR BAG!

TRIED & TESTED

PING I530 IRONS

[48] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

THE GEAR EFFECT INSIDE THE BAGS OF THE LATEST WINNERS ON TOUR XANDER SCHAUFFELE

EQUIPMENT NEWS

GOLF NEWS GEAR EDITOR DAN OWEN REVEALS WHAT HAS HIS CAUGHT HIS CRITICAL EYE AMONG THE LATEST EQUIPMENT LAUNCHES

PGA Championship

Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD (10.5°) 3 Wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD (15°) Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21°) Irons: Callaway Apex TCB Raw(4-10) Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52°), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (56°), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60°) Pu er: Odyssey Toulon Design Las Vegas Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X

YUTO KATSURAGAWA

ISPS Handa – Championship Driver: Titleist TSR2 Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Qi10 3, 5 (15°, 18°) Irons: Srixon, ZX5 MKII (4), Titleist T150 (5&6), Titleist T100 (7-9) Wedges: Titleist T100 (46°), Titleist Vokey SM9 (54°), Titleist Vokey SM10 (50°, 58°), Pu er: Odyssey, White Hot OG Rossie Ball: Srixon Z STAR

SHANE LOWRY Zurich Classic

Driver: Srixon ZX5 MK II (8.5°) Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Stealth+ 5 (19°) Utility: Srixon ZXZ MK II 20° (3) Irons: Srixon ZX5 MK II (4-5), Srixon ZX7 MK II (6-PW) Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50°, 54°, 58°) Pu er: Taylormade Spider Tour Z Ball: Srixon Z-Star Tour

TRIED & TESTED

PING I530

Golf News Equipment editor Dan Owen give the new PING i530 irons a run out at Chart Hills to see if he has discovered his golfing unicorn I’m a golfer looking for a unicorn. What do I mean? I want an iron that looks as traditional as possible but hits the ball further than my meagre swing speed can manage on talent alone. A bit of forgiveness would help as well. On paper, the PING i530 fits this bill.

Featuring a multi-piece hollow design, the i530s utilise a hot C300 maraging steel face that is able to flex more at impact due to the hollow nature of the head. Tungsten toe and shaft weights raise the MOI, while PING has worked on improving the feel and sound, a criticism of earlier models in the family, with a polymer placed strategically in the head.

In the bag, they look very modern. This isn’t like a Mizuno Pro 245, where you could mistake them for a set of classic blades, but instead, they look powerful and functional.

They also look great behind the ball.

With the satin finish, thin topline, and soft lines, I think these look better at address than the i525 irons they have replaced in the lineup. They look like a compact player’s iron, especially in the short irons, where the progressive offset is virtually zero. I’ve been around golf for longer than I care to remember and PING’s current generation of irons, from the Blueprint to the G730, look better than anything

they’ve ever brought to market before.

The thing that struck me most hitting these out on the course was the forgiveness. I hit a couple of shots out of the toe that practically flew the whole yardage – there was no noticeable drop-off in ball speed. Don’t get me wrong, user error is still user error, but these felt more forgiving than any iron I have hit of the same size.

They are also long. Seriously long. Yes, they have strong lofts, but that’s because they are designed to launch high. When you hit an 8-iron, it flies like an 8-iron, but with the distance of a seven. As I continue to age disgracefully, forgiveness with more

RORY MCILROY

Zurich Classic & Wells Fargo Championship Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9°) Fairway woods: TaylorMade Qi10 3 & 5 (15,18 degrees) Irons: TaylorMade P Series Proto (4), TaylorMade RORS proto (5-9) Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46°, 50°, 54°), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (59°) Pu er: TaylorMade Spider Tour X Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

BRENDAN STEELE LIV Golf Adelaide

Driver: Ping G430 LST 10.5° Fairway Woods: TaylorMade M6 3 (15°), TaylorMade SIM Max (21°) Utility: Wilson Staff Model (21°) Irons: Wilson FG Tour V4 (4), Wilson Staff Model (5-PW) Wedges: Wilson Staff Model (50°, 60°), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (58°) Pu er: Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Big Seven Ball: Wilson Staff Model

NELLY KORDA

Chevron Championship Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 Max 10.5° Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°,18°) Hybrid: Ping G425 (26°) Irons: TaylorMade P770 (5), TaylorMade P7MC (6-PW) Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50°, 54°), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58°) Pu er: Sco y Cameron Special Select Squareback 2 Proto Ball: TaylorMade TP5

HANNAH GREEN

JM Eagle LA Championship Driver: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (10.5°) 3 Wood: Srixon ZX Mk II (3), Hybrid: Srixon ZX Mk II (4) Irons: Srixon ZX5/ZX7 Mk II (4-PW) Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore (50°, 54°, 58°) Pu er: PING Sigma2 Tyne Ball: Srixon Z-STAR Diamond

ROSE ZHANG

Cognizant Founders Cup Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD (9°) Fairway woods: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max 3 (15°) 5 (18°) Hybrid: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke (21°) Irons: Callaway X-Forged Star (5-AW) Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (54°, 58°) Pu er: Odyssey Ai-One Double Wide Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X+

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOUR? ECCO LAUNCHES ICE CREAM-INSPIRED GOLF SHOE RANGE Despite their ground-breaking technology story, ECCO Golf has not been known for its boundarypushing aesthetics, but that has certainly changed in recent seasons, with the launch of colourmerging soles and some new colour combinations helping to give the Danish brand some extra shelf appeal.

But they’ve certainly pushed the boat, or should I say ‘float’ out, which the launch of a new special edition Flavour of Golf range whose designs are styled to look like ice cream sundaes.

From pistachio to stracciatella, and from raspberry to hazelnut-honey, the four limited-edition shoes feature a

marble effect that is designed to resemble the swirls of melting ice cream, while the ECCO logo on the insole has been transformed into the shape of an ice cream cone.

You can find your flavour in the capsule collection, with fresh, or even refreshing, takes on existing shoes, including the raspberry edition of the women’s Golf Tray (£155) with its playful, pink accents. The ‘Stracciatella’ version of the men’s Classic

Hybrid (£190), with its white leather and a chocolate-style outsole, has a penny loafer design that holds up a ball marker.

Additionally, the women’s edition of the Biom C4 (£210) is offered in Hazelnut-Honey with rich, brown accents, while the men’s version of the shoe comes in pistachio with green accents.

For more details, visit www.gb.ecco.com.

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [49] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

ELEVEN GOLF LAUNCHES PREMIUM DRIVER

distance is something I definitely need.

And while they are a lower spin head, the ball is landing and stopping due to the descent angle. This came in handy on Chart Hills’ short, but testing par-3 17th over water, as the ball stopped quickly to keep it close to the front pin.

They also feel good. There is no mistaking these with a forged blade, but well-struck shots feel fast and have a satisfying crack at impact. There isn’t a sharpness to the sound like the earlier i500s. Feel might not be the very best in class, but performance and forgiveness definitely is.

In fact, the only negatives I could find

are that the offset gets quite large in the longer irons, and the sole is quite wide. It’s bevelled at the front and back, which helps it get through the turf, but I would prefer it with a narrower sole, especially if playing a links course with tight lies.

With a broad selection of shaft options and PING’s total commitment to custom fitting, it would be very surprising not to find a performance gain with these irons if you are looking for height and distance from a small package. There’s a good chance these won’t be coming out of my bag.

RRP: £190/£200 per iron (steel/ graphite shafts).

Eleven Golf, the company that is best known for its hybrid-style range of irons, has introduced the NH 01, a premium driver forged from the highest grades of titanium, ensuring maximum energy transfer to the ball for powerful and consistent drives.

The classic head shape is designed with ultimate aerodynamics, allowing for consistent speed and improved performance.

Additionally, the fully adjustable triple cog adaptor helps dial in the perfect setup to optimise flight and distance, giving you the control you need on the course.

The limited-edition driver, which is priced at £249, comes with a lightweight KBS Max shaft as standard, which is designed to generate faster swing speeds and higher launch for longer distance on the course. Players looking for a more penetrating flight can choose to switch in the KBS TD shaft, a lower flighted tourweighted shaft.

To place an order, visit www.eleven-golf.com.

SHESWINGS CATCHES THE EYE WITH DEBUT APPAREL COLLECTION A talented young golfer from Bolton whose hopes of following a career as a golf professional were dashed when she suffered a spinal injury has directed her energy in another direction after setting up a sports apparel brand.

Jessica Picton was a county level junior for Lancashire and had harboured ambitions to play on tour, before her elite level competitive career was cut short by a back injury which left her unable to swing a club for over a year. By the time she had sufficiently recovered, a lack of practice and a loss of self-confidence saw her switch direction and enrol on a golf management course at Myerscough College.

And it was there, while writing a final year paper addressing the subject of female anxiety in male-dominated sports, that she came up with the idea of developing a golf apparel brand that enhanced the confidence of its wearers, rather than raised stress levels.

“Through my studies I found that a lot of women struggled to find clothes to play golf in that empowered them to feel and play their best, while it also led to some girls giving up sport altogether. I wanted to change that, and this was when the idea for SheSwings came from.”

Now aged 21, Jessica launched SheSwings last year in the hope to not only promote the game of golf to young women, but also retain those in the

sport who wished to develop more, and eventually become part of the elite.

The debut collection features a range of leggings, skorts, polos and half-zip tops that focus on enhancing comfort and performance.

Manufactured in the UK and made from materials that are also entirely sourced from this country, the collection features a colour palette of black, white and grey with red accents – avoiding the hot pinks and lurid flowery patterns that traditionally feature in female golf wear collections.

“I felt it was important to source and

produce the range in the UK, as not only does it create job and add to the UK economy, but it also allows me to work more closely with the team and make sure everything was perfect,” Jessica says. “I am so proud of the products and 100% believe that the collection with appeal to wide range of women and girls.”

With polos priced at £40, skorts and legging at £45, and half-zips £64, the range is keenly priced too, while the unfussy designs make them perfect for adding branding for golf teams and sponsors logos.

To check out the entire range, visit www.sheswings.co.uk.

[50] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

TAYLORMADE LAUNCHES NEW JUNIOR PACKAGE SETS

SKYCADDIE LAUNCHES FATHER’S DAY PROMOTION SkyCaddie has announced the return of its popular Father’s Day retail promotion which sees discounts of up to £100 off its most popular rangefinders and GPS units.

The SX400 Tour Book GPS rangefinder is now on sale at just £199.95, its lowest-ever price and a huge £100 off its previous RRP. SkyCaddie’s popular wearable LX2 Smart Watch GPS is also in the Father’s Day promotion at a reduced price of £129.95, reduced by £20 from its 2024 RRP. These promotional prices will remain until Father’s Day on June 16, or while stocks last.

SkyCaddie’s top of the range wearable GPS, the LX5, is now available at new reduced 2024 price points, £50 lower than in 2023. The LX5 Ceramic Bezel model is now £299.95, with the classic LX5 at £249.95. And earlier this year SkyCaddie launched its fastest and most powerful rangefinder in its history – the PRO 5X GPS Tour Book (£399.95).

For more details, visit uk.skygolf.com.

TaylorMade has launched a new junior set, which is being offered in three different age ranges – 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12.

Comprising a carry bag, with driver, fairway wood, hybrid, 7-iron, wedge and putter, the Junior Set also comes with QR code which offers access to content provided by TaylorMade Tour players, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Brooke Henderson, as well as brand ambassadors Gabby Golf Girl, Chris Trott and Grant Horvat, who all help unlock the secrets of the game with tips, tricks and drills to help junior golfers jumpstart their golf journeys.

Headlined by a 400cc 17° titanium driver featuring large flexible face and a low centre of gravity designed for maximum distance and forgiveness, each club in the set is built to allow for proper fundamentals to be developed from an early age. The set has the appropriate weight, length and loft to avoid poor technique arising from having to counteract for improper equipment.

Fairways and hybrids feature a low-profile face, ample loft and low CG to make the clubs as easy to hit as possible. Team TaylorMade Junior Set irons and wedges are both designed for high launch and playability. The irons are equipped with TaylorMade’s inverted cone technology seen in Qi Irons featuring a flexible face and lightweight components.

The bag and headcover colours are blue and white with the Team TaylorMade Junior Set logo. The stand bag itself is water and stain resistant with a large ball pocket, water bottle holder and adjustable double strap to make it easy to carry.

Prices are £249 for the four-club 4-6 age set; £399 for the five-club 7-9 set, and £499 for the seven-club 10-12 age range set.

TAYLORMADE TURNS ON THE BURNER-STYLE TaylorMade has launched a new set of P·770 and P·790 irons with an aged copper finish and an allnew copper coloured BRNR Mini Driver that drawing inspiration from the iconic late-90s Burner drivers.

The BRNR Mini Copper driver, which has an RPP of £379, offers a contemporary twist on a timeless design with its distinctive copper styling, retro logos and state of the art components blending heritage and modern innovation.

A combination of carbon fibre, titanium and steel creates the foundation for BRNR Mini’s sound, feel and performance, while split weights allow golfers to switch between the standard setting (13g in the back) for easy launch, and the low spin setting (13g in the front) for a piercing trajectory.

Twist Face helps golfers overcome inherent mishit tendencies for straighter shots, while the Speed Pocket is engineered to maximise ball speeds and add forgiveness on low-face strikes. A four-degree loft

sleeve allows golfers to fine tune loft and face angle for optimum flight.

The P·770 irons feature a forged hollow body construction gives golfers the best of both worlds in terms of looks and performance. A soft carbon steel body is paired with an incredibly thin forged steel face and Thru-Slot Speed Pocket for a design that is fast, flexible and forgiving even in a compact head shape.

The P·790 irons are equipped with an advanced thickthin back wall construction, strategically redistributing mass to enhance performance. Each iron is uniquely designed using proprietary AI mass optimisation, placing every gram strategically to achieve specific performance goals.

Both irons have FLTD CG which strategically positions the centre of gravity lowest in the long irons and progressively shifts higher throughout the set Both sets are offered in right-hand only set ups and have an RRP of £1,249 (4-PW).

OGIO STEPS OF THE SHADOWS WITH NEW BAG RANGE OGIO has launched its first ever premium synthetic golf bag, the Shadow, whose smooth lines have been inspired by the aerodynamic shape of luxury sports cars.

Featuring a clean, modern aesthetic, the bag is available in four colours – Moon (grey), Earth (navy blue), Midnight (black) and White, and have an RRP of £370.

While the Shadow is a big departure from what OGIO has previously offered in terms of looks, it offers all the same bells and whistles we have come to expect from the brand in terms of functionality, including sturdy carbon fibre legs, a simple four-way top with full-length dividers, and options for either a single or double carry strap.

FEATURE | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [51] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

A JOURNEY INTO

O DYS S E Y Odyssey is the most played putter brand on the global professional tours, but why are they so popular with the world’s best players and what sorcery do they employ to make them perform so well for all golfers? Equipment Editor Dan Owen reveals the secrets to their success

W

eek in and week out, Odyssey dominates putter usage on tour. From Xander Schauffele’s first major victory at the PGA Championship, to winning every other week on the DP World Tour, more professional players trust Odyssey putters on the green than any other brand.

On any given week its has over 30% of putters in play on the PGA Tour, over 50% on the DP World and Legends Tour, while on the PGA Champions over 60% of players putt with an Odyssey.

But what exactly brings so many players at every level of the game into the fold?

THE WHITE HOT INSERT While not every putter produced by Odyssey features an insert, it is most definitely a calling card for the brand. Over the years, the company has introduced many inserts featuring combinations of different materials and technologies, but it has been the White Hot insert that has become the overwhelming choice of the world’s best players.

The idea came when an engineer suggested trying an insert made from the same material as the cover of Callaway’s golf balls. Thus the White Hot insert, with its urethane face, was created, providing a uniquely addictive soft feel on short putts, while feeling firmer on longer putts for better distance control.

The current crop of AI One putters features a modified White Hot insert co-molded onto an aluminium plate. The latter element has been designed using AI to help increase the sweet spot and minimize ball speed loss on off-centre putts.

THE MODIFIED INSERT HAS BEEN DESIGNED USING AI TO INCREASE THE SWEET SPOT AND MINIMISE BALL SPEED LOSS ON OFF-CENTRE HITS

■ PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER XANDER SCHAUFFELE HAS BEEN USING ODYSSEY’S TOULON LAS VEGAS PUTTER TO GREAT EFFECT

[52] MAY 2024 | FEATURE

■ THE FACE PLATES OF THE NEW AI-ONE CRUISER RANGE MAXIMISE PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CLUBFACE

■ ADRIAN OTAEGUI HAS ENJOYED PLENTY OF SUCCESS WITH ODYSSEY’S TRI-HOT 5K TRIPLE WIDE PUTTER

CHOICE At every level of the game, Odyssey offers golfers a huge range of putter design styles, from classic blade shapes to high MOI mallets and everything in between. And while not everything lands – you don’t see too many Toe-Up putters in play – when Odyssey gets it right, its designs are quickly emulated across the entire industry.

The 2-Ball is arguably the most iconic Odyssey design, with its simple alignment aid being imitated but never bettered over the years.

The #7, with its iconic fanged design, has been the inspiration for countless putters across the market. The fangs are set a ball’s width apart, making alignment simple. But there are two other features that separate the #7 from its many clones.

Firstly, the face is not the widest part of the putter, which helps focus your eyes on the ball. Secondly, the fangs aren’t connected with a straight line, but a ball-matching arc, subtly aiding alignment similarly to the 2-Ball.

The Jailbird is another shape that has taken on a life of its own, ten years after its initial debut.

Similar to the #7, but connected at the rear of the head, the Jailbird generally features softer lines than the #7. As the flagship of the Versa design with alternating black-and-white stripes perpendicular to the target line, it’s incredibly easy to line up for golfers who use the face of the putter to aim. Not a huge success when it was originally

released, the Jailbird has become an overnight success could never have been anticipated

by Odyssey.

CUSTOMISATION At a tour level, the level of choice available to the players goes even further, with custom necks, inserts, and finishes all in play to help them feel comfortable on the greens.

Xander Schauffele’s custom Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas is a great example. Schauffele played an older Odyssey O-Works Red #7 CH. With the red finish and Crank Hosel, and a black White Hot insert, it was a tough putter to get out of his bag.

First, they used the red finish on the Las Vegas, then they painted the face of the putter black to give him the same look as when he had the insert.

Finally, they didn’t paint the very top of the putter face to further that illusion of an insert.

SERVICE As part of the Topgolf Callaway family, Odyssey has support out on tours worldwide every single week. Odyssey tour representatives work hard with players, ensuring specifications, such as loft and lie, are kept consistent, grips and inserts can be changed out when needed, and when there is a problem with a putter, they will have an immediate and suitable solution. All of which helps their players achieve results out on the golf course.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE’S CUSTOM ODYSSEY TOULON LAS VEGAS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. SCHAUFFELE PLAYED AN OLDER ODYSSEY O-WORKS RED #7 CH.

ODYSSEY AI ONE CRUISER PUTTERS

ODYSSEY WINNERS ON TOUR Odyssey putters have been dominating the professional tours in 2024, with 18 wins across the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and LPGA Tour Here is a roll call of winners and the type of Odyssey putter they used to such effect.

DP WORLD TOUR Dubai Invitational Tommy Fleetwood - Odyssey White Hot Pro 3 Bahrain Championship Dylan Frittelli - Odyssey Ai One Milled Eleven T S Qatar Masters Rikuya Hoshino - Odyssey White Rize Ix 3sh Kenya Open Darius Van Driel - Odyssey Versa WBW #7 SDC Championship Jordan Gumberg - Odyssey 2-Ball Ten Putter Broom Handle Singapore Classic Jesper Svensson - Odyssey Milled Collection RSX #7 China Open Adrian Otaegui - Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Triple Wide PGA Championship Xander Schauffele - Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas Prototype

DP WORLD TOUR The Sentry Chris Kirk - Odyssey Ai One Milled Six T Ch The American Express Nick Dunlap - Odyssey O-Works #7 Tank Pebble Beach Pro-Am Wyndham Clark - Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser Puerto Rico Open Brice Garnett - Odyssey White Hot OG 7s Houston Open Stephan Jaeger - Odyssey Ai-One 2-Ball Valero Texas Open Akshay Bhatia - Odyssey Versa Jailbird 380 The CJ Cup Byron Nelson Taylor Pendrith - Odyssey Jailbird Versa

LPGA TOUR Blue Bay LPGA Bailey Tardy - Odyssey White Hot Versa #7 Putter Cognizant Founders Cup Rose Zhang - Odyssey Ai One Double Wide

#7 CRUISER: The Ai-ONE #7 CRUISER is an iconic shape

DOUBLE WIDE

and a modern classic with an angular design that makes it very easy to align. This version has a 380g head and has a 38-inch SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft with a 17” grip intended to be choked up on. This configuration makes this face balanced putter extremely stable. This putter features an Ai-One insert with an aluminum backer and White Hot urethane striking surface.

The Ai-ONE Double Wide CRUISER is a wider bodied blade that has become very popular with Tour players and amateur golfers alike. This version has a 380g head and is built at 38” with a 17-inch grip intended to be choked up on. This configuration makes this putter extremely stable. This putter features our Ai-One insert with an aluminium backer and White Hot urethane striking surface and our new SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft. A crank hosel allows for more flow throughout the putting stroke.

FEATURE | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [53]

■ ODYSSEY’S NEW AI-ONE PUTTERS ALLOW GOLFERS TO SEE THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE FACE INSERT

■ WORLD NO.13 TOMMY FLEETWOOD IS GAMING ODYSSEY’S WHITE HOT PRO 3 PUTTER

CRUISING FOR SUCCESS

WHAT IS COUNTERBALANCING AND HOW WILL IT HELP YOUR PUTTING STROKE?

for a smoother stroke with quieter hands. Brands have released counterbalanced putters in the past, and even the Stroke Lab shafts Odyssey has popularised are counterbalanced. The Tank Cruiser was their most popular line of counterbalanced putters previously. But what has brought them back into the spotlight?

It all started with Rickie Fowler’s caddie. Playing with Ricky Romano, Fowler picked up Romano’s old 38-inch Odyssey Jailbird putter and liked what he felt. “I was very shocked because I never really looked into anything that was longer, counterbalanced, or anything like that,” Fowler explained. “It’s very interesting, but it’s kind of freeing me up in a way. I’m not changing strokewise or setup, not gripping anything differently than my normal length putter. I just feel like it’s, I don’t know, kind of helping me do some things, and I don’t have to think about it.”

Odyssey made a putter to Rickie’s specs, loaded with lead tape to bring the weight up, which went in the bag last season. Fowler used it to shoot a 62 at the US Open and went on to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic. But golfers are like magpies, and even among top professionals, other players started picking up the Jailbird and won with it. Wyndham Clark won the US Open using the Jailbird after testing Fowler’s, and Keegan Bradley also won using the putter that first came out in 2014. This season’s Jailbird has been used a further three times to win on the PGA Tour.

Counterbalancing is when more weight is placed in the grip area of the club. As a general rule, the head of a counterbalanced club is also made heavier, and the redistribution of weight allows

To find out more, including locating your nearest Odyssey putter fitting centre, visit odysseygolf.com.

If you’ve found yourself searching for a putting stroke, Odyssey’s Cruiser line-up might just be the missing piece of the putting jigaw.

Odyssey’s latest range of putters is aimed at the golfer who is searching for something different to kick-start their putting with a different feel.

Like everything in golf, what was old is new again, as these counterbalanced designs have come back to the fore following some unexpected tour success in 2023. With three Cruiser putters, plus an armlock, and a broomhandle in the Cruiser family, these heavy designs will smooth out some golfers’ strokes.

All five putters feature the AI One insert.

Featuring a grooved face made from White Hot urethane, the key to the new insert is a contoured aluminium backing which improves the consistency of ball speed across the face. The insert doesn’t look too different from previous Odyssey putters, so the engineers created a window to the soul of the putter (and through the sole on some of them).

Using a Panlite window and automotive-grade polymer, you can see every contour that makes these new putters tick. All models also feature removable weights – available in 5, 10, 15 and 20 grams – that allow you to dial in your head weight to your exact preference.

JAILBIRD

#7 ARM LOCK

The Jailbird CRUISER is a classic Odyssey shape that made a major splash on Tour last year. This version has a 380g head and is built at 38-inch with a 17-inch grip intended to be choked up on. This putter features our Ai-One insert with an aluminum backer and White Hot urethane striking surface and the new SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft.

Both the Jailbird is face balanced, while

The AI One #7 Arm Lock boasts an angular design that makes it very easy to align.

This version has a 380g head and is built at 42-inch shaft with an SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft and an Arm Lock grip intended to be rested on your forearm. This configuration makes this face-balanced putter extremely stable.

#7 CS BROOMSTICK The Ai-ONE #7 CRUISER is an iconic shape and a modern classic with an angular design that makes it very easy to align. This version has a 380g head and has a 38-inch SL 140 Stroke Lab steel shaft with a 17” grip intended to be choked up on. This configuration makes this face balanced putter extremely stable. This putter features an Ai-One insert with an aluminum backer and White Hot urethane striking surface.

[54] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | PRO SHOP GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

SUN MOUNTAIN SONNENALP MID STRIPE STAND BAG £330, BRANDFUSION.CO.UK

SCOTTY CAMERON PHANTOM 11 PUTTER £429, TITLEIST.CO.UK

The Phantom 11’s face and body is milled from 303 stainless steel and integrated with lightweight aircraft=grade aluminium flange and sole plate to increase its resistance to twisting at impact. The dual-milling of the face provides better sound and feel while combining deep-milled softness with the feedback and consistency of a mid-milled face. But the real point of difference is the arrowshaped alignment on the crown which really helps with lining up to the target.

There has been in a big change in golf bag design over the last 18 months.

Less is more, as golf bags have become less like walking billboards, and more an extension of a golfers’ sense of style. One of our favourites is the Sonnenalp Mid Stripe, a vintage, retro-style PU leather bag which looks like something from a bygone era while still offering all the essential modern features, including seven pockets and a comfortable dual carry strap.

PRO SHOP

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LATEST GEAR

Equipment Editor Dan Owen casts his expert eye over the best new bits of golfing kit

TAYLORMADE DHY/UDI UTILITY IRONS £229, TAYLORMADEGOLF.CO.UK

Now that golf courses are drying out, and we’re starting to see run on the ball, it’s the time of year when golfers should think about adding a driving iron to the bag. Perfect timing TaylorMade. With two options, the P.DHY is designed for a higher flight, and ease of use as a long-iron replacement. The P.UDI features a smaller head and narrower sole and hits the ball on a flatter, tour-preferred trajectory. Both feature a speed pocket, speed foam, and tungsten weights to make these easier to use than any previous driving irons released by the brand.

STEWART GOLF Q FOLLOW CARBON £2,249, STEWARTGOLF.COM

Already one of the best-looking electric trolleys on the market, Stewart Golf has elevated the looks of its popular Q Follow model with the introduction of a new Carbon Series, which is offered in a choice of red, blue and raw finishes. It also boasts a new ultra-thin ceramic coating that not only fortifies the trolley’s exterior, but also boosts the rigidity of its structural components. An easily foldable chassis includes a central carry handle for one-handed lifting, while its automatically-folding stabiliser allows for vertical storage, perfect for saving space in the car boot or garage.

PRO SHOP | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [55] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

CALLAWAY PARADYM AI SMOKE HYBRIDS £299, EU.CALLAWAYGOLF.COM

When you launch a full range of new equipment, the hybrid can easily be missed in the commotion. But the Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid is worthy of your attention. Like the drivers, the hybrid is is offered in three models – Standard, HL and Max to suit your preferred ball flight – and features an Ai Smart Face, designed using swing data from thousands of golfers, to help create a hybrid with super tight dispersion. On top of that, a tungsten Sped Cartridge positions the weight low and forward for lower spin, faster ball speeds and more distance.

OGIO ALPHA LAYOVER BAG

CLEVELAND HALO XL HY-WOODS

£169, EU.OGIO.COM

£239, EU.DUNLOPSPORTS.COM

Whether you’re on a road trip to Scotland or flying out to Turkey for some holiday golf, the Alpha Layover has got you covered.

Sized to fit as a carry-on bag, it has enough space to pack for a five-day trip, with really welldesigned internal storage. With a choice of bold colour options, it’s also safe to say you won’t find it hard to pick out on the airport luggage carousel.

Slotting clubs in the bag between your driver and longest iron is a minefield as there are so many options – fairways, hybrids, driving irons, utilities, or heaven forbid, an actual long iron! The HALO XL HY-Wood combines a fairway wood with a hybrid. The head is noticeably bigger than a normal hybrid, but with the visuals of one. A glide rail sole helps it get the ball airborne from a variety of lies, while also doubling up as a rudder to keep the face square at impact.

MIZUNO ST230 MAX FAIRWAY WOOD £299, MIZUNOGOLF.COM

NIPPON MODUS3 GRAPHITE ON STEEL TECHNOLOGY HYBRID SHAFT

With a larger profile at address, the ST230 Max is confidence inspiring, yet still traditionally shaped. The expanded CORTECH Chamber is designed to increase ball speed across the face, while the carbon crown and toe wrap save weight to be used elsewhere in the head for extra forgiveness.

Nippon MODUS3 steel shafts seemingly win somewhere in the world every week, they’re fantastic shafts that offer a soft feel. But their most successful design currently might be the MODUS3 Graphite On Steel Hybrid shafts, as used by world No.1 Scottie Scheffler in his utility iron. A unique design, carbon is wrapped around a steel core for the control and spin of steel, with the flex control of graphite. A win-win if ever there was one.

£225, NIPPONSHAFT.COM

TAYLORMADE SPEED SOFT INK BALLS £27, TAYLORMADEGOLF.CO.UK

One of the most surprising growth areas in the equipment market of late, coloured golf balls have really caught the golfing public’s imagination. The Speed Soft Ink balls might be the coolest yet, with its paint splatter design available in green, blue, red and pink. Speed Soft balls are designed for the softest possible feel while maintaining explosive speeds for golfers with medium swing speeds.

[56] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

GLIDE THROUGH AIRPORTS WITH SUN MOUNTAIN’S CLUBGLIDER

COBRA BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH 3D PRINTED IRONS I’ve always felt that, in an ideal world, every golfer would like to use a set of clubs that look like blades but are as forgiving as what I refer to as ‘chopper big bats’, but what the industry calls ‘game improvement’ irons. I even had some ideas on how to do it. But Cobra may have actually made it happen with the world’s first commercially available set of 3D printed irons.

Each iron is created by printing approximately 2,600 layers of laser-cut steel, one on top of the another. It’s technological voodoo of the highest calibre that wouldn’t be out of place on Star Trek.

While producing a 3D printed iron is an impressive feat in its own right, the revolutionary manufacturing process also comes with several other fringe benefits, namely creating strength without adding weight and enabling 100g of tungsten to be used in the heel and toe to enhance forgiveness.

At address these are a classic-looking player’s iron, but they have a higher MOI than any previous model that Cobra has produced.

Now the catch. Only 500 sets of the LIMIT3D irons are available worldwide and they will set you back £2,499, but we fully expect this tech to be used for mainstream models within the next couple of years, with a far lower price, so watch this space.

ENJOY THE RIDE WITH I-MOTION CADDYS NEW SINGLE-SEATER GOLF BUGGY I-motioncaddys have understood that the original design of the i-m4 golf buggy does not suit all golfers needs, so as an alternative to its renowned i-m4 single-seater golf buggy, the company has designed a more conventional – and affordable – single-seat golf buggy building on the impressive design features of the original model.

Golfers with mobility issues, as well as those who want to stop shelling out for costly buggy rental fees, should take a look at the all-new i-m4 Journey, a versatile, durable and UK-designed single-seater electric golf ride.

Boasting a stylish, modern design, with a comfortable adjustable riding position, the i-m4 is powered by a punchy 1,000-watt motor fixed to a Linix rear axel, two-speed function control switch, controlled by a handle bar-mounted throttle, with a long-lasting rechargeable lithium battery.

It also boasts a sturdy steel frame construction, a durable fibreglass body, tubeless four-ply tyres, adjustable height steering wheel, and comes with a removable front-loaded golf bag holder for easy access to your clubs.

The i-m4 Journey has a sprung suspension seat for the smoothest of rides across fairways and paths and can easily be loaded into a car (with ramps) or separated into four parts for hand loading into the back of most cars.

Priced from £2,100+VAT, you can order your i-m4 Journey now from i-motioncaddys.com.

Sun Mountain’s ClubGlider travel bag has revolutionised many a golfers’ holiday experience over the years, with its extendable legs supporting all of the weight, and its pivoting caster wheels allowing clubs to travel effortlessly across the floors of airport terminals and hotel lobbies the world over.

There are now four versions of this popular travel cover to choose from with multi awardwinning MERIDIAN model leads the line-up alongside the JOURNEY design, sturdy TOUR bag with heavy duty tank zips, plus the extra spacious PRO cover that can fit a staff bag or two mid-sized stand bags.

Made from a heavy-duty ballistic-style nylon, all ClubGlider bags boasts thick foam padding in the top section to protect precious clubheads, while other areas are reinforced to ensure they withstand the rigours of repeated wear and tear. Internal straps keep the bags securely in place, while a recessed moulded tray secures the legs during travel. Rivetted external straps enhance durability still further.

The Meridian (£239) is offered in navy/cobalt and green/black, the Journey (£250) in black and gunmetal/black, the Tour (£299) in black and black/white, and the Pro (£350) in black.

For more details, visit www.brandfusion.co.uk.

NEWS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [57] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

PING EXPANDS PREMIUM PUTTER LINE-UP PING has added six new models to its already extensive line-up of putters, each engineered to achieve the ideal combination of feel and forgiveness in a confidence-inspiring look.

The new Anser 2, Anser D, B60, Tyne H, Fetch and Ketsch G are all updates on some of the brand’s most classic models. It brings the number of putters in the range to 16, so if you can’t find a putter to suit here, you might need to take up another sport.

Golfers can choose from high-MOI blades, mid-mallets and mallets, each featuring a different combination of face technology, alignment aids and finish. Fans of the iconic B60 and the popular mid-size Fetch mallet – a personal favourite of mine – will be glad to see them among the new additions, while the Ketsch G is another update on an award-winning model from PING that has proven incredibly popular since it debuted due to its ease of alignment.

The new putters offer different alignment solutions to fit the eye of a variety of golfers, including single alignment cues or multiple lines to improve accuracy and inspire confidence. The use of a glare-diffusing raw blast finish in four models and black PVD in the other two provides enhanced contrast to assist in alignment and create a premium appearance. Each model can be custom fit for stroke type, length, lie, loft and grip type and are all priced at £280.

RAM CATCHES THE EYE WITH ALL-NEW FXT IRONS Ram Golf’s new FXT irons offer increased yardage and superb feel, with even more forgiveness built into its eye-catching design, delivering unparalleled performance in a player’s style iron.

Featuring a dual material face – a maraging a 431 stainless steel body attached to a 17-4 super-hot stainless-steel face, the FXT’s heat-treated hot muscleback design delivers a forged-like effect, with fast ball speeds and outstanding forgiveness.

Design enhancements include a new lower centre of gravity, which provides improved stability and even more forgiveness on off-centre strikes, ensuring that even your less-thanperfect shots reach their intended target.

Also new to the FXT irons is a precision-weighted side screw in the toe end of the club which has been optimised to help raise the club’s MOI and reduce the impact of twisting on off-centre strikes, leading to straighter shots across the entire clubface.

Offered with an anodised black finish or a more traditional chrome satin finish, the FXT irons are available with a choice of aftermarket shafts, including KBS Tour 90 steel shafts or UST Recoil graphite shafts in a choice of four flexes, and Lamkin Crossline grips. Shaft lengths can also be customised plus or minus 1-inch, at ¼- inch intervals to ensure the perfect fit.

Golfers can also choose how many clubs they prefer to have in the set with a range of options being available online: 5-PW, 5-GW, 4-PW and 4-GW are all available in RH and 5-PW in LH. FXT irons can be purchased directly from Ram by visiting www.ramgolf.co.uk, with the starting price of £299.99, including free shipping and a 12-month warranty.

COMPETITION

SRIXON US OPEN TOUR BAG UP FOR GRABS! We’ve teamed up with the generous people at leading equipment brand Srixon to offer Golf News readers the chance to win a limitededition Srixon Staff Tour Bag which was specifically designed for the 2024 US Open, which is being held at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina from June 13-16.

Being used by the likes of major champions and Srixon staff players Shane Lowry, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama and Keegan Bradley, this stylish tour bag features the iconic red, white and blue stars and stripes of the US flag and is guaranteed to turn heads wherever you play.

Featuring a 9-way top, six spacious pockets, and a padded single strap, this faux leather bag is sure to be the envy of your golfing pals – although you’ll probably need a caddie to fully replicate the Tour look!

In addition to this fantastic prize, the lucky winner will also receive a set of matching Srixon-branded driver, fairway wood and hybrid headcovers which have also been produced specifically for the season’s third major championship.

QUESTION

TO ENTER

WHERE IS THE 2024 US OPEN BEING HELD? A. PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS B. PINEHURST RESORT C. PINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply answer the following question, and email it to info@golfnews.co.uk, with ‘Srixon Competition’ in the subject line. Please remember to include your name, address and contact telephone number, and where you picked up your copy of Golf News.

The closing date for entries is June 30, 2024.

For more details about the entire range of Srixon equipment, visit eu.dunlopsports.com/srixon

[58] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | SHOWCASE GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

PETER MILLAR AMBROSE £90, PETERMILLAR.CO.UK

The Crown Crafted performance polos feature a slimmer, more tailored fit compared to classic fit Peter Millar shirts.

The fabric is moisture-wicking and offers antimicrobial properties, and features four-way stretch and UPF 50+ sun protection.

MIZUNO CALI COOL

OSCAR JACOBSON SONIC

£80, MIZUNOGOLF.COM

£69, OSCARJACOBSONGOLF.CO.UK

Bringing its running apparel tech to the golf course, the Cali Cool Polo features a bold all-over floral print. Featuring Mizuno Move Tech and Quick Dry technology, this stylish shirt is available in four bold colour options.

The SONIC is a modern polo with UPF 50+ UV protection featuring a self-fabric collar to look sharp at all times. The fun print features a golf cart and the OJ logo repeating all over.

ORIGINAL PENGUIN 60S HERITAGE £65, ORIGINALPENGUIN.CO.UK

If you’re looking for something straight from the Magical Mystery Tour, this 60’s Heritage Polo will help you stand out on the course. The Heritage Fit silhouette and hem vents allow it to be worn untucked for that casual aesthetic.

THE SHIRT LOCKER Look fresh on the links with these stylish, summery polos

CALLAWAY FLORIDA ALL OVER ABSTRACT GEO £50, CALLAWAYAPPAREL.COM

Inspired by a classic Memphis design, this fun polo combines some of Florida’s highlights in an all-over print polo. Featuring Opti-Dri moisture wicking and Swing Tech for ease of movement when swinging the wrenches.

PING MR PING II £55, PINGEUROPE.COM

This classic shirt features the iconic Mr PING on the chest, while the contrast tipping on the collar elevates this simple polo to the next level. SensorCool fabric will also help to keep you cool and dry when the weather heats up.

GALVIN GREEN MIO

G/FORE MAPPED ICON CAMO TECH

The highly breathable all-over hexagonal print shirt also offers UV 20+ protection and comes in six striking colours including this vibrant Aqua/Navy option.

This soft tech jersey polo features an all-over camo and subtle G/FORE logo pattern, plus a spread collar and tennis tail hemline for a cool, classic look.

£89, GALVINGREEN.COM

£110, GFORE.CO.UK

30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | WWW.GOLFNEWS.CO.UK/TRAVEL

FINCA CORTESIN Living in the lap of luxury at southern Spain's five-star Solheim Cup venue

ME & MY TRAVELS WITH CHUBBY CHANDLER

WIN A GOLF HOLIDAY IN MADEIRA!

ALL THE LATEST TRAVEL NEWS & GOLF BREAK OFFERS

[60] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | NEWS GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

Reserve your place at Costa Navarino for the Aegean Messinia Pro-Am! The lush landscape in Messinia, Greece, will provide the perfect backdrop for professionals and amateurs from around the world who will gather at Costa Navarino from November 20-24 to take part in the Aegean Messinia Pro-Am 2024.

Held across three of Costa Navarino’s four 18-hole signature golf courses – The Dunes Course, The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course – the popular tournament will offer a unique golf experience. Participants will have the chance to reunite with old friends and embrace new, whilst enjoying a different challenge at each course, where the best environmental practices align with the destination’s long-term commitment to sustainable development.

Players and guests can choose from a range of five and seven-night tournament options which include accommodation at the five-star The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, and participation in three themed social events during the tournament week, as well as enjoy an array of gastronomy and leisure activities.

AEGEAN, the title and main sponsor, is offering special airline ticket conditions for the tournament’s participants and their

companions, including free golf bag carriage to all players and complimentary flights for participating professionals.

Last year’s Aegean Messinia Pro-Am featured competitors from 23 different countries, with GB&I PGA Professional Liam Bond taking the top professional honours in the 54-hole event with a winning score of 13-under-par.

Sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf and supported by the Hellenic Golf Federation and the PGA of Greece – this year’s event will feature a maximum of 70 teams. Each team will comprise of one professional and three amateurs, while the tournament’s total prize fund will reach up to €70,000.

Offering the opportunity to compete for an array of top individual and team prizes, the four-day event will also showcase a rich and engaging programme of social events, with the pro-am being brought to a spectacular conclusion with a gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony.

Team registration for the Aegean Messinia Pro-Am 2024 is now open and is on a firstcome, first-served basis.

For more information and to book, visit aegeanmessiniaproam.com

Grand golf breaks on offer at La Manga this summer The Grand Hyatt La Manga is currently offering a range of Golf Getaway packages, which include two-, three- and five-night B&B accommodation and green fee deals.

Re-opened last year following an extensive refurbishment, La Manga is home to three 18-hole championship golf courses, a golf academy, a high-end golf shop and the fivestar Granf Hyatt La Manga Hotel. A world class racquets centre, as well as football, cricket, and rugby facilities are also accessible to hotel guests, visitors and elite sports teams.

What’s more, for those looking to relax, the hotel has a 18,298-square-foot wellness centre. The Arabian-inspired Alma’ Spa provides a calming space for guests to unwind. After a day of activity or relaxation, guests can refuel at any of the resort’s 11 distinctive dining destinations, from the rustic charm of an Italian trattoria to the authentic flavours of an izakaya sushi bar.

The Golf Getaway package includes free access the spa and gym, and 10% discounts in bars and restaurants managed by La Manga Club.

Prices start from £436 per night for two people staying in a twin or double room in the Grand Hyatt Hotel and playing two rounds of golf.

For the very latest package details and bookings, visit grandhyattlamangaclubgolfandspa.com or call +34 968115651.

S PA R K L I N G G O L F O N O F F E R

O N F R A N C E ’ S O PA L COA S T

■ BELLE DUNE

Golfers looking to enjoy some of the best golf that the continent can offer, without having to head to the airport, should take a look at the stunning array of courses located on the northern shores of France’s Côte d’Opale Boasting 10 superb golf courses divided between seven different clubs, all within a short drive of each other, the Côte d’Opale is the ideal place for a relaxing two-week golf holiday, or even a quick hop over the channel via the tunnel for a long weekend.

With a guaranteed warm welcome and an excellent range of places to stay, from luxury B&Bs and boutique guest houses and Relais, to four and five-star hotels, the region is ready to host a truly memorable golf trip.

The golf courses on the Côte d’Opale each have their own unique and distinct character, from the fortified design of the 27 holes on offer at Dunkerque Grand Littoral, to the rolling countryside of Aa Saint-Omer; from the traditional

■ WIMEREUX IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF GREAT LINKS TO BE FOUND ON FRANCE’S OPAL COAST

links of Wimereux, and the sandy forest of Hardelot, to the prestigious history of Le Touquet. And from the bucolic nature of Nampont St Martin and the eco-domain of Belle Dune, all offer golfers an experience to remember.

With great value green fees, uncrowded fairways, and gentle sea breezes cooling you against the summer’s heat, Côte d’Opale is ready to challenge and delight in equal measure.

To find out more, and to book your golf break to the Côte d’Opale, visit www.golfnorthernfrance.com

DISCOVER STUNNING GOLF COURSES in Northern France

1

Dunkerque, Wimereux, Hardelot, Le Touquet, Saint-Omer, Nampont-St-Martin, Belle-Dune.

2

5

3 4 6

7

Tee Off Now! www.golfnorthernfrance.com

PLAY THE GOLF-PASS 5 green-fees for 300 €

Photos © Golf en Côte d’Opale

S

o named by 20th century French painter Édouard Lévêque after he became enchanted by this coastline’s iridescent and ever-changing light – the Opal Coast stretches over 75 miles, from Dunkerque and the Belgian border in the east to Berck-sur-Mer in the west, taking in the bustling port cities of Boulogne and Calais, famous for their hypermarkets, superb fish restaurants and easy ferry access to the UK. Featuring long sandy beaches, punctuated by wild coves, behind whose majestic cliffs lies a green, undulating hinterland, it’s a region heavy with history, but also wonderful gastronomy, a rich culture, and just as importantly, wonderful golf courses – making it an ideal destination to explore for groups large and small.

FRESH FAIRWAYS ARE CALLING

Bay Harbor Golf Club

Find your swing on scenic shores while playing championship courses designed by the game’s legends and renowned golf architects.

Then live it up at our award-winning vineyards and restaurants.

Plan your golf getaway in Pure Michigan.

michigan.org

[64] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | FEATURE GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

FA B U LO U S F I N C A ■ THE FINCA CORTESIN ESTATE COVERS A STUNNING 500-ACRE SITE SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Matt Nicholson joins an exclusive group of invited guests to experience the full five-star experience at Finca Cortesin in Spain, from facing Solheim Cup-style course conditions and pin placements, to enjoying the stunning hotel and hospitality on offer to pampered guests

W

hile Ryder Cup venues traditionally grab all the headlines thanks to the huge global audiences that the biennial matches have long enjoyed, the growing appetite for the Solheim Cup, and the rise in interest in women’s professional golf across the board, has led to an increasing demand from golf travellers seeking out venues that have hosted the matches between Europe and the USA’s top female players in a bid to recreate the magic and connect more closely with the stars of the women’s game.

While not all Solheim Cup venues are in holidayinspiring locations – anyone fancy a week in Des Moines, Iowa or St Leon Rot, Frankfurt? – that certainly can’t be said about Finca Cortesin, the beautiful southern Spanish venue that hosted last year’s matches, blowing both players and the fans away with its stunning location, superb match play course and its five-star off-course facilities.

So, it was with no small degree of excitement that I accepted a generous invitation to join an exclusive group of media to experience a new VIP Solheim Cup package which invited guests to experience many of the experiences that were offered to the team players at Finca Cortesin during last September’s matches, including executive suites, fine dining, tournament-level course conditions and elite-level practice facilities.

Whether we’d all be allowed to jump into the hotel’s swimming pool fully clothed after winning

our friendly game was yet to be discovered, but it didn’t seem to appear on what looked like a packed itinerary for our three-night, tworound trip.

Departing from Gatwick on a chilly spring morning, having still not fully emerged from the one of the wettest UK winters on record, I was more than happy to touch down in Malaga two hours 40 minutes later and be greeted by warm, cloudless skies and a lunchtime temperature nudging nicely into the early 20s°c. Perfect.

TRANQUIL ENCLAVE Moments after coming out of the airport we were cruising along the AP-7 motorway in a luxury Mercedes people carrier, taking in stunning sea views until we arrived just south of Estepona at one of the most tranquil and sought-after enclaves on the Andalusian coast – Finca Cortesin.

After checking into my room – more, much more, of this later – it was time for a spot of lunch

■ THE HOTEL IS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A TRADITIONAL SPANISH FINCA

down at the golf clubhouse, which is just a short walk from the hotel. The clubhouse has been cleverly designed in that as you approach the building you see what looks like a simple, single storey structure, but once inside it’s a totally different story – if you’ll pardon that weak pun – as you are welcomed into much larger space, with a sizeable pro shop on your left, the restaurant and bar on your right, before heading down the impressive staircase that opens up an incredible view of both the driving range and some the holes of the championship golf course in the distance, both of which had me itching to get my clubs out.

WORLD-CLASS ACADEMY But before we could put our own swings into action, we were treated to a short game clinic from Finca Cortesin’s Director of Instruction, Ricardo Jimenez, who the runs the Jack Nicklaus Academy at the club. Ricardo is one of the best teachers in Spain and is a Master member of the Spanish PGA. He’s certainly got the skills to match his coaching ability, as this old hand picked up a couple of very useful tips that I was able to take out on the course, even after just a 60-minute session.

Golfers of every skill level should consider spending time in the resort’s superbly equipped Jack Nicklaus Academy, which is one of the

FEATURE | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [65] GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

finest coaching facilities in Europe. Packed with all the latest swing analysis technology, including Foresight’s GC Quad, a Swing Catalyst Balance Plate, a 3D K-Vest and the latest simulator, it’s a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of game-improvement tech that, when combined with Finca’s team of highly qualified professionals, will soon have your game in shape to tackle one of Europe’s toughest tracks.

■ THE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE FEATURES PLENTY OF ELEVATION CHANGES AND AN ENTICING MIX OF RISK-AND REWARD HOLES

SPACIOUS SUITES After a long and leisurely lunch, I returned to my suite – did I mention that it was ‘executive’? – one of 67 that were used to accommodate the US and European teams in absolute comfort during the Solheim Cup. Boasting a floorplan of 77 square metres, my suite took several minutes to explore – and send the obligatory videos to friends and colleagues slaving away at their desks back in the UK – with the bathroom alone being big enough to comfortably fit a full-size snooker table, although mine was kitted out with a free-standing bath, separate walk-in rainforest shower, twin sinks and a separate WC, but hey, you can’t have it all.

The lounge, where I stored my golf clubs, was home to a double sofa, two armchairs, a dining room table for four, and a massive flatscreen TV, all of which led out to a Juliet balcony which offered stunning views towards the one of the huge outdoor swimming pools and the Mediterranean Sea beyond. The adjoining bedroom featured a King-size double bed fit for, well, a massive king.

FINE DINING Suitably refreshed, and impressed with my lodgings, I headed down to the hotel’s Blue Bar in the evening to join my fellow golfers for pre-dinner drinks, followed by a superb dinner at the hotel’s El Jardin de Lutz restaurant, which specialises in serving up traditional Spanish classics with a luxury twist. Here we tucked into a sumptuous fourcourse dinner, comprising a wild lobster cannelloni starter, a grilled sole with caviar and champagne sauce entrée, followed by roast partridge served with a truffle risotto for the main course, and, for those that still had room, a dessert of pistachio and vanilla semifreddo with chocolate cake and raspberries. Wafer thin mint, sir? I think not.

CHAMPIONSHIP CONDITIONING The following day, after a comfortable night’s sleep and a light(ish) breakfast, we made our way down to the golf course for the business end of our

■ MATT NICHOLSON AND FELLOW GOLFERS PREPARE TO TEE OFF FOR THEIR SOLHEIM CUP EXPERIENCE

trip – 18 holes on Finca Cortesin’s Championship layout, which was set up in the same order of holes – which is different to the traditional course configuration – and with the same tees and pin locations that were used for the 2023 Solheim Cup. Designed by Cabell B Robinson, who also designed the likes of La Réserva, Aphrodite Hills and Las Colinas, the course at Finca opened for play in 2007, and just two years later hosted the Volvo World Match Play, and did again in 2011 and 2012.

The hugely undulating course measures almost 7,500 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 72, with five par 3s, five par 5s and eight par 4s.

It’s Bermuda grass everywhere and by the time you reach the green it becomes obvious that you’ll need a sharp short game to get it round in anything approaching par, as the greens are lighting fast with huge swails, tiers and hollows.

I was fortunate to play with Nacho Olea, Finca Cortesin’s Golf Director, and his knowledge of the

WE STOPPED FOR A FOOD BREAK ON THE 10TH TEE, WHICH MUST HAVE SPURRED ME ON, AS I MADE BIRDIE ON THIS STUNNING PAR 3, WHICH PLAYS SEVERELY DOWNHILL WITH THE MOUNTAINS PROVIDING A MAGNIFICENT BACKDROP ■ FINCA CORTESIN’S STAGING OF THE 2023 SOLHEIM CUP ATTRACTED SELL-OUT CROWDS AND HUGE TV AUDIENCES AS EUROPE REAINED THE CUP IN DRAMATIC STYLE

course and its many challenges proved invaluable.

As you’d expect, the course was in incredible condition, with the fairways like carpets and the greens running at about 12.5 on the stimp. They could have held the Solheim Cup again that day, it was that good.

We started at what is normally the fourth hole, which is one of the course’s many signature hole – a downhill 280-yard par 4 that wraps around a lake. It’s drivable for the big hitters, but the smart play for most is an iron up the right and a wedge on. From there the course meanders its way around the diverse site, with elevation changes coming throughout as well as doglegs, beautiful views in all directions, and plenty of variety.

We stopped for a food break on the 10th tee, which must have spurred me on, as I made birdie on this stunning par 3, which plays severely downhill with a backdrop of the mountains. All the short holes are superb, with my favourite being the 12th, where Denmark’s Emily Pedersen enjoyed a hole-in-one for just the second ace in the history of the Solheim Cup. The par-4 15th is another visual treat and it’s one of the toughest par 4s on the course, where you drive over the native land before turning uphill and left.

Nacho’s clubbing was a great help, and this paid off when I holed a 5-iron from 180 yards on the par-four 16th for a rare eagle. Being a little greedy and trying to go eagle-birdie, I went directly at the flag on the par-3 17th, with the pin just over the bunker and trying to emulate Carlota Ciganda’s

GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

GRINNING LIKE CHESHIRE CATS, OUR GROUP LEFT THE 18TH GREEN ON A GOLFING HIGH, HAVING EXPERIENCED ONE OF EUROPE’S FINEST COURSES PRESENTED IN TIP-TOP CONDITION ■ EL JARDIN DE LUTZ IS FINCA CORTESIN’S FINE DINING SPANISH RESTAURANT

birdie over Nelly Korda that saw Europe retain the Solheim Cup, as they tied 14-14. Sadly, it didn’t pay off for me and I found the bunker. The dogleg-left par 5 finisher plays downhill on the second shot and then rises back up to a green that is very well guarded with bunkers. It might offer the occasional birdie but it’s definitely one where you’ll be happy to finish with a par. Grinning like proverbial Cheshire cats, our group left the 18th green on a golfing high, having experienced one of Europe’s finest courses presented in superb condition.

■ A COLLECTION OF LUXURY PRIVATE VILLAS PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE ACCOMDATION TO THE HOTEL FOR FAMILES AND LARGER GROUPS

SUPERB SPA Needing to wind down after such a high-octane morning, I spent the afternoon in Finca’s impressive 2,220m2 spa enjoying the steam room, Turkish bath, sauna and ice bath combination to ease some tired limbs. The spa also boasts a 25m indoor saltwater pool, a Technogym, Snow Cave, and 10 rooms for a wide range of Oriental-themed treatments, while there’s a outdoor swimming pool and for racquet sports fans there are tennis and padel courts

PRIVATE VILLAS That evening we had dinner in a private villa – one of 16 on the estate – which offers a different type of accommodation for families or larger group of friends. The villas, which boast five en-suite double/ twin rooms, feature private gardens and swimming pools and enjoy magnificent views of a mountain range and the sea.

Following a fabulous dinner in the villa, we headed back to the hotel where we were royally ■ WITH OUTDOOR AND INDOOR SWIIMING POOLS, AND AN IMPRESSIVE SPA, OPPORTUNTIES FOR RELAXATION ARE NEVER FAR AWAY

entertained by the hotel’s resident band, which took request after request from our group, despite some of very questionable musical choices.

The hotel, which was designed by the late Portuguese designer Duarte Pinto Coelho, has a classically Andalusian feel, with darkly cosseting lounges, fabric-swathed walls, and the suite doors that once sealed the rooms of Benedictine monks.

Despite being unquestionably upmarket, it still feels very homely, and this is all down to the staff, who seamlessly blend in with the guests, while anticipating their every need with almost alarming accuracy.

The following day we played the golf course once again, but this time as the member or regular green fee player would do. It made for a slightly different, but nonetheless memorable experience, with opportunities to be more conservative on some holes and more gung-ho on others following our previous day’s experience.

SEAFOOD HEAVEN After lunch in the clubhouse and another visit to the spa, it was time for our farewell dinner at REI, another of the hotel’s four restaurants, with this one specialising in Japanese cuisine with a Mediterranean influence. With so many tempting dishes to choose, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the tasting menu, which includes a heady mix of seafood, including wild red tuna, smoked salmon sashimi, sea bass, oysters, razor clams, prawns, scallops and squid.

For those nights when you want something a bit simpler, Don Giovanni offers an Italian menu with a Sicilian twist, with fresh pasta, pizzas and steaks among the popular choices, while the Beach Club, which is located 1km from the hotel in the Bahia de Caceres, also has a restaurant, where paella and freshly-cooked Mediterranean dishes are the order of the day.

Our final day of our action-packed itinerary allowed us just enough time to brush up on our golfing skills at the driving range and have lunch at the Poolside Bar before I headed back to Malaga to catch my flight back to Gatwick, and to the harsh realities of life outside the luxuriously welcoming bubble that is Finca Cortesin.

For details of all the golf packages available at Finca Cortesin, including green fees, stay-and-play rates, and the Finca Cortesin Experience, visit fincacortesin.com or email reservas@golfcortesin.es

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[68] 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE | COMPETITION GOLFNEWS.CO.UK

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■ PALHEIRO GOLF

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Located approximately 1,000km from the European mainland – and just 500km from the African continent – the Portuguese archipelago enjoys an amazingly mild climate, ranging from 25°c in the summer to 17°c in the winter, and features three breathtaking golf venues.

Two of the courses – Palheiro Golf and Clube de Golf Santo da Serra – are on Madeira itself, while the third, Porto Santo Golfe, lies a short hop away on the island of the same name, one of two that are inhabited in the archipelago.

■ SANTO DO SERRA

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Czech out the magic of Prague While Prague has long been a favourite with UK visitors in search of the stunning architecture and its legendary nightlife, golf has been something of a well-kept secret to many British golfers.

However, all that has changed following the rapid development of the game in Czechia, highlighted by successful stagings of dozens of events on the DP World Tour, the Legends and the Ladies European Tour over the last 15 years.

Although able to trace its roots back as far as 1904, when the first course was built in the spa town of Karlovy Vary, it is only in recent years that the numbers and, perhaps of more importance, the quality of courses has reached a significant level to attract interest from foreign golfers.

The Prague area has more than a dozen attractive 18-hole courses within an hour’s drive from the heart of the city, including the 27 magnificent holes on offer at Karlstejn, to the 45 available to play at Konopiste. A newer kid of new block worth playing is the Albatross course at Vysoký Újezd, which is easily accessible from Prague airport. Host of numerous tour events, it also provides a suitable challenging test for golfers of all abilities.

Two other venues well worth playing include Panorama, one of the most popular golf resorts in the area with 27 holes that hosted the Challenge Tour in 2023, and Oaks PGA, designed by Kyle Phillips, which opened in 2021 and is hosting the Czech Masters this August.

Prague is understandably the first choice

for visitors to base themselves, as most of the low-cost airlines offer regular flights there, and with a number of top quality golf courses on the doorstep, it’s a great place to stay for a weekend break. Full of historic and cultural highlights, including the majestic Old Town Hall, the stunning Charles Bridge, which is one of many that crosses the Vltara River, Prague is also a ideally placed for those that want to shop along narrow cobblestone streets, or enjoy the many restaurants, bars and, of course, the excellent nightlife.

Whatever your golfing needs, tour operator Abante Golf, which is based in Prague, is well placed to organise your next trip here. With highly efficient English-speaking staff, the company can manage all airport and golf transfers, as well as book accommodation and arrange convenient tee times.

Among the many great value golf packages currently on offer is a three-night break in Prague, with two rounds of golf and private course transfers, which costs £349 per person based on four golfers sharing two twin rooms.

For more information, or to receive a free brochure, visit www.prague-golf.com

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ME & MY TRAVELS | 30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE [47]

Andrew Chandler Travel with

■ SHADOW CREEK

Former tour professional and player manager Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler has enjoyed a jet-setting travelling life over the last 40 years, staying in five-star hotels and playing championship golf courses along the way

My earliest holiday memory… is staying in a caravan with my parents down in Weymouth and Lyme Regis back in the early 1960s.

Neither of us we’re fishermen put I have vivid memories of my dad and I going out on a boat and catching mackerel and bringing them home for our tea. I had some mackerel pate the other day and it took it straight back to those summer holidays in Dorset.

My most recent holiday was to… South Africa.

I have a friend called Mark Wilcox, who was chairman of ISM back in the day, who lives out in Franschhoek on the Western Cape. He has a house that backs onto the fourth hole of the golf course at Pearl Valley, which is a Jack Nicklaus signature design. It’s surrounded by dozens of wine estates that all do great lunches. Great wine and great golf is a hard combination to beat for a holiday.

■ CHUBBY FLANKED BY HIS DREAM TEAM IN 1997 - ANDREW COLTART, DARREN CLARKE, LEE WESTWOOD AND PAUL MCGINLEY

My favourite golf course in the UK… I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, as I don’t think you can’t compare links courses with inland courses.

They’re just too different. So my favourite links is Royal Birkdale and my favourite inland course is Sunningdale Old. I’m a member at JCB Golf & Country Club now, and that’s where I play all my golf now, and it’s a very special experience.

■ PEARL VALLEY IN SOUTH ARICA

■ CAPTION

I first picked up a golf club… when I was 12. I was mad about cricket when I was a lad, but I often used to caddy for my dad because he’d pay me 50p to pull his trolley about, and occasionally he’d let me hit the odd shot and it went from there.

Golf was much easier for me to pick up in that you didn’t have to find people to play with like you do for cricket, and you could just go out and practice on your own. Although I only had my dad’s 4-iron to practice with, so it wasn’t easy from that perspective, although it taught me the value of hitting the centre of the clubface!

My most memorable round… was playing DUBAI ■ RITZ CARLTON, Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. You can’t see Vegas from the course, as it’s about 20 minutes outside hidden in its own little oasis, but you can see the mountains and it’s a spectacular setting. It’s a very exclusive club, and the condition of the course, the locker rooms, the service, is just amazing and the whole experience from start to finish was something I will never forget.

My best round of golf… was the 63 I shot in the final round to win the Sao Paulo International in 1985. I finished birdie, eagle, birdie to win. The fact that it is almost 40 years ago and I can still remember every shot I hit, shows that it must have left a lasting imprint in my mind.

■ ROYAL BIRKDALE

My ideal holiday fourball partners would be….

Darren Clarke – mainly because he’s shoot me if I didn’t include him – Ian Flanagan, a pal of mine who is an ex-professional tennis player, and my son Tom.

The best hotel I’ve ever stayed in… is the Ritz Carlton at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai. I used to stay there a lot during tournaments and I used to have a thing called a Cobalt card which used to get me the best room in the hotel for the lowest rate. So, I stayed in some amazing rooms with that for not a lot.

My favourite city in the world is… Cape Town.

Great restaurants, the incredible backdrop of Table Mountain, the harbour, the weather, the wine – it’s got it all.

My most memorable meal on holiday… I’m not a great foodie, but when you’ve travelled as much as I have you get to try a lot of different foods. I’m partial to Asian cuisine and love a good Thai meal or a Chinese. Italian used to be the safe option when you were somewhere different, but I’m happy to eat the local cuisine.

My top travel tip is… to always leave yourself plenty of time when catching a flight. I’ve lost count of the number of times when I had this mad dash to the airport because I’d be faffing around doing something else and arrive in an absolute state because I’d not left enough time. It’s unnecessarily stressful and not a good way to start a holiday or a business trip.

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