Contents

Don’t miss

this month!

NOVEMBER 2023

88

Improve your
ball-striking
prowess with the
help of LET player
Amy Boulden

12

Equipment

The Game
10
12
23
24
26
27
28
30
32
34

88
94
96
98

Your View
Month In Golf
Quick Tip
Tour Gear
Debate
History
Stay & Play
New Launches
In Detail
Love To Play

Courses
102
104
106
108
112

Features
40
46
52
54
60
66

Tested By Golf Monthly
Group Test
Test Centre
Buyers’ Guide

Must Play
Travelling Golfer
On Tour
Hard Yards
Hidden Gems

Ryder Cup Review
Brooks Koepka
Michael Bonallack
Major Underdogs
Michael Block
Triumph Over Adversity

Opinion
36
38
114

Wayne Riley
Alison Root
Bill Elliott

Instruction
71
76
78
80
82
84

Flush Your Irons
Fault Fixer
Ask The Experts
Save Par
Mackenzie Hughes
Rules

80
6

108

Contacts

FROM
T HE
E D I TO R

E DI TO R I A L

Editor: Neil Tappin
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Contributing editors: Fergus Bisset,
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Women’s golf editor: Alison Root
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Staff photographers: Tom Miles, Kevin Murray
Contributors: Getty Images, Wayne Riley,
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Magi c of t he cu p s
“Not many people gave us a chance, especially two years ago.
Well, we proved them wrong.” These were the words of Luke
Donald as he spoke immediately after the 44th Ryder Cup.
I’m more than happy to admit that I was one of the doubters.
Sitting at home two years earlier, I remember vividly watching
the Ryder Cup through my fingers. I chuntered to myself as
match after match went red. Our team, many of whom had experienced incredible
success in this format, were blown away. By contrast, the US had clearly figured out the
secret formula, that little bit of magic that turns 12 great golfers into a brilliant team.
What’s more, they were young. This was the start of something worryingly new, I thought.
Within an hour of the first ball being struck in Rome, my lingering anxiety was already
fading. There was a toughness to complement the togetherness we expect from any
European side. Not only did Donald’s youthful team have a plan from the start, but they
were good enough to execute it. It was a wonderfully dominant performance and you
can read Bill Elliott’s expert take on page 40.
As a spectacle, there’s nothing quite like the Ryder Cup… that is, apart from the Solheim
Cup. If you were looking for edge-of-the-seat drama to the bitter end, this was the one to
watch. Two perfectly matched teams went toe-to-toe and on
the final day the ebb and flow was pure sporting magic.
One of the best things about these contests is that when
things get tight, you never know who the heroes will be. Step up,
Caroline Hedwall (pictured above). Having been left on the
SC AN TO GET
sidelines for the first three sets of matches, she then lost in
OUR WEEKLY
N EWSLETTER
the Saturday four-balls alongside Anna Nordqvist. After 12
holes of her singles match against Ally Ewing, she was
3-down and things were looking bleak. Then, under the most
extreme pressure, she changed the narrative. Hedwall
finished with a flurry of birdies to turn her singles match
around. It was then left to home favourite Carlota Ciganda to
make the putt that clinched it. In her column on page 38,
Alison Root puts all of this magnificent chaos into context.
After back-to-back weekends of unmissable golfing
drama, it is time for me to reacquaint myself with the
rest of my family. I’ll do so, happy in the knowledge that I
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T H E

G A M E

L E T T E R S

Photography: Getty Images

YOUR VIEW
The pick of the letters and emails to hit
the Golf Monthly offices this month

In association with

Mon ey mat ter s
I read with interest your story
about Arnold Palmer and The
Open Championship [October
issue]. While Arnie’s obvious
charisma and talent played a
huge part in growing the game
across the world, the piece opened
my eyes to the other factors at
play, most notably money.
It’s very easy to look back with
rose-tinted glasses on a time
when golfers were paid a pittance
and played for the love of the
sport, but the professional era has
always been driven by one thing,
and fans have benefited from a
better product along the way.
Arnie was a
true trailblazer

Letter of the Month
Having watched the Solheim Cup for years, I was looking forward to
cheering on Team Europe again. This time, though, I had company – my
seven-year-old daughter! Almost as soon as the coverage started, she
was fixated on the screen and asked a furore of questions about the
rules, players, what clubs are for what shot and why everyone was
getting so excited. Needless to say, for three days all she wanted to do
was spend time with her dad watching the matches and cheering on
Team Europe – something I relished as a father to two girls who aren’t
really into sport. Until now!
My daughter is now enrolled in my club’s junior golf sessions, has a set
of her own clubs and was just as excited about the Ryder Cup as she was
about her birthday. The Solheim Cup was a great advert for female golf
and I can’t wait to spend countless hours walking the fairways with my
daughter playing the game we both love. We’ve started planning our trip
to the 2024 AIG Women’s Open and next Solheim Cup in Europe. Maybe
one day I’ll get to walk the fairways as her caddie in one of many
prestigious tournaments.
Matt Priston, Woking

Local hero: Carlota
Ciganda is held aloft

On that note, there was a lot of
talk about whether players should
be paid at this year’s Ryder Cup.
While I do see the arguments on
both sides, I don’t think it’s
unreasonable that some of the
huge sums generated should go
to the guys who produce the
thrilling golf we all tune in for.
Simon Harper, via email

U p for t h e cu p
All the fun of the Ryder Cup – in a
single round! Although I know we
are not unique, our veterans
section at Tavistock Golf Club has
staged a ‘Ryder Cup’ match for
the past three years – and it is
one of our most enjoyable events.
With two teams of 24, our 12
four-balls play better-ball pairs
10

Crossword compiled by Tait

C ROSSWO R D

over holes 1 to 6, foursomes on 7
to 12 and two singles matches
over the final six holes. Four points
are thus available in each game
and the team with more than 24
points is the winner.
We have a mini Ryder Cup
replica trophy and our brilliant
secretary has even built a super
spreadsheet that, on inputting the
handicap Index for each player,
will automatically calculate shots
given on every hole for each
format. For those relatively new to
golf, this is a valuable learning
experience, especially in
foursomes, which is played
relatively infrequently these days.
Give it a go – it may not be the
‘real thing’, but it is great fun.
John Harding, via email

Down: 1 Ohio, 2
Clarke, 3 Lines
up, 4 Skins, 5
Claggy, 6 Tom
Lewis, 11 Over
club, 13 Poulter,
15 Poston, 17
Romero, 18
Scott, 21 Tees.
Across:
7 Phil Mickelson,
8 Fourteen,
9 Gale, 10 Hole
out, 12 Gyaws,
14 Tempo, 16
Forrest, 19 Aces,
20 Calamity,
22 Rub of the
green.

Play for pr ide
During this year’s Ryder Cup, the
topic of payment to players
reared its ugly head once again.
There is no doubt that Ryder Cup
players benefit from increased
sponsorship support for the
worldwide exposure they receive,
and even suggesting they should
be paid turns my stomach.
The media commentators on
both sides of this discussion fail to
mention the most significant
reason why players should not be
compensated. What happens
when it comes to the captain’s
picks? This would introduce
conflict of interest issues involving
the captain, vice-captains, players
who might possibly be selected
and, of course, their agents who
stand to collect very healthy fees.
Playing in the Ryder Cup based
on Order of Merit or captain’s
picks is an honour and we should
not even enter a discussion
about players being paid.
Bruce Adams, via email

AN SWER S

Across
7
8
9

10
12
14
16
19
20
22

Golfer with the most Ryder Cup
appearances (4,9)
Where to put on, or putt on,
Spectacles at Carnoustie? (8)
Chap who kicked up a storm
as third golfer to enter
Western Australia’s Hall of
Champions? (4)
Sink the shot, often from some
distance (4,3)
Call out scallywag damaging
Royal Troon’s 3rd hole (5)
Rhythm of the swing (5)
Break on behalf of 2021 Hero
Open winner (7)
Norman Manley is credited with
59 of these (4)
Bad misfortune on corner of
Royal Portrush (8)
When a ball is accidentally
deflected by an outside agency
(3,2,3,5)

Down
1
2
3
4
5
6
11
13
15
17
18
21

On his initial outing heads to
where Muirfield Village is (4)
Winner of The Open in 2011 (6)
Spun lie about aims (5,2)
Small family second in
competition (5)
Type of lie that is wet and
muddy (6)
European Tour’s Rookie of the
Year for 2011 (3,5)
Hit too far through
misjudgment (4,4)
Ryder Cup player undefeated in
his seven singles matches (7)
Internet story about John Deere
Classic winner of 2022 (6)
Argentinian nicknamed
El Gato (6)
Runner-up in the 2012 Open
after leading by four shots with
four holes left (5)
Equipment unearthed during
committee search (4)

WIN!

The letter of the month winner receives a year’s supply (six dozen) of the best Titleist golf ball for his or her game

11

THE GAME
Edited by Nick Bonfield and David Taylor

12

Donald leads Europe
to Ryder Cup victory
Luke, congratulations on
winning back the Ryder Cup.
How do you reflect on the week?
Not many people gave us a
chance after Whistling Straits.
We were big underdogs. The US
put up a fight on Sunday, but I’m
so proud of my 12 guys – we had
a strong bond from day one and
they gave me everything. I think
these guys will be around for a
long time and we’re going to put
up a great fight in two years.
How does this rank in terms of
career achievements?
This is the best. This is why the
Ryder Cup is so special to me
and to these guys, because of
these moments. We play for
each other and we get to share
in that success together. We’ll
share those memories forever.
Why do you think the European
team was able to get the job
done so convincingly?
I gave them a good culture to
succeed and laid out a plan on
why I thought they were going to
win, but really it was just staying
out of the way. They had to play
well and they did the job.
Obviously it’s a dream to be a
captain and a dream to be a
home captain. I couldn’t have
asked for a better setting, historic
Rome, and we made history.
13

T H E

G A M E

M O N T H

I N

P I C T U R E S

Photography: Getty Images

Spaniard Carlota Ciganda won the
crucial point on home soil to ensure
Europe retained the Solheim Cup

Celebrations went on long into the
night at Finca Cortesin in Spain

14

The European team acknowledge
the crowd after the event’s climax

Pettersen’s Europe
retain Solheim Cup
Suzann, what a Solheim Cup.
Can you put that into words?
Does it get any better than this? I
mean, this is a dream come true.
We had a massive challenge and
we created history yet again.
These girls are legends.
You got off to a rocky start,
losing the first session 4-0. How
were you able to come back?
I wonder if it was almost a nice
wake-up call for all of us. We’ve all
been on a pretty high road for a
few years now. I believe in fate, so
maybe that was meant to
happen. Life can be tough, but it’s
how you stand back up, and that
shows character.

The European team
react to Ciganda’s
score-levelling putt

It must have been incredibly
nervy during the singles?
Both Stacy and I knew this was
going to come down to the wire. I
mean, we were tied going into
Sunday, and like it has over the
last couple of Solheims, it usually
comes down to one match, one
putt here or one shot there. There
was a stretch where I felt we were
half a point short, until somebody
got in my ear and said, ‘If Carlota
gets this point, we still have it.’ But
it takes a team effort. We had
momentum going up, it went
down, it went back up. It’s a
rollercoaster. It’s so much easier
to play. Much easier.
15

T H E

G A M E

M O N T H

I N

P I C T U R E S

Photography: Getty Images

Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune shot a
closing 66 to secure a two-shot
victory at the French Open

Vincent Norrman’s first DP World
Tour triumph came at the Irish Open

16

Sahith Theegala won
his first PGA Tour title at
the Fortinet in Napa

Ryan Fox birdied the
last hole to claim the
BMW PGA title

T H E

G A M E

M O N T H

I N

G O L F

Photography: Getty Images

By Andy Wright

I

N

T

H

E

N

E

W

S

Rory McIlroy offers confident prediction
ahead of showdown at Bethpage Black
A bullish Rory McIlroy vowed
Europe would end the run of home
winners of the Ryder Cup when the
rivalry resumes in two years at
Bethpage Black in New York.
Luke Donald’s side reclaimed
the famous gold trophy in style,
beating Team USA 16.5-11.5 at
Marco Simone Golf & Country
Club. Europe opened up a
commanding five-point lead after
day one in Italy, maintained it on
day two and, although Zach

Padraig
Harrington
The Irishman had
an outside chance
of a Ryder Cup
pick, but finished
T79th in Ireland
and missed the cut
at the BMW PGA.
18

Johnson’s charges briefly
threatened a remarkable
comeback on Sunday, the result
was never in doubt.
It was the fifth fairly comfortable
victory in succession for the host
side, dating back to the Miracle at
Medinah in 2012, which raised
concerns that home advantage
has become too decisive.
McIlroy enjoyed his best ever
Ryder Cup this year in Rome,
winning four points from his five

McIlroy won four
points in Italy

matches to banish the demons of
Whistling Straits, when he felt he’d
let his teammates down as Europe
suffered a record 19-9 defeat.
After Donald had hoisted aloft
the trophy, the issue of home-field
advantage was put to the
Northern Irishman, who responded
emphatically with his comments.
“So I’ve said this for the last
probably six or seven years to
anyone that will listen: I think one
of the biggest accomplishments
in golf right now is winning an
away Ryder Cup,” McIlroy told the
press. “And that’s what we’re
going to do at Bethpage.”
The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place
from September 26-28.

Max Homa

Rose Zhang

Megan Khang

A T7 at the Fortinet
Championship
preceded a superb
debut in the Ryder
Cup. He was one of
the only positives
in a disappointing
American team.

The Rose Zhang
momentum has
stalled a little. She
missed the cut in
Portland and
picked up just half
a point at the
Solheim Cup.

The 25-year-old
won at the end of
August and starred
for the Americans
at the Solheim
Cup, winning 3.5
points from a
possible four.

GOOD MONTH
BAD MONTH

T H E

G A M E

M O N T H

I N

G O L F

By Andy Wright

T A L K I N G

P O I N T

I n t he e ve nt of a t ie , s h o u l d t h e S o l h e i m a n d
R y de r Cups be d e ci d e d b y a p l a y - o ff?
Carlota Ciganda’s late heroics at
the Solheim Cup ensured Europe
would, at worst, retain the trophy so
dramatically won at Gleneagles in
2019 and defended at the Inverness
Club on foreign soil in 2021.
It turned out to be so after Lexi
Thompson won the anchor
match, meaning for the first time
in the tournament’s history, the
teams finished locked at 14-14.
However, anyone tuning in or
there on the ground at Finca
Cortesin would have been
forgiven for thinking this was a
European rout, the kind of which
had never been seen before.
Ciganda’s incredible birdiebirdie finish to defeat Nelly Korda
sparked wild scenes of celebration
on the Costa del Sol, which led to
some quizzical reactions. It was,
after all, a draw.
1 0

In the aftermath, American
captain Stacy Lewis said the
outcome “felt like a win” for her
and her team, before suggesting
a play-off would provide a more
satisfactory ending for all
involved. “I mean, it obviously
would be better TV. It would
NO
be a better experience for
57.9%
the fans if there was a
team play-off or
something like that, I think
that would be pretty cool,”
Lewis said.
Ahead of the Ryder Cup,
players from both sides were
also asked if they’d rather the
contest was settled conclusively in
the event of a tie. Tyrrell Hatton
admitted “tying is probably not
ideal”, before adding that a
play-off would create a “pretty
epic atmosphere”.

Q U E S T I O N S

Max Homa was also in favour of
changing the rules, saying: “I’ve
never liked ties. The whole point of
any competition is to see who wins.
I don’t like the retaining thing.”
On the side of tradition
were Justin Rose and Rory
McIlroy. Rose said he liked
the idea that “you have
to win it to get the cup
back” and McIlroy was in
agreement that
YES
“retaining the trophy
42.1%
means something”.
We posed that question
this month and the (small)
majority were in favour of
sticking with tradition. Both sides
of the argument have their merits.
Would it create incredible drama
to have a play-off in the event of a
tie? Undoubtedly, but I’m inclined
to agree with Mr Rose on this one.

W I T H . . .

Tod d C lement s
What would be your dream
four-ball?
Myself, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant
and Leo Messi.
What’s been your best moment
in golf?
So far, winning the Czech Masters.
What would you be doing if you
weren’t a golfer?
Something in psychology.
If you had a career mulligan,
where would you use it?
Pebble Beach, 6th tee in the 2008
US Amateur.
Favourite app on your phone?
FaceTime.
20

Would you rather win The Open
at St Andrews or The Masters?
The Open at St Andrews.
What’s the lowest score you’ve
shot away from the tour?
A 62, -10.
What’s the hardest part about
life on tour?
Missing family and friends’ events.
If you could only play one course
for the rest of your life, what
would it be?
Sunningdale Old course.
One surprising thing people
might not know about you?
I’m half Scottish.

Photography: Getty Images

SHORT GAME
SOUND BITES
“I’M PRO BABLY ON T H E BACK NINE
O F MY RYDER CU P CA RE E R, A ND EV E RY
ONE THAT I GET TO PL AY IN F ROM NOW
O N IS VERY, V E RY M EA NING FU L”

BRIEFS

Royal Dornoch gets
the green light for

new clubhouse

Rory McIlroy on savouring every Ryder
Cup moment he can.

Members of Royal Dornoch have
backed plans for a new
£13.9 million clubhouse, with
construction set to get underway
before the end of the year.

“I T IS NOW OVER T E N YEA RS SINCE WE H A D A
REALLY CLOSE RY D E R CU P, A ND OV E R 30
YEARS SINC E TH E US WON IN EU ROPE . AS
M UCH AS THAT FACT IS SOM ET H ING TO B E
PROUD O F, IT IS A L SO A CONCE RN”

Sir Michael Bonallack OBE
passes away aged 88

Former R&A captain and secretary Sir
Michael Bonallack OBE sadly passed away in
September. He won The Amateur
Championship five times and the Silver
Medal for low amateur at The Open twice
(see page 52 for full tribute).

Graeme McDowell gave his thoughts on
the run of home Ryder Cup winners.

R&A Foundation launches new

“T H E ANSWER WAS , T H E RE WAS NO CH A NCE ”

project to transform lives

Sergio Garcia said his last-gasp effort to feature
in the Ryder Cup was rejected by Keith Pelley.

The R&A Foundation is launching a global
programme to transform lives through golf.
Over £5 million has already been secured to
support the project’s five themes: accessibility,
sustainability, health, heritage and talent.

STATS

“IF HE KEEPS PLAYING T H E WAY H E H AS B E E N
T H E N THER E’S DEFINIT E LY A GOOD CH A NCE . I
T H INK IT’D BE AMAZ ING TO P L AY W IT H H IM ”
Matt Fitzpatrick admitted he’d love to tee it up
alongside his brother, Alex, at a future Ryder Cup.

“IT WAS D EVASTAT ING”
Keegan Bradley on how he felt when he found
out he hadn’t been picked for the Ryder Cup.
22

1

1st

Titleist was the number-one ball, driver,
hybrid, utility iron, iron and wedge at the
Fortinet Championship.

Ludvig Aberg became the first player in
history to play in the Ryder Cup before
competing in a Major Championship.

T H E

G A M E

Q U I C K

T I P

Photography: Kevin Murray

Groo v e
yo u r s t ro k e
Top 50 Coach Keith Williams suggests a
couple of drills to improve your success rate
on those short putts you simply have to hole

Down the track
To see how well you’re
rolling the ball on line, set
up two alignment sticks to
form a channel on a
straight six-foot putt, as
here. Now add in a tee-peg
gate somewhere between
the ball and the far end of
the sticks and simply putt
through the gate to the
hole. It’s best to make it as
straight a putt as possible
when working specifically
on your stroke.

Adding difficulty
To start with, you might
want to make it relatively
easy by setting the tee-peg
gate reasonably wide and
fairly close to the ball at
address. However, as you
progress, I would
recommend making the
task more challenging by
moving the gate further
away and narrowing it. This
will really test how well
you’re rolling the ball.

Three/six/nine drill
Once you’ve spent time
honing your stroke, place
three tee pegs at three feet
in a triangle around a hole,
three at six feet and a ball at
each. Your goal is to hole all
the three-footers then all
the six-footers in one go.
Now move the three-foot
tee pegs to nine feet and
repeat with six- and ninefooters for extra practice on
those crucial six-footers.

23

T H E

G A M E

T O U R

G E A R

By Dan Parker

WHAT’S IN THE
BAG?

SP TTED
ON TOUR

Lud v ig Abe rg
T he S wed is h r o o kie s ec u r ed t w o p o i n ts o n h i s Ry d e r
Cup d e b u t a s E u r o p e b e a t t he USA i n Ro me

S i , s e n or
Jon Rahm was spotted
using a prototype
Odyssey putter at the
Ryder Cup in his triedand-trusted Rossie
rounded mallet shape.

Driver

Fairway wood

Titleist TSR2, 9°,
Fujikura Ventus
Black 6 X shaft.

TaylorMade
Stealth 2, 15°,
Fujikura Ventus TR
Blue 8 X shaft.

T h e c a rb on a g e
Collin Morikawa debuted
a unique carbon
composite Mitsubishi
putter shaft at the Ryder
Cup in his familiar
TaylorMade TP Soto head.

Irons

Titleist TMB 718
2-iron; Titleist T100
(2020) 4- to
9-iron, KBS Tour
130 X shafts.

Wedges

Ball

Titleist
Pro V1x.

Putter

Odyssey White
Hot Versa No.1.

GEAR NEWS
ROUND-UP

Ryan Fox
used a
Srixon ZX5 Mk II
driver, Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore wedges and a
Srixon Z-Star XV ball
in winning at
Wentworth.

Sahith
Theegala
won the Fortinet
Championship with a
Ping G430 LST driver, Ping
Blueprint S irons and
a Titleist Pro V1
golf ball.

24

Titleist Vokey
Design SM9, 46°,
50° and 54°;
Titleist Vokey
Design
Wedgeworks, 60°,
KBS Tour 130 X
shafts.

Vincent
Norrman
claimed his second
victory of the year at
the Irish Open, using a
Titleist TSR3 driver
and Titleist 620
CB and MB
irons.

Carlota
Ciganda
starred at the
Solheim Cup with a
Callaway Paradym Triple
Diamond driver and
an Odyssey White
Hot No.7 CS
putter.

Ryo
Hisatsune
secured a maiden DP
World Tour win in France
using a TaylorMade
Stealth 2 Plus driver
and P7MC
irons.

G a m e , s e t , ma tch
Novak Djokovic kept it old
school at the top end of
his golf bag, playing with
a 2016 TaylorMade M2
driver at the Ryder Cup
All-Star match.

T H E

G A M E

D E B A T E

Illustrations: Peter Strain

T ack ling a cou rs e for the
fir st t ime : do y ou play better
o r wo r se than average?
Worse
says Fergus Bisset

B et t er
says Jeremy Ellwood

This is one where we’ll both base our argument on
For all the talk about having to know a course
personal playing experience. Over nearly 40 years
thoroughly and appreciate all its little nuances to
as a golfer, I’ve had quite a bit of that – some good,
score well, there’s another school of thought that
most not so good. I can say with great confidence
says the less you know about the challenges that lie
that I play worse than average when I take on a
ahead of you out on the links, the less your own mind
course for the first time. Whether or not
is able to get in your way.
Jeremy plays better than average, I don’t.
When you genuinely know nothing other
The results
In the dim and distant past when I
than hole length, there’s less advance
are in...
embarked on four years of golfing and
trepidation and less chance for your mind to
drinking at St Andrews University, I was
dredge up bad past experiences or
feverishly excited at the prospect of playing
constantly remind you that, although you’re
the Old Course for the first time. When my
playing very nicely, you’ve still got to get
Tackling a course for the
first time: do you play
name appeared on the ballot sheet midway
through the notoriously tough 17th.
better or worse than
through freshers’ week, I was on cloud nine...
Tour pros bang on constantly about ‘one
average?
until I stood on the 1st tee the following day.
shot at a time’ and ‘staying in the present’,
Despite the nerves, I hit a reasonable drive.
and that’s so much easier to do when you
But things went downhill rapidly.
have no previous knowledge of what
My ball found hidden bunkers, caught
potential danger really lurks on a hole where
unseen swales, drifted on the left-to-right
you can’t see everything from the tee.
Better 34%
breeze and disappeared into gorse bushes.
Have you ever hit driver on a hole you’ve
Worse 66%
I had no clue what I was doing. My final
not played before, then got down there to
score would have been reasonable for a
discover trouble both right and left at your
20-20 cricket team, but most definitely
driving distance. “I’d never have hit driver if I’d
not for a low-handicap golfer.
known that was there,” you mutter to yourself.
Now, I’m lucky enough to have played the
But you did hit that club, found the middle of
If money wasn’t an
Old Course many times, and my stats would
the fairway and now have a simple wedge in.
object, would you be a
confirm that I play to my handicap more
Next time, you’ll start thinking about that tight
club member or a
nomadic golfer?
frequently over that world-famous links than
drive before you get to it, lay back further and
any other track, save for my home course of
leave yourself too far in because the hole
Banchory in Aberdeenshire.
now possesses some fear factor for you.
On both those layouts, I know where you
It’s better to be constantly leaping into the
can bail out, I know where you absolutely
unknown, as you can then swing with much
Club
member 67%
can’t go, I know how the putts break and I
more mental freedom, unhindered by the
Nomadic
know where you probably need a club more
shackles of past experience. Oh, and for
golfer 33%
than you think (sometimes, I even take it).
interest, I looked at the current eight counting
I don’t think you can perform better at
scores on my WHS record – three are from
many activities in life without prior experience
courses I was playing for the first time,
of them, save for the odd fluke. When it
including my best score, a couple are from
What’s your view?
comes to golf, in my experience at least, a
courses I’ve only played twice many years
Email golfmonthly
little ‘experience’ goes an awfully long way.
apart, and only two are from my home club.
@futurenet.com
26

T H E

G A M E

H I S T O R Y

Photography: Getty Images

What gol f lo o k e d lik e in . . .
Rory McIlroy was born,
as were Tony Finau,
Michelle Wie and 2023
Solheim Cup hero
Caroline Hedwall.

Payne Stewart won
his first Major title at
the US PGA. He beat
Andy Bean, Curtis
Strange and Mike
Reid by one stroke.

Europe retained
the Ryder Cup
thanks to
Christy
O’Connor Jnr’s
iconic 2-iron
on the 18th at
The Belfry.

Marco Simone GC
was designed and
built. It hosted the
Italian Open five
years later in 1994.

ELSEWHERE...

The Berlin Wall
came down and the
Tiananmen Square
protests took place
in China.

Nintendo released
the Game Boy in
Japan in April and
then in North
America in July.

The first episodes of
The Simpsons were
shown on TV.
27

T H E

G A M E

S T A Y

&

P L A Y

By Jeremy Ellwood

S hrigley Hall
Jeremy Ellwood heads north-west to check out the golf course
and facilities at this popular Cheshire hotel and spa

Th e gol f

Par 71, 6,189 yards
This elegant layout with small
greens eases you in via a couple
of short par 4s and a short uphill
par 3, where superb views await
you at the green. The par-5 4th
traverses a big dip before
sweeping down and left and
you’ll need to be wary of the big
gully on the par-5 7th, as you can
run out of fairway before the hole
then crosses it and plays up to a
tricky shelf green.
Only a precise iron will find the
target on the short downhill 8th,
where the tiny enclosed green
sits just beyond a stream, while 9,
10 and 11 all present further
particular challenges.
On the 9th the fairway
cambers against the right-to-left
dogleg, making a draw highly
A precise iron is required
on the short downhill 8th

desirable. The 10th fairway
can then prove pretty
elusive because of an
awkwardly placed tree.
Missing the green right
here is a big no-no. And a
meandering stream to
the left of the 11th needs to
be avoided before the
approach to a tight green.

rooms in total from
singles through to suites
and feature-rooms. The
superb Bazaar Spa, where
pre-booking and
admission fees apply,
offers a comprehensive
range of facilities and
treatments, including a
lovely indoor pool in the
old chapel and a heated
infinity pool outside.

The hotel

Shrigley Hall is set in over
260 acres of beautiful Cheshire
countryside just 15 miles from
Manchester but also right on the
doorstep of the Peak District
National Park to offer guests the
best of both worlds.
The main building is a fine
Georgian mansion, which gazes
down over the 9th and 10th holes
on the golf course. There are 154

Best d ea l

Golf breaks for two people start
from £198 per room in November
Shrigley Hall Hotel & Spa
Pott Shrigley, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 5SB
T: 01625 575757
E: reservations@shrigleyhallhotelandspa.co.uk
W: shrigleyhallhotelandspa.co.uk

and £178 per room in December.
They include an overnight stay in
a classic twin or classic double
room with breakfast plus dinner
in the Oakridge Restaurant and
two rounds of golf per person. If
you’re travelling alone or prefer
not to share, the same package
for a classic single room starts
from £149pp in both November
and December.
Looking up the 9th
fairway towards the
Georgian mansion

28

T H E

N E W

G A M E

L A U N C H E S

By Dan Parker

Less face flex

increases spin
rates and

enhances

trajectory control

P XG 03 1 7
T iron s
£ 189 pe r clu b

PXG’s extensive range of irons continues to grow at
a rapid speed. The 0317 collection, which already
boasts two models, now welcomes a third to the
range, the new 0317 T. Combining a tour blade’s
playability and high spin performance with
technology to engineer better overall consistency,
this iron has been designed to be slightly more
forgiving than the 0317 ST, but more workable than
the 0317 CB.
The 0317 T iron is three times forged in the
The rear weight
manufacturing process, creating a visually
has become
impressive silhouette that will offer a pleasing
something of a
sound and soft feel off the face. Brand new for this
signature in new
iron is PXG’s S Cor polymer core. This technology
PXG irons
helps reduce the amount of face flex that occurs
during impact, increasing spin rates and lowering
the initial launch angle versus other PXG irons in
the range. These characteristics will no doubt
speak to better ball-strikers who value the ability
to control trajectory and work the ball in
different directions.
You’ll likely notice the large tungsten
weight located on the back of the
head. Something of a calling card
on PXG irons, it is used to optimise
the swing weight and can be
fine-tuned during an
Finding the balance between
in-person custom fitting
the two previous irons in the 0317
with PXG experts. For the
range, this stunning model
best
ball-strikers out there,
further cements PXG’s
this is yet another stunning,
place as a leader in
technology-packed iron well
the category.
worth adding to the shortlist.

GM
s ays

30

FootJoy Flex shoe £84.99

An addition to the ever-popular
Flex series, this shoe has
increased underfoot cushioning
and an updated VersaTrax
spikeless outsole.

Trackman iO £12,594

The company’s first purpose-built
product for indoor golf, it
combines radar and high-speed
infrared imaging to capture a
range of ball and club data.

Duca Del Cosma Prato golf boot
£219
Constructed using soft Nappa
leather and a breathable insert
sole, this fashionable boot is built
to fully withstand winter golf.

Ezeglide Bolt 2 push cart £199

Vega Mizar Pro iron £249 per club

Ezeglide 84 Tour cart bag £189

Motocaddy HydroFlex stand bag
£219

Tour Edge Exotics Wingman
wedge £139.99

Tour Edge Template Alps putter
£129.99

This neatly designed push cart
uses a spring system to unfold in
one quick step and also features
a phone mount as standard.

This fully waterproof stand bag is
designed to integrate seamlessly
with Motocaddy’s electric and
push trolleys.

A traditional-looking blade that
benefits from screw weights in
the long- and mid-irons to help
dial-in a precise swing weight.

Available in three different grinds,
this wedge boasts Tour Edge’s
Triple-Traction milling technology
to draw out maximum spin.

It has a huge amount of storage,
including a magnetic valuables
pocket and an oversized putter
well to support larger grips.

One of eight new models in the
Template series, this high-MOI
mallet benefits from a Lamkin
Deep Etched Pistol grip.

B EST 2 02 3 TRAIN ING A I DS

PuttOut Devil Ball £24.99
The Devil Ball is designed with
a flat-edged impact zone to
improve quality of strike with
the putter.

GForce 7-Iron
Swing Trainer £99.99

Me And My Golf The Ball
Striker £29.99

Sure Strike Training Aid
£139.99

Designed with a flexy shaft so
you receive instantaneous
feedback on rhythm.

An alignment towel that
allows you to focus on
quality of strike.

A feel-based device that
you use to develop
impact skills.
31

T H E

G A M E

L A U N C H

O F

T H E

M O N T H

By Dan Parker

Five new heads in
the series

represent the

largest Spider
range to date

Taylo rM a d e S p i d e r
To u r S e ries p u t t e r s £ 3 4 9
The white TruPath
alignment aid

offers a bright

contrast from the
grey PVD finish

32

TaylorMade hasn’t been a stranger to revisiting some
of its classic designs. Earlier this year, it launched the
Brnr Mini driver, which featured plenty of retro nods
to the Ti Bubble driver from the mid-1990s. Delving
back not quite as far into its archive this time, the
brand has turned to the famous and popular Spider
range of putters for its latest reissue.
The new Spider Tour Series range includes five
models as part of the line-up - Spider Tour, Tour S,
Tour V, Tour X and Tour Z. All models boast the same
Pure Roll face insert that rose to prominence in the
original Spider X and also come with TaylorMade’s
TruPath alignment, another recognisable feature
that has come to dominate TaylorMade putters of
recent memory. New for 2023, a Hybrar Echo
Damper has been placed directly behind the face to
dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering a premium
sound and feel.

The flagship Spider Tour model sees the return of
one of the most recognisable shapes from the last
decade and TaylorMade has also introduced the
Spider Tour S, a slightly larger version of the same
head design.
The Spider Tour X will be well recognised from the
bag of Rory McIlroy, while the two new shapes in the
franchise come in the form of Spider Tour V and Tour
Z. Tour Z features a more wing-shaped back,
allowing the perimeter of the putter to sit lower to
the ground, and the Tour V has the smallest overall
shape in the range, with more curvature at the rear.
The new collection is available, for now, in a single
colourway dubbed Gunmetal PVD (physical vapour
deposition). This gives the putters a sleek look and
also offers an added level of durability that should
see the finish maintain its quality for longer than
some of its predecessors.

1.

Can you describe how
TruPath alignment works?
When golfers set the putter
down, the path running across the
putter head activates the retina in
the eye to immediately see the
contrast between the white and the
green grass behind. This allows
golfers to line up the putter better.
We’re so confident in how well it
works, we’ve utilised it throughout the
entire range.
BRIAN
BAZZEL

VP of product
creation at
TaylorMade

2.

How do you make a putter
shaped like a Spider sound
and feel responsive?
It’s a complex task when working
with a shape as unique as Spider.
Firstly, we’ve added a new damper
directly behind the face to remove
any unwanted vibrations. We worked
closely with our irons team when we
were developing this, as they use a
similar sort of material to improve
sound and feel in our gameimprovement irons. It means no
matter where you hit it across the
face, you’re going to get a solid, soft
sound. The Pure Roll face insert helps
with sound and feel massively, too.
The fact it’s made from a Surlyn
material allows it to deliver that soft
feel, while the grooves are all angled
45° downwards to help impart better
topspin and end-over-end roll.

3.

The Pure Roll face
insert promises
better roll

characteristics
and a soft feel

How did you decide on the
new shaping for Spider Tour V
and Tour Z?
We wanted to add two new shapes
where the perimeter of the putter sat
a little closer to the surface of the
green, thus drawing the eyes even
more to the TruPath alignment. We
also wanted to create a shape with a
more winged effect at the back – the
Tour Z – and something a little
sleeker and quieter on the eye, which
we’ve done in the new Tour V.

“ I T’S G R EAT TO S EE SUCH VA R I ETY IN
THI S N EW L I N E-UP. FO R M E, THE
STUN N I NG N EW FI N I S H HAS A D DE D
FURTHER S HEL F A PPEA L TO TH IS
PO PUL A R RA NG E O F PUTTERS”
Dan Parker, GM staff writer

33

T H E

G A M E

L O V E

T O

P L A Y

By Rob Smith

B a n d o n D une s , S he e p R a n ch
As the newest addition to the bonanza of golf on
offer at Bandon Dunes, the remodelled Sheep Ranch
opened in its current incarnation in 2020. The course
boasts a mile of stunning ocean frontage
overlooking the intoxicatingly named Whiskey Run
Beach, and it runs over land that was previously a
private, fledgling 13-hole design. This was then fully
renovated by the renowned Coore and Crenshaw

USA
GF: $140-$400,
discounts for
residents and
replays
Stats: par 72,
6,636 yards

team. There are no fewer than nine green sites
perched right on the edge, and while it’s not the
longest course in the world, it’s surely one of the
most scenic and entertaining. Unusually, rather than
sand bunkers, there are grassy hollows that have a
wonderfully natural look and feel.
The expansive resort at Bandon Dunes opened in
1999, with its first 18 holes designed by David McLay

Photography: Getty Images

In Oregon?
Why not play...

Kidd. Tom Doak’s Pacific Dunes course followed two
years later, before Bandon Trails and then Old
Macdonald, a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald, a
pioneer of American golf course architecture.
Opinion will always differ as to which course here
takes top spot, but each is a complete delight
packed with drama, scenery and captivating,
top-quality golf.

Old Macdonald
GF: as Sheep Ranch
Bandon Dunes
GF: as Sheep Ranch
Bandon Trails
GF: as Sheep Ranch
Pacific Dunes
GF: as Sheep Ranch

35

Illustration: Peter Strain

W ayne Riley
I’ve just got back from the Ryder
Cup and I can’t remember
covering many better events.
Marco Simone proved to be a
fantastic match-play course with
plenty of chances for birdies and
eagles and the crowds absolutely
loved it. The weather was ideal,
the whole event was perfect and I
think it’ll go down as one of the
best Ryder Cups of all time.
So many people deserve credit,
but we have to start with Luke
Donald. His leadership was
exemplary. When Paul McGinley
– a man who many feel re-wrote

back victories in the Solheim Cup and I think it’s time for the same thing
to happen in the men’s event. He did a fabulous job and all the players
clearly want him to return, so why not? I know that from a legacy
standpoint, some captains like to win once and walk away, but Luke is
the perfect man to lead Europe in a hostile environment like New York. If I
were in charge, I’d be doing everything humanly possible to keep him on.
Of course, Donald needed his players to perform, and boy did they. A
key difference between the European and American teams was how
their star players fared. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland
recorded 10.5 points. On the American side, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan
Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa combined for 4.5.
There has been some criticism of Zach Johnson’s captaincy in the
aftermath, but I honestly think he was let down by his players. Yes, he’s
not the most charismatic and inspiring individual and you can find
fault in his pairings – as you can every time anyone loses the Ryder
Cup – but I saw nothing to suggest he wasn’t trying his hardest to lead
America to a victory.
Credit must go to Max Homa,
who took to the Ryder Cup like a
duck to water, and Patrick
Cantlay, who also gave a good
account of himself in very difficult
circumstances, but some of
Johnson’s players looked a bit
overawed and perhaps the
biggest issue is the fact they
looked underprepared.
It’s well documented that nine
of the 12 players didn’t compete
between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup. To me, playing in
the BMW PGA Championship was a no-brainer – a big-time
tournament staged on an inland European course two weeks before
the event. I have to say, I think there’s a certain arrogance to some
American players. It’s almost as if they look down their noses at things
like leaving the USA for improved preparation because they think
they’re so good it doesn’t matter. Trying to get them to play in Europe
is like pulling teeth. It’s interesting how they struggle to find the unity
and team spirit that Europe always fosters despite all coming from the
same nation. The not-so United States, perhaps?
I can’t wait for 2025 at Bethpage. That atmosphere is going to be
unbelievably raucous and there are rumours going around that Tiger
Woods is in the frame for the US captaincy. If that turns out to be true,
it’s an absolutely unmissable event. I just wish they’d change the
format so it’s four days, not three. I’d love to see a day of singles to
start and end the contest, with the two days in between consisting of
four-ball and foursomes matches. Come on, we have to wait two years
for this, give us four days! Either way, I’m already excited for it. Can
Europe go back-to-back? We’ll just have to wait and see!

“ I f I w e r e i n c h a r g e , I ’d b e
doing everything possible to
ke e p Lu ke D o n a l d o n”

A former
member of the
European Tour
and two-time
winner, Wayne
is part of the
Sky Sports golf
team. He writes
exclusively for
Golf Monthly
36

the rule book when it comes to
Ryder Cup captaincy – offers you
the highest praise, you know
you’ve done something right. I
think there were four stand-out
elements to his captaincy: the
way he conducted himself, his
picks and pairings, the
meticulous planning with regards
to statistics and course set-up
and the incredible team spirit he
was able to instil.
I think he should stay on as
captain for Bethpage Black in two
years. When Alex Ferguson was
winning all those titles at
Manchester United, he wasn’t
replaced. We’ve seen Catriona
Matthew lead Europe to back-to-

Illustration: Peter Strain

A lison Root
Just when we thought the
Solheim Cup couldn’t get any
more exciting, the competition
once again delivered with
remarkable magnitude and
several history-making moments
that I’ll never forget.
For me, there are countless
highlights, but surely it was
written in the stars that Spaniard
Carlota Ciganda would become
a hometown hero at Finca
Cortesin in Spain, securing the
point for Europe to retain the cup.
Denmark’s Emily Pedersen’s
hole-in-one, only the second in

decade. Not only do they now present a formidable challenge to the US
players, but they’ve made history by retaining the cup for three
consecutive stagings, a first-time achievement.
I believe the pivotal moment for Europe unfolded in 2011 at Killeen
Castle in Ireland. Similar to the scenario at Finca Cortesin, after the first
two days, the competition was tied at 8-8. During the closing stages of
the singles matches, the USA looked favourite to retain the cup, but in a
dramatic turnaround, Europe, under the captaincy of Alison Nicholas,
edged out the American team 15-13 for their first victory since 2003.
Up until then, the prior three editions had been pretty uneventful, to the
extent that there were discussions about whether it would benefit the
competition for a US team to compete against a rest of the world team.
But the 2011 match was definitely the start of a revolution.
To highlight the Solheim Cup’s surging popularity, consider this: over the
course of three days, an average of 281k viewers tuned in to Sky Sports.
Sunday’s climatic trophy race hit a high, with a whopping 438k average
– a 30 per cent jump from the 2021
final day in Ohio. It now stands as
the most-watched Solheim Cup to
date. With these figures, this year’s
Solheim Cup also became the
fourth-highest women’s sport peak
ever on Sky Sports. Meanwhile, on
golfmonthly.com Solheim Sunday
was the biggest day on the
website since the final round of the
US PGA Championship.
In the world of professional
women’s golf, the talent pool has
deepened significantly in recent years, setting the stage for more closely
fought Solheim Cup competitions down the line. This was the first tied
match in 18 editions, and with this context in mind, it’s no wonder that Stacy
Lewis asked if there should be a play-off to decide an overall winner.
Of course, that’s precisely what the US team would have hoped for – a
chance to reclaim the cup. Sure, it could add an extra layer of
excitement for fans and TV viewers, and while I’m generally open to rule
changes to keep up with the times, in this instance, I say let’s preserve
this tradition. The same principle holds for the Ryder Cup. Interestingly, in
its 96-year history, there have been only two drawn matches.
I’m sure this Solheim Cup has expanded its viewership to women who
previously had limited interest in golf. The future is definitely looking bright.
A recent research project, Golf for All, carried out by The PGA in association
with Ipsos UK, revealed some encouraging statistics. Excluding full/short
courses, the UK’s golfing community is almost evenly split between
women (47%) and men (53%). As you would expect, a significantly higher
percentage of on-course golfers are male, but just like the Solheim Cup,
this highlights golf’s potential to engage a broader female audience. And,
we only have to wait one more year for the next Solheim Cup!

“The 2011 Solheim Cup at
K i l l e e n C a st l e wa s t h e
s t a r t o f a r evo l u t i o n”

Alison Root is
Golf Monthly’s
women’s golf
editor. You can
find her on
Instagram
@rootalison
38

Solheim Cup history, stirred up
memories of past celebration. I
vividly recall being at the 2013
match in Colorado when
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist aced
the 17th hole to claim victory in a
foursomes match.
The golf displayed by the
European and US players under
immense pressure was incredible,
just as the back-and-forth
momentum swings typical of
match play created plenty of
excitement from start to finish. The
closely matched teams, as
evidenced by the 14-14 scoreline,
underline the impressive growth
and strength of women’s
European golf over the past

Ph o t o g r a p h y GET T Y I MAGES

RY DER C UP

Ro m a n
c o n q u est
Bill Elliott reflects on how Europe hit hard and hit
early in Italy to regain the Ryder Cup and
avenge the humiliation of Whistling Straits

40

41

RY D E R CU P

n the end it was about a hat, an invisible
hat, an all too visible row and a noisy
crowd that sometimes seemed too large,
too rooted in their own importance, just
too much. But, goodness, the 2023 Ryder
Cup was diversionary fun.
An ancient Roman Stoic philosopher
even got into the mix at the end. Oh, and
“apologies for any bad language”
became the most used phrase by the
commentators. Flipping heck, whatever
has happened to the old game’s sense of
understatement, a state of mind that has
been overwhelmed by modern society’s
determination to say what you want,
when you want, to who you want and to
hell with the consequences.
Not that Europe’s captain was involved
in any of the nonsense. Actually Luke
Donald was more, as a fellow journalist
has pointed out, of a CEO given his
platoon of assistants made up of former
skippers, local heroes and, in Edoardo
Molinari’s case, an analytics genius
apparently. No, Donald was never less
than controlled, considered, low-key and
impressive in a very dependable sort of
way. In another life he’d have made a
fantastic accountant or maybe more
likely a benevolent professor.
I like Luke, I respect him as a golfer and
a man. I have personal experience of his
instinctive kindness. His understated and
considered Englishness in Italy flew vividly
and reassuringly in the face of much else
that went on both during play and later.
He even rather impressively overcame
having to make the captain’s speech at the opening
ceremony, despite standing behind a lectern on a
stage that seemed more suited to an alien emperor
in a rather disappointing Star Wars prequel, that
confusingly also featured Novak Djokovic, an F1
driver and an American actress.

Rory and Joe LaCava air their
differences on the 18th green

42

Still, TV needs something to
fill in the yawning acres of
nothingness that precedes
these things. It’s a sort of
no-man’s land that relies on
the likes of Paul McGinley’s
enduring ability to use 500
words when a dozen would
cover it to conceal the
absence of anything of
genuine interest actually
occurring. It’s not easy doing
these things and so having an
opinion, informed or otherwise,
and the ability to express it
swiftly is essential. To use the
current fashionable idiom,
hats off gents.
Meanwhile, Zach Johnson
tried his best to show he was in
command of the American
side. While Europe were
dominating over the first three
sessions he was left in a near
impossible position, victory
clearly disappearing over the
horizon. He tried his best to
remain upbeat but crossed a
line at the end of day one
when, with Europe leading by
five points, he suggested he
was “proud” of his players.
Bitterly disappointed would
have been more accurate, but
then what else could he do?

Delaying the inevitable
In the end, of course, the final day was as
predictable as it appeared, with Europe needing
four points out of a possible 12 to clinch the golden
chalice. For 20 minutes or so there was a slight
suggestion that America might be onto something,
but the natural order was swiftly restored. The
Miracle at Medinah was not to be repeated – a
second coming was required at this gig – and when
Rickie Fowler, hampered by ill-health and visibly
fed-up, conceded a short putt to the affable Tommy
Fleetwood, that was it. Europe had secured the
dominant victory they craved after their humiliation
two years ago at Whistling Straits and the
Americans had to accept it is now 30 years since
they triumphed on foreign soil.
This is a big thing, but not a good thing. For either
side, for the Ryder Cup itself. It now appears clear
that which side of the Atlantic hosts these matches
is more important than who is in either team. It’s
hard to see this changing and even more difficult to
outline how it should change to encourage a better
balance. The difference is clear. Home crowd
support is crucial.

The Marco Simone crowd
making themselves heard

It’s a long time since this was essentially a golf
crowd. It’s now a sports crowd and an event crowd.
It’s a place to see and be seen, an opportunity to
dress up as Elvis or wear a flag or simply try to needle,
insult or get under the skin of the visitors so the home
players receive an adrenaline rush and the old,
quieter game retreats in the face of punters having
fun, being aggressive or both. This is not necessarily a
bad thing, but the number of fans allowed in and the
Jon Rahm was one of the three
unbeaten European players

noise they make, the things they shout, the songs they
sing are now very much the home side’s 13th man. I
have no idea what the answer is, but the old jousting
match appears to no longer be difficult to predict.

The sta rs a lig ned
Still, any successful team needs its star performers
to do simply that, perform. This the Europeans did.
Jon Rahm, a more accessible
character suddenly, was
outstanding, as was Rory
McIlroy. Justin Rose not only
played well, the oldest player in
town at 43 offered experience
and big-brother
encouragement to help Robert
MacIntyre embrace his rookie
debut in a theatre that offers no
hiding place. Tommy Fleetwood,
meanwhile, was the perfect
cheery accomplice for McIlroy,
while Viktor Hovland has moved

43

R YDE R CU P

from excellent to world-beating. Between them,
McIlroy (4), Rahm (3.5) and Hovland (3) brought
in 10.5 points for Europe. That is all but victory
right there and is a magnificent effort.
McIlroy had come into this match seeking
what he called redemption for his blunt attempt
at leadership two years ago and a match that
ended with him in tears of disappointment and
perhaps a little fear at his own inability to play
outstanding golf. Not this time. Fleetwood played
his own terrific part, but his mere presence
alongside a wound-up McIlroy seemed to count
even more in this contest than his own game.
Matt Fitzpatrick, too, offered Europe’s key player
a quieter, more considered partner.
He, however, could do nothing to dial back
McIlroy’s rage on the 18th green after that
ridiculous display of unprofessionalism from Joe
LaCava, who clearly forgot the old caddie motto
of ‘turn up, keep up and shut up’, to jig about in
Rory’s eyeline as he tried to work out what might
well have been a vital putt.
I understand McIlroy’s anger at LaCava’s
antics, but I don’t get his subsequent car-park
rage in the direction of a bemused Jim Mackay
who, believe me, is usually the gentlest of gentle
giants. McIlroy admitted he was still bridling
about it 24 hours later before adding “time is a
great healer”. Come on Rory, 24 hours is more
than enough time to reset those emotions.
I suspect that while his initial objection to
LaCava’s idiocy was inevitable, it was frustration
at his inability to close out a match he and his
partner should have won that ignited an abiding
resentment. Maybe there is some previous
between the two, but whatever the reason, there
is no gainsaying the Northern Irishman’s brilliant
commitment to this Ryder Cup.
He says he needs to swagger a bit to unleash
his best golf and he certainly did that at the par-3
17th on Saturday afternoon, when his perfect pitch
from way down beneath the green – a shot no
other player had attempted – screeched to a halt
beside the hole. It’s the most sublimely nerveless
golf shot I have
witnessed this year.
McIlroy said he had
taken inspiration from
the Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius
before making his way
to Italy, but clearly he
had missed one of the
philosopher’s key
pieces of advice... “not
everything matters”.
While the desperate
Americans clutched
hold of Patrick
Cantlay’s fightback
Shane Lowry relished the
like drowning men
result more than most

44

Patrick Cantlay
enjoying his role as
pantomime villain

clutching at a single straw,
Europe used the incident to
bolster their own determination. I
can’t quite believe either side
needs such help to offer up their
best or at least most determined
golf in a Ryder Cup, but this is
what they say.

The d ro p o f a ha t
Cantlay, of course, was the
pantomime villain of this threeday tussle. Social media claimed
he was an upstart and divisive
force in the USA team room, that
he was angry he wasn’t being
paid for ‘working’ in Italy and that
he refused to wear a cap as a
protest. Experienced reporters,
desperate for anything to say or
write about, seized on to this
nonsense and the European
supporters bought into it all,
slinging insults as well as quite
amusing chants at the hapless,
confused American.
Turns out the hat thing was a
complete piece of tosh. Cantlay,
who beneath his stern-faced

appearance clearly has a refined
sense of humour, explained the
absence of his hat by saying he
couldn’t find one that fitted him.
We then had fairly sensible
people debating on TV the
thought that surely the outfitters
could have made him one.
Really? This is how daft these
things get. Personally, I’m all in
favour of players not wearing
caps that help disguise their
faces and so often hide their
emotions, although maybe not
when the sun is beating down as
it did at Marco Simone. But
Cantlay only threw his team cap
aside because he was getting
married in Rome on the Monday
and his bride did not want a
glaring, white forehead to spoil
the photos.
I wish the couple well. Cantlay
is a terrific, relentless golfer, even
if he is too slow too often. If others
in the USA side had even half of
his determined nature then this
Ryder Cup may have had a
different outcome. As would not
taking a five-week break from
competitive play before
wandering into the bear pit that
was Marco Simone that weekend.
The Italian course was a star, a
near-perfect theatre upon which
to stage a match-play rumble.
Risk, reward, calamity and
redemption were on offer at
almost every hole. Donald had
looked at the stats and had the
course prepared to slightly
favour the Europeans. On paper
at least. Some par 4s were
shortened because the
Europeans’ average length off
the tee was superior, while the
rough was genuinely penal, the

Tommy Fleetwood formed a
fine partnership with McIlroy

grass so thick even the strongest
players struggled to move their
balls any real distance. The usual
grip-it-and-rip-it brigade had to
try to rethink their game plan. Some
managed it, some didn’t and it all
added to the enjoyment.

Live and l e t LI V
At the end, Donald looked tired but
happy. The European team want
him to stay on as captain for the
battle in New York in 2025. Maybe
this will happen, but I hope not.
Instead, surely Henrik Stenson
should be brought out of the
shadows to inject his Scandinavian
eccentricity into the occasion. Why
not? The LIV thing is not buried, but it is at least half
dead now.
Johnson, at the end, was at his most articulate, his
most disarming and his most honest. His real
captaincy emerged at this low point and he
deserves applause for the considered and really
quite elegant manner in which he and his players
accepted their defeat.
Zach knows he got the short straw as well as the
long grass by being in charge of an American team
in Europe, and he may now console himself with
that thought. Their analysis of this loss is yet to
happen, but all the Americans were swift to say that
Europe won because, at key points, they simply

played better, seized the initiative and, yes, enjoyed
some key moments of good fortune.
More than anything else, though, they came
roaring out of the blocks. Hit hard and hit early is key
in any confrontation and in Italy Luke Donald and his
major players offered us all a masterclass in how to
sprint to win a marathon. It was good to see and
now we wait to witness the next episode at
Bethpage Black, a beast of a course. If he’s not back
playing then expect Tiger Woods to be captain and
a New York crowd that’s ready to wind up
Europeans. If I were Donald, I’d take the Marco
Simone victory and run for home. Wouldn’t you?
Congratulations gentlemen.

Viktor Hovland seems unfazed at being the
only single player on the European team

45

46

BR OOK S KOE PK A

Ph o to graph y LIV GO LF , GE TTY IM AGES

‘FIVE MAJORS IN

AND I’M STILL
NOT THE GUY’
Brooks Koepka has enjoyed another Major-winning season, but he
still doesn’t get the credit he deserves for a phenomenal career to
date. He discusses that and more with Mark Townsend...

47

here’s a decent argument that
Brooks Koepka remains
criminally underrated. There’s
often talk of ‘generational
golfers’, but, come the end of it
all, the American might be the
only player since Tiger Woods
that the history books look back
on as such.
Since his four-shot win at Erin
Hills in 2017, he has amassed five
Major wins, the same number as
Seve Ballesteros and Byron
Nelson – in the same time frame
Rory McIlroy has, of course,
drawn a blank.

There’s also a decent
argument that in among the
tee-to-green Strokes Gained
heroics of Scottie Scheffler, and
McIlroy and Jon Rahm also
getting to the top of the world
rankings, the male golfer of 2023
should go to Koepka.
At Augusta he led throughout
– he had the third-best 36-hole
score in Masters history – until
being overhauled by Rahm on
the Sunday. The following month,
he won the US PGA Championship
in a three-horse race with
Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. After
an opening 72, he barely missed
a beat as rounds of 66-66-67
gave LIV Golf its first Major winner.
He now has 18 wins as a pro, half
of them on the PGA Tour and five
of those in the big ones.
“I was never the guy at
college,” says the 33-year-old,
who was a three-time AllAmerican at Florida State. “And
I’m not the guy out here. Five
Majors in and I’m still not the guy.
If other people had done what
I’ve done, then everybody would
anoint them.”
For all of Scheffler’s ballstriking skills, McIlroy’s driving or
Cam Smith’s putting, if you could
pick a part of anyone’s game
then it might be something you
won’t find in any Strokes Gained

His fifth Major title
came in this year’s
US PGA at Oak Hill

Koepka is enjoying his golf again
after injuries took their toll

metrics. Koepka’s all-out belief is off the charts. The
bigger the occasion, the more we’re likely to see it.
“Honestly, I’m just built a little bit different. It’s just
being mentally better. Look at Tiger, he was just
mentally better than everybody else. If you know
you can mentally beat everybody, and have more
discipline, that plays a huge part. I know I will
mentally outlast everybody, especially when it’s
very difficult. I’ll keep striking the ball consistently
out of the middle, put it where I want it and then
kind of wait my turn – and when that comes I’ll step
on the gas,” he says.
“It’s all mental, there’s nothing physical that you
can do. I enjoy the bigger stage, I enjoy the bigger
crowds and the louder people get, the more I enjoy
it and it’s easier for me. Everything else is kind of a
practice session for those Majors. It’s not a front, it’s
the whole reason that you tee it up, right? To be in
contention with nine to play, within three on the
back nine. I love competition and I love just trying to
beat everybody.
“It was one of those things with Tiger and maybe
a bit with myself. If you don’t believe you’re going to
win when you’re walking on that 1st tee, why should
anybody else?”

A clo se-knit tea m
Part of Koepka’s team is his swing coach, Claude
Harmon, who has been with him since the early
days of the Challenge Tour. There was a brief
parting of the ways in 2020, but they are now back
together and Harmon gives a fascinating insight
into what is going on inside Koepka’s head.
“Everybody thinks Brooks doesn’t care. He can
come across as nonchalant, but I have never met
anybody quite as competitive. Everybody says they
like being under pressure and in the heat of the
battle, but very few really do and that’s just one of
the reasons that he’s been so successful in the
Majors. He also expects there to be chaos whereas a
lot of people are hoping nothing bad happens or it’s
not going to get difficult – he has an appreciation
48

that in order to win a Major, it’s going to get dirty and
messy and you either like that or you don’t,” he says.
“He’s always been like that. The first day I met
Brooks, he was still living with Peter Uihlein and
Peter said could I watch his room-mate hit some
balls? I asked Brooks what his goals were and he
said he felt like he was good enough to win a Major,
win multiple Majors and be No.1 in the world. He’s
always had that self-belief.”
Another part of the backroom team is Pete
Cowen, who has been helping with his short game
since 2014, Koepka’s first full season on the DP World
Tour. The Yorkshireman tells a good story of how he
and Koepka began working together at Wentworth
and Cowen asked how Koepka would play a chunk
and run from the sand. After a couple of ordinary
efforts, and some gentle ribbing from Cowen,
Koepka handed his new coach the club and
suggested that, if he was so good, why didn’t he do
it himself? Cowen holed the shot and, to show it
wasn’t a fluke, did it again with his next shot.
That night they met in a pub near Ascot for a meal
and Koepka arrived with his baseball cap on back to
front. Not to Cowen’s liking, he told the American that

an attractive girl on an adjacent
table had asked him who the tw*t
with the hat was. “He doesn’t
come for a meal with a baseball
cap on back to front anymore,
and that was the start of our
relationship,” says Cowen.
The hat reference is how
Cowen has Koepka’s name saved
in his phone. We’re on the back of
the range at Centurion Club for
LIV Golf London and Koepka is
hitting balls before we sit down to
chat. There’s a genuine affection
from Cowen towards the
five-time Major champ, as well as
a huge respect, while Koepka is
far more normal and far less

Koepka won LIV Golf
Orlando in April

intimidating than he might come
across on TV.
“I don’t know how he doesn’t
win every tournament, there are
very few better than him at any
part of the game. All his poor golf
over last three years has been
down to injuries as he couldn’t
do what he wanted to do. He
played when he was injured and
that’s when he said his career
was over. Then he got a different
fitness guy and a different
person working on his knee, ankle
and hip and he’s back to being
what he is now,” explains Cowen.
“He’s only interested in the
Majors. When we started together,
he said he wanted to win doubledigit Majors and it’s achievable for
him; he’s halfway there. He’s
ahead of everybody else in his
era – nobody else is close to him
in the last decade.”

49

BRO O K S KO E P K A

KOEPKA
ON MCILROY

“We’ve got a good relationship. I
wouldn’t say we’re best friends – I’ve
got my boys and he’s got his – but
we’re fairly close as far as players
go. We don’t hang out together
outside of golf, but there is a mutual
respect and we both understand
we’re probably two of the guys of this
generation. I don’t know what he
thinks, but I’ve had a lot of fun with
our rivalry. That’s how I’ve always
viewed it. We’ve never talked about
it, but that’s how I see it. If he wins, I’ll
text him and vice versa. We’ve kept
that relationship for a while now.
“On LIV, you’ve still got to play 18
holes with a scorecard in your hand
and there’s a trophy at the end of it.
I’ve had no fall-out with anybody.
That’s the difference with other
sports where guys would say it to
each other’s face – in golf nobody
does that.”
50

Koepka landed his
second US PGA title at
Bethpage Black in 2019

Put t i ng i n t he w o r k
Ten years ago, Koepka was
playing his way off the
Challenge Tour. By the
following year, he was named
DP World Tour Rookie of the
Year and a fourth-place finish
in the US Open at Pinehurst,
home to next year’s event,
gave him his PGA Tour card
and first start at Augusta the
following year.
Before he made his way
down Magnolia Lane, he
collected his breakthrough
victory at the 2015 Phoenix
Open. Alongside another
long-standing part of the team,
caddie Ricky Elliott, his next
three wins would all be Majors.
“I’m still the same person as
I was back then. Everyone has this big perception
that I’m very serious, but behind closed doors, Pete
gives me more crap than anybody,” says Koepka.
“He’s always on top of me. Nothing’s ever good
enough and he’s always dogging me, which I like.
We all have a good time and get a good laugh out
of each other. Everybody knows what I expect and I
know what they expect of me and it’s very simple.
We’re all very close and it feels like a family.
“I wouldn’t change anything as it’s working. I feel
like I’m very close to where my peak is and
everybody understands what the goal is and where
the target is. We don’t have to move the goalposts
a lot. I expect high standards of myself. I feel like I
don’t work hard enough, but I probably work harder
than 99.9 per cent of the guys out here.
“You can always work harder, right? I grind every
day and all day.
To me, it’s never
enough – I enjoy
the work that
goes into it more
than anybody
else. It’s fun
grinding in the
gym to grinding in
the practice rounds and on the range, short-game
area and putting green. It’s all fun to me and, once
the gun goes off, then it’s up to me if I can figure it
out and win.”
The other constant in our chat, aside from the
Majors, are the injuries he’s suffered over the past
few years. There was a torn patella in August 2019,
which saw him withdraw from the Presidents Cup
at Royal Melbourne. There was then a hip injury in
2020 and, in March 2021, he dislocated his knee
after slipping at home. He tried to put it back in and
that’s when he shattered his kneecap. During the
process, he tore his MPFL (medial patellofemoral
ligament) for good measure.
“My leg was sideways and out. My foot was
turned out, and when I snapped it back in, because
the kneecap had already shattered, it went in
pretty good. It went in a lot easier!” he says.

well. Now I feel great. Starting in
January this year, I’ve changed a
lot of things about the way I’m
working out and recovering.”

Bruta lly ho nest

“Pete [Cowen] gives me more
crap than anybody”

He was operated on by Los
Angeles surgeon Dr Neal
ElAttrache, who had also
operated on fellow sports stars
Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady. In
the final three Majors of 2021,
Koepka’s worst finish was,
incredibly, a tie for sixth.
“It was no fun being injured. It
would take me 40 minutes to just
feel like I could get out of bed. My
body didn’t feel right and nobody
will really understand the extent
of it. I was always walking
cautiously, even at home, and if I
wasn’t on top of it, it could be
brutal,” he explains.

As time plays out, Koepka’s fifth
Major may or may not be
remembered best as the first of
any LIV golfer. For the Floridian, it
was extra special given all the
pain and suffering. He also very
quickly corrected the mental
errors he made at Augusta
earlier in the year.
Rather than batting away his
loss to Rahm as one of those
things, he caught the headlines
ahead of the US PGA by telling
the Barstool Sports podcast he
had choked away the
tournament. “I don’t care what
other people think. People are
afraid to be honest. Nowadays,
we try to put it softly so it doesn’t
sound too bad, but you can’t tell
me that’s not what I did,” he said.
“I’m brutally honest and I’m
always going to speak the truth. A
lot of people are very afraid of
the truth and they don’t want to
hear it.” The Sunday night of
Augusta was spent not sleeping
but trying to figure out what had
gone on with his brother’s caddie.
“It eats away at me when I
finish close to winning. I try to
figure out what the problem was
and what I was
thinking. A lot of
guys aren’t truly
honest with
themselves, but I
will go through
everything; was
it physical or
mental, or the
process of the shot selection? I
know what it was, it was pretty
easy, and we fixed it.
“But then I had two of the worst
range sessions on the Saturday
and Sunday at the US PGA. I
didn’t know where the ball was
going. I looked at Claude and
thought holy hell, this is going to
be a long weekend.”
Unsurprisingly, Koepka figured it
out, as he’s done over the course
of his distinguished career. With
his injury issues behind him and
the competitive fire burning as
bright as ever, his ten-Major
target looks within reach – quite
a statement in this day and age.

“People are afraid to be honest.

I’m always going to speak the truth”
“I never thought I was done,
but I was getting really close to it.
If I wasn’t going to be at the top
or where I thought I should be, I
didn’t want to play. You see it all
the time in other sports, having
to wake up and start moving six
hours before you play. It’s not
easy. It also came from different
points of the body, so my right
knee would mean having issues
in my left ankle and left hip.
“Then you start compensating
and you don’t want to load onto
your right side, so you go left,
and all these things pile into one.
You just want to get healthy and
then break the swing habits as

51

Bonallack served as
secretary of The R&A

W o r ds F E RGUS BISSE T
~
Ph o to graph y GE TTY IMAGE S

he summer of 1968 was a glorious one in
the playing career of Michael Bonallack.
That season, the then 33-year-old
completely dominated the domestic
amateur game. He won the third of his
five Amateur Championships at Royal Troon, his fifth
English Amateur title, the Brabazon Trophy and the
Silver Medal as leading amateur in The Open
Championship at Carnoustie. Some 30 years later, in
1998, Bonallack received the most esteemed of his
numerous awards, as he knelt before the Queen and
was knighted for his services to golf.
Few, if any, had such a wide-ranging and
significant life in golf as Sir Michael Bonallack. As a
player, administrator, ambassador and captain, the
Englishman achieved on many different levels.
Born in Chigwell, Essex in 1934, Bonallack first
showed an aptitude for golf on a family holiday to
Devon, when, at the age of 10, his parents spotted his
skill during a knock around on the beach. He was
quickly given membership at Chigwell Golf Club and
began to receive coaching from the club pro.
Bonallack improved swiftly and, in 1952, he won his
first major amateur title – the British Boys.

Sir Michael
Bonallack: Britain’s
greatest amateur

Five years after that, Bonallack was selected for
his first Walker Cup team and he was to play in nine
straight matches from 1957 to 1973. In 1971, he was
playing captain of the home team that won the Cup
at St Andrews, the first time GB&I had lifted the
trophy since 1938. “It does not get, cannot get, any
better than that,” he said of captaining the side.
An extraordinary short game was the foundation
of Bonallack’s success as a golfer. In the final of the
1963 English Amateur Championship, he got up and
down no less than 22 times over the 33 holes he
required to see off a shell-shocked Alan Thirlwell.
Despite Bonallack’s obvious skill as a player, he
elected to remain an amateur. At a time when
professional tournament purses were a fraction of
what they are today, Bonallack chose to make his
living working in his family coach-building business.
“I didn’t think I was good enough until I was too old,”
he said. “When I saw how good Jack Nicklaus was
and compared that to how good I thought I was,
there was a big difference. I thought, ‘I might starve
if I turn professional.’”
He played simply for the love of golf. When
secretary of The R&A, he was once asked: “Most
people play golf to escape work. What do you do to
relax?” “I play golf,” he replied without hesitation.
Although his accolades as a player were highly
notable, his post-competitive career was, perhaps,
even more impressive. He spent a decade working
for a golf course design and construction company,
before being appointed secretary of The R&A in 1984.
During his tenure in St Andrews, Bonallack was
instrumental in guiding the sport of golf towards the
21st century, expanding The Open Championship

Sir Michael Bonallack, who has died aged 88, was Britain’s best ever

52

Receiving the Walker
Cup trophy in 1971

“ B o n a ll a c k d ed ic a ted his life to

d e v e l o p i n g a n d forw arding the spo rt”
and re-investing heavily in the development of the
game. “He’s bridged the gap between the history
and heritage of The Open and golf in general as it’s
moved into the commercial age, and he’s done it
with great taste and tact,” said the late Mark
McCormack, former chairman of IMG.
Among other roles, Bonallack was chairman of the
European Tour between 1976 and 1982, chairman of
the Golf Foundation from 1977-1982 and president of
the EGU in 1982. He received the USGA’s Bob Jones
Award for sportsmanship in 1972 and was inducted
into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1971, he
was awarded an OBE and, in 1998, he was made a
knight. In 1999, he was captain of The R&A.
Bonallack’s contribution to golf was remarkable.
He dedicated his life to developing and forwarding
the sport and will, surely, always retain the tag of
Britain’s best ever amateur.

amateur golfer and achieved so much more
Despite his clear ability,
he never opted to
turn professional
53

M AJOR
U N DERDOGS
We count down the ten most incredible
showings from outsiders in the history of
the men’s Major Championships

~
P hot og ra ph y G E TTY IM A G ES

reat performances by
outsiders in sport always
capture the public’s
imagination. When Emma
Raducanu came from nowhere to
win the 2021 US Open tennis title, it
was a Cinderella story that
cheered the nation. When
Leicester City won the 2015/16
Premier League title, even
non-football fans rooted for them
and celebrated their success.
Essentially, everyone loves an
underdog. It heartens us to see
people exceed their, and others’,

W or d s F ER GU S B IS SET

G

expectations. We golfers are all
underdogs – every time we go
out, it’s likely the course is going to
beat us, so we appreciate great
performances by outsiders as
much as any sports fans.
If a player can go out and score
beyond their supposed ability, it
inspires us to believe that maybe
we could just win the Summer
Cup or break 90 for the first time.
Outsiders causing upsets give us
all hope. Here, we count down our
top ten outstanding outsider
performances in the men’s Majors.

10 FRANCIS OUIMET 1913 US Open
In 1913, the great Harry Vardon and fellow Jerseyman
Ted Ray travelled to the USA for a tour that would
include the US Open at Brookline. Vardon had won the
US Open in 1900 and had five Open Championships to
his name. Ray had won The Open in 1912 and was one
of the most powerful players of the age. Most felt that
one of the two would end up taking the 1913 US Open
title back across the pond. Two-time defending
champion John McDermott, a young Walter Hagen
and Jerome Travers might have had something to
say, but it was a little-known 20-year-old amateur
who stepped in to spoil the Jerseymen’s party.
Former Brookline caddie Francis Ouimet was given
a late spot in the field and made the very most of it.
With ten-year-old local Eddie Lowery on the bag,
Ouimet used his local knowledge to tie Vardon and
Ray through 72 holes. Then, against all odds and
almost all opinion, he fired a 72 in the 18-hole play-off
to cause one of sport’s all-time great upsets.

9 PAUL DUNNE 2015
Open Championship
Dustin Johnson led through 36
holes at St Andrews in The Open
of 2015, with a host of big names
on his tail. Young County Wicklow
amateur Paul Dunne was doing
rather well in a tie for 10th. It was
impressive that the 22-year-old, who
had come through Final Qualifying,
had made the cut, let alone hit the top
ten. But there was more to come. In the
third round, he fired a 66 to find himself
tied for the lead with Louis Oosthuizen –
the first amateur to lead The Open through
54 holes since Bobby Jones in 1927.
The 2015 Open ended on a Monday due to the
weather and, with an amateur tied for the lead, it’s
one that will go down in the history books. Sadly,
Dunne couldn’t keep it going and faded to finish
down the field. But he’d demonstrated the narrowing
gap between elite amateur and professional and set
a 54-hole Open amateur record in the process.

55

8 BEN CURTIS 2003 Open Championship
Ben Curtis was 396th on the
Official World Golf Ranking going
into The Open at Royal St George’s
in 2003. He’d turned professional in
2000, played on the Hooters Tour
and earned his PGA Tour playing
rights for the first time in 2003.
He didn’t post any top-25
finishes in the early part of the
year but then managed a tie for
13th in the Western Open, which
gave him a last-minute entry into
his first Major – the 132nd Open
Championship.
Safe to say, Curtis wasn’t high
on the list of favourites. In fact,
most bookies had him as a 300-1
rank outsider.

After three rounds, Curtis was in
contention though, just two back
of Thomas Bjorn. But very few
were mentioning his name as a
potential winner. Also two back of
the lead were Vijay Singh, Sergio
Garcia and a certain Tiger Woods.
But it was Curtis who came out
on top on Sunday. The Ohioan
carded a closing 69 to sneak past
Bjorn, whose hopes were famously
dashed in a greenside bunker on
the 16th hole.
Curtis was the first player to win
on his Major Championship debut
since Francis Ouimet in 1913 and
he remains the lowest-ranked
player ever to win a Major.

Ben Curtis outlasted the big
guns at Royal St George’s

7 JUSTIN ROSE 1998 Open
Championship
A highly promising young amateur, Rose had played
in the 1997 Walker Cup in New York where he won two
of his four matches. Although clearly a talent, only
the most avid golf fans knew much about him when
he qualified for the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale.
The Englishman, still just 17, began solidly enough
with a two-over-par 72 but, seven back of round-one
leaders John Huston and Tiger Woods, making the
cut was likely to be a challenge. It was a challenge he
rose to with some aplomb. A fine second-round 66
saw Rose tear up the board to claim a share of 2nd
place behind another surprise package, Brian Watts.
Despite Rose stumbling to a 75 in tough conditions
in round three, he remained just three back. Then, on
the final day, he carded a 69, memorably holing out
for birdie from the rough short of the 72nd hole. He
lofted his arms and looked to the heavens. He’d won
the Silver Medal and it was enough to persuade the
teenager to turn pro. With hindsight, he perhaps took
the plunge too soon, missing his first 21 cuts in the
paid ranks, but it all turned out well in the end.
56

Rose pitched in on
the 72nd hole to
finish in a tie for 4th

TOP T E N M A JOR U N DE R DOGS
6 JACK FLECK 1955 US Open
With Ben Hogan safely in the
clubhouse two clear of littlefancied Jack Fleck, almost
everyone had given ‘The Hawk’ the
1955 US Open. NBC finished its TV
coverage before Fleck had
completed his round with a shot
of Gene Sarazen congratulating
Hogan on another US Open title!
But Fleck still had four to play
and birdied the 15th and 18th to fire
a 67 and tie Hogan at the top. The
following day, Fleck beat the great
champion in an 18-hole play-off.
Fleck was not the man the
majority of golf fans wanted to

win at Olympic Club. The golfing
public longed for a different result.
Even Fleck’s own son said to him, “I
rooted for you, dad, but I was sorry
that Hogan lost.”
Fleck had driven 49 hours from
his Iowa home to San Francisco
and opened his campaign with a
76, nine shots worse than leader
Tommy Bolt. But he bounced back
with a 69 to be in contention after
two rounds. His closing 67 was one
of the great Major rounds and his
play-off win over the world’s best
player was a phenomenal display
of ability and self-belief.

Fleck’s surprise 1955
US Open win was one
of golf’s biggest upsets

5 BOB MAY 2000 US PGA
Championship

Tiger had to dig deep to deny
Bob May at Valhalla in 2000

Bob May wasn’t a total unknown to British golf fans
going into the 2000 US PGA Championship at Valhalla
because he’d already pulled off a surprise win in the
1999 British Masters at Woburn, beating Monty by one.
But he wasn’t a star name in the States and 2000
was only his second full season on the PGA Tour. Until
a tie for 2nd in the FedEx St Jude Classic in June, his
best finish on the circuit had been a tie for 18th.
Safe to say, with Tiger coming in off the back of
dominant wins in the US Open and Open
Championship, not many were talking about May’s
chances as play commenced at Valhalla.
But the Californian played his way into contention
with a pair of 66s in rounds two and three. He would
play with the seemingly invincible Tiger on Sunday.
Most thought he would crumble but he beat Woods by
a shot (with another 66) to tie the great man at the top
through 72 holes. Although May lost the play-off, he’d
demonstrated that Tiger was (just about) beatable
and earned the respect of the golf-viewing public.

4 DAVID DUVAL 2009 US Open

Duval so nearly
claimed the 2009 US
Open out of the blue

David Duval had been World No.1
and won the 2001 Open, but his
game had famously deserted him
and he’d spent a number of
seasons in the doldrums. In 2009,
he had no form whatsoever, with
his best result a tie for 55th and his
World Ranking a lowly 882nd.
It was a minor miracle, or so
most thought, that Duval even
made it into the tournament
proper – he did so via the hugely
competitive sectional qualifying
route. Surely though, Bethpage
Black – one of the most difficult
courses on the rota and one that

was playing really long because
of heavy rain – would find him out.
Not so. He kicked off with a 67
and followed it with two 70s to go
into round four tied 3rd. Pundits
still thought there was time for a
Duval meltdown, but he held it
together into a rain-delayed
Monday finish and posted an
admirable 71 to claim joint 2nd.
He jumped to 142nd in the World
Rankings but then fell swiftly back
to earth. He missed seven of eight
cuts through the rest of the
season. It truly was a remarkable,
out-of-nowhere Major showing.

57

TO P TEN MAJOR UN DERDOGS
3 JOHN DALY 1991 US PGA Championship
In his first full season on the PGA
Tour, heavy-drinking, chainsmoking, mullet-sporting 25-yearold John Daly, had made 13 cuts
by the time of the 1991 US PGA
Championship at Crooked Stick
Country Club, Indiana.
But he’d also made less than
$200,000 and was not an
automatic qualifier for the year’s
final Major. In fact, he was ninth
reserve. Aside from an
extraordinary series of events that
led to withdrawals, including
Gibby Gilbert developing an
inner-ear problem and Nick Price’s
wife having a baby, Daly would
not have been playing.

But he got the final slot, picked
up Price’s caddie, Jeff ‘Squeaky’
Medlin, for the week and set about
causing an upset. He didn’t know
the course so just blasted
everything over Pete Dye’s
hazards and doglegs. They’d been
set up to catch the longest hitters
but hadn’t accounted for Daly.
He’d only played in two previous
Majors (both US Opens) but he
clearly wasn’t daunted. He
continued to hit a monstrous ball
and went into the final round with
a three-shot lead. He maintained
his advantage on Sunday to score
one of the most unlikely Major
victories in the history of the sport.

The John Daly legend
was born at Crooked
Stick back in 1991

2 STEVEN BOTTOMLEY 1995 Open
Championship
Steven Bottomley’s performance in the 1995 Open
was one of the most remarkable in the modern Major
era. The Yorkshireman went into the event ranked
862 in the world, with just two top tens and a mere
€130,000 accrued in five seasons. He’d only played
the Old Course twice and only made it in by coming
through a play-off in Final Qualifying at Ladybank.
He started solidly with opening rounds of 70, 72 and
72. Very good for a man with little form, but they still
saw him sitting outside the top ten.
Then, in windy conditions on the Sunday, Bottomley
produced the round of his life – a 69 that gave him
the clubhouse lead, which he held on to until John
Daly and then Costantino Rocca (with his famous
hole-out from the Valley of Sin) edged him by a shot.
If Bottomley hadn’t bogeyed the Road Hole 17th, he
would have been in the play-off.
It was a huge high point in a career that only
yielded one more top-ten finish. Bottomley will
always be able to say, however, that he came oh-so
close to winning The Open at the home of golf.

Bottomley was perilously
close to The Open’s
biggest ever upset
58

1 MICHAEL BLOCK 2023 US PGA
Championship
The most incredible thing about Michael Block’s
performance in the 2023 US PGA Championship at
Oak Hill was that he is not a full-time golfer. He’s a
club pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo,
California, where he charges $125 for a 45-minute
lesson. “I’m just your local club pro,” he said in an
interview during the tournament.
He’s a pretty useful club pro, though, and had
played in 25 PGA Tour events prior to Oak Hill,
including six Majors. He holds the course record of
59 at Arroyo Trabuco and has regularly been
Southern Californian PGA player of the year.
But he’s not exactly Rory McIlroy, and he is 46
years old! He was amazed and delighted when he
found himself paired with McIlroy for the last round
at Oak Hill after three excellent rounds of 70. He
closed with 71, which remarkably included a hole-inone, to finish in a tie for 15th. He picked up a cheque
for $288,000 and saw his World Ranking climb an
astonishing 3,003 places from 3,580 to 577. Of the
men that finished ahead of him, only one was
ranked outside the top 50. Block’s is a true story of
outsider achievement.

MORE
OUTSIDERS
WITH GREAT
MAJOR
SHOWINGS
RIK MASSENGALE
1977 Masters
Came from relative obscurity to
finish T3rd behind Tom Watson
and Jack Nicklaus.
GARY EVANS
2002 Open Championship
Closed with a 65 at Muirfield to
miss the play-off by a single shot.
LU LIANG-HUAN
1971 Open Championship
‘Mr Lu’, the Taiwanese player,
ended up in 2nd place, between
Lee Trevino and Tony Jacklin
after their battle at Birkdale.
CHRIS WOOD
2008 Open Championship
Another fine showing from an
amateur at Royal Birkdale, Wood
finished T5th.
STEPHEN LEANEY
2003 US Open
The Australian was a surprise 2nd
to Jim Furyk at Olympia Fields.
MIKE DONALD
1990 US Open
Just one PGA Tour win and a Major
best of T34th prior to 1990, Donald
forced a play-off with Hale Irwin.
FORREST FEZLER
1974 US Open
He’d played just four Majors but
finished runner-up at Winged
Foot, also losing out to Irwin.
PHILIP PERKINS
1932 US Open
The Englishman finished T2nd just
after turning pro... and having
recently been shot in Florida!
JASON GORE
2005 US Open
Unheralded American who made
the last group on Sunday but
stumbled to an 84.
MATTHEW GOGGIN
2009 Open Championship
The Australian played in the final
group with Watson on Sunday
and finished T5th.

M I CH A E L BLOCK

Ph o t o g r a p h y KENNY S MI T H , GET T Y I MAGES

60

Michael Block’s performance at the US PGA was one of the stories
of the sporting year. Andy Wright sits down with the American to
relive those famous scenes and ask what the future now holds...

61

It was just past 2pm on May 18 this year in
Rochester, New York, when the fourth-from-last
pairing began their final round of the US PGA
Championship. It was a pairing that contained Rory
McIlroy, golf’s biggest superstar in the post-Tiger
Woods era, yet the adulation was loudest for
someone else on Oak Hill’s 1st tee that afternoon.
“That’s the biggest ovation of the championship so
far,” said Jim Nantz, as the name of Arroyo Trabuco’s
club professional was read out to the type of
raucous reception typically reserved for one of New
York’s own.
But that was the extent to which the story of
Michael Block resonated with the people on the
ground and those tuning in around the world. For it
was the beginning of the closing chapter of what
was a brilliant underdog tale, one which golf still has
the power to serve up despite the ever-growing
disparity between the ‘elite’ and the rest. I spoke to
‘Blockie’ about that Sunday and more as he capped
off what he describes as a “storybook” week on the
east coast of America.

H umbl e be gi n n i n g s
To tell Michael’s story, one must
first go back in time, because
unlike most supremely talented
golfers, he didn’t grow up
dreaming of a life on tour.
Instead, his ultimate goals were
humbler, yet no less noble. It’s the
first admission of many during
our chat that is extremely
refreshing in a world obsessed
with achievement above all else.
“I learned very quickly in my life
at a very young age, thank
goodness, that I didn’t want to
have to make six-footers to pay
for my bills and raise a family. It
didn’t take long, thank God, right?
I didn’t spend 15 wasted years,”
says Michael. “I found out early
that I wanted to go and have a
job. I knew I wanted to be in golf
and I knew I wanted to go to the
golf course every day. I wanted to
play as well, I love the game.
“I remember when I first went to
a golf course, I saw the head pro
had a sign that said, ‘Golf Pro
Parking Only’ in his own parking
spot. And I thought immediately,

‘That’s my goal.’ I’m not sure why I
wanted that as my goal, but it
became my goal as a four- or
five-year-old.
“And so at the age of about
eight I got one of those signs, my
parents gave me a sign and I had
it above my bed my whole life
growing up. I kept it and my kid
now has it above his bed, which is
a cool thing, and somehow both
boys of mine love golf as much
as I do.”
Out of college, Michael’s pursuit
took him to The Lakes Country
Club in Palm Desert, California, in
1998, before he landed the head
pro job at Arroyo Trabuco, where
he has now worked for 19 years.
Not in his wildest dreams could
he have predicted what was to
come next.

Mi x i n g i t with the b est
Michael arrived at Oak Hill having
missed the cut in the previous six
Majors he’d teed it up in, dating
back to the 2007 US Open at
Oakmont. There was little on the
surface to suggest this would be

“I w o u l d h a v e p i c ked Ro ry o ut
o f t he w h ol e l ist . Th a t ’ s ho w
c o ol a w eek i t w a s”

62

Block missed out at Open
Qualifying this year, but insists
he’ll be back

any different. But it gave him an obvious target to
start the week.
“It was a no-brainer for me. I’d never made the cut
in my six Majors, I’d made it in tour starts but never in
a Major. I’d never really even come that close in a
Major, to be honest. I think four shots from a cut
maybe, at best, at a PGA Championship. Never close
in the US Open, maybe five or six shots. So my goal
was to make the cut and be low club professional.
“Now I was fortunate enough – not fortunate
enough, because it would have been nice if they did
too – that when I made the cut, no other club
professionals made the cut. So as soon as Friday
was done, I knew that I had already got both goals.
So then it was like free-wheeling it on the weekend.
So a lot of pressure was off, which undoubtedly
helped me.”
Not only had Blockie achieved his objective,
back-to-back level-par 70s had him in a tie for tenth,
just five shots off the lead. Another 70 alongside 2013
US Open champion Justin Rose on Saturday paved
the way for a further moment that captured the
incredulity of what was happening.

M I CH A E L BLOCK

Meeting Rory on the
1st tee at Oak Hill

A dat e wi t h R o r y
At the US PGA, Michael was
sporting a cap emblazoned with
the word ‘RAW’ on it, which was
fitting, really, as it summed up his
reaction to learning he’d be
playing with McIlroy on Sunday. “I
was flabbergasted by it. I was
giving an interview and I thought
the cameras were off and
thought the interview was done,
and at the last second the
interviewer goes, ‘Hey Blockie, just
so you know, you’re paired with
Rory tomorrow.’ He got me from
sideways, right?
“I thought I was off camera and
that’s why I’m like, ‘You gotta be
kidding me?’ And I just walk away.
If you lined up everybody and
said, ‘Hey, Blockie, you’re gonna
be in eighth place going into the

final round, you get to pick who
you play with,’ I would have
picked Rory McIlroy out of the
whole list. That’s how cool a week
that was. It was like everything
was aligned.”
That set up one of the most
iconic 1st tee scenes in the
tournament’s history, alongside a
true great of the game in front of
thousands of impassioned fans
and with the eyes of the golfing
world watching. For the majority,
the thought alone would be
enough to make the palms sweat
and knees shake.
“Oh, yeah, that 1st tee was
crazy,” Michael admits. “I had just
met Rory previously in the locker
room for three seconds. And
outside of that I hadn’t been
around him at all. He hit balls
back behind me while I was
warming up, but that’s the only
interaction I had with Rory.
“And now all of a sudden, this
huge crowd is assembled on
hole 1. And that moment was
intense. He goes first and as soon
as he hits, the starter says, ‘Now
on the tee.’ The crowd erupts and
I’m just like, ‘Oh. My. Gosh.’
“I hit a horrible drive, I pulled it left,
and got a bad lie. I missed about

an eight-footer for par. But it was
an okay bogey for me honestly in
that circumstance. That was
probably the most nervous I was.
“There was literally one time
walking down the fairway and
Rory is 20 yards ahead of me. I’d
hit a good shot and I pinched
John, my caddie, and I go, ‘Dude,
is this a dream?’ And he pinched
me back – can you imagine the
fans are looking at us walking
down the fairway and we’re
pinching each other. It had to
have been a funny sight.

“That 1st tee was
probably the most
nervous I was”
63

Celebrating his
famous hole-in-one
on the 15th

“But that is literally how surreal the whole
circumstances were, playing with Rosey, playing
with Rory on the Sunday and having the fans 20
deep going all the way down the fairways chanting
‘Block’. Incredible.”

‘ Four or fi v e m i r a cl e s ’
Amazingly, we are 20 minutes into our chat and
perhaps the most unfathomable part of Michael’s
week has yet to come up in conversation. At
two-over for the day and tournament, he arrived on
the par-3 15th tee in need of a strong finish to secure
his spot in next year’s championship. What
happened next will undoubtedly go down in US PGA
Championship folklore as the Californian slamdunked a 7-iron from around 150 yards to send the
crowd into a frenzy. In his own words, it was just one
of a number of “miracles” that occurred on what
was a day like no other in his golfing life.
“I think there were four or five miracles that
happened in the matter of an hour-and-a-half. Right
before I made that hole-in-one, I was in this absolutely
atrocious lie on 14. I pulled a drive and I actually got a
rules official because I thought I was in a hole,” he says.
“I tried to chop it out and it comes out low and left
and I’m thinking I missed the green. It lands on the
green, goes up the fringe, takes the break and goes
back behind the pin on a top-tier back-left flag. I
was hoping I had a decent lie in the rough and then I
have a six-footer for birdie. A complete miracle.
“I stand up on the next tee box, I hit a 7-iron, it goes
directly in the hole – miracle. I mean that was nuts. I
64

had no idea it went in because
the crowd was going crazy right
after I made contact.
“And then on 17 I get up and
down from 120 yards after I hit it in
the rough. I said, ‘Hey, take the
medicine, hit it to 120 yards’ and I
hit a gap wedge to about eight
feet. The putt is breaking on the
low side, hits the inside of the lip
and somehow goes in the hole
for par.”
That left Michael needing a four
or better on the 500-yard par-4
closer to finish inside the top 15
and book his place at Valhalla
next year, not that he knew that
at the time. A poor drive and

second put the fairytale ending in
jeopardy and left him in a horrid
spot short-sided and well below
the green.
“On 18 I thought it was a miracle
I didn’t kill anybody. When I hit that
3-wood from the right rough, I was
trying to hit this cut around the
tree anywhere near the green. It
comes out dead straight and it’s
just humming at this huge crowd
and I’m like, ‘Do not kill anybody.’ I
get up there and I was thrilled that
there was nobody lying on the
ground, a complete miracle.
“I had a decent lie. It wasn’t
thick, but it was lying into me and
I was on a downhill slope. I was

Block says
he’s fallen in
love with golf
in the UK

M I CH A E L BLOCK
trying to land it halfway between
the fringe and the pin and roll it
out to ten feet back left, because
there was a tier to the right of the
pin you couldn’t see.
“I watched that video. It goes
up, it comes up short and lands
about six inches in the rough,
bounces out and goes about ten
feet short of the pin, which I
wasn’t trying to do. And then
another miracle happens on that
last putt where I didn’t hit it hard
enough. It goes up to that right
edge and somebody literally
kicked it in for me.
“All that happened in a very
short amount of time under the
most intense pressure –
moments of golf I’ve never had in
my life. So for that to happen, it
was meant to happen, obviously.
“It was a dream come true. To
be able to do it four days in a row
is what I was blown away by
personally. I kept on going after
the first two. I’m like, ‘Okay, cool, I
got my goal, but I’m going to blow
it up on Saturday with Rosey’ and
I didn’t do it. And then I’m like, ‘Oh
boy, here it comes with Rory on

Sunday, I’m going to shoot an 81’
and I shot 71. It was the best golf
experience of my life.”

O p e n d rea m
As for what the future holds,
Michael has no plans to quit the
day job and chase more tour
starts. Why should he? He loves
his life as a club pro and family
man. He has, however, set himself
a new target.
Myself and Michael are sitting
outside one of the lodges at

It wasn’t something that was previously on his
radar, but after falling in love with golf in the UK, he’s
come full circle and insists he will never again pass up
an opportunity to qualify for the Claret Jug showdown.
“After my two trips over here last year, I fell in love
with it and I said there’s no way in the world if I’m
exempt again I’m not coming. I decided I was going
to do it and I came over and I’m happy I did. I’m
exempt again for next year already, so I’ll be coming
over again next year no matter what.
“I checked off what I thought were the last couple
of feasible goals at the PGA Championship as far as
low club pro and making the cut in a Major, so I
didn’t really have any others and then I was like,
‘Man, this works out perfectly.’ So now it’s my big
thing to play in The
Open Championship.
“After I visited, I
could feel how much
love there is for the
game here and
that’s how I am. It’s
just a whole other
animal here. I can
see how much the
people of Scotland and the UK love the game, and
that’s just like me, so it’s a big thing for me to be able
to make it.”
It wasn’t to be in 2023, but after the heroics of Oak
Hill, who’s to say another Block Party won’t break out
at Royal Troon next year.

“I h it a 7 - iro n, it go es directly
in t h e ho le – miracle. I mean
that was nuts”

Dundonald Links on the eve of
Final Qualifying for the 2023 Open.
Despite being exempt in the past,
it’s the first time he’s journeyed
over to try and earn a place in the
game’s oldest championship.

The final ‘miracle’ of the
day unfolds on the 18th

65

W o rds RO B SMITH

~

Ph o to graph y O LLY CURTIS

The 2023 Golf Monthly forum Help For Heroes charity
event visited beautiful Hankley Common and raised
almost £10,000 for a worthy cause. Rob Smith reports…

As ever, the GM
forum’s H4H day was
very well supported

eld a little earlier in the calendar
than its 13 predecessors, the
annual charity event arranged by
the online Golf Monthly forum took
place on a gloriously bright, late summer’s day at
Hankley Common on the Surrey/Hampshire border.
The course – 30th in our UK&I rankings – was a riot of
purple, with the heather still at its most vibrant and
dazzling. With four-balls starting on both the 1st and
5th holes, a full field of 80 golfers was able to enjoy

this beautiful James Braid/Harry Colt design that has,
in recent times, improved yet further under the expert
guidance of course architects Mackenzie and Ebert.
Following the customary coffee, delicious bacon
roll and chance to reacquaint with golfing friends
from across the country, there was the opportunity to
visit the Titleist gazebo for advice on the correct ball
to use and even the very generous provision of some
supplies for the round. It would be interesting to know
how many survived the heather! The course plays
67

to a par of 71, with its sublime
par-3 7th the star of a very
special show. Happily, our use of
the yellow tees meant we could
enjoy a far more manageable test
than that presented by the purple
tees at almost 7,000 yards!
As a small part of the
fundraising, forum members had
the chance to pay an extra £25 for
the dubious pleasure of playing
with one of the four Golf Monthly
staff taking part, including new
editor Neil Tappin. This alone
raised £300, while it was great to
see representatives from Help For
Heroes and a good number of
veterans enjoying their golf.
As you would expect, there were
nearest the pin and long drive
competitions to keep everyone
interested all the way and, with

counsellor to help work through
the difficulties that have put their
life on hold; £206 could provide a
wraparound knee brace for a
veteran in need of leg stability to
take part in physical activities
once again; and £405 could
provide a course of seven mental
health therapy sessions with one
of Help For Heroes’ psychological
wellbeing practitioners

Derek Derenelagi
bravely told his
remarkable story

Derek’s story
John then introduced us to Derek
Derenalagi, a veteran who, in 2007,
was very seriously injured by a
landmine in Afghanistan. In an
unsentimental but engaging way,
Derek told us the chilling and
graphic story surrounding his
horrific and life-changing mission

“D e re k’ s d et ermin a t ion meant he was

ab l e t o p ush h imsel f fu rther and harder
t h a n most p eop le c ould imagine”

the shotgun start, everyone was
back in the clubhouse around the
same time to compare notes and,
more importantly, take part in
friendly mickey-taking and a
beverage or two. Quite naturally, a
common theme was praise for
the course, while the three who
paid to play with me, somewhat
understandably, requested a full
refund. I even heard mutterings
about compensation!
Following a delicious carvery,
Help For Heroes fundraising
manager John Carpenter talked
about some of the organisation’s
invaluable work and how the
charity has a community model
of support that takes its services
out to the locations where
veterans and their families can
access them most easily.
He thanked everyone for
supporting the charity for the
previous 13 years, and stressed
how important events like this are
because “the organisation relies
on the spirit and generosity of the
great British public”. He also
explained how donations can
make such a vital difference.
For example, £68 could pay for
a veteran to have a one-hour
session with a mental health
68

to clear a helicopter landing area.
He was actually pronounced dead
on an operating table before a
medic found the faintest of pulses.
Nine days later, he awoke from
a coma to see his wife, Ana, by his
bedside. She had some tough
news to tell him as, aside from
other severe injuries that would
later heal, both his legs had had to
be amputated.
“I said to Ana, let us be thankful
that I am alive today,” Derek told
us. “A lot of my colleagues wanted
to make it back, but they couldn’t. I
made it back. So, let’s start again.
Adjusting to life without my legs
was difficult and very traumatic

for both of us. I was told I’d be in a
wheelchair for the rest of my life,
that I’d never walk again.”
Derek’s determination meant he
was able to push himself further
and harder than most people
could imagine. He then found
inspiration: “I was watching
highlights of the Beijing
Paralympic Games, and that’s
where I saw amputees running. I
said, ‘I can do this; I’m qualified;
I’ve got no legs.’”
That’s when Derek reached out
to Help For Heroes. As well as
aiding him physically and
mentally, the organisation helped
get him into sport as part of his
rehabilitation. “They even funded
the prosthetic legs that took me to
the 2012 Paralympics, where
competing was one of the
proudest moments of my life,”
Derek continued. “To go from that
to represent my country at the
Paralympic Games five years
later… all I can say is I am thankful.
I’ve had so many opportunities
through Help For Heroes. Ana and I

CHOOSE HELP FOR HEROES AS YOUR
CAPTAIN’S CHARITY FOR THE YEAR
Help For Heroes champions the
armed forces community and
helps people live well after service,
so they feel valued, supported and
recognised. If you feel inspired to
support Help For Heroes, then why
not choose it as your captain’s
charity for 2024. You’ll get your own
dedicated member of the team to

give you personalised support all
year round, offering fundraising
hints, tips and much more.
To find out more about
becoming a community partner,
please contact area fundraising
manager John Carpenter via
email at john.carpenter@
helpforheroes.org.uk

H E L P F OR H E R OE S
away in 2016. This beautiful piece
of woodwork, along with various
other carvings, including the
stretcher bearers for the forum
and guest winners, was carved by
Ted Granger of Veterans
Woodcraft. This Yorkshire-based
organisation was set up by
veterans to deliver woodcraft
courses to help those battling
against suicide, PTSD, mental
health issues and physical
disability. This year’s recipient was
Paul Nash in recognition of his
ever-present and enthusiastic
contributions to the event.
The most important activity of
the day was the presentation of
the cheque to Help For Heroes by
main organiser and stalwart
supporter Richard Hart. Further
input shortly after the event raised
the day’s total to £9,839, a brilliant

Help For Heroes offers
support to veterans

have met some wonderful people,
other injured veterans and their
families. We share experiences
and learn from one another.”

Going, going, gone
Following this harrowing but
ultimately very encouraging story,
it was time for the charity auction.
Unfortunately, due to a sudden
family emergency, regular
auctioneer Mark Head had been
called away. This meant a willing
and capable stand-in was
needed. Forumer Simon Bratt
bravely stepped up with his virtual
gavel and gave a rousing
performance, part David
Coleman, part Olivia Colman.
To be fair, he was brilliant,
eliciting just the right level of
competitive bidding while
knowing exactly when to hook his
fish. Lots included vouchers for
golf at various courses, golf
equipment and clothing, a Tower
of London ceramic poppy, a
framed print of an early Golf
Monthly Top 100 and much more.

In the prizes
Back to the golf and the main
competition, the Vickers Trophy,
was awarded to Jakob Lilliehook,
aka Lilyhawk, a 9-handicapper at
Essendon, who recorded a very
impressive 41 points. Our newly
qualified auctioneer finished
runner-up on 39, while 3rd place

on countback went to Dave Papas
with 37. The guest prize, courtesy
of a massive 44 points, went to
Gareth Dutfield. With an excellent
74, the scratch prize went to Phil
Coumbe from Leighton Buzzard,
while Gordon Ross from
Broadstone won ‘nearest the pin
in two’ on the tricky 4th.
In a development that surprised
everyone at the magazine and all
those who know him, Golf
Monthly’s very own Nick Bonfield
picked up the nearest the pin prize
on the short 2nd. Lilyhawk, the
day’s star golfer, also recorded the
longest drive on the very tough
18th – an obscenely long hit that
many in the field, me included,
were short of in two!
A highlight of these annual
get-togethers is the awarding of a
trophy in memory of Rick Garg, a
golfer forever linked with the
forum and Help For Heroes
fundraising, who sadly passed

Everyone loved the
superb layout at
Hankley Common

The event raised
nearly £10,000 for
Help For Heroes

result in tough economic times.
This means the 14-year grand
total is now a superb £170,000.
This year, there was one extra
very touching presentation. It was
made to Karen, Rick Garg’s wife,
who was finally able to attend the
day as it was held during a school
holiday. She handed out the
prizes before receiving her own
special carving of Rick. For Karen,
as well as for plenty of forum
stalwarts, this was both moving
and very lovely.
Enormous thanks go, as always,
to organisers Richard Hart and his
wife Vicky, ably assisted as ever by
Kate Cave. Thanks also to all the
hard-working volunteers from the
forum, many of them behind the
scenes, and of course to Derek
and John from Help For Heroes.
And finally, to everyone at Hankley
Common, including friendly
general manager Ed Richardson,
for their brilliant and generous
welcome to their exceptional club.
69

INSTRUCTION
OFFICIAL DATA PARTNER

F L U S H YO U R

H

aving grown up on the links
turf of north Wales, Amy
Boulden has always been a
supreme ball-striker. Her dad
was head pro at Maesdu GC when she
was growing up, her mum played off
single figures and both her older sisters
represented Wales as amateurs.
The 30-year-old was part of a golden
generation that saw GB&I regain the
Curtis Cup in 2012 after 16 years. She
enjoyed a decorated amateur career
before becoming LET Rookie of the Year
in 2014. In 2020, she captured her
maiden win in Switzerland, playing her
last two rounds in 15-under.
Here, Amy takes us through a series of
drills to help you strike the ball better,
focusing on the core fundamentals that
will ensure you never stray too far from
the centre of the clubface...
71

I N S T R U C T I O N
F L U S H

Y O U R

I R O N S

By Amy Boulden

Move the ball forward

A

Resist the temptation
to have the ball too far
back in your stance

lot of golfers move the ball
back in their stance to ensure
they get the strike, but by
having the ball further forward,
it will get the bigger muscles moving
and get the body turning through better
– and it will take the hands out of the
equation. With my 6-iron, I will have the
ball just forward of centre. A good
practice drill is to actually have the ball
two inches further forward, but to set up
normally with the clubhead so there’s a
gap. This encourages you to swing hard
to the left and get your upper body and
chest opening up through the swing.

Are you staying centred?

K

eeping your head centred over
the ball will really help your
ball-striking. You should be
rotating around your body and
not swaying away to the right on the
takeaway. If you sway, you then have to
get back to where you started. There’s
more room for error then and the
bottom of your swing arc will become
more unpredictable.
When I’m away playing, I’ll get a friend
or caddie to really keep an eye on this
and it’s a great checkpoint for practising
in front of a mirror. Swing to the top and
make sure your head stays over the ball
– if you can get into this position, it will
make it easier to shift your weight onto
the front foot and therefore strike it
better. Also, you want to feel centred
through your feet, so make sure your
weight is spread evenly between them
to encourage that solid base.

72

Photography: Tom Miles. Shot on location at Conwy Golf Club

What do your hips do at impact?
Make sure your
hips stay back
through impact

Y

ou want to turn your hips
through, but also keep them
back. We hear a lot about
‘clearing your hips’, but if you
turn your hips hard through the ball, you
can spin out too much and leak it right.
You want the hips to stay back to help
keep the club in front of you. I’ll practise,
without a club, with my backside against
a wall and push back into it at impact.
When you go wrong, your hips can
thrust upwards towards the target, the
upper body gets shut and the shoulder
plane is tilted. You want them more level,
with the left shoulder rotating down and
around your body. With the correct hip
movement, the left shoulder is back and
the club is able to stay more in front of
you and on top of the ball.

The correct hip
move keeps you
on top of the ball

73

I N S T R U C T I O N
F L U S H

Y O U R

I R O N S

By Amy Boulden

Get yourself connected
Use this smart ball to
keep everything tight
on the takeaway

1

Rhythm
I use a smart ball to work on my
rhythm. Everything’s connected,
which is really important. It quietens
down the hands and there’s no chance
of you flipping them through the ball at
impact. A lot of amateurs have the
‘chicken wing’ look and won’t be able to
keep the ball between their arms – the
ball promotes keeping everything tight
on the way back.
This works with every club, but I use it
more with my wedges and irons. It’s also
great for helping you to control your ball
flight as you can really practise that
held-off finish, like Tommy Fleetwood.

2

Connection
By tucking a glove into your left
armpit, you can really work on
your connection through the
swing. This drill helps to keep the left
arm connected to the body and gets
you using the bigger muscles through
the ball. To strike it properly, you have to
feel like your chest is really opening up.

3

Rapid feedback
This also works with every club
in the bag and is such a great
drill for some quick feedback. At
the end of the swing, the glove will drop
to the ground – this is supposed to
happen, as this helps with your move
through the ball. What we don’t want to
happen is for the glove to drop straight
after impact – that tells you that you’re
losing the connection.

74

Photography: Tom Miles. Shot on location at Conwy Golf Club

Keep the hands out of it

1

Pitch perfect
I use the Tour Rotation Stick a lot to
help with my rotation in the swing.
It’s so simple to use as it just clips
on to the end of your club. It’s
particularly useful with the shorter shots
and I use it a lot with my pitching.

The stick stops you
flipping the hands
through impact

2

Stop the flip
It cuts out any scope for you to
manipulate things with the
hands at impact and
encourages a strong clubface through
the ball to get the right strike and flight.
My left arm and wrist are very flat
through the ball. There’s no wrist hinge
– the wrists are kept very strong and the
stick isn’t hitting my body,

3

Be more like Tommy
A lot of tour pros now use this –
Tommy Fleetwood has one and
does a lot of work with it. It’s
brilliant if you tend to manipulate things
with your hands through the ball or you
want to work on half or sawn-off shots.

4

Understand your pitching
Get it wrong and the stick will hit
you on the way through. If you
struggle with your pitching and
chipping, it can help you understand
how to marry up arm and body speed.

75

I N S T R U C T I O N
F A U L T

F I X E R

Top 50 Coach Ben Emerson

Stop duffing fairway
bunker shots

1

Fairway bunker shots are among
the hardest in golf. Often all you
can do is hack out, but when you
have a chance to go for it,
amateurs often chunk the ball and
come up well short. While it’s a difficult
shot to pull off, there are some basics
that will help you make good contact
more consistently. The first thing to
consider is club selection. If you have
what would normally be a pitching
wedge yardage, move up to a 9-iron.

76

Photography: Tom Miles. Shot on location at Infinitum Resort, Spain

2

With a club more than usual, grip down so you’re
standing a little closer to the ball. Once you’ve done
that, it’s time to get into your set-up position. Don’t dig
your feet into the sand as much as you would on a
greenside bunker shot. Instead, do it just enough to feel like you
have a stable base. Keep the weight more on your left side
than usual, which will encourage ball-first contact.

Create a stable
base with your
weight left

Sweep
the ball
You shouldn’t be hitting
aggressively at the ball with
excess speed. If you take one
more club, you can focus on
tempo and rhythm –
you don’t need to
rush at the
ball.

3

As for the swing, you want to
think of it just like you would if
you were playing from the
fairway, so you’re just trying to
nip the ball off the surface and let the
club enter the sand after impact. With
an extra club, you don’t have to rush
and can work on honing a really smooth
rhythm, which will help you judge your
entry point more consistently. All that’s
left to do is execute.

77

I N S T R U C T I O N
A S K

T H E

E X P E R T S

Photography: Howard Boylan

How can I strike

my chips better?
By Top 50 Coach John Howells
Golfers often put the ball too far back in
their stance when chipping, which
reduces the margin for error and causes
fat and thin strikes. Instead, move the
ball to the middle of your stance and set
your weight evenly between your left
and right sides at address. This will help
shallow out your angle of attack, making
it easier to use the club’s bounce
through impact and increasing your
forgiveness levels in the strike.
Finally, hit some balls off a tee
Ball
in practice to develop the
position
technique and further
boost your confidence.
Keep the ball fairly

central rather than too
far back in your stance to
avoid getting too
steep through
impact.

78

How do I hit my
fairway wood
off the grass?
Keep it
smooth
Think ‘rhythm’ instead of
really thrashing at it to
help you find the
centre of the
face more
often.

By Top 50 Coach Dan Grieve
Amateurs often come unstuck because
they set up to their fairway wood like it’s
a driver, with the ball position too far
forward. Move it about an inch closer to
the centre of your stance, which will
improve your angle of attack. Other
keys include letting your arms hang
naturally and keeping your grip
pressure nice and light. People get too
tense when hitting this shot, which ruins
the flow of the swing. Make sure your
posture is good and keep your weight
about 50/50 at address. Many players
then tend to swing at the ball too hard,
so work on honing a smooth rhythm.

Added
pressure

How can I improve

To toughen it up, set a
limit on how far beyond
the previous ball
you’re allowed
to go.

my pace control?
By Top 50 Coach Trey Niven
If you struggle with leaving putts short or
hitting them too hard, try this simple
pace-control drill. Find a spot on the
green where you can hit a 10ft putt and
set up a couple of alignment sticks, as
shown. Your putts must finish within the
boundary of the sticks. Hit the first putt
and then try to hit the next one slightly
past, and the third slightly beyond the
second and so on. Start again if you fail
in this objective. See how many you can
get in a row within the sticks.
79

I N S T R U C T I O N
S A V E

P A R

By Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott

Box clever
with your
chipping

1

Let’s use something you’ve already
got in your bag, a golf ball box, and
get you finding the middle of the
clubface more. Those strikes
towards the heel or toe give us all
sleepless nights, so place the box a
fingertip’s width outside the ball. The
idea here is to just miss the box. If you
move your hands closer towards the
ball on the through swing, then you’re
going to catch the box. If you go a little
bit out and pull the club in, again you
will catch the box. Nice and simple.

80

Photography: Howard Boylan. Shot on location at Infinitum Resort, Spain

2

The biggest route to consistency with your pitching
and chipping is keeping that club on plane. If you whip
it inside on the way back, you’re going to have
problems. Grab a wedge and place it underneath your
front foot, under the ball of your big toe on your left foot for a
right-hander. If you whip the club on the inside, you’ll come
into contact with the grip. The club may feel a bit more out on
the way back, but that’s a great feeling if you do bring it back
on the inside. You should soon start noticing crisper strikes.

Keep
working
It’s easy to write
yourself off as a poor
chipper, but these drills will
give you that feeling of the ball
coming off the clubface as it
should. You’ll soon find
your confidence
returning.

3

This is one of my favourite
chipping tips. I’ve placed the
box roughly a foot behind the
ball and my only aim is to avoid
the box on the way back, and hopefully
on the way down, to help create a more

descending blow. If you are prone to
scooping your chips, the box will feel like
it’s massively in your way. The objective
here is to change your angle of attack.
Practise this and you’ll quickly build
confidence around the greens.

This drill will
encourage a
descending blow

81

I N S T R U C T I O N
T O U R

I N S I D E R

By Garrett Johnston

82

Photography: Getty Images

M a ck e nzi e Hu gh es
The 32-year-old Canadian shares his fixes for some of the most
common faults he sees in the amateur game

1.

Driving

We all want to hit it hard and far, but great
driving starts with good alignment. People might be
driving it right where they’re aiming, but that might
be in the right rough and they don’t realise. That’s
something I see a lot among amateurs that’s super
easy to correct. When your alignment is off, you’re
playing the compensation game and it’s really hard
to be consistent when you do that. Just make sure,
however you like to check your alignment, that
you’re aiming down the middle of the fairway with
your driver.

2.

Bunker sho t s

A lot of good bunker play can be
accomplished in set-up. You want to start with a
high-lofted club that’s open, and then make sure
your stance is slightly open too. From there, I
always do the same thing, which is to get very
aggressive through the sand. You have to hit the
surface an inch behind the ball and trust that you
can swing it pretty hard and take a fair bit of sand. I
see it all the time where amateurs are
committed to taking that swing and at
the last minute they slow it down. A lot
of the time the leading edge is just too
square, so the club stops and the shot
only goes a foot or two forward.

3.

Chipping

With chipping, everything
depends on the shot you’re
playing. I’d say bounce is your
friend when you’re chipping. If the
face is open, then you’re only
going to increase that bounce. I
like the idea of having the club
slightly open no matter what it is,

from lob wedge to 8-iron. It’s kind of like bunker play.
You need to be aggressive with your chips because
you want some speed and conviction on the ball.
You don’t want to be taking it back a long way and
then slowing your shot down as you come through
at impact. If you’re trying to create some spin and
stop on the ball, there needs to be some authority to
that strike.

4.

Re a d i n g g re e n s

Every amateur I play with under-reads putts.
Let’s say I have a 30-foot putt and it breaks from right
to left about four feet. I want to see what the
maximum amount of break I can play is to die it into
the high side of the hole. What is the highest possible
line I can take? Now there will be times where I want
to go inside that line because I know it’s a putt
that I need to make, like if I’m down on the
71st hole of a tournament. But if it’s a
general lag putt and I just want to get it
down around the hole, I’m trying to
work it off that highest possible apex.

5.

S p e e d of p u t t s

I focus on the high point of a
putt and then let my speed be dictated by that. I
try to match up the highest line I can take with a
dying pace around the hole. I usually get
comfortable with that by going
onto the putting green and
hitting a lot of putts that have a
lot of break. This gets my mind
W ha t ’ s in t he b a g ?
comfortable with playing as
much break as possible. If I hit a
Driver: Ping G425 LST, 10°
putt that breaks five feet from
4-wood: Ping G425 Max, 16°
right to left and I only play for
7-wood: Ping G425 Max, 20.5°
two-and-a-half feet, then I might
4- to 6-iron: Ping i210
hit a great putt with perfect
7-PW: Ping S55
speed but I still have four feet left.
Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0, 52°, 56° & 60°
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Piper C
Ball: Titleist Pro V1

83

RULES
Words: Jin-Woo Kim, The R&A
Photography: Kenny Smith, Getty Images, The R&A

Ball in or on movable obstruction
There was an interesting scenario
at a recent PGA Tour Champions
event, as Jin-Woo Kim, assistant
director – Rules (Asia Pacific) at
The R&A, explains...
Movable obstructions are
artificial objects that can be
moved with reasonable effort and
without damaging the object or
the course. They’re not treated as
part of the challenge of playing
the course, so you are normally
allowed to remove them from
anywhere on or off the course and
may do so in any way. If your ball
moves while removing a movable
obstruction, there is no penalty,
and the ball must be replaced on
its original spot (which if not
known must be estimated).
While removing a movable
obstruction would be one of the
simplest Rules situations you may
come across during a round, it is
possible for your ball to end up in
or on a movable obstruction, as
84

relief area measured from the
happened to Stewart Cink during
reference point (the estimated
his final round at the 2023 Kaulig
point right under where the
Companies Championship
ball was at rest in or on the
at Firestone Country Club.
movable obstruction). The
Cink’s tee shot on the 72nd
relief area must be in the
hole flew wide and right,
same area of the course as
glanced off a tree and
the reference point and not
landed in the cubby of a
nearer the hole.
referee’s cart sitting near the
In addition, when your ball
adjoining 10th fairway. As the
IN OR ON MOVABLE
is in or on a movable
cart was a readily movable
OBSTRUCTION (MO)
obstruction on the putting
artificial object, Cink was
ESSENTIALS
green, instead of dropping
allowed to take free relief
in the relief area, you may
from the movable
u Lift your ball and
take free relief by placing a
obstruction, but it wasn’t as
remove the MO.
ball on the estimated spot
simple as removing the
u From anywhere other
than the putting green
right under where the ball
obstruction and replacing
(where the ball is
was at rest in or on the
the ball if it had moved.
placed), drop in a one
movable obstruction. Cink
When your ball is in or on a
club-length relief area
followed the first procedure
movable obstruction
from the estimated
as his ball was in the general
anywhere on the course
point right under where
area and was also allowed
except the putting green, you
the ball was at rest in or
to substitute his original ball
may take free relief by lifting
on the MO, no nearer the
while taking relief, all of
it, removing the movable
hole and in the same
which helped him secure a
obstruction, then dropping a
area of the course.
par on his finishing hole!
ball within a one club-length

Your queries resolved
I’ve just watched a video
in which a pro says you
can go in a nearby
bunker (not the one where your
ball is lying) and take practice
swings hitting the sand. My friend,
who is pretty clued up on the
Rules, disagrees. Who is right?
Skytot, GM website forum

Q

Your friend would have
been correct before the
2019 Rules modernisation,
but the restrictions on touching
sand in a bunker now only apply
to the bunker you’ll be playing
from. There is no penalty for
making a practice swing and
hitting the sand in another bunker
provided you don’t unreasonably
delay play, so do be mindful of
other players waiting for you to
make that stroke!
Jin-Woo Kim, assistant director
– Rules (Asia Pacific) at The R&A

R&A
WINNERS
Each month, the
readers whose
queries are
featured will
receive three R&A
Titleist Pro V1 golf
balls and a
leatherette putter
cover with Royal
Liverpool 151st
Open branding.

A

You may now make practice
swings in a different bunker

I have a question from a
recent four-ball betterball game (A and B vs C
and D). Player A indicated to
player B the line he thought for his
putt. Player C pulled him up and
said the grass cannot be touched
and enforced a loss-of-hole
penalty. I wasn’t sure, so I’ve asked
and been quoted Rule 8, but I can’t
see anything there regarding this.
When Googling, it comes up with
Rule 8.2, but this may have been
changed some time. Can you
clarify please.
ntommo, GM website forum

Q

The prohibition on
touching the line of play
on the putting green was
removed back in 2019 (as well!),
so the information you found
online must have been from
before then. Nowadays, so long
as it does not improve the
conditions affecting the stroke,
there is no penalty for merely
touching the line of play on the
putting green.
Jin-Woo Kim, The R&A

A

You may touch the line
on the green if you don’t
improve the conditions

85

R U L E S

R E F R E S H E R
By Jin-Woo Kim

W h e n is your ball in a bu nke r?
On a broad level, all golfers know
what a bunker is, but some still
get a little confused when it
comes to the finer detail of the
above question. First, a bunker is
defined under the Rules as a
specially prepared area of sand,
often a hollow from which turf or
soil has been removed.
Bunkers are one of the five
defined areas of the course, with
the regulations and restrictions
relating specifically to them found
in Rule 12. Committees may define
a prepared area of sand as part
of the general area (i.e. not a
bunker) or a non-prepared area
of sand as a bunker, so when
you’re playing in the Middle East,
for example, you’ll need to check
which areas of sand are bunkers
and which are not.
Although the word “sand” is
used here as that is what most
A ball coming to rest
in the lip, wall or face
is not in the bunker

86

bunkers contain, it could equally
be anything similar to sand that
is used as bunker material (such
as crushed shells), as well as any
soil that is mixed in with the sand.
It’s important to know what is
not part of a bunker, too, both in
the area immediately around one

“SA ND THAT HAS S PI L L ED
OV E R T H E OUTS I D E ED G E I S
NOT PA RT O F THE B UN K ER”
and in a wider sense. First, any lip,
wall or face at the edge of a
prepared area (bunker) that
consists of soil, grass, stacked turf
or artificial materials is not part of
the bunker, and nor is soil or any
growing or attached natural
object inside the edge of the

prepared bunker (e.g. grass,
bushes or trees).
What about any sand that has
spilled over the outside edge of a
prepared area? That is not part of
the bunker, and nor are all other
areas of sand on the course that
are not inside the edge of a
prepared area (such as deserts
and other natural sand areas, or
areas sometimes referred to as
waste areas on certain golf
courses around the world).
Finally, to answer the headline
question, a ball is in a bunker
when any part of it:
n Touches sand on the ground
inside the edge of the bunker, or
n Is inside the edge of the bunker
and rests either on ground where
sand normally would be but has
perhaps been blown or washed
away, or lies in or on a loose
impediment, movable
obstruction, abnormal course
condition or integral object that
touches sand in the bunker or is
on ground where sand would
normally be.

Photography: Kenny Smith - shot on location at Charleton Golf Club, Fife

Test your knowledge
3 In stroke play, Fergus removes a few twigs and
leaves near his ball before playing out of a bunker.
What is the ruling?
A There is no penalty.
B Fergus gets one penalty stroke.
C Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes).

1 In stroke play, Fergus arrives at the 1st tee three
minutes later than his starting time due to heavy
traffic. What is the ruling?
A There is no penalty.
B Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes).
C Fergus is disqualified.
4 In stroke play, Jezz’s ball comes to rest on a
sprinkler head in the general area, right next to
the putting green. Which of these is correct?
A Jezz must not drop a ball on the putting green.
B Jezz may drop a ball on the putting green.
C Jezz may place a ball on the putting green.

2 In stroke play, while taking embedded ball relief,
Fergus drops a ball in the relief area but from
lower than knee height. What is the ruling?
A Fergus gets one penalty stroke.
B Fergus gets the general penalty (two strokes).
C There is no penalty, but Fergus must drop again
from knee height.

Quiz answers

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE

1. B – Under Exception 1 of Rule 5.3a, if a player arrives at the starting point, ready to play, no more than five minutes late, the player
gets the general penalty applied to their first hole. 2. C – Under Rule 14.3b, a ball must be dropped straight down from knee height, and
if a ball is dropped in a wrong way, the player must drop a ball again in the right way. 3. A – Under Rule 15.1a, a player may remove
loose impediments anywhere on or off the course, and may do so in any way. 4. A – Under Rule 16.1b, when taking relief from an
abnormal course condition in the general area, the relief area must be in the general area.

87

REVIEWS
Edited by Dan Parker

Looks
The hints of offset,
slightly thicker topline
and wider sole will appeal to
a wide range of golfers when
setting the club down
behind the ball at
address.

Callaway Apex
Pro iron £217 per club
GM verdict
One of the most notable growth
areas in recent years has been in
the players’ performance
category of irons. Favoured by
those seeking maximum help
and playability and wrapped up
stealthily in a classic, tourshaped disguise, models like the
Ping i230 and the Titleist T150

have proved to be some of the
best clubs of this type. With the
introduction of the 2024 Apex Pro
iron, Callaway has added another
contender in this space. This iron
is part of a wider, revamped Apex
series of irons that includes new
CB, MB and utility models, with the
Apex Pro the largest and most
forgiving of these heads.
Visually, the clean lines of the
Apex Pro do a great job of

Combo sets featuring
the full 2024 Apex

range will be popular
88

The Apex Pro

strikes a clean,

compact pose

from all angles

providing you with the
feeling you are holding
something that could be
deemed a players’ iron. The
only hints that this club
might be providing some
more assistance are the
slightly thicker topline, a wider
sole and the more prevalent
offset. For us, the overall
shaping of the head does a
really nice job of minimising its
visual impact when set
down behind the ball.
Right through the set, the
strike was satisfying and
certainly a touch firmer than
the other models in the new
Apex range. On the course,
there was some real zip off
the face, coupled with a
pleasing low-pitched sound.
We also saw the impact of
the hollow body when
looking at the distances.
Despite being the “least
workable” in the range

Up against
Ureathane

microspheres

behind the face

make for a softer

impact sensation

The topline is

Dispersion
During testing,
we were especially
impressed with how tight
the front-to-back and left-toright dispersions were
when we took the
Apex Pro out on
the golf
course.

Titleist T150 iron
£178 per club
Features a new Muscle Channel
behind the face that provides
more forgiveness on low strikes.

noticeably the
thickest in the

range, but by no

means off-putting

Cobra King Tour iron
£158 per club

according to Callaway, we
actually found manipulating
flight reasonably easy when
required. However, the main
standout during our testing was
the genuinely remarkable
forgiveness and we think that is
the big story with this iron.
The grouping of balls we hit
during testing was exceptionally
tight time after time, both front to
back and left to right, despite
some of the less-than-optimal
swings we delivered to the golf
ball. This will give even very
low-handicap players food for
thought when considering these
irons, particularly at the top end
of the set, where consistently
finding the middle is just that bit
harder for everyone.
The Apex Pro sits very well
within Callaway’s 2024 Apex
range of irons. It provided us
with some added distance
compared with the other
models along with
exceptional forgiveness, thus
ensuring this iron will fit
nicely in the bags of a wide
range of mid- to lowhandicap golfers.

Near-flawless looks in a compact
yet forgiving head that shines for
its overall distance.

Key technology
1 A hollow-body construction pairs a forged
face with a forged 1025 carbon steel body
to deliver a softer feel than its predecessor.
2 The 3-, 4- and 5-irons use Callaway’s
forged 455 face cup to bolster ball speed,
while from 6-iron to pitching wedge, a
forged 1025 face plate gives a softer feel.
3 Callaway’s patented urethane
microspheres sit just behind the face to
further soften the sound and feel from
strikes right across the hitting surface.

Ping i230 iron
£180 per club
A reliable and versatile iron that
offers a high margin for error and
exemplary control.

“ THE A PEX PRO O FFERS R EMA R K ABLE
FO RG I V EN ESS I N A D ES I G N THAT
C L EV ER LY MI N I M I S ES I TS V I SUAL
I MPACT B EHI N D THE BA L L”
Joe Ferguson, GM staff writer

89

E Q U I P M E N T
R E V I E W S
By Sam De’Ath

PXG Battle Ready II Bat
Attack putter £349
GM verdict
PXG has made some refinements
to its Battle Ready range of putters
to elevate both the performance
and aesthetics of these flashy
flat-sticks. Of the nine models
available, one of the most popular
returning to the line-up is the Bat
Attack. This double fang shape
has contrasting, weighted
heel-toe wings alongside a
sightline and dot for alignment.
This shape is designed to offer the
high MOI of a mallet, while still
offering the feedback of a blade.
The combination of the jet
black wings and platinum body
gives this putter a sleek and
modern look, while the
contrasting colours also helped
us with alignment. Thanks to this,
we noticed we were scaring the

hole a lot more often from inside
15 feet and felt extremely
confident over those nervy
three-footers.
While we enjoyed the muted
noise the putter made when
struck from the middle, the
updated pyramid face pattern
produced quite a tinny sound
when the strike drifted off-centre,
a sensation we were less keen on.
The putterface is just 0.055in
thick, a figure PXG claims to be
the thinnest on the market. The
goal of this design is improved
responsiveness in the face.
After testing, we can say with
confidence that the consistency
of both speed and accuracy on
long-range putts validated this
bold design idea. Also included in
the quest to improve feel is a
polymer that is injected behind

The alignment

aids are subtle
but effective

the face. While we found this
noticeable when putting from
short range, longer-range putts
still felt a little harsh off the face
compared to other inserts that
we have tested.
Overall, the Bat Attack is a good
option for those seeking a
firmer-feeling model to help
inspire some confidence on the
greens. For £349, you get a lot of
putter for your money and a
distinctive headcover helps
distinguish it from the crowd.

Key technology
1 The pyramid face pattern now boasts more
aggressive milling, which is designed to improve
roll characteristics and create the sensation of a
fully milled putter.
2 The hollow body construction of the chassis
allows for mass to be positioned towards the
perimeter of the putter, producing up to a ten per
cent higher MOI than its predecessor.
3 A lightweight polymer injected into the body of
the putter behind the face helps dampen
vibrations to offer a better sound and feel.
Looks
Contrasting
colours is a growing
trend in mallet putters. We
love how PXG has executed it
here and it really helped
with our alignment
on the greens.

90

By Matt Cradock

Adidas MC80
shoe £140
GM verdict
Adidas has been spending the
last few years adapting shoe
silhouettes from its deep archive
for the golf course. While the likes
of the Stan Smith and Samba
have already made the journey
from street to fairway, it’s now
time for something a bit more
circumspect to join the line-up.
The ‘MC’ in the name stands for
Modern Classic and, in our
opinion, this new shoe certainly
lives up to this billing.
The full-grain
leather upper and
detailed
stitching mimic
the classic
styles from
FootJoy and
we think the
MC80 holds its
own against
similar models
from more
traditional shoe
designers.
There was a
solid amount of

Looks
The detailed
stitching across the
full-grain leather upper is a
classy touch and one that
elevates the overall
profile of this stylish
golf shoe.

comfort on offer out of the box
and, despite its more traditional
looks, the modern Boost
technology in the midsole
provided an almost ‘memory
foam mattress’ feel on the soles
of our feet. While the MC80 fits
true to size, the leather on the
back of the heel area rubbed a
fraction during the first couple of
rounds. Luckily, this was just part
of the breaking-in process, and
this part of the shoe quickly
moulded to the shape of our feet.
On the course, the TPU
spikeless outsole
does a fantastic
job of keeping
your feet
planted as you
swing. We
haven’t tested
them in damp
conditions yet,
but we are
confident this
outsole would be
able to handle
any dampness
underfoot. Adidas
has also cleverly

incorporated a Torsion bar into
the outsole alongside the TPU
nubs and the stability we felt
through the swing was
suitably impressive.
Available in four colours, we
feel £140 is a competitive price
considering the quality of build
and materials, while performance
is right up there with similar
brogue-style shoes on offer from
FootJoy, Ecco and G/Fore.

We felt the MC80

excelled, especially
in dry conditions

Key technology
1 Originally made for running shoes, the Boost
midsole technology offers an ideal blend of
cushioning and energy return for golf.
2 A TPU spikeless outsole with added Torsion bar for
stability offers a low-profile, grippy and stable
sensation as you move through the golf swing.
3 The full-grain leather upper combines with the
Insite sock liner for a soft, comfortable sensation
across the whole foot.
91

E Q U I P M E N T
R E V I E W S
By Sam De’Ath

TaylorMade
MG4 wedge £140
GM verdict
When we think of technological
advancements in golf equipment,
our minds tend to drift to the top
end of the bag, with drivers often
showing off the flashiest new
tech. However, with its new MG4
wedge, TaylorMade has flexed its
R&D muscles at an often
underappreciated end of the
bag. In this new model, there has
been an emphasis on combining
a more inviting profile with a
players’ wedge shape.
The MG4 does this via a slightly
more rounded topline, a larger
footprint and an improved hosel
blend when compared with its
MG3 predecessor.
The main talking point in this
wedge is the face. Run your
thumb over it and it feels coarse,
almost like sandpaper. The raw
face now boasts new Spin Tread
technology, which is a laseretched treatment aimed at
creating face roughness and, in
turn, more spin. This technology
has been designed in part to deal
with moisture management,
allowing water to escape the
surface of the
wedge for better
contact with the
golf ball.
Testing the MG4
over a handful of
damp summer
days, we were
suitably
impressed with
how quickly the
ball came to
attention on the
greens in
92

conditions that weren’t
conducive to spin. It’s also
worth mentioning the
CNC-milled soles, which we
felt gave the wedge a bit more
zip through the turf from tight lies.
There was also a noticeable
difference on fuller shots with the
MG4 wedge compared with
others we’ve tested this year. The
ball flight was slightly lower,
which we particularly enjoyed,
and it gave us a greater sense of
control. Peak heights were also
pretty consistent through the loft
range thanks to the progressive
toe-pad thickness. This means
you don’t get those frustrating
shots with higher-lofted wedges
where the ball just balloons up
into the wind.
With multiple bounce options
available, including various low-,
standard- and high-bounce
builds, as well as the TW grind
inspired by Tiger Woods, the MG4
is a resounding improvement
over MG3. It’s a versatile wedge
and we think it will suit a huge
range of golfers.

Looks
The CNCmilled sole
makes for a
distinctive look versus the
competition. We really
appreciated the slightly
larger footprint than
on the previous
MG3 model.

Key technology

We particularly

enjoyed hitting full
approach shots

1 Spin Tread technology in the face utilises laser
etching to channel away moisture and help retain
spin in wet conditions.
2 In total, there are 21 different options for loft, grind
and bounce – and that doesn’t include Tiger’s
special TW grind.
3 The unplated raw face will rust over time to
preserve consistent spin, while a slightly darker
tint on the finish minimises glare and blends with
the raw face.

Callaway Apex CB iron

Mileseey PF1 rangefinder

Mizuno M.Craft

This ticks all the boxes as a modern
players’ iron. The compact, sleek head
creates a classic look behind the ball
and one confident ball-strikers will
enjoy. Progressive CG throughout the
set creates optimal launch conditions
and impressive consistency in ball
flight. While there was a little drop-off in
workability compared with the MB iron,
the CB will certainly suit the majority of
mid- to low-handicap golfers who
appreciate a classic-looking iron.

This lightweight, competitively priced
rangefinder measured up well
compared to its pricier competition.
While it took a little longer to register
distances than some of the industry
leaders, the slope functionality worked
nicely and the distances provided were
accurate up to 300 yards. One slight
design flaw worth mentioning is the
inability to turn the slope function off,
therefore making this device illegal to
use in competition play.

Modern and minimalist in design, this
putter is visually stunning and offers
golfers who prefer the look of a blade
the sort of stability you’d expect from a
mallet. The range is available in three
finishes and we loved the combination
of chrome with the blacked-out shaft. It
also comes with an interchangeable
weight pack, which allows you to adjust
the putter to become lighter or heavier
depending on your preference.

£217 per club

£120

£279

Omoi 04 putter

Adidas Ultraboost shoe

Mizuno T24 wedge

Quad Lock Golf Kit

If out-and-out comfort is important to
you on the course, it’s worth checking
out this very casual golf shoe. The
Ultraboost provides extreme
breathability as well as a good level of
support around the heel – perfect for
walking the fairways on a hotter day.
While it is water resistant, it is not fully
waterproof and it’s worth noting that,
despite the added comfort on offer,
there are more stable spikeless golf
shoes on the market.

Arguably the best-looking wedge
released in 2023, the T24 is available in
three finishes and five bounce options.
The new Quadcut+ design sees the
groove pattern a little tighter and has
increased the spin on all types of shots.
All the bounce options offer a good
amount of heel and toe relief, making
these wedges extremely versatile, but
the compact heads are likely to be
more appealing for mid- to lowhandicap golfers.

For those who regularly use their phone
on the course to track stats or as a GPS
device, this clever phone holder should
improve your experience while playing.
Designed to strap onto the handle of
any electric or push trolley, the universal
mount takes no time at all to set up. It
comes with a phone case included and
you can select from Apple and Android
options. It’s a clever, stress-free design
that greatly enhances the use of a
smartphone on the course.

£185

£40

£140

93

E Q U I P M E N T
G R O U P

T E S T

By Sam De’Ath

Best 2023 wedges

aving the optimal
wedge set-up is a
crucial step to
ensuring a solid
short game.
Covering new releases and
models that have carried over
from 2022, we conducted our
testing indoors on a launch
monitor and out on the course
to help you identify which
clubs are right for your game.

H

L ooks
There is a great variety of
styles and shapes this year.
We’ve seen plenty of
manufacturers design models
with full-face grooves that
allow golfers to play even
more creative shots around
the green. It’s a look that can
take some getting used to, but
it’s well worth trying if you
often play wedge shots with a
very open face.
Across most of the new
releases, there are multiple
finish options available – ideal

Sam has tested
12 different
wedge models
in 2023

for those who want something
different in the bag. The Mizuno
T24 wedge is one that stands out
here and is available in three
finishes – satin chrome, copper
and a raw finish that will rust
over time. These wedges
maintain a very classic and
compact look when set behind
the ball, something that will no
doubt please Mizuno fans and
purists alike.
While there is
a good level of
variety in the
head sizes on
offer this year,
one wedge
that boasts

“IN VESTING IN A R E F INE D W ED G E
S ET- UP IS K EY IF YOU WA NT TO M A K E
T HE MOST OF T H ESE SCO R ING CLUBS”
Sam De’Ath, GM staff writer
94

shelf appeal while not looking
too intimidating behind the ball
is the Bettinardi HLX 5.0. Available
in a black and satin finish, this
club is forged from a soft carbon
steel and produces an
exceptional feel.
GM pick: Mizuno T24
F org i v e n e s s
While the majority of new wedges
are available in various bounce
and grind options, there are a few
that have been designed with
forgiveness at the forefront.
The Callaway CB wedge
boasts a large head with a fairly
thick topline to inspire

Callaway
CB (52°)

Cleveland
RTX 6 (54°)

Edel
SMS (54°)

Mizuno
T24 (56°)

Ping
Glide 4.0 (56°)

PXG
Sugar Daddy II (54°)

TaylorMade
MG4 (54°)

Titleist
Vokey SM9 (54°)

Ball speed
(mph)

54.9

53.1

52.7

52.3

52.8

52.3

52.6

53

Launch

33.7

27.3

28.1

27.6

28.9

29.1

28

28.2

Spin (rpm)

5,144

7,648

7,310

7,432

7,319

7,411

7,610

7,300

Peak height
(yards)

12.5

9

9

8

8

9

9

8

51

51

49

49

50

50

50

51

£149

£139

£225

£185

£159

£299

£159

£189

Carry
(yards)
RRP

* 50-yard pitch-shot test

particularly useful when playing
in damp and wet conditions, and
we were impressed with how well
the MG4 handled some
particularly damp testing days.
Alongside new wedges
introduced this calendar year,
there are still some terrific
performers that were launched in
2022, like the Ping Glide 4.0 and
the ever-popular Titleist Vokey
SM9. The SM9 is available in seven
different grind options, including
the newer ‘T’ grind, which has
been designed based on what is
popular among the professionals
on various tours.
For us, the TaylorMade MG4
stood out over its competitors in
terms of overall performance. It
looks fantastic in both the satin
and black finishes and the
contrasting raw face frames the
ball nicely at address. To cap it all
off, it produced a touch more spin
than the competition and offered
a lower ball flight, which helped
overall with control.
GM pick: TaylorMade MG4
confidence when rested behind
the ball – it also blends really well
with a cavity-back set of irons.
Similar in design, the Cobra
Snakebite X and Cleveland CBX
Full-Face II are also cavity-back
wedges that stand out from a
forgiveness standpoint. The
beauty of all three of these
options is that they perform
equally well on longer shots and
delicate chips.
While all three will help those
seeking forgiveness with their
short games, we feel as though
the Callaway CB ticks all the
boxes for a wedge of this type.
We think it looks the best of the
bunch and it offers a soft feel off

the face, thanks to Callaway’s
proprietary technologies.
GM pick: Callaway CB
P e r f o r m an ce
While we all want them to look
great in the bag, having wedges
that perform consistently well is
going to help you lower your
scores. While some of these
wedges boast raw faces that rust
over time to help the ball spin
more, we can’t definitively
conclude this is the case just yet.
One of the best wedges for
overall spin was the TaylorMade
MG4, which features new
Spin-Tread technology. This is

VERDICT
There’s certainly plenty of choice this
year, but the Mizuno T24 is our winner.
Those who prefer a traditionallooking club will adore the T24’s clean
lines, while the three finishes offer
plenty of variety when it comes to
looks. On the course, it produced high
levels of spin and made controlling
the ball from the rough a much
simpler task.

95

E Q U I P M E N T
T E S T

C E N T R E

By Dan Parker

ASK OUR
EX P E RT

What are the best clubs
to select for a threeclub challenge?
Alan Benfield, via email
I’d always opt for a hybrid
as the longest club in the
bag. It’ll give you decent
length off the tee and will
be very useful for any long
approach shots. You’ll
then need a mid-iron, I
tend to go for an 8-iron,
and then, presuming it’s
not included already, a
putter. You could always
putt with your hybrid if
you’re feeling bold and
would prefer to carry a
specialist wedge.
The Titleist Premium
carry bag

What’s the best pencil
bag you can buy?
Kyle Hill, via email
There are quite a few
pencil or ‘Sunday’ bags
out there nowadays, ideal
for a quick nine holes with
half a set. The best I’ve
tested so far is the
TaylorMade Quiver bag,
which comes built with
two small legs near the
club divider to keep it from
getting dirty when you rest
it on the ground. The
Titleist Premium carry bag
also features two small
legs built in, while the Sun
Mountain Leather Sunday
bag is a premium, classy
option if you want to
adopt a more old-school
look on the golf course.

96

Dan Parker on...

Subtle equipment changes
to play better winter golf

In one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs,
she reflects that ‘August slipped away
into a moment in time’. With the warmer
months now behind us, I’m trying not to
let the nostalgia of summer get the
better of me as I prepare to enjoy the
new challenges that winter golf brings.
You’ve no doubt already experienced
golf courses getting wetter, lies getting
muddier and greens getting slower now
we’re into autumn. With that comes
some new obstacles on the course, and I
think there are a few subtle equipment
changes that can make our lives easier.
The first thing I do once I get the
slightest whiff of a chilly breeze is
replace my driving iron with a 7-wood.
While the driving iron is a useful tool to
send steaming down a rock-hard

fairway, I always prefer to have a club
that carries further through the air when
I know the ball isn’t going to run out. A
higher-lofted wood or hybrid should
offer this and is far more versatile from
scrappy, muddy lies than a 3-iron.
Next up is my golf ball. Opting for a
firmer, more distance-orientated ball
should somewhat offset the drop in
distance from the colder temperatures
and softer fairways. I’d also consider a
higher bounce chipping wedge to
provide a little more margin for error
from those moist, iffy lies.
A final equipment change I make is my
bag. While I occasionally use my electric
trolley when allowed, I often opt for a
lightweight, fully waterproof carry bag
over the winter. You’ve got to be ready
for any conditions this time of year and
the materials on waterproof stand bags
easily wipe clean when mud inevitably
works its way onto the surface.
There’s plenty of golf to relish across
autumn and winter. Making some subtle
changes can make golf that much more
enjoyable when faced with the unique
challenges of the changing seasons.
Autumn and winter golf bring
their own set of challenges

H EA D TO
H EA D

Ping G430 Max driver

Cobra Aerojet driver

Loft: 9°
Shaft: Ping Tour 2.0 60S

Loft: 9°
Shaft: Diamana Kai’li 60S

£525

£429

Looks
Ping has done a fantastic job, retaining the
turbulators on the crown from G425 while adding
some smart additional contouring. We found the
shape of the head pleasingly round and the new
accent colours give it a lot of shelf appeal.

While we love the glossy carbon finish of the crown,
the shape of the head may divide opinion. Slightly
more conical than the Ping, it is a look that takes
some getting used to. However, the sole is beautiful
thanks to carbon highlights and smart accents.

9~9
Feel/sound

Ping has massively improved the acoustics from the
G425. The high-pitched sound has been replaced
with a deep but lively thud that provides good
feedback at impact. With sound and feel so closely
linked, this gives the G430 a denser feel at impact.
The Ping G430 Max is difficult to fault in regards to
overall performance on the golf course. Across our
testing, we enjoyed high ball speeds, a strong ball
flight and a real sensation of stability, making this
driver a standout performer in its class.

The Aerojet feels quicker off the face than the G430,
something that will appeal to many. It’s a slightly
lower-pitched sound than other drivers on the
market, but the liveliness of the strike really makes
you feel ball speed has been maximised.

9~9
Performance

Cobra has produced an excellent driver that we
found performed especially well in terms of ball
speed. While the ball flight was higher than we had
in the G430 Max, the head technology seemed to
manage overall spin really well.

10~9
Forgiveness

Mishits performed extremely well during our testing.
Even the poorest of contacts produced a very
playable result, both in terms of left-to-right
dispersion and distance. Impressively too, it retained
a pleasant feel from these off-centre strikes.

9~9
Overall appeal

The G430 Max is one of the standout drivers of 2023.
Ping has made really significant improvements from
the already popular G425, particularly in regards to
the feel and sound. This driver will suit a huge variety
of players and has plenty of fitting options.

46

9~8
Totals/50

The Aerojet also provides great assistance when you
miss the middle of the face, and it was particularly
impressive in terms of retaining ball speed. We
found that some pretty average strikes were
minimally affected in terms of distance.
The Aerojet is a strong performer, particularly in
terms of ball speed. The unique head shape does
serve its purpose in terms of aerodynamics. We
think this driver is ideally suited to players looking to
retain maximum ball speed from mishits.

44
97

E Q U I P M E N T
B U Y E R S ’

G U I D E

By Dan Parker

The TaylorMade
FlexTech

Crossover (£189)

Stand bags

is a premium
example of a

hybrid stand bag

At 1.6kg, the Big
Max Dri Lite

Feather (£169.99)
really lives up to
its name

The Ping Hoofer

Monsoon (£280)

is the waterproof
model in the

Hoofer series

A stand bag is a loyal servant
when it comes to carrying and
protecting your precious golf
clubs on the course. With the
overwhelming choice in this
particular part of the market, it’s
important to make sure a stand
bag meets all your needs.
When considering a new bag
and which model will be best, it
often comes down to the type of
conditions you play in and how
many extra-curricular items you
like to carry. For the all-weather
golfer, a fully waterproof stand
bag is a must, while those
fair-weather players can get by
without. Those who always carry
a full set of 14 clubs might want

to consider a model with a
14-way divider, while others who
want to lighten the load for a
quick nine holes will enjoy the
clever storage features and
lightweight build of some smaller
stand bags.
Hybrid stand bags are
incredibly versatile pieces of
equipment that are as adept on
a golf trolley as they are on your
back. They are built with universal
bases that will allow them to sit
flush on pretty much any electric
or push trolley. If you carry and
push across the year, one of
these is a must-have.
Here, we’ve highlighted a
selection of our favourite stand
bags from 2023 and divided them
into sub-categories to help get
your search off to a quick start.

Top buying tips
1 Hybrid golf bags can be carried and used on a
trolley interchangeably. This is a sensible
investment if you often find yourself doing both.
2 A waterproof bag is essential if you play all year
round. While most bags come with a waterproof
valuables pocket, a stand bag built with fully
waterproof materials brings total peace of mind.
3 While not everyone’s cup of tea, a 14-way divider
is the optimal storage solution for clubs,
especially if you always carry a full allocation.

“EV E N THE S M A L L EST, L I G HTEST BAG
CA N CA R RY A FUL L S ET O F CLUBS A N D
ACC ESSO R I ES W I TH R EL ATI V E EAS E”
Dan Parker, GM staff writer

Wilson Exo Lite £165

Sun Mountain Eco Lite £229

Weighing just 1.8kg, this neat bag
has a full-length apparel pocket,
a magnetic rangefinder pocket
and well-placed bottle storage
that’s always in reach.

Made from up to 30 recycled
plastic bottles, this bag boasts
four pockets, a neat four-way
divider and some bright colour
options, all coming in at just 1.8kg.

Titleist Players 5 StaDry £275

BEST
WATERPROOF

With ample storage and a
five-way divider, this fully
waterproof bag uses premium
materials and has a superbly
comfortable strap system.

Lighter than its predecessor at
2.3kg, this bag is made for easy
carrying. It also integrates
seamlessly with Motocaddy’s
electric and push trolleys.

This bag boasts a unique
eight-way divider where woods
go down the side. It’s also
available in some bold colours
and a variety of patterns.

BEST FOR
STORAGE

A total of nine pockets and a
five-way divider mean this bag
has ample storage for
accessories and zero club
crowding, even from a full set.

The 11 pockets are crowned by a
magnetic rangefinder pocket,
well-placed bottle storage and a
large apparel pocket with
internal storage.

A clever Swivel Strap system
allows the bag to adjust with you
as you move up and down side
slopes, while the five-way divider
offers excellent club storage.

At just 1.5kg, this bag still
comfortably carries a full set of
14 clubs. What’s more, nine
pockets offer more than enough
accessory storage.

Ogio All Elements Hybrid £269

Ping Hoofer £185

Cobra Ultradry Pro £229

Mizuno K1-LO £245

Motocaddy HydroFlex £219.99

TaylorMade FlexTech £189

BEST OF
THE REST

BEST
LIGHTWEIGHT

Big Max Dri Lite Hybrid Tour £199
A 14-way club divider makes for
zero club crowding, while the
universal base and leg strap will
allow this bag to fit snugly onto
any golf trolley.

Callaway Fairway C HD £249

PXG Fairway Camo £249

This fully waterproof bag weighs
just 2kg and features a sizeable
apparel pocket, as well as a deep,
fleece-lined pocket to store and
protect valuables.

One of the best-looking stand
bags on the market, it utilises
carbon fibre legs and a custommoulded base for ultimate
versatility and style.
99

COURSES
Edited by Jeremy Ellwood & Rob Smith

Ea st Su ssex Natio na l
By R OB SMI T H

~

Ph o to graph y GE TTY IMAGE S

aving worked extensively with Jack Nicklaus,
architect Bob Cupp was engaged to design
both courses on the 11,000-acre site at East
Sussex National. They opened for play in 1990,
with the club originally operating as an exclusive
members-and-guests-only development. This
soon changed, with first the East course and
more recently the West opened to visitors.
Cupp’s training and heritage are clearly in evidence
all the way. The courses run through archetypal, lush
English countryside, while at the same time having a
distinctly American look and feel. Despite his extensive
102

architectural output, these were to be his only designs
in Europe. Now, with its 104-bedroom hotel and various
dining options, East Sussex National makes for an
excellent golfing break.
C h a m p i on s h i p p e d i g re e
With its stadium-like design, the East course always
looked as though it had been built with tournament
play in mind. It was not long until this became the
case, with the hosting of back-to-back European
Opens from 1993. This was then one of the leading
events on tour, with the previous two having been

M U S T PL AY

contested at Sunningdale and Walton Heath. In
1993, the leading finishers included Seve
Ballesteros, Darren Clarke and Ian Woosnam,
with Gordon Brand Junior sprinting away to a
seven-shot victory. The following year, David
Gilford won his sixth and final tour event. Since
then, the West has hosted the Challenge Tour
and European Tour qualifying.
Thi rty six adventur e s
The courses cover a pleasingly expansive
acreage, much of it tree-lined, meaning there are
few opportunities to stray onto the wrong hole.
The East opens with a welcoming par 4 where the
only trouble should be the stream that protects

E S S E NT I A L S
Address:
Little Horsted,
Uckfield, East
Sussex, TN22 5ES
Stats: East course:
par 72, 6,757 yards;
West course:
par 72, 6,625 yards
GF: round: £65wd,
£80we

the green. This is actually the same meandering
waterway you will need to avoid at various points
on both courses. The next two holes head to the
southernmost point on the property, following
which the prevailing wind should help as you
head in the opposite direction back up to the
attractively bunkered par-5 7th. The back nine
opens with a risk-reward par 5, but few will
dispute that the 16th and 17th, both testing and
both over water, are the real stars.
The West is every bit as challenging, with
perhaps more seclusion due to the topography.
It boasts plenty of excellent holes, such as the
lovely short 3rd, the dogleg 10th and the exciting
trio of par 5, 3 and 4 from the 12th.
103

C O U R S E S
T H E

T R A V E L L I N G

G O L F E R

By Rory Anderson

Dreaming of Italy
Rory Anderson heads to Piedmont to discover why it
should be on any golfer’s list of destinations to visit

’ve been lucky enough to
do some amazing things
during my years travelling
the world making golf
videos, and one of the
most memorable came six
years ago when I had the
chance to play golf with
Edoardo Molinari in Piedmont in
Italy. I met Dodo, as he’s
affectionately known, when he
was back at his home club, Royal
104

Park I Roveri, shooting a video for
the European Tour while I was
playing and filming at a number
of courses in the region on behalf
of Italy Golf & More.
I can honestly say that Edoardo
is one of the nicest and most
entertaining people I have ever
filmed with – and I walked off the
18th green smiling and very much
a Molinari fan. This all happened
during a spell when I was lucky

enough to be playing golf in Italy
regularly. It’s safe to say I was
hooked on golf in this fantastic
country and I was determined to
promote it any way I could. And
so, when the opportunity came
this summer to return to
Piedmont and continue to
explore this up-and-coming
destination, I jumped at it.
Make no mistake about it,
Piedmont, in Italy’s north-west, is

Bogogno Golf Resort
enjoys a stunning
mountain backdrop

The 1st on the Blue
course at Torino GC

a region that is serious
about golf and features
more than 50 courses
covering a variety of
different terrain. With many of
them regularly featuring in
leading national and European
ranking lists, it can arguably be
labelled as the top golf
destination in Italy.
First up was Bogogno Golf
Resort, which sits close to the
beautiful Lake Maggiore and is
less than an hour from Milan. I had
played both Robert von Haggedesigned layouts in 2017 and it
was great to see they were every
bit as good as I remembered.
The Conte course is a par-72
layout with a design reminiscent
of an American-style stadium
course, while the neighbouring
Bonora course has more of a
parkland feel.
Sitting in the foothills of the Alps,
Golf Club Biella – Le Betulle is a bit
off the beaten track, but is well
worth making the effort to find
and play. Rory McIlroy certainly
enjoyed himself in 2007 when he
shot 65 on his way to winning the
European Amateur Championship.
Dating back to the 1950s, the
par-73 parkland course is set
along the slopes of the Serra
Moraine and the design is

distinctly English,
bearing the
trademarks of
architect John
Morrison. The
clubhouse boasts a
very warm,
welcoming vibe too
– it’s a great place
to chill out and enjoy
some delicious
Italian food (more on that later)
after a few hours toiling away on
the course.

Allianz Bank course was
designed by Michael Hurdzan
and Dana Fry and transformed
the club into a 36-hole venue
when it opened in 2006.
Id yllic lo ca tio ns
And then there is Circolo Golf
Torino – La Mandria, just a stone’s
Set amid the glorious setting of
throw from Royal Park and the
La Mandria Regional Park, Royal
site for two courses (the Blue and
Park has always been one of the
the Yellow). Unlike his brother,
most exclusive golf clubs in
2018 Open Champion Francesco
Piedmont, with Molinari one of its
Molinari chooses to base himself
long-standing members (he has
here and practise in a beautiful
a house in the grounds and an
landscape of woods, streams
academy there).
and lakes, with a premium on
Robert Trent Jones Snr’s first
accurate approach play.
course in Italy, the Allianz, is a
So the golf is pretty good, but
four-time host of the Italian Open
what is Piedmont like away from
and boasts stunning views
the fairways? The simple
of the Alps as it winds its
answer is it definitely
way through a mixture
matches up in all
of tree-lined
departments.
fairways and
Unsurprisingly given
babbling
its Italian location,
streams. The
Piedmont enjoys
newer
a reputation
Piedmont is the second-largest
as a culinary
region in Italy, behind Sicily. It
paradise
and the
literally means ‘at the foot of
options to
the mountains’ and its
experience its
largest city
cuisine are endless.
is Turin.
The cheese, meats,
truffles and Barolo wine
should certainly not be
missed. What’s more, Turin has
more than 50 museums to
explore, including the
Automobile Museum, which,
complete with an impressive
collection of Ferraris, is well
worth a visit.
With its location close to the
Alps, Piedmont is probably more
of a seasonal golf destination
than a winter sunspot. It may also
not be the answer for a ‘lads’ trip,
but if you want to combine
outstanding golf with the chance
to experience a more
sophisticated vibe off the course,
this is definitely a break for you.
Edoardo ‘Dodo’ Molinari is one of the
Pasta, pizza and the occasional
par; what’s not to like?
members at Royal Park I Roveri

2

105

C O U R S E S
O N

T O U R

By Rob Smith

WEST CO RNWALL
Cornwall is a fabulously beautiful county and its westernmost and less
well-known courses take full advantage of its scenic surroundings

M ull i on
I was delighted to finally play Mullion this summer,
even on a day when a four- to five-club wind, in the
wrong direction, saw its friendly members raising
their eyebrows at this madman and his friends
heading out to play two rounds. The UK’s most
southerly course enjoys a beautiful clifftop location,
and it’s the middle section that impresses the most.
The 6th is an eye-catching, precipitous short par
4, the 7th an excellent two-shotter out towards
scenic Gunwalloe Church and the 8th a lovely par 3
parallel to the beach. The 10th is a cracker, back
down the slope before skirting a perilous pit on the
right, while the 149-yard 11th required driver for us all
in the afternoon!
There are fine holes before and after these, but it’s
the setting, the views and the timeless ambience
that make Mullion such a special place.
Par 70, 6,053 yards
GF: £50-£75
SHOWSTOPPER

Falmouth has benefitted
from recent investment
CLIFFTOP THRILLS

F a lm o uth
Falmouth is the beneficiary of two fine recent
additions. Adjacent to its clifftop course is a brand
new clubhouse offering delicious food and friendly
service. There are fine vistas out over the bay and
also over the new finishing hole that opened this
summer – a par 3 that raises real hopes of a birdie
to finish. Something of a parkland-downland hybrid,
there’s a great deal of fun to be had regardless of
labels, with plenty of variety and far-reaching views.
Par 70, 6,368 yards
GF: £45wd, £50we
106

Photography: Rob Smith

Never a dull moment
at Cape Cornwall

Mullion’s 8th is one of
its many highlights

C a p e C o r n wa ll

LOCAL KNOWL E DG E

No-one who has played here is
ever going to say that the design
or indeed the topography of this
exceptional course mean it is
going to host The Open anytime
soon. But hopefully what they will
all agree on is that this undulating
and truly unique course is packed
with feel-good factor,
invigorating intrigue and pictureperfect panoramas. For anyone
who is looking for golf that is
fresh, different, original and the
antithesis of the formulaic, Cape
Cornwall has it all and more.

Stay
Cape Cornwall, St Just
Relatively new owners at Cape Cornwall have
been busy transforming not just the course but
the whole resort. The boutique hotel has 15
comfortable, peaceful and refurbished rooms,
and there is an indoor swimming pool and spa
plus a state-of-the-art gym. There is an excellent
and frequently changing menu available and all
of this in a truly breathtaking location.

Par 70, 5,672 yards
GF: £40, four-ball for £125
TAKE YOUR CAMERA

Where to go
Nearby golf includes the hugely enjoyable
courses at West Cornwall/Lelant and
Perranporth, but there is much to see and do,
with historic St Michael’s Mount, countless
charming harbours and beaches, fabulous
coastal walking, the Minack Theatre and a great
deal more. The Eden Project and Tintagel are
also within easy reach.

Truro is the definition
of a hidden gem

Trur o
For two reasons, please do not be put off by the
apparently modest yardage of this quite delightful
course. One is that the tree-lined fairways, frequent
doglegs and gentle undulations, as well as six short
holes, all mean it can play substantially longer. The
other is that it is the very definition of a hidden gem,
with great charm and beauty. Boasting architectural
input from both Harry Colt and James Braid, it offers
exceptional value for money.
Par 67, 5,372 yards
GF: £37.50wd, £42.50we
PERFECT PARKLAND
107

Jeremy Ellwood shares his thoughts on some
of the toughest courses he has played within
the UK&I’s rich and varied golfing shores

H
Y

A
A

R
R

D
D

Phot og r a p hy GE TTY IMAGE S, LARRY LAMBRE CHT

108

S

arious factors determine how
tough or otherwise a course is,
among them length, bunkering,
tightness of drives and
approaches, nature of the terrain
and, of course, the skill level of
the golfer. Some courses might
be fearsome off the back tees, yet a little more
friendly if you wisely choose to venture forward. A
few are just hard, full stop.
I now play my golf among the artisans at Royal
Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, where the white tees
are viewed with a degree of trepidation among the
membership. Not that it’s particularly long by

The par-3 4th on
the Nicklaus course
at St Mellion

modern standards at just under 6,600 yards, but, for
some, those extra 300 yards over the yellows are just
enough to tip the balance between playability and
too daunting a task to keep out of the punishing
heather. This is particularly the case on holes like the
par-5 12th, where the carry over the purple stuff off
the tips may be a bridge too far for some unless the
wind is lending some assistance.

109

T he O p e n co u r s e s
I have been fortunate enough to play all The Open
venues past and present, some many times, and,
given The R&A’s desire to thoroughly test the best
players in the world, it should come as no surprise
that some of our Open venues feature here.
Carnoustie is regarded by many as the very
toughest of our Open Championship links, with
1999’s infamous Open perhaps taking it to extremes.
There are two main reasons for its reputation. First,
there’s the superbly strategic bunkering that places
a huge emphasis on positional play throughout the
round. Then, whether or not you manage to evade
the sand, it probably boasts the scariest three-hole
finishing stretch in the UK&I. In the 2018 Open, this
trio demanded that players fend off the Barry Burn
and cover 1,207 yards in a mere 11 blows to match
par, with the par-3 16th all but 250 yards and the
par-4 18th one yard shy of 500 yards.
Many a player at all levels has come a cropper
here with the hotel and finishing line in sight,
although, truth be told, the most infamous of all – a
certain Mr Van de Velde – was initially undone by an
unfortunate ricochet off a grandstand stanchion
before the madness ensued.
Down on the north-west coast of England, Royal
Birkdale and Royal Lytham & St Annes both pose
stern tests. Birkdale probably boasts the toughest
opening hole on the Open rota – a 450-yard par 4
that almost plays like a double-dogleg on the
ground – before then asking question after question
as it threads along the valleys between the dunes.
Lytham is also supremely well bunkered and
blessed with a finishing quartet to strike fear into the
heart of any Open challenger, despite length not
being the primary issue. Just ask Adam Scott, who
bogeyed all four in 2012’s final round to lose out.

At Aldeburgh, there
are four par 4s
over 400 yards

M or e t o u g h i e s
Down in Cornwall, the Jack Nicklaus Signature
course at St Mellion is a former European Tour venue
(and now Challenge Tour course) that is as
unrelentingly beautiful as it is demanding. Several
greens are cut unfeasibly into steep slopes,

110

The stunning
Sandy Hills course
at Rosapenna

including the 3rd, 4th and 14th. The 4th presents a
fearsomely narrow target with no margin for error
right and not much to shout about left either. It’s
wise to not worry too much about your score here.
For most golfers, myself included, length is a major
factor when it comes to toughness, but our next two
are tough even if you’re not playing from the tips.
The Wales National course at The Vale Resort
stretches to almost 7,500 yards and features Wales’
longest par 5 in the 607-yard 2nd. But water, tricky
doglegs and occasionally very tight landing zones
pose additional challenges throughout.
And don’t be fooled by the drivable-par-4,
wedge-par-3 start to Walton Heath’s New course. As
you make your way round, you may notice some
tiny tees way back in the heather on the back nine,
from where the inward half measures 36 yards short
of 4,000! As if that wasn’t enough, there is abundant
heather lining most holes and it’s all but impossible
to stay out of it completely.
I did once play off those tips with former GM
editor Mike Harris, and while it was fun as a one off, I
doubt I’ll ever venture back there
again. Those of a nervous
disposition may want to look
away now as I run down the
individual hole lengths on a back
nine featuring two par 5s and
one par 3… 202, 440, 490, 570, 412,
413, 607, 396 and 434. Make the
most of the 17th!
A quick nod here, too, to the
21st-century Sandy Hills links at
Rosapenna in County Donegal,
designed by Pat Ruddy. It is a
breathtaking spot to play golf, but
with hole after hole threading
their way through the tall dunes,
often with thick rough on both
sides, there’s little room for error.
Bring your ‘A’ game here,
especially if the wind is up.

H A R D YA R DS
S p e ci fi c r e a s o n s
I’ve already gone into a few
specifics above, but the
toughness of this next quintet
really revolves around a single
difficulty factor, but not always
the same one. At Woodhall Spa’s
Hotchkin course in Lincolnshire
and Ganton in Yorkshire, it’s very
much about the bunkering.
The bunker counts tops 100 at
both, but much more than that,
it’s about their depth, even
though some at Woodhall have
now been softened a touch. Both
are blessed – if that’s the right
word – with some of the deepest
bunkers of any inland layout
within these shores (an
honourable mention here, too, to
Colin Montgomerie’s course at
Carton House in Ireland) and that
means unerring accuracy is
required. From many of them, you simply won’t be
able to progress your ball very far at all.
At Rockliffe Hall near Darlington, it’s all about
length, with the course one of the very longest in
Europe off the gold tees at 7,879 yards. That’s nearly
4.5 miles of walking. The shortest – yes, shortest –
par 4 is the 399-yard 18th, and three par 5s exceed
600 yards (the 7th is 664 yards!). Thankfully, the
yellow tees are a more manageable 6,455 yards.
On the theme of par 4s and par 5s, Aldeburgh in
Suffolk is a thorough test because it offers you none
of the latter and 12 of the former over 400 yards off
the tips. This mix of no par 5s and many testing par
4s means birdie chances can be few and far
between, with the course’s quartet of par 3s all
keenly protect by sand, too.
And then, extended finishing stretches don’t come
any tougher than at Royal Cinque Ports on the Kent
coast. When you turn for home from the 12th, you will
invariably be playing into the wind all the way, with
the par-5 16th often your only real opportunity. Even
then, it’s no pushover at 549 yards off the black tees.
You’d better have made a score on the way out!

P ar t i n g s h o t s
Finally, a brief mention for a
couple of other courses that have
struck me when it comes to
toughness over the years. Many
moons ago, a slightly younger me
was pottering round the Duke’s
course at St Andrews on his own. I
clocked on the scorecard that
the 6th, 7th and 8th measured
596, 513 (par 4!) and 250 yards
respectively off the tips, so
decided to see if I could par my
way through them. Only an
average chip on the 8th, after
coming up just short, prevented
me from achieving my goal.

The fiendish
closing hole at
Slaley Hall

And Thetford in Norfolk has always struck me as a
bit of a one off for a long-established members’ club
as it stretches to 6,680 yards off the yellows. A tough
test indeed, especially as heather, gorse, pine and
other trees line hole after hole on this heathland
layout, where James Braid and Philip Mackenzie Ross
(of Turnberry fame) both lent a design hand.
So, there you have it – and you will no doubt have
memories of other courses, both lauded and
unheralded, that have proved particularly
demanding. Length is clearly a major factor, but as
Nick Ross used to say, “Don’t have nightmares”. Do
remember that, where length is the primary
difficulty factor, forward tees will be available to
significantly soften the blow and ensure most
courses can still be enjoyed by most golfers.

F ea r s o m e f ina le s
You’ll sometimes wish golf were a 17-hole game at
these five courses, which boast 18th holes to keep you
on your toes all the way to the clubhouse…
C R OW B O R O U G H
B E ACO N
par 4, 443 yards
The closing hole at my old
home club is a long, uphill,
right-to-left dogleg where
rough and heather on the left
obscure much of the fairway
from the tee. Oh, and the
green slopes significantly
down from back to front.
ROLLS OF
MONMOUTH
par 3, 224 yards
Length is one issue here, as is
the water short right awaiting
anything not quite flushed.
Yes, the tee is elevated, but
that can hinder when playing
into the wind.

S L A L E Y H AL L
H U N T I N G COURSE
par 4, 455 yards
This long, narrow, enclosed
par 4 plays gently uphill to a
raised green via a fairway
that pinches in further
around driving distance.
They say the 18th should
never be SI1, but this one is!
G E R R A R DS CRO SS
par 4, 440 yards
It may be downhill, but this
hole just doesn’t suit the
average golfer’s left-to-right
shape as it turns sharp left
and down to a green just
beyond the River Misbourne.
If you can hit a draw, you
may wonder what all the fuss
is about; if you can’t, you’ll
know all too well.
HIGH POST
par 4, 411 yards
Shades of Crowborough,
albeit a bit shorter and less
uphill. There’s added
difficulty via a fairway that
slopes awkwardly away to
the right against the gentle
dogleg. Straying into the
left-hand rough will leave a
longer and tougher
approach over bunkers.

111

C O U R S E S
H I D D E N

G E M S

By Rob Smith

Th e M3 c o r r i d o r
These five diverse beauties are all conveniently close to the
motorway connecting London and Southampton

Windlesham
Fast approaching its 30th anniversary, this attractive
design on the Surrey/Berkshire border is mature
beyond its years. It runs over gently undulating
parkland, with streams and ponds that add to
both strategy and challenge. The 1st is a real

112

beauty – a tough par 4 with water awaiting anything
short – while the excellent par-4 17th is a beautiful
sting in the tail, with a diagonal ditch guarding the
green and a pond hidden away on the left. In an area
packed with premium golf, Windlesham is a
welcome and welcoming alternative.
GF: 18 holes: £80 Wed & Fri

The
beautiful
par-3 6th at
Windlesham
stretches to almost 200
yards and plays over water,
with a cavernous
bunker waiting
on the right.

Photography: Kevin Murray, Andy Hiseman, Rob Smith

Stoneham
The constantly improving course and facilities at
Stoneham are gaining ever-greater attention.
Featuring in our Next 100, the club dates back to 1908
and is tucked away in the suburbs of Southampton.
It was designed by Willie Park Jr and runs over an old
deer park, with plenty of specimen trees adding to
the visual delight and need for straight hitting. There
is a state-of-the-art academy and practice range,
but the greatest draw is the course itself.
GF: 18 holes: £115 Mon, Tue & Thu

Hartley Wintney
In extending the course to a full 18 in 2000, every
opportunity was taken to create as much variety as
possible. This eclectic mix of the old and the
fast-maturing new has resulted in a par-71 layout
that calls for accuracy and length in equal measure.
The greatest challenge comes at a number of tough
two-shotters, with arguably the sternest test saved
until last, a fiendish left-to-right dogleg. Renowned
for its friendly welcome, this is a lovely club.
GF: 18 holes: £60wd, £65we

Hockley
Beautifully positioned in the hills above Winchester,
Hockley GC was founded in 1914. Its downland design
is from the fertile imagination of the great James
Braid, and his influence endures to this day on a
course where views are to the fore. A quartet of par
4s cleverly take you gently upwards from the
clubhouse, following which there is plenty of
interesting and attractive golf. You then come back
to earth via the downhill par-5 closing hole.
GF: 18 holes: £75wd (after 12:00), £80we (after 14:00)

North Hants
Boasting a fine heritage with architectural input
originally from James Braid and then Harry Colt and
Tom Simpson, the course opened for play in 1904.
Just over 20 years ago, three new holes were
designed by Donald Steel, and soon after this, the
excellent new clubhouse opened. Unusually, each
nine opens with a par 3, both of which are very good
indeed. The par-5 3rd is a beauty, and the course
has more than its fair share of excellent holes.
GF: 18 holes: £120 Mon-Thu, £150 Fri-Sun
113

Illustration: Peter Strain

Bill Elliott
After all the stuff that had gone
before, especially the irritating LIV
bits, what a month September
was. The three big competitions
over four weeks offered much of
what Rory McIlroy rightly called
‘pure golf’ to savour and enjoy.
There was a pleasant, refreshing
breeze about these rumbles, with
no big cheques handed over –
unless you count the $200,000
each member of the USA Ryder
Cup team received for the charity
of their choice. Instead, it was get
up, stand up and play up for
yourself, your country/continent/

the Elliott family golf season, a season that consists of not many rounds
at Goodwood and a final flourish at West Hill near Woking, one of my
three favourite places to play the game in the whole wide world.
My sons, Simon and James, and I compete for what we like to call the
‘smallest trophy in golf’. It’s a plastic figure – a tad under 7ins high – from
my 40th birthday cake of a wee man wearing a flat cap taking a swipe
at a ball while enjoying a cigarette atop a wooden plinth. It has brass
inserts upon which are inscribed the winner of this enthralling tussle for
each of the 30-something years it has been contested.
Through those early years, one name dominates. Mine! Not only were
my sons still coming to terms with a game slightly more complex than
the football they favoured, but they were quite busy with various
studies, several girlfriends and the ever-present lure of something
called ‘the pub’. I was younger, fitter, healthier and far too competitive
for my own good to do anything other than thrash the living daylights
out of the pair of them. This pleased me hugely.
No longer is this the case. I’m
older, less fit, my back hurts and I
tend to hate the last few holes of
any course as the desire to take a
nap begins to overcome what
remains of that competitive
nature. However, this year I tried
harder to play more, to practise a
bit and to ignore those bits of my
body that are easing their way
into permanent retirement.
It almost worked, too. By the 18th
I was tied with James – he
irritatingly hits the ball an average 300 yards off the tee, but his short
game is largely on a long sabbatical – and I knew this was my great
chance to once again be a champion. As if. While James pulled off a
neat, impressive par, I found heather (twice) and a bunker and failed to
gather a single Stableford point. What may have been my last chance
went as swiftly as it had arrived.
Did I care? A wee bit, but not much. We’d had too much fun on an
immaculate West Hill course, framed by blue sky and further enhanced
by one of the best halfway huts in the business. It was following a bacon
sandwich there that I managed some consolation when I secured the
Mama Trophy, which my wife some years ago had made for closest to
the pin, in this case an 8-iron to two feet at the 138-yard 13th. Thank you.
Our gratitude goes to the club and its genial secretary Patrick Dawson
for hosting us. Patrick says we may return next year when, hopefully, my
teenage grandson Seb will join us as his own golf game gathers
reassuring pace after an initial cloak of apathy. If he wins, then my time
here will not have been entirely wasted.
Onward, almost certainly sideways and, inevitably, into a bunker. Or
heather. What joy chums, what joy.

“ T h e We e M a n i s t h e h i g h l y
anticipated climax to the
E l l i o t t f a m i l y g o l f s e a s o n”

Golf Monthly’s
editor-atlarge and Golf
Ambassador
for Prostate
Cancer UK
114

team-mates/family/friends and,
yes, the fans, who laid out hardearned dosh to make the trip to
Spain, Italy or, indeed, Surrey.
What’s that I hear you cry,
Surrey? What’s Surrey got to do
with this? Oh c’mon, you must
have read the reports, noted the
controversy and savoured the
ongoing drama of the annual
Elliott Invitational, popularly known
as the Wee Man trophy. Oh hang
on, there weren’t any reports and
there wasn’t any controversy or
drama, unless you were there to
witness the final two holes. Which,
of course, you weren’t.
The Wee Man, you may recall, is
the highly anticipated climax to

GOLF
TRAVEL 24

La Reserva Club, Sotogrande – one of Europe’s most exciting golf destinations

Start planning your next adventure

EUROPE

GLENEAGLES

REST OF WORLD

We visit destinations in Spain,

Is this the UK’s best

America, South Africa,

stay-and-play resort?

Morocco and more!

Portugal, Italy and Ireland

W E L C O M E

TURN DREAMS
INTO REALITY
10
There’s simply no denying it – the
weather is officially on the turn and the
next few months will be filled with rainy
days, boggy golf courses and cold
mornings. You can either accept your
fate and soldier on until next spring, or
give yourself some respite in the form of
a golf break to warmer climes.
That said, some of the destinations
we’ve travelled to in Great Britain and
Ireland are joyous places to visit all year
round. On page 8, Michael Weston takes
a trip to Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands,
while on page 10, Michael Harris heads to
Gleneagles, one of the stars of the show
when it comes to British golf.
But if your heart is set on sunshine, you
might want to venture further afield.
Europe is home to some stunning golf
courses and we’ve visited resorts in both
Portugal and Spain, but for something a
bit different, why not follow in Team
Europe’s footsteps and journey to Marco
Simone in Rome?
America is full of world-class golf and,
on page 38, Monty McPhee heads off to
Hilton Head in South Carolina. Monty also
travels to fabulous South Africa on page
34. Elsewhere, Michael Weston visits
Morocco and we take a tour of some
other noteworthy courses dotted around
the globe.
We hope this supplement provides
you with plenty of inspiration for your
next trip and, as always, happy golfing!

Cover image La Reserva
Club, Sotogrande, Spain
Photography Kevin Murray,
Getty Images, Jacob
Sjoman, Your Golf Travel,
James Hogg

24

CONTENTS
6 -1 3 – UK & I R E LAND
1 4 -20 – SPA I N
22-25 – PO RTUGAL
26 -27 – I TA LY
28 -3 3 – M O R O CC O
34 -3 7 – SO UTH AF RI C A
38 - 4 1 – USA
42-5 1 – WO R L D TOU R

42
3

E N G L A N D

AN OPEN SECRET
The historic Prince’s on the Kent coast offers 27 holes of challenging links golf
and first-rate accommodation, making it the ideal spot for a winter getaway

Even those with a fairly decent knowledge of Open history can
sometimes forget that Prince’s, too, is an Open venue, along
with Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports, which sit
alongside it on the Kent coast.
Gene Sarazen introduced his revolutionary sand wedge to
the golfing world here en route to lifting the Claret Jug back in
1932, but 91 years down the line, the Prince’s of today bears little
resemblance to the 18-hole course over which The Squire
triumphed. There are now 27 holes for a start, but, to be fair,
even they bear relatively little resemblance to how they looked
and played seven years ago, thanks to a major upgrade and
restyling at the hands of Martin Ebert.
All three nines – Dunes, Shore and Himalayas – are now
liberally decorated once more with the kind of vast open sand
scrapes that the old aerial photographs showed were very
much a feature of the pre-war Prince’s. There are also many
superb new greenside run-off areas and hollows that allow a
variety of different shot options around the greens.
There are brand new holes, too, with both the Himalayas and
Shore nines acquiring beautiful, sea-facing par 3s, which
mercifully aren’t 200+ yards. All these improvements have seen
the Shore/Himalayas combination climb further to 74th spot in
the Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 this year.
The club hosted Open Final Qualifying from 2018 to 2022, and
in June this year staged the 120th edition of the Women’s
Amateur Championship, won by Germany’s Chiara Horder.

The Lodge

opened in 2012
and offers 38
bedrooms

As if 27 holes of superb championship links golf were not
enough, Prince’s also boasts impressive off-course facilities. For
those keen on a bit of practice, there’s an extensive covered
grass driving range fitted with the latest Toptracer technology,
while the first-class and ever-expanding short-game facilities
right by the clubhouse are a popular spot.
If you’re also staying overnight, there’s another highly
entertaining practice green right outside The Lodge at
Prince’s, the club’s very own accommodation, which opened
in 2012. There are 38 bedrooms here spread across The Lodge
itself and two adjacent apartment blocks. Add in the first-rate
dining available in The Brasserie on the Bay and a lively bar,
and Prince’s really is the ideal place for a links golf break all
through the year.

The Shore nine with The
Lodge in the distance

I R E L A N D

New greens and tees were a
major focus of the investment

NEW & IMPROVED
We visit the new-look Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links to see how a
major renovation has taken the famous Irish club to even greater heights

The Jameson Golf Links
with the hotel beyond

Few locations on earth are blessed with as many high-quality
golf courses as the Emerald Isle. From Royal County Down and
Royal Portrush on Northern Ireland’s north coast, right down to
Old Head Golf Links and 2027 Ryder Cup venue Adare Manor in
south-west Ireland, travelling golfers are spoilt for choice when
it comes to choosing their next great golf location to explore.
Perhaps no part of the country, however, has as large a
concentration of world-class courses within such a small area
as the north Dublin golfing coast. It’s here you’ll find a renowned
resort which is home to a newly remodelled championship golf
course that provides the ultimate base for exploring this great
stretch. Just a 30-minute taxi ride from the heart of Ireland’s
capital, Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links unveiled its
newly remodelled championship golf course under a new
brand name of great historical importance in early October.
6

The Jameson Golf Links (formerly Portmarnock Links) is an
incredible 18-hole course that sits on a site inextricably linked to
the famous Jameson whiskey dynasty – a family who played
an instrumental part in the introduction of golf to Ireland. John
Jameson built his own private course here in the 1850s, which
would have been used by friends and family coming from
Scotland. Three of the Jamesons, John included, are laid to rest
in the graveyard to the right of the 1st hole, and the old family
house, St Marnocks, now forms part of the resort. The unveiling
of the Jameson Golf Links followed a multi-million-Euro
renovation of Bernhard Langer’s original 1995 design,
masterminded by Jeff Lynch and his (re)Golf team.
Completed this summer, the enhancements include the
ambitious elevation of greens and tees from the 8th hole all the
way through to its climactic coastal finishing stretch. The new
links routing and topography ensures visitors can marvel at
picture-postcard views of Portmarnock’s Velvet Strand beach,
the expanse of the Irish Sea and the famous Ireland’s Eye
which greets visitors as they land into nearby Dublin airport.
Those visiting the new-look Portmarnock Resort & Jameson
Golf Links will also experience a recently upgraded and awardwinning hotel, which blends modern elegance with a fascinating
history. This is encapsulated by the quaint Irish charm of its
famed Jameson Bar, which in 2022 was commended in the
Icons of Whisky Ireland Hotel Bar of the Year Awards.
With other revered links courses in the area – including
Portmarnock Golf Club, The Island and Royal Dublin –
Portmarnock Resort & Jameson Golf Links has to be on the radar
of anyone looking for a base to explore Dublin, play world-class
golf and enjoy a glass or two of the famous Jameson whiskey.

The course at Glasson enjoys
a wonderful waterside setting

Classic risk-reward golf on
the 10th hole at Esker Hills

I R E L A N D

MORE STRINGS
TO ITS BOW
Ireland may be renowned for its world-famous links but this time Michael Weston
discovers more fine courses to enjoy away from the coast in the Hidden Heartlands
This country is home to some of the world’s most famous links
courses – of which there are too many to mention here – but
head inland and you’ll discover a number of wonderful
parkland layouts, too. These are precisely what I’ve hopped
across the Irish Sea for on this latest visit..
After a 30-minute flight from Liverpool, I touch down in a
drizzly Dublin, from where I travel west for about an hour and a
half into the heart of the country. My first stop is Glasson
Lakehouse in County Westmeath.
The rain has stopped, which is a shame, because I’d happily
have sat in Tom’s pub all afternoon and listened to Séamus,
our coach driver, who tells a very good story. Quite reluctantly,
however, and after a flawless pint of Guinness, it’s off to the 1st
tee. Glasson Golf Club is located on the banks of Lough Ree,
the second of the great lakes on the River Shannon.
The course was designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr and it’s
quite the place. On the front nine, you’re treated to some
wonderful views of Lough Ree, and on the back nine vistas of
8

Killenure Bay. A few years ago, work was carried out to
renovate the final five holes to accommodate a number of
new lodges. It’s a dramatic stretch that has a bit of everything
– a drivable par 4, a couple of long holes, and a par 3 over
water that reminds me a little of Hilton Head.

Leg end a ry Irish ho sp ita lity
Portumna Golf Club is next on our itinerary, but not before we
enjoy more fine hospitality at Glasson Lakehouse, specifically
Bonnie’s Restaurant and then, rather predictably, at Tom’s pub.
With succulent steaks, fish dishes and Irish flavours, Bonnie’s is
a wonderful place to dine and spend an evening or two on the
outdoor terrace with a cocktail.
Portumna is located where the River Shannon enters Lough
Derg in County Galway. It features a number of strong and
varied holes, but two par 5s really stand out. The 12th is a
dogleg right that tempts big hitters into cutting the corner.

Portumna plays through a
forest close to Lough Derg

HOW TO GET THERE
There are frequent flights to
Dublin from throughout the
UK. It’s wise to hire a car,
especially when playing a
number of courses. A better
option would be to contact
Séamus O’Brien on
083 8959668 (email
séamusobrien09@gmail.
com), who operates a
wonderful bus hire service
across the whole country.

Occasionally, when the former Open
Overdo it and you’ll lose your ball in the
Champion comes back, he’ll hold a lucky
forest, but a high fade can set up a
dip. Apparently, you can win something
great chance for birdie. Up ahead at 17,
WHERE TO PLAY
pretty good from his golf bag although,
water down the right makes any
– Glasson
on the flip side, some members have
decision to go for the green in two a
glassonlakehouse.ie
ended up with a pair of his socks.
real conundrum.
– Portumna
The course is a rollercoaster right from
I strongly recommend staying for a
portumnagolfclub.ie
the off, with a par 5 that shapes round to
bite to eat in Portumna’s Fairways
– Esker Hills
the right and up to an elevated green.
Restaurant. The menu isn’t the
eskerhillsgolf.com
Then it’s back downhill, before another
standard type you see at most golf
climb on the excellent par-4 5th. It
clubs. Before long, my table is tucking
WHERE TO STAY
continues like this throughout, with a
into bowls of seafood chowder and
Glasson Lakehouse
number of super risk-reward holes, such
lamb cutlets. I’m less adventurous – a
glassonlakehouse.ie
as the drivable par-4 10th, which is well
burger and a pint of the black stuff.
protected by water.
Before our group retires for the
You can’t visit this part of Ireland, home
evening, we make a quick stop at
to the world famous Tullamore Dew Irish
Ireland’s oldest pub – Sean’s Bar. This,
Whiskey, without a visit to The Old
apparently, has been a popular
Warehouse, a joint venture between hospitality entrepreneur
watering hole for over ten centuries. By now, we’re past the
Alan Clancy and Lowry. Do try the chilli and garlic prawns
9pm watershed and Séamus’ puns become a little edgier.
– they’re magnificent.
Although I’m no connoisseur, I find myself purchasing a bottle
My next visit to Ireland is scheduled to be for the 2024
of Sean’s single-malt Clonmacnoise... strictly for Christmas!
Harvest Festival at Listowel in September. Séamus, who enjoys
a little flutter, has promised to do the taxiing, and he assures
Sha n e ’s h o m e p a t ch
me he’ll have a few tips. However, I’m certainly tempted to visit
Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands again before then, for it’s been
Our final knock is at Esker Hills in County Offaly, where Shane
quite the trip – short but sweet. n
Lowry developed that wonderful short game of his as a junior.

“At 17, water right makes any decision to
go for the green in two a real conundrum”
9

10

S C O T L A N D

THE PURSUIT OF
PERFECTION
On his latest trip to Gleneagles, Michael Harris enjoys the PGA Centenary course,
two fine restaurants, mountain biking around the estate and a gun dog experience
11

n my experience, when
somebody or something gets to
number one in their field, one of
two things happens: they either
spend a lot of time telling
everyone how good they are
and then end up resting on their
laurels; or they take stock of
what has got them to the top
and start making plans for what
they can do to be even better moving forward. Gleneagles, for
me, most definitely falls into the latter camp.
I first visited this glorious slice of Perthshire back in 2005 to
cover the Grand Final of the Volkswagen Masters, an
international event for amateur golfers. I’d read a lot about
Gleneagles over the years, starting with my favourite golf book
of all time – Play the Best Courses: Great Golf in the British Isles
by Peter Allen. The author’s verdict that “on a fine day in early
autumn, there is no more beautiful place in the word to play
golf, not any” immediately put it on my bucket list. In later
years, write-ups in Golf Monthly and other magazines all built
Gleneagles up into something special, and when I got there it
certainly lived up to, and indeed exceeded, my expectations. I
was blown away by the grandeur of the hotel, the brilliance of
the golf courses and the warm welcome from the staff.
In the 18 years since my first visit, I’ve been back to stay five
times and have visited to play golf on many more occasions.
Each time there has been something new or improved to see
or do, whether renovation work to the golf courses, upgrades
to hotel rooms, new restaurants or new activities to try.
Not only has Gleneagles never stopped striving to improve
the visitor experience, but in recent years it has totally
refreshed the way in which it markets itself. ‘The Glorious
Playground’ is a fitting description of what’s on offer and the
beautiful illustrations by the Ennismore Agency that feature on
everything, from its website to the map of the resort you are
given on arrival, capture the essence of ‘The Glen’ – a
sophisticated but playful place to spend time.

I

O ut o n t h e fa i r w a y s
Golf isn’t the only reason to come to Gleneagles – in fact,
non-golfers could easily spend a week here and not run out of
things to do. But for us enthusiasts, no visit would be complete
without at least one round on one of the three main courses
(there’s also a great academy course – the Wee course – and
a fun pitch-and-putt outside the hotel).
On this trip I played the PGA Centenary. I have to confess I’d
always seen it as very much number three of the three main
courses, preferring the two famous James Braid creations –
The King’s and The Queen’s – ranked 36th and 50th in Golf
Monthly’s UK&I Top 100. However, having thoroughly enjoyed

Canoeing is one
of countless

activities to be
enjoyed at

Gleneagles

12

Looking back down 18 on
the PGA Centenary course

my round on the course that famously hosted the Ryder Cup
in 2014 and Solheim Cup in 2019, I felt I’d been a little harsh in
my initial view. Yes, the King’s and Queen’s are more charming
and intimate, but the PGA Centenary offers a brilliant modern
test. Off the tee, you’re encouraged to open your shoulders at
all bar the tight 5th – ‘Crookit Cratur’ – and second shots feel
both enticing and dramatic, especially those playing down to
their greens. On the 8th and 15th, the almost-infinity backdrops
towards the Ochil Hills make it hard to engage your golf brain
and focus fully on your target!
If I had to pick a favourite it would be The Queen’s, which, at
just 5,965 yards from the whites, is all about strategic thinking.
It doesn’t demand the big hitting that The King’s and PGA
Centenary do, which suits my game and, I suspect, that of
most other golfers, too. Away from the courses, there’s a
superb driving range with Toptracer technology and a
fantastic shop stocked with an amazing range of apparel and
accessories. If, like me, you like golf clothing as a memento of a
special trip, you’ll find it almost too tempting for words.

Insid e the ho tel
There are 233 rooms at Gleneagles, split between the main
hotel and the adjoining Braid House, which links seamlessly

The Birnam

restaurant is an

Italian-Americanstyle grill

S C O T L A N D

sophisticated and formal evening sitting into a relaxed and
glorious morning hubbub, where you can graze on a
spectacular array of delicious food at the buffet – including
locally caught wild smoked salmon – and choose from some
classic Scottish breakfast options, cooked to order.

A ctiv ities g a lo re
Gleneagles stands head and shoulders above its competitors
in many areas, but arguably nowhere more so than the range
of activities you can enjoy. On previous visits my family and I
have enjoyed falconry, horse riding and clay shooting, plus
trips to the spa and croquet on the lawns. This time we added
a ride on mountain bikes around the grounds and the gun dog
experience to our list, which was terrific fun. As long-time
owners of a very wilful wirehaired dachshund, whose recall
can only be described as selective, it was amazing to see
highly trained dogs follow commands
even from complete strangers like us.
A quick look at the A to Z of pursuits on
the Gleneagles website shows we’ve still
barely scratched the surface of what it
is possible to do during a stay. From
HOW TO GET THERE
off-roading in Land Rovers to fly-fishing
Gleneagles, just off the A9,
and padel tennis, there is plenty to keep
has its own station on the
everyone entertained.
main London to Inverness
railway line, which is less
than two minutes from the
Best in cla ss
hotel via a complimentary
from the main hotel via the Gleneagles
transfer. Edinburgh and
Arcade (more tempting shopping
Our trip underlined just why Gleneagles
Glasgow airports are both
opportunities!) and a leisure area that
is ranked by Golf Monthly and countless
approximately one hour’s
includes restaurants, the Garden Cafe
other publications as the number one
drive away.
and the gym, pools and spa.
place to stay and play in the UK&I, if not
I’ve stayed in both the main hotel and
the world. It is no exaggeration to say it
Braid House and it’s hard to have a
really does have it all and I can’t
favourite. We were in Braid House this
imagine anyone would go and not want
time, which has a more contemporary
to return time and again to keep on
feel and more space than the main house, but the rooms are
finding new things to delight in. My view is that it’s a place best
styled similarly and decorated using a palette of muted
suited to families and couples rather than groups of golfers,
greens, blues and reds, plus a rich variety of sumptuous
but I’m confident anyone will have the time of their life here.
fabrics and soft furnishings. Go for the main house if you want
As with all the best things in life, it does come at a cost and
charm and country house style; go for Braid House for a
staying at Gleneagles will require some degree of financial
modern feel and proximity to the spa, gym and pool.
planning and saving for what will be a memorable few days.
However, if you avoid school holidays and peak times, there
are some very good deals to be found in the offers section of
Wi n i n g a n d d i n i n g
the website. Be warned, though... one visit will not be enough! n
The handy guide to Gleneagles you’re given on
arrival sums up your dining choices perfectly when
it says you can be as laid-back or luxurious as you
wish. There are seven options and two fabulous
bars, all of which offer a genuine taste of Scotland
using fresh produce wherever possible. Their
menus are slanted towards different styles of
cuisine, from the ultimate fine-dining experience of
Andrew Fairlie (Scotland’s only two Michelin-starred
restaurant) through to Auchterader 70, where you
can enjoy a pre- or post-round drink accompanied
by some Scottish tapas. Whisky lovers and cocktail
connoisseurs will be in their element at Gleneagles
with either a trip to the Century or American Bars.
This time we ate in The Birnam, a buzzing ItalianAmerican grill in the main hotel, then The Dormy
down by the golf courses, where we enjoyed a
delicious Indian meal cooked in a tandoor oven.
Breakfast at Gleneagles is a highlight of any trip.
The 17th on the King’s
The Strathearn restaurant is transformed from its
course and hotel beyond

13

S P A I N

GRAND
TOUR

The thrilling La
Reserva Club

You’ll be hard pressed to find a better golf and leisure destination
than the spectacular Sotogrande in southern Spain
A region blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year,
and which enjoys a temperate climate in winter and very
warm temperatures in summer, is always going to prove a hit
with holidaymakers and sunseekers. The Costa del Sol in the
south of Spain has been popular with tourists for a long time
now, but it was also continental Europe’s first real golfing go-to
place when the game really took hold here back in the 1950s
and ’60s. That perfect year-round climate plus great
accessibility make it the ideal short-haul getaway.
Located almost at the point where Europe is at its closest to
Morocco in Africa, Sotogrande is a peaceful and relaxed
alternative to the more bustling attractions just up the coast in
Marbella. At the heart of this residential development, the SO/
Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort is a great place to base yourself
if you want to take on its quartet of star golf experiences at Real
Club Sotogrande, La Reserva Club, Almenara Golf and Real
Club Valderrama. The resort’s spa, health club, sporting
facilities, fine restaurants and proximity to several more
enjoyable courses help make it one
of Europe’s best golfing destinations.

La Re se rva C l u b
The most recent of that quartet to
open is La Reserva Club, which sits
right beside the more established
Real Club Valderrama. Despite lying
so close to each other, the two
courses are very different. Cabell B
14

Robinson’s creation at La Reserva Club plays over more rolling
terrain and offers glorious views from its most elevated holes.
You’ll enjoy a thrilling blend of risk-reward, drama, variety
and, most of all, fun, with holes constantly changing direction.
Water comes into play several times at regular intervals. On 15
and 17 it is anything left that will meet a watery end, while
precision is required on the two front-nine par 3s. The course,
which opened in 2003, continues to grow in reputation and has
hosted events on both the men’s and ladies’ European tours.

R ea l C lub So to g ra nd e

The eponymous Real Club Sotogrande was the first course to
open in the region in 1964, 30 years before it attained its royal
(or ‘real’) status. It was Robert Trent Jones Snr’s first commission
in Europe and the great man seized the opportunity to take
some revolutionary course design steps, introducing not only
new types of grass but also installing the continent’s first fully
automated watering system.
A major upgrade project seven
The stunning Real
years ago means the layout is
Club Sotogrande
always presented in first-class
condition, and some consider it a
more than worthy rival for Ryder
Cup venue Real Club Valderrama.
The course is not too demanding off
the tee, with good approach play
into its elevated and sloping greens
usually the key to scoring well.

S P A I N

UP WITH THE BEST
Elliott Heath is even more wowed by the whole experience on his return to this
year’s Solheim Cup venue at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia six years after his first visit

I first visited Finca Cortesin in 2017 and was truly blown away by
the resort. I have been eager to return ever since and, luckily
enough, I got that chance again this year.
It is one of the jewels in Andalucia’s golfing crown, nestled
just a mile from the coast and a short drive from the likes of
Valderrama and Real Club de Sotogrande. In a golf-rich region,
Finca Cortesin stands out with facilities that have been
acknowledged as some of the finest in Europe.
There’s a real ‘wow factor’ on arrival up through the plaza of
high-end boutiques and into the main hotel courtyard, and a
welcome drink and snack from the Blue Bar really help you to
take it all in. Our first few minutes at Finca Cortesin, spent sitting
out on the patio with a glass of champagne and some jamon
Iberico after a long journey, gave us feelings of relaxation and
serenity that never went away throughout our stay.
We were then taken to our suite, one of just 67, with a view
overlooking the main pool, the sea and the Estepona
mountains. It’s the best room I’ve ever stayed in and likely ever
will. After check-in, we made our way to the vast Beach Club,
which features an outdoor restaurant and bar, live acoustic
music, a pool and loungers to lie back in and chill.
We had a special salt-roasted sea bream at the Beach Club
and I’m not exaggerating when I say it was the best fish I’ve
ever tasted, and the first of many incredible meals during our
stay. We loved Don Giovanni’s Italian restaurant, while El Jardin
De Lutz is the place to sample more succulent jamon Iberico
and other Mediterranean dishes.
It’s a gorgeous spot for breakfast as well, with huge olive
trees towering over you and views out over the beautiful lush
gardens. There’s also the Michelin-starred Rei, a Japaneseinspired eatery. If you love golf and fine dining, Finca Cortesin is
made for you.
Also at the hotel is a spa and there are four pools in total –
including one adults-only Olympic-length pool. Finca also

boasts one of the most picturesque driving ranges you’ll ever
come across, where pyramids of fresh balls await you.

A v ery g ra nd sta g e
The golf course begins with a stern par 4. A solid drive will
leave a mid-iron in, before your first look at the challenging
green complexes you’ll be facing. It’s Bermuda grass
everywhere and, by the time you reach the green, it will have

Finca Cortesin’s excellent
clubhouse and driving range

“You’ll find yourself
frequently reaching
for the camera on
your phone”
16

HOW TO GET THERE
Finca Cortesin lies about 20
minutes north-east of
Gibraltar airport and an
hour west of Malaga airport.

The back-nine highlights start
become obvious that you’ll need a
immediately on that par-3 10th, which
sharp short game to get it round in a
plays downhill with a backdrop of the
decent score. The greens are lightning
mountains. You can bail out left, but
fast with huge tiers and are protected
anything right will find the thick
by hollows and deep bunkers.
WHERE TO PLAY
Andalucian vegetation that lines so
The 4th, which played as the opener
– Finca Cortesin
many holes. The 15th is another visual
in the Solheim Cup, is arguably the
– Valderrama
treat and one of the toughest par 4s as
signature hole – a downhill par 4 that
– Real Club de Sotogrande
you must drive over the native terrain
wraps around a lake. It’s drivable for
– La Reserva Club
before turning uphill and left. You’ll find
some, but the smart play is an iron up
yourself frequently reaching for your
the right and a wedge on.
WHERE TO STAY
camera phone and there won’t be many
The first six holes were surrounded by
Finca Cortesin
who don’t take a snap on the 15th tee.
building work on my first visit in 2017, but
fincacortesin.com
Finca Cortesin should be on the bucket
the resort and its real estate projects
list of every golfer wanting to experience
have come a long way since then.
the best that Spain has to offer, as well
They’re now multi-million-euro dream
as couples looking for a luxury stay. The
homes with views of the course. There’s
course is ranked among the best in the country and the
also a new development near the 10th hole with rows of villas.
moment you set foot on the 1st tee you’ll know why.
The opening six are set in their own bowl before the towering
You’ll enjoy great golf, five-star service, incredible food and
Estepona mountains then loom into full view. Arriving on the
wonderful serenity. It really is heaven on earth. n
7th tee is a true ‘wow’ moment as the landscape changes.

17

The Stadium is one of
Europe’s very finest courses

The shorter Tour course
is a little more forgiving

“The resort’s new name is taken
from an ancient Roman road
between ocean and mountains”
18

S P A I N

A NEW CHAPTER
Michael Weston returns to the east coast of Spain to pit his golf game against two
of the country’s top courses at the recently rechristened Camiral Golf & Wellness

HOW TO GET THERE
round to the left, which makes a large,
The Atlético Madrid team coach that
The
resort is located just
sprawling bunker on the right a popular
sits outside the hotel is a good sign. If
over an hour’s drive from
bail-out spot. Water remains a threat on
this is where elite footballers come to
Barcelona airport. Girona12 and 13, too, the latter one of the best
relax, then we have to be somewhere
Costa Brava airport is a lot
spots to take in the views of the Pyrenees.
special. We are, although the footballers
closer, but flights from the
One water hazard remains for me – a
aren’t here to play golf – they’ve come
UK operate less frequently.
cryotherapy session. While comfortable
to make use of Camiral’s extensive
with the idea of resetting body and mind
health and fitness facilities. What a
WHERE TO PLAY
after golf, doing so at -110°C is rather less
place to relax ahead of a big game.
Camiral Golf & Wellness
appealing. As it turns out, a recent
Many golfers will know this
– Stadium course
operation (I present a note from my
spectacular 36-hole resort as PGA
– Tour course
doctor) means I’m not allowed to take
Catalunya, its name for more than two
part; instead, I enjoy oxygen chamber
decades. Now, though, the DP World
WHERE TO STAY
therapy and photo tech modulation. I
Tour-hosting venue has begun a new
Camiral Golf & Wellness
leave feeling very chilled out.
chapter, and I’m here to sample an
camiral.com
In theory, I should be nice and loose to
array of experiences brought together
shoot a good score when we take to the
under one name – Camiral. I’ll get to
Stadium course again, and my game is
enjoy personalised healing (massage),
certainly loose – so loose that I’m going
locally grown ingredients (lots of food)
left and right. Although you do often find
and, sadly, exercise (pilates).
your ball under the pines, there’s no negotiating with the water!
The $5 million state-of-the-art Wellness Centre features
As much as I enjoy playing the Stadium, I score a lot better on
eight single treatment rooms and one double, a gym with
the Tour course, its shorter, more forgiving sibling. For golf
Technogym equipment, yoga studio, outdoor pool, thermal
societies or groups with a wide range of handicaps, it’s perfect.
circuit with hydro-massage pool, toning pool, steam bath and
A choice of two hotels adds to the appeal. The five-star Hotel
sauna, hammam and relaxation room. World-class footballers
Camiral boasts 138 beautiful rooms offering modern luxury
are worth a considerable amount of money, so activities like
and contemporary features. Meanwhile, the rooms at Lavida
golf, tennis and biking (do hire a bike and explore the
Hotel next door are less expansive – perfect for weekend
surrounding nature trails) are off the table. Not so for me, and
golfers or those on shorter breaks. Here you’ll find Bella’s
after a wonderful evening in the 1477 Restaurant, the Stadium
Restaurant, which serves freshly made rustic Italian pizzas and
course is all I can think about.
a variety of seasonal oven-cooked dishes and antipasti.
This famous layout has been on my bucket list ever since I
There are rumours that Camiral Golf & Wellness may host
heard it described as the ‘Sawgrass of Europe’, so the knees
the 2031 Ryder Cup. The Stadium course was set to stage it in
are knocking as I pop one down on the 1st. It’s a rollercoaster,
the 1990s, but delays saw it move to Valderrama. It’s certainly a
with dramatic elevation changes a constant throughout the
place that has all the credentials, so watch this space. n
540-hectare forested estate, and such topography makes for
some truly memorable holes, including the par-5 3rd and the
par 4 that follows, both of which feature raised tees.
The outdoor pool forms part of

New name, new era

the extensive Wellness Centre

The resort’s new name is taken from an ancient Roman road
between ocean and mountains – The Camí Ral, meaning
Royal Way, that connects France and Spain. It passes through
the estate and can still be followed on foot or bike. On the 6th,
a path crosses the fairway and takes you on this route, and I’m
tempted to follow it after just one par over the opening five
holes. This is a tough course that demands quality ball-striking.
There are many standout holes, but the downhill par-3 11th
and the par 5 that follows provide an exhilarating half-hour
spell. On the 11th tee, all you can see is a huge lake sweeping
19

The Hills course plays over the
higher ground at Infinitum

S P A I N

INFINITE
POSSIBILITIES
Mark Townsend returns to north-east Spain to catch up on the evolution of the
Infinitum resort, where you’ll find 45 holes of golf and an award-winning Beach Club

A few days spent at Infinitum will certainly replenish your
golfing soul as this resort on the Costa Dorada continues to
add to what was already an outstanding resumé. In recent
times it has opened a Callaway Performance Centre with full
club-fitting facilities, and construction has now begun on an
extensive real estate project which will bring 119 new homes.
Later this year, the DP World Tour will again return to what is an
ideal venue for the finale of its Qualifying School.
If you’re unfamiliar with the name, the resort was rebranded
from Lumine to Infinitum in the middle of 2021. Just over an
hour’s drive south of Barcelona, it was always regarded as one
of the very best in Europe and the vision now is to cement that
reputation with improvements to the golf courses, the new
properties and some fairly spectacular plans to build a hotel
overlooking the Hills course.
On the golf side, let’s begin with the Ruins course, which
offers one of the most fun and picturesque nine-hole layouts
20

around, so much so that it has been nominated for the Best
Nine-Hole Golf Course at the World Golf Awards. Designed by
Greg Norman, it shares the lower land with the Lakes course
but presents a very different challenge, with its holes winding
between historic archaeological remains dating back to the
second century BC. This is the ideal loop for an extra nine to
pique your interest with a chance to take on some reachable
par 4s and striking par 3s. The greens are protected by some
challenging slopes, and it all plays out to the backdrop and
screams of the nearby theme park.
Also designed by Norman is the Lakes course, which hosted
the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain on the DP World Tour in
2022. Here, the course has undergone extensive maintenance
work with the layout’s fairways upgraded from ryegrass to the
more sustainable Bermuda, which requires less water and
fertiliser and typifies the resort’s dedication to consistently
improving sustainability.

HOW TO GET THERE
Barcelona airport is an hour
and a quarter’s drive from
Infinitum, while Reus airport
is ten minutes away and is
served by various carriers
on a more seasonal basis.

Much water to ponder on
the Lakes course’s 8th hole

WHERE TO PLAY
Infinitum:
– Lakes course
– Hills course
– Ruins course (nine holes)

three holes, including the 18th. The
The two nines are a little different in
clubhouse balcony is a great place to
feel, with the back nine probably
WHERE TO STAY
unwind, watch everyone finish off their
providing the best-looking holes and
Golden Hotels
rounds and ponder whether or not you
the opportunity to come undone by
goldenhotels.com/en/
will take on some of the jaw-dropping
the water. If there were an ideal closing
rides at Ferrari Land in the near distance.
hole for drama and the chance to
The higher ground of the Hills course is
make up a couple of shots, then the
where many high-quality homes have
18th is it – a par 5 in range for the tour
been built and these come in a wide
pros but with a green that has water
range of sizes and styles. It is also where the Infinitum Beach
down the left, with everything played out under the nose of the
Club is located, which recently came out on top as Europe’s
state-of-the-art clubhouse. The set-up here is both modern
Leading Beach Club at the World Travel Awards. This is a place
and high-end, from the open-plan clubhouse to the brilliant
to relax and enjoy the finer things in life, with eight swimming
practice facilities. Everything is made easy for you at Infinitum
pools, two infinity pools, and some incredible places to eat,
with much thought going into the layout, signage and facilities.
most notably the Flamma Beach Foodhouse, where the
cuisine matches the sensational sea views.
H ea d fo r t h e H i l l s
You should also really find time to visit Tarragona just 20
minutes away. This is a city just bristling with ancient Roman
The real jewel in the Infinitum golfing crown is the Hills course,
architecture. If you get the chance to enjoy a walking tour
though, with plans to develop this layout into the premier one
before dinner, then do it. One recommendation for eating out
on the vast property. Designed by Spanish architect Alfonso
is the brilliant AQ restaurant, which sits underneath the walls of
Vidaor, it offers something very different to the other two
the jaw-dropping cathedral.
courses in terms of holes and scenery. Here, you weave
Another recent addition at Infinitum has been a Silver Flag
through pine woodlands and olive groves and there is a real
award from 59club for exceptional service. With 45 holes of
emphasis on course management and shot-shaping.
golf, outstanding food and pretty much year-round sunshine,
The most dramatic golf, again, comes on the back nine as
there’s a huge amount to like about this corner of Spain. n
the natural quarries and rocky outcrops form the backdrop to

“Quarries and rocky outcrops form the
backdrop to three holes on the Hills layout”
21

P O R T U G A L

Water hazards are prevalent
on the O’Connor layout

ESCAPE TO
AMENDOEIRA

Amendoeira in the Algarve ticks all the
boxes when it comes to quality golf and
off-course entertainment...
For as long as we can remember, Portugal – and in particular
the Algarve – has been a go-to destination for golfers seeking
a warm-weather break. With a mild, temperate climate
throughout the year – and much less rain than the UK – the
destination has become a favourite hotspot for groups
searching for incredible hotels, apartment complexes and golf
venues that will live long in the memory.
Sitting in the heart of the Algarve, Amendoeira Golf Resort –
just 20 minutes from Vilamoura and 35 minutes from Faro
airport – has been meticulously crafted and designed to
create the ultimate resort for just this type of holiday. Perfect for
groups, families and couples, the resort is brimming with leisure
facilities, including tennis courts,
swimming pools and gym facilities.
A sound strategy is key
For those who wish to just stick to
on the Faldo course
golf, the facilities certainly match
those away from the fairways,
creating a venue that is more than
capable of matching anything seen
along this famous coastline.
Opened in 2008, Amendoeira sits
in 270 hectares of tranquillity and
has quickly risen to become one of
22

Portugal’s most popular golf resorts. An impressive site, the
venue boasts two championship courses designed by Sir Nick
Faldo and Christy O’Connor Jr respectively, and is also home to
Portugal’s only floodlit course, a nine-hole par-3 layout.
Arguably the better of the two layouts, the Faldo course
bears all the hallmarks of a design by the three-time Open
Champion and was created with strategic play in mind,
demanding careful positioning to score well. The course is a
modern twist on a traditional recipe, with cacti and wild herbs
taking the place of heather and spartan Holm oaks and
ancient olive trees taking the place of English woodlands.
The perfect complement to its highly rated sibling, the
O’Connor course is that little bit longer and takes full
advantage of its location within a fertile valley. Water hazards
are spread across the entire course, and large, contoured
greens provide a challenge for those looking to score low.
What sets Amendoeira apart from many other nearby resorts,
though, is the ability to play night-time golf. The nine-hole floodlit
Academy course is ideally suited for
the whole family, including those at
the start of their golf journey.
From an accommodation point of
view, modern, luxurious and
spacious self-catering apartments
and villas are available to rent
during your stay, ensuring you can
relax and unwind in your Portuguese
home away from home following an
enjoyable day of golf.

P O R T U G A L

WORTH
THE WAIT
Michael Weston relishes the enviable
opportunity to finally play the eagerly
awaited Dunas course at Terras da
Comporta, close to western Portugal’s
breathtaking Alentejo coastline

Nothing quite whets the appetite for a game of golf like a good
course photograph. I saw a particularly beautiful one last
summer, the only problem being that the course was still a
work in progress. This was the Dunas course at Terras da
Comporta, the first design project in continental Europe by
acclaimed course architect, David McLay Kidd.
Finally, after many years of stop-start, this wonderful layout,
located an hour’s drive to the south of Lisbon close to the
beautiful Alentejo coast, is open for business.
It’s been quite a journey for McLay Kidd, who first visited
Comporta 15 years ago. “Breathtaking” is how he describes this
part of Portugal’s coastline – and this coming from a man who
has given us Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
“If you look at any Top 100 list, it is peppered with golf courses
that are through pine, barren, scrubby vegetation and sand
dunes,” McLay Kidd says, “from the courses in Melbourne,
Australia, to Long Island in the U.S. and those around the British
and Irish coastlines.
“So, here we are in southern Europe in Portugal in exactly
that terrain and yet no golf course has really capitalised on
that. There was a massive opportunity for golf to build
something here.”
That opportunity was almost missed, several times. First
came the financial crisis, and then, in 2020, Covid. Some years
later than planned, and having partnered with Vanguard
Properties, the largest real estate developer in Portugal, we’re
all systems go.

Photography: James Hogg

This playable newcomer is
blessed with big greens

24

The Dunas course is McLay
Kidd’s first in continental Europe

Va st a nd d ra m a tic g reens
Despite McLay Kidd announcing on the tee, “You’re always in
the hole here,” I lose my very first shot. However, it’s evident
throughout the round that this course is very playable – not so
punishing that you’ll lose lots of ammunition.
Hole 16, a terrific drivable par 4, is a good example. I take it
on, but come up 30 yards short. I might be facing an awkward
second shot, but I’m still in play, not swallowed up by some
huge, manmade lake. And I could have taken the safer route
down the right side of what is a generous fairway.
Nowhere is the saying “putting is a game within a game”
more applicable. My playing partner, director of golf Rodrigo
Ulrich, tells me that the 18 greens tally up to 1.8 hectares, while
the general average tends to be around one. His favourite
spot is the 14th tee, not just because it’s a wonderful par 3, but
this, I’m told, is the best place to watch the sunset. By this point
my phone is telling me that I’m running out of storage space.

“After many years of stop-start,
this wonderful course, located
south of Lisbon, is finally
open for business”

HOW TO GET THERE
Lisbon is well served from a
number of UK airports. The
course is about an hour’s
drive from there.
WHERE TO PLAY
Dunas course, Terras da
Comporta
comporta.com

wonderful views of the rice fields. Then
we head out en masse – 30-odd hungry
golfers – to Comporta Café on the
beach (the cleanest I’ve seen) at Praia
WHERE TO STAY
da Comporta, Troia Peninsula. What a
almalusahotels.com/
place. Make sure you book a table.
comporta
It’s a good job there’s no more golf – I’d
be too stuffed. But I hope to return soon,
Aut he nt i c l oc al cu i s i n e
perhaps when course number two
opens. Yes, there are plans for another 18.
It’s time to eat. At Comporta Flavours, a
‘Torre’ will be a collaboration between
short walk from AlmaLusa Comporta,
Spanish legends José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia.
an effortlessly stylish boutique hotel that boasts 53 rooms, we
Terras da Comporta is destined to become one of Europe’s
are served giant bowls of fresh fish. It might not be my cup of
finest golf courses – there can be little doubt about that. I’d
tea, but I can tell from the clean plates around me that this is
love to take a look into a crystal ball and see just how the
authentic Portuguese cuisine at its best.
second course will sit alongside it, and what Comporta itself
The following evening we take refreshments in the most
will look like in another five years’ time or so. My advice… don’t
sought-after spot at AlmaLusa Comporta, The RoofTop Bar,
feel like you have to wait that long to pay a visit. n
where you can enjoy cocktails and tapas while taking in
McLay Kidd calls 18 “a pretty cool
postcard hole”. He’s not wrong. The
previous hole is another beauty, too, a
short par 3 all the way over scrubby
vegetation. You simply can’t, as I did,
come up short.

25

I T A L Y

WHEN IN ROME
Sam Tremlett hits the Italian capital to experience the drama of the Ryder Cup course
at Marco Simone before savouring the grandeur of the Rome Cavalieri hotel in the city

I have been lucky enough to travel to Italy for golf trips before,
to the excellent Verdura Resort in Sicily, as well as the secluded
Argentario Golf Resort in Tuscany. Both did a significant job in
changing how I viewed the country as a viable golf trip
destination. So you can imagine my excitement when I
received an invitation to go to Italy again to play 2023 Ryder
Cup host venue, Marco Simone Golf and Country Club...

A rea l test o f yo ur g a m e
The main course, designed by Jim Fazio, is a par 72 with several
tees to suit different abilities. I played off the whites, measuring
6,234 metres, but did sneak back to play a few holes from the
markedly longer Ryder Cup tees! The course benefits greatly
from the natural beauty of its surroundings in the rolling Italian

“Marco Simone benefits
greatly from the natural
beauty of its surroundings”
26

HOW TO GET THERE
Flight time to Rome is
two-and-a-half hours.
Marco Simone is then an
hour’s drive from the airport.

countryside, with severe elevation
changes, undulations and run-offs
throughout. Accuracy is paramount
WHERE TO PLAY
thanks to water on many holes and the
– Marco Simone
generous number of bunkers guarding
– Olgiata
greens and gathering errant tee-shots.
– Circolo del Golf Roma
All of this became apparent on my
Acquasanta
first hole, the 10th – a reasonably long
par 4 with a narrow fairway that plays
WHERE TO STAY
entirely uphill. The real challenge,
Rome Cavalieri,
though, is on the approach as the
a
Waldorf
Astoria hotel
green’s huge false front will cause
hilton.com/en/
anything short to roll back down.
The back nine continues this theme
with highlights including the short par-3
13th and the closing stretch. The 15th is a
very tough par 4 with the same kind of
design as the 10th but more bunkering, while 16 is a drivable
par 4 with water and greenside bunkers to negotiate. The 17th

The narrow and tricky 17th
green at Marco Simone

is a very tricky par 3 with a narrow and
very long green, while the downhill par-5
18th features more greenside water.
The front nine, which I played second,
starts out with three par 4s where
accuracy and distance control are the
chief skills required. From here to the turn
there are two par 3s, two par 4s and
back-to-back par 5s to finish, both
offering reasonable birdie chances.
There was much to like from my day at
Marco Simone. The greens were fast and
true and the overall conditioning
fantastic, with the terrain giving up some
simply stunning views. It was a good test,
too, with the rough in particular pretty
penal when only slightly off-line.

T he heig ht o f lux ury

After golf I got to stay at the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria
hotel, for two nights and it was a level of luxury I’d never
previously experienced. It overlooks the city with the views
over the Vatican to the right and the Colosseum in the
distance best enjoyed from one of the spectacular suites,
some of which have private roof terraces with hot tubs. There
are 345 deluxe rooms plus
25 suites, and while I didn’t
have a hot tub, I did stay in
a suite with those striking
city views.
There are two main
choices for dining. Uliveto,
a restaurant underneath
the lobby, serves a
mouth-watering menu of
delicious Mediterranean
and international dishes.
Then there’s the option to
head up to La Pergola
above the eighth floor, a
three-Michelin-star
restaurant by Heinz Beck.
If your travelling
companion doesn’t share
your love for golf, the
health, fitness and
relaxation facilities will
certainly appeal. There are
Rooms and suites at Rome
ten treatment rooms, two
Cavalieri overlook the city
saunas, a whirlpool and
amethyst Turkish bath, a
state-of-the-art fitness
centre and three outdoor swimming pools, including a
children’s pool, as well as a glass-domed indoor pool.
There really is something for everyone here, with two redclay tennis courts and a fitness trail on site and the Stadio
Olimpico football ground not far away. For explorers, the hotel
offers a shuttle service into the city centre and you can also
take private tours of the Vatican Gardens or Galleria Colonna.
To put it simply, the hotel catered for everything I could have
wished for and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful
throughout my stay. n
27

Fairmont Royal Palm is playable
if you can stay out of the water
28

M O R O C C O

A ROYAL WELCOME
Michael Weston gets his competitive juices flowing on a trip to Fairmont Royal
Palm Marrakesh and is captivated by both the resort and the famously bustling city

29

I

t’s June in Morocco. It’s hot and
it’s frantic. “Welcome to
Marrakesh,” grins the taxi driver,
as I stare at what can only be
described as organised chaos. I
love it. Three months later and
the people of Morocco find
themselves dealing with the
aftermath of its most
devastating earthquake for decades. The rebuild in certain
parts of the country will, of course, take years. However, now
more than ever it’s important to support Morocco and remind
everyone of its merits as a top-class golf destination,
something that I discovered earlier this year.
The last thing any golfer wants when playing badly (in my
case, a bout of the ‘unmentionables’) is to participate in a
competition, but sometimes an
opportunity comes along that you just
cannot turn down, such as your annual golf
tour... or an invitation to play in the
inaugural Morocco Golf Cup. Such
moments must be seized with both hands.
With a healthy and steadily growing
number of strong courses, Morocco is
starting to establish quite a reputation on
the golf scene. More UK and European
golfers are beginning to recognise the
Kingdom, situated in the north-western

corner of Africa, as a wonderfully accessible location for a
different kind of golf experience.
My destination is the luxurious Fairmont Royal Palm
Marrakesh, a chic hotel set in 231 hectares of pure paradise,
just a 20-minute taxi ride from Marrakesh Menara Airport. I’d
have enjoyed a bit of sightseeing en route, taking in the views
of the Atlas Mountains, but that would have to wait for another
time. The next few days are all about golf – and a bit of R&R.
The resort-style course, a real picture when the
bougainvillea and oleanders are in full bloom, was designed
by Cabell B. Robinson. Thankfully for me, it doesn’t pose the
same kind of threat as some of the firm and fast links courses I
have been struggling on back in the UK. This is not to say it’s
easy, but the layout is fairly forgiving, and unless you’re
consistently finding the lakes, of which there are a few, you
shouldn’t need to reload very often.

“For many Fairmont Royal
Palm guests, moving from
beside the pool, one of the
largest in Morocco, will be
generally unnecessary”

The magnificent Fairmont
Royal Palm in Marrakesh

30

HOW TO GET THERE
London to Marrakesh takes
a little under four hours by
air. Marrakesh Menara
Airport is well served from
across the UK by a
number of airlines.

includes a wide selection of succulent
barbecued meats and vegetables and
the tastiest hummus I’ve ever sampled.
Those who like their breakfast are in
for a treat, too. You can set yourself up
for the whole day at La Caravane, with
plates of fruit, local yoghurt, eggs,
pastries and hot and cold meats, best
WHERE TO PLAY
washed down with a fresh orange juice
– Fairmont Royal Palm
and a couple of mugs of Moroccan tea.
Marrakesh
Even if you don’t have much of a sweet
– Al Houara
tooth, you’ll be tucking into the fancy
– Royal Golf Dar Es Salam
pastries after a day or two, I promise.
– Mazagan
Back on the course, and Philippe and I
– Assoufid
spring into life in the second half of
round two, reeling off birdies like tour
WHERE TO STAY
professionals. On 15, you can cut the
Fairmont Royal Palm
corner by going over the scrubby
Marrakesh
vegetation, which we manage, and we
fairmont.com/Marrakech
birdie the next, too, a cracking par 5 that
entices you into taking your tee shot
over the corner of a lake in order to
Re st and rel a x a t i o n
make it reachable in two.
Down our final hole, we allow ourselves to check the live
For many guests staying at the Fairmont Royal Palm, golf won’t
scoring on the app – and we’re atop the leaderboard! Now I’m
be on the agenda – moving from beside the pool, which is one
dreaming of whatever the first prize might be: a week-long
of the largest in Morocco, will be unnecessary. I join the
stay at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Barbados, perhaps; even
sunbathers in the afternoon after what can only be described
better, a Fairmont hotel of your choice. Banff Springs in the
as a feast at the clubhouse restaurant, Le Sabra, which
Off the yellow tees, and playing Texas
Scramble, it offers plenty of good
scoring opportunities. The drivable par
4s are particularly enjoyable and well
worth having a go at. The shotgun start
sees my team get underway on one of
these – the 14th – allowing me to open
the shoulders and knock a high, soft
draw onto the green. At least that was
the plan! I must thank my playing
partner, Philippe, for bailing me out on a
number of occasions.
There are gains to be made on the
par 5s, too. On the 6th, we make an
eagle. Actually, I do - sorry Philippe, but it
was my drive, my sand wedge and my
putt. The key to making a three here is to
take the aggressive line over the lake
with a slight draw and, in dry conditions,
it will run a mile.

The Atlas Mountains from
the course at Assoufid

31

The terrace at

Le Spa Fairmont is

restaurant makes

to soothe away

special occasion

aches and pains

the perfect place

La Caravane

those golfing

breakfast a

Canadian Rockies looks out of this world. In the end, we finish
outside the prizes. I’m so disappointed not to have claimed my
first international victory that I have to prevent myself from
booing the winners, who collect giant Fairmont vouchers. It’s
hard to watch. A glass of local beer settles me down and there
are claps all round. There’s no time to feel down in any case,
for the weekend is far from over.
First up, it’s a trip to the spa. It’s tough to drag myself away
from my air-conditioned suite, which is big enough to have its
own postcode. However, I’m keen to rid my game of the
shanks, and a PGA pro has told me my stiff back probably isn’t
helping. A swim in the indoor pool and a deep-tissue back
massage is required, and although it brings tears to my eyes, I
leave feeling a million dollars.
Le Spa Fairmont has an extensive menu – treatments and
experiences of all kinds. I’m told I should try the Hammam
Dada, a 90-minute treatment that takes you to the heart of
Morrocan hammam traditions, but I’m eager to see whether it
was really just a stiff back causing me to shank the odd
mid-iron, so I head to the range.

M a d Ma r r a ke s h
In the evening, there’s time for a few hours in Marrakesh. Do
factor this in to your itinerary, as this utterly bonkers place is
truly enthralling. This is one of the appealing aspects of the trip.
For travellers from the UK and Europe, Morocco isn’t far to
travel (it’s visible from Spain on a sunny day), but culturally it
feels like you’ve gone much further.
You’ll need your ‘A’ game negotiating skills if you’re to grab a
bargain in the sprawling souks – some spices, slippers, a lamp
or, in my case, a national team shirt with ‘Hakimi’ on the back
for a football-mad eight-year-old lad. The money just keeps
slipping through my fingers. I even indulge in a tagine pot –
why, I’m not sure – and some face creams of the anti-aging
variety, an area of Moroccan expertise. I give 200 Moroccan
dirham (approximately £15) to my tour guide, who assures me
he knows all the best places.
He leaves us in a restaurant overlooking the main square.
This is the best place to watch other people bartering like mad.
I sit back with a cold drink and stew over the missed putts that
cost us a podium finish. I’m tempted by one of the lamb
dishes, but decide quite enough meat has been consumed.
The chances are you’ll have been warned about the roads
before you booked your trip – or rather the people who drive
on them. I’m not a nervous passenger by any means, but the
zigzagging around the many mopeds does raise the heart
rate, and at times it feels like I’m in a James Bond movie.
As my plane takes off the following morning and I catch a
glimpse of a couple of golf courses below, I’m reminded that
32

Morocco could make for a very good golf holiday – one quite
a bit different to most that I’ve been on. It has plenty of
pedigree. Royal Country Club de Tanger was the first golf
course to open in the country in 1914, proof of a strong golfing
tradition, and there are many others, both old and new, with
well-deserved reputations.
Assoufid Golf Club, which is located 10km from Marrakesh’s
Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, opened a little under a
decade ago, and it’s been racking up various honours at the
World Golf Awards ever since. The views of the snow-capped
Atlas Mountains are stunning. It’s similar in style to Fairmont
Royal Palm Marrakesh, but golf course designer Niall Cameron,

M O R O C C O

a former European Tour player, has created a slightly stiffer
challenge on this excellent layout.

Tour pedigree
The DP World Tour’s presence in the country – the old Moroccan
Open was first played at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat in 1987
– has helped put Morocco on the golfing map, and it’s widely
regarded as the country’s number one course. Ian Poulter won
the tournament the last time it was held here in 2001, while the
Trophy Hassan II was played at this course on five occasions.
King Hassan II, who was a true golf enthusiast, commissioned
Robert Trent Jones to design the course in the late 1960s on a
sprawling 1,000-acre site a short distance south of Rabat. With
three layouts in the heart of a cork oak forest – the 18-hole Red
and Blue and nine-hole Green – it can certainly be classed as
one of northern Africa’s finest.
Rabat, the Kingdom’s capital, is a three-and-a-half-hour drive
from Marrakesh, so it might be best to add this one to another
itinerary, unless of course you want to combine your golf with a
type of roadtrip, in which case you may as well play a few more.
If driving from Marrakesh to Rabat, it makes sense to book a
game at Mazagan, a highly regarded course that weaves in
and out of the low-lying dunes lining the sandy coast. The man
behind this contemporary links is Gary Player, who has helped
to create a little slice of paradise on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
Le Sabra restaurant at
Fairmont Royal Palm

Mazagan on the Atlantic
coast is a Gary Player design

Travel approximately 250km north of Rabat along the coast
and another former Masters Champion has left his mark on the
Moroccan golf scene. Al Houara, which is the work of Vijay Singh
and Graham Marsh, is located just to the south of Tangier and
the Hilton Tangier Al Houara
Resort and Spa is quite the
facility, with an 18-hole
course plus a floodlit
nine-hole layout. It’s situated
right on the Atlantic coast,
and a cool sea breeze is
always very welcome in this
particular part of the world
as it can get a tad warm.
By the time I touch back
down in a wet and windy
Manchester, I’m already
thinking about a city break
in Morocco, or another golf
trip at a time when the
weather isn’t quite so hot
- in some months the
mercury can touch 50˚C!
When I do come back, I’m
well aware that I will need to
have developed better
bargaining skills for the
souks, but perhaps more
importantly, I’m very much
hoping that the dreaded
shanks will be a thing of the
past by then. n

At the time of writing, September’s earthquake has
taken the lives of almost 3,000 people. You can make a
donation to help provide vital aid by visiting donate.
redcross.org.uk/appeal/morocco-earthquake-appeal

33

S O U T H

A F R I C A

HEAD SOUTH FOR
THE WINTER
Monty McPhee enjoys the trip of a lifetime to Cape Town and comes back raving

Photography: Your Golf Travel

about everything from golf courses to hotels, sightseeing and customer service

34

couldn’t quite believe it when
the offer to travel to Cape Town,
South Africa to play some golf
arrived in my inbox. Was this
really happening? Yes, there it
was in black and white – the
chance to play golf somewhere
quite incredible.
Due to some surgery, it had
been quite a while since I had
last picked up a golf club, so I
made it my personal mission to
make sure that I could swing well by the time the trip came
round. I also gave the old golf travel bag a good dusting off.
This golf getaway involved playing four courses. Four
top-quality courses at that: Clovelly, Erinvale, Arabella and Pearl
Valley. After 12 hours on the big bird, I touched down in Cape
Town and was met by the tour guides, who whisked me off and
began showing me the sights, of which there were many.
On our way down to Cape Point, we passed through
Muizenberg, Fish Hoek Bay, Kalk Bay and False Bay. On the
return, we stopped off at Boulder Beach, a very popular
destination as it offers you the chance to get up close to the
African penguin, something you just have to do. I would highly
recommend a tour guide. In fact, I would recommend Brian
Talbot, a thoroughly nice guy and someone who is extremely
knowledgeable and passionate about the country.
My accommodation for the first two nights was Table Bay
Hotel, where you can choose from sea view or Table Mountain
view rooms, the latter of which, unsurprisingly, sell out rather
quickly. This five-star establishment also boasts access to the

For Monty, Pearl

I

Valley was the

best of the four
South African
courses he

played on his trip

“One of my personal
highlights from Clovelly
was the halfway house.
Here, they really do
things properly”
city mall, a gym, spa and pool and, most importantly, an
all-you-can-eat breakfast. I must say, this was well-needed.

C lo v elly C o untry C lub

Gary Player’s Erinvale
was in superb condition

The first course on the itinerary was Clovelly, which sits in the
Silvermine Valley between Fish Hoek and Kalk Bays. Driving in
you get a fantastic view looking over the practice facilities, and
the clubhouse sits above the course, which offers up more
stunning views. What a place to sit and watch golfers teeing off.
If you’re feeling brave, you can definitely take on the corner
with a driver at the short par-4 1st. I hit a low, stinging 2-iron with
a slight fade that got around the corner to leave me a shortiron in. Clovelly rewards accuracy off the tee with tight,

35

bentgrass fairway lies. This type of grass also gives the
fairways a bit of ‘bounce’, which adds to the difficulty of hitting
your approach play as it can be all too easy to get your club
caught up and catch shots heavy.
The greens use poa annua grass and received approach
shots like you see on tour. If you want to feel like you are
playing on professional greens, this is the course to play.
Nothing beats watching your golf ball rip back towards the
hole as you fire a shot in just over the top of the flag. The
greens rolled fast and true, too – every golfer’s dream.
One of my personal highlights from Clovelly was the
halfway house. Here, they really do things properly. I tucked
into a beef and red wine pie with gravy. Honestly, it was the
best pie I’ve ever eaten. Hands down.

Clovelly Country Club sits
in the Silvermine Valley

E ri nval e C o u n t r y & G o l f E s t a t e
The third day required an early rise as we were heading to the
Gary Player-designed Erinvale, which is located 30 minutes
from Cape Town on the border with Somerset West. I’d soon
discover why it has hosted some top golfing events, such as
the World Cup of Golf in 1996, which saw a home victory for
Ernie Els and Wayne Westner.
Erinvale was in immaculate condition with neatly cut kikuyu
grass fairways. The greens are a combination of bent- and
pop-grass, and it was like putting on glass. The first nine is flat
and meanders its way through the Erinvale estate, with
accuracy off the tee the key requirement. The back nine takes
you up to the foothills of Helderberg, where you can look out
across the False Bay coastline. Simply gorgeous.
This was by far the most well-groomed course I have ever
played. If you want to experience golf in the conditions the
professionals enjoy, this is another one of those.

A rabel l a C o u n t r y E s t a t e
Arabella is situated in Hermanus, 90 minutes from Cape Town.
On arrival, you walk into a huge open-plan reception, where
the floor-to-ceiling glass allows you to look out over the golf
course and neighbouring Bot River Lagoon.
I was asked to leave my clubs at the door and they would
be taken down to the short-game area. This left me time to
wander the vast halls of the hotel and clubhouse, before
heading down for a few putts on the bentgrass greens. I then
went to the chipping green and holed two chip shots back-toback – a good time to leave and head to the 1st tee!
Arabella is ranked the fourth-best golf course in South
Africa and the best in the Western Cape. You can see why. The
layout keeps you thinking. Holes 8, 9, 17 and 18 bring Bot River
Lagoon into play, so I would definitely make sure you have
plenty of golf balls. The 7th is a par 3 that borders a nature

“Arabella is ranked
the fourth-best golf
course in South Africa
and the best in the
Western Cape.
You can see why”
36

Arabella in the Western Cape
enjoys a stirring backdrop

S O U T H

A F R I C A

reserve. Here, I ripped a 7-iron with a slight draw – close to a
hole-in-one but, alas, it did not drop.
The 18th has been voted South Africa’s best finishing hole
– a long, snaking par 4 that flanks the estuary’s shoreline,
meaning a slice will result in a reload. It’s a truly gorgeous
finishing hole. I hit a driver off the tee, followed by a flushed
3-wood to reach in two. Between the fairway and the lagoon
is a bunker that winds all the way up the hole, so if you’re lucky
your ball may get caught in there before reaching the water.
I was fortunate that my accommodation for the night was
also at Arabella. Once I finished my round, it was just a short
walk back to the hotel, where I headed straight for the spa.
There really is no better way to forget all the bad shots than
relaxing in a sauna or chilling in a plunge pool.

Pea rl Va lley

Soaking up the incredible
views from Table Mountain

On the last day I got to play Pearl Valley, a Jack Nicklaus
signature golf course and my number one on the trip. The
design is intriguing and keeps
you thinking, with traps
constantly lurking in your ideal
landing spots, both sand and
water. South Africa loves a
water hazard, as does Jack.
The clubhouse is magnificent
HOW TO GET THERE
and the service was first class.
From the UK it is a 12-hour
The staff are excellent – they
flight to Cape Town, but
keep to a tight schedule using
despite this long flight the
walkie-talkies to communicate
Cape is only two hours
so they know exactly where
ahead of the UK so you
each group is at any one time.
don’t need to worry
Very efficient.
about jet lag!
The day started off a little
overcast but as the minutes
WHERE TO PLAY
passed, and a few holes went
– Clovelly
by, the sun burned the clouds
– Erinvale
away and we were left
– Arabella
surrounded by the most
– Pearl Valley
spectacular scenery. South
Africa’s Top 100 Golf Courses
WHERE TO STAY
ranked Pearl Valley as third-best
– Table Bay Hotel
for 2023. That’s how good it is.
– Erinvale Estate Hotel & Spa
As you approach the 7th, the
– Arabella Hotel, Golf & Spa
buggy flashes up a warning:
– Stellenbosch Hotel
“You are now entering the
yourgolftravel.com
toughest stretch of the course,
0800 043 6644
good luck!” Just what I wanted
to hear having already lost a
handful of Pro V1s in the drink.
The 7th and 8th share what I
can only describe as an ocean.
If you find the fairways off these tees, you’ve played some
excellent golf shots. On the latter, the next battle is making
sure you can carry the water, which runs right across the front
of the green. There’s no room for error. Pearl Valley is an
excellent challenge for all golfers, and once you finish your
round you can browse the extensive merchandise available in
the pro shop. I did, and my bank balance now proves it.
All the courses that I played had one thing in common –
fast greens. If South Africa is on your golf bucket list, then make
sure your putting is up to scratch, because the greens will test
you. No matter which courses you choose to play, Cape Town
has a lot to offer golfers of all abilities and a golfing trip to
Arabella was another
South Africa will guarantee memories that you’ll treasure for a
highlight of Monty’s trip
lifetime – that is beyond doubt.
37

U N I T E D

S T A T E S

SOUTHERN
CHARM
Monty McPhee jets off to South Carolina during RBC Heritage week to play a few of
Hilton Head Island’s other courses and enjoy a healthy dose of southern hospitality

38

Monty discovers

the Harbour Town
pier at twilight

any international golf trips start
from a gloomy UK, with the one
little ray of hope we all latch onto
the thought of playing in glorious
weather elsewhere in the world. I
was sitting in a cold corner of my
dark house in springtime when
this particular opportunity to jet
off to the United States hit my
inbox. My eyes lit up and before I
knew it my bags were packed
and I was setting off to Heathrow where I would be meeting my
partner in crime for the week, Golf Monthly photographer, Kevin
Murray, aptly nicknamed ‘Muzza’. Having met Muzza in the
airport lounge, I knew we were in for a good week. I’d never
been to a lounge in the airport before – it was all very exciting
and a great way to kick-start the getaway.
Several hours later, we touched down in Chicago and set off
for our connecting flight to Savannah, something I was very
excited about as Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
has been voted the best domestic airport in the United States.
As you walk through the airport to collect your luggage you
pick up on the aura and passion this region has for the game,
with displays promoting golf everywhere and even a PGA
Superstore – perfect if you realise you’ve forgotten something
on the flight over or just to pick up gifts for friends and family.
It was dark when we landed but we could tell why it is the
number one domestic airport in the States – very clean, very
pleasant and no hassle, just what every traveller likes,
especially after an international journey. Our day in the air and
on the road came to an end as we arrived at our hotel, the
Mansion on Forsyth Park. It was impeccable but I’m told that
since my visit it has been sold and is now set to re-open as the
even more luxurious Hotel Bardo Savannah next February.
Before heading over to Hilton Head Island I was able to get a
quick nine holes in at The Club at Savannah Harbor, a great
course a few minutes outside the historic old city of Savannah
and the perfect place to warm up your game post-flight.

M

Oyster Reef is one of eight
Heritage Golf Collection courses

39

HOW TO GET THERE
Flying from the UK you can
Hilton Head Island is then home to
I played the entire nine holes without a
get a connecting flight to
23 courses. I was fortunate enough to
birdie before arriving at the signature
Savannah International
play two of them on this trip and both
10th, a long par 5 made longer by the sea
Airport from most major US
were spectacular – not a blade of
breeze sweeping in from the shore
airports. We flew into
grass out of place. For one island, the
straight into our faces. The chances of a
Chicago and got a
variety of golf is quite incredible. I took
birdie appeared slim but, of course, I had
connecting flight from there.
on Oyster Reef Golf Club and the
to find time to play the signature hole.
Once in Savannah, it’s only
Robert Trent Jones course at Palmetto
With bunkers down the right and a
a short journey by road over
Dunes Oceanfront Resort. Both were in
swamp and OOB on the left, it was a
to Hilton Head Island.
fantastic condition and had amazing
scary tee shot. But I found the fairway
scenery to match. I only wish I’d had
and made my way up to the green in
more time out there to explore and
three blows. All I had to do now was
WHERE TO PLAY
play more of the courses.
knock it in to walk off a happy man, and
– The Club at Savannah
I managed 18 holes at Oyster Reef
boom – I did it to finally land an elusive
Harbor
and nine holes at Palmetto Dunes but
birdie on another signature hole.
– Oyster Reef
even driving back towards the
We finished up at Palmetto Dunes
– Palmetto Dunes
clubhouse through the back nine you
Oceanfront Resort and headed back to
Oceanfront Resort
could see why this course is so
Harbour Town Golf Links to catch the final
popular. Oyster Reef has by far the
few holes from day two of the PGA Tour’s
best clubhouse restaurant I have
RBC Heritage tournament, which was
been to. The food was as American as
being played during my visit. The island
it comes. I had a BBQ pulled pork burger with seasoned fries
was experiencing a major buzz the entire week due to the
and my mouth is still watering just thinking about it. I highly
tournament, which I was lucky enough to go to on both
recommend going there even just for lunch or dinner – you
Thursday and Friday. If you can plan your golf trip around
won’t be disappointed.
tournament week, the island has an electric atmosphere.
Oyster Reef is one of the eight Heritage Golf Collection
courses on Hilton Head Island and ranks among the top 20
Beyo nd the fa irw a ys
courses in all the Carolinas. It’s also home to one of the most
spectacular holes on the island – the par-3 6th, a Rees JonesAway from the golf courses, we started our first day roaming
designed signature hole playing 192 yards from the gold tees
the streets before heading off to meet our walking guide at
right at the back. The green presses up against Port Royal
10.30am, something I absolutely recommend doing. The
Sound, which makes for a lovely backdrop from tee to green.
guides are so passionate about their city and have a wealth of
I didn’t play off the tips, but this hole was playing into a
knowledge. Prior to the walking tour we ran into none other
mighty wind and I stepped up and hit a peach of a 6-iron.
than Mr Gary Barlow. I could not believe it, but star-struck and
Dialled in, the shot looked all over it. When I spoke with the
in a daze, I just let him slip by. I’ll forever regret not asking for a
head pro before heading out I asked if there had been any
quick photo (Gary, if you’re reading this, let’s play nine holes).
holes-in-one on the signature hole and he’d said four. The
Savannah not only boasts a rich history, from The Girl Scouts
thought of making it five was now a major possibility as my
First Headquarters building to the filming of Forrest Gump, but
ball landed on the dance floor. At this point my playing
it is also home to some of the country’s most renowned
restaurants. If what
you’re after is a taste
of good ol’ southern
food and hospitality,
Mrs. Wilkes Dining
Room is the place to
go. This small,
family-run restaurant
is a favourite among
locals but has also
hosted guests like
partners and I couldn’t see the bottom of the pin, but as we
Ryan Reynolds, Miles Teller and even Barack Obama. Make
walked up to the green, we could see that my ball had come
sure you arrive with plenty of time to spare as the queue for
to rest about five feet from the hole. Now all I had to do was
this hotspot has been known to loop around the block.
hole the birdie putt. It was a knee-knocker with left-to-right
Once you’ve had your fill from Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room – and
break and as I sent it on its way, doubts crossed my mind –
believe me, you will be stuffed – take a stroll down to the
had I hit it hard enough, had I allowed for enough or too little
riverfront to watch ships coming and going and to explore all
break? Finally, the ball rattled into the hole for a sweet two –
that JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District has to offer
definitely a highlight of that round for me.
with its multiple museums, restaurants, bars and shops along
My second round was at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort,
the waterfront. Perhaps a picnic in the park is more your style
playing just nine holes – or ten as it transpired. Before heading
– well, Savannah has plenty of green space and if you fancy
out it is important to fuel up properly so I grabbed a quick bite
then burning off a few calories after all that food, you can take
to eat in the form of a burger and fries and a very refreshing
a jog around the gorgeous Forsyth Park.
beverage called ‘The Arnold Palmer’ at Big Jim’s. After lunch, I
I will definitely be heading back one day to not only play
was able to use the driving range, which is the only one on the
another handful of courses on Hilton Head Island but also soak
island to feature Toptracer technology.
up and embrace all the history Savannah has to offer. n

“For one island, the variety of golf
on Hilton Head is incredible and
not a blade of grass out of place”

40

U N I T E D

S T A T E S

Approaching the 4th
green at Palmetto Dunes

The well-protected 5th
green at Palmetto Dunes

The Club at Savannah Harbor and
Talmadge Memorial Bridge beyond
41

G L O B A L

G O L F

THE WORLD’S
YOUR OYSTER
Alex Frolish and Michael Weston take to the skies for a whistlestop tour of
some of the most breathtaking courses to be found anywhere on the planet

42

NEW SOUTH
WALES
AUSTRALIA

A golfing landscape to die
for at New South Wales

There are many superlatives you could use to describe New
South Wales Golf Club, but the three that would seem most
appropriate could be boldest, toughest and most beautiful golf
course in Australia. It is improbable to think that this raw and
picturesque landscape lies just ten miles as the crow flies from
the steps of the Sydney Opera House, which makes this course
accessible to anybody visiting the city (if you can somehow
negotiate an invite from a member).
Alister MacKenzie was famed for building attractive yet
demanding courses, and that theme continues here on the
craggy and bush-covered shoreline overlooking the entrance
to the infamous Botany Bay, where Captain Cook first set foot
on Australian ground in 1770.
The green sites (in true MacKenzie fashion) are typically
devilish, while the bush-lined, rolling fairways also offer little in
the way of respite. Yet the views and atmosphere of this
heavenly place mean that a round here is about so much more
than the score on the card.
The 6th hole rivals the greatest golfing scenes anywhere on
our planet. With the tee on this par 3 teetering just feet above
the waves crashing across the rocks, and with whales cresting
in the waters beyond the peninsula, this truly is the dreamiest of
golfing spectacles.

43

St George’s is a glorious
Stanley Thompson creation

ST GEORGE’S
CANADA
Just a short drive from downtown Toronto, St George’s is one of
the finest and most historic golf courses in Canada, boasting
an enviable and varied piece of rolling, urban parkland golfing
real estate. You may recall Rory McIlroy’s win here in the 2022
Canadian Open (the club has hosted five Canadian Opens).
During that week, Rory was quoted as saying “‘St George’s is
quite simply a great golf course.” Who are we to argue with a
player who has played so many of the world’s finest courses?
An opening tee shot often sets the tone for what is to come,
and the 1st here is something special. The amphitheatrical
basin of a fairway oozes a still and timeless class that few
opening shots can rival. Strategic thinking and missing in the
right place dominate the thinking on many holes, and there
are critical errors on most holes that you will make once and
endeavour not to make again. Tom Doak’s work to bring the
course back closer to Stanley Thompson’s original form has
rejuvenated this strategic parkland test, and reaffirmed its
position as one of the best courses of its type in world golf.

WHISTLING
STRAITS
UNITED STATES
Having opened in 1998, Whistling Straits already boasts a
history and legacy well beyond its relatively short lifespan.
Thanks to three US PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup,
many golfers will be familiar with this modern classic borne
out of the vision of the late Herb Kohler Jr.
44

The bold drama of Pete Dye’s designs isn’t for everyone, with
forced carries and severe danger regularly close at hand. But
there can be few more drama-filled rounds than on a course
like this, and it is this boldness of design that makes it such an
exhilarating experience. Nearly half the holes play down by the
lake’s edge, which is testament to the ingenuity of Dye’s
routing. There are approaching 1,000 bunkers, over 100 of which
are on the 8th hole. The final layer of difficulty is the wind. The
course is called Whistling Straits for a reason, and the lakeside
drafts can swirl in a notoriously testing and unpredictable
fashion. The good news: Whistling Straits is open to the public,
so add it to that bucket list of golf courses you have to play.

ELS CLUB
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
The ‘Big Easy’ has crafted a course at the multi-billion-dollar
Dubai Sports City development that is anything but! Alister
MacKenzie once said, “A golf course should test the long
handicap player as well as the expert player and be enjoyable,
even while one may be piling up a big score.” The Els Club fits
that description entirely. So, which elements combine to give
this course its fearsome reputation?
As you might expect, there is quite a bit of sand, both in
excavated bunkering and the desert waste areas that line
most fairways. The bunkers are not exactly understated, with
many taking on a crater-like quality akin to that created by
some form of explosion. They are true deep hazards and much
of your strategy will be built around ensuring your ball remains
out of the plentiful sand. In addition, this once-flat piece of land
has been transformed into something much more undulating,
which, when combined with some of the fastest greens in the
Gulf, makes recovering when out of position rather testing.

G L O B A L

G O L F

You’re in for an

exhilarating ride
at Pete Dye’s

Whistling Straits
in Wisconsin

“The course is called Whistling Straits
for a reason, and the lakeside drafts
can swirl in a notoriously testing and
unpredictable fashion. Nearly half the
holes play down by the lake’s edge”

As you might

expect, there is
much sand to

negotiate at The
Els Club in Dubai

45

SINGAPORE
ISLAND CC (NEW)
SINGAPORE
Jungle golf can be an assault on the senses, with the noise of
the wildlife, the ever-present humidity and the effervescent
array of colours a quite overwhelming combination. Golf has
been played at Singapore Island Country Club in many guises
for over 130 years. Located in the jungle-laden suburbs of
Singapore, the club boasts a wealth of facilities not many clubs
in world golf can rival. The New course was originally built by
Frank Pennink and opened in 1969, but it has had a monumental
revamp recently and opened for play once again in 2021. It is
GEO-certified in recognition of the course’s sustainability
credentials and now comprises three loops of nine holes, which
are rotated on a day-by-day basis.
All three loops boast memorable moments, but holes 7-9 on
the Millennium nine would be a fitting finish to any golf course
and have the feel of a closing stretch designed for tournament
play. A testing par 5 at the 7th is followed by a perfectly formed
drop-shot par 3 at the 8th. Finally, you reach the blockbuster
9th, where the green site is framed on the right side by a
waterfall and sits in the shadow of the imposing clubhouse.
46

G L O B A L

G O L F

“The noise of the wildlife, the ever-present
humidity and the effervescent colours are
a quite overwhelming combination”
47

G L O B A L

G O L F

The River Club in
South Africa has
been likened to

Augusta National

“The par-3 14th, framed on the right by
the beautiful, fast-flowing Braamfontein
Spruit, begins a brilliant closing stretch
at The River Club – undoubtedly one
of the most testing in African golf”

Both Jockey Club
courses are the

handiwork of Dr

Alister MacKenzie

48

THE RIVER CLUB,
SOUTH AFRICA
Until recently, a day at The River Club was one of the hardest
invitations to come by in all of Africa. A private members’ club
with a limited membership, exclusivity was the name and, for
the non-member, daydreaming of playing here was the game.
That, however, is changing and there are now a limited number
of tee times available for paying guests to sample the
grandeur of this club and the quality of this golf course.
Comparisons with Augusta National are plentiful online. The
first thing to elicit that feeling is the white-panelled clubhouse
that holds court on the high ground. What this place also
shares with Augusta is a surprising degree of elevation change.
Many courses in and around Johannesburg are relatively flat,
but this has to be one of the more up and down ones.
The vibrant flora and fauna contrast vividly with the highly
manicured fairways and greens. The 14th will be most people’s
highlight, a par 3 framed on the right by the beautiful, fastflowing Braamfontein Spruit (stream), which begins a brilliant
closing stretch – undoubtedly one of African golf’s most testing.

JOCKEY
CLUB (RED)
ARGENTINA
Jockey Club is one of the most architecturally significant golf
clubs in Latin America, boasting two original Alister
MacKenzie courses. Since 1930, it has been home to elite golf
in Argentina. The clubhouse exudes a historic and timeless
class and understated yet enthralling atmosphere. It just feels

like a special place; even the quiet, wood-panelled corridors
and locker rooms emit an air of historical significance.
The course is remarkable in that it boasts many interesting
features, having been crafted from such flat terrain. The lumps
and bumps in the fairways and around the greens are
anything but in keeping with the natural land forms, but Dr
MacKenzie’s artistic flair has ensured the course feels totally
engaging, without it appearing contrived or tricked up.
He likened it to the test of his beloved Old Course at St
Andrews, and stated it was the most like the Old Course of any
inland layout he had ever played. It takes a bit of imagination to
see the likeness, but once you study the swirling slopes around
the greens, you can start to see his point.

CLEARWATER BAY
HONG KONG
Playing golf at Clearwater Bay is like taking a long lunch at the
best restaurant in town. Its addictive combination of timeless
views and variety of holes makes it utterly memorable from
beginning to end. Architecturally, there is much to admire, not
least the imaginative routing across land that must have
seemed wholly intimidating to create a course on. It was built in
1982 and the routing flipped around some 25 years later.
The opening run on the ‘Ocean’ front nine is high-octane
stuff, while the back nine is named the ‘Highland’ nine and plays
high above the crashing waves, across improbable, rocky,
jungle-covered cliffs and contours. Standing on the 2nd hole,
named ‘Dragon’s Back’, it takes some convincing to believe the
view before you is actually real. The 3rd is the signature hole,
where you venture out to the very tip of the coastline. The drive
is as exhilarating as it is terrifying, and, providing you find grass
or sand, you’ll then face a shot to a green perched on the very
final piece of land in south-east Hong Kong, the next stop being
the Philippines some 1,000km across the South China Sea.

The course at Clearwater
Bay defies belief at times

49

“According to co-designer Louis
Oosthuizen, this traditional links-style
course is ‘not for the faint-hearted’”
HERITAGE
MAURITIUS
The golfing world owes Louis Oosthuizen and golf course
architect Peter Matkovich a big thank you for delivering a
special Christmas gift. You’ll have to travel to the island of
Mauritius to receive it, but if the pictures of their new course
are anything to go by, it’ll be an unforgettable experience.
La Reserve opens in December 2023 and joins the resort’s
other spectacular 18-hole layout, Le Chateau. Featuring
breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean from every hole, this
traditional links-style course is, according to the former Open
Champion, “not for the faint-hearted”.
Set on the southern shores of Bel Ombre and located
alongside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, La Reserve blends
seamlessly with its natural surroundings, featuring undulating
terrain, strategically placed bunkers and challenging hazards.
This is pure paradise and it’s easy to understand why tour pros
enjoy coming to The Heritage to compete, for alongside the
world-class golf facilities, this sumptuous resort offers a stay
like nowhere else. The exclusive spa is perfect when you want
to slow down and recharge, while the gourmet restaurants are
great spots to sample the culinary delights on offer or perhaps
enjoy a refreshing cocktail as the sun sets over the horizon.

AYLA
JORDAN
There are many reasons to visit Jordan. Stunning natural
landscapes, world-renowned historical sites and, of course,
Petra, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.
For golfers, there’s also one of the Middle East’s finest courses.
Ayla Golf Club is located close to Aqaba, a city steeped in a
rich history that dates back to pre-biblical times. A leisurely

Greg Norman
designed the

thrilling layout at
Ayla in Jordan

50

walk along the waterfront and a stroll around the Old Town’s
shops and market stalls will no doubt feature on your itinerary,
together with a few rounds on the thrilling Ayla course.
In 2019, Daan Huizing made golfing history by becoming the
first player to win a full-field mixed professional tournament
– the Jordan Mixed Open, which was held here. Designed by
Greg Norman, the course has a links feel. Numerous ponds and
lakes come into play, but there are plenty of times when you’ll
need to be creative, perhaps with a little bump-and-run.
At the heart of Ayla you’ll find the Marina Village, which offers
a range of dining, shopping, recreational and leisure
experiences. Then there’s the beach, where you can find
yourself a hammock and relax after your day’s golf. Perfect.

SIAM CC
THAILAND
With its tropical beauty and chaotic charm, Thailand is a
bucket-list destination for many. Maybe you have your own
fond memories of backpacking and soaking up the culture in
Bangkok. How does a long-haul golf trip sound, one that’s
infinitely more comfortable? If you’re already sold on the idea,
make sure Siam Country Club features on your itinerary, for
many regard the Old course as Asia’s finest. Home to the LPGA
Thailand, this lush and colourful layout, no more than 90
minutes from Bangkok, plays around a lilypad-covered creek
and features a trio of holes known as Thailand’s ‘Amen Corner’.
First up, water cuts across the par-4 15th to create one of the
course’s toughest approaches. Next is a long par 3 to a twotiered green, before water comes back into play on the brutal
17th. It’s a stretch where you’ll need to rely on your caddie.
If you play the Old, you’ll also want to book a tee-time on the
four other courses in the Siam portfolio – Plantation, Rolling
Hills, Bangkok and Waterside, which will host the Women’s
Amateur Asia-Pacific in February 2024. Each course is different
and has its own clubhouse. Be sure to set aside a couple of
hours post-round to enjoy a delicious Thai meal.

Many regard the
Old course at

Siam Country

Club as the finest
in all of Asia

G L O B A L

G O L F

La Reserve at The Heritage
looks set to be very special

9000

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