General news - Golf News

How much further does a Happy Gilmore swing go?

Scientists (and Padraig Harrington) have worked out how much further you can hit with a Happy Gilmore swing

Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 13 June 2016

We’ve all tried it when messing around with mates, but could the Happy Gilmore swing actually be a secret weapon in competition? Using three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and launch monitor TrackMan, scientists have calculated that a properly struck drive using Happy Gilmore’s famous technique will travel 10% further than a ball hit with a standard swing. That means Harrington can...

How does this compare to your back garden?

Mark Wahlberg has the back garden of any golfer’s dreams

Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 10 June 2016

If you’re looking for more reasons to be jealous of multi-millionaire, award-winning Hollywood heart-throb Mark Wahlberg, take a look at his back garden. The 45-year-old posted this picture of his new back garden practice facility on Instagram. The facility is made entirely of artificial grass, meaning 5-handicapper Wahlberg can practice all year round to his heart’s content. For many years, Wahlberg said he...

How many hours per week does it take to get to scratch?

Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 2 June 2016

Rob McGarr is trying to get from a handicap of 10, which he’s been stuck on for a while, to scratch. Previous articles: Part One: How hard can it be to go from 10 to scratch? Part Two: I’m trying to get from 10 to scratch, and now I’m off 11… Part Three: My first cut and two costly missed tiddlers _______________ I should be off...

SPRINT6GOLF unveiled as golf’s new faster format

Written by Michael Catling on Thursday 2 June 2016

Fed up of playing five-hour rounds? SPRINT6Golf – a new quick-fire, shorter format of golf – has been launched to help speed up the game. SPRINT6GOLF is played over just six holes and utilises a free mobile app with a 30-second shot clock to ensure a continuous pace of play. Designed to attract players of all ages and abilities, the format typically...

Don’t be too proud to use a pink plastic tee… it could improve your driving!

Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 1 June 2016

Many golfers wouldn’t be seen dead using a pink plastic castle tee. They are often seen as the reserve of lesser golfers. Any decent golfer uses proper wooden tee pegs, don’t they? Well, consider this… Golf, as we know, is a game of very fine margins. The difference between a perfect strike and a disastrous mishit is is less than an inch. When...

This giant alligator makes a Florida golf course his home

There’s a giant alligator terrifying golfers in Florida

Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 31 May 2016

Golfers at Buffalo Creek Golf Course have one more hazard than usual to contend with, as the Florida course is home to a gigantic alligator. This video, captured by a golfer called Charles Helms, has garnered hundreds of thousands of views in just a few days. Rather than putting people off, the monster alligator has actually turned into one of Buffalo Creek’s...

Coming soon! The world’s largest indoor golf centre

Written by Michael Catling on Monday 30 May 2016

As a nation, we do love to complain about on-course conditions, so the thought of a weather-independent golf centre is enough to set pulses racing. But what may seem like a fantasy could actually turn into reality. Indoor Golf Solutions is currently seeking an investor to build the world’s largest indoor golf centre. Ambitious? You bet! But there’s something weird and wonderful about...

That's not me, it's Shane Lowry, but I feel his pain

Journey to scratch: my first cut and two missed tiddlers

Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 25 May 2016

Previous articles: Part One – How hard can it be to go from 10 to scratch? Part Two – I’m trying to get from 10 to scratch, and now I’m off… eleven?! Two feet. It’s not a lot, is it? It’s the height of a slightly above average newborn baby boy. It’s the length of a baguette. It’s the length of two putts...

Buy your dream home and golf course in the Bahamas

Written by Michael Catling on Friday 27 May 2016

We would all love to own our own golf course, but you can now get two for the price of one, plus the third largest hotel in the Bahamas all included. The Grand Lucayan Resort has recently come on the market and is home to the signature Reef Club Golf Course, which is regarded as one of the best on the...

It’s official! The UK is the hole-in-one capital of the world

Written by Michael Catling on Friday 27 May 2016

When it comes to the most elusive accomplishment in golf, the UK performs better than any other country in the world. That’s according to data compiled over three millions rounds of golf by Hole19 – the GPS and scoring app – which found that the UK is responsible for the most aces on the golf course. Between April 2014 and January 2016,...

Is it art or crazy golf?

Written by Michael Catling on Friday 27 May 2016

We all appreciate the art in designing a truly great golf course. But seeing one exhibited at a gallery or museum has always seemed beyond the realms of possibility. Until now. Visitors to the New Art Exchange in Nottingham are being offered the chance to immerse themselves in some artistic culture by navigating a miniature golf course, designed and made by...

A proper warm-up routine gives you the best chance of a good round

If you want to play like a tour pro, you need to warm up like one

Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 23 May 2016

You can’t expect to stroll straight from your car to the first tee and play your best golf. The world’s best golfers arrive 50 to 90 minutes ahead of their tee time and undergo a comprehensive warm-up routine before starting their round. If you want to play your best, you should follow their example and make sure every aspect of...

You can have three days of free golf during the bank holiday weekend

Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 20 May 2016

Most golf clubs want more members and visitors. They bring in money that lets the club invest in the course, keeping it in top condition and attracting even more people to visit or join. But not all of them are doing enough to help themselves. Branston Golf and Country Club in Burton upon Trent is doing its bit to get more...

The Open Championship won't return to Muirfield

See how Twitter reacted to Muirfield’s shameful decision not to allow female members

Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 19 May 2016

The worst part of Muirfield’s decision not to allow female members, from our point of view, is that we weren’t even surprised. One pleasant surprise was the immediacy and certitude of the R&A’s response to the decision, announcing that Muirfield would no longer be considered as an Open venue until its policy on women is readdressed. “The Open is one of the...

Why I cried at Augusta National

Written by Ronan Keating on Wednesday 18 May 2016

Irish pop star Ronan Keating, an ultra-keen golfer, is still on cloud nine following his first-ever visit to the US Masters accompanied by his wife Storm. Here’s the full story – and photos – of one of the best weeks of the Boyzone singer’s life. So much so that he cried tears of joy…. “I am a lucky man, no doubt...

We know it sounds crazy, but Niall Horan could be the most important man in golf

Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 18 May 2016

Many of golf’s big names will be teeing it up at Wentworth next week for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth (although the likes of Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen and Sergio Garcia will not). Many of the world’s best golfers will battle it out from Thursday to Sunday, in front of a live audience likely to exceed 100,000, with...

I’m trying to get from a 10-handicap to scratch, and now I’m off 11…

Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 18 May 2016

After the excitement of deciding I was going to become brilliant at golf had died down (thanks for all the supportive messages, by the way), I realised something. It is going to be bloody difficult. I’ve been trying to be brilliant at golf from the moment I first picked up a club. I’ve tried everything I can think of, and yet the...

Niall Horan gets behind Northern Ireland Open

Written by Courses & Travel Editor Kevin Brown on Friday 13 May 2016

One Direction star Niall Horan and his new Modest! Golf Management company are the official golf management partner for the Northern Ireland Open at Galgorm Castle GC in July. Director Niall said: “The next generation of golfers is a huge focus for us as a business. You only need to look at the history of the Challenge Tour to see the...

Wouldn't it be nice to walk off here with a birdie?

5 simple steps to get your round off to a great start

Written by Karl Morris, mind coach to multiple major winners, including Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen on Friday 13 May 2016

The club golfer is a notoriously poor starter. Analyse your last 10 rounds and chances are you’ll find you drop a disproportionate number of shots on holes 1-3. With competition season upon us, it’s a good time to take a look at why this happens, and what you can do about it. For most golfers, the start of the round...

Want tickets for the 2017 Masters? Be quick… the ballot closes soon!

Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 12 May 2016

The dust has barely settled on Danny Willett’s surprise Masters victory, but if you want to be at Augusta National to watch the Yorkshireman defend the title next year, you’d better get your application in quick. The application process for 2017 Masters tickets is already open and closes at the end of May. If you want to be in with a...