Written by Rob Jerram on Tuesday 12 January 2016
When Dan Walker’s mother cut short his first golf lesson, a group session being taught by a drunken instructor, he could never have guessed the huge part the sport would play in his life. The 38-year-old has been a key part of the BBC’s golf team for over a decade, and it was during the 2009 Open at Turnberry that Walker...
Written by Stuart Hood on Tuesday 12 January 2016
Ian Richards has been a professional golf gambler for 15 years. In that time he has developed a strategy that has relieved bookmakers of hundreds of thousands of pounds. He agreed to reveal his secrets, as long as we didn’t reveal his face. If you are planning to bet on golf, make sure you pay close attention to Richards’ tips. How did...
Written by Pete Masters, Golf World Magazine on Wednesday 6 January 2016
In 2015, Jordan Spieth put together one of the greatest years in the history of professional golf. Spieth who began the year aged 21, won two majors and three other tournaments en route to FedEx Cup glory, earning more than $22 million and overhauling Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings. But how does Spieth’s 2015 season compare...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 6 January 2016
2016 is set to be a year to remember for golf fans. As well as the usual four majors, we’ve got the Ryder Cup 2016 to look forward to, and the little matter of the 2016 Olympics being the first to feature golf since 1904. To ensure you don’t miss any of the action, make sure you’ve got these dates...
Written by Denis Pugh, PGA Master professional and coach to Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher on Wednesday 6 January 2016
I spend a lot of time at Tour events, both as a Sky Sports pundit, and working with the players I coach. Walking along the practice range, I’ll see players practising and preparing in a variety of different manners. They have different routines, use different swing aids, hit different clubs in different orders and work on different things. One thing...
Written by Chris Jones on Wednesday 6 January 2016
If you’ve been tempted to try some of the new kit revealed in the last week, you’ll get the chance at a new golf show. The Golf Show by American Golf, which takes place over the weekend of February 27-28, will see the latest hardware on show from brands such as Benross, Callaway, Cobra, Nike, Ping, Srixon, TaylorMade, Titleist and Wilson. This...
Written by James Henderson on Tuesday 22 December 2015
If a golfer dominated the game the way Tony ‘AP’ McCoy has dominated horse racing, they would have 100 Majors under their belt and make a hole-in-one every time they so much as looked at a par 3. Watch the documentary Being AP and you could be forgiven for thinking you’re watching an extended episode of children’s TV show Record Breakers. McCoy’s...
Wednesday 16 December 2015
*Image: Leaderboard Photography. Three men who have each ‘pulled out all the stops’ to support golfers have been honoured with awards at the England Golf coaching conference. Terry Casey, who has just retired as the manager of the England men’s team, won the award for the Outstanding Contribution to Coaching. He also happens to be the dad of PGA Tour star Paul. Steve Parrish,...
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 18 December 2015
A few weeks ago, we brought you the news that Greg Norman had designed the world’s best new golf course, in the form of The Bluffs in Vietnam. But that was 2015’s best new golf course. That’s old news now. These courses are the ones that will be in contention for world’s best new course of 2016. Some are already open...
Written by Courses & Travel Editor Kevin Brown on Wednesday 16 December 2015
Controversial US politician and golf course owner Donald Trump has run into more trouble, having failed in his bid to stop an offshore wind farm being built opposite Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen. Trump, who is the Republican presidential frontrunner, said the construction of 11 turbines off the northeastern coast of Scotland would be a blot on the horizon of...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 16 December 2015
It’s the third instalment of Today’s Golfer Throwback Thursday, and you should know the drill by now. We pick a date, wind back the clock, and see what was happening in the world of golf at that time. In the inaugural TG TBT, we popped back five years to 2010, when Lee Westwood was world number one. Then, last week,...
Written by James Henderson & Rob McGarr on Wednesday 16 December 2015
What’s the most impressive shot you’ve ever seen hit live, in the flesh? Until recently, I had three contenders: Joe Miller launching drives at 200 miles per hour, the ball disappearing upon impact and arcing back into view 400 yards away; Rory McIlroy hitting a 5-iron that never left the flag from 239 yards to set up a second eagle...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 15 December 2015
Most of us won’t be unwrapping any presents until the 25th of December, but golfers live in a world where the 2016 season started weeks ago, so they can’t be blamed for being a bit premature when it comes to opening their gifts. Judging by their reactions, some of them clearly made Santa’s ‘nice list’. Others, not so much… “Wow! This...
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 11 December 2015
Yes, we’ve done one of those funny list things! How original! Shut up and enjoy it. 1. We do it for pleasure And yet, the less we do of it, the more we enjoy it. If you fly around the course in three hours, shooting 65, you’ve had a great time. But a round that takes six hours and 130 shots is not...
Written by Golf World on Thursday 26 November 2015
Gary Player famously said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get”. The 10 golfers unlucky enough to suffer these moments of severe misfortune probably don’t want to hear that, though. Sometimes, the golfing gods just aren’t on your side. Whether it’s a perfect shot that hammers the flagstick and deflects away into a nearby hazard, or a crazy ruling...
Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 10 December 2015
Hello, and welcome, to the second instalment of Today’s Golfer Throwback Thursdays, our weekly trip down memory lane. In last week’s inaugural TG TBT, we took a journey to December 2010, a strange world where Lee Westwood was world number one, Jordan Spieth was a fresh-faced 16-year-old, the Ping I15 was the longest driver in town and golf balls cost £329. This...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 8 December 2015
Only last week we brought you the thoroughly lovely news that Rory McIlroy had given one of his old drivers to a bloke who asked for it on Facebook. Rory is at it again, this time giving one to Mark Wahlberg. “I played golf at Portmarnock, it was beautiful,” Wahlberg told The Herald. “I’d love to come back here on vacation...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 1 December 2015
We’re constantly being told that golf is all about the young stars coming through. That the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are encouraging youngsters to put down their PlayStation controllers and pick up their putter. But is that the reality? In a word, no. Average age of a golf TV viewer is 57 At last week’s R&A summit on...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 8 December 2015
Slow play isn’t just a problem for the golfers suffering it; it’s also a big issue for the clubs it affects. If golfers paying green fees find themselves stuck out on the course for five or six hours, they’re hardly likely to rush back. And members are likely to consider going elsewhere if they have to book a week’s holiday just...
Written by Denis Pugh, PGA Master professional and coach to Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher on Monday 7 December 2015
The rules of golf are too complicated. There’s no question about it. They are unnecessarily complex and do not have a logical sequence. And it’s not just an annoyance that existing golfers have to deal with and get over; it’s a huge factor in putting non-golfers off from taking up the game. Some of the rules and penalties simply make no...