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 1 December 2015
When we were 17, waking up in time to watch Supermarket Sweep was our definition of a successful day. For Marco Penge, however, success looks a lot different. 17-year-old Penge has just been crowned England’s top junior golfer, by virtue of winning the Boys Order of Merit. Penge won three National events in 2015, including the Scottish Amateur Strokeplay Championship, placing him comfortably...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 1 December 2015
You have to do something pretty special to have a massive painting of you hung in the golf clubhouse. Winning the midweek stableford probably isn’t going to cut it. Henry Callender was the General Captain of Royal Blackheath Golf Club, the oldest golf club in England. This portrait of him, which dates back to around 1790, has been hanging in the...
Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 30 November 2015
In a recent TG survey, 71 per cent of you said you think the dress code in golf deters people from taking up the game. With clubs closing and participation numbers down, we have to wonder whether golf clubs can afford to maintain any such barriers to entry. We spoke to a range of people to discover the impact dress codes...
Friday 27 November 2015
A warm Algarve welcome… We are filled with so much pride that – as the Algarve celebrates its 50th anniversary as a golf destination in 2016 – so many people are continuing to choose our golf-rich region and experience our distinct offering. We strive to provide the very best in hospitality, accommodation and golf experiences, and our hospitality and golf partners will...
Friday 27 November 2015
Had the opening hole at Royal Lytham been a par 4 or a par 5, Ian Woosnam would likely have noticed that his caddie had forgotten to discard the driver he’d been testing before the final round of the 2001 Open. But it’s not. It’s a par 3, so the club, which meant Woosnam had 15 in the bag, was...
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 26 November 2015
Perhaps it’s because there’s about 14 seconds of daylight each day at the moment that indoor crazy golf seems to be enjoying something of a boom. We recently brought you the news that ‘Birdies crazy golf club‘ gives you the opportunity to play golf underground in central London, and now there’s good news for crazy golf fans in Manchester, with the...
Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 26 November 2015
We like to think of ourselves as pretty committed golfers. There’s not much that will keep us off the course. Wind, rain, hail, snow, a really good episode of Grand Designs – we’ll overcome it all for a game of golf. But we’re still in awe of keen amateur John Charlton, who was back on the course just eight days after...
Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 26 November 2015
Rory McIlroy has A LOT of Facebook fans. We thought we’d done well to hit 10,000 likes – you can and SHOULD like the TG Facebook page right now, by the way – but Rory McIlroy makes us look silly with his 978,934 likes. 978,936 now. That’s two new likes in the time it took us to type how many...
Written by Denis Pugh, PGA Master professional and coach to Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher on Monday 23 November 2015
Most golf courses are too long Most golfers play off the wrong tees for their driving distance The Rules of Golf are too complicated Slow play is the second biggest factor making people give up the game I feel that if something isn’t done about slow play – and fast – the game of golf is really going to suffer. The R&A recently released a...
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 20 November 2015
Last week, we brought you the news that the Old Course at St Andrews has been crowned the world’s best golf course for the second year running at the World Golf Awards. It led to quite an intense debate in the office: how good is the Old Course? We’re talking about the course itself. If you put aside all the tradition...
Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 19 November 2015
Ivor Robson has been announcing players on the first tee of European golf tournaments for over 40 years, and he’s never had a single toilet break. That tells you everything you need to know about the man’s dedication. His voice has become synonymous with golf, and will be impossible to replace. We caught up with him just before he hangs...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 18 November 2015
There’s nothing more annoying than being stuck at an airport, waiting for a flight, knowing you could be using that time to play at least nine holes of golf. Thankfully, at Minneapolis–St.Paul International Airport, they’ve come up with a perfect solution. The aiport recently opened a 12,000-foot golfing area, including a putting green and six simulators where you can play your...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 18 November 2015
We’ve all had rounds so bad we’ve considered throwing our golf clubs in the bin, but that should be our choice. You should never face the scenario where you go to fetch your clubs only to find they’ve gone missing without a trace. Sadly, that is an all too common occurrence for UK golfers, with millions of pounds of equipment being...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 17 November 2015
Tiger Woods’ injury problems have given him plenty of time to design golf courses. He opened his first design, El Cardonal, in Mexico late last year, and is working on projects in China, Dubai and the USA. Woods’ first American golf course, Bluejack National, opened last week. Woods stressed he wanted to create a course that is “very playable” where you “can...
Tuesday 17 November 2015
In the last of series 3 we follow Luke Donald on a short par 4 to pick his thoughts on the tee shot, approach and putting lines.
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 13 November 2015
Over the next seven days, 156 European Tour hopefuls will do battle over six rounds at PGA Catalunya in the hope of securing one of 25 European Tour cards available for the 2016 season. Among them are Mark Foster, who has been an ever-present for the last 14 seasons on the European Tour; Soren Hansen, who has won over €9 million...
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 13 November 2015
Greg Norman calls it one of the two best he’s worked on Offers a true links test in Vietnam Golfers will experience fantastic 360-degree views from elevated sections of the course The Bluffs Ho Tam Strip in Vietnam is officially the world’s best new golf course. It took the title at the World Golf Awards, beating competition from Lofoten Links in Norway, Palm...
Written by Rob McGarr on Friday 13 November 2015
The Old Course at St Andrews divides opinion among golfers. Some insist that the home of golf is the best course you’ll ever find, offering the truest example of the way the game was meant to be played. Others, whilst respectful of the history and heritage of the ancient links, feel that the course itself, judged on its own merits,...