Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 7 December 2015
Golf computer games are never sure how seriously and faithfully they should recreate the sport. The big-selling EA Sports franchise, known as Tiger Woods PGA Tour for many years before being rebranded as Rory McIlroy PGA Tour this year, has dabbled with power boosts, spin you can apply while the ball is in flight, novelty characters and mini games like...
Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 7 December 2015
John Deeble only took up pitch and putt “to learn the basics of golf before moving on to play a proper course”. But when he discovered he was good at it, he could play it competitively and rounds took just over an hour, it became his passion. The 34-year-old from Dagenham began playing internationally in 2003 and 12 years on,...
Written by Rob McGarr on Thursday 3 December 2015
Today’s Golfer has been around for aaaaaages. The magazine is so old it used to offer tips to help velociraptors eliminate their slice. We’ve decided to celebrate that history by taking a weekly look back to the past. As the kids are always talking about “throwback Thursday”, which, as far as we understand, is where you reminisce about something lovely that...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 2 December 2015
FootGolf is taking over the UK. There are now over 160 FootGolf courses in the UK, up from around 40 a year ago. (FootGolf claims to be the fastest growing sport in the UK, but we always take those claims with a pinch of salt, as every sport from hockey to tiddlywinks, frizbee-while-bunging-jumping to underwater lawnmower racing tends to make...
Tuesday 1 December 2015
If you’re serious about improving your game in 2016, get some help from one of the best teaching aids around. Zepp Golf gives instant feedback on your swing – and you can get £20 off the £129.95 RRP with Today’s Golfer. The easy-to-use device lets you measure and track the most critical aspects of your swing, such as clubhead speed, club...
Written by Chris Jones on Tuesday 1 December 2015
Phil Taylor likes winning. “I can’t play tiddlywinks without trying my best,” he says. “My daughter beat me at pool once and I went down the pool hall for 10 days on the trot, so that I’d get her next time. That’s life, isn’t it? It’s all about winning.” It’s a character trait that came to the fore when he took up...
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 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 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 TG staff writer on Wednesday 9 January 2008
Luton Hoo greenkeeper Avon Bridges has flown to America after beating off stiff competition from around the country to win a top scholarship. As winner of the Toro Student Greenkeeper Scholarship Award, Avon’s prize includes the eight-week trip to America to complete a residential turf management study course at the University of Massachusetts. Avon, who is 27 and lives in Leighton Buzzard,...
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
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 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...