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 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 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 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...
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
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...