Thursday 16 December 2021
John Robins is looking to build on his meteoric progress in 2021 by adding some ‘big boy’ power to his game. In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the award-winning comedian and 5live host runs us through his new, deep-seated quest for some added yardage. What’s your golf goal for 2022? As I said in last month’s column, winter is a time when...
Thursday 9 December 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren talks about how the theraputic nature of golf has something to offer everyone. On one of my trips to the US, I was practising at a quiet and relatively exclusive course one Friday evening. That particular week was a family holiday in the US, so the golf course was even more deserted than usual. (Perhaps...
Wednesday 1 December 2021
John Robins has turned to golf lessons as he aims to improve his game this winter. In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the comedian, broadcaster and Bad Golf co-creator argues the interventionist case for a well-timed golf lesson and analyses our reluctance to ask for golfing help. Winter is now upon us and as the mud clogs up my spikes, wedges flounder...
Wednesday 10 November 2021
After a traumatic episode with a phantom hook, John Robins might finally be worthy of his ‘bad golfer’ moniker once again. In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the award-winning comedian, 5live broadcaster and podcast host mournfully walks us through the unique perils of playing on a ‘proper course’ after being forced to question his most closely held golfing assumptions… About two weeks...
Tuesday 19 October 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren asks: ‘What really constitutes success for a golfer?’ Sometimes I wonder what non-golfers’ perspectives are on golf. How do they view our game through the lens of other sports? The people who have never really tried golf, apart from a one-off foray to the driving range where they’re just as likely to try to tee...
Monday 18 October 2021
After nearly halving his handicap in the space of four months, Bad Golf’s John Robins is officially a man worth listening to! In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the comedian and BBC 5Live presenter details his spectacular journey to a handicap of 12.3 and doles out some shrewd advice on the everlasting importance of course management and mental mastery. Well then, here...
Monday 27 September 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren asks: ‘Are professional golfers really there to entertain us?’ Are you someone who watches golf on television? Chances are, if you are reading this, you probably are. Do you watch any golf tournament – no matter what event it is, what course it’s being played on, which players are involved? However much you love golf,...
Wednesday 22 September 2021
The Ryder Cup has got John Robins very, very excited. In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the comedian, broadcaster and Bad Golf star indulges in some misty-eyed Ryder Cup nostalgia and talks about his own unique relationship with this famous monolith of a tournament. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it’s finally here! The Ryder Cup! Is there another sporting event like it?...
Thursday 2 September 2021
Bad Golf’s John Robins has gone from a 21-handicapper to a 13-handicapper in a matter of months, putting the brand under serious threat! But never fear, the comedian and broadcaster’s recent good form proved it is still capable of deserting him with zero notice. Here, in his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, he explains how he coped when those halcyon days of...
Wednesday 1 September 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren explains why attitude and adaptability are the golfer’s key traits. Midway through a recent tournament, one of my playing partners and I realised we were telling the exact same story. The third player in our group had asked a question about golf on links courses, and so we started reminiscing about the British Amateur Championships...
Friday 30 July 2021
We’ve all been missing foreign golf trips, but for comedian and broadcaster John Robins an overseas golf adventure changed his life for the better. In his exclusive Today’s Golfer column, the co-creator of hit YouTube channel Bad Golf explains how an anxiety inducing invitation actually helped him discover his love of golf. For a long time during both lockdowns, playing a round...
Thursday 29 July 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren explains why the pursuit of golfing perfection is a waste of time. Golf is complicated, isn’t it? One day you go out and play and you’re hitting your irons the best you ever have. You think you’ve stumbled upon some great secret to success and you can’t believe it could be so simple – for...
Thursday 17 June 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren explains why mixed male-female tournaments are vital for golf’s future. By the time you read this, the Scandinavian Mixed on the Ladies European Tour and the European Tour will have taken place. You will already know what stories it throws up; who ultimately comes out on top; who shines and who grinds – and, perhaps...
Tuesday 15 June 2021
What makes the perfect golf fourball? Comedian and broadcaster John Robins, co-creator of YouTube channel Bad Golf, explains his perfect group. Last year I joined my first ever golf club at the tender age of 38 and after less than a year of being a member I’ve seen my handicap drop around three shots. RELATED: Bad Golf: “We’ll always be sh*t at golf,...
Wednesday 19 May 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren explains that while class may be permanent at the highest levels of golf, it’s never a guarantee of success. So far, 2021 has been the year of the comeback. In the last few months we’ve had Jordan Spieth, Lydia Ko, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson, Hideki Matsuyama – even Rory McIlroy could be included in this...
Wednesday 19 May 2021
Award-winning comedian and BBC Radio 5Live host John Robins is the co-creator of YouTube channel Bad Golf, but if his current form continues then it will need a rebrand. We’ll let him explain… Over the course of these columns I have attempted to represent the experience of the average golfer. Though I refer to myself as a ‘bad golfer’, the stats...
Friday 7 May 2021
Ladies European Tour star Meghan MacLaren explains what we can learn from professional golfers’ mentalities and how knowing our weaknesses can help limit their impact. How many times have you heard someone say, after a great round or a tournament victory, that they didn’t look at a leaderboard once? Do you believe them? If I’m being honest, I’ve always found it...
Tuesday 4 May 2021
In compiling our all-new Golf World Top 100 Courses For £60 And Under, rankings editor Chris Bertram discovered that too many of Britain and Ireland’s courses are charging far too much money for the quality they offer. Researching the courses that were eligible for our first Top 100 Under £60 ranking was eye-opening. I had pre-conceived ideas about what would be...
Friday 16 April 2021
Golf is back from its Coronavirus closure and award-winning comedian, BBC Radio 5Live host and Bad Golfer John Robins’ return to the course saw him putting like a pro… for a few holes, at least. There is no better way to start my latest Today’s Golfer column than with words doubtless uttered on every fairway, green and tee box this last...
Monday 12 April 2021
Meghan MacLaren explains the key part of ‘golf IQ’ is knowing what works for you and sticking to it. There is an old cliché in golf that to be truly successful, you must be one of two things: extremely intelligent or extremely not-intelligent. The truth, like most things in life, is more likely that we all lie somewhere in the middle,...