A flat links on the Wirrall I had heard a lot about the course and not all of it was positive. This was said to be a different style of links course from the other Open courses in England. Birkdale and St. George’s have picturesque holes framed within the dunes and Lytham has unique bunkering
A Classic Seaside Links Rye Golf Club is a classic seaside links course. The routing is natural, the clubhouse is unpretentious and the course is fiendishly difficult! Nominally, the course is a par of 68 but has a standard scratch of 73. The original Colt design (with a few modifications over the years – see
Miniature Scotland The Isle of Arran is often referred to as miniature version of Scotland. There are highlands, lowlands, farming areas, hunting areas, fishing ports, whisky distilleries and, of course, golf courses. The island has a population just over 5,000 people and covers approximately 430 sq km. This means that there are approximately 11 people
Championship Golf Hanbury Manor has a long history of hosting professional tournaments. I will confess that this had passed me by. I knew that the European Senior Tour had used it for events but I had not realised that it had further pedigree. Not only has it hosted the Willow Senior Golf Classic since 2016,
The creation – Fowler and Braid Walton Heath is synonymous with two greats of the golfing world: Herbert Fowler and James Braid. The former was the designer and brought us the two wonderful heathland courses. The latter was the first club professional who not only won The Open 5 times but also created numerous great
A Presidential Past at Harding Park It is perhaps fitting that Harding Park Golf Club (now part of the TPC network) should become a host venue for the Presidents Cup. The course is named after the 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding, who died of a heart attack (whilst in office) during
An Edwardian masterpiece I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I turned up at Swinley Forest. I have played The Berkshire (which is just across the road) on numerous occasions and think that both courses are terrific. They are, however, not ranked in the World Top 100, whereas Swinley Forest sits at number 55.
More fun in the heather … The term “hidden gem” is often used to describe a golf course. It is a cliché and I am still not sure precisely what it means. Whatever it means, it is not correct to use it to describe Hankley Common Golf Club. It may be a little more remote
A heathland classic Given that I grew up in Surrey and then (until recently) lived in West London, it is perhaps surprising that the first time I played Woking Golf Club was in 2018. I had heard of the 3 “W”s and had been looking for an excuse to play them. I was, however, a
Two great courses The Berkshire has two great courses – the Red and the Blue. I have had the great fortune to play them both on a number of occasions, despite not being a member. In addition to golf, I am a keen (if pretty average) cricketer. The Berkshire plays host to the MCC Golf