lady golfer december 2013 issue

December 2013 £3.50

THE AFFORDABLE

TOP 100

INSIDE: Britain’s Top 100

Courses for Under £100 – don’t

miss our definitive ranking.

Starring St Enodoc, Sherwood

Forest, Aberdovey, Nairn and

many more

FAMILYAFFAIREight pages of outfits that make motherand daughter look equally stunning

BUYING GUIDEWhere to shop for your winter collection

PLUS

JODIEWARTThe English star's Solheim reflections n Her 1st tee wobblen Playing with Charleyn Lotta's captaincyn …and the celebrations!

FREEHAT!

Subscribe to LG and get an Under Armour winter hat

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

FIX YOUR FAULTS

Six pages of tips to lower your scores

Learn from Solheim Cup ace Carlota

Ciganda

PLUS

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LG Cover December 13 17/10/2013 15:03 Page 3

YONEX.CO.UK/GOLF

Putting more power into your handsThe new Ladies’ EZONE XP range is quite simply an exceptional set of clubs. Its revolutionary Dual Tungsten Power System combines a heavier head and grip, counterbalanced with a lighter shaft. The result. A perfectly balanced club that delivers more power with less effort. The new Quick Adjust System, allows you to fine-tune your woods for the ultimate, distance enhancing ball flight. Which means you not only have extra power – but breakthrough power.

AW17004_xp_advert_UK_A4_ladies_KLE.indd 1 09/10/2013 11:07

CONTENTSDecember 2013

10NEW RANGEFROM YONEX

The EZone XP range is lighter,so you can swing it faster...and gain more distance!

12MYSTERYCOLUMNIST

Why the sports media shouldbe ashamed of its sparsecoverage of the Solheim Cup.

13WIN A GREENLAMB CART BAG

We’ve got three limited-editionbags to give away, courtesy ofMissDesignerGolf.com

18JODI EWART-SHADOFF

The English star reflects on heramazing Solheim Cup debutin Europe’s 2013 victory

32GENERATIONGAME

We make it a family affair infashion, with a Mother andDaughter collection

45TOP 100 COURSESUNDER £100

The Affordable 100 is here –which of your favourite venueswill make the cut?

LG pp 3 Contents 18/10/2013 10:09

4 Lady Golfer www.ladygolferonline.co.uk

Lydia Ko has decided toturn professional at theage of 16, the onlyproblem being that the

LPGA are not currently allowingher to be a member of theirtour.

As things stand, she is onlyallowed to play in a maximumof six events per season. TheNew Zealand teenager hasalready won twice on theLPGA this year as an amateurso it is hard to argue that she isnot ready for the pro ranks.

She also finished secondbehind Suzann Pettersen at aMajor, the Evian, and is rankedfifth in the world.

The decision lies with thetour’s commissioner MikeWhan, who has the power tomake an exception if hechooses, as he did with LexiThompson a few years ago.

The first reaction of most of usto a 16-year-old entering anadult world is that it is too earlyand she would do better toenjoy a “normal” teenager’slife before entering the bubbleof professsional sport.

But it is rarely that simplewhen you are as good as Ko.Right now, the world is heroyster as just about everyladies’ event would love tohave her in the field.

For all we know, the golf sheis currently playing may be thebest of her life. That seems tohave been the case with AreeSong and Michelle Wie, to taketwo examples, and Ko mightjust earn enough in the nextcouple of years (if the LPGA lether, which you suspect they willin the end) to make herfinancially secure for life.

Go back to New Zealand topursue an education and forall we know she could turn proin five years’ time and makelittle impression. The sponsors’invites would very quickly dryup in those circumstances.

It isn’t straightforward. All wecan do is wish Lydia all thebest and hope she is makingthe right decision for the rightreasons.

WelcomeDecember 2013 £3.50

THE AFFORDABLE

TOP 100

INSIDE: Britain’s Top 100

Courses for Under £100 – don’t

miss our definitive ranking.

Starring St Enodoc, Sherwood

Forest, Aberdovey, Nairn and

many more

FAMILYAFFAIREight pages of outfits that make motherand daughter look equally stunning

BUYING GUIDEWhere to shop for your winter collection

PLUS

JODIEWARTThe English star's Solheim reflections n Her 1st tee wobblen Playing with Charleyn Lotta's captaincyn …and the celebrations!

FREEHAT!

Subscribe to LG and get an Under Armour winter hat

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

FIX YOUR FAULTS

Six pages of tips to lower your scores

Learn from Solheim Cup ace Carlota

Ciganda

PLUS

EQUIP

MENT U

NCOV

ERED

Our re

gular

equ

ipmen

t tea

m give

their

verdic

t on...

nAn

all-n

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What we’ve been talking about this month

It’s all relativeMother and daughter takecentre stage in this month’sfashion special P32

Subscription specialIt’s the perfect Christmasgift for the golfer in your lifeand they’ll even get a freeUnder Armour hat! P56

The Affordable Top100 courses listBritain’s finest layouts thatwon’t break the bank andwill be a special treat P45

Meet JodiThe Yorkshire girl makingwaves in America is now aSolheim Cup star P18

Top gearIntroducing Yonex’s newrange of ladies’ clubs P10

Amy turns proTalking of talentedyoung players joiningthe professional ranks,Wales’ Curtis Cup starAmy Boulden is alsoleaving the amateurgame. She is notquite in Lydia Ko’sleague (at least notyet!) but we wish herall the best.

Mum and daughterThey certainly make astriking pair and wethink both Jacky andNatalie look great asthey model some ofthe latest collections.We’re sure you’ll findinspiration for a newlook of your own afterseeing the specialfeature.

Autumn’s hereBut don’t despair,Lady Golfer will bepacked with brilliantcontent to help youthrough the longwinter months. Watchthis space as wehope to unveil somehighly exciting plansfor the future beforelong.

100KILMARNOCKBARASSIEA hi 99SEASCALE

Cumbria2013 f £35 98KING’S LYNN

Norfolk2013 f £50 97SHERINGHAM

Norfolk2013 f £65

in association withTOP 100 UNDER £100

100COURSESUNDER £100

BRITAIN’S BEST

in association with

No lavish green fees, just top-class coursesE wanted to createa list whichrealistically reflectsgolfers’ budget –

although £100 is not a triflingamount for a green free. Webased the limit on 2013 summergreen fees for a round during

the week in high season –before special offers, packages,group discounts or twilightoffers were applied. You did nothave to be a member of anytype of scheme to play for under£100 and we sought clubs whichgenuinely welcome members.

W

December2013

Volume 17 Issue 5

Consulting EditorMickey Walker

Editorial DirectorDan Murphy

Deputy EditorMark Townsend

Staff WriterJames Tompkinson

Fashion EditorJustine Board

ContributorMadeleine Winnett

Chief DesignerAndrew Kenworthy

Designer &Webmaster

Daniel Cooper

PublisherTom Irwin

Sales ExecutiveCarley Warrington

Fashion Co-ordinatorEve Burton

Finance & OperationsDirector

WIll Shucksmith (ACA)

AccountsEmma Abbott

ChairmanPeter Burgess

SubscriptionsTel 0113 289 397912 issues (incl. P&P): UK £32 Europe £42

World £52Online from £19.99

nationalclubgolfer.com

Sports Publications Ltd,Unit 2, Arena Park, TarnLane, Scarcroft, Leeds

LS17 9BF

Tel 01132 893 [email protected]

ISSN 1369 4790

Published by © Sports Publications Ltd.

Every effort has been made toensure accuracy, but thepublishers cannot accept

responsibility for omissions anderrors. Readers are advised tocheck pricing and details of

availability before making anyjourneys. All material in this

publication is strictly copyrightand all rights reserved.Reproduction without

permission is prohibited. Theviews expressed do not

necessarily represent the viewsof Sports Publications Ltd. Everycare is taken in compiling the

contents but the publishersassume no responsibility forany damage, loss or injury

arising from participation in anyoffer, competition or

advertising contained within.

On the cover

Sophie going homeSophie Gufstafson hasbeen a Solheim Cupstalwart and hasenjoyed a successfulcareer in America.She’s also coped witha speechimpediment andfaced up to it inpublic. She will bemissed now she’sreturned to Sweden.

LG pp 4 Ed Comm 18/10/2013 14:50

THE STARTER

SARAH-JANE BOYDJames Tompkinson talks to the 21-year-old about the WBO and future ambitions

Follow Lady Golfer:@LadyGolferMag

TOP TWEETSThx for all love forjoining twitter! Have noidea what I'm doing atthe min! Littleoverwhelmed!! Lol!@Karrie_Webb

WHAT?!?! This can't betrue!!!!! Is it really theone and only@Karrie_Webb?!?!Happiness!!!!@ThePCreamer

Working with electricityin the house teachesme things real fast. Ilived. I learned.#zapped@SophieGustafson

The diagnosis of myinjury is; Posturalhypertension, thoracicoutlet syndrome,scapular dysfunction,forearm ischaemia!@kellylouise92 (KellyTidy)

7 1/2 hours on thecourse, 45 min workoutthen I get home andget to watch thevoice! @Lexi

Just checked in for the3rd time at 3 differentairports in the last 30hours... Travel much??@Stacy_Lewis

First trip to mainlandChina. To say its hazyhere would be akin tosaying that fire is warm.If we played today, idkif we'd see our shots.@TheChristinaKim

You know when you'relike...I have no ideawhat I am doing rightnow...well that was myentire day..@Jodi_Ewart

About to download TV-series to keep meentertained for 4weeks in Asia... anyrecommendations?#helpneeded #thanks@ANordqvist

“Playing at the Women’s British Open really was afantastic experience, but I didn’t feel like I didmyself justice. I didn’t attack the course, andthat’s something I’ve reflected on. I can’t wait toget back there. It gave me a taste of what thatlife is like.

“I was lucky enough have my practice roundswith Inbee Park, so that was fantastic. It was quitecrazy actually because she had an entourage ofabout 50 people following her. It was a bit surrealbut I could definitely get used to it!

“My first target next year would be the Curtis Cup.I’m doing everything I possibly can this winter toget my game in shape to try and make thatteam. That would be my ultimate amateurambition.

“I remember looking at the last Curtis Cup andthinking wow, what a team, and how great anexperience that would be. It would just bewonderful.

“Playing for a team brings an extra level to yourgame because you know that everyone wants itfor you as much as you do. It gives you that extrabuzz that you need to perform better.

“My other ambition would be to turn pro, but Iwon’t be doing that until I feel I’m ready tocompete on tour.

“I think I’m relatively inexperienced compared toother girls on tour, even though I’m slightly olderthan them. But because I came into golf a bitlater, I’ve still got a lot more to learn and this yearhas been a big learning curve for me.

“For me, it comes down to how much you wantit. You put into it what you want and you’ll get theresults. I know how much I want it and so I’mprepared to do whatever it takes

n Sarah-Jane Boyd is an England internationalamateur from Cornwall. She won the 2012 BritishStrokeplay Championship and played in the2013 Women’s British Open at St Andrews. Sherepresented England at the European Ladies’Team Championships and the Ladies’ HomeInternationals this year.


LG pp 6-7 Five mins, Tweets 18/10/2013 10:10

www.ladygolferonline.co.uk Lady Golfer 7

COWLEY WINS GIRLSORDER OF MERIT TITLEBrocket Hall’s GabriellaCowley has won theEngland Golf Girls’ Order ofMerit title.

The 17-year-old climbedalmost 500 places in theworld rankings, qualified forthe Women’s British Openat St Andrews andrepresented England atladies’ and girls’ level.

“I’ve worked hard thisyear, both during last winterand through the playingseason, and this shows thatit’s paying off,” she said.

LG FASHIONReviews by Madeleine Winnett

GLENMUIR Olivia sweaterSRP: £58

This looks good in the photo – and evenbetter in reality! The pinky-red grenadinecolour (black also available) is gorgeous,and the horizontal white stripes areunusual and striking.Made from 100 per cent cotton, it’s verysoft, and the small pocket is ideal fortees and change. I wore it for a night outbefore it hit the course – and it wasuniversally admired!

SURPRIZE SHOPWinter capSRP: £19.99

If you prefer the shape ofa cap, but like thewarmth of a bobble hatbecause it protects yourears as well, this is theperfect combination! The one-size-fits-alladjustable cap has a soft, fleecy basewhich fits snuggly round your ears. Italso solves the problem of where to keepyour ball marker – it sticks firmly to themagnetic peak!

DAILY SPORTSThermo Pro-Stretch TrousersSRP: £79.99

What beautifully warm, cosy trousersthese are! Despite them feeling thick andfleecy on the inside, theyare still very slimfitting andflattering. They arealso very stretchy,giving completefreedom ofmovement whenbending down toline up a putt. All four pocketsare deep, andthe additionalfaux zippedpockets lookvery smart – asdoes the rearstitching detail.

NEWS IN BRIEF

HEWSON WINSTELEGRAPH TITLEEngland international AliceHewson won the girls’ titlein the Telegraph BMWChampionship at Quinta doLago in Portugal.

The Berkhamsteadyoungster led throughoutthe event but had to hold offa challenge from fellowinternational Sammy Fuller.

She will now playalongside 2014 Ryder Cupcaptain Paul McGinley andboys’ winner Ashton Turnerin next year’s BMWChampionship pro-am atWentworth.

OFFER FOR LADY GOLFERREADERS AT TRETHORNETrethorne GC are currentlyoffering Lady Golfer readersthe chance to get 10% offall 2014 golf breaks.

The club are also currentlyoffering one night wintergolf breaks including dinner,bed, breakfast and unlimitedgolf from just £69pp fromNovember-March 2014.

The course has beentransformed over the lasteight years and is a superbvenue for winter golf. Theclub also has a great stay-and-play reputation.

Image courtesy of

Leaderboard Photography

LG pp 6-7 Five mins, Tweets 18/10/2013 10:10

THE STARTER

The 25-year-old won thetournament by two shots aftera frantic final day which sawthe lead change handsseveral times.

She posted birdies on thefinal two holes to clinch victoryfrom Welsh debutant AmyBoulden and Russia’s GalinaRotmistrova.

“It’s the best win of mycareer,” said Ralph. “I wasn’texpecting anything so it’s a bitunbelievable at the moment.”

The tournament is the onlyLET Access Series eventcurrently played in England,and was widely considered tobe a success.

PGA chief executive Sandy

Jones said: "We had beendiscussing with the LET theconcept and creation of thisevent. I am very pleased tosay that it was presented atStoke by Nayland, a venuethat is well known to us andhas partnered the PGA onmany past occasions to stagegreat golf events.”

Nottinghamshire youngsterAlex Peters capped off afantastic season by winningthe England Golf Ladies’Order of Merit title. Peters claimed the award bythe smallest of margins fromfellow England internationalSarah-Jane Boyd.

The Notts GC member wasrunner-up in both the EnglishAmateur and Welsh Strokeplay,reached the last 16 in theBritish Ladies’ Amateur andrepresented Great Britain andIreland in the Vagliano Trophy.

“It’s a big thing to winbecause it shows that all my

hard work has paid off,” the19-year-old said.

“I’ve been steadythroughout the year and itproves that you don’t need towin, but you do need to beconsistent to get to the top.”

Peters will remain amateurand hopes to play in nextyear’s Curtis Cup in Missouri.

PETERS WINS ORDER OF MERIT

RALPH SECURES FIRST WIN AT STOKE BY NAYLANDCowdrey Park’s Hannah Ralph secured her maiden LET Access Tour victory in theWPGA International Challenge at Stoke by Nayland in Sussex.

ON TEST

REVIEWED

MADELEINEWINNETTHandicap: 4When I first swungthis club withouttrying to hit a ball I didn’t think Iwas going to like it. As part of the Superlight range, itfelt too light and I couldn’t feelthe head. However, as I nailed my first twoshots – effortlessly straight witha touch of draw – I couldn’t helpbut like it! Simple to use, great ball flight,and excellent results from all lies!

MANDY AMBERT Handicap: 13This club was‘alternative’ right from its unusualhead shape to its light weight. Ithought ‘I’ll never hit this’. Howwrong can you be? Superb. Very forgiving on and off thefairway with excellent distanceand accuracy. It sounded nice on contact andhad good trajectory.It’s one of those clubs whereyou’d love to try the whole set tosee if they live up to theperformance of the hybrid.Definitely a ‘hit’ for me.

BRENDA CHATTERJEEHandicap: 35Ting , Ting, Ting,musical to the lastnote! It could be renamed TinyTing! Delightful to look at andsimilarly to hold. It is effortless to use, sends theball high and into the distancemost satisfactorily. One could almost believe thatone was actually good at thisgame! Perhaps Wilson might take pityand send me one. Buy it, it works.

With our equipment expert and

two fellow Trentham members

WILSON STAFFD-100 HYBRID

SRP: £119


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SURPRIZE SHOP Christmas Robin ball markerHowever badly you are putting,this little chap is bound to put asmile on your face on thegreens. He has even got littleyellow feet to set off hisChristmas hat and red breast!It is just one of many amusingand functional novelty ballmarkers, such as your initials,50 years young, orGet Me to the19th Holecomplete withdrink. Greatfun. SRP £2.49

LG pp 8-9 Starter 17/10/2013 15:42


YORKSHIRE ARE NEW ENGLISHCOUNTY CHAMPIONSYorkshire have been crownedthe best English countyfollowing an outstandingvictory in the County Finalstournament at Wilmslow.After a two-year absence fromthe event, the White Rosecounty won all five of theirmatches against Kent,Warwickshire, Gloucestershire,

Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire.Represented by Becky Wood,

Emma Brown, Holly Morgan,Charlotte Austwick, EllieGoodall, Rochelle Morris, KirstyBeckwith and Megan Lockett,Yorkshire sealed their emphaticvictory in a tense 5-4 winagainst runners-up Lincolnshireon the final day.

England narrowly missed out on regaining the Women’sSenior Home Internationals title at Llandudno Maesdu,losing out to defending champions Ireland on countback.

After both teams secured wins in their early games againstScotland and Wales, England and Ireland tied 4-4 in their titleshowdown on the final day. That meant that the result wasdetermined by individual games won, with the Irish teamgetting 18 to England’s 16½.

Home nation Wales ended the tournament in third place,with Scotland finishing last and picking up the wooden spoon.

ENGLAND MISS OUT ON TITLE

WALES’ LEWIS CAPTURES SENIORCROWN AT PORTRUSHWales’ Ann Lewis is the newSenior Ladies British Openchampion following a one-shot victory at Royal Portrush.Lewis was in a three-way tie forthe lead heading into the finalhole, but a birdie provedenough to beat Ireland’sSheena McElroy and Finland’sMinna Kaarnalahti to the title.

"I'm delighted," said the 57-year-old from Royal St David’s.

"When I came off thegreen, the Welsh supporterstold me I might win because Ihad finished 10 over and thetwo leaders behind me were11 over, needing to birdie thelast to tie me,” said Lewis.

"So, here I am, suddenlySenior British Champion. It'shard to believe. I'm not onlydelighted, I'm in a state ofshock," she said.

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LG pp 8-9 Starter 17/10/2013 15:42

EVEN someone with mylevel of knowledge ofthe laws of physicscan appreciate the

principle that a heavier headwill generate faster speeds. Butwe also know that a lighterclub is easier to swing moreefficiently. And that meansthere is a trade off. With their

new EZone XP range, Yonexhave come up with a veryclever and logicallycompelling solution to thiseternal problem.

In the case of the driver theyhave added 13.5g to thehead and engineered a shaftthat is lighter and has abalance point much nearer

the butt (grip end) than isnormally the case. A lighterthan usual grip iscounterbalanced with a 20gtungsten powder integratedwithin the rubber near the top.

All this means that the swingbalance and total club weightare the same – but more ofthe weight is in the head.

THE WEIGHTING GAME Yonex’s EZone XP range isbased on compellinglogic, says Dan Murphy

EZONE XP PRICESSRPs: Driver £249; fairway wood£179; hybrid £149; irons 4-S£799 graphite, £649 steelAvailable: now - www.yonex.co.uk

10 Lady Golfer

THE STARTER

Carbon composite

This expensivetechnology helpsredistribute weightwhere it is mostneeded

Weighty matters

An 8g tungstenscrew in the back ofthe head helpsmove the CG furtherback and deeper

Pure quality

Benefit from thesuperior performanceand consistency ofsome of the highest-quality shafts in thebusiness

Dial it in

You can move theloft +/- 1.5˚ toget the exact flightthat you arelooking for

Hot looks

The XP really standsout from the crowdwith its blend of redand black colourscheme and smoothaesthetics

LG pp 10-11 Yonex 17/10/2013 13:56

1FAST OFF THE FACEThanks to the weighting system, this

really feels like a responsive driver. It’squick off the face and helps you get theball flying. And Yonex drivers have alwaysbeen among the easiest to use on themarket.

2IT’S MULTI-MATERIALAs you can see from this X-ray view

above, the XP is a multi-material driverfeaturing a carbon composite crown anda chunky tungsten screw in the back. Beacuse the crown saves so muchweight, it allows for advanced levels ofweight redistribution to optimiseperformance in all areas.

3LOFT ADJUSTABILITYYou get a total range of 3˚ of

adjustability in the XP driver. So in the 9˚model you can go as far down as 7.5˚and up to 10.5. Do bear in mind thatdecreasing the loft will open the face andincreasing loft will close it.

4COMPOSITE CROWNYonex are leaders in carbon graphite

technology and this super-light structurereduces crown weight, allowing for thetungsten weight to be positioned in therear of the sole and further weight to beplaced inside the head. Compositecrowns are much more expensive tomanufacture than one-piece heads.

5HIGHLY FORGIVINGThere is a difference of opinion in the

engineering world at the moment as towhether as much weight as possibleshould be positioned low and back or lowand forward. Yonex go for the former andthat certainly makes the XP a forgivingdriver on mishits.

6ADVANCED SHAFTThis shaft is made by the Japanese-

based manufacturer, who have specialistexpertise in the area, andcounterbalanced to move the balancepoint nearer the butt (grip end) of the clubthan would normally be the case. It matches the head perfectly.

SIX REASONS WHY THE XP DRIVER IMPRESSES

The EZone XP hybrid looks great and thistime the head weight is increased by 6g. Thelofts can be adjusted +/- 1.5˚ in both thehybrids and fairways, just as in the driver, soyou can dial in your preferred flight anddistance for optimum gapping.

The EZone XP fairway features much of thesame technology as the driver – the headweight is increased by 8.5g and this iscounterbalanced by the design of the shaftand the grip to give you increased clubheadenergy and increased distances.

The same counterbalancing technologyapplies in the EZone XP irons, which have adouble undercut cavity. This results in a super-thin sole that makes the face hotter for moredistance. A lower CG allows for highertrajectory despite stronger lofts.


1 2 3

4 5 6

ALSO IN THE XP RANGE Matching fairways, hybrids and irons are out now

LG pp 10-11 Yonex 17/10/2013 13:57


Mystery Columnist ?What a shame so few sports fans saw our Solheim Cup heroics

IT was great to see such afantastic Europeanperformance at theSolheim Cup in

September, although if werelied on media beyond Radio5 Live or subscription TV itwould be difficult to know thatthe event had taken place. Let alone that Europe had wonthe trophy for the first time onAmerican soil.

What a contrast to theequivalent men’s event, theRyder Cup, where eachplayer’s breakfast menu is upfor debate 24-7!

In the concluding small hoursI was very struck by howdelighted the 5 Livecommentary team of IainCarter, Maureen Madill andKaren Stupples were with thequality of the golf and the waythat the players managed thepressure.

Carter, who watches golf dayin, day out, was in rapturesover the performance ofCharley Hull, and rightly so.

But his delight was sogenuine it is just a shame thatthe national media didn’t pickup the story and report howwell a group of youngEuropean women had played.

So well in fact that LottaNeumann’s side posted arecord victory in thecompetition.

How can the next generationbe encouraged to take up thegame when golf, like so manywomen’s sports, is hidden fromview of the general public?

Supporting the EuropeanSolheim Cup team made methink again about the golf clubset-up here in the UK.

In an idle moment I beganto wonder if courses and clubstructures would ever just beset up for golf and golfers,

rather than focused on thegender divisions.

In some countries in Europethe game is structured aroundability rather than gender soinstead of men’s and ladiestees, the tees are based onplaying handicap and playingability. Gender and agedivision is less important.Participants play from a teerelevant to their golfing abilityand players of the same ability– men, women, young andold – play against one anotherfrom the same tee.

This kind of restructuring mightcontribute to challenging theUK’s current genderedconstruction of the game andlead towards women’sachievement getting thesame media attention asmen. How very sensible I hearyou say?

Well, our European partnersdo just that. Subscriptiontelevision is a great service ifyou can afford it but if you livein a family without access howdo you learn about the gameand get to know and admirethe role models andambassadors of the sport?

This is not just an issue forwomen’s golf but for manysports that once would havemade appearances on free-to-view television but are nowonly shown on subscriptionchannels.

The funding that comes fromthe TV rights may be muchneeded by the sportsgoverning bodies but is theoutcome taking the gameeven further away from thenext generation of would-beparticipants?

The clock will not be turned

back and, if anything, moreand more sport will only beavailable on subscription TV.

A further challenge to thegame’s administrators will beattracting the next generationof players.

A quick look, (data protectionallowing), down the date-of-birth column on amembership spreadsheet atany club will quickly illustratethat this is a pressing issue.

Developing the game andcontinuing to make it anattractive proposition to youngpeople is the responsibility ofall those playing today.

BrillianceBut howmany sawCharley?

Mystery Columnist• The female author of this pieceworks within golf and wishes toremain anonymous as her views donot necessarily represent those ofher employers

LG pp 12 Mystery Columnist 17/10/2013 13:59


WE have teamed up with ourfriends at new websiteMissDesignerGolf.com togive you the chance to win

a brilliant new cart bag.The Green Lamb Lady Pro cart bag is

EXCLUSIVE to MissDesignerGolf.com and isthe must-have cart bag for 2013/14.

With three vibrant colours, this stylish baghas a 14-way full-length club organiser toensure you a quick easy access to allyour clubs.

Incorporating an integrated lift handleand lightweight materials, lifting this bagout of your car and on to a trolleycouldn’t be easier.

Features include a matching rain hood,padded strap in case you wish to carryyour bag, a dry pocket which is seam-sealed to ensure that it is waterproof, amobile phone and GPS pocket, a

hydration pocket with anti-leak and cooltechnology, external umbrella holder and10 easy access storage pockets.

With only a limited run of this bag –which is 35” tall and weighs 3.32kgs – thisis a rare opportunity to get your hands onthis superb offering from Green Lamb –absolutely free!

MissDesignerGolf.com launched in 2013to provide lady golfers with the leadingbrands – such as Tommy, Green Lamb,Calvin Klein, Cutter & Buck and Lija – ataffordable prices. They are not on theHigh Street, and can pass on the savingsthey make on rent and rates to theircustomers. Free shipping on all orders.

KEY FEATURES OF THE BAGn Lightweightn Integrated heavy duty handlen 14-way full-length club organisern 10 easy access pockets

To be in with a chance of winning a baggo to www.nationalclubgolfer.comand click on Competitions and answerthe following question:

Q: WHO CAPTAINED AMERICA IN THE 2013 SOLHEIM CUP?

Closing date: November 30, 2013. Ts & Cs apply.

WIN A GREEN LAMB CART BAGWe’ve got three top-of-the-range bags to give away courtesy of MissDesignerGolf.com

LG pp 13 Miss D Competition 17/10/2013 14:03


THE STARTER

Where do you play?I am not a member anywherebut I’m lucky enough to playon lots of different courses dueto golf days and my friendsbeing members. I go to thedriving range at DukesMeadows in Chiswick, and if Ihaven’t got long, play on thepar 3 which is great for yourshort game.

The course I probably knowthe best is Stoke Park, as Iplayed 100 holes there on acharity day this year. We teedoff at 430am and finished at9pm!

What is the toughest thingabout the sport?That it can be frustrating. Oneday you may have anamazing round, and next timeyou play you seem to behacking around and nothingseems to be going right.

What are the strengths toyour game?I would say driving. I do find itdifficult to read the greens –but I’m learning.

Do you prefer inland orseaside courses and which isyour favourite course?I think I would say seaside – aslong as it’s not a really windyday. I have been luckyenough to play Port Royal inBermuda and the GreenMonkey in Barbados, bothstunning courses withmagnificent views.

What was your best round?I played at Langland Bayrecently – another course Iwould recommend and it wasone if those days wheneverything was going right!Days like that are rare but youcertainly enjoy them.

How is your golf at themoment?My handicap is 20 althoughmy fiancé thinks that’s my‘bandit’ handicap!

Who is your favourite player?Well, I like Adam Scott, but I’llsay Justin Rose, as we use thesame TaylorMade clubs. I’veplayed golf with him before

and he’s such lovely guy, as ishis family. I was so pleased forthem when he won the USOpen, it was a long timecoming and amazing that ithad been 43 years since thelast Englishman to win.

Who is the most well-dressedgolfer in your opinion?I think it’s always good to makea bit of an effort on the golfcourse and develop your ownstyle. It’s a difficult one as nowthere’s so much choice. Mostpeople look good and thereare some who have fun with ittoo – like John Daly’s trousers!

Why is golf such a greatgame?Because you can play with allages and abilities – it’s asociable game and gets youout in the fresh air.

Do you ever get nervousplaying golf?I get nervous on the 1st tee ofa golf day with everyonewatching! But once you havehit that 1st tee shot, as long asit’s OK I relax a bit.

Finally, will Europe win thenext Ryder Cup atGleneagles?I think so. Although the US didwell recently in the PresidentsCup with some new pairingsand rookies I am backingEurope again. After that amazing comebackat Medinah I think (and hope)that Europe will continue withthat fighting spirit and I haveconfidence in the captain PaulMcGinley. He’s a great peopleperson and does have anuncannily ability to win as partof a team.

Follow Charlotte on Twitter@CharLouJackson

“MY HANDICAP IS 20 ALTHOUGH MY FIANCÉTHINKS THAT’S MY ‘BANDIT’ HANDICAP”TV personality and Lynx ambassador Di Dougherty chats to her fellow presenter CharlotteJackson about playing 100 holes in a day and those 1st tee nerves

DI TEAMS UP WITH LYNX“I became the ambassador for Lynxlast year and the brand is growingfrom strength to strength. We allremember Ernie Els and FredCouples winning Majors with Lynxequipment, the company arebuilding on that heritage and arekeen to remember their history intoday’s market. The company alsorecognises the importance of thewomen’s Tour and is very keen tosupport female British golfers.Design, style and performance arekey for Lynx and their innovativeideas are clear to see in their newranges.” lynxgolf.co.uk

DI MEETS... CHARLOTTE JACKSON

LG pp 14 Di Meets…Charlotte Jackson 17/10/2013 14:04

“Whatever you want to be,

If you’re different youwill stand out.”

Anita Roddick

www.lynxgolf.co.uk Inspired By Passion And Innovation.@LynxGolfUKLynx Golf UK

Lynx-A4-v1g:Layout 1 23/9/13 17:04 Page 1


Mickey WalkerSome of my favourite British golf trips and destinations

AS the winter closesin, apart from beingable to watch golfon television from

exotic climates, it is alwaysgood to have a golfing breakof our own to look forward to.

The great thing is that in thewinter months, because hotelsand golf courses aren’t sobusy, there are usually somegreat bargains. One suchplace to stay and play andwhere the course is especiallygood in winter is Thorpeness inSuffolk. The hotel has well-appointed rooms, offers goodfood, particularly thebreakfasts which are all freshlycooked to order, and thecourse is an absolute gem.

It is a James Braid designbut several years ago had thebunkers redesigned so that ifyou find yourself in one fromthe tee it will cost you a shot. Iam a huge fan of Braid as adesigner, and love the factthat no two holes are thesame. It offers a good mix ofdifferent length holes and alsoof the degree of difficulty.

As a coastal heathlandcourse I have never playedthere and come off the coursewith muddy bottoms to mytrousers! The whole package ishard to beat. There may onlybe one course at Thorpeness,but they have an associationwith nearby Aldeburgh,another wonderful heathlandcourse, and if you want abreak from golf, Aldeburghand Southwold are two old-fashioned seaside towns thathave lots of interesting shops,good restaurants and areworth a visit if only for thewonderful fish and chips!

Another place which I havealways thought to be special isGleneagles, the venue for the

2014 Ryder Cup. I first played on the King’s

course with one of my Scottishuncles when I was 15 and atthe time relatively new to golf.From that moment on I havealways been in love with thewhole of the area. The originalKing’s and Queen’s courseswere designed by Braid, whilethe PGA Centenary course onwhich the Ryder Cup is beingplayed was designed by JackNicklaus.

With a green fee on any ofthe three main courses costing£160 during the main season,look out for special offers andperhaps spoil yourself for thatvery special occasion andcombine it with an overnightstay at the hotel so that youcan enjoy some of head chefAndrew Fairlie’s award-winningcuisine. Incidentally Andrew isthe only two-starred Michelinchef in Scotland, so that initself is worth a visit!

What for me is so wonderfulabout Gleneagles though, are

the surroundings. The sceneryand views on virtually everyhole are breathtaking. If youare lucky enough to play thereon a sunny day even more so.The overall package might beexpensive, but in my opinionworth saving up for.

I grew up playing myamateur golf in Kent, which ishome to several wonderfullinks courses. Many readers willknow of Royal St George’s, thefirst-ever English club to hostthe Open Championship backin 1894 and most recently thevenue in 2011, when thewinner was Darren Clarke. Theother two great links coursesare Prince’s, which is adjacentand itself hosted the OpenChampionship back in 1932,and nearby Royal CinquePorts, sometimes known asDeal, which hosted the OpenChampionship twice back in1909 and 1920.

Stay at the Lodge at Prince’swhich offers stunning viewsacross the English Channel

over to the White Cliffs ofRamsgate and top-classmodern accommodation.

Enjoy fine dining at theBrasserie on the Bay and lookout for some very specialwinter offers notably £110 perperson for one night’s stay, atwo-course dinner andbreakfast and two days of golfat Prince’s on their 27 holesincorporating the Shore, Dunesand Himalayas loops. It canbe very bleak on the Kentcoast, but the warm welcome,cosy accommodation andgreat food will make up for aday on the links, and if you dohit lucky, so much the better.

Lady Golfer often featuresbreaks to fit all tastes andpockets. The three here I havefirst-hand experience of andcan thoroughly recommend.One thing is for sure and that isthat if you don’t mindchancing your hand with theuncertainty of our British winter,there are lots of good dealsavailable.

SpecialThe housein theclouds atThorpeness

COMMENT

LG pp 16-17 Columnist MW 17/10/2013 15:44


Meg Mallon is one of themost popular people to playon the LPGA Tour, and oneof, if not the, most popularAmerican Solheim Cupcaptains. I don’t think thatshe did anything wrongexcept that when theAmerican players said thatthey wanted to win for theircaptain, thus adding to thepressure and desire torecapture the cup from theEuropeans, on this occasion Igot the feeling that theyreally meant it. At times Ithought that the Americanswere trying too hard.

Most of their players wereintense in their play, in theirpre-match interviews and intrying to get the crowdsgoing. Perhaps that wasproved by Brittany Langbeing the leading Americanplayer with three points out ofa possible four. Brittany is oneof the quieter Americanplayers who calmly goesabout her business and justlets her clubs do the talking.Lotta Neumann was a

wonderful captain. Her quiet,constant manner and vastexperience all had acalming manner oneveryone. The Europeans ingeneral had a much calmerdemeanour and, whilst theycelebrated great shots orputts, it was to my mind in away that was appropriate,only really ramping it up atthe end of a match or whensomething extraordinaryhappened.

I spoke with Lotta onMonday morning afterEurope’s win, and she toldme that she wouldn’t takethe captaincy again if it wasoffered to her, as nothingcould possibly live up to herexperience of this year. Andbesides, she felt thatsomeone else should begiven the honour of beingcaptain.

MY VERDICT ON THE SOLHEIM CAPTAINS

Mickey Walker• Lady Golfer’s consulting editorcaptained Europe in the first fourSolheim Cups. She regularlyappears on Sky Sports as anexpert summariser

LG pp 16-17 Columnist MW 17/10/2013 15:44

INTERVIEW

All smilesJodi with hercollegecoach JillTrujillo

LG pp 18-21 Ewart-Shadoff 17/10/2013 14:08


WHEN we last spoke to Jodi EwartShadoff at the start of 2012 shehad just come through both theLET and LPGA Q Schools.

It takes something special to cope with thepressures of one, let alone both in thespace of just a few weeks.

She will now, at the young age of just25, go down in the record booksforever as one of the 12 Europeanswho first captured the Solheim Cup onAmerican soil. To add an extra sparkleto an incredible week LottaNeumann’s heroines also posted arecord-winning margin. They not onlyretained the prized trophy for the firsttime, they thumped their opponentsby a whopping 18-10.

Ewart Shadoff was one of theSwede’s captain’s picks and herinclusion prompted the selection ofcompatriot Charley Hull at the closeof the Women’s British Open at StAndrews. Weeks later theyproduced one of the stories of a

week which was packed full of them.

When were you told you were on the team? I was told before the start of the Women’s BritishOpen and obviously had to keep it quiet! I hadbeen playing well and had a couple of top 10sin Majors. I also had a high finish in Ohio theweek before St Andrews and had a goodmatchplay record as an amateur so I washopeful but you never know. Then Lotta told meat the start of the week.

What was Lotta like as a captain?She was awesome and is so laid back. All thathelped to make everyone get on so well in theteam room and the atmosphere was brilliantthanks to her.

How well did you know her assistants AnnikaSorenstam and Carin Koch?I had never met either before the Solheim andit was great to be able to pick their brains abouttheir cup experiences and careers.

After the first foursomes match Annika gaveme some really good advice about gettingaway from having to hit the perfect shot; thereis so much pressure and she said to play yourown game and that everyone would hit a badshot and that settled me down.

Can you talk us through the Spanish influenceon the team bus?Before the week we had a questionnaire andwe had to pick songs for the team bus.Somebody from the LET put together a CD andone of the Spanish songs got everyone goingon the team bus back to the hotel on theFriday night, I don’t think anybody sat down forthe whole journey all the way home.

How did the nerves compare to Majors?On the 1st tee it was definitely the most nervousI have ever been and it took a few holes towear off. I hit the perfect tee shot at the 1st butit was on the greens where it was hard to settledown as I was putting so much pressure onmyself. And, as is often the case in matchplay, Iseemed to be getting a lot of the first putts and

American history

Solheim heroine Jodi Ewart Shadoff looks back on Europe’s record-breaking week in Colorado with Mark Townsend

My favourite Solheim photo

Aza Munoz and I were waiting forKarine Icher and Cristie Kerr tofinish and they were all squareafter 16 so, no matter what, theywere coming up 18 so we hoppedon a buggy. I had a flag wrappedround my neck and it wasflapping round my so I stood upand the helper radioed in to say‘look down the 18th fairway’ andwe all started going mad.


20 Lady Golfer

I was trying so hard to hole it.Looking back now it was so

useful to go through that sortof experience as the weekafter in Canada there were nonerves and it was just like aleisurely round.

Did your partner CatrionaMatthew try to talk youthrough those early holes orlet you find your own feet?A little bit of both, she was themost experienced player onour team which helped andshe is such a calm playeranyway so being around herhelped.

You were up against one ofyour best friends JessicaKorda, did you know that shehad been sick halfway downthe 1st fairway?We thought we were going tohave to play against oneanother at some point butwhen we heard the first-daydraw it was unbelievable. Itwas nice to share that debutexperience and it almostmade it more comfortable.

I don’t know how I missed herthrowing up down the 1stfairway!

You can see the difference inplayers’ demeanour betweenthe rookies and the moreexperienced playersparticularly on the 1st tee.

What is the 1st tee like, asmuch as you want to interactwith the fans you are morenervous than ever before?There were two stands and theEuropeans had a very smallpart of one of them but theymade more noise thaneveryone put together so itwas really cool.

When Charley and I playedtogether they started singing‘England, England, England’like the football song whichwas amazing.

2011 captain Alison Nicholasappeared to be leading mostof the singing?I’m surprised she had anyvoice left at the end of theweek after all her efforts, a lotof the others didn’t.

INTERVIEW

Going upJodi is nowup to 46thon the worldrankings



Famous dayJodicelebratesher singlestriumph

What was the strategy withCharley?We are very different players,she is fearless and aggressivewhile I tend to be down thefairway and middle of thegreen. We decided that Iwould hit first and get one ballin play and she could then beas aggressive as she wantedto be. And it worked out reallynicely as I made four birdiesand she had six.

Was it always the plan to playtogether?We played in practice roundstogether but not as a pairing. Iwasn’t that surprised though aswe were both playing reallywell and complemented oneanother. I think we had a 63best ball.

What is she like as a partner?She is awesome, she is youngand great to be around. Shereally doesn’t get nervous.When she made that birdie atthe 17th to go one up againstPaula and Lexi, we werewalking to the 18th tee andshe said she was a ‘bitnervous’ over the putt.

I was in the corner of the

green almost throwing up!

Could you imagine doingthat at 17 years old?I wouldn’t have been able tostand up never mind do whatshe did.

Have you ever played in amatch like that?I was surprised we were put outin the first group, the first andthe last groups are usually thestrongest pairings and we werea pair of rookies. They shot a65 and there were birdiespretty much on every hole.

Your drive at the 18thappeared to be the longestof the week, how pumped upwere you?I was so pumped up and had152 yards in and I hit a 9-ironall the way to the pin and,even at altitude, that is huge.

You know you are pumpedup and the mistake is to swingtoo hard so I tried to swingabout 60 per cent.

What was said on Saturdaynight with a five-point leadand the chance to makehistory?

The captain and her assistantskept reminding us that it wasfar from over and to play ourown games. We only needed three and ahalf points but I looked at thescoreboard after about threeholes of my match and therewas just no blue on thescoreboard so I just told myselfto get my head down and notlook again.

Did you have any say inwhere you went out onSunday (Jodi was in the 10thmatch)?I was comfortable wherever Iwas playing. Everyone hopes it

comes down to your matchand you hole the winning puttbut at 10th that looked unlikely.They didn’t ask us where wewanted to play, everyone washappy to play anywhere.

Where were you when youfound that Europe had won?I was walking down the 15thand I was three up at the timeagainst Brittany Lincicome. We could hear all the singingcoming from the 18th andone of the helpers was withme and she told me that wehad won.

How long did thecelebrations go on?I went to bed about 2.30amand there were a few still left.We had our own team room inthe hotel and we had a DJcome in, there were a lot ofpeople in there and it was verycool. It is still really fresh nowand I’m still gettingcongratulated in person andon Twitter. It was the bestexperience I’ve ever had on agolf course and I can’timagine anything comingclose to winning the cup onAmerican soil.

LIJA GolfI started off on the Symetra Tour inthe States and LIJA was justbreaking through then and I sawother girls wearing it and loved it. I got in contact with them and havebeen wearing their clothes the lasttwo years. I wear a lot of theirtennis skorts as well and a mix ofT-shirts and polo shirts. www.lijastyle.com

JODI’S SOLHEIM RESULTSFriday foursomes - With Matthew lost to Pressel & Korda 3&2

Saturday fourballs - With Hull beat Creamer & Thompson Two holes

Sunday singles - Beat Lincicome 3&2



Madeleine WinnettMy first foray into cake and course design

THERE are many iconicmoments in my life –the first time I swamwithout armbands, the

first time I rode my bicyclewithout stabilisers, the first time Iplayed a sub-par round ofgolf. And now, perhaps themost defining moment of all.My first fully fledged cakedesign!

This is only the second cake Ihave ever been involved with– the first for my lady captain’sday, and now this one when Ithought I would turn my handto a spot of course designing.Move over Jack Nicklaus, I nowhave a new career mappedout – and my greens arebetter than yours!

I like every course of Jack’sthat I have played from tee togreen, but then he ruins it byputting ridiculous giant swirlsand borrows on the short stuff.

Killeen Castle, host of the2011 Solheim Cup, is theperfect case. What brilliantlydesigned holes, then youcome to the greens and theynearly all have a giant apex ofa roof running across them.

Admittedly, I created oneMackenzie green, but it’s flatonce you reach the pin level.This actually wasn’t always thecase, because my cakebegan life as an upturnedcardboard box, and thegreens and water were cutfrom a blue and green birdseed sack. As they keptdeveloping annoyingly curlyedges, they then had to beBlu-Tacked down, but I was soproud of my template and theburgeoning design which wastaking shape before my eyes.

What began as a simplerectangle then grew as mydesign idea started tobecome more ambitious.

Having found an old kitchencupboard door, I then went inpursuit of an electric saw tocreate my base. I hadn’tactually ever used an electricsaw before, but my generalphilosophy of, “How hard can itbe?” proved to be right onceagain. Unguided, I managedto get a more or less roundend and retain all my fingers,so I regarded that as asuccessful outcome.

Clearly, wood, plastic andcardboard I could cope with,but icing was a whole new ball

game – and an extremelyfrustrating one at that. It tookme three hours just to smeargreen icing smoothly over thecake (which fortunately,someone else had made) andfront of the board. The irony ofthe fact that I could havewalked 6,000 yards and takenaround 76 shots in the sametime wasn’t lost on me!

At this point I was mightily fedup of the whole project andsuddenly had sympathy withGordon Ramsay for the firsttime. If this is how he spendshis days, no wonder he swearsso much! Not wanting to facethe prospect of any moreicing for a while, I turned myhand to the rest of my featuresand started crumbling biscuitsfor my bunkers.

Initially, I wanted to base mybridges on the ones featuredin every iconic shot ofAugusta. I duly made mypresence felt in the kitchen

when my mother was makingsome cookies, secured a rawball of mixture, and set to workfashioning an impressivereplica of a double archedbridge. I even drew the brickwork in with a knife, and waitedeagerly for my architecture tocome out of the oven.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t takeninto consideration the fact thatthings rise, swell, and becomegrossly misshapen once theysit in 150°, not to mention thatthey lose every last impressionof carefully created brick work!Crestfallen that once again Ihad been defeated by thevagaries of cooking, I decidedI needed a Plan B.

Thankfully, I thought of onealmost immediately in theform of chocolate fingers.Melting them to stick togetherto form a natural arch seemedfar too precarious, so Idecided to glue them onto astrip of empty drinks bottle. I

Just dessertsNo free dropfrom thechocolatefingers

Your viewsDo you agree with Madeleine’s

opinions? Wegive away aCobra Bafflerfairway woodor hybrid to theauthor of ourStar Letter. Email us to letus know whatyou think.

COMMENT

LG pp 22-23 Columnist Mad Win 17/10/2013 15:46


religiously read all the labelson the glues I owned, andalthough several said theywere ‘Multi-task’ and that theybonded a variety ofmaterials, none actuallymentioned chocolate.

This, I thought, was anoversight by the companies,and I fully intended to bring itto Bostik’s attention if their AllPurpose Extra Strong Adhesivedidn’t prove to be all purposeafter all. Fortunately, it did,and I was so proud of my firstrustic bridge, I had to make asecond one!

No self-respecting course iscomplete without trees, andfortunately, I remembered Ihad made trees before formy cup cake arrangementon lady captain’s day, andhadn’t had the heart to throwthem away afterwards. I hadaffectionately tucked themaway in the garage for twoyears, and wasn’t worriedabout the prospect ofpoisoning people after solong because I had ignoredthe initial instructions anyway.

When the recipe said to useice cream cones with pretzelssecured by royal icing as thebase, I had improvised withcardboard, staples, polyfillerand lolly pop sticks.Admittedly, they were lookinga little anaemic where thebutter icing branches hadfaded, but that was nothing aquick dunk in some greendye couldn’t fix – and if I wasgoing to kill people, I mightas well do it properly!

To be honest, I was bothdelighted and a little miffedwhen I found them again.The garage where I’d leftthem seems to be a veryhappy home for Mr and MrsMouse who have eaten their

way through several golfbags and head covers, butwho resolutely left my buttercream alone. It seems thateven they have heard aboutmy prowess in the kitchen!

However, when all thetouches were addedtogether, I was immenselyproud of my creation. But, ifyou are looking for someoneto make a golf-themed cake– don’t ask me. From now onI’m sticking to the real thing.It’s far less stressful, takes upfar less time and is infinitelyeasier to master!

Madeleine Winnett• Lady Golfer’s equipment expertis a Staffordshire county playerand never short of a forthrightopinion on the game!

I’d give my right arm to...You know how glibly we allsay, “I’d give my right armto…” Well, I have rethoughtthat strategy after readingabout a Hungarian man whosawed off an arm by accidentbelow the elbow, then fished itout of the offendingmachinery, and drove 10miles to hospital whilstclutching the severed limb! Inearly passed out when I sawa splinter had gone down myfinger nail, so I don’t think Iwould have been able to carrysomething severed. So, fromnow on, I won’t give my rightarm to putt like Inbee Park –but perhaps I could stretch togiving myself a bruise.

LG pp 22-23 Columnist Mad Win 17/10/2013 15:46


LG pp 24 Display Ads 18/10/2013 11:52


YOUR GAMEHit it further and straighter I Hole more putts I Short game I Golf psychology I Course management

TOUR TIPS: What you can learn from Carlota Ciganda

1) We are always told to hit upon our woods and down on ourirons. This surely requires twodifferent swings? However itwould appear here thatperhaps this isn’t the case at all.The steep nature of the attackinto the ball is clear to see fromthe divot produced. This gives usan insight into how the modernday professionals are playingthese shots.

Analysis by Sandy Smith.Sandy is Carly Booth's coach,a PGA Fellow Professional andthe head pro at Ladybank in Fife.For more www.sandysmithgolf.com

or Twitter @sandysmithgolf

2) With the modern ball spinningfar less than the older balls it ismore important now than everto hit down, more to encouragea little more backspin. Themodern fairway wood is biggerand deeper in the face, than inyears gone by, meaning thesweet spot is higher up the faceat times. This also has an effectand encourages more of a ‘hitdown’ than before to create acentral strike.

LG pp 25 Lead to Instruction 17/10/2013 14:10

BACK TOBASICS

T OO many club golfersdon’t get the basics rightbefore they have evenpulled the putter back. The

more you get right before makingthe stroke, the more you are likelyto hit a good putt.To begin with concentrate on tiltingfrom the hips with your legsrelatively straight. You do not wantto be bending from the knees. Also think about keeping your backstraight and your shoulders notbeing rounded.

Tara Dayer-Smithplays on the Ladies’European Tour andJamega Tour. She isattached to BrocketHall GC in Hertfordshire. Formore visit www.taraworld.co.uk

INSTRUCTION

How to ensure you get your posture, set-up and grip right

LG pp 26-27 Tara Dayer Instruction 17/10/2013 14:12

BE FREE TO ROTATE I like to think of having the back of my neck as flat as possible so it iscomfortable to rotate my head after impact. Your arms should hangfreely and perpendicular to the ground which will remove any tension.

EYES DOWN A tried and tested method to check where your eyes are looking at isto drop a ball from between your eyes and it should land on the backof the ball.If it doesn’t your eyes are not over the putter head.

THINK OF THE TOOTHPASTEYour grip is a very personal thing and what is right for one player mayfeel totally alien to another. I am more interested in your grip pressure,you should feel like you are holding a tube of toothpaste.

LEFT FOOT FORWARDI like to have my ball position towards my left foot making sure thatthe face of the putter remains square at impact. This should also helpto keep your shoulders level which is crucial for any solid putt.


LG pp 26-27 Tara Dayer Instruction 17/10/2013 14:12

1BUILT ON FIRMFOUNDATIONS

At set-up almost feellike you are strongerat address and havea firmer foundationthan a normal shot.Grip down for morecontrol with the ballposition in the centreof your stance.Sometimes I have itfurther back in mystance but you don’twant to shut the loftdown too much.

2STEEP ANGLEOF ATTACK

You don’t want toomuch weight transferthrough the swingand you are trying tocreate a steep angleof attack to help itget through the grass.Employ a three-quarter swing tomake sure you canaccelerate well intothe ball.


INSTRUCTION

LG pp 28-29 Williams Instruction 17/10/2013 15:48

3LEFT HAND ISTHE KEY

We can see here thatI’m trying to keep theback of the left handfacing the hole aslong as possible andstaying down on theshot. If you look at theclubface there is stilla lot of loft showingwell after impact.In the finish I am stillholding the left handoff and am inbalance despiteplaying an aggressiveshot.


ROUGH ANDREADY

How to escape the thick stuff

T HE biggest problem club golfershave when they end up in theheavy rough is getting theclubhead caught up and

tangled in the grass, therefore notgetting the ball out.

This is because the loft gets shut so weneed to hold the club a bit tighter andfeel like the back of the left hand isgoing towards the hole so the clubdoesn’t turn over.

Lucy Williams is thecurrent PGAProfessional women’schampion and 2011English Amateur winner. Shenow plays on the LET AccessSeries and is available forlessons at Mid Herts GC.Follow @lucywgolf

LG pp 28-29 Williams Instruction 17/10/2013 15:48


INSTRUCTION

UPHILLBATTLE

MANY people have an unnecessaryfear of bunker shots, especiallywhen the ball is lying on a slope.Simple adjustments in the way you

set up to the ball can make a huge differenceto the success of these shots. An uphill lie in abunker can sometimes be an advantage – ifplayed correctly, it’s easier to get height on theshot. Try these tips next time you’re on an uphillslope to get the ball out first time, every time.

Escape first time every time from this awkward lie

Sally Hinton is a

PGA professional at

Close House just

outside Newcastle. There are

two courses, a very modern

academy and an exquisite hotel

and Courtyard rooms.

www.closehouse.co.uk

LG pp 30-31 Hinton Instruction 17/10/2013 15:50


NO NEED TO SCOOPA common mistake peoplemake is trying to scoop theball up with the majority ofthe weight on the backfoot. This usually leads tothe club hitting the sandtoo early and slowing downdramatically. As a result, theball fails to get enoughheight or distance toescape the bunker.

BE AGGRESSIVEIt’s important to make a full,aggressive swing as the ballwill usually fly higher andshorter than from a flat lie.Aim to hit the sand oneinch before the ball andfollow through fully. It’s easyto get stuck back on thelower foot due to the slopebut try to force your weightthrough up the bank.

INCREASE THE LOFTSet your weight more on thefront foot with your ballposition just ahead of centre.Wriggle your feet into thesand slightly to create a

stable base for the swing.Open the clubface slightly toincrease the loft of the cluband, as a result, the height ofthe shot.

LG pp 30-31 Hinton Instruction 17/10/2013 15:50

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LG pp 32-33 Fashion 17/10/2013 14:15

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LG pp 32-33 Fashion 17/10/2013 14:15

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In association with

LG pp 36-37 Fashion 17/10/2013 14:18

Left - Arielle Pant £70, Ingrid V-neck Sweater £75,

Laure Polo £45, all Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes: LoPro Casual £75, FootJoy

Right - Arielle Bermuda £70, Luce Jacket £125,

Laure polo £45, all Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes: SoftJoys £65, FootJoy

LG pp 38-39 Fashion 18/10/2013 10:12

Shot on location at Oulton Hall, Rothwell Lane, Oulton, Leeds (www.devere.co.uk, 0871 222 4690) Photography: Chris Chippindale (chrischippindalephotography.co.uk) | Photographer’s assistant: Zoe Booth

Hair and Make up: Dani Haigh, Gurdeep Kaur Digpal, Olivia AndersonWith special thanks to Rachel Riches at Oulton Hall for her kind assistance and our models Jacky and Natalie

Stockists: Glenbrae (glenbraegolf.com), Puma (puma.com), Glenmuir (glenmuir.com), FootJoy (footjoy.co.uk), IJP Design (ijpdesign.com) One UpGolf (oneupgolf.co.uk), Poodle (poodlegolf.com), Tommy Hilfiger (tommy.com) and missdesignergolf.com

Pattern Polo £40, Puma

In association with

LG pp 38-39 Fashion 18/10/2013 10:13

WEAR TO

SHOPGive your wardrobe a winter

pep-up before the weather turns

ONE UP GOLFKey brands: One Up Golf, AshB, Proquip,

Under Armour, Crocs

How to buy: Online or by telephone

Website: oneupgolf.co.uk

Tel: 0844 5572011

Product details:

One Up Golf Elderberry

Roll Neck, £65

MISS DESIGNER GOLFKey brands: Green Lamb, Tommy Hilfiger,

Calvin Klein, Under Armour, LIJA, Puma,

Cutter and Buck, Fairway and Greene

How to buy: Online at MissDesignerGolf.com

Website: MissDesignerGolf.com

Tel: 0800 3763 596

Product details: Green Lamb Myra Wool

V-Neck Sweater, £29.99 (available in 7 colors)

EUREKAKey brands: Daily Sports, Rohnisch, Ping

Collection, Adidas

How to buy: Online at eurekagolf.co.uk

Website: eurekagolf.co.uk

Tel: 01915 841 198

Product details: Daily Sports Scratch

Player Jacket, £82.50

LADIESGOLF.CO.UKKey brands: Green Lamb, Nike, Galvin Green

How to buy: Online at ladiesgolf.co.uk

Website: ladiesgolf.co.uk

Tel: 01634 914 020

Product details: Lija Ladies WindChill Jacket,

£79.99

GOLFING LADY ONLINEKey brands: Rohnisch, Nivo, Daily Sports,

Green Lamb.

How to buy: In store at Royal Winchester GC

or online.

Website: golfingladyonline.co.uk

Tel: 01962 859 222

Product details: Daily Sports Cardigan, Ivory,

£56.99

GOLF GARBKey brands: Daily Sports, Ping Collection, Nike,

Green Lamb

How to buy: Online or by telephone

Website: golfgarb.co.uk

Tel: 01225 745 758

Product details: Glenmuir Ludivine Sweater,

£59.99

LG pp 41 Fashion Shops 17/10/2013 14:20 Page 41

Miss Designer Golf 17/10/2013 15:37 Page 1

CHRISTMAS

GIFTSFind a present the golfer in your life will really

want this year…

p GOLF BUDDYWhat they do: Golf Buddy specialise in producing GPS devices. Theirrange is substantial and contains both wearable and hand-held devices.

Description: GPS devices allow players to view exact yardages and pinpositions. The brand-new wearable WT3, which has dynamic green viewand moveable pin placement features, is the newest addition to the GolfBuddy range. The rechargeable batteries also last for up to 50 days. The hand-held Platinum device features a 40,000-course storagecapability, statistics analysis, and is held in a water and shock resistant case.

p SABONAWhat they do: Sabona have been manufacturing copper and magneticbracelets for over 50 years.

Description: Copper is an essential element required by the body, andSabona’s bracelets allow the skin to have direct exposure to copper,which can in turn help with the relief of aches and pains. This isparticularly relevant to golf during the winter, where exposure to coldand wet conditions can exacerbate joint pains. The bracelets are wornby many top names in the game, including Ernie Els, Ian Woosnam,John Daly, Chris DiMarco and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

LG pp 42-43 Christmas Gifts 18/10/2013 12:26

p NORTHCROFT GOLFWhat they do: Northcroft Golf design products tohelp players who suffer with bending down.

Description: The range of products from NorthcroftGolf help those who suffer with back, knee or hipproblems, which can make aspects of golf such asteeing the ball up or marking your ball on the greendifficult. Their products are also an excellent optionfor disabled golfers. The innovative ball and markerpick-up device clips onto the top of your putter gripand allows players to place markers and pick uptheir ball without having to bend down. Theseparate tee-up product aids with both placing andremoving tees as well as teeing the ball up.

p GOLF QUEENWhat they do: Golf Queen sell various different golfapparel and accessory products.

Description: Aiming to sell functional andfashionable products for women of all ages, manyof the products sold by Golf Queen are exclusivelyimported from the USA and meet high specificationsin terms of both performance and style. Thecompany sells gloves, handbags, headbands,visors, caps, ball markers, sunglasses, golf belts,headcovers, towels and divot repair tools. Many ofthe products have a quirky or different feel, addingto the concept of buying bespoke equipment whichwill stand out on the golf course.

p SKYPROWhat they do: SkyPro is a swing analysis productfrom SkyGolf, who produce rangefinder SkyCaddie.

Description: This product allows players to gaindetailed insights into their swing patterns. Thedevice is around the size of a USB stick and weighsless than 30g. It attaches to the shaft of any golfclub and syncs information to the SkyPro app,which can be installed on mobile phones. The ultrahigh-speed capture rate captures up to 3,200samples per second, creating up to 100,000 datapoints from address to impact. Many factorsbecome available for analysis, including clubheadspeed, swing path, face angle and impact position.

pTHE LITTLE ONEWhat they do: The Little One is a training aiddesigned to help improve ball striking.

Description: Available as both a 7-iron and apitching wedge, this minature clubhead attached toa full shaft provides an excellent way for players topractice hitting the ball from the sweet spot moreconsistently. The design draws on inspiration fromother sports such as cricket and baseball, whereprofessionals practice with smaller, narrower batsto improve their focus and accuracy levels. Byincreasing the difficulty in hitting the ball withsmaller clubs, it becomes easier to find the sweetspot on full-size clubs.

p BEST IMPRESSIONSWhat they do: Best Impressionsspecialise in personalised gifts.

Description: The company isbest known for its production ofpersonalised golf ball markers,but they also make variouspersonalised gift sets, tees andballs, and sell apparel, pitchmark repairers and gloves.

p INFINITY PROWhat they do: Infinity Proproduce magnetic bracelets.

Description: Many golfers areseen on the course wearingeither magnetic or ion braceletsto help improve circulation.Infinity Pro’s Energetix magneticbracelets are both functionaland aesthetically pleasing.

p SURPRIZE SHOPWhat they do: Surprize Shopsell exclusive golf gifts.

Description: Stocking everythingfrom on-course accessories tonovelty items, Suprize Shop is agreat place to find golf-relatedstocking fillers. They also havea special range of seasonaldesigns on various items.

p POODLEWhat they do: Poodle producehigh-quality golf clothing.

Description: Amsterdam-basedbrand Poodle offers a uniquecombination of performanceand style. Their ‘mashie rashie’collection is surf inspired, takingits name from a combination ofthe old spade mashie club andthe rashguard material which isused to protect surfers.

LG pp 42-43 Christmas Gifts 18/10/2013 12:27

ACCURACY MATTERSGolfBuddy makes supremely accurate devices exclusively for golfers - no-one else.

Our Dynamic Green technology has been developed to always give distances to the front middle and backof the green directly from the golfer's angle of approach. Not all GPS brands offer this important technology.

We also walk courses to create ground-verified maps that ensure total accuracy.Not all GPS brands do this.

So in a game where even inches matter, itrust the brand that goes the extra mile to be the most accurate.

NEW!WATCHThe dedicated golf GPS watch. Accuracy & style. - Moveable Pin Placement- Distances to hazards- Over 36,000 free courses for ever- 50-day watch charge- Scorecard, odometer, shot distance measurement - Dynamic Green View

NEW!LASEROur first ever laser DMD. For fast, easy accuracy. - 6 x magnification- 3 operating modes (Scan, Flag and Normal)- Weighs just 200 grams- Suitable for glasses wearers- Accurate to +/- 1 yard- Eyepiece focus- 7 degree Field of View

www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu

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GROUNDVERIFIEDMAPSWE WALK COURSES

golfbuddy-brandprods-ad-23:Layout 1 22/8/13 09:24 Page 1


100KILMARNOCKBARASSIEAyrshire

2013 green fee: £60Recently extended, Barassie nowhas 27 holes. Expect high-qualitysurfaces to hit and putt on andbunkering that must be respected.Why it’s special: A quintessentialwest-coast Scottish links

99SEASCALECumbria2013 green fee: £35

In one direction are the LakeDistrict hills and in another theIrish Sea. The industrial backdropto the south unfairly dominatesconversations about this fine links.Why it’s special: Incredible valueand an experience few get to enjoy

98KING’S LYNNNorfolk2013 green fee: £50

Tight, tree-lined and featuringseveral doglegs, King’s Lynn is thegateway to any trip to Norfolk. Around here is much more than awarm up to Norfolk’s links.Why it’s special: You could beplaying at one of Surrey’s finest

97SHERINGHAMNorfolk2013 green fee: £65

Sitting on cliffs, get Sheringhamon a clear day and you will be gladto be alive. Natural and rugged,the toughest holes are usuallythose beside the railway.Why it’s special: The views of thesea and the sound of the old trains

96BUDE & NORTHCORNWALLCornwall

2013 green fee: £33A seaside course of little morethan 6,000 yards, there is a testingfinish almost in the very centre oftown. Classic holiday golf.Why it’s special: The views fromthe putting green are sensational

95DALMAHOYEdinburgh2013 green fee: £65

Dalmahoy was good enough tohost the Solheim Cup in the1990s. It was designed by JamesBraid and finishes in some stylewith a hole that crosses a gorge.Why it’s special: An 18th-centurymanor house is a lovely backdrop

94NORTH HANTSHampshire2013 green fee: £

Where Justin Rose grew up andby mastering his home course’stree-lined fairways and tightheathland turf he honed his ballstriking and accuracy. Why it’s special: A courses whereyou rarely see any other holes

93HAYLINGHampshire2013 green fee: £60

This links is over 100 years oldbut the design owes much to TomSimpson in the 1930s. It’s ruggedand natural with plenty of gorse.Why it’s special: Arguably theonly true links to the west of Ryeon the south coast



BRITAIN’S BEST

in association with

No lavish green fees, just top-class coursesE wanted to createa list whichrealistically reflectsgolfers’ budget –

although £100 is not a triflingamount for a green free. Webased the limit on 2013 summergreen fees for a round during

the week in high season –before special offers, packages,group discounts or twilightoffers were applied. You did nothave to be a member of anytype of scheme to play for under£100 and we sought clubs whichgenuinely welcome members.

W

LG pp 45 Top 100 Lead & 100-93 17/10/2013 15:52


92DOWNFIELDAngus2013 green fee: £69

Classy Downfield is a verdant,parkland treat in a region muchbetter known for its flinty linkscourses. Get this Open qualifier inthe summer months and you willlove the conditioning but don’t bedeceived – it is a substantial testfrom the back tees.Why it’s special: There are somewonderful risk-and-reward par 5s

91ISLE OFPURBECKDorset

2013 green fee: £48This is an unusual course – it isnear the sea yet actually moreheathland in nature than anythingelse, with outbreaks of gorse andheather. It was touched by thehands of the great Harry Colt inthe 1900s. Why it’s special: The views hereare amazing and in all directions

90BLACKMOORHampshire2013 green fee: £60

What is commonly known as theSurrey sand belt in fact extendsinto Berkshire and Hampshire,with Blackmoor perhaps the mostwesterly course to benefit from itsideal golfing characteristics. It’s agorgeous place to play.Why it’s special: The purpleheather gives Blackmoor a speciallook all of its own

89FULFORDYorkshire2013 green fee: £55

Once a European Tour stop andstill a delight to members andvisitors – who included Europe’sbest female amateurs last summer– Fulford is bisected by the A64.

On the near side it’s parkland,across the road more heathland. Why it’s special: The holes areevocatively named after tourplayers who competed here

88WALLASEYCheshire2013 green fee: £80

Separated from Liverpool by thewidth of the Mersey, Wallaseyenjoys a stunning location withviews in the opposite direction ofthe North Wales coast. This is alinks course that begins and endsin the dunes.Why it’s special: The best holeshere would not be out of place atnearby Royal Liverpool.

87LUFFENHAMHEATHRutland

2013 green fee: £55Just off the A1 not far fromStamford is an oasis of golfingsophistication. Luffenham is inplaces delightfully old-fashioned,although the course has recentlybeen extended and improved.Why it’s special: The finishingstretch is stunning, with thehighlight being the short 17th

86IPSWICH(PURDIS HEATH)Suffolk

2013 green fee: £55Suffolk can be an under-ratedgolfing region because with gemslike Purdis Heath there is plentyto recommend it. It’s a course thatkeeps itself to itself – maybe a fewmore should be let into the secret.Why it’s special: The journeyfrom wooded beginnings to classicheathland in the middle

85BLAIRGOWRIE(LANSDOWNE)Perthshire

2013 green fee: £60There is a myth that theLansdowne is very much a secondcourse to the Rosemount – weencourage you to play both andfind out the truth for yourself. Itwas considered good enough tohost this year’s Scottish Amateur.Why it’s special: This is stunningGleneagles country

84GULLANE (No 2)East Lothian2013 green fee: £48

Just like Blairgowrie’s Rosemountand Lansdowne we think there isless between Gullane 1 and 2 thanis usually assumed. In fact, thelayouts have much in common –and the locals says No 2 is often ineven better condition. Why it’s special: The romanticviews towards Edinburgh and theForth Road Bridge

83PERRANPORTHCornwall2013 green fee: £36

At the risk of damningunassuming Perranporth withfaint praise, this is the kind ofholiday golf you dream of –impossibly pretty, great fun,quirky and really welcoming.Perfect for summer evenings.Why it’s special: Only a golfingheathen would fail to be charmedby Perranporth

82ST ANNES OLD LINKSLancashire

2013 green fee: £75Whisper it quietly, but the word isthat St Annes has one of the bestgreenkeepers in the business and itit has never been in bettercondition. Spectacular it is not andhemmed in it may be, but what athorough test of your game.Why it’s special: Because it is soconsistently good

81HINDHEADSurrey2013 green fee: £70

Famed for the contrast between itstwo nines, initially the fairwayswind through narrow valleys. It isa different story later on, with aheathland plateau providing flatterterrain. Arthur Conan Doyle wasamong the founders. Why it’s special: The view fromthe 2nd tee is worth the journey tothis corner of Surrey alone

TOP 100 UNDER £100

LG pp 46-47 Top 92-72 17/10/2013 15:55

80CHART HILLSKent2013 green fee: £70

Sir Nick Faldo’s very moderndesign is golf on a grand scalewith some audacious bunkeringand green complexes. There issubtlety though, too, on what is atypically strategic and demandingFaldo parkland course. Why it’s special: This looks andfeels like real championship golfand is quite a test


79PYLE & KENFIGSouth Wales2013 green fee: £55

If the first nine was even half asgood as the second then P&Kwould be a contender for the topcourse in Wales. Such is thedrama of the inward half, whichploughs joyously between dunesand hillocks, that the previousstatement is not hyperbole.Why it’s special: The way thesecond nine is sprung upon you

78LINDRICKYorkshire2013 green fee: £65

A geographical curiosity in that itspans Yorkshire, Nottinghamshireand Lincolnshire, Lindrick hostedthe Ryder Cup back in the 1950s.Another grand old course bisectedby a major road, it’s a combinationof parkland and heathland on theoutskirts of Worksop. Why it’s special: The Ryder Cupmemorabilia is worth the trip alone

77ASHRIDGEHertfordshire2013 green fee: £67

Henry Cotton and Alex Hay aretwo of the former clubprofessionals at what is – afterWGC venue The Grove – surelythe finest course in Hertfordshire.Ashridge enjoys a special settingand its unusual routing meansthere are several starting points. Why it’s special: Wild deer roamthe fairways

76IRVINEBOGSIDEAyrshire

2013 green fee: £50What a misnomer – Irvine’s turf isspringy to the point of beinglinkslike and this is another ofthose Scottish courses that shouldform part of your golfingeduction. Score well here and youcan definitely play the game.Why it’s special: We love theblend of testing and quirky

75BROADSTONEDorset2013 green fee: £68

Beginning in the town and risinggradually to higher moorland wthexpansive views, Broadstone is notan easy course to categorise.Never less than varied, there issomething for everyone here andit is a real challenge in the wind.Why it’s special: The stretches ofheathland take Broadstone to alevel of real excellence

74LUNDIN LINKSFife2013 green fee: £58

One of Fife’s classic old courses,Lundin begins and ends ingenuine linksland, briefly climbingin the middle to higher ground.There is real subtlety in some ofthe shorter par-4 holes here,which are cunningly protected.Why it’s special: This is golf as itwas meant to be – and it’s virtuallyunchanged over the years

73SEATONCAREWDurham

2013 green fee: £44You might not come to this part ofthe world for the views – whichare mainly industrial – but what acourse awaits, and a true links atthat. Worthy of greaterrecognition and praise. Why it’s special: The designgenius of Dr Alister MacKenzie isevident throughout

72CONWYNorth Wales2013 green fee: £55

Conwy has hosted plenty ofprofessional golf over the years,most recently the ladies andseniors. You can see why – it’s agenuine championship links with aincreasingly enclosed closingstretch that can be claustrophic asgorse lines the fairways.Why it’s special: Several changesof direction make for great variety

in association with

LG pp 46-47 Top 92-72 17/10/2013 15:55


MonifiethGolf Links

Medal Starter’s BoxPrinces Street, Monifieth, Angus DD5 4AW

Monifieth MedalWeekdays £59, Weekends £65A unique challenge to golfers

The AshludieWeekdays £25, Weekends £30

Offers golfers immense enjoymentDay package including a round of golf on each course plus full catering £79 (Mon-Fri only)

Winter rates apply until 31st March 2014Special online rates also available via our website

Enquiries: 01382 532767Email: [email protected]

Online booking facility available via our website: www.monifiethgolf.co.uk

LG pp 48 Top 100 Ads 17/10/2013 16:52



71BRORAHighlands2013 green fee: £49

An achingly romantic place to be,especially during those endless latespring and summer days that youget this far north. The greens areroped off to keep the sheep awayand the holes blend seamlesslyinto the landscape.Why it’s special: This JamesBraid links is simply as natural asthey come

67MONIFIETHAngus2013 green fee: £55

Monifieth backs on to Panmurewhich in turn runs intoCarnoustie – so this is primelinksland. This was the first linkscourse Tom Watson ever playedback in 1975 and he would surelystill recognise it today; a classylinks with echoes of Ganton.Why it’s special: Monifieth hasclassic humps and hollows

66CASTLETOWNIsle of Man2013 green fee: £42

The off-course experience here isstill sadly lacking but there can beno denying the excitement anddrama of the links itself. At times,it feels more clifftop in style andthere are some wonderful views ofthe Irish Sea.Why it’s special: Rugged andnatural, you won’t forget theexperience of playing here

65SCOTSCRAIGFife2013 green fee: £56

Many golfers will visit St Andrewsseveral times without realisingScotscraig is just a short driveaway. They are missing out on acourse re-designed by James Braidin the 1920s that is inland butwith seaside tendencies at times.Why it’s special: Scotscraig ispreparing to celebrate its 200thanniversary in 2017

64LITTLESTONEKent2013 green fee: £70

While the likes of Sandwich andDeal steal the limelight in Kent,the locals know that Littlestone isa fine links in its own right.Relatively flat for the most part, itbuilds to quite a finish with thehighlight being the 16th.Why it’s special: Littlestone isbrilliant in the winter – this is thedriest corner of the country

63PENNARDSwansea, South Wales2013 green fee: £50

This is an extraordinary course –perhaps the only one of its type –that combines being perched atthe top of some almighty cliffswith genuine links turf andfeatures. That gives you the twinpleasures of outstanding golf andviews to die for.Why it’s special: It would beeasier to say why it isn’t. Magic

62BERWICK-UPON-TWEEDNorthumberland

2013 green fee: £42This is pure linksland – by whichwe mean straw-coloured, bouncy,fast-running fairways, unevenground and sensational green sites.It is occasionally quirky, veryvaried and does not require anyshow-stopping splendour.Why it’s special: The duneformations are exceptional

61PRINCE’SSandwich, Kent2013 green fee: £80

Much has changed at Prince’sover the last five years and acourse that was looking a littletired has been rejuvenated. Theconditioning and bunkering arenow sensational. The threeloops of nine each bring youback to the clubhouse.Why it’s special: You don’t getto play an Open venue every day

60SPEY VALLEYAviemore, Highlands2013 green fee: £60

Getting to the 1st tee from theclubhouse is a journey in itself butthat is soon forgotten when a newworld opens in front of you onceyou reach the 2nd green. Is therean inland course in Britain thatoccupies a grander setting?Why it’s special: Secluded to thepoint of isolation, Spey Valley is atreat to the senses

70LEVEN LINKSFife2013 green fee: £55

Separated from Lundin by just astone wall, Leven nevertheless hasa slightly different feel. All theholes are at sea level and in thesummer it gets hard and fast, justas it should be.Why it’s special: This would be agreat place to start if you’d neverplayed links golf before andwanted to know what it’s all about

69GOLSPIEHighlands2013 green fee: £45

Beautifully presented and with asmuch variety as you could everwish for, Golspie alternatesbetween links, heathland,woodland and even parkland. Theconsecutive short holes at the 16thand 17th are a highlight.Why it’s special: You will get aswarm and as genuine a welcomehere as anywhere in the land

68ST MELLION(NICKLAUS)Devon

2013 green fee: From £85Jack Nicklaus’s first course designin Europe is spectacular and neverless than demanding. There isplenty of water and some seriouslyquick greens. It is maintained to ahigh level and has a super hotel(and the Kernow course) on site.Why it’s special: As strategic aninland test as you will find

LG pp 49 Top 71-60 17/10/2013 15:57


TOP 100 UNDER £100

59TENBYSouth Wales2013 green fee: £25

The oldest course in Wales is alsoone of the very best, especially theopening 14 holes. Tenby is apopular tourist destination, butthe course is rather more thanthat, as is apparent from the veryfirst hole, where the drive is blindand the green protected by a dune.Why it’s special: You simply can’tplay here and not enjoy yourself

55ROYAL NORTHDEVONWestward Ho!, Devon

2013 green fee: £55You could come here just to soakin the atmosphere and history ofEngland’s oldest club. You need toplay here a few times before youstart to learn its secrets.Why it’s special: You can almostfeel the presence of JH Taylor, thefive-time Open champion whogrew up here

54PARKSTONEDorset2013 green fee: £75

It is not far to the seaside fromParkstone yet in terms ofcharacter you could be 100 milesinland. This is a predominantlyheathland course, and one withfine views of Poole Harbour.Originally laid out by Willie Park,it was redesigned by James Braid.Why it’s special: The closinghole is a spectacular par 3

53TREVOSECornwall2013 green fee: £69

Trevose has so much to offer thevisiting golfer but while the on-site accommodation is superb, it isthe championship course thatreally counts. Headingimmediately towards the ocean atBooby Bay, this is a big coursethat enjoys a sensational location. Why it’s special: The location ofthe 4th green (above) says it all

52DELAMEREFORESTCheshire

2013 green fee: £55You may well not have heardmuch about this Herbert Fowlergem built on sandy soil, but hemade exemplary use of a rollingsite that a lesser designer may nothave put to such good use. Why it’s special: It is not a clubthat seeks the limelight so what atreat it is to play here

51MONTROSEAngus2013 green fee: £55

Golf has been played over thisquintessential links since the 16thcentury. There are opportunitiesto score early on during the fineshore-side holes but what afinish – culminating in the 17th, along par 4 with its green a shelfcut into the gorse-filled hillside. Why it’s special: Golf and townlife are indistinguishable here

50MACHRIHANISHDUNESArgyll & Bute

2013 green fee: £70The new (McLay) Kidd in town isMach Dunes, just a few years oldand next to the originalMachrihanish. It’s fantastic, and isgetting better with every year.Why it’s special: This iscompletely natural seaside golf,dictated by the often wild pitchesand rolls of the land

49MORAY OLDMoray2013 green fee: £70

A glorious links course in the besttraditions that begins and ends inthe lovely seaside town ofLossiemouth. On the front ninethe fairways are lined by gorsewhile there is more space on theway home.Why it’s special: Playing up thelast fairway towards the grand oldclubhouse is so memorable

48ROYALASHDOWNFOREST Sussex

2013 green fee: £65Famously without a single bunker,The Old here (there is the Westtoo) is certainly not lacking inprotection with grassy hollowseasily costing you half a shot. Thesecond course, the West, is almostevery bit as good. Why it’s special: The highlight issurely the view from the 11th tee

58LUFFNESSEast Lothian2013 green fee: £85

Classy and impeccably presentedthroughout, Luffness has a certainstatus about it. It may not be thelongest anymore but a stingy parof 70 ensures good scoring is ararity. Until recently, Luffness wasa regular host for final qualifyingwhen the Open came to Muirfield.Why it’s special: The turf issensationally good here

57ASHBURNHAMSouth Wales2013 green fee: £39

It is a travesty Ashburnham doesnot receive more widespreadacclaim. If honest links are yourthing then you will not bedisappointed here – in fact astretch of nine or 10 holes in themiddle is truly great.Why it’s special: It is ridiculouslygood value – a game here is worthtwice the price

56MURCARAberdeen2013 green fee: £80

This is a club where plenty ofcompetitive golf is played and it isa real treat of a links, especiallythe stretch along the coast thatbegins with the 4th. A couple ofinland holes are not quite of thesame standard but the finish istight and testing.Why it’s special: The thrillingstretch on the front nine

LG pp 50-51 Top 59-43 18/10/2013 10:15


46PANMUREAngus2013 green fee: £75

Panmure is classy, well-presentedand packed with fine holes. Workis currently underway to move acouple of fairways further awayfrom a caravan park and this willonly add to the experience.Why it’s special: Taking aim atthe raised, well-protected greenon the 6th, named after BenHogan, is quite a challenge

45SEACROFTLincolnshire2013 green fee: £40

Not too many golfers would thinkimmediately of Skegness when itcame to an east-coast golfing tripbut those who make it here loveSeacroft. It’s a links course of realsubstance that quickly opens outas you play away from the townover the opening holes. Why it’s special: The quartet ofpar 3s offer a bit of everything

44BEAU DESERTStaffordshire

2013 green fee: £70There is a special – if unlikely, tothose who don’t know better –golf trip on offer in Staffordshireand the highlight may well beBeau Desert. Herbert Fowler’spine-clad heathland masterpiecelies in glorious seclusion. Why it’s special: Firm, slopingfairways demand a cunninggameplan to be executed well

43DUNBAREast Lothian2013 green fee: £65

The first of the great East Lothiancourses you encounter ifapproaching from the South East,Dunbar does not begin in greatstyle but quickly picks up the pace.It’s a course that occupies a long,narrow piece of land – there’s justenough room for a vintage links.Why it’s special: You get very,very close to the sea here

47GLASGOWGAILES LINKSAyrshire

2013 green fee: £95Gailes will be Scotland’s host offinal Open qualifying for the nextfew years and it is nice to see thisaugust links emerge from theshadows and take its share of theattention the classic Ayrshirecourses rightly attract.Why it’s special: You don’t oftensee heather on a links course

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42NEW ZEALANDSurrey2013 green fee: £85

Perhaps the least known ofSurrey’s great heathlands, and onesenses that is just the way the cluband its members like it. At around6,000 yards and entirely flat, it isas easy-walking and relaxing anexperience as golf can provide. Why it’s special: Playing herefeels like discovering a secretcourse nobody else that has visited

38LITTLE ASTONWest Midlands2013 green fee: £90

Most people think of The Belfrywhen asked about parkland golf inSutton Coldfield but Little Astonis certainly prettier. It’s also achampionship course with theoccasional water hazard thatdemands your respect.Why it’s special: It’s in suburbiabut you really wouldn’t know it.An extremely friendly club, too

37SAUNTON(WEST)Devon

2013 green fee: £79This is another of those secondcourses that tends to be patronisedby the occasional visitor. In thiscase, it’s the West that suffers butit really shouldn’t – it is a finecourse in its own right.Why it’s special: A burn crossesseveral holes and must informyour strategy accordingly

36DUNDONALDAyrshire2013 green fee: £95

The sister course of LochLomond is a modern links thatgets better with every year. It isnot exceptionally pretty but morethan makes up for it by the sheerquality of the holes. The 16th isone of the hardest you’ll ever play.Why it’s special: It is superblydesigned by Kyle Phillips and ofhigh technical merit

35ST ANDREWS(JUBILEE)Fife

2013 green fee: £70Criminally under-rated, sinceDonald Steel’s redesign the Jubileeis categorically a top-quality links,with the possible exception of theuninspiring opener. So manygolfers come to St Andrews anddon’t play here – that is a shame.Why it’s special: It’s the samepiece of linksland as the Old

34BOAT OFGARTENHighlands

2013 green fee: £41If you’ve never played ‘The Boat’,then it’s something you really needto change. It’s a unique experienceand all who visit this Aviemore-based club seem to fall in lovewith this short, strategic andsimply beautiful tree-lined course.Why it’s special: It’s the prettiestcourse in our list – bar none

33THE MACHRIEIsle of Islay, Argyll & Bute

2013 green fee: £72There is remote and then there isthe Machrie, on the Hebrideanisland of Islay, which is famed forits peaty whiskies. You will neverplay a course with more blindappoach shots.Why it’s special: How can youfail to enjoy this improbable andoften outrageous links?

32ROYAL STDAVID’SHarlech, West Wales

2013 green fee: £55A tough and rugged links that sitsin the shadow of Harlech Castle,Royal St David’s is the scene ofmany of Welsh golf’s mostimportant moments. Outstandingvalue for money.Why it’s special: You can’t fail tobe inspired by the location. The15th is one of the best in the land

31ROYALWORLINGTON& NEWMARKET

2013 green fee: £50This is Britain’s finest nine-holecourse. This Suffolk-basedcourse’s flat, tree-less land can beslightly underwhelming on firstvisit, but on closer inspection, theholes are wonderfully subtle. Why it’s special: The clubhouse –order your drinks through a hatchand sit by an open fire.

41BLAIRGOWRIE(ROSEMOUNT)Perthshire

2013 green fee: £60There are suprisingly few top-class inland courses in Scotlandbut Blairgowrie assuredly has twoof them. The better known is theRosemount, where many of thefairways are lined by trees andheather is a recurring hazard.Why it’s special: The turf isdelightfully springy here

40SOUTHERNESSDumfries & Galloway2013 green fee: £50

So many otherwise well-travelledgolfers never seem to make it toSoutherness, which is just acrossthe Solway Firth from Silloth.Those who do are rewarded withan exceptional links experienceincluding a stellar last five holes.Why it’s special: That end-of-the-world feeling you get whendiscovering a golfing outpost

39FERNDOWN(OLD)Dorset

2013 green fee: £75Ferndown occupies a delightfulswathe of heathland just outsideBournemouth and is the kind ofcourse that you just want to playagain and again. It’s a very classylayout and a lovely place to be.Why it’s special: Peter Alliss’sfather, Percy, was the professionalhere for more than 25 years

TOP 100 UNDER £100

LG pp 52-53 Top 42-19 18/10/2013 10:18


30LADYBANKFife2013 green fee: £54

This is a blend of parkland andheathland where the smoothfairways are often lined by pinesand the greens are delightfullysituated. The perfect course toplay on either the first or last dayof your trip to the Grey Toun. Why it’s special: Positioning isall-important here so that you cannavigate tree-lined doglegs

26GULLANE(No 1)East Lothian

2013 green fee: £96Virtually as good in the winter asit is in the summer, golfing turfdoes not really get much betterthan at Gullane. There are twosignificant climbs here, and bothare among the best uphill holesyou will ever play. Why it’s special: The vista fromthe 7th tee is magnificent

25WOKINGSurrey2013 green fee: £75

Woking might just be the mostsubtly designed of Surrey’s famousThree Ws, which all lie within acouple of miles in and aroundWoking. Architect Tom Dunninvented the concept of a bunkerin the middle of the fairway toinfluence strategy. Why it’s special: It is the firstheathland course

24MOORTOWNYorkshire2013 green fee: £80

A recent tree-clearing and bunkerrenovation project is helpingMoortown to restore heathlandcharacteristics that were in dangerof being lost. Those who have notvisited for a few years will beamazed by the transformation. Why it’s special: Hosted the 1929Ryder Cup and was a EuropeanTour venue in the 1980s

23ALDEBURGHSuffolk2013 green fee: £75

Inland but with definite linkscharacteristics, Aldeburgh isblessed with fast-running, gorse-lined fairways, some steep-faced,sleepered bunkers andoutstandingly good greens. Its parof 68 is certainly a contender forthe stingiest in the country. Why it’s special: This is a classylayout and a timeless experience

22SHERWOODFORESTNottinghamshire

2013 green fee: £60Often inexplicably absent fromlists such as this one, Sherwoodassuredly belongs in the highestcompany, with firm and springyplaying surfaces, the ambience ofthe club or the merit of the holes.Why it’s special: It begins like anopen heathland, but is later linedby pines, silver birches and oaks

21WORPLESDONSurrey2013 green fee: £90

There will never be a unanimousverdict on the relative merits ofthe Three Ws but it can surely beagreed that the work of JFAbercromby and Willie Park Jr atWorplesdon was among their verybest. It begins in real style with aninviting downhill par 4.Why it’s special: It enjoys adelightful, sheltered setting

20BURNHAM &BERROWSomerset

2013 green fee: £75A vintage and first-class links. Theopening hole is a thrilling way tobegin and the closing stretch is upthere with the very best. In themiddle it’s less inspiring but onlybecause there are so many strikingholes either side of it.Why it’s special: Fowler, Alison,MacKenzie and Colt all tweaked it

19ST ANDREWS(NEW) Fife2013 green fee: £70

Too often eschewed by visitinggolfers who think the Old is thebe-all and end-all in St Andrews.It really isn’t, and indeed manylocals and good players prefer theNew as a test of golf. Much moreclearly defined from the tee withfairways often lined by gorse. Why it’s special: 9th is arguablythe best short hole in the town

29WEST HILLSurrey2013 green fee: £75

You can derive full enjoymentfrom this classy heathland layoutthat specialises in tricky par 4swith streams, heather, toweringpines and sand to catch you out.You can score well here in placesbut the course usually wins. Why it’s special: It is an oasis oftimeless calm just a few miles awayfrom the city

28LIPHOOKHampshire2013 green fee: £64

The famous Surrey sandbeltextends as far as Hampshire andSussex. Stunning Liphook, with itscharming old clubhouse andbirch- and pine-lined heathlandfairways is not long but is theequal of its more famous peers. Why it’s special: Liphook has awonderful collection of short holesthat look perfect from the tee

27THEADDINGTONSurrey

2013 green fee: £65Even some very fine courses canbegin to blend into each other butThe Addington comes with aguarantee that it will live long inthe memory. As quirky as a remotelinks in places, JF Abercromby’sdesign often borders on genius.Why it’s special: The par-5 12thand short 13th are sensational

in association with

LG pp 52-53 Top 42-19 18/10/2013 10:19


18NOTTS(HOLLINWELL)Nottinghamshire

2013 green fee: £75Hollinwell must rank as one of thefinest courses in this list at whichto arrive: the clubhouse is set inthe base of a valley with holesextending all around it. It is a mixof parkland and heathland. Why it’s special: Hollinwellenjoys a location that is bothhighly attractive and spacious

14SOUTHPORT &AINSDALELancashire

2013 green fee: £95Recent work to rebuild the 2ndand 16th greens, as well asdramatically change the contoursaround the short 10th, show thatS&A is serious about improving itsstatus in the golfing paradisearound Southport.Why it’s special: A lovely blendof pure links holes and heathland.

13HUNSTANTONNorfolk2013 green fee: £90

Just a perfect place to play. Andthat’s at any time of the year –Hunstanton is fantastic in thewinter. Hunstanton’s greatestcharm is the feeling that little haschanged out on this championshiplinks over the past century.Why it’s special: Beach huts,sleepered bunkers and the NorthSea

12SILLOTH ONSOLWAYCumbria

2013 green fee: £47Silloth represents arguably thebest value to be found on our list.Only sheer remoteness (you can’tgo further north and west inEngland) keeps the crowds away.Why it’s special: Some greens arein sunken dells, others are ontabletops – it offers a trulywonderful variety

11ROYAL WESTNORFOLKNorfolk

2013 green fee: £85This extraordinary links willprobably have you scratching yourhead at times on your first visit –expect cris-crossing fairways, blindshots and the occasional drivewhere you will simply have noidea where to aim. Brilliant.Why it’s special: Brancaster ispacked with architectural features

10HANKLEYCOMMONSurrey

2013 green fee: £90Many of the great Surrey coursesare surrounded by houses butHankley is set within anastonishing 850 acres, and thisconfers a sense of space and peace.It’s a magnificent heathland – nowextended to over 6,700 yards. Why it’s special: It’s so quiet youcould be in the Cairngorms

9CRUDEN BAYAberdeenshire2013 green fee: £90

You might find the occasionalcurmudgeon who will tell you thatCruden is just too quirky but theother 99 per cent of the golfingpopulation absolutely love it.There are several unforgettableholes here. Why it’s special: Your first,elevated view of the links onarrival always stirs the soul

8ALWOODLEYYorkshire2013 green fee: £80

This is the first course Dr AlisterMacKenzie ever designed in anarchitectural career that alsoincluded Royal Melbourne,Cypress Point and, most famously,Augusta National. At Alwoodleyhe created a heathland layout ofrare subtlety and sophistication.Why it’s special: The expansivebeauty of Wigton Moor

7WEST SUSSEXSussex2013 green fee: £75

This might just be the prettiestheathland course in Britain afterSunningdale and a round here is ablissful experience indeed. It is asurprisingly young course, datingback only to 1930, and measuresless than 6,400 yards.Why it’s special: The blend ofheather, gorse, silver birches andbeautifully shaped bunkers

17ABERDOVEYWest WalesGreen fee: £52.50

The romantic’s choice for the titleof the finest course in Wales,Aberdovey is gloriously old-fashioned and quirky, from thetrain station in its car park to theoutrageously blind short 3rd.Why it’s special: It looks like anout-and-back links but thanks tothe curve of the shore you play inchanging directions on each hole

16MACHRIHANISHArgyll & Bute2013 green fee: £65

To play here is to make a golfingpilgrimage, and now that MachDunes has opened next door,bringing with it some welcomenew accommodation, it is so mucheasier to justify your trip to thisremote corner of Argyll & Bute.Why it’s special: Take in the viewas you approach the 3rd green andyou will know exactly why

15WESTLANCASHIRELancashire

2013 green fee: £95Finally emerging from theshadows of esteemed neighbourssuch as Formby and RoyalBirkdale, West Lancs is very mucha peer when it comes to thelayout. This is a big sprawlinglinks and a huge piece of land.Why it’s special: There is abarely a weak hole here

TOP 100 UNDER £100

LG pp 54-55 Top 18-1 18/10/2013 10:40


6ST ENODOCCornwall2013 green fee: £75

St Enodoc has charm. In fact, ithas an abundance of it. Curiously,certain parts of the course have aparkland feel (the 4th springs tomind) and others are moorland(following the loop around thechurch) but the best bits occupysensational linksland. Why it’s special: Come to see thecavernous Himalaya bunker

5GANTONYorkshire2013 green fee: £75

We can blame Ganton, indirectly,for the oxymoronic term ‘inlandlinks’. In this case, and in this casealone, the description is accurate.Nine miles west of Scarborough,Ganton’s firm, sandy soil, truegreens, gorse-lined fairways anddeep bunkers are the real deal.Why it’s special: Positioning anda clear strategy count for so much

4SAUNTON (EAST)Devon2013 green fee: £79

Arguably Herbert Fowler’s finestcreation (along with WaltonHeath), what sets Saunton apart isthat, much like at Royal Birkdale,the holes tend to run throughcorridors between the dunesrather than through them.Why it’s special: The view acrossthe links from the 1st tee is one ofthe best in golf

3WOODHALL SPALincolnshire2013 green fee: £88

Woodhall Spa is perhaps not themost exciting course you will everplay but it is surely one of thebest. Understated compared to,say, Sunningdale (then againwhere isn’t?) it stands comparisonwith anywhere when discussingthe nation’s finest inland courses.Why it’s special: Woodhall isclassy and stringent throughout

in association with

1NORTH BERWICKEast Lothian2013 green fee: £90Founded in 1832, North

Berwick is one of the originalScottish links and it is fair to say itis as fine a specimen as you willfind. Simultaneously quirky andhonest, it is simply a delight toplay any time of the year.Why it’s special: It exemplifies allthat is joyous and yetunpretentious about seaside golf

2NAIRNHighlands2013 green fee: £95Nairn is one of the prettiest

links you will ever play, with seaviews across to the Black Isle andthe Highlands beyond. Most of thefront nine plays adjacent to thebeach and close enough to see andsmell the ocean. Nairn was a worthyhost of last summer’s Curtis Cup.Why it’s special: The greens hereare the purest you will ever putt on

LG pp 54-55 Top 18-1 18/10/2013 10:41

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Flying into Mauritius, withits mountainous terrainand lush green, exoticflora and fauna, it’s

hard to believe for someonewho has only everexperienced a typical Englishcourse that here lays amagnificent 18-hole course.But The Heritage Golf Club,stretching out over 100hectares, is there, nestled intothe Domaine de Bel Ombre inthe south west of the island,part of the impeccableHeritage Resorts.

Whoever you are travellingwith there is a restaurant, sport,activity or spa treatment to suiteveryone at this duo of 5-starhotels, with the choice ofHeritage Awali or Heritage LeTelfair.

Easily the most exclusive ofthe two hotels, Le Telfair ’sarchitectural style will transportyou to a different era

altogether. Harking back to theGolden Age of travel, it isreminiscent of the island’scolonial sugar plantation past.Think white, fine, elegant openwoodwork, manicured tropicalgardens, and romanticrestaurants. Each spaciousroom has a distinct villa feel toit and has been thoughtfullydesigned with light green,beige and cappuccinocolours creating an intimate,stylish finish. French windows

open onto a typical Mauritianveranda; the perfect place fora spot of breakfast.

Annabella’s, the mainrestaurant, dishes upinternational brassiere stylefood and will be your regulargo-to for breakfast and dinner.If you are looking forsomething a little morespecial, book an evening atthe imposing Chateau De BelOmbre with its high ceilingsand antique furniture – it

emanates the charm of timesgone by. Situated amongmagnificent gardens, thisperiod property is at the heartof the golf course and is agourmet experience, with thechef choosing as many local,island products as possible tocreate delicate, Mauritian-inspired plates. Or if you are inthe mood for more of a Pan-Asian feast, hot-foot it tooceanside Gin’Ja where theWagyu beef is to die for.

A visit to the Seven ColoursSpa is a must; all treatmentsare bespoke so you will bereceiving a package tailoredspecifically to your needs. Aftera four-hour round nothing isbetter than a personalisedmassage followed by a pre-dinner drink in the oh-so-chicCavendish Bar & Lounge.

The course itself offers someof the best panoramic views;the sea is the backdrop, barely

PLAY AWAY

Amazing

Treat yourself this winter with a trip to the HeritageLe Telfair Golf and Spa Resort, says Harriet Chubb

Mauritius

LG pp 58-59 Le Telfair 18/10/2013 16:47


distinguishable from the brightblue of the sky, but turn 180˚and you will be confrontedwith the hills of the Black RiverGorges nature reserve. Carvedinto an undulating landscapeand featuring lakes andstreams, it is an 18-hole, par-72 championship course (andthere’s also a 9-hole, par-3). It was designed by therenowned architect PeterMatkovich, who has taken careto make sure that the natural

topography of the landremains as untouched aspossible – you won’t find anyartificial ponds here. It presentsa real challenge and is agreat chance to improve yourtechnique, know-how and skill.In fact, with a PGA professionalon hand, many visitors comepurely to improve their game.

But it isn’t all about golf. Whatmakes these hotels so specialis the huge range of activitiesto suit any holiday maker. From

kite-surfing to kayaking andpaddle boating to personaltraining there are myriadoptions to choose from andnearly all are complementary.

Take the glass-bottom boatout to the extensive coral reeffor a viewing platform with adifference or, if you are moresuited to dry land, anexhilarating quad-bike tour ofthe nature reserve is a trulyenchanting excursion. Wear aswimming costume under yourclothes as they don’t tell youthat a pit-stop at a lagoon,complete with fairytalewaterfall, is on the agenda,where you can swim off theheat of the day and the dustfrom the bikes.

Want something a little moreprivate? You can’t get closer tothe course than hiring aHeritage Villa, with unlimitedgreen fees as well aspreferential rates at two other

neighbouring courses (LeParadis and Tamarina), throw inthe personal chef, butlerservice and free golf cart ineach villa and you will neverwant to leave. For somethingreally different, why not try around of night golf?

The par-3 course offers thechance for you to test yourskills to the limit by using glowsticks and phosphorescentballs – an unforgettableexperience under the stars.

FactfileHarriett Chubb went to Mauritiuscourtesy of Turquoise Holidays.You can enjoy seven nights atHeritage Le Telfair, Mauritius, from£1,444 per person, includingaccommodation in a DeluxeRoom, daily breakfast and dinner,private transfers and internationalflights.Call 01494 678 400 or visitturquoiseholidays.co.uk

LG pp 58-59 Le Telfair 18/10/2013 16:47


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Claire KaneThe trouble our trolleys can get us in

THERE is a vast selectionof golf trolleys on themarket these days so,when it comes to

selecting a new one, thechoice can be tricky. It’s not just a question ofwhether it’s manual or electric,how small it packs down, oreven if it has two, three or fourwheels.

It’s also important to find outif it’s reliable or has anyshortcomings, something youdon’t usually discover until youactually get your hands on itand put it into action.

Whilst it’s amusing seeingtrolley wheels fall off (put onthe wrong way?) the humourcan turn to horror when brakesfail and golfers have to wadeinto muddy hazards and swiftstreams to rescue waywardtrolleys.

Recently, I’ve noticed a newproblem with electric trolleys,where the touchscreentechnology is so sensitive theslightest movement over thecontrol panel can send itshooting down the fairway.

One incident I recently sawinvolved an elderly lady (in herlate eighties) who switched onher electric trolley.

But, instead of it gliding upthe fairway in an orderly

fashion, the trolley developedan independent streak, rearedup like a stallion, bucked off itsbag of clubs and raced offlike a runaway horse minus itsowner.

The shocked lady started tochase after it but sadly shewas no longer blessed with theathletic skills of her schoolsports’ day and her valianteffort to stride after the roguetrolley was more like watchinga Formula One car beingpursued by a jogger.

This wasn’t an even contest. As the trolley continued to

gain on her, I decided I hadno option but to intervene so,reluctantly, I ran after the out-of-control trolley to try and cutit off at the pass.

As I raced towards it, thequestion of how I was actuallygoing to stop the speedingobject was going through my

mind. With my bad back, I was

reluctant (probably unable) tomake a sudden lunge at thecollapsed (flat) trolley, which bynow resembled a driverlessGo-Cart in full throttle.

I’ve never been a naturalsprinter (or jogger) buteventually I drew level with thespeeding lump of flashingsteel long enough to grappleand hold it until I finally figuredout how to switch it off – atleast I got some aerobicexercise that week!

The second incident was acouple of days later on myown course where we regularlylet our trolleys freewheel downa dip, where they usually stopwell before the next tee.However, in the case of myplaying partner, her electrictrolley kept chugging on,climbed up a bank, turning

sharp left to trundle over theimmaculate tee area (sorrygreenkeepers) before finallyentering a dense gorse bushwhere we thought it wouldcompletely disappear just likeour golf balls.

With hoover craft technologyemerging from USA golfcourses in the form of formerMasters champion BubbaWatson’s prototype ‘hoovergolf cart’ and ‘hoovercameras’ about to film golftournaments, I’m sure it won’tbe long before we have newtechnology to wander overwater hazards, althoughgoodness knows what mishapsthis will bring about.

Hands free Anyoneseen myowneranywhere?

Claire KaneClaire is a freelance journalist, a keengolfer and someone who doesn’t takeherself, or her golf, too seriously. Followher tales on twitter @golfsnippets

COMMENT

Keeping fitAnyoneseen atrolley anywhere?

LG pp 66 Columnist CK 17/10/2013 14:31

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

Introducing the compact folding M1 PRO, developed to fold down over

40% smaller than traditional electric trolleys – Different is good. www.motocaddy.com

W h E r E v E r g o l f t a k E s y o u ,y o u ’ l l h a v E t h a t E x t r a E d g E .

g E t s E r i o u s .

www.galvingreen.com

With the high-techfunctionality of

lady golfer december 2013 issue

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