Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i Golf Monthly

Anna Nordqvist will lead the European Solheim Cup team in 2026 after being announced as captain last month. The Swede – one of the most experienced players in Solheim Cup history – is a nine-time player and was also a vice-captain in 2023 and 2024. The 37-year-old has been part of five title-winning teams. The 20th Solheim Cup will take place at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. Nordqvist will lead her troops as they look to win back the trophy following a 15.5-12.5 defeat to Team USA at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia last year. Nordqvist has three Major victories to her name, as well as six LPGA Tour and four Ladies European Tour titles. She plans to keep playing beyond the 2026 Solheim Cup, which takes place…

TaylorMade effectively invented a whole new iron category in 2017 by introducing the very first P790 iron. A hollow-bodied rocket ship wrapped up in a somewhat ‘better player’ aesthetic, it was the beginning of the players’ distance iron era. Some eight years on, we are still seeing the brand make incremental improvements to one of its flagship iron models. In terms of the technology, the blueprint is somewhat set in stone. A hollow body, filled with SpeedFoam Air and featuring a Speed Slot in the sole of the longer irons, is still the order of the day, but there have been some subtle changes. The 2025 P790 boasts a new high-strength forged face material (4340M), which the brand says is 20% stronger than in the 2023 model. And because it…

As an iron tester, when you hear that a new Mizuno iron aimed at the better player is on its way, it is difficult not to get your hopes up. Being responsible for some of the best irons in history, Mizuno doesn’t often disappoint, so I was keen to see how the brand new Pro S3 model would perform. The looks on offer are sensational. From the shelf appeal perspective, the Pro S3 is about as clean as an iron gets. The satin finish looks highly premium and the branding has been used sparingly but with genuine attention to detail. It is difficult to picture a much better-looking iron gracing any golf bag. Significantly straighter lines than ever before, coupled with an exceedingly short blade length, make this head a…

FOOTJOY FUEL SHOE £129 The third generation of this athletic, lightweight spikeless shoe boasts a much more sophisticated look. The FJ branding on the heel has been executed with more precision and the ombre effect on the blue midsole looks modern. It’s incredibly light too – one of the lightest shoes we’ve tested – which helps with foot fatigue. Good though it is, to us it’s a little lost in FootJoy’s vast range, being neither as comfortable as the Quantum nor as performance-focused as the Pro/SLX. PING G440 MAX FAIRWAY WOOD £319 The latest Ping fairway wood offers generous performance across the board, but if it excels in any one particular area, it would be forgiveness, which proved a standout metric in our testing when put up against the fierce…

This content was created in partnership with GolfClubs4Cash, Europe’s largest retailer of second-hand clubs. In this latest episode of our Retro Review series in association with GolfClubs4Cash, I’m mixing things up to compare three TaylorMade drivers, with a full decade of development between release dates, to see how far technology has moved on. Splitting the comparison into three categories – looks, sound/feel, and launch monitor data – I was expecting to see huge changes, but did I? Looks The R7 Quad (2005) is an extremely clean-looking model from the playing position. Its 410cc head looks even more compact than this, as much of the volume has been used to create a deep face rather than a large footprint, and the gloss black crown is very minimalistic. The R15 (2015) is…

Spain’s fabulous Costa del Sol, or Sun Coast, stretches for the best part of 100 miles as the black-headed gull flies, all the way from Gibraltar across to Nerja. Starting with the contrasting Links and Heathland courses at La Hacienda in the west, all the way to Baviera Golf in the east, there are around 70 courses of varying style and magnitude. Such is the wealth and variety on offer, it is sometimes known as the Costa del Golf. It is home to some of the very best golf courses in the country, including Real Valderrama, venue for the 1997 Ryder Cup, as well as former hosts of the Spanish Open such as San Roque and Torrequebrada. Many familiar names have established themselves since the arrival of the Real Club…

Spey Valley GF: 18 holes: £115wd, £135we Running over a glorious expanse of heathland close to the ski resort of Aviemore, this top-quality and gently undulating layout was designed by Dave Thomas, twice a runner-up in The Open Championship. It opened in 2006 and boasts the most fabulous scenery, with mountain views, water, magnificent pine and heather all the way. There is something of a constitutional from the 1st green to 2nd tee, but the reward is more than worth the effort. The course flanks the western side of the River Spey, which is rarely really in play, and is as testing as it is enjoyable. Several professional events have been played here. The Duke’s Course - St Andrews GF: 18 holes: £220 including buggy and halfway house selection This…

Dublin had long been on my wish list for a fun-filled city break, but I’d never really considered it as a golfing getaway. Yes, there’s the famous old links at Portmarnock – which may become even more famous in the not-too-distant future if plans to host The Open Championship there come to fruition – and plenty more quality courses within striking distance, but I’d always thought the best Irish golf was away from the bright lights, dotted around the coast in some of the more hard-to-reach corners of the country. So, the prospect of an easy hop over to the Irish capital for a weekend of golf and a chance to explore the city felt too good an opportunity to miss. The base for our stay was the Portmarnock Resort…

For many golfers and golf societies, one of the most important factors in deciding on a destination for the annual trip away is the choice. A resort that has more than one course is often preferable, the variety adding that extra bit of excitement. It’s not often that you have three options, which is what makes La Cala Resort so special – that and the range of facilities on site. It has everything a golfer should need, and more. Located just 30 minutes from Malaga airport and the popular destinations of Malaga and Marbella, the award-winning La Cala on the Costa del Sol has firmly established itself as one of Spain’s leading golf and lifestyle resorts. As well as its three championship golf courses – Campo America, Campo Asia, and…

The brown circles stretching across the grass didn’t initially grab my attention as the caddie drove down the fairway at Khao Yai Country Club. My partner and I were in the midst of a tight match on day five of my first ever trip to Thailand. However, when the caddie gave me a nudge, pointed and said ‘elephant’, my eyes instantly lit up. The elephant is a sacred animal in Buddhist Thailand, where around 8,000 of the Asian variety currently live in the wild. This one clearly enjoyed thundering around fairways before stopping for drinks in the water judging by the footprints. We never did catch up with it but I did discover dozens of other memorable experiences, golf courses and tastes in the country dubbed ‘Amazing Thailand’. The golf…

Winter course rankings, please As winter keeps the nation in its grip and many of our courses are closed due to either flooding or frost, I would like to suggest a new ranking list. I think there would be great merit in you composing a Top 50 Winter Courses. Even some of the finest courses in the land are not immune to flooding and closure. My wife is a member at Liphook, for example, and that has been closed several times this winter due to adverse weather, whereas my club, Hayling, has stayed open and very playable despite being ranked comfortably lower than Liphook in your biennial list. A rating of top winter courses would allow your readers to pick courses to visit that they know are likely to be…

FootJoy’s Premiere Series of golf shoes continues to be a leader in the modern classic footwear sector. The brand is bringing in two new men’s offerings for 2025 – the spiked Packard LX and Field LX, with refinements and added details across the silhouettes since the last updates in 2023. Both models are made with premium, full-grain leather throughout. A signature ‘bison’ texturing is complemented by a nubuck leather saddle on the Packard LX and heel on the Field LX. Nubuck is a type of leather with a velvety texture that, to the naked eye, may not look durable on a golf shoe. However, FootJoy has thought about this and the material has been treated with LifeShield waterproof technology to encourage water to wick away and the texture to stay…

Shot on location at La Cala Resort 1 The direct cause of a hook can be linked to a few different factors at, and through, impact. If you swing the club on an in-to-out path, with a clubface that is also closed to that path and is pointing left of target at the point of impact, you are almost certainly conjuring up the dreaded hook shot. There is often a misconception among club golfers about the differences between hitting an untimely hook and intending to hit a controlled draw. Simply put, when trying to deliberately shape the ball from right to left, you need to swing in to out still, but with the clubface pointing slightly right of target at impact instead of left. 2 To prevent a hook, your…

With golf an outside sport, mother nature always has a seat at the table! On occasion, the weather requires the committee to suspend play during a competition if the course becomes unplayable or when it is not safe for players to continue play. Under the Rules, there are two types of suspension, which have different requirements for when players must stop. In the photo above from TPC Scottsdale in Phoenix, the committee signalled a normal suspension due to temporary water creating an unplayable course, which is a non-dangerous situation. When a normal suspension is signalled, players have the option to either stop play or complete the hole they are playing. Once players have completed the hole they’re playing, or stopped play before completing the hole, they must not make another…

What is a zero-torque putter? Luke Lee, via email The premise of a zero-torque putter is a relatively simple one. Essentially, it is a design that allows the face of the putter to stay square relative to the path of your stroke rather than permitting the natural opening and closing of the face that traditional types of putter tend to encourage through the stroke. This is achieved by the axis of the shaft running directly through the centre of gravity (CG) in the head of the putter, therefore reducing the amount of twisting and helping you to return the putter face square through impact more easily. Zero-torque putters are going to benefit those who struggle to retain full control of the putter face, particularly on putts within ten feet of…

“The record is held by Californian Norman Manley, who is said to have made 59 aces” Did you know that Seve Ballesteros never had a hole-in-one during his professional career? And you definitely didn’t know that I had a hole-in-one during my very amateur yomp through the old game. That’s how lucky it is. Ben Hogan insisted a shot to a couple of feet was a great shot, but if it then rolled in it was a happy accident of fate and no real credit was earned. An Aussie journalist pal of mine, Tom Ramsey, was able to confirm this was Hogan’s view when he played with the great man some 40 years ago at Hogan’s lifelong club, Shady Oaks in Texas. Tom was an unusual golf writer in that…

I had been to this renowned Alpine resort once before ‘sans skis’ as I’m very much an avowed non-skier. Activities requiring good balance are a no-no for me. I couldn’t skateboard as a kid and the running joke in the family is that, when the prospect of ice-skating looms on the horizon, I’ll be there to play the role of coat and bag stand while the others head off to be Torvill and Dean. On that previous visit, I had flown into Zurich and then enjoyed the most stunning train journey I had ever been on up to St Moritz. Twisty, spectacular, at times precarious and often high above valley floors via tunnels and viaducts, the helical routing of this extraordinary UNESCO railway really does take your breath away. You…

Sitting on the terrace of the recently crowned ‘world’s best halfway house’, with a drink from the Calma bar in hand, it’s hard to think of many views in European golf that can top this. That’s because the panoramic vistas at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort just get better the longer you look. To the south, the imposing Rock of Gibraltar looms, with the shores of northern Africa beyond. Turn your head eastwards and the Mediterranean Sea seems to unfold before you like a poster. People can – and have – lingered on this spot for hours at a time, long after completing their scorecard. It’s easy to see why. It only opened in 2023 and the halfway house is one of the latest additions to a 36-hole venue that’s…

What more is there to say about The Algarve that hasn’t already been written? Well, in the case of Vilamoura, quite a lot. In 2023, Arrow Global purchased the assets previously owned by Dom Pedro, which are now being run by Details, its hospitality, sports and leisure arm. In short, it’s been anything but a quiet couple of years in this European golfing Mecca. Before I headed out to southern Portugal last November, I had no idea of the scale or ambition of the project. Five golf courses and several hotels is a significant portfolio to inherit and, in speaking to those in charge and witnessing developments first-hand, I know there are certainly no plans to do things by half measures. Perhaps the biggest news relates to the former Victoria…

One of the joys of this job over the past 20+ years has been finding out about highly anticipated new courses and sometimes getting to play them myself to see if the reality matches the hype. Overseas trips may have slowed down post-Covid for me but there have still been enough of them to courses old and new to keep my curiosity suitably piqued. With the best will in the world, though, time and budgetary constraints mean you can never play them all, and in Portugal’s case, the cards have never yet fallen my way for the likes of highly acclaimed Monte Rei and West Cliffs, which rank 1st and 2nd in the country in certain lists. That may no longer be the case when the next rankings are published…

Ludvig, congratulations on winning your first signature event, the Genesis Invitational. How pleased are you? It was a really cool finish to a great week. I had my girlfriend there all week, my coach came in on the Friday night and I had some other guys on my team with me all week too. It felt like we did it together. I had tremendous help from Joe, my caddie, as well. You had to withdraw from Pebble Beach two weeks before due to illness. Does that make the victory more pleasing? I don’t like pulling out of tournaments, but I felt like I had to at Pebble to give myself some time to recover and be ready. I felt like I wasn’t really myself, wasn’t feeling great, wasn’t swinging great…

“THINGS ARE GOING TO HEAL QUICKLY. WE’RE GOING TO GET THIS GAME GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION”Tiger Woods suggests a merger in the men’s professional game could occur ‘very soon’ “IT’S ONE HELL OF A STORY, ONE HELL OF A MOMENT”Former Australian motorcycle gang member and prisoner Ryan Peake reacts to winning the New Zealand Open “IT MIGHT SEEM BRUTAL, BUT IF THERE ARE NO REAL CONSEQUENCES, PLAYERS WON’T ADJUST”Suzann Pettersen backs the LPGA’s slow play policy, with the circuit set to enforce more penalties “OH YEAH. WE’VE ALL SEEN IT”Shane Lowry responds to Keegan Bradley saying the US team would ‘kick their f***ing a**!’ at Bethpage Black on Full Swing…

No one gave Jack Nicklaus a hope of adding to his Major tally of 17 going into the 1986 Masters, with the 46-year-old enduring the worst spell of his career. He hadn’t won a tournament for two years and his last Major title had come in 1980, leading GM deputy editor at the time, Colin Callander, to brand his form ‘disastrous’. But as we all know, the American managed to roll back the years in some style at Augusta, as Callander went on to describe… “Nicklaus holed a putt from 25 feet on the 10th and on the next he made it three birdies in a row with a 20-footer. It was a Nicklaus charge of old. The crowd was lapping it up, so when he birdied the 13th and…

Portugal GF: €68-€82 (online rates) Stats: par 72,6,085 yards The elegance of Quinta do Peru greets you the moment you arrive. It is rustic and effortless, possessing a confidence that glides around the clubhouse and filters through all 18 holes. Once you’re out on the course, that elegance builds. So too its confidence, for Quinta do Peru has one of the best back nines in Portugal – one that uses the flow of the forest and landscape to hide you from other golfers. The par-5 13th and par-4 15th are two of the country’s best holes, and their solitude is charming. Located south of Lisbon, the course was designed by Rocky Roquemore, and opened in 1994. Rocky has played a considerable role in the growth of Portuguese golf, designing and…

A baby fade, despite its name, is still a powerful golf shot. In flight, you would see a slight left-to-right shape, with the ball moving back towards the target. In order to hit a baby fade, the club has to exit left through impact. The chest turns out of the way very early and the left shoulder is moving left through impact. If you move the ball forward in your stance, you’ll hit it later, so the club will already be exiting left. A forward ball position can therefore help you when playing a baby fade. I would advise club golfers to work on a feeling of holding the face off through impact. But try to avoid a big cut across the ball by coming over the top in the…

Its versatility makes it a real game-changer in this sector of the golf gear market I have been reviewing golf equipment for more than ten years now but I struggle to recall a buzz around the launch of a new product as sizable as that which has engulfed the unveiling of the Garmin Approach R50. It was to be the first launch monitor to also include built-in golf simulator capabilities. Not only did it promise to solve existing issues, like the need for gaming laptops, but it also came in at a very appealing price. Was all the euphoria and hype fully justified, though? Well, yes! The Approach R50 comes to life through its 10-inch, full-colour touchscreen, which is both crystal-clear and very responsive. It uses three cameras to track…

The start of the year is full of excitement for golf equipment enthusiasts as most manufacturers reveal their latest innovations to the world. Mastering the art of hitting a fairway wood is one of golf’s toughest tests, so having the right club in your hand in the first place is a major key to success. Some golfers seek maximum distance, while others prioritise forgiveness. Some mainly use them off the tee, others off the fairway. To help you decide, I’ve been busy testing 19 models from ten leading brands to pinpoint which ones may be best for your game. Looks Before considering sound, feel or performance, you have to love the way a club looks, especially behind the ball. If you’re not a fan of its aesthetics, chances are you’re…

Essentials Beau Desert Golf Club, Rugeley Road, Hazelslade, Cannock, Staffordshire, WS12 0PJ Stats: par 70, 6,261 yards GF: round: £100-£115 Herbert Fowler was one of the finest architects of his generation, with a design portfolio that includes two pairs of Top 100 courses; those at The Berkshire and at Walton Heath. As unlikely as it sounds, he also designed the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, but this was a decade after he was engaged to create Beau Desert in 1912. Originally enjoyed by members of the Hednesford and District Golf Club, its unusual later name is decidedly more appealing and comes from its beautiful and somewhat elevated heathland setting on the estate of Lord Anglesey, a few miles north of Birmingham. Fowler’s masterful routing This excellent and gently undulating heathland…

Until last October, I’d only once played in the Czech Republic. That was in 2007 and it hardly stopped raining, which meant we barely squelched our way out onto any of the courses near the capital and over to the east. I was therefore excited to be returning to a country now preferring its post-revolution name, Czechia. After flying to Prague, this time I was heading further west in the country’s largest region, Bohemia, to play five courses… KARLOVY VARY Travelling with four other golf writers – two from the States, one each from France and Sweden – our first port of call was Karlovy Vary. This is the oldest club in the country, dating back to 1904, and its original course was a nine-holer. In 1933, it relocated to…

One of Europe’s most exclusive golf clubs is now available to visit, following the launch of an exciting new ‘Once in a Lifetime’ package at the stunning Les Bordes in central France. Set in the Loire Valley around two hours south of Paris, Les Bordes was once the home of Baron Marcel Bich, co-founder of Bic ballpoint pens. It was Bich who commissioned American Robert Van Hagge to design the Old course, which opened in 1987. Fast forward 38 years and Les Bordes is regarded as the country’s finest golf offering, with 46 holes, an array of high-class practice facilities and real-estate projects, an equestrian centre, a natural swimming lake and much more. The ‘Once in a Lifetime’ package is tailored to prospective Les Bordes property owners, although Golf Monthly…

This Algarve venue has more than half a century of history in the rear-view mirror, but visitors still flock in droves to this award-winning destination to golf, dine and unwind on Portugal’s southern shore. So, what exactly keeps them coming back? For most, the first answer that comes to mind is the resort’s trio of 18-hole courses. There’s a good reason for that. The South Course is one of the crown jewels of not just Portuguese golf but the whole of Europe. This eight-time Portuguese Open host has been beloved since opening in 1974, but has reached even greater heights since a €7m upgrade in 2021. The World Golf Awards has crowned the South Course the nation’s best every year since that renovation – especially poignant in a country where…

In my 40 years playing the game, I’ve been lucky to experience a lot of golf in Portugal, mostly in the Algarve. But I also have plenty of fond memories playing closer to Lisbon at the likes of Quinta da Marinha and Oitavos Dunes. This time, I was keen to head further north to tackle West Cliffs and Praia D’El Rey. I’d heard a few of my Golf Monthly colleagues raving about these courses, especially West Cliffs, after various press trips and photoshoots, and I’d seen the pictures of this incredible Cynthia Dye layout hugging the wild Atlantic coastline. As a lover of rugged seaside golf, it had all the ingredients to get the pulse racing; I can only imagine how excited Dye and her team were in seeing the…