Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 472 i Today's Golfer

Home to one of Scotland’s most luxurious adult-only spas, this 3-star hotel blends small town charm with Robert Burns landmarks and countryside golf at a choice of 17 nearby courses. Look and feel Don’t judge this book by its red-brick cover. Yes, the hotel looks a little tired from the outside, but hidden in the basement lies a spa experience so sleek and tranquil that it’s like teleporting into another world. The contrast is striking, but it works if you’re here to relax, not redecorate, after working your way around the region’s best courses. The hotel Celebrating its 40th year, this family-run hotel has just been named Scotland’s 2025 Independent Hotel and Spa of the Year – an accolade that coincides with an ambitious multi-million-pound renovation. The new £2 million…

1. FACE LOFT: STANCE AND BALL POSITION Start building your baseline pitching motion by taking a narrow stance – feet around two clubhead lengths apart – with your regular posture. Lean slightly towards the target until your weight just starts to favour your lead leg. Now hold your wedge handle to your shirt zip or buttons and let it hang. This line points to the ideal ball position for a mid-flight shot. Now, put a ball down, and grip the club. The ball should be pretty much in the centre of that narrow stance, with the hands pretty much level with it. An element of shaft lean – handle forward of clubhead – is OK, but keep it to a minimum. A decent guide is to feel shirt buttons, hands…

PowaKaddy ThermaMitts £59.99 An electric microwire heat layer is evenly spread throughout to distribute warmth across your hands. The simple control button gives three heat level settings, allowing you to choose the temperature to suit. Soft, fleece-lined insulation ensures maximum warmth. Galvin Green Levon mitts £55 It seems that Galvin Green have covered all available bases with their Levon mitts. Designed by golfers, the Interface material and a water repellent finish offer protection from the elements, while a Velcro tab lets you attach them to a trolley – making them easy to slip on while you are moving between holes. Motocaddy Hot Mitts £59.99 Yes, a standard mitten will keep your hands warm, but power will certainly keep them warmer. Step forward Motocaddy. These are designed to connect to your…

Think about golf in Barbados and dazzling images will spring into your mind. The reality, if you go to Apes Hill, is every bit as opulent. Whether it is on the golf course or in your accommodation, a holiday at Apes Hill is the very definition of luxury. The golf course was created by Ron Kirby – who was Jack Nicklaus’ long-time design associate and one of the architects of Irish stunner Old Head of Kinsale – and is a thrilling ride over ravines, among caves and between rocks, ancient bearded fig trees and native fauna. It is a real contrast between raw and immaculate. On one side, Kirby has routed the course in harmony with the adventurous existing terrain and hazards. On the other, the playing surfaces are impeccably…

Our speedboat is bouncing over the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, and while the March sunshine overhead is strong, the breeze is keeping us cool. We are waving to people on the shore as we hurtle by, as if we’re celebrities or royalty. Our captain wears a wide smile and has a neat line in jokes, and at that moment in time, life is good for the four people on the boat. Four very fortunate people and four sets of golf clubs. It’s not a long journey, but it’s a magical one. It takes us from Shangri-La Le Touessrok on the mainland of Mauritius to the island of Ile Aux Cerfs (deer island), where one of the most picturesque golf courses in the world awaits. The coral reefs, the…

Seeing pictures of the climax to the DP World Tour’s year in November and then the start of the tour’s new season a couple of months later highlights that Dubai is the most appealing guarantee of winter sun available to British golfers. Jumeirah Golf Estates – the stage for the DP World Tour Championship – and Dubai Desert Classic host Emirates Majlis are two of the finest venues in the city, which has an embarrassment of riches for those seeking high-calibre golf. The climate is simply outstanding. It is never cold and rain is very rare. There is no scenario when you can have a golf break ruined by weather – unless you go in the blisteringly hot summer. And the great thing is, when our weather is at its…

If you travel a lot, as I am fortunate enough to do in this role, it takes something special to really stand out. The new Fairmont La Hacienda hotel and the Links course in the south of Spain did exactly that. It is guaranteed that it will come into the Continental Europe Top 100 Resorts that is released in 2026. The Fairmont is categorically one of the finest hotels with golf attached to it in Europe. It has the freshness of a brand-new hotel with the class and sophistication of something half a century old. The rooms are ultra stylish yet comfortable while the public areas seriously impressed. The main restaurant, where a sumptuous breakfast is soaked in golden hour sunshine, has been beautifully planned and executed. You savour your…

Gleneagles The No.1 golf resort in GB&I. The No.2 golf resort in the World. Gleneagles is established as one the most iconic golf destinations in the world… but it never stands still. You don’t need to have been away for more than a few months and something new will have been added or improved. It’s why Gleneagles can provide whatever kind of golf break you want. Or any other break, for that matter. Want a midweek break of golf and to recharge your batteries? Gleneagles can oblige with bedrooms it’s impossible not to relax in, an incredible spa to be pampered in, and informal dining throughout the day in the Birnam Brasserie. Want a long weekend with the kids, but kind of not with the kids? There is nowhere better.…

It’s been more than two decades since the Ryder Cup last graced English soil — but that wait could soon be over. Four venues are now vying to host golf ’s greatest team event in 10 years’ time, with Luton Hoo emerging as a serious contender. The Bedfordshire estate has just shut its doors ahead of a £170 million redevelopment, part of an ambitious plan to transform the site into what backers are ambitiously calling “the Augusta of Europe.” Justin Rose and Gary Player are leading the “unique” course project alongside European Golf Design (EGD), who were the creative forces behind recent Ryder Cup venues such as Marco Simone, Le Golf National, and Celtic Manor. Atlantic Golf Construction, the team that helped build Adare Manor, have also been brought on…

LITTLESTONE Winter green fee: From £90 Excellent greens, clever rotation of holes and a strong finish. The layout is surprisingly flat for a links and convenient in its routing, which makes for an easy walk. A roll call of architectural greats have worked here, and many of its holes have been copied in America. Formidable in a breeze. ROYAL CINQUE PORTS Winter green fee: From £150 An out-and-back links that traverses oceanfront sand dunes with several holes set on a prominent ridge that runs the entire length of the course. Asks tough questions with gargantuan bunkers and prevailing winds. The final six make up one of England’s best finishing stretches. CHART HILLS Winter green fee: From £90 A considerable overhaul to this Sir Nick Faldo design has taken Chart Hills…

For golfers, the final month of the year usually means practising your “Oh wow, just what I needed!” face before unwrapping yet another novelty golf mug or pack of flamingo-shaped tees. This year, though, American Golf have decided we deserve better. Their new Luxury Golf Advent Calendar swaps throwaway trinkets for 24 premium treats, worth more than £200 in total. We’re talking TaylorMade and Callaway golf balls, £25 gift cards, and even an Openbranded ball marker – all tucked neatly behind each door. All highly impressive, but now for the really cool bit. One calendar contains a golden ticket, granting the lucky winner (plus one very lucky guest) a seven-night, all-inclusive stay at the Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort in Belek, complete with four rounds of golf. The only snag is…

1. The first question: Can I play my standard, mid-flight pitch? This has to be your starting point. Will the basic pitching method we learned at the start of this article allow you to carry the ball to the green and have it run out an appropriate distance? If the answer is Yes, job done. It’s the most reliable option -and why make things more complicated than they need to be? 2. Assessing the lie: Prioritise Tools 1 and 2 The lie of the ball dictates your options. A good lie permits all options and tools, but as the ball nestles more we lose the option of sliding the sole under it. To make solid contact from a poor lie, we need a steeper attack. Tools 1 and 2 allow…

SAND CLOUD From 150 yards, a scratch golfer typically ends up 109ft further away from sand than from the fairway. HALF CUT On average, a 150-yard sand approach costs a 15-handicapper half a shot against hitting from the fairway. Your ability from 150 yards is one of the best indicators of score and handicap. It’s a length of shot we face a lot, at every handicap level, and it can give us an extraordinary variety of outcomes, from a flush to a shank into the conifers. Let’s compare the data from performance-tracking specialists Shot Scope (shotscope.com) for fairway, rough and sand, to see how you can improve your strategy and performance from this crucial range. 1 Finding the green A 15-handicapper finds the green one time in four from 150 yards…

Every club tested and rated at todays-golfer.com HERE TO HELP YOU BUY BETTER WE NEED TO TORQUE Odyssey unveil their latest zero-torque putter… and it could change every thing WINTER SPECIAL! WATERPROOFS A dozen of the very best from our recent tests. WINTER SPECIAL! SHOES Twelve pairs guaranteed to keep your feet warm and dry. WINTER SPECIAL! BALLS The best balls you can buy – based on the results of our robot test. WINTER SPECIAL! ACCESSORIES The finishing touches that can make winter golf much more fun.…

adidas Tour360 £160 The Tour360 24 is the latest version of a nearly two-decade legacy, combining the best of previous versions to create one of the year’s best shoes. It delivers exceptional traction, stability and comfort. With features like a ‘T-Shape’ suede microfibre heel and a waterproof leather upper, it’s built to withstand winter conditions without compromising on style or performance. Ecco Biom H5 £190 The Biom H5 is a modern spikeless shoe that combines style with serious on-course performance. It features ECCO Performance Leather paired with a one-piece engineered knit sock, creating a sleek, athletic shoe that’s as comfortable as it is stylish. It’s fully waterproof thanks to an ECCO-TEX membrane, keeping you dry and comfortable in any weather. FootJoy HyperFlex £159.99 The HyperFlex shines – literally. The new…

What’s been your most memorable day on the course? My granddad and brother were able to come watch me play in my first British Open. I can remember walking onto the first tee, seeing them, and being a bit overwhelmed. But I also got to share my first win on the Challenge Tour with my wife on the bag. What about the hardest? I played in Denmark last year on the DP World Tour and those were some of the hardest conditions. It was raining and I had 150 yards into a green. I hit a 6-iron 15 yards short of the green. The umbrella was horizontal, walking down the fairway. I finished 14th and I didn’t shoot over par that day, which was pretty mad. What’s your wildest caddie…

There is not much better than playing one of Continental Europe’s finest courses in ‘golden hour’ sunshine. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Grand Old Lady of the Algarve – the second-oldest course in the region after Penina – and these days it is in its best-ever shape. Because it is now part of Arrow Global and managed by Details, Frank Pennink’s 1969 Old will continue to be the shining light of the Central Algarve. It is a charming journey between pines and over tumbling land that was perfect for engaging holes and is thus much more interesting than most Iberian golf. There is no rough to be seen and while you can get blocked out by the trunk of a pine, they are actually fairly sparse and…

Ever thought about having a long weekend in Canada? The answer to that question is likely to be ‘no’, but I’m here to tell you it is not only doable, but also very possibly the greatest long weekend golf trip you could ever take. I’ll deal with the logistics first, which in my mind make it an acceptable four-day trip. I flew there from Heathrow on Monday lunchtime and returned on Friday evening. I know that’s five days, but a day could easily be shaved off the itinerary if required (there are daily flights so you can plan whatever you fancy). The key information about the flight with Air Canada is that it usually comes in about £500 and takes around six hours. The fact it was also very comfortable…

You’re hanging up the clubs. Why now? Why now? Because it’s been 25 years. Because my weeks are pretty long. Because I’m not as engaged as I once was. I’m just not able to go through the weeks like I used to. When you compete against 20-year-olds that have a lot of appetite, you get to a certain age, you need to be fully engaged to keep being relevant. It’s not like I can’t play any more but I don’t really put what I need to in place to be competitive, or at least play and be relevant enough. At the Dunhill Links in September, you made your 500th start on the DP World Tour. How proud are you of that achievement? Pretty proud, of course. When you look at…

Gone are the days when your handicap only shifted through competition play. Under the World Handicap System (WHS), almost any casual round can now count – provided it’s pre-registered and played under the Rules of Golf. That flexibility sounds great, especially for golfers who can’t always tee it up at the weekend. But in practice? It’s been a grey area since day one. Across clubhouses in the UK, tensions are simmering. Some players are being pulled aside by committee members or managers and asked why they’re submitting so many General Play scores. Others are told the opposite -that every eligible round should be entered. So what does the rulebook actually say? And can you really submit too many General Play scores? Which scores count -according to the WHS? According to…

We’re drawing to the end of what’s been an incredible year for golf and for me, as part of the Sky Sports team. I think it has probably been the most exciting yet. A lot has happened, but there is one player who has stolen the headlines more than any other. If the 2025 golfing season had a single heartbeat, it pulsed to the rhythm of Rory McIlroy. From Augusta to Bethpage, from The K Club to Dubai’s desert shine, the story of men’s golf this year felt stitched together by one man’s pursuit of something greater -redemption, fulfilment, legacy. And boy, was it fun to watch. For years, Rory had been the player forever on the cusp of destiny. Brilliant, but burdened, his Major tally frozen at four, the…

GOING LOWER Raise the handle From your standard set-up, push the handle away from you to steepen the pitch of the shaft. Take your set-up around this new handle position. Of course, this moves you in closer to the ball, and that’s fine. Get steeper, hit lower The angle of the shaft at address sets the plane or pitch for the swing, so setting it more upright promotes a more vertical, up-and-down motion that wants to steepen the angle of attack. A steeper attack lowers the launch of the ball – ideal for when we want to drive it forward, with plenty of run. GOING HIGHER Lower the handle Start by positioning the handle of the club a little closer to the ground. Open the face as you drop the…

It’s golf, but not as you know it. The first season of TGL introduced us to simulator golf inside a stadium, orange towels, and holes that resemble those dreamt up on a Tiger Woods video game. Now, the tech-infused golf league is returning to our TV screens with an earlier start time, better graphics, and 12 Ryder Cup stars looking to reignite a few rivalries. What's new? Not much, surprisingly. With Scottie Scheffler still not involved and Motor City Golf Club on TGL’s waiting list until 2027, the same six teams and 24 PGA Tour stars who took part last year are set to do battle again in the golf simulator series, which will play out in front of 1,500 fans every game day at the SoFi Center in Florida.…

Any time a spade goes into the ground at St Andrews, the world of golf sits up and takes notice. So when The R&A and St Andrews Links Trust confirmed last month that the Old Course is undergoing “a carefully planned programme of enhancements and restoration”, the reaction was inevitable: a sharp intake of breath, followed by a surge of curiosity. What are they changing now? And why? The answers can be found on a proposed championship scorecard, which reveals how the Old Course is being lengthened yet again in preparation for the 2027 Open Championship. Six holes – the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th and 16th – will soon extend by a total of 132 yards, nudging the championship yardage to 7,445 yards. On any other course, that number…

THE SPECS Odyssey S2S Tri-Hot £499 (£529 Cruiser) Head shapes: Rossie, #7, Jailbird, Jailbird Cruiser Lengths: 33”, 34”, 35” (38” Cruiser) Head weight: 365g (385g Cruiser) Loft: 3° Zero-torque putters have been the stand-out gear story of 2025 – but they’re not for everyone. Some of them look a bit unusual, some lack feel, and the design creates a natural forward press, which can feel odd and alter a player’s view of the ball. But Odyssey believe they’ve cracked some of these misgivings with the new S2S Tri-Hot family -a range of zero-torque putters that don’t necessarily look or feel like zero-torque putters. Odyssey’s Tri-Hot putters date back to 2000, when they showcased different materials in the head, including tungsten, to enhance performance. They also had a big hit in…

Galvin Green Lewis £49 The Lewis gloves feature Interface-1 technology to make them completely windproof and keep your hands warm. Cabretta leather palms and super-tacky fingertips provide excellent grip during colder months, while superb breathability ensures the hands remain warm without getting damp or sweaty. They’re very durable, easy to maintain and – as you’d expect from Galvin – extremely high quality. MacWet Climatec £30 English PGA Tour star Aaron Rai loves MacWet gloves so much that he wears them every round. They helped him to victory at the 2020 Scottish Open, in conditions Ian Poulter said were the worst he’d ever played in. We like how they are windproof, waterresistant and have a fleece lining over part of the back of the glove. They also have exceptional grip through…

*All prices per dozen Srixon Q-Star Tour £36.99 The Q-Star Tour is very easy to like because it contains some of the tech found in the premium Z-Star range, but it’s a fraction of the price. Against other three-piece club golfer models, the Q-Star is a brilliant option. It performs very well in its approach play, ranking best of all golf balls in the category, thanks to its steep descent angle, impressive backspin and incredible carry distance consistency. TaylorMade Tour Response £39.99 The Tour Response bridges the gap between amateur balls and tour-level options in a way that no other golf ball does. With a compression rating of 70, the tour will never play one, but it’s packed with tour-proven tech found in TaylorMade’s premium TP5, so for many club…

Les Bordes, in the Sologne forest near Orleans, to the south of Paris, is unquestionably the greatest golf club in Continental Europe. I can be so certain of that bold claim by virtue of it having two courses inside the top 15 of our Top 100 of mainland Europe. Nowhere else can come close to matching the feat of these contrasting sister courses. The Old was designed by Robert von Hagge in 1987 – a very different era for course architecture compared to today, and I remember, on my first visit in 2016, that it was a brutal examination, as per its legend. The challenge has been softened a bit now, and while water and sand are a constant threat – there are lakes on 12 holes – it is…

You don’t need to read about the appeal of Rome as a destination, so I won’t waste space talking about charming piazzas, Aperol Spritz, the pizza and the Colosseum. What you might not be aware of is how good the golf is in the Italian capital. There is one course you will know a bit about at least, as it hosted the 2023 Ryder Cup. That said, its connection with Rome might have faded from your memory, but it very much is in the city and is one of Europe’s finest courses. Marco Simone was totally redesigned by Dave Sampson of European Golf Design to host the matches and was regarded as a success – but there is always curiosity post-Ryder Cup as the club/course readjusts after the huge focus.…