Tee Times Golf Magazine - July, 2015

ISSUE 170 JULY 2015 Tel: 01329 834360 Email: [email protected] www.teetimesgolfmagazine.com

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The odd talesof two Tigers

- Page 4

Woosie snubbed- and it really hurts

- Page 4

How clubs cantarget the ladies

- Page 10

Alresford Golf ClubCourse Review

- Page 18 to 19

The day I metButch Harmon

- Page 24

FOOTGOLF comes toPaultons Golf Centre

- Page 25 to 27

Last hurrah forOpen legends

- Page 28

The influence of a sirennamed Phoebe- Bus Pass Golfer

- Page 29

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NO wonder Chris Wood is beaming - hehas just won this real Beamer for a holein one with a seven iron to 178 yards onthe 14th at the PGA Championship atWentworth. There were four other acesin the week, but the 14th was the onlyone offering the €140,680 BMW i8.

The 6ft 6ins Bristolian poured himselfthrough the gull-wing door and joked: ‘I just about fit in here!’

A DISGRACEFUL bout of heckling by anAmerican spectator probably robbedHampshire’s Justin Rose of another PGATour title, and prompted new calls forofficialdom to come down hard on pea-brained ‘fans’ targeting European players.

Rose was well placed on the final day of theMemorial |Tournament in Ohio and poised fora second consecutive victory on U.S. soilwhen he reached a bunker on the 14th hole.

A loutish heckler distracted him at thecrucial point of the backswing on his splashshot, causing a severe twitch which sent theball a good 12 yards further than normal.

The 32-year-old made bogey instead of parand this was the difference betweenwinning the championship by one and goinginto a sudden-death play-off, which Roselost to Swede David Lingmerth.

Hampshire’s favourite golfing son, who stillhas strong links with North Hants Golf Clubin Fleet where he learned his golf, was still

gentlemanly when asked about theheckling. He said through gritted teeth: ‘Itcouldn’t have been better timed.’

But Rose had innocently become the latestEuropean golfer to suffer the attentions offoul-mouthed so-called fans on theincreasingly rowdy PGA Tour.

• Turn to page 24

Increase in thenumber ofrounds playedA NEW report has brought encouragingnews for golf by identifying an increasein the rounds played in Great Britain inthe first quarter of this year.

Research by the Sports research companySports Marketing Surveys shows that theaverage number of rounds played increasedby 14 per cent, compared to the sameperiod in 2014.

Richard Payne, Senior Manager of SportsAccounts, said: ‘This increase is fantasticnews for the industry.

‘This new data offers encouraging insightinto the future of the game, and we hope to see similar promising figures leading into the summer months leading up to The Open.’

Above-average temperatures and thegenerally drier weather in January meantthat all regions except Scotland enjoyed an encouraging start to the number ofrounds played.

February was also much drier than last year,and all regions enjoyed increases in excessof 30 per cent.

March was relatively cold and wet, and a competing attraction was Six Nationsrugby attracting a TV audience of around 10 million.

Overall, rounds played around the regions ofthe country were: North - up 13.5 per cent,South - up 15.7 per cent, the Midlandsincluding Wales - up 20.5 per cent.

Weather

CHRIS ACES A PROPER BEAMER

Rose the latest European victim of loutish hecklers on U.S. Tour

Chris Wood: ‘I just about fit in here!’

DISGRACEFUL

Justin Rose:Targeted byloud-mouthedspectators on theU.S. PGA Tour




News reports contrast the Jekyll-and-Hyde sides of the thoughtful Mr Nice Guy who can shock fans as a foul-mouthed, spitting oaf

GOLF’S return to the Olympics next yearhas been branded as only ‘an exhibition’by Masters champion Adam Scott.

Golf last appeared in the Olympicsprogramme in 1904, and is back on theprogramme for the Rio games.

The principle has been widely welcomed butprofessionals such as Scott foresee a hecticsummer in which top players might have tojuggle personal priorities.

Australian Scott says:‘Whether I win anOlympic medal or notis not going to definemy career or changewhether I’ve fulfilledmy career. It’snothing I’ve everaspired to do and Idon’t think I ever will.

‘It’s all about the four Majors and that’s theway it should stay for golf. To go and play anexhibition event down there to meet someathletes (in other sports) in the middle of theMajor season – I don’t think any otherathletes in their sport would do that.

‘I don’t believe a lot of sports belong there.It’s got away from where it started. Most ofthe athletes at the Olympics probably havetrained four years specifically to peak at thisone event.

‘It’s the pinnacle of their sport, they get onecrack at their big thing every four years. Theyhave put their life on hold for this event and it’sso important to them, and I feel it’s their time.Golf doesn’t need to be in the Olympics.’

Scott rapsRio’s golf ‘exhibition’

EUROPEAN captain Darren Clarke hasdecided not to change Europe'squalifying system for next year's RyderCup at Hazeltine.

The Northern Irishman will have threewildcard picks to join the nine men whoqualify automatically: the top four in theEuropean points list and the top five in theworld points list.

It is the same system used by Paul McGinleywhen his side beat the United States 16½-11½ at Gleneagles last year.

‘It would have been foolish to make anychanges,’ said Clarke.

Clarke’s picks

Adam Scott: Olympics willnot define my career

IAN Woosnam has still not been inductedinto golf’s Hall of Fame but says he isusing his ‘frustration’ as motivation.

The 1991 Masters winner won his first U.S.Champions Tour title recently, and admitsthat it hurts to be overlooked by the Florida-based organisation.

Ryder Cup-winning captain Woosnam, 57,admits it hurts being overlooked by theFlorida-based organisation: ‘It's veryfrustrating, but I'm using it to get to where Iam at the moment.’

Four people were inducted into the class of 2015 - Laura Davies, Mark O'Meara,David Graham and the course architect, AW Tillinghast.

The little Welshman has the one Major titlebut Colin Montgomerie, who has none buteight European Tour Orders of Merit, isalready in the Hall of Fame.

When the announcements were made,Woosnam made no attempt to hide his

frustration, posting ironically on Twitter ‘Ithink it's time to say goodbye to golf and retire.’

‘The Hall of Fame is a strange one. I'mgetting a lot of coverage in America at the moment so hopefully it will open a few doors.

‘I've been out in America for the last five orsix weeks and have been playing betterevery week. I've been practising hard andthat's now paying off.’

Another attraction is that, as well asrecognising Woosnam’s contribution to golfdown the years, a place in the Hall of Famewould give automatic exemption to play onthe Champions Tour.

Ryder Cup winner Woosie: Overlooked by the Hall of Fame

WOOSIE IS SNUBBED - AND IT HURTS

TWO recent news reports have drawn into focus the twosides of Tiger Woods, the most successful player inmodern golf history.

One shows him as a man under pressure, trying to salvage hiscareer and losing his cool so often that he has topped thecharts for swearing on the course.

The other depicts him as a kind, thoughtfulhuman being stretching out an empathetichand to a teenager who has been bulliedfor having a stutter.

It has been seven years since Woods wonhis 14th Major on what appeared to be anon-stop and inevitable charge towardsJack Nicklaus’ record of 18, before his lifeand career imploded with well-documentedrevelations about his private life. And thestrain of having slipped from the pinnacle toa career low of number 140 in the worldrankings is clearly showing in his lack ofself-control on a golf course.

Figures from the Federal CommunicationsCommission show that Americanbroadcasters have received 22 complaintssince 2011 for imaginative language fromgolfers - and 15 of them originated withWoods. One angry viewer said: ‘I shouldnot be subjected to this in my own home.’

Woods gets more airtime than any othergolfer, but that does not excuse him as faras another complainant wrote: ‘Whenwatching a sports programme we shouldbe free from vile, insulting assaults.’

In the UK, Woods has also attractedcomplaints, particularly about his‘nauseating’ habit of constantly spitting onthe golf course - even on the greens.

Contrast this with the heartwarming letterwhich Woods wrote to a young fan beingbullied because of his stutter.

Woods told the boy, named only as Dillon,that he too stuttered as a child and added:‘I know what it is like to be different.’

Woods said he was proud of the boy andurged him: ‘Keep fighting.’

Woods learned about the boy's conditionthrough Swedish professional golfer SophieGustafson, who has a severe stutter.Gustafson is mentoring the boy andcontacted American golf journalist RonSirak asking for help and passed himemails from Dillon's mother. Sirak said hewould contact Woods, who responded bywriting to Dillon.

‘I know what it's like to be different and tosometimes not fit in,’ wrote Woods. ‘I alsostuttered as a child and I would talk to mydog and he would sit there and listen untilhe fell asleep.’

The odd talesof two Tigers

The fictional Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde• THE Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a short novel written by Robert

Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886.

• It is about a lawyer, Gabriel John Utterson, who investigates the strangerelationship between his old friend Dr Henry Jekyll and the evil Edward Hyde.

• The tale is widely associated with the rare mental condition of ‘split personality’,in which there is more than one character in the same body.

• There two distinct personalities within Dr Jekyll - one good and the other evil.

Another club goes flying as Tiger’s temper erupts.Inset, the nicer Mr Woods





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The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport andTourism, Ken Skates, officially openedHensol Castle (20th May), following amulti-million pound refurbishmentprogramme to restore the historic castle toits former glory.

Unveiling a commemorative plaque to markthe official opening of Hensol Castle, MrSkates was given a tour of the 400-year-oldGrade I listed building, which is reopening tothe public as a conference and wedding venueafter the completion of the first phase of its£10 million refurbishment.

Located within the grounds of the Vale Resort,Hensol Castle offers conference facilities in thenew purpose-built Courtyard Hall, capable ofhosting 320 delegates theatre-style and 200delegates banquet-style.

The facilities at Courtyard Hall arecomplemented by five smaller meeting rooms inthe castle itself, which have been completelyupgraded and can host between 10-100delegates per room theatre-style. Phase two ofthe £10 million investment will include addingup to 30 bedrooms and a top-end restaurantwith 120 covers, and is expected to be open bylate 2016.

The official opening of Hensol Castle coincideswith figures from the International PassengerSurvey, undertaken by the Office for NationalStatistics and issued today (20 May), whichshows that international visitors to Walesincreased by more than 7% in 2014.

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism,Ken Skates, said: “Hensol Castle gives the ValeResort something very unique to offer theirbusiness and wedding clients. It is a high qualitydevelopment which makes the most of the site’sheritage and culture giving its clients a top endexperience and giving a piece of the area’sheritage a new lease of life. I wish the teamevery success with this new development.”

During his visit, the minister also saw the WelshRugby Union’s on-site facilities at the ValeResort, including its five rugby training pitches.

The Vale Resort is gearing up to host some ofthe world’s most famous rugby teams thisautumn, including Wales and France, plus a

quarter-final knock-out team which could be anycombination of France, Ireland, New Zealandand Italy, as it has been selected as an officialteam base for the 2015 Ruby World Cup.

As part of its preparation, the Vale Resort hasinvested £1 million in upgrading its 143-bedrooms, including installing new bathroomstogether with upgrading soft furnishings, takingthe total investment at the resort within the lastyear to £11 million.

Stephen Leeke, managing director of the ValeResort, said: “We were delighted that DeputyMinister, Ken Skates, could take time out of hisbusy schedule to officially open Hensol Castleand be one of the first to see the refurbishment.

“The redevelopment of the castle has been oneof the most important investments the ValeResort has made to further strengthen itsfacilities. The historic castle adds another stringto our bow by providing an alternative optionfrom our current contemporary offering at theVale Resort. Event organisers can now choosefrom two very different venues that offer acombined total of 18 conference and meetingsuites. With the conference and event market animportant revenue stream for the Vale Resort,currently representing 25% of our business, weanticipate significant growth in this sector on theback of reopening such a unique facility in southWales. Since announcing the newrefurbishment, we’ve already had interest fromworld-recognised businesses such as BritishGas, Princes Gate, the Royal Mint and a numberof medical and pharmaceutical companies.”

Dating back to the 17th century, Hensol Castle issteeped in history. Its previous owners includeSamuel Richardson, who is credited withintroducing the threshing machine to the worldof agriculture and “Big Ben”, Sir Benjamin Hall,who was overseer of works for the installation ofthe clock tower at the Houses of Parliament,which is apparently named after him. The estatewas purchased by the Leekes family, who ownthe Vale Resort, in 2003.

Hensol Castle had been closed to the public foralmost a decade until 2014, when it wasopened for weddings for the first time. Untilthen, it had only been used as a stage set forthe television series Doctor Who, SherlockHolmes and Torchwood.

MINISTER OFFICIALLY OPENSHISTORIC HENSOL CASTLE

PETERSFIELD G.C. PRO-AMOn Friday 12th June, Petersfield GolfClub, in conjunction with the HampshireProfessional Golfers’ Association,hosted a very well supported PRO-AMcompetition. There were twenty eightteams, each consisting of threeamateurs, teamed up with aprofessional from the HampshireProfessional Golf Association.

The weather was relatively kind with onlya couple of showers, but it did notdampen the enthusiasm and competitivespirit. The course looked magnificent andreflected the excellent stewardship ofHead Greenkeeper, Kevin Clue and his team.

Many of the professional were playing thecourse for the first time, and others hadnot played it for some time.

They were all very impressed with thecondition and the challenge it provided.So much so, only two of the professionalmanaged to break par and only by two shots.

There was a great atmosphere in the ClubHouse throughout the day and everythingwent very smoothly thanks to all theefforts of the HPGA volunteers and the

Petersfield members who helped toorganise the event, and to those who tookpart on the day.

The team event was won by KevinMinshull, Eric Brier and Andy Burns whoscored a total of 129 pts and wereteamed with Jack Coulbert (Lee-on-Solent). The runners up were Bruce Day,Gary Edmunds and Steve Uwins with133pts and were teamed with DannyFisher (Monxton Golf Cen) In third placewere a team of Ladies, Jill Morvan,Sharon Cullinane and Judy Andrews with135pts and teamed with Shaun Hall(Botley Park).

The winning Professionals were LiamAustin from Blackmore and Shaun Hallfrom Botley Park, who both scored agross 70, two under par.

Petersfield Golf Club would like to thankall the Sponsors who supported the Cluband contributed to a very successful day.

In addition the day helped to raise fundsfor the Club Captains charity, which thisyear is supporting Prostate Cancer.

Tel: 01730 895165www.petersfield.co.uk

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Tee Times July06.indd 22 22/6/06 20:25:45

The winning team, Kevin Minshull., Eric Brier, Andy Burns and Jack Coulbert


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In 1878, Hoylake, more correctly called RoyalLiverpool Golf Club, used the local Royal Hotel,owned by John Ball Snr, as the clubhouse. Itwas a scene of much imbibing and in keepingwith the times, of bets and challenges, not onlyto straightforward golf matches, but also tochallenges of various and obscure types. One

of the members, a true character famed for his unusual bets, wasR W “Pendulum” Brown.

His most famous bet came after an earlierchallenge played at night, in which he hadbeen the winner. This latest bet involved achallenge that he could not play a round onthe Hoylake course in less than 150 shots,the game starting at 11.00 pm at night. Hewas to have only one concession, that if helost a ball he would only be penalised “lossof distance”. None of the supporters were tobe allowed to help to search for his ball.

Pendulum only asked for silence when heplayed his shots, as he needed to hear theball land, since he knew from his earlierchallenge, it was not possible to follow theflight of the ball in the dimmest light, even ifthe moon shone.

The challenge was indeed a tough one, theywere followed by quite a gallery for the firstfew holes, then support began to dwindle, asthere was nothing much to see, and muchsearching took time. He was finally left withjust two followers, Messrs Cullen and BallSnr, who were the adjudicators.

With high rough and plenty of damagecaused by rabbits, he was to lose thirty golfballs in the round. On one hole in particular,the quality of his golf, and the difficulty hefaced was highlighted. He struck a gooddrive, but the ball could not be found. Hereturned to the tee, but the observers stayedon the fairway, where they saw his secondball enter a rabbit hole.

In keeping with the rules they would notassist him to find the ball, so once again hehad to return to the tee. This time his drivefinished just one foot short of the rabbit holethe second ball had entered. Pendulum dulyplayed his shot to the green, whereupon theobservers told him where his second ballcould be found.

When he looked into the rabbit hole he foundnot only his second ball, but the first one aswell, a truly remarkable sequence of driving.He finally completed his round of golf, andeven with all the lost balls he finished with ascore of 147, so handsomely winning his betby three clear shots.

The members at Hoylake, and the customersof the Royal Hotel were reluctant to issuechallenges to him any more for night timeexcursions onto the golf course.

Search the internet for One Tree Hill youwill find two contrasting sites, the first anAmerican soap opera produced by WarnerBrothers, about two brothers who playbasket ball at college. The second will tellyou of a number by the Irish Rock band U2,who recorded a song about a loneMonterey Pine on a hill in Auckland NewZealand, said to replace a tree, sacred tothe Maori nation, which had been choppeddown by a settler. The song appeared on anLP in 1987.

However there is another story I recall readingabout, and a very different One Tree Hill.

At the turn of the last century, golf wasbeginning to expend, new clubs and courseswere being opened, and the gentry wereinvesting in hickory clubs and gutty balls. Inthe main the land being used for golf was oflittle use for anything else, links land,heathland and scrubland, which with someingenuity was turned into a golf course.

In 1896 a local man had leased some of hisland to a new golf club called Honor Oak andForest Hill Golf Club. The locals believed thatit was common land with a public right ofway across One Tree Hill, and that it shouldnot be fenced off. The owner said that heand his family had purchased the land nearPeckham Rye and that the club therefore hadthe right to erect a boundary fence. Thelocals held protest meetings, and tempersrose when two local lads were charged with

damaging the fence. A vociferous local mansaid action would be taken if the fence wasnot removed.

One Sunday a large angry crowd of over athousand people gathered and marched tothe hill. One young man climbed the fenceand opened the gate to let mob rushthrough. There were twopolicemen there, but theycould do little to stop thecrowd rushing in, so theycalled for reinforcements andmore constables arrived. Astone was thrown through theclubhouse window and thecrowd pulled out flags anddamaged greens andequipment. The golfers playing on the courserushed back to shelter in the clubhouse. OneTree Hill had been well and truly captured.

The following weekend the protests continued,some men came to the gate and removedplanks from the fence and waited there to bearrested. The next day the golfers stayed wellaway, as thousands of people, including manylayabouts drawn to the dispute, gathered onthe hill. There were plenty of journalists,waiting to see what would happen, so nothingmuch has changed in a hundred years. Thecrowd started to break down the boundaryfence. One man was arrested, then otherstried to release him, sticks and stones beganto fly, the crowd surged forward and the battlebegan. There were over two hundred police,

some on horses trying to hold back the mob.The battle was violent and several policemenwere injured but they stood their ground. Therioters then began to set fire to the gorse,which they had soaked in paraffin, andalthough the fires were fierce, the rioters werekept back. By the evening the fires had dieddown, and the battle was over.

Several of the rioters werearrested and charged for theevents of that Sunday, one ofthem received a prisonsentence with hard labour, whenhe was found guilty of attackinga policeman, many others wereeither fined or jailed.

The next week the demonstrators returned,but his time there were many morepolicemen waiting, and there was no morerioting. The protesters returned each week indiminishing numbers, and the protest finallydwindled away, leaving the golfers to returnto enjoy their sport. There was no repeat ofthe rioting and the battle of One Tree Hill was over.

Two interesting tales of days gone by, bothwith a dark undertone. Today Health andSafety would prevent story number one, and Ican hardly imagine anyone defending therights of landowners in such a fashion today.If any policemen could be found in a rural community, they would probably evictthe golfers.

TWO TALES OF GOLF IN BYGONE DAYS

Michael Rees

BETTING IN THE DARK

ONE TREE HILL



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FACT ONE: WOMEN account for just 15 per cent of golf clubmembers in England and there are an average 50 vacanciesfor women per club.

FACT TWO: In major European countries, around 30 per cent of golfclub members are women.

Now there is help available for golf clubs toattract more women to play the sport and tobecome club members.

England Golf has produced a range offactsheets, supported by the findings fromfocus group research, golf clubs, othersports and other relevant insight.

Lauren Spray, the Women and Girls’Participation Manager for England Golf,said: ‘Women offer the largest growth areain golf, with 63 per cent of clubs targetingthem for membership. We’ve produced

these factsheets to offer suggestions andrecommendations based on the latestresearch and learnings from clubs whichare having success. Clubs which want togrow their women’s membership can pickand mix from a wide range of ideas.’

The factsheets cover key areas includingrecruitment, retention, playing opportunities,membership, websites and social media,club environment and volunteers.

Guidance on marketing and communicationwill also be available shortly.

The key messages are underlined by focusgroup research carried out for England Golfby Sports Marketing Surveys Inc, whichshowed that:

Women prefer to learn golf in a groupwhere everyone is new to the game. Theyfeel uncomfortable making their firstattempts in the presence of people who arealready competent.

The social side of golf is very important towomen. Introductory sessions shouldinclude time for a chat over coffee or aglass of wine.

Taster sessions should highlight the funside of the game.

Equipment should be available so womencan try the game and without spendingmuch money.

It is vital to challenge the view that golf clubsare not welcoming. Many women and youngpeople are staying away from golf because ofthe misconception that clubs are elitist.

Flexibility is all-important, whether it isflexible membership packages or flexibleways of playing the game which takeadvantage of shorter formats.

The factsheets are just one of England Golf’sinitiatives to attract more women and girls intogolf, and a pilot scheme is to be launchedshortly to target women in selected counties.In addition, a Women and Girls’ AdvisoryGroup has been set up to create a forum fordiscussion and to provide feedback.

Increasing the number of regular playersand club members are two of the seven keythemes of the England Golf Strategic Plan2014-17, Raising Our Game. The strategycalls on all who care about the sport to worktogether to create a brighter future for golf.

The factsheets can be viewed anddownloaded by clubs on the England Golfwebsite. England Golf is also asking to hearfrom any clubs which are experiencingsuccess with women or girls’ recruitmentand retention, to add to its ‘good practice’case studies.

ENGLAND’S Melissa Reid led from start tofinish to secure her fifth Ladies EuropeanTour title at the Turkish Airlines LadiesOpen - the first tournament on any majorgolf tour to finish on a Wednesday.

The 27-year-old fired rounds of 65, 69, 74and 73 at Carya Golf Club in Belek, Antalya,for a total of 11 under par and a four-strokewin over France’s Gwladys Nocera.

One stroke clear going into the final round,Melissa birdied the first hole and she quicklygained a four-stroke advantage after closestchallenger Pamela Pretswell dropped fourshots in her first five holes.

‘When you win you want to win properly,’she said, ‘and to lead every single day hasbeen nice. I’ve not been in that positionbefore, so to win in that way does make itextra special.’

Turkish delightfor Melissathe frontrunner

The radical innovation, with events’final day finishing on a Wednesdayinstead of the traditional weeked,began with the Turkish AirlinesLadies Open, removing it from the‘Sunday clutter’ of other golf andsporting events which also attractfans, sponsors and TV coverage.

The Turkish experiment was ahuge success, with record prizemoney of 500,000 Euros - doublethat of last year - and waswelcomed by broadcasters andsponsors seeking to avoid logjamsin the sports calendar.

The event was broadcast on livetelevision, with Sky Sports and the GolfChannel reaching 60 countries and243million homes. It even featuredanother novel idea: a floodlit 18th hole.

The LET recently launched its ‘Morethan a Tour’ marketing and eventstrategy, coupled with a new 10-yeardeal with watchmaker Omega, and alucrative extension to its broadcastdeal with Sky Sports in the UK.

England’s Dame Laura Davies said: ‘Ithink it’s a great idea, a greatinnovation, because we get live TV,which we crave. We don’t get it, themen get it.

‘For the European players it’s greatbecause if it happens more and morethe TV coverage would presumablyup the profile and it would helpeverything, so it’s a very good idea.’

Amy Boulden of Wales added: ‘It’s agreat idea, especially for TV reasonsas we’re getting more coverage. Atthe moment we’re competing withboth men’s tours and the LPGA soit’s quite hard for people watchingat home.

‘I think it’s great for our tour and toget noticed. Hopefully iwe can get afew more events like this.’

HELEN Lowe staged a superb fightback tobecome the new English senior women’samateur champion at Woodall Spa.

Helen, fromLeicestershire, traileddefending championJulie Brown by threeafter 14 holes of thefinal, but launched acharge and won fourholes in a row tosnatch victory on the 18th.

‘I started pinching myself,’ she said, ‘andthinking Is it really me that has done this? Icouldn’t be happier. Senior golf has openedup a whole new world.’

Helen surgesto senior title

EUROPEAN captain Carin Koch hasannounced two more vice-captains forthis year’s Solheim Cup match againstthe United States.

Sophie Gustafson and Maria McBride(formerly Hjorth) will join vice-captain AnnikaSorenstam in guiding the Europeans in StLeon-Rot, Germany, in September.

Between them, Gustafson, McBride andSörenstam have played in 21 Solheim Cups,with no fewer than six wins and 122tournament titles to their names.

Solheim roles

Helen Lowe (picture:Leaderboard Photography)

THE Ladies European Tour, leading the way in experimenting how golf isshowcased, has begun by switching Sundays into midweek.

Why Wednesday is the new Sunday ...

IN DEMAND: Women offer the largest growth area in golf, and more than six in ten clubstarget them for membership

TARGET: THEMISSING LADIESNew help for clubs in bid to appeal to more women

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Aglance at the golf map of Kent willreveal the names of some of thegreatest golf courses in the United

Kingdom, and it is no surprise to note thatthree of the most prestigious of them havebeen Open Championship venues. Along a

five mile stretch of the coast, on a classic stretch oflinksland lie those three giants of the game, Royal StGeorge’s, Princes and Royal Cinque Ports. The privilege ofplaying all three was one to be savoured and stored foreverin the memory banks.



ROYAL ST GEORGE’S - SANDWICH

As you arrive in the quaint riverside town ofSandwich, it is difficult to see where the golfcourses are, driving through the narrowcobbled streets, along the river and out tothe coast. Royal St George’s, Sandwich as itis oft called, was to be the first port of call.The weather was fine and sunny, but with thewind sufficient to demand attention, andafter a light lunch it was time to report to thecaddy master, who welcomed us warmly andset us on our way. Having trekked the coursewatching the five recent OpenChampionships played at Sandwich, it was avery different feeling, looking from thestarter’s thatched cabin back to theclubhouse and approaching the first tee.

The golf course proved to be all that Iimagined, a superb test of golf, in superbcondition, and with simply marvellousgreens. Unlike many links courses the layoutis unique, no out and back here, but afascinating run of holes that twist and turnand ensure that you encounter the wind fromevery direction. The views are spectacular,the wildlife, flora including some of the rarestorchids, and in particular the birds aremesmerising, phrases that can and will berepeated for all three venues. The singing ofthe skylarks continuous, but my abidingmemory will always be flight of a differentkind, for as we played along the shoreline alone Spitfire flew overhead, the sound of the

Rolls Royce Merlin engine stirring memoriesof childhood. Bernard Darwin, that doyen ofgolf writers wrote “Sandwich simply hasa charm that belongs to itself, this is asnearly my idea of Heaven as is to beattained on any earthly links”.

Despite more romantic myths, the site wasdiscovered by Dr Laidlaw Purves, visitingSandwich with his brother he saw the wilddune land stretching from the mouth of theRiver Stour south to Deal from the tower ofSt Clements Church and exclaimed “byGeorge what a place for a golf course”and so the club was born. The land wasleased and Purves laid out the plans for thecourse which opened in 1887, a coursewhich included several blind shots andincluded the deepest bunker inchampionship golf on the 4th hole. Many ofthe harshest elements have been modifiedover the years, but there are still tee shotsthat test the imagination and prowess.

The course soon gained recognition, theAmateur Championship was held in 1892,won by John Ball Jnr, and two years later theOpen Championship was hosted, the firsttime outside Scotland and won by J H Taylor.Five years later Harry Vardon came to winthere, a victory he repeated in 1911, beatingArnaud Massey in a play off. Such is thequality of this golf course, that although it

was not used for 32 years between 1949and 1981, due to difficulties with roadaccess until the bypass was opened, it hasbeen home to the Open Championship onfourteen occasions. The list of championswho have lifted the Claret Jug at Sandwichincludes mutiple winners Harry Vardon andWalter Hagen, as well as Henry Cotton,Bobby Locke, Greg Norman and the latestwinner, Darren Clarke in 2011. Manyoccasions have become famous or somewould say infamous, because of thetragedies which occurred. The ball in thebottle which cost Harry Bradshaw the ClaretJug in 1949, the surprise win by Bill Rogersin 1981 after the favourite Jack Nicklaushad shot 83 in the opening round, SandyLyle’s missed chip on the final hole, whichfortunately went unpunished, and then thebunker disaster of Thomas Bjorn at the sort16th which saw Ben Curtis win in 2003. Thathole was not always the scene of disaster,since the 16th was the hole that Tony Jacklinmade the very first televised hole in one inthe Dunlop Masters in 1967.

The club has hosted all the majorchampionships, both professional andamateur, a testament to the quality of theoriginal plan, and although the course hashad three recognised versions, the last ofwhich done to bring back The Open, thedirection of the holes has remained the

same. A links course in the truest sense, withnot a tree in sight, graced with rollingfairways, deep pot bunkers and a ruggedterrain, and then tantalising greens, a delightto play and enjoy. A long overdue pleasurethat I had promised myself for many years,the sight of the flags bearing the cross of StGeorge and creating a recollection of namessuch as The Kitchen, The Maiden, andCampbell’s Table.

After the challenges of the course you canreturn to the tranquillity of the clubhouse,walk the corridors that have seen thegreatest players in the game, and view thememorabilia on display and enjoy the wholeexperience, the first round of our Golf In Kenttour and a truly marvellous induction.

It is a short drive into Sandwich, which has ahost of good eating places, and even morelocations to quench the thirst. With viewsalong the River Stour, and on fine evening sitoutside and admire the views. Golf is uniquein that golfers are able to play on the samecourses, putt the same greens and visit thesame clubhouse that the greatest players inthe world have and will challenge, and a tourto Kent can make that dream a reality.

To find out more about the golf andmany other attractions visit:www.golfinkent.co.uk

Michael Rees





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As you stand on the 14th tee playing thecourse at Royal St George’s you canlook right and there a pitching wedge

distant is The Lodge at Prince’s Golf Club,which was to be our base for our Golf In Kenttour, and it has be one of the finest locations

with panoramic views over Pegwell Bay and the white cliffsat Ramsgate. It was a few minutes’ drive and we were soonsettled into the very comfortable room overlooking the 5thgreen on the Shore Course. Prince’s was to be our secondcourse in the trilogy of Open Championship courses, andaccommodation onsite could not have been better.

Prince’s Golf Club has a fascinating history;in fact it has two histories, the first beginningin 1904, when the original course was laidout by Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley. With hisfriend Percy Montagu Lucas he put up thecapital for a new course on land donated bythe Earl of Guilford. Charles Hutchings the1902 Amateur Champion was engaged todesign the course, which was to be a newconcept. It was not a members’ club, andwould welcome ladies and would be acomplement to the two neighbouring clubs.The Prime Minister A J Balfour drove the firstball as Club Captain and P M Lucas becamethe Secretary. Five years after it opened ithosted the 1912 English LadiesChampionship. The First World War brought ahalt to progress when the course wasrequisitioned and the Argyle & SutherlandHighlanders were based there. It was thesoldiers who gave Percy’s young son thenickname “Laddie” which he retainedthroughout his life. The course was restored

after the ravages of military use and regularlyhosted the Inter Varsity matches and theParliamentary Golf Society. The Prince ofWales became club President in 1930 andtwo years later the club hosted The OpenChampionship won by Gene Sarazen (thefirst Grand Slam winner) with a record score.Sadly The Open has not returned, baulked onone occasion when the sea flooded thecourse, but it remains a Final QualifierCourse when the Open comes to Sandwich.

Sadly war intervened again in 1939 whenonce again the military took over, using it forbattle training and target practice, LordBrabazon likened it to “throwing darts at aRembrandt”. The Royal Marines consideredretaining the course, but by luck orintervention it was handed back in 1949, in adesolate condition. Fortunately for the clubthere was a man with vision and wealth tosave the situation. Australian Sir AynsleyBrigland was a qualified engineer andsuccessful businessman; he was appalled bythe state of the course. So he built a houseon the bay, brought brick by brick fromHolland and re-erected there. Then hepurchased the two golf courses and a hoteland set about his task. In 1950 Sir GuyCampbell and John Morrison were engagedto redesign the course, and managed torecover 17 of the original greens, and set outa new twenty seven hole layout in threedistinct loops of nine holes, which are nowchristened Shore, Dunes and Himalayas. Thecourse was purchased from the Brigland

family by a Sevenoaks real estate andconstruction company and the success of theestate was ensured.

The old clubhouse is now the site of TheLodge, and a new clubhouse built at theheart of the three loops was opened in 1985by Peter Alliss, like his predecessor inbroadcasting Henry Longhurst he had playinglinks to the club. Peter had won twotournaments at Prince’s, the Schweppes PGAchampionship in 1965 and the PiccadillyMedal in 1969.

The Lucas family have been an integral partof Prince’s since the formation, first Percy,then his sons Ian the eldest and WingCommander Percy Belgrave Lucas DSO DFCCBE always known as Laddie. A lifelongjournalist, Tory MP and very successfulbusinessman, who had been a fighter aceduring the war. His knowledge of Prince’scame to his aid after a mission over France,he was shot up by a Messerschmitt 109 andbadly damaged, but he recognised the linksat Prince’s and crash landed safely by the old9th green. His son David Lucas is also ajournalist who followed in his father’sfootsteps, a Vice President of the club; hewas Captain in 2006, bringing the familyconnections to over one hundred years.

The course today is in absolutely wonderfulcondition, we had the privilege of playing theShore and the Dunes, eighteen holes tosavour, and a return to play the Himalayas is

definite. If you are tempted, then the play,stay, wine and dine offers are great value.Two rounds of golf, accommodation in TheLodge, a two course meal in The Brasserieon The Bay for a very modest sum.www.princesgolfclub.co.uk/the-lodge-rooms-lodge.php

As well as being an Open Championshipcourse and current Final Qualifier, Prince’shas also been host to several PGA Tourevents, The British Ladies Open, The CurtisCup and numerous national and internationalevents, both amateur and professional, a true indicator of the perennial quality of thegolf course.

The final endorsement we have to make is tocomment on the first class service weenjoyed from all the staff at Princes, theteam at The Lodge made us feel at homefrom the moment we arrived, and dining inThe Brasserie was excellent. Theprofessional staff in the clubhouse gave usall the assistance and information we neededto make the golf and our stay such anenjoyable experience.

If the story so far whets your appetite, thento duplicate the tour is very simple, Golf inKent will be happy to oblige, and weguarantee you will not be disappointed.

To find out more about golf or TheLodge at Princes visit:www.golfinkent.co.uk

Michael Rees

PRINCE’S GOLF CLUB





Golf Academy

Whatʼs happening atthe Chandlers Ford

Golf Academythis year?

With our welcoming and laid back atmosphere, the friendlyattentive staff would like to welcome you this summer.

Our restaurant has a simple uncomplicated approach to catering, our combo deals are unbeaten intheir value for money. Our personal favourite is 54 range balls and a all day breakfast for £5.75.

We have a fully licenced bar showing BT sports. We are also a great venue for meetings, productlaunches and private parties.

We have a NEW fully stocked golf shop offering the new Cobra, Wilson and Taylor Made drivers andirons all custom fit, and we are very happy to Price Match from any local retailer.

Not sure how far you hit your irons and woods?Book a yardage check using our ES14 launch monitor only £10 we will check all your ironsand woods and give you the details to take away.

Golf GPS SYSTEMS from £79!Golf bags from £30Puma and Stuburt golf shoes from £40 a pair.Golf gloves from £515 ball packs from £8A selection of second hand and ex demo clubs are also available.

Golf Academy

"where the best come to practise"Telephone: 023 8061 4111

www.chandlersfordgolfacademy.co.uk

We are also very excited about Universal Golf a bespoke custom fitting company, run by Thomas Webster who will bebased at the Academy, offering the ultimate in custom fitting using his flightscope XI+ launch monitor. His expertise is

in golf shafts, Heads and Grips, and all repairs. He has a vast stock and a enthusiasmfor getting you the best performing equipment you can afford. Universal golf haveequipment for EVERY golfer.• 45 Mins – single club - £20 • 120 Mins – Full Bag (not incl putter fitting) - £40• Emailed specs • Price refunded on purchase

Golf Proʼs offering individual, group lesson and customfitting. All our golf professionals are busy so please call:

Clive Staddon - Tel 02380 614111James Fairlie - Tel 02380 734637HeathTeschner - Tel 02380 734637Sean Hall - Tel 0790 3196307(Business cards available upon request)

The Golf Academy has always been very busy withgolf instruction and we are very happy to have HeathTeschner and James Fairlie from Romsey Golf Club.Heath is looking after our growing Junior section,open to any junior on Saturday morning 9.15am –10am and 10.15am – 11am. Pay as you go £6 persession, just turn up, have some fun and learn golf!!





ROYAL CINQUE PORTSThe final leg of our golfing tour was at

Deal and Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club,like the previous two courses, Royal St

George’s and Prince’s, it is one of the finestlinks in the land, and regularly voted in theTop 100 Courses, with every justification. The

impressive white clubhouse greets you from whicheverdirection you arrive, with the commanding mast flying theclub pennant proudly for all to see. The sun continued toshine, accompanied by the resident breeze, as we concludedour tour to the most southerly of the three venues, all sitedon the coast within a few miles of each other. A genuinegolfing feast, with Deal as the grand finale. The name of theclub derives from Deal’s membership of an ancient group oftrading towns granted special privileges by medievalmonarchs referred to as Cinque Ports.

It has been several years since my last visitto Deal, but it was just as I remembered it,the homely clubhouse, warm welcome andthe traditions abundant all around. The statueof Harry Vardon, the Halford Hewitt room andthe historic photographs all contrive to makethis place so special. Enough time to takecoffee and go out on the balcony and lookout over the course, with the first holerunning parallel to the road, and the hugetelescope mounted on the balustrade. It wasexactly as I remembered it.

The club was founded in 1892 by a group ofenthusiasts, who saw the dunes as a chanceto replicate the best Scottish courses. The firstnine holes were designed by Henry Hunter,helped by James Braid, and with ample landavailable it was soon extended to eighteenholes. Like many other courses it suffered theravages of the Second World War, and it wasonly saved when it was purchased by SirAynsley Brigland, along with Prince’s and theGuilford Hotel. It was purchased on behalf ofthe club by Jack Aisher the late President in1967, since when it has progressed to thestatus it enjoys today. That of one of thepremier clubs in the land.

The golf course is laid out in a hugeanticlockwise fashion, after the first twoholes it turns north and follows the line of thecoast before return to the clubhouse after the11th hole. The half-way house situated thereis well worth the visit. It is one of the few truelinks courses in England, with tight fastfairways with many undulations, with oldfashioned rivetted pot bunkers, deep andunforgiving, with a magnetic attraction forany wayward shot.

Then there is the challenge of the greens,very fast and true but with subtle borrowsinvisible to all but the accustomed eye. TheOpen Championship has been awarded toRoyal Cinque Ports six times but has actuallybeen played on only two occasions, in 1909and in 1920. Twice it was prevented by war,in 1915 and again in 1942, and in 1938 andagain in 1949 flooding prevented the clubfrom holding the championship and it wastransferred to Royal St George’s.

The 1909 was won by J H Taylor by themargin of six shots, the fourth of his fivewins. 1920 was a far different affair, it waswon by George Duncan, who started badly

with two rounds in the 80’s, and was thirteenshots behind. He then played two of the bestrounds and finished two shots clear of SandyHerd. His one and only major success. It wasthe year that Walter Hagen was refusedaccess to the changing rooms, and hired a Rolls Royce, parked it outside theclubhouse and changed there, and had abutler serve him champagne and caviar, aconfrontation that helped to change the lot of the club professional.

It is almost taken for granted that is hasbeen host to all the other majorchampionships held in the land, both forLadies and Gentlemen, and it has been thehome of the Halford Hewitt Public SchoolsChallenge Cup since 1925. This competitionis the largest true amateur foursomes teamevent in the world; it comprises 64 teams often players competing in a knockout format,with every match played to a finish. Eachyear in the last week before Easter the townwelcomes the players for the historic event.

Both before and after the golf sample thehospitality in the clubhouse, good food,served with a smile and in delightful

surroundings. Andrew Reynolds is the clubprofessional, and his well-stocked shop is anAladdin’s cave, filled with treasures bearingthe club logo, as well as everything else youcould possibly wish for. If your game is inneed of revival he is the ideal man for thetask, he has been elected in the top golfcoaches in the UK by a national golfmagazine. All that comes with a friendly chatand a smile.

So ended the Golf in Kent tour, completedwith a sense of total satisfaction, but just ahint of regret that it was over too soon. Ihope I have been able to convey the majestyof the three wonderful courses on ouritinerary, Royal St George’s, Prince’s andRoyal Cinque Ports, for each and every onehas all the things that make links golf sofascinating and enjoyable. If you are temptedto follow in our footsteps the solution is verysimple. Contact Golf in Kent, who will behappy to assist and ensure that you willenjoy the experience to the full.

For more information on golf and otherattractions in Kent, visit the website:www.golfinkent.co.uk

Michael Rees





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MANY years ago when Robert Browning, Lord Tennyson and Robert Louis Stevensonwere still living and Queen Victoria was still waiting to be amused, a young doctornamed William David Moore arrived in Alresford to become medical officer and publicvaccinator for the surrounding villages.

ALRESFORD:A young solicitor named J.Ridley Shield wasa junior partner in the firm of E Blackmoreand son. The year was 1888. The late G.E.R.Shield, who was later to become a greatsource of information about Alresford GolfClub, used to say that his father and DrMoore founded the club when he was asmall boy and a report on the Alresford GolfClub Cup can be found in the HampshireChronicle, 22nd November 1890.

This year is now accepted to be the officialfounding of the Club and members arecelebrating their 125-year anniversary with awhole range of events and activities planned formembers and visitors throughout the summer.

According to G.E.R. Shield, 'the bestconditions for golf in thoseearly days were between mid-autumn andmid-spring, when the grass wasdormant or nearly so, and the sheep couldkeep it down' .

Whilst modern greenkeeping techniques nowallow excellent playing conditions all yearround, the sheep have made a welcomereturn to the areas of rough alongside theholes during the autumn and winter months.

The course is set on beautiful chalkdownland which provides exceptional playingconditions all year round. Rain and poorweather does not restrict play here and youare guaranteed full value for your playingmembership fee.

In 1912 the golf course was extended from 9to 18 holes, but with the start of the FirstWorld War part of it was ploughed up andreturned to agricultural use so the coursewent back to 9 holes in 1916.

It stayed like this until 1953 when alternativetees were brought into play so that there wasa different line and/or length for the secondvisit to each hole. It added variety to play andreduced wear and tear.

The new 18-hole course, in play today, was opened in 1993 and it includes some ofthe original holes. The greens on these oldholes, of course, have been upgraded tomodern specification.

From the beginning, the Club hired rooms inthe Cricketers Arms for use as its clubhouseand this state of affairs continued until 1953.In the years following the war the Club wasfaced with serious financial difficulties.

The traditional but local feel of the club with a ‘must play’ all-year course

Special two-page report on Alresford Golf Club, which is proudly celebrating its 125th anniversary this year



MATURED LIKE FINE WINE



If it was to survive it had to have its ownclubhouse with no rent payable and be ableto take the profits from the bar.

So an old railway carriage was purchasedand placed on the course and with theearnest endeavours of many volunteers wastransformed into a cosy clubhouse. Some ofthe club’s older members still remember this fondly.

This temporary solution lasted until 1970when a new and modern clubhouse wasopened on the present site.

Much of the course itself has been designatedas a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation(SINC) and classified as Unique and Superb bythe Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust.

Large parts of the rough, such as the areaenclosed by the 2nd, 3rd and 17th fairways,are rare ancient downland. There is good

reason to believe they have not beenploughed for centuries and therefore holdmany indicator species, which are not onlyendemic, but also vital to the entireecosystem of fungi, insects, birds, andmammals, which depend on them.

The Club is highly-renowned throughout thecounty for the high standard in which itscourse is presented throughout the year, aswell as its quick greens, making it athoroughly challenging test of golf for bothamateurs and professionals alike.

An ongoing programme of course extensionsand practice facility improvements hasensured that the club remains high on thelist of ‘must play’ courses’ in the county. Aregular county tournament venue for bothamateurs and the Hampshire PGA, the clubwill host the 2015 Hampshire Open andSenior Foursomes Championships this yearas part of the 125th year celebrations.

The course remains a fair test of golf for allabilities, men and ladies, and the clubbenefits from strong ladies and Vets sectionsbecause of this. Members also have accessto some of the best practice facilities in thecounty, with a newly extendedpractice/covered driving range with ballcollection, short game and wedge area, a 6-hole par 3 course, chipping green, practicebunkers and two putting greens.

Situated along the A31 easily accessiblefrom the M3 and A3, one mile south of thetown on the B3046 towards Cheriton, theClub maintains a traditional ‘local’ golf clubfeel with the majority of members living onlya short distance away. This benefits theamount of daily play and support for socialgolf and events.

The Club is however only approximately 10minutes from Winchester, 15 minutes fromAlton and 25 minutes to Farnham, and many

members make the journey to the club fromthese areas and beyond.

The benefits of the Club and course faroutweigh any travel time expended. Enquiriesare welcome for all playing categories andabilities, including those new to golf orthinking of joining their first club (ACADEMY)and the SOCIAL EXTRA membership – givingaccess to all the practice facilities includingthe new driving range.

Whether you are a beginner or regular player,the regular ‘roll ups’ and social occasions willensure that you make new friends quickly. If youhave not visited Alresford before, or areconsidering changing clubs or even just startingout, this Club really does have something foreveryone and well worth a visit - and like a goodwine, it really is getting even better with age.

- David Maskery, Secretary / ManagerAlresford Golf Club

HOW times have changed at Alresford. . . from post-warstruggles with a clubhouse fashioned from an old railway carriage to today’s comfortable and attractivehome, in which the club is this year celebrating its 125th anniversary.

To survive, the club had to have a rent-free clubhouse andbe able to take the profits from the bar. So they placed thisold carriage on the course and volunteers set about turningit into a cosy base. Some of the club’s older members stillremember it fondly today.

Alresford Golf Club, Cheriton Road, Tichborne Down, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 OPN. Tel: 01962 733746

From the beginning and right up to1953, the Club hired rooms in theCricketers Arms as its clubhouse.



in the World of Ladies GolfYour Monthly Blog by

Claire Kane

WHATS HOT OR NOT

We’re taught at an early age to aim forperfection. It starts when we’rechildren, where the simple task ofcolouring-in is considered a failure ifwe draw outside of the lines. Thankfullygreat artists such as the ImpressionistMonet appeared to have ignored thisparticular rule of perfection.

When it comes to golf, we’re also lookingfor perfection, regardless of our ability –the perfect strike, angle and length.

For a start there’s no such thing as aperfect swing as we come in all shapes,sizes and flexibility. John Daly may be ableto wrap his club right around his torso butby the time you reach your 50s and 60sthere are times when just bending down topick up a ball can be a struggle.

The odds are further stacked against aperfect round when you consider we haveto hit a 1.62” ball over 4 miles, on acourse specifically designed with hazardsto make it more difficult, and then putt outover thousands of blades of grass into a4.24” cup!

We’re tempted to perfect our game withthe latest equipment but sometimes it’sour old, albeit battered clubs that workjust as well.

Play with a perfect new ball and the oddsare that it’ll gravitate towards an

inaccessible part of the course, whereasthe old scratched ball you dug out of thebottom of your bag will probably stay inplay the whole round.

Then there’s our imperfect weather tobattle against. As an island, it’s notunusual for a wind to appear at somestage, requiring telepathic skills to knowwhen to hit between gusts. Not forgetting,the ‘bounce & roll factor’ when theground resembles concrete in thesummer and a bog in the winter.

Gary Player may have said “The harder Ipractice, the luckier I get” but there’s alsothe other law of golf where ‘the harderyou try, the worse you play’. You only haveto look at Rory McIlroy, who admits hewould love to win at home but sadly neverseems to play well in Ireland.

If you listen to the number of “sorries”muttered during a game of Greensomesor Foursomes you’ll appreciate how manyperfectionists play golf, yet even the greatBen Hogan recognised his biggestchallenge was to control his perfectionisttrait. Maybe we should relax and justenjoy being imperfect golfers and then,maybe our golf would improve.

© Claire KaneFollow my tales on twitter @golfsnippets

ARE YOU A GOLFPERFECTIONIST?

Golf Professional Gareth Bennett andCottrell Park Golf Resort have beenraising funds for Velindre Hospital inWhitchurch since August 2014.

TThe fundraising was initiated through theGolf Development Wales ‘New2Golf’ schemeencouraging beginners and lapsed golfers totake up the game of golf. Gareth Bennettqualified as a PGA Professional in 2007 andbecame one of Cottrell Park’s professionalsin October 2013. He offered his coachingservices free of charge for the Golf4Lifenamed sessions and all participants paid£5.00 per week or £25.00 for six weeks. Thehour long sessions covered all aspects of thegame and finished with an on-course funcompetition. All proceeds were collected and£720.00 was raised.

In addition the club arranged for pink golfshirts to be logo’d and sold with acontribution of £10 per shirt to be donated tothe charity. In total 27 shirts were soldraising a further £270.

More recently Gareth has been coaching agroup from ‘Spindogs’; a local leading webdesign and developments agency. Theydonated £300 for lessons for theiremployees and clients which again weredonated to the charity. Three members oftheir team are continuing with lessons toimprove their game.

Finally a Golf4Life competition was held onMonday 4th May. The entry fee was £10 perperson with £5.00 going to Velindre. A field of18 entrants entered with some playing a 5 holecompetition and the rest a 9 hole competition.

Entrants included four Cottrell Park employees,two Spindog employees and ladies currentlyhaving lessons with Gareth. The winner of the 5hole comp was Lindsay Guthrie with 36 shotsand Emily Pullham won the 9 hole comp with 71shots. Both winners received a 30 minute golflesson with Gareth Bennett.

In total £1500 was raised for VelindreHospital including a donation of £120 fromCottrell Park Golf Resort. A chequepresentation is due to take place on Friday22nd May.

Velindre Cancer Centre provides specialistcancer services to over 1.5 million people inSouth East Wales and beyond and they areone of the largest cancer centres in the UK.

Gareth Bennett, PGA Professional at CottrellPark Golf Resort, added: “The New2Golfscheme at Cottrell Park has been hugelysuccessful. On a personal note it feels greatto be able to give back to the game of golf.By providing free lessons and givingopportunities to people to take up this greatgame and structured pathways tomembership. At the same time raise moneyfor a fantastic charity.”

About Cottrell Park Golf ResortOpened in 1996 and based in St Nicholas,Cottrell Park Golf Resort boasts twoexceptionally-maintained golf courses, eventand conferencing facilities, restaurant withaward winning caterer Spiros, plus indoorand outdoor activities including two state-of-the-art golf simulators. The club was alsorecently awarded runner up in the 2014GUW Welsh Golf Club of the Year Awards.

NEW2GOLF LADIES SWINGINTO ACTION TO RAISE FUNDSFOR VELINDRE HOSPITAL

Entrants to the Golf4Life Fun Competition on Monday 4th May, Left to Right: Lindsay Guthrie – Winner of 5 hole comp, JaneWilliams, Emily Pullham – Winner of 9 hole comp, Louise Dixon, Shirley Hamill, Helen Archer, Gaynor Openshaw-Smith, Esther Storey,Hayley Hughes, Kat Ambroziak, Lizzie Evans, Andrea Kitzinger, Cheryl Hopkins, Olivia Sherrin












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• From page 3

In recent weeks, both Sergio Garcia and IanPoulter have been on the receiving end, andthis latest incident led to calls from severalcommentators for golf’s administrators toknuckle down on the kind of spectatorbehaviour which is more acceptable insoccer than in golf.

Derek Lawrenson of the Daily Mail wrote: ‘Atthe Masters, they’re still striving to replicatethe zero tolerance code of the Corinthianyears, summed up with a quote fromtournament founder Bobby Jones on pageone of the spectator guide handed to eachpatron as they walk through the gates.

‘In golf, customs of etiquette and decorumare just as important as rule governing play,ot says.

It is appropriate for spectators to applaudsuccessful strokes in proportion to difficulty,but excessive demonstrations by a player orhis partisans are not proper because of thepossible effect upon other competitors.

‘Most distressing is the applauding or cheeringof misplays or misfortunes of a player.’

Lawrenson added: ‘We’ve grown to acceptpartisanship at the Ryder Cup as part of theatmosphere of the event.

‘Even the common examples of verbalrudeness that players have sadly had toaccept, they can live with.

‘But what happened to Rose wasunacceptable, just as what happened toSergio Garcia near the end of the Players’Championship last month went beyond thepale. Ian Poulter has had plenty in recentweeks, too.

‘You can’t have spectators clearly affectingthe outcome. This is no grey area. This onedemands a response.’

Rose victimof heckler

I RECEIVED a warm welcome and wasshown around the tremendous facilitythere. To make it even more special, Igot to see Corey Pavin having a lessonwith Greg Le Bella, one of Butch’ssenior instructors.

I met Butch’s pupils at the Caesar Palacehotel, jumped in one of the limos andheaded off to meet the man himself. Ofthe 12 pupils, eight had flown in fromSingapore, two from Nashville, one fromOregon and one from Frisco.

Day one was spent working on theirswings in the morning and their shortgame in the afternoon. I got some greatadvice on playing the bunker shot, andthat evening we checked out the sightsaround Vegas.

Thursday saw us back to the school for a9am start, with a 30 minute warm upsession and reminding the pupils of theirkey swing changes.

Butch then conducted a short game clinicwith a bottle of whisky on offer for anyhole-in-ones.

I also spoke about great short gameplayers to one of Butch’s seniorprofessionals – a young 76 year old! -who told me how Seve Ballesteros hadexplained to him how he played his chipshots like he shaved in the mornings!

After lunch, I stayed on the practiceground to watch Butch give a two-hourlesson to a scratch player who had flownin from LA.

I got to watch Butch Harmon in action and see him improve the guy’sshotmaking with only the smallest ofchanges, allowing him to both understandit easily and work on the feeling of thenew movement.

Less is definitely more in this situation;working on the correct small changes willmake all the difference to the shots.

Just being in the presence of the world’sNo.1 coach is enriching. I learnt so much to bring home and introduce intomy coaching.

I have always believed if you want to bethe best you must learn from the best,and I can now say I’ve done just that.

DORSET is one of the areas chosen by England Golf for the newround of County Rules Schools being held across the country.

Since 2011, England Golf has run 16 rules schools across thecountry, all proving very popular and attracting almost 500 people intotal. Successful delegates qualify as county referees and can go onto assist at county tournaments.

This autumn, schools will be held in Shropshire, Dorset and on theIsle of Man.

Toby Thorne, England Golf Championship Manager, said: ‘We aredelighted by the interest in our rules schools and the invitations we

receive from across the country. These three new dates provide furtheropportunities for people to attend a rules school on their doorstep.’

The schools are open to all members of golf clubs affiliated toEngland Golf. Delegates should have at least a basic understandingof the Rules of Golf and are recommended to try the R&A’s onlineLevel 1 Rules Academy before attending.

There is a mix of outdoor practical demonstrations, refereeing role-play scenarios and some indoor tutorials. There is an exam on thesecond day of the course. The Dorset school for the South West willbe held Yeovil Golf Club on October 7 and 8, with an entry deadline ofAugust 7. Further details are on the England Golf website.

As Butch Harmon was saying the other day…

Dorset school for would-be referees

TWO of Barry Sandry’s former assistantstied for first place in the West PGACaptain’s Charity Pro-am at BroomeManor, Swindon, in a weather-ravaged andWiltshire-dominated day.

Richard Jefferies (Shrivenham Park) led thewinning team on countback after he andJonathan Law (Metro Golf Centre, London)returned ten-under-par 132.

Former PGA champion Plymouth-based ScottDrummond’s trio was third, one shot behind,while Sandry, the former long-serving BroomeManor club professional and now life member,shared fourth on 134 with Ian Ridsdale (WragBarn). Barry’s youngest son Paul played inLaw’s team with Tom Law and Michael Cox.

Jefferies led Matt Davis, Gary Aspery and NigelPullen. Drummond headed the Hill Group trioof Alan Pardoe, Mike Webster and Mike Hill.

‘Apart from the weather everything went verywell as I received plenty of support fromfriends, members of Broome and other localclubs,’ said Sandry, who hopes his charityseason will benefit by around £3,500 from thefirst event. He is raising money for the PGABenevolent Fund and the Wiltshire AirAmbulance. One continuing cash-raisingfeature is the Twos Club at pro-ams. Eachamateur who makes a two and donates £1 inadvance is entered for an end-of-season drawfor money-can’t-buy prizes.

Sandry’s charity boost at Broome

Learning from the best: Steve Cox with renowned coach Butch Harmon

Rules Schools can lead to qualification as a county golf referee.Picture: Leaderboard Photography

Distressing

ENGLAND scored a convincing 19-11 winover Spain to regain the Seve BallesterosTrophy at the end of the two-day mixedinternational at Burnham & Berrow.

The result extended England’s outstandingrecord in the biennial match, with 14 victoriesto Spain’s two – and they have never beenbeaten at home. It was the first time thatwomen were included in the team and theycertainly played their part - Gemma Clews,Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen won allfour of their matches.

England triumph

AS part of a week in Las Vegas, SteveCox, PGA Head Professional atWeybrook Park GC, Basingstoke, got awhole new perspective on coaching.

He spent two days as part of a group of 12 enjoying a three-daycourse at Butch Harmon’s school innearby Henderson. Here, Steverelives the experience.






During the first weekend in Juneactivities at Paultons Golf Centre tookon a new concept with the birth ofFootgolf played over the AcademyCourse. After a very successful periodof operation at sister club AddingtonCourt it was decided that it was time tobring the new sport to Paultons. Thefirst weekend was a huge success, withmany golfers trying out their skills,including several sceptics who startedthe sessions with adverse opinions butfinished the round with a smile, andconfirmed enjoyment.

The Footgolf 18 hole course will be availableevery weekend, commencing at 12.00 andfinishing at dusk, both Saturday and Sunday.All the rules about playing and dress areexplained on the following pages, and withvery little expense you can be one of theconverts to the new sport of Footgolf.

Long serving Club professional and Directorof Golf Mark Williamson and GeneralManager Simon Blanshard are seen sportingappropriate headgear to welcome players forthe second weekend session, and the sightof familiar faces bodes well for the uptake.The appeal is simply the popularity offootball, a chance to test your skills and acompetitive environment in which to do it. Itcosts just £12.00 for eighteen holes, and£6.00 for under 16 year olds. It alreadyappears that this will prove to be one verypopular outing for the youngsters.

The Premier Package based on a minimumgroup size of twelve, comprises:

A bacon bap and bottle of Bud onarrival, followed by an eighteen holescompetition plus a replica Nike Premier League Football for the winnerof the group.

The centre will also be staging UK FootgolfRanking Events, so if you want to see thebest in action, just turn up and watch, andrisk being tempted to have a go yourself. Thelevel of competition is high, the Winner of theNational Event qualifies for the World Finalsheld each year in the USA.

The activity is capable of being played by allages, even the silvertops who have beenexperimenting with Walking Football will findthis more of a challenge.

As well as numerous Men’s League events,there are already ladies and junior leaguesestablished around the country, and at theestablished locations, Centres of Excellenceare now being set up and very well utilised.

Footgolf parties will soon become a regularevent at Paultons, for £10.00 per head, theyoungsters can enjoy eighteen holes then

two hours in their own private party roomwith food of choice. Societies can also opt forthe addition of Footgolf during their day ofsport, instead of an outing on the Academyplaying golf, it could be Footgolf as the extra.

There will be many reasons for Footgolfparties, Stag and Hen groups, celebrations ofvarious types, but the biggest involvementwill surely be the competitive element, withleagues, regional challenges, and thenational event itself.

One of the undoubted benefits will be theattraction of new visitors to Paultons GolfCentre for Footgolf, and with them they willbring additional revenue which will ensurethe continued maintenance and develop thefacilities in the location, providing a hub forsports activities to the benefit of all.

• Turn over to learn the history of Footgolf

PAULTONS WELCOMES FOOTGOLF

Starting here: Special three-page review about FOOTGOLF at Paultons Golf Centre




Having set the scene, everyone will want to know thebackground and rules for the new sporting phenomenonwhich is Footgolf, and why it has exploded around the globein a staggering fashion. The name does not need explanation,it is a portmanteau of football and golf, and a littleimagination will provide the idea. The origins of the game areunclear, and many believe that it started in Argentina; theirplayers are recognised as some of the best in the world. Asearly as 2006 the game was being played, however it was notuntil 2008 that the first nine hole tournament was held on agolf course, and played in the way that it is accepted today.The event was in Holland, organised by Michael Jansen andBas Korsten for a mix of Belgian and Dutch professionalfootballers. It is believed that Tottenham Hotspur used to playa format similar in their training sessions. It grew quickly inthe United States between 2006 and 2014, when golf courseswere closing. The number of clubs playing Footgolf grew from30 to over three hundred, some even abandoned golf itself toconcentrate on the new game.

The world governing body is Federation forInternational FootGolf (FIFG) and there arenow twenty two member countries affiliatedto the association. The governing body in theUnited Kingdom is UK Footgolf, and theypublish the rules, organise tournaments andmaintain playing records for all the leadingplayers in the country. The statistics for thebest players are really amazing, showinggreat skill. The underlying concept is toprovide a sport which is faster, cheaper andmore accessible to players if all ages. It isdesigned to complement the game of golfand not to replace it. It is certainly a verysound source of additional income and withvery little extra operating costs for the clubswhere the game is based. The existing staffprovide all the services and the layout couldnot be much simpler, utilising the land andamenities on hand.

In the USA several Pro Am tournaments areheld throughout the year, the pros are exprofessional footballers, and the popularity of

these events is growing at a fantastic rate.Many are older players, for this is a sportwhere neither age nor sex age is a barrier,from the very young to the more senior ofour sportsmen and women. It also allowsfreedom for the fashionistas to display theirskills, although there are defined rules aboutdress, one important rule is that footballboots are strictly not allowed, only trainers.The best dressed players will be wearingstylish flat caps, and the golf wear of Royal &Awesome would be absolutely ideal.Samples of their headgear are shown, but aglance at their website(www.royalandawesome.co.uk) will showa great display of caps and both shorts andplus fours plus matching long socks, for menand skirts for the ladies. Well worth a peak.

The sport in the United Kingdom is governedby the UK Footgolf Association, the Head ofDevelopment is Gareth May, he has the task ofgrowing the sport throughout the UK, but fromthe examples seen to date, he task will not be

too onerous. Players are taking to the sportwith great enthusiasm, and the sponsorsMonsterbid are offering every encouragementwith their backing. The website(www.facebook.com/UKFootgolf) gives lotsof information about the game, details on therules, and has a monthly newsletter filled withinformation for members.

With the launch of the sport at Paultons GolfCentre, it is anticipated that the response willbe huge, if the pattern follows thatexperienced around the UK, and though thecourse will only be open at weekends for thetime being, from 12.00 noon until dusk, itwill be possible for groups to book thecourse for a private session. At other venuesaround the country, club sessions, Footgolfparties, Stag Parties and Hen Parties arealready regular facets of the game.

It will be interesting to see how thisinnovation is received and if as expected itbrings more visitors to the golf course.

FOOTGOLF The Background


Page 2 of special three-page review about FOOTGOLF at Paultons Golf Centre

Contact Details:Paultons Golf CentreOld Salisbury RoadOwer, Nr Romsey, SO51 6AN

Tel: 02380 813992Pro Shop: 02380 811212

Email: [email protected]: www.paultonsgolf.co.uk

General ManagerSimon Blanshard

Director of GolfMark Williamson

Golf Day ManagerKeryn Chalmers




A CHANCE TO SCORE


Both soccer and golf, the two activities forming the basics ofthe fast growing sport, originally having little incommon, but two sports where scoring is all important tothe players. The way they have evolved is very different, golfwas the sport of aristocrats was played centuries ago,football the working man’s game, started in the late 1800’s,and has been followed by the masses since it first becameorganised. Nowadays the picture is totally different, bothfootball and golf are the sports enjoyed by all levels ofsociety, generating vast amounts of money for the playersfrom worldwide broadcasting rights and exposure. Theconcept of blending facets of both is simple and it issurprising that this format has taken so long to evolve, butnow that it has the growth is quite staggering.

Paultons will be offering the full range ofservices required by the new game, whetherplayed in the most serious manner, or simplywhen the lads want a kick about during theweekend. The club is committed to providingthe total package, and catering for the needsof golfers and footballers alike. The golfersare already well provided for, with twentyseven holes of very fine golf, acomprehensive practice facility with therange on site, and now the Footgolf tocomplement it.

Using the voucher which is on this pagewill enable you to sample Footgolf forjust £5.00 or a round of golf for £20.00,or a Weekend Combo of both golf andFootgolf for £20.00, the idealopportunity to try out the facilities atPaultons Golf Centre.

The Crown Group has long been at theforefront of providing the best innovativepackages, whether for the occasional player,society or most importantly the club member,and has been innovative in designingsystems to cater for the very different needsof the golfing public today, when time andmoney are important commodities.FreedomPlay is the perfect solution for thegolfer who wants to belong to a club, butcannot play often enough to get the most outof club membership, particularly when the

annual fees are substantial. FreedomPlaycosts just £245.00 for the year, plus £50 ofgolf credits which can be used to buy teetimes. With the membership you becomepart of the club, you can join in competitions,maintain a handicap and make full use of theclub house. £50 will buy 250 credits, andthose credits can be topped up at any time,the more credits the bigger discounts youenjoy. Late afternoon times can beexchanged for just 5 credits, and thatincludes Saturday and Sunday. The chartsshows how advantageous timing of whenyou play can maximise the fees.

As a member of the Crown Group of clubs,there are many advantages; members areallowed to play at any of the twenty sixCrown courses as part of the Open Playregime, with courses all over the UnitedKingdom. For families at all Crown clubsthere is an added bonus, for children ofmembers who are less than fourteen years ofage have free subscriptions under the KidsGo Free Scheme.

The aim of the management is very simple,to provide members with the best facilitiesand for the very best value, within a friendlyand comfortable atmosphere. Go along andtry it for yourself.

Michael Rees

Page 3 of special three-page review about FOOTGOLF at Paultons Golf Centre

Tee Times Readers Offer*

This voucher enables you to sample Footgolf for just£5.00 or a round of golf for £20.00, or a Weekend

Combo of both Golf and Footgolf for £20.00

Paultons Golf Centre, Old Salisbury Road, Ower, Nr Romsey, SO51 6AN* Offer valid until 31st July 2015

Please cut out and bring with you on day of purchase




LAST HURRAH ATTHE OPEN FORNICK AND TOM(but not for Greg)

GOINGNicK Faldo: Greatest Brit of modern era

THE place will be awash with emotion and nostalgia when two of golf’s biggestnames make their last appearances playing on the biggest stage of all: The OpenChampionship at St Andrews.

Sir Nick Faldo, the greatest British golfer ofthe modern era, and evergreen AmericanTom Watson will grace the most famous golfcourse in the world this month as they playin their final Open.

It will be 25 years since Sir Nick’s runawayvictory at St Andrews and he will doubtlessbe posing for final pictures on the SwilcanBridge, as have Jack Nicklaus and ArnoldPalmer before him.

New, bigger-capacity grandstands aroundthe final two holes will ensure crowds fittinglybig enough to bid farewell.

‘I look forward to celebrating all that golf hasgiven me as I cross that storied bridge,’ saidSir Nick - whose 58th birthday will fall on theSaturday of the event. And the emotion willredouble for the last competitive Open returnfor Watson, a huge favourite of Britishcrowds. The 65-year-old warhorse hassignalled that next year could be his Mastersswansong as well.

‘It may be my last Masters next year,’ hesaid. ‘The distance is ebbing away from thisold body and the handwriting is on the wall.’

But two-time Claret Jug winner Greg Normanwill not be playing, saying he wants to makeway for younger players.

This is his last year of automatic eligibility asa former champion, and it was thought that60-year-old Norman, who won The Open in1986 and 1993, would play in Scotland.

But the Australian, who last year damaged ahand with an electric saw as he cut logs,said: ‘I don’t want to take the space ofyounger aspiring golfers. It would be unfair.I’m not practising like I used to.’

COLIN Montgomerie successfullydefended his Senior PGA TourChampionship title with a final-round 69to finish four clear of Mexican EstebanToledo in Indiana, USA.

The Scot, 51, took a three-shot lead into thefinal round on the Pete Dye Course at FrenchLick resort.

He joined the senior tour after a careerwithout winning a Major on the main tour,and immediately started scooping up seniortitles. This year’s PGA triumph was his third

senior Major championship success after the2014 Senior PGA and U.S. Open.

Monty said: ‘It was a difficult position to be inat the start of the day, being three ahead. Icould never relax at all. And very, very tiringmentally. Every shot had to be executed oryou could be in trouble. That's a test and a half.'

Former Masters and Open champion SandyLyle finished the tournament on two over,with Ian Woosnam 10 over. Sir Nick Faldocame home a further four shots back.

THREE-UP FOR MONTY

Swansong

GOINGTom Watson:Favourite withBritish fans

GONEGreg Norman: ‘Unfair to block young players’

THREE golfers each sank a hole inone in the same competition, withinhalf an hour of each other.

The golfing trio, who were each playing ina singles stableford competition at theirhome club, Gathurst, Wigan, were eachrewarded with membership of theexclusive BOSS Watches H1Club and acommemorative timepiece.

Steve Webster, 55, who plays off 20, wasfirst to hit the mark with his seven-iron,which took one bounce before rollingthree feet into the hole on the 148-yard,par-three 15th.

Moments later, lady luck smiled on nine-handicapper Ian Liptrot who holed the170-yard, par-three 17th.

And then Terry Fletcher, 66, who plays off13, made it a hat-trick with the final aceof the day, also on the 15th.

Pictured above, left to right, are Terry,Steve and Ian.

Easy as one,two, three

IT’S ACES GALORE!

A HUSBAND and wife laid claim tobeing the luckiest golfing couple inEngland after they each achieved ahole-in-one - on the same hole, justdays apart.

John Stephenson, 63, from Leeds, four-ironed his tee shot during a Stablefordcompetition on the 168-yard, par-three17th at Sand Moor GC. Just six days later,

wife Shelagh, playing off 16, sank an aceon the same hole. She said: ‘I said to myplaying partners, wouldn't it be great tomanage a hole-in-one on the same holethat my husband got one on lastweekend. I hit a five-wood and I'm thrilledto say it was in the hole - five points and Iwon the competition.’

Anything you can do. . .

Togtherness: Hole-in-oners John and Shelagh

SPAIN’S Javier Colomo carded thefirst albatross on a par four inEuropean Tour history in theMauritius Open.

Colomo needed a birdie on his final hole,the 322-yard ninth, to make the cut, andholed his tee shot for a two-under 69. Hesaid: ‘I hit an unbelievable driver, veryhigh with a little cut.’

MIGUEL Angel Jimenez made a hole-in-one during the third round of thePGA Championship at Wentworth.The feat set a European Tour recordof 10 aces.

The 51-year-old Spaniard’s strike on the154-yard second hole, which came a weekafter an ace at the Spanish Open, took himpast Colin Montgomerie's total of nine.

Record albatross No 10 for Miguel

THIS huge sinkhole opened up overnight on the Top of the Rock golf course in Missouri.

The Jack Nicklaus-designed par-3 course is part of the Big Cedar Lodge complex andrecently hosted a PGA Champions Tour event. The hole, 80 feet wide and 35 feet deep,is fairly common in an area known for its ‘karst’ topography, a feature in which water isconstantly circulating through bedrock below the ground. The region has manysinkholes and caves.

…and here’s thebiggest hole inone Americangolf course!






IT’S sad, but inevitable. When youhave a group of more mature golfers,as the months go by you tend to losethe odd one.

Our Wednesday Tenners – so calledbecause we meet at 10am everWednesday – has recently lost Alan.

He’s a Scotsman, plays off 16. Burly guy,can’t half whack a drive.

I’d noticed he’d stopped responding to thee-mails which keep us all in touch, andthought perhaps he was away.

Then he missed a couple of weeks, thenanother, and one of the chaps gave hishome a call.

It was what we’d all feared. Natural causes.He’d found a woman.

‘He was divorced in his sixties and he’s 74now,’ said one of our more cynical members.

‘Let’s hope he can remember what to dowith her.’

It was something of a shock for all of us,and shock’s a risky business for gents ofour age. Anyway, we all survived that.

If it had been a heart attack or any of theother mantraps which lay ahead, we wouldhave been sad, of course, but notsurprised. We’re accustomed to seeing theclub flag at half-mast.

Snatched away by the Grim Reaper is par forthe course (actually 72 is par for the course,but don’t pick me up on it), but snatched awayby a statuesque lady called Phoebe was totallyunexpected. And she really is statuesque.

If she was standing in front of you, you’dhave to hit a hell of a draw to get round

her. And Alan used to pant a bit on that hillup to the eighth green, so we don’t knowhow he’ll face up to this new challenge.

His new lady friend lives near Eastbourneand apparently he’s been playing at a clubon the coast there. Otherwise, the Tennersare fine.

Do you remember Tom? He came to golfafter his wife said hang-gliding and wind-surfing were too dangerous. At six-foot-five, slim as flag pole, he picked it up in no time.

Always down the practice ground, he’dtake out 200 balls at a time – I’m notjoking, 200! – and had all the videos andbooks. He’s a hell of a player now, but he’sstuck on 25.

When he plays with us, he regularly breaks90 and touches 80. But within the Tenners,we have our own handicapping system:winner loses two shots, second loses one,and he’s been playing so well that he’s nowdown to the mid-teens.

That’s with us, on Wednesdays. But everytime he plays in a qualifier with the seniorson a Thursday, he gets over-excited andhits it half way to Lewes.

Lost balls wreck his card, which is why he’sstill on 25. Unless, of course, he’sprotecting his handicap.

• Now, can anyone help me with this?Playing in a friendly four-ball on a Downscourse at the back of Brighton, as oneplayer was held up, to save time, Imarked his ball. He was furious.

‘If you mark someone else’s ball, you’vegot to replace it,’ he fumed.

Is that true?

Continuing the saga of a late-convert golfer’s search for glory on the greens. . .

We’re one short, thanks toa mantrap named Phoebe

DIARY OF ABUS-PASSGOLFERBy Bob Evans




JOIN THE Q - AT MOTTRAM HALLPress photographers and journalists are

no strangers to QHotels’ opulentCheshire retreat, Mottram Hall, where

sports stars and celebrities are oftensnapped using the luxury facilities – but lastweek saw the brand’s management quizzed

and photographed in a media day at the four-star venue. TheUK’s largest golf-resort operator and the current AA HotelGroup of the Year, QHotels was keen to provide an insightinto its golf operations which have more than doubled in thelast year, and invited a select number of golf media to attendan informal event at one of it’s flagship facilities. Guestswere welcomed by former England cricket captain MichaelVaughan OBE, before heading out on to the Dave Thomas-designed championship course. The day culminated withdinner and a question-and-answer session with QHotels’director of hotel operations, Vivien Sirotkin, and groupdirector of golf, John Angus – all hosted by BBC sportspresenter Dan Walker.

Vaughan, a member at Mottram Hall, said: “Itwas a pleasure to be able to welcomemembers of the golf media to Mottram Hall– my spiritual golfing home. I think it’s quitewell known that beyond cricket – andSheffield Wednesday, of course – golf is mybig passion. I play as often as I can here andI’m delighted that the introduction of the newQFairway membership will enable manyothers to experience this fine venue.”

That was a theme taken up by both Angusand Sirotkin, who stressed QHotels’ drive toincrease participation among juniors andfemales. Sirotkin said: “Just becauseQHotels is the country’s biggest golf-resortoperator, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s thebest – but we certainly aspire to be. QHotelsis passionate about individual service andstrives to exceed customer expectations.One of our big pushes for 2015/16 andbeyond is to increase the number of femalegolfers. Lady golfers make up just six percent of QHotels’ golf members at themoment – which is below the nationalaverage. It is our intention to lift that figureabove the national average – we’ve givenourselves some big targets and we intend todeliver on them.”

Angus added: “We listened to our membersand regular visitors by conducting a surveylast year, and high quality golf-courses andgolf facilities, low costs and flexibility werethe key requirements for the modern golfer.QFairway has grown organically out of thosedemands. It is – and will continue so to be –one of the biggest membership drives thathave taken place in golf in recent years.”

“In just a few months we have seen morethan 1,000 new golfers take up theQFairway membership and that’s testamentto its flexibility and suitability. Free juniormemberships are available to all childrenaged 15 and under providing their parent orguardian also has adult membership at thesame time. And shortly, QGolf Academies will

launch across all 11 resorts with acommitment to growing participation levels,particularly among juniors and femalegolfers. QFairway and QGolf Academies arejust two examples of QHotels’ commitmentto golf, ensuring quality facilities and servicecan be affordable and accessible to all. Ourcommitment to grass-roots golf andincreasing participation in the game is clearthrough everything we offer.”

The QFairway flexible points-basedmembership gives players all the benefits ofa traditional club membership – including thefacility to hold a handicap and playing rightsfor club competitions – while offeringdiscount on food and drink, shop purchases,tuition, hotel bed-and-breakfast rates, and,

most impressively, access to all of QHotels’15 golf courses, including such prestigiousvenues as Mottram Hall, Slaley Hall andForest Pines.

QHotels (www.QHotels.co.uk) was founded in2003 by managing director Michael Purtill;finance director Ian Goulding and investmentcompany Alchemy Partners. The Companytakes great pride in its collection of 27carefully-nurtured unique hotels and golfresorts throughout the UK, each offering itsown individual character.

In November 2014, QHotels added six formerDe Vere Hotels and De Vere Luxury Lodges toits portfolio to strengthen its nationwidepresence and complement its award-winning

guest offer with premium golf, spa andleisure facilities. The former De Vere Hotelsthat have joined the QHotels portfolio are:Cameron House, Loch Lomond; DunstonHall, Norwich; Oulton Hall, Leeds; MottramHall, Macclesfield, Cheshire; Slaley Hall,Hexham, Northumberland and Belton Woodsin Grantham, Lincolnshire.

The list of awards is impressive, inSeptember 2014, it was named AA HotelGroup of the Year for the second time,underlining the group’s commitment todeliver outstanding standards of product andservice. A month later, the hotel groupreceived another accolade when it wasnamed ‘Which? UK Hotel ChainRecommended Provider’ for the second yearin a row – one of only five hotel chains to berecognised in this way – while, in 2013,QHotels was also rated number one UK hotelchain by this independent watchdog. Inaddition, 2013 also saw 15 QHotels receivegold and all remaining hotels receive silverawards from Green Tourism BusinessScheme Awards, the National SustainableTourism Certification Programme.

QHotels’ golf collection offers a choice of 11resorts and an impressive 19 golf andacademy courses in unique resort locations.

The venues are:• Aldwark Manor Golf & Spa Hotel - York • Belton Woods - Grantham, Lincolnshire• Cameron House - Loch Lomond• Dunston Hall – Norwich• Forest Pines Hotel & Golf Resort -

North Lincolnshire• Hellidon Lakes Golf and Spa Hotel -

Hellidon, Northamptonshire• Mottram Hall - Macclesfield, Cheshire• Oulton Hall – Leeds• Slaley Hall - Hexham, Northumberland• Telford Hotel & Golf Resort -

Telford, Shropshire• The Westerwood Hotel & Golf Resort -

Near Glasgow

Michael Rees






Hampshire Ladies GolfBeverly’sBIG Secrets– Beverly HukeI was looking at a very good online golf platform called The Sceneand caught a putting session with this year’s Masters ChampionJonathan Spieth.

Hampshire Ladies were delighted to return to Corhampton GC on 28 May to holdthe County Veterans Championships.

The Championships are open to all Hampshire , Isle of Wight and Channel Islands golf clubplayers aged 60 or over with handicaps up to 20 with a separate competition for players aged60 or over with handicaps 21-28. Lots of good Vets golf produced lots of prizewinners.

Both the Champion and Scratch Salver winner had excellent rounds of 2 under the CompetitionStandard Scratch.

COUNTY VETERANSCHAMPIONSHIPS

He was trying to putt a golf ball into aglass tumbler from 90 feet as the longest

putt he hold at The Masters was 45 feet!

It was the first time I had really watched howhe putts with his left hand below his right -bearing in mind he is a right handed player.

I loved how his left wrist controlled the putterface so much I am going to give it a try myself.

Why don’t you?

If you would like to start putting like a Prothis summer please call 07973 307880or email [email protected]

Stoneham's Alan Mew retained hisHampshire Seniors County Championtitle at Royal Winchester.

62 year old Mew defeated Royal Jersey'sTrevor Gray at the first hole of a suddendeath play-off after both players had tied ona five-over-par total of 113 for the 27 holeChampionship. Mew had led after theopening eighteen holes with a three-over-parround of 75. His round was spoilt by aclosing double bogey at the 18th.

Royal Jersey's Vic Bourgoise and GerryPenfold (Sandford Springs) were his closestchallengers on 76 with Royal Jersey's TrevorGray on 77. Bourgoise and Penfold could not

maintain their challenge but Trevor Graymade-up two shots on his playing partner forforce the play-off.

Mew now goes forward to representHampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islandsin the Champion of Champions Tournamentat Woodhall Spa in September, where he willagain be the defending Champion.

Blackmoor's John Carter won the PechellTrophy for the best nett score. Other prize-winners included Michael Branfoot and DavidSpeight (both Brokenhurst Manor), VicBourgoise, Peter Cunningham (Alderney) andPaul Robson (Royal Winchester).

David Wheeler

MEW RETAINS HAMPSHIRE SENIORS TITLE

Its not too late to enter some of our many events we hold during the year:South Region Foursomes at Windlesham GC on 24 AugustCounty Autumn Meeting at Oak Park GC on 21 September (Handicaps 21-36)County Autumn Meeting at Alresford GC on 1 October (Handicaps + to 20)

Visit our website for further details www.hampshireladiesgolf.co.uk

L-r 2015 vets champion (Ronnie Hirst, Shanklin & Sandown), Hampshire vets captain (Lesley Donegan), Vets Scratch Champion(Ailsa Fraser, Army). Below prize winners from the Vets Championships - lots of good vets golf produced lots of prize winners

L-r Vets Captain, Lesley Donegan & Division 2 Meeting Winner,Eileen Ware (Meon Valley)

Isle of Wight Championships IWLGA Champion, Sammi Keen(Freshwater Bay) & runner up Maggie Anker (Cowes)

Alan Mew with Barry Morgan (President, Hampshire Golf)





Greece is a country steeped in history and fascinating mythology,and as creator of the Olympic Games many of our modern daysports have originated from Greece. And even the popular filmMamamia gave Greece that feel good factor with its endlessidyllic scenes of sandy beaches, whitewashed villas with prettyblue shutters, and lots of swimming and sailing. But as for golf, Ihad quite frankly never considered Greece as a golf destination.This has to be one of the country’s best kept secrets.

Costa Navarino, named after the historic andscenic Bay of Navarino overlooking theMediterranean, lies in the Messinia region onthe west coast and boasts two of thecountry’s best known golf courses. This iswhere in 1827 the Greeks won one of itsmost famous and important battles againstthe hugely powerful Ottoman army - theBattle of the Bay of Navarino.

And it is this date that means so much tolocals and in particular to Captain VassilisConstantakopoulos, who although born into apoor local family, went on to make hisfortune in commercial shipping vowing toreturn to the village of his birth with promisesof work and higher wages. His vision was tocreate a prime sustainable destination inGreece and to position his birthplace on theworld’s tourist map - and that he definitelyachieved. Costa Navarino is now regardedas one of Greece’s top holiday andinternational golf destinations.

It was Constantaskopoulos’ passion for golfthat led him to buy up enough land in theregion to enable him to build two superbcourses: The Dunes, a Bernhard Langerdesign in association with European GolfDesign, and The Bay Course, a Robert TrentJones design, both are described as topclass courses. Of the two the Bay is by farthe more spectacular and has stunning viewsthat stretch for miles across the Bay and theshimmering Mediterranean.

Curious to discover more about Costa NavarinoI found myself flying to Athens on AegeanAirlines with luggage and golf clubs safelystowed in hold (there are no extra costs for golfclubs) in early March after accepting aninvitation to take part in a Staplefordtournament organised by the former top goalscoring German footballer, Sepp Maier.

The journey from Athens to Costa Navarinoalthough a bit tedious, takes about two and ahalf hours but fortunately flights from the UKto the local Kalamata airport start early Mayand that means a mere 45 minute drive tothe five star luxury Westin Resort Hotel ofCosta Navarino where I stayed.

It’s not often a hotel’s ground floor mini suitealso boasts a private albeit small swimmingpool but that’s what greeted me when I firstarrived not that it was for my liking and warmenough to swim in even though temperatureswere in the early 20’s, I did however,occasionally dip my toes from time to time tocheck the water temperature.

This time my main task was to discover allabout Greece’s best kept golf secret andspent the first day playing The Dunes par 71course, conveniently a few minute’s walkfrom the hotel but for those who prefer not towalk a regular buggy service runs to andfrom the hotel.

The course is a delight to play and an eye-opener when it comes to stunning scenery.Much of its natural landscape mirrors thedistant rugged mountains where its richarchaeological heritage spans over 5,000years. Holes close to the beach have adistinct links feel about them and furtherinland reflect more typically Greeklandscapes of olive and citrus groves.

Several holes run alongside a small river butmost greens are large and undulating,fairways wide and there are several steepfaced but strategically placed bunkers tochallenge you.

A couple of the four par holes are reachablein two but much depends on the direction ofthe breeze. There are also five varied butdelightfully challenging par 3s. Several holes,notably the downhill second par 4 is wherethe ocean serves as a shimmering butstunning backdrop. The 18th, par 5 is quite achallenge too, and has a sloping green justbelow the terrace of the stylish butwelcoming palatial Club house wheredelicious Greek style dishes are servedthroughout the day. This was a pleasurableround but out of the two, the Bay Courseremained my firm favourite although bothcourses are in excellent condition.

A regular twenty minute bus service leavesfrom outside the Dunes Club House andtakes you directly to the Bay Course.Immediately on arrival valets place your clubs in the buggy your name is clearlywritten in large letters on the windscreen, (nomistaking which buggy belongs to you). Thisis a great course to play and by far theprettier of the two. It meanders through threedistinct natural landscapes amid centuries-old olive trees, along box canyons beside thesea and directly over the historic Bay of

Navarino. There are some sublime scenicviews of the ocean and although challenging,it is an enjoyable course to play.

Not all golfers would have heard of CostaNavarino but unquestionably it puts Greeceon the map of top golf destinations.

April Tod

FACT FILE www.costanavarino.comRates at the two hotels at Navarino Dunesstart from: The Westin resort Costa Navarino,200 euros, and 310 euros at the LuxuryCollection, Romanos hotel (still closed for thewinter when I was there).

www.aegeanair.com Aegean Airliens have daily flights fromHeathrow and Gatwick to Athens, and golfbags and sports equipment are free of charge.

Golf and Greece’sbest kept secret


33T H E T E E T I M E S B U S I N E S S D I R E C T O R YFor all advertising enquiries and details of our unbeatable rates please contact: Advertising: Peter Llewellyn: 01329 834360 / 07870 631040 Email: [email protected]

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34 JULY 2015

Getting to the Rootof the Problem. . . .

Know your limits

Consider this.........if you have a massiveweed in your lawn and you only ever cutthe leaves off that weed, it will never goaway. It will keep on rearing its uglyhead. Obviously this happens becausethe root is still in the ground.

In many ways the weed analogy can becompared to golf. If the root cause of a faultis not eradicated then the problem will neverreally go away. This was brought home to mewhen I fixed a longstanding problem in myown swing.

I have always been a good driver of the ball.My shot is a draw, which can turn into a hookon occasions, and most of the time it’sreliable. My weakness is with my irons. Theshallow attack that is great for the driver isnot so good for the irons and, as aconsequence, I could hit fats, thins, pushesand hooks. So basically I can hit lots offairways and miss lots of greens, making myscoring heavily reliant on the short game. Myattack on the ball is too shallow for good ironplay, because I stand up slightly in mydownswing. This isn’t a bad move forsomeone with a steep swing, but for me it’snot good because I’m quite flat in thedownswing. I have tried to eradicate thisstanding up movement many times over theyears but unfortunately the fix never stuckand the same old shots would reappear,particularly under pressure.

Determined to get to the root of the problem Ikept looking for the answer and eventuallyfound it through studying the biomechanics ofthe body. The root cause of my unreliable irongame emanated from the movement of myhips or, to be more precise, the movement ofmy pelvis. Without going into it too deeply, thepelvis has a lot to do with the way the bodybalances. If it gets out of position the body willbe forced to make compensatory moves inorder to preserve its balance.

This was the root cause of my problems.Because my pelvis was not well positionedduring my golf swing, my body had to movethe way it did in order for me to staybalanced. No wonder I couldn’t change it.There’s no way a natural force such asbalance can be overridden.

To improve things I firstly went back to theaddress position, because that’s where theproblem started. I then began working on themovement of my pelvis in my swing. Duringmy swing I made the pelvis feel slightly moreangled down towards the end of thebackswing. On the downswing I felt the righthip moving down as it drove towards thetarget, with the left hip moving up andbehind me at the same time.

When hitting the ball the swing felt slightlydifferent, I felt more crunched down atimpact. This was happening as a naturalconsequence of what I was doing with mypelvis. The shots certainly felt and lookedgood. I was hitting straight to a very slightdraw with good power for me and my divotswere going slightly left. I was also reallypleased by what I saw on the camera. I wasmaintaining my body angles and the shaft ofthe club had returned to where it was ataddress. I got a real buzz from knowing thatI’d finally pulled out that weed!!!

Take a peek at the before and after picturesof my swing to see the subtle differences. Iwill try to remember to load some film ontoYouTube so you can see the whole thing.They will be on Martin Butcher Coach

If you need any help with any department ofyour game, please don't hesitate to contactme either through my website: www.mbtourcoach.comor by telephone M: 07787 887578.

Martin Butcher

Golfers who give themselves a reallytough time when things go wrong aremissing out. On what? On the enjoymentof this amazing game that's what!! Soyou didn't hole the three footer for 3stable ford points, instead you walkedaway with 2 points. Or you duffed it intothe water hazard in front of the greenafter the drive of your life. It happens. Ifyou spend a huge amount of your timeout on the course with a gentle whistleof steam coming out of your ears it'stime to think smarter. As hard as it is todo try not to let the down points of yourround linger. You can't control much ofwhat goes on in a round. Bad bounces,wind, chatty playing partners etc. so it'swasted energy to get ratty about theseelements. You hit the shots so you needto deal with the consequences.

Bad shots happen, then they're gone and youcan't do a thing to change that. Focus on thepresent and the next shot in hand. Try not tofind yourself still cursing that missed putt atthe top of you backswing on the next tee.Leave the baggage behind. Be in the NOW.Where do you want your ball to go? Not "Howmany ways can this go pear shaped?"

Use your handicap If you play off an 18hcp then allow yourself abogey on every hole - this will give you36points thank you very much. Just becausethe score card says par 4 doesn't meant youneed to go all out to get on the green in two.Use the rule that if you get 1 shot on a hole,aim to be on the green for one less than the

par. If you get 2 shots on a hole you don'tneed to be on the green til you've had theamount of shots that is the par. Then makesure you can 2 putt. This way you aren'tforcing shots that could put you deep intotrouble. You can play to the clubs that are yourstrengths and leave yourself favoureddistances from the greens. Play safe and planyour route on each hole.

Playing SMART will soon see your handicapplummet or, as some people crave, simply seeyou consistently playing to you currenthandicap.

Probably the most useful lesson you will everhave is out on the course with your PGAprofessional. Especially at a time of yearwhere shelling loads of balls on the drivingrange isn't favourable. Let's face it theweather is, or at least should be, far too niceto not be out on the course. Light eveningsmean squeezing an entire round in after workif you can. So make this extra course timecount. Get a lesson or two out there to helpyou pinpoint whether or not you are asking toomuch of yourself, where you can save shotsthrough more sensible club/shot selectionsand plan a route around the course that will befoolproof. Plus it will highlight very quickly theweak parts of your game.

I'll be back teaching and available for limitedlessons at Hamptworth Golf and Country Clublater this month. (Hoping to be back atCowdray later in the Summer) So drop me anemail at [email protected] get your game sizzling this Summer.

T E E T I M E S J U L Y 2 0 0 654


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undulating ground with tree lined fairways, raised greens and deep bunkers.

Romsey Golf Club, Romsey Road, Nursling, Southampton, SO16 0XWTelephone: 023 8073 4637 www.romseygolfclub.com

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“We have had some of the best greens around over the past year andwe continue to develop and improve the quality of the course”


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Documents

Tee Times Golf Magazine - July, 2015