Golf Monthly have just taken a dip into the world of the iphone/ipad generation with their new instruction app. Top 25 Coach Gary Smith takes you through his short game drills and routines, to improve your bunker, chipping, pitching, with a few extras thrown in. Presented by Gary Smith, renowned short game guru, the app is free to download for which you get four videos covering all the main areas of instruction. There are a number of in app purchase options which give you access to around 60 minutes of further content To download the app go itunes.apple.com/us/app/golf-monthly-gary-smith-short/id394370957?mt=8
World of Golf has announced the opening of its platinum lounge at their New Malden facility, which sits on the A3 route into London.
What better way to beat the traffic jams in and out of London than by spending a relaxing hour grooving your golf swing? World of Golf has taken your average turn-up-and-smash-some-balls-at-the-range to a whole new, professional level.
When my recent trip to California was being organised, like most golfers I was checking out the courses as they came through and started to load them up on my GPS system after paying the extra amount I needed to get the worldwide coverage package.
When the final itinerary came through I had 21 courses to play and my GPS only held 20 courses - umm what to do?
Then a package was delivered with the new Nikon Coolshot rangefinder to test (It would have helped if it was a week earlier and I wouldn’t have had to pay that worldwide subscription!)
So out went the GPS and in went the Nikon Coolshot and what a great decision that turned out to be. More >>
I have hit a few white drivers and fairway woods on the range and on a couple of holes while testing them, but I have never played a full round with one of them and here I am about to embark on playing 20 courses in a 12 days stint. This was me throwing myself in at the deep-end with no back up driver to turn to, which is probably what you guys want to hear - a real test, not just a couple of smacks on the range.
I am a bit of a traditionalist so I have never really got the white driver craze, but you do get that optical illusion that the clubhead is bigger than it actually is and it does seem easier to align. When you read the tech stuff, it's one of the keys that all the manufacturers are using. More >>
Christmas Golf Gifts Ideas
Ping Winter Polo
PING Collection announce the advancement of their strong winter polo line with the long-sleeved Jackson polo-shirt. Designed to offer the serious golfer supreme protection during the colder season, Jackson offers thermal properties. More >>
Nikon Coolshot
The new Nikon COOLSHOT is unveiled as the successor to the Multi Award Winning Nikon Laser Rangefinder 350G and further cements Nikon’s intentions in the Laser Rangefinder category. More >>
Score Keeping Watch
ScoreBand’s innovative four-mode functionality and digital display makes for an exciting new product in the sporting goods market. The four modes - Time, Golf, Tennis and AllScore – can be used for nearly every sport. More >>
TaylorMade ATV Wedge System
Born from years of research and development as well as
extensive player testing, TaylorMade Golf is proud to introduce the ATV (All-Terrain Versatility), a wedge created to offer golfers a simple choice to handle the multitude of shots and course conditions. More >>
Ping Boxed Gifts
The brand’s gift sets offer golfers a colour co-ordinated, bespoke, beautifully designed match compromising of polo-shirt and jumper, each hand-picked specifically to complement the other. More >>
Sub70 12 days of Christmas offers
With Christmas just around the corner, Sub70 have launched a brand new 12 days of Christmas offer. The stylish UK golf clothing company have teamed this with some fantastic postage savings to ensure everything arrives in good time to be wrapped and under the Christmas tree on the big day.
You know what it's like when you’re packing to go on a golf trip, you not only want to look good on the course but you also need a change of clothes for the evenings out and with the measly baggage allowance on offer by some airlines it’s tough getting the right balance.
Imagine my delight when I received the package of three shirts, one cardigan, a sleeveless cardigan and a pair of trousers through from Sub 70 apparel and found that they weighed about the same as a pair of Chinos from a well known high street chain.
If you think the quality must have been poor think again, the shirts use Sub 70 Climitac® moisture management 100% breathable fabric. The knitwear uses 100% double mercerised cotton and the Noah golf trousers used a Wool/Viscoe Blend fabric, so as you can see there is no compromise on the quality of their apparel. More >>
For those who know me or who are regular readers of my equipment reviews will know that the weakest part of my game is my wedge play. When I was playing golf every day as captain of my university golf team and playing amateur golf, I would describe it as OK.
It's when I don’t practice and only get to play irregularly then it’s the first thing that plummets and when I say plummet I mean a lot of duff shots around the green and when I am not duffing the ball, then it’s a knife across the green that could take out an opponent, better than a run of four birdies on the back nine!
So you can imagine anything that is going to help my short game I would jump at. When I got to test TaylorMade ATV wedge system on my recent trip to California I have to say I was more than impressed, I really started to enjoy playing shots around the green, I even managed a couple of Mickelson like flop shot with the 56° wedge. More >>
You know what its like when you’re in the pro shop or one of the many discount golf stores: you pick up an iron and you just love the way it feels and looks and although you haven’t hit a ball in anger, you just know when you do, this club will deliver. Well that’s how I felt when I took delivery of TaylorMade’s R11 Irons.
There is nothing like the feel when the ball compresses against a well-struck iron. You can keep all your leather-on-willow cricket talk, nothing beats the sound of steel on thermoset urethane. It’s what we spend hours on the practice ground to achieve.
The little glint from their perfectly-formed face felt like the R11s were calling to me, willing me to take them out with the promise (and technology) that they can make me feel those shots, hear that sound.
With the countdown to the London Games reaching fever pitch, adidas UK staged a daring golf stunt on Monday (23 July 2012) to celebrate the sport’s inclusion in the adidas ‘Red Shoe’ campaign. Against the backdrop of London’s iconic Tower Bridge, the River Thames was transformed and a unique floating golf hole appeared to honour the global brand’s latest colour range for all footwear worn by adidas athletes when they take the stage at the 30th Olympic Games.
I'm not normally taken by the look of a new iron anymore, but when I pulled the i20 irons from the packaging I must admit I could see straight off that the matt finish was going to be a winner – and I wasn’t the only one. I tested the irons on a recent Golf Road Warriors trip to Scotland, taking in eight courses in seven days, and the caddies all remarked upon their attractive, inviting appearance. This was also true of the i20 driver, fairway wood and hybrid, but more of that below in the i20 woods review.
You could see from the finish that the i20s were going to have a nice feel and strike when you hit the ball, and when I pulled out the wedge to play my second shot to the first hole at Dunaverty Golf Club, I wasn’t wrong. It felt like the ball just melted into the face. Shame I couldn’t see it stop as it was a blind shot, but I knew from instinct it was going to stop and spin.
It can now be confirmed that matt black is the new white – you heard it here first. And as mentioned in the Ping i20 iron reviews, these are real head-turners. On the recent Golf Road Warriors trip to Scotland, I had caddies and playing partners purring over the look of the new i20s, with plenty of people asking if they could hit a few shots.
I must admit I like the look of these, they look moody – like they're going to smash the ball down the fairway for daring to be next to this beast of a weapon. I would compare the look to that of a dark Lamborghini, with blacked-out windows and black alloys – you just know it's all about power and the i20s don’t disappoint in that department. I tested the 9.5, with 14-degree 3 wood and the 20-degree hybrid. For me that was the perfect set up for the woods.
I really enjoyed putting these to the test, especially at altitude where the ball just flies for miles. The feel off the clubface was more like a blade than a cast. The RBZs feature a specially-designed, thin fast-flexing face added to the new vibration and sound control system to get the precise feel of a blade.
I normally play blades, but I wasn’t put off by the look of the RBZ, which is a common occurrence when you first pick up a game-improving iron. I’m of the opinion that TaylorMade haven’t tried to cram in all the game-improvement technology out there at the expense of the look of the club. Okay, I know you’re probably thinking: if a club can help me break 100/90/80 I don’t care what it looks like. Which is probably true, but if you can achieve both, like the RBZ, it has to be a bonus.
As most of you know, I’ve been using the Ping K15 for the past year or so and really love the feel, sound and flight that it gives me, so it was going to be interesting to see how the G20 driver compared.
The G20 did have the advantage of being tested in Colombia where Bogotá (8,612ft) and Medellín (4,905ft) sit high above sea level and the ball really does fly for miles. Look out for my destination review; it really is an ego boost playing golf at that altitude.
So back to the G20. The head is shallower and smaller compared to the K15 and you can see where they have moved the weight low and back in the head, and this gives a great ball flight
Tiger Woods has come out in defence of Fred Couples and his Ryder Cup Captains credentials, stating “I've heard people question whether Fred would be a good Ryder Cup captain, and I just don't get it. I think that Fred is a great captain. Whether it's The Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup, it doesn't matter.
The way he keeps us loose and how much fun we have -- it's just great to play for him. He's a lot more competitive than people realise. He just doesn't show it. He shows it with us around, but the public doesn't see it”.
When I first picked up the K15 I had to admit its not the best looking driver on the block, but then again I’m more interested in hitting fairways than how good a club looks sitting in my bag.
The first time I realised I could be onto a winner with Ping’s K15 was standing on the 10th tee at Shirley Park Golf Club in Surrey, England with Golf Monthly’s Deputy Editor Neil Tappin.
With press trips to Morocco and Liverpool’s Golf Coast coming up, it was a great chance to put Ping’s New G20 irons to the test. The heat of Morocco and its manicured fairways and rough where the ball just sinks to the bottom compared to the Golf Coasts cooler, more windy conditions with its tightly cropped fairways and whispery rough, I felt would make an interesting comparison.
PING Collection, have launched the G20 Polo Shirt inspired by the launch of the PING G20 equipment range. The shirts come in : Charcoal/Graphite, White/Graphite and Inferno Red/Charcoal. Black has been replaced by More >>
Softspikes Ultimate Cleat Kit
Another great gift for the golfer in your life come from Softspikes®, the world’s leading cleat, tee and grip manufacturers, have designed the definitive Christmas gift for golfers, entitled the Ultimate More >>
Ping Golf Mittens
•
Forming an integral part of PING’s exclusive new accessories range are their exciting Deluxe Mittens, built to keep your hands warm in the most brutal winter conditions. The mittens are fleece lined for temperature maintenance and winter performance, while individual finger gloves situated More >>
The Asia course was in pristine condition and the players were delighted with the way the course was set up, the pin positions were challenging but fair and the weather, a blistering 35 degrees, sorted the wheat from the chaff. For a tour that is in its infancy, this being the third tour event, attracting 56 competitors from across Europe is no mean feat
As the sun popped over the horizon of Atalaya Golf & Country Club on the 12th July 2011, it didn’t just herald another beautiful day in southern Spain it trumpeted in a new era for golf in Spain. This was the dawn of the Gecko Euro Pro Tour and as Bradley Smith strode onto the first tee and launched his drive down the first fairway of its first ever tournament,
A new golf tour is about to launch in Spain, The Gecko Pro Tour is the new professional golf tour, which is open to all professionals and category 1 amateurs. This year will see 15 tournaments making up the playing schedule, culminating in The Players Championship, which is being played at the illustrious Valderama Golf Club.
The concept of the Gecko Pro Tour is to become the stepping-stone for Professional Golfers and top Amateur players to
It is with a heavy heart that we have to report the death of Severiano Ballesteros. Seve passed away on 7 May 2011 aged 54, the dashing Spaniard will be sadly missed.
The five times major winner and winning Ryder Cup captain, had surgery for a cancerous brain tumor back in October 2008 and had been cared for at his home in Pedreña, where he died early Saturday morning.
Seve was only 19 when he announced himself to the world in July 1976. It was the final day on the final hole at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, he hit a trade mark chip shot between two bunkers that landed four feet from the cup. He then sank his putt to tie Jack Nicklaus for second place behind Johnny Miller.
With a passion for perfection and an inspiration to a generation of golfers, he gave pleasure to millions with his daring golf game and not least his fellow professionals on the European tour, the tour wouldn’t be what it is today without Seve.
His short game was pure genius, he once said, “I'd like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everyone would have to play from the rough, not just me.” Ben Crenshaw told Sports Illustrated back in 1985 “I think he comes as close to a complete player as anybody I’ve ever seen, he can hit every shot in the bag and do it with the style and look of a champion.”
Seve won five major championships over a 10-year period. Open Champion in 1979, 1984 and 1988. In 1980, he became the first European and youngest golfer to win The Masters at 23, (Tiger Woods became the youngest in 1997 when he won the Masters at 21.) Ballesteros won the Masters again in 1983.
He won a total of 50 European tour events, which still stands as a record today, 9 USPGA tour events, 6 events on the Japanese tour and 36 other titles around the world, he was truly a global icon in the world of sport.
On a personal note, I would just like to say, he was an inspiration to me as I was growing up playing golf and I loved watching him play, I went to see him in an exhibition at Mannings Heath Golf Club, he was a joy to watch and who can forget that salute when he holed his birdie Putt on the 18th at St Andrews to win the Open Championship. Yes he was a true Champion, not just as a golfer, but as a man and the way he was with his legions of fans.
Thank you for some wonderful memories, good luck with your journey and don’t forget to give the big man some shots, its only fair, RIP Seve you will never be forgotten.
Look out for two new destination features coming online soon, we will be featuring two courses in Danang, Vietnam and six courses in Thailand, both destination will have video content.
Golfplan will break ground on five renovation projects in 2011, illustrating that Asia's most active purveyors of original course designs are equally engaged in the region's redesign market.
Green renovation will start in April at the Xili GC in Shenzen, China, they have already broken ground on a comprehensive 27-hole renovation and 9-hole addition at Lakewood Country Club in Seoul, South Korea,
while bunker renovations have started in the American West at both El Paso (Texas) Country Club, and Albuquerque CC in New Mexico.
Xili Golf Club, Shenzen, China
Another redesign at Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) is under contract and now in planning, with an anticipated construction-start of December 2011/January 2012. Golfplan will refurbish three of the four tracks at this renowned club. First up will be the Island Course, then SICC's Sime Course and the esteemed Bukit Course, designed in the 1920s by the great Scottish golf course architect James Braid.
3rd hole at Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) before and after the redesign
Since it was established back in 1972, Golfplan has designed more than 150 new courses in over 50 different countries, with more than 90 renovation projects in 17 countries. Its work across Asia paving the way for golf to flourish across all the Asian markets including, China, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.
For more information on these and other projects from Golfplan call +1.207.526.7190, or visit www.golfplan.com
Golfers enticed to 'Golf the Beach'
Two of Vietnam's premier courses have joined forces in a bid to lure more golfers to one of the country's most activity-rich tourist areas.
Ocean Dunes Golf Club in Phan Thiet and Sea Links Golf & Country Club in nearby Mui Ne have formed Golf the Beach: Vietnam's Must-Play Getaway.
13th hole at Nick Faldo's Ocean Dunes, Phan Thiet, Vietnam
"It's about strength in numbers, and that's why Golf the Beach is a very exciting development indeed," said Stephen Banks, general manager at Sea Links. "We've got two excellent championship courses here, with several more in the planning and construction stages, but this is the first time the Mui Ne/Phan Thiet area has been promoted as a golfing destination.
"We think it has major potential. We're so close to Ho Chi Minh City.
Golf the Beach merely states the obvious: "Golfers can come and play two of the best courses in Vietnam, each within 15 minutes of the other. At night, golfers can enjoy themselves of everything else the region has to offer."
The Nick Faldo-designed course at Ocean Dunes opened in 1996. it was the first modern resort course built in Vietnam, the first to open outside the urban hubs of HCMC and Hanoi.
Sea Links, is an attractive and formidable test created by acclaimed course architecture firm Golfplan, back in 2008. The two courses offer golfers wildly contrasting yet equally compelling experiences.
It's probably the hardest thing in golf to report someone for cheating, it must be doubly so for professional golfers to accuse a fellow competitor, they know this is a colleague and friends livelihood at stake.
The stigma that this accusation carries, will remain with that person for the rest of their playing career.
Elliot Saltman's fellow playing partners in the Russian event, Stuart Davies and Marcus Higley refused to sign his scorecard for continually replacing his ball incorrectly.
As a golfer we all know people make genuine mistakes, but to continually mark your ball a centimeter out of its original position, I personally believe you would know what you were doing.More>>
The PGA of America announced that, Davis Love111 was to be their captain, for the 2012 US Ryder Cup.
His only major title win came at the 1997 USPGA Championship, he has also played on six US Ryder Cup teams, with a record of nine wins from 12 matches and five drawn matches.
Davis was vice-captain on the American side that lost to Europe last October at the Celtic Manor in Wales.
“I’m thrilled and honoured,” Love said. “It’s one of the great honors in golf to make one Ryder Cup team. To make it for a career is a blessing.” “The number one mission is to get the Cup back,”.More>>
Golf Monthly have published their top 100 courses of Great Britain and Ireland, it makes some very interesting reading. Check out what courses have moved into and out of the top 10, or use the guide to see what courses you have played or would love to play.
Ernie Els visited the media room at the Sony Open in Hawaii yesterday and reflected on life, on and off the tour and his own future.
The three-time major champion was asked about retirement, his expectations in this years majors, his thoughts on the rivalry between the Europeans and Americans and If he will become a regular on the Champions Tour.
Light hearted banter one minute and serious the next, especially about his new tournament, The Els for Autism Golf Challenge, but always with honesty.
Ernie turns 42 this year, he would love to get an early win at the start of the season, particularly here, so he can come back to Hawaii for the 2012 season opener. And another major? Well, that's not beyond the realm of possibility.
"At least I made the cut at the Masters last year," Els said. "So, that was a step in the right direction. I've got a good chance, I've just got to get out of this putting streak, if I can putt like I did at Country Club in South Africa, I can win a major."
Asked about retirement, Ernie replied. "I'm definitely not looking for retirement, but I'm definitely positioning myself for when that day comes. I want to be in the right market, the right area and that's basically what I'm looking at. I'm trying to take advantage where the opportunities are and at the moment, it's in Asia."
When asked if he would be competing on the Champions Tour? Ernie replied "At the moment, no, not really. I've got some time to figure that out, there could be some other events taking place over there (in Asia), so we'll see how the world turns."
As for the friendly banter between the players on the European and American tours? "I think you're going to see the battle there, between the lines you can read giving each other a little bit of lip, which is great. I think it's great for the game. It's great for the rivalry between the two tours and bringing the Ryder Cup into it also."
It is with a heavy heart that we have to report the death of 
