Benjamin Smith

The founder of The Wandering Golfers, Ben grew up on the links of Scotland learning the game from his beloved Grandpa. Previously a writer and broadcaster for The Times and BBC

Amateur Championship: Hillside A fitting venue for world’s best

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It’s official, Hillside Golf Club when the wind blows will test even the very best golfers in the game. Reader, I am not one of them. I walk off the 18th green and towards the comforting embrace of the white clubhouse here, a beaten man. Hillside has got the better of me today…

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Royal Liverpool Golf Club: Hoylake love affair grows ever stronger

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I fell in love with Royal Liverpool Golf Club the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. I can still recall the first time I drove through the gates and caught sight of the majestic clubhouse which stands guard over the links land here. On that day, I walked around to…

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Grandeur and growth at the heart of Woodsome Hall success story

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The grandeur of Woodsome Hall Golf Club speaks for itself.  From the moment you drive through the gates of this handsome 134-acre estate and sweep up towards the 16th century grade-1 listed clubhouse, you get a sense of what this place is all about. The Woodsome Hall experience begins long before you step…

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Manchester Golf Club: natural wonder within sight of the city

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You might think the sight of a deer scampering down the 5th fairway at Manchester Golf Club would be a surprise given we’re within sight of the city centre. And yet amid the natural splendour all around us, we barely pay it a second glance: it’s very much at home – as are…

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Cliff Hotel Cardigan: wonderful Wales and the perfect family break

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It’s an hour before sunset at The Cliff Hotel, Cardigan and we’re watching a pod of dolphins play in the water below us.  This stunning corner of Wales has unquestionably taken a piece of all our hearts during our time here – our two-year-old will spend the much of the journey home screaming…

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Causeway Coast and Glens: the best golf courses

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The Causeway Coast and Glens is a place of incredible beauty and adventure but it’s also one of the best places to play golf.  This part of Northern Ireland is perhaps best known for hosting The Open Championship in 2019 when Royal Portrush won the hearts of so many golfers around the world.…

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Castlerock Golf Club: special links experience with real spirit

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The North Atlantic is as calm as a duckpond as I meander my way through the village streets en route to Castlerock Golf Club.  The sun has only been up for an hour or two and I think I might be able to make out the distant, looming presence of Islay on the…

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Portstewart Golf Club: Towering Dunes And A Wonderful Test Of Golf

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If there’s a better view from a 1st tee anywhere on earth, it will have to go some to top The Strand at Portstewart Golf Club.  A scorching summer’s day has meandered into a lazy afternoon and the beach which sits to the right of the opening hole at Portstewart, is still bustling…

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Dumbarnie Links: epic experience with views that are hard to better

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The beauty of Dumbarnie Links speaks for itself on a morning like this. There’s barely a breath of wind as we look out across Largo Bay and take in the majesty of this dramatic meeting of land and sea. It’s not yet 8am and a thin layer of wispy white cloud hangs over…

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Chart Hills Golf Club: new dawn for epic inland wonder

It’s a stiflingly hot summer’s day and our journey to Chart Hills Golf Club is nearing an end, as we negotiate Kent’s charming country lanes – the garden of England is a truly alluring part of the world, even in this heat.  We turn through the gates and wind our way along the…

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The Lodge at Prince’s: follow in the footsteps of champions

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From the moment you enter The Lodge at Prince’s Golf Club it’s clear you’re following in the footsteps of champions. A photograph hangs in the reception area showing Colin Morikawa drinking from the Claret Jug in joyous celebration. It was taken in the bar here on the night he won The Open next…

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Prince’s Golf Club: alluring Kent Destination On The Rise

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There can be few places to rival Prince’s Golf Club as a place to watch the sun rise on a day like this.  We’re sitting by the putting green at The Lodge at Prince’s, waiting. In the dawn mist, Sandwich Bay itself is so still it’s as if someone has placed a piece…

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Hillside Golf Club: a joyous assault on the senses

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It’s early on a glorious July morning as I turn left through the gates of Hillside Golf Club. The place is abuzz with people. The team from the DP World Tour are on site constructing grandstands, measuring for yardage books, and preparing for a tour event which arrives here in the next few…

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Ireland golf: Is This Golf’s greatest Travel Destination?

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Scotland will always be golf’s spiritual home but when you travel around Ireland, golf clubs on your back, it’s hard to shake the feeling that somehow you’ve come home.  Full disclosure: I’m a proud Scot, one who has travelled the world in search enriching experiences in golf. I have been fortunate to explore…

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Mount Juliet Golf Course: luxury estate an experience to savour

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It’s early on a crisp spring morning and I’m sweeping my eyes across Mount Juliet golf course taking it all in – it’s hard to imagine a more tranquil, elegant place to spend time.  From the moment you drive through the gates of this sprawling estate, there is a sense of idyllic seclusion…

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Ireland golf: The European Club A Unique Links Masterpiece

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Hidden away on the County Wicklow coast, just south of beautiful Brittas Bay, you’ll find a links course like no other.  The European Club is a one-off, a place where the rules of how to design and run a golf club haven’t applied since Pat Ruddy, the effervescent owner and designer, circled over…

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Rosslare Golf Links: Seaside Gem On The Road Less Travelled

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Rosslare Golf Links is bathed in sunshine as we walk up the final hole of a round that will live long in the memory.  It was Walt Whitman who wrote, ‘keep your face always toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.’ That was certainly how our day on this charming,…

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deWiz golf review: can wearable golf trainer make you better?

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Sigmund Freud once claimed all human behaviour is governed by our desire to move towards pleasure and away from pain and now the guys at deWiz believe that principle can improve your golf swing. When I was told I should try the deWiz golf watch, which delivers electric pulses or – whisper it…

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Links House at Royal Dornoch: luxury par for the course at Highland retreat

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The view from our balcony at the sumptuous Links House at Royal Dornoch is one you could never grow tired of. A few yards to our left is the 1st tee of one of the world’s greatest golf courses, abuzz with greenkeepers, golfers and walkers. To our right is the conservation village of…

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