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
It is one of golf’s enduring qualities that you can walk in the footsteps of the legends of the game and hit shots from the same places as them. Sometimes, we’ll replicate their efforts. Even if we don’t want to. “Breakfast ball” bellowed Royal Portrush forecaddie Eamonn before my scruffy tee shot had…
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For golfers with a sense of wanderlust and an urge to explore the game’s great outposts, the name of Lofoten Links will already reasonate. But now this majestic, rugged and – above all – remote, bucket list destination in Norway, is set to be catapulted firmly onto the international stage, having joined the…
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It just doesn’t get much better than a golf trip to Pinehurst. The magic of the place is something we have documented at length and we’ll continue to tell anyone who asks, why this place is so special. But to truly get the most from your visit there are a few things you’ll…
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There are no ocean views, towering dunes, sheer cliffs or plunging valleys and yet, Pine Valley Golf Club in the US state of New Jersey, has consistently been ranked the No 1 golf course in the world not just for years, but decades. The likes of Cypress Point in California, Augusta National in…
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At the end of a quiet, dead-end in New Jersey, down a road time forgot, lies arguably the greatest destination in golf: Pine Valley Golf Club – to many the single best golf course in the world. As you reach the end of the road, to your right – on the other side…
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Golf is not an exact science: as individuals we’re gloriously unique, not only from the rest of the world but from each other too. No two swings are the same and the challenge of how we improve is also unique to each of us – no YouTube tip fits all. But could data…
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Royal Portrush Golf Club is, without question, one of the world’s great links. It has, of course, grown accustomed to hosting the game’s greatest players since 1888, Harry Vardon, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy (and many more besides) are just some of the legendary footsteps you will be…
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The views across St Patrick’s Links to Sheephaven Bay would’ve been enough to take my breath away if the wind whipping in off the Atlantic and across this incredible golf course, hadn’t got there first. Finding the words to capture the feeling of standing on this jaw-dropping linksland is not easy – dramatic…
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In another life, Zach Gould would be a household name on the PGA Tour. As a precocious teenager, the Welshman – who many now know as Dr Golf – had been destined for the top of the game having won some of Europe’s most prestigious junior tournaments, beating Rory McIlroy en route. He…
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The highly-anticipated Tom Doak design, will be the first original golf course at Pinehurst Resort for nearly 30 years. Its opening comes just a few months before Pinehurst hosts its fourth US Open on Pinehurst No 2…
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Pace of play has been a hot topic in golf for many years now. Rounds on the PGA Tour have gone, in some cases, north of five-and-a-half hours. But the great joy of our game is that it is far more wide-ranging than the professional game and along that spectrum, there are two…
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The light is fading over Broadwater Lake; the only sounds are the rustle of weeping willows, the flap of a swan’s wings near the reeds and, right on cue, the crisp plop of a golf ball coming up a yard or two short of the 18th green at The Melbourne Course at Brocket…
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A few hours in Pinehurst is all it takes to understand why so many who come here leave their hearts behind. This is, of course, the Cradle of American Golf and with good reason: the game is delightfully inescapable here, it’s everywhere your eye falls, it’s woven into the fabric. In Pinehurst, golf…
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I could’ve kept playing The Cradle until the men in white coats arrived to carry me away. Pinehurst‘s enchanting short course had won me over and then some. And the only surprise was I hadn’t seen it coming, I hadn’t expected the whole experience to be so laid back and so, well, fun. …
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They say great teachers don’t just fill your pail, they light a fire: after an hour or so in the company of the brilliant Gareth Benson at Hillside Golf Club, that’s exactly how I feel. Full disclosure: I have not had many golf lessons in my life. As someone who was introduced to…
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It’s hard to imagine ever growing tired of long sultry, summer evenings at resplendent Rockliffe Hall. We’ve been watching the Oystercatchers dancing in the night air and rabbits scampering across the sprawling lawns from our terrace overlooking the golf course and life feels good. On a normal day I might complain about weary…
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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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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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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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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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