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

The Machrie Hotel: unique links experience will capture your heart

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A day or two at The Machrie Hotel is all it takes to understand why so many who visit Islay leave a piece of their heart behind.  The idyllic isolation from the everyday would, on its own, be the perfect tonic to the bustle of modern life. But when you combine that with…

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18 Restaurant – not just a feast for the eyes

We have already waxed lyrical about the stupendous golf experience at The Machrie, but that’s only part of what makes any trip special – where you eat, and drink is important too. The good news is that once you finish up your round on the 18th green overlooking Laggan Bay at The Machrie,…

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Woodhall Spa’s wonderful Hotchkin Course On The Rise

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There’s a rare sense of stillness and tranquillity as you walk Woodhall Spa’s iconic Hotchkin Course. This secluded, unassuming corner of Lincolnshire may be home to one of the best inland golf courses on the planet but there’s no fuss or fanfare here. The contrary is true, in fact. From the moment you…

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Woodhall Spa’s beautiful Bracken Course should not be missed

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There’s no escaping that the Bracken Course at Woodhall Spa Golf Club is, like many other fabulous venues the world over, will always exist in the shadow of its more celebrated big brother. The New and The Old Course, St Andrews. The Cashen Course and The Old, Ballybunion. The Castle Course and The…

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Mileseey PF260: the best cheap rangefinder in golf?

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Knowledge is power, so the saying goes, and in golfing terms that has given rise to a new wave of distance measuring devices, or rangefinders, coming into the game. The PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in May was the first major where rangefinders were permitted. But it is not just the touring pros…

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Perfect Peatzeria in beautiful Bowmore

You can’t visit Islay or write about this island without mentioning the peat. In days gone by it was the reason the water here ran a strange colour of brown. And for much longer it has given Islay’s many world-famous whiskies their distinctive aroma and taste, but peat is also behind the name…

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The Petwood Hotel: war and peace in wonderful Woodhall Spa

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It feels almost disrespectful to describe The Petwood simply as one of the best hotels near Woodhall Spa Golf Club, because the truth is, it’s so much more.  This is a place where the history of those who have walked these corridors and wiled away the hours in the stunning Edwardian gardens, lives…

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Luke Willett: Exploring outer Limits Of The Golf World

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“What day is it?” asked Pooh.“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.“My favourite day,” said Pooh.”― A.A. Milne We know better than most; the mind of a golfer is a wandering one.  On the course, golfers have a unique ability to focus on things that aren’t happening now: the putt we missed on the last, the…

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Fescue & Dunes: Links ethos at heart of emerging golf brand

Fescue & Dunes exists to deliver discerning golfers with something a little less ordinary.  Rather than focusing on creating their own products (although they do a bit of that too), they scour the globe for other boutique golf brands and bring them to golfers wanting to take their golf set-up to the next…

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Uncommon: Golf ball inspired by unconventional magic of Moe Norman

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Have you ever really thought about why you play the golf ball you do?  It’s a question a new U.S golf ball company are determined to get golfers to ask themselves as they look to create something truly different in the golf world. Uncommon, based in Park City, Utah, is an enterprise made…

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FlagBag Golf Co: Capturing a magic moment in time

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To the guys at FlagBag Golf Co a golf bag is so much more than a functional piece of equipment in which to carry your clubs. It’s a canvas, a blank page, an opportunity for the golfer who throws it over their shoulder and heads out onto the links to say something about…

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Liverpool: The wonderful gateway to England’s golf coast

When you think of the city of Liverpool, golf doesn’t immediately spring to mind. This, after all, is a city which lives and breathes football. It’s a city that is known across the world for its incredible music scene and it's a city with a rich, maritime history. But perhaps what golf is…

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Ardfin: life-changing journey to Jura and stunning new golf resort

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Laura Sayer-Hall, was looking for a way to make a big change to her 9-5 life. It began with a journey which took her to the remote Isle of Jura in Scotland and to Ardfin, one of the most exciting new golf resorts on earth. The Wandering Golfers tell her story…

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Hame Golf: Sustainability and storytelling at heart of success

Storytelling is at the heart of what makes us human. It helps us know who we are, it puts things into context and add sentiment and emotion to places and possessions.  It’s very much at the heart of what’s important to us at The Wandering Golfers, and it was that which drew our…

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Ballybunion is golf heaven on Ireland’s stunning Wild Atlantic Way

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Mythical Ballybunion in south-west Ireland is one of the world's great links courses. The Wandering Golfers travelled to County Kerry and discovered a place that would leave a lasting imprint and a golf course that was the stuff of dreams…

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The Masters: the inspiration for ‘unique’ Augusta National

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Augusta National Golf Club is, unquestionably, unique. The vibrant natural beauty, the stunningly manicured fairways and greens, the magic and the mystique of Magnolia Lane. A tradition unlike any other, as the saying goes. And yet if you look just beneath the surface, it’s clear that deep within its DNA, the ancestry of…

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Sean Connery: secrets behind best Bond’s golf love affair

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Sean Connery stands in front of me having just emerged from his dressing room at Pinewood Studios after a heated phone call with executives at 20th Century Fox. The nexsht time I say the word American, remind me to put f**king in front of it.” He doesn’t mean it for a second, of…

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Does England deserve more acclaim as a golf destination?

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If Scotland is the home of golf, Ireland the luxury holiday villa you can’t wait to go back to, what of England?  Scotland and Ireland are quite rightly lauded as mythical golf destinations the world over – St Andrews, Ballybunion, Royal Dornoch, Lahinch – the names trip off the tongue. But a new…

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Hallamshire Golf Club: warmth and wonder high in Sheffield hills

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Like Rome, Sheffield is built on seven hills. High on one of them, on the cusp of the Peak District National Park, you’ll find the beautiful Hallamshire Golf Club. Perhaps you haven’t heard of it before now – unlike Italy, this has never been a part of the world comfortable shouting too loudly…

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