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

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 Golf Club is the perfect golf break

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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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Why picturesque Prince’s is one of England’s finest links

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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 – one of England’s greatest links

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Hillside Golf Club, set among the towering dunes of England’s Golf Coast, is one of the finest courses in the UK. Known for its dramatic back nine, sweeping sea views, and immaculate conditioning, it offers a pure links test that has earned praise from legends and comparisons with its famous neighbours.…

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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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Why Mount Juliet is one of Ireland’s grandest golf escapes

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It’s early on a crisp spring morning and my eyes are sweeping 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 country estate in County Kilkenny, Ireland, there is…

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The European Club: unique, mesmeric – a golf masterpiece

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Hidden away on the County Wicklow coast, just south of Brittas Bay, you’ll The European Club – a links like no other.  It’s a true 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 this…

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Rosslare a beautiful links gem in Ireland’s capital of sunshine

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Rosslare Golf Club 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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Royal Dornoch Golf Club: One Of The World’s Great Links

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For golfers the world over, Royal Dornoch Golf Club represents a unique call to adventure. It’s a pilgrimage which requires commitment, dedication and patience. After all this golfing outpost, tucked away in a stunning corner of the Scottish Highlands, sits 50 miles north of Loch Ness and just eight degrees below in the Arctic…

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Fyfe Golf: Made in Scotland – celebrating a rich golfing heritage

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Fyfe Golf unashamedly celebrate Scotland’s rich and storied manufacturing heritage. Their beautiful, handmade products and accessories already grace golf bags and golfers far and wide and each of them come proudly having been ‘Made in Scotland.’ All fabrics are sourced from the finest Scottish mills and weavers and their mission is to reconnect…

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Dundonald Links: the ultimate base for Ayrshire golf trip

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It would be understandable if Dundonald Links felt just a little threatened by Ayrshire’s embarrassment of golfing riches. After all it sits within minutes of storied Open venues such as Royal Troon and Prestwick Golf Club. Another, Turnberry, is 30 minutes down the coast. Wonderful Western Gailes is within a wedge. Barassie, Glasgow…

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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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