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

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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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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