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

Luke Donald: future world No 1’s timely reality check

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I remember the moment I realised my childhood dream of winning The Open was in tatters – it was all Luke Donald’s fault. Not that he knew it. I was 14 and I was good at golf. But I was soon to discover I was not good enough. From the age of 7,…

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Huddersfield Golf Club: a Rolls-Royce course in the beautiful Yorkshire hills

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In these parts, the story goes that during the 1950s Huddersfield was home to the highest number of Rolls-Royces per capita than anywhere else on the planet, save Beverley Hills. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the wool trade meant there was extraordinary wealth, prestige and opulence here. None of that is…

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Royal Dornoch: mystique and emotion at heart of golf’s greatest outpost

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Despite its remote location, some 30 miles north of Inverness, Royal Dornoch has been an established fixture in the top 10 of the world’s best courses for decades…

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Dumbarnie Links: how golf’s most exciting new course defied Covid-19

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This global pandemic has been difficult enough for golf clubs which have been around for centuries. Imagine, then, trying to open a new one. That was the reality facing the team at the breathtakingly beautiful Dumbarnie Links, on the Fife coast, and it was a challenge they embraced wholeheartedly. “It’s been harder than…

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Coronavirus: how top golf clubs emerged from Covid-19

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Very little about our world feels normal these days. Spending a few hours walking the fairways of your local golf club with friends is, let’s face it, about as close as it gets. This Covid-19 pandemic is not a disaster in a traditional sense, even if the trauma is comparable. It is not…

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St Andrews and Chariots of Fire: secrets of famous scene

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St Andrews and Chariots of Fire: the association immediately brings to mind the evocative opening moments of the celebrated Oscar-winning film, a sequence which has long since taken its place in cinematic history. The iconic images of young British athletes striding out across a windswept beach in slow-motion are set to one of…

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Aqua Restaurant: sumptuous seafood and a special sunset

It’s hard to imagine a better way to toast a memorable day of links golf on the Dublin coast, than by watching the sun drop into the ocean while you eat dinner at Aqua Restaurant in Howth.…

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Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links: special resort by sea

The Portmarnock Hotel and Links is set on a stunning stretch of coastline and boasts a stunning Bernard Langer-designed golf course and a beautiful, luxurious hotel. The Wandering Golfers went to see it for themselves…

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Moortown Golf Club: unique Ryder Cup legacy to the fore

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During its celebrated history, Moortown Golf Club has grown accustomed to hosting the greats of the game and providing the backdrop for significant moments in golf history. Everyone from Walter Hagen to Peter Thomson, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo have played here, each chapter helping to build the story of this…

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Lindrick Golf Club saved The Ryder Cup

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Lindrick Golf Club saved the Ryder Cup. By the time 1957 came around, the event was on its knees. The US had won every match dating back 24 years. Interest was waning. No one wanted to sponsor it and with only months to go before the Ryder Cup was due to be played, the…

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Ganton Golf Club: mythical Ryder Cup venue retains its magic

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Ganton Golf Club is a truly extraordinary place. There is a stillness to it, a timeless elegance. It’s as if when you leave the busy main road that flanks it and turn down a long narrow drive you are transported to a place of calm and serenity. Even in the fierce and frequent…

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Ryder Cup Yorkshire: a unique Role In shaping Golf History

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It’s not often golf can reach beyond the sport and capture the imagination of a new audience. The Ryder Cup, however, carries that power. It is an event built on prestige, not prize money, one that conjures up vivid, enduring memories and brings to mind the names of the courses on which the…

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Burnley Golf Club: hilltop wonder will make you smile

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Funny story: Burnley Golf Club – 10am. The clubhouse is quieter than it should be for a big golf day. No welcoming party. No bacon butties. None of those banner things. No people. We walk into the clubhouse. “Hi, we’re here for the golf day,” I say. “The golf day?’ says the pro.…

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West Linton Golf Club: tranquility in the Pentland Hills

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West Linton Golf Club may not spring immediately to mind when you’re planning an golf trip to this part of Scotland. Edinburgh and the wider East Lothian region boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to golf. The likes of Muirfield, Gullane, Royal Musselburgh and North Berwick are world-famous and understandably popular.…

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Delightful Doonbeg a links of wild, enchanting beauty

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Doonbeg is a study in contrasts: the rugged and quintessentially Irish beauty of the Clare coastline with the 2006 American-built stone castle that overlooks it. The flat farmland which stretches for miles around and the towering sand dunes which dominate this stunning links. And yet anyone who has stood here, felt the power…

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Lahinch Golf Club – a wonder of the golfing world

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Even at first glance, it is obvious Lahinch is not just another seaside town. Golf is woven into the fabric of this otherwise unprepossessing village on the County Clare coast. It feels like it’s on the lips of a everyone in town, in the craic. It’s in the pubs (one of which is…

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Hebden Bridge Golf Club among the best views in Yorkshire

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Hebden Bridge Golf Club is a place wonderfully untroubled by the march of time. Golf, at times, feels barely recognisable: where once it was played with wooden clubs, now it’s played by super athletes, capable of reducing 600-yard par 5s to a thunderous drive and an easy 7-iron. Golf courses are changing too…

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Celtic Manor – Ryder Cup destination stands the test of time

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There will always be a special place in my heart for Celtic Manor. It was here that I covered my first and most memorable Ryder Cup for The Times newspaper, where I stood on the 18th green, soaked in champagne, as Team Europe danced with delight after another epic battle against their American…

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A round with Rory McIlroy (kind of) in beautiful Killarney

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The voice on the other end of the line went quiet while I took it all in – “we want you to come and play in the Irish Open Pro-Am at Killarney Golf Club.” “Some big names are playing this year and if you’re open to it, we’ll try and get you a…

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