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
Alwoodley Golf Club is a place where loyalty is par for the course. Ever since the great Dr Alister MacKenzie – the man who would go on to design Augusta National – became a founder member here in 1907, there has been a sense that devotion has been sewn into the springy fairways…
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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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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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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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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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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: 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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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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Panoramic 34 is not only a fabulous restaurant, but the views across Liverpool are just unforgettable. Located close to the waterfront, Panoramic 34 is all about the theatre of the experience.…
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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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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. 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, nestled in North Yorkshire, is a course of rare character and history. Host of the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup, its heathland-links blend of gorse, heather and ferocious bunkering demands imagination and precision. Ganton remains one of Britain’s most revered golfing tests.…
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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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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 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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Carved into the rugged Atlantic coastline of County Clare, Doonbeg Golf Course offers a dramatic and unforgettable links experience. With sweeping ocean views, towering dunes, and masterful design by Greg Norman and later Martin Hawtree, it’s a place where nature dictates play—and every round is a journey through wild, Irish beauty.…
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Lahinch Golf Club is Irish links golf in its purest form—wild, windswept, and wonderfully unpredictable. Set along County Clare’s rugged Atlantic coast, it blends towering dunes, blind shots, and a timeless charm. A round here is as much about the spirit of the game as the score you shoot.…
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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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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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