Challenge and beauty in abundance at mesmerising Kinloch Club
My first year of High School was an absolute blur, I barely remember a thing. However, looking back there is one person who has withstood the test of time and lived long in my memory – Mr Killian. A brawny and brash South African mathematics teacher, Mr Killian was loud, bold and confrontational – quite frankly, he scared the shit out of me. He made us laugh and cry some days, verbal whippings were always followed by a light-hearted joke or two. It was an exhibition in tough love and one which ultimately yielded the best results. I look back…
Tara Iti Golf Club: the most beautiful links on earth?
Since its grand reveal, Tara Iti Golf Club has occupied a place in the hearts and minds of golfers across the world. To most it feels a world away: isolated geographically, almost heavenly in its beauty, and, given its famed privacy and exclusivity, almost impossible to access. In a country dominated by public golf courses, Tara Iti is an outlier and one which, at first glance, appears to fly in the face of Kiwi beliefs and values. Why? Well, it is a club with only 50 local members, has no public access unless you stay on site (at a VERY premium price)…
Why my round at The Old Course wasn’t love at first sight
I wanted to love the Old Course. I tried to love the Old Course. I failed to love the Old Course. I feel like I’m in good company: five-time Open champion Tom Watson didn’t love the Old Course, St Andrews when he first played it. Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones was a petulant 19-year-old Open Championship debutant when he famously ripped up his scorecard and walked off in 1921 after failing to escape from a bunker on the 11th. I came close to following Jones’ lead on the 12th when what looked like a perfect drive down the middle tumbled…
Centurion Club: LIV destination with one eye on the future
No committees, no captains and a casual approach to clothing – welcome to Centurion Golf Club: where the normal rules do not apply. The Hertfordshire course, situated 25 miles north of London, celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023 and has been creating headlines right through its first decade. From hosting the inaugural GolfSixes in 2017 and women’s Aramco Team Series, through to staging the first LIV Golf event in June 2022, Centurion Golf Club does not shy away from the innovative or controversial. And just like the course, future aspirations are big and bold. The LIV Golf and the Aramco…