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…
Stunning Sotogrande a jewel in Costa Del Sol’s crown
Here’s an admission to kick off with: I’ve never been on a golf trip before. Golf has been like an old friend to me; floating in and out of my life, squeezing in time together when we can and picking up where we left off after long periods of separation. It’s constantly in the back of my mind; I wonder how it is, follow its stories on the internet and keep telling myself I MUST check in with it when life is a little less hectic. But I’ve never thought to take it on holiday, just me and golf. Languishing…
Breathtaking beauty and unrelenting drama at unique Cape Kidnappers
At their best, golf courses captures the soul of their surroundings, gradually revealing a place over 18 unique chapters: never is that more the case than at Cape Kidnappers Golf Club. Tucked away on a 500 foot cliff in a corner Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island, this is a place that had occupied my mind long before my visit, and will now stay with me forever. Why? Well, the scenery is outrageous, filled with ocean and cliffs as far as the eye can see. The history adds to the allure. It was Captain James Cook who christened these…