Written by Edward Colman on Monday, 10 October 2016
How soft golf balls are closing the gap on performance, but retaining it on price. Our testing has shown just how closely some premium and softer compression golf balls are matched for performance, which for you the golfer has to be a good thing. Yes it's a tough choice to decide which is best suited to your game, but we reckon there's...
Thursday, 1 September 2016
Which type is best for you? To choose your best distance measuring device, you need to be honest about how and where you play. For example, during testing we played the Castle Course at St Andrews where blind tee shots are a feature. A rangefinder would have made it really difficult to plot our way...
Thursday, 25 August 2016
How on earth are you supposed to choose the best golf ball for your game? We've asked the biggest golf ball brands to explain what each ball in their range is designed to do, and which kind of golfer it would suit best. Their responses help us answer the questions most asked...
Written by Edward Colman on Friday, 29 July 2016
If you want help getting your handicap down this summer, look no further than this great test. PING G £92 (s) £104 (g) Per club Availability: 4–LW (inc UW, SW) Stock shafts: AWT 2.0 (s); CFS (g) 7-iron loft and length: 30.5°/37in Tech: Heat-treated to make the heads 40% stronger than the 17-4 steel Ping traditionally use in their irons. COR-Eye technology behind the face encourages...
Written by Simon Daddow on Wednesday, 27 July 2016
We don't all have £300+ to spend on a new big stick, so is it worth going second-hand? The average price of a driver in our Top Gear mega test was more than £311. For that kind of cash you get the latest technology, performance and the chance to get a proper fitting. Yet that's still out of reach for a lot...
Written by Simon Daddow on Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Toe-hang and face-balanced putters have been on the scene for years but now there's a new putter balancing act on the scene. The new concept is Torque Balanced, which means if you balance the putter shaft on your nger the toe of the putter – not its face – points to the sky. The idea behind the design is that the...
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
It wasn’t long ago that electric trolleys were considered a purchase for the over 60s or those who needed extra help completing a full 18 holes. Today that’s all changed. Over half of UK golfers use one to take the strain out of carrying a heavy bag, and help them stay fresh and competitive over the latter holes of a round.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Get insured with Golf Care The cost of injury, damage and theft are the last things golfers want to worry about when they step onto the course. The financial implications of a mis-hit have never been greater. The case where both a golfer and the club were found liable for nearly £400,000 following an accident that resulted in a player losing the...
Friday, 2 October 2015
It’s not long since yardage books and marker posts were the only help golfers got plotting their way around a course. Things have changed massively over the last five years and now distance measuring devices feature in most golfers’ bags. But with the increasing choice, how do you decide which best suits you and your game? Handheld GPS, laser rangefinder or...
Monday, 17 August 2015
For anyone who thinks golf is a science, consider the moment we pick up a new putter in a pro shop. The experience turns us into mystics and fortune-tellers. "Phew, I'd hole some putts with this" is the response you're looking for – though it could just as easily be "Oh God no," with the putter hastily re-racked before its venomous...
Monday, 20 July 2015
Walk up to the counter of every golf shop in the land and you’ll be greeted by a wall of golf balls. They are all 1.68 inches across, they are all white – apart from the ones that are yellow – and they are all covered in dimples. Read the packaging and they all promise you the long game of...
Tuesday, 9 June 2015
This year's crop are the most versatile ever, blending escapology with tee-box power and towering fairway flight. But which does them all that little bit better? Rooted in its ability to trounce irons from cuppy lies, the hybrid has evolved to become a lot more than an escape artist. When clubmakers reached the driver's legal limits, their focus shifted to fairway...
Friday, 15 May 2015
The technology and design of 14 of the latest models put through their paces on the course and a launch monitor. So which models will come out on top? A good wedge is a blend of technology and the touchy-feely stuff; it has to inspire confidence through its design and feel, and it has to perform with consistency in crucial parameters...
Monday, 13 April 2015
Another year has brought about a flurry of new golf equipment in time for the new season. Club and ball manufacturers continue to amaze me, thinking outside the box to get around the rules imposed on them by our game’s governing bodies and enhance performance in exciting, innovative ways. There’s no sign of product launches slowing down. In fact, you...
Wednesday, 8 April 2015
Game improvement irons, it must be said, are tragically underused by the nation’s golfers. They tend to go further, offer more forgiveness and have a wider sole to help reduce the effect of heavy strikes. For the 2016 game improvment irons test click here Yet pride forces many of us to opt for a set of “better player” irons because they’re what...
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
We kick off our exhaustive 2015 testing programme with the club we all love most – the driver. This year has seen a raft of new launches, all claiming to help you hit the ball longer and straighter. But with so many decent options out there, how do you decide which one to buy? This test has been done by...
Written by Luther Blacklock on Thursday, 29 January 2015
I first swung a golf club at the age of 14; from that very first time, I knew I’d found what I wanted to do for a living. As a junior member of Cradoc Golf Club, in the Brecon Beacons National Park, I started to practise every day. My first Slazenger practice bag held about 80 balls. If 80 practice...
Written by Luther Blacklock on Monday, 5 January 2015
One of my favourite teaching adages is that “90% of swing faults start at address – and the other 10% start at address as well!” Teaching golf at Woburn over the last 30 years, I have been amazed how many new pupils come to me with complex and varied swing thoughts, yet pay little or no attention to the fundamentals...
Monday, 8 December 2014
Until the 1960s almost all golf coaching was via the spoken and written word. Good golf teachers would turn their spoken words into pictures by demonstrating the golf swing and various shots. Early photography, with limited shutter speeds, would often distort the shaft’s movement. The great Ben Hogan dabbled with early home cinema cameras and recorded his swing for posterity; his...
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
As the golfing season draws to a close, we can reflect on our achievements. They say the definition of madness is repeatedly doing the same thing while expecting a different result. If 2014 did not produce the improvement in your game that you had hoped for, try to do something fresh and positive this winter. Here, I want to help...