Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 25 January 2016
Golf’s participation statistics are a real cause for concern. Golf has lost 13% of its regular players in the last four years. That’s worrying enough, but another stat troubles us even more: participation amongst 16 to 25-year-olds has dropped 45% in the same period. There are currently only around 50,000 regular golfers in that age range. That means, as older...
Written by Stuart Hood on Monday 25 January 2016
90% of amateur golfers hit the ball with a left-to-right shot shape. And almost 100% of them would swap it for a crowd-pleasing draw, given half the chance. But is a draw all it’s cracked up to be? Plenty of the world’s best golfers favour a fade, and Martin Kaymer’s game fell apart when he tried to swap his for...
Written by Rob McGarr on Monday 25 January 2016
The PC used to be the homeland of golf games, until Sony’s PlayStation came along and we all ditched three clicks of the mouse for a pull and push of a joystick as they way of making a virtual swing. The PC may be about to make a comeback, though, with the release of Winning Putt by Bandai Namco. Winning Putt is completely...
Written by Rob Jerram on Tuesday 12 January 2016
When Dan Walker’s mother cut short his first golf lesson, a group session being taught by a drunken instructor, he could never have guessed the huge part the sport would play in his life. The 38-year-old has been a key part of the BBC’s golf team for over a decade, and it was during the 2009 Open at Turnberry that Walker...
Written by Stuart Hood on Tuesday 12 January 2016
Ian Richards has been a professional golf gambler for 15 years. In that time he has developed a strategy that has relieved bookmakers of hundreds of thousands of pounds. He agreed to reveal his secrets, as long as we didn’t reveal his face. If you are planning to bet on golf, make sure you pay close attention to Richards’ tips. How did...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 12 January 2016
It’s often easy to dismiss mini golf as a bit of novelty fun, a nice way to spend half an hour on a summer holiday putting through the mouth of a whale or a clown’s pocket, but with little resemblance to real golf. At The Belfry’s new 12-hole mini golf course, however, it’s a much more serious affair. The Belfry has...
Written by Rob McGarr on Wednesday 6 January 2016
2016 is set to be a year to remember for golf fans. As well as the usual four majors, we’ve got the Ryder Cup 2016 to look forward to, and the little matter of the 2016 Olympics being the first to feature golf since 1904. To ensure you don’t miss any of the action, make sure you’ve got these dates...
Written by Denis Pugh, PGA Master professional and coach to Francesco Molinari and Ross Fisher on Wednesday 6 January 2016
I spend a lot of time at Tour events, both as a Sky Sports pundit, and working with the players I coach. Walking along the practice range, I’ll see players practising and preparing in a variety of different manners. They have different routines, use different swing aids, hit different clubs in different orders and work on different things. One thing...
Written by Chris Jones on Wednesday 6 January 2016
If you’ve been tempted to try some of the new kit revealed in the last week, you’ll get the chance at a new golf show. The Golf Show by American Golf, which takes place over the weekend of February 27-28, will see the latest hardware on show from brands such as Benross, Callaway, Cobra, Nike, Ping, Srixon, TaylorMade, Titleist and Wilson. This...
Written by Pete Masters, Golf World Magazine on Wednesday 6 January 2016
In 2015, Jordan Spieth put together one of the greatest years in the history of professional golf. Spieth who began the year aged 21, won two majors and three other tournaments en route to FedEx Cup glory, earning more than $22 million and overhauling Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings. But how does Spieth’s 2015 season compare...
Written by Rob McGarr on Tuesday 5 January 2016
If we asked you to name 10 golf manufacturers, Parsons Xtreme Golf probably wouldn’t make the list. Unless you’re seriously into your golf gear, it’s likely you’ve never heard of Parsons Xtreme Golf, often known simply as ‘PXG’. But you can expect that to change during the course of 2016. In a world where the likes of Ping, Callaway, Titleist and...