Recently, I got the chance to play this year’s Open Championship venue, Royal St George’s. I’d played the course before a few years back, and despite playing awfully on a perfect day with no wind, this time I was quite happy with the fact that there was a stiff breeze as this would give me a chance to see the course with a bit more teeth and get a better idea of the kind of challenge the pros will be facing in July.

I’m not sure if anyone else is the same, but I’m not a massive fan of having lots of people watch as I tee off, especially on the first with the wind blowing straight back at you. This may be something to do with the fact I’m never 100% sure where the ball is going… Anyway, as we waited to tee off on the first, I wasn’t exactly over the moon to see a large group approach and take their positions behind the first. As it turned out, as part of the preparations for The Open the R&A has invited camera crews from all over the world to visit the course to discuss camera positions etc. Despite the gallery, I was happy to find the fairway along with my playing partners, although slightly less pleased when the group decided to follow us down the first! More...

Sunbury Golf Club is located just outside Staines, easily reached from both the M25 and the M3. It’s not the longest course by any means, but is an ideal place to work on your game, and boy does my game need work!

The course was in pretty good condition considering the weather recently, and with the wind up it was quite challenging on a number of the holes. And despite being busy, as you would expect the weekend after the Ryder Cup, the pace of play was generally pretty good.
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This weekend I played at Blue Mountain Golf Centre, just off the M4 near Wokingham. The weather was a bit iffy, which probably explained why the course was pretty quiet, although it did pick up at times which is always helpful; it’s bad enough playing badly, but playing badly when you’re cold and wet is even worse.  More...

Always likely to be a controversial subject this, but there’s probably nothing better to provoke a bit of debate. Now that the dust has settled on the epic contest at Celtic Manor, it’s time to look back objectively (as much as possible) and decide who had a shocker and who was a hero. Did all the picks live up to the faith the captains showed in them? Did anyone play so well they are virtually guaranteed a spot at Medinah in 2 years? More...