Quote of the Week

Merry Christmas

Well, the big day is here.

I hope everyone's opening lots of fun golfing gifts from under the tree this morning.

Have a great day!

Quote of the Week

Last Minute Golfer Gifts

I don’t know about you but December has completely sneaked up on me this year.

So, for those of us who perhaps may have forgotten (or just “forgotten”) to head out to the busy shops and find gifts for the golfers in their life - fear not.

Not only are the last posting dates nice and late this year (today for second class posting, Saturday 20th for first class and Tuesday 23rd for Special Delivery) but there are also plenty of ways to still get that ideal present before the big day.

Say it with me - gift certificates!



Golf Direct

What can't you buy from Golf Direct? Let them buy their own present by selecting gift vouchers from £10 to £1000. £1000 to spend on any golfing thing ever - bliss!

Click here for more information and to buy.

IJP Design 

Looking for something fun and funky to wear on the golf course? Head on over to Ian Poulter’s company where you can buy vouchers from £10 to £100. 

Click here for more information and to buy.

American Golf

American golf has a range of vouchers form £5 to £100. These vouchers can be mailed or emailed to you and can be redeemed online or in store. 

Click here for more information and to buy. 

Direct Golf

Not to be confused with Golf Direct (hmmmm) Direct Golf is Europe’s number one golf discount specialist and has gift cards available for £10, £25 or £50. They can be redeemed online, phone sales or at one of their stores.

Click here for more information and to buy.

Clubhouse Golf Direct

Seriously - people need to come up with new store names that don’t include the words golf and direct. Or just direct. Anyway, vouchers from clubhouse golf direct range from £5 to £100 and can be redeemed on-line or direct at their store in Manchester. Road trip?!

Click here for more information and to buy.





Green Free

Green Free vouchers give two golfers a round of golf at a golf course for the price of one round. They have over 900 participating courses in the UK.

You can buy 5 (+ 1 bonus) voucher for £14.75 or a 24 pack for £44.95. Orders are subject to a £3 admin fee. 

Click here for more information and to buy.

Open Fairways

An Open fairways membership offers a range of benefits such as:

• Up to 50% off green fees, for 1 to 8 golfers (eligible on 250+ courses in Ireland; 750+ courses in the UK and 600+ international courses in Spain, Portugal, France and further afield) 
• Up to 50% off the rack room rate at over 150 partner hotels in Ireland 
• 10% off the best available single night rate at participating Radisson Blu and Park Inn Hotels in the UK and Ireland 
• Members eNewsletter - regular updates on new courses and members only offers 
• Discounted rates when you book any specified Dream Ireland Holiday Homes 

The basic cost is just £89 and you can even get the hotel discounts without playing golf so can be used by the whole family. 

Click here for more information and to buy.

Top Golf Tournaments in Scotland - 2015

We all know there are plenty of reasons to play golf in Scotland no matter what the month or year. But what makes 2015 special is the exciting tournaments coming to our shores.

So if you’re looking to combine your own golfing with watching the top players in action next year, here’s where you need to head to catch the biggies that everyone’s will be talking about.


Gullane Golf Club - Scottish Open - 9-12 July
Taking place in July, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open is one of the leading events on the European Tour. With the world’s top golfers competing for prize money worth £2.5m, this is a great tournament to catch some competitive play.

This tournament takes place from 9-12 July on Course No. 1 and Course No. 2 at Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian. With a location not too far from either Edinburgh, Glasgow or even Newcastle, this is conveniently located to pop along to.


Torrance Course - Scottish Senior Open - August
The SSE Scottish Senior Open returns to Fairmont St Andrews Torrance Course and we should once again be in for a treat as some tour legends play for the quarter million pound prize. It’s stroke play played over three days in August with 72 professionals vying for the title.

Gleneagles - Johnnie Walker Championship - August
Already missing the action of The Ryder Cup? Well, the Johnnie Walker Championship is held each August at Gleneagles on the PGA Centenary Course so we’re back to the same course - let’s hope for the same kind of drama.

For four days, The Johnnie Walker Championship will return to Gleneagles after not being featured on the European Tour’s 2014 schedule due to the Ryder Cup, so when all the best players get there it should be so much fun!

Dundonald Links - The Ladies Scottish Open - 24-26 July
With the same sponsor as the men’s event, the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open will this year be held on Ayrshire coasts Dundonald Links. In an interesting twist for a high level tournament, this even is pro-am. A great European Tour event in an area of great beauty. What more could you want?

The Old Course - The Open Championship - 12-19 July
Woo hoo - The Open Championship is back in St Andrews. I can’t quite believe it’s been five years since we last hosted it. Actually, 2005 seems like it was just a couple of years ago so don’t listen to me when it comes to how long ago things were!

Anyway, all the top players will be trying to win the Claret Jug on arguably the best golf course in the world. Or one of them at least.

Judging by all the drama we’ve had over the years, you won’t want to miss it!

Ailsa Course - Ricoh Women’s British Open - 30 July-2 August
Does anyone else miss the days when the ladies British Open was sponsored by Weetabix? I don’t know why but I do!

This is the only women’s major played in Europe and one of the tours’ five major tournaments so all the best female players will be in Scotland at the end of July. It returns to Scotland every 2 years and next year will be held at the Trump Turnberry Resort’s Ailsa Course.

So come to Scotland in 2015 - it's going to be awesome!

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14 of the most awesome golfing things that happened in 2014...

It’s getting near Christmas and the end of the year, too. That means that I’m not looking to read (or write!) anything particularly heavy. Hey, if I’m honest I’m still recovering from our Smash Factor posts from earlier in the year!!

So let’s do something fun and have a look at 14 awesome things that happened in the world of golf in 2014 that were memorable - some for the right reasons, some for reasons so wrong they were right!!

In no particular order, we have:

1. Facebreakers, baby!

2. #philwashere - enough said!

3. Bubba's second green jacket in April was a seriously good time. What a fun guy he is and a very deserving winner in my book.

4. Monty wins a major! Nah - that's not true. He won two!!! Okay, okay, they were senior tour majors but I'm counting them and I'll bet he is, too! For those who missed these momentous occasions it was the Senior PGA Championship and US Senior Open. Check out that smile. That smile is happiness!

© Getty Images

5. Oh yes, when thinking of awesome things of 2014, how can you forget Europe's Ryder Cup win?

Just realised I cut off the heads of IJP and Martin Kaymer - oops!

6. Way back in March Paula Creamer had a 75-foot putt to win HSBC Women’s Championship in Singapore. Did I think she would make it? No. Did I suspiciously get something in my eye after she did? Maybe.

7. Who says you need to be a professional golfer to have one of the most awesome moments of 2014? And the fact that it's at Elie (just down the road) is the icing on the cake.

8. We needed to have a hole in one on this list. Zach Johnson's hole-in-one at the U.S. Open was the one we choose. Awesome shot and even better celebration.

9. Another Bubba moment now. Check out this phenomenal eagle hole at the WGC HSBC Championships. What?

10. Martin Kaymer makes the list again. This time with a head and a 28 foot shot to save par on the 17th at The Players Champs. This guy has nerves of steel, especially since he went on to win.

11. Another hole in one now but this one is a doozy. Anyone who says that they're too old to do something needs to take a lesson from Gus Andreone. At 103 he is likely the oldest person to ever record a hole in one. More power to you, Gus!

12. Rain? What rain? It might not usually be fun for players or fans but this was a blast in August!

13. Voted one of the best golfing photos of 2014, this photo of Bradley Neil at the St Andrew and Jacques Trophies at Barseback Golf and Country Club in Loddekopinge, Sweden is truly amazing!

Credit: Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

14. To end, who else but Rory? He just had to make this list. What an awesome 2014 he's had! BBC Sports Personality of the year anyone? Edit: He was robbed!

Yet More Christmas Gifts for Golfers

I’m nothing if not helpful in the run up to Christmas as I bring you yet more gifts for the golfer in your life. Even if that's you yourself!

I have to admit that it’s a two fold plan. Firstly, of course, I’m helping golfers get something fun and useful under the tree this year. And secondly, I’m sending the blogs to my better half - Christmas wish list sorted!

So here are some more of my top Christmas finds.


Shotsaver SLR500 Laser Rangefinder

I love my gadgets and this is one of those devices that you can get away with spending a lot of money on because it's both practical and fun. This particular model is a snip (compared to others I've seen) at only £149.99.

But what does it actually do? Well, it allows very accurate distance measurements on the golf course in any conditions. It can pick out yardages to the edge of a fairway bunker, the back of a green, the flag, the edge of a hazard etc. Knowing the exact distance to a target is a great advantage in your game.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Stuburt Pro-Am XT Spikeless Golf Shoes

I suddenly see why many girls have such an obsession with shoes. These spikeless golf shoes can provide grip while on the course but can also be used off course as a leisure shoe.

Designed for dry summer conditions (not wet or soft course conditions), they are lightweight, are designed to provide comfort and support for your swing while looking awesome!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Pencil Golf Bag

If you want to minimise the amount of golf gear you take onto the course or just need clubs for a few holes then a pencil golf bag is a must.

This Callaway Hyper Lite golf bag is designed to fill all requirements the carry bag player needs with a super lightweight design - a really useful golfing accessory. There other pencil golf bags available so take your pick.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Practice Net

Keeping your swing in good form over the long winter months is not always easy.

If you have enough space then you can set up a practice net in your garden to hit balls at leisure.

This Colin Montgomerie Deluxe practice net is available from Amazon and provides a nice challenge but the kind of challenge that is more like fun than work!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Golf Mitts

If you are not interested in having a well known logo on your golf wear then you may be interested in these German Army Goretex mittens. They will keep your hands warm on cold golfing days and since the snow has already arrived - these are definitely on my own personal wish list.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Hotrox Electronic Hand Warmer
If gloves are not sufficient to keep the cold out then a hand warmer may be the solution.

This particular choice charges via a USB port meaning you can charge it from your computer, your car or some battery powered golf trolleys.

This hand warmer can be switched on and off as required and will take up to 500 charge cycles. Cosy!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Winter Hat

The most common winter head wear for golfers is a beanie hat but they are not for everyone! If you don't suit or like this type of headwear then a more traditional style of hat may be appropriate.

Tilley are a traditional Canadian company who have been making hats since the 1930’s. This winter hat can be worn on and off the golf course and has a touch of style.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Explanar Home Golf Training Aid

The Explanar Home Golf Training Aid can be used to develop a powerful, repeatable swing in your own home.

The aim of this training aid is to develop a repeatable swing on the ideal swing plane for your height. I was lucky enough to have a go of this at a recent golf show and it is a really great piece of kit. I might have to wait until a lottery win to get my hands on it, though.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Mizuno Twin Canopy Golf Umbrella

This twin canopy umbrella gives full wind and rain protection from showers and downpours - perfect for us Brits! It is tested to 60 mph wind conditions (and obviously survived) so that's got to be a point in its favour!

Click here for more information and to buy.

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The best (and funniest) golf adverts

I have been trying for years to find a video of what I feel is the funniest golfing advert of all time. I've convinced myself the advert was for Footjoy - the series with the hilarious caddy. In the particular advert, Phil Mickelson is finding out about his future. At the end he says, "I'm going to be bald?"

It's hilarious but I just can't seem to find it. I thought everything was on YouTube...

But while trying to find it, I did come across some other funny golf adverts that I wanted to share.

Enjoy.

Rory vs the Robot - European Tour

When The Boss is Not Coming in to the Office - FedEx

The Conference Call - FedEx

No Cup is Safe - Nike Golf

And, of course, if anyone comes across the Footjoy advert then please send it my way!

Player Profile: Thomas Mitchell Morris, Sr. (Old Tom Morris)

I thought it would be fun to put together profiles of my favourite and influential players of the golf game.

With that being said, there are so many names that I had to choose from that I had no idea where to start. Did I choose people that inspired me as a youth? Or maybe the more modern players who have changed the game in recent years?

And then I realised the best place to start would be at the start of the very game I love - St Andrews. Who to choose then became an easy choice - the founding father of the modern game - Old Tom Morris.

Name: Thomas Mitchell Morris, Sr.

Nickname: Old Tom

Date of birth: 16th June, 1821

Place of birth: St Andrews, Fife

Date of death: 24th May, 1908 (aged 86)

Place of death: St Andrews, Fife

Nationality: Scottish

Notable Wins: The Open Championship 1861, 1862, 1864, 1867

_________________________________________________________________________________

Other notable facts:

Age 14, he was hired as a caddy by the world’s first professional golfer, Allan Robertson.

Struck the first shot in the first ever Open Championship in 1860.

The first Open was held at Prestwick Golf Club, where Morris was the "Keeper of the Green, Ball and Club Maker” for 13 years from the club’s start-up in 1851. He also designed the original golf course there.

He holds the record for the largest margin of victory in the Open Championship at 13 shots. 

“For true success, it matters what our goals are. And it matters how we go about attaining them. The means are as important as the ends. How we get there is as important as where we go.”

When he returned to St Andrews in 1865 as a greenskeeper and professional, he commanded the sum of £50/year. 

He’s still the oldest ever winner of the Open at 46. 

He is buried in the grounds of the St Andrews Cathedral. 

In 1899, Old Tom Morris took on an apprentice greenskeeper at St. Andrews. That apprentice was Donald Ross, the future golf design genius. 

He played in every British Open until 1895 when he was 74. 

In 1868, his son, Young Tom Morris, won the Open Championship and Old Tom Morris finished second. It is the only time a son and father have finished 1-2. 

He outlived his son by more than 30 years. 

After his son's death, he said: "People say he died of a broken heart; but if that was true, I wouldn't be here either." 

His swing was classed as slow and smooth. 

His difficulty was always with the short putts. 

He was a fiercely competitive player. 

He produced or designed over 75 golf courses including Prestwick, Royal Dornoch, Tain, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Askernish Golf Club and Cruden Bay to name but a few. 

He is credited as the man who standardised the golf course to 18 holes.

He was Custodian of the Links in St Andrews - a position he held for nearly forty years - until he reached retirement age in 1902. 

The final hole on the Old Course bears his name. 

He said of Fifers: “We were all born with webbed feet and a golf club in our hand here.”

He was Custodian of the Links in St Andrews - a position he held for nearly forty years - until he reached retirement age in 1902. 

Morris received the sum of £3 as the runner-up at the first Open Championships, but the winner, Willie Park, received no prize money, making do with the honour of being named "The Champion Golfer" for that year.

He featured on a commemorative £5 bank note in 2004. 

He charged £1 per day plus travelling expenses to design golf courses. 

His first shop was located at 15 The Links in St Andrews.

“A goal is not the same as a desire, and this is an important distinction to make. You can have a desire you don't intend to act on. But you can't have a goal you don't intend to act on.”

Quote of the Week

The World Golf Rankings

It seems to be much talked of but did you know that it’s only since 1986 there has been an official world golf ranking list. I say ‘only’ because I truly believe that 1994 was 10 years ago. Anyway, Bernard Langer was the first official number one when the list was inaugurated prior to the 1986 Masters. Greg Norman soon overtook Langer and he finished the year on top of the rankings.

The calculation of the world ranking is quite complex using averages over 2 years and different values for the various golf tours. 

The purpose of the calculations is to give a higher ranking to the most consistent players while also rewarding those who perform well in the majors and other big events where the number of higher ranked players is greater.

Only 2 players have been at world no 1 without winning a major; Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.There are always complaints when the world rankings don’t favour your favourite player but you should always remember that being consistently highly placed in a tournament is often more rewarding that being a one time winner and doing nothing else of note.

Since the average is taken over 2 years it has happened that a golfer who has been dominant in one year can hold on to the number one spot despite have a poor second year. As an example, in the year 2000, Tiger Woods earned so many points that even if he had not gained any points in 2001 his average points would have had him in the number 1 spot.

This was really just a general musing into the history of the number one players in golf. Although some may disagree, even with the rankings officially starting in 1986, I’m still not convinced that the number one golfer is always the best either in a season or long term. 

Should the system be changed to reflect a more season to season raking - yes, probably - but at the end of the day being number one is just a title and I’d rather be world number 8 and hit all my professional goals. 

On that note, with my love of statistics I thought it would be of interest to have a look at the players that have been world number 1, how many weeks they have held that position and what percentage of time they have spent at number one across all number 1 golfers.

More Christmas Gifts for Golfers

As promised, I’ve been searching around the internet for some more gifts to buy the golfer in your life this Christmas. Even if that golfer is you and you are buying for yourself, you’ll find lots of fun golf gifts.

So without further ado...

Golf Fitness by Gary Player (Foreword)

This is a book about being and getting fit for golf which is definitely something we all need! Gary Player was one of the first pro golfers to recognise the need for fitness and it’s he who has written the foreword in this worthwhile book.

Click here for more information and to buy.



Socks 

You think I'm joking but I'm not! When you have run out of ideas why not give socks as a present? Good quality comfortable socks are a must to complete the golfing outfit and there's a pair for anyone that golfs. Yes, it's not just men that can have the joy of receiving socks for Christmas!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Galvin Green Angus Gore-Tex Waterproof Golf Jacket 

Playing golf in the winter? Or Scotland in June? Well, you will need some good quality waterproofs. These Gore-Tex jackets come with a lifetime waterproof guarantee so it's worth a fair whack. You will have to pay a fair whack as it's currently priced at £239.95 but it's the last waterproof jacket you'll ever need to buy.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Yoga for Golfers by Katherine Roberts

The author has combined her passions to create the "Yoga for Golfers" program - an integrated educational system providing instruction on how to improve flexibility, range of motion, and concentration on the course. Be bendy, my friends.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Longridge Power Band

This is a swing aid designed to keep your arms working together and stop the ‘flying right elbow’. Continued use of this training aid will improve technique and as a consequence length and accuracy. And it's under a tenner, too!


Click here for more information and to buy.



Motocaddy S3 Pro Electric Golf Trolley

If you are looking for a bit of help getting around the golf course a motorised golf trolley is the best gift for yourself. This trolley will get you round 36 holes, includes distance tracker (not for competition use) and a usb charger for your mobile devices - among other cool gadgets. Okay you have to fork out a pretty penny (£599) but look how cool it is!!

Click here for more information and to buy.

iTunes Voucher

Now who doesn't like an iTunes voucher at the best of times? But, by giving the golfer in your life (or yourself) an iTunes gift voucher for Christmas then they/you can buy the R and A rules app for your iPhone. Keeping a copy of the rules of golf with you wherever you go and wherever you play. It also has lots of extra information and quiz questions. Admittedly, it's currently free to download but then you still have the rest of your iTunes voucher to use!

Click here for more information and to buy.


Perfect Plane Putting Training Aid

The SKLZ Perfect Plane Putting Training Aid teaches a consistent putting stroke path, proper acceleration and how to square the club face. This guide can be used on the practice green, at home or in the office - between meetings, obviously!! At under £30, it's a great buy.

Click here for more information and to buy.




Game Golf Digital Tracking System

Check out this new gizmo. It tracks your progress around the golf course, recording the club you use and where you hit the ball from. It conforms to PGA and R&A rules so can even be used in competition. The purpose is to analyse your round, showing where you were on the course for your shots. It retails at £159.95 but it will keep the golfer in your life occupied for AGES.

Click here for more information and to buy.


Momentus Swing Trainers

Momentus Golf has been producing swing aids for some time and so have a strong reputation. This particular weighted swing trainer can be can be used to hit balls on the practice range and is designed to improve timing, rhythm, and tempo and add distance to your iron shots. It's only £34.99, too! Now I did say that you shouldn't buy clubs for a golfer but this training aid is an exception.

Click here for more information and to buy.



I have even more ideas for gifts so check back soon...

All prices were correct at the time of writing this post. If they go up - sorry. If they go down - yay!

Quote of the Week

What’s Happening in Golf?

Well, I was all set to blog about the Race to Dubai with the upcoming and final event, the DP World Tour Championship, this week in Dubai.

However, all good plans can (and do) go awry it seems. Rory McIlroy has secured the Race to Dubai prize as none of his nearest challengers could do enough over the last 3 tournaments to take the race to the final tournament.

The penultimate tournament at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Course in Antalya, Turkey (aka The Turkish Airlines Open) was the maiden European Tour win for 24 year old American Brooks Koepka. This win means that neither Marcel Siem, Jamie Donaldson nor Sergio Garcia, who had to win the Turkish Airlines Open and the DP World Tour Championship, can overtake McIlroy. Bit of an anti climax really.

Still, over the season there is no doubt that McIlroy deserved to win the European Tour money list so while being unexciting in terms of drama, he still deserves a huge congratulations!

In other news, Charley Hoffman won on the PGA tour at Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. This is his third Tour win and his first in 4 years. A few interesting facts here; he has had 108 starts since his last win - even winners can find it tough and mentally gruelling on Tour, it would seem. Yet to add a consistency to his game this weekend, in his final round he hit 16 greens in regulation. Nice. 

Danny Lee from New Zealand had a 7 in a row birdie streak to turn in 29, but three bogies on the back nine left him 2 shots off the winner.

Russell Knox of Scotland tied 37th, 10 shots back but only 4 shots from a top ten finish. The smallest of margins are important. 

The European tour qualifying is in the final stages and the six round competition for places will finish on the 20th November. At the time of writing Anirban Lahiri is leading the way. He is 76th in the world rankings and still has to progress through tour qualifying! Other notables in the field of 156 players include 2 Ryder cup players - Philip Price and Ignacio Garrido and previous European Tour winners that include Ricardo Gonzalez, Kenneth Ferrie, Jean-Francois Remesy and Nick Dougherty. The leading 25 players will qualify for tour privileges.

The web.com tour qualifying for the PGA in the USA is also in progress. 

In the second stages, I noticed that Arjuna Atwal, Daniel Chopra and Shaun Micheel have failed to progress to the final stages. Frank Lickliter has finished tied 13 in his second stage qualifying and will progress to the final stage (6 rounds) in December at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

More on this next month.

Look out for the Australian Masters at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne this week end. Adam Scott is looking for three wins in a row.

Still lots to keep us golf lovers amused in the winter months! Check back soon for more golf chat.

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