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ON THE MONEYSAVE SHOTS WITH 25 CANE TIPS & DRILLS

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BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING GOLF MAGAZINE Today’s

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TO AUGUSTA

N E W S I N S T R U C T I O N E Q U I P M E N T C O U R S E S T R A V E L

FIRST TEE

LIGHT RELIEFFortunately for his caddie, the built-in TV only adds three pounds to the weight of the bag.

IS SUE 2 81 ❘ TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK

N E W S & I N S I G H T

BAG WITH BUILT-IN TVDaly cashes in with ads on his bag’s HD screen

{COMMERCIAL BREAK}

J ohn Daly has never been slow to realise commercial opportunities and he has again pushed the

boundaries on the golf course.The man who once sold his ‘Wild

Thing’ merchandise out of the back of his luxury camper van in Augusta and has had a TV series filmed about himself now has a flat-screen television screen built into his new golf bag.

The screen is the brainchild of www.ProBagAds.com founder Joe Kirkpatrick and is currently only used as an advertising tool, with companies paying over $500 per tournament week to have their logos and ads rotate on the 10.4in screen on 1995 Open champion Daly’s tour bag.

However, the technology has the potential to do so much more. Developers are working on enabling the screen to show television programmes and developing touch-screen capabilities, GPS and other applications for future models.

The ‘Wild Thing’ admits he hopes to find a way to get it to play video like his smartphone and watch the NFL while overseas (watching TV while playing is banned on the PGA Tour).

ProBagAds.com is also working on designing and producing custom bags for equipment manufacturers to use as club-fitting and demo stations in shops and golf courses.

Al Czervik’s bag in Caddyshack also had a beer tap. Will ‘JD’ get Diet Coke piped into his instead?

TOP EXPOSURE Well, even if no-one else is looking at it, we’ve all had a look at this advert! Money well spent...

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81

Groove the perfect putting strokeThis is the mother of all practice putting drills. Why? Because it serves to fix a number of common faults and helps groove the ideal stroke on the greens. Firstly, an extremely common problem with amateur golfers is ball

position. Positioning the ball too far back in the stance means the putter is imparting too much backspin, meaning the ball will skid more after impact and not roll on a true path. Positioning the ball too far forward makes the task of

squaring the clubface very difficult. Another common fault is excessive wrist action. The movement of the putting stroke should come from the shoulders, meaning the relationship between the arms, wrists and putter stays

constant. This drill makes this relationship instantly visual, giving you feedback if the relationship changes and your wrists are active. By practising this drill, you’re adopting a flawless routine that will knock shots off your scores.

12

SET-UP RIGHTPlace a cane on the back of the putter and into the sternum. The ball position should be sitting 1-2 inches in front of the sternum. The cane should therefore be vertical with the ball just in front.

ROCKING MOTIONDuring the stroke, feel that the hands and the cane are moving at the same speed. This ensures that the correct pendulum motion occurs from the shoulders and not the hands or wrists.

Position the cane in the butt of the club or hold it in your grip. In the takeaway, when the club is parallel to the ground, it should also be parallel to the ball-to-target line for a straight shot. This drill is a quick check to help get your swing off to a good start, on-plane leading to a smaller dispersion.

Put the cane in the ground 10 yards out in front of you on the driving range down the target line. Practise starting the ball right of the cane with a closed clubface for a draw and left of the cane with an open clubface for a fade. The cane acts as an intermediate target for you to start the ball left or right of, helping you start draws and fades on the correct line.

Parallel lines in the takeaway

Shot-shaping practice drill

L O G O N T O T H E T G

W E B S I T E F O R F R E E P U T T I N G

V I D E O S CANE CHECKIf the hands move independently, either faster or slower than the cane, the distance between the hands and cane will change so try and keep it the same throughout the stroke.

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TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81

{ K N O W T H E G A M E }

Do the rules

need to change?

B Y K I T A L E X A N D E R

With rules controversies in the headlines and accusations of over complexity, should the Rules of Golf 2012 be simplified?

T he Rules of Golf are the fabric which holds this great game together. We, as golfers, pride ourselves on the

honour and honesty with which we police the sport; calling rules breaches and administering the appropriate punishment on ourselves without question or hesitation.

But what if you’re not even aware you’ve broken a rule? Or you know you have, but you don’t know the correct course of action or appropriate penalty?

The Rules of Golf 2008-2011 is a chunky 204 pages, so it’s nigh-on impossible for any golfer, even the pros, to know everything from cover to cover. With this in mind, many people, including Jack Nicklaus, are clamouring for the rules to be simplified.

“Probably the whole book of the Rules of Golf should be changed,” Nicklaus said on the Golf Channel in January. “If you try to figure it out, it should be common sense, yet common sense never seems to prevail.”

He added: “A USGA rules official said that it was much more difficult to pass the test to be a rules official than it was to pass the bar exam [to become a lawyer]. There’s no reason for that. The game should be simple. People should be able to understand the rules and the rules should be common sense.”

These calls have been lent further momentum by the spate of high-profile rulings and rules controversies in the professional game in recent months.

This couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment, with the powers that be deep in discussion about how the rules should be changed for the Rules of Golf 2012 book that will be released in October (the rules come into force on January 1, 2012).

So what do the lawmakers have to say? TG spoke to David Rickman, The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards.

◗ DO YOU THINK THE RULES OF GOLF ARE TOO COMPLICATED?No. Do I think that they’re complex? At times I would certainly concede that. But simplicity, fairness and staying faithful to the historic principles of the game are very important.

One of the great difficulties with the rules is that simplicity and fairness as two concepts pull in different directions. If you want a simpler set of rules I can give you a simpler set of rules, but the trouble is they then treat a lot of different situations the same. But then, understandably, people get concerned about whether the answers are truly appropriate to the particular circumstances.

They are complex, but golf is a complex game and the rules reflect that very fact.

◗ DO YOU THINK THIS COMPLEXITY IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING THE HIGH STANDARDS AND FAIRNESS OF GOLF?I do, but the fact that they are complex doesn’t mean we’re not looking at them,

testing them and trying to come up with better solutions.

When you take a step back from it you have to remember that this is a game played throughout the world by one set of rules irrespective of how good you are or where you play and that brings with it certain challenges and those challenges at times manifest themselves in some degree of complexity. I think the fact we all play one game is one of the great foundations of golf and one of the reasons why ordinary golfers can and do relate to professional golfers.

The fact that you can go anywhere in the world and play golf but the experience and the culture can be very different is extraordinary.

◗ HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO THE GAME’S FUTURE THAT RULES ARE SEEN AS FAIR AND RESPECTED?I do think it’s important. The rules themselves are simply part of the game, the game itself is much greater than any particular part of it, but I think the rules play an important role in trying to maintain the standards that we’ve held dear in the past and are seen as helping to preserve the attractive qualities and why people are attracted to the game in the first place.

◗ WHAT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE IS IT ESSENTIAL THAT EVERY GOLFER, EVEN THOSE NEW TO THE GAME, SHOULD HAVE?It’s a very good question and something that we have tried to address over the years. In the 2008 Rules of Golf book (the current rules), we included a Quick Guide at the front for the first time. It’s a bit like when you get a fancy new television and have the detailed specs of how everything works and then a quick set-up guide and essential information that provides most answers at the front.

If players were to know the rules and regulations in the Quick Guide then the vast majority of questions would be answered. The other recent development that we put out last summer was the iPhone app that is based on the Quick Guide and the type of situations that regularly occur week in and week out on golf courses around the world.

◗ HOW WELL DO THE PROS AND AMATEURS KNOW THE RULES?They generally do well. A lot of them have a good grasp of the fundamentals and equally importantly they know what they don’t know so they can put their hands up and ask for a ruling when they need to.

Could they know more? Probably. If they could improve even more that would be good because if you’ve got people who know the rules and can apply them then that means there aren’t so many delays during rounds then that has to be a benefit.

If you’ve got professional staff there to assist people if they have any doubts then they will ask and that’s entirely reasonable.

MisunderstoodThe R&A’s Kevin Barker corrects some of the most common rules mistakes…

◗ Clubs used to measureThe nearest point of relief should be measured using the club the player intends to play the next shot with. If a player uses a different club they are in danger of identifying a spot which is not the nearest point of relief and breaching the rules. Measuring the one or two club-length dropping area can be done with any club in the player’s bag.

◗ Loose impediments and pitch marksYou can remove sand and loose soil on the putting green and repair a pitch mark on the green, whether your ball lies on the green or not.

◗ Provisional ballThe provisional ball rule exists to save time. Therefore, once you go forward to search for the original ball you cannot go back to play a provisional. If you do so the second ball played is not a provisional ball, it becomes the ball in play under stroke and distance (Rule 27-2).

◗ Attending the flagstickThe flagstick can be attended whether or not the player’s ball lies on the putting green (Rule 17-1).

◗ Lift and replaceA player, his partner or another person authorised by the player may lift a ball and the player, the partner or the person who lifted it can replace it.

◗ Handicap on scorecardA player’s handicap can be recorded anywhere on the scorecard. Therefore, if the handicap is only recorded, for example, at the bottom of the card and not in the ‘official’ box, a competitor should not be disqualified. A competitor is also not required to initial any changes to his score (Decision 6-6a/6).>>

Knowing which club to use to

measure is vital.

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81

L E N G O O D M A N

OFF I WENT WITH A WINKLE PICKER ON ONE FOOT AND DAD’S SLIPPER ON THE OTHER...

I ONLY STARTED DANCING TO MEET GIRLS

L E N G O O D M A NCould Strictly Come Dancing’s loveable judge waltz

his way to a perfect score in this TG20 challenge?

W O R D S J O E L T A D M A N P I C T U R E S J A M E S C H E A D L E

L en Goodman certainly knows how to pick a venue. When TG heard he wanted to do battle with us at Royal St

George’s, the venue for this year’s Open Championship, we jumped at the chance. It was TG Instruction Editor Joel Tadman who jumped the highest, pitting himself against every mother’s favourite TV star. Unsurprisingly, this Open venue is one of Goodman’s favourite courses but he insisted that his impressive local knowledge would only “make the scoreline respectable.”

Goodman is a modest character. From the moment we met, it was clear he doesn’t view himself as a celebrity. As he so aptly put it, he’s “just a dance teacher that got lucky.” The dancer from Dartford refrains from warming up before a round so TG felt obliged to do the same. His down-to-earth approach immediately put TG at ease until he sent his opening drive down the middle of the first fairway with his customary power fade. With a handicap of 14, Len is a more-than-

handy golfer and his competitive nature made it obvious that TG had a game on its hands.

TG reluctantly declined to adhere to his unusual offer of us each receiving one kick and one throw of the ball per round, but immediately regretted that decision at the opening green where a double-bogey gave Goodman the perfect start and a 1-up advantage.

With the Strictly star starting to relax he revealed how he got into dancing in the first place.

“I played football as a youngster but when I was 21 I got a bad foot injury. The doctor said you’ve got to keep exercising it and recommended ballroom dancing because you’ve got to keep going up on your toes. I thought it was a load of old rubbish but then my friend invited me along telling me it was full of good looking girls. So off I went, hobbling about with a winkle picker on one foot and my dad’s slipper on the other! As it turned out I had a real talent for it.”

Goodman appeared to have a natural talent for golf too. He’s been playing since he was 23-years-old

{ T H E T G T W E N T Y }

“

”

>>

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81

INSTRUCTION

SHOW A LITTLEForce yourself to think differently when getting out of tricky situations around

CH IP W ITH EV ERY CLU B

FREE PRACTICE

DRILLS AT T G’S

WEB SITE

HOW TO PLAY... This game should improve your visualisation and imagination around the green. Set up with nine practice balls in one location just off the edge of the chipping green. Allocate nine different holes. If you don’t have nine available, choose four and then switch locations for the remaining five. Start by chipping a ball as close as possible to the first hole with any club.

INSTRUCTION

IMAGINATIONP E R F E C T P R A C T I C E

THERE’S A CATCH... The catch in this game is that you cannot use the same club more than once for the remaining chip shots to the other holes. This means you’ll have to chip with nine different clubs in your bag. Plan your shots carefully, realising where the flags are, as you don’t want to waste those all-important lofted clubs early on when you may need them later!

the green by using this excellent practice chipping game from Chris Ryan

OUT OF COMFORT ZONE... Try using the clubs you wouldn’t normally use from certain positions around the green. This will help you learn how different lengths of swing and lofts on the club affect the way the ball flies and reacts on landing, as well as testing your ability to react to these changes. This will make your chipping action much more instinctive and take your focus away from your technique.

VARIETY OF SHOTS... As you delve deeper into the bag with longer irons your imagination will be essential if you are to chip it close. You’ll soon start to realise which situations require a more lofted club and what positions around the green demand a running shot. It also gives you a chance to practice unorthadox shots that could come in handy, such as a chip with a 5-wood or rescue club.

EQUIPMENT

GRAHAM GOODGE16 HCP

CHRIS CHAMBERLAINPRO

DAVID CONNOR10 HCPIRONS GEORGE SADOWSKI

7 HCP

JOHN LETTERS T9+ £449

CALLAWAY RAZR X £599

NIKE VR PRO CAVITY £490

COBRA S3 £499

PING G15 £85 PER CLUB (S)

DUNLOP TOUR TP11£7.99 (S) PER CLUB

WILSON DI11 £379

FORGAN IWD £159.99

YONEX VMS £399

VERDICTIt performed respectably in my hands – it wasn’t an unattractive club at address, and the slightly thicker topline inspired confidence. They felt reasonably balanced too.

I wasn’t sure about the look of these, as there seemed to be a lot going on. Saying that, I did manage to record good distance and accuracy figures with them.

The colour contrast between the middle of the face and the toe/heel area wasn’t to my liking, but the results were fantastic. The head felt heavier, but they were very forgiving.

I thought the irons were a massive step up on their woods, and for a starter set I thought they were excellent value. Distance was a little down, but accurate as anything else.

I was surprised by how cheap these clubs were, as they felt more expensive. I was impressed with the performance and felt they did better than some more expensive rivals.

I wasn’t convinced by the grips but everything else was tip-top. The heads were a little bigger than some, and this was perhaps to the detriment in the looks department.

This looked like a slightly better player’s club to me, something I really liked and thought they were the best-looking on test. At under £500, these still represented good value.

These were lovely clubs and the weight distribution felt perfect. They were incredibly forgiving and it was very hard to hit a bad shot with them.

I struggled to get on with these and although they looked like they might offer forgiveness, this wasn’t the case for me. They did generate impressive distance though.

I loved these irons. They looked great, felt really nicely balanced and I got good results too on the TrackMan system.

The aesthetics really put me off the QUAD irons and the performance wasn’t great either. I lost distance and I found a real lack of feedback.

These felt really solid and very forgiving. They were certainly up there with the best on test and although they were very expensive, I still think they’re worth the outlay.

I liked the contrast between the heel/toe area and the face as it helped to focus the mind. They were very forgiving and I expected them to cost more.

These were not my favourites on test, and I didn’t like the fact you could see the massive cavity at address. I struggled to get good feel from them too.

These were very much middle of the road for me, but I do have to comment on the price – if this is what you’ve got to work with, you won’t be disappointed.

These were right up there with the Cobra and the Callaway for me. They were very forgiving and extremely solid too. Great numbers off TrackMan too.

I wasn’t massively taken with the traditional look of the irons, but the performance was excellent. I really liked how forgiving they were, and I got great distance too.

These were very good for confidence when you put the club down behind the ball. I liked the muscular look too and I thought they represented good value, though not the cheapest.

I was immediately put off by what looked like a thicker shaft in these irons. In terms of distance and dispersion, they performed well but I just didn’t like the looks.

When I got the ball out of the middle, I felt they were generally the best on test, but I thought they offered less forgiveness overall. At under 400 notes, they are great value for money.

I didn’t have the utmost confidence that I knew where these were going until I looked up! They were overly large and sat too flat. Even for the money, I wasn’t convinced.

Callaway are great at game-improver irons and these are no exception. They are very distinctive looking and overall I liked them.

I didn’t feel these looked overly large and the fact that you can’t see the sole at the back of the club is a good thing. Great value for money too.

Although I felt these would be a decent first set, especially given the money, the fact that the head seemed to twist at impact wasn’t good.

These were quite impressive and I felt they sat very well at address. At less than £160, these are good value and I liked the head shape too.

I was surprised by just how good looking the head was, but I felt some of the feel may well have been taken away by the spongy grip.

These featured a relatively thin topline compared to some, and they sat well behind the ball. I achieved good distance and accuracy and thought they were good value for money.

These felt very powerful and I got on really well with them. The distinctive Ping look is still apparent, but somehow the aesthetics worked better than previous models.

I wasn’t a big fan of these irons and they tended to feel a little hollow. I didn’t like that you started to see the cavity in the 6-iron either.

In terms of looks, these were OK and although they feature a thick top edge, you couldn’t see the cavity. They generated good distance and were good value for the outlay.

I like Benross gear in general but I have to admit I wasn’t all that impressed with the irons. I didn’t get any real feedback and they didn’t feel powerful off the face. A little disappointed.

You know what you are going to get with game improver Callaway irons. Excellent performance and a decent level of feel from a cavity-back iron. These will do very well.

When I first saw these I had a feeling they would go superbly well and I wasn’t wrong. They look great and in performance terms they are outstanding. Excellent price as well.

It’s fair to say you won’t get tour-level feel from these but for a beginner they will do a job. Definitely not for a serious golfer though. You need to spend more for better performance.

I’ve said before that for the money these are a very good option. Some irons will look and feel better but this is an excellent compromise between performance and price.

A nice-looking clubhead which delivers pretty good feel and feedback. The grip is worth a comment because it feels soft and tacky and some players will like that.

Are these really game-improvement irons? They look stunning, like clubs a better player might use. But they do offer a very good level of forgiveness and a great price tag.

As game-improvement irons go these are the market leaders and it’s easy to see why. Extremely forgiving with a great flight. I’ve never liked the looks but they are excellent.

I think Wilson do a great job of making excellent clubs at a slightly lower price point and I really like the Di11 irons. Powerful and forgiving – what more do you want?

Yonex probably don’t get the credit they deserve but these will get plenty of column inches. A quite compact clubhead, a powerful ball flight and good feel. Good option.

Distance: 3.4Dispersion: 4.4Feel: 2.4Forgiveness: 3.1Looks: 2.8Value: 3.4RATING:

Distance: 4.5Dispersion: 4.4Feel: 4Forgiveness: 4.5Looks: 3.8Value: 3.8RATING:HHHHH

Distance: 4.8Dispersion: 4.8Feel: 4.6Forgiveness: 4.1Looks: 4.3Value: 4.5RATING:

Distance: 3.6Dispersion: 4.4Feel: 2.3Forgiveness: 2.4Looks: 2.5Value: 3.9RATING:

Distance: 4.3Dispersion: 4.3Feel: 3.8Forgiveness: 3.1Looks: 3.1Value: 4.5RATING:HHHHH

Distance: 4.5Dispersion: 4.5Feel: 3.9Forgiveness: 4.3Looks: 3.9Value: 3.9RATING:HHHHH

Distance: 4.9Dispersion: 4.9Feel: 4.5Forgiveness: 4Looks: 4.3Value: 4.3RATING

Distance: 4.3Dispersion: 4.6Feel: 4.1Forgiveness: 4.5Looks: 3.9Value: 3.9RATING:HHHHH

Distance: 4.6Dispersion: 4.5Feel: 2.4Forgiveness: 3.1Looks: 2.8Value: 3.4RATING:

Distance: 4.8Dispersion: 4.6Feel: 3.6Forgiveness: 3.3Looks: 4Value: 4.1RATING:HHHHH

BENROSS QUAD £299

IS SUE 2 81 ❘ TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK

BRONZEAWARD

T H E T G

LOG ON TO TG ONLINE AT WWW.TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK FOR ALL THE LATEST GEAR NEWS, INFORMATION AND TESTS

EQUIPMENT T H E V A L U E T E S T I R O N S

If you’re a regular TG reader you’ll have seen that Ping clubs pretty much always perform extremely well in our tests and they’ve done it again here.

The G15 irons have been around for the best part of two years now and use a refined Custom Tuning Port that allows weight to be re-distributed to the perimeter of the clubhead, giving you better performance away from the sweetspot. The stronger lofts and lower centre of gravity make for a strong ball flight too, and our testers were big fans. Ultimately, at £85 each they aren’t cheap, but they are certainly in the upper echelons in terms of quality.

Cobra Golf and TG go together exceptionally well – not only do they offer fantastic value for money, but they also provide incredible quality too. The S3 irons, newly launched for 2011, were a big hit with our quartet of testers and the impressive TrackMan stats back this up. Featuring the new E9 face technology, the new irons have a bigger sweetspot so results from off-centre strikes are not so far behind those from shots struck out of the middle.

A new hidden internal polymer topline and full cavity helps to dampen vibrations too, so feel is all good in the S3 irons.

It’s perhaps ironic that in a value test, the top three irons are actually all at the higher end of the market and once again, it shows how normal golfers appreciate that cheap doesn’t always represent good value.

Nike have been improving and evolving their equipment over the last three or four years and the new VR Pro Cavity irons are a great example of how good the latest gear is. These irons are aimed at the game improver, but they aren’t chunky and they are good-looking which is perhaps why our lower handicappers were taken by them. The four-strong test team all hit them very well, and it’s worth noting the exceptional distance they achieved. They were equally as forgiving too so if you’re happy to fork out the best part of £500, you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed. A club which proves you can have both form and forgiveness.

PING G15 £85 per club

COBRA S3 £499

NIKE VR PRO CAVITY £490

Tel: 01427 619 224Web: www.ping.com

Tel: 01372 364 933Web: www.cobragolf.com

Tel: 0800 056 1640Web: www.nikegolf.eu

FORGIVING AND STRONG

ALL-ROUND EXCELLENCE

SLEEK GAME IMPROVER

SILVERAWARD

T H E T G

GOLDAWARD

T H E T G

HANDY WORKBad vibrations are banished, thanks to absorbent plastics in the back of the head.

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81

W O R D S D A V I D J W H Y T E

COURSESTHE

BES T OF

BRITA IN

COURSE PLANNERRoyal Aberdeen and Murcar are closest to the Granite City. Newmachar and Cruden Bay require short drives while Duff House Royal and Fraserburgh are within an hour or so.

Aberdeenshire’s courses have been shining brightly… long before moneybags American Donald Trump arrived on the scene…

{ SCOT TISH STUNNERS}

NORTHERN STARS

Cruden Bay is a striking course that feels like it’s been designed by Mother Nature herself.

Dunes stand like protective barricades between the course and North Sea with deep, velvet valleys inbetween.

The course does come with its own unique character: hidden greens, ‘blind’ drives, dramatic drops and serpentine burns. It’s a rollercoaster ride!

The first three holes follow the natural flow of the land, but once turning seaward, you play the delightful, par-3 4th.

Memorable holes come thick and fast and certainly include the 7th – with two sandy pillars guarding the entrance to the lofted green – and the 9th which offers stunning views from both ends. From the tee you see the 16th and the scimitar sweep of Cruden Bay where almost a thousand years ago, Viking raiders fought and lost a fierce battle on the site of the course.

◗ VITAL STATISTICSLocation: 22 miles NE of Aberdeen (A90).Contact: 01779 812285 or www.crudenbaygolfclub.co.ukGreen fees: Mon-Fri: £70 (day). Sat-Sun: £75 (round).

The Aberdeen area has been in the news a lot of late due to a lot of trumpeting about the ‘best golf course in the world’ currently under construction just a few miles north of the Granite City.

Donald Trump’s chosen land certainly is a magnificent stretch of links and lends itself well to such lofty aspirations. However, this area has long presented golfers with great links options. Cruden Bay and Royal Aberdeen are two of the best known but there is a plethora of top-value tracks worthy of your indulgence.

And every course is different; natural tracks that have been built with the lie of the land as their guide. From Aberdeen to Fraserburgh there are miles of coastal dunes, some of the best in the world in fact and ideal for threading a tasty piece of golf links into. Inland you’ll find sumptuous, heather-lined heaths or stark moorland.

At its centre is Aberdeen itself, Scotland’s version of Houston and Dallas rolled into one! Aberdonians are as down to earth as you can get but oil has had an impact. Thirty years of ‘black’ economy

has lent a sophisticated air to the place with some excellent restaurants and outstanding evening entertainment. So the area really does lend itself to a four or five-day break where you can enjoy yourself as much off the course as you can on it.

The city can be expensive for accommodation through the business week but there’s likely to be some great weekend deals on offer.

Venture out of town a little and take advantage of better hotel prices and such niceties as the Malt Whisky Trail, the perfect blend with a few days golf in the area which is a major 2-FORE!-1 ‘player.’

Besides the must-play big guns, big bucks links of Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay – naturally so popular with well-heeled Americans – offer some quality budget golf too. In fact nearly 20 courses belong to 2-FORE!-1 and they include the likes of Ballater and Royal Tarlair which both feature in the brand new Top 100 2-FORE!-1 Courses.◗ For more information on the area visit www.aberdeen-grampian.com or call 01224 288800.

COURSES B E S T O F B R I T A I N A B E R D E E N S H I R E

1. CRUDEN BAYPar 70, 6,287 yards

1000s OF COURSE

PICS & SCORE-CARDS AT TG

WEBSITE

You can bag a fantastic golf break abroad for less than 100 quid! TG hit the phones and the internet to find 10 of the very best...

{T O P - V A L U E G O L F H O L I D A Y S }

W O R D S K E V I N B R O W N

dealsTravel

TRAVEL

Morgado on the Algarve

has a British links feel.

1 Less than £100Montecastillo, Spain

Undoubtedly one of the best deals around is three nights’ bed and breakfast plus unlimited golf at the Montecastillo Resort for an almost unbelievable £99 per person. That doesn’t, of course, include flights but both Ryanair (from London Stansted) and Monarch (from Manchester) fly to Jerez airport.

In the province of Cadiz, this impressive resort is about seven miles from Jerez and in the heart of sherry country. The course is a simply superb Jack Nicklaus creation. There’s a racetrack right next door, which you can see from several holes so you may get a sneak peak of Lewis Hamilton testing the latest improvements on his car.

There’s also a seven-night deal which includes all meals and unlimited golf for a pretty reasonable £449. ◗ Contact: 0800 043 6644 or visit www.yourgolftravel.com

2 Less than £100Carton House, Ireland

Just 20 minutes from Dublin, Carton House is one of the finest luxury hotels in Ireland. A beautifully restored and converted mansion, it sits amid 1,100 acres of private parkland and is blessed with two terrific golf courses.

The O’Meara, a classic parkland course, runs along the banks of the River Rye and is the older of the pair. The Montgomerie has received numerous accolades and hosted the Irish Open in 2005 and 2006. There’s also a leisure centre complete with swimming pool, a spa and tennis courts. Avoid Fridays and Saturdays and two people sharing a twin can

enjoy one night’s bed and breakfast and a round on both courses for a remarkably modest £85 each. ◗ Contact: 028 9751 1232 or visit www.irishgolfbreaks.co.uk

3Less than £200Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

The Algarve is one of the hottest golfing destinations around with stunning courses on backed up by great weather and an assortment of things to see and do away from the golf.

But if you just want to chill out and take it easy you can do that too, thanks to miles of golden sandy beaches.

The region has been criticised for being too pricey but if you look around there are some terrific bargains to be had. Three nights’ B&B at the four-star CS Sao Rafael Suite Hotel and three rounds of golf, including a round on the magical links of Salgados, is a shining example. This spring break costs just £179 per person. It’s a deal exclusive to Golfbreaks and is valid during April and May. The other golfing action takes place at Alamos and Morgado.◗ Contact: 0845 543 6675 or visit www.golfbreaks.com

4 Less than £150Costa De La Luz, Spain

This relatively undiscovered golfing region of Spain boasts both quantity and quality when it comes to golf courses.

There’s also the nearby city of Seville which is well worth a visit for its superb array of

cuisine and culture. The weather is good too and boasts more hours of sunlight than the Costa del Sol! All this and it’s considerably cheaper. One of the hottest deals around is a three-night B&B stay at the five-star El Rompido Golf Hotel, home of two championship courses, and two days unlimited golf there. All of this for just £159 per person – an absolute bargain which you’ll struggle to beat anywhere.◗ Contact: Freephone 0800 011 2520 or visit www.golfdelaluz.com/tg.htm

5 Less than £200Champ De Bataille, France

France has more than 500 courses, is very easily accessible from Britrain and boasts what is probably the best clubhouse food you will find on the planet – don’t expect to find too many sandwiches on the menu here.

Let the ferry float you over in comfort and you don’t have to pay a penny extra for taking your clubs or worry about the size of your hand luggage.

Brittany Ferries bring the whole of north-western France comfortably within range for a fantastic short golfing break. If there are two of you, you can cross overnight from Portsmouth to Caen while dozing in a comfortable recliner, enjoy a couple of rounds at the fabulous Champ de Bataille course either side of a night’s stay in the Acadine Hotel in Le Neuborg and then return overnight for a total of three nights away at the modest cost of £175 each. ◗ Contact: 0871 244 0808 or visit www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/golf

Carton House is always in great

condition.

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TRAVEL T O P - V A L U E B R E A K S

Montecastillo is class for

sensible cash.

El Rompido offers thrills

and spills.

You need to be accurate at Champ de Bataille.

TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ❘ IS SUE 2 81