Features

Does leaving the flag in the hole increase the chance of the golf ball not dropping? By Tim Webb, Tacit, has carried out a hands-on test of eight pin styles, using a stimpmeter and Pro V1s, to see if pin diameter affects putts dropping – with results that challenge assumptions about pin-in versus pin-out putting.

Royal Dornoch has promoted Ally McNaughton, a top-50 US Kids Golf Coach, to lead its award-winning junior programme, which now coaches 120 youngsters weekly and won UK Junior Club of the Year in 2024.

As general manager of Bernardus in The Netherlands, the host venue of the 2026 Solheim Cup, Sabine Riezebos brings a distinctive leadership perspective to one of Europe’s most compelling modern golf and lifestyle destinations.

James Moore, the head professional at Rowlands Castle Golf Club in Hampshire, has invested in a state-of-the-art fitting studio, joined TGI Golf Partnership and won TGI Titleist Partner of the Year. He tells us how technology, organisation and a member-first mindset are driving his business forward.

County Durham’s Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa has officially opened its new multifunctional short-game area, marking another major milestone in the resort’s ongoing multi-million-pound investment programme to strengthen its position as the ‘North East’s No.1 Golf Resort’.

The first article in a three-part sustainability series, Dr John Fry from University Centre Myerscough explains why golf clubs should stop chasing the same standards, and start defining success on their own terms.

Stephen Chick, general manager, Laguna Golf Phuket in Thailand, talks academy investment, sustainable course management and why the resort’s integrated hospitality model is a powerful differentiator in one of Asia’s most competitive golf markets.

This is how the general manager of Chesterfield Golf Club, Sean Boyle, built a swing studio that deepened member engagement and opened a new revenue stream – without touching existing capital.

Here’s three stories concerning the UK and global golf industries we learnt during what was, for many, a sweltering last month.

Last year, Emily Hyde took part in The Big Golf Race to raise awareness about prostate cancer just one day after her father died of the disease. Read her remarkable story here.

Faced with a dwindling women’s section, one member at Tandragee Golf Club in Northern Ireland decided to act. The result is a community-driven success story that has brought nearly 200 women and girls into the game; more than 150 have become full members and one even went on to become the club’s secretary.

Scott Sellars has swapped Indian Ocean sunshine for the Scottish Highlands after being appointed head of golf at Royal Dornoch – a role he pursued after a chance holiday visit left him captivated by the club and the town.

With summer secondary spend now peaking at over £900 per member and climbing year on year, the clubs that plan their F&B operation around the season’s big sporting moments are the ones that turn temporary excitement into lasting revenue. Vanessa Machin, Sports and Leisure Managing Director of ClearCourse, explains how.

After a multi-million-pound renovation, Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire still offers classic Harry Colt parkland golf just 45 minutes from central London – with the history, atmosphere and conditioning to match its famous name.

The resort director at St. Mellion Estate in Cornwall talks about leading the venue he grew up playing at after 15 years of senior roles at Crown Golf clubs, and tells us what the resort has been investing in this decade, as it prepares for its 50th anniversary this summer.

TaylorMade’s legendary Kingdom custom-fitting facility – home to some of the world’s best players – has arrived in the UK for the first time. Joel Westwell, director of golf at The Grove, explains why the partnership is a natural fit for one of Europe’s most premium golf resorts.

From an eight-year-old junior champion in West Sussex to leading women’s tour professionals, golf clubs are rethinking what an ambassador looks like – and in doing so, sending a powerful message about who the game is for.

Paul Toyer has been the PGA professional at St Neots Golf Club in Cambridgeshire for more than 21 years. Here, he talks retail, how he benefits from being a TGI Partner, junior development and why the club pro’s role is busier than ever.

CardsSafe has worked with golf courses for over two decades, providing a wireless card-retention system that secures bar tabs, deters dine-and-dash, and supports equipment hire – helping venues like the London Golf Club serve customers on and off the course.

Steve Bird, Business Development Consultant and Education Lead at Foremost, shares his expert knowledge on how to maximise loyalty from your customers.

The career Grand Slam is the ultimate individual achievement in golf, a feat so rare that only six players in the history of the sport have managed it: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy, who completed the set at the 2025 Masters. With US Open golf odds beginning…

Richard Johnstone MG, course manager at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, and John Clarke, courses manager at Woburn Golf Club talk about rolling, surface performance, turf health, usability and the long-term value of Tru-Turf rollers, which they use as part of their ongoing maintenance programmes.

The UK golf industry is attracting serious overseas capital, a new venue is reimagining what a golf course can be and a landmark report has handed clubs one of the most powerful marketing tools they’ve ever had.

Basingstoke Golf Club has unveiled the 1907 Academy, a pioneering facility built with hempcrete, English oak and living walls that sequesters an estimated 2,705kg of CO₂e at completion – setting a new benchmark for sustainable golf construction.

Woodbrook Golf Club celebrates its centenary by hosting two major championships this year. General manager Marcus Doyle highlights the club’s recent investments and pays tribute to the enduring legacy of course architect Peter McEvoy.

Orpington Golf Centre in Greater London, which is run by the Mytime Active charity, has invested in a state-of-the-art indoor golf simulator experience as part of a series of upgrades.

The owner and director of Ramside Estates & Ramside Hall in County Durham, John Adamson, talks about the venue’s growth from a hotel in the 1960s to one of England’s leading golf resorts today.