CATEGORIES

Shropshire

Jeremy Ellwood returns to one of England's least populated counties to stay and play at The Astbury and tick a couple more courses off his list

Alison Root

Alison Root is Golf Monthly's women's golf editor. You can find her on Instagram @rootalison

Pennyhill Park

Mike Harris visits this grand Exclusive Collection hotel in Surrey, one of the most luxurious places to stay if you're planning to play some of the south-east's top courses

AYLA GOLF CLUB

Jordan is a beautiful and mountainous country in the Middle East, much of which is desert.

Wayne Riley

I've enjoyed the professional events so far in 2025, but I want to take a step away from the pro game in this column. In two issues, Golf Monthly will reveal its list of the Top 100 Courses in the UK and Ireland, so here are my thoughts on some of the best golf courses on this side of the pond.

Burnham and Berrow

Somerset doesn't boast the quantity of top-quality courses you feel it perhaps should, but its jewel in the crown, Burnham and Berrow, sits in splendid isolation some 40 minutes from Bristol.

PING G 440 MAX DRIVER £ 529

It's been two years since the roaring success of Ping's last family of drivers.

Undiscovered Portugal

The popular golfing country has plenty more fascinating courses to the north of its Algarve and Lisbon strongholds

A DECADE AT THE TOP

Before stepping down as CEO of The R&A, Martin Slumbers spoke to Fergus Bisset about his time at the helm before reflecting on photos of key moments from those years...

"WHO WANTS TO BE SECOND BEST AT ANYTHING?"

His stock may have risen significantly over the past couple of years, but Bob Macintyre tells David Facey he has his sights set firmly on the very pinnacle of the game

LYDIA KO: REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS

Lydia Ko added yet more trophies and accolades to her record-breaking career during a sensational 2024. But despite constant speculation about retirement, she says she's not done just yet...

BEWARE THE BANDITS

The vast majority of club golfers are honourable. Sadly, some are not, finding ways to keep their handicaps artificially high for the biggest events. But how do they go about doing it?

7 WAYS TO POWER UP YOUR DRIVES

Tips and drills to help you find those precious extra yards off the tee in 2025

My golfing year

Rob Smith looks back on his packed 2024 diary and reflects on the many and varied adventures of a dedicated golf course writer

Clubs with two 18-hole courses

Each of these venues is home to two fine and occasionally very different layouts

Blackmoor

The A3/M3 corridor heading south-west out of London is graced with many cracking heather-lined courses that rank among the best in the country.

How should I adjust for compacted sand?

At this time of year, we face a lot of bunker shots from compacted sand and need to make the necessary adjustments to change how the club enters the sand.

Johannes Veerman

The winner of December's Nedbank Golf Challenge shares his thoughts on some of the best ways to lower your scores

PUTTING MATS

While you may think all putting mats are created equal, there are many factors a golfer should consider before taking the plunge, from price and size, to speed and the number of different features a product offers.

OZARKS NATIONAL

This outrageously attractive course, which opened in 2019, is one of five brilliant and very different designs at the expansive Big Cedar Lodge resort in Missouri.

FOR THE LONG RUN"

Ludvig Aberg has made quite a start to his professional career, with his eyes now set on climbing higher still in 2025 following a slight pause for surgery last September

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2025

There is perhaps greater strength in depth in both men’s and women’s elite golf today than at any point in time.

A GRAND ESTATE

Goodwood in West Sussex may be steeped in ancestral history, but about 20 years ago it elected to take its golf offering down a very different route...

The Tees Valley

Jeremy Ellwood potters about along the famous north-east river for a couple of days, basing himself at Rockliffe Hall, one of England's finest golf hotels

The Western Cape

Along with its stunning scenery, vineyards and welcoming climate, this region is home to a wealth of fine courses

Murcar Links

The 20-mile stretch of coastline northwards from Aberdeen is home to no fewer than four links in the Golf Monthly Top 100.

How to play the chip-and-run

The chip-and-run is one of the most useful shots in anyone’s short-game arsenal but most golfers don’t use it enough.

Is your angle of attack correct?

You can add serious distance to your drives if you get the upward angle of attack into impact correct

LEARN FROM THE BEST!

Star players' signature shots... and how you can play them

Confessions of a golf club fitter

Is everything always as it seems in the customfitting bay? We ask someone in the know how you can avoid some of the more unscrupulous practices