Category: Panorama

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The Golf ball – New out of the box or recycled from the lake?

Spoilt for choice - which golf balls are hidden behind Lakeballs, X-Out, Refinished and Practice. (Photo: Getty)

When it comes to golf balls, opinions differ. While some golfers simply play the balls they find in the rough, others rely exclusively on brand new balls out of the box. The pros exemplify the latter, because completely new balls deliver the consistency and quality that are crucial in the game of millimetres.

New balls are the optimum

This much in advance: New golf balls fresh out of the box are the best in terms of quality, consistency and performance. Whether the high price justifies these characteristics for one’s own golf game is something everyone has to decide for themselves. However, if you only look at the performance, this is where you will find the best golf balls. It would be ideal if you always played the same ball model from one manufacturer. That’s what all the professionals in the world do. Coincidence? Hardly!

The same manufacturer, the same model – professionals always rely on just one golf ball model. (Photo: Getty)

Lakeballs – the solution to the problem?

The main problem with lake balls is the uncertainty of how good the ball really is. It borders on a lottery whether you get good balls or they are of inferior quality. Depending on how long a golf ball has been in the water, it takes more or less damage. Here it also depends on the temperature, the substrate and the water – all factors that are impossible to determine when the balls are fished out of a pond.

After a certain amount of time, the water penetrates the golf balls, causing damage to the cover layers and/or cores. How extensive this is is anyone’s guess. Usually, lake balls are classified into different categories that are supposed to reflect the quality. However, optical parameters such as markings, shine and abrasion are emphasised here. Sometimes a distinction is also made as to whether there are cuts in the shell. What the inside of the golf ball looks like, however, is not taken into account.

How damaged a ball is out of the water cannot be determined. (Photo: Getty)

When it comes to lakeballs, you can get lucky and get your hands on a high-quality or flawless ball at an unbeatable price. However, this can backfire just as badly – you simply don’t know. For those who see the price factor as the decisive criterion, this alternative is ideal if you are prepared to accept compromises in quality.

Refinished with new lacquer

Some lakeballs receive a refinish before they are sold. In the refinishing process, the ball is repainted and a new logo is applied. However, since the balls were originally intended by the manufacturers with a different paint finish, which then influences the dimple depth, refinished golf balls cannot be compared with the original golf balls. Often, the new coating is not even enough because it is applied to golf balls that have already been used.

Without wanting to offend the manufacturers of the refinished golf balls – but there are indeed some black sheep here. A name of an expensive golf ball is simply printed on cheap golf balls to suggest higher quality. For example, you buy a Pro V1x Refinished and underneath is a cheap two-piece ball. Therefore, you should always keep your eyes open or your fingers off Refinished golf balls.

Practice and X-Out balls

There are also Practice and X-Out balls. These have either small defects in the colour, the markings or the ink, so that they do not quite meet the quality standards of the ball manufacturer 100%. Sometimes there are also minor physical deviations, so that the performance is reduced, even if only very slightly. This is why they are labelled Practice or X-Out, while some manufacturers simply destroy these balls and they do not even enter circulation.

Professionals use practice balls on the driving range and pitching greens. (Photo: Getty)

Due to the minor defects, the sales price naturally drops, which is why money can be saved here. But watch out! Not every practice or X-Out ball is officially approved and complies with the rules. For tournaments, it is therefore better to play it safe and use the “normal” golf balls. However, for practice and fun rounds as well as for training on the pitching green, these balls offer a quality alternative at lower prices.

To conclude

With Practice and X-Out balls you can save money and get new golf balls in high quality that have only minimal deviations from the standard – ideal for practice rounds. With lake balls or refinished balls, you run the risk of getting poorer quality balls that could have a negative impact on your golf game, but this is where your wallet will be the happiest. If you want to invest more money, brand new golf balls are the best choice.

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Panorama

Does slow play worsen the result on the golf course?

Hideki Matsuyama waiting for his turn. (Photo: Getty)
Hideki Matsuyama waiting for his turn. (Photo: Getty)

Slow play is a daily topic of discussion in golf. A considerable number of top stars and amateurs criticize this playing behavior. For instance, Bryson DeChambeau makes the difference on and off the course for different reasons: his physicist mind, the power on his driver shots, and last but not least his slow playing. Kevin Na used to also be part of the slow players team for a while. Although Na managed to speed up his routine, the American golfer is back on the spotlight again. Every person has their pet peeves, and slow playing is definitely one of the most popular ones among golfers, which also shows in their opponents attitude. In fact, it results irritating and harder to focus for the other players in the group. The sport of golf is very mental, and the long waits play against that. Therefore, one slow player has the capacity to influence the performance of the opponents.

Study by Arccos: Slow play has a negative impact on the game result

Furthermore, slow play can have even worse consequences. For instance, there exists a study, the tracking platform Arccos Golf, which claims that slow play can even have a negative impact on scores, reports Golf Monthly magazine. The following chart shows the average scores measured by Arccos broken down by handicap strength and round time.

Arccos study on slow play (Photo: Arccos Golf)

Analyzing the data to conclude: Slow play has more downs than ups.

The data in the graph shows that the number of strokes increases as the golf match lasts longer. If the players needed 78.7 strokes for 3-3.5 hours of play, this number increased to 80.0 strokes for a golf match of 4.5-5 hours. These figures refer to the results of golfers with a handicap between 0 – 4.9. Also, the higher the handicap more strokes the players needed. For example, amateurs with a handicap between 15 – 19.9 had an average of 1.7 strokes more than their flight partners, who were two hours faster.
The data suggest that a more time-intensive game leads to a worse score. However, the reasons for this cannot be deduced from the statistics. Golf Monthly speculates that the main reason could be loss of concentration over that long time. If you think back to the reactions of Brooks Koepka to the slow play of Bryson DeChambeau, this explanation actually makes sense.

How meaningful is the study really?

The size of the dataset from which Arccos extracts these results, the time period over which they were collected or the gender and age distribution are unkown. The data probably comes from the rounds that Arccos recorded with their tracking tools. It would also be interesting to find out how this data differs, for example, when they differentiate between slow-play causers and slow-play sufferers. One thing is certain, however: the data is exciting for golf and it shows that speeding up your game surely pays off!

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Panorama

“This Djokovic situation is a joke” – Golfers defend unvaccinated tennis star

Eddie Pepperell defends Djokovic. (Photo: Getty)
Eddie Pepperell defends Djokovic. (Photo: Getty)

Novak Djokovic is currently dominating the headlines of sports magazines and the news broadcasts, but not in a positive sense. The exceptional Serbian tennis player decided not to get vaccinated against Covid-19, and he doesn’t seem to be willing to change his mind in the future. This creates some difficulties for him trying to enter the hosting countries of the tournaments.

There also exist opponents to the vaccination on the golf tours. Actually, more than one professional golfer supports Djokovic in his decision.

What happend in Australia?

Novak Djokovic was originally granted the special permission to enter the country by the Australian Tennis Federation, due to the vaccination requirements. This was based on Djokovic’s words, when he ensure that he had tested positive back in December, and therefore, less than six months ago. However, the diagnosis only came from the testimony of a single doctor. Accordingly, the immigration authorities revoked Djokovic’s visa, but Djokovic’s lawyer appealed. The case became a major problem and politics even considered it a social and safety matter. The Immigration Minister Alex Hawke intervened, and the official court has concluded: Djokovic must leave the country. A similar situation is said to have happened to two other players, but they left without a fuss.

Golfers take Djokovic’s side

There are also unvaccinated professionals in golf. In November 2021, there were already tournament cancellations in golf due to vaccination status. For instance, some players were not allowed to travel to the Bermuda Championship because they didn¡t meet with the Corona regulations. One of the top golfers, Bryson DeChambeau made his pointn clear last summer. He defended that there was no need to vaccinate because he was athletic. Only a few weeks later, he missed the Olympic Games after testing positive in Covid, and lost 4.5 kg.

Sadly, DeChambeau is not the only golf athlete against the vaccine.


Other golfers also critize the vaccination and the pandemic situation in general, and two of these players are now rushing to Djokovic’s defence. Eddie Pepperell, in fact, tweeted: “I know there are some out there who are still feeling hysterical about Covid, but this Djokovic situation is a joke. He’s no danger to anyone (in the non tennis sense). Let’s just get on with our lives again. It’s pathetic.”

On his Twitter page, there are also some posts with a clear tendency towards the side of the opponents of vaccination. Pepperell is of the opinion that vaccinations do not mitigate the general pandemic situation.
Support for Djokovic also comes from Australian golfers, Scott Hend emphasises on the social network: “It doesn’t matter if you like Novak Djokovic or not. He did nothing illegal.”

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Panorama Professionals

Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts suffers from rare kidney disease

Nicolas Colsaerts suffers from a rare kidney disease. (Photo: Getty/ Instagram @nicolascolsaerts)
Nicolas Colsaerts suffers from a rare kidney disease. (Photo: Getty/ Instagram @nicolascolsaerts)

Nicolas Colsaerts is known to many golfers through the “Miracle of Medinah”, the Ryder Cup 2012. The Belgian golfer now shocked his fans with bad news via Instagram. He has fallen ill with a rare kidney disease. This was noticed by swollen ankles and blood clots in his lungs.

Nicolas Colsaerts: “You can imagine what could have happened”

Already a few weeks ago, the Belgian noticed the first symptoms and decided to make an appointment with his doctor. However, the diagnosis of this rare disease took about a week. As Colsaerts wrote on Instagram, it was one of the worse weeks of his life. “I looked my wife in the eye and said I wasn’t ready to go,” he revealed in a short video from his room at the hospital.
Upon closer examination, the doctors also found blood clots in his lungs. Fortunately, they caught it just days before he was supposed to take a flight. “You can imagine what could have happened if I had flown,” he commented. Finally, the diagnosis seems to be primary membranous nephropathy. It is a chronic inflammation of the kidney corpuscles and causes him to lose a lot of protein, in addition to the previous symptoms. The course of the illness could even go as far as to a complete kidney failure.

The beginning of a long road to recovery

For Nicolas Colsaerts, the long road to recovery begins today. The treatment takes up to several months. Also, he has to take immunosuppressants to improve the chances of success of the therapy. Therefore, his immune system is weakened in a controlled way. Especially in times of the Covid 19 pandemic, the risk becomes higher than usually. According to Nicolas Colsaerts, however, the treatment has worked so far and he is confident that the health conditions of Nicolas will improve in a few months at the latest. On the other hand, his wife Rachel Colsaerts also keeps a positive attitude from the hospital: “I hope this day is the beginning of the end and we are on the road to recovery!

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European Tour Panorama PGA Tour Top Tours

The biggest upsets in golf of 2021: insults, house bans and broken clubs.

Honorary Starter Lee Elder of the United States (L), honorary starter and Masters champion Gary Player of South Africa and honorary starter and Masters champion Jack Nicklaus

It’s not always “peace, joy, pancakes”. Snotty professionals, aggressive slips or inappropriate actions also find a place in golf. There has definitely been reason for excitement this year – one or two situations will definitely stick in the memory. If not, here is a summary of the biggest upsets in golf of 2021.

Justin Thomas’ homophobic gaffe

Justin Thomas kicks things off. He slipped out a homophobic insult at the Tournament of Champions in January. Not against a teammate, not against a referee – but against himself. He was angry about a missed 2-metre putt. Immediately after the round, Thomas apologised in an interview and on his social media channels for his ill-considered curse. Nevertheless, the slip had consequences for the golfer: his sponsor Ralph Lauren parted ways with him. His apology was acknowledged, but the statement could not be reconciled with the values that the company represents.

Tyrrell Hatton goes one better

Things did not go as hoped for Tyrrell Hatton at the British Open in July 2021. A spectator interfered with Hatton’s bogey putt on the 11th hole, whereupon the Englishman recorded a double bogey. Hatton promptly took his displeasure out on the spectator: He received a raised middle finger and the words “Absolutely fucking bollocks!” The spectator was not the only one to suffer on this day. At the 18, Hatton’s bat had to be destroyed.

The fans also fire verbally

The beef between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka is unlikely to have passed anyone by this year. Shouts also play a role in this dispute: Bryson DeChambeau, for example, was distracted by “Brooksy” shouts from Koepka fans in a tournament. Koepka, not present at the tournament himself, promptly responded to the extraordinary support of his fans and promised them free beer as a thank you. This story is just a small drop in the ocean in the dispute between DeChambeau and Koepka, who fought out their feud in “The Match V”.

*link dispute review

Every year again: Respect is a foreign word for American Ryder Cup fans

The Americans not only celebrated their own team at the Ryder Cup by cheering and applauding, but also tried to upset the opposing Europeans by disrespectful booing and insults. They cheered failed shots, shouted in the swing between them and wished the blue team balls in the water. Despite Steve Stricker’s appeal to the Americans to greet the Europeans with respect, the hosts’ fans did not mince their words. Unfortunately, not an isolated case at the Ryder Cup!

Brooks Koepka also had to contend with rebellious fans this year

Only a few weeks after a knee operation, Brooks Koepka competed at the PGA Championship. He was in the last flight together with Phil Mickelson and on his way to the 18th green. The fans, who naturally wanted to be especially close to their idols, scared Koepka. He was worried about his recently operated knee. The spectators came so close to the golf star that it was not easy to get through to the green. The American even suspected some fans of deliberately targeting his knee.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s ex-lawyer, shocks with sexist remark

In 2014, Rudy Giuliani won a charity tournament with Ernie Els alongside Michelle Wie. Seven years later, in 2021, he is reviving memories of the tournament. Not in a good way, though. In a podcast, Giuliani revealed that he noticed the “stunning” Michelle Wie’s panties as she putted that day. The paparazzi, he said, went crazy for a photo of them. Wie reacted quickly to this sexist remark: with a strong statement on Twitter she condemned the inappropriate remark and got support from the USGA and LPGA. Definitely one of the biggest upsets in golf, and the least proud moments for missing the essence of sport at its fullest.

Banned from Augusta? Gary Player’s son knows the drill

There was another upset at the opening ceremony at the 85th Masters. Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Elder were invited as honorary starters. The latter had to take part in the welcoming ceremony sitting down for health reasons. Standing diagonally behind him was Gary Player’s son and caddie, Wayne. He shamelessly took advantage of the moving ceremony: He held the inscription of a badge into the camera for several minutes – obviously this could not be a coincidence. What followed? A ban from Augusta. Wayne Player’s explanation of the situation? More than strange.

Player Impact Programme – Even more money for those with the most money

This year, a bonus programme was launched on the PGA Tour, the principle of which is rather questionable. It is not meant to reward a good playing performance, but to be a prize for special media impact. Players with this special media impact – for example Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy – are to receive a reward for drawing the crowds and increasing golf’s audience. A total sum of 40 million dollars is to be awarded to the stars. Even more money for those who already have the most? This causes incomprehension.

NRW Health Minister Laumann causes outrage

Recently, NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann caused an uproar in the German health system as well as in the German golf market. In the wake of rising Corona numbers, he called on family doctors to invest more time in vaccination. His choice of words was more than daring. “Instead of golf on Saturday, vaccinate on Saturday,” were his words, with which he not only stepped on the toes of people from the health sector, but also of golfers. DGV President Claus Kobold did not take the flippant remark lying down for long and promptly responded with a quick-witted statement.

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Panorama

PGA Tour: Year-end performance review

Rory McIlroy's year-end performance review. (Foto: Youtube/@PGA Tour)
Rory McIlroy's year-end performance review. (Foto: Youtube/@PGA Tour)

The stars of the PGA Tour around Rory McIlroy are asked performance reviews – and still have plenty of room for improvement for the upcoming year.

As the year draws to a close, it’s time for the annual performance reviews. This is also the case on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, where the stars like Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Co. are called into office for the year-end performance reviews.

PGA Tour: year-end performance reviews

Actor John C. McGinley, known as Dr. Perry Cox from the hospital series “Scrubs”, sits in front of them and sums up the performance of the professionals in the past year with many allusions. Rory McIlroy, for example, looks back on two wins in 2021 and considers himself his harshest critic, “but that could all change.”

Jordan Spieth has to face the interview without his caddie Michael and is “very nervous” about it, and Justin Thomas has to answer for his beer action at the Ryder Cup. Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, whose height and emotional nature are always a topic, Henrik Stenson, Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa also have to make an appearance. The latter is “by any estimate, perfect” but that’s where the danger lies, the interviewer said.

McGinley, who plays management consultant Bob Slydell in the film “Office Space,” analyzes the stars and their performances. In the process, it also becomes clear that many stars have no plan B up their sleeves in case their golfing career should come to an end overnight. Finally, the interviewer himself is taken for a ride.

Watch the funny sketch here:

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European Tour Knowledge Reports

Every Birdie Counts Campaign – European Tour group’s Golf for Good raises £125,000 for UNICEF

Keith Pelley and Paul Casey.(Getty)

The European Tour group’s Golf for Good raised a total of £125,000 for UNICEF through its season-long ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign. The campaign, supporting UNICEF’s work as part of the COVAX Facility, raised sufficient funds to help the children’s charity. The did so by delivering 50,000 vaccines to some of the world’s most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach nations.

‘Every Birdie Counts’ is an integral part of the European Tour group’s overarching CSR Programme ‘Golf for Good’ during the 2021 season. Also, it raised a minimum of €1 for UNICEF for every single birdie made during the campaign, with €10 donated for every eagle and €1,000 for every albatross.

DP World Tour Championship boosted up the total.

The season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai gave a significant ‘Birdie Boost’ to those numbers. Then, the European Tour group’s Golf for Good pledged €75 for every birdie made at the final Rolex Series event of the season. This was to mark UNICEF’s milestone 75th anniversary as well as World Children’s Day, which coincided with day three of the prestigious tournament.

There was a total of €77,451 raised prior to the finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates, thanks to 57,641 birdies, 1,681 eagles and three albatrosses across a season which began with January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The DP World Tour Championship, meanwhile, yielded 862 birdies and 19 eagles, raising a total of €66,550 in a brilliant week for Collin Morikawa. Morikawa claimed the title in a dramatic fashion, becoming the first American golfer in the history of the DP World Tour to top the season-long rankings.

The European Tour group’s Golf for Good rounded up the total from approximately £121,250 to £125,000. Of course, the full amount will support UNICEF’s work as part of the COVAX Facility, and its aim of delivering three billion vaccines globally.

Supporting the UNICEF work.

UNICEF is leading the end-to-end supply of vaccines, as well as providing tests and treatments, in low-and middle-income countries. For instance, UNICEF focuses the aim to deliver three billion doses of vaccines in 2021 for frontline health workers, social workers, teachers and those at highest risk.

UNICEF

The commitment of Paul Casey with the cause.

Paul Casey, a 15-time DP World Tour winner and UNICEF USA Supporter, said: “It’s unbelievable what the European Tour group and Golf for Good have done. So much is talked about what we do on the golf course, but I don’t think enough is mentioned about what goes on for every community and country we visit.”

“In this case, it’s the global reach – partnering with UNICEF and £125,000 will go so far in assisting UNICEF’s work as part of the COVAX Facility, rolling out COVID-19 vaccines around the world. I couldn’t be more proud. Things like this make me proud of being part of the DP World Tour.”

“As a father, children are my primary focus when it comes to charity. It was World Children’s Day on Saturday during the final tournament, so I think this is very timely. You have a right as a human being to have access to certain things and children are always the most vulnerable. I tip my cap to all of those involved in getting this off the ground.”

The European Tour shows full support with the most vulnerable.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour group, said: “We are proud to have partnered with UNICEF in their 75th anniversary year, by supporting their work as part of the COVAX Facility though our ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign.”

“As a global tour we committed to supporting communities and worthy causes around the world. Therefore, to that end, this donation is a fitting end to our 2021 Golf for Good campaign. It will provide enough funding to help deliver 50,000 vaccinations to some of the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach nations on earth.”

“It was also fitting that the ‘Every Birdie Counts’ campaign should finish with such a flourish at an event sponsored by our new tour title partners DP World. They have been supporting UNICEF in the logistics and delivery of the vaccine globally. Our sincerest thanks to UNICEF, DP World and of course all of our players who, through their wonderful golf all season, helped make this happen.”

UNICEF is one step closer to accomplish its mission.

Steven Waugh, Interim Executive Director of the UK Committee for UNICEF said: “If we have learned anything from the coronavirus crisis, it is that our lives are interconnected. COVID-19 does not respect borders. At UNICEF, we know that if we only protect high-income countries, life will not return to normal. If COVID-19 is spreading anywhere, it’s a risk to people everywhere.”

“As part of COVAX, UNICEF is leading the biggest health and logistics operation in history to procure and deliver vaccines. A total of 3 billion vaccines around the world by the end of 2021. In order to achieve this historic mission, we need the help of our supporters and partners.”

“I would like to share my sincere thanks to everyone at the European Tour group, who have helped raised an incredible amount for UNICEF’s work around the world. Your support means that we can help deliver 50,000 vaccinations in low- and middle- income countries around the world.”

Press Release by the European Tour Group Communications Team.

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European Tour Knowledge

R&A Report Shows Golf Participation In Sweden Has Increased To 600K

New official reports highlight great golf participation growth across Europe. According to the EGA (European Golf Association) reports, there are currently 10.6 Million golfers playing the sport among The R&A’s European Affiliates and in the EGA members’ markets, a healthy increase from the 7.9 million last monitored for 2016.

Since the pandemic, the sport fans had to get used to follow their favorite sports through the screen. Teams and organizers suffered the hard consequences economically speaking because of the decreasing number of affiliates. However, golf has come out stronger, and the reason is simple – The players are outside, it is easy to keep the social distance at all times, and it reconnects you with the world after a global lockdown.

Golf Participation Growth in Sweden

Markets with a greater proportion of registered golfers include Spain and Sweden (10% independent / 90% registered). “We believe that counting independent golfers together with those who are registered as club members gives a more accurate view of the total number of golfers playing on a full-length course each year and reflects how the sport is being consumed from country to country.” – Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A.

Since 2019, Swedish golf participation increased by 54.6k golfers. Reports situate Sweden 3rd in the leaderboard of countries with the highest number of new registered golfers. Nowadays, there are 600,000 golfers in Sweden and 650 courses. Due to the rapid increment of new participants, the course demand has also grown. This is a gap to cover that could potentially pump up the National federations and Organizations to continue to expand the interest in golf among the Swedish population.

Women’s and Junior Participation – The biggest increment

Regarding women’s golf, there’s also a clear increase in Europe. Only in Sweden, the female participation increased by 27%, which translates into 129,949 new golfers. The sport of golf almost benefit from the global Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, there’s no denying that this is an unique opportunity to mediatise women’s golf and make more visible the quality among women golfers.


The Swedish are well-known for inculcating sports education in children from an early age. There’s also a reflection of that on the new reports by the R&A. Sweden leads the top of the list of European countries that has increased the number of junior participation. The junior enrolment has risen by 11%, or in other words, 61,839 new kids practice now the sport of golf. Junior participation is specially important because it represents the quarry of the future national teams.

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European Tour Fun

The fastest European Tour golfers who broke GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title at Valderrama

Wilco Nienaber, Sean Crocker, Min Woo Lee and Nicolai Højgaard at the Real Club Valderrama. (European Tour Images)

Sean Crocker, Nicolai Højgaard, Min Woo Lee and Wilco Nienaber broke a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the ‘Fastest hole of golf by a team of four’

Second Hero Challenge of 2021 saw previous record broken by over three seconds, the record stood at 27,88 seconds. New record was set at Real Club Valderrama, Spain ahead of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. In this case, hole 4 was the lucky one to witness these players facing the speed challenge. It is a par 5 of 501 yards that receives the name of “waterfall”.

The hole consisted on a fairly straight hole with a narrow fairway. However, there seems not to be much danger off the fairway, specially on the right side where the field opens a little more. Closer to the hole, there is a bunker on the right, just before the water that side-hugs the green. They planned out the entire strategy to play fast and safe. The key was to keep the eye on the pin and to hit the ball “bounce and stop” in order to reduce the timing from any slow back-spin.

Ready, set, go!

Wilco Nienaber was on the tee box to hit the first shot with his driver, aiming towards Sean Crocker. Nienaber hit an enormous 361-yard drive off the tee which gave Sean Crocker, positioned on the fairway and prepared with his two irons on his hands, 140 yards for his second shot which he hit to four feet. Crocker had to think fast to calculate the distance and pick the right club to get it into the green. There, both Min Woo Lee and Nicolai Højgaard were at the flag waiting to tap it in and become the new Guinness World Record winners.
At 5:55pm, two hours later, they set the New Guinness World Record at 24,75 seconds.

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Europe Panorama Travel

Dundonald Links: Luxury Lodges complete latest phase of £25M investment in the cradle of golf, Scotland.

Dundonald Links Course, in Irvine, Scotland.

Dundonald Links has entered an exciting new era with the opening of 18 luxury lodges, the latest phase of a £25m investment transforming the esteemed Scottish venue into one of the UK’s most modern new golf resorts.

Investing in the full golfing experience, Dundonald Links is becoming the dreamt golf destination.

The collection of two, four and six-bedroom lodges opened to widespread acclaim in August and have been custom-designed with golfers in mind, with bag storage and drying areas, en-suite bathrooms, large living spaces and fully equipped kitchen and dining facilities.

Darwin Escapes has already invested £1m in upgrading Dundonald Links’ Kyle Phillips-designed 18-hole championship course, including the addition of a new halfway house, and more is set to follow this autumn with the imminent opening of a new clubhouse and 22 hotel rooms.

Ian Ferguson, club manager, said: “The opening of the new lodges is the start of an exciting new chapter for Dundonald Links, and we’re thrilled with the initial feedback that we have received from guests.

Dundonald Links meets every need for the golfers and their loved ones.

“It’s been wonderful to see all the investment plans come to fruition over the last year and even more is to come in the next few months. With the opening of the new clubhouse and hotel rooms, not only will the resort boast some of the finest golf accommodation facilities in the UK, but it will also become the perfect base for golfers and their families to experience everything that this famous part of Scotland has to offer.”

Golf influencer Peter Finch, who has more than 400,000 followers on YouTube and who recently stayed in the lodges, said: “The biggest compliment I could pay is that I would love to live there!”

Boasting a striking contemporary design, the new two-storey clubhouse will feature large balconies overlooking the course and panoramic views to the Isle of Arran. Facilities within the clubhouse will include a pro shop, restaurant, bar, whisky tasting room and outdoor dining terrace, as well as a gym, sauna, steam room and extensive changing facilities.

Set amongst the picturesque Ayrshire countryside, the clubhouse has been created from natural materials and finished with local whinstone and a grass roof. This not only helps it to blend seamlessly with the rugged landscape and surroundings but also reinforces Dundonald’s long-term commitment to sustainability, conservation and nature.

In addition, the resort is also set to cut the ribbon in the coming months on a range of new hotel rooms, which are situated beside the clubhouse for ease of access to the restaurant and club facilities.

Already a well-respected test for bucket-list golfers from across the world, Dundonald Links has hosted many major professional golf events since 2008 – including the Ladies’ Scottish Open in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in 2017.

The resort is one of three golf venues operated by Darwin Escapes, in addition to The Springs Resort & Golf Club in Oxfordshire and Kilnwick Percy in East Yorkshire. For more details and to book a golf break at Dundonald Links, please visit dundonaldlinks.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DundonaldLinks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DundonaldLinks
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dundonaldlinks
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYx8sB_G2kuwoFrRRTfEOvw?view_as=subscriber

Press Release by Azalea in behalf of Dundonald Links