We’re back! It’s been a long six months, but we’re back with a packed print edition covering the biggest moments of the region’s summer of golf.
Following our digital edition in August (which you can still view online on our website), it’s great to return with a fully loaded edition of Northern Golfer. We’ve had a lot of fun catching up with golfers, clubs and organisations across the region, hearing the success stories of our region’s best players and cramming as much content as possible into these pages.
One of the highlights of this edition was speaking to some of the industry’s experts about the impact of coronavirus on golf. The statistics show golf is booming in the UK and there is a fantastic insight on what the summer has been like for clubs, organisations and retailers, along with their hopes for the future, on page 16.
My personal highlight of this edition was getting to spend some time with Graham Chambers at Longhirst Hall for a Round With… Graham has been a great supporter of Northern Golfer over the last nine years and I’ve known him since my days a junior team player. His stories of growing Longhirst into a thriving business over the last 25 years, along with a few he wasn’t so keen to shout about, can be found on page 34.
It was a real pleasure to play Northumberland Golf Club again this summer. The course remains one of the finest inland layouts in the region and you can read more about our visit on page 28.
One of my final days spent outside before lockdown was a fantastic morning with Chris Simmons, Michael Burrow and Sean Russell. Their insights into the world of caddying – from being inside the ropes at The Masters and The Olympics to the pressure of helping a player keep his European Tour card – are absolutely fascinating. Read the full story on pages 24-27.
We’ve also got lots of results and news from club and county championships, national events, and club and charity competitions – including a £25,000 hole-in-one in From the Bunker.
We’re incredibly grateful to all the clubs, retailers and organisations who have supported our return edition. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to share the stories of clubs and golfers from our region. Thank you to each one of them.
Enjoy reading this edition.