[divider][/divider]
It’s good to be back and looking ahead to a busy year of golf across the region at every level.
The first edition of the year is always a particularly exciting one. This year is no different as we bring you details of 2022’s Northern Golfer events – the Champion of Champions in partnership with Brewin Dolphin coming up in April and May at Longhirst and George Washington, and the 21st year of our match Play Pairs tournament.
We also have news of national squad selections, the return of exciting events like the Junior Masters at Close House, and the expansion of the Northern Junior Golf Tour into Cheshire. We’ve also got news from Longhirst Hall as the club begins its 25th anniversary year, and a catch up with Andrew Scrimshaw – who has returned to Prudhoe Golf Club to take up the role of director of golf. And that’s just in Teeing Off!
It’s great to have our greenkeeping columnist, Simon Olver, back this month to discuss golf course master plans on page 21. We’ve also got Chris Paisley’s thoughts on his return to the DP World Tour, and Sean Russell’s advice for starting the season like the pros in Tour Tips.
The world of niche, independent golf brands has been growing rapidly across the UK following the success of creators over in the US, and it was fascinating to spend a day with one of the men at the forefront of this developing industry for this edition. Dan Hase created Northern Ball Markers from his garage workshop in late-2018 and has amassed thousands of social media followers and built a passionate, global following in the three years since. Read his story and take a look at some of his stunning work on pages 24-27.
The links courses of Northumberland are each beautiful examples of golf by the sea and this month I got the chance to play arguably the most fun course of the lot – Bamburgh Castle Golf Club – as you can read on pages 32-33.
It’s also a been a busy month for new equipment and we’ve dedicated four pages of this edition to rounding up the biggest new releases – check them out on pages 34-37 and be sure to pay a visit to your local pro shop to try them out ahead of the new season.
Warmer weather, club competitions and long days on the golf course are just around the corner. By the time we return in April, we’ll be in full flow and we’ll have a new Masters champion. Until then…
