The world of golf, written from Britain
The 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale has packed up and moved on, leaving the Lancashire coast to count what remains. Three months on, green-fee inflation, membership enquiries and caddie demand tell a story of a bounce that is real but narrowly distributed — and of municipal golf still waiting for its share.
Reciprocal arrangements between British clubs and continental courses are expanding, offering members affordable away tee times from Ireland to the Low Countries. But the paperwork, insurance and expectations vary widely. Here is how to navigate the system and which 2026 agreements merit a weekend or short break.
Green-reading apps are now a familiar sight on British fairways, promising sharper reads and fewer three-putts. But as clubs debate pace of play, local rules and the spirit of the game, the question is whether the pocket pro is an asset or an affectation.
Electric trolleys earn their keep when the fairways turn heavy and the daylight is short. We tested eight models through a British winter, weighing cold-weather battery range, slope stability, car-boot fit and gloved-hand controls against price.
Drought, downpours and a shrinking window for routine work are forcing British clubs to rethink how their courses are built and maintained. Three head greenkeepers explain what a less predictable climate means for playability, subscriptions and the traditional summer fairway.
Informal weekday roll-ups organised through messaging apps are becoming a familiar sight on British tee sheets. Far from being an administrative nuisance, the best-run clubs are treating them as a practical route to participation, membership and a busier clubhouse.
A hundred pounds is the figure most British golfers use as a mental benchmark for a round abroad or at home. For 2026, we compare what that sum actually secures in Fife, the Algarve, southern Spain and Morocco, including twilight rates and the extras that quietly inflate the bill.
A practical assessment of eight courses within an hour of Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Stansted, judged on transit time, club hire and twilight fees. The airport round is a niche pleasure, but a few venues make the transit-window test look almost civilised.
Britain's caddie ranks are thinning, and the consequences reach well beyond the bag shed. From famous links to local parkland clubs, managers and caddie masters are asking how to rebuild a pipeline that once felt as natural as a morning dew. The answer in 2026 may determine not only pace of play but the working culture of the game.
With the clocks back and the fairways waterlogged, indoor simulator leagues are multiplying across Britain. We spent three evenings among them — a members' club bay, a city-centre golf bar and a regional final — to weigh the costs, question the handicaps and ask whether screen golf makes anyone better outdoors.
Britain's golf clubs are rethinking the clubhouse as a year-round destination rather than a changing room with a bar attached. The best examples offer better food, non-golf events and local partnerships, but hospitality cannot compensate for a poorly run course or a membership that feels sidelined.
The elite ball rollback is no longer a distant argument about professional distances. For UK club golfers, the practical questions are narrower: which competitions are affected, what happens to the weekend swindle, and what should be bought from the pro shop in 2026.
Six years after the World Handicap System arrived in British club golf, handicap secretaries and low-to-mid handicappers are still debating its effect on medal fields, matchplay selection and the Saturday roll-up. A reported look at what is working, what is not, and whether 2026 calls for a British refinement.
Britain’s overnight trains offer a civilised route to links golf without a car or a dawn drive. From the Caledonian Sleeper to the Night Riviera, here are three workable itineraries for 2026 — with luggage advice, indicative fares and tee-time logistics.
For golfers who would rather avoid airport queues, excess-bag charges and the general indignity of the early-morning departure, the ferry remains an underrated route to a proper overseas break. These six car-and-ferry trips for 2026 combine accessible crossings with courses worth the drive.
The traditional Sunday medal is thinning at many British clubs, replaced by roll-ups, nine-hole events and social formats. Flexibility is welcome, but clubs should be careful not to mistake a scheduling problem for a reason to abandon competitive golf altogether.
Adare Manor will host the 2027 Ryder Cup, taking the contest to a parkland estate in County Limerick rather than one of Ireland's celebrated links. The choice raises familiar questions about tradition and modern resort golf, and gives UK fans a very different kind of Irish golf trip to plan.
Nine-hole golf is no longer a warm-up or a novelty. Across Britain, clubs are using shorter loops, flexible memberships and twilight leagues to answer the time pressures of the modern golfer. This is how the format is being made to work, and where to try it.
Seven winter golf balls, three handicaps and two very different British courses form the basis of our 2026 cold-weather equipment test. We compare premium and value models on launch-monitor data and on-course feel, then recommend the best options for different budgets.
A short flight, reliable winter sun and a respectable round of golf are still possible within a UK break. We review four Canary Islands resorts for course quality, green fees, direct flights, accommodation and non-golf attractions, with verdicts for couples, groups and serious players.