The Top 10 Golf Courses in England

Most people don’t think of England as being a top golfing destination, but, actually, golf is a huge part of English culture. This is reflected by numerous golf courses across the entire country. It may surprise you to hear that there are more courses in England than in neighbouring Scotland.

This means that you’re spoilt for choice — it can be difficult to know which course to pick for your next golfing holiday. To help you choose, we’ve made a shortlist of the top 10 golf courses in England.

1. The Royal St George’s Golf Club

Royal St George’s in Kent has played an important role in golf history. In 1894, it became the first club outside of Scotland to host the Open Championship. To date, it has held 14 Open Championships, which is still more than any other club outside Scotland.

The course at Royal St George’s is set among wild dunes with blind and partially-blind shots. Although it has been adapted to be slightly more fair, it still has the deepest bunker in championship golf.

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2. Sunningdale Golf Club

A short distance from London, you’ll find Sunningdale Golf Club, home to two courses — the Old Course and the New Course.

An interesting thing about the Old Course is that designers had previously considered the heath, hills, and woodland unsuitable for playing golf. However, since it opened in 1901, it has been widely called one of the best inland courses in the country.

In contrast with the Old Course, the New Course at Sunningdale has undergone many changes since its inception in 1913. Only the first five holes remain as they were originally, but the redesign (which has fewer hills) has proved popular.

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3. St Enodoc Golf Club

St Enodoc also has two courses: Church Course and Holywell Course. Situated on the coast of Cornwall, both offer spectacular ocean views.

The most notable feature of Church Course is the so-called Himalaya bunker at the sixth hole. There is some argument as to whether it is the biggest bunker of any golf course in Europe. However, the signature hole of the course is the 10th, as this passes by St Enodoc Church, for which the course is named. Sir John Betjeman is buried here — the Poet Laureate was a fan of the course and even wrote a poem about its 13th hole called “Seaside Golf.”

Then you have Holywell Course. It is a great choice if you want a challenge, whatever your handicap. At the same time, it is far less strenuous than Church Course, making it ideal for a relaxing round.

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4. Saunton Golf Club

Saunton is another club with two courses, called the East Course and the West Course. Both are championship courses are were named among the 100 Best Courses in the UK. Visitors can play on either and are welcome most days after 9:30 am, provided they notify the club of their arrival in advance.

The land of Saunton Golf Club is managed particularly carefully, as it is situated on Braunton Burrows in Devon. This is the largest sand dune in England and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

A great time to visit is the summer, when more than 400 varieties of wild flowers are in bloom. However, you can play at any time of the year. In fact, Golf World magazine even named the club the Best Value Winter Break destination.

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5. Ganton Golf Club

Ganton Golf Club is just south of North Riding Forest Park. Its Championship Course features undulating terrain of combined heathland and links. It is ideal for a relaxing game, but equally suitable for serious golfers who want to test their skills.

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6. Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Since World War II, no club has held more championship and international events than Royal Birkdale. It has been named top club in England and among the top 35 in the world. Located near the coast in Southport, the course provides you with a classic link experience.

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7.  Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Another course in Southport, Royal Lytham & St Annes is a premier link course and has been the host of many tournaments. Although it is some distance from the sea, you’ll find that the breeze is still strong enough to impact your game. This makes for a difficult game and the need for great accuracy.

Unlike many choices on this list, the course is far from picturesque. However, it still has a unique charm that many golfers love.

To complete your experience, you can stay in the onsite accommodation, just off the first tee.

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8. Walton Health Golf Club

Since the very first release of the World’s Top Rankings in 1938, the Old Course at Walton has consistently been one of the named courses. Set in Surrey heathlands, this long course with small greens presents a challenge to any golfer.

While at Walton Heath, you need to also play a round on the New Course. Originally a nine-hole course, it has now been extended to a full 18 holes. There are even more hazards on the new course than on the old, presenting fresh challenges to keep you alert.

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9. Notts Golf Club Ltd

From summer through winter, Notts Hollinwell is the perfect place to play. The free-draining sandstone means that even heavy downpours will not pose a problem. Furthermore, it is stunning all year round, thanks to its location in Kirkby Forest. It uses the natural hills for fairways and has dips and valleys covered in gorse, heather, and fern.

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10. West Sussex Golf Club

What makes West Sussex Golf Club so appealing is its location. Set against a backdrop of the Sussex Downs, it is framed by pine trees. This beauty continues on the golf course itself. In fact, it is renowned as being one of the most attractive golf clubs in the country, thanks to the incorporation of natural features like heather and softly-rolling hills.

Visitors are welcome most days. The only requirement is that you are a guest of a member of the club or yourself a member of another golf club, either in the UK or abroad.

You can play at the club any time of year, as it is almost always open. After a rainstorm, the sandy subsoil dries fast. Plus, the shelter offered by the Downs means that snow and frost hardly ever pose a problem. If the course does need to close, it is usually for a couple hours at most — nothing to spoil your holiday. This makes West Sussex an excellent choice if you are looking to continue playing late in the season or you want to start early.

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Arriving to the Golf Clubs

Many of these top golf courses are some distance from airports or even train stations. This makes arriving complicated, especially when you consider that you will be carrying a large amount of golfing equipment. Travel in comfort by booking an airport or hotel transfer and eliminate the need to rent a car.

For a service designed for golfers, choose Golf Drives. Unlike other transfer services, you’ll receive one golf bag per person included as standard luggage. Plus, you can arrange pickup and drop-off at a time that suits you.

Round Breakdown

In the first round, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka (the current PGA Championship and U.S. Open champion) together took the lead with 66 (-6). Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler (both pre-tournament favorites) ended the round tied for 11th place with a score of 70 (-2), along with eight other players.

The second round saw Jason Day and Francesco Molinari (both of whom ended up in fifth place) rise to first place with 67 (-5). Also leading at the end of this round were Brooks Koepka (one of the runners up) with a score of 71 (-1), Louis Oosthuizen with 66 (-6), and Adam Scott (the 2013 champion) with 68 (-4), the second-best round of the day.

As per Masters golf rules, all players have to be within 10 shots of the leaders to make the 36-hole cut. A total of 65 succeeded (including four amateurs), which was a record number since the rule was introduced in 1957. Tiger Woods scored 68 (-7), putting him in joint sixth place.

In the third round, Francesco Molinari was still holding on to the lead, ending the round with 66 (-6). Tony Finau scored 64 (-8) and Tiger Woods scored 67 (-5), moving the two of them into joint second place.

At the start of the final round, it seemed as if Francesco Molinari would be the winner of the Masters tournament. In fact, he maintained his lead for the first 11 holes, but his shot at the 12th hole came up short and rolled in Rae’s Creek.

This gave Tiger Woods the chance he needed to rise to first place. He ended up winning the 2019 Masters by just one stroke, at 13 under par. This was the first time he has won a major championship after trailing for 54 holes.

The Rewards

In addition to a fifth green jacket and a Masters golf trophy, Tiger Woods will be taking home a large amount of cash.

The prize fund from the Masters tournament this year is $11,500,000 with a winner’s share of $2,070,000. This is up from a prize fund of $11,000,000 and a winner’s share of $1,980,000 in 2017 and 2018. The amount is larger than other golf events, simply because there are fewer contenders. This year, 87 golfers took part in the Masters. In comparison, the regular PGA tour and the other three majors see 156 players on the field.

After Tiger Woods receives his cut, the remaining amount will be divided among the other winners. The three runners up will each receive $858,667. The golfers in fifth place will each receive $403,938. The amount continues to decrease until 62nd position, with these four golfers each receiving $25,415. As per United States Golf Association rules, amateurs are forbidden to accept any prize money. Four amateurs placed in the 2019 Masters — in joint 32nd, joint 36th, 55th, and joint 58th places.

The Location

The Masters tournament was held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. One of the most famous clubs in the world, it opened in 1933 and has been the host of Masters golf since 1934. For the 2019 Masters tournament, the fifth hole (called Magnolia) was lengthened by 40 yards to 495 yards. This resulted in a total length of 7,475 yards. The course has a par of 72.

Do you like to be kept up-to-date with the latest news and golf opinions? Or maybe you’re looking for golf holidays along with some of the best how-to tips? Our top 40 golf blogs are a great way to get a different perspective from the mainstream golf media. We’ve even included golf travel blogs so you can pick up a few useful tips for your next golf holiday!

If you’re ready to get to grips with the latest golf trends, putting tips and the hottest courses to try out, these blogs are a great place to start.

How do we rank the best golf blogs?

In order to make our ranking fair, we took into account 4 factors:

• Alexa Rank
• Social Media Presence
• Domain Rating
• Similarweb rank

For each factor, we gave each blog points. The top blog received 1 point, the 2nd blog 2 points and so on. Each factor was worth 25%, so we added up the total number of points to determine their rank and popularity. Those with the lowest number of points have the highest ranking. Take a look!

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40 of the best golf blogs in 2019

Without further ado, here are 40 of the best golf blogs in 2019.

Now you can prepare for your next golf holiday

Thanks to the expert golf tricks and travel tips from our favourite golf blogs, you can now prepare yourself accordingly for your upcoming golfing holiday. If you’ve already organised your course and accommodation, don’t forget to check out our speedy, convenient and hassle-free golf transfers straight to your golf course or resort. Use our quoting engine to book a reliable golf transfer to over 1000 golf courses. 

The Cheapest and Most Expensive Golfing Destinations in Europe

Planning a golf holiday? We’ve taken a look at 40 popular golf destinations across Europe to find out which destinations offer the best value for money and which could leave you with holes in your pockets.

We’ve taken into account the cheapest and most expensive golfing destinations for:

• A round of golf and accommodation.
• Meals which are as cheap as chips and ones which cost an arm and a leg.
• Low-cost pints to drink away and end up with change to spare compared to more pricey pints.
• Transport costs.

All of this can be used to help you make an informed decision on where to go for your next golf holiday in Europe! Take a look at the infographic below to find out where your favourite European golfing destination ranks.

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These Rules Can Get You in Trouble. Golf’s Weirdest Rules!

If you’ve ever been the victim of your ball falling off the tee and had someone merrily call “one”, you will know only too well the frustration and, often, confusion, the rules of golf can cause.

Regulated by the R & A, you could say that golf is a well-governed sport, with countless eventualities being covered by the Rules of Golf. With so many rules, you would think playing golf would be easy yet there are still plenty of situations that leave your average golfer scratching their head.

With the arrival of the new golf season, we’ve shared some of the strangest golf rules to help you stay out of trouble on the green.

Situation 1 – Hide & Seek

As usual, your ball has ended up in a bunker. On the first inspection, you think your ball has completely vanished, and there is no trace of it in the hazard. However, after further searching, you realise that your ball is in the hazard, but has somehow been buried in the bunker. What do you do?

According to Rule 12-1a, if your ball is believed to be covered by sand to the extent that you can’t find or identify it, you can touch or move the sand in order to find or identify your ball without penalty.

However, if your ball is found and identified, you must re-create the lie as accurately as possible.

Under this Rule, you are permitted to leave a small area of your ball uncovered and visible.

Situation 2 – Something in the Wind

You’re lucky enough to be playing a links course in Ireland (see some of the best links courses in Ireland here) and about to take your turn when a gust of wind moves your ball. Under Rule 18, the wind is not an ‘outside agency’ and therefore you should play from where it came to rest. However, if your ball is moved by artificially propelled air, you must replace your ball without penalty. No fans on the green, please.

Speaking of wind, how do you test wind direction without being disqualified? Picking and throwing grass into the air, a handkerchief or the smoke from a cigar or cigarette are all allowed under Rule 14-3. However, a ‘windsock’ would not be compliant as its sole purpose is to measure conditions that may affect your play.

Situation 3 – Tools of the Trade

You’re about to tee off when you notice some dirt on your Driver. Under Rule 4-2, you can spit on your clubface before playing a shot to clean it. However, if it is your intention to influence your ball’s movement and reduce spin to hit an opponent’s shot, you would fall foul of Rule 4-2b.

You’ve finally perfected your swing, but your club lets you down with the clubhead falling off. However, depending on when the clubhead fell off, you might be able to retake the stroke. Whilst your clubhead falling off during the backswing of a completed swing which misses the ball doesn’t count as a stroke, if the situation occurred during the downswing it would count (Rule 4-2 & 4-3).

Situation 4 – Current Situation

You’re enjoying a golf holiday in the Algarve and are having a round at Quinta de Cima Golf Course. Things were going great until your ball landed in the stream with permeant flowing water on the 5^th hole. What happens next?

Under Rule 14-6, you have two options. You can either hit the ball whilst it’s still moving or take a stroke. However, you must ensure that you don’t delay play in order for the current to move your ball into a more beneficial position.

Situation 5 – Snake in the Grass

Guaranteed to cause confusion on the course, ‘loose impediments’ are defined by the R & A as natural objects such as stones, dung and insects that are not fixed, growing, solidly embedded or adhering to the ball. Whilst this might sound simple, in practice, it’s anything but.

Let’s talk about fruit first. Unsurprisingly, a half-eaten apple is considered a loose impediment regardless of whether there are any apple trees close by. However, if your ball becomes embedded inside an apple or any other piece of fruit, you must play the ball as it lies or declare it unplayable and face the penalty (Rule 23-10).

Whilst you can’t usually control wildlife, you can sometimes remove them. Whilst a dead snake would be treated as a loose impediment and can be removed, a live snake is classed as an ‘outside agent’ and therefore cannot be moved before continuing play (Rule 23).

Situation 6 – A Prickly Situation

Whilst visiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands, you play a round at Golf Del Sur. Whilst admiring the incredible sea views, you lose concentration and your ball lands next to a cactus. What do you do?

According to the Rules, you can wrap an arm or leg in a towel to protect yourself from the needs whilst playing your shot but can’t cover the cactus with the towel (Rule 1-2/10).

Situation 7 – An Inside Job

Under Rule 24-2b/14, if your shot ends up inside the clubhouse, and the clubhouse isn’t considered out-of-bounds, you can open a window or door and play your next shot without a penalty.

Similarly, if you hit your ball under a parked car, but can readily move the car, the car is treated as a movable obstruction and moved. However, if it can’t be moved, it is classed as an immovable obstruction and you are entitled to free relief (Rule 24-2b).

Situation 8 – The Forgetful Friend

You’re playing a round with your golf buddies and have just finished playing a hole. Whilst moving to the next one, you realise that you left your putter at the previous hole. Of course, you return back to the hole to get your putter, but will your forgetfulness earn you a penalty?

Unfortunately, you’ve fallen victim to Rule 6-7 (Undue Delay) and will be subject to loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play (6-7/1).

Situation 9 – A Sticky Situation

Your ball has landed in the bunker and, following a recent rain shower, you’re playing from wet sand. As you take your stroke, the ball becomes stuck to the face of your club because of the wet sand.

Thankfully, the Rules offer a logical solution with Rule 1-4/2 allowing you to drop the ball, without penalty, as near to the spot where the club was when the ball becomes stuck.

Situation 10 – Anger Management

You are playing a round of golf on a golfing holiday in the Vilamoura. Whilst playing the course, you are nearly struck by a ball played by a player in the group behind you. In anger, you hit the ball back towards the group. Has your moment of madness resulted in a penalty?

Yes. Unfortunately, you should incur the general penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play (Rule 1-4/4).

Angry at your penalty, you break your putter. In a bid to recover from your disadvantage, you buy a new one in the Pro Shop after the first nine holes and use it for the rest of the round. However, as long as you started the round with 13 clubs, you are entitled to add another club under Rule 4-4a and so will escape further penalties.

We hope these situations have entertained and educated you on some of the strangest rules in golf.

Test your newfound knowledge on your next golfing holiday

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How to Choose the Right Golf Club for You!

Whether you are thinking of playing golf for the first time or you’re a seasoned pro planning ahead of your next golf trip, choosing the right golf clubs is key to your performance. Using the right clubs can change the way you play on the golf course and help you reduce your handicap dramatically.

But which golf clubs should you buy? What should you look for when choosing your golf clubs? 

Whatever your ability, whether you are buying one club or a full set, the sheer volume of clubs on the market can be overwhelming.

To make choosing the right golf clubs less daunting, we’ve shared our top tips to help you make the right choice.

1. Golf Club Essentials

Whether completely new to the sport, or a golfing enthusiast, you should think about the same six things when trying to choose the right golf clubs.

Take your time

The sheer volume of golf clubs on the market is enough to confuse the most experienced golf professional.

Depending on your ability and budget, buying a new golf club can be a significant investment, so it’s important to do your research and not make any spontaneous decisions.

Ignore the name

If you regularly watch European Tour events, it’s easy to think buying the same make and model as your favourite professionals will help you score well on your golf holiday.

By all means, use this insight to help you choose your clubs, but be willing to try and test other brands too. As golf club technology has advanced, manufacturers have targeted different players when creating the latest models.

From body type and gender to physical condition and ability needs, focus on the clubs that cater to your requirements and not the name. After all, it’s your score that counts.

Grip Thickness

The thickness of the grip can have a massive effect on your swing. A grip that is too thin can lead to golfers having large hand actions leading into the swing. However, too thick a grip will restrict your hands and have an equally devastating impact.

What does the right grip look like?

The proper grip should let you hold the club using your middle and ring fingers of your left hand with very little touching the pad with the thumb. If your finger doesn’t touch your thumb, it’s a sign that the grip is too big.

The Shaft

Although obvious, getting the correct length of shaft is a fundamental consideration when buying golf clubs.

Key considerations to check are your height, body type and physical strength.

As a general rule, taller players usually need a longer shaft to play at their best.

In addition, you should also consider the shaft flex and its suitability to your swing.

Selecting a shaft too stiff will cause lower ball flight and a loss of distance, whereas a shaft too soft can result in ballooning and, again, loss in distance.

How can you judge if the shaft flex is correct? Shafts too stiff usually make you slice the ball to the right whilst shafts too soft hook your ball fly to the left.

Loft

A vital measurement, the loft, or loft angle, refers to the angle formed by a line running down the centre of the shaft and the face of the club.

Measured in degrees, a golf club with a relatively low loft, such as 3 iron sitting at 21–23 degrees, will make the ball go further than one with a higher loft. Alternatively, a golf club with a high loft, such as a 9 iron sitting at 45–48 degrees, will result in the ball rising and descending into the air on a steeper angle.

You can judge the loft by how much of the face of a club is angled upward or how much the top of the face is angled away from the shaft. Visually, a clubface with a higher degree of loft will appear to be more horizontally angled compared to that of one with a lower degree.

The clubhead

If you want to make the most of your golf club, having different sized clubheads can be a real advantage. Most brands offer standard, midsize and oversized heads for their golf clubs and your choice of clubhead size is mainly dependent on your experience level.

Generally, the larger the club head, the more forgiveness your swing has. Although you can make a poor hit and still achieve a good result with an oversized head, these are often heavy and hard to control.

2. Golf Clubs for Beginners

It’s very easy to get caught up in the initial enthusiasm of starting a new sport and buying the best golf gear, but beginners beware.

Golf clubs are best bought slowly, collecting more advanced ones as your experience increases and you progress in the sport.

If you are just getting your first taste of golf, it’s well worth borrowing a set or buying used clubs. Once you have played a couple of rounds and have become familiar with the game, you can decide if you want to continue and buy your first golf clubs.

As we’ve explained previously, custom-fitted or top brand name clubs are not necessary or suitable for beginners. For your first golf clubs, we recommend buying a beginner set of clubs that include a driver and 3-wood, odd-numbered irons (3, 5, 7, 9) and a putter.

Apart from the basic decisions between men’s and women’s clubs and right or left-handed clubs, you might have a choice between steel and graphite shaft clubs. At this stage, we recommend choosing steel shafts as they are more durable and less expensive.

3. Golf Clubs for Intermediate & Experienced Golfers

For players with a year or more experience, you might want to start building a set of golf clubs that is more tailored to your physical characteristics and ability.

Intermediate players should begin to slowly build their set as their game improves over the years.

For experienced players, considering the top brand names and latest models is not such a risky investment. Whilst your understanding of your strengths and weaknesses will guide your choice, custom fitting could also be an option. Tailoring the club shaft length and flex, and club head lie angle and loft to your specifications, is a worthwhile investment if you are looking to become a serious golfer.

4. Type of Golf Clubs

4.1 Driver

Used off the tee on long holes, the purpose of using a driver is to hit the ball as far as you can.

Measured by volume in cubic centimetres, the biggest driver head allowed is 460cc.

Most drivers are made of titanium and/or carbon composite because they are much lighter than steel, letting manufacturers increase the size of the head.

If you are buying used drivers or those manufactured prior to January 2008, ensure that they are still legal for club competitions. The maximum legal Coefficient of Restitution is now 0.83, which means that if you hit a golf ball at a clubface of 100mph, the rebound would be 83mph. If a rebound is at a higher speed, the driver would be deemed illegal.

Driver Models

In addition to the standard models, golfers also have a choice of ‘Offset’, ‘Draw’ and ‘Neutral’ options. These options help to fix golfers slicing the ball (e.g. balls veering right unintentionally for right-handed golfers) by placing weight inside the clubhead to help you keep it more ‘closed’ at impact.

Driver Shape

Another consideration is the shape of the head. Manufactured by a few brands, square-shaped drivers help players align tee shots and visualise the line of shot much easier than traditional shaped drivers.

Driver Loft

Typically, the loft of drivers ranges from 8 degrees to 13 degrees. When deciding what loft to select, you should consider the speed of your swing:

• Fast swing? Clubs with a loft of 8-9 degrees are great for very powerful golfers who want to hit further. ‘Normal’ players should avoid these clubs as they will achieve less distance.
• Slower swing? Ideal for seniors, juniors or ladies, a club with a loft between 12-13 will help get the ball airborne more easily.
• Average swing? Most players opt for a loft between 9-11 degrees which suits all handicaps.

4.2 Woods

When considering what woods to purchase, your first consideration should be what you want to use it for. Do you want to hit off the tee or replace long irons? Maybe you want to reach par 5s in two on your golf holiday? Whatever your reason, this should guide your purchase.

Which Wood?

When deciding which golf club number (3, 5, 7 etc) to purchase, think of the following:

• The higher the golf club number, the higher the loft.
• The higher the golf club number, the shorter the club shaft length.

Wood Shafts

Golfers have a choice of graphite or steel shafted woods:

• Graphite woods tend to be more popular and generally reach a further distance.
• Steel woods help to achieve a lower, more accurate ball flight.

Wood Head Design

Just like with drivers, manufacturers offer a choice of ‘Offset’, ‘Draw’ or ‘Neutral’ head designs on woods.

Attempting to correct any side-spin on the ball, weight has been placed inside the clubhead to help keep it square at impact.

Wood Head Material

There are three choices of head material to choose from, each with its own characteristics:

• Steel – Not too expensive and durable, steel is the most popular material.
• Titanium – Great for hitting from the tee, titanium is half the weight of steel and helps to get the ball airborne sooner.
• Composite – Combining materials such as carbon with steel or titanium, this material is great for fixing twisting or off-centre hits.

4.3 Irons

Making up the bulk of your set, irons are numbered like woods.

With the lowest loft (around 20 degrees), the 3 irons achieve a low and long hit with approximately 200 yards. In contrast, a Pitching Wedge (50 degrees loft) or Sand Wedge (56 degrees loft) produce a high flight but a low distance of approximately 100 yards.

Other irons such as the 7-iron sit between these two extremes, with around 12-15 yards difference between each club.

Essentially, the lower the golf club number is, the lower the flight, the further it will travel but the harder it is to control.

Which weight?

Like woods and drivers, irons offer different models depending on your needs:

• Perimeter-weighted Irons – Having more weight around the perimeter of the head, these are much easier to hit and help get the ball airborne easily.
• Offset & draw weighted Irons – Designed to keep your hands ahead of the ball, these clubs help counteract slicing.

Casting or Forging?

Golfers choose between two manufacturing processes when buying a new iron:

Cast Irons

Aimed at low handicappers, most irons are made by casting as this process allows manufacturers to design more creatively.

Common terms used include:

• Cast 17-4 stainless steel – strong, durable and very hard.
• 431 stainless steel – softer than 17-4 but has a better ‘feel’.

Forged Irons

Using a softer metal than cast irons, forged irons are often said to have a better ‘feel’.

Iron Shafts

• Steel Shafts – Steel shafts are the most popular option and are considerably cheaper than graphite shafts. More durable than graphite, it offers consistency of flex and torque throughout all of the irons.
• Graphite Shafts – Lighter than steel shafts, graphite shafts absorb vibration better than steel shafts but offer less feedback on impact.

4.4 Wedge

Crucial to post a good score, choosing the right wedge can help improve your game dramatically.

Wedge Loft

• Pitching Wedge (PW) – Usually featuring a loft between 46 and 50 degrees, the PW is used for shots of around 120 yards into the green.
• Gap or Approach Wedge (GW) or (AW) – More lofted than a PW, the approach wedge has a loft between 50-55 degrees.
• Sand Wedge (SW) – Generally used for bunker play, SWs have a loft of 54-58 degrees.
• Lob Wedge (LW) – With a loft between 60 and 64 degrees, LWs are ideal for high flights from short distances.

Bounce Angle

Referring to the curved section on the sole of the wedge, the ‘bounce’ prevents the club from snagging in the sand or rough.

Visually, the bounce is the gap between the ground and the leading edge of the wedge when placed in the address position.

As a general rule, most golfers are best with a bounce between 10 to 14 degrees.

• High Bounce Wedges – Those with a high space between the ground and the leading edge, the biggest bounce is around 18 degrees. Best for play out of soft turf and sand, they are good for golfers with steep attack angles.
• Low Bounce Wedges – Ideal for shots from tight lies and firm turf, low bounce wedges are best for those who have shallow attack angles through impact.
• Standard Bounce Wedges – A great all-around wedge, a standard bounce wedge is versatile and a great choice if you like an open or square face out of a bunker, and an average to slightly steeper attack angle.

4.5 Putter

One of the most important clubs in your bag, yet one of the most neglected, putters can transform your game.

Ranging between £10.00 and £200.00, it can be difficult to decide which putter to get, but there are four things you should consider:

Putter Design

There are three main types of putter:

• Blade – Very simple, this type of putter tends not to be very forgiving if hit from the middle of the surface.
• Half-Mallet – Similar to the blade but much easier to hit.
• Mallet – Heavier than the others, this option offers lots of designs that help you align the ball up more accurately.

Putter Length

The typical putter length is 35″, but anything from 33″ to 35″ is used.

4.6 Hybrid

A cross between a wood and iron, hybrid clubs are slowly replacing traditional long irons.

Do you need a Hybrid club?

Nobody needs a hybrid club, but they can be helpful. Featuring a ‘deeper’ face-to-back than a regular iron, the centre of gravity has been placed further back making it much easier to get the ball airborne.

Hybrid clubs are also great from the rough with smooth edges that don’t drag through thick grass.

We hope this guide has helped you choose the perfect golf clubs for your next golf holiday.

If you’re planning on taking your golf clubs on holiday with you, why not get an instant quote from Golf Drives for your transfers? With golf bags included as standard, Golf Drives will transfer you from the airport to hotel, hotel to course, and back again!