Category: Golf History

98-year-old Emmanual Basaliza, widely recognized as the oldest golfer in Africa.

Oldest Golfer in Africa – 98-year-old Emmanual Basaliza still plays!

At 98 years old, Emmanual Basaliza is already a legend in his own country… On a recent trip to Uganda, Africa, Ian Mullins (AKA The Social Golfer) traveled to the city of Fort Portal. It was here he had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing the oldest golfer in Africa! At 98 years old*, former…
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Luke Donald & The winning Ryder Cup Tes,

Winning European Ryder Cup Team awarded 2023 Association of Golf Writers Trophy…

WINNING EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM – AWARDED 2023 AGW TROPHY This year’s winning European Ryder Cup team, captained by Luke Donald, has been voted the recipient of the prestigious 2023 Association Golf Writers (AGW) Golf Writers trophy award. Members of the Association, and in a very close decision, voted with a majority in favour of…
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Neil Millar (centre) receiving the Murdoch Medal at Royal Liverpool Golf Club from Richard Williams (left), chairman of the award committee, and Bob Chadwick, British Golf Collectors Society Captain.

History of Golf book wins literary award…

Book on golf’s history by Open Championship official wins prestigious literary award The Murdoch Medal by the British Golf Collectors Society (BGCS). University professor and Open Championship referee Neil Millar has won one of the most prestigious awards relating to the study of golf history for his book Early Golf: Royal Myths and Ancient Histories.…
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Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club – TSG Course Review…

We had the chance to play Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club and it didn’t disappoint! As a member of the Association of Golf Writers, every now and again, we are lucky enough to be invited to play at some prestigious golf courses. So, when we had the chance to play in the center of London and…
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The Social Golfer - Leaderbaord Winners

The Social Golfer – Leaderboard Winners…

Want to see how you compare to your fellow TSGers each month by competing to be one of our monthly leaderboard winners? Every month TSGers who enter their scorecards into The Social Golfer Handicap Calculator system, automatically have their rounds entered into our monthly leaderboard league table. How It Works Once signed up to either…
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Old Victorian Golfers - illustration

The Origin of Golf Words, Phrases & Terminology

Many golfing terms are now part of the everyday English language, but what is the origin of golf words we use so often? We all know the common words used in golf, but what about some of the lesser know terms. With much debate and myths surrounding the history of golf langauge, TSGer Blogger Kevin…
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Golf Glossary Logo

Golf Glossary – Golfing Terms, Slang and Meanings

Golf is a great game with some great terminologies, some we all know, some that are unusual and some that are funny… Listed below is an explanation that may help us when playing the game. From Basic Golf Terms to some of the funnier phrases you can hear used on a golf course! The Basics:…
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John Bell, Tracey Ramin, Jonathan Snyder - USA Cairns cup Team

The Cairns Cup 2022 Winners…

The Cairns Cup 20022 winners were crowned after a week-long festival of disability golf! The USA Team proved too strong for the Europeans resulting in a 3 – 21 loss in the first-ever event of its kind. After numerous postponements, the unique tournament finally got underway in early May 2022, culminating in The Cairns Cup…
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Kris Aves - Disabled Golfer

Westminster Bridge Terrorist Victim named Vice-Captain of European Cairns Cup

The Cairns Cup – Premier Disability Golf Matchplay Event Just over five years ago, Kris Aves was paralysed in the Westminster Bridge attack after being hit by the van driven in a shocking terrorist attack. Doctors told him he’d never move his legs again. So, you could be forgiven for thinking – the off-duty police…
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John Lyons Actor

A Touch of Golf – John Lyons Interview

An interview with John Lyons (aka George Toolan) from the TV series A Touch of Frost… Golfer, and long term friend of The Social Golfer, John, told us why he started playing golf, his funniest moments on a golf course and of course, how he got started as an ‘ac-tor!’ We’re calling it, the John Lyons…
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Black Golfer holding Golf Club

Golf and Diversity – The BLACK Hole…

Golf and Diversity – What’s the problem? In the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year, 80 sporting governing bodies in the UK released a statement acknowledging that they had not done enough to confront racism and make meaningful change. One of those signatories was England Golf, the sport’s governing body at the amateur level,…
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South Coast UK Golf – Best Courses Reviewed…

South Coast UK Golf – East Sussex Courses Reviewed… Here are our views on two South Coast UK golf courses in East Sussex, close to the historic towns of Battle and Hastings. Every year the TSG Team heads off on a golf trip for a couple of days to discuss the next year’s TSG golf events,…
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Golf Societies Surrey – Where to golf…

Golf Societies in Surrey Golf Societies in Surrey are a great way to enjoy golf and it can often be more sociable than joining a golf club. This approach to playing golf often appeals to those that prefer to play lots of different courses rather than traditional clubs members (often referred to as golfing nomads).…
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Golf Societies Sussex – Where to golf…

Golf Societies in Sussex Golf Societies in Sussex are a popular way of enjoying your regular round of golf in the county, especially for those that are independent golfer or nomads. There are a variety of courses in Sussex to plan or organise your Golf Society or Charity fund-raising day, as there is a plethora…
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Golf Societies Essex – Where to golf…

Golf Societies in Essex Golf Societies in Essex are extremely popular and there are a variety of courses in Essex to choose from to organise your golf Society or Charity fund-raising day, including private members clubs, proprietary clubs, and ‘Pay and Play’ clubs. Essex is an excellent county for both the above golf day option but also…
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Country Spotlight – Golf in Japan…

Japanese Golf Following the recent success of Hideki Matsuyama at the 2021 US Masters in Augusta, we look at the popularity of golf in Japan and at some of the country’s best-rated golf courses. Population = 126.3m No. of golf courses = Approx. 2,500 Pro Golfers = 5K+ Golf Participation = 9.3m golfers Average cost…
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What is an Independent Golfer or Golfing Nomad?

What is an Independent Golfer? An Independent Golfer, also referred to as a Nomadic golfer or Social golfer, is someone who has no affiliation to any one golf club. These golfers particularly known for enjoying their golf using the ‘Pay and Play’ method, rather than playing the same golf course repeatedly at a golf club…
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The Social Golfer returns to South Essex Golf Club…

  TSG PARTNER CLUB: South Essex Golf Club… We are incredibly pleased to confirm next year’s curtain-raiser to the season sees us return to our first-ever host venue, South Essex Golf Club, host of The Social Golfer 2011 OPEN Championship. Back then, we had only just launched the website, but we still saw around 30…
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Join The Social Golfer at Celtic Manor in Sept 2020…

As we look back at TEN years of The Social Golfer, we felt it only right that we should find some way of celebrating this achievement! Back in 2010, we were a fledgling website with only a few users and with a couple of games a week being organised. Fast forward to 2020 and the site now…
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Golf the West Coast of Scotland…

Golf the West Coast of Scotland… There’s no doubt about it, some of the best links golf courses in the world can be found on the West Coast of Scotland! And if you’re interested in following in the footsteps of some of the greatest golfers of all time, you can’t go far wrong booking a…
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Why golfers can carry 14 golf clubs in their bag…

Ever wondered why you are allowed to carry up to 14 clubs in your golf bag? And who made this rule? And why? Here we look at some of the history and rationale as to why 14 is the magic number… The reasons why golfers carry 14 golf clubs in one bag – The History……
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The US Masters 2020 Golf Tournament…

The US Masters 2020 Golf Tournament… YES, it’s less than six weeks until the biggest and best names in golf descend on Augusta National in Georgia. We look here at who’s in form, who’s the bookie’s choice, and who’s due a win… US Masters 2020 – The History The Masters’ Tournament is, as always, the…
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Golf Trivia at Xmas….

So with the Xmas season upon us, we thought we would give you some golf trivia on which to impress your friends this Christmas! As such, we turned to regular TSG Newsletter columnist ‘Scottish Bob’ to share with us some great golf trivia nuggets he’s been researching in 2019… ‘Scottish Bobs’ Golf Trivia – The…
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The Golf Majors in 2020…

Men’s Golf Majors in 2020… As this year’s tour comes to an end and with John Rahm winning the Race to Dubai, we asked our friends at Freebets to look at the favourites for the So, 2019 was a memorable year for men’s golf, if not for one reason only, Tiger roared back! The major…
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Golf in Australia…

Friend of The Social Golfer ‘Bob’, tells us what there is to know about Golf in Australia… For the last couple of years or so of being a member of The Social Golfer and writing about all the beautiful & interesting golf clubs and golf courses around the world More specifically my own club here…
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Great Golf Courses of the World…

One of the very best aspects of golf is that you can plan a trip around the sport and visit some of the great golf courses in the world… You can pinpoint a course that you want to play on and then travel there and enjoy the beautiful surroundings while topping up your tan and…
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Eswatini Kingdon House

Golfing in South Africa – The Kingdom of Eswatini (Swaziland)…

Scottish Bob took another look at Golfing in South Africa and came across a country called The Kingdom of Eswatini! As the Social Golfers who read my golf articles know, I am always on the hunt for rare and exclusive places to play golf. Now, I have to admit I had not heard of this…
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The Open 2019 – Will American’s continue to dominate…

With only a few weeks until The Open 2019, we look at the continued domination of Golf Majors by the Americans and discuss if the trend is set to continue into this year’s tournament… Looking ahead to The Open 2019 – The stats When Gary Woodland birdied the 18th at Pebble Beach a few weeks…
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Pebble Beach Golf Club – US Open 2019…

Today the third of 2019’s Golf’s major begins, with this year seeing the tournament return to Pebble Beach Golf Club for the first time since 2010. Back then Tiger was about to enter the wilderness and it was Graeme McDowell who ended the week victorious! However, let us take a closer look at the club…
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Golf Participation in the UK in 2019 – Who’s to blame…

Why are people playing less golf than ever before and who’s to blame? As many people have reported over the last few years, golf in the UK has seen a decline both in rounds played and in membership. So, is the game in terminal decline or is there a renaissance around the corner? Here, Ian…
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