FIELDREPORT


Golf Breaks- a nice little earner?


According to SMS Inc., only 2% of golfers from Britain and Ireland stated that their last golf break was with a golf pro compared to 9% of German and 8% of French golfers. Foremost and golfreaks.com’s new partnership is trying to ensure that we Brits start to emulate our European neighbours. Paul Trow reports


B


ack in the 1960s, the highlight of my father’s golfing year came each autumn when he and 14 fellow members of


Halesowen golf club trekked from the West Midlands for a long weekend of playing and instruction at Woodhall Spa. This gem of an inland links course was already


well-established as a Mecca for club golfers all over England. The design of its championship course, overseen by Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor no less, presented challenges and delights way beyond the norm. And accommodation in adjacent hotels, B&Bs and dorm-houses was always of the highest quality. In those days, Woodhall Spa was owned by the


Hotchkin family, but since its acquisition in 1995 by the English Golf Union there’s been no slip in on-course standards while the practice facilities have become the envy of the entire game. As I recall, the way it worked at Halesowen was


that the assistant professional – the head pro being a retiring, non-travelling sort – would put


20 SGBGOLF

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