Words by Simon Skeldon Simon is a good friend of Cookie Jar, and someone with a particular penchant for the small little discs we use to mark our own balls on the green. He put pen to paper for this short but thoughtful examination with these small little hunks of metal we wander the links with in our pockets. Table of Contents "Markers in Time", by Simon Skeldon I love playing golf. Fifty years after making my first swing, I am still addicted to hitting shots that [...]
Words by Peter Handcock Five Holes I Can’t Stop Thinking About It’s no secret that I live and breathe golf. As someone who works at the Jar, and a fully-fledged golf nut for over a decade prior, I spend a lot of time immersing myself in the world of courses and design. But what truly captivates me is the variety within the sport — how, at the best courses, rarely do two holes ever feel quite the same. I find myself thinking about specific holes all the time. Earlier this month, I took a short trip to Scotland [...]
We first ran this feature all the way back in 2020. Since then, much has happened in the world of golf, none more so than the rampant demand to play some of the finest and most storied venues across all corners. So, given the GB&I rankings have each been updated in recent months, with Top100GolfCourses.com changing theirs this week, we thought we’d see what's happened and how they all stand up against each other. As a recap for those that weren’t with us back in 2020, here’s a refresh on how this is calculated: We take the rankings [...]
Words by Peter Handcock While many of us are gearing up for the season ahead, thousands of junior golfers across the country are doing so on a much more serious level. Junior Opens are the backbone of many boys' and girls' summer holidays, offering competitive golf at incredible venues for unbeatable value. Half Par—who, despite his appearance, aged out of these events a terrifying 10 years ago—reflects on why he now values them even more than national tournaments, before highlighting a range of standout Junior Opens taking place this year. If you’ve got a son or daughter and [...]
words by Peter Handcock This week, 640 school alumni make their annual pilgrimage to the Kent coast for the 101st year of the Halford Hewitt tournament. A festival of golf where 10 old boys (and girls) from a fixed list of 64 public schools across the Isles compete in a team scratch foursomes knockout at Royal Cinque Ports (and Royal St George's for the opening rounds). Some aim to survive round one, others chase another title—but for all, it’s a reunion first, where golf takes a back seat to the camaraderie and spirit of the game. Half Par [...]
words by James Burn While The Players happens this week over in Ponte Vedra Beach, another tournament will be taking place in the leafy suburbs of London, long regarded as the curtain raiser for the season. For those wishing to keep an eye on results and the draw, please hit the link here. Friend of Jar - James Burn - took to his macbook to write a few words about the history of the event and what makes it so unique. Table of Contents A Unique Contest [...]
With just over six months until the golfing world shifts its focus from the pro game to the Walker Cup—one of the game's purest events—at the legendary Cypress Point, the countdown is well and truly on. Walker Cup expert and friend of the Jar, Darragh Garrahy, looks back on the 1971 match at St Andrews, where Michael Bonallack led a supposedly tame GB&I (or just GB, according to Golf World) to a stunning victory over a star-studded US side that hadn’t lost the cup since 1938. ''1971, when David beat Goliath'' words by Dr Darragh Garrahy [...]
There’s something poetic about the Six Nations. For me, the six nations always starts in the depths of the cold, dark winter. But as the weeks go by and the ever dwindling possibility of Wales winning the six nations fades, a new excitement arises. The dawning of the golf season. For whilst the six nations begins in February in Winter, it ends in April and the shoots of Spring emerge - indicating the beginning of grass growth, the longer days and the start of the golf season. The six nations also brings the clash of rugby titans, the pilgrimage [...]
In the post-Covid world, where green fees are soaring due to golf's popularity boom and an ever-growing appetite among Americans to turn once-in-a-lifetime UK golf pilgrimages into twice-a-year rituals, the era of reasonably priced rounds at Britain’s best courses is, sadly, often a thing of the past. To help combat this, Half Par Kid has compiled a list of Britain’s 20 best value green fees for the year ahead - 10 under £50 and 10 between £50-£100. From off-the-beaten-track 9-hole gems to Top 100 courses that refuse to follow their competitors into eye-watering territory, there’s plenty to explore. [...]
Travelling the length and breadth of the UK, wearing out the British motorway network is tiring work, but someone has got to do it. Our content producer - Luke - has done this as much as anyone in CJG in 2024 shooting golf courses and indulging in the culinary delights of clubs up and down the land. In this editorial, Luke reflects on his year of ‘eating beige’ and shares the culinary highlights that stood out, much of which is sandwiched between some form of bread. words by Luke Davies Q: For those [...]
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