The course on Day 1 made a statement to the players that they best keep their ball out of the bunkers. After plenty of build-up about the greenkeeper’s use of the hay rake, which with wider teeth can cause the ball to nestle a little further down in the sand, the players found the sand traps to be penal hazards indeed. Perhaps more noticeably challenging on Day 1, was the way in which the bunkers have been dug flat, with balls getting trapped in the corners and up against the faces. With 81 traps in total on the links, we [...]

So much has been said about the new 17th hole here at Hoylake and the unique challenge it will pose the players this week. As Cookie Jar’s roving reporter for the day, I headed over there to see how the first 30 players took on the challenge and how they fared. After seeing Michael Kim’s tweet late last night with the Round 1 Pin Sheet attached, before I had even arrived at Little Eye, I knew that the pin was going to be tucked front right. Just as I arrived at the greenside stand, the greenkeepers were finishing cutting it [...]

Before you start reading, I must warn you that I’m about to enter down a very niche and rather weird golf equipment rabbit hole, but its Open week and I’m here for it. During a brief escapade on the course during today’s practice round, the mad dashes of colour bobbing down the fairways of Royal Liverpool were offering up a stark, but welcome contrast to the menacing clouds drawing in overhead. The Open staff bags have arrived. Am I really writing this? Yes. We march on. Here at Cookie Jar Golf, we love stash, and it is a central [...]