• Trottie Golf joins SkyGolf® as Consultant and Content Creator
SkyGolf®, maker of SkyCaddie®, one of the most-trusted rangefinders in golf, is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Chris Trott, the dynamic golf industry content creator and social media personality known as Trottie Golf (@trottiegolf on Instagram).
Trottie will be working with SkyGolf as a product consultant and content creator using SkyCaddie products.
Chris Trott is a former professional golfer, and professional club builder for some of the game’s best golfers. Having worked with multiple major champions, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, Trottie’s expertise has become sought-after amongst players of all skill levels looking to play better golf.
And with over 20m views on social media in the last year alone, Trottie is one of golf’s most popular and current social media figures.
“I’ve watched SkyCaddie evolve over the years and used them myself when I realised I was losing strokes to my playing competitors,” said Trott. “As I’ve moved into the content space I’m amazed as to how reliant golfers have become on the laser and ignore the benefits a SkyCaddie GPS provides in terms of distance information for more accurate course management and decision making.
“SkyCaddie’s terrific success on the Legends Tour in Europe, where 70% of the field regularly use SkyCaddie GPS in tournaments, is testament to how effective they are when the chips are down.
“One of the key reasons for this partnership with SkyCaddie is that it enables me to further educate players and expand my content as I continue to help everyone improve their game and ultimately have more fun.”
Trottie Golf is a respected name and authority in the golfing community, offering insightful content, expert reviews, and engaging discussions on all things golf. With a dedicated following of serious golfers across his YouTube channel and other social media platforms, Trottie Golf has established itself as a trusted source of information and inspiration for golfers worldwide.
“We are thrilled about our partnership with Trottie Golf,” said James Holmes, SkyCaddie Director of Sales & Operations EMEA. “Chris is passionate about helping players make the proper choices to help them play better, which is one of our main messages as well.
“He understands the benefits of using SkyCaddie GPS products to help golfers make better decisions on the course and we look forward to working creatively with him to get that message out.”
Trottie will incorporate SkyCaddie products in his content and will be offering his consulting experience as the company develops new products and services to help golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
SkyCaddie offers a line of award-winning rangefinders, including the SX400 and SX550 handheld models and the stylish LX5 and LX5 with ceramic bezel smart watches. All SkyCaddie rangefinders and smart watches are preloaded with over 35,000 exclusive best-in-class course maps, and feature Wi-Fi connectivity to streamline application updates and download the latest golf course updates without connecting to a computer.
For more information about SkyCaddie, visit https://uk.skygolf.com or
call +44 (0)1844 296360.
• Rounds Played Stay Strong Through Third Quarter
After a sluggish start to the year, 2023 rounds played across Great Britain remain well clear of pre-pandemic numbers, in the latest sign that golf’s pandemic participation boom has reset the baseline appetite for the game. Only January of the first nine months of the year saw a dip against 2019 figures, while the remainder of the year has so far seen 2023 track and often exceed the booming totals seen outside lockdowns during the period 2020-2022. September was the quarter’s strongest performing month, both against 2022 (up 10%) and against 2019 (up 55%).
Quarterly rounds played across Great Britain were up 5% compared to Q3 2022, pushing the year to date total 3% ahead of 2022. The year to date average of 2,910 rounds played per course per month means there are 646 more rounds per course per month being played, or an extra of 21 more people per day.
Continued congratulations for such a strong and consistent growth in play frequency should go to everyone involved in the sport, including to the clubs and their teams who are clearly successfully engaging and retaining golfers of all standards.
Praise should also go to governing bodies, with initiatives like the iGolf, Openplay and Flexigolf schemes for independent golfers in England, Scotland and Wales respectively also bearing fruit in providing routes for non-members and newer golfers to track improvement and access competitive golf, helping those people to stay in the game. 2022 figures from England Golf showed that only 6% of iGolf subscribers had previously been golf club members, while the average age of the scheme users was younger than golf club members.
Since 2000, Sporting Insights has tracked rounds played at commercial golf courses across mainland Great Britain. For more information or to purchase the full report, contact Richard Payne.
• World’s foremost putting coach opens London studio
London’s golfers are in for a treat next month when the world-renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon opens his new studio at Tee Box on Leadenhall Street, in the heart of London’s financial district.
The English putting guru, who coaches world #1 Scottie Scheffler as well as a host of other well-known PGA Tour and Ryder Cup golfers, will be bringing his Putting Solutions framework to Tee Box along with the venue’s resident putting coach Mike Clark.
The new state-of-the-art facility will offer the world’s best putting technology including an adjustable Zen Green Stage which can create an almost infinite number of putts to be analysed using software from world-leading brands such as Quintic, SAM Puttlab and GASP.
Phil Kenyon will launch his latest Putting Studio – his fourth in the world – at an action-packed launch event held at Tee Box’s 88 Leadenhall Street address on Tuesday 5th December, from 6pm.
On launch night golfers will be able to try some of the most famous putts in golf’s history recreated on the Zen Green Stage, with personal tips from Kenyon himself.
Kenyon, who has dual bases at Formby Hall in Lancashire and at Sea Island in Georgia, USA, said: “This is all about offering world-class putting instruction right in the heart of London, at the amazing Tee Box facility which is without doubt the capital’s most complete indoor golf centre.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with Mike Clark and the Tee Box team to develop people’s skills on the greens!”
Tee Box already offers world-class indoor golf with multiple TrackMan launch monitors at its two venues in the City of London at St Pauls and Leadenhall.
Co-founder Liam McCrossan said: “Phil’s global reputation, after helping so many of the world’s best-known golfers to achieve multiple Major victories and Ryder Cup successes, is unsurpassed in golf. He is a modern-day coaching superstar in the world of golf, and we are so excited that he will be bringing his knowledge and passion to our Tee Box Leadenhall venue.
“Tee Box is now the exclusive home in London of truly world-class putting instruction.”
Experienced putting coach Mike Clark joins the Tee Box team at the same time, and will be based there from Monday to Friday each week to implement Kenyon’s world-famous Putting Solutions coaching framework – where every golfer’s putting is developed on a completely individual basis.
“Phil and I have been friends for years, and when the chance arrived to join the team at his new Putting Studio at Tee Box London, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” said Clark, who formerly collaborated with Kenyon to pioneer new putter custom-fitting programmes for Odyssey Golf, one of the sport’s biggest brands.
“Putting seems to be simple, until you stand in front of a putt that you simply have to hole! Can you aim the ball properly, can you start it at the hole, can you manage the speed and can you read the slopes of the green? We have the world’s best putting technology here – plus decades of putting instruction experience – to help you to miss fewer putts!
“I share a vision for excellence with Phil and the Tee Box team, led by Harry Varney and Liam McCrossan. I predict big things as the business expands throughout the city.”
McCrossan and Varney don’t intend to stop at just two venues in London. “We are opening at least one more site in London in 2024,” said McCrossan. “With Tee Box you are guaranteed the best technology available, and the best coaching.
“With the Phil Kenyon Putting Studio now open at Tee Box London, the capital’s golfers need never walk alone again onto the green – wherever they play in the world. Phil and Mike’s amazing advice will be with them on every putt.”
Phil Kenyon concluded: “Liam, Harry and the Tee Box team have already done a great job in establishing Tee Box as London’s most sought-after indoor golf membership. With the arrival of Mike Clark and our new Putting Studio, Tee Box has become a truly world-class destination for both serious and recreational golfers – for every shot you can possibly play, tee to green.”
Enquire further at www.tee-box.co.uk or email info@tee-box.co.uk or call +44 (0)20 7870 6342.
• 2023 PING Junior Masters finishes in style at Close House
A group of nearly 70 talented junior golfers showed their potential as they competed for the PING Junior Masters titles on the championship Colt Course at Close House.
The event has qualifiers that run from May to September in nine counties, from Fife to Lincolnshire, and gives juniors the chance to experience competitive golf. Through the event, Close House offers free coaching to more than 1,000 school children, with the aim of unearthing and developing the talent of the future.
The youngsters all received welcome gifts from PING Europe prior to taking on the challenge of the prestigious Close House Colt Course, which earlier this year hosted the International Series England. The overall winner was 11-year-old Owen Green from Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, who shot an incredible score of 46 points to win by seven shots.
Close House’s attached professional, Lee Westwood, played a big part in the initial development of the Junior Masters, with the vision to help grow the game and create more competitive opportunities for keen young golfers.
“It’s great to see how the event has grown since 2017,” commented Westwood. “With Close House and PING offering juniors the chance to compete in a fun yet competitive tournament, hopefully some of them will go on to be the stars of the future. I’m very proud to be involved.”
Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Close House, commented: “It is fantastic that the event offers youngsters of all handicaps the chance to compete for the honour of being the Junior Master. The standard of golf on show was excellent but seeing the juniors enjoy the event was the most rewarding aspect. We hope to continue the growth of the event in 2024.”
This year’s event saw PING Europe continue its support of the tournament, providing all the prizes at the grand final and helping to make it a truly memorable experience for the juniors involved.
Age group winners:
Boys U12 winner – Owen Green (Overall Champion)
Boys U18 winner – Charlie Farquharsen
Girls U18 winner - Jorja Newbould
Boys U15 winner – Henry Price
Girls U15 winner – Scarlotte Richardson
Girls U12 winner – Ava Allenby